It was mystifying to stay within the walls of the palace instead of the grove and yet here they were.
The soft whispers of the ghosts that roamed the halls were like soft hisses to the ear, a purring sound that drew attention to the spirits as they beckoned all to the realm of Haidês. The scratching of the skeleton warriors that walked across the earth was unnerving. They moved in a clockwork that switched intervals because Travis was the one to point out that a set schedule would be easy to take advantage of.
The war between Sparta and Athens was still commencing. And with their interference, the war was spilling over to them also. Luke had noticed their armies setting up blockades at their borders and the shores of Kyprus. Rachel and Will and Chris had taken note of how the soldiers within were becoming more threatening.
Ariadnê had raged, unwilling to give up her comfort, but she was also recovering from two deadly poisonings from Prince Hyakinthos. It was only natural for them to be in the palace where their enemies could see them-see the power that they wield. Will had been working overtime getting her healed. Still-she went right back into the battlefield and unleashed whirlpool after whirlpool leveling the grounds around them. And with Katie to turn that same flattened earth against the enemies that remained. She and Thalia had sat atop deadly storms all while laughing whenever someone got to close. Thalia had taken to showcasing her archery skills as she ran across the waves striking down enemies.
Nevertheless, Percy practically forbade his sister from fighting again, instead charging her with a speedy recovery and focusing on the kingdom's safety. It would have been hilarious to see the girl pouting at her brother if it were not for the silence that issued whenever Luke reported on the border while she tried to pretend that he did not exist.
Even Katie, whose patience was a testament to her love, had reached the point of wanting to tie the two together just to work out their issues. But Travis knew that, unlike Thalia and Annabeth, Luke's oldest friends, Ariadnê had never and quite possibly would never forgive Luke for the deaths that happened under his call to war. Something had cracked inside of her at Lee's death, broken with Beckendorf, and shattered at the death of Silena.
No, the only way to fix that would be going back in time... in the years before the war to when Luke was a child and setting him on a straight path to redemption.
Travis turned to look out his window at the giant flowers that created blockades around the kingdom. They were as tall as the mountains and as big as Typhon. Katie was reclining on the largest one as if it were a throne for her turn of "border control".
They hadn't really needed it in the first place. But Thalia insisted so she created a gate of lighting and when Nico took part... he crafted the shadows to wrap around the lightning and the fearsome image of the element hidden within the eyes of the undead was enough to unnerve even the bravest of warriors.
There was the moment that Clarisse, herself, stood tall before them and those of Sparta that recognized that power of Arês that ran through her veins- they bowed to her in reverence and some even pledged their loyalty to Castellan instead.
The daughter of Dêmêtêr had showcased the real reason as to why Ariadnê was wary around her and her siblings. She had called all that underestimated them fools more than once. Katie proved that as she grew flowers taller than beanstalks that dripped poison down its petals like a rabid dog.
They were deadlier than the poison Hyakinthos used to attack Ariadnê. A terrifying combination from the herbs that Will and Clarisse instructed her to make only to find out that Cabin Four had been making their own. "For pesticides," she had said. "And silly little godlings that didn't know how to leave poor little nymphs alone."
