Child of the Moon

Percy Chews Out A Being Older Than The Gods

We finally stopped in a room full of waterfalls.  The floor was one big pit, ringed by a slippery stone walkway.  Around us, on all four walls, water tumbled from huge pipes.  The water spilled down into the pit, and even with my enhanced vision and power to see in the dark, I couldn't see the bottom.  Briares slumped against the wall.  He scooped up water in a dozen hands and washed his face.

Briares: This pit goes straight to Tartarus.  I should jump in and save you trouble.

Annabeth: Don't talk that way.  You can come back to camp with us.  You can help us prepare.  You know more about fighting Titans than anybody.

Briares: I have nothing to offer.  I have lost everything.

YN: Come on, I'm sure thats not true.

I was trying to make him feel better, but I don't think it worked.

Tyson: What about your brothers?  The other two must stand tall as mountains!  We can take you to them.

Briares's expression morphed to something even sadder, his grieving face.

Briares: They are no more.  They faded.

I stared at him in silent shock.  The waterfalls thundered.  Tyson stared into the pit and blinked tears out of his eye.

Percy: What exactly do you mean, they faded?  I thought monsters were immortal, like the gods.

YN: Percy, even immortality has limits.  Sometimes... sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal.

Last year Apollo said something about the old god Helios disappearing and leaving him with the duties of the sun god.  I'd never thought about it too much, but now, looking at Briares, I realized how terrible it would be to be so old.  Thousands and thousands of years old, and totally alone.  Why did none of the gods come and help him?  Why did they leave him alone?  Every quest we go on, I start to see where Luke is coming from.  But after seeing how Kampe treated Briares... gods, I hate both sides of this fight.

Briares: I must go.

Tyson: Kronos's army will invade camp.  We need help.

Briares hung his head.

Briares: I cannot, Cyclops.

Tyson: You are strong.

Briares: Not anymore.

He rose.

Percy: Hey.

Percy grabbed one of his arms and pulled him back.

Percy: Briares, we need you.  In case you haven't noticed, Tyson believes in you.  risked his life for you.

We told him about everything.  Luke's invasion plan, the Labyrinth entrance at camp, Daedalus's workshop, Kronos's golden coffin.  Briares just shook his head.

Briares: I cannot, demigods.  I do not have a finger gun to win this game.

To prove his point, he made one hundred finger guns.

Percy: Maybe that's why monsters fade.  Maybe it's not about what the mortals believe.  Maybe it's because you give up on yourself.

His pure brown eyes regarded him.  His face morphed into an expression I recognized.  Shame.  Then he turned and trudged off down the corridor until he was lost in the shadows.  I slapped Percy over the head.

YN: The hell is wrong with you?

Percy: OW!  What do you mean?

YN: He's suffered enough without you saying shit like that!