daylight | percy jackson

look at the stars

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

BOOK THREE

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

❝ yes, my brave one. they are beautiful tonight. ❞

THEY LANDED at Crissy Field after nightfall.

As soon as Dr Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew... you shot... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

 "But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"

"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you... left."

Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. Aria noticed Dr Chase was very careful not to say ran away.

"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."

He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. Aria could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.

"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.

"Annabeth, Percy, Aria,"Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoë's side, binding the huntress's wounds.

The group ran over to help, but there wasn't much they could do. They had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but Aria could see that Zoë didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

"I-I can try healing her," Aria said, looking at Artemis. "Can't you use your magic too?"

The goddess looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Aria. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little we can do. We can try though."

The goddess tried to set her hand on Zoë's side, but the Hunter gripped her wrist. She looked into Artemis's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them. 

"Have I... served thee well?" Zoë whispered.

"With great honour," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoë's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

But in that moment, Aria knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her.

It was her father's final blow. Zoë had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save Aria and Percy, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside.

The Hunter saw Thalia, and took her hand.

"I am sorry we argued," she said. "We could have been sisters."

"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men – everything."

"Perhaps not all men," Zoë murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy, but shot Sam a disapproving look. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"