<>------<>Destiny<>------<>

Despite Annabeth and Leo’s protests, we used our preferred method of travel.

Nero, Arrow and I soared high in the direction of Olympus, our wings throwing glimmering patterns to the countryside below as Annabeth and Leo’s yells sounded loud and clear.

‘We’re not going to drop you!’ Arrow shouted for what seemed the hundredth time.

‘That doesn’t make me any less scared,’ Leo cried earnestly from her arms where he clung tightly.

Annabeth nodded in agreement, her eyes shut tight as she gripped my wrists and turned my fingers white from lack of circulation. I caught Nero’s gaze on me and chuckled, as did he.

‘What?’ Annabeth yelped in fear. ‘What’s happened? Why are you laughing?’

Watching us and listening to the demigods, Arrow bean to chuckle too, only causing Annabeth’s questions to speed up and Leo to start wailing in fright.

‘We’re almost there,’ Nero said. ‘Olympus is just up ahead.’

Without opening her eyes, Annabeth squeaked, ‘okay!’

I sighed in exasperation as we neared the eternal city at the top of the still standing Empire State Building. America truly was strong as it had held the flame of the gods for thousands of years. It really was a unique place. Well, unique for earth.

We swept down and rested Annabeth and Leo’s feet on a stone path where they collapsed to their knees and groaned. Nero landed a few feet away and stared at the streets as Arrow and I helped the two demigods to their feet.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked gently as opposed to my sister who yanked Annabeth to her feet muttering, ‘That was nothing.’

‘Yeah,’ Annabeth shivered. ‘Never again; I thought that’s what we agreed?’

‘It’s not so bad the second time around,’ Arrow smirked.

‘Speak for yourself,’ Leo moaned, hugging his stomach.

I tried not to smile, but it was agonizingly hard. I covered a giggle up with a cough and bit my knuckles to keep from letting further sounds of amusement escape me.

Arrow didn’t even try.

‘Nero,’ she laughed. ‘Where are you? What are you-’

She stopped short as she caught sight of him staring silently at the beautiful streets of Olympus, adorned with medieval styled buildings and paved stone walkways. But the whole place was deserted; not a single person was in sight.

‘Where is everyone?’ I breathed.

Nero shook his head. Arrow, Annabeth, Leo and I moved to stand behind him. Olympus were quieter than it had any right to be. The wind whistled its eerie songs and enhanced the lonely feel of the desolate streets.

‘There’s no one here,’ Annabeth murmured.

‘No Styx, Sherlock,’ Arrow hissed under her breath, unheard by the ears of the demigods who had moved forward into the streets. Nero, Arrow and I followed.

The more we walked further through Olympus, the more the sick feeling inside me worsened, growing into a personal tsunami inside my stomach, convincing me that something was no right.

The first person we came across was sitting with his back to us on a park bench, his head bowed and his shoulders slumped.

‘The guy might know what’s going on,’ Leo shouted hopefully as we neared. ‘Hey, man. Listen, some weird stuffs going down and-Ah!’

Leo reached him first and jumped back as soon as he stood in front of the minor god. Annabeth, Nero, Arrow and I ran the rest of the way. When we stood next to Leo, Annabeth and Arrow gasped, Nero covered his face with his hands and I simply stared.

The man’s skin was as white as snow, and his hair dark grey, although it seemed like it used to be black. His eyes were half opened, revealing sickly, green orbs underneath that looked filtered of all colour. When I touched his arm, I shivered as my fingers tingled beneath his ice cold skin.

‘He’s got the sickness,’ Nero muttered. ‘That must be why no one’s around.’

‘It’s spreading like wildfire,’ Arrow agreed.

I knelt beside the minor god and he turned his head with clear pain to look at me.

‘What’s your name?’ I whispered. ‘I won’t hurt you.’

He blinked slowly, as if he attempting to take in my appearance.

‘Lane,’ he croaked.

‘Lane,’ I repeated. ‘Well, Lane, we’re going to help you, and the others. We know you’re sick, but we need you to tell us everything you know.’

Lane groaned but took a shuddering breath, ‘It started yesterday. The Olympians had been sick for weeks, but none of us had been affected. Then they all started dropping like flies; one after the other. People were warned to stay inside, but I didn’t listen. I went for a walk like I do every afternoon, and got sick. I sat down here, and just couldn’t get up.’

With the effort of so much talking, Lane’s face had turned paler and he trembled, but whether from cold or pain was a mystery. I took a step back and glanced at my brother and sister.

‘We need to take him to the infirmary,’ Arrow said sadly.

Nero nodded and snapped immediately to action, grabbing one of Lane’s arms and pulling the minor god across his shoulders. Leo moved in to help and Nero waved him off, but the son of Hephaestus grabbed Lane’s other arm anyway and helped Nero pull him along.

I shot a sidelong look at Arrow who shrugged before taking off after them, leaving me back with Annabeth who hung her head as she trailed along. I sighed before following suit.

With a morbid feel in the air, the walk to the infirmary took surprisingly little time, a trip I wished had taken longer.

In the day we’d been gone, the infirmary had expanded to twice its original size. Nymphs bustled inside and out, their faces covered in masks as they totted buckets of water or hauled baskets of sheets and towels. Already three sheets lined to the side of the hospital concealed shapes that look suspiciously like bodies.

‘Three deaths already,’ Annabeth whispered, horrified. ‘In a day. That’s-that’s-’

‘Not good,’ Arrow finished glumly.

Annabeth could only nod in dismay, and I can’t say I was any better.

‘Destiny,’ Nero nudged me. ‘You okay?’

‘Yes.’ I’m afraid my voice came out as more of a squeak.

Nero shifted Lane and Leo nearly buckled at the sudden movement. The minor god groaned once more and I figured we should get him into the hospital quick.

‘Come on,’ I said as I led the way.

We were immediately greeted by a puffed, irritated nymph on the other side of the infirmary doors. She waved her hands like a maniac, her thick eyebrows knitting together crossly.

‘Visiting hour ended twenty minutes ago,’ she said sternly. ‘Out! Out!’

‘We’re not visiting,’ I amended. ‘We found a man in the streets; he’s ill.’

The nymphs face softened a fraction and she looked a little more weary and sad. Her crimson hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but wisps fell around her face, giving her an even more puffed look about her.

‘Oh, alright,’ she sighed. ‘Put him back here.’

She led us through a maze of hospital beds bustling with nymph nurses and makeshift doctors. There had never been a plague like this on Olympus, and the city was thoroughly unprepared.

‘I don’t suppose you know what’s causing this, do you?’ our guide called back. She tried to sound nonchalant and joking, but the hopeful tone was hard to miss.

‘Not yet,’ Annabeth said. ‘But we hope to soon.’

‘We’re looking for the fates,’ I explained. ‘You haven’t seen them, have you?’

‘The fates!’ the nymph cried unexpectedly, making us all jump. ‘No, no. Haven’t seen them for a long time. They’ve a busy job, I suppose; deciding life or death for everyone. Busy indeed. Though I can’t talk, can I?’

I had to agree. Most of the people working here were not professionals and no experience in doctoring. The closest thing these people had to a doctor would be Apollo, and he was one of the first to fall sick.

‘Here,’ the nymph pointed to one of the few free beds. Leo and Nero lowered Lane down gently, the minor god landing on the cotton sheets with a slight, ‘oomph.’

‘Will he be okay?’ I found myself asking.

The nurse nymph gave me a sympathetic but gloomy look. ‘I don’t know, dear. You’ve seen those outside, I’m sure. This sickness is spreading faster than ever, we can hardly keep up. We’re doing our best.’

I nodded and turned to my companions.

‘We need to find the fates,’ I declared. ‘before the sickness strikes anyone else.’

We hurried out in single file without another word.

The rest of the trip to the fates island was a blur. I vaguely remember leading our group through the streets, seeing no one but the occasional nymph fetching more water. We stopped at a cave with a hollow feel to it.

‘In here?’ Leo asked, his face begging me to tell him otherwise.

However, I nodded, ‘In here. It’ll be fine. Trust me.’

I walked through.

The cave was like any other, lined with glittering crystals that bounced light off the water droplets that clung to them. A rainbow of colours danced across the cave, twirling patterns across my golden wings that I tucked behind me.

Nero and Leo followed close behind me, followed in turn by Annabeth and Arrow.

‘This is the fates island,’ I said. ‘Stay close, and only speak when I say. The fates do not take to kindly to those who disturb them.’

I stepped carefully through the cave with my companions close behind. As we journeyed through the cave, the sounds of the ocean became more prominent, and the smell of salt on a warm breeze drifted on a current of peaceful thoughts. The course of fate was strong here.

A soft light cast beams of shadows across the end of the tunnel. We exited the cave and the sea came into sight, the waves reflecting sunlight as they bounced off the white sand shores.

‘Clotho,’ I called softly. ‘Lachesis, Atropos; It’s Destiny.’

I led the others to where the three sister usually sat on the beach, weaving, measuring and cutting the strands of life. Three deck chairs sat abandoned on the shore, though they looked clean enough to have been used recently.

‘They must be inside,’ I reasoned, turning to the beach house settled behind the chairs.

The beach house was low and very small. The walls were cream coloured panes and the roof was a low triangle the colour of dried mud. Inside, I knew we would find two rooms; one small room with three identical wooden beds, a refrigerator, a stove, a glass book shelf and a huge basket of coloured wool. The other was an even small room that housed a toilet, sink and shower.

‘The fates live in a house,’ Leo muttered. ‘Who knew?’

‘Did you expect them to lie in a castle?’ Arrow asked pointedly.

Leo shrugged with a smile, ‘Maybe not. More like the cave where Jezzie lives.’

I laughed genuinely, and instinct told me it would be the last one for a long time.

I stepped carefully up the creaky wooden stairs and pushed open the door with a shaky hand. It wasn’t locked-it never was-because no one dared mess with the fates.

‘Hello?’ my voice echoed around the tight, small space. ‘Anyone here?’

I turned the corner and gasped. Nero, Arrow, Annabeth and Leo followed my example.

Three old woman lay in the little wooden beds, swathed in pale blue sheets. Their skin was a sickly off white and their eyes were closed. Their limbs hung limply and they only indication that they were live was the slight heave of their chests.

‘Oh my gods,’ I whispered. ‘Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos; what happened?’

The three fates opened their eyes in sync, the orbs beneath identically swirling with black, white and grey, leeched off all colour.

The fates were sick.

‘Destiny,’ Clotho rasped. ‘Child.’

‘It has come,’ Atropos sighed. ‘The spirit of ancients old.’

‘So you know of it,’ Nero asked quietly. ‘What can you tell us?’

Lachesis blinked slowly, ‘The coming of the ancient one has been told since the beginning of time.’

I knelt beside Atropos and touched her hand. I flinched as ice shot up my fingers before melting away in the warm breeze.

‘What happened?’ I whispered, desperately holding back the tears for the three woman who had become my friends.

‘It is foretold,’ Atropos confirmed sadly. ‘She is returning.’

‘The prophecy,’ Leo spoke up, ‘the spirit of ancients old seeks its homecoming on the wings of illness. Homecoming means return, right?’

Clotho nodded as best she could, ‘Indeed. Her return has always been inevitable.’

‘But who is her?’ Annabeth asked. ‘What’s with the “spirit of ancients old”?’

The three fates shook their heads, ‘We are restricted by laws so ancient, they defy all we know. It is impossible to speak her name.’

Annabeth slumped.

I bit my lip, ‘Is there anything we can do to help?’

‘There is one-’ I winced as Atropos broke off in a coughing fit. It was few minutes before she could resume speaking. ‘There is one who could cure this, though he will be difficult to find.’

‘Who?’ Leo question excitedly.

Lachesis tried to speak but no sound came out. Eventually she gave up and sighed. ‘She is powerful.’

‘Wait, she’s the reason you can’t tell us,’ Annabeth said.

Clotho nodded sadly, ‘As deities, we can be restricted . As demigods, you cannot.’

‘But they’re not demigods,’ Leo nodded his head at, Nero, Arrow and myself.

Atropos frowned and I gripped her wrist. She and sisters immediately understood.

‘As Archangels, they cannot be restricted either,’ Clotho amended. ‘The daughter of Athena and Master of Water; they can tell you who is able to cure this sickness.’

Annabeth blinked and Nero fell back a step.

‘We can?’ Annabeth asked, puzzled.

‘You can,’ Lechesis confirmed. ‘But you’re quest is hardly over. The quest was not for us, but for a bigger purpose.’

Leo huffed, ‘Why can’t a demigod live a simple life.’

‘If we lived a simple life, we would be demigods,’ Annabeth mumbled bitterly.

‘Too true,’ Arrow whispered under her breath.

‘Go,’ Atropos commanded. ‘Your camp needs you. When you return, you will find you have more problems to face.’

Leo rolled his eyes, ‘Naturally.’

‘The memories will return to you, Master of Water,’ Lachesis assured Nero. ‘You will not like it, but you and the daughter of Athena will remember.’

Nero bowed his head in thought, ‘Where?’

Clotho shook her head, ‘We cannot say, but you will know. Your brother, Master of Earth, may be able to accompany you.’

Nero’s head snapped up in surprise, ‘Midnight?’

The three fates sighed in sync, seeming to drop off.

‘You will know,’ Atropos murmured beside me. ‘Things will become hard for you, Destiny. Live up to your name. All is not what it seems.’

‘Never is,’ Leo grumbled.

The fates washed out eyes closed, and their breathing fell into a pattern.

I chocked back a sob and turned to my companions, gratefully for the hood that hid my tears. I tucked my wings in closer as Nero grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. 

‘Let’s go back to camp,’ I managed. ‘If there’s something worse coming, we need to be ready.’

~*~

Okay. So my plan to update on time failed. I did say it would be a bit ify until I got use to my new school schedual. High school is hard. So, the dedication for this chapter goes to Think_inspiration for her epicness and awesome comments. Thanks Think_inspiration! Remember that you can get a dedication by writing my favourite comment. Please rememeber to vote, comment and follow. And don't forget that blue food.
~TripleM