MELANCHOLY [1]

SIXTEEN

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•
sixteen
•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

VIA KEPT LOOKING BACK, half expecting to see those sun dragons flying behind them, with the psychotic sorceress screaming bloody murder, but nothing followed them.

"Leo," Via patted Leo's shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah... not bad for a brainwashed zombie." He looked embarrassed. "That's for saving us back there, ladies. If you guys hadn't knocked some sense into us—"

"Who knows what we could have done." Jason finished.

"Don't worry about it." Piper said.

But Leo looked worried.

Via did her best not to show it, but she was rattled, too. I woke my mistress once again. She convinced Tantalus to tear you down. Those words kept playing in Via's head, like a broken radio on repeat. Again and again, until her hands were clenched so hard she could feel her bitten-down nails punching marks into the skin.

Via took a shaky breath. She couldn't afford to dwell on that just then. But no matter how much she tried, she could stop thinking about it. All these years, she'd thought that Tantalus had held a grudge against all demigods, and had chosen to take his anger out on her once she gave him a reason: hiding Percy, Annabeth and Tyson's whereabouts. She'd alway known that the sleeping lady's appearance had a connection to her past. She'd never been able to figure out what it was. But now she knew that it had all been part of a bigger picture.

Medea had seen Via would be part of the second Great Prophecy, and for some reason, she was specifically important. So was Leo. The sleeping lady had visited him when he was eight, killing his mother to break him. Then, four years later, the lady had come to Via, physically and mentally tearing her apart. She rubbed her eyes, breathing in and out, trying to calm down.

Via's heart was pounding so loudly, she only caught the last word of Leo's question.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"I said, are you okay? You look really shaken up." He repeated.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Piper asked from behind. "You're really pale."

"It's the adrenaline." Via said. "Really improved my complexion."

Piper frowned. "I'm serious. What Medea said back at the store—"

"We all had a tough day, alright?" Via cut in before Piper could say anything. That would lead to more questions, which would just lead to more lies. "We just need to keep going."

"We're going to have to put down soon," Leo warned. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."