ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter thirteen

━━ THEY RAN UNTIL they couldn't run anymore. Rachel steered them away from traps, but there was no destination in mind—away from that dark mountain and the earth-shaking roars.

               The five stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. Elisa couldn't hear anything behind them, but that didn't make her feel any safer. She could still recall those unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face, the chilling smile that was etched across his face.

               "I can't go any further," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

               Annabeth had been crying the entire time they had been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Elisa slammed her back on the dam walls, sliding down to the floor, taking deep breaths as she leaned her head back. Nico sat next to her, dropping his sword with a clang.

               "That sucked," said the son of Hades. Elisa felt like that was a pretty mellow way of describing what they had just witnessed: Luke giving up control of his body to be a vessel for Kronos—that was if Elisa had the story right, which she hoped she had all wrong.

               Percy dropped Riptide to the floor, collapsing to the floor with a sigh. He sat on the opposite side of Nico and Elisa. "You saved our lives," he told Nico.

               The son of Hades wiped the dust off his face. "Blame the girls for dragging me along. That's the only thing they could agree on. We needed to help you or you'd mess things up."

               Elisa averted her eyes from Percy's sweat-gleamed face as his eyes traveled over to her. "Nice that they trust me so much," he said, trying to give the daughter of Dionysus a smile.

               The brunette swallowed harshly. She placed her left hand against the sharp pain in her side. She had run way too far, but to stay alive, that was the only option she had. She shone her flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like slow-motion rain.

               "Nico," she said, breaking the suffocating silence with words instead of heart-breaking sobs. They know who your dad is now."

               Nico looked at Elisa. "What are you talking about?"

               "That black stone?" Elisa said, swinging the flashlight over to aim at Nico's feet. "That just popped from the ground when you yelled?"

               "It was impressive," Percy spoke up with a compliment, as if trying to counter-act Elisa's negative tone.

               She glared at the boy. "But Kronos knows for sure who you are—a son of Hades.

               Nico frowned at the daughter of madness. "Big deal, Elisa."

               Elisa returned the frown, ready to say more when Percy kicked her foot with his. The son of Poseidon's expression told her to drop it. Elisa didn't want to drop the subject but she figured Nico was getting her point, he was just trying to hide how scared he truly was.

               Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. Some of her blonde braids fell around her puffy eyes. "What ... what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

               Percy didn't look excited to re-visit what he had seen in the fortress, still, he explained all he had witnessed. He told them what he'd seen in the coffin; Luke's body and how the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered the son of Hermes's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service to Kronos's cause.

               "No," Annabeth said. "That can't be true. He couldn't—"

               "He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy said. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. But Luke is gone."

               Annabeth's grey eyes hardened. "No!" she insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."

               Percy nodded, looking at Rachel with some sort of respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

               The redhead looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."

               Elisa tore her eyes away from Percy and Rachel, looking back to the daughter of Athena with sympathy. "Annabeth ..." she said softly. "We all saw what you saw, but ..." The brunette trailed off as her friend's expression morphed.

               "You saw," Annabeth insisted with a determined fire in her eyes; she was refusing to believe that Luke had given over his body to Kronos. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."

               "So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," Percy said cooly. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."

               "You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!"

               "What is it with you?" the son of Poseidon snapped. "Why do you keep defending him?"

               "Percy," Elisa chided, "there's no need to be so mean about it."

               The boy turned in her direction. "That's rich coming from you."

               The daughter of madness's expression of sympathy morphed into anger. "I'm not the one who dragged an innocent mortal into this. If you want to talk about character, Chico Pez, I'm not the guy who's a fucking coward and running from all his problems!"

               Percy's face was red with anger. He bristled with fury. Nico was watching the two like a tennis match. He scrambled off the floor, grabbing his sword as if he would need to use it. He landed by Elisa's side, as if Percy would've stormed her. The son of Hades's reaction seemed to shock Percy.

               "Whoa, you guys," Rachel said. "Knock it off."

               Elisa glared at her as Annabeth turned on her. "Stay out of it, mortal girl!" the blonde snapped."If it wasn't for you ..."

               Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. She put her head down again and sobbed miserably. Elisa wanted to comfort her, but she wasn't sure how; what could she really do to help the daughter of Athena after all they had learned? Kronos was alive. He was armed. And the end of the world was probably close at hand.

               Nico looked at Elisa, trying to read her expression. "We have to keep moving," he said. "He'll send monsters after us."

               Nobody was in any shape to run, but Nico was right. Percy turned to Rachel and helped her to her feet. Elisa bristled and grabbed the flashlight she had thrown to the ground in a fit of anger. Ignoring Percy and Rachel as she walked by, Elisa knelt next to Annabeth.

               "C'mon," she said softly. "We need to move."

               "I know," Annabeth said. "I'm ... I'm all right."

               Elisa was sure her doubt in Annabeth's promise was clear as day. But she helped the blonde to her feet, and the five started straggling through the Labyrinth again.

               "Back to New York," Percy said. "Rachel, can you—"

               He froze. A few feet in front of them, his flashlight beam fixed on a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground. It was a Rasta cap: The one Grover always wore.

               Percy hurried for the cap, his hands shaking as he picked it up. Grover's cap looked like it had been stepped on by a huge muddy boot. After all she had seen that day, Elisa wasn't sure if she could handle the news of a friend losing his life.

               Then she noticed something else. The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites. There were large footprints like Tyson's, and smaller ones—goat hooves—leading off to the left.

               "We have to follow them," Percy said, turning to face the four behind him. "They went that way. It must have been recently."

               "What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico said. "There's no time."

               "We have to find them," Annabeth insisted. "They're our friends."

               She picked up Grover's smashed cap and forged ahead. Elisa was torn; she wanted desperately to find Grover and Tyson, but she also knew Nico was right. So Elisa braced herself for the worst and followed the daughter of Athena.

               The tunnel was treacherous. It sloped at weird angles and was slimy with moisture. Half the time, they were slipping and sliding rather than actually walking. Finally, they got to the bottom of a slope and found themselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the bank, cradling Grover in his lap. Grover's eyes were closed. And he wasn't moving.

               "Tyson!" Percy yelled.

               The Cyclops's head shot up, looking around quickly for his brother. "Percy! Come quick!"

               They hurried over to him. Grover wasn't dead ( the giant knot in Elisa's chest loosened just barely ), but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.

               "What happened?" asked Elisa, kneeling next to Tyson to feel Grover's forehead; the satyr was warm to the touch—thank the gods.

               "So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then ... we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this."

               Elisa's brows furrowed. "Did he say anything?"

               "He said, 'We're close.' Then he hit his head on rocks."

               Percy knelt next to Elisa and she fought to urge to flinch or swing a punch. She pursed her lips, looking back to Grover and Tyson. The only other time she had seen Grover pass out was in New Mexico, when he'd felt the presence of Pan. Maybe she was reading too deeply into it, but she decided that was connected.

               Percy shone his flashlight around the cavern. The rocks glittered. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds. And beyond that entrance ...

               "Grover," he said. "Wake up."

               The satyr let out a groan. Elisa looked to the river next to her, cupping her hand, and scooping ice-cold water into it. She splashed Grover on the face.

               His eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Elisa? Annabeth? Where ...?"

               "It's okay," Percy said. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."

               "I—I remember. Pan."

               "Yeah," said Elisa, standing up and dusting off her pants. She picked up her flashlight, aiming it toward the doorway. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

               Percy was forced to make quick introductions since Tyson and Grover had never met Rachel.

               "Come on, Grover," said Percy. "Lean on me."

               Annabeth and Percy helped him up, and the three waded across the underground river. The current looked was strong. The water came up to their waists. Elisa got in after, the cold water seeping through her clothes and to her skin. She helped Nico slowly slide into the water.

               "I think this is Carlsbad Caverns," Elisa said over the roaring water. "Just an unexplored section"

               Percy looked back at her, halfway across the river. "How do you know?"

               "Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain what happened last winter."

               Grover's swooning episode happened when they had passed through New Mexico. That's where he'd felt closest to the power of Pan.

               They got out of the water and kept walking. As the crystal pillars loomed larger, Elisa started to feel the power emanating from the next room. She had been in the presence of gods before, but this was different than any god she had met before. Her skin tingled with living energy. Her weariness melted away, as if she'd just had a good night's sleep. She could feel herself growing strong, her wet clothes didn't bother her anymore. And the smell coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.

               Grover whimpered with excitement. Elisa was too amazed to talk. Even Nico seemed speechless. They stepped into the cave, and Rachel said, "Oh, wow!"

               The walls glittered with crystals—red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew—giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, and vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with soft green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it—but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, and, roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk, was a woolly mammoth.

               On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched them all as they approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with grey. His horns were enormous—glossy brown and curved. There was no way he could've hidden those under a hat, the way Grover did. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.

               Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!" he cried out.

               The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."

               "I ... got lost," Grover apologized.

               Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. If Elisa focused, she swore the bird was humming It's a Small World.

               Still, Pan looked tired—exhausted, even. His whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist. Nico's cold hand tugged on Elisa's arm. She looked and noticed Rachel and Tyson were starting to kneel. She followed their lead and laid her right knee on the ground. Rachel had an awed look on her face. Annabeth noticed what they had done and kneeled. Percy was the last to do so.

               "You have a humming dodo bird," the son of Poseidon said stupidly.

               The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."

               Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge.

               This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth gasped. "It's better than any building ever designed."

               "I'm glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed ... for a little longer."

               "My lord," Grover said, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"

               Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."

               "Chose?" Grover said. "I—I don't understand."

               Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The woolly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan re-formed.

               "I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end."

               "What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"

               "My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."

               Elisa's eyes lowered to the animals around Pan. "The old story," she recalled. "A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead.'"

               "But that wasn't true!" Grover said.

               "Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."

               "No!" Grover's voice trembled.

               "Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, he understands."

               Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This ... this is more like a memory."

               "But gods can't die," Grover said.

               "But they can fade, Grover," said Elisa. "Just like ..." She glanced at Tyson, choosing to not bring up his former idol.

               Pan nodded. "Elisa is right. When everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must—"

               He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again.

               "Dede, what are you doing?" the god demanded. "Are you singing 'Kumbaya' again?"

               Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes.

               Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."

               "But ... No!" Grover whimpered.

               "Be strong," Pan said. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."

               Pan looked straight at the son of Poseidon with his clear blue eyes, and Elisa realized he wasn't just talking about the satyrs. He meant half-bloods, too, and humans. Everyone.

               "Percy Jackson," the god said. "I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: When the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."

               He turned to Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

               The God of the Wild looked at Elisa. "Miss Bardales, I know your fears and how much they guide your decision-making, but just know, you are stronger than what you let control you. Your father doesn't define you."

               Then he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson—your name shall live among the Cyclopes for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare ..."

               Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed away like she was guilty of something, but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing. "I know you believe you cannot make amends," he said. "But you are just as important as your father."

               "I—" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

               "I know you don't believe this now," Pan said. "But look for opportunities. They will come."

               Finally, he turned back towards Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan said kindly. "Will you carry my message?"

               "I—I can't."

               "You can," Pan insisted. "You are the strongest and bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

               "I don't want to." The younger satyr sounded miserable.

               "I know," the god said. "But my name, Pan ... originally it meant 'rustic'. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: If you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

               Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now ... I release you."

               The god smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

               He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided itself into wisps of energy. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into Elisa's mouth, and Grover's, and the others'. But she was pretty sure a little more of it went into Grover.

               The crystals dimmed. The animals gave them sad looks. Dede the dodo sighed. Then they all turned grey and crumbled to dust. The vines withered. And they were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.

               Percy switched on his flashlight.

               Grover took a deep breath.

               "Are ... are you okay?" the son of Poseidon asked him.

               Grover looked older and sadder than Elisa had ever seen him. He took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly on his curly head.

               "We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

👑  DEC. 3RD, 2022  /  this chapter also very plot heavy,, but we all know that if anyone attacked nico or elisa the other would literally wage war so,, family goals <33 how cute

anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??