Goddess of the Sea

Chapter 22

ALL RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTERS (except Celeste, she's mine) BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN! I DO NOT OWN THE PJO/HoO SERIES OR THE KANE CHRONICLES SERIES!!!

Chapter 22 - Carter

Pain eased through Carter's body as he awoke with several people surrounding him.

He jumped, confused and terrified, and looked around.

"Zia? Jaz?" Carter called.

His chest hurt and it felt as if his ribs were broken, but for some reason the pain was distant as if he wasn't in his body.

Blinking, he stood up warily, looking around at the familiar faces of his initiates.

However, there were others he didn't recognize as well.

Suddenly, Walt caught his vision. He was on the floor, unconscious, and Anubis was standing beside him.

Carter was about to run to his friend when small hands grabbed his leg.

He jumped and looked down to see Shelby bawling her eyes out and clinging to his calf.

"Carter...I'm scared." She muttered.

Carter reached down and pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry, you're going to be fine."

"Carter!" A voice called.

Carter looked up and saw Piper and Jason, friends of Percy's, run up to him.

Carter placed Shelby down and convinced her to find someone she knew and to stay safe.

Her blonde curls bounced as she ran off.

"How did you get here? What happened? Where are the others?" Piper asked Carter.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure where here is. As for the others, I only remember fighting at Brooklyn House and then getting hit with this smoke cloud thing...it was strange." Carter explained.

"Oh gods, that means Celeste's clone has taken control of all three sides. Carter, I'm sorry to say this, but anyone who was at Brooklyn House that's not here is most likely dead." Jason said.

Every rational thought dissolved from Carter's mind as Zia's smiling face appeared in his mind.

Zia.

Dead.

Carter screamed and dropped to his knees. He could sense the multiple pairs of eyes on him, but he didn't care.

Tears flowed down his cheeks and made the cuts on his face sting.

He was barely aware of Anubis walking behind him and patting him on the back.

Sniffling, Carter looked up at the god. Anubis smiled sympathetically.

"Is she really dead?" Carter asked.

Anubis sighed. "I can't sense anything from here. I'm sorry Carter. I don't know."

Carter sighed. Suddenly, Sadie's voice screamed through his mind.

"Carter, wake up! Please! Don't leave me..."

"Sadie!?" Carter cried out loud, grasping his head.

Anubis looked puzzled. "Sadie isn't here. Carter, are you okay?"

"I-I can hear her voice." Carter mumbled.

Anubis brightened. "Carter keep listening to her, grasp her voice and use it to pull yourself out of here. It's the weakness of this system. That's why Celeste's clone puts everyone from the camps here. So they have no voice, no evidence of real life, to grasp onto and leave here. I saw Nico do it, you can do it to."

"Wait, we can leave here? Why didn't you say anything!?" Jason exclaimed.

Anubis shook his head. "No one heard a voice like Carter is now. It's impossible to leave without something to drag you out."

"Well then, if Carter can get out, he can tell the others where we are and
get us out!" Piper said.

"Make sure to get Camp Jupiter as well Carter." Reyna added.

Carter nodded, but their voices were distant. Sadie's voice kept begging for him to wake up and he grasped onto her words to pull himself out of the abyss.

White light seeped in his vision and his new friends disappeared to be replaced by Sadie's horror-stricken face.

It took her a few minutes to register that Carter was awake and then she tackled him in a hug.

His ribs were already bruised and probably broken so he grunted at the force of her hug.

"Thank the gods." She muttered.

Carter tried to stand, but his legs felt like lead.

"Sadie, you have to talk to the unconscious initiates. We were trapped inside our minds. The only way out is to hear someone's voice." Carter croaked out.

Sadie cocked her head in confusion but nodded and walked to the others.

Percy was on the ground, grasping his head, and the others were surrounding him.

Including Zia.

Carter wanted to jump up, kiss her, and never let her go again, but his broken body kept him glued to his crumpled form on the wall.

Percy said something that Carter couldn't hear and the others looked around nervously.

Sadie walked up to them and told them what Carter had said.

Everyone nodded and began to walk around, awakening initiates.

Carter smiled as Sadie came back to him. "Percy said we have to go the Empire State Building, but you're injured. Zia and Leo are going to stay here with you, Frank and Hazel are going back to Camp Jupiter, and Nico and Annabeth are going to Camp Half-Blood. That way they can wake the others, the demigods."

Carter nodded, disappointed that he'd have to sit out on the quest. But there was no point in arguing, he could barely stand and his ribs felt like mush.

Sadie helped him stand and they made their way over to the others.

Annabeth was protesting that she wouldn't leave Percy, but Percy insisted.

Frank and Hazel left, and Nico dragged a crying Annabeth out as well.

The initiates were looking around in confusion and Zia calmed them down, preparing them for the war ahead.

The others would do the same at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.

Then, with a quick goodbye to Carter, Sadie grabbed Percy and marched out the door towards the Empire State Building.

Towards Celeste's clone.

It was dangerous, and Carter hated watching his sister leave, but she wanted to save Walt, and Percy wanted to save Celeste.

They had to do it.

So, while he sat on the wall watching the initiates prepare to fight, he sighed and prayed to every god-Greek, Egyptian, and Roman-that Sadie would be alright.

But what good were the gods to protect her when they were dying?