Love & Chaos 2: A New Pharaoh for Egypt

Chapter 29

Comatose

Liz

Her conscience was guilty, even though she knew that it wasn't her fault. How could it be? If it was up to her, she'd have left that Seshat goddess in temporary power. She seemed wise and qualified. Whoever she chose, though, it would have definitely not been the one who would die young if not being constantly possessed by the god, ironically, of death.

Over the few days after his time frozen coma began, she mostly just sat in her room, staring. Annabeth dragged her out to eat breakfast in the mornings, Leo brought her lunch, and when it got late, she'd hear Sadie in the hall going for dinner, and she would join her. That day had to be different though, because that day, they were leaving.

She got up around four in the morning and climbed on deck to see Leo, already there, readying the ship for sail. It wouldn't be an Odysseus length journey, but it wouldn't be as quick as a mortal sail, due to monsters trying to fight them every few seconds. She estimated they would arrive in Athens on August second.

"Good nothing, fish princess." He hadn't looked up, but she figured no one else would be up so early. Even Zia had been sleeping in more after everything that happened on her side of the quest. That was another thing Liz couldn't apologize for enough.

"Good morning, fire boy," she replied, sitting on the stool that was beside all the flying/sailing controls.

"How are you?"

"Well, Annabeth and I worked out a strategy for the next month in Greece," she replied.

"That isn't what I meant."

"I know that, but I am currently not doing so hot."

"That's okay, you're allowed to be not feeling great."

"I just-"

"It's not your fault," he interrupted. They had known each other long and well enough that he could probably see when she was kicking herself over things beyond her control. It didn't stop her from doing it, but it helped.

"I know. It just sucks. What sucks more is knowing that three more people might be hurt as well."

"That's definitely not fun, but aren't you glad to have that knowledge?"

"No. I'd rather be unprepared and utterly crushed."

For the first time since she got there, he looked at her rather than the controls. "No, you wouldn't. You love being prepared."

She looked away and blinked away tears. "I know more than I'll tell you all. I've been having so many nightmares and visions, I can't even tell which ones are real anymore. I can't tell which ones are showing me who I'll lose and which ones are showing me who I'm afraid to lose."

He put his hand over hers. "I know. Prophecies never mean what we think, though."

"You have the advantage of not knowing Plan Zero. For me, though, so much is perfectly clear."

"Why can't you let me in on this?"

"Because it will ruin the whole love to save the world thing."

"But discussing a relationship won't?"

She rolled her eyes. He didn't know the half of it. "Maybe, but I'm not going to let a prophecy dictate my entire life. If I love you and you love me and we could be together then why the hell shouldn't we? This would jeopardize the whole plan, though."

He raised an eyebrow. "Says the one who wants to wait to discuss it until this is all over."

"Dammit, Valdez," she groaned, pulling her hand away.