Goodnight Moon ↣ P. Jackson + A. Chase

2.16

When Kassandra was little she had often thought of her own death. Not in any morbid sense, but with the curiosity of a child, a girl that had seen things come and go, and naturally, she wondered when it would be her time, how she would go. When Kassandra was little, she didn't need to wonder what death looked like. She could sense when people were sick, could tell when they were on the path of recovery from death. She never needed to wonder when she saw the occasional demigod tearing through the streets away from salivating monsters.

She had never wondered, but she had never sought it out either. Kassandra had never had the desire to die, but that didn't stop her from climbing the mountain and facing the titan that slaughtered her in her dream -- the titan that her father had practically warned would kill her.

The General sneers. "You have no right to interfere, little hero. This is a family matter."

Percy frowns. "A family matter?"

"Yes," Zoe says bleakly. "Atlas is my father."

"Who cares who he is," Kassandra huffs, gathering herself. "Let Artemis go."

Atlas chuckles and walks closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you would like to take the sky for her? Be my guess."

Zoe takes a step forward, ready to offer herself. Artemis shouts, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you!"

Atlas smirks and kneels down beside the chained goddess, reaching to touch her face. She jerks away, biting at his hand viciously.

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."

"Humility? It looks like you could use a few more centuries holding up the sky to teach you humility," Kassandra snaps, shifting her weight onto her front foot, she turned to the downed goddess. "Please, Aunty, let me-"

"No, Kassandra. I will not allow it. Do not ask again."

"I don't understand," Percy says. "Why doesn't she just let it go?"

Atlas laughs. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."

Kassandra's stomach turned, flipping uncomfortably as she shifts and breathed thickly. She glances at Luke. Is this the best he could dig up? Like, sure, he was a titan, but he didn't really appear to be all that... great.

He moves closer to them, studying Percy and Thalia. "These are the best heroes of the ages, eh? They aren't very impressive."

"Fight us then," Percy says. "Fight us and see."

He laughed harshly. "Have the gods taught you nothing? We immortals are above such petty things as fighting heroes. We do not fight mortals directly. It is beneath our station. I'll have Luke deal with you."

"You think that Luke could deal with four of us?" she blurts in disbelief, trying very hard no to feel overly offended.

"So you're just a coward," Percy says.

The titan's eyes flash with murder, glowing with hatred. She grabs Percy's wrist.

"As for you, Luke was wrong about you, daughter of Zeus."