A Friend Says Goodbye
We landed at Crissy field after nightfall. As soon as Uncle Fred 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. I noticed Uncle Fred 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 wasn’t a big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. I could understand 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, Ruby,” Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe’s side, binding the huntress’s wounds.
Annabeth, Percy and I ran over to help, but there wasn’t much we could do. We had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but I could see that Zoe didn’t look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.
”Can’t you heal her with magic?” Percy asked Artemis. “I mean… you’re a goddess.”
Artemis looked troubled. “Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try.”
She tried to set her hand on Zoe’s side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess’s eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them. “Have I… served thee well?” Zoe whispered.
”With great honour,” Artemis said softly. “The finest of my attendants.” This wasn’t the time for me to be offended at that. Also, it was kind of true. Zoe was one of, if not the, oldest Huntress, and perhaps even the most loyal of us. No one could compare to her.
Zoe’s face relaxed. “Rest. At last.”
”I can try to heal the poison, my brave one.” But in that moment, I knew it wasn’t just the poison that was killing her. It was her father’s final blow. Zoe 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 us, and Atlas’s fury had broken her inside.
She looked at me. Tears pricked my eyes. “I am sorry I could not help thee.”
“It's OK, Zoe. You did help me."
"Not as much as I would have liked, though."
She saw Thalia, and took her hand. “I am sorry we argued,” Zoe 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,” Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy. “Do you still have the sword, Percy?” Percy brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand. “You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Heracles. I am honoured that you carry this sword.” A shudder ran through her body.
"Zoe -“ Percy said.
“Stars,” she whispered. “I can see the stars again, my lady.”
A tear trickled down Artemis’s cheek. “Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight.”
”Stars,” Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again. Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. I watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe’s mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe’s lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe’s body shimmered and disappeared. Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished. For a moment, I didn’t see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, I saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern I had never noticed before - a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl’s figure - a girl with a bow, running across the sky.
”Let the world honour you, my huntress,” Artemis said. “Live forever in the stars.”
It wasn’t easy saying our goodbyes. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. This made me nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, we would disintegrate if we looked at her. “I must go to Olympus immediately.” Artemis said. “I will not be able to take you, but I will send help.” The goddess set her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder. “You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right.” Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren’t sure of what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess’s eyes. I wasn’t sure what passed between them, but Artemis’s gaze softened with sympathy. She nodded to me and then turned to Percy. “You did well,” she said. “For a man.” She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. We averted our eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.
”Well,” Uncle Fred sighed. “She was impressive, though I must say I still prefer Athena.”
Annabeth turned towards him. “Dad I… I’m sorry that -“
”Shh.” He hugged her. “Do what you must, my fear. I know this isn’t easy for you.” His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile. Then I heard the whoosh of large wings. Four pegasi descended through the fog: three white winged horses and one pure black one.
”Blackjack!” Percy said. There was a moment of silence where he was probably communicating with the pegasi inside his head. “Nah,” he said aloud. “These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast.”
Uncle Fred was staring open-mouthed at the Pegasi. “Fascinating,” he said. “Such manoeuvrability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse’s body, I wonder? Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges in the Crimea,” he said, “the charge of the Light Brigade -“
”Dad!” Annabeth interrupted.
Uncle Fred blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. “I’m sorry, my dear. I know you must go.” He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug. As she turned to climb onto one of the pegasi, Uncle Fred called, “Annabeth. I know… I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe.” Annabeth didn’t answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Uncle Fred started to say more, then apparently thought better of it.
I turned to him. "Whatever you do, do not mention this to Mom ever." He nodded then raised his hand in sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field. Thalia, Annabeth, Percy and I mounted our pegasi. Together we soared over the bay and flew towards the eastern hills. Soon San Francisco was only a glittering crescent behind us, with an occasional flicker of lightning in the north. Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on her pegasus’ back. I knew she had to be really tired to sleep in the air, despite her fear of heights, but she didn’t have much to worry about. Her pegasus flew with ease, adjusting himself every once in a while so Thalia stayed safely on his back. I was so tired that I fell asleep, too, trusting my pegasus to do the same for me.
”There it is.” Someone said, waking me up. I realised that it was Thalia. She was pointing towards Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. “It’s started.”
”What’s started?” Percy asked. Then I looked where she was pointing. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.
”The winter solstice,” Thalia said. “The Council of the Gods.”