Rising Heroes Book Four: The Sands of Ouroboros

Chapter Thirteen: How to Hold the Sky

Disclaimer: I don't own HOO or VE

Chapter Thirteen: How to Hold the Sky

"Bull," was the first thing James said. "If you were Roc's daughter, you'd embody a gemstone." When Dustin cast him a strange look, James shook his head, like it's too complicated to explain. "How old are you?" James asked.

"Twenty," Chessy said, staring at him as though daring him to connect the dots.

"So you would have to have been born this year," James said. "I mean, our this year."

"You're the baby Lily's pregnant with," Dustin realized.

"And you're a Grigori," James gestured to her knife. "That's not Lily's or her mom's or grandma's. It's your own."

"Yes," Chessy said.

"That means both your parents are Grigori," James said. "Unless... Lily doesn't die, does she?"

"No," Chessy moved very close to James, her gaze turning lethal. "My biological father was my mother's partner. When he found out I was his daughter, he cut me off because he thought my mother was lying. He refused to listen to us. He got a new partner and I never saw him again."

James's face dropped. "I'm your father," he said softly.

"My real father is Roc L'Chaim," Chessy said.

"Wait," Dustin held up his hands. "You and Lily... you guys..."

"It's complicated," James said. Chessy scoffed.

"Do you guys have powers?" Dustin asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

Rudy, who Dustin realized couldn't be more than ten, shook his head. He was bouncing up and down, knotting his red curls and trying to grab his sister's, who held him away with one arm.

"I can control shadows and light," Bia offered.

"I'm a dreamwalker," Chessy said. "I'm working on being able to penetrate people's consciousness while they're awake."

"I have faint senses," Raina offered. "I can fight pretty well."

At that, Chessy smiled. "In the future you train all of us," she said. "You still beat pretty much everyone even though you don't have Grigori strength."

"Stop!" Dustin said, waving his hands. "Don't tell us about the future."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Thalia appeared. "Time to go," she said.

As they drove up Mount Othrys, Bia turned to Dustin. "I know you don't want to know the future," she said, "but I think there's something you need to see." She handed him a photograph.

It was a family photo. Dustin and Ciara were sitting in the front, Bia beside them. There were two other teenagers, one with Ciara's dark hair and one with Dustin's brown. At their feet sat two little kids who looked like twins.

"Big family," Dustin said. "I never really thought Ciara would want kids."

"She's a great mother," Bia said. "You're both good parents."

Dustin said nothing.

"This picture was taken a year ago," Bia said softly. "Do you want to see one I took just before I left?"

Dustin shook his head, but Bia shoved the photo in his face anyway. It showed three rows of funeral caskets, Bia and her siblings crowded around two. "All of you die," she said quietly. "We're here to stop that."

"We can't change anything," Dustin hissed.

"Why not?" James asked from beside him. Dustin elbowed him; Percy and Thalia were starting to listen in on their conversation.

Suddenly the car stopped. Getting out, they saw that the tires were starting to sink into the mud.

"I guess this is where we get out," Percy commented.

They climbed out of the car, thanked Dr. Chase, and went on their way. "When we reach the summit we need to be wary of the dragon," Zöe said. "Ladon is trained to guard the apples against any intruders. My sisters will not fight us, but Ladon will prove a challenge. Hopefully if he is sleeping, we will be able to get around him."

Dustin glanced at James. They hadn't really talked a lot about what they would do after this quest- or if one of them had gotten hurt. Secretly Dustin was hoping one of their friends would come to save them, or that they were already here. After all, it seemed like two other generations of time travelers had been drawn to their presence in time- wouldn't it make sense if they were drawn to the other demigods lost in time as well?

And one of those demigods was Ciara. It had been hell without her; Dustin regretted every day letting her go on without him. He should have found some way to follow her. But he would make up for it... he had to.

They reached the top of the summit just as the sun began to set. "Showtime," James muttered.

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Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, Annabeth and Ciara were still taking turns holding the sky. Every time Ciara went, Annabeth tried to scope the ground for some kind of safe. The palace had slowly started to rebuild itself, and Annabeth was convinced that Kronos's stone would be hidden here.

"He wouldn't have kept it on him," she argued. "It's just too illogical. He would have hidden it here."

The problem was that they were both attached to short chains. And every day it got harder and harder to hold the sky.

Then Artemis had showed up, and Atlas had forced her to take the burden. Annabeth and Ciara had been taken prisoner. And while it was sweet relief to not be under that crushing burden, they could no longer search for the Immortie.

Ciara now had a new white streak running through her dark hair, matching the one in Annabeth's. Not her favorite look.

Ciara had never wanted to be a princess, or a damsel in distress, but with every day that passed she found herself wishing to be saved. She dreamt of Dustin and her friends and a strange girl who looked just like her.

But in the end, she had to be prepared to save herself, just like every other time.