𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗗 ⋆━━⋆ percy jackson

𝐱𝐱. more stars for the sky

WHEN CASSIE woke up she was bustling with energy, as if her body had been electrocuted.

She woke up at Crissy Field after nightfall. Percy was beside her.

"Cassie!" He hugged her. "You're alive."

She looked around, Annabeth's father was there, taking with the blonde.

She remembered the fact that someone she loved was going to betray her. She moved away from Percy.

He noticed but didn't say anything.

"What happened?"

He told her. "The General is back to his prison, and we got matching hair." Huh?

She then noticed, Percy had a grey strike of hair, but he had said we.

"We?"

He grabbed a piece of her hair, it was grey almost silver, he twirled it. "A little souvenir from your time dead I suppose."

"Guys!" Thalia was calling them, her voice sounded urgent. "It's Zoë!"

The three rushed to her, not before Annabeth gave her a massive bear hug.

They ran over to help Zoë, but there wasn't much they could do.

"What happened?" Cassie whispered.

Artemis seemed sad. "Ladon's bite was poisonous, her father hit struck the final blow."

One shall perish by a father's hand. The prophecy had been fulfilled.

There was no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help.

It was dark, but she could see that Zoë didn't look good.

She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

"Can't you heal her with magic?" Cassie asked Artemis. "You're a goddess."

"Life is a fragile thing, if the Fates want her gone there's little I can do, still I can try."

She tried to set her hand on Zoë's side, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

"Have I ... served thee well?" Zoe whispered.

"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoë's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

Zoë saw Thalia, and took her hand.

"I am sorry we argued," Zoë said. "We could have been sisters."

"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men-everything."

"Perhaps not all men," Zoë murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"

He brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand.

She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like ... like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword."

A shudder ran through her body but she focussed on Cassie. "You're a brave maiden Cassiopeia, you'll do great things I'm sure of it. You're not weak for following your heart, you know?"

"Zoë-" Cassie said.

"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady."

A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."

"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.

Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders.

Cassie leaned against Percy, for last time, one last time she allowed herself to rest with her best friend.

They watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek.

A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoë's body shimmered and disappeared.

Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished.

For a moment Cassie didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped.

Looking up in the sky, Cass saw that the stars were brighter now.

They made a pattern she had never noticed before-a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure-a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."

It wasn't easy saying their good-byes. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north.

Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light.

This made her nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, they would disintegrate by looking at her.

"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right."

Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of the younger daughter of Zeus.

Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes.

Cassie wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy. Then she turned to Percy.

"You did well," she said. "For a man."

Finally Cassie, she placed a hand in her shoulder like she had done with Annabeth.

"You've fought with bravery Cassiopeia, I know the path ahead is difficult and at times impossible, but when in doubt follow your heart."

Cassie smiled weakly at the goddess.

For first time ever, Cassie realised she was alone. She always thought she had Percy- and Annabeth and Grover. And even though she didn't have a father or a mother, she had her friends.

But one of them would kill her, she would perish by someone she loved.

Love would be her end.

Cassiopeia loved her mother, but her mother didn't love her back. Sometimes, Cassie thought, parents don't love their children and life has to go on.

But it would be okay eventually, Cassie could- would make it.

Artemis mounted her chariot, which began to glow. They averted their eyes.

There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.

Cassiopeia Bradbury was alone.

- this is the end of act 1!!

- rip zoë you were so bbg

- let me know your thoughts
or theories :)

flo <3