章 924: 32
Chiron POV
After thousands of years in teaching countless demigods, training them, mentoring, and saying farewell, Chiron was always surprised by how the unexpected would still manage to catch him off-guard.
He supposed this was the charm of demigods who share both the unpredictable nature of humans as well as that of fickle gods.
When the Great Prophecy began to loom over their heads, Chiron had his hands full with Annabeth and the arrival of the sea god's son. Chiron would never wish for a child to feel sorry for their own birth, but the fact remained that Percy's existence shouldn't have happened under the Big Three's oath. A life under such circumstances only carried great consequences; most often and extremely unfairly, the demigod would suffer those consequences.
It seemed inevitable to see Percy's role in the Great Prophecy, so Chiron did his best to do the usual: mentor, train, guide, provide. He refrained from doing more than necessary, never overstepping, pushing too far, or meddling. Chiron had a number of bitter and painful instances when he did too much. Failed quests, spurned favors, deteriorated trust, and worst of all, loss of more than one life. Experience and skill did not triumph Fate, nor was it always helpful as it could be a barrier as well.
In the end, it was best to leave the heroes to their own devices and to Fate. Even if only a tragic ending awaited them.
This prophecy was no different than all the others in this way. Chiron watched as the years flowed, watching the campers grow, knowing that he won't see some of them in the near future, and accepting the grief while also being grateful for the present.
As their teacher who has completed many cycles of prophecies, Chiron often felt as though he stood on the crow's nest in a rocking ship. The tumultuous sea was Fate and the scrambling crewmates were demigods. All around him, he could see the waves of Fate churning and tossing the ship to its own satisfaction, completely disinterested in the plights of the heroes. The sea only cared about the destination of the ship; it did not care about those onboard. With the bird's eye view, Chiron could guide and point out the incoming dangers to the passengers. He was ultimately one of the few figures on the ship that was not affected by the storm, for Fate had placed him in a permanent role. He was not subject to the sea's torment, but this was no better than a cage. Chiron would forever witness demigods coming and going for as long as Fate willed. He watched generations of heroes stubbornly commandeering the ship, trying to grapple with the uncontrollable, vast sea of prophecies. They always struggled with the buffeting winds and the water that constantly threatened to capsize them.
Sometimes their struggles led to their happiness in which all survived. They stayed aboard after crossing the ocean. Their lives continued after the journey.
Sometimes there was only one desolate soul left standing.
Then the ship would dock. The old members would step off.
A new group of crewmates would board.
Another prophecy.
Another storm.
Repeat.
And in the midst of all the uncertainty, distress, and fear, there stood a lone singularity that dove straight into the intangible entanglement of Fate.
Chiron would have to admit that he didn't notice Jade until a few years prior. It wasn't her style to be on the main stage of a play and she wasn't even part of the backstage crew either. No, Jade had always acted as a member of the audience and even then, she made it difficult to be spotted among the spectators. Always out of the spotlight, out of sight, out of mind, and barely treading the outskirts of the group.
As it turns out, she had been pulling puppet strings on the main stage all along.
Jade was as peculiar as demigods came with her own brand of cynicism covered by a layer of lax sarcasm, however she had always been a good camper. She had a proper, level head on her shoulders with experienced training, turning her into a capable demigod which was more than what Chiron could ask for in a camper. There was nothing remotely special about her entrance into Camp Half-Blood, no outstanding abilities right off the bat, no godly claiming, and no dramatic events to cause heads to turn her way. Despite the seeming lack of remarkability, Jade had always been incredibly reliable. It was something Annabeth had noticed right away, so Chiron found himself relying on her as well. Her dreams and particular talent for manipulating the Mist were useful assets in messy moments.
After Chiron, Jade was the de-facto Mist generator whenever they had the rare excursion outside of Camp Half-Blood. She became a steady presence over the years, always available and ready to help. Then, he asked her to keep tabs on Luke through the silver scythe charm. She consistently updated Chiron whenever Luke tried to contact her.
Then it escalated when she volunteered to infiltrate the Titan Army.
She had asked to meet privately after the events of the winter solstice. Jade had proposed the plan herself, completely determined and stubborn.
"Chiron, you can't let anyone know," she had pleaded.
Chiron shook his head.
"The risks outweigh the benefits," she said. "Let me do this for camp."
Chiron covered his face with a hand, distressed at the memory. Jade had known that she could convince him with a little more persuasion.
"Chiron, you know we need something, anything, to give us an edge for what's about to come. There's a war looming, maybe in a year or two, but we need to be ready," Jade had explained with a strained tone. "I want to do this. I can do it."
He told her that she'd be risking her life.
"The Great Prophecy is about to happen. I think we should be taking some risks."
And so the following season, Chiron fabricated a story to Jade's mother for a camp excursion so that Jade could infiltrate the Princess Andromeda. Near that time, he also approved Clarisse's solo mission to investigate the Labyrinth. Overseeing the two operations brought about bittersweet emotions in which he recognized that his campers were older, no longer sheltered to the advances of war. Both had proved successful ventures. Clarisse found trails of the Titan Army and rescued Chris Rodriguez while Jade came back with invaluable intel. She additionally gained the trust of Luke in the process, so she was privy to many details of the Titan's plans. On top of all those successes and coming out alive, she pulled out dozens of demigods from the enemy's side to avoid combat.
It was before Annabeth's quest into the Labyrinth that Jade requested another private meeting. Chiron had anticipated something similar, like a second spy mission.
Another deep dive into the Titan Army.
Perhaps an attempt to sabotage from the inside.
All those expectations had flown out the window when she stepped into his office.
Chiron remembered staring at her, completely shell-shocked.
"What have you done to yourself, child," he had asked in disbelief.
A sad smile hung on Jade's face. "You can tell?"
She admitted to bathing in the Underworld's River Styx, one of the most dangerous acts that a demigod could attempt.
And then Jade revealed to Chiron the entirety of Kronos' plans of returning from Tartarus. The Titan Lord planned to make Luke a physical host until the Titan could fully reform, killing Luke in the process. The physical host was required to bathe in the River Styx to gain the Curse of Achilles to be fit to house a Titan.
Jade intended to delay the Titan Lord by dissuading Luke from bathing and becoming an appealing host candidate herself.
It was too extreme. Why would she do this to herself?
Jade confessed that she didn't tell Chiron about her intentions since she knew that he would object.
And just like the first time she convinced him to allow her to be a spy, Jade explained that it was all for the sake of thwarting Kronos' rise to power. If done right, this would become a major setback to the Titan's plans. He could not defeat the Olympian gods if he wasn't at his full strength, nor could he afford to stall for too long. She insisted that all she intended to do was prevent Luke from becoming the host.
"I'll be the Trojan horse for this prophecy. It'll take out Luke and delay the Titan Lord in one blow."
In hindsight, Chiron should have realized the meaning of this metaphor. There was a grand scheme of Jade's purpose. That there was a greater reason other than deterring Kronos' return. The looming threat of Tartarus should have been a sign, but Chiron couldn't have fathomed that Jade would foresee a future beyond the Titans' return…
For years to come, this was a point of reflection that the centaur would find himself contemplating from time to time.
However, in the present, Chiron watched the Fates support Jade. Annabeth chose Jade as a party member for the Labyrinth quest. The god of sleep, Hypnos, claimed Jade as his own, which allowed her to join the quest. Percy and Annabeth returned from the Labyrinth, distraught at losing Jade at Mount St. Helens, but then it was later revealed that Jade had joined Luke. And when he learned that Luke had been cursed by Jade with the Madness of Hera, Chiron realized Jade's plans might have gotten out of hand. If Jade wasn't able to prevent Luke from gaining the Curse of Achilles, she must have resorted to this.
Privately, Chiron wanted to lament at the irony of Luke's suffering. The mental, physical, and emotional torment from the Madness of Hera mirrored that of his mother's fractured mind and body.
Chiron wondered if Jade knew about Luke's mother, the poor Clear-sighted woman who thought she could host the Oracle of Delphi. She, like her son, failed in hosting a powerful being. Luke never said so himself, but he hated his mother's maniacal fits and yet, he was suffering something too similar.
It was such a cruel parallel that Chiron could never voice it aloud.
The centaur hoped to meet Jade again, just so he could reprimand her for all the dangerous choices but also be glad that she's safe. However, in the aftermath of the invasion and the wake of Tartarus' stirring, Chiron realized that he wouldn't be seeing Jade anytime soon.
After tracking down the stragglers of the Titan Army in the forest, cleaning up the battlefield, and then treating injured campers, there were a series of meetings with the cabin leaders and war council to discuss the recent events and current affairs. There was a layer of details that had gone undetected, only now revealed by a few unexpected individuals.
Namely, Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, Ethan Nakamura, and Clovis, Jade's half-brother.
Though Chiron had experienced many things in his thousands of years, it was the first for demigods to face two apocalyptic threats at the same time.
He wondered how many would remain standing on the ship in the aftermath.
Annabeth POV
The days after the invasion passed like a blur.
After they cleaned up camp, preparation for the looming war proceeded in full steam. Not only did they resume intensive drills and training, they continued creating weapons and began to actively design and implement plans to sabotage the Titan Army.
Annabeth was in constant communication with her second-in-command, Malcolm, as well as the war council. She was also keeping tabs on their contacts outside of camp. They began to send out scouts to observe the Titan Army's activities in the mortal world. Grover was one of them and he assisted with teams of satyrs, dryads, naiads, and other elemental spirits.
There was rarely a moment of rest.
During a rare, quiet hour in the middle of the week, Annabeth sat in front of her cabin's bookshelf. She rifled through previous journals of demigods who had documented their experiences in war, organizing them as she found them. In the silent activity, a numbness entered her heart and a dissonance in her head.
Jade.
One of her oldest friends. The closest like a sister after Thalia. The unwavering anchor in the chaotic sea of uncertainty.
After Luke's betrayal, Annabeth thought that her world was falling apart.
And then, Jade left too. Annabeth didn't want to understand.
And now, Chiron told her and Percy the truth.
Jade was a spy planted in the Titan Army ever since Luke left camp. She began infiltrating during the spring after the winter solstice, gaining Luke's trust and feeding false information about camp. She learned of Kronos' ultimate plan in resurrecting via Luke's body as a host and was moderately successful in dissuading Luke. However, against Jade's predictions, Luke bathed in the River Styx in obedience to Kronos. Jade didn't have a chance to make countermeasures once Luke found Nico in the Titan Palace.
From there, Annabeth was able to piece together the details.
Jade cursed Luke so that Nico wouldn't fall into Kronos' hands, nor could Luke be a suitable host for Kronos. And so, Kronos needed a new host if his plans were to stay on schedule. Just as she intended, Jade volunteered herself.
As Chiron told her and Percy what Jade had planned, Clovis and Nico filled in the picture with details of what Jade had done to prepare in the meantime. Clovis confirmed Jade's intentions and Nico backed him up with a story of their visit to the River Styx and Lethe in the Underworld. It explained how there was an available vial of Styx water to start a branch extension of the River Styx and Lethe water to subdue Kampê. Their story also confirmed that Jade has the Curse of Achilles, which was why Jade was able to survive the fight against Kampê and the telekhines at Mount St. Helens.
Their stories showed how Jade had been preparing for the Great Prophecy for a long, long time. Even though Jade rebuffed Annabeth's requests for special insights or dreams, she'd been working behind the scenes.
Without anyone knowing, Jade managed to do exactly what she intended: sabotage Luke as Kronos' host and be the replacement.
When the Titan's Army approaches Olympus next year, Jade would be possessed by Kronos.
She left a final piece of information with her half-brother, Clovis, who was obviously distraught to share it.
With gritted teeth and glassy eyes, he informed them that Jade's Achilles heel was the edge of her right shoulder blade.
She apologized for not making it more of an easy target, Clovis said. If the Achilles heel was too open, she would have risked dying before offering herself to Kronos.
It's an easy spot to target with her back turned, but it'd be covered with armor so that Kronos wouldn't feel exposed. According to Clovis, Jade purposely picked that spot for its simplicity.
Jade had prepared two vials of River Lethe. She had used the first one in the Labyrinth when fighting Kampê. If a single vial was enough to memory wipe Kampê, it could be enough to momentarily stun a Titan possessing a demigod's body. It'd be just a couple of seconds, but it gave time that one could rarely obtain from the Lord of Time.
It was a chance to strip Jade of armor and target her Achilles heel. It was the one, mortal weakness of Kronos before fully ascending into a Titan form.
The second vial of River Lethe was left with Clovis for that sole purpose.
Clovis had reluctantly given the glass tube to Annabeth, clearly unhappy with his half-sister's intentions. Annabeth felt the same and didn't want to be in possession of the vial. She felt like she was carrying poison when she held it.
Annabeth almost wished that Jade simply betrayed camp.
Ananbeth's eyes watered.
Of course, Jade cared. Annabeth berated herself for ever doubting that.
"Everything okay?"
Percy's cautious voice came from outside Athena's cabin. Annabeth looked at the ceiling and breathed in deeply, willing the tears to go away.
"Yeah," she said in a quiet voice. She finished putting away the journals and stepped outside to meet Percy. They walked side-by-side to the lake and without realizing it, they found themselves at the spot below the tree where Jade liked to nap. There was a beat of strained silence as they stared at the spot together, both sides unwilling to bring up any mention of Jade.
It's been hard to talk about Jade or Luke with Percy. It was such a touchy topic for Annabeth, especially when discussing the possibilities of getting Luke or Jade to return to camp. It was hard to imagine their return after all that they've done and that wasn't the only concern that was weighing on everyone's minds. After all, Camp Half-Blood was now facing two forces of danger: Kronos and Tartarus.
"I was thinking," Percy said carefully.
"That's a bad sign."
Percy rolled his eyes with a smile, but it faded. "I talked to Nico, he said he'll stick around camp for a bit before going out. He'll be one of the scouts to check on the Titan Army."
He was stalling the real question.
"And so, that led me to think about the prophecy," Percy tried again. "Nico was the 'ghost king'."
Annabeth fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn't say anything to continue the conversation.
"The prophecy said we'll dive into the labyrinth," Percy said. "The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. Nico raised a lot of the dead. I thought Ethan was the traitor, but he ended up sticking with camp in the end. Instead, Jade became the traitor willingly. We found the spirit of Pan, the lost one."
Stop, Annabeth wanted to say. She couldn't talk about this now.
"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," Percy pressed on. "That's Nico and he saved us. The child of Athena's final stand - that was Daedalus."
"I can't-"
"Destroy with a hero's final breath. Again, that's Daedalus. He died to destroy the Labyrinth. But the last line-"
"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth fought back the tears in her eyes. "That was what scared me so much."
Percy blinked, his green eyes registering the meaning of her words. "Luke?"
"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about," Annabeth admitted. "For years, Luke was the only one who really cared about me, so I thought…"
Annabeth didn't know what to think, or feel. She was weighing the years and memories shared with Luke against the rising feelings for Percy. If Jade were here, she would tell Annabeth that she's using her head too much.
She sighed. "I thought it could've been Luke, but it could've also been…it just feels like it would've been my fault either way."
"You have nothing to feel guilty for, my dear." Standing on the lake was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over a shoulder.
"Hera," Annabeth recognized.
The goddess smiled. "You completed your quest successfully, as I knew you would."
"A success?" Annabeth asked in disbelief. "Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. Jade is sacrificing herself. How is that-"
"Our family is safe," Hera insisted. "Those others are better gone, my dear, I am proud of you."
Percy balled his fists. "You mean your perfect family."
Hera glowered dangerously. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. It is my duty to keep our family safe. Have I not done so for you in this quest?"
"What are you-?"
Annabeth cut in. "You allowed Jade to use your curse, didn't you? That's what the 'queen's permission' meant."
Percy's eyes widened in realization.
Annabeth's voice was tight with anger. "So, you knew about Jade's plans and gave her the curse, even though it meant that she would replace Luke as the Titan host."
Hera waved her hand dismissively. "Your friend was aware of the consequences. Besides, she does not belong, she knows it herself."
"What do you mean Jade doesn't 'belong'?" Percy asked in disbelief.
"She is-," Hera paused. The lake water shifted and the clouds over their heads darkened.
"It cannot be spoken," the goddess said tightly. "Regardless, Annabeth, my dear, you must see that I have helped. I would welcome any sacrifice for my efforts."
Annabeth stood still as a statue. It would have been simple to say 'thank you' or promise some barbecue on the brazier for Hera, and then forget everything. All Hera did was enact one favor of which she didn't even have direct involvement. It wouldn't have been a big deal. Instead, Annabeth clenched her jaw stubbornly and looked straight at the goddess. Percy realized that it was one of the best things about Annabeth: she never backed down from believing in the right thing.
"Percy is right," Annabeth said. "You like perfect families, so I understand that you did what you thought would be helpful."
Hera beamed expectantly.
"But those were my friends you messed with," Annabeth gritted out. "We have a Titan to expel out of Jade's body and your curse to take out of Luke. If you help us with both, then maybe I'll consider giving you a piece of sacrifice then."
Annabeth's proposition smacked Hera's face, leaving a faint sneer. Her form began to glow.
"To think that my goodwill would be repaid with such insolence," Hera tutted disappointingly. "You will regret this, Annabeth."
Annabeth and Percy averted their eyes as the goddess turned into her true divine form and disappeared in a blaze of light. Leftover bits of cinder danced over the lake water. They both watched the little chunks of ash fade without speaking to each other.
Annabeth was afraid that Percy was going to ask her more questions because she didn't know she would answer them. He always asked difficult questions. She didn't mean to ice him out, but it was just so hard to put together the words that she was feeling and thinking because…how was she supposed to explain that she had loved Luke for so long? They'd been through everything together, before and after coming to camp, so how was she supposed to forget all of that when he betrayed her? And now, Percy comes along and it's only been a few years, but he's become something much more than just a friend. He was special.
She just didn't know if Percy was more special than Luke. She didn't know if comparing the two of them made sense. Did she even think of them the same way?
Luke was always there and she had never doubted how he cared for her, but their relationship had been tempered by fear and necessity when they fended for themselves in the outside world. On the other hand with Percy…from day one, Percy had stuck by her and proved it with his actions.
All she knew was that it could've been Luke or Percy that she lost in the Labyrinth.
As she stared at the shifting water, Annabeth let out a shaky breath. "I want to save both."
Percy understood what she was talking about. "I do too."
Annabeth deeply appreciated Percy's immediate reply. He didn't even question the near impossible chances of saving Jade and Luke. It implied a lot of trust in her, even when she wasn't feeling confident in herself. When facing Hera, she talked like she knew how to save them both, but thoughts of doubt filled her mind.
How were they supposed to save either of them? On top of the near impossible, Luke was lost in the Labyrinth. How was he going to survive by himself?
Annabeth's grey eyes lit up at a startling realization and she grabbed Percy's arm.
"Percy, Chiron said that Luke has the curse, right?" She voiced her thoughts aloud. "If he's invulnerable, then he could still be alive in the Labyrinth."
Percy pressed his lips together. "I-I think it's possible," he admitted reluctantly. "No monster could hurt him unless they somehow got to his only weak spot."
But Jade had inflicted Luke with the Madness of Hera. Could he survive alone in a place like the Labyrinth suffering with a godly curse even with an indestructible body?
Percy POV
Later that week, Percy and Tyson said goodbye to Briares. The Hundred-Handed One wanted to help with the war efforts and decided to teach the Cyclopes forgotten forging techniques to create better weapons and armor. With directions from Tyson, Briares waded out into the ocean until his enormous head disappeared under the waves. Percy and Tyson waved at the last hands as they peaked above the water surface.
Camp returned to the closest semblance of normalcy after the cleanup. It was nice to have a "regular" dinner at camp for the first time in a while. Tyson sat with him at the Poseidon table and they got to scrape a part of their meals into the brazier as an offering to their sea god father.
Percy was genuinely grateful for a lot of things. His friends were alive. He was still alive. Camp survived a terrible invasion. Kronos suffered a setback, even if it was at the cost of two important people.
At that thought, Percy looked for Nico when the campers headed toward the amphitheater. The son of Hades sat at the very back where the shadows seemed to lean into him in contrast to the bonfire burning at the center of the benches.
"Hi," he said softly, looking at Clarisse and Chris Rodriguez. The two were sitting shoulder to shoulder and singing the stupid campfire song together.
"That's Chris Rodriguez," Percy pointed to the big Hispanic kid. "He was a part of Luke's Labyrinth search party and got driven mad down there, but Dionysus healed him a few days ago."
"Yeah, I know. Jade kept him asleep throughout the summer," Nico said.
Jade's name made both of them watch Clarisse and Chris in silence for a moment.
"Do you think…she really planned for all this to happen?" Nico asked.
Percy thought back to all the times that he talked to Jade about the Great Prophecy. There weren't many instances, but he remembered how every time, she'd remind to keep his eyes forward. To keep walking and to stop worrying, because worrying would make things worse. Her words made sense now. She seemed to have known that everything would work out, somehow.
"I don't know if she meant for things to turn out this way, but I think she knew what she was doing," Percy admitted. "Jade always seemed to know more than she let on."
Nico opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped.
Instead, he asked, "Are you going to try and save her?"
Both of them knew that Jade's plan didn't involve her surviving the Great Prophecy. Between Chiron, Nico, Clovis, Annabeth, and Percy, there'd been an unspoken understanding that Jade wasn't going to be alive at the end of next year. There was also an unspoken understanding that no one wanted to accept it.
The impossible chance of saving Jade didn't faze him.
"Yeah, we're going to save Jade," Percy said with a determined resolve. "I promise."
"No promises," Nico reminded him with a sad smile.
Percy blinked. Right, he had said the same thing almost a year ago about Bianca and Jade warned him against making promises he couldn't keep. Nico seemed to have remembered that little lesson better than Percy.
Percy wondered if Jade knew about Bianca's fate, too. Or, if she knew that quest during the winter solstice would've gone wrong altogether.
"I was thinking of taking Ethan with me and going into the Underworld," Nico said. "There's some stuff I want to look into about what Jade said about Tartarus. Ethan wants to come along since he thinks there are deeper issues than the upcoming war."
If Nico went alone, Percy would've objected, but he knew that Ethan was pretty knowledgeable and well-trained, so it didn't seem as risky. Even though Ethan joined the bad guys before, he was still reliable and wasn't actually a bad guy.
"You sure? You'd be safe at camp. You could help with our plans for war preparations."
Nico shook his head. "I also need to figure out my own life. I've got too many questions about my life. Like who was my mother? Who paid for Bianca and me to go to school? I know nothing about my past. I need to find out."
"Makes sense," Percy agreed. "Ethan would be helpful out there."
"He's sort of tied up in the Big House right now," Nico trailed off. "Too bad he's locked up."
Percy grinned. "Everyone's too busy with campfire songs right now. Too bad no one would notice a missing prisoner."
Nico stood up. "I guess I should check if anyone escaped."
Percy held out a fist. "Stay safe when you do."
Nico returned the fist, his ice-cold knuckles knocking against Percy's. "I'll let you know if we find anything important."
Percy watched the shadows bend as Nico left the amphitheater and walked to the Big House. Even though darkness was scary to walk through alone, it seemed to protect Nico in the nighttime. Percy trusted that he'd see the son of Hades sometime soon.
It was nice to see Nico walk away with an earnest pace, as if the kid was more comfortable with himself.
When the campfire died and everyone returned to their cabins, Percy spent some time sitting in front of the fountain in his cabin. Tyson snored in one of the bunk beds behind him.
The water glowed in the dark lighting as it trickled down the fountain. The soft splashes lulled Percy into a meditative trance as he replayed their last encounter with Jade at the Titan palace in his mind. They had begged her to stop and explain because they didn't understand her.
"Jade, why are you doing this?" Annabeth choked out. "I don't understand, I thought you cared about camp, about us."
Jade slowly blinked once. The bitter wind blew strands of hair over her dark eyes.
"I do care," she said.
She stood there with the Titan palace looming behind her, shrouded in heavy Mist.
It was difficult to parse through her actions without feeling pangs of bitterness and resentment.
Why did it have to be this way.
Why didn't she tell them.
Jade placed everyone on a stage like puppets and pulled strings like a director of a play. But, for the final act, she dropped the puppet strings and entered the stage herself as another puppet. She expected someone else to pull her strings and finish the script she created. Jade was forcing their hand.
Her strings were thorny and tangled.
Percy didn't want to pick up what Jade left behind.
x
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