Chapter Text
Chapter 12: Strength is a Mask
"I figured you would be happy to see her," Daemon's voice was smooth and he chuckled while watching Jake hold his daughter. "Its unfortunate that it be under these circumstances but she needs you more than you know."
With a glare meant to freeze hell Jake stared at Daemon but he just brushed the look aside and walked over as the child started to stir. "She isn't well Jake, she needs her parents..."
"She needs Megara's seal," Bri whispered in a hushed tone and brought Jake a bottle. "I don't know what we can do if we can't seal her power away. That's the only reason we brought her with us..."
"Well she isn't any safer here Bri," Jake wanted to snarl at her but he kept his tone light as he looked down at his daughter. "Megara isn't around anymore to place a seal on her."
"In the meeting Nemesis said that you could tell us better than anyone that Megara was gone," Prema narrowed her eyes at Jake and leaned back in her chair, "what did she mean by that? Surely if Megara were dead then we would... know." she looked at her hands and Daemon knew he wasn't the only one calling on the underworld to check for Megara's soul.
Jake sighed and reached into his pocket, where he kept the only piece of Megara that he had left. He pulled out the necklace he gave her by the ribbon. The sides were torn slightly from where he had taken her locket to give to their daughter in the hopes of it helping suppress the child's powers but it wasn't enough. The locket wasn't meant to replace a seal, it was designed to amplify one, and without Megara the seal Jake had managed to give the girl was incomplete. All he had from her though was the necklace, the one he had given her in a last stitched effort to keep her by his side even though he knew it was futile. She had still worn it though, the ocean stone in the center always glowing the soft blues and greens was now dark and dull. He sighed and handed it to Prema who just gulped and took the necklace with a hollow look in her eyes that nearly matched the stone.
"Its been like that since a few days after I started working for the government..."
"Against the government," Prema's voice was sharp and she glared at him as she rolled the stone in her hands, "don't go saying things like that when I stuck my neck out by not telling anyone I had contact with you. I even kept that information from Sophia so don't let me regret it."
He watched her for a moment and then looked back at the little girl in his arms. She was... perfect. Jake never thought he would ever see anything so perfect. Even Megara, who had been perfect for him, definitely had her flaws. But this baby in his arms was his new world. She showed him what all the fighting was worth and she couldn't even speak yet. "It didn't matter Prema," he sighed and leaned down to kiss the soft bundle of curls on his daughter's head, "I will do anything for her..."
"Don't let anyone know about that," Daemon warned, "we can't let them use her against you."
"Is that why you didn't tell me about this?" Prema had the stone pinched and held back out to him. He took it from her, trying not to look at the lifeless stone as he pocketed it. "You do know it wouldn't have changed a damn thing," she smiled and leaned forward to brush her fingers against the baby's cheek, "Megara wouldn't want her daughter left there, especially when the child's father was alive and able to protect her." she paused and lifted Jake's chin to face her, "that is infinitely more true since you're the father."
Jake's eyes flickered to Daemon but the man just shrugged, "Prema is right you know. Megara may not have been able to act on it in the way she wanted but she did love you. Does love you," he got a few quizzical looks but he just smiled, "I refuse to believe all hope is lost. If we can hold onto hope maybe we can get her back."
Bri walked closer to the baby with a dropper, golden liquid of altered nectar to help the power that was coursing through the baby's body. She let a drop fall into the baby's open mouth, they could only hope the healing power would save the child until they could figure something else out. Or maybe Daemon was right, if the hope was still there then Jake couldn't give up.
And how could hope be lost when there was a baby with his curls and her mother's eyes. His daughters eyes opened then and he would always swear that she smiled at him and it was just like Megara was sending him a sign. And it wasn't just the baby, Megara wouldn't have left Annie or Andi without a plan. She couldn't.
Break
"We need to send the video out," Elizabeth had been on edge since the prison break. She looked over at her husband, Stratton, who sat proudly with their son not even aware that there was evil still staining the world by his hand. But Elizabeth spared him the worst of everything, it was the least she could do after everything she had put them through when they were still children.
He smiled at her and handed Jamie back the homework he had been checking. Jamie sat at the coffee table in Elizabeth's office, his blue eyes sparkling and still full of innocence. That was the world they had wanted for their child. "Everything alright honey?" Stratton stood and walked behind her so he could rub her shoulders.
Elizabeth closed one of the files on her computer and sighed, "Just more fighting. Camp 51 was raided and we lost most of the captives," behind her she felt Stratton stiffen, "I promise your little pet will turn up. She wont take off the mask anyways so we can always find her." she didn't mention that she hoped it was in a body bag. It was unnerving how attached he had gotten to sub 197088, he should have been able to sense the thing was an abomination but he had no idea. Elizabeth wasn't even cleared to tell him. "But it appears that whoever orchestrated the mess is trying to rally people together by putting faith in your daughter." she sighed and stood up, kissing Stratton before his mood dropped too low, "it seems even in a body bag she likes to cause you trouble."
"And how do you plan on handling it?" he asked with one hand resting on the gun at his hip. It was the same one he had shot Megara with on her wedding day.
She looked over at Jamie but the boy had busied himself sharpening a throwing dagger. "We're releasing the video burning her body," she smiled, "after everything she had provided us I had hoped to honor your wish to keep the final funeral private but we can't afford the doubt that is spreading."
"She wasn't clothed for that," Stratton broke eye contact and looked out their window, staring out at the trees of the forest hideout.
"She wasn't human anymore either." Elizabeth's email pinged and she looked to see a file on a dark haired man. She opened it but got very little detail. The man was young, nearly still a child in his early twenties, with ebony black hair and matching eyes. Not surprisingly he was a child of Hades, much like herself, only he was a natural born demigod with no markings. "Nico di Angelo..." she murmured and tapped a finger against the wood of her desk. "Darling," she drew Stratton's attention back to her, "I think we found our next hunting game. Meet the boy responsible for the loss of workers in area 51."
Break
Nico let his eyes flicker to Percy. Since most of the people in the hospitals were recovering it was hard to ignore what Percy had said to him. Wanting him to know that Percy was serious... It felt almost too good to be true. And at the same time there were a handful of demigods from the island now helping assist the wounded. They worked like miracle magicians or something, jumping from patient to patient and stopping to catch their breath once a while in between. Most of them hadn't been permitted to assist in the hospitals since Reyna was still worried about trusting them, and with as little as they knew still no one seemed to be blaming her. But, when the others heard that they would all be working together to take Alcatraz it was no longer an issue of having permission. The other demigods insisted on being allowed to help and they didn't play around.
Not far away Clarisse was leaning against a wall, thick bandaging wound around her neck and blood still staining the front of her shirt. The other demigods had told her she should still be resting but it didn't seem to make much difference. She was stubborn as always. "If I have to look at Will again I'll just start yelling," her voice was hoarse and Nico was surprised she was able to speak at all with how bad the wound was.
They were silent a while, Nico could tell the adrenaline rush was wearing off of Percy just as much as it was wearing off of him. "What... what happened to you Clarisse?" Percy leaned forward, elbows on his knees and dark circles under his eyes. "You're one of the most ruthless girls I know."
"Don't call me that," she snapped and raised a hand to her neck. Nico noticed she had bandages around her wrists as well, probably some on her ankles. He didn't say anything though. It was obvious by the hate in her eyes she didn't want it brought up. "They got me, okay? their cursed silver is nothing to laugh at."
She had struggled so hard it had burned and torn at her throat.
Percy sighed, "can you tell us where he found you?"
"That guy, Daemon, he and the little fire breather broke into a shack they were holding us up in, somewhere in the south, I had thought if I went to the Mississippi river I could use the dead soldiers from the civil war to contact my father..."
"Why?" Nico looked at her in shock.
Clarisse scowled and pushed herself away from the wall, "To ask him what the fuck he is doing! I know Ares has never been the most likable person but this," her arm swept over everything in front of her, "he doesn't even realize that there wont be anyone left to remember him if he keeps going this way."
"Did you manage to speak to him?" Percy didn't know when to leave well enough alone.
This time Clarisse didn't even bother trying to hold back, she marched towards Percy while swaying on her feet. "Listen here seaweed brain, at least I managed to get his attention for more than five minutes. Your dear old dad hasn't spared you more than a few words, has he? That's what I thought," her voice cut off with a round of coughing and she reached to her throat only to bloody her hand.
"Calm down," Sophia stepped in the room and rushed to Clarisse's side. She was a small girl but she didn't hesitate to throw an arm across her shoulders and let Clarisse slump against her. "It will be alright, you need to rest though."
"I'm surprised you would help me," Clarisse rasped, "just a child of the enemy."
"Our character is not determined by the mistakes of our parents." she assured the woman before guiding her back into the room and resting her on the bed. When she returned she quirked an eyebrow at Percy, "I hope things are alright between you and her."
"They are always like that," Nico interjected and stood to look the girl over. "Its good to see you Sophia, you've grown."
"As one does when she is trying to bring her people back together to start a rebellion." she chuckled, "I hope Clarisse is able to move past her heritage and accept that she is her own person and makes her own choices..."
Nico smiled, "I think she is just frustrated, as most of us are, that we have no prophecy to go from right now."
"They're a load of shit anyways," Sophia laughed when they both looked at her. "All the old stories came about people trying to change their destiny. My cousin liked to tell me that if they had never bothered to listen to them anyways things would have been better... Megara told Shawn once that bad shit was going to happen whether you knew about it or not and no one could force you into anything. Why take the prophecies at face value and let them force you to do things you didn't want when you could decide on your own?"
"She sounds like a trouble maker," Nico scoffed but regretted it when he saw Sophia's face fall. Maybe he didn't know when to shut up either... "I'm sorry, that was out of line..."
"She was though," Sophia sighed, "but she had never gone against a prophecy as drastically as dying... I like to think she had a plan, and that her plan just didn't include Stratton betraying her..."
"Who would plan on their parent betraying them anyways?" Percy asked, his eyes dropping.
Sophia didn't even think it over before saying, "Megara." they were all quiet as she continued, "Megara didn't have the best relationship with her father... she knew what he thought of her but she didn't think he deserved to die or be a slave. I think she believed that her father and her could work past their differences. But I know she didn't trust him."
"Then what do you think happened?" Percy arched a brow and her and stood up. "Do you think she really had a plan?"
The smile on Sophia's lips was telling but all she said was, "Megara would be disappointed to hear I wasted my time trying to find her when there were more pressing matters. Like our people."
Nico and Percy took note of the setting sun and decided to head back to their quarters. While the city was over run with people at least they had recovered from the damage of the war with Gaea. New buildings towered into the sky with stucco huts for small families on the outlying areas. It was gorgeous, even with the overcrowding. They were both welcome to stay in their parent's temples, but neither of them felt up to it. Instead Reyna had managed to get them beds back in the fifth cohort where Percy would feel at home.
"Reyna said she told Lady to report here as well," Nico sighed and looked around but couldn't find the girl. "I wonder how long she'll keep her mask on... I'm jealous you actually got to see her face." He grumbled and glared at Percy as they laid down in side by side cots.
Percy just sighed and reached for Nico, "I don't think seeing her would make you happy," he told Nico, "there is a pain there that I'm not sure anyone could fix." The two of them held hands until sleep overtook them.
Break
Lady spent most of her day helping people in the hospitals until she felt they were well off. After grabbing water she headed into town and walked around the tents that were housing most of the demigods. Most people would think it was sad, and on multiple levels it was, but there were no prison bars or chains and collars. No one walked with the feet shackled. That was beautiful.
A small group of people were smashing their masks still, tossing the remains in the fire and cheering with tears streaming down their faces. Lady wished she had their courage but she kept hers where it protected her. A few young children eyed her water, so she handed it to them and let them run off. In the distance past the river was the girl with her dragon. Lady smiled and started her way, the lack of shoes making her more aware of the people around her as one managed to stomp on her toe.
"197088, we have a lock on your location," a cold, monotone voice sounded in Lady's ear and she froze, just on the opposite side of the lake from the sleeping dragon an girl curled up by it's head. "We have forces ready to detain, if you flee we will track you. Surrender now and detainment will not be hostile."
"Who is that?" Lady raised a hand to her mask, she had checked it for bugs... "How are you tracking me."
"Tracking is standard in every government issued mask." the voice told her and Lady wanted to tear the mask from her face for the first time since she escaped. "We will be arriving to your location. Please be ready to hand yourself over the the authorities."
"Screw your authorities," Lady snarled and dove into the river, plunging her self under the water and listening as the voice on the mic was drowned out by the water. She surfaced, glad to hear silence over the mic, but doubted that she had done anything to deter the people tracking her. When she glanced up she saw the girl now awake by her dragon, stroking the creatures face. Lady wanted to go to the girl but she eyed the exit from New Rome. Maybe, if she could get away she could help them keep this small haven secret...
"Stay back!" the girl snarled as Lady pulled herself out of the water. Lady looked up at the girl, ready to remind her that she wasn't there to harm the dragon, but instead she saw three boys rushing the creature, armed with blades. "Stay back, he didn't do anything to you!"
"Better to eliminate the threat!" one of the boys was on her, trying to distract her as the other two went after the dragon.
The girl had her sickles up, blocking his sword as he swung down on her face. "You think you're in my blind spot, don't you?" she sneered and roots broke through the ground, wrapping around the other two boys as they tried to attack. One of them threw his knife, the weapon borrowed itself to the hilt in the creatures side. It let out a pained moan but as it got up the only person it seemed interested in was the boy attacking its master. "Wehtam," she called back before knocking the boy to the ground, "don't give them any excuse to hurt you."
A whimper escaped the dragon, Wehtam, but he fell back. His eyes narrowed at the boy though as he got back up and approached the girl again. Lady racked her brain trying to remember the girls name... Andi?
"Hey!" Lady shouted and stepped closer to them, her eyes still flickering to the exit, "leave her alone. This isn't a place for fighting."
"Fuck off," the boy snapped at her, "do you have any idea how good armor from a dragon is? I could use the monsters hide for a new breast plate."
"Over my dead body," Andi spat and kicked the kid so he rolled down the hill. She turned to the other boys and gripped the knife in Wetham's side, looking at the creature she rubbed his skin to calm him before yanking it out and spinning so the knife flew into its owner. The kid screamed, tearing one arm free to grip at his leg. "The blood should take over in a few seconds so I wouldn't try getting out of those roots." she sneered and stepped closer to him, "If I had hit you a few inches to the side you would be dead."
"How are you even fighting?" the third boy screeched at her while large leafs started to sprout from the roots holding him down. "You're just a cripple, worthless demon scum now. You have fallen from glory."
Andi looked over at him, "My hoard would disagree with you," she smiled, "but if you aren't careful your sight will have the same fate as mine. I wouldn't let those leaves gets in your eye."
Red blisters were sprouting from the boys skin and Lady wondered what she was doing wasting time at this point. Obviously Andi had this covered but Lady was still worried for the girl. Was she... blind?
"I'm guessing you're staring at me," Andi looked at Lady, "don't worry though." The first boy rushed her again but Andi was ready and she swung her arm out so the base of her sickle cracked against his skull. A terrified scream came from the second as he thrashed against the roots. "They're assholes but their naive. They'll be fine in a few hours." she kicked the boy on the ground so he rolled back to the rivers edge then she turned and looked over the dragon.
"I'm sorry Wehtam," she cooed and leaned down to a small plant growing at her feet.
"If you want," Lady stepped closer to the dragon with her palms out, "I could heal him for you."
That made Andi pause, "why would you do that?"
Lady chuckled and took another step, lifting one hand so Wehtam could sniff her, which he did before pressing his snout against her. "Call it a going away gift."
"Daemon said you would be helping take Alcatraz," Andi paused as Lady stepped over to the wound on the dragons side. "I just... I've been helping him look into finding memories for someone, I figured it was you."
A content sigh escaped Lady as she worked her energy into the dragon's, feeling the muscle tense and relax under her touch she looked back up at Andi, "I just have to make sure no one is put in danger because of me... did you... did you make any progress?"
Andi looked at her quizzically, "I think so..." she reached out to Lady but fell back, "Can I ask why everyone keeps talking about your mask?"
"Probably because I wont take it off..." Lady reached up, if she could take off her mask then maybe they would let her stay... or maybe they would kill her...
"My name is Andi," Andi stuck her arm out, "I'm sure you already know that though... My name isn't exactly a secret."
"That must have it's perks..." as Lady finished up she smiled at Andi, "I go by Lady. It was good to meet you."
"I bet hiding your face has its perks to," Andi said as Lady turned to leave. "It fits you know, since you're running away from your problems."
"I'm running away with my problems," Lady's voice was low, weak.
A laugh bubbled up from Andi, "You know the only reason I can fight while being blind is because I grew up. Someone I cared about," she chuckled but it sounded sad, "someone I cared about told me that no one has it easy, there isn't a fair world to exist, and instead of bitching about my handicap I needed to find a way around it."
"Do you know what it's like to look in the mirror and not recognize the face staring back at you?" it was cold but Lady didn't even think before she snapped.
"No," Andi replied, her face blank, "I don't know what it's like to look at much of anything. But I've had my own shit to deal with and that advice, to just figure out how to deal with it, that has worked on everything."
Lady felt frozen. Andi had to only be about fifteen or so, she wasn't some wise old lady, but what she said had hit Lady in the gut. Her fingers gripped at her mask and she lifted it. Night had fallen so she doubted Andi would be able to make her out even if she could see. Lady kept the mask in a death grip for a moment. "They're tracking this," she whispered and understood what it meant. The government didn't think Lady would ever take this off... if she ran and ditched it maybe she could save the others... she could pick up a different mask if she needed to. "Tell the others to destroy all the masks. They can be tracked and spied on."
She didn't even wait for a response as she bolted for the exit. She felt the shadows grabbing at her, felt the eerie presence of Prema as she slipped into them and was sent flying.
Break
"Whats wrong?!"
Prema had been dragged into the idea of a party for the following day, a celebration for team building before they left. Really she felt like everyone was on the verge of snapping and needed to let loose. But the barrier she had put up had someone dive through it, throwing her the middle finger more than likely, and she had a sickening feeling that she knew who it was. Her head felt like someone tried to give her an ice pick lobotomy.
"I'm fine," she cringed as she looked up at Gage, who was hovering over her now. Prema stood back from him but her eyes were full of worry as well. "Someone went through the barrier."
"Who would do that?! This is the only safe place to go." Reyna set down her papers and helped Gage lift Prema up.
A harsh cackle left Prema's lips, she couldn't help but feel lighter knowing this is something Lady would do... "I'll give you one guess."
Just then someone burst through the door and for the first time in years Prema and Gage were close enough to reach out to Andi. She had grown, was taller and with defined muscles. Her horns and wings and tail had been a shock but if anyone knew how to accept change it was them.
"Andi," Gage breathed her name like it was precious, and it was. Megara would have never forgiven them if she knew what had happened to the girl. What they had let happen. "Andi you look so grown up..."
"Lady just left," she rushed her words, looking behind her and out over the river. "Look I can't hang around and chat but the masks have trackers. Lady said to destroy all of them."
"Get everyone up," Reyna barked, her need to protect her people taking over. "I want every single mask in that fire ten minutes ago. Smash them to pieces, don't let any of them remain."
Gage and Prema looked at each other, at least they knew why Lady had left...