The horrible thing was: Emma could see the family resemblance. Atlas had the same regal expression as Zoe, the same cold proud look in his eyes that Zoe sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it looked a thousand times more evil. He was all the things Emma had originally disliked about Zoe, with none of the good she'd come to appreciate.
"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded.
Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."
Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you."
Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.
"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."
Emma looked at Annabeth. She was desperately trying to tell Emma something. She motioned her head toward Luke. But all Emma could do was stare at her. Emma hadn't noticed before, but something about her had changed. Her blond hair was now streaked with gray.
"From holding the sky," Thalia muttered, as if she'd read Emma's mind. "The weight should've killed her."
"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"
Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."
He approached them, studying Thalia, Emma and Percy. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."
"Fight us," Percy said. "And let's see."
"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."
"So you're another coward," Emma said.
Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia.
"As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."
"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. If Emma didn't hate his guts so much, she almost would've felt sorry for him. "Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"
He waved his hand, and next to Emma a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. Emma could imagine Bessie in that pool.
"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."
"Luke..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"
"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"
Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."
"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree..."
His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."
Emma didn't know what he meant, but the fear in his voice sounded real enough. She believed that Luke was in danger. His life depended on Thalia's joining his cause. And Emma was afraid Thalia might believe it, too.
"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them."
Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.
"Thalia," Emma said. "No."
Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Emma saw images in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around them, made of fear and shadow.
"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."
He pointed toward the ocean, and Emma's heart fell. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies, and other things Emma couldn't even name. The whole ship must've been emptied, because there were hundreds, many more than she'd seen on board last summer. And they were marching toward her and the others. In a few minutes, they would be there.
"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."
For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."
"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me... Don't make him destroy you."
There was no time. If that army got to the top of the hill, they would be overwhelmed. Emma met Annabeth's eyes again. She nodded.
Emma looked at Thalia, Percy, and Zoe, and Emma decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to die fighting with friends like this.
"Now," Percy said.
Together, they charged.
Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon-women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone. But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counterattacked. When his sword, Backbiter, met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.
As for Percy, he did the stupidest thing in his life, which is saying a lot. He attacked the Titan Lord Atlas.
Emma readied her bow. She shot at the dragon ladies, taking out two with one arrow, and then two more.
Atlas laughed as Percy approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armor. "Go on, then!"
"Percy!" Zoe said. "Beware!"
Emma knew what Zoe was warning Percy about. Immortals are constrained by ancient rules. But a hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve. Once Percy attacked, however, Atlas was free to attack back directly, with all his might.
Percy swung his sword, and Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. Percy flew through the air and slammed into a black wall. It wasn't Mist anymore. The palace was rising, brick by brick. It was becoming real.
"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoe's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?"
The javelin's point slashed toward Percy like a scythe. He raised Riptide, but Emma could tell something was wrong.
Percy tried to dodge, but the javelin caught him in the chest and sent him flying like a rag doll. He slammed into the ground at the feet of Artemis, who was still straining under the weight of the sky.
"Run, boy," she told him. "You must run!"
Atlas was taking his time coming toward Percy. His sword was gone. It had skittered away over the edge of the cliff. It might reappear in his pocket—maybe in a few seconds—but it didn't matter. He'd be dead by then. Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them. Annabeth was on the ground, desperately struggling to free her hands.
"Die, little hero," Atlas said.
He raised his javelin to impale me.
"No!" Zoe yelled, and a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armor. Emma raised her own bow and sent several arrows flying at Atlas from the other side.
"ARGH!" He bellowed and turned toward his daughter.
"The sky," Percy told the goddess. "Give it to me."
"No, boy," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"
"Annabeth took it!"
"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long."
"I'll die anyway," Percy said. "Give me the weight of the sky!"
Percy didn't wait for her answer. He took out Riptide and slashed through her chains. Then he stepped next to her and braced himself on one knee—holding up his hands—and touched the clouds. For a moment, Artemis and Percy bore the weight together. Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, and Percy held it alone.
Emma had been watching them so intently that she hadn't seen Annabeth struggling with her bonds. There was a dragon woman advancing on her, the only one left. Emma knocked and arrow and aimed. Right in the chest. The dragon woman fell backwards over the cliff. Emma rushed forward and pulled out her dagger. She dropped to Annabeth's side and sheared the bonds with one cut. Then she wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly.
"Emma, you're crushing my lungs," Annabeth said.
Emma laughed and pulled herself and Annabeth to their feet. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"We aren't really 'okay' yet, Emma. We've still all got to make it out of this alive."
They turned to face the battle.
There was Atlas in full battle armor, jabbing with his javelin, laughing insanely as he fought. And Artemis, a blur of silver. She had two wicked hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and she slashed wildly at the Titan, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace. She changed form as she maneuvered, sort of like an animagus. She was a tiger, a gazelle, a bear, a falcon. Zoe shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks in his armor. He roared in pain each time one found its mark, but they affected him like bee stings. He just got madder and kept fighting.
Thalia and Luke went spear on sword, lightning still flashing around them. Thalia pressed Luke back with the aura of her shield. Even he was not immune to it. He retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.
"Yield!" Thalia yelled. "You never could beat me, Luke."
He bared his teeth. "Well see, my old friend."
Sweat poured down Percy's face.
Atlas advanced, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him back toward Percy.
"You fight well for a girl." Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me."
He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. Emma saw the trick coming. Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.
"No!" Zoe screamed. She leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.
Emma wanted to shout her name, run to her aid, but suddenly she couldn't speak or move. She couldn't even see where Zoe had landed. Then Atlas turned on Artemis with a look of triumph in his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn't get up.
"The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated. And he stabbed downward.
As fast as thought, Artemis grabbed his javelin shaft. It hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backward, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her, Emma saw him coming down on top of Percy and realized what would happen. Atlas slammed into him and Percy let go. He was pushed out of the way by Atlas's weight and rolled away.
The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late.
"Noooooo!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!"
Atlas was trapped under his old burden.
Percy tried to stand and fell back again, dazed from pain.
Emma heard swords clanging, and turned to the sound. Thalia had backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat.
He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Well?" Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but Emma could hear fear in his voice.
Thalia trembled with fury.
Annabeth stepped forward. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"
"He's a traitor," Thalia said. "A traitor!"
Emma realized that Artemis was no longer with Percy. She had run off toward the black rocks where Zoe had fallen.
"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He... he'll be useful."
"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"
Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.
"No!" Annabeth shouted. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.
"Luke!" Annabeth screamed.
They rushed to the cliff's edge. Below them, the army from the Princess Andromeda had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Despite how much Emma hated him, she couldn't stand to see it. The fall was fifty feet at least, and he wasn't moving.
One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"
Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Emma pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. They ran for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as they passed.
"Artemis!" Percy yelled.
The goddess looked up, her face almost as grief-stricken as Thalia's. Zoe lay in the goddess's arms. She was breathing. Her eyes were open. But still...
"The wound is poisoned," Artemis said.
"Atlas poisoned her?" Percy asked.
"No," the goddess said. "Not Atlas."
She showed us the wound in Zoe's side. Emma had almost forgotten her scrape with Ladon the dragon. The bite was much worse than Zoe had let on. Emma could barely look at the wound. Zoe had charged into battle against her father with a horrible cut already sapping her strength.
"Zoe, I told you to let me heal it!" Emma exclaimed, dropping to the hunter's side.
"The stars," Zoe murmured. "I cannot see them."
Emma placed her hands on Zoe's wound, trying to keep her eyes open.
"No." Zoe said.
No one moved. Grief hung in air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir. They might've met their doom right there, but then Emma heard a strange buzzing noise.
Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.
"Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.
"Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.
"Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.
This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strafe.
"A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come, We must get Zoe away from here."
She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoe's eyes were fluttering.
"Hang in there!" Emma told her. "I'll heal you once we get away from here!"
The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. Emma realized with amazement that somehow Dr. Chase must've gotten hold of celestial bronze to fashion his bullets. The first row of snake women wailed as the machine gun's volley blew them into sulfurous yellow powder.
"That's... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.
They didn't have time to admire his flying. The giants and snake women were already recovering from their surprise. Dr. Chase would be in trouble soon.
Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer Emma had ever seen. It landed right next to her.
"Get in," Artemis said.
Annabeth helped Emma get Thalia on board. Then Percy helped Artemis with Zoe. They wrapped Zoe in a blanket as Artemis pulled the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.
"Like Santa Claus's sleigh," Percy murmured, still dazed with pain.
Artemis took time to look back at him. "Indeed, young half-blood. And where do you think that legend came from?"
Seeing the group safely away, Dr. Chase turned his biplane and followed them like an honor guard. It must have been one of the strangest sights ever, even for the Bay Area: a silver flying chariot pulled by deer, escorted by a Sopwith Camel.
Behind them, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.
They landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.
As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew... you shot... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."
"But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"
"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you... left."
Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. Emma noticed Dr. Chase was very careful not to say ran away.
"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."
He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. Emma could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.
"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.
"Emma, Annabeth, Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress's wounds.
Annabeth and Percy ran over to help, but Emma knew there wasn't much they could do. She'd tried healing Zoe on the chariot, but the poison was too strong. Emma could see that Zoe didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.
"Can't you heal her with magic?" Percy asked Artemis and Emma. "I mean... you're a goddess and Emma's a natural."
Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little we can do. But we can try."
"I did try, Lady Artemis," Emma said. "I could not do it on my own, but perhaps if we tried together..."
She tried to set her hand on Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.
"Have I... served thee well?" Zoe whispered.
"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."
Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."
"We can try to heal the poison, my brave one."
But in that moment, Emma knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save Percy, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside.
She saw Thalia, and took her hand.
"I am sorry we argued," Zoe said. "We could have been sisters."
"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything."
"Perhaps not all men," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at me. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"
He couldn't speak, but he brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand. She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like... like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword."
A shudder ran through her body.
"Zoe—" Percy said.
"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady."
A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."
"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.
Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. Emma watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared.
Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished.
For a moment Emma didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, Emma saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern she had never noticed before—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky.
"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."
It wasn't easy saying good-bye. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. This made Emma nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, the demigods and Annabeth's father would disintegrate by looking at her.
"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."
The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right."
Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. Emma wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy. Then she turned to Emma.
"You, too, are brave, girl," Artemis said. "Though you are the offspring of my insufferable brother, you are not like him. You are wise, and kind. You will know when the time is right." Emma felt the gazes of her friends. Only Artemis and Percy knew Emma's secret. Thalia and Annabeth looked questioningly at her, but she shrugged them away. Artemis was right: Emma would know when to tell her friends.
Artemis then turned to Percy.
"You did well," she said. "For a man."
She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. They all averted their eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.
"Well," Dr. Chase sighed. "She was impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena."
Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I... I'm sorry that—"
"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you."
His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile.
Then Emma heard the whoosh of large wings. Four pegasi descended through the fog: two white winged horses, one brown one, and one pure black.
"Blackjack!" Percy called just as Emma said "Mocha!"
"It was rough," Percy said to Blackjack.
"Nah," Percy said after a moment. "These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast."
"No, he's not coming with us."
"Fascinating," Dr. Chase said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?"
Blackjack cocked his head.
"Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea," Dr. Chase said, "the charge of the light brigade—"
"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted.
Dr. Chase blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, my dear, I know you must go."
He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug. As she turned to climb aboard the pegasus Guido, Dr. Chase called, "Annabeth. I know... I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe."
Annabeth didn't answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Dr. Chase started to say more, then apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field.
Thalia and Emma and Percy mounted their pegasi. Together they soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills. Soon San Francisco was only a glittering crescent behind them, with an occasional flicker of lightning in the north.
Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on Porkpie's back. Emma knew she had to be really tired to sleep in the air, despite her fear of heights, but she didn't have much to worry about. Her pegasus flew with ease, adjusting himself every once in a while so Thalia stayed safely on his back.
Annabeth, Emma, and Percy flew along side by side.
"Your dad seems cool," Percy told Annabeth.
It was too dark to see her expression. She looked back, even though California was far behind us now.
"I guess so," she said. "We've been arguing for so many years."
"Yeah, you said."
"You think I was lying about that?" It sounded like a challenge, but a pretty halfhearted one, like she was asking it of herself.
"I didn't say you were lying. It's just... he seems okay. Your stepmom, too. Maybe they've, uh, gotten cooler since you saw them last."
She hesitated. "They're still in San Francisco, Percy. I can't live so far from camp."
Emma didn't want to ask the question, but she did, "So what are you going to do now?"
The four pegasi flew over a town, an island of lights in the middle of the dark. It whisked by so fast they might've been in Apollo's sun chariot.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But thank you for rescuing me."
"You kidding? We're friends, I was worried sick. And Percy was too, though I'm sure he won't admit it."
"Hey!" Percy complained.
"You didn't believe I was dead?" Annabeth asked.
"Never."
She hesitated. "Neither is Luke, you know. I mean... he isn't dead."
Emma stared at her. She didn't know if her friend was cracking under the stress or if she actually thought it was the truth. "Annabeth, that fall was really bad. There's no way—"
"He isn't dead," she insisted. "I know it. The same way you knew about me."
That comparison didn't make Emma very happy.
The towns were zipping by faster now, islands of light thicker together, until the whole landscape below was a glittering carpet. Dawn was close. The eastern sky was turning gray. And up ahead, a huge white-and-yellow glow spread out before us—the lights of New York.
"You're the man, Blackjack," Percy told the pegasus. "Er, the horse, I mean."
"You don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth said, "but we'll see him again. He's in trouble, Emma, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."
Emma didn't feel like arguing, though it made her mad. He deserved that fall. He deserved to die. Unlike Bianca. Unlike Zoe. Luke couldn't be alive. It wouldn't be fair. He'd hurt too many people to still be allowed to live.
"There it is." Thalia's voice; she'd woken up. She was pointing toward Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. "It's started."
"What's started?" Percy asked.
Then Emma looked where Thalia was pointing. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.
"The winter solstice," Thalia said. "The Council of the Gods."