Heir of a Titan - Book 2 PJO

Chapter 50: Winding Things Up

The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body. One of them looked at me as she passed, and even though she didn't say anything, my life literally flashed before my eyes. Suddenly I was twenty. Then I was a middle-aged woman. Then I turned old and withered. All the strength left my body, and I saw my own tombstone and an open grave, a coffin being lowered into the ground. All this happened in less than a second. I shivered and ripped my eyes away. 

It is done, she said. It was like a whisper in my head. I shuddered again. I hated anything and everything inside my head if it wasn't my own voice. I felt my heart slam harder. 

They gathered up Luke's body, now wrapped in a white-and-green shroud, and began carrying it out of the throne room.

Someone must have said something, they all turned, and I saw Hermes hurrying forward. "Wait." I saw his mouth form the word.

The messenger god was dressed in his classic outfit of white Greek robes, sandals, and helmet. The wings of his helm fluttered as he walked. The snakes George and Martha curled around his caduceus, murmuring, Luke, poor Luke.

I thought about May Castellan, alone in her kitchen, baking cookies and making sandwiches for a son who would never come home. I felt a heaviness in my chest. I bit my lip and felt a fresh wave of tears hit me hard. I felt Raph's hand slid into mine and he gave it a squeeze. 

Hermes unwrapped Luke's face and kissed his forehead. He murmured some words in Ancient Greek- a final blessing. He said something then he nodded and allowed the Fates to carry away his son's body.

As they left, I thought about the Great Prophecy. The lines now made sense to me. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. The hero was Luke. The cursed blade was the knife he'd given Annabeth long ago- cursed because Luke had broken his promise and betrayed his friends. A single choice shall end his days. Percy's choice, to give him the knife, and to believe, as Annabeth had, that he was still capable of setting things right. Olympus to preserve or raze. By sacrificing himself, he had saved Olympus. Rachel was right. In the end, me and Percy weren't really the hero. Luke was.

And I understood something else: When Luke had descended into the River Styx, he would've had to focus on something important that would hold him to his mortal life. Otherwise he would've dissolved. Percy had seen Annabeth, and I had a feeling Luke had too. He must have had pictured that scene Hestia showed us- of himself in the good old days with Thalia and Annabeth, when he promised they would be a family. Hurting Annabeth in battle had shocked him into remembering that promise. It had allowed his mortal conscience to take over again, and defeat Kronos. His weak spot- his Achilles heel- had saved us all.

Next to me, Annabeth's knees buckled. Percy and I both tried to catch her, but she cried out in pain, Percy had grabbed her broken arm.

"Oh gods," Percy cried, "Annabeth, I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she said as she passed out in Percy's arms.

I turned and waved franticly. Apollo turned when Artemis elbowed him, "She needs help!" I signed.

He grinned at me. "I've got this." Apollo signed as he stepped forward. His fiery armor was so bright it was hard to look at, and his matching Ray-Bans and perfect smile made him look like a male model for battle gear. "God of medicine, at your service."

"Dad..." I signed. "Be cool.." 

"Pfft. Being cool is lame. Being hot is the new thing."

I rolled my eyes and face palmed. He maybe my dad, and have his fatherly moments, but sometimes I swear he was a 17 year old frat boy, he winked at Percy and Raph. I saw Raph chuckle beside me.