Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Through out the three centuries that Sarah Willoughby has been alive, she has come to learn that being a Half-Blood thoroughly sucked. She never asked to be a Half-Blood, although to be fair, she’s sure that no one has ever asked to be a Half-Blood, but she especially never wanted this. Born in the ridiculously stupid Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts sometime in the late 1670s, Sarah Willoughby, the Demigod daughter of Hades and Catherine Willoughby, the young girl was just asking for trouble by existing. Growing up, Sarah had always known there was something irrevocably wrong with her ⸺ strange creatures would attack her, strange creatures that no one else could see, the strange creatures and the messes they created trying to kill Sarah were always dismissed as natural causes at the hands of a wildly imaginative girl until they weren’t just that.

Her mother and the man who was her supposed to be her father were highly respectable people in the little town of Salem, so more often than not Sarah got away with things that most wouldn’t be able to. Sarah would also come to learn that her real father ⸺ Hades, the god of the underworld, keeper of the dead souls, and all that other jazz he was associated with, often meddled with her life to keep her safe. Manipulating the Mist that veiled the other townspeople from seeing the true nature of her tall tales, into Sarah’s favour. More often than not, the townspeople and her parent would forget about the wild stories Sarah would tell them about strange creatures attacking her. The gems that bloomed from pathways which Sarah would walk were either overlooked or thought of as a lucky find until they weren’t.

The Salem Witch trials began in the cold winter of 1692, paranoia overtook little Salem. People were being accused of practicing witchcraft or laying with Devil, left and right, and as lucky as Sarah had been her entire childhood, she knew it would only be a matter of time before that luck ran out. Sure enough, Sarah had been right, just shortly after her sixteenth birthday, she was accused of being a witch by her schoolmate. She had told him, multiple times ⸺ “Lucas, please don’t touch that!” “Rubies don’t just sprout up from the ground, you shouldn’t take it!” “What if it’s a trick from the Devil!” And he still took the rubies anyway. Lucas Maycott never listened to nobody so it shouldn’t have come as surprise that he had taken them despite her warnings.

The jewels that bloomed at her feet were a rare occurrence and weren’t quite as cursed as she told Lucas, at least when she picked up the jewels and gave them away, they seemed like normal jewels. But when others would take the jewels, more often than not bad things would happen to them. Before Lucas Maycott, no one had associated Sarah with the jewels that would appear on the ground like sprouting dandelions in the spring. It had happened rarely that no one had made the connection. And then Lucas got kicked in the head by a horse, an injury that would kill him three days after, and truly it had all been Lucas’ fault that it had happened. Not Sarah, possibly not even the ruby. It was a rowdy horse, it had never liked most people, and Lucas had been told by his father not to bother the horse but Lucas Maycott never listened to a word his was told.

Before he died, Lucas had told everyone who would listen that Sarah had placed a curse on him with the Devil’s help, he said that Sarah was dealing with the Devil to get riches and a whole load of hogwash. Perhaps, if he hadn’t of died, she would have gone ignored as she always was before and he would be written off as a hubble-bubble fellow but alas, he died and his father was quick to continue pointing the finger at Sarah. The rest of the village was quick to put up outlandish stories about  Sarah. Even the man she believed to be her father accused her of being the Devil’s daughter ⸺ “That ain’t no child of mine, I’ve always felt it but she must have cast a spell on me to ignore it, she’s the Devil’s child, I’m sure of it!” And it was his claim that was the final nail in the coffin.

She would be tried and hanged for being a witch just like so many others. She awaited her fate for several months, other women of young and old came and well the prison they were all kept in, even a few unlucky men were thrown into the mix, it was a terrible time. And then the night before her hanging, she was alone in the prison cell, no one to cry to over her impending demise, until a strange girl appeared in the cell. The girl was younger than Sarah, probably the same as as her younger brother ⸺ only eleven and Sarah wept about the injustice of it all because there’s no way a child this young could truly understand their actions. They were just as much victims as the other townspeople, The Devil works in magic and manipulation, all the ones who claimed to be bewitched ⸺ were they not victims too? After all, they were only mortals and The Devil was The Devil, a fallen angel of unknown power how could they be blamed for being controlled by such a being? Even if the stories were true, why was only Sarah to be blamed for being the Devil’s daughter, it was out of her control?

The strange little girl seemed unbothered by the predicament she was in, regarding Sarah with a knowing look, her eyes held a power and age that screamed to Sarah she was not just a little girl, she was so much more. And Sarah was right in believing so, the girl revealed herself to be a Goddess ⸺ Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, The Wilderness, The Moon, and the protector of young women ⸺ Sarah’s saviour. Artemis tells Sarah that she is here to rescue Sarah on behalf of Hades, she doesn’t look pleased to disclose this information, looking back on it, Artemis had seemed exasperated by it but they had made a deal and so Artemis was fulfilling her end of it. Sarah had no reason to believe it, but in her bones, she knew it to be true ⸺ a Demigod, Artemis calls her and while the name brings a bad taste to Sarah’s mouth and a burden on her shoulder, she still feels that the name puts all the puzzle pieces of her sinful, strange existence together. She is a Demigod, not the Devil’s daughter but close enough as it is told by Artemis that Hades is her true father.

“Do you accept my help?” Artemis had asked and what did Sarah have to lose? She was less than twenty-four hours from walking to her death. Sarah nods and bows to Artemis. In the morning, when they come to get Sarah, Artemis had long since vanished and Sarah worried she had made it all up in a way to grieve for her life she was about to lose. The Judge tells her that there’s been a change of plans, she would be the first and the only Salem Witch to die by fire. They tell her that she was born in the flames and thus she must die in the flames. Only she doesn’t, the flames never burn her, she disappears in a bright flash of silver, and even now centuries later, Sarah can still here their gasps and exclamations of “witch” as she disappeared.

Artemis was supposed to let her go and the deal was just to get her out alive as Artemis was in the area on a hunt at the time. But, Sarah immediately pledged herself to the Goddess without even knowing of the Hunters and thus Sarah became a Hunter, and within decades she became one of the best Hunters next to Zoe and Phoebe. And the mystery of what happened to Sarah Willoughby upon that pyre would remain unsolved, Sarah, in her own right became a legend. She would become a hero, inducting several girls that were almost victims of Witch Trials around the world into the Hunters. A hero, the young girls would call her, Artemis was the girls’ saviour, their lifeline, but Sarah was the hero that rescued them from the pits. And Sarah was happy for it, three hundred years of happiness and unity within the Hunters was more than Sarah could ever dream of. But heroes and happiness do not go hand in hand, it never stays, it’s how all the myths go, Sarah could never name one hero that was happy so who was she to think that she would remain so.

Three hundred years as a Demigod was more than most could bear, most never even got a solid eighteen years in. And sure, Sarah had never got her eighteen years in, forever more she would be sixteen or perhaps seventeen, her true age was a mystery to her for all the months she spent in that underground cell. But, Sarah was still alive. Sure, being a Demigod thoroughly sucked no matter how long she had been one, but she was alive, and safe, and loved.

And then Thalia Grace was murdered by her father’s monsters and things start going downhill faster than Sarah can keep up with. In the months following Thalia Grace’s untimely demise, which Sarah had witnessed and no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop, Sarah had to stay at Camp Half-Blood. It was her begrudging decision, in fear of of incurring Zeus’ wrath and what it could mean to the safety of her fellow Hunters, she stayed to keep herself and those she loved alive. But eventually as spring turned into summer, the storms that would rattle the sky when Sarah would even approach the edge of camp’s borders faded to nothing. Sarah wondered if it was lovely Persephone who had talked Zeus out of smiting her right where she stood the second she left the camp or if it was the flowers and blankets that she would leave around Thalia’s tree that eventually softened him to the point where he thought it would be a little too rude to kill her unprompted.

Either way eventually Sarah was able to leave Camp without immediately being struck down by lightning. Nearly a year at that Camp was too much for Sarah as homely as it felt and the friends she made there, it would never beat the feeling of being with Artemis and the hunters. Things are relatively peaceful for the next few years minus the occasional storm contained to only Sarah’s tent on hunts, but Sarah can live with that because she could’ve tried harder to save Thalia from her father’s wrath, she deserved it. And then Zeus’ Master Bolt goes missing and she is one out of three key suspects so she exiles herself to Camp Half-Blood to keep herself and her fellow hunters safe from both Zeus and Poseidon’s wrath.

It appeared that Poseidon had broken that stupid oath, Sarah was only somewhat aware of, just like Zeus had with Thalia, Poseidon had sired two twin Demigod children. The Jackson twins, who in Sarah’s opinions are embodiments of literal nightmares. Plenty of Sarah’s problems from the last two years could be pinpointed to them, starting with that stupid quest for Zeus’ Master Bolt. If only Charybdis Jackson’s puppy dog eyes weren’t so convincing, maybe she wouldn’t have been nearly turned to stone. Maybe she wouldn’t have been nearly stretched to death, Sarah swears she actually grew a couple inches, the girls say she looked taller when she got back. And the worst of it, she nearly got dragged down into Tartarus where Kronos resides. Thankfully, Grover Underwood has an insanely strong grip or Sarah would’ve ended the quest entering the worst family reunion in history.

Needless to say, the Quest for Zeus’ Master Bolt had been a terribly unstable rollercoaster ride. So much so that it almost put Sarah’s first solo hunt to shame which was saying something. Sarah never really heard the end of the Quest, when their group had reached the Underworld, they had gone their separate ways. Everything after that, Sarah only hears bits and pieces of how the Quest ended after her departure ⸺ there’s something about the rise of Kronos, a Demigod traitor or two, and that Sally Jackson was brought home to Percy and Charybdis. She decides not to dwell on the details, she makes herself at home with the Hunters again, she buries the strange feelings that Camp Half-Blood had always managed to resurface. Sarah tells herself that they don’t mean anything to her, they’re not as important as Artemis. Things are normal again.

But, not for long ⸺ of course not, how could they be when the Jackson twins are involved. And sure, Sarah knows that it’s truly the Gods’ fault for everything that’s going down, but it was much easier for Sarah to blame the sassy big-mouthed brat and his twin sister that acted more like a shadow than a normal Demigod. When the Hunters track down a Manticore and save a group of Demigods from the monster, Sarah shouldn’t have been surprised to find that Perseus and Charybdis Jackson are at the centre of it. However what follows this rescue, is nothing that Sarah could have prepared for ⸺ the truth of the Lightning Thief’s true identity, the heartbreak and betrayal, the shock of seeing Thalia Grace alive and well, and everything that Sarah has missed since the first, fateful quest. Which is a lot of information to digest, a long and terrible tale, and it would all lead to one thing ⸺ a war.

The threat of an impending war, death is imminent, Sarah can feel it closing in on them. The sword of Damocles is swinging and it won’t stop until it finds itself a hero to cut down in their prime. Now, Sarah does not qualify for The Great Prophecy, she is not the centrepiece in this fight. She does not carry the burden of that prophecy or any prophecy the way that Percy, Charybdis, or Thalia do. But, she’ll be damned if she stands on the sidelines and watches as the Demigods she’s come to care for, fight for their life in war the Gods are responsible for. Sarah Willoughby is not a pawn like the other Demigods are, she has only ever known the freedom of the hunt, but she was still built like the other Demigods, the urge to fight in her blood, the makings of a hero in the marrow of her bones. The sword of Damocles is swinging and Sarah will not let it get to her friends, for she was a hero that was happy for far too long, perhaps after three hundreds years of living a relatively blessed life for a Demigod, it was time for Sarah Willoughby to sacrifice something.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES IS SWINGING

TH TITAN'S CURSE  ⸺ THE LAST OLYMPIAN

originally posted ⸺ august of 2023, being rewritten 2025

Chapter Text

SARAH SURVIVED THE SALEM SLAUGHTER

( Chapter Nulla ⸺ Prologue Part II )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If she wasn’t such a sucker for stupid puppy dog eyes, Sarah Willoughby tells herself as she tries to fall asleep, then she wouldn’t be on this stupid quest to begin with. It should’ve been the other half of the Jackson twins on this quest but the little girl had be terrified of leaving camp for a multitude of reasons all which were listed to by ⸺ Charybdis? Sarah thinks her name is, she heard Castor Boivin call her “Cher” at one point so who knows what the kid’s name is, Sarah never bothered to learn it; she’s still not quite sure what the boy’s name is all she knows is that it starts with P and ends with Y ⸺ Percy, possibly. Anyway, the girl twin had listed them to Sarah in a frenzy after the boy twin said they’d be going on quest to save their mom, Sarah didn’t pay attention to half of them but the girl was terrified, so scared she was visibly shaking, and she had the widest water-coloured eyes as she pleaded for Sarah to take her place instead.

“You’re stronger,” The girl twin had said, “You’ve gone on loads of quests! You can protect my brother and Grover!”

Sarah didn’t have the heart to tell the girl twin that Hunts are vastly different from Quests. And as begrudgingly as Sarah took on this quest, did the whole dramatics of normal teenager who stomps off to their room after a normal fight with their normal parents, she still took it because she knew that the twin girl would not make it. More so mentally rather than physically, the girl was a child of the Big Three so she was no doubt powerful but unlike the boy who the power came to almost naturally, the girl would need to grow into the power.

“Weak,” Sarah had spat at the girl and while it was all for show, Sarah could never get attached to another child of the big three so long as that stupid oath remained, it still came out a tad harsher than she meant to. And of course, the girl had flinched away, her eyes turning to sea glass and immediately Sarah had backtracked the statement with an apology.

The girl twin had easily accepted it and threw her tiny arms around Sarah’s waist and sobbed. It seemed that both Sarah and the girl had no backbone whatsoever. Sarah had hesitantly patted the girl’s head, a little rougher than she intended simply because she wanted the girl to let go before Sarah got attached but it was too late, Sarah was already loyal and ready to protect the girl the second she had asked Sarah to take her place to protect the other three.

The girl reminded her too much of Thalia only without that spark.

And so, Sarah had marched all the way around camp looking for Luke who was totally avoiding her, not that Sarah could blame him, she had spent the past month at camp avoiding him all the same. It was too much to think about let alone see him and he clearly felt the same. Still, Luke was the most trusted option that Sarah had for keeping the girl safe and comfortable while they were on the quest. It had been an awkward conversation but as much as Luke had changed since that day, he still had the deeply rooted soft spot for children. No matter how jaded or sharp he had become, he still gave it his all to protect the other kids from the same fate.

Sarah wished they could still be friends, they hadn’t even been lovers ⸺ she’d never break the oath ⸺ but they had been something more than just friends and then it was ruined and Luke stopped. No more sleeping in the pavilion with Annabeth and Grover, no more sparring, no more anything. It was as if they were strangers and it was heartbreaking because Sarah thought they were friends at the very least.

He takes the girl twin under his wing and Sarah feels content to leave the girl alone at camp, Luke would take care of her because he was a good kid that was now three years older than Sarah. He had grown, changed, became sharper but Sarah could still see her Luke under it all. She could still see the same kid she had fought side by side to get to Camp Half-Blood. The same kid that gave Annabeth his food after she had finished all hers, the same kid that used his shirt to wrap up one of Thalia’s wounds. He may have gotten harder but Sarah could see it was all for show, he was still soft deep down inside, she sees it as he ruffles the girl twin’s hair and offers to teach her how to use a sword.

Sarah grumbles to herself as her thoughts turn once again to Luke, she shifts around, burying herself into Grover’s side. At this, the Satyr lets out a soft bleating like snore but otherwise stays asleep. Sarah huffs quietly to herself, it’s hot and the hay is making her nose itchy and her eyes water, and she really wishes she had just not been a bitch and taken them to L.A with her car. Sarah then reminds herself what Jackson did to that bus and if he had done anything remotely like that to her precious Dieseljuice she would’ve killed the son of Poseidon herself.

She misses Dieseljuice dearly, perhaps a little too dearly for a person to miss a car of all things. The night before she had departed for this quest, Sarah, of course, couldn’t sleep so she had wandered off to her car. She’d been gifted a car by her father back in the early 80s after she became obsessed with the Volkswagen Beetle, she had no need to have an actual car as the Hunters almost always travelled by foot but Hades’ showed his love through material things and this was the first material thing he noticed Sarah show interest in, in decades so of course he had to give her one.

She got separated from the Hunters in the winter of ‘82 and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t find her way back to them, this happens an embarrassingly amount of times so she figured that heading back to Camp Half-Blood was her safest option. She or Chiron would send an iris message to Artemis and once the hunt they were currently one was completed they would come pick her up. This happened so often it was almost a routine. When she had got to the Camp, a young girl by the name of Andromeda told her that a car had showed up for her.  This was the last thing Sarah had ever expected to hear but when she went down to the workshop area, sure enough there was an orange Volkswagen Beetle with a black bow and a tag with her name on it. A clear gift from Hades, not a very well thought out one because Sarah would hardly ever use it for its’ intended purpose but she appreciated the gesture. She’d named the car Dieseljuice a couple years later.

The car, as far as Sarah’s aware is just a totally mundane car, she’s sure that if her dad had done something to it he would have told her, he tells her lots of things that most other godly parents don’t tell their spawn. Even though it’s mundane and Sarah doesn’t really find time to use it for it’s intended purpose, Dieseljuice is still one of her most prized possessions and it had become her safe space for whenever she had to do her walk of shame to Camp Half-Blood after getting monumentally lost from the Hunters.

As she had sat in Dieseljuice that night, listening to a burned CD of depressingly punk rock hits to calm down, Luke had appeared. Sarah almost didn’t let him in, she looks at him and all she can see is that broken-hearted boy in the strawberry fields, but she had reminded herself that she did still want to be friends with him. Sarah may not have loved him romantically ⸺ or at least not enough to leave Artemis and the hunt for him like he had asked her too but Luke Castellan was something to her. A piece of her, they just fell right into the other’s mind the moment they met. She got him and he got her; he was half of her soul and she was half of his until that day. The bond they share, the two of them couldn’t ever be strangers again ⸺ Sarah couldn’t be a stranger to him.

So, Sarah had let him in. It had been years since that day, he was older and more mature than he once was and Sarah, while still relatively the same as the immortality from the oath, had changed in her own right if only slightly. Luke was practically a young man now and Sarah was still nearly as she was when they met but Luke still looked at her with those heartbroken puppy dog eyes.

She clenched her eyes shut and looked away from Luke, she didn’t know what to say but she wouldn’t apologize for rejecting his romances. She doesn’t have to and she’d hoped that by now Luke understood that.

But to her surprise, Luke hadn’t brought up that day. Perhaps, he just can’t help but look at her the way that he does ⸺ Sarah could accept that. That stupid Blink-182 song had played softly, hardly heard over the sound of the engine but Sarah had heard it and she knows Luke had to. Sarah clenched the steering wheel, feeling Luke’s bright eyes burning into the side of her face, even through a curtain of her red hair.

“You don’t have to do this,” He had told her, finally breaking the excruciating silence.

“Go on this quest?” Sarah had replied, “Yes, I know, but maybe I keep him safe like I should’ve done with Thalia. I can keep them all safe. . . Maybe.”

“I’m not just talking about this quest . . . I mean anything they ask you. You don’t have to do any of it.”

His voice his hard, Sarah had gripped the steering wheels as memories of that day in the strawberry fields, comes back to her at an alarming and overwhelming speed.

This is not her Luke, not the Luke that she remembered, that she almost truly loved romantically. He had changed, he had moved on ⸺ or did he really? Sarah had shaken her head at him, trying to shake off the memories.

“I do have to do it . . . I’m not doing it for the Gods. I’m doing it for the kids. They’re just kids, Luke.”

“So are we, Sarah!”

Sarah had flinched at Luke’s harsh tone. He had muttered an apology and started going angry rant about the Gods, which wasn’t his wisest idea but Luke had always been reckless. Besides, he’d make up for it at dinner the next night. Really, dinner was the only time that the kids were allowed to speak against the Gods because of the food offerings given. Any other time it was like playing Russian Roulette, would they smite you for your words or would they let it slide, you never knew until it was far too late. And Luke didn’t seem to care as he went on and on, Sarah could hardly pay attention, all she could see was Thalia on the ground ⸺ dying. Dying because Sarah couldn’t protect them all.

She could feel the warm blood on her hands, she had tried to put pressure on Thalia’s open wounds but all it did was cause Thalia’s bones to shift under Sarah’s touch and for Thalia to scream in pain. Thalia knew she was dying but she wasn’t scared, Thalia was truly and completely brave. Sarah had sobbed and rambled out apologies this was all her fault. This was her dad’s doing, if he hadn’t of sent those monsters after Thalia then they wouldn’t have had to take shelter in what had turned out to be a Cyclops’ lair.

“Is Annie safe?” Thalia had struggled to ask and Sarah had nodded her head, she struggled to get the words out too.

Sarah had carried little Annabeth Chase all the way to the Big House with the help of Luke and Grover. Luke had several injuries that made it hard for him to walk and Grover was a protector, not a fighter. Thalia had stayed behind to distract the monsters, Sarah had wanted to stay behind and help, but Sarah was the fastest out of all of them and the best bet to get Annabeth to safety. Sarah had been reluctant to leave her but Thalia, brave and strong and selfless, had insisted and left little room for any arguments.

Both Luke and Grover wanted to come back with Sarah but Luke was too weak to fight and Grover was not the most skilled in battle. Sarah had told them to stay put, something Luke would’ve never done if it weren’t for Grover holding him back. Sarah had rushed all the way back but by then it was too late.

Sarah inhales so sharply at the sight of Thalia’s broken body in her mind that she startles herself out of her thoughts or perhaps it had been a nightmare. Sarah did feel groggy, and Grover’s arm was around her shoulder which was not how it was moments ago. Although it’s hot in the Kindness International: Humane Zoo Transport truck and Grover’s arm felt like an ironing brand against her own arm, she made no move to push him away. Besides, knowing her luck as of late, he would wake up.

Sarah glanced around the truck, Annabeth was asleep next to Percy, Percy appeared to also be sleeping. Everything seemed fine, so Sarah closed her eyes once more, she was met with the scarred and remorseful face of Luke and the feeling of being trapped, and the worst of it all ⸺ that voice that had haunted her for centuries was back; her dreams would only get worse from there.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

After that strange dream, Percy Jackson could not sleep. It had taken him forever to fall asleep to begin with and then in his dreams he was met with that weird voice, a voice that seemed to know everything. Percy woke with a start, beside him, Annabeth was sleeping peacefully, and across from him there sat Grover who was surprisingly awake with his arm slung around Sarah’s shoulder, Sarah was surprisingly asleep.

He recalled early, there encounter with Ares and how he had implied that Sarah’s godly parent was Hades but that made no sense to Percy who had been informed that he was the only living child of the Big Three. And Sarah had introduced herself as a Hunter of Artemis so Percy had assumed she wasn’t a Demigod.

Percy only vaguely recalled what the Hunters of Artemis were, he knew they were like some sort of girl group but not like the kind that Cher adores. They hunted things hence being called the Hunters but he doesn’t think that they any of them would be Demigods or perhaps he was wrong and they’re only all Demigods. All he really knows is that he’s the only living child of the Big Three or at least that’s what everyone’s told him.

“Hey, Grover,” Percy whispers, “I thought I was the only child of the Big Three.”

Grover looks at him then glances at Sarah who stays completely still. There’s a beat and Grover looks back up and shakes his head at Percy.

"So, I'm not the only kid," Percy says, feeling relieved.

"No, technically, you are . . . Sarah," Grover pauses as though he was unsure of how to explain it, "She doesn't really count, she is Hades' daughter but she was born long before the oath . . . Like, long before the oath."

Percy's eyebrows furrow together because he's pretty sure the oath happened a long time ago but Sarah is only Grover's age, maybe just a year or two older. He's confused, not an unusual thing to happen these days but perhaps he's wrong a perhaps the oath happened more recently than he thought. 

"How long exactly," Percy finds himself asking although part of him thinks he doesn't want to know because it might just confuse him even further.

"Well, I think," Grover pauses again and he seems to be thinking hard, "About three hundred years, give or take some years."

"Three hundred years," Percy says blankly, okay he must have heard that wrong, "Give or take some years ⸺ how many years are we talking here?"

"Well, she may be between the ages of fifteen to seventeen so . . . she’s roughly 330-ish years old," Grover says sounding a bit more confident as if Sarah‘s true age is often a topic of debate, "She's pretty old, a lot of the hunters with Artemis are . . . She's not as old as Artemis' lieutenant but she's still kind of old. She's about my age, the last birthday she recalls celebrating was her sixteenth birthday before she was accused . . . She was held for awhile before Artemis saved her so she could be seventeen, but Louisa said that some sources claimed that she was born in ⸺" 

"Accused," Percy says with interest, "Accused of what?" 

Despite being a Hunter of Artemis, Sarah was a very kind person ⸺ even if she tried to act like a mean person ⸺  Percy could see right through her act. He’d seen be plenty nice to Cher even though she thought no one had noticed. In his dazed state, he recalled someone that just had to be Sarah, sitting in between his bed and Cher’s, humming a vaguely familiar tune as she stroked Cher’s hair.

Sarah had turned to him, she had looked funny in his dazed state, she seemed to be glowing silver. She had smiled softly, well more like a smirk and said “Hello, Cousin” and then he was out like a light.

It hadn’t occurred to him until just now that Sarah seemed to know that he was a son of Poseidon before anyone else. He wondered how, from what he’s gathered the Gods don’t interact with their children let alone the others. Grover still hadn’t responded so Percy stews on how Sarah could’ve know a little longer and then it hits him ⸺ Cher’s shower!

His twin had this thing about getting dirty, she couldn’t stand it, and he remembered that she had been dragged through the mud trying to stop the Minotaur from going after their mom. It hadn’t worked as nothing seemed to go right with Cher; Percy thought his luck was terrible but Cher’s was even worse. She’d been banged up from being dragged over broken branches and sharp rocks but she’d told him that she had refused to do anything without having a shower first. They’d tried giving her Ambrosia and Nectar but she refused, all but spitting at them, screaming and kicking for a shower. She’d needed to be clean, feel clean, before she could focus on anything else.

Sarah had been the one to cave to her wishes, well Cher had described it as more snapping and breaking into so many little pieces under Cher’s demand for a shower, in between her wails for her mother and Percy. Sarah had stayed with Cher for the shower, hanging outside the shower stall to make sure that Cher didn’t collapse from either her injuries or shock. The water must’ve healed her and obviously Sarah must’ve pieced it all together but why hadn’t she told anyone before they were claimed?

Percy blinks realizing he was thinking too hard again, losing focus on what he was really curious about. However, either he hadn’t been that lost in his thoughts or Grover really didn’t know what to say.

Grover’s still blanching, looking nervous once more, he glances down at Sarah and Percy follows suit. Percy couldn't see her doing anything to wind up in jail. This conversation was a whirlwind, what else would he learn about the redhead that his best friend so clearly had a crush on. 

"Being a witch, Jackson," Sarah pipes up, an amused smile on her face as she keeps her dark eyes closed. Both Grover and Percy jump and she chuckles quietly. Sarah lifts her head off Grover's shoulder "I was accused of being a witch ⸺ the devil's daughter. In a way they were right but it still hurt y'know. My own mother and the man that was supposedly my father, thought I was a no good witch." 

"Like the Salem ⸺" 

"Yes, Jackson, like that. Exactly like the Salem Witch Trials," Sarah says softly, "I was accused in what I believe was sixteen-ninety-two, it was during the cold season then and it was colder than usual, I was held the longest before my execution . . . Artemis came to me disguised as another accused, she saved me." 

Percy stares at her with wide eyes, this was not what he expected to hear "You . . . You don't have to tell me," he says but a tiny part of him hopes that she continues. 

She smiles, her dark eyes glimmering in the minimum lighting they had, she was clearly upset by having to tell him this and he feels bad, he wishes his words had sounded more genuine. 

"I don't mind, Jackson, this story does have a happy ending, I mean, I am still here, aren't I," Sarah says teasingly, "Apparently my father suggested that Artemis rescue me, he's very good to me. They made a deal of it or something like that, I’d never bothered to ask . . . I was supposed to go to my father’s abode after Artemis saved me but I immediately pledged myself to her. She did save me from one of the worst ways to die after all." 

"So you were almost burned at the stake?" Percy questions, eyes going wide and Sarah does the last thing Percy expects her too, she laughs. 

"Oh no, I was," Sarah laughs in a flat tone, "They tried to burn me but they couldn't. They lit me on fire and everything, it was horrifying, but I didn't feel anything. Artemis and her goddess-ly ways stopped the fire from burning my skin but didn’t really give me a heads up that I would be safe from the flames." 

Percy stares at her, Grover stares at her too but as he had heard this story before, his expression is more of an exasperated one rather than a shocked one.

"I literally poofed out sight, it made the history books and everything, I'm a mystery, Jackson, I’ve been in so many documentaries," Sarah says, "I haven't personally seen any of them but Mal says that the drawings of me do not do my nose justice — apparently I have a nice nose, everyone in the Aphrodite cabin says so."

"If . . . If you're three hundred years old . . . How are you still alive?" 

"I'm immortal, it comes in a packaged deal when you join the Hunters of Artemis," Sarah explains as she stifles a yawn, "Why are you two awake and why are you talking about me of all people?"

"Can't sleep," Percy replies and Sarah nods, this is understandable. She too had faced Zeus’ wrath once, she couldn’t imagine facing her father’s wrath and to have both of them on you at once ⸺ yikes! Sarah truly, almost truly, felt sorry for Jackson.

"Hit a bump and it woke me up," Grover grumbles, he had been the first of them all to fall asleep as he always fell asleep so easily. 

"Fair enough," Sarah says, "These losers, whoever they are, suck at driving." 

"What sucks is the fact that your license got toasted on that bus." Grover grumbles again.

"Also fair," Sarah chuckles humorlessly, "It's gonna cost a lot to replace it."

Then she casts a look at the floor of the truck and says in the strangest and nicest tone Percy’s ever heard Sarah talk in: “Unless, of course, somebody replaces it for me because I’m his favourite daughter.”

Grover chuckles, more with nervousness than with humour. Percy realizes that she’s talking to Hades, her dad, and he doubts that he would help Sarah when she’s on this quest with him but Percy couldn’t help but be a little hopeful.

The bus they got on was supposed to take them to Maryland where they would stop by Lousia Danvers’ mortal father's house. The plan was to borrow his car and Sarah would drive the rest of the way to Los Angeles but the bus got blown up and they didn't even make it through New Jersey.

Even if Hades did pull through and somehow get Sarah’s license back, Percy doesn’t think it would do much good unless, of course, Sarah could hot-wire a car.

There’s a beat and then Sarah, with a hopeful smirk, checks her jacket pocket but the smirk fades as there’s nothing there.

Sarah sighs “Yeah, okay, that’s fair . . . It’s what I get for helping Shrimp Breath.”

Percy gives her an affronted look “I didn’t ask for you to come on this quest! You volunteered, my sister should be here!”

Sarah waves him off with a disgruntled look but she must know he’s right because she doesn’t make another snide remark about being here.   

"So, why were you talkin' about little ole me? ‘Cause as far as I remember I haven’t done anything wrong, thank you very much. Mr. Satyr Man!”

Grover laughs at this, his cheeks darkening as he blushes at the nickname "Well, we weren't taking about you necessarily. Percy was confused about the oath and the prophecy ⸺ you know the prophecy."

Sarah rolls her dark eyes but her posture goes rigid "Ugh, not that." 

Grover laughs nervously and Percy looks even more confused.

"What?"

“Sarah’s the only one here that knows what the Great Prophecy is . . . The one that made the Big Three make the oath,” Grover tells Percy.

“My uncles and several other Gods believed it to be me that the Great Prophecy spoke of. They believed me to be fifteen, my true age is unknown because of how badly things were documented back then so I could be anywhere from fifteen to seventeen. But I’m nearly certain I am sixteen and when I heard the prophecy I felt nothing so I doubt it’s about me. But the Gods against me . . .” Sarah trails off with a low whistle.

She pulls away from Grover and draws her knees up to her chest “They almost made my days on trial seem like a bed of roses.”

“What is the prophecy,” Percy tries, no one will tell him.

“I can’t tell you,” Sarah snaps, closing her eyes and shaking her head rigorously “And it doesn’t matter . . . You’re too young to be worried about it now. And it said the eldest Gods, not just the Big Three.”

“Are they not the eldest Gods?”

Sarah shakes her head, smirking almost fondly at Percy. She had asked the same question when she learned of the prophecy and the Gods came bearing down on with nothing more to protect her but her father’s love, Artemis’ loyalty, and Persephone’s love of Hades. Which was more than most Demigods get but still not enough to stop the ones suspicious of her.

“They are the most powerful by a marginal fraction. But, if you think about it, Lord Zeus is actually the youngest. The prophecy says the eldest Gods specifically which is all that I can tell you and by saying ‘I can tell you’ I probably shouldn’t have said it but it technically it reveals nothing much. And if it’s the ‘eldest Gods’ then that means that the child could come from any of the original Olympians which leaves two more possible Gods.”

Percy couldn’t remember at the top of his head who the original Olympians were but it was more than just the Big Three meaning that there was less of a chance that whatever this prophecy is about was about him. But, there was something in Sarah’s voice ⸺ desperation or fear that tells Percy that she’s only saying this to comfort herself. A feeble attempt at trying to convince herself that it’s unlikely she could be at the centre of this prophecy.

Percy couldn’t help but think that he liked the way she viewed the prophecy, this way meant that it could be any one from a those five Gods whoever they may be. But like Sarah knows but won’t say, Percy knows that it must mean the Big Three otherwise there would’ve been more Gods that made the very same oath that his father had with Zeus and Hades.

“So this prophecy whatever it says, it could be about you or how many other kids then,” Percy asks Sarah.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Grover shake his head, clearly he thought this prophecy was most certainly about the Big Three.

Sarah looked up “Oh, it’s definitely not about me. Not so long as I’m a Hunter. Which coincidently is the only reason Zeus didn’t strike me down.”

Suddenly Grover made a weird sound that Percy had never heard him make before, he looked dumbfounded, crestfallen, and like he had an epiphany all at the same time.

Sarah pauses to give Grover a weird look, raising an eyebrow as if to ask him what was with that weird noise. In response he just shrugged and mumbled something about his leg being asleep. Sarah seems to believe it but Percy does not, he has to hold back a snort at the sight of Grover’s blushing face.

“Hunters don’t age so I don’t count as a living breathing child which leaves just you or your sister, Cherry ⸺ ( “Cher!” ) ⸺ whatever, as the only applicable children. However if I’m right and the prophecy meant all of the eldest Gods then we could be looking at children from Demeter or any children Hestia might have created. However, I don’t think Hestia ever created any children because dad told me she wasn’t particularly fond of romantic relationships but she loves children so who knows . .. Demeter has a lot of kids on her own anyhow so we’d be safe if the prophecy included all of the eldest Gods.”

It was a good theory and Percy would have loved to believe that version of the prophecy but Sarah didn’t look entirely convinced by it and he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Except this prophecy it was talking about the three big Gods.”

“Most likely,” Sarah says glumly.

Percy didn’t understand why she was so upset about this prophecy, it didn’t apply to her. She was safe.

“Why are you so worried about it, you said you don’t count,” Percy blurts out, Annabeth stirs but doesn’t wake at this, she was surprisingly a heavy sleeper.

Sarah fixes him with a long stare “Unless I’m fifteen,” she mumbles then looks away.

Percy doesn’t understand what she means by that or why it matters how old she is, he looks to Grover for any sign of recognition or understanding but Grover looks just as lost as he does.

Sarah leans herself against the cage of the Zebra away, drawing her knees tighter to her chest as she pulls away from Grover. Percy goes to question Sarah for more information but the grief-stricken look on her face, that he can barely see in the dimly-lit trailer, has him second guessing his idea to push for more answers.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When Sarah had first heard the Great Prophecy, she knew it couldn’t be her, she also knew it wouldn’t be totally impossible if it turned out to be her. But she remembered the voice that whispered in her head. It wasn’t the voice that had been haunting her dreams for centuries, she thinks it was her mother’s voice, whispering that she’d never be powerful enough to be the one that the prophecy foretells, and her mother is right, Sarah had never been as powerful as the other Hades kids that he had before the oath, or any of the other Big Three kids for that matter.

Sarah was not weak, she knew this for a fact, she was strong but not as strong as she could be and most of that was due to being a Hunter with very little room to grow physically much less psychologically. She was certainly not as strong as Thalia had or could’ve been and she certainly isn’t as powerful as Jackson is shaping up to be.

Sarah closes her eyes, she can’t look at the boy, she can’t let herself get attached. After a few moments Sarah feels his eyes leave her frame. Good, she thinks, his stare was starting to grow heavy on her conscience. She was glad he thought better than to ask more questions not because she thought he didn’t have the right to know but because if he kept asking she might’ve cracked.

If he is the one . . . Or if his sister is the one, there were still four more years until it came true. Four more years for bad things to befall them. Four more years before Sarah had to decide whether or not she loved these two little brats ⸺ these two children who were only connected to her by a celestial bond but still family nonetheless, enough to find out whether or not she could be the one the prophecy spoke of.

Sarah swallows the lump in her throat as she thinks of what she would have to do when the time comes. There’s a burning in her chest, she remembers her last conversation with Luke, in the car on the night before the quest.

“You’re really going to go,” Luke had said nervously, he must had come to the realization that Sarah was stubbornly set in her decision.

He had looked so nervous, so fragile. Of course, he does! Sarah had thought, his own quest had gone terribly and now he must worry for anyone else that goes on one. Sarah remembered when she had found out about it from Annabeth, she had been confused as to why Lord Hermes would send him on a quest after all the efforts to get him to Camp Half-Blood.

Sarah had nodded her head and Luke is supposed to give her a gift, a new weapon made by one of the Hephaestus but suddenly instead Luke grabs her ⸺ he seizes her shoulders in one fluid motion, drawing her close “You can’t go, Sar, he’ll kill you!”

Sarah opens her mouth to question Luke but the words are stuck in her throat.

Tears well in Luke’s bright eyes “He will kill you! You can’t go, Sarah, you are ⸺”

Whatever he is going to say is drowned out by the sound of a grandfather clock ticking, the chimes are so loud Sarah swears that her brain is vibrating her skull from it. Then suddenly she is free falling through pitch black darkness, Sarah lets out a sharp scream as she descends into a never-ending abyss.

Chapter Text

THE WEIGHT OF LIVING

( Part I ⸺ The Titan’s Curse )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,

Two shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan’s curse must one withstand,

And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.”

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Listen, Sarah Willoughby knew the basics. She knew the gist of how the “Lightning Thief” debacle was solved, she just didn’t ask for the details, because she told herself she didn’t care. Hunters scarcely involve themselves with Quests anyway, Sarah was only a special case due to her parentage. But the thing was, Sarah did care ⸺ she worried about her little gang of misfits, her technical cousins, she worried about Grover because he was so soft and loyal, she worried about Luke. She worried about the entire camp in general especially if, as Lady Artemis and some other Gods suspected, it was Kronos who had been the true mastermind.

Deep down, Sarah knew it was Kronos. It was a a hunch that she couldn’t shake, the fear nestled itself in the marrow of her bones, wrapped around her rib cage and left her feeling breathless. For centuries Kronos’ voice had haunted her dreams, made her restless, she never told a soul as the haunting voice of the Titan took over her dreams. He tried to turn her against the Gods, but the refused to listen, just barely able to convince herself that Artemis loved her just as fiercely as Sarah loved her. It got worse after the great prophecy was foretold and all of the Olympians besides three wanted her dead.

She almost snapped after Thalia’s death, when her anger was the rawest, when she was blamed for something her dad had done, when she spent every night crying and demanding to know why her dad had done it only to be met with silence. Every second of every day, she wondered why none of the Gods had done more to help them, why they left it to her. Sarah who was powerless compared to them. And then they turn around and blame her when it all goes wrong even though she had done her best. In her dreams she was met with Kronos assuring her it was not her fault, it was the Gods’ and she believed him but then he started talking her into revenge and she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She listened, found comfort in his assurance that Thalia’s death wasn’t her fault, let his words take a weight off her shoulders, but she never acted. Thalia wouldn’t want revenge, Sarah didn’t know what Thalia would do in her shoes but she knew Thalia enough to know that she just wanted an easy life and a loving family. Kronos grew angry with her threatening the ones she loved ⸺ Annabeth, Castor, Pollux, Grover, Luke. Visions of their tortured faces still haunt her long after Kronos had stopped haunting her dreams. And then one day, Sarah roughly thinks it was a decade ago, the voice had stopped. Sarah should have know it was due to Kronos finding a more pliable victim but she made up outlandish theories instead and eventually moved on from the restless nights of being taunted and haunted by the Titan.

When Sarah is reunited with Percy and the rest of the gang, a familiar face, and two Demigod siblings that Sarah swears she knows, she finds that Kronos has stayed true to his threats in the worst way imaginable. The weight that Sarah carries has never been so hard to bear as she struggles with a decision that could alter the great prophecy entirely or it could set Sarah’s own prophecy into motion . . .

Chapter Text

A VERY PAINFUL ‘FAMILY’ REUNION

( Chapter One ⸺ Part I: The Weight Of Living )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The strong winds blow fiercely cold on the mountain tonight. A snow storm is raging against the Hunters as they climb the mountain side, Sarah is sure her chubby face is as red as her hair. The snow clings onto every inch of her five foot seven frame, and she just knows that she’s probably about to endure a wicked cold in the coming weeks. A particularly large snowflake lands on the tip of her nose and she scowls, wondering if it’s Lady Demeter laughing at her.

Now, Sarah wouldn’t say she hated winter, she knew that her dad is his happiest during this season and so too is Lady Persephone. Both of them meant a lot to Sarah and she loved when they are happy but she hated cold weather and the feeling of snow getting stuck on her eyelashes. She tugs her fur-lined hood to guard more of her face from the cold but it doesn’t help much.

She remembers one cold season back before she was accused, she had nearly died from some kind of flu, several other children in her village had perished from it and just as many adults had as well. Sarah remembers being delirious from the fever, her lungs had been filled with fluid, she could scarcely breath, she remembers her conscious moments had been so bright and colourful that for the most part it hurt to keep her eyes open. She recalls a young woman who seemed to glow like the summer sun, nursing her back to health.

The woman gave her a tight-lipped smile as she fed Sarah samp with wild berries. She also remembers the woman feeding her asparagus soup, Sarah’s favourite meal that had been out of season. Sarah had asked her how she had gotten the soup especially one that tasted so good during the cold season but Sarah’s certain that her words had come out slurred and ineligible because of the sickness, the young woman had merely hushed her. Sarah remembered that she could not stomach most of the food as she was so sick. It got so bad that she tried refusing to eat at all, the woman wouldn’t let that slide. There’s a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, she feels as though she had just eaten a huge snowball as a memory comes back to her in vivid detail.

The woman’s voice is soft like the dandelions that grow in spring but she still sounds firm and distant as she tries to encourage Sarah to eat more. Even at seven years old Sarah had been wildly stubborn despite being dazed and lethargic from the sickness. She had shaken her head fervently, despite this the woman fed her a spoonful of asparagus soup. Sarah immediately went to spit it out before she had to throw it up, but the woman had shoved her mouth closed harshly. Her face had been inches from Sarah’s but the only thing that Sarah remembers of the woman’s face is her eyes, they had been this deep shade of red ⸺ a red similar to what Sarah knows now of pomegranates.

Sarah is quick to shake off this revelation, she often recalls memories of her childhood which were affected due to her parentage. It hardly phases her anymore, she wipes the snow out of her eyes. If she has to stay out in this weather much longer, Sarah thinks, she’ll end up sick as she had as kid. Sarah’s pretty sure she had been playing with Giles and a few other kids in the snow before she and half of them fell ill with whatever sickness it was. But Sarah couldn’t say for certain if that’s how it happened all she knows is that this weather reminded her way too much of her childhood and she hated it.

“Hurry up, Sarah,” Malvina Waley, one of her fellow Hunters calls out to Sarah, “You wouldn’t want to get lost, you’ve almost made it a whole year without incident!”

Sarah lets out a huff, rolling her eyes as she trudges to catch up with Malvina. Most of the Hunters were out of Sarah’s sight but Malvina and Doris and stayed behind knowing that Sarah tended to zone out on long ventures. She appreciated this gesture, she really did, but that doesn’t mean she had to show it.

“Yeah, yeah, Mal, I’m coming!”

In the distance she can see and hear the fancy boarding school. It is a dance night for the school, Artemis had informed them, she thought that this might be the night that the Manticore leaves the school seeing as most of it will be preoccupied with the dance.

Once Sarah, Malvina, and Doris had caught up with the rest of the Hunters, they took a turn away from the school. Everyone, especially Artemis, could sense that the Manticore is no longer in the school, it is somewhere out in these woods. They follow the trail towards the cliff, the one overlooking the ocean, that’s when Sarah hears a familiar voice mention an even more familiar name.

She edges a bit closer than the rest of the Hunters, feeling intense need to know who is with the Manticore. It couldn’t be him ⸺ there’s just no way it is Perseus. Sarah is three hours away from his normal territory but this is Maine and Grover did have a soft spot for Maine. And wherever Grover went, Sarah is sure that Percy would follow if Grover had asked.

Zoë pulls her back, silently hissing at Sarah, mouthing a scold about how she almost gave away their location. Sarah doesn’t listen much to Zoë’s chagrin, she pulls herself out of the older girl’s grasp and edges closer to the tree line.

“You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you,” The Manticore is saying, it speaks in a french accent.

Sarah leans forward trying to get closer without making a sound, she peers through a gap in the tree branches. She has to bite back a heavy sigh when she sees the familiar face of her cousin ⸺ of course it had to be her Perseus Jackson. He looked older, his hair had grown out but he didn’t look to be in the best condition which meant that the Manticore had struck him. He is with two other kids that Sarah thought looked familiar but she couldn’t pinpoint where she had seen them. But besides that, Percy is alone.

“The General,” Percy asks in a similar french accent but clears his throat and asks again, “I mean . . . Who’s the General?”

The Manticore doesn’t answer him, instead it looks towards the horizon where it appears there’s a helicopter on the horizon of all things, it says in a thrilled tone: “Ah, here we are. Your transportation.”

“Where are you taking us?” The younger kid asks, his voice is shaking. He looks and sounds confused and terrified, Sarah immediately feels the urge to protect him but just as immediately as the feeling came, she swallows it.

“You should feel honoured, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls,” The Manticore says, blatantly ignoring the kid’s question, Sarah’s got no idea what the monster is talking about and she doubts the kid has anymore clues than she had.

Still the kid stands taller by Percy’s side, confusion and horror melting with offence as he snaps at the Manticore: “They’re not dolls! They’re figurines! And you can take your great army and ⸺”

“Now, now,” The Manticore warns, ‘You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And, if you do not, well . . . There are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway.”

The Great what? Sarah thinks, taking another cautious step forward, ignoring the looks of the Hunters that burn into her back.

“The Great what?” Percy voices her thoughts. He looks confused but also like he is doing anything to keep the Manticore talking. He’s waiting for whoever is with him to catch up and help, Sarah realizes.

“The stirring of monsters,” The Manticore explains, his voice sinister and low, “The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all ⸺ the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!”

Sarah’s eyes widen and she dares to look at Artemis, however doesn’t look all that shocked at the Manticore’s words, she motions at Sarah to draw her bow, Sarah would be taking the first hit on the Manticore. As she’s instructed, Sarah draws her bow as quietly as she can but suddenly Percy is exclaiming and there’s the sound of others arriving at the scene.

Her cousin’s back-up has arrived, she can tell as she hears Grover letting out a bleating war cry, it’s followed by a familiar voice yelling “For Zeus!”

Sarah looks to Artemis, would they be attacking or did her cousin and his gang have claim over the Manticore now? Other Hunters look to Artemis for the same reason, the Goddess holds up her hand.  Sarah lowers her bow slightly, they would be waiting until it became clear that her cousin’ group is losing the fight, the Hunters that didn’t look to Artemis, namely Zoë as she is well adjusted to nearly everything, looked thoroughly miffed that they couldn’t finish the monster off just yet.

Sarah looks through the gap in the tree she catches sight of a familiar looking shield before her eyes land on Grover, who has brought his reed pipes to his lips and had begun playing a frantic melody that reminded Sarah of the Pirates of the Caribbean. She’s not sure exactly what the song does as she can’t see the whole scene but it has the Manticore roaring in frustration.

“A Manticore,” Sarah hears Annabeth exclaim in shock, so the gang is all here.

“Who are you people,” The other kid with Percy demands to know, a girl this time, “And what is that!”

The boy gasps “A Manticore! He’s got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!”

Sarah blinks, feeling astonished, he’s talking about Mythomagic! That game was popular back in the 30s or the 40s, kids these days actually know what that is?

“Get down,” Annabeth exclaims, followed by the sound of grunts, Sarah jumps as one of the Manticore’s thorns imbeds itself into the tree in front of her.

This is so not going well, Sarah looks to Artemis but the Goddess still has her hand up signalling them to wait. There’s a thwack and Grover yelps as the melody cuts off.

“Yield,” The Manticore roars.

Sarah nearly snorts as if these three would ever.

There’s a shout of “Never” from the voice that is so achingly familiar to Sarah but she couldn’t put a name to it, perhaps it’s Cher. Sarah had never seen or heard Charybdis Jackson, or as everyone calls her ‘Cher’ in a fight of any kind so perhaps it is her. Sarah smiles, glad that it would seem Cher had found the warrior within herself.

The searchlights on the Helicopter light up the area, nearly blinding Sarah in the process, she couldn’t imagine how her cousin and the rest of them were dealing with it. They would surely lose because of the blasted Helicopter, why are monsters even using a Helicopter? Percy lets out a distressed cry, Sarah looks back to Artemis who finally gives them the go ahead, the Goddess blows the horn. Sarah and the hunters take aim.

There is near silence save from the sound of the Helicopter, the Manticore whispers something in horror, it knows that the Hunters are upon it.

Sarah lets her arrow fly, it hits the Manticore in the shoulder and it lets out an anguished cry. In response it ejects several of its’ own projectiles, they miss the Hunters by a long shot. Well, one almost hits Hunter, who lets out a curse, Sarah glances back to make sure it hadn’t hit them, it had missed them by an inch. The other Hunters let their arrows go, then they descend upon the Manticore and the Demigods.

“The Hunters!” Annabeth lets out a delighted cry.

Sarah looks around at the scene before them, no longer half hidden by the tree line, Annabeth is own the ground protecting the new Demigod children the ones Sarah is sure were the Manticore’s targets. Across from her is Grover, Percy, and Cher, or at least Sarah believes it’s Cher until the girl looks up.

Electric blue eyes meet Sarah’s golden ones and it feels as though the wind as been knocked from her lungs ⸺ Thalia!

Zoë steps forward seeing as Sarah doesn’t, she says something but it doesn’t register in Sarah’s brain. She’s too focused on the girl at Percy’s side. It is Thalia Grace, no doubt about it, but she couldn’t understand how. Sarah tries to inhale but nothing comes from it, there’s no way that Thalia is here, alive and well, it’s not possible.

Does a Manticore’s poison cause hallucinations, Sarah wracks her brain for the answer she should know but nothing comes, she hadn’t felt herself get hit by a thorn but there are several instances where Sarah had been injured and didn’t realize until much later.

A hand is placed on Sarah’s shoulder, she feels immediately calm, the specific calm feeling she gets when she looks at the moon, it is Lady Artemis who is at her side. The Manticore wails something about the ancient laws, Artemis gives Sarah’s shoulder a gentle squeeze bringing her out of her shock long enough to look away from Thalia and at the Manticore, but Sarah still struggles to breathe.

“Not so,” Artemis disagrees with the Manticore, “The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoë, permission granted.”

“If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead,” The Manticore growls as it lunges for Percy and the girl who is Thalia Grace but couldn’t possibly be Thalia Grace.

“No,” Annabeth cries as she lunges after the Manticore and directly into the Hunters’ line of fire.

Zoë tells her to get out of the way but Annabeth has already leapt onto the Manticore’s back and thrusted her trusty knife into’s mane. The Manticore lets out a howl that has Sarah’s brain vibrating in her skull and suddenly she’s aware of everything.

Realizing that using her bow is too dangerous with Annabeth on the Manticore as it moves in circles struggling to get rid of her, Sarah immediately drops it and pulls out her weapon she’d called Threnos from her hair which quickly changes from a hair pin to a scythe within seconds. Sarah rushes forward, swinging the blade low enough to damage the Manticore but not injure Annabeth.

Sarah yells for Annabeth to let go of the monster but she’s drowned out by Zoë instructing the Hunters to fire their weapons. Sarah tries to grab ahold of Annabeth as she dodges to the side to avoid being impaled by an arrow. Instead Annabeth’s foot or knee, Sarah really isn’t sure which, comes in contact with her cheek and nose. She tries to grab onto Annabeth, but her fingers narrowly miss Annabeth’s hood as Sarah stumbles backward, dazed and confused after being hit in the face.

She falls to the ground, tears blurring her vision and blood spilling into her mouth from her nose which is surely broken. She lands on top of someone, who lets out a pained grunt, she’s too distracted by Percy’s yelp and the sound of a dozen arrows whizzing through the air. The Manticore vows that the Hunters will pay for what they’ve done, Sarah snorts at this and tries to lift her head up so she can witness the monster die but as she lifts her head, her vision swims and she can’t really tell what she’s seeing.

Then the Manticore falls or maybe jumps, Sarah can’t tell with how her vision is swimming in front of her, all she can tell is that there is a mess of blonde braids still attached to the blobby outline of the Manticore as it plunges off the cliff. Sarah inhales sharply, did the Manticore take Annabeth with him, she couldn’t see well enough to confirm it but then Percy screams out Annabeth’s name and that confirms everything.

Sarah jolts forward, her vision lurching with her body, the snow and blood blurs together into a mess of white and red cow patches She reaches for Threnos or anything that feels like it could be a weapon but before she can grab hold of anything, someone is at her side, pulling her back as the sound of what she must be mistaking for gun fire is heard.

When she looks to the person who had grabbed her, she’s half expecting to see the pomegranate-eyed woman there ready to shove asparagus soup down her throat. Instead she’s met with the girl who can’t be Thalia Grace but is somehow Thalia Grace, once again Sarah wonders if the Manticore’s poison can cause hallucinations.

She tries to think of the last coherent thought she had, what last made sense and what could be the reality. Her head throbs as she wracks her mind for something, anything to explain what is going on. The last thing ⸺ the sound of people arriving to help Percy! That’s where things started getting weird, perhaps she had been hit then?

A shadow advances upon them, Sarah startles because it must be a monster but the girl beside her doesn’t even flinch, she doesn’t take her piercing eyes off of Sarah.

“Grover,” She says and she sounds exactly as Sarah remembers Thalia sounding, “Get me an ambrosia square.”

There’s a beat of silence and then Sarah hears Zoë say “Thalia Grace, you know you could at least say please.”

The girl that looks like Thalia looks up and scowls “Zoë Nightshade. Perfect timing as usual.” Her voice trembles with rage, it has to be Thalia, only the actual Thalia would address Zoë like that.

Sarah remembers, though her head throbs as she thinks about it, that Luke and Thalia had crossed paths with the Hunters weeks before they encountered Sarah, who had been separated from them and had stumbled upon little Annabeth in the process. She couldn’t remember what they had said or done to Thalia, not when trying to remember it made her brain feel like it is going to split in half.

“Four Half-bloods and a Satyr,” Zoë says, addressing Artemis as far as Sarah can tell, “Sarah’s been injured, nothing fatal, probably not even a concussion.”

“Yes,” Artemis replies, “Some of Chiron’s campers, I see.”

Percy begins yelling about how he needs to go after Annabeth.

There’s a sympathetic edge to Artemis’ voice as she tells him “I’m sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help.”

Annabeth had fallen, Sarah thinks and she tries to get up but Thalia holds her down, gentle but firm. There’s the sound of a struggle, Sarah tenses, and once more she tries to get up but the girl’s hold doesn’t budge.

“You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs,” Artemis says to Percy, or at least Sarah assumes she says this to Percy.

Percy doesn’t seem to agree with that and says “Let me go!”

She wonders who’d been tasked with holding him back, she felt sorry for whoever it is. Her fellow hunters are strong but the sea doesn’t like to be restrained and Percy is the child of the sea.

“Who do you think you are,” Percy demands.

Sarah winces when Zoë’s shadow shrinks, Zoë would defend Artemis tooth and nail over things smaller than Percy’s snappy tone towards the Goddess, she couldn’t bring herself to think about what Zoë would do to the poor kid. She struggles harder to get up and stop Zoë from maiming her cousin but Thalia’s look-a-like which actually may be Thalia though Sarah can’t figure out how it’s possible, pushes her back down.

“No,” Artemis says in a stern tone, “I sense no disrespect, Zoë, the boy is simply distraught, he doesn’t understand.”

There’s a pause and then she adds “I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.”

There’s another pause and then her cousin says something so lame and so him that she remembers why she missed Camp Half-Blood so much.

“Um, okay.”

He’s probably in shock too, of course, Sarah is too.

Someone let out a gasp that’s quickly followed by Grover rambling out: “Thank you, Lady Artemis! You’re so. . . You’re so . . . Wow!”

Sarah’s pretty sure that Thalia rolls her eyes but it all becomes too blurry to tell as she turns her head and snaps “Get up, Goat Boy, we have other things to worry about like Annabeth ⸺” Her voice falters, there’s a beat and then she snaps again “Can someone get Sarah some ambrosia or nectar! Honestly, does anyone listen to me?”

The last part is mumbled then she turns back to look at Sarah, her face softens “Hey there, Salem, did you miss me?”

Sarah’s eyes widen, without a doubt this is Thalia. Thalia, the little girl that had died in her arms years ago. Now she holds Sarah in her arms and while Sarah is far from dying, Thalia is still acting like she’s fatally wounded. Sarah’s not sure what Thalia’s expecting her to do or say to that but Sarah’s sure that what she does next isn’t high on Thalia’s list; Sarah promptly passes out.