Cecilia Holmes, Daughter of Minerva (Sherlock/Percy Jackson crossover)

Chapter 49

    “Well, you’re up early,” Nemesis said, sounding surprised as I sat on the railing behind her. Lucy raised an eyebrow at me. “I expected you to stay in bed for at least a couple of days.”
    Claude came and sat beside me.
    The goddess looked from me to Claude and then back to me.
    “I am ready to begin the final task,” I stated, firmly, swinging my legs.
    And I was ready. Why would I want to lay in bed and obsess over my mistakes when I could be working toward freeing my father? It would be better to keep moving than dwell on the past.
    What was done was done.
    Then again, in a time machine, nothing was unchangeable. I could go back and change the past if I wanted to.
    But I didn’t want to. I was going to move forward without regret.
    I snuck a peek at Claude. He scowled at his mother.
    We may be able to move on and be friends again, but he’ll never be the same, will he?
    And I regretted, despite myself.
    “Hm. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything less, I suppose,” Nemesis said, leaning on the console and looking at Claude. She smirked and looked back at me.
    “Did you guys kiss and make up?” she said sarcastically with a short laugh.
    “Yes. Yes, we did,” I snapped. Quite literally.
    Nemesis just laughed and shook her head.
    “Claude, Claude, Claude,” she sighed, turning and beginning to flip some switches.
    “What?” Claude snapped, daring her with his voice.
    “I set everything up so perfectly, but you don’t plan on taking your revenge, do you?” she whirled back around to stare at him. “You’ve forgiven her, haven’t you?” she stormed up to Claude, her face morphed with rage. My heart pounded within my chest. “You’ve moved on!” she pushed him in the chest. Claude gripped the railing but he began to fall backwards. I grabbed his arm and kept him steady, jumping off the railing.
    “Back off, Nemesis!” I growled, pulling Claude onto the ground so he could stand. Nemesis turned her fiery gaze on me, and I felt so extremely small. She was huge, enormous, hateful beyond the understanding of man. She wouldn’t hesitate to rip me and everyone I loved to shreds.
    “You do not order me around, mortal,” she growled.
    I began to quake and tremble and my will faltered, but my big mouth wasn’t so easily stopped, especially when every thought in my head connected at last.
    “You mean, you set all of this up to try and make him like you?!” I yelled, staring her in the eyes.
    “Don’t try to understand this, Cecilia,” Nemesis said in a low voice, “It is above you.”
    “You had me do that all for the purpose of trying to change him?” I went on, my hands beginning to shake.
    “Enough!” Nemesis exclaimed, turning away.
    “No, I’m not through with you!” I yelled, stepping toward her. But then a strong hand grabbed my wrist.
    “Cecilia, it’s okay,” Claude whispered, pulling me back toward him. “It’s in the past now.”
    I looked at him. Through my hazy sight I studied his black attire. His pale skin and shaggy hair. His grim countenance. It wasn’t until I lifted my gaze to his face that I realized my eyes were hazy with tears. I wiped my eyes, taking a deep breath.
    Claude pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and winced. I didn’t want him to comfort me, but as I breathed in the smell of his hoodie, I realized that I needed it. I kept my arms at my side and remained stiff as a board, but I let him hug me.
    “Uuuuugh enough, already!” Nemesis moaned after a few seconds. “I get it, okay? I get it! You’re a softie! You don’t need to rub it in.”
    Claude didn’t let go of me though, but leaned down and put his head on my shoulder, just to smite her, I hoped.
    “If I hadn’t birthed you myself, I would have to wonder whether or not I got my son mixed up with a son of Aphrodite!” the goddess screeched. “Enough of this mushy, feelsy stuff! Let go of her this instant!”
    And then Claude released me. Nemesis sighed with relief.
    “Never do that in my presence again,” she snapped.
    “Why not?” Claude said boldly, turning to face her.
    “Because Cecilia is right,” she roared, her face red. “There is more to it than what you can comprehend, but in a way she is right. This was supposed to change you! It was supposed to make you into a true son of Nemesis! Not to set you up! I didn’t mean to play matchmaker! I didn’t think anyone could fall for the likes of her!” she gestured toward me, flippantly. “Especially not you! But I underestimated love and overestimated hate, my own area of expertise! And now when I look at you, all I see is my failure.”
    I grabbed Claude’s hand.
    “Perhaps this shall be my way to get revenge on you, Nemesis,” I hissed. Nemesis glared, her hands clenched into fists.
    But then Claude released my hand.
    “I think you do underestimate love, mother. After all, someone fell for the likes of you,” he said, stepping toward her. “I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t true. I know you are disappointed in me, but aren’t I proof enough that nobody is unlovable?” He looked back at me.
    “DO NOT SPEAK TO ME.” Nemesis screamed. “IF YOU SPEAK TO ME AGAIN I SWEAR I WILL DISOWN YOU AND HAND YOU OVER TO APHRODITE.” She laughed. “I’m sure she’d love you!”
    And then she flipped a switch and the TARDIS began to move.
    There was silence. Nemesis mumbled to herself, vehemently, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying over the groaning of the time machine.
    “Where are we going?” I asked, crossing my arms. Nemesis didn’t respond, but she stopped mumbling.
    After a minute, she turned and looked at me.
    “I said I underestimated love,” she said in a cold voice, “But now I’m wondering if I’m overestimating it.”
    I was silent.
    “Sherlock is the last one. Your father, the man that put you in this situation,” Nemesis said, slowly walking over to me. “You love him, don’t you?”
    I hesitated a moment before nodding.
    “What would you be willing to do to ensure his safety?” she questioned, cocking her head to the side.
    “I’d be willing to die,” I said, firmly. I wasn’t entirely sure if that was the truth, but I knew I was willing to do just about anything at this point, so I said it confidently.
    “Hm,” Nemesis said with a nod. “Okay. That’s nice. So you’d die for him if you had to…” she came and stood directly in front of me, staring me down, “But would you kill?”
    My heart skipped a beat.
    “It depends,” I responded calmly, looking at her nose instead of her mirthful eyes.
    “Hm,” she said, taking a step back. “There is a certain son of Ares named Armin…”
    “And you want me to kill him?” I interrupted, the idea of killing another demigod making my heart pound.
    “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, let me tell you why,” she said with a grin. “Do you remember the capture the flag game that started this whole mess? The one you were supposed to win for me?”
    “Yeah? What about it?” I snapped.
    “The Greeks won, but it was a close match. The Romans would have won if it weren’t for this son of Ares. He is not only a mighty warrior but a smart strategist, and he’s the one who brought the flag across the line and won them glory.” She sighed. “He is a very powerful demigod. No one was really surprised.”
    “So you want me to kill him to avenge the Romans or what?” I barked.
    Nemesis laughed.
    “Think bigger than that, Cecilia,” she exclaimed, gesturing around her. “We’re in a time machine!”
     I caught my breath.
    “You’re… you’re going to send me back in time… before the game?” I whispered. Nemesis nodded, eagerly.
    “Without him, there is no way they will win,” Nemesis exclaimed.
    “You want me to commit murder over a silly capture the flag game?” I said, clenching my hands into fists. And though I wouldn’t show it, I was terrified. Hurting others wasn’t a problem as long as they could recover. But taking someone’s life? Ending their existence early? No mortal deserved that power. And, in my opinion, none of these immortals deserved it, either.
    “That is only one reason. Many people have wished to get revenge on him, the Romans as well as a few jealous Greeks,” Nemesis replied. “People should be more careful about what they wish for.” She smiled at me. “So I am sending you to Camp Half-Blood, a week before the game. That’s how long you’ll have to complete the task.”
    “But you really want me to kill him?” I exclaimed, shock settling in.
    Nemesis looked me in the eyes.
    “I asked you,” she said, lowly, “what you would be willing to do.”
    I stood, focusing on breathing for a second.
    Can I really kill a fellow demigod? Do I really have the nerve? What would Sherlock do if he finds out I committed murder to release him? I blinked twice. What did this Armin ever do to me? Do I really have the nerve to kill a man? Do I?
    I looked into Nemesis’s eyes.
    No. No, this is wrong. I can ruin lives, but I won’t take them.
    But I didn’t see a way out. It was either Armin’s life or Sherlock’s.
    There has to be a way. There has to be. What does she want by doing this? To ruin my life, but more importantly, to get revenge on the winner of the capture the flag game. It sounds like she has a lot of people counting on her to destroy him…
    “Okay,” I breathed, forcing myself to relax and look casual, “Fine, if that’s what you want. But answer me this, Nemesis,” I raised my eyebrows, “is… is this demigod… what’s his name again?”
    “Armin. Armin Noble.”
    “Right. Okay then, so… is this Armin a hero?” I asked.
    Nemesis frowned.
    “What?”
    “Would the gods consider him a hero?” I said, gesturing toward the ceiling.
    Nemesis’s frown deepened.
    “Because we all know that heroes go to Elysium,” I said with a shrug, “And is that really what you want? Do you really want to send him to the place of eternal happiness? I doubt you do, oh goddess of revenge.”
    Nemesis glared at me.
    “I have a better idea,” I said, raising my chin, “I’ll break the arm that brought over the flag. I’ll break the heart that was passionate for the game. I’ll break him. I’ll make sure he suffers miserably and misses the game. Isn’t that more agonizing? Isn’t that better than going to Elysium?”
    Nemesis seemed to be considering the idea, and I had to force myself to breath normally. And for a moment, I thought she would agree with me. For a moment, I thought I might walk away from this with my innocence intact.
    But then she looked up at me and smiled.
    “Nice try,” she said in a cheery voice, “You almost had me convinced.  But no, the task remains the same. You must kill him.”
    I let out a frustrated, unintelligible cry.
    “Why?” I demanded, throwing my guise to the wind.
    “Because you’re right. He is a hero. And heroes can be so pesky… always interfering with other peoples’ business. Heroes are my number one enemy, you know. They don’t believe in revenge and are always fighting against me. It’s annoying. If I let him live, he’ll only bother me in the future. And it’s not very often that I get the opportunity to do away with heroes, so I’ll seize it while I can.”
    Anger and dismay rose inside of me as the reality of my situation crashed down on me. I looked at the ground and then glanced over my shoulder at Claude. His face was blank and his eyes distant. I looked back at Nemesis, the horror I was feeling creeping onto my face.
    And then Nemesis made it very clear.
    “Cecilia, to release Sherlock Holmes, your father, you must kill Armin Noble. Do you understand?”