★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊:
SAYING HELLO TO
THE STARS

★ 。／｜＼。★

THE GROUP HAD allowed enough time for all of them to freshen up after their various trips. Belle and Percy were granted extra time just in case they needed to gather their thoughts, but all they really wanted to do was take a shower. She wasn't very happy about separating from Percy, even if it was for a little while. They had just walked through literal hell together. After everything they had been through down there, and although it sounded childish, she didn't want him to leave. But with a kiss to the forehead from Percy, Belle left to take a shower that she hoped would relax her a little.

Now she stood on hillside while holding hands with Percy, wearing a fresh pair of clothes, her skin clear of all of the grime, and her clean hair left down. She stared up at the Athena Parthenos, which Leo had lowered down onto the hillside with his new mechanical hoist system. The forty-foot-tall statue of the Goddess Athena gazed serenely over the River Arachne with her gold dress shining like molten metal in the sun.

"Incredible," Reyna admitted.

Her eyes were still red from crying. Soon after she had landed on the Argo II, her Pegasus Scipio had collapsed since he was overwhelmed by poisoned claw marks from a Gryphon attack him and Reyna had faced the night before. Reyna had put Scipio out of his misery with her golden knife. The Pegasus had turned into dust that scattered into the sweet-smelling Greek air. It wasn't a bad way to go for a Pegasus, but Belle knew Reyna had lost a loyal friend although she had never met Scipio before. Belle guessed Reyna already had given up too much in her life.

Reyna walked around the Athena Parthenos warily. "It looks newly made."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."

The Argo II hovered overhead of them. While Festus kept watch for threats on the radar, the whole crew decided to have lunch on the hillside together as they discussed what to do next. Belle figured after what had happened in the past couple of weeks, they had earned a good meal together. Plus, she was eager to eat anything but fire water from the Phlegethon and Drakon meat soup (the thought of that made her heart hurt, she missed Damasen.) She sat in between Percy and Annabeth as she ate a turkey and cheese sandwich with some chips and actual water. Percy kept occasionally kissing the top of her head to reassure her that they were okay and Annabeth squeezed her shoulder every so often.

"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth called. "Have some food. Join us."

Reyna glanced over with her eyebrows furrowed like she didn't understand what Annabeth had just said. She wasn't wearing her armor since it was being repaired by Buford the Wonder Table back on the ship. Instead, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt. Besides the knife at her belt and her guarded expression, she looked almost like a normal teenager.

"All right," Reyna finally said.

Everyone scooted over to make room for her in the circle. She sat on the ground next to Annabeth and crossed her legs. Reyna picked up a cheese sandwich from a plate and nibbled at the end.

"So," Reyna began. "Frank Zhang . . . Praetor."

Frank shifted nervously and wiped crumbs from his chin. "Well, yeah. Field promotion."

"To lead a different Legion. A Legion of ghosts."

Hazel put her arm protectively through Frank's, both of them looking a lot better after an hour in the sick bay. Belle could tell that both of them weren't sure what to think about their old boss from Camp Jupiter suddenly dropping in for lunch.

"Reyna, you should've seen him," Jason replied.

Piper nodded. "He was amazing."

"Frank is a leader," Hazel insisted. "He makes a great Praetor."

Reyna's gaze stayed on Frank. "I believe you. I approve."

Frank blinked. "You do?"

Reyna smiled dryly at him. "A son of Mars, the hero who helped to bring back the eagle of the Legion . . . I can work with a Demigod like that. I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."

Frank scowled. "Yeah. I've been wondering the same thing."

Belle was still surprised to see how much Frank had changed. Apparently he had a growth spurt when her and Percy were down in Tartarus. He was at least three inches taller, less pudgy, and more bulky. His face looked sturdier and his jawline was more rugged. To Belle, he had just simply grown into himself.

"The Legion will listen to you, Reyna," Frank told her. "You made it here alone, across the ancient lands."

Reyna chewed her sandwich like it was a piece of cardboard. "In doing so, I broke the laws of the Legion."

"Caesar broke the law when he crossed the Rubicon. Great leaders have to think outside the box sometimes."

"I'm not Caesar. After finding Jason's note in Diocletian's Palace, tracking you down was easy. I only did what I thought was necessary."

Percy smiled. "Reyna, you're too modest. Flying halfway across the world by yourself to answer Belle's plea, because you knew it was our best chance for peace? That's pretty freaking heroic."

Reyna shrugged. "Says the Demigod who fell into Tartarus and found his way back."

"Well, he had some help," Belle added.

"Oh, I don't doubt that. Without you, I'm sure Percy would find himself stuck in a paper bag and wouldn't know how to get his way out."

"True," Annabeth responded.

"Hey!" Percy complained.

Belle began to laugh — a real, genuine laugh — with the others. It felt so good to see them smile. In fact, just being back in the mortal world felt good. Belle was finally able to breathe un-poisonous air and enjoy sunshine on her back and the plants underneath her. Suddenly, a thought struck her, making the smile slowly slip off of her face. Tell the sun and stars hello for me. It wasn't fair how Bob and Damasen had sacrificed their lives so that her and Percy could sit up in the sunlight and laugh with their friends. They deserved to be up there, too.

Leo pulled a tiny screwdriver from his tool belt. He stabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry and passed it to Coach Hedge before pulling out another screwdriver and stabbing another strawberry for himself.

"So, the twenty-million-peso question," Leo announced. "We got this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena. What do we do with it?"

Reyna squinted up at the Athena Parthenos. "As fine as it looks on this hill, I didn't come all this way to admire it. According to Belle, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand correctly?"

Belle nodded. "Back down in Tartarus, I had this dream at Hermes' shrine. That's a whole other thing, but Athena's voice told me on Half-Blood Hill, My daughter, Annabeth, has done well. The rest of my journey must be on the wings of Rome. I must stand here. The Roman must bring me. Hurry, daughter of Demeter. The message must be sent. And then Demeter showed up and told me I had to send the message and make it out alive, along with not being able to fight this war alone."

"It makes sense," Nico suddenly said. Belle flinched slightly at him suddenly announcing his presence. Nico sat at the other end of the circle, eating nothing but half of a pomegranate, the fruit of the Underworld. "The statue is a powerful symbol. A Roman returning it to the Greeks . . . that could heal the historic rift, maybe even heal the Gods of their split personalities."

Coach Hedge swallowed his strawberry and half of the screwdriver. "Now, hold on. I like peace as much as the next Satyr—"

"You hate peace," Leo interrupted.

"The point is, Valdez, we're only — what, a few days from Athens? We've got an army of Giants
waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving this statue—"

"I went to most of the trouble," Annabeth corrected him.

"—because that Prophecy called it the Giants' bane. So why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? It's obviously our secret weapon." Coach Hedge eyed the Athena Parthenos. "It looks like a ballistic missile to me. Maybe if Valdez strapped some engines to it—"

Piper cleared her throat. "Uh, great idea, Coach, but a lot of us have had dreams and visions of Gaea rising at Camp Half-Blood . . ." She unsheathed Katoptris and set it down on her plate. The blade was showing nothing but the sky at the moment, but Belle knew what Katoptris could do, and it made her uneasy. "Since we got back to the ship, I've been seeing some bad stuff in the knife. The Roman Legion is almost within striking distance of Camp Half-Blood. They're gathering reinforcements: spirits, eagles, wolves."

"Octavian," Reyna growled. "I told him to wait."

"When we take over command, our first order of business should be to load Octavian into the nearest catapult and fire him as far away as possible," Frank suggested.

"Agreed. But for now—"

Piper turned Katoptris' blade. "Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it. I saw images of a possible future — the Camp in flames, Roman and Greek Demigods lying dead. And Gaea . . ."

Her voice trailed off. Belle remembered how Tartarus in his physical form had loomed over her and Percy. Percy had dropped Riptide and Belle tried her best to shield him, but she had never felt so helpless and scared. Tartarus was so much more than they could've handled as mere Demigods. The God had also said they might as well kill the Earth if they tried to kill him. If Gaea was that powerful with an army of Giants at her side, Belle didn't know how eight Demigods were supposed to stop her. They had to stop the Giants before Gaea woke or it would be game over. And the Athena Parthenos had to be brought back to Long Island where it could possibly stop the war between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.

"So Reyna takes the statue," Percy stated. "And we continue on to Athens."

Leo shrugged. "Cool with me. But, uh, a few pesky logistical problems. We got what — two weeks until that Roman feast day when Gaea is supposed to rise?"

"The Feast of Spes," Jason voiced. "That's on the first of August. Today is—"

"July eighteenth," Frank cut in. "So, yeah, from tomorrow, exactly fourteen days."

Hazel winced. "It took us eighteen days to get from Rome to here — a trip that should've only taken two or three days, max."

Belle blinked. Her and Percy were in Tartarus for eighteen days? Down there, it had felt like an eternity. She wondered what had happened up in the mortal world during those eighteen days. Those stories would be for another time.

"So, given our usual luck, maybe we have enough time to get the Argo II to Athens, find the Giants and stop them from waking Gaea," Leo elaborated. "Maybe. But how is Reyna supposed to get this massive statue back to Camp Half-Blood before the Greeks and Romans put each other through the blender? She doesn't even have her Pegasus anymore. Uh, sorry—"

"Fine," Reyna snapped. She might've been treating them as allies rather than enemies, but it was evident Reyna still didn't like Leo, probably because he had fired down on New Rome when he was under control of the Eidolon. Reyna took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, Leo is correct. I don't see how I can transport something so large. I was assuming — well, I was hoping you all would have an answer."

"The Labyrinth," Hazel began, making Belle's eyes widen. "I — I mean, if Pasiphaë really has reopened it, and I think she has . . ." She looked at Percy apprehensively. "Well, you said the Labyrinth could take you anywhere. So maybe—"

"No," Belle, Percy, and Annabeth all spoke in unision.

"Hazel, we're not trying to shoot you down," Belle continued. "The Labyrinth is just . . . a whole other thing."

Those weren't even the right words. There wasn't really a way to describe the Labyrinth to someone who had never explored it. Daedalus had created it to be a living and growing maze. Just like roots of a tree (trust her, Belle would know), the Labyrinth had spread under the surface of the world. It definitely could take people anywhere. Distance was meaningless. For example, someone could enter the maze in New York City, walk ten feet, and exit the maze in Los Angeles — but that was only if they had a reliable way to navigate. Otherwise, the Labyrinth would play tricks and try to kill them at every turn. Belle had felt sort of relieved once the Labyrinth collapsed after Daedalus died. Although she wouldn't trade that experience for the world, she hated it down there. Now the idea of it regenerating under the Earth to provide a new home for monsters . . . it was all just too much.

"For one thing, the passages in the Labyrinth are way too small for the Athena Parthenos," Percy said. "There's no chance you could take it down there—"

"Even if the maze is reopening, we don't know what it might be like now," Annabeth agreed. "It was dangerous enough before, under Daedalus's control, and he wasn't evil. If Pasiphaë has remade the Labyrinth the way she wanted . . ." She shook her head. "Hazel, maybe your underground senses could guide Reyna through, but no one else would stand a chance. And we need you here. Besides, if you got lost down there—"

"You're right," Hazel replied glumly. "Never mind."

Reyna looked around the group. "Other ideas?"

"I could go," Frank offered, not sounding very happy about it. "If I'm a Praetor, I should go. Maybe we could rig some sort of sled, or—"

"No, Frank Zhang. I hope we will work side by side in the future, but for now your place is with the crew of this ship. You are one of the eight of the Prophecy."

"I'm not," Nico announced.

Everyone stopped eating. Belle straightened up a bit and stared at Nico in concern. Now that she could relate to something about him — that something being Tartarus — and how weak she still felt, Belle didn't know how to feel about letting him transport a huge statue halfway across the world.

Hazel set her fork down. "Nico—"

"I'll go with Reyna," Nico stated. "I can transport the statue with shadow-travel."

"Uh . . ." Percy trailed off, raising his hand. "I mean, I know you just got all nine of us to the surface, and that was awesome. But a year ago you said transporting just yourself was dangerous and unpredictable. A couple of times you ended up in China. Transporting a forty-foot statue and two people halfway across the world—"

Nico's dark eyes glittered with anger. "I've changed since I came back from Tartarus."

"Trust me, Nico, I get that," Belle intervened softly. "Percy wasn't trying to question your power. We all know you're strong enough to shadow-travel, but that many jumps . . . we just don't want you to kill yourself trying."

"I can do it," he insisted. "I'll make short jumps — a few hundred miles each time. It's true, after each jump I won't be in any shape to fend off monsters. I'll need Reyna to defend me and the statue."

Reyna studied the group. "Any objections?"

No one spoke.

"Very well. I see no better option. But there will be many monster attacks. I would feel better taking a third person. That's the optimal number for a quest."

"Coach Hedge," Frank blurted out.

Percy stared at him incredulously. "Uh, what, Frank?"

"The Coach is the best choice. The only choice. He's a good fighter. He's a certified protector. He'll get the job done."

"A Faun," Reyna voiced.

"Satyr!" Coach Hedge barked. "And, yeah, I'll go. Besides, when you get to Camp Half-Blood, you'll need somebody with connections and diplomatic skills to keep the Greeks from attacking you. Just let me go make a call — er, I mean, get my baseball bat."

He stood up and shot Frank and unspoken message that Belle couldn't quite read. Despite the fact that he had just been volunteered for a suicide mission, Coach Hedge looked grateful. He jogged off towards the ship's ladder and tapped his hooves together excitedly every so often.

Nico rose. "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset."

Hazel frowned once he was gone. "He's acting strangely. I'm not sure he's thinking this through."

"He'll be okay," Jason reassured her.

"I hope you're right." She passed her hand over the ground, and diamonds broke the surface, creating a glittering galaxy of stones. "We're at another crossroads. The Athena Parthenos goes west. The Argo II goes east. I hope we chose correctly."

Belle still felt unsettled. After all of the battles they won and the hardships they faced, defeating Gaea still seemed so far away. Percy, Hazel, and Frank had released Thanatos. Belle and Percy had closed the Doors of Death. At least now all of the monsters they would kill would stay in Tartarus for a while. But all of the Giants were back now, and they weren't going to be killed so easily.

"One thing bothers me," Percy revealed. "If the Feast of Spes is in two weeks, and Gaea needs the blood of two Demigods to wake — what did Clytius call it? The blood of Olympus? — then aren't we doing exactly what Gaea wants, heading to Athens? If we don't go, and she can't sacrifice any of us, doesn't that mean she can't wake up fully?"

Belle took his hand and gave it a squeeze, making him look down at her. For the first time since they went back to the mortal world, Percy truly took in the sight of her. Her brown hair had grown slightly longer and reached her shoulder blades in waves that looked like chocolate under the sun. She was thin and pale, just like him, but her blue eyes were still bright with thought although there was a hint of melancholy behind them.

"The thing about Prophecies is that they go both ways," Belle told him. "You know that."

Annabeth nodded. "If we don't go, we may lose our best and only chance to stop her. Athens is where our battle lies. We can't avoid it. Besides, trying to thwart Prophecies never works. Gaea could capture us somewhere else or spill the blood of some other Demigods."

"Yeah, you're both right," Percy responded. "I don't like it, but you're right."

The mood of the group was as gloomy as Tartarus air. Piper was the first one to break the tension.

"Well!" Piper exclaimed, sheathing Katoptris and patting her cornucopia. "Good picnic. Who wants dessert?"

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

BELLE PAUSED IN front of the door of Annabeth's cabin, the leather grip of the Drakon-bone sword held tightly in her hand. She had been building up courage all day to give Annabeth the sword since she had lost her knife back in that cavern. But for some reason, Belle was nervous to. She didn't know why.

"B?" a voice questioned. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" she hummed in response. Belle looked over to see Jason standing there. "Oh, um, I just have to give Annabeth something."

He raised an eyebrow at the object in her hand. "A new sword? Where'd you get it?"

"From a friend," Belle answered. "It's a long story, but since I have Sunflower and Annabeth doesn't have a weapon she likes anymore . . ."

"You want to give it to her," Jason finished. "You're a good friend, Belle."

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you, Jason."

"Annabeth will appreciate it, I'm sure." Jason squeezed her shoulder. "It's good to have you back, B."

Jason walked off. Belle took a deep breath and raised her free hand, knocking thrice on Annabeth's door. She heard a faint come in, and Belle pushed the door open. Annabeth was sitting on top of her bed with a book in her hand. Belle grinned at her in greeting and stopped in the middle of her room.

"Hey, Belle," Annabeth greeted. "What's up?"

"Oh, um, I just wanted to give you something," Belle replied. She held out the sword to the blonde. "Your very own Drakon-bone sword."

Annabeth gingerly took the sword in her hand and studied it. "Drakon-bone?"

Belle nodded, locking her hands behind her back. "When Percy and I were down in Tartarus, we met a Giant. His name was Damasen. He made that sword for me, but I really had no use for it because I had Sunflower. And then I remembered that you lost your knife . . . so this is my gift to you."

"Thank you," Annabeth responded sincerely. "Belle, I mean it."

She laughed slightly. "You're welcome."

The two stood in silence. There was a sort of tension in the air, one that definitely wasn't there before. Annabeth seemed to be lost in thought as she stared down at the sword in her hand.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked gently.

"It should've been me," Annabeth muttered.

Belle's eyebrows knit in confusion. "What?"

Annabeth looked up at her properly. "Tartarus. It should've been me falling in, not you and Percy."

"No," Belle refused firmly. "No, Annabeth, you can't think like that."

"But if you hadn't cut that web off of my ankle—"

"You would've died," Belle interrupted. "Percy and I fell into the River Cocytus. He was able to control our landing so we didn't get killed from the impact. But Annabeth, I don't regret taking your place for even a second. In fact, I kept myself and Percy alive by using your strategies and thinking about what you would do."

Annabeth seemed surprised. "You did?"

"Yeah, I did. Annabeth, in a way, you saved us."

The blonde stood up and placed the sword down on her bed. "I missed you, B. It was like torture without you and Percy. But . . . that makes me feel a little bit better."

Belle squeezed her friend's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go see Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge off."

The two of them walked up the hill to join Percy and Nico. Belle stopped by Percy's side and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. Nico had ropes looped around his shoulders that were also tied to the statue, so it made the Athena Parthenos look like a huge backpack.

"Good luck, Nico," Belle told him.

"We know you can do it," Annabeth added.

"Yeah," Nico responded, not quite meeting their eyes. "You, too."

About a minute later, Reyna and Coach Hedge arrived in full battle armor with packs over their shoulders. While Reyna looked grim and ready for combat, Coach Hedge was grinning.

Reyna gave Belle a hug, which kind of surprised her a little. "We will succeed."

"I'm counting on it," Belle replied. "Try to make it there as safely as you can, all right?"

Coach Hedge shouldered his baseball bat. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm going to get to Camp and see my baby! Uh, I mean I'm going to get this baby to Camp!" He patted the leg of the Athena Parthenos.

"All right," Nico began. "Grab the ropes, please. Here we go."

Reyna and Coach Hedge grabbed onto the ropes. The air around them darkened, and the Athena Parthenos collapsed into its own shadow and disappeared, along with its three escorts.

Belle tilted her head, staring at the place the statue had just been. "I hope they'll be okay. Greece to Camp Half-Blood . . . that's a long trip."

Annabeth wedged herself in between Belle and Percy and slung her arms across their shoulders. "They can do it. Now, come on. Dinner's soon, and you two definitely need that."

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

THE ARGO II sailed after nightfall.

They had veered southwest until they reached the coast and splashed down in the Ionian Sea. It would've been a shorter trip to Athens while flying over land, but after the crew had experience some horrible mountain spirits in Italy, they decided not to fly over Gaea's territory any more than they had to. They would sail around the Greek mainland and follow the routes the Greek heroes took in the ancient times.

Belle stood at the starboard rail, Percy's arm around her shoulder as she rested comfortably against his chest — their usual position. She stared out at the open sea, but all she could see were images of Tartarus burning in her mind. The River Phlegethon's fire stream, the blistered ground where all of the monsters regenerated, the dark forest where Arai circled overhead in clouds the color of blood, which was the very same place Belle had cried her absolute heart out thinking Percy had left her. However, most of all, she thought about that hut in the swamp with a warm fire, racks of drying herbs, and Drakon jerky. Belle wondered if that hut was empty now.

"You thinking about it too?" Percy inquired.

"Yeah," Belle muttered. "I can't seem to get that place out of my head. It's like it's messing with my mind."

"Bob and Damasen . . ."

Belle shut her eyes for a moment, both of their figures flashing through her brain. "Oh Gods, I know. But Perce, we have to beat Gaea and make their sacrifice worth it."

She opened her eyes and stared up at the night sky. Belle so desperately wanted to be back on the beach on Long Island at Camp Half-Blood where all of her friends were. She wanted nothing more than to hug Katie, Connor, and Travis and see all of her Demeter Cabin siblings. But that wasn't reality. She was halfway across the world, sailing to stop the Giants from waking Gaea. And assuming if they survived, Belle pondered where Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge were and how long it would take them to make it back. Not to mention the Romans were getting ready to battle Camp Half-Blood.

They had fourteen days to reach Athens. And in one way or another, the war and the fate of the world would be decided.

Over in the bow, Leo whistled happily as he tinkered with Festus' mechanical brain, repeatedly muttering something about a crystal and an astrolabe. Amidships, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel practiced swordplay, Drakon-bone, bronze, and gold blades ringing in the night. Jason and Frank stood together at the helm, talking in low tones — possibly telling stories of the Legion of exchanging thoughts on being Praetor.

"We've got a good team, Beauty," Percy voiced. "But if I have to sail to my death—"

"No," Belle cut in. "You promised that we wouldn't get away from each other ever again, so you are not dying on me. As long as it's you and I, we can do anything. Till forever falls apart, right?"

He nodded slowly. "Till forever falls apart."

"Oh, and one more thing. About New Rome . . ." She pressed up onto her toes and kissed him softly. "Ask me again — you know, after we defeat Gaea and get back home."

Percy pecked the top of her head. "Whatever you want, Belle."

As they sailed further from the coast, the sky darkened and more stars came out. Belle stared up at them and felt her heart break even further. This what was Bob wanted. And as Belle studied all of the constellations, ones she had looked at with Katie, Connor, and Travis while laying on a blanket in the middle of the grassy common area, her feelings got the best of her again. Her eyes shined with tears, the glow from the stars reflecting off of them like glass.

"Bob says hello," Percy told the stars.

Belle bit her lip in effort to stop herself from from crying. However, it was impossible. All of the emotions — anger, sadness, relief — came slamming into Belle at once. She let out a sob and turned her head into Percy's chest. Percy tightly wound his arms around the smaller girl and pulled her close. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and blinked back tears of his own. Belle could afford to be vulnerable right now. Percy, however, had to be strong for his girlfriend.

With a broken Beauty and her Beast embracing each other on the deck, the Argo II sailed into the night.

— [ ♡ ] —

𝓛𝓐 𝓕𝓘𝓝 𝓓𝓔 𝓛'𝓐𝓒𝓣𝓔 𝓓𝓔𝓤𝓧

act three coming out soon <333 I can't believe I just said that BYE

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !