CHAPTER NINETEEN :TEARS OF GOLD

( mark of athena )

✲*'。

"YOUR WASTING AWAY TO nothing," Nico di Angelo commented under his breath as he harshly jammed his fingers into his adoptive sisters ribs.

Hissing loudly, Ezra immediately lashed out swiping a punch towards her brothers general direction which he narrowly dodged.  Humming into a placating tone, Nico slumped down beside his sister, allowing her to drop her head onto his shoulder.

"Grief I would assume is not a good look on me." Ezra commented in a depreciating tone, a wry smirk playing on her face.

Grief had completely taken ahold of their lives; reshaped the way they functioned, the way breathed. A suffocating gap was the centre of their world, the person they so dearly loved ripped away from them. Death was cruel, did not discriminate in his victims. When the lord of the dead declared his victim, the fates would cut their thread.

And so his daughter and sister returned to him once more to begin their new journey, leaving behind their loved ones. And so the left behind must carry on, find a way to cope with the body crumbling grief.

"Does it ever get easier?" Ezra murmured quietly, white hues staring ahead lifelessly.  "Does the guilt ease any bit?"

"No." Nico declared simply, refusing to lie. "Does the anger ever ease?"

Gazing in his general direction, Ezra's features morphed into one of brief surprise as she contemplated her answer.

"I think... I think the anger I hold is different to yours." She answered truthfully after a brief pause. "I'm still coming to terms with this whole new parentage shit ... I don't know even know where to start with your anger."

"It's more than that." Nico half hissed under his breath, his rising anger only soothing as Ezra gently encircled her hand in his, squeezing it softly. "I think you get that."

"Don't," Ezra whispered in a broken tone, her eyes fluttering closed momentarily. "I don't care, don't want to hear about their relationship."

But of course the little bastard pressed on. "He was looking for you; they both were, begged me to find 'his spitfire'."

"Well it's a pity you didn't find her!" Ezra declared, the dark grim looking settling on facial features once more.

"You're the one he likes; they both like you. You've never been ashamed of who you are.  Why did you run away from them?" Nico continued to press.

"Because I'm not a fool Nico!" Ezra snarled, pushing herself away from her brother, her body tense and rigid. "I know exactly how you feel about him! I'm not going to do that to you!"

Sighing, Ezra fell to her knees, gently reaching forward in Nico's direction. Pushing himself towards her, he kept his gaze downcast as those white hues faced the general direction of his eyes. With a soft, gentle grip, Ezra began to trace his features, her touch featherlight and comforting.

"You are absolutely perfect Nico, maybe a little bit on the volatile side but there is nothing wrong with your sexuality. You have no reason to feel ashamed of who you are," Ezra gently whispered, pulling her little brother into her arms.

"I would never do that to you, not matter much I love him and how much I love her I could never hurt you like that." She spoke in a gentle tone. "You mean so much more to me."

Burying his head into her shoulder, Nico allowed himself this brief moment to fully bask in his sisters love before it would all come crashing down. He was being selfish, keeping Ezra's location from everyone for the last four months. She was the one who understood him completely; knew what it had felt like to be ashamed of her sexuality before she came out, knew what it was to love Percy Jackson.

She knew what it was like to lose your most beloved sibling; the one who cradled you close, protect you above all else. The sibling who guided you no matter what.

And now it was Nico's turn to guide Ezra in the place of Penelope, like she had done for him in the place of Bianca.  

"Percy's missing; nobodies seen him in two days now." Nico declared, feeling his sister tense in his grip. "You need to go back. She needs you, he needs you."

"Easy. I'll help search for him with you and then we can leave again." Ezra declared, moving away to stand. She stopped moving the moment she felt Nico tightly grab her hand.

"No," he declared. "You need to go back to Camp Halfblood, you belong with them."

Immediately Ezra rose on the defensive, eyes narrowing. "Don't you dare do that self sacrificing idiot act, it doesn't suit you Death Breath."

"I'm not doing anything!" Nico hissed, forcing himself to take a deep breath and to not lose his patience with his sister. "You're the one who did that act since you were a stupid little twelve year old."

Casting her brother a dark glower, Nico powered on. "You're only denying yourself. Don't be daft, I'll be alright."

Pulling her brother into a tight hug, Ezra cocooned herself in his arms; he was taller than her now ( not that was hard, he would tease her on the days her mood wasn't crippled in her grief ) and had grown up unwittingly without her knowing.

"This is something we will revisit, this is not a topic for now. Promise me you will be safe."

"I promise you old hag," Nico muttered, tightening his grip on her.

It didn't matter; no matter what Ezra would say, would bring up to change the subject Nico knew it was inevitable. His sister would fall into the arms of her best friends arms. He knew of all the nights she had lain awake loving him in silence, hiding her feelings to spare him.

She had sacrificed everything for him, it was time for him to do the same.

✲*'。

OF COURSE, IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG for things to go wrong. Without a seconds hesitation, Ezra felt Percy clipping the tether to someone else, allowing her to focus on her main goal of concern.

Nico.

As Percy and Jason led the charge against the giants, with Piper guiding her, the daughter of Hera charged. It began with Piper leaping across a hopscotch pattern of fiery pits, Ezra behind her, deftly dodging the fiery towers as she kept her hearing focused on the pair of leopards that stalked them.

Reaching the dais was surprisingly easy enough; the moment she had Nico in her arms, Ezra gently traced her brothers facial features, relearning little curve.

Directly in front of them, Piper stood guard over them as the leopards advanced. Ezra had always protected her, faced monsters and deities head on, for her siblings and the seven. Now, it was Pipers turn to repay the favour.

About eighty feet to Piper's right, Jason battled Otis, sword against spear. Meanwhile Ephialtes laughed as he pushed buttons on his control board, cranking the conveyor belts into high gear and opening random animal cages while Percy faced off against him.

Ezra held Nico close to her chest, burying her head into his neck, ignoring the tremors that shocked her body; she had always been a fighter, chaos singing through her blood, the song of blood lust clouding her senses. For once the daughter of Hera kept herself grounded, focused on one the people who meant the world to her.

She had lost her sister for charging erratically into a fight. She would not make the same mistake once again.

"I know!" Ephialtes cried out happily. "We can start with explosions along the Via Labicana! We can't keep our audience waiting forever."

At the giants words, Ezra braced for impact, her body tense as she forced herself to keep her head about her. She had no one to narrate her surrounds, had no one nearby to tug on her tether to warn her of impending doom.

She couldn't get lost in her head.

"Duck and cover!" Percy yelled. Instinctively Ezra pulled her body close to the ground, covering her body with Nico's slumped body.

She heard the snap, heard the sound of something flying down towards her. Ezra had no time to react for she felt Piper shove her and Nico to safety, but whatever had descended from the air caught her shoulder and knocked her down.

"Piper!" Jason cried.

Carefully, Ezra tugged on the tether, pulling Piper towards her, keeping her friend attached to her side, not allowing her out of hearing range.

"Look out!" Percy yelled.

It was probably instinctive at this stage; with a glint of pain laced in her voice, Piper began to describe their surroundings, allowing Ezra to form some sort of mental analysis of their surroundings. Jason and Otis were figuring. As Otis threw, Jason rolled. The point sailed over him and Jason flicked his hand, summoning a gust of wind that changed the spear's direction. It flew across the room and skewered Ephialtes through his side just as he was getting to his feet.

"Otis!" Ephialtes hissed. "Will you please stop killing me!"

"Not my fault!"

Piper continued after eagerly eating the small amount of ambrosia Ezra had dished out of her shorts. It wasn't enough to heal her, but enough to help her focus on something other than the pain. Otis had barely finished speaking when Percy's missile-launching contraption spit out one last sphere of Roman candle fire. The fiery pink ball of death hit the ceiling above Otis and exploded in a beautiful shower of light. Colorful sparks pirouetted gracefully around the giant. Then a ten-foot section of roof collapsed and crushed him flat.

Ezra didn't need Piper to narrate that Jason has approached them. She could hear his clown gait a mile off. As Jason enquired to her well being, Piper responded with a quick, "Fine. I'm fine."

It was at that moment Ezra felt Nico sit up in her arms, a sound of disbelief escaping his lips.

Of course the giants weren't finished. Piper immediately began to narrate once more. Ephialtes was already re-forming, his head and shoulders rising from the mound of dust. He tugged his arms free and glowered at Percy. Across the room, the pile of rubble shifted, and Otis busted out. His head was slightly caved in. All the firecrackers in his hair had popped, and his braids were smoking.

"Percy!" Jason shouted. "The controls!"

Ezra unconsciously leaned forward, hand hovering over her bracelet as Piper continued to speak. Percy found Riptide in his pocket again, uncapped his sword, and lunged for the switchboard. He slashed his blade across the top, decapitating the controls in a shower of bronze sparks.

"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "You've ruined the spectacle!"

Ezra could feel the moment Percy was hit, too slow to dodge a hit. She didn't need to hear Pipers gentle murmurs. His pain bleeding into her, overwhelming whatever clarity remained in the daughter of Hera.

Before Ezra could move an inch, Piper grabbed her arm tightly, holding her to the ground so she wouldn't move.

"Let me go Pipes," Ezra hissed, tightly clenching her wrist around the daughter of Aphrodite's good hand. Piper didn't put up a fight, reluctantly letting go off Ezra. Gently, as to not upset the girls possible broken limb, Ezra unclipped the tether holding her to Piper before she moved onto Nico.

Leaning forward, Ezra gently pecked her brothers temples, running a hand through his greasy, knotty hair. Feeling Nico's laboured breath touching her wrist, was enough confirmation.

He would live, she would not lose another sibling today.

Now, it was time to unleash the madness that had been brewing underneath her fingertips since she joined this bloody quest.

As quiet as a mouse, her footsteps gently caressing the ground, the predator focused her attention on her prey.

"Tired, Percy Jackson? As I said, you cannot kill us. So I guess we're at an impasse. Oh, wait...no we're not! Because we can kill you!" Ephialtes gleefully exclaimed.

"That," Otis grumbled, picking up what sounded like his dropped weapon. "Is the first thing sensible thing you've said all day, brother."

"We won't give up," Jason growled. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."

"That's right," Percy said. "You're both dead. I don't care if we have a god on our side or not."

"Well, that's a shame," said a new voice.

To her right, it sounded as if another platform was being lowered from the ceiling. As the voice spoke once more, Ezra quietly grumbled under breath so she wouldn't give up her position. Of course it would be Mr D back to haunt her. "I'd hate to think I made a special trip for nothing.

Ezra didn't know in what world Mr. D could be considered a calming influence, but suddenly everything got quiet. The machines ground to a halt. The wild animals stopped growling.

"Really, Ephialtes," The bane of Ezra Min chided. "Killing demigods is one thing. But using leopards for your spectacle? That's over the line."

The giant made a squeaking sound. "This—this is impossible. D-D—"

"It's Bacchus, actually, my old friend," said the god. "And of course it's possible. Someone told me there was a party going on."

"You—you gods are doomed! Be gone, in the name of Gaea!"

"Hmm." Bacchus sounded unimpressed, s sentiment

"Tacky." Bacchus declared. "Cheap. Boring. And this..." He hummed, contemplating about whatever objects he was observing. "Tacky, cheap, and boring. Honestly, Ephialtes. You have no sense of style."

Who the hell knew that the drunkard had such an eye for interior designing?

"STYLE?" The giant's face flushed. "I have mountains of style. I define style. I—I—"

"My brother oozes style," Otis suggested.

"Thank you!" Ephialtes cried.

As Bacchus stepped forward, Ezra winced as she could hear the giants large clown feet clambering backwards. "Have you two gotten shorter?" asked the god.

Huh, maybe Bacchus wasn't half bad. He couldn't be any worse than his Greek counterpart.

"Oh, that's low," Ephialtes growled. "I'm quite tall enough to destroy you, Bacchus! You gods, always hiding behind your mortal heroes, trusting the fate of Olympus to the likes of these."

Jason, the only one with his head screwed on right, was quick to direct them back on focus. "Lord Bacchus, are we going to kill these giants or what?"

"Well, I certainly hope so," Bacchus said. "Please, carry on."

Her boyfriend let out a loud, startled sound before speaking once more. "Didn't you come here to help?"

Bacchus huffed, his voice full of boredom. "Oh, I appreciated the sacrifice at sea. A whole ship full of Diet Coke. Very nice. Although I would've preferred Diet Pepsi."

"And six million in gold and jewels," Percy muttered.

"Yes," Bacchus said, "although with demigod parties of five or more the gratuity is included, so that wasn't necessary."

"What?"

"Never mind," Bacchus said. "At any rate, you got my attention. I'm here. Now I need to see if you're worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm impressed, I'll jump in for the grand finale."

"We speared one," Percy said. "Dropped the roof on the other. What do you consider impressive?"

"Ah, a good question..." Bacchus hummed. "Perhaps you need inspiration! The stage hasn't been properly set. You call this a spectacle, Ephialtes? Let me show you how it's done."

The god disappeared in a puff of smoke, prompting a loud cough from Ezra finally giving away her position.

"Ez!" Percy shouted in disbelief. "Why aren't you with Nico and Piper?"

"That doesn't matter!" Jason yelled. "Bacchus, where did you—?"

Ezra never learn exactly what it was that Jason was going to ask the wine god, for not a moment later, Percy was quick to stalk over to her, pulling her to his side. He was quick to slip into the role of narrator, allowing Ezra to gather a sense of what they were up against. The entire floor rumbled and began to rise. The ceiling opened in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in. The air shimmered like a mirage, and Ezra heard the roar of a crowd above her. The hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns, into the middle of a ruined coliseum.

Just great. From the sounds of it Bacchus had recreated the ancient Colosseum. 

"This is a proper show!" boomed the voice of Bacchus.

From beside her, Percy barked a question up the god. "You're just going to sit there?"

"The demigod is right!" Ephialtes bellowed. "Fight us yourself, coward! Um, without the demigods."

Bacchus could only reply lazily. "Juno says she's assembled a worthy crew of demigods. Show me. Entertain me, heroes of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being a god has its privileges."

Of course that would be what mother dearest was telling everyone.

Tightly clenching her wrists into tight fists, Ezra focused her attention on the coming fight. She had fought many battles. She'd even fought in a couple of arenas, never far behind Percy but nothing on a scale like this. In the huge Colosseum, with thousands of cheering ghosts, the god Bacchus sitting on his lazy arse and the two twelve-foot giants looming over him, Ezra had to force down the anger that burned inside her, fight away the bleeding anger that engulfed she could from Percy's whole being.

Fighting giants was one thing. Bacchus making it into a game was something else.

It made Ezra remembered what Hea had told her years ago, when Ezra had confronted her, learnt the truth of where her allegiances laid: Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the Olympians?

Ezra was almost the same age now as her sister had been then. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, but she could understand how Hea had became so spiteful. In the past five years, Ezra had been a pawn too many times, the greatest punch line to the gods.

Maybe the gods were better than the Titans, or the giants, or Gaea, but that didn't make them good or wise. Maybe that was why Ezra had saved Hea, forced her to change sides before her traitor-hood became public knowledge.

But Ezra didn't have time to think about the past, how unfair all of this was. Of how she forced her sisters into this bloody mess of quest because Penelope defied the fates.

Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice. If the daughter of Hera was going to save her brother and sisters, she had to beat these giants. She had to survive and find Annabeth.

It mattered not, Ezra was forced out of thoughts as it seemed like Ephialtes and Otis made her decision easier by attacking. One moment Ezra was standing in a defensive position, the next Percy was dragging her into a trench, covering her with his body as spray shattered above them.

The crowd jeered and shouted for blood. "Fight! Fight!"

"I'll take Otis again?" Jason called over the noise. "Or do you both want him?"

"You pick," Ezra shouted, wincing at the loud cheers from the ghosts.

"We attack together," Percy declared. "Otis first, because he's weaker. Take him out quickly and move to Ephialtes. Bronze and gold together—maybe that'll keep them from re-forming a little longer."

"Why not?" Jason agreed. "But Ephialtes isn't going to stand there and wait while we kill his brother. Unless—"

"Good wind today," Percy offered. "And there're some water pipes running under the arena. I also hear we got a good scythe and a tiny angry woman who likes to swing it."

"I'll swing it at you next," Ezra grumbled under breath prompting a fit of startled laughter from Superman.

"On three?" Jason said.

"Why wait?" Percy declared, prompting a smirk from his girlfriend.

They charged out of the trench. With one hand tightly gripping her wrist, Ezra crouched into a defensive position, drawing Kronos' scythe in close to her body as she waited to strike. With Percy beside her, he began to describe the scene, allowing Ezra to gauge exactly when she was needed.

The twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and Percy caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes's chest. The purple-haired giant toppled backward and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes's snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around, as if wondering where the rest of their body had gone.

With a gentle push, Ezra shot Percy a wide smile as she swung the scythe down on his feet, coughing abruptly as the dust surrounded her.

The crowd roared with approval, but Ezra knew Ephialtes was only stunned from the way Percy pulled her back towards him. They had a few seconds at best.

"Hey, Otis!" Percy shouted. "The Nutcracker bites!"

"Ahhhhh!" Otis snatched up his spear and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight. Jason deflected it over Percy's head and into the lake.

Percy was quick to began narrating once again. Otis barreled toward them empty-handed, before apparently realizing that a) he was empty-handed, and b) charging toward a large body of water to fight a son of Poseidon was maybe not a good idea.

It was moments like this Ezra had to mentally pat herself on the back. She had good taste in picking partners.

Too late, he tried to stop. The demigods rolled to either side, and Jason summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. As Otis struggled to rise, Ezra launched herself towards the giant and brought her blade down on Otis's head.

This time it was Jason who took point on narrating the scene to Ezra. The giant didn't even have a chance to pirouette. He exploded into powder on the lake's surface like a huge packet of drink mix. Percy churned the lake into a whirlpool. Otis's essence tried to re-form, but as his head appeared from the water, Ezra winced as Jason called lightning and blasted him to dust again.

So far so good, but they couldn't keep Otis down forever. As if on cue, the plaster mountain exploded behind them. Ephialtes rose, bellowing with anger.

Ezra groaned in exhaustion, her muscles worn and tired from her little adventure of nearly drowning. She stood beside Percy and Jason waiting as the giant lumbered toward them, his spear in hand. Apparently, getting flattened under a plaster mountain had only energized him.

Percy took on narrating once more as Jason called down another lightning strike, but Ephialtes caught it on his spear and deflected the blast, melting a life-size plastic cow. He slammed a stone column out of his way like a stack of building blocks. Percy tried to keep the lake churning. He didn't want Otis rising to join this fight, but as Ephialtes closed the last few feet, Percy had to switch focus.

She and Jason met the giant's charge. They lunged around Ephialtes, stabbing and slashing in a blur of gold and bronze, but the giant parried every strike.

"I will not yield!" Ephialtes roared. "You may have ruined my spectacle, but Gaea will still destroy your world!"

From behind her, Percy lashed out, slicing the giant's spear in half. Ephialtes wasn't even fazed. The giant swept low with the blunt end and knocked Percy off his feet. Percy landed hard on his sword arm, and Riptide clattered out of his grip.

Jason tried to take advantage. He stepped inside the giant's guard and stabbed at his chest, but somehow Ephialtes parried the strike. He sliced the tip of his spear down Jason's chest, ripping his purple shirt into a vest. Jason stumbled, looking at the thin line of blood down his sternum. Ephialtes kicked him backward.

Huffing down her worry, a cold, callous smirk coated Ezra Min's lips as she spun Kronos' scythe in her hand.

It was time for the godslayer to rise once more; and with that Ezra charged.

As Ephialtes towered over Percy and Jason, both halves of his broken spear poised over their heads, Ezra struck, swinging her weapon across the giants abdomen.

Ezra kept her face carefully blank as she heard an ever familiar tittering little engine overhead.

From the lake, Otis yelled, trying to warn his brother, but his half-dissolved face could only manage: "Uh-umh-moooo!"

"Don't worry, brother!" Ephialtes said, swinging his wrist, sending Ezra crashing onto the ground, her ribs constricting with pain any time she tried to breathe. "I will make them suffer!"

"Actually," Percy said. "Look behind you."

Quickly grabbing her waist, Ezra whimpered in pain as Percy rolled them rolled away as Ephialtes turned and bellowed in disbelief.

Ezra and Percy had just dropped into a trench just as the explosion rocked the Colosseum.

When they climbed out again, the Argo II was coming in for a landing. A proud smirk coated her lips as Percy began to describe the moment to her once more. Jason poked his head out from behind his improvised bomb shelter of a plastic horse. Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor, the sand around him seared into a halo of glass by the heat of the Greek fire. Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal.

With Ezra supporting Percy's weight, they staggered over to Jason, who clapped Percy on the shoulder, pulled Ezra into a brief side hug, his beaming smile never wavering at her grumbles. The ghostly crowd gave them a standing ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor.

Knowing her boyfriend and future brother in law had plenty of backup, Ezra gently squeezed Percy's hand before dashing away, one hand tightly clutching her ribs as she ran in the direction of his footsteps.

A loud sob escaped her lips as she threw herself into Nico's embrace. A startled grunt escaped his lips as he staggered backwards, Piper dashing forward to catch them both. Ezra didn't care if the gods themselves could see her cries. She finally had her brother back.

Once he had gotten over his initial surprise, Nico was quick to wrap his arms around her, tightly crushing Ezra to chest. He didn't dare to comment on the shakiness of her body, or the stuttered sobs that escaped her lips. Nor did Ezra comment on the way his grip on her was near suffocating.

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered expect this; Ezra would lose no sibling today and for that she would offer the gods her praises.

✲*'。