Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.
As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and enveloped him in a hug. "Dad! You flew ... you shot ... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
Elaine turned her attention to the Hunter.
She shivered despite the blanket they'd wrapped her in, and sweat beaded on her forehead. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Zoe had a fever.
"Tell me you brought some nectar and ambrosia with you." Thalia pleaded.
Her blue eyes were stoney as she stared at Zoe's shivering form.
Elaine shook her head. "I didn't even know what that was until a few days ago."
She looked hopefully at Artemis. "Is there any on the chariot?"
The goddesses face was grim. "I'm not in the habit of packing nectar and ambrosia. I'm not even sure what good it would do her now." She whispered that last part.
Elaine didn't want to take no for an answer. No one packed any nectar or ambrosia, but in Zoe's hunting pack, she found a roll of gauze and disinfectant.
She'd seen her mom cleanse wounds enough to know what to do.
She worked quietly, avoiding Zoe's pained gaze as she poured rubbing alcohol on her stomach. When she was done, she began wrapping the gauze tightly around the Hunter's middle, ignoring her sounds of protest.
Farther away, Annabeth and Percy stood with Dr. Chase near his airplane, completely unaware of what was happening with Zoe.
"Annabeth, Percy," Thalia called. Her voice was urgent.
They approached silently as Elaine finished wrapping the wound. Despite her efforts, the blood wouldn't stop seeping through the layers of gauze. Zoe was shivering harder, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.
"Can't you heal her with magic?" Elaine turned to Artemis. "You're a goddess, there has to be something you can do."
Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Elaine. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."
She tried to set her hand on Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.
"Have I ... served thee well?" Zoe whispered.
"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."
Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."
"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."
But in that moment, Elaine knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. Yet she'd taken the quest anyway.
