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i sat at the foot of my mother's throne.
annabeth was next to me, her head against my shoulder as she cried. i wanted to cry, but i couldn't. ever since cayden's death i've been finding it harder and harder to cry.
"tink, annabeth," percy started, "it's not your fault. i've never seen hermes act that way. i guess... i don't know... he probably feels guilty about luke. he's looking for somebody to blame. i don't know why he lashed out at you. you guys didn't do anything to deserve that."
annabeth sniffled and made no move to answer. i stared ahead, right at the hearth, feeling detached.
"um, you guys didn't, right?"
we still didn't answer.
"percy," i started, once i remembered something he mentioned. "what did you mean about luke's mother? did you meet her?"
percy nodded reluctantly. "nico and i visited her—"
"—nico," i cut in. "is he okay? oh gods, i haven't even been able to talk to him for a whole week. is he eating? has he—"
"i didn't ask him all of that," percy said.
"why not?" i narrowed my eyes.
"we... uh, we had something to do. but like i was saying, may castellan was a little... different." percy described her, and the weird moment when her eyes had started to glow and she talked about her son's fate.
annabeth frowned. "that doesn't make sense. but why were you visiting—"
i smacked her — by accident — as i remembered something, "hold up! hermes said you bear the curse of achilles. hestia said the same thing. did you bathe in the river styx?"
