𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝙵𝚊𝚝𝚎

Sage Prefers Tulips, and Hates Godly Prisons|| 13.

"But what?" As Annabeth asked this, Sage could tell she was on edge. There was something in the sharp way her words fell, like they could have sliced through the most thick of silences. If that's how Annabeth sounded, Sage had an inkling she should have been even more panicked.

Chiron avoided Annabeth's gaze, and kept his lingering on Piper's passed out form. "Piper needs rest," he declared, after clearing his throat. "We should discuss this later." He zipped the medicine bag up, and place it in his lap. Sage gave a gentle scoff, out of surprise at his desire to switch the topic so suddenly.

Sage gestured in front her chest with her hands, waving them for a second. "Discuss this later?" She questioned, with her dry lips pursed. "You're acting like whatever is to come is worse than a titan war, and you want to discuss it later?" Rachel's gaze slid over to Sage carefully, and her green eyes glinted in the light pouring in from the window. Rachel peered with a level of pensiveness, similar to Annabeth, but much less intimidating.

"Yeah," Jason pointed at Sage in agreement. "How about we discuss it now?" He kept a polite tone, but lurking beneath the surface was intensity which could have broken through any moment. "Sir- Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. But, you can't possibly mean something worse than a titan army. Right?"

The greatest threat, and Chiron wanted to leave that conversation for later? It wasn't adding up. Sage's sharp features were painted in the sun's haze, as it gave it's final light-show of the day. She wanted to say something, but Rachel took the quiet moment to speak.

"Oh," Rachel said in a meek voice. She perked up, and rolled her shoulders back with worry skirting her gaze. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course," Rachel said.

"Of course?" Sage asked. She knew very little about Hera. She was the goddess of marriage, and wife to Zeus of something like that. "Why would she be imprisoned?"

Rachel shrugged like her shoulders were weighed down with bricks. "I don't know, but it makes sense. Her cabin, her voice, she showed herself to Jason, and gave you a premonition in the same moment." The red haired girl nodded to herself, while thrumming her fingers on her thigh nervously.

"Hera?" Annabeth's frown turned into a vicious snarl. The way her lip curled reminded Sage of a fuming wildcat, who'd just had it's salmon stolen. Actually, that may have been a tad less scary. "She took you over? She did this to Piper?" Annabeth asked.

"I think Rachel's right." Jason's pinched the bridge of his nose, and twisted his face like a disgruntled turtle. Sage narrowed her eyes at this. He'd done this before too, at the Grand Canyon. It reminded Sage of when people got a brain freeze, which begged the question, why was Jason seemingly in pain. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this- this goatskin cloak. That's the symbol of Juno, isn't it?"

Annabeth ran thumb along her jawline before allowing her chin to perch on her fist. "Is it?" She asked with exasperation. Sage was sure the frustration wasn't pointed at anyone in particular. The situation must have been stressful, and could have seared through anyone's composure. "I've never heard of anything like that," she scowled.

Chiron's eyes remained on the sword Sage held gravely. The ghostly haze overtaking his irises made it seem like he was already trying to pick between roses or tulips for her funeral. Goosebumps formed on her arms, casting a chill across her form. He turned his attention back to Annabeth, and nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"Bodes well for us," Sage muttered.

Chiron shot her an uneasy stare, yet no words left his lips.

Rachel pressed her lips together tightly for a moment. Then, a scoff escaped her mouth in a sigh of disbelief. "So, Hera is imprisoned?" She questioned briskly. "Who could do that to the queen of gods?"