Earthwoman, Percy Jackson

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

The world is ending. 

Wildfires are taking California by storm. Weather is becoming violent - more violent, as if the natural world is waging its war on the unnatural one. Animals and plants are dying. Icebergs are melting, droughts are taking over. Migration patterns are changing, the ocean is warming, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. 

When Kronos, Lord of the Titans, was destroyed, Lila thought that finally, finally, she'd get her happy ending. Peace would prevail, as it was always supposed to. She wasn't expecting her mother to start dodging her calls, or for Annabeth to start suffering from the worst kind of nightmares. She definitely wasn't expecting to wake up one day and find Percy's side of the bed empty.

But this is the life of a demigod, right? Each quest is just one more step in their never-ending journey toward peace. Each step she takes is just another step closer to the bliss she's been dreaming of. So what if Gaea is rising? So what if there's a line in the new Great Prophecy that is almost definitely talking about her? It can't be helped. No matter if every day is a new kind of hell, there is no other choice. There is one way forward, and that's acceptance. Accepting that Hera, Queen Olympus, stole Lila's boyfriend and wiped his memory. Accepting that her mother is blocking her calls and pretending she can't receive Iris-Messages. Accepting that their duty is to the gods, and to save the world. Again. 

But Lila sees the storms, the floods, and the droughts, the fires that destroy forests, and the tornadoes that ruin lives. She sees the endless mining, deep into Gaea's domain. The tearing down of trees and the plastic-polluted oceans. And so she wonders:

Is the world truly worth saving?

THE PROPHECY OF EIGHT

Lila Bellerose, Daughter of Persephone