I stood at the top of a brown-and-white chateau building, leaning off the edge over a twenty foot drop to a stage below, and sighed.
Mountains barely tall enough to have snow on their peaks lay in a ring on the horizon. Directly below me, ruined seats that once made up a large outdoor auditorium faced what I was sure used to be a really nice stage, but now was nothing more than parallel boards with steps leading up to them. Between the stage and the mountains was a medium-sized town nestled in a green valley, the roofs spreading out in every direction, but despite the sights the thing I was really looking for was nowhere to be found.
Ashland Oregon was the last stop before the California border, as well the place Thalia was supposed to be meeting us. Only we'd arrived a day ago, and there was still no sign of her. Sighing again, I stepped off the roof and dropped to the stage below.
The old wood creaked, but didn't break as I landed on it from far higher than a human should. It really must have been a good stage in its prime. I climbed past all the empty and destroyed seats and strolled out onto an weathered road.
Calypso met me not far away. The journal she used for communication was out, but she had it shut. That wasn't a good sign.
Our eyes met, and she shook her head.
"Where is she?" I complained.
"If I knew, we wouldn't be here still," Calypso pointed out. "Either way, we cannot wait much longer."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
I passed her, and she fell in beside me. We walked down an old street with cracked pavement and a few stripped cars still parked in the shade of pine trees. The afternoon was hot, baking my skin, which felt all kinds of wrong considering I could see snow in the distance.
"Something is out there," Calypso said grimly.
"Like… monsters?"
"Much worse. I do not know what it could be. I have not felt something like this before. You should be able to sense it too, if you try."
That surprised me. Sometimes, I still forgot I was more than a mortal these days.
I shut my eyes, still walking forward, and hoped Calypso would keep me from tripping on my face. Imagine if my new followers saw that. I'd get stuck with a domain like clumsiness for sure.
Like with so many new things I could do, I didn't even know where to start. I tried to cast my attention out like a net, searching for anything that felt wrong, scary, or ugly. Nothing. We walked in silence for nearly two minutes as I floundered aimlessly.
But the longer I tried, the more something occurred to me. It wasn't quite an idea, more like a spark of intuition. I tapped into the feeling of warmth that was now perpetually in my chest— the same one that first sparked into life in bed with Calypso.
Ever since my threesome with Grace and Annie, the bundle of heat had gotten more pronounced. Not bigger, not stronger, just more firmly within my grasp. I still had miles to go before I mastered it completely, but it did help me discover new tricks.
Like this one.
A quick pulse of me flashed out around us, traveling for miles in every direction. That description is a bit confusing, because my body never moved. But my mind, my consciousness, flickered over the whole area, taking stock of it.
The whole thing passed way too quickly to get an accurate impression of anything. I couldn't tell you the location of wildlife twelve miles north, I couldn't tell you what types of trees lined the creek west of town, I couldn't even say what my followers were up to at our temporary camp just a couple hundred feet down the road. All I got was an inkling.
That was enough to show me what Calypso was feeling.
Beyond those snowy mountains, south toward California, something was hanging in the air. It wasn't close, and it hadn't noticed us, but it was searching for something. I just knew. And it was inching toward us… slowly.
My eyes opened. "Okay, yeah, so I can totally see why you're worried."
"It is coming this way," Calypso said, confirming what I'd already guessed.
"We have to go into that anyway, right?" I said. "Won't whatever it is notice us?"
"Better to be a moving target," Calypso said. "I believe Lelantos's aura will hold. But if it doesn't, it will be easier to flee while already traveling."
The others came into sight ahead of us. It wasn't really a camp, just an old hotel that we'd borrowed for the night. Out front, two huge chariots were parked side by side. Instead of horses each was pulled by clouds. Wind spirits, the same kind that did Calypso's chores on Ogygia. I'd been doubtful when she conjured it all in Spokane, but when she swore they were fast enough, she hadn't been lying. Those chariots got us all the way here in a day and a half. They were even quicker than cars.
The mercenaries we'd stolen from Rio sat around the chariots, keeping watch. When we approached, they bowed their heads quickly before going back to glaring at anything that moved.
They weren't exactly happy to be traveling with us, but they'd obviously picked up some survival skills. They showed respect to the strongest beings around. That was simply the best way of staying alive.
We stopped next to the chariots. Each was the size of a small bus, and if you looked closely, their gorgeous wooden wheels didn't touch the ground, hovering half-an-inch in the air. I turned to Calypso.
"What do you want to do?" I asked.
"Leave within the hour," she said.
"And Thalia?"
"She will catch up. I believe in her."
"Hold on!" I raised my hands. "You want Thalia to travel through California alone? She doesn't have Lelantos's protection!"
The captured Titan was close to us, strapped to the front of one of the chariots by some very tightly tied ropes. He looked over and glared at the sound of his name, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. He'd spent most of the last few days sleeping, and he returned to that now, tucking his chin against his chest.
"Thalia is not like we are," Calypso explained patiently. "Monsters can smell demigods, but immortals cannot sense them the way they could another immortal. She will be fine, even without Lelantos. And besides, she was not entirely silent these last few days. From her messages, I'm almost certain. She's still south of us."
"She went into California alone?"
I couldn't quite keep the disbelief out of my voice. Even before the war, that had been the epicenter of monsters for the entire country. Now, after Western Civilization had fallen, I couldn't imagine what it was like. When Calypso nodded, I couldn't help but add, "Is she crazy?"
"Possibly," Calypso said. "But she is also one of the most competent people I know. We will give her the benefit of the doubt."
It wasn't worth arguing about this. Calypso was right. I just hated the way it felt like we were putting Thalia in more danger, even if she was the one that put herself in danger first.
I turned toward the hotel to gather my followers. Just like Calypso wanted, we were on the road in under an hour, riding straight toward the ominous presence hanging heavy on the horizon.
Our chariots easily climbed Siskiyou Pass, slipping past a 4,310 foot elevation sign, before starting down the other side. Only when we passed the California Welcome Sign did it settle in.
We were into the belly of the beast.
-
"There's no way that's all monsters," Grace said, disbelief heavy in her voice.
Despite my worries, the first day of travel had actually been pretty easy. Monsters seemed slightly more common, but that was fine when we were blowing past them at eighty miles an hour. The few that managed to catch our scent — which wasn't many with Lelantos as a hood ornament — never stood a chance of catching up.
The first problem came around Sacramento. Somehow, sirens had moved in.
Don't ask me how. The only time I saw those things was in the Sea of Monsters, and back then they nearly made Annabeth drown herself before I dragged her to her senses. Even in a world like this, I hadn't known they ever moved around. But Calypso was certain, and my ears — better than a mortal's ever since my transformation — caught the first hints of singing as we approached the downtown.
That was one of the worst monsters we could've run into. All it would take was one mistake, and we'd have mortals jumping out of car-speed chariots left right and center. So we made a bold call and went around.
Skirting the edge of the bay area seemed safer than risking sirens. We just didn't count on how many monsters would be living there.
From a hill above Oakland, we stared out at what would've been a beautiful view if we were able to pay any attention to it. The bay stretched out beyond the city, lapping against San Francisco's shores on the far side. Clouds covered the sky in strange patterns. Looking south, Mt. Othrys loomed large, although most of Mt. Tam actually looked strangely docile, none of the midnight-black clouds I'd seen when chasing Atlas years ago.
No, our problem was much closer. Beneath us, prowling almost shoulder-to-shoulder, monsters filled the city streets. Giants, Dracaena, Telkhines, Blemmyae, hellhounds, and much stranger things I didn't recognize marched and meandered between buildings. Fights broke out constantly, monsters dueling for dominance before going separate ways. Even in the middle of the war I hadn't seen this many in one place, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"They won't notice us," Calypso said. "We will remain hidden, as we have so far."
But even she didn't sound confident.
"You want to go into that?"
The coarse voice made me turn, staring at the other chariot. Leaning over the rim was the mercenary that spoke during my speech. I hadn't realized at the time since he looked so young, but he was their leader. Or at least, the others tended to listen to him.
Martin— that was his name.
"Yes," I said simply.
"Let me rephrase. You want us to head into that unarmed?"
"Yes," I said again. When he looked at me like I was crazy, I decided to explain.
"Those are monsters," I said. "The only weapon that works on them is Celestial Bronze, and not only do we have none, mortals can't even touch it. There is no weapon you could use that would beat those things, only weapons you could use on each other."
My eyes drifted to the other followers. People that were trusting me with their lives. People that these mercenaries had been willing to hurt not too long ago, and maybe still would if given incentive.
"I won't allow you to be hurt," I told Martin. "I swear it."
Martin stared at he looked away, although I couldn't tell if it was because he was agreeing or because he realized arguing wouldn't help. "Trust," he snorted. "My favorite."
Sharing a glance with Calypso, she made a gesture, and the chariots descended the hill.
As they moved they floated higher into the air. The limit to their flight seemed to be about fifteen feet off the ground, but that was still enough to clear the head of most monsters. The plan was simple: blast through fast enough that nothing had the chance to realize we were there, and get the Hades out of here.
It worked really well, too. Shockingly well.
We blew past streets— literally, considering we were being pulled by air spirits. The wind should've been blasting our faces, but we were mostly fine, even me and Calypso who were standing right at the front. We made it through downtown Oakland without a hitch. Only when we reached a stretch of ocean-front highway did things go slightly wrong.
As we cut along through the slightly salty air, Lelantos suddenly spoke.
"Something sees us," he said.
I looked at him. Despite having been sucker punched and bound up like a common prisoner, the Titan had been strangely docile. No raging, no cursing, just a quiet sense of… disappointment? Most of the time he slept, and the few times he was awake, he tended to just look vaguely depressed.
Right now his eyes were open wide, and locked on the horizon.
"Something managed to spot us?" I asked urgently.
"I don't know." Lelantos sounded confused. He blinked. "It's gone now."
He still looked uncertain. So was I. The bay was just to our right, marshy plants growing out of the water. An old dock had been taken over by Telkhines, who were sunning themselves on the old planks. A Laistrygonian lay asleep in our path. The only sounds were Telkhines barking and distant, quiet cries of feuding monsters.
In a flash, the Telekhines' barking changed to yowls. They leaped off the dock into the water, frantically swimming away. I stared after them, befuddled, and failed to notice the bigger problem we were facing.
The napping Laistrygonian wasn't napping any longer. He sat bolt upright, rubbing his eyes and starting to lumber to his feet, placing his head squarely in our path.
The chariot I was in skirted past him thanks to a last minute swerve by the cloud leading us, but Calypso's chariot wasn't so lucky. They bounced off the giant's oversized head, breaking one wheel clean off. That was a problem, even though the chariots were flying feet off the ground.
I'm not going to pretend I understood how it all worked. All I knew was that ever since the journey began, the wheels that seemed only for show had been spinning non-stop, and now that one broke the chariot nosedived. The front collided with the asphalt with a shower of sparks and a grinding noise loud enough to hear from the other chariot. The passengers held onto the walls, each other, or anything they could wrap their arms around, and nobody ended up badly hurt, although a few did tumble out as it grinded to a stop. Martin the mercenary was the worst off. The first to fall out, he landed next to the point of impact, far closer to the Laistrygonian than anyone else
The giant was reeling, holding his head and sobbing, but still very much not vaporized. I held up a hand, and the spirit leading our chariot listened, stopping us dead.
Somebody grabbed me.
"We need to leave," urged one of the mercenaries.
I just looked at her. She was probably in her early thirties, with a collection of scars decorating her upper nose and forehead. Her eyes were wild with panic. At first I thought she was scared of the giant, but then I realized.
The Telkhines that jumped off the dock weren't the only monsters that were suddenly on the move. Down the road, from the direction of downtown, dust was rising. I squinted back, picking out tens — no, hundreds — of monsters. I didn't see anything major, nothing I knew the name of, but they still must've numbered as many as the army that marched on Camp Half-Blood from the Labyrinth.
"Well that's not good for these squishy mortals," Lelantos observed helpfully. He looked at me. "Can you at least save the blond with the wonderful breasts? She's my favorite to look at while indisposed here."
Annie was in the crashed chariot, and she wasn't the only one. I turned to the mercenary holding my shoulder.
"Your friend Martin is back there," I said. "You'd leave him behind?"
She looked at me like I was crazy for wasting this much time.
"He understands," she said.
And what did you know? It was true.
Martin had toppled out of the back, landing on his side, but had since pulled his way to his feet. He was staring at us, and I made eye contact with him.
There was nothing in those eyes. Maybe a bit of disappointment. Maybe a tinge of anger. But the raw rage or despair that most people faced their demises with wasn't present, and there definitely wasn't any hope. He turned his back on us, facing the giant that had come to its senses and begun lumbering toward him.
"See?" urged the mercenary. "Now go!"
She lunged past me, trying to find reigns or a gas pedal, anything she could use to drive us forward and leave the others far behind. I didn't keep my disdain hidden as I watched her.
"Listen," I said.
And she did. Everyone did, from both chariots. My voice was amplified slightly, but only enough to be heard. What demanded so much attention was the authority in my voice. It was simply my will that they lend their ears— so they did.
I pushed through the people on my chariot and jumped off, thudding onto the road.
"I don't like you mercenaries," I said.
I strolled past the other chariot. The giant was picking up steam, starting to charge. Calypso could have dealt with him in seconds, but she was waving her hands trying to repair the chariot, her eyes on the real threat approaching not so far behind him.
"You all did awful things," I said. "To survive, sure, but that doesn't make it better. You were willing to hurt the people who would become my followers, and even worse, you were willing to hurt innocent people. Self-interest is the only thing you know." I stepped up next to Martin, staring him in the eyes from less than a foot away. "I hate you."
He flinched slightly, but didn't look surprised. After a moment holding my gaze, he turned toward the giant. He scooped up a piece of wood that had broken off of the chariot and held it like a bat. As the giant charged, he stepped toward it. Even if his makeshift weapon was nothing more than a splinter to that thing, he wanted the giant to feel some kind of hurt as it killed him.
I grabbed his shoulder.
"I hate you," I repeated. "But that doesn't mean you deserve to die."
I flicked my wrist in a 'shew' gesture, and just for a moment, my true form peaked out. Air pressure exploded as if a cannon had been fired. One moment the Laistrygonian was looming over us, the next its top half was gone. I'd blasted away everything above his two thick legs, which quickly crumbled to dust.
Martin stared at me, his mouth hanging open.
"This awful world is what made you this way," I said, voice still carrying to every mercenary on both chariots. "Too many hard choices made monsters out men. So I'm going to drag you kicking and screaming back to a world of humanity, whether you want it or not. And the first step is getting your butt back on that chariot right gods damned now."
I thought it was a pretty decent speech, if I didn't say so myself. Calypso had fixed her ride. She'd already gathered the others who fell off, all of them but Martin himself. The onrushing monsters were close, but not close enough to stop us. I allowed myself a smile. I turned back to rejoin my chariot—
I staggered and nearly fell. Gravity became twenty times stronger. Even with all my extra strength as a god, I could barely keep my feet.
"Leave!" Lelantos suddenly shouted at the wind spirits. "Flee! Fly! Escape, fools, or we'll never get the chance to!"
He thrashed and fought against binds that he'd accepted peacefully for days straight.
Using everything I had, I managed to look South.
Every single cloud anywhere on the horizon had gathered above Mount Tamalpais and turned blacker than night. They towered miles high, oozing into shapes. I picked out fingers first, then knuckles, and finally the rest of the hands— two of them, extending all the way down to the elbow. Between them formed a cylindrical tower. The end of the cylinder curved forward, so massive the tip must've covered Sausalito even as the shaft stayed centered above the mountain.
I recognized that scythe for what it was long before the clouds turned to an ugly shade of gold. It was aiming straight at us. I knew because I could sense the wielder's attention, a much stronger version of what Lelantos felt earlier. This was what made these monsters turn crazy in the first place. This was what Calypso and I felt all the way from the state border. This was the lord of the Titans, ruler of the new world, and somehow, we'd attracted his attention despite all our precautions.
The hands jerked forward. Not for the first time, that scythe slashed the sky in two.
Evasion was impossible. They scythe was fast, but the real problem was everywhere else. While the weapon moved, everything stood frozen. Even the wind stopped. Time was working for one thing, and one thing only. I was rooted as I watched that blade descend toward me.
Two hands met my chest and pushed.
All at once the spell holding me shattered. All my efforts to escape came together at once, and I sprang back hundreds of feet, jumping through the air. I was moving before I realized it. Helplessly, I stared back at the owner of the hands that gave me the kickstart.
"Liar," Martin said, watching me with a smile. "Kicking and screaming my ass."
Ever since thirty odd people pledged themselves to me in that Spokane event hall, I'd changed. I could feel all thirty one of my believers like they were a part of my body. Even though they were traveling with us, none of the mercenaries were included— until now.
I felt it nestle in beneath my navel: the thirty-first believer. Martin. In that moment he believed in me, and something that simple allowed him to move when even I froze.
I stretched out my hand as the scythe-point struck the ground.
My believer count dropped to thirty.
I landed from my leap next to the crashed chariot, just barely out of range of the golden explosion that bathed the bayfront. The mortals shielded their eyes, but I stared straight into the glow and watched, mesmerized.
Martin was gone in the first second, along with every one of the hundred-plus charging monsters. They didn't burn, or turn to dust, or anything like that. They just disappeared. As if they were never there in the first place.
The road was next. I watched it turn from asphalt to dirt, then disappear entirely under an explosion of plants. In the background, buildings suffered the same fate, shrinking before disappearing entirely. Changes kept coming at ever-increasing speed. The ground turned sandy, like the bottom of the ocean floor, with extinct fish flopping around. There was a flash of fire, and genuine dinosaurs appeared, only to become smaller and disappear just as quickly. I realized I was watching the entire history of this patch of land, all the way until it simply disappeared.
When the golden glow faded, what was left was a pitch-black patch of nothing. A sliver of Nyx, maybe, before Helios ever existed. Or perhaps it was even older, and much stranger. Maybe this was a patch of Chaos, the void that came before.
I was supposed to have been caught in the center of that. Kronos had, quite literally, tried to unmake me.
I felt cold long after the day returned to normal. None of his attention was on us anymore. Even for him, wielding that much power must've been incredibly draining.
But the mortals weren't doing well. Annie was pale and covered with sweat. Grace had just thrown up. Being so close to the remnants of Kronos's attack was doing things I couldn't guess to their bodies. I didn't even have time to mourn Martin's sacrifice— we needed to get away, now.
"We've got to leave," I told Calypso.
She looked shaken by what we'd just seen. A lot like I probably did, now that I thought about it.
"To where?" she asked.
"I know a place," said someone.
Craning my neck, I stared straight up.
Hovering in the air above us, her arms crossed, was an older and much-changed version of one of my best friends.
Thalia Grace eyed the patch of nothing next to us. "You guys know how to make an entrance." She glanced at Calypso, specifically the journal strapped to her side. "And you really need to check your messages more often. But right now, your friends don't look so good, so what you should be doing is following me. I'll get you somewhere safe."