The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 23--The Wall

There's a lot of things they don't tell you about flying with the Fates.

First of all, there's a reason that more gods don't use eagles as their draught animals; they suck at smooth flying. Aether and Aethoe dive-bombed several times. I don't know if they saw a random pigeon below them or something, but the fact that we didn't have anything close to a seatbelt while traveling twice the speed of light made it all the more painful.

Second of all, the Fates had a weird obsession about flying above the clouds.

"It's to keep us hidden from those on the surface, my lord," Clotho had explained to me. But the old hags were never worried about being inconspicuous. I was pretty sure they were flying above the clouds just to make the journey even more tortorous. 

Finally, it wasn't like the Fates had won the award for "Most Passenger Friendly Ride Service." Even as Liam, Aridne, and I were being jostled around, the Fates continued spinning their glowing yarn, muttering under their breath in an unfamiliar language that made goosebumps rise on my skin. 

I watched as Atropos cut a piece of yellow thread that looked like a ray of sunlight with her garden shears and placed it in her half-full wicker basket. A few hairs from the thread floated to land on my shoe. I quickly kicked them off. I don't need any extra curses in my life. Two are more than enough.

I don't think anyone's called me a curse before, End said, sounding pleased. Maybe I've been too lax on my subordinates. 

That's not a compliment, Order told her. Percy, I've been nice to you, haven't I?

You brought End with you, I pointed out. But yeah, you're nice. You talk to me. Unlike someone else.

Hey, I talk to you all the time! End protested. And then you tell me to shut up.

He's not talking about you, Order replied. 

My gaze traced over the various depictions of the past and future painted on the sapphire roof of the chariot—soldiers fighting, buildings hovering off the ground, and, my favorite, a hellhound as big as Mrs. O'Leary attempting to eat the Empire State Building—and landed on Aridne. She gazed out of the window, unfazed by the chaos around her. I had the feeling that, if I tried to catch her attention, she'd just ignore me.

I thought about yesterday evening—when Aridne had kissed me in front of all of those people. She'd been different then. Beautiful, confident, and competent. But now, she was just . . . devoid of life.

It made me wonder if the kiss wasn't genuine, but only the fastest way she could escape the situation. It made me feel empty inside. 

"You okay?" Liam asked me. 

I nodded miserably, unbothered as Aethos and Aethoe caused me to slam into Clotho for the tenth time that day. 

Let's make a note for the future, End suggested. The next time a girl offers to take you out, you're going to drop everything and run after her. Chaos be damned.

~~~

Thirty torturous minutes later, the eagles swooped downwards.

"Not again," Liam groaned, clutching his stomach. 

But this time, instead of jolting upwards at the last moment, we sliced through the clouds. Green covered every inch of the landscape, while the glittering blue of lakes dotted the forest. It looked straight out of a painting.

Liam had it even worse than me. The moment the carriage wheels touched the ground, he pushed past all of us and dove through the doors. He rolled around in the grass. "I've never been so happy to see the ground!" he exclaimed into a mound of dirt.