Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

THE WINTER TERM OF CAMP hadn’t started off great.

In the first week of September, Nico had been summoned by his father to California. He knew exactly what it was about.

“Father,” he greeted Hades when he stepped out of the shadows on Berkeley Hills.

Hades glanced Nico’s way. “Nico.”

Nico looked out over the hills and down at Camp Jupiter. “Why did you summon me here?”

“There is another camp,” Hades said lowly. “This next prophecy has me concerned otherwise I would not risk this.”

“Risk what?”

Hades didn’t say anything for a while. “You are aware of the Greek gods.”

“Obviously.”

“Yes, obviously,” Hades agreed. “And of course, you know of the Egyptians. You met with Anubis a few times.”

Nico started. “You knew that?”

Hades snorted. “I am a god. A god of death at that. You think I do not know about another god of death meeting my son?”

“Alright, yeah. Your point?”

“And naturally, I assume you know of the Norse?” He fixed Nico with a pointed look.

Nico sighed. “Magnus and Alex. Yes, father. I know.”

“Then it should hardly surprise you to know that there is another pantheon.” Hades gestured to Camp Jupiter. “This is the Roman camp. In the ancient times, Rome adopted us Greek gods, though they changed our names and personalities. I am as much Hades to you as I am Pluto to the Romans.” He turned to face Nico. “Go to them,” he said. “Introduce yourself as a child of Pluto. It is important you make this connection.”

“Why?” Nico asked.

Hades scowled. “There is a plan. I do not approve, nor do most of the other gods. But the prophecy has been issued and Rome itself is specified.”

“ Delivered for wisdom on Rome’s wings ,” Nico quoted. “I remember. What does that have to do with me?”

“I fear we may need this connection before too long,” Hades said. “Before we truly mix the worlds, I should feel better about testing the Greek and Roman schism with a demigod who already knows of multiple pantheons.”

Nico knew that was why his father sent him. He supposed it hadn’t helped much that now he knew of the Norse and not just the Greek and Egyptian.

“Do you know what is coming?” Nico asked his father.

Hades stared down at Camp Jupiter in silence. Finally, he said, “I suspect a few things, none of them good. Pray I am wrong.” Once more, he fixed Nico with a look. “Swear to me you will not mention a word about either camp to the other until the time is right.”

“I swear on the River Styx,” Nico said.

Thunder boomed and then Hades was gone, leaving Nico alone to head into the Roman camp. With a deep breath, Nico shadow traveled to the opposite side of the camp to the Oakland Hills and made his way down towards where the Little Tiber was flowing.

“You’re back,” Will said in surprise when Nico walked into the infirmary. “I thought you said you’d be gone for a week? It’s only been four days.”

Nico collapsed into a chair. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

“I am!” Will said quickly. “Just surprised is all. How was it?”

“Exhausting,” Nico said truthfully.

Reyna had spent at least one whole day quizzing him on where he’d come from and why Lupa had not sent him. It was nothing Nico wasn’t expecting, but after being grilled by the praetor, he was mentally beaten.

Jason had been there. He mostly stood back, letting Reyna ask the questions, but the newly elected praetor was very clearly wary of a random child of the Big Three popping out of nowhere.

It had taken Nico every ounce of restraint not to greet Jason like a friend he’d known for years. Not to mention, like a dead man walking.

“Seeing him was a shock,” Nico added.

Will gave him a sympathetic look. “I get it. Honestly, some days I wake up expecting Michael to still be dead.” He winced. “Some days I want to murder him too. He’s still not over the whole chariot thing.”

“I feel bad for Allegra,” Nico said. “But it was really the best solution I think.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Will agreed. “It’s just been painful living with my siblings for the last few weeks.” He shook his head. “Kayla’s all ‘it's about defending our cabin’s honor, Will’ and Michael’s all,” he grimaced, “well, you know. I spent the past two days speaking in rhyming couplets. Sherman is still rhyming I think.”

Nico snorted. “Of course.”

“Will, have you seen Michael?” Kayla asked, entering the infirmary. “Oh, hey, Nico. Where have you been?”

“Errand for my father,” Nico lied. Well, half-lied. Technically, joining the Romans was the errand his father had sent him on.

Kayla blinked. “Oh. Nothing too exhausting? Will’s already losing his mind.”

“Maybe if you and Michael would shut up about honor and the chariot,” Will muttered. “And I don’t know where he is. Why?”

“Chiron wants him to remove the curse on Sherman,” she sighed. “I had to remove the one I put on Ellis.”

“Hallelujah,” Will grumbled.

Nico frowned. “Are we allowed to say that?”

“I’ll give praises to any deity if it gets those two to drop it,” Will said with a pointed glare at Kayla.

“It’s not just us,” Kayla protested. “The Ares cabin is doing it too.”

“Skylar isn’t,” Will pointed out.

“Skylar arrived, like, yesterday. That’s the only reason she’s been spared from our rhyming curses.”

Nico cleared his throat. “If you two are done-”

“No,” Will and Kayla snapped.

“Hey,” Jason said awkwardly the next time Nico showed up at Camp Jupiter. “Look, I know I wasn’t exactly, uh, welcoming last time, but… it’s actually nice to know that I’m not the only one around. Child of the Big Three, I mean. And, you know, I totally understand coming from strange circumstances.”

Nico really did not like this. He knew way too much about Jason. Stuff Jason himself might not even know yet.

“Lupa found me when I was really young,” Jason continued. “She brought me to Camp and I’ve been part of the legion ever since.”

He didn’t share any other details, but Nico already knew them. Arrived at Camp Jupiter at the age of three. How he got his first stripe, neither Nico nor Jason knew, but in Nico’s mind, a three year old getting to Camp was stripe worthy enough.

“Yeah, well, my father pretty much ordered me here,” Nico said. “So here I am.”

Jason peered at him curiously. “You must have a close relationship with him then.”

“Not really,” Nico said. “I met him twice before this. He’s trying to be a father to me I think, but… it’s not really the same as a normal father-son relationship.”

“I’ve never met my father,” Jason frowned. “The gods aren’t like that, I guess. At least Pluto is trying somewhat. You’re lucky.”

“I guess.”

“Why did he send you here?” Jason asked. “When Reyna was questioning you it kind of seemed like maybe you knew more than you were telling. You weren’t lying, otherwise her dogs would have ripped you apart, but I don’t think it was the full truth.”

Nico shoved his hands in his pockets and cursed his father for putting him in this position. “He’s worried. There’s murmurings among the gods about… something. I don’t know. He just told me that it was important to make this connection. So I guess that’s what I’m doing. Passing him messages from you guys and generally helping you with… death stuff. I don’t really know.”

Jason laughed. “Death stuff?”

“Death stuff,” Nico sighed.

He didn’t really remember when Thanatos went missing, but as soon as he heard the whispers, Nico headed straight to the Underworld. Last time, he’d waited too long for confirmation. This time, he would be ready. Bianca could still have a chance to come back.

Bianca…

Nico had told her a lot after she died. He probably hadn’t made much sense, but after a few talks, he’d finally caved and told her what was going on. He made her promise not to move on without telling him first. Bianca had promised, but she still looked hesitant to agree to that.

Nico burst into the green paradise of Elysium.

“Apollo’s holy cows!” someone yelped as Nico bowled them over. “Nico?”

Nico sat up. “Oh. Hi. Lee.”

Everything screamed at him to abort the mission. Bringing the dead back to life… that wasn’t natural. But here he was, ready to bring Bianca back.

Of course he had to run into Lee Fletcher.

“What are you doing here?” Lee demanded.

Nico stood up. “Looking for my sister. Sorry about…” he gestured to Lee who was still sprawled on the ground. “That.”

“S’fine,” Lee waved him off. “I mean, I’m already dead. How’s Will?”

“He’s dangerously close to sending Michael here to join you,” Nico said.

Lee snickered. “The chariot thing?”

“The chariot thing,” Nico sighed. “Do you know where Bianca is?”

Lee shook his head. “Sorry. I haven’t seen her. But, hey, Nico? You haven’t been down here recently, but there’s a lot of whispers about something big about to happen.”

Nico nodded. “I’ve heard.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“No,” Nico said. “No idea.”

It was a good thing Lee didn’t own Reyna’s dogs.

He never found Bianca. He knew why she wasn’t in Elysium anymore. Bianca would have been able to figure out that the whispers meant something was wrong with death, and if something was wrong with death, then Nico would be coming soon to take her back.

Nico wandered towards Asphodel to where a girl with curly brown hair stood looking bored out of her mind. When he approached her, she whirled around.

“Hi,” Nico said.

Hazel eyed him suspiciously. “You’re alive.”

“I’m Nico di Angelo,” he said. “I’m a child of Pluto like you.”

“What do you want?” Hazel asked.

“Death has gone missing,” Nico explained. “I’m here to bring you back.”

“Back to life?” Hazel asked. “Is that possible?”

Nico offered her a smile. “Should be.” He held out a hand. “You’re my sister. You deserve another chance. Come with me.”

Hazel took his offered hand hesitantly. “I’m Hazel Levesque.”

Nico shadow traveled Hazel straight to the western side of the country. It wouldn’t be very good if anyone from Camp Half-Blood saw them.

“A lot has changed since you died,” Nico said. “Technology for one. Everything is run on electricity now. Except for cars.”

Hazel stared wide-eyed at the sights around her. “I…”

“Here,” Nico said, pulling her towards a store. “You need new clothes. For one, you died in these. For two, the styles have changed.”

Hazel had refused to wear any type of skinny jeans or tank top, but she finally settled on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

The teenage girl who was working the register eyed the card Nico gave her dubiously. He didn’t use it often, but after Alecto had gotten him and Bianca out of the Lotus Hotel, he’d kept his Lotus CashCard for emergencies.

Finally, Nico took Hazel to McDonalds. He hadn’t last time which proved to be a mistake because according to Leo, Hazel didn’t know what a chicken nugget was.

“These are okay,” Hazel said. She tried one dipped in ketchup and one dipped in ranch. “I like the fries better.” She looked around the fast food restaurant. “How much has changed, Nico? What… what happened with the war?”

Nico set his cheeseburger down. “Well, the Allies won the war in 1945. I’m not really sure how or the specifics. I was…” he hesitated. “My father… our father, I mean, put my sister and I in this hotel where time stands still. I was born in the late 1920s.”

Hazel’s eyes softened. “So we’re both out of time?”

“Yeah,” Nico said with a faint smile. “We are.”

“Where’s your sister?” Hazel wondered.

Nico stared at his burger. “She died a few years ago. Her name was Bianca. She chose rebirth.” He looked Hazel in the eyes. “But… don’t ever think that I brought you back because I couldn’t bring Bianca back. That’s not why, Hazel. You’re my sister and I would bring you back no matter what. Okay? I don’t… know you very well right now, but I do care about you.”

Hazel’s face brightened. “That was really nice, Nico. It means a lot.”

“Of course,” Nico said. I really do love you, Hazel .

When Nico showed up with Hazel, Reyna’s face was priceless. Jason at least was more proactive. He greeted Hazel warmly which seemed to startle her and Nico made a mental note to address the Civil Rights movement with Hazel. Just as soon as he was able to figure out a better idea of what happened.

Maybe he should go back to school.

Chapter Text

NICO’S FREQUENT DISAPPEARANCES were kind of getting on Will’s nerves.

He understood why Nico was leaving a lot, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Especially since Nico seemed to be shadow traveling there and back with only a few days rest in between.

At least he had Lou Ellen and Cecil to hang out with and try to maintain a sense of normalcy.

“Earth to Will,” Lou Ellen said, waving her hand in front of Will’s face. “Paging doctor Solace. Will!” She pulled Will back before he could trip on a rock.

Will blinked. “Sorry. What?”

He and Lou Ellen were on their way to the dining pavilion for lunch.

“I was asking if you knew where Nico was,” she said. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

So much for normalcy.

“He takes off to do stuff for his dad sometimes,” Will told her. “He usually comes back within a few days.”

He loved his friends. Really. He did. But Cecil Markowitz was a son of Hermes and naturally curious. A trait he seemed to have passed off onto Lou.

“And it doesn’t drive you crazy?”

“No,” Will lied. “Besides. It’s not like he can say no to his dad. If Hecate asked you to do something, wouldn’t you do it?”

Lou Ellen shrugged. “Depends. Besides, my mom is the goddess of the crossroads. She expects us to make our own choices. She provides the pathways, we choose the one we want to follow.”

They reached the dining pavilion.

“Plus,” Lou Ellen said before they could go their separate ways to their separate tables, “you aren’t very worried. I mean, you always worry, but you don’t worry as much as I would have expected from you.”

Will shrugged it off. “Nico’s capable. I have to go though. The Ares cabin is training on the climbing wall after lunch and I would rather I be the one taking care of that than Michael.”

“He’s never going to let that go,” Lou Ellen said, shaking her head. Then she waggled her finger. “Don’t think you can just get away with this subject change, Solace. I’m grilling you later.” She sauntered off to the Hecate table.

Will slumped into a seat across from Kayla and Austin at the Apollo table.

“Who snapped your stethoscope?” Kayla asked.

“Who snapped my what?” Will said.

Austin laughed. “Stethoscope.”

Will rolled his eyes. “No one. Lou’s just too curious for her own good.”

“How so?” Austin frowned.

“She keeps asking about Nico and stuff.”

“Where is Nico?” Kayla asked.

Will groaned and laid his forehead over his arms. “Not you too,” he said, voice muffled by the table.

“I’m not kidding,” Kayla said. “Usually you two are practically joined at the hip. Which, super cute by the way.”

“Shut up.”

“Whoa, did you guys kill Will?” Michael asked, sitting next to Will. He poked Will in the ribs.

“Ow!” Will yelped, jumping up and banging his knee on the table. “What the Hades, Michael?”

Michael gave a satisfactory nod. “Not dead. Good. What’s going on?”

“Will’s complaining about everyone asking him where Nico is,” Austin reported.

“Oh, where is he?” Michael asked curiously.

Will hit his head on the table. Repeatedly.

Michael slid a hand under his forehead. “Brain damage, Will. Stop.”

Will sat up. “Please stop asking about Nico.”

“Um, first of all, no,” Michael said. He raised an eyebrow. “You were literally just trying to give yourself a concussion about this. What’s the deal?”

“He keeps shadow traveling back and forth with barely any rest inbetween,” Will said finally. “I don’t like it. If he’s not careful, he could fade into shadows himself.”

Michael looked satisfied with Will’s answer. “There you go. Anything else?”

“He can’t say much about what he’s doing,” Will muttered. “Which sucks. I’d rather he just stay here.”

“Okay,” Michael said, closing his eyes and folding his hands like he was about to say something deeply philosophical. “My official unofficial diagnosis… you have… a crush.”

Will went red. “Oh my gods, you have to be joking. That’s your take away? A crush?”

“He doesn’t even deny it,” Kayla sighed.

“No use,” Austin agreed. “It’s way too obvious.”

“Can we not talk about this?” Will begged.

Michael held up his hands defensively. “Hey. I’m just trying to diagnose the problem. My official unofficial treatment plan would be just to confess the next time you see him. Or something like that.”

“You guys suck,” Will complained.

Nico wasn’t back until midway through October.

“How’s… you know?” Will asked.

Nico frowned. “I didn’t do a very good job last time. I mean, I was mostly still upset Bianca, so… That’s not an excuse, but I don’t know much about what happened between going into the Hotel and coming out of the Hotel. I spent a few days in a library trying to catch up. Then I spent a few days teaching Hazel about this century. History is actually kind of interesting.” He paused. “He’s gone.”

“He - Jason?” Will asked.

Nico nodded. “Reyna’s freaked. I had to reassure her that he wasn’t dead. But… you know come December I’m going to have to leave. I’ll visit, but he can’t see me. I can’t risk that.”

“Zeus’s Fist,” Will blurted. “No one goes out that way anymore. We can meet there once a week. Or every other week or something.”

“Will Solace, are you asking me out?” Nico asked, an amused glint in his eyes.

Will sputtered. “Nico!”

“I’m kidding,” Nico grinned. “But that’s fine with me. We’ll figure it out later.”

The first week of November saw Percy and Annabeth returning to Camp Half-Blood. Will had to admit that it was kind of disappointing to see just them. He missed the Norse demigod duo Magnus Chase and Alex Fierro. They had kept Camp interesting enough with everyone trying to figure out who their parents were and wondering how exactly it was that Alex could pull off any green and pink outfit combo she put her mind to.

“Didn’t expect you two,” Nico greeted them. “Why are you here?”

Percy and Annabeth exchange a nervous look. “Can we talk? Privately? We don’t want to be overheard.”

Nico’s eyes flickered between them and Will. “We can go to my cabin, I guess.” He led the way to the Hades cabin.

The exterior was dark and foreboding, but the inside was actually quite homey. Rich dark brown walls and some type of what Will assumed to be a precious metal for the floor. The beds no longer resembled the coffins of the future. Instead the twin sized mattresses had dark red sheets and thick comforters.

Nico perched himself on his bed and looked at Percy and Annabeth. “What was so secretive you had to enter my humble abode?”

“Bianca’s alive,” Percy blurted.

Will whipped his head around to look at Nico whose face had gone white. Without spending so much time in the Underworld, Nico’s skin had retained some of it’s olive complexion, but maybe partially due to his use of his powers or maybe just because Nico was a child of Hades, the olive complexion was much lighter than it had been when Nico first arrived at Camp.

“What?” Nico whispered.

Annabeth gave Nico a worried look. “That’s what I said. I figured that if you had brought Bianca back, you would have told us. But since you didn’t, I wondered if it was something else.”

“Well, where is she?” Nico demanded. “Where’s my sister? Is she here? Is she waiting outside the borders? In the woods?”

“Bianca saw me,” Percy said. “We… well, I was walking in Central Park and then I ran into this girl. Literally ran into her. I fell and she went to apologize and I was going to say it wasn’t a big deal, but then we both saw who it was.” He shook his head. “I was completely shocked and I think she was too. She said my name and then just took off in the other direction. I tried to chase after her, but she was gone before I could even stand back up.”

“I didn’t bring her back,” Nico insisted. “I looked for her, but she was gone. I assumed she had chosen to move on like before. How is this possible? Who brought her back?”

A chill went down Will’s spine. “I think we have to consider that there’s only one other we know who is bringing souls back,” he said.

Nico shook his head. “No way. It can’t be her. It can’t be .”

“What would Gaea want with Bianca ?” Percy asked. “And why let her roam free?”

“Maybe Bianca escaped?” Annabeth suggested. “Maybe this is a distraction by Gaea?”

“My sister is not working for Gaea,” Nico snapped. “Look. I don’t know why someone brought her back, but she’s back and I have to find her.” He stood up to march out of the cabin, but Will pulled him back.

“Wait,” Will said.

Nico glared at him. “What do you mean wait , Will? I am not just going to let my sister run around in the world when Gaea is about to wake up! Plus she’s twelve! Or thirteen! I don’t know! All I know and all I care about is finding her and bringing her to Camp where she’ll be mostly safe.”

“Just think about it for a minute,” Will pleaded. “We don’t know where she is, right? And she could be shadow traveling all over the world.”

“So?”

“So maybe we should consider getting a quest?” Will suggested. “We can go to Rachel and then ask her where to go. At least then we have an idea of where to start.”

“Chiron won’t let you leave Camp.”

“He lets you leave.”

“Yeah, but he knows where I’m going.”

Will blinked. “He does?”

“He knows about the thing,” Nico said. “And my father told him so he doesn’t ask me where I’ve been.”

Annabeth cleared her throat. “Percy and I are going to IM Alex and Magnus next week. We’ll let them know to be on the lookout for her.”

“So I’m just supposed to wait for them to find her?” Nico demanded.

“Yes,” Annabeth said firmly. “Look, Nico. You have a job to do. Hades gave you a job. With Bianca out there… he can’t know. If you were to go off looking for her… just give us some time to look into this more. I’m sure I can find something or connect enough dots.”

Nico didn’t say anything for a while. Finally he nodded. “Fine. But I’m leaving Camp Half-Blood in December. Then I’m going to look for my sister, so you better have a good answer by then.”

Chapter Text

LIVING ON THE STREETS of Boston officially sucked.

Magnus Chase already knew that, he’d even acknowledged it when he suggested the idea to his cousin Annabeth and again when he’d discussed the pros and cons with Alex Fierro. But saying that he knew it would suck and actually experiencing the suckiness of it all were two very different things.

It didn’t help that Alex’s presence put Blitz and Hearth on edge.

Shortly after arriving in Boston, Alex had decided that she wanted to get her tattoo back, one of the downsides of her and Magnus’s trip into the past being that they were before Alex had gotten the tattoo. Magnus was fine with that. If Alex wanted the snake tattoo, then Alex could get the snake tattoo.

The problem came when they met the dwarf and elf (not that the two admitted that was what they were) because the snake tattoo was a blatant symbol of Loki.

Honestly, it was kind of amusing to see Blitz and Hearth struggle to gently try and push Magnus away from the trickster god’s offspring.

It certainly didn’t help the situation when Magnus and Alex would run off for the monthly IM chat with Percy and Annabeth.

“I think Blitz is close to blowing his cover,” Alex mused as they ducked under a bridge to wait for Percy and Annabeth’s November call.

Magnus snorted. “You think?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “I was thinking that next we see if we can get away with having Jack laying around.”

“Oh, I don’t think they’d notice that at all.”

A few feet in front of them, a rainbow shimmered. The faces of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase flickered in the rainbow.

“Right on time,” Alex said. “What’s new, Greeks?”

Annabeth pursed her lips. “A lot. We would have called sooner, but… well, we didn’t want to risk Blitz and Hearth seeing.”

“Maybe an IM would take their minds off what to do about the strange child of Loki,” Magnus said, elbowing Alex.

Percy frowned. “How the Hades do they know that?”

Alex tapped her neck. “Got my tattoo, remember? But we’re handling that. What’s the lot?”

“I’ll let Percy explain,” Annabeth said.

“I saw Bianca,” Percy said. “Nico’s sister.”

Magnus blinked. “Bianca? Bianca di Angelo? The Hunter girl that died on the quest? What do you mean you saw here?”

“A week ago,” Percy explained. “I was walking home through Central Park. I bumped into the girl and when I went to apologize, I found out it was Bianca. I mean, she looked like Bianca and she sounded like Bianca. I don’t know how it’s possible since she’s dead, but…” he shook his head. “Nico says he didn’t bring her back. He said she moved on. He’s pretty shaken up about it.”

“Let me guess,” Alex drawled. “You want us to look for her?”

“Keep an eye out for her,” Annabeth corrected. “You don’t have to go looking. I just need to figure out how she escaped and why.”

Magnus frowned. “You said Thanatos has been chained. So couldn’t anyone escape death?”

Annabeth shook her head. “No. Someone who was already dead would need a child of the Underworld to lead them out or a god. Bianca is a daughter of Hades, but she would need a living child of the Underworld to lead her out. But as for everyone else, if someone who was going to end up in the Greek or Roman afterlife died, they could theoretically come back.”

“That’s what happened to Gwen,” Percy said.

Magnus didn’t know who Gwen was, but it was safe to say that she was an example of the dead coming back to life.

“Okay,” Alex said. “Do you have any ideas?”

“A few,” Annabeth said grimly. “One, it was Gaea. That’s the worst possible option. Two, she just got sucked out somehow and Gaea didn’t even mean to bring her. Three, it has something to do with a myth.”

“You have myths of coming back to life?” Magnus asked.

Percy nodded. “They haven't been successful though. Orpheus and Eurydice. A snake bit Eurydice and killed her, so Orpheus went down into the Underworld. He played some music that Persephone really liked or something and then he was given the chance to bring Eurydice back to life.”

“But?” Alex prompted.

“But he wasn’t allowed to look back,” Percy said. “He almost made it, but just before they left the tunnel, Orpheus looked back. Eurydice returned to the Underworld after that. Then there was Sissy pants.”

“Sissy who?” Magnus repeated.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Sisyphus. He told his wife not to perform the correct rites after he died, so when he got to the Underworld, he asked Hades and Persephone to let him go back to punish his wife. Well, they let him go back and he lived for an extra few years before they realized what was going on. He was punished by having to push a boulder up a hill for all eternity.”

“Fun times,” Alex said. “So could any of those be how Bianca returned?

“I don’t think so,” Annabeth said.

Percy nodded. “Bianca looked scared to see me. I don’t think she was even aware that she had been brought back.” He paused. “Well, I mean, she was aware , but I meant like how.”

“Well I know first hand what it’s like to die and panic about what’s going on,” Alex said.

That was very true. Magnus grinned at the memory of Alex the cheetah running him over.

“At least Bianca can’t turn into animals,” he joked.

“No, but she can travel through the shadows,” Annabeth said. “Obviously I don’t know much, but I’m very confident that Bianca has the same or similar powers to Nico. Their powers come from the Underworld sphere of their father’s powers.”

Magnus and Alex exchanged a look.

“We’ll look for her,” Magnus finally agreed. “It’s getting a little…” he struggled to find the right word.

“Difficult?” Alex suggested. “Overbearing? Stressful?”

“All of the above,” Magnus sighed. “A break might do us some good.”

Alex nodded fervently. “Absolutely.”

“-down here,” a voice whispered.

Magnus glanced at Alex with wide eyes. “That’s Blitz,” he hissed. “Got to go. We’ll find Bianca. Lots of love.” His hand passed through the rainbow just as Blitz and Hearth appeared under the bridge.

“Hey, Blitz,” Magnus greeted. “Hearth.” He signed H-E-A-R-T-H as well.

His ASL had pleasantly surprised the duo for a few minutes before Alex revealed her proficiency in the language as well.

“I’ll just wait over there,” Alex said, pointing to the opposite side of the bridge. She told Magnus that the cold treatment didn’t bother her, that she understood why they were so cold, but he could tell that sometimes it could get to her. Today was apparently one of those times.

Blitz raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on, kid?”

“We’re heading away for a while,” Magnus said. “An old friend needs help.”

“You aren’t exactly rolling in money,” Blitz pointed out.

What help? Hearth signed.

Magnus pushed his hands into his pockets. “Not money help. She’s… she’s missing,” he said hesitantly.

He had to be careful about what he said. Mirmir was likely to send his two minions (kind of harsh) after him and Alex if it sounded too dangerous. Not to mention, the hunt for Sumarbrander was still on. Magnus wasn’t sure if Loki or his allies were still searching the Boston area, but he had been careful not to let Jack’s necklace show under his shirt.

As if he sensed Magnus thinking about him, Jack buzzed against Magnus’s chest. He hoped Blitz and Hearth didn’t notice that.

“And you and… Alex are going to look for her?” Blitz asked. “Where?”

Magnus shrugged. “Around this area.”

That was a lie. He had another place in mind and it was pretty much the furthest away one could get from Boston.

“This is so going to end up bad,” Alex muttered as they walked up to the bus stop.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Alex. I have the credit card Annabeth gave us for emergencies. I’ll just buy our tickets. Blitz and Hearth cannot keep up with a bus. We hop off at the stop near the ducks and then,” he mimed drawing Jack out of concealment, “hope the squirrel doesn’t get us.”

“Like I said,” Alex said. “Bad. If your stupid plan gets us killed by Ratatosk, I’ll kill you.”

“If we don’t go to Helheim first,” Magnus nodded.

Alex gave him a very forced looking smile.

If he was being honest, Magnus would have thought that Blitz and Hearth gave him more credit than they apparently did. Out of the corner of his eyes, Magnus could see the duo peering around a corner just watching him and Alex.

“It’s like they think I’m incapable of defending myself,” Magnus muttered.

Alex tilted her head. “Aren’t you?”

“Excuse me, I fought in a war,” Magnus said.

“Yeah, and I probably saved your life a hundred times,” Alex teased.

“I saved Percy’s life,” Magnus said.

Alex snorted. “ Jack saved Percy’s life.”

The sword buzzed against his chest like he was laughing.

“Yeah, yeah,” Magnus muttered as they climbed onto the bus. “Laugh it up.”

He quickly paid for their tickets and then they settled down into seats near the back. He peered out the window to see Blitz and Hearth giving the bus disappointed and confused looks. They probably didn’t understand how two homeless and moneyless kids had just paid their way onto a bus. That would probably be something to worry about when they got back, but Magnus could always say that he swiped some rich jerk’s wallet. Not like it would be the first time.

It was a relief when they finally exited the bus. Alex had been drumming her fingers against the side of the bus anxiously the whole time and it was kind of getting on Magnus’s nerves.

Alex stopped right in front of the ducks. “Okay. Now what?”

Magnus frowned. “Well, that last one is going to take us to Niflheim.”

“Let’s not and say we did,” Alex said.

“Agreed,” Magnus said. He pointed to the fourth duck. “That one is Vanaheim. That’s how Blitz and I ended up in Folkvanger.” He ran his hand over the line of ducks. “The eighth one is Alfheim, then Muspelheim, then Nidavellir, then Helheim…” he skipped over the fourth one he knew as Vanaheim. “Jotunheim, Midgard! Got it.” He gestured to the second duck. “This one is Midgard. I think.”

“I have been instilled with confidence in you,” Alex said sarcastically. “How does this work?”

Magnus wrapped his hand around his pendant. He glanced around hesitantly half expecting Loki to jump out of a bush.

“You okay?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, just be ready to jump as soon as I open the door,” Magnus said. He tugged the pendant off his necklace and Jack sprung into being. Without waiting any time, Magnus tapped the second duck and sliced upward.

The air parted like a curtain. An expanse of tree branches stretched out in front of them.

Alex leapt through the doorway with Magnus right behind her. As he was jumping, he was already returning Jack to pendant form.

For a minute, they just sat there on the large branch they had jumped onto.

“Let’s go,” Alex said nervously. “I don’t want to run into the squirrel.”

Magnus couldn’t hear Ratatosk, but that didn’t mean the squirrel wasn’t on his way towards them. He glanced around.

The wind roared, ripping at their clothes. Beyond the tree’s canopy there was nothing but a hazy white glow. Below was no ground – just more branches crisscrossing the void. The tree had to be rooted somewhere, but Magnus still felt woozy and unbalanced – as if Yggdrasil was free-floating in the Ginnungagap.

“Yeah,” he said absently. “We should keep moving. Not good for your sanity.”

Alex frowned. “Sam tell you that?”

“Yeah.”

They moved further along the branch they were on. Jack hummed against Magnus’s chest, pulling him in the direction they needed to go in. Magnus could only hope that they actually ended up in Gila Claw, Arizona. The last time he’d tried to use the World Tree, they hadn’t even gone to the right world.

Hostile winds buffeted Magnus and Alex from side to side. Branches swayed, throwing deep pools of shadow and brilliant patches of light across their path. A leaf the size of a canoe fluttered by.

Finally, they came to a crack in the bark. Magnus stopped in front of it.

“This it?” Alex asked, peering into the crack.

Magnus glanced down. He could see sand and a few curious glints of metal. “Think so. It’s definitely on Midgard at least.”

“So basically we could end up in Arizona or the Sahara,” Alex said. “Great. Let’s go.”

Before they could jump, there was an explosive YAAAAARRRRK! above them. A dozen branches above them, a large shadow passed across the leaves.

“Crap, crap, crap,” Alex said with wide eyes.

“We gotta go,” Magnus said in alarm.

At that moment, Ratatosk broke through foliage above. His front teeth were twin wedges of white enamel terror. His claws were scimitars. His eyes were sulphur yellow, burning with fury.

YARK! The squirrel’s battle cry pierced their eardrums. A thousand insults were packed into that one sound, drowning out any rational thought.

You have failed.

No one likes you.

Your friends don’t trust you.

You could not save your mother.

The child of Loki is not your friend.

She could never like you.

You will never be good enough.

Magnus didn’t know what Alex heard, but she had frozen in a crouched position like she was about to jump into the crack. He wasn’t doing so great himself, but they had to get out of here before Ratatosk destroyed them.

“ALEX, COME ON!” he yelled.

He wrapped his arms around Alex and dragged her through the portal. Far away from Ratatosk.

Chapter Text

THE SAND WAS EVERYWHERE. Sand in her shoes. Sand in her hair. Sand in her clothes. Sand in her ears. Gods, she sounded like Anakin Skywalker.

Alex didn’t bother to brush it off. She didn’t trust her hands not to shake at the moment.

“Alex?” Magnus’s voice startled her. “Alex, are you okay?”

“Not really,” Alex said quietly. She blinked rapidly, realizing her eyes were watering. “Give me a second?”

Magnus really was sweet. He never pushed her and he respected her boundaries. He just sat next to her silently. Which really made the whole thing worse.

You aren’t good enough for him .

Ratatosk’s harsh words cut deep. It wasn’t something Alex was new to hearing. She’d told herself the same thing for a short time while she was contemplating Magnus’s declaration on Naglfar. Even before then if she was being honest.

“Whatever he told you isn’t true,” Magnus said, voice cutting the silence like a hot knife.

“I know.” Alex glared at the sand around her when her voice cracked.

Magnus tentatively reached for her hand. Alex let him take it. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“We should get started looking for clues or whatever,” Alex said, hastily changing the subject.

Magnus stood up instantly and helped pull Alex to her feet. “Yeah. Just don’t touch anything. The last time I was here, a statue attacked us when Bianca took something. She died to stop it.”

They went past three mounds of godly trash before Alex stopped, forcing Magnus to come to a halt.

“Alex-”

“I really like you, you know?”

Magnus turned red. “Y-yeah. I know that. I like you too. A lot.”

Alex nodded. “Just… just making sure.”

Magnus didn’t question where the sudden affection was coming from. He seemed to understand what caused it, and maybe he seemed a little relieved. Alex wondered if Ratatosk had said something similar to him.

They continued walking through the piles of junk until they reached the remains of a giant robot.

“Talos,” Magnus said. “At least, that’s what Zoe called it.”

“You think Bianca would return here?” Alex asked. “Why?”

Magnus shrugged. “She died here, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, but I died in an alley and I’ve avoided that alley every time I’ve been on Midgard since,” Alex said. “I don’t want to go back to the scene of my death.”

“Exactly. Why would someone return to the spot they died?” Magnus said. “It’s the last place anyone would think to look. Plus, maybe she was resurrected here.” He peered inside a maintenance hatch in the foot of the Talos robot. “I bet that’s how she got in.”

“I’ve always wanted to climb up a robot’s foot,” Alex muttered. “Let’s go.”

It probably would have been easier to shift into a mouse or something smaller, but Alex didn’t really want to let go on Magnus’s hand. She hadn’t realized she was still holding it, but it gave her a sense of stability.

It smelled awful inside the robot, and Alex sincerely hoped they were not about to find Bianca’s rotting corpse. Actually, she didn’t really want to find anyone’s rotting corpse.

Luckily when they reached the head, or what Alex presumed was the head, they didn’t find anyone. Or unluckily since they were hoping to find Bianca here.

“Nothing,” Magnus sighed. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“It was kind of smart,” Alex said. “But just kind of.”

Magnus grinned. “Thanks, Fierro.”

“Anytime, Chase.”

Magnus gestured back towards the hatch. “Uh, I guess, do you want to get out of here? I know a taqueria place near here.”

“No falafels?” Alex joked.

“I’ll settle for tacos,” Magnus grumbled.

They made their way back down towards the foot of the robot and climbed out of the hole. Magnus led the way out of the junkyard towards the taqueria.

“What did Ratatosk tell you?” Alex asked suddenly.

Magnus faltered. “Oh. Um. A lot of the same things I heard the first time I ran into him.” He fell silent and Alex berated herself for overstepping.

“He said that I failed,” Magnus finally said. “How I couldn’t save my mom. He told me my friends don’t trust me. And…” he hesitated. “Well, he said that I wasn’t good enough. For you.” He glanced at Alex like he was trying to gauge her reaction.

Alex cleared her throat. “Yeah, I pretty much heard the same thing. That I wasn’t good enough.”

“Well, you are,” Magnus said firmly, cheeks dusted with a light pink. “Anyone would be lucky to even just be your friend.”

“You really need to give me warnings when you’re about to say something like that,” Alex said.

“Sorry,” Magnus mumbled.

Alex elbowed him. “Doesn’t mean I don’t like it. And I’m always going to be by your side. Now. When we’re trying to stop Ragnarok. When we’re fighting at Ragnarok. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

“So basically, we’re going to be together till the day we die?” Magnus summarized. He gave Alex a grin. “Kinda cheesy don’t you think?”

Alex shoved him. “And I’m done trying to be romantic.”

Magnus laughed as they reached the taqueria. “Tacos?”

“I’ll settle.”

Chapter Text

THERE WAS NO WAY Annabeth was going to be okay with everything that was in store for her in the next couple of months. Still, just because she wasn’t looking forward to it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to be prepared for when it inevitably did happen.

Which was why she was in her dorm room with about eight different books open on her bed and twenty different tabs opened on Daedalus’s laptop.

“I do not want to know what class that is for,” her roommate Mackenzie said.

Annabeth tried for a smile. “No class. Just… research for fun.”

Mackenzie snorted. “Oh sure. Fun. What are you researching?”

“Necromancy,” Annabeth answered absently. “Amnesia. Also road maps through hell.”

Mackenzie choked. “What? Do I have a serial killer as a roommate?”

“I’m kidding,” Annabeth said. “I’m researching the Greek myths of people trying to bring people back from the Underworld. I have a friend who wants to be a doctor and I found some interesting articles on amnesia. My boyfriend and I are going on a trip this summer and it will probably be hell.”

“I wouldn’t say a trip with your boyfriend would be hell,” Mackenzie grinned. “Percy, right? He seems so nice.”

“There’s going to be like seven of us,” Annabeth said dismissively. “And it’ll be partially overseas and partially flying.”

“Wow,” Mackenzie said. “Where are you going?”

Annabeth shrugged. “California, Salt Lake City, South Carolina, Italy, Rome, Greece. I honestly don’t know.”

Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “Um, like that sounds amazing.”

Yes. Running around the world trying to save the world from total annihilation from Gaea and the giants would be an amazing trip. Absolutely.

“I guess,” Annabeth said. She returned her attention back to the laptop open on her lap.

“I am going to go get you some lunch because I don’t think you’re leaving this room anytime soon,” Mackenzie said matter-of-factly. “I’ll be back in ten.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Annabeth called as her roommate left the dorm.

Once Mackenzie closed the door behind her, Annabeth let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay,” she muttered. “No progress on the Bianca front, but Magnus and Alex are hopefully handling that. Amnesia… inevitable and probably unavoidable, but I am going to bookmark these exercises because it is not fair to Jason that it takes months for him to regain his memories.” She sighed when she pulled up a tab that had been in a separate window.

It was a map of an intricate maze and little notes jotted down around the borders with dotted lines connecting them to certain parts of the maze.

Annabeth had a theory. A dangerous theory, but if it proved true, then she and Percy wouldn’t have to worry about their task.

“Waterfall, waterfall, waterfall,” Annabeth murmured as she scanned the map of the maze. “Ugh, come on! I know it was here somewhere.”

Her heart was racing at a million miles an hour. Annabeth and Percy had only just arrived at Camp Half-Blood a few minutes ago, but the date was December 13th.

Nico had resorted to ignoring them after a five minute grilling on any new information about his sister. He was sulking around Camp with a sour look on his face. Will trailed behind him with his bright sunshininess.

“Hi, Chiron,” Percy greeted the centaur cheerfully.

Chiron offered them a warm smile. “Hello, Percy, Annabeth. How are you?”

“Great,” Percy said.

He was way too chipper for someone who was about to become a kidnapping victim in a matter of hours.

“How are Magnus and Alex doing?” Chiron asked politely. They’d never told him why the two Norse demigods had abruptly left Camp at the end of the summer, but Annabeth was sure Chiron could guess.

“They’re good,” Annabeth answered before Percy could say something stupid like reveal they were looking for Bianca. “They’re in Boston now. Trying to sort out some… you know, uh, godly stuff.”

Chiron looked concerned. “Ah. Nothing too bad I hope? I hadn’t heard of anything.”

Annabeth shook her head. “No, they’re fine. It’s nothing. I guess that was a poor word choice. I just meant that they’re trying to figure out how to deal with their own godly sides.”

“Of course.”

“Annabeth!” Allegra sprinted across the cabin commons towards them. She was grinning wildly and her ponytail swished back and forth as she ran.

“Hey, Allegra,” Percy said.

Allegra smiled. “Hi, Percy. Did Alex come with you? I miss her and Magnus.”

Annabeth shook her head. “Sorry, Allegra. It’s just us.”

“Oh.” Allegra’s face fell. “I was hoping they were here. I’ve tried to IM them both a few times, but it won’t go through. And with the gods silent, I haven’t been able to ask my mom about what’s going on with that.”

Percy frowned. “Your IM’s haven’t been working? But-”

Annabeth elbowed him. “I’m sure it’s just temporary,” she assured Allegra. “It probably has something to do with the gods being silent.”

Allegra scowled. “Yeah. That’s what everyone else said, but Ethan’s being an-” she cut herself off with a look at Chiron. “Sorry. Anyway, it’s nice to see you guys again.” She turned to leave, but then she paused. “Um, is something wrong with Nico because he stormed past me when I was on my way over here?”

“We were looking into something for him,” Annabeth answered. “We didn’t find the answers he and we were looking for.”

Allegra nodded, heading back towards the cabin commons.

“Looking for something?” Chiron prompted.

Annabeth waved him off. “It’s nothing. Really ,” she said when Chiron gave her a look.

Percy shifted uneasily, the first time he’d done so all day. “Well, I was hoping we could, you know, say hi to everyone and get some training in maybe?”

Chiron smiled. “Ah, of course. How long will you be staying?”

“Um, end of break maybe,” Percy said awkwardly. He glanced at Annabeth.

She nodded. “End of break.”

If Chiron found it strange that they were both going to be staying at Camp Half-Blood through Christmas rather than spend it with their families, he didn’t say anything.

“Surprised you came back here,” Will said. He had given up on trying to get Nico to talk to Percy and Annabeth, so it was just the three of them sitting at a picnic table by the beach now.

Percy shrugged indifferently. “I mean, Hera’s gonna Hera no matter what. Might as well spend the time with everyone at Camp while I still can.”

Will hesitated. “Hey, um, about, you know, what’s going to happen next? Have you guys figured out what you’re going to do?”

“Defeat Gaea,” Annabeth said. “Kick giant butts.”

Will smiled. “Well, yeah, I know you can do that, but I meant the part about the Doors.”

Annabeth’s expression became fixed. “I’m looking into it. The Sorceress is going to resurrect the Labyrinth eventually, so I was thinking we could use that. There’s at least one entrance, it’s just a matter of finding it. Daedalus had a rough map of the Labyrinth on his laptop, but… well, no one has a map of Tartarus.”

“That would be way too easy,” Percy grumbled.

“The prophecy changed,” Will said, switching topics. “I’m guessing it’s talking about the journey back with the statue?”

Annabeth nodded. “I think so. Delivered for wisdom on Rome’s wings . If Reyna, Rome, is going to bring the statue back for me, wisdom, then it makes sense.”

“Then Ones prepared with knowledge of all things must mean Nico,” Will said. “How are you going to get him to Greece or Rome or whatever with you?”

Percy tilted his head. “Good question. I wish you guys the best of luck figuring that one out.”

Annabeth shoved him. “Please stop talking like that.”

She said it jokingly, but at the same time, she couldn’t help the edge of seriousness that crept into her voice.

Percy at least seemed to sense that Annabeth didn’t really want to be talking about the upcoming disappearance. He plastered a smile on his face and said, “So what about Allegra? She said the IMs weren’t working? They worked for us.”

“Alex and Magnus are Norse, Percy,” Annabeth said. “I know that. You know that. Allegra does not. Unless both sides know about each other, then the Iris Message won’t go through. Not to mention, they might have been around Blitz or Hearth when she tried. Iris wouldn’t let the message go through if a dwarf or elf was there to witness it. There’s a reason the gods keep the pantheons separate.”

“Speaking of them, how are they?” Will asked.

“They are somewhere in the middle of the continent,” Annabeth said. “I told them Bianca would probably stay away from the western coast, so…” she trailed off. “Anyway, can we enjoy our… day together?”

She didn’t say it was their last day together for a long time. She didn’t need to, nor did she want to. Saying it would make it real.

In less than twenty-four hours, Annabeth would wake up in her bed in the Athena cabin. She would head to the Poseidon cabin to meet her boyfriend for breakfast.

But Percy Jackson would be gone.

Chapter Text

HE FINALLY CAVED AT THE CAMPFIRE. Nico grudgingly sat with Will as usual, even though Will was stubbornly sitting with Percy and Annabeth.

“Sorry,” Nico mumbled to them.

Percy gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s all good. I get it. I’d be worried too if I were you. I am worried.”

“You won’t be worried much longer,” Nico pointed out.

Percy’s face fell. “I know.”

“Sorry,” Nico sighed. “I didn’t mean… whatever.”

“Just keep me alive when you see me again,” Percy teased.

“That’s practically a full time job,” Nico fired back. “But, I’ll try. For Annabeth’s sake, not yours.”

Percy dramatically slapped a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Nico.”

“Nah, he just likes us blondes better,” Annabeth grinned.

Percy gave her a wounded look. “My own girlfriend is siding against me?” He looked to Will. “Come on, Will. Back me up here.”

Will shook his head. “Sorry. I’ve been on the receiving end of keeping you alive too many times to count.”

“You guys suck,” Percy pouted. “Maybe I’ll just go to bed now.”

“No!” Annabeth, Nico, and Will shouted at the same time.

“Kidding,” Percy said quickly in alarm.

“Good,” Annabeth muttered.

Percy tapped Nico’s shoulder.

“What?”

“Can you make sure no one mutilates my pillow pet?”

Nico blinked. “You’re still upset about that?”

“Yes,” Percy insisted. “So please make sure nothing bad happens to him.”

“Okay,” Nico agreed. “I’ll make sure no harm befalls your pillow pet.”

Percy looked satisfied with that.

Nico took his time getting to breakfast the next morning, but before he could leave his cabin, a loud knock on the door startled him.

He swung the door open and gave the knocker a sour look. “What?”

Michael Yew froze with his fist in the air. An exasperated looking Will was next to him.

“Sorry,” Michael said.

Nico stepped out of his cabin and shut the door behind him, pushing past Michael.

“Percy’s missing,” Michael blurted. “Chiron just wanted us to make sure you weren’t missing either. We’ve already sent an IM to the Hunters to see if Thalia’s still okay.”

“Percy’s missing,” Nico repeated.

Michael gave him a sheepish look. “Well, his cabin’s empty. It doesn’t even look like he made it back last night. The bed’s made and unslept in. Anyway, there’s a counselor meeting like right now.”

“There’s search parties in the woods right now,” Will added quietly. “I actually have to be heading back to join Lou and Cecil.” He gave Nico an apologetic look before heading towards the woods.

Nico almost wished Will was head counselor. He’d rather have Will at the meeting than Michael, but still. Having Michael alive made Will that much more happy, so it was kind of worth it.

“I didn’t mean to be so blunt,” Michael said as they headed to the Big House. “Percy’s your friend, so I guess it’s kind of a shock.”

“Kind of,” Nico agreed.

When they got to the Big House, most of the other counselors were there around the ping-pong table. Ethan and Allegra were seated next to each other, murmuring about something. Ethan looked irritated and Allegra seemed to be trying to explain something. The Stolls weren’t smiling for once. They looked almost as serious as they had during the Titan war. Silena and Clarisse were sitting side by side. Clarisse was twirling a knife absently as Silena and she talked in low voices. Finally, Annabeth sat at the head near Chiron. Her face was void of any emotion and she looked like she was zoned out of everything around her.

Nico took a seat next to the daughter of Athena. “Are you okay?”

Annabeth offered him a small smile. “I’m okay. Thanks, Nico.”

Once all the other counselors arrived, Miranda Gardiner, Jake Mason (the temporary head until Beckendorf got back from college in a few days), Castor, Clovis, Holly and Laurel Victor, and Lou Ellen, Chiron cleared his throat.

“Percy Jackson is missing,” he said. The room fell silent.

“Obviously it’s an attack,” Clarisse said. “There’s some monster within the borders that kidnapped him. I say we get out there, find it, kill it, and save Prissy.”

“Assuming this theoretical monster hasn’t killed him,” Michael snapped.

Nico frowned at Michael. “He’s not dead. I would have been able to feel that.”

Silena let out a relieved breath. “Thank gods.”

“Is it possible you might have missed it?” Holly asked. “I mean, people die every minute, but you don’t feel all those, do you?”

“Technically, yes,” Nico said. “If I really wanted to, I could try and focus and tell you how many people died in a given minute. If I tried hard enough, I could probably narrow it down and focus on a specific country. But it’s different with people I know. I’ve known Percy for years. If his life force even started to fade, I would know. He’s alive.”

“Not to mention the sea’s behavior,” Annabeth spoke up. “Poseidon would be angry if Percy died. Trust me, we’d know if something was wrong.”

No one said anything, but Nico could tell that some people were thinking that although Percy was Poseidon’s only living demigod son, there was no guarantee that the god of the sea would be that devastated by his son’s death.

“Um, I’m going to try and contact my cousin later,” Annabeth continued. “He and Alex should be on the lookout just in case and, um…” she glanced at Nico.

He sighed. “Uh, now might be a good time to tell you that my sister is wandering around… somewhere.”

“There’s another child of Hades?” Miranda asked. “Why hasn’t she been brought to Camp yet?”

Nico shifted. “Uh, no. There’s no other new child of Hades. Um, it’s my sister. My full sister. Bianca.”

“Bianca di Angelo?” Travis asked. “That Bianca? I thought she…” he winced. “Well, you know, she…”

“Died?” Nico finished. “Yeah. I know. But she’s back.”

Ethan looked uneasy. “You brought someone back from the dead?”

“No!” Nico sighed. “I didn’t bring Bianca back. I didn’t even know she was back until Percy and Annabeth told me.”

“So Bianca kidnapped Percy,” Clarisse reasoned. “He knew she was alive, so she came and got him.”

Nico let out a drawn out sigh. “No. Bianca wouldn’t do that.”

“I think we should focus on the fact that somehow a dead girl is alive,” Lou Ellen said. “I mean, that would take some serious magic to reanimate the dead to appear human, but to fully resurrect someone would be a whole new level. The old myths are full of stories of people trying to bring someone back and failing. Nico, did your father let her come back?”

“I doubt it,” Nico said. “He’s pretty strict about not letting people come back. Even more so with his own kids. He would have brought-” he cut himself off.

“He would have brought what?” Allegra asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nico said. “Hades and children of Hades have to follow the rules of death. We set the example.”

“So whoever or whatever brought Bianca di Angelo back is most likely an enemy,” Ethan said. He glanced at Michael. “Could this possibly have anything to do with the new prophecy? Wasn’t there a line about death?”

“ And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death ,” Michael recited. “Yeah, that’s the line. I don’t know, you’d have to ask Rachel.”

“What are the Doors of Death anyway?” Castor asked, looking at Chiron and Nico.

“I don’t know,” Chiron admitted. “I’ve never heard of them until the prophecy. Perhaps it’s a double meaning for something else.”

Everyone looked at Nico, but he shrugged. “Just because it’s about death doesn't mean I know it. I’ll look into it though. I’m probably going to be spending a while either in the Underworld or around the world looking for Percy and Bianca.”

Annabeth stood up. “Right. Well. I’m going to go tell Magnus and Alex to look out for Percy.” She left the Big House without another word.

Michael looked at Nico. “You and Will keep eyes on her.”

Nico sputtered. “What?”

“You’re close to Annabeth,” Michael pointed out. “Make sure she doesn’t do something stupid.”

“We’ll all keep an eye on her,” Silena interrupted. “Once Rachel gets here we can ask her about a quest to find Percy.”

Nico trudged into the infirmary the next day.

Will greeted him with a wide smile. “Hey!”

“Hey, yourself,” Nico grumbled.

Will’s smile fell. “You’re leaving, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Came to say goodbye,” Nico said. “And to set up that date,” he added teasingly.

Will ducked his head, grinning. “Yeah, yeah. Alright. December 22nd. Day after the solstice. After dinner at Zeus’s Fist. I’ll bring snacks,” he said brightly. “And ambrosia and nectar because all the gods know you’ll probably make a huge jump and pass out.”

Nico scowled. “Shut up. I’ll plan better okay?”

“Aww, just for me?”

“Better planning is becoming less and less likely by the second.”

“I’ll miss you,” Will said.

Nico frowned. “Please no sappy goodbyes.”

“I love sappy goodbyes.”

“When in my father’s name have we ever had a sappy goodbye?” Nico demanded. After a moment, he added, “I guess I’ll miss you too. Barely.”

“I’ll take it,” Will declared.

“Where have you been?” Hazel asked Nico.

There were seated atop the Pluto temple at the moment.

Nico shrugged. A skeletal mouse rose up out of the bones that decorated the roof. It ran up his arm and perched on his shoulder. Hazel giggled.

“Around,” Nico finally answered. “I like to travel around. Wherever my shadow travel takes me I guess. Plus, father has me doing a few jobs here and there.”

Hazel nodded. “Have you heard anything about Jason?”

“Not yet,” Nico said. “But don’t worry. He’s not dead. We’ll find him one day, Hazel.” He hesitated. “Do you remember the day I brought you back?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “I remember.”

“I told you Bianca died. That she chose rebirth.”

Hazel looked down. She played with one of the many jewels adorning the roof. “I know I’m not the sister you wanted to bring back-”

“Don’t say that,” Nico cut her off. “I… I love you, Hazel, okay? You’re my sister and I love you. But the reason I brought up Bianca was I found out that she’s alive. Somehow, she was brought back the same way I brought you back.”

“But that means…” Hazel trailed off. “Nico, if someone is bringing people back from the dead, that’s not good. Should… should we tell Reyna?”

“No,” Nico said, shaking his head. “If we told Reyna, we’d have to tell her about you too. I’m taking care of it. I’m looking for Jason and Bianca when I leave camp. I’m not the only one looking.” He winced hoping Hazel didn’t pick up on what he just said.

Unfortunately, she did. “There are others looking for them? Who?” she asked. “Other demigods?”

“No one,” Nico said. “Look, Hazel, I can’t tell you about it. You’re going to have to trust me.”

“I do trust you, Nico,” Hazel said earnestly. “But you can trust me too. You know that, right?”

Nico looked away. “I do trust you. But there are certain forces at work right now. If I interfere or tell you anything… it would be bad.”

“Certain forces. Like Jason’s disappearance?”

Nico didn’t answer, but he thought his silence more or less confirmed Hazel’s thinking. He stood up.

“I have to go,” he said. “I promised not to overdo myself on the shadow travel and I have a long journey.”

“You have a date?” Hazel asked teasingly.

Nico almost slipped off the roof. “Why would you think that , Hazel?”

“Usually, you don’t have a care about overdoing the shadow traveling,” she said. “You only ever slow down if I ask you to. Which means you’re meeting someone you care about.” She gave him a triumphant look.

“For your information,” Nico said, sure the tips of his ears were red, “in two days I’m supposed to be meeting my friend who just so happens to want to be a doctor and if I pass out after I get there, he’ll force me to stay in the infirmary for days. I am not doing that right now.”

Hazel gave him a dubious look. “Well, alright. When will you be back?”

“Maybe next month,” Nico shrugged. “I’ll see you later, Hazel. Good luck tonight at war games.”

Hazel snorted. “Yeah. We’ll need that. Bye, Nico.”

Chapter Text

JASON’S DAY HADN’T STARTED off very good. First, he woke up on a school bus with no memory. Second, he was dating a girl he had no memory of. Third, the resident class bully was a storm spirit who decided to attack Jason, Piper who was apparently his girlfriend, and their friend Leo as well as the coach who was apparently a satyr.

He did discover that he was able to fly though. That at least was the singular good thing that had happened. Mostly because it prevented himself and Piper from going splat at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Jason and Piper shot up out of the canyon like there were riding a geyser. As soon as they landed on the skywalk, they ran to Leo.

Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn’t dead.

“Stupid… ugly… goat,” he muttered.

“Where did he go?” Piper asked.

Leo pointed straight up. “Never came down. Please tell me he didn’t actually save my life.”

“Twice,” Jason said.

Leo groaned even louder. “What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword… I hit my head. That’s it, right? I’m hallucinating?”

As much as he wished this was all a hallucination, Jason didn’t think so. Leo’s words reminded him about the sword. He walked over to where it was lying and picked it up. The blade was well balanced. On a hunch he flipped it. Midspin, the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in his palm.

“Yep,” Leo said. “Definitely hallucinating.”

Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. “Jason, those things—”

“Venti,” he said. “Storm spirits.”

He wasn’t sure how he knew that.

“Okay. You acted like… like you’d seen them before. Who are you?”

He shook his head. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I don’t know.”

The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn’t seem to be having any luck.

“Coach Hedge said he had to protect three people,” Jason remembered. “I think he meant us.”

“And that thing Dylan turned into…” Piper shuddered. “God, I can’t believe it was hitting on me. He called us… what, demigods?”

Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn’t seem anxious to get up. “Don’t know what demi means,” he said. “But I’m not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?”

There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.

“We need to get off this thing,” Jason said. “Maybe if we—”

“Ohhh-kay,” Leo interrupted. “Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses.”

At first Jason thought Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer he could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

“Reinforcements,” he said. “Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us.”

“Extraction squad?” Leo struggled to his feet. “That sounds painful.”

“And where are they extracting us to?” Piper asked.

Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking.

Two teenagers stood in the chariot—a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and another girl, though she wasn’t as tall as the blond girl. The shorter girl had brown hair and looked like she was possibly of Asian descent. The blond girl was more of a California girl type.

Both girls wore jeans and orange t-shirts, but that was all they had in common. The California girl had a shield tossed over her back, while the Asian girl had a full quiver of arrows slung across her back and a bow in her hand.

But what startled Jason the most was when the blonde California girl leapt off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife out and glanced around. Her stormy grey eyes seemed to bore a hole into the air around her.

“We’re too late,” she said, looking back at the other girl.

“Too late?” Leo repeated. “Uh, yeah, where were you five minutes ago? We could have used some help.”

The corners of the blonde girl’s mouth twitched. “So you understand why I’m so upset that we’re late.”

The other girl finished reining in the horses. “Where’s your protector? Gleeson Hedge?”

The coach’s first name was Gleeson? Jason might’ve laughed if the morning hadn’t been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?

Leo cleared his throat. “He got taken by some… tornado things.”

“Venti,” Jason said. “Storm spirits.”

“Venti?” Asian girl frowned. “What?”

“He means anemoi thuellai,” the blonde girl told her. “That’s the Greek term. Venti is Latin.”

The other girl raised an eyebrow. “Latin? Who is this guy?”

“Allegra!” the blonde girl hissed.

The Asian girl, Allegra, held up her hands in defense. “Sorry, but I thought there was only supposed to be two.” She hesitated. “Plus… well, Ethan and I heard things…”

“Later,” the blonde girl said sharply. She turned back to face Jason. “Tell us what happened.”

Jason did his best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes. About halfway through the story, he could practically see Allegra’s brain working to figure him out. She definitely knew something.

“We need to get these guys to Camp,” the blonde girl said once Jason finished his story.

“What about the sign?” Allegra asked. “Percy?”

The blonde girl pointed to Jason’s feet. “Look. He’s missing his shoe.”

Jason hadn’t thought much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning earlier. His bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of charcoal.

“The guy with the one shoe,” Allegra said. “But, Annabeth-”

The girl, Annabeth, held up her hand. “No. The storm spirits might come back. We have to go now.”

Allegra scowled. “She tricked you. Why can’t you see that? She told you Percy would be here, and he’s not!”

“Allegra!” Annabeth snapped. “She said I’d find a clue here.”

“Fine,” Allegra said. She didn’t look too happy about it. She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot.

Piper shook her head. “What’s her problem? What’s going on?”

“Seriously,” Leo agreed.

“Don’t be too hard on Allegra,” Annabeth said. “We’re all a little out of it right now. Everyone was kind of hoping for something more today. I had a vision telling me to come here and find a guy with one shoe,” she gestured to Jason. “He was supposed to be the answer to my problem.”

“What problem?” Piper asked.

Annabeth’s eyes turned sad. “One of the campers has been missing for three days,” she said. “My boyfriend, Percy Jackson.”

Chapter Text

THE CHARIOT RIDE WAS ACTUALLY COOL. Considering Piper had basically lost her boyfriend this morning, the chariot ride had to be the highlight of her day. Even if the feeling of overwhelming dread threatened to destroy even that.

It’s starting , she thought. Just like the dream said .

“Where are we going?” Leo asked over the roar of the wind.

“Camp Half-Blood,” Annabeth said.

“Half-Blood,” Piper repeated. She’d been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. “Is that some kind of bad joke?”

Annabeth gave her an apologetic look. “It’s a safe place for demigods.”

“Demigods?”

“Half god, half mortal,” Jason said.

Allegra pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything.

“Exactly,” Annabeth said. “My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Allegra is a daughter of Iris, the rainbow goddess.”

“Rainbow goddess,” Leo said, looking at Allegra.

Allegra glared back at him. “Yeah, and I don’t have a problem shooting you full of arrows.”

“Allegra and her half-brother technically own this chariot,” Annabeth said quickly. “It was owned by a child of Iris before them, so the pegasi get along great with them.”

That was great, but Piper was still kind of hung up on the demigod thing.

“Demigods,” she said. “You mean you think you’re… you think we’re—”

There wasn’t any time to finish asking because just then lightning flashed and the chariot shuddered.

“Left wheel’s on fire!” Jason yelled.

Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot. The wind roared. Piper glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than angels.

She started to say, “Why are they—”

“Anemoi come in different shapes,” Annabeth said. “Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough.”

Allegra flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Piper’s stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place.

A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire. But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.

Annabeth and Allegra tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much.

“The lake!” Annabeth yelled. “Aim for the lake!”

Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement. And then—BOOM.

The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn’t know which way was up. She just had time to think: This would be a stupid way to die

Then faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up. They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore.

Nearby, Annabeth stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere.

Jason, Leo, and Allegra were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Piper by the arms and helped her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf blower-looking things and blasted Piper with hot air, and in about two seconds her clothes were dry.

There were at least twenty campers milling around—the youngest maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen—and all of them had orange T-shirts like Allegra’s and Annabeth’s.

Piper looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, toodle-oo, and disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.

“Allegra!” A guy with a black eyepatch pushed through the crowd. “What the Hades?”

Allegra pushed him away. “I’m fine, Ethan,” she grumbled.

“Well at least no one will be arguing about the chariot for a while,” a blonde guy with a bow and quiver on his back said.

Annabeth stepped out of the water to get dried off. “Yeah. There’s that. Good luck telling Michael that, Will.”

Will scowled. “The last curse just wore off, Annabeth. I’m not saying a word.”

Ethan had apparently decided Allegra was fine because he turned to look at Piper, Leo, and Jason. “These are the ones? They look way older than thirteen. Why haven’t they been claimed yet?”

“Claimed?” Leo asked.

Before Annabeth could explain, Ethan said, “Any sign of Percy?”

“No,” Annabeth admitted.

The campers muttered. Piper had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal.

Another girl stepped forward—tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous. She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dumpster. Piper knew this girl’s type. She’d dealt with a lot of girls like this at Wilderness School and every other stupid school her father had sent her to. Piper knew instantly they were going to be enemies.

“Well,” the girl said, “I hope they’re worth the trouble.”

“Drew!” another girl with dark hair snapped. “All demigods are worth saving.”

The first girl, Drew, crossed her arms. “Apparently. I guess you would say that, Silena. Don’t forget you were singing a different tune a few months ago.”

Silena flinched back.

Annabeth stepped between the two girls. “Drew, go tell Chiron we’re back. Let him know I’ll be by the Big House in a few minutes.” She sharpened her look when Drew didn’t move. “Now.”

Drew threw a scathing look at Silena, Ethan, and Allegra before stalking off in the direction of what Piper assumed was the Big House.

Annabeth turned back to look at them. “Sorry about that. We’ve had a rough few months and Percy’s disappearance isn’t making things easier.”

Piper thought that maybe there was more to the story than that, but no one seemed very forthcoming with the details. And Drew’s tone… Worth the trouble . If they only knew about her dream. They had no idea…

“I’ll assign you each a guide,” Annabeth told them. “You’ll get a tour of the camp, and hopefully by the campfire tonight, you’ll be claimed.”

“Would somebody tell me what claimed means?” Piper asked.

Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away.

At first Piper thought she’d done something wrong. Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe.

Floating over Leo’s head was a blazing holographic image—a fiery hammer.

“That,” Annabeth said, “is claiming.”

“What’d I do?” Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. “Is my hair on fire?” He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

“Leo, you’ve just been claimed,” Annabeth started to say, but Jason cut her off.

“By a god,” he said. “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, isn’t it?”

All eyes turned to him. Piper couldn’t help but notice the way Ethan and Allegra seemed to eye Jason with distrust.

“Vulcan?” Leo demanded. “I don’t even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?”

“Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus,” Annabeth said, “the god of blacksmiths and fire.”

The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. “The god of what? Who?”

Annabeth turned to Silena. “Where’s Beckendorf?”

“Um, the forges,” Silena answered. She still seemed pretty shaken from Drew.

“Right,” Annabeth said. “Will, can you take Leo on the tour? Introduce him to his bunkmates in Cabin Nine.”

“Sure, Annabeth.”

“What’s Cabin Nine?” Leo asked. “And I’m not a Vulcan!”

Will grinned. “Come on, Mr. Spock, I’ll explain everything.” He put a hand on Leo’s shoulder and steered him off towards the cabins.

“Silena, can you take Piper on her tour?” Annabeth asked, eyes fixed on Jason. “I need to take Jason to Chiron.”

“Sure thing,” Silena nodded. She waved Piper over. “Come on, Piper.”

Piper was hesitant to leave Jason with Annabeth, but after a few seconds, she and Silena made their way towards the cabins.

“I’m Silena Beauregard,” Silena said. “My mom’s Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.”

That was unsurprising. Silena radiated beauty. Just being around her made Piper want to loudly declare her love for everything in sight.

“Drew’s my half-sister,” she added with a pinched look. “We don’t really get along anymore.”

“What did you do?” Piper asked. “Steal her makeup? Look better than her?”

Silena gave her a small smile. “Aphrodite isn’t only about petty things like that, you know. But, I wish that’s what I did.” She hesitated. “Last August there was a big fight between the gods and Titans. For a long time leading up to it… well, I had been spying for the Titans. Ethan and Allegra are cousins and they actually supported the Titans. Drew hasn’t let us forget that.”

Piper faltered. “You were a spy? Like, you betrayed the camp?”

“I’m not proud of it,” Silena said, “but yes. I’d like to say it was only because of false promises, but truthfully, I was pretty angry with the gods. Things are different now though. Percy…” she trailed off.

“I get the feeling he must have been a great guy,” Piper said awkwardly. “The way everyone talks about him and reacted to Annabeth not finding him.”

“Oh, he is,” Silena said. “He’s the best. Annabeth’s lucky to have a friend and boyfriend like him. He’s the reason things are better now. He made the gods promise to give amnesty to those of us who helped the Titan’s in the war. And he made them promise to claim all their kids by the age thirteen. Which is why no one knows what to make of you three.”

Silena showed Piper the archery range, the stables, the lava wall, the arena, and the dining pavilion before setting off to show her the cabins. On the way, she explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed year-round, and they’d added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in the winter.

As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all.

One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front. All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

“Each cabin represents a Greek god,” Silena said. “That god’s children live there.”

“You’re saying my mom was a goddess.”

Silena nodded. “Maybe. Your ‘mom’ might be a god though. Kayla Knowles is a daughter of Apollo, god of archery, music, poetry, and much more, but she also has a mortal father.” She glanced at Piper. “You’re taking this pretty well.”

As much as she wanted to, especially after hearing Silena’s story, Piper couldn’t tell her why. She couldn’t admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she’d had for years, arguments she’s had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them.

But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming.

Soon they will find you, demigod , that voice had rumbled. When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live .

Piper took a shaky breath. “I guess after this morning, it’s a little easier to believe. So who’s my mom?”

“Like Annabeth said,” Silena said, “hopefully by tonight at the campfire. Sometimes it takes a while, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we’ll get a sign.”

Piper wondered if she’d have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe. Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she’d be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.

“Why thirteen?” she asked. “You said the gods promised to claim us by thirteen.”

Silena nodded. “Right, so the older you get, the more monsters notice you. Your scent gets stronger. That’s when we want to get you to Camp around that age and also why we want you claimed then, so that when you get to Camp we can put you with your siblings.”

“Some were younger than thirteen,” Piper pointed out. She had seen at least one nine year old.

“Sometimes the monsters just find you or you have a really strong scent,” Silena explained. “I was twelve when I came, but Aphrodite kids don’t usually have very strong scents. Will Solace, the boy that’s showing your friend around, he came to Camp when he was ten. He’s a son of Apollo, but he’s super gifted in healing. I don’t know, I guess the monsters can sense those things.”

Piper nodded like she understood, but really, she didn’t.

“Anyway, we send out satyrs to find half-bloods in schools,” Silena said. “They protect us from monsters until we realize what we are and then they bring us here to Camp.”

“Like Coach Hedge,” Piper said.

Silena frowned. “Yes. He was your protector.”

“What happened to him?” she asked. “When we went up into the clouds, did he… is he gone for good?” It was probably silly to expect Silena to have an answer since she hadn’t even been there, but Piper was hoping that there was still a chance.

“I’m sorry,” Silena said, and she truly looked it. “I don’t know. What happened?”

Piper explained how the storm spirits attacked them and took Coach Hedge up into the sky with them when they left.

Silena’s expression was pained. “Storm spirits are hard to fight. Usually our weapons pass through them.”

“Jason’s sword turned them to dust,” Piper remembered.

“He was lucky then,” Silena said. “He must have found the right spot or something. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus.”

“Tartarus?”

“It’s kind of like this bottomless pit of evil in the Underworld,” Silena explained. “No one’s ever really been there and back to tell the tale. But what we do know is that monsters go there when we kill them. Usually it takes months or years for them to reform after that. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don’t know why he’d keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don’t have mortal souls. He’ll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something.”

Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse. She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom’s cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she’d have to betray.

Do what we tell you , the voice had said. Or the consequences will be painful .

She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

“Hey,” Silena said, putting a hand on her shoulders. “It’s okay. We’ve all been through a lot here. We know what you’re going through.”

I doubt that , Piper thought. Maybe Silena, but …

“I’ve been kicked out of five different schools in the past five years,” she said. “My dad’s running out of places to put me.”

Silena gave her a smile. “You should hear the Hermes kid’s records. Some of them go through three or four schools a year. As demigods, we’ve been diagnosed with ADHD or dyslexia, or both.”

“Leo’s ADHD,” Piper said.

Silena nodded. “Demigods are hardwired for battle, so we’re restless or impulsive. ADHD. And our brains are hardwired to read Greek. Dyslexia. Usually, kids come here with bad reps. What did you do?”

Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth.

“I steal stuff,” she said. “Well, not really steal…”

“Is your family poor?”

Piper laughed bitterly. “Not even. I did it… I don’t know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble.”

Silena had an odd look on her face. “But you say you don’t really steal?”

“Well… nobody ever believes me,” Piper said. “The police, teachers—even the people I took stuff from: they’re so embarrassed, they’ll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don’t just steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, ‘Sure. Take it.’ Later, he realized what he’d done, I guess. Then the police came after me.”

Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Silena was beaming.

“What?”

Silena shook her head. “Well, I thought maybe Hermes when you said you steal stuff, but if you just asked for it…” she smiled at Piper. “It’s a rare ability, but charmspeak can allow you to make people do things for you. Say, asking for a car. It’ll wear off when you get far enough away, but if you used it on the dealer, he’d give you the car without a problem like you said.” She paused a moment. “I have the ability. So does Drew.”

Piper took a count of five to realize the implication of what Silena said.

“No,” she said. “No. There is no way I’m related to Drew .”

Silena grimaced. “Well, technically, we’re all related here, but since gods don’t have DNA, we only count the one parent. As long as you don’t date within your cabin…”

“But… I can’t be related to Drew!” Piper insisted. “Or you! I mean, look at you! You’re gorgeous.”

Silena’s face brightened. “Thanks, but Piper, you’re quite pretty yourself. Besides, Aphrodite isn’t only about outside beauty, there’s also inside beauty and love.” She lowered her voice. “Not everyone is like Drew either.” She raised her voice back to normal. “Come on. I’ll show you the cabins next.”

Chapter Text

CAMP HALF-BLOOD WAS seriously cool. The archer dude, Will Solace, seemed pretty cool too. Everything he showed Leo was so amazing, it should have been illegal.

“So, welcome to Camp Half-Blood,” Will said. “That beach you just crashed into sometimes has Greek warships which we practice fighting on.” He frowned. “W;ve used them to train with explosives too.”

“Sweet,” Leo said.

“And of course, arts and crafts,” Will said, gesturing to the building. “Extreme sculpting. Mortals use chisels, we use chainsaws and blowtorches.”

Leo grinned. “Dude, seriously? Sign me up! I love this place already.”

“Oh!” Will paused. “Don’t ever go into the woods alone. We keep them stocked with all types of monsters in case anyone wants to try their luck fighting a real opponent.” He winced. “We also had a slight issue with one of the campers summoning hellhounds and pit scorpions once. That’s been taken care of, but, uh, try to stay out of the woods period. You tend to live longer that way.”

“No worries,” Leo said with a shrug. “I like living. Staying alive sounds great to me.”

He glanced around the Camp as they walked through it. There were a lot of fine-looking girls here. Leo didn’t quite understand the whole related-to-the-gods business, but he hoped that didn’t mean he was cousins with all these ladies. That would suck. At the very least, he wanted to check out those underwater girls in the lake again. They were definitely worth drowning for.

Will showed him the cabins, the dining pavilion, and the sword arena.

“Do I get a sword?” Leo asked.

Will glanced at him like he found the idea disturbing. “You’ll probably make your own, seeing as how you’re in Cabin Nine.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that? Vulcan?”

Will’s mouth twitched like he knew something Leo didn’t. “Right. Usually we call the gods by their Greek names, not the Roman names. Your dad is Hephaestus.”

“Festus?” Leo had heard somebody say that before, but he was still dismayed. “Sounds like the god of cowboys.”

“He-phaestus,” Will corrected. “God of blacksmiths and fire.”

Leo had heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire… seriously? Considering what had happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke.

“So the flaming hammer over my head,” Leo said. “Good thing, or bad thing?”

“Good,” Will said with a strange tone of relief. “It’s great. You were claimed almost immediately. I’m taking you to Cabin Nine and the forges to meet your siblings.”

“Yeah, where are my home dawgs? Shouldn’t their counselor be giving me the VIP tour?”

Will shrugged. “Beckendorf is the head counselor for Hephaestus. He just got back from college a few days ago. He and most of your siblings have been locked up in their forge trying to build something to help find Percy.”

There it was again. That name. Leo was really beginning to wonder why Percy Jackson was the hot gossip around Camp. Annabeth was apparently dating him (bummer, but that was okay, he wasn’t really into scary ladies who could probably kill you with a paperclip) and she looked sad. Allegra looked ready to murder Jason for having the audacity to not be Percy. And generally, everyone seemed pretty down when Annabeth said they didn’t find Percy.

He was about to ask Will about Percy when he spotted his old babysitter. And she was not the kind of person he expected to see at a demigod camp.

Leo froze in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Will asked.

Tía Callida—Auntie Callida. That’s what she’d called herself, but Leo hadn’t seen her since he was five years old. She was just standing there, in the shadow of a big white cabin at the end of the green, watching him. She wore her black linen widow’s dress, with a black shawl pulled over her hair. Her face hadn’t changed—leathery skin, piercing dark eyes. Her withered hands were like claws. She looked ancient, but no different than Leo remembered.

“That old lady…” Leo said. “What’s she doing here?”

Will tried to follow his gaze. “What old lady?”

“Dude, the old lady. The one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?”

Will frowned. “I think you’ve had a long day, Leo. The Mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we head straight to your cabin now?”

Leo wanted to protest, but when he looked back toward the big white cabin, Tía Callida was gone. He was sure she’d been there, almost as if thinking about his mom had summoned Callida back from the past.

And that wasn’t good, because Tía Callida had tried to kill him.

“Just messing with you, man.” Leo pulled some gears and levers from his pockets and started fiddling with them to calm his nerves. He couldn’t have everybody at camp thinking he was crazy. At least, not crazier than he really was.

“Let’s go see Cabin Nine,” he said. “I always wanted to help build something to track down random people.”

Will snorted. “That didn’t sound creepy at all.”

Leo shot him a grin. “Yeah, that sounded better in my head.”

From the outside, the Hephaestus cabin looked like an oversized RV with shiny metal walls and metal-slatted windows. The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke.

Leo whistled. “They got a steampunk theme going on, huh?”

Inside the cabin seemed deserted. Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears.

Leo figured each camper had his own combination lock to release his bed, and there was probably an alcove behind it with storage, maybe some traps to keep out unwanted visitors. At least, that’s the way Leo would’ve designed it.

A fire pole came down from the second floor, even though the cabin didn’t appear to have a second floor from the outside. A circular staircase led down into some kind of basement. The walls were lines with every kind of power tool Leo could imagine, plus a huge assortment of knives, swords, and other implements of destruction.

A large workbench overflowed with scrap metal—screws, bolts, washers, nails, rivets, and a million other machine parts. Leo had a strong urge to shovel them all into his coat pockets. He loved that kind of stuff. But he’d need a hundred more coats to fit it all.

Looking around, he could almost imagine he was back in his mom’s machine shop. Not the weapons, maybe—but the tools, the piles of scrap, the smell of grease and metal and hot engines. She would’ve loved this place.

He pushed that thought away. He didn’t like painful memories. Keep moving—that was his motto. Don’t dwell on things. Don’t stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.

He picked a long implement from the wall. “A weed whacker? What’s the god of fire want with a weed whacker?”

“You’d be surprised,” a female voice said.

“Hey, Nyssa,” Will greeted.

The girl wore camo pants, a tank top that showed off her buffarms, and a red bandana over a mop of dark hair. Except for the smiley-face Band-Aid on her chin, she looked like one of those female action heroes, like any second she was going to grab a machine gun and start mowing down evil aliens.

Next to her was a boy with a scraped up face and bandaged hands and forearms.

“Hi, Will,” the girl, Nyssa, greeted Will. She fixed her eyes on Leo. “Who’s this?”

“Leo Valdez,” Will introduced. “He just got claimed. Annabeth sent me to introduce you guys.”

“New brother?” the boy asked with a smile. “I’m Jake Mason. I’m the head counselor when Beckendorf’s at college. He’s down in the forges right now. This is Nyssa Barrera. Nice to meet you, Leo.”

Leo grinned and nodded, but a small part of him wondered how Will had known his last name. He didn’t remember telling Will, but maybe Coach Hedge had been giving the whole camp an update? Whatever. He’d ask Will about it later maybe.

“How’s the arms?” Will asked.

Jake held up his arms and hands. “Doing good. Last time I try to get in front of a slightly unstable machine.”

“That’s about as likely as Nico never shadow traveling again,” Will deadpanned. “Which is to say, complete and utter Minotaur dung.”

Jake gave Will a sheepish look. “Yeah, true.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, unstable machine?” Leo interrupted. “Shadow travel? What?”

“I told you they were building a machine to locate Percy,” Will said. “The last one kind of exploded in Jake’s face.”

“Blocked most of the shrapnel with my hands,” Jake said. “But Will’s a good doctor. I’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Will rolled his eyes. “This is what I get for working with demigods.”

Nyssa laughed. “You love it.”

“Yeah,” Will agreed. “Anyway, I’ll show Leo to the forges. See you guys later.”

Nyssa and Jake said goodbye and Will led Leo back out of the cabin.

“Who’s Nico?” Leo asked.

Will’s ears turned pink. “Oh. He’s a friend. Son of Hades. Uh, he can use the shadows to move around from place to place, so that’s shadow travel.”

Leo liked Will enough that he would kindly refuse from teasing the boy about his very obvious crush on this Nico. At least for the first day.

The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive had smashed into the Greek Parthenon and they had fused together. White marble columns lined the soot-stained walls. Chimneys pumped smoke over an elaborate gable carved with a bunch of gods and monsters. The building sat at the edge of a stream, with several waterwheels turning a series of bronze gears. Leo heard machinery grinding inside, fires roaring , and hammers ringing on anvils.

They stepped through the doorway, and a dozen guys and girls who’d been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the click-click-click of gears and levers.

“‘Sup, guys,” Will said. “This is your new brother, Leo Valdez.”

There it was again. He really needed to ask how Will knew his name. But at the moment, Leo looked around at the other campers. Was he really related to all of them? His cousins came from some big families, but he’d always just had his mom—until she died.

Kids came up and started shaking hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together: Shane, Christopher, Harley (yeah, like the motorcycle). Leo knew he’d never keep everybody straight. Too many of them. Too overwhelming.

None of them looked like the others—all different face types, skin tone, hair color, height. You’d never think, Hey, look, it’s the Hephaestus Bunch! But they all had powerful hands, rough with calluses and stained with engine grease. Even little Harley, who couldn’t have been more than eight, looked like he could go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat.

One guy, a large African American, greeted Leo warmly. “I’m Beckendorf. Head counselor. Nice to meet you, Leo.” He gestured around. “This is where we work on all our projects. Right now…” he trailed off.

“The Percy Jackson detector,” Leo nodded. “Right. Will told me about that.”

“That was not the name I gave it,” Will said.

Beckendorf laughed. “Right. Thanks for bringing him by, Will. Any news on Percy?”

Will tensed. “No. Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’ll leave you guys to get acquainted. I hope I can trust someone to show Leo to dinner when it’s time?”

“Absolutely,” Beckendorf said. He looked at Leo. “I guess I’ll give you the grand tour.”

The forge was amazing in Leo’s opinion. There were axes that could cut through concrete and battle armor that could withstand some serious damage. Oh, and did he mention the dragon?

“We have a dragon?”

Beckendorf nodded. “It was a gift from our father actually. Two years ago he showed us where to find it so we could use it to help defend Camp. I’ll show you eventually. Mostly we have it patrolling the borders in the woods.” He shrugged. “Right now there’s not much for it to do since the borders are strong.”

“This place gets better and better,” Leo muttered. “Dragons and workshops.”

After a while, Leo finally managed to ask something he’d been dying to ask since he was claimed.

“So if Hephaestus is the god of fire, does that mean we have, like, fire resistance?”

Beckendorf looked wistful. “I wish. It’s pretty rare for a child of Hephaestus to have that ability. It’s mostly just a cyclops thing. He’s not here, but Percy’s got a half-brother Tyson who’s a cyclops. He helps out a lot in the forge.”

“Oh,” Leo said. “So, none of you are fire resistant then?”

“No,” Beckendorf shook his head. “But that was a decent guess. We’re definitely a little more resistant to heat. It takes a lot more to burn a child of Hephaestus than others, but as far as I know, there isn’t anyone who’s got power over fire.”

A conch horn blew in the distance. Campers started putting up their tools and projects. Leo hadn’t realized it was getting so late, but he looked through the windows and saw the sun going down. His ADHD did that to him sometimes. If he was bored, a fifty-minute class seemed like six hours. If he was interested in something, like touring a demigod camp, hours slipped away and bam—the day was over.

“Dinner,” Beckendorf said. “Come on, Leo.”

“Up at the pavilion, right?” he asked.

Beckendorf nodded.

“You guys go ahead,” Leo said. “Can you… give me a second?”

Beckendorf hesitated, but then his expression softened. “Sure. It’s a lot to process. I get it. Take as long as you need, but don’t touch anything. Most of this stuff can kill you if you don’t know what it is.”

“No touching,” Leo promised.

His cabinmates filed out of the forge. Soon Leo was alone with the sounds of the bellows, the waterwheels, and small machines clicking and whirring.

Very rare , he thought.

He held out his hand and studied his fingers. They were long and thin, not callused like the other Hephaestus campers’. Leo had never been the biggest or the strongest kid. He’d survived in tough neighborhoods, tough schools, tough foster homes by using his wits. He was the class clown, the court jester, because he’d learned early that if you cracked jokes and pretended you weren’t scared, you usually didn’t get beat up. Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain. And if that didn’t work, there was always Plan B. Run away. Over and over. There was a Plan C, but he’d promised himself never to use it again.

He felt an urge to try it now—something he hadn’t done since the accident, since his mom’s death. He extended his fingers and felt them tingle, like they were waking up—pins and needles. Then flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across his palm.

Chapter Text

AS SOON AS JASON SAW THE HOUSE, he knew he was a dead man.

Somehow Annabeth must have sensed his unease because she offered him a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. Chiron’s not going to bite.”

The Big House didn’t look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked ready to swallow him. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weathervane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around.

Every molecule in Jason’s body told him he was on enemy ground.

“I am not supposed to be here,” he said.

A strange look passed over Annabeth’s face for a brief moment, then it was gone. “I think you’ll find that you may fit in here more than you think.”

Jason wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He knew he shouldn’t be in the place. He shouldn’t befriend these people. But the way Annabeth spoke to him… it was like how Leo and Piper had spoken to him. Like they had been friends for a while.

At the top of the Big House, the weathervane was still pointing in his direction, that bronze eagle glaring as if to say, Turn around, kid, while you still can .

Then he heard footsteps on the front porch. No—not footsteps—hooves.

“Chiron!” Annabeth called. For the first time, she sounded nervous. “This is Jason. He, uh, he was with the group Gleeson Hedge was watching.”

Jason backed up so fast he almost tripped. Rounding the corner of the porch was a man on horseback. Except he wasn’t on horseback—he was part of the horse. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a T-shirt that said World’s Best Centaur, and had a quiver and bow strapped to his back. His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid the porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a white stallion.

Chiron started to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face.

“You…” the centaur’s eyes flared like a cornered animal. “You should be dead.”

“Chiron,” Annabeth protested.

Chiron gestured for them to come inside with a neutral expression. The centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch. He slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up to the chair, which opened like a magician’s box. Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs and began scrunching himself into a space that should have been much too small. The centaur’s lower half disappeared and the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake human legs covered in a blanket, so Chiron appeared to be a regular mortal guy in a wheelchair.

“Follow me,” he ordered. “We have lemonade.”

The living room looked like it had been swallowed by a rainforest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, which Jason found a little strange. He didn’t think plants grew like that inside, especially in the winter, but these were leafy green and bursting with bunches of red grapes. Leather couches faced a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. Wedged in one corner, an old-style Pac-Man arcade game beeped and blinked. Mounted on the walls was an assortment of masks—smiley/frowny Greek theater types, feathered Mardi Gras masks, Venetian Carnevale masks with big beaklike noses, carved wooden masks from Africa. Grapevines grew through their mouths so they seemed to have leafy tongues. Some had red grapes bulging through their eyeholes.

But the weirdest thing was the stuffed leopard’s head above the fireplace. It looked so real, its eyes seemed to follow Jason. Then it snarled, and Jason nearly leaped out of his skin.

“Now, Seymour,” Chiron chided. “Jason is a friend. Behave yourself.”

“That thing is alive!” Jason said.

Annabeth elbowed him. “Careful what you say. Seymour was a parting gift from Mr. D, Dionysus, before he was recalled to Olympus.”

Chiron rummaged through the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of Snausages. He threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.

“Chiron, I didn’t mention this earlier to the other campers, but look,” Annabeth said, grabbing Jason’s arm.

Jason glanced down and his eyes almost popped out of his sockets. There was a black tattoo of an eagle and the letters SPQR with twelve black lines under it like a barcode.

Chiron inhaled sharply.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“It’s Latin,” Annabeth said. “Senātus Populusque Rōmānus. The Senate and the People of Rome.”

Chiron cast a sharp look in Annabeth’s direction. “Yes.” He poured three glasses of lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little. “Do you mind telling me―ah―where you’re from?”

Jason took some lemonade, though his stomach was fluttering. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and tried for a smile, but Jason could tell it was forced. The old man’s eyes were as deep and dark as wells. Annabeth was silently sipping her drink.

“I wish I knew,” Jason said. He told Chiron the whole story, from waking up on the bus to crash-landing at Camp Half-Blood. He didn’t see the point in hiding the details, and Chiron was a good listener. He didn’t react to the story, other than to nod encouragingly for more.

When Jason was done, the old man sipped his lemonade.

“I see,” Chiron said. “Annabeth, I don’t suppose your cousin will be visiting us any time soon?” His voice was light, but the underlying tone was deadly serious, like he was asking Annabeth something else entirely.

“No,” Annabeth mumbled. “Magnus and Alex are still looking for Percy and Bianca.”

Jason knew this Percy Jackson was missing, but he didn’t know that there was someone else missing. This Bianca was apparently missing too.

“They do not know Jason?”

“Probably not.”

Chiron still looked uneasy, but he was satisfied for now. “I would like to speak to Jason alone for now.”

Annabeth stood up. “I was meaning to go check on Piper and Silena anyway,” she said quickly. In seconds, she was out the door. That didn’t really make Jason eager to continue this conversation with Chiron.

“You must have questions for me,” Chiron said.

Jason nodded. “Uh, only one,” he admitted. “What did you mean when you said I should be dead?”

Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. “My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?”

Jason looked back at the tattoo. “No,” he said. “Nothing.”

“Do you know where you are?” Chiron asked. “Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?”

“You’re Chiron the centaur,” Jason said, still not sure how all these names and knowledge were jumping to his mind. “I’m guessing you’re the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods.”

“So you believe those gods still exist?”

“Yes,” Jason said immediately. “I mean, I don’t think we should worship them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they’re still around because they’re a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts―like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome.”

“I couldn't have said it better.” Something about Chiron’s voice had changed. “So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven’t you?”

“Maybe,” Jason answered. “I’m not really sure.”

Seymour the leopard snarled.

Chiron waited, and Jason realized what had just happened. The centaur had switched to another language and Jason had understood, automatically answering in the same tongue.

“Quis erat―” Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English. “What was that?”

“You know Latin,” Chiron observed. “Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. You heard Annabeth earlier. It’s in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice.”

Jason tried to wrap his mind around what that meant, but too many pieces were missing from his memory. He still had the feeling that he shouldn’t be here. It was wrong―and dangerous. But at least Chiron wasn’t threatening. In fact, the centaur seemed concerned for him, afraid for his safety.

The fire reflected in Chiron’s eyes, making them dance fretfully. “I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I’ve seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don’t. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you―you are not like any pupil I’ve ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster.”

“Thanks,” Jason said. “You must be an inspiring teacher.”

“I am sorry, my boy. But it’s true. I had hoped that after Percy’s success―”

“Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth’s boyfriend, the one who’s missing.”

Chiron nodded. “I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come.”

In the corner, the arcade game made a sad pew-pew-pew-pew sound, like a Pac-Man had just died.

“Ohh-kay,” Jason said. “So—last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I’m supposed to be dead? I don’t like that part.”

“I’m afraid I can’t explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never…” Chiron frowned. “But you’re here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don’t understand. Who would’ve done such a thing? Who—”

Seymour the leopard howled. His mouth froze, half open. The arcade game stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling, its flames hardening like red glass. The masks stared down silently at Jason with their grotesque grape eyes and leafy tongues.

“Chiron?” Jason asked. “What’s going—”

The old centaur had frozen, too. Jason jumped off the couch, but Chiron kept staring at the same spot, his mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes didn’t blink. His chest didn’t move.

Jason , a voice said.

For a horrible moment, he thought the leopard had spoken. Then dark mist boiled out of Seymour’s mouth, and an even worse thought occurred to Jason: storm spirits. He grabbed the golden coin from his pocket. With a quick flip, it changed into a sword.

The mist took the form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak. Jason wasn’t sure how he knew it was goatskin, but he recognized it and knew it was important.

Would you attack your patron? the woman chided. Her voice echoed in Jason’s head. Lower your sword.

“Who are you?” he demanded. “How did you—”

Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I’ve managed to bring you here, but now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you.

“You’re in prison?” Jason decided maybe he wouldn’t lower his sword. “Look, I don’t know you, and you’re not my patron.”

You know me, she insisted. I have known you since your birth.

“I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything.”

No, you don’t, she agreed. That also was necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.

“Whoa,” Jason said. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

Now is the time to pay your debt, she said. Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.

“Is that a threat? You took my memories?”

You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.

The dark woman dissolved, and the mist curled into the leopard’s mouth.

Time unfroze. Seymour’s howl turned into a cough like he’d sucked in a hair ball. The fire crackled to life, the arcade machine beeped, and Chiron said, “—would dare to bring you here?”

“Probably the lady in the mist,” Jason offered.

Chiron looked up in surprise. “Weren’t you just sitting… why do you have a sword drawn?”

“I hate to tell you this,” Jason said, “but I think your leopard just ate a goddess.”

He told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth.

“Oh, dear,” Chiron murmured. “That does explain a lot.”

“Then why don’t you explain a lot to me?” Jason said. “Please.”

Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door blew open, and Annabeth, Silena, and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper’s head lolled like she was unconscious.

“What happened?” Jason rushed over. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Hera’s cabin,” Annabeth gasped, like they’d run all the way. “Vision. Bad.”

The redheaded girl looked up, and Jason saw that she’d been crying.

“I think…” The redheaded girl gulped. “I think I may have killed her.”

Chapter Text

WHEN SHE FOUND PIPER AND SILENA, they were in the middle of the camp commons.

“How’s it going?” she asked.

Piper smiled, but there was something that held her back. “Good. Where’s… where’s Jason?”

Annabeth faltered. “Ah, he’s with Chiron right now. He wanted to talk to Jason alone, so I figured I might as well see how you’re doing.”

“HAHA!”

Annabeth, Piper, and Silena turned to see a group of campers playing basketball. Well, group might be over exaggerating it. It was actually Michael Yew and Kayla Knowles shooting three-pointers.

“Apollo’s cabin,” Annabeth sighed. “Showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs. They could be doing this for days.”

Silena shook her head. “I’ll never understand it.”

They walked past the fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.

“Hey!” Annabeth shouted. “Sherman! Ellis! Do that in the sword fighting arena?”

The two boys grumbled, but they reluctantly moved their battle towards the arena. They kept fighting as they moved, but at least they were headed in the right direction. Annabeth let it go.

“Those were real blades,” Piper noted. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“That’s sort of the point,” Annabeth said. “Uh, sorry. Bad pun. Yeah, it’s dangerous, but we have plenty of medics who can handle the more serious injuries and most of us have basic knowledge of first aid.”

“It’s only really dangerous when the Ares cabin starts up their impromptu fights in the commons,” Silena added. “But here we are. The cabins.”

“That’s my cabin over there,” Annabeth said. “Number Six. Athena. And speaking of blades, Silena, did you show Piper the armory yet?”

“Not yet,” Silena said. “I was waiting for Clarisse or you or someone. I’m not exactly the best with picking out weapons.”

Annabeth smiled. “It’s kind of like Harry Potter. The weapon choses the demigod.” She led Piper to the metal shed on the side of the Athena cabin and unlocked it. “Come on in, Piper.”

Piper stared at the weapons lining the walls in wonder.

“Every demigod needs a weapon,” Annabeth said. “Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection too. If you can’t find anything in here, they can probably make you one. Beckendorf makes all of Silena’s gear,” she added with a look at Silena.

Silena blushed. “He knows how to make the best stuff and balance it perfectly for me.”

Piper paused and glanced back at Silena. “Beckendorf… is he your boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Silena said wistfully. “Charlie and I have been dating for over a year. What about you? Do you have anyone?”

“Silena,” Annabeth began.

“Well,” Piper said quietly, “I… I don’t know. Jason… we were together, but then he woke up with no memory of me this morning.”

“Piper,” Annabeth said.

“Look,” Piper said defensively. “I know Jason though―he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that’s not true. I’ve known him for four months.”

Silena looked apologetic for bringing it up.

“Piper,” Annabeth said sadly. “It’s the Mist.”

“Missed… what?”

“M-i-s-t,” Silena explained. “It helps hide our world from mortals. It makes them see something other than a monster or a demigod walking around with a sword.”

“It bends reality,” Annabeth added.

Piper visibly swallowed. “No. But I’m not mortal. I’m a demigod.”

“Even demigods can be affected,” Annabeth said gently. “I’ve seen it before. Percy… he was going to school for almost a whole year with a cyclops and I had to force him to see before he could get around the Mist. Monsters use the Mist to infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he’s always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened―”

“But Jason’s not a monster!” Piper insisted. “He’s a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren’t fake. They’re so real. The time we set Coach Hedge’s pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me…”

Annabeth sighed. “Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I’ll admit that. But if you know him so well―”

“I do!”

“Then where is he from?”

Piper froze. “He must have told me, but―”

“Piper, what’s his last name?”

“I… I…” Piper’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she squeezed her eyes shut.

Annabeth placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. I’m sorry for being hard on you. But look. Jason is real and here now. Maybe it’ll work out. Just…” she hesitated. “Make sure you aren’t doing this because of fake memories. If you do get together, make sure you really feel that way.”

Piper wiped her face. “This the real reason you came to see us?”

“I know what it’s like to lose your boyfriend,” Annabeth said.

“Me too,” Silena said. “Well, almost. I told you I was a spy for the Titans.”

Piper nodded.

“I gave them information about a mission Percy and Charlie were going to be going on,” she continued. “Luckily, there was someone else I didn’t know about on the mission. My information would have gotten Charlie killed.” She blinked a few times. “Charlie never blamed me when he found out, but I always have to live knowing that I could have killed him. It’s almost worse in a way.” She cleared her throat. “Um, weapons. For Piper.”

“Right,” Annabeth nodded. “Okay, Piper. We’ve got swords over here, a couple shotguns, daggers, archery sets…”

“What’s that?” Piper asked, pointing to the corner. “A knife?”

Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. She felt uneasy holding Katoptris. Piper’s dagger had always been creepy even if it was useful. She handed it to Piper quickly.

Piper unsheathed the eighteen inch long triangular blade. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in Piper’s hand.

“It suits you,” Annabeth said. “That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine.”

“I like it,” Piper said.

Silena frowned at the blade. “That looks… no way! Is that Helen of Troy’s?”

Piper’s eyes flew wide open. “This was Helen of Troy’s? What’s it doing just sitting in your toolshed?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “We’re surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff. This isn’t a museum. Weapons like that―they’re meant to be used. They’re our heritage as demigods. And yes, that was Helen’s. It was a gift from her first husband Menelaus. She named the dagger Katoptris.”

“Meaning?”

“Mirror,” Silena answered. “Looking glass.”

Piper stared at the dagger for a moment. Then she dropped the blade.

“Piper?” Silena gasped. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Piper said distantly. “I’m okay.” She picked up the dagger with trembling fingers. “I just got overwhelmed. So much happened today. But… I want to keep the dagger, if that’s okay?”

Yeah. Annabeth really did not like Katoptris.

“Um, is there a phone at camp?” Piper asked. “Can I call my dad?” Her voice was casual, but there was a flicker of worry in her kaleidoscope eyes.

“We aren’t allowed phones,” Annabeth said. “For demigods, using a cell phone is like sending up a signal to the monsters. But… I’ve got one.” She slipped it out of her pocket. “Kind of against the rules, so if this can be a secret…” She dropped the phone into Piper’s barely shaking hands.

Silena snorted as Piper stepped away for privacy. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows about your phone, Annabeth.”

“And I know about the Stoll brothers sneaking out of Camp every month to pick up things,” Annabeth shrugged. “Makeup and clothes for one.”

“Touche,” Silena grinned.

Piper walked back over and handed the phone back to Annabeth.

“No luck?”

Piper didn’t answer. Annabeth didn’t check her screen this time. She didn’t want Piper to feel more uncomfortable if she blurted her last name.

“You feeling okay?” Silena asked.

Piper fastened her new dagger to her belt. “Sure,” she said. “Fine. I want to see everything.”

Silena didn’t look very convinced. Sometimes Annabeth thought she was like a satyr that way like she could sense emotions. Maybe that was a power of the children of Aphrodite.

“Well,” Annabeth said as they stepped out of the shed. “You’ve seen my cabin. Number six. That’s Artemis, number eight. She’s a maiden goddess, so of course she has no children. The cabin is honorary and her Hunters stay there when they visit Camp.”

Silena wrinkled her nose. “Yay.”

“What’s wrong with the Hunters?” Piper asked.

“Nothing,” Annabeth said. “It’s just that children of Aphrodite don’t usually get along with them. I guess you could describe the Hunters as an immortal girls group that swears off love.”

Piper’s face fell. “Oh.”

“It’s cool if love’s not for you, but a lot of them scorn us for it,” Silena scowled. “And look down on us.”

“Thalia’s not so bad,” Annabeth said.

“Yeah, but that’s Thalia,” Silena pointed out. “Didn’t she take her oath and then turn around and hug Percy?”

“Yep.” Annabeth grinned and then continued on. “Anyway. After Artemis…”

“Cabin Ten!” Silena said happily. “My cabin. Maybe yours if I’m right about the charmspeak thing.”

Annabeth started. “Charmspeak?”

“Uh, yeah,” Piper said sheepishly. “It was something Silena and I talked about earlier. She thinks I might have it. I’m still not very psyched about having Drew as a possible sister.”

“I guess we’ll find out at the campfire,” Annabeth said. “Cabin Twelve is Dionysus. Then these back eight are the new ones we added last summer.”

She and Silena led Piper past the Hecate, Tyche, Hebe, Nike, Nemesis, Hypnos, Iris, and Hades cabins, pointing out each of them. Then they made their way down the odd numbers, faltering only when they reached the Poseidon cabin.

“What are the two big ones?” Piper asked.

“Zeus and… Hera ,” Annabeth bit out.

Piper wandered over. “Are they empty?”

“Now they are,” Silena said. “The Big Three―that’s Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades―went a long time without having any children. Um, for the last seventy years or so?” she looked at Annabeth for confirmation.

“Give or take,” Annabeth nodded. “They made a pact during World War Two. That was a demigod war. Children of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and children of Hades on the other. You’ve probably learned about it in school. It was a pretty bad war since children of the Big Three are so powerful. So the three gods tried to avoid any more children.”

“Tried to avoid?”

“Well, we mentioned Thalia earlier,” Silena said. “She’s the daughter of Zeus, but she joined the Hunters a few years ago, so she doesn’t stay here anymore.”

“Then my boyfriend, Percy, he’s a son of Poseidon,” Annabeth said. “And then there’s Nico who’s a son of Hades. But that’s it.”

“And Hera?” Piper asked, staring at the peacock-decorated doors.

“Goddess of marriage,” Annabeth said sourly. “So she doesn’t have kids with anyone but her husband. The cabin is honorary.”

“You don’t like her,” Piper noticed.

“I hate her,” Annabeth said flatly. “So it’s probably best if we don’t talk about her because I don’t have anything nice to say.”

Piper looked down the base of the doors. “So who goes in here?”

“No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in.”

“Someone does.” Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. She pushed the doors and they swung open easily.

Silena stepped back. “Um, I don’t think we should―”

“We aren’t supposed to go in, you’re right,” Annabeth agreed. “Let’s do it anyway.”

Maybe she should stop hanging out with Percy, Magnus, and Alex. Their recklessness was clearly rubbing off on her.

Annabeth and Piper boldly walked inside. Silena followed them warily like she expected Hera to jump out at any moment. Honestly, Annabeth might have welcomed it.

Inside Hera’s cabin, the temperature was as cold as a freezer. A big, central statue of the goddess stood ten feet tall. At the goddess’s feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier. It was like a tomb.

Annabeth’s eyes landed on a figure in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. Even if she didn’t already know who it was, Annabeth would have been able to recognize those paint stained hands anywhere.

“Rachel?” she called.

The figure turned around and dropped her shawl to reveal a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face. She was dressed in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles.

“Hey!” Rachel said, running over to give Annabeth a hug. “I’m so sorry! I came as fast as I could.”

“It’s alright, Rachel,” Annabeth said. She gestured to Piper. “This is Piper. She’s one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our Oracle.”

“Oracle?” Piper repeated. “You can tell the future?”

“More like the future mugs me from time to time,” Rachel said. “I speak prophecies. The oracle’s spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn’t make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future.”

“Oh,” Piper said awkwardly. “That’s cool.”

Rachel laughed. “Don’t worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I’m harmless.”

“That’s because we’re all used to the creepy, shriveled mummy,” Silena said. “Hi, Rachel. How are you?”

“Hey, Silena,” Rachel greeted her. “I’m good.”

“Wait, so are you a demigod?” Piper asked.

“Nope,” Rachel said. “Just mortal.”

“Then what are you…” Piper waved her hand around the room.

Rachel’s smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. “Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy’s disappearance. They’re connected somehow. I’ve learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent.”

“Went silent?” Piper asked.

Rachel frowned at Silena and Annabeth. “You haven’t told her yet?”

“We’ve been busy with the tour,” Annabeth said. “But, Piper, for the last month… well, it’s normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent all semester there working on the construction project.”

“Annabeth’s redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War,” Silena explained.

Rachel nodded. “It’s amazing. You should see the salad bar.”

“Anyway,” Annabeth said, “starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It’s like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won’t answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled.”

“Your camp director was the god of… wine?”

“Yeah, it’s a—”

“Long story,” Piper guessed. “Right. Go on.”

“That’s it, really,” Annabeth said. “Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It’s like something has happened—something really bad. Then Percy disappeared.”

“And Jason showed up on our field trip,” Piper supplied. “With no memory.”

“Who’s Jason?” Rachel asked.

“My—” Piper faltered. “My friend. But, Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision.”

“Right,” Annabeth said. “The first communication from a god in a month, and it’s Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I’ll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason.”

“Something bad is happening,” Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and then her body stiffened. “Guys. I―I need to―”

A green glow emanated from Rachel’s eyes. She grabbed Piper by the shoulders. Piper tried to back away, but Rachel held firm.

Free me , she said.

Annabeth gritted her teeth at the sound of Hera’s voice.

Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be done by the solstice.

Silena and Annabeth tried to separate the two, though Annabeth knew it wouldn’t do any good.

Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!

Piper’s knees buckled at the same time as Rachel’s. Silena caught Piper while Annabeth got Rachel.

“We need to go see Chiron now,” Annabeth said.

Chapter Text

JASON AND THE REDHEAD, WHO INTRODUCED herself as Rachel, put Piper on the couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing, but she wouldn’t wake up. She seemed to be in some kind of coma.

“We’ve got to heal her,” Jason insisted. “There’s a way, right?”

Seeing her so pale, barely breathing, Jason felt a surge of protectiveness. Maybe he didn’t really know her. Maybe she wasn’t his girlfriend. But they’d survived the Grand Canyon together. They’d come all this way. He’d left her side for a little while, and this had happened.

Chiron put his hand on her forehead and grimaced. “Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?”

“I wish I knew,” she said. “As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera’s cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice.”

“A prophecy?” Chiron asked.

“No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me.”

Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch. She knelt next to Piper. “Silena, can you go find Will or Kayla or someone?”

Silena nodded and hurried out the door.

“What happened?” Chiron asked Annabeth.

Annabeth scowled. “Hera. It had to be her. She spoke through Rachel and told Piper―”

“To free her from a prison?” Jason guessed.

Annabeth nodded, a sour expression still on her face.

Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart, like a ward against evil. “Jason, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please.”

Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper’s mouth while Jason explained what had happened when the room froze—the dark misty woman who had claimed to be Jason’s patron. When he was done, no one spoke, which made him more anxious.

“So does this happen often?” he asked. “Supernatural phone calls from goddesses demanding you bust them out of jail?”

“Wait, your patron?” Rachel said. “Assuming Hera spoke to you too, she’s your patron?”

Jason nodded slowly. “She said my dad had given her my life. She’s worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice.”

Annabeth sucked in a breath. “Okay.” She looked at Chiron. “Not Kronos?”

The centaur looked miserable. He held Piper’s wrist, checking her pulse. At last he said, “It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But…”

“But what?” Annabeth asked.

Chiron closed the medicine bag. “Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later.”

Annabeth frowned.

“Or now,” Jason said. “Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can’t possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?”

Chiron didn’t say anything.

“Chiron, Hera’s imprisoned,” Rachel said. “Who could do that to the queen of the gods?”

Jason could practically see Annabeth fighting back some snarky remark.

“We know Titan’s can capture a god,” Annabeth said. “Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan…?” she trailed off. “Chiron―” she cut herself off.

“Hera said she’d been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month,” Jason said.

“Which is how long Olympus has been closed, so the gods know something bad is going on,” Annabeth said. 

“But why use her energy to send me here?” Jason asked. “She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods—let them know where she is so they bust her out?”

“Because the gods need heroes to do their work on earth,” Annabeth said shortly. “Their fates are always intertwined with demigods.” She looked at Chiron. “What are we facing, Chiron?”

The old centaur’s face looked like it had aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. “My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry.”

“You have to,” Annabeth said. “Don’t you remember in the last war how the gods ignored Kronos until it was too late?”

“I will be in my office,” Chiron said, ignoring her. “I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, would you wait with Piper until Silena returns with one of the Apollo children? And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about―about the Greek and Roman gods.”

“But…”

The centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth’s eyes turned stormy. She muttered something in Greek, and Jason got the feeling it wasn’t complimentary toward centaurs.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I think my being here—I don’t know. I’ve messed things up coming to the camp, somehow. Chiron said he’d sworn an oath and couldn’t talk about it.”

“Don’t think like that,” Annabeth snapped. “You haven’t done anything, Jason. Nothing is your fault. Just…” She sighed. “Get your sword. We have to go to Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, Silena should be her soon.”

“Good luck,” Rachel said as Annabeth pulled Jason out the door.

“Hold on,” Jason protested. “What’s in Cabin Fifteen?”

Cabin Fifteen was like an old-fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof. On the door hung a wreath of crimson flowers―red poppies, Jason thought, though he wasn’t sure how he knew.

“You think this is my parent’s cabin?” he asked.

Annabeth shook her head. “No, this is the cabin for Hypnos, the god of sleep.”

“Then why—”

“You’ve forgotten everything,” she said. “If there’s any god who can help us figure out memory loss, it’s Hypnos.” There was something monotonous about her voice. Like she didn’t really believe what she was saying.

Inside, even though it was almost dinnertime, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers. A warm fire crackled in the hearth. Above the mantel hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls. Jason was tempted to catch a drop on his finger just to see what it was, but he held himself back. Soft violin music played from somewhere. The air smelled like fresh laundry. The cabin was so cozy and peaceful that Jason’s eyelids started to feel heavy. A nap sounded like a great idea. He was exhausted. There were plenty of empty beds, all with feather pillows and fresh sheets and fluffy quilts and—

Annabeth nudged him. “Snap out of it.”

Jason blinked. He realized his knees had been starting to buckle.

“Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone,” Annabeth warned. “If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than the Ares cabin. At least with Ares, you can learn where the land mines are.”

“Land mines?”

She walked up to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder. “Clovis! Wake up!”

The kid looked like a baby cow. He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shaped head, with thick features and a thick neck. His body was stocky, but he had spindly little arms like he’d never lifted anything heavier than a pillow.

“Clovis!” Annabeth shook harder, then finally knocked on his forehead about six times.

“Wh-wh-what?” Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting. He yawned hugely, and both Annabeth and Jason yawned too.

“Stop that!” Annabeth said. “We need your help.”

“I was sleeping.”

“You’re always sleeping.”

“Good night.”

Before he could pass out, Annabeth yanked his pillow off the bed.

“That’s not fair,” Clovis complained meekly. “Give it back.”

“First help,” Annabeth said. “Then sleep.”

Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk. “Fine. What?”

Annabeth explained about Jason’s problem. Every once in a while she’d snap her fingers under Clovis’s nose to keep him awake. Clovis must have been really excited, because when Annabeth was done, he didn’t pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason. “So you don’t remember anything, huh?”

“Just impressions,” Jason said. “Feelings, like…”

“Yes?” Clovis said.

“Like I know I shouldn’t be here. At this camp. I’m in danger.”

“We think maybe a goddess took his memories,” Annabeth said. “Is there anything you can do to get them back, or…?”

Clovis frowned. “Hmm. If his memories were stolen by a goddess… no. Usually, memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But if a goddess took them, then only that goddess can give them back. Do you know which goddess?”

“Juno,” Jason answered immediately. “The woman was wearing a goatskin cloak. That’s a symbol of Juno.”

“He means Hera,” Annabeth said. “That’s the Greek name. Juno is Hera’s Roman name.”

“Hmm,” Clovis said.

“What?” Jason asked. “Does that mean something?”

“Hmm,” Clovis said again, and this time Jason realized he was snoring.

“Clovis!” he yelled.

“What? What?” His eyes fluttered open. “We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, could be important.”

“But they’re the same gods,” Annabeth said. “Just different names.” Why did it sound like Annabeth was reading lines from a script?

“Not exactly,” Clovis said.

Jason sat forward, now very much awake. “What do you mean, not exactly?”

“Well…” Clovis yawned. “Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek gods—it’s not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities.”

“And that changed who they were,” Annabeth said.

“Sure.” Clovis began to nod off, and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose. “Coming, Mother!” he yelped. “I mean… Yeah, I’m awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-eighth Street, right? It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character.”

“Makes sense,” Jason said.

“How do you know all this, Clovis?” Annabeth wondered.

“Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming,” Clovis shrugged. “I see the gods there all the time—always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. It’s a lot like being a god, actually. Or kind of like your cousin’s significant other Alex if that’s easier to understand. Able to change at any time, able to be anything.”

Jason had no idea who Annabeth’s cousin’s significant other Alex was or what Clovis meant by that, but Annabeth seemed to understand, and Clovis was already moving on.

“Like recently, I dreamed I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage with Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could not remember the words for ‘The Girl Is Mine.’ Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I—”

“Clovis,” Annabeth interrupted. “Back to Rome?” There was an edge to her voice that made Jason wonder if Annabeth had brought him here solely to talk about Rome.

“Right, Rome,” Clovis said. “So we call the gods by their Greek names because that’s their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same—that’s not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn’t mingle with mortals as much. They were harsher, more powerful—the gods of an empire. They stood for discipline, honor, strength—”

“Good things, then,” Jason said. For some reason, he felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods, though wasn’t sure why it mattered to him. “I mean, discipline is important, right? That’s what made Rome last so long.”

Clovis gave him a curious look. “That’s true. But the Roman gods weren’t very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos… he didn’t do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn’t stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at the wrong time, boom—they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy.”

“Nice guy,” Annabeth said. “But what does it have to do with Jason?”

“No idea,” Clovis said. “But if it was Hera or Juno or whatever that took your memories, I’d hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?”

Annabeth tossed Clovis his pillow with a frustrated look. “Thanks, Clovis,” she said shortly. “We’ll see you at dinner.”

“Can I get room service?” Clovis yawned and stumbled to his bunk. “I feel like… zzzz…” He collapsed with his butt in the air and his face buried in his pillow.

“Won’t he suffocate?” Jason asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Annabeth said. She sighed. “That did not accomplish what I’d hoped.”

Jason couldn’t help but feel like she wasn’t talking about getting his memories back.

Chapter Text

BY THE TIME PIPER WOKE UP, it was past dinner and time for the campfire. The redheaded girl, Rachel Dare, had been there when she woke up (along with Argus, a guy with a hundred eyes) to lead her to the campfire.

At first, the idea of a campfire freaked Piper out. It made her think of the huge purple bonfire in her dreams, and her father tied to a stake.

But the Camp campfire was nothing like that. It was a sing-along with fifty or sixty other campers that filled the rows in the amphitheater. They were all clustered into groups under various banners.

Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer.

Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps—lyres?—were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around.

It was quite possibly the weirdest thing Piper had ever seen—one of those campfire songs that would’ve been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.

Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. At least in the flickering light, Piper thought it was a guy on a horse. Then she realized it was a centaur—his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. “Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I’m happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we’ll get to the s’mores, but first—”

“What about capture the flag?” somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar’s head.

“Yes,” the centaur said. “I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games.”

“And kill people!” one of them shouted.

“However,” Chiron said, “until we determine exactly how it was that Percy Jackson disappeared, that won’t be possible.”

The fire dimmed, but Piper didn’t need the mood flames to sense the crowd’s anxiety. Every time Percy Jackson was mentioned, the mood seemed to go the same way.

Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.

“I didn’t find Percy,” she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name. “He wasn’t at the Grand Canyon like we thought. But we’re not giving up. We’ve got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, Magnus and Alex, the Hunters of Artemis—everyone’s out looking. We will find him. But there’s something… else.”

“It’s the Great Prophecy, isn’t it?” a girl called out.

Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They’d been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until the girl stood up: Drew.

Everyone else looked surprised. Apparently Drew didn’t address the crowd very often.

“Drew?” Annabeth said. “What do you mean?”

“Well, come on.” Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. “Olympus is closed. Percy’s disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?”

Piper whispered to Rachel, “What’s she talking about—the Great Prophecy?” Then she realized everyone else was looking at Rachel, too.

“Well?” Drew called down. “You’re the oracle. Has it started or not?”

Rachel’s eyes looked scary in the firelight. Piper was afraid she might clench up and start channeling a freaky peacock goddess again, but she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp. “Yes,” she said. “The Great Prophecy has begun.”

Pandemonium broke out.

Piper caught Jason’s eye. He mouthed, You all right?

She nodded and managed a smile, but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him.

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.

“For those of you who have not heard it,” Rachel said, “the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:

“ Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire the world must fall.

Delivered for wisdom on Rome’s wings,

Ones prepared with knowledge of all things —”

Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he’d just been tasered.

Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. “J-Jason?” she said. “What’s—”

“ Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus ,” he chanted. “ Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem .”

An uneasy silence settled on the group. Piper could see from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines. She could tell it was Latin, but she wasn’t sure why her hopefully future boyfriend was suddenly chanting like a Catholic priest.

“You just… finished the prophecy,” Rachel stammered. “ An oath to keep with a final breath / And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death . How did you—”

“I know those lines.” Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. “I don’t know how, but I know that prophecy.”

“In Latin, no less,” Drew called out. “Handsome and smart.”

Piper could see Silena whispering something harshly to Drew who gave the Aphrodite head counselor a sour look, but kept her mouth shut after that.

The campfire was now burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. Piper felt a pang of jealousy. It should have been her next to him, comforting him.

Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. “Well,” she said, trying to regain her composure. “So, yeah, that’s the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it’s starting now. I can’t give you proof. It’s just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here.”

The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, “I’m here! Oh… were you calling roll?”

“Go back to sleep, Clovis,” someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.

“Anyway,” Rachel continued, “we don’t know what the Great Prophecy means. We don’t know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad.”

“Or worse,” Chiron murmured.

Maybe he didn’t mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as Piper’s dream.

“What we do know,” Rachel said, “is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken.”

Shocked silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once.

Chiron pounded his hoof, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention. She told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.

Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera’s cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, even when she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling before Silena could reprimand them.

Finally Rachel told them about Jason’s vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera had delivered there was so similar that Piper got a chill. The only difference: Hera had warned Piper not to betray her: Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. Hera knew about the giant’s threat. But if that was true, why hadn’t she warned Jason, and exposed Piper as an enemy agent?

“Jason,” Rachel said. “Um… do you remember your last name?”

Jason looked self-conscious, but he shook his head.

“We’ll just call you Jason, then,” Rachel said. “It’s clear Hera herself has issued you a quest.” Rachel paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone’s eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, Piper thought she would’ve buckled in his position.

Yet he looked brave and determined. He set his jaw and nodded. “I agree.”

“You must save Hera to prevent a great evil,” Rachel continued. “Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don’t yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now.”

“That’s the council day of the gods,” Annabeth said. “If the gods don’t already know Hera’s gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They’ll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That’s what they usually do.”

“The winter solstice,” Chiron spoke up, “is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things… stir.”

The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister—like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.

“Okay,” Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. “Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever’s going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—”

“Why hasn’t he been claimed?” somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. “If he’s so important—”

“He has been claimed,” Chiron announced. “Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration.”

At first, Jason didn’t seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, then glanced at Piper. She nodded encouragingly and mimicked flipping a coin.

Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance—a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.

“Dude, I want one!” yelled somebody from Ares cabin.

“Better than Clarisse’s electric spear, Lamer!” one of his brothers agreed.

“Electric,” Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. “Back away.”

Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Piper’s arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.

When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in Piper’s ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn’t even stirred.

Jason lowered his lance. “Um… sorry.”

Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed. “A little overkill, perhaps, but you”ve made your point. And I believe we know who your father is.”

“Jupiter,” Jason said. “I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky.”

Piper could see it. Jason simply radiated power. It made sense that he would be the son of one of the most powerful gods.

Apparently, the rest of the camp wasn’t so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.

“Hey!” she shouted. “You all have questions, but it’s no use asking them since we don’t know why Zeus broke the oath again.”

“The important thing,” Rachel said, “is that Jason’s here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy.”

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they’d been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel’s feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:

“ Child of lightning, beware the earth,

The giants’ revenge the seven shall birth,

The forge and dove shall break the cage,

And death unleash through Hera’s rage .”

On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.

“Is that normal?” Piper asked. Then she realized she’d spoken into the silence, and everyone was looking at her. “I mean… does she spew green smoke a lot?”

“Gods, you’re dense!” Drew sneered. “She just issued a prophecy—Jason’s prophecy to save Hera! Why don’t you just—”

“Drew!” Silena snapped.

“Ugh.” Drew rolled her eyes and sat back down.

“Not to be a downer,” the girl from the chariot, Allegra, said, “but, um, it sounds like Hera’s going to, I don’t know, kill someone? So maybe we should just leave her in whatever cage she’s in? I mean, she obviously knows where Percy is, but she’s just toying with us!”

Jason rose. “I don’t have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can’t just not help the queen of the heavens if she’s in trouble.”

A girl from Hephaestus cabin stood up, one with a red bandanna. “Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son—our dad—down a mountain just because he was ugly.”

“Real ugly,” snickered someone from Aphrodite.

“Shut up!” the girl growled. “Anyway, we’ve also got to think —why beware the earth? And what’s the giants’ revenge? What are we dealing with here that’s powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?”

No one answered, but Piper noticed Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. Piper thought it went something like:

Annabeth: The giants’ revenge… Chiron…

Chiron: Don’t speak of it here. Don’t scare them .

Annabeth: We need to talk, Chiron.

Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.

Piper knew it was crazy to think she could read their expressions so well—two people she barely knew. But she was absolutely positive she understood them, and it scared the jujubes out of her.

Annabeth took a deep breath. “It’s Jason’s quest,” she announced, “so it’s Jason’s choice. Obviously, he’s the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions.”

Someone from the Hermes cabin yelled, “Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You’ve got the most experience.”

“No, Travis,” Annabeth said. “First off, I’m not helping Hera. Every time I’ve tried, she’s deceived me, or it’s come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I’m focusing on finding Percy. My cousin is supposed to contact me in a couple days and give me an update and I need to be free for that.”

“It’s connected,” Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. “You know that’s true, don’t you? This whole business, your boyfriend’s disappearance—it’s all connected.”

“Still,” Annabeth said. “I refuse to help Hera. But there’s another reason I can’t go. The prophecy says otherwise.”

“It says who I pick,” Jason agreed. “The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul—Hephaestus.”

Under the Cabin Nine banner, the children of Hephaestus shifted nervously. Finally, the head counselor, a big African American guy stood up.

“If you have to beware the earth,” he said, “you should avoid traveling overland. You’ll need air transport.” He frowned. “The flying chariot’s broken, and the pegasi, we’re using them to search for Percy. But maybe we can figure something else to help.” He paused. “As head counselor for Hephaestus, I can volunteer for the quest if you want.”

Then Leo stood up. He’d been so quiet, Piper had almost forgotten he was there, which was totally not like Leo.

“Nah,” he said. “It’s me.”

His cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.

“No, it’s me,” he insisted. “I know it is. I mean, Jason appeared on the bus with me for a reason, right? Besides, Beckendorf, you’ve got a pretty girlfriend over there,” he said, pointing to Silena. “And I’ve heard some stories that you’ve both almost died before? Besides, I think I might have an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!”

Jason studied him for a moment. Piper was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled. “You’re right,” he said. “We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you’re in.”

“Yes!” Leo pumped his fist.

“It’ll be dangerous,” Leo’s sister in the red bandana warned him. “Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive.”

“Oh.” Suddenly Leo didn’t look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. “I mean… Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let’s do this.”

Annabeth nodded. “Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member. The dove,” she frowned, “is Aphrodite. So… Silena?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I just volunteered to keep the happy couple together, and you want to send the lady on a quest with terrible suffering?” Leo groaned.

Silena smiled. “Thank you, Leo. I’ll go if Jason wants me to go, but I don’t know how qualified I am to go.”

“Wait,” Piper protested. “I had the vision of Hera. I have to do this.”

“Given the wording of the prophecy, the third member must be a child of Aphrodite,” Chiron said apologetically.

Piper clenched her fists. “I’m supposed to go!”

Then the weirdest thing happened. Everyone started nodding, muttering that Piper should definitely be the third member.

Suddenly there was collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper like she’d just exploded. She wondered what she’d done wrong. Then she realized there was a reddish glow around her.

“What?” she demanded.

She looked above her, but there was no burning symbol like the one that appeared over Leo. Then she looked down and yelped.

Her clothes… what in the world had happened? Her faded jeans weren’t so faded anymore. They were a bright blue as if she had just bought them fresh from the store. Her hiking boots—usually caked with dirt—were shiny and new. Not a speck of dirt could be seen. And her snowboarding jacket… it had gotten stained from tumbling all over the Grand Canyon earlier, but it looked brand new now. And her hair…

“Oh, god,” she said. “What’s happened?”

Silena beamed and rushed over. “Look at yourself!” she squealed. “In your dagger, Piper. Go on, check!”

Piper’s dagger was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a brand new sheath. She didn’t want to draw it, but her curiosity and Silena’s excitement won out. She unsheathed Katoptris and stared at her reflection in the polished metal blade.

Her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in her eyes.

She was… she was…

“I knew it!” Silena grinned. “Piper!”

“This isn’t me,” Piper protested. “I don’t understand.”

Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example. “Hail, Piper McLean,” Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral. “Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love.”

Chapter Text

LEO DIDN’T STICK AROUND AFTER PIPER turned beautiful. Sure, it was amazing and all— She’s got makeup! It’s a miracle! —but Leo had problems to deal with. He ducked out of the amphitheater and ran into the darkness, wondering what he’d gotten himself into. He’d stood up in front of a bunch of stronger, braver demigods and volunteered— volunteered —for a mission that would probably get him killed.

He hadn’t mentioned seeing Tía Callida, his old babysitter, but as soon as he’d heard about Jason’s vision—the lady in the black dress and shawl—Leo knew it was the same woman. Tía Callida was Hera. His evil babysitter was the queen of the gods. Stuff like that could really deep-fry your brain.

He trudged toward the woods and tried not to think about his childhood—all the messed-up things Hera, Tía Callida, had done that lead to his mother’s death. But he couldn’t help it.

There was the time she’d set two year old Leo down for a nap in the fireplace. Tía Callida sang a lullaby in what Leo now thought was probably Greek while he dreamed about a boat made of fire.

Then there was the time when Leo was three and Tía Callida had let him play with knives.

“You must learn your blades early,” she insisted, “if you are to be my hero someday.”

Leo managed not to kill himself, but he got the feeling Tía Callida wouldn’t have cared one way or the other.

When Leo was four, Tía Callida gave him a stick to poke a rattlesnake with. And finally, when he was five, there was the table incident.

Tía Callida brought him a pack of crayons and a pad of paper. While Tía Callida sang her strange songs, Leo drew a picture of the boat he’d seen in the flames, with colorful sails and rows of oars, a curved stern, and an awesome masthead. When he was almost done, about to sign his name the way he’d learned in kindergarten, a wind snatched the picture away. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Leo wanted to cry. He’d spent so much time on that picture—but Tía Callida just clucked with disappointment.

“It isn’t time yet, little hero. Someday, you’ll have your quest. You’ll find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense. But first you must face many sorrows. I regret that, but heroes cannot be shaped any other way. Now, make me a fire, eh? Warm these old bones.”

A few minutes later, Leo’s mom came out and shrieked with horror. Tía Callida was gone, but Leo sat in the middle of a smoking fire. The pad of paper was reduced to ashes. Crayons had melted into a bubbling puddle of multicolored goo, and Leo’s hands were ablaze, slowly burning through the picnic table. For years afterward, people in the apartment complex would wonder how someone had seared the impressions of a five-year-old’s hands an inch deep into solid wood.

That was the day his mom had finally had a serious talk with him about his power over fire.

No more fire until you meet your father . That’s what she had made him promise. And Leo had. For a while.

For the next couple of years, they were happy. Leo almost forgot about Tía Callida. He still dreamed of the flying boat, but the other strange events seemed like a dream too.

Then the sleeping woman came. It was late and Leo and his mom were at his mom’s shop. She’d forgotten her keys and gone back to get them, leaving Leo alone in the break room.

“That’s funny.” She frowned. “I know I had them. Wait here, mijo. I’ll only be a minute.” She gave him one more smile—the last one he’d ever get —and she went back into the warehouse. She’d only been gone a few heartbeats when the interior door slammed shut. Then the exterior door locked itself.

“Mom?” Leo’s heart pounded. Something heavy crashed inside the warehouse. He ran to the door, but no matter how hard he pulled or kicked, it wouldn’t open. “Mom!” Frantically, he tapped a message on the wall: You okay?

“She can’t hear you,” a voice said.

Leo turned and found himself facing a strange woman. At first he thought it was Tía Callida. She was wrapped in black robes, with a veil covering her face.

“Tía?” he said.

The woman chuckled, a slow gentle sound, as if she were half asleep. “I am not your guardian. Merely a family resemblance.”

“What—what do you want? Where’s my mom?”

“Ah… loyal to your mother. How nice. But you see, I have children too… and I understand you will fight them someday. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I cannot allow that.”

“I don’t know you. I don’t want to fight anybody.”

She muttered like a sleepwalker in a trance, “A wise choice.”

With a chill, Leo realized the woman was, in fact, asleep. Behind the veil, her eyes were closed. But even stranger: her clothes were not made of cloth. They were made of earth—dry black dirt, churning and shifting around her. Her pale, sleeping face was barely visible behind a curtain of dust, and he had the horrible sense that she’d just risen from the grave. If the woman was asleep, Leo wanted her to stay that way. He knew that fully awake, she would be even more terrible.

“I cannot destroy you yet,” the woman murmured. “The Fates will not allow it. But they do not protect your mother, and they cannot stop me from breaking your spirit. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose me.”

“Leave my mother alone!” Fear rose in his throat as the woman shuffled forward. She moved more like an avalanche than a person, a dark wall of earth shifting toward him.

“How will you stop me?” she whispered.

She walked straight through a table, the particles of her body reassembling on the other side. She loomed over Leo, and he knew she would pass right through him, too. He was the only thing between her and his mother.

His hands caught fire.

A sleepy smile spread across the woman’s face, as if she’d already won. Leo screamed with desperation. His vision turned red. Flames washed over the earthen woman, the walls, the locked doors. And Leo lost consciousness.

When he woke, he was in an ambulance.

The paramedic tried to be kind. She told him the warehouse had burned down. His mother hadn’t made it out. The paramedic said she was sorry, but Leo felt hollow. He’d lost control, just like his mother had warned. Her death was his fault.

Soon the police came to get him, and they weren’t as nice. The fire had started in the break room, they said, right where Leo was standing. He’d survived by some miracle, but what kind of child locked the doors of his mother’s workplace, knowing she was inside, and started a fire?

Later, his neighbors at the apartment complex told the police what a strange boy he was. They talked about the burned handprints on the picnic table. They’d always known something was wrong with Esperanza Valdez’s son.

His relatives wouldn’t take him in. His Aunt Rosa called him a diablo and shouted at the social workers to take him away. So Leo went to his first foster home. A few days later, he ran away. Some foster homes lasted longer than others. He would joke around, make a few friends, pretend that nothing bothered him, but he always ended up running sooner or later. It was the only thing that made the pain better—feeling like he was moving, getting farther and farther away from the ashes of that machine shop.

He’d promised himself he would never play with fire again. He hadn’t thought about Tía Callida, or the sleeping woman wrapped in earthen robes, for a long time.

He was almost to the woods when he imagined Tía Callida’s voice: It wasn’t your fault, little hero. Our enemy wakes. It’s time to stop running.

“Hera,” Leo muttered, “you’re not even here, are you? You’re in a cage somewhere.”

There was no answer.

But now, at least, Leo understood something. Hera had been watching him his entire life. Somehow, she’d known that one day she would need him. Maybe those Fates she mentioned could tell the future. Leo wasn’t sure. But he knew he was meant to go on this quest. Jason’s prophecy warned them to beware the earth, and Leo knew it had something to do with that sleeping woman in the shop, wrapped in robes of shifting dirt.

You’ll find your destiny, Tía Callida had promised, and your hard journey will finally make sense.

Leo might find out what that flying boat in his dreams meant. He might meet his father, or even get to avenge his mother’s death.

But first things first. He’d promised Jason a flying ride.

Not the boat from his dreams—not yet. There wasn’t time to build something that complicated. He needed a quicker solution. He needed a dragon.

Beckendorf had said that they weren’t really using the dragon much. That it mostly just patrolled the woods. So no one would mind if Leo borrowed the dragon real quick.

He hesitated at the edge of the woods, peering into absolute blackness. Owls hooted, and something far away hissed like a chorus of snakes.

Leo remembered what Will Solace had told him: No one should go in the woods alone, definitely not unarmed. Leo had nothing—no sword, no flashlight, no help.

He glanced back at the lights of the cabins. He could turn around now and tell everyone he’d been joking. But then he remembered the sleeping woman.

They cannot stop me from breaking your spirit , she’d said. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose me .

“Believe me, lady,” Leo muttered, “I remember. And whoever you are, I’m gonna face-plant you hard, Leo-style.” He took a deep breath and plunged into the forest.

The woods were dark, and Leo could barely see. Still, he waited until he was sure no one back at the cabins could possibly see him. Then he summoned fire.

Flames danced along his fingertips, casting enough light to see. He hadn’t tried to keep a sustained burn going since he was five, at that picnic table. Since his mom’s death, he’d been too afraid to try anything. Even this tiny fire made him feel guilty.

He kept walking, looking for dragon-type clues—giant footprints, trampled trees, swaths of burning forest. Something that big couldn’t exactly sneak around, right? Then again, Camp Half-Blood was using it as part of the defense system, so maybe it did have that ability.

But he didn’t see anything. Once he glimpsed a large, furry shape like a wolf or a bear, but it stayed away from his fire, which was fine by Leo.

The longer he walked, the more Leo thought that this was just the sort of task Tía Callida would have made his six year old self do.

A total psycho, that lady. Leo was so glad he was on a quest to rescue her.

Finally, Leo crossed a stream and came to a dead end at a limestone cliff a hundred feet tall. He sighed. “Great.”

He was definitely lost and there was still no sign of the dragon. Was he even still inside the camp borders?

Leo slumped down on the ground with his back against the cliff. Immediately, he jumped up. It was like someone had lit a match between his back and the cliff face.

Lines of fire spread across the cliff like ignited gunpowder, sizzling across the limestone. The burning lines raced across the cliff face until they had outlined a glowing red door five times as tall as Leo. He backed up and the door swung open, disturbingly silently for such a big slab of rock.

“Perfectly balanced,” he muttered. “That’s some first-rate engineering.”

Leo stepped through, and the door began to close. He had a moment of panic, remembering that night in the machine shop long ago, when he’d been locked in. What if he got stuck in here? But then lights flickered on—a combination of electric fluorescents and wall-mounted torches. When Leo saw the cavern, he forgot about leaving.

“What is this place?” he muttered.

The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless work tables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment was everywhere—hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air-spades, forklifts, plus something that looked suspiciously like a nuclear reaction chamber. Bulletin boards were covered with tattered, faded blueprints. And weapons, armor, shields—war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partially finished.

Hanging from chains was an old tattered banner almost too faded to read. The letters were Greek, but Leo somehow knew what they said: Bunker 9 .

Did that mean nine as in the Hephaestus cabin, or nine as in there were eight others?

“Does anyone else know…?” Leo’s question died as he asked it.

Clearly, this place had been abandoned for decades. Cobwebs and dust covered everything. The floor revealed no footprints except for his. He was the first one in this bunker since… since a long time ago. Bunker 9 had been abandoned with a lot of projects half finished on the tables. Locked up and forgotten, but why?

Leo looked at a map on the wall—a battle map of camp, but the paper was as cracked and yellow as onion skin. A date at the bottom read, 1864 .

“No way,” he muttered.

Then he spotted a blueprint on a nearby bulletin board, and his heart almost leaped out of his throat. He ran to the worktable and stared up at a white-line drawing almost faded beyond recognition: a Greek ship from several different angles. Faintly scrawled words underneath it read: prophecy? unclear. flight?

It was the ship he’d seen in his dreams—the flying ship. Someone had tried to build it here, or at least sketched out the idea. Then it was left, forgotten… a prophecy yet to come. And weirdest of all, the ship’s masthead was exactly like the one Leo had drawn when he was five—the head of a dragon.

The masthead gave him an uneasy feeling, but Leo’s mind spun with too many other questions to think about it for long. He touched the blueprint, hoping he could take it down to study, but the paper crackled at his touch, so he left it alone. He looked around for other clues. No boats. No pieces that looked like parts of this project, but there were so many doors and storerooms to explore.

Then he heard the sound.

It was more of a tremor—the deep sort of rumbling you hear in your gut rather than your ears. It gave him the jitters, but he didn’t look around for the source. Now when he was stuck inside a workshop like this.

Then he heard a grinding snort, like steam forced out of a metal barrel.

His neck tingled. He turned slowly.

The doors—the stupid silent doors—had opened to let a huge, gleaming dragon peek it’s face in. Leo couldn’t believe that something that huge had managed to sneak up on him. The dragon was about sixty feet long, snout to tail, its body made of interlocking bronze plates. Its claws were the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger-sharp metal teeth. Steam came out of its nostrils. It was one of the most beautiful things Leo had ever seen, except for the one problem that completely ruined Leo’s plan.

“You don’t have wings,” Leo said.

The dragon tilted his head. If it was possible for mechanical dragons to look offended, the dragon definitely looked offended.

“Hey, no offense,” Leo said. “You’re amazing! Good god, who made you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear-powered or what? But if it was me, I would’ve put wings on you. What kind of dragon doesn’t have wings? I guess maybe you’re too heavy to fly? I should’ve thought of that.”

The dragon snorted, looking more confused than offended now. It stared at Leo intently like it was trying to tell him something.

“You need a name,” Leo decided. “I guess Beckendorf and the others haven’t gotten around to that yet. I’m calling you Festus.”

The dragon whirred its teeth and grinned. At least Leo hoped it was a grin.

“Cool,” Leo said. “But we still have a problem, because you don’t have wings.”

Festus tilted his head and snorted steam. He marched inside Bunker 9 as if he were coming home. The dragon stomped to the center of the room, leaving tracks in the thick dust, and curled up on a large circular platform underneath the Bunker 9 banner. It occured to Leo that the dragon looked so content because it was home. It had probably been built on that pad.

Leo glanced back at the blueprint of the ship. The dragon head masthead looked exactly like…

“Festus,” Leo said. “This looks just like you. That’s creepy.”

Festus snorted and nudged something toward Leo—a leather tool belt that had been left next to his construction pad. Then the dragon switched on his glowing red eye beams and turned them toward the ceiling. Leo looked up to where the spotlights were pointing, and yelped when he recognized the shapes hanging above them in the darkness.

“Festus,” he said in a small voice. “We’ve got work to do.”

Chapter Text

CHIRON ASKED HER TO STAY BEHIND after the campfire.

Annabeth was expecting it. It was painfully obvious to anyone who had an inkling of an idea of what was to come that she knew more than the rest of them. Maybe that scared Chiron, or maybe he just wanted to know what she knew. Either way, the centaur wasn’t going to get an answer he liked.

It was hardly something she could even tell Chiron. Annabeth just imagined how that conversation would go.

Hey Chiron, I know about the Romans because, guess what? I’m actually a time traveler, oh, and so are Percy, Will, Nico, Magnus, and Alex. Yes, coincidentally, we just defeated Kronos, who is the lord of time, last summer, but I can assure you this has nothing to do with him.

And, yeah, we know what’s going on with Percy disappearing and Jason appearing, but we can’t tell you anything, you just have to trust us and let us figure everything out.

Oh, did I mention that the prophecy of seven changed from the original timeline? Yeah, that part about Rome’s wings wasn’t in the original, but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

The Doors of Death? Of course I know what those are. Percy and I had to fight our way through Tartarus to close those bad boys. How will we close them this time? I don’t know, but just leave it to us to figure it out. I’m sure we can think of something.

Yeah. That would go over real well.

“You have an idea of what is going to happen?” Chiron asked when they got to the Big House.

Annabeth sat down and nodded. “The giants’ revenge. History repeats itself. After the Titanomachy was the Gigantomachy.”

Chiron was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. “Do not speak of this to anyone until we are absolutely sure. Jason’s arrival, Percy’s disappearance… I fear what this might mean.”

“What do you mean?”

Annabeth didn’t expect an elaboration, and she wasn’t disappointed. Chiron offered up no other information about what he feared. She already knew what he meant, but it would have been strange if she hadn’t asked.

“Chiron, what do you mean? What do you know that you aren’t telling me?” she asked again.

The centaur still didn’t say anything. Normally, this would have been frustrating to Annabeth for the sheer fact of Chiron not telling her anything. Now, it was just annoying because Annabeth did know what was going on and gods of Olympus, Chiron should know that so he could talk to her.

It was time for a different strategy.

“You asked about Magnus and Alex earlier,” Annabeth said. “I know you know they’re not Greek and I know you know I know they’re not Greek. You asked if I knew if they knew Jason, and I said they probably didn’t. I can’t help but get the feeling you might have been trying to tell me that Jason isn’t Greek either.”

Chiron said nothing.

Annabeth gritted her teeth. “Jason and I talked to Clovis. Apparently he sometimes sees the gods in his dreams. He told us some stuff. After Greece was Rome and the gods were given different names and personalities. Clovis said their Roman personalities are still very much a part of them. Jason likes to use the Roman names.”

Finally, Chiron spoke. “I swore to never speak of this, Annabeth. I cannot tell you anything you don’t already know. When your cousin arrived at Camp two years ago, I knew something about him was different. The prophecy Percy was given hinted at a sword and my fears were strengthened. Then your group returned with another new face, Alex, and I knew she was just like Magnus. Neither of them belonged here. I feared what would happen if they stayed. But then they were both adopted into the camp and I could relax a bit.” He smiled a bit at that, and Annabeth knew that Magnus and Alex had grown on the old centaur.

Then his smile faded. “And then Alex told me that she had been contacted by her mother. I feared a cross pantheon conflict despite knowing that if Alex remained at Camp, such contacts through dreams would be few and far between. I admit, I was relieved when they decided to leave last September.” He shook his head. “I perhaps celebrated an easy few years too early. I believed that with them returned back to Boston, there would be no intermixing and no conflicts.”

“So Jason is from another pantheon,” Annabeth said.

Chiron gave her a disapproving look. “Get some sleep, Annabeth. We must continue our search for Percy tomorrow.”

Annabeth recognized the dismissal. She stood up and stalked out of the Big House.

“Stupid centaur,” she muttered darkly as she made her way back to the Athena cabin.

When she got there, her siblings turned around to look.

“What was that about?” Malcolm asked.

“And why do you look so mad?” Sophia added.

Annabeth flopped back onto her bed. “None of your business,” she snapped.

“Don’t snap at them just because you’re mad,” Marisa said sternly. “I know you miss Percy, and that has you on edge, but we all miss him too. It’s not fair to jump down our throats.”

“I know,” Annabeth sighed, rolling over to face her siblings. “I’m sorry. I just wish Chiron would tell me what’s going on.”

“What is going on?” Sophia asked.

“Couldn’t tell you if I knew,” Annabeth answered truthfully.

Chapter Text

JASON DREAMED OF WOLVES.

He stood in a clearing in the middle of a redwood forest. In front of him rose the ruins of a stone mansion. Low gray clouds blended with the ground fog, and cold rain hung in the air. A pack of large gray beasts milled around him, brushing against his legs, snarling and baring their teeth. They gently nudged him toward the ruins. Jason had no desire to become the world’s largest dog biscuit, so he decided to do what they wanted.

The ground squelched under his boots as he walked. Stone spires of chimneys, no longer attached to anything, rose up like totem poles. The house must’ve been enormous once, multi-storied with massive log walls and a soaring gabled roof, but now nothing remained but its stone skeleton. Jason passed under a crumbling doorway and found himself in a kind of courtyard.

Before him was a drained reflecting pool, long and rectangular. Jason couldn’t tell how deep it was, because the bottom was filled with mist. A dirt path led all the way around, and the house’s uneven walls rose on either side. Wolves paced under the archways of rough red volcanic stone.

At the far end of the pool sat a giant she-wolf, several feet taller than Jason. Her eyes glowed silver in the fog, and her coat was the same color as the rocks—warm chocolaty red.

“I know this place,” Jason said.

The wolf regarded him. She didn’t exactly speak, but Jason could understand her. The movements of her ears and whiskers, the flash of her eyes, the way she curled her lips—all of these were part of her language.

Of course, the she-wolf said. You began your journey here as a pup. Now you must find your way back. A new quest, a new start.

“That isn’t fair,” Jason said. But as soon as he spoke, he knew there was no point complaining to the she-wolf.

Wolves didn’t feel sympathy. They never expected fairness.

The wolf said: Conquer or die. This is always our way.

Jason wanted to protest that he couldn’t conquer if he didn’t know who he was, or where he was supposed to go. But he knew this wolf. Her name was simply Lupa, the Mother Wolf, the greatest of her kind. Long ago she’d found him in this place, protected him, nurtured him, chosen him, but if Jason showed weakness, she would tear him to shreds. Rather than being her pup, he would become her dinner. In the wolf pack, weakness was not an option.

“Can you guide me?” Jason asked.

Lupa made a rumbling noise deep in her throat, and the mist in the pool dissolved.

At first Jason wasn’t sure what he was seeing. At opposite ends of the pool, two dark spires had erupted from the cement floor like the drill bits of some massive tunneling machines boring through the surface. Jason couldn’t tell if the spires were made of rock or petrified vines, but they were formed of thick tendrils that came together in a point at the top. Each spire was about five feet tall, but they weren’t identical. The one closest to Jason was darker and seemed like a solid mass, its tendrils fused together. As he watched, it pushed a little farther out of the earth and expanded a little wider.

On Lupa’s end of the pool, the second spire’s tendrils were more open, like the bars of a cage. Inside, Jason could vaguely see a misty figure struggling, shifting within its confines.

“Hera,” Jason said.

The she-wolf growled in agreement. The other wolves circled the pool, their fur standing up on their backs as they snarled at the spires.

The enemy has chosen this place to awaken her most powerful son, the giant king, Lupa said. Our sacred place, where demigods are claimed—the place of death or life. The burned house. The house of the wolf. It is an abomination. You must stop her.

“Her?” Jason was confused. “You mean, Hera?”

The she-wolf gnashed her teeth impatiently. Use your senses, pup. I care nothing for Juno, but if she falls, our enemy wakes. And that will be the end for all of us. You know this place. You can find it again. Cleanse our house. Stop this before it is too late.

The dark spire grew slowly larger, like the bulb of some horrible flower. Jason sensed that if it ever opened, it would release something he did not want to meet.

“Who am I?” Jason asked the she-wolf. “At least tell me that.”

Wolves don’t have much of a sense of humor, but Jason could tell the question amused Lupa, as if Jason were a cub just trying out his claws, practicing to be the alpha male.

You are our saving grace, as always. The she-wolf curled her lip, as if she had just made a clever joke. Do not fail, son of Jupiter.

Jason woke to the sound of thunder. Then he remembered where he was. It was always thundering in Cabin One.

Above his cot, the domed ceiling was decorated with a blue-and-white mosaic like a cloudy sky. The cloud tiles shifted across the ceiling, changing from white to black. Thunder rumbled through the room, and gold tiles flashed like veins of lightning.

Except for the cot that the other campers had brought him, the cabin had no regular furniture—no chairs, tables, or dressers. As far as Jason could tell, it didn’t even have a bathroom. The walls were carved with alcoves, each holding a bronze brazier or a golden eagle statue on a marble pedestal. In the center of the room, a twenty-foot-tall, full-color statue of Zeus in classic Greek robes stood with a shield at his side and a lightning bolt raised, ready to smite somebody.

Jason studied the statue, looking for anything he had in common with the Lord of the Sky. Black hair? Nope. Grumbly expression? Well, maybe. Beard? No thanks. In his robes and sandals, Zeus looked like a really buff, really angry hippie.

Yeah, Cabin One. A big honor, the other campers had told him. Sure, if you liked sleeping in a cold temple by yourself with Hippie Zeus frowning down at you all night.

Jason got up and rubbed his neck. His whole body was stiff from bad sleep and summoning lightning. That little trick last night hadn’t been as easy as he had let on. It had almost made him pass out.

Next to the cot, new clothes were laid out for him: jeans, sneakers, and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. He definitely needed a change of clothes, but looking down at his tattered purple shirt, he was reluctant to change. It felt wrong somehow, putting on the camp shirt. He still couldn’t believe he belonged here, despite everything they’d told him.

He thought about his dream, hoping more memories would come back to him about Lupa, or that ruined house in the redwoods. He knew he’d been there before. The wolf was real. But his head ached when he tried to remember. The marks on his forearm seemed to burn.

If he could find those ruins, he could find his past. Whatever was growing inside that rock spire, Jason had to stop it.

He looked at Hippie Zeus. “You’re welcome to help.”

The statue said nothing.

“Thanks, Pops,” Jason muttered.

He changed clothes and checked his reflection in Zeus’s shield. His face looked watery and strange in the metal, like he was dissolving in a pool of gold. Definitely he didn’t look as good as Piper had last night after she’d suddenly been transformed.

Jason still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It wasn’t like there’d been anything wrong with her before. Sure, she looked great after Aphrodite zapped her, but she also didn’t look like herself, not comfortable with the attention.

Jason had felt bad for her. Maybe that was crazy, considering she’d just been claimed by a goddess and turned into the most gorgeous girl at camp. Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously she should be the one who went on the quest—but that attention had nothing to do with who she was. Clothing blessed by a goddess, new makeup, glowing pink aura, and boom: suddenly people liked her. Jason felt like he understood that.

Last night when he’d called down lightning, the other campers’ reactions had seemed familiar to him. He was pretty sure he’d been dealing with that for a long time—people looking at him in awe just because he was the son of Zeus, treating him special, but it didn’t have anything to do with him. Nobody cared about him, just his big scary daddy standing behind him with the doomsday bolt, as if to say, Respect this kid or eat voltage!

After the campfire, when people started heading back to their cabins, Jason had gone up to Piper and formally asked her to come with him on the quest. She’d still been in a state of shock, but she nodded. She managed a smile. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he restrained himself. He didn’t want her to think he was as shallow as everyone else—trying to make a move on her because she’d turned all beautiful.

He was glad Piper was going with him on the quest. Jason had tried to act brave at the campfire, but it was just that—an act. The idea of going up against an evil force powerful enough to kidnap Hera scared him witless, especially since he didn’t even know his own past. He’d need help, and it felt right: Piper should be with him. But things were already complicated without figuring out how much he liked her, and why. He’d already messed with her head enough.

He slipped on his new shoes, ready to get out of that cold, empty cabin. Then he spotted something he hadn’t noticed the night before. A brazier had been moved out of one of the alcoves to create a sleeping niche, with a bedroll, a backpack, even some pictures taped to the wall.

Jason walked over. Whoever had slept there, it had been a long time ago. The bedroll smelled musty. The backpack was covered with a thin film of dust. Some of the photos once taped to the wall had lost their stickiness and fallen to the floor.

One picture showed Annabeth—much younger, maybe eight, but Jason could tell it was she: same blond hair and gray eyes, same distracted look like she was thinking a million things at once. She stood next to a sandy-haired guy about fourteen or fifteen, with a mischievous smile and ragged leather armor over a T-shirt. He was pointing to an alley behind them, like he was telling the photographer, Let’s go meet things in a dark alley and kill them! A second photo showed Annabeth and the same guy sitting at a campfire, laughing hysterically.

Finally Jason picked up one of the photos that had fallen. It was a strip of pictures like you’d take in a do-it-yourself photo booth: Annabeth and the sandy-haired guy, but with another girl between them. She was maybe fifteen, with black hair—choppy like Piper’s—a black leather jacket, and silver jewelry, so she looked kind of goth; but she was caught mid-laugh, and it was clear she was with her two best friends.

“That’s Thalia,” someone said.

Jason turned.

Annabeth was peering over his shoulder. Her expression was sad, like the picture brought back hard memories. “She’s the other child of Zeus who lived here—but not for long. Sorry, I should’ve knocked.”

“It’s fine,” Jason said. “Not like I think of this place as home.” He gave her a wry look. “Don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about coming with us?”

Annabeth’s lips twitched. “Sorry. You’ve got a good team already though.”

Jason was a little disappointed. He would’ve appreciated having somebody on the trip who knew what they were doing, so he wouldn’t feel like he was leading Piper and Leo off a cliff.

“Hey,” Annabeth said sternly. “You’ll do fine.” There was something about the way she said that that told Jason she wasn’t just saying it for his benefit. It was like she actually knew how the quest would turn out.

“Something tells me this isn’t your first quest,” she added. Definitely smiling this time.

Despite what Annabeth said and how she said it, it didn’t help. Everyone seemed to think he was so brave and confident, but they didn’t see how lost he really felt. How could they trust him when he didn’t even know who he was?

He looked at the pictures of Annabeth smiling. He wondered how long it had been since she’d smiled. She must really like this Percy guy to be dedicating all her time to organizing search parties and looking for him, and that made Jason a little envious. Was anyone searching for him right now? What if somebody cared for him that much and was going out of her mind with worry, and he couldn’t even remember his old life?

“You know who I am,” he guessed. “Don’t you?”

Annabeth faltered slightly. “Jason… look. For one reason or another, Camp Half-Blood never found you, but you survived anyway.”

That wasn’t a straight answer, but it was clear that was all Annabeth would say on the matter.

“I, um… had a weird dream last night,” he said, changing the subject. It seemed like a stupid thing to confide, but Annabeth didn’t look surprised.

“Happens all the time to demigods,” she said, looking relieved at the new topic. “What did you see?”

He told her about the wolves and the ruined house and the two rock spires. As he talked, Annabeth started pacing, looking more and more agitated.

“Lupa said the enemy was a ‘her’,” Jason tried. “I thought maybe it was Hera, but—”

“I wouldn’t trust Hera, but she’s not the enemy. And that thing rising out of the earth—” Annabeth’s expression darkened. “You’ve got to stop it.”

“You know what it is, don’t you?” he asked. “Or at least, you’ve got a guess. I saw your face last night at the campfire. You looked at Chiron like you knew what it was, but you didn’t want to scare us.”

Annabeth hesitated. “Jason, the thing about prophecies… the more you know, the more you try to change them, and that can be… that can be disastrous. Believe me. It’ll mess with your head and you’ll try everything in your power to change it even if you know it’s hopeless.”

Jason wondered what she had tried to change.

“Chiron believes it’s better that you find your own path,” she continued, “find out things in your own time. If he’d told me everything he knew before my first quest with Percy… I’ve got to admit, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to go through with it. For your quest, it’s even more important.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Not if you succeed. At least… I hope not.”

“But I don’t even know where to start. Where am I supposed to go?”

“Follow the monsters,” Annabeth suggested.

Jason thought about that. The storm spirit who’d attacked him at the Grand Canyon had said he was being recalled to his boss. If Jason could track the storm spirits, he might be able to find the person controlling them. And maybe that would lead him to Hera’s prison.

“Okay,” he said. “How do I find storm winds?”

“Personally, I’d ask a wind god,” Annabeth said. “Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he’s a little… unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I’d try one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind.”

“So if I looked him up on Google maps—”

“Oh, he’s not hard to find,” Annabeth promised. “He settled in North America like all the other gods. So of course he picked the oldest northern settlement, about as far north as you can go.”

“Maine?” Jason guessed.

“Farther.”

Jason tried to envision a map. What was farther north than Maine? The oldest northern settlement…

“Canada,” he decided. “Quebec.”

Annabeth smiled. “I hope you speak French.”

Jason actually felt a spark of excitement. Quebec—at least now he had a goal. Find the North Wind, track down the storm spirits, find out who they worked for and where that ruined house was. Free Hera. All in four days. Cake.

“Thanks, Annabeth.” He looked at the photo booth pictures still in his hand. “So, um… you said it was dangerous being a child of Zeus. What ever happened to Thalia?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Annabeth said. “She became a Hunter of Artemis—one of the handmaidens of the goddess. They roam around the country killing monsters. We don’t see them at camp very often.”

Jason glanced over at the huge statue of Zeus. He understood why Thalia had slept in this alcove. It was the only place in the cabin not in Hippie Zeus’s line of sight. And even that hadn’t been enough. She’d chosen to follow Artemis and be part of a group rather than stay in this cold drafty temple alone with her twenty-foot-tall dad— Jason’s dad —glowering down at her. Jason didn’t have any trouble understanding Thalia’s feelings. He wondered if there was a Hunters group for guys.

“Who’s the other kid in the photo?” he asked. “The sandy-haired guy.”

Annabeth’s expression tightened. Touchy subject. “That’s Luke,” she said. “He’s dead now.”

Jason decided it was best not to ask more, but the way Annabeth said Luke’s name, he wondered if maybe this was the thing she’d tried to change.

He focused again on Thalia’s face. He kept thinking this photo of her was important. He was missing something. Jason felt a strange sense of connection to this other child of Zeus—someone who might understand his confusion, maybe even answer some questions. But another voice inside him, an insistent whisper, said: Dangerous. Stay away.

“How old is she now?” he asked.

“Hard to say. She was a tree for a while. Now she’s immortal.”

“What?”

His expression must’ve been pretty good, because Annabeth laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s not something all children of Zeus go through. It’s a long story, but… well, she was out of commission for a long time. If she’d aged regularly, she’d be in her twenties now, but she still looks the same as in that picture, like she’s about… well, about your age. Fifteen or sixteen?”

Something the she-wolf had said in his dream nagged at Jason. He found himself asking, “What’s her last name?”

Annabeth hesitated. She seemed to be doing that a lot. “Grace. Thalia Grace.”

Jason’s fingers went numb. The picture fluttered to the floor.

“You okay?” Annabeth asked.

A shred of memory had ignited—maybe a tiny piece that Hera had forgotten to steal. Or maybe she’d left it there on purpose—just enough for him to remember that name, and know that digging up his past was terribly, terribly dangerous.

You should be dead, Chiron had said. It wasn’t a comment about Jason beating the odds as a loner. Chiron knew something specific—something about Jason’s family.

The she-wolf’s words in his dream finally made sense to him, her clever joke at his expense. He could imagine Lupa growling a wolfish laugh.

“What is it?” Annabeth pressed.

Jason couldn’t keep this to himself. It would kill him, and he had to get Annabeth’s help. If she knew Thalia, maybe she could advise him.

“You have to swear not to tell anyone else,” he said.

“Jason—”

“Swear it,” he urged. “Until I figure out what’s going on, what this all means—” He rubbed the burned tattoos on his forearm. “You have to keep a secret.”

Annabeth hesitated again. “All right,” she finally agreed. “Until you tell me it’s okay, I won’t share what you say with anyone else. I swear on the River Styx.”

Thunder rumbled, even louder than usual for the cabin.

You are our saving Grace, the wolf had snarled.

Jason picked up the photo from the floor. “My last name is Grace,” he said. “This is my sister.” As soon as he spoke the words, he knew they were true.

Annabeth didn’t react the way Jason thought she would. She didn’t immediately protest his claim, nor did she gasp in shock. Any of the emotions she should have gone through—dismay, disbelief, anger—all were not present on her face. She didn’t think he was lying or that his claim was impossible. She just stood in silence, staring at the picture in Jason’s hands.

Whatever Annabeth might have said next, he didn’t know because just then, the doors of the cabin burst open. Half a dozen campers spilled in, led by the guy with the eyepatch, Ethan Nakamura.

“Annabeth!” Ethan called. “You need to see this!”

“What, Ethan?” Annabeth asked, turning around.

Ethan looked almost awed and worried at the same time. “It’s Leo. And the dragon.”

Chapter Text

PIPER WOKE UP AND IMMEDIATELY GRABBED a mirror. There were plenty of those in the Aphrodite cabin. She sat on her bunk, looked at her reflection and groaned.

She was still gorgeous.

Last night after the campfire, she’d tried everything. She messed up her hair, washed the makeup off her face, cried to make her eyes red. Nothing worked. Her hair popped back to perfection. The magic makeup reapplied itself. Her eyes refused to get puffy or bloodshot.

Silena offered her some sweatpants and a Camp Half-Blood sweatshirt, but even that was very fashionable.

Now, after a horrible night’s sleep, still no change. Piper normally looked like a zombie in the morning, but her hair was styled like a supermodel’s and her skin was perfect. Even that horrible zit at the base of her nose, which she’d had for so many days she’d started to call it Bob, had disappeared.

She growled in frustration and raked her fingers through her hair. No use. The do just popped back into place. She looked like Cherokee Barbie.

From across the cabin, Drew called, “Oh, honey, it won’t go away.” Her voice dripped with false sympathy. “Mom’s blessing will last at least another day. Maybe a week if you're lucky.”

Piper gritted her teeth. “A week?”

Silena sighed. “Drew, please. Piper, it’s not that bad. Honestly, Mom’s blessing doesn’t do more than enhance your natural beauty. Smooth your skin, highlight your eyes, that sort of thing.” She gave Piper a sympathetic look. “And since you’re going on a quest, you might be grateful for some of that. Quests can get dirty and you probably won’t get to stop for a shower break.”

That was a fair point. Piper hadn’t actually thought about that. Okay, so maybe she was willing to admit that the so-called blessing wasn’t so bad after all. And she did have to admit that she looked quite pretty…

“Fifteen minutes until breakfast,” Silena announced. “Last minute cleanups before breakfast.”

Everybody started rushing around, making beds and folding clothes. Hair dryers drowned out any noise as a few girls blow dried their hair. A few kids scrambled to put the finishing touches on their makeup before throwing their cosmetics into their bags and returning to make their beds.

Piper didn’t see why the cabin needed much cleaning. It was a life-size dollhouse, with pink walls and white window trim. The lace curtains were pastel blue and green, which of course matched the sheets and feather comforters on all the beds.

The guys had one row of bunks separated by a curtain, but their section of the cabin was just as neat and orderly as the girls’. Something was definitely unnatural about that. Every camper had a wooden camp chest at the foot of their bunk with their name painted on it, and Piper guessed that the clothes in each chest were neatly folded and color coordinated. The only bit of individualism was how the campers decorated their private bunk spaces. Each had slightly different pictures tacked up of whatever celebrities they thought were hot. A few had personal photos, too, but most were actors or singers or whatever.

Piper hoped she might not see The Poster. It had been almost a year since the movie, and she thought by now surely everyone had torn down those old tattered advertisements and tacked up something newer. But no such luck. She spotted one on the wall by the storage closet, in the middle of a collage of famous heartthrobs.

The title was lurid red: King of Sparta. Under that, the poster showed the leading man—a three-quarters shot of bare-chested bronze flesh, with ripped pectorals and six-pack abs. He was clad in only a Greek war kilt and a purple cape, sword in hand. He looked like he’d just been rubbed in oil, his short black hair gleaming and rivulets of sweat pouring off his rugged face, those dark sad eyes facing the camera as if to say, I will kill your men and steal your women! Ha-ha!

It was the most ridiculous poster of all time. Piper and her dad had had a good laugh over it the first time they saw it. Then the movie made a bajillion dollars. The poster graphic popped up everywhere. Piper couldn’t get away from it at school, walking down the street, even online. It became The Poster, the most embarrassing thing in her life. And yeah, it was a picture of her dad.

She turned away so no one would think she was staring at it. Maybe when everyone went to breakfast she could tear it down and they wouldn’t notice.

She tried to look busy, but she didn't have any extra clothes to fold. She straightened her bed, but that was pretty much all she could do.

“Hey,” one of the boys said to Piper. “For what it’s worth, welcome to Cabin Ten. I’m Mitchell.”

“Piper.”

Mitchell grinned. “Yeah. I know. Lacy!” he called.

A girl with blond pigtails and braces raced up with a pile of clothes in her arms.

“Here,” she said. “We got you these.”

“Piper, meet Lacy,” Mitchell said.

“Hi,” Lacy said. “This is just, you know, a backpack, some rations, ambrosia and nectar for emergencies. Good luck on your quest!” Lacy dumped the things on the bed.

Piper picked up the bag and shot Lacy a small smile. “Thank you.”

Lacy shrugged. “It’s tradition to send your sibling off with some supplies.”

“It’s great,” Piper said. “Really. Thank you.”

Silena came over. “Piper! Listen, before you go on the quest, just remember that your voice is going to be one of your most powerful weapons. You can charmspeak. I wish I could train you, but from what you’ve told me, you’re already pretty powerful without knowing you were doing it. Just focus on what you say and you can get your enemies to do almost anything.”

Piper nodded. “Got it.”

“You would know,” Drew muttered.

Silena barely flinched, but Piper could see how much the words hurt her.

“Why can’t you just let whatever issue you have with Silena go?” Piper exclaimed.

Drew raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her. “You don’t know?” She snorted. “Of course not. Silena was your tour guide. Did she mention her part in the Titan War last summer?”

“Actually, yes,” Piper said coldly. “Funny, but she never mentioned yours . What did you do exactly? Cower behind a mirror?”

Drew’s eyes flashed. “I risked my life fighting in Manhattan while a traitor was the one giving me orders! Silena’s secret would have been buried by the head counselors if someone didn’t do something. Everyone else can pretend Silena was a hero in the end, but I certainly won’t. I’m not going to blindly follow a traitor ever again!”

Piper really hated that Drew had a logical argument for disliking Silena. Drew felt betrayed and angry that she had unknowingly followed the orders of a traitor because no one wanted to tell anyone what Silena had done.

But still. Silena had obviously regretted it and had tried to be better. The rest of the Aphrodite kids could see that, so why couldn’t Drew?

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge people based on their past mistakes,” Piper said.

“You’re one to talk,” Drew said. “You’ve already made assumptions about us based on our mother. Self absorbed maybe? Vain? Arrogant? Likes to gossip? Am I getting close?”

Piper’s face flooded with warmth. “I… I did not…”

Drew looked triumphant. “I don’t even understand how it’s possible Aphrodite could have a child like you, but… who was your father? Was he some sort of mutant, or—”

“Tristan McLean,” Piper snapped.

As soon as she said it, she hated herself. She never, ever played the ‘famous dad’ card. But Drew had driven her over the edge.

“My dad’s Tristan McLean.”

The stunned silence was gratifying for a few seconds, but Piper felt ashamed of herself. Everybody turned and looked at The Poster, her dad flexing his muscles for the whole world to see.

“Oh my god!” half the girls screamed at once.

“Sweet!” a guy said. “The dude with the sword who killed that other dude in that movie?”

“He is so hot for an old guy,” a girl said, and then she blushed. “I mean I‘m sorry. I know he’s your dad. That's so weird!”

“It’s weird, all right,” Piper agreed.

“Do you think you could get me his autograph?” another girl asked.

Piper forced a smile. She couldn’t say, If my dad survives… “Yeah, no problem,” she managed.

The girl squealed in excitement, and more kids surged forward, asking a dozen questions at once.

“Have you ever been on the set?”

“Do you live in a mansion?”

“Do you have lunch with movie stars?”

“Have you had your rite of passage?”

That one caught Piper off guard. “Rite of what?” she asked.

The girls and guys giggled and shoved each other around like this was an embarrassing topic.

“Don’t listen to them,” Silena rolled her eyes. “It’s completely―”

“The rite of passage for an Aphrodite child,” one explained, cutting off Silena. “You get someone to fall in love with you. Then you break their heart. Dump them. Once you do that, you've proven yourself worthy of Aphrodite.”

Piper stared at the crowd to see if they were joking. “Break someone's heart on purpose? That’s terrible!”

The others looked confused.

“Why?” a guy asked.

“Oh my god!” a girl said. “I bet Aphrodite broke your dad’s heart! I bet he never loved anyone again, did he? That’s so romantic! When you have your rite of passage, you can be just like Mom!”

“Forget it!” Piper yelled, a little louder than she'd intended. The other kids backed away. “I’m not breaking somebody’s heart just for a stupid rite of passage!”

Silena looked proud as Piper said that. “That’s what I said. Of course, I can’t stop anyone if they want to do that, but it’s not required anymore. Anyway, Piper, you should get ready for your quest. You’ll probably be leaving soon.”

Mitchell and Lacy helped Piper pack. She strapped her dagger, Katoptris, to her belt.

As soon as Silena saw Piper was ready, she smiled and said, “Off to breakfast.”

Piper shouldered her bag and followed Mitchell and Lacy out of the cabin. It was then that the giant dragon swooped down from the sky.

Unlike the other campers that were out, Piper didn’t immediately reach for her weapon. Maybe it was something that would come later with training, or maybe she just knew there wasn’t any danger. She peered up at the dragon curiously.

“Leo?” she yelled.

Sure enough, there he was, sitting atop the giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic. Even before he landed, the camp alarm went up. A conch horn blew. All the satyrs started screaming, “Don't kill me!”

Half the camp ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, “It’s cool! Don’t shoot!”

Hesitantly, the archers lowered their bows. The warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Now that they were given a chance to comprehend the situation, the other demigods seemed to relax. For what reason, Piper didn’t know, but the campers seemed to trust the dragon.

The dragon was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture —different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.

“It’s beautiful,” Piper muttered.

The dragon reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky. Campers scrambled backwards, so maybe they didn’t completely trust the dragon.

Leo calmly slid off the dragon’s back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.

“People of Earth, I come in peace!” he shouted. His hands were grease-stained, and he wore a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills. But he looked absolutely delighted. “Festus is just saying hello!”

“Did you go looking for the dragon last night?” Beckendorf demanded.

Leo shot him a sheepish look. “Kind of. It’s a long story.”

“What―Leo?”

Jason pushed through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and the girl from Hephaestus, Nyssa. He gazed up at the dragon and shook his head in amazement. “Leo, what have you done?”

“Found a ride!” Leo beamed. “You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!”

“It—has wings,” Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.

“Yeah!” Leo said. “I found them and reattached them.”

“But it never had wings. Where did you find them?”

Leo hesitated, and Piper could tell he was hiding something.

“In… the woods,” he said. “Now, am I on this quest, or what?”

Jason scratched his head. “You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, festus means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?”

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.

“That's a yes, bro!” Leo said. “Now, um, I’d really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous.”

Jason frowned. “But we haven’t planned anything yet. We can’t just—”

“Go,” Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn’t look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. “Jason, you’ve only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!”

Jason nodded. Then he smiled at Piper. “You ready, partner?”

Piper looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could’ve shredded her to pieces.

“You bet,” she said.

Chapter Text

IT TOOK ALL SHE HAD NOT to blurt out what was going on at the counselor meeting.

After Jason, Piper, and Leo had left, a head counselor meeting had been called to discuss the prophecy as per tradition. Despite the quest members not being able to attend, there were some counselors that wanted to talk about the prophecy.

Normally, Annabeth would have loved a chance to analyze the prophecy, but in this case, it was just another obstacle to her sanity.

“There’s three days until the solstice,” Annabeth said.

Miranda winced. “Three days to find Hera and free her. Do they even have a plan?”

Annabeth grimaced. “Sort of. They’re going to Quebec to see Boreas to find out what’s going on with the storm spirits. Jason had a vision of where Hera was being held, but he doesn’t remember where the place is.” She looked at Chiron. “He also said something about a she-wolf. He said her name was Lupa.”

“Lupa?” Ethan frowned. “That sounds familiar. I know I’ve heard that name. Someone mentioned it once when…” he faltered. “Uh, just… give me a chance to talk to Allegra and Chris. Between the three of us, we might be able to figure it out.”

“Chiron?” Lou Ellen asked, looking at the centaur. “Any idea who Lupa is?”

Chiron closed his eyes. “I have many ideas. None are good. If this is who I think it is, Hera is playing a dangerous game.”

“What about the giants’ revenge?” Connor asked. “That didn’t sound good.”

“The giants came after the Titans,” Allegra spoke up. “They tried to overthrow the gods.”

Castor nodded. “My father was a demigod during the Gigantomachy. He fought alongside the gods and Heracles.”

Annabeth could practically feel Chiron ordering her not to divulge any more information than absolutely necessary.

“So the giants are going to try again?” Michael asked.

Clarisse snorted. “Let them try. We stopped Kronos, we can stop the giants too.”

Castor rolled his eyes. “A giant can only be killed by a demigod and a god working together. That’s why my dad and Heracles had to help in the war. They were demigods.”

“Then we’re all screwed,” Ethan muttered darkly.

Annabeth frowned at him. “Don’t say that.”

“Whatever,” Allegra said. “The prophecy said something about the Seven. That means they’ll probably find the other four. I mean, Jason and Piper and Leo are three of the Seven aren’t they?”

“Hera put Jason on that field trip with Piper and Leo for a reason,” Annabeth said. “That much I know for sure. I think their quest is only the beginning of what’s to come.”

“Hopefully they’ll meet those other four on this quest,” Clarisse snorted. “Get this new prophecy done and over with.”

Rachel gave her a disapproving look. “You know that’s not how prophecies work. You can’t just get it ‘done and over with’,” she quoted.

“I don’t like the prophecy,” Lou Ellen frowned. “The lines are… well, they’re worrying to say the least. The world falling to storm or fire, oath to keep with a final breath , and these Doors of Death.”

“Non mi piace il suono di quello,” Chiara shuddered. “Must all prophecies involve death?”

“Dark forces are waking,” Chiron said gravely. “I do fear death will be unavoidable.”

“Where’s Nico?” Miranda complained. “Wasn’t he supposed to be looking into that?”

Michael grinned. “Well, according to Will ,” he drawled, causing Silena to snicker at what he was implying, “Nico’s running errands for Hades.”

“Like grocery shopping?” Travis snorted.

Annabeth stifled a laugh at the image of a thirteen year old Nico waiting in line at the grocery store checkout.

“Like hunting down rogue monsters or something,” Michael shrugged. “Plus, he’s looking for Percy and his sister. Hey,” he said as if the idea just dawned on him. “Do you think maybe Bianca’s part of the Seven? I mean, why else would some dead girl just be brought back to life?”

Wrong child of the Underworld , Annabeth thought.

“Unlikely,” Clarisse said. “I think the giants or whatever found a way to bring her back. She’s working with the enemy.”

“Of course you’d say that,” Michael shot. “When he’s not here to hear you say that.”

“Since when are you all chummy chummy with di Angelo?”

“Since I told Will I’d try to get along with Nico. Besides, you weren’t even here when Bianca was here. She wouldn’t work for the enemy.”

“Enough!” Silena said loudly. “I was here when Bianca was here and I agree with Michael. She wouldn’t willingly work for the enemy. But,” she said over Clarisse’s protests, “I do think we should of course consider that it wasn’t a friendly that brought her back.”

“I don’t think Bianca is part of the Seven,” Rachel said. “I’m certain Jason, Piper, and Leo are. And whatever’s going on with Percy… that’s part of all this.”

“So Percy’s the fourth member,” Beckendorf said. He glanced at Annabeth. “I’m guessing that means you’re the fifth?”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “If Percy’s going to save the world, I’m not letting him risk his life alone. Of course I’m going with him.”

“Which leaves two others,” Lou Ellen said. “I wonder who they are.”

“No use wondering about it,” Annabeth said briskly, avoiding Chiron’s gaze. “Not until we find Percy. So far, nothing from Magnus and Alex and nothing from Nico. The Hunters are looking wherever the hunt takes them. They, ah,” she winced, “they don’t know about Bianca. I tried to contact Thalia, but… They’re on the move and it’s hard to reach them. I’ll let you all know if there’s anything else.”

Chapter Text

ALEX DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE. All he knew was that Magnus had done his portal openy thing with Jack and they stumbled out somewhere in Midgard.

At least, he hoped it was Midgard. It wasn’t cold enough to be Nifelheim, but it was nearly that cold. And as nice as it might have been to pretend he and Magnus were shuffling through the frozen land of Nifelheim (especially that kiss under the blanket), Alex really hoped it was not Nifelheim.

“Where the Helheim are we?” he hissed for the millionth time that day.

Magnus shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. It’s just snowy and wooded and… well, what do you want me to say? It’s the middle of December, Alex. Most of the Northern Hemisphere is covered in snow right now.”

“Why would Bianca be anywhere in this stupid, freezing hemisphere?” Alex muttered. “If I was her, I’d probably go to Hawaii or Cancun or the Bahamas. Some place warm and vacationy.”

“I’m trying my best,” Magnus said. “This felt like the right place to be.”

Alex sighed. “I know. It’s just cold and miserable and now I’m cold and miserable.” He crossed his arms. “We should make camp soon. It’s late.”

“Yeah,” Magnus agreed. “I―” he cut off, eyes wided. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Alex asked, straining to hear whatever it was Magnus heard.

For a second, nothing. Then Alex heard it: howls piercing the night.

“Wolves,” Alex said, looking at Magnus.

“We have to get out of here,” Magnus said panicky. “I don’t think I can open another rift yet.” He frowned. “Do you smell something burning?”

Now that he mentioned it, there was a distinct scent of burning gasoline coming from the same direction as the howls.

Magnus groaned and pulled Jack into sword form. “I hate being a hero.”

“Yeah, saving lives sucks,” Alex agreed. “Let’s go.”

When they reached the source of the smell, they were greeted by the sight of a pack of wolves surrounding the entrance to a cave. The wolves were black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent.

There was a man at the front of the pack. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur—wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others. The furs didn’t look cured, and from the smell, they weren’t very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner’s. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves’—and they fixed on the four figures in the cave with absolute hatred.

A blazing inferno was the only thing between the wolves and the four in the cave. But it was quickly dying down.

“―even a weapon that works,” a boy’s voice said.

“Lightning?” a girl asked.

There was a pause, and then the boy answered, “I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something.”

“Unleash the venti!” the girl suggested.

“Then we’ll have nothing to give Aeolus,” the boy protested. “We’ll have come all this way for nothing.”

The man at the head of the wolf pack laughed. “I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me.”

Alex and Magnus exchanged looks. Zeus… that meant whatever they were dealing with was Greek. And if this was a Greek thing, then that meant that Percy or Bianca could be one of the people in the cave.

Alex shifted into the likeness of the wolves and charged at the man. He shifted back as he pulled out his garrote and looped it around the guy’s neck.

“Let them go, Mr. Wolf Guy,” he said firmly. “Let them go and call off your pack or I’ll cut your not-so-pretty head off.”

The man laughed again.

“Silver!” one of the four shouted. “You have to use silver!”

Silver? That almost sounded like killing a werewolf. Alex cursed the Greeks for inventing werewolves.

“Alex!” Magnus shouted from the other side of the wolves wielding Jack like a shield between him and the wolves.

The flames began to sputter out. The boy that had spoken earlier cursed and dropped his sword. Odd move, but Alex could respect hand to hand fighting. Especially since it seemed like only silver weapons would be useful. Another boy pulled a hammer out of nowhere. The girl raised her dagger and the fourth figure―a satyr―hefted his club.

Then a ripping sound cut through the wind—like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf—the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow. Alex seriously wanted an arrow that could do that now.

More arrows. More wolves fell. The pack broke in confusion. The man managed to escape Alex, probably because the aluminum wire just went right through his skin like an illusion since it wasn’t silver. He pushed away just as an arrow flashed towards him. He grabbed the arrow midair. Then he yelled in pain. When he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the man staggered.

“Curse them!” he yelled. He growled at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. The man looked back at the four figures. “This isn’t over, boy.” Then he disappeared into the night.

Seconds later, there were more wolves baying, but these wolves sounded different that the ones that were attacking the people in the cave—less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white wolf burst into the cave, followed by two more.

“Kill it?” the satyr asked.

“No!” the girl said. “Wait.”

The wolves tilted their heads and studied them all with huge golden eyes.

A heartbeat later, their masters appeared: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carried bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs. Their faces were covered with parka hoods, but clearly they were all girls. One, a little taller than the rest, crouched in the firelight and snatched up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon‘s hand.

“So close.” She turned to her companions. “Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you.”

The other hunters mumbled agreement and disappeared, heading after Lycaon‘s pack.

The girl in white turned toward them, her face still hidden in her parka hood. “We’ve been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone alright? No one got bit?” She did a double take. “Magnus? Alex? Is that you?”

Alex grinned. “Hey, Thalia. Long time no see.”

The daughter of Zeus lowered her hood and grinned back. “It’s good to see you two.”

“You haven’t aged a day,” Magnus said.

Thalia snorted. “I should hope not. What are you two doing all the way out here?”

“Where is here exactly?” Magnus asked.

“Pikes Peak, Colorado,” Thalia answered.

“Well, you know, Annabeth sent out the search parties,” Alex shrugged. “Thought we’d do our part.”

Thalia’s smile faded. “Percy. Right.” Shaking herself, she turned to look at the four figures still huddled at the back of the cave. “You guys alright?” she asked.

The boy, the first boy, had blond hair and blue eyes. He was staring at Thalia like he was in shock.

“You’re her,” the only girl in the group said. “You’re Thalia.”

Thalia tensed. “Do I know you?”

The girl took a breath. “This might be a shock, but―”

“Thalia.” The blonde boy took a step forward. His voice was unsteady. “I’m Jason, your brother.”

Alex met Magnus’s eyes. Neither of them knew much about Jason, but they did know what he had meant to Percy and Annabeth. Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter, who had died at the hands of one of those Roman emperors Annabeth had told Magnus about.

For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him. “My gods! She told me you were dead!” She gripped Jason’s face and seemed to be examining everything about it. “Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!”

The other boy laughed. “Seriously?”

The satyr nodded like he approved. “Staplers―excellent source of iron.”

“W-wait,” Jason stammered. “Who told you I was dead? What happened? And who are they?” he asked, looking at Magnus and Alex.

Before anyone could answer, one of the white wolves barked, causing Magnus to jump. Alex snickered as Thalia looked back at the wolf.

“My wolf is telling me I don’t have much time,” Thalia said, “and she’s right. But, yeah, we should talk. I guess introductions might be best.”

The girl immediately collapsed and would have cracked her head on the cave floor if the satyr hadn’t caught her.

Magnus rushed over. “Oh crap. Hang on, here, I can heal her.” He placed his hands on the girl’s ankle and a low glow emanated from his hands.

“Healing powers?” the boy shouted. “Are you a demigod too?”

Thalia cleared her throat. “Well, I guess you know me. Thalia, daughter of Zeus and Lieutenant to Artemis.”

“Jason Grace,” Jason said to Alex and Magnus. “Son of Ju―Zeus. Son of Zeus.”

“Piper McLean,” the girl said weakly. Her ankle was healed thanks to Magnus, but she was shivering. “Daughter of Aphrodite.”

Thalia passed a warm looking blanket to her. Piper took it gratefully.

“Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus,” the boy said.

“Gleeson Hedge,” the satyr said. “Protector for these three cupcakes.”

“Um, I’m Magnus Chase,” Magnus said, casting suspicious looks towards the cave entrance where the wolves were.

“Chase?” Jason interrupted. “Like Annabeth?”

Magnus nodded. “She’s my cousin.”

“You’re the ones Annabeth said were out looking for those two missing demigods!” Piper blurted. “Magnus and Alex, right?”

“Alex Fierro,” Alex said, dramatically bowing. “Also, my pronouns are he and him right now.”

Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Wait. You’re looking for two missing demigods? I know about Percy, but who else?”

“Annabeth didn’t tell you?” Magnus asked in confusion.

“Annabeth didn’t tell me what?” Thalia hissed.

“Bianca di Angelo is alive,” Alex said.

Thalia’s eyes widened. “What? That’s not possible!”

“This Bianca chick is a dead person?” Leo asked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Bianca used to be a Hunter of Artemis,” Thalia said pointedly. “She died a few years ago. How is she alive? Did Nico bring her back?”

Alex shook his head. “No. Percy and Annabeth said he didn’t even know she was back until they told him.”

Thalia didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, she let out a breath. “Okay. We’ll keep searching for Percy, and keep and eye out for Bianca as well. For now, I’d like to catch up with my brother. You guys,” she said to Alex and Magnus, “take Piper, Leo, and Hedge out to Phoebe. She’ll warm Piper up.”

“It’s cold out there!” Hedge said. “I’ll freeze my horns off.”

“Come on, Hedge,” Leo said. “These two need time to talk.”

“Humph. Fine,” the satyr muttered. “Didn’t even get to brain anybody.” Though he eyed Magnus and Alex liked he would be fine braining them.

“Actually,” Jason said nervously, “man, could you, um, stick around?”

Leo paused and then grinned. “Sticking around is my speciality.”

Thalia didn’t look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire.

Magnus helped Hedge guide Piper out of the cave to where the other Hunter, Phoebe, had set up a tent.

“Hey, Phoebe,” Magnus greeted the Hunter.

Phoebe looked up and gave Magnus what almost looked like a smile to Alex, but it was hard to tell. “Magnus Chase. What do you want?”

“Thalia said you could get Piper warmed up,” Magnus said.

Phoebe instructed Hedge to put Piper inside the tent. Magnus and Alex followed them.

Alex followed. Inside the tent was toasty warm, and Alex felt like he was on a beach.

“Wow,” he said. “A real life Harry Potter tent.”

Phoebe smiled. “Yes.”

“You know each other too?” Piper asked, teeth chattering.

“We met last summer,” Phoebe said. She handed Piper what looked like Hunters of Artemis clothes. “Put these on. You’ll be much warmer in dry clothes. There is a private area over there.”

Piper hurriedly left and changed. She came back quickly and wrapped a blanket over her shoulders.

“Last summer? The Titan war?” she asked.

Alex nodded. “Yeah.”

“You fought in that?” Piper said. “So you are demigods too? What gods are your parents?”

“Unclaimed,” Magnus blurted.

Phoebe pursed her lips and looked away, focusing on the kerosene heater.

“I thought the gods were supposed to claim us before thirteen.”

“What he means is that at the time, we were unclaimed,” Alex told Piper. “Um, but now, we are. I would rather not talk about that though. Anyway, yeah, we met Phoebe last summer. She tried to recruit me,” he grinned.

“What?” Magnus sputtered. “When was this?”

“Mmm, day after the battle maybe?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Because you’re freaking out. Relax. I turned her down.”

“I thought the Hunters were a girls group,” Piper said timidly.

Alex shrugged. “Generally, I am female. I just sometimes have male days. Today is one of them.”

“Lady Artemis has made exceptions in the past,” Phoebe said, eyes gleaming in amusement. “I have no doubt she would make one for Alex if he swore off romantic love.”

“Sorry, I don’t know what Maggie here would do without me,” Alex said.

“Die less often,” Magnus suggested.

Alex gave him a look.

“Die more often,” Magnus corrected. “Which, of course, is bad for my health.”

Piper shook her head. “So… Fierro. I’ve heard that name before.”

Alex snorted. “I don’t doubt it. Legally, I think I’m dead. I’m not really sure what my father did when I never came back.”

“You ran away from your family?” Piper asked. “Why?”

Alex stared at the marshmallows floating on top of the hot chocolate Phoebe gave them.

NORMAL! That’s all I want from you! To be a normal kid! Is that so damn hard?

Alex looked up at Piper. "Didn't fit my father's definition of normal," he said matter-of-factly. "And he never wanted me in the first place. He just declared me dead after a few months." He cleared his throat. "Um, anyway, so you might recognize the name from that. Or Fierro Ceramics.”

Piper snapped. “That’s it! We have a set of bowls.” Her face fell like she was thinking of something unpleasant. Alex knew enough not to ask what was wrong.

They sat in silence for a while, warming themselves up around Phoebe’s kerosene heater and drinking hot chocolate.

Chapter Text

A FEW MINUTES LATER, THALIA emerged from the cave with Jason and Leo.

“Oh, no way,” Leo said. “We’ve been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!”

Phoebe sniffed. “Boys,” she said.

“Hey,” Magnus and Alex protested.

“It’s all right, Phoebe,” Thalia said with a small smile. “They’ll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate.”

Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes.

“Cheers!” said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.

“That cannot be good for your intestines,” Leo said.

Thalia patted Piper on the back. “You up for moving?”

Piper nodded. “Yeah. my ankle is healed and I’m much warmer now.” She flexed her foot. “I feel like I could run ten miles.”

Thalia winked at Jason. “She’s tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one.”

“Hey, I could run ten miles too,” Leo volunteered. “Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it.”

Thalia ignored him.

It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wanted to ask her for the blueprints, but they didn't have time.

“Think Blitz and Hearth would be suspicious if we came back with one of those?” Magnus murmured to Alex.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Might as well tell them we’re demigods at that point.”

That was true, but Magnus really would have liked one of those tents.

The trek through the snow was brutal.

Thalia and Phoebe ran uphill like it was a downhill slant, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain. They were leaving everyone except Coach Hedge in the dust. The satyr leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing the stragglers forward.

“Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace. Let’s chant. I’ve got a girl in Kalamazoo —”

“Let’s not,” Thalia snapped.

So they ran in silence.

Alex was having the easiest time of it. He would flap along beside them as some type of bird—if you asked Magnus what kind of bird, he couldn’t answer you. He thought maybe they were exotic birds based on the colors—then he would land about twenty yards ahead and wait for them to catch up.

Completely unfair.

Finally, Thalia and Phoebe came to a stop. Alex flew down and shifted back to human form next to them. Magnus leaned against the side of the mountain. Leo, unfortunately, didn’t see or didn’t know they had stopped, and he ran right into Thalia. They nearly tumbled down the mountain, but Thalia was able to steady them both. She pointed up.

“That,” Leo choked, “is a really large rock.”

They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Magnus could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.

But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but Magnus figured it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

Then he realized the bridge wasn’t exactly ice, because it wasn’t solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.

“We’re not seriously crossing that,” Leo said.

Thalia shrugged. “I’m not a big fan of heights, I’ll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus’s fortress, this is the only way.”

“Is the fortress always hanging there?” Piper asked. “How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?”

“The Mist,” Thalia said. “Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it’s the color of Aeolus’s palace, reflecting off the mountain face.”

“It’s enormous,” Jason said.

Thalia laughed. “You should see Olympus, little brother.”

“You’re serious? You’ve been there?”

Magnus glanced at Thalia. “How did Annabeth’s project go?”

Thalia grimaced. “I don’t know. I haven’t been there since…” she trailed off.

That was understandable. The last time Magnus had been there must have also been the last time Thalia had been there. He focused on the mountain to try and push away the images floating to the surface. Luke’s pale face, Annabeth crying into Percy’s shoulder…

“We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile,” Thalia said.

“That’s reassuring,” Leo said. “Jason, can’t you just fly us up there?”

Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo’s question wasn’t a joke. “Wait… Jason, you can fly?”

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. “Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I’m not sure I’d want to try. Thalia, you mean… you can’t fly?”

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. Magnus started to think that maybe Thalia was afraid of heights. He flashed back to the day he came to Camp Half-Blood on Apollo’s sun chariot. The way Percy was quite adamant that Apollo shouldn’t make Thalia drive the chariot if she didn’t want to.

“Truthfully,” she said, “I’ve never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge.”

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. “Easy! I’ll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I’ll give you a hand.”

“No, that’s okay,” Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge. When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine.

Thalia turned to her Hunter friend. “Phoebe, I’ll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I’m on my way.”

“You sure?” Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia or something. Magnus almost made a joke about it, but decided that he valued his life more than the joke.

“It’s fine,” Thalia promised.

Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.

“Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step,” Thalia said. “It hardly ever breaks.”

“It hasn't met me yet,” Leo muttered.

That did not instill Magnus with any confidence.

Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo’s fault. Magnus could practically hear Percy shouting about tempting the Fates and how demigods should never hope for the best.

Piper and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo stopped in his tracks.

“Why do they have a bridge?” he asked.

Thalia frowned. “Leo, this isn’t a good place to stop. What do you mean?”

“If this stupid thing breaks, you better catch me,” Magnus muttered to Alex.

Alex sent him a dirty look. “Why me?”

“Because you’re my knight in pink and green cuadros?”

“You’re such a sap,” Alex grumbled.

Meanwhile, Leo kept asking questions.

“They’re wind spirits,” Leo said. “Can’t they fly?”

“Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below.”

“So the bridge isn’t always here?” Leo asked.

Thalia shook her head. “The wind spirits don’t like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it’s necessary. Like now. They know you’re coming.”

“Leo?” Jason said. “What are you thinking?”

“Oh, gods,” Thalia said. “Keep moving. Look at your feet.”

Magnus looked down at his own feet, belated realizing Thalia meant Leo’s feet. He quickly corrected his mistake before Alex could tell, but he could hear Alex snickering which meant that he definitely saw Magnus look at his own feet instead of Leo’s.

When he saw what was going on with Leo, he almost wished he hadn’t looked. The air around Leo was steaming, his shoes were smoking, and the ice bridge was thinning.

“Leo, stop it,” Jason warned. “You’re going to melt it.”

“I’ll try,” Leo said. “Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge.”

“Leo, seriously, cool down,” Thalia said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but the bridge is—”

“Just listen,” Leo insisted. “If Jason is a bridge, what’s he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don’t get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange.”

“An exchange.” Thalia’s eyes widened. “Oh, gods.”

Jason frowned. “What are you two talking about?”

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. “I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story.”

“I don’t understand,” he protested. “I don’t have a story. I don’t remember anything.”

“But Leo’s right,” Thalia said. “It’s all connected. If we just knew where—”

Leo snapped his fingers. “Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?”

By now, the ice was nearly gone and Magnus was getting very worried. He had no idea what Leo or Thalia were talking about, and he didn’t really care.

Thalia nearly choked. “The Wolf House? Jason, why didn’t you tell me that! That’s where they’re keeping Hera?”

“You know where it is?” Jason asked.

Then the bridge dissolved. Leo would‘ve fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to safety. Magnus and Alex were stuck on the other side with Thalia. Leo was off the bridge now, but it was still melting.

“Go!” Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. “Find out where the giant is keeping Piper’s dad. Save him! I’ll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!”

“But where is the Wolf House?” Jason shouted.

“You know where it is, little brother!” Thalia yelled, but Magnus wasn’t sure Jason could hear her anymore. “I’ll see you there. I promise.”

Thalia and Magnus raced down the dissolving bridge with Alex the random bird flapping along beside them.

It was hours before they reached the Hunters. Phoebe raised an eyebrow when she saw Magnus and Alex, but she didn’t say anything.

“We’re going to California,” Thalia ordered. “Lycaon can wait. We’ve gotten what we came for which was the clue about Percy.”

“Shouldn’t we still hunt him?” one of the girls pointed out. “He’s still a dangerous beast. And what are those two boys doing here?” she asked.

Alex crossed her arms. “I’m a girl right now actually, and we’re here to help you fight.”

“Fight what?” another girl asked.

“Hera is being held captive in the Wolf House,” Thalia said tightly. “I don’t like Hera, but we’ve got to hold it for my brother and his companions. One of them, her dad is being held captive by a giant. I’ve told them to rescue him and join us later.” She leveled her eyes around the camp. “We have to go now.”

Magnus sighed as the Hunters went to work packing up their tents. He had been looking forward to resting for a while.

Chapter Text

AT FIRST, LEO THOUGHT ROCKS WERE pelting the windshield. Then he realized it was sleet. Frost built up around the edges of the glass, and slushy waves of ice blotted out his view.

“An ice storm?” Piper shouted over the engine and the wind. “Is it supposed to be this cold in Sonoma?”

Leo wasn't sure, but something about this storm seemed conscious, malevolent—like it was intentionally slamming them.

Jason woke up quickly. He crawled forward, grabbing their seats for balance. “We’ve got to be getting close.”

Leo was too busy wrestling with the stick to reply. Suddenly it wasn’t so easy to drive the chopper. Its movements turned sluggish and jerky. The whole machine shuddered in the icy wind. The helicopter probably hadn’t been prepped for cold-weather flying. The controls refused to respond, and they started to lose altitude.

Below them, the ground was a dark quilt of trees and fog. The ridge of a hill loomed in front of them and Leo yanked the stick, just clearing the treetops.

“There!” Jason shouted.

A small valley opened up before them, with the murky shape of a building in the middle. Leo aimed the helicopter straight for it. All around them were flashes of light that reminded Leo of the tracer fire at Midas’s compound. Trees cracked and exploded at the edges of the clearing. Shapes moved through the mist. Combat seemed to be everywhere.

He set down the helicopter in an icy field about fifty yards from the house and killed the engine. He was about to relax when he heard a whistling sound and saw a dark shape hurtling toward them out of the mist.

“Out!” Leo screamed.

They leaped from the helicopter and barely cleared the rotors before a massive BOOM shook the ground, knocking Leo off his feet and splattering ice all over him.

He got up shakily and saw that the world's largest snowball—a chunk of snow, ice, and dirt the size of a garage—had completely flattened the Bell 412.

“You all right?” Jason ran up to him, Piper at his side. They both looked fine except for being speckled with snow and mud.

“Yeah.” Leo shivered. “Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter.”

Piper pointed south. “Fighting’s over there.” Then she frowned. “No… it’s all around us.”

She was right. The sounds of combat rang across the valley. The snow and mist made it hard to tell for sure, but there seemed to be a circle of fighting all around the Wolf House.

Behind them loomed Jack London's dream home—a massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. Leo could imagine how it had looked before it burned down—a combination log cabin and castle, like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had a lonely, haunted feel. Leo could totally believe the ruins were cursed.

“Jason!” a girl’s voice called.

Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward them, but made it only a few steps before a six-armed ogre—one of the Earthborn—burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.

“Look out!” Leo yelled. They rushed to help, but Thalia had it under control. She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.

Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. “That was my last one.” She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. “Stupid ogre.”

“Nice shot, though,” Leo said.

Thalia ignored him as usual (which no doubt meant she thought he was as cool as ever). She hugged Jason and nodded to Piper. “Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we’ll be overrun any minute.”

“By Earthborn?” Jason asked.

“And wolves—Lycaon’s minions.” Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. “Also storm spirits—”

“But we gave them to Aeolus!” Piper protested.

“Who tried to kill us,” Leo reminded her. “Maybe he's helping Gaea again.”

Something flew past them.

“Can’t read my, can’t read my,” a voice sang. “No, he can’t read my poker face.”

Thalia sighed. “Jack.” She shook her head. “Look, the monsters keep reforming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we’re surrounded. I don’t know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera.”

“Where is she?” Jason asked.

“Inside,” Thalia said. “We tried to free her, but we can’t figure out how to break the cage. It’s only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that’s the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don’t free Hera soon—” She didn’t need to finish the thought.

Leo, Jason, and Piper followed her into the ruined mansion.

Jason stepped over the threshold and immediately collapsed.

“Hey!” Leo caught him. “None of that, man. What’s wrong?”

“This place…” Jason shook his head. “Sorry… It came rushing back to me.”

“So you have been here,” Piper said.

“We both have,” Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was reliving someone’s death. “This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared.”

“She gave me to the wolves,” Jason murmured. “At Hera’s insistence. She gave me to Lupa.”

“That part I didn't know.” Thalia frowned. “Who is Lupa?”

An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.

“I freaking hate snow!” someone yelled.

“Maybe this isn’t the time for questions,” Leo suggested. “Show us the goddess.”

Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built in a giant U, and Jason led them between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger—a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to Leo it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils he could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck—rising.

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that Leo doubted he could’ve gotten his arm through. Still, he could see inside. And in the center of the cage stood Tía Callida.

She looked exactly like Leo remembered: dark hair covered with a shawl, the black dress of a widow, a wrinkled face with glinting, scary eyes. She didn’t glow or radiate any sort of power. She looked like a regular mortal woman, his good old psychotic babysitter.

Leo dropped into the pool and approached the cage. “Hola, Tía. Little bit of trouble?”

She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. “Don’t inspect me like I’m one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!”

Thalia stepped next to him and looked at the cage with distaste—or maybe she was looking at the goddess. “We tried everything we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn’t in it. If it was up to me, I’d just leave her in there.”

“Ohh, Thalia Grace,” the goddess said. “When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born.”

“Save it!” Thalia snapped. “You’ve been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You dropped a statue on my legs.”

“It was an accident!”

“And you took my brother!” Thalia’s voice cracked with emotion. “Here—on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!”

“Hey,” Jason intervened. “Thalia—Sis—I know. But this isn’t the time. You should help your Hunters.”

Thalia clenched her jaw. “Fine. For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn’t worth it.” Thalia turned, leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building.

“You dropped a statue on Thalia on accident?” Leo asked.

“Focus on the cage, Leo,” she grumbled. “And Jason—you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well.”

“I’m not your champion, lady,” Jason said. “I’m only helping you because you stole my memories and you’re better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what’s going on with that?”

He nodded to the other spire that looked like the king-size granite body bag. Was Leo imagining it, or had it grown taller since they’d gotten here?

“That, Jason,” Hera said, “is the king of the giants being reborn.”

“Gross,” Piper said.

“Indeed,” Hera said. “Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again—my power. For weeks I’ve grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form.”

“So you’re like a heat lamp,” Leo guessed. “Or fertilizer.”

The goddess glared at him, but Leo didn’t care. This old lady had been making his life miserable since he was a baby. He totally had rights to rag on her.

“Joke all you wish,” Hera said in a clipped tone. “But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken.”

Leo frowned at the giant's spire. “Can’t we blow it up or something?”

“Without me, you do not have the power,” Hera said. “You might as well try to destroy a mountain.”

“Done that once today,” Jason said.

“Just hurry up and let me out!” Hera demanded.

Jason scratched his head. “Leo, can you do it?”

“I don’t know.” Leo tried not to panic. “Besides, if she’s a goddess, why hasn’t she busted herself out?”

Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. “Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a god’s power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg—beg him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus.”

“Sounds fair,” Leo said.

Hera gave him the godly stink-eye. “I’ve watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you.”

“But it’s not a machine. It’s like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and…” Leo felt dizzy. The line of their prophecy came back to him: The forge and dove shall break the cage . “Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper, I’m going to need your help. And we’re going to need time.”

The air turned brittle with cold. The temperature dropped so fast, Leo’s lips cracked and his breath changed to mist. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. Venti rushed in—but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm-cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red-eyed wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.

Piper drew her dagger. Jason grabbed an ice-covered plank off the pool floor. Leo reached into his tool belt, but he was so shaken up, all he produced was a tin of breath mints. He shoved them back in, hoping nobody had noticed, and drew a hammer instead.

One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human-size statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statue for them to see—an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

“Thalia!” Jason rushed forward, but Piper and Leo pulled him back. The ground around Thalia‘s statue was already webbed with ice. Leo feared if Jason touched her, he might freeze too.

“Who did this?” Jason yelled. His body crackled with electricity. “I’ll kill you myself!”

From somewhere behind the monsters, Leo heard a girl’s laughter, clear and cold. She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. She regarded them with those deep brown eyes Leo had thought were so beautiful in Quebec.

“ Bon soir, mes amis ,” said Khione, the goddess of snow. She gave Leo a frosty smile. “Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I’m afraid time is one tool you do not have.”

Chapter Text

AFTER THE FIGHT ON MOUNT DIABLO, Jason didn’t think he could ever feel more afraid or devastated. Now his sister was frozen at his feet. He was surrounded by monsters. He’d broken his golden sword and replaced it with a piece of wood. He had approximately five minutes until the king of the giants busted out and destroyed them. Jason had already pulled his biggest ace, calling down Zeus’s lightning when he’d fought Enceladus, and he doubted he’d have the strength or the cooperation from above to do it again. Which meant his only assets were one whiny imprisoned goddess, one sort-of girlfriend with a dagger, and Leo, who apparently thought he could defeat the armies of darkness with breath mints.

On top of all this, Jason’s worst memories were flooding back. He knew for certain he’d done many dangerous things in his life, but he’d never been closer to death than he was right now.

The enemy was beautiful. Khione smiled, her dark eyes glittering, as a dagger of ice grew in her hand.

“What’ve you done?” Jason demanded.

“Oh, so many things,” the snow goddess purred. “Your sister’s not dead, if that’s what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we’d defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once.”

The wolves snarled appreciatively.

“Yes, my dears.” Khione kept her eyes on Jason. “Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon’s off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world.”

“Traitor!” Hera shouted. “You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren’t worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world.”

Khione sighed. “Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I’ve been wanting to shut you up for millennia.” Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils. “That’s better,” the snow goddess said. “Now, demigods, about your death—”

“You’re the one who tricked Hera into coming here,” Jason said. “You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus.”

The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand.

“Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side. Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It’s easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus’s ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I’m sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power.”

“You could’ve killed us in Quebec,” Jason said. “Why let us live?”

Khione wrinkled her nose. “Messy business, killing you in my father’s house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did try, you remember. It would’ve been lovely if he’d agreed to turn you to ice. But once he’d given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn’t openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he’s still powerful. Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail.”

“And to help us with that,” Leo said, “you knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head—that was your fault. You're gonna pay for that.”

“You’re also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us,” Piper added. “We’ve been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip.”

“Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!” Khione said. “Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House.” Khione smiled at him. “You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half-Blood. They’ll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be… delicious.”

Piper and Leo didn’t seem to understand what she was saying. But Jason knew. His memories were returning enough for him to realize how dangerously effective Khione’s plan could be.

“You’ll set demigods against demigods,” he said.

“It’s so easy!” said Khione. “As I told you, I only encourage―” She paused as one of the ice statues exploded.

“What the Hel?” the blonde guy from the mountains, Annabeth’s cousin Magnus, shouted. “Jack! Jack, where are you?”

There was no answer.

Khione laughed. “Nkonfréi! This is even better than I’d hoped. Greeks and Vanir spawn. A three way war will be unavoidable.”

Jason didn’t know what Vanir spawn was, but he did know what Khione was talking about with the Greeks. He figured that whatever Vanir spawn meant wasn’t good.

“Where’s my sword?” Magnus demanded.

Khione shrugged. “I do not care where your sword is. It will not do you any good against me.”

“Why do you want to turn demigods against each other?” Piper asked, spreading her hands. “Khione, you’ll tear the world apart. The giants will destroy everything. You don’t want that. Call off your monsters.”

Khione hesitated, then laughed. “Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a goddess. You can’t charmspeak me. We wind gods are creatures of chaos! I’ll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honored me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming. Pah! I’ll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow.”

“The ancient places.” Leo’s eyes widened. “That’s what Enceladus meant about destroying the roots of the gods. He meant Greece.”

“You could join me, son of Hephaestus,” Khione said. “I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if these other two were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful.”

Leo looked stunned. He glanced behind him, like Khione might be talking to somebody else. For a second Jason was worried. He figured Leo didn’t have beautiful goddesses make him offers like this every day.

Then Leo laughed so hard, he doubled over. “Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can’t believe I thought you were hot.”

Khione’s face turned red. “Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold.” She shot a blast of wintry sleet at the demigods, but Leo held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of them, and the snow dissolved in a steamy cloud.

“Dude!” Magnus yelped. “What the Hel?”

Leo grinned. “See, lady, that’s what happens to snow in Texas. It—freaking—melts.”

Khione hissed. “Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king’s first meal!”

Jason hefted his icy wooden plank—a stupid weapon to die fighting with—and the monsters charged.

A wolf launched itself at Jason. He stepped back and swung his scrap wood into the beast’s snout with a satisfying crack. Maybe only silver could kill it, but a good old-fashioned board could still give it a Tylenol headache.

He turned toward the sound of hooves and saw a storm spirit horse bearing down on him. Jason concentrated and summoned the wind. Just before the spirit could trample him, Jason launched himself into the air, grabbed the horse‘s smoky neck, and pirouetted onto its back.

The storm spirit reared. It tried to shake Jason, then tried to dissolve into mist to lose him; but somehow Jason stayed on. He willed the horse to remain in solid form, and the horse seemed unable to refuse. Jason could feel it fighting against him. He could sense its raging thoughts—complete chaos straining to break free. It took all Jason’s willpower to impose his own wishes and bring the horse under control. He thought about Aeolus, overseeing thousands and thousands of spirits like this, some much worse. No wonder the Master of the Winds had gone a little mad after centuries of that pressure. But Jason had only one spirit to master, and he had to win.

“You’re mine now,” Jason said.

The horse bucked, but Jason held fast. Its mane flickered as it circled around the empty pool, its hooves causing miniature thunderstorms—tempests—whenever they touched.

“Tempest?” Jason said. “Is that your name?”

The horse spirit shook its mane, evidently pleased to be recognized.

“Fine,” Jason said. “Now, let’s fight.”

He charged into battle, swinging his icy piece of wood, knocking aside wolves and plunging straight through other venti. Tempest was a strong spirit, and every time he plowed through one of his brethren, he discharged so much electricity, the other spirit vaporized into a harmless cloud of mist.

Through the chaos, Jason caught glimpses of his friends.

Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, but she seemed to be holding her own. She was so impressive-looking as she fought, almost glowing with beauty, that the Earthborn stared at her in awe, forgetting that they were supposed to kill her. They’d lower their clubs and watch dumbfounded as she smiled and charged them. They’d smile back—until she sliced them apart with her dagger, and they melted into mounds of mud.

Leo had taken on Khione herself. While fighting a goddess should’ve been suicide, Leo was the right man for the job. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow. Leo burned through all of it. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he’d been doused with gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

Jason realized that Leo was the only reason they were still alive. His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione’s winter magic. Without him, they would’ve been frozen like the Hunters long ago. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. Even Thalia started to defrost a little when Leo stepped near her. Khione slowly backed away. Her expression went from enraged to shocked to slightly panicked as Leo got closer.

Magnus mostly seemed to be staying out of the way. He ran from statue to statue, placing his hands on the frozen Hunters. An almost urethral glow came each time his fingertips brushed up against the ice, just like when he’d healed Piper. Whatever power Magnus had was doing as much if not more than what Leo was doing to hold the ice at bay.

From out of nowhere, a flash of gold went screaming past ice statue after statue until it came to a stop next to Magnus.

“Señor!” the sword cried.

Magnus grinned. “Jack. Time to dance.”

The sword lit up. It actually started glowing. “Excellent idea, señor!” The sword, Jack, launched itself at the Earthborn, and if Jason was hearing right, it was singing. “Keep it cool, what’s the name of this club?”

Magnus groaned. “Jaaaaack!”

“I can’t remember but it’s alright a-alright,” Jack continued. “Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm. Just dance, spin that record, babe, da da doo-doo-mmm. Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance. Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance.”

“I swear,” Magnus grumbled. “I need to get another sword.” He resumed the gradual unfreezing of the Hunters.

Jason was running out of enemies. Wolves lay in dazed heaps. Some slunk away into the ruins, yelping from their wounds. Piper stabbed the last Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge. Jason rode Tempest through the last ventus, breaking it into vapor. Then he wheeled around and saw Leo bearing down on the goddess of snow.

“You’re too late,” Khione snarled. “He’s awake! And don’t think you’ve won anything here, demigods. Hera’s plan will never work. You’ll be at each other’s throats before you can ever stop us.”

Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow—a white powdery image of herself. Leo’s hammers slammed into the snow woman, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.

Piper was breathing hard, but she smiled up at Jason. “Nice horse.”

Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. A complete show-off.

Then Jason heard a cracking sound behind him. The melting ice on Hera‘s cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called, “Oh, don’t mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!”

“You’re welcome,” Magnus grumbled. He was standing in a pile of slush.

Jason dismounted and told Tempest to stay put. The three demigods jumped into the pool and ran to the spire.

Leo frowned. “Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?”

“No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!”

“The earth is what?” Magnus repeated. “What are you guys caught up in this time?”

Jason didn’t understand that, but he was too worried about what was going on with Hera at the moment to question Magnus. What he saw inside the cage alarmed him. Not only was Hera sinking, the ground was rising around her like water in a tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins.

“The giant wakes!” Hera warned. “You only have seconds!”

Magnus trudged through the slush. “I’ll go finish waking the Hunters. Jack, stay and help them if they need it.”

The sword buzzed in the affirmative.

Leo stared in awe. “That is one fine sword.”

“Valdez!” Hera snapped.

“Right,” Leo said. “On it. Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage.”

“What?” she said.

“Talk to it. Use everything you’ve got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a dazy. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—”

“Right!” Piper cleared her throat and said, “Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I’m tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?”

The more she talked, the more confident she sounded. Jason felt his own eyes getting heavy, and he had to force himself not to focus on her words. It seemed to have some effect on the cage. The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little—becoming more like tree root than rock. Leo pulled a circular saw out of his tool belt. How it fit in there, Jason had no idea. Then Leo looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. “I don’t have anywhere to plug it in!”

The spirit horse Tempest jumped into the pit and whinnied.

“Really?” Jason asked.

Tempest dipped his head and trotted over to Leo. Leo looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lighting sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.

“Sweet!” Leo grinned. “Your horse comes with AC outlets!”

Their good mood didn’t last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant’s spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

Jason hadn’t thought anything could be scarier than Enceladus.

He was wrong.

Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped. He didn’t radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him—a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon’s legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons—daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody—maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

“Alive!” he bellowed. “Praise to Gaea!”

Jason made a heroic little whimpering sound he hoped his friends couldn’t hear. He was very sure no demigod could solo fight this guy. Porphyrion could lift mountains. He could crush Jason with one finger.

“Leo,” Jason said.

“Huh?” Leo’s mouth was wide open. Even Piper seemed dazed.

“You guys keep working,” Jason said. “Get Hera free!”

“What are you going to do?” Piper asked. “You can’t seriously—”

“Entertain a giant?” Jason said. “I’ve got no choice.”

“Señor!” Jack called, floating up next to Jason. “You seem to be lacking a weapon.”

Jason eyed the assortment of weapons in Porphyrion’s hair. “Not for long I hope.”

“I could lend myself to you temporarily,” Jack suggested.

“No, stay with Leo and Piper,” Jason said. “Help them break the cage. Protect them from any monsters that come back. I can get a weapon from him.” He walked towards the giant.

“Excellent!” the giant roared as Jason approached. “An appetizer! Who are you—Hermes? Ares?”

Jason thought about going with that idea, but something told him not to.

“I’m Jason Grace,” he said. “Son of Jupiter.”

Those white eyes bored into him. Behind him, Leo’s circular saw whirred, and Piper talked to the cage in soothing tones, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. “Outstanding!” He looked up at the cloudy night sky. “So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you.”

The sky didn't even rumble. No help from above. Jason was on his own.

He dropped his makeshift club. His hands were covered in splinters, but that didn’t matter now. He had to buy Leo and Piper some time, and he couldn’t do that without a proper weapon.

It was time to act a whole lot more confident than he felt.

“If you knew who I was,” Jason yelled up at the giant, “you’d be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I’m going to send you right back to Tartarus.”

The giant's eyes narrowed. He planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at his opponent. “So… we’ll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus’s queen.” He grinned at the goddess‘s cage. “Hello, Hera.”

“My husband destroyed you once, monster!” Hera said. “He’ll do it again!”

“But he didn’t, my dear! Zeus wasn’t powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth—and we will destroy you at the roots.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Hera said, but she was weakening. Jason could hear it in her voice. Piper kept whispering to the cage, and Leo and Jack kept sawing, but the earth was still rising inside Hera’s prison, covering her up to her waist.

“Oh, yes,” the giant said. “The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees—your eldest roots torn out and burned.”

The giant frowned at Piper and Leo, as if he‘d just noticed them working at the cage. Behind the giant, Jason could see Magnus had gathered with the Hunters who were now unfrozen, but shivering from the cold and dripping wet. They wouldn’t be much help in that state. Jason stepped forward and yelled to get back Porphyrion’s attention.

“You said a demigod killed you,” he shouted. “How, if we’re so puny?”

“Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus’s replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife—or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!”

He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon’s feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to regather—storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king’s call.

“Great,” Leo muttered. “We needed more enemies.”

“Hurry,” Hera said.

“I know!” Leo snapped.

“Go to sleep, cage,” Piper said. “Nice, sleepy cage. Yes, I’m talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This isn't weird at all.”

Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying a chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. “So, child of Zeus! I have finished my boasting. Now it’s your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?”

Jason looked at the ring of monsters, waiting impatiently for their master’s order to tear them to shreds. Leo’s circular saw kept whirring, Jack kept hacking away at the cage, and Piper kept talking, but it seemed hopeless. Hera’s cage was almost completely filled with earth.

“I’m the son of Jupiter!” he shouted, and just for effect, he summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground. “I’m a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion.” Jason didn’t know quite what he was saying, but he rattled off the words like he’d said them many times before. He held out his arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, and to his surprise the giant seemed to recognize it.

For a moment, Porphyrion actually looked uneasy.

“I slew the Trojan sea monster,” Jason continued. “I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now I’m going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves.”

“Wow, dude,” Leo muttered. “You been eating red meat?”

Jason launched himself at the giant, determined to tear him apart.

The idea of fighting a forty-foot-tall immortal bare handed was so ridiculous, even the giant seemed surprised. Half flying, half leaping, Jason landed on the giant’s scaly reptilian knee and climbed up the giant’s arm before Porphyrion even realized what had happened.

“You dare?” the giant bellowed.

Jason reached his shoulders and ripped a sword out of the giant’s weapon-filled braids. He yelled, “For Rome!” and drove the sword into the nearest convenient target—the giant’s massive ear.

Lightning streaked out of the sky and blasted the sword, throwing Jason free. He rolled when he hit the ground. When he looked up, the giant was staggering. His hair was on fire, and the side of his face was blackened from lightning. The sword had splintered in his ear. Golden ichor ran down his jaw. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids. Porphyrion almost fell. The circle of monsters let out a collective growl and moved forward—wolves and ogres fixing their eyes on Jason.

“No!” Porphyrion yelled. He regained his balance and glared at the demigod. “I will kill him myself.” The giant raised his spear and it began to glow. “You want to play with lightning, boy? You forget. I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what will kill you.”

Something in Porphyrion‘s voice told Jason he wasn’t bluffing.

Jason and his friends had had a good run. The three of them had done amazing things. Yeah, even heroic things. But as the giant raised his spear, Jason knew there was no way he could deflect this strike.

This was the end.

“Jack!” Magnus shouted.

The sword flew through the air and sliced off two of Porphyrion’s braids. A blast of golden light hit the braids and sent the weapons within them flying everywhere. The shivering Hunters grasped the weapons and faced the wolves and ogres.

“Got it!” Leo yelled.

“Sleep!” Piper said, so forcefully, the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.

The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cut off the cage’s connection to Gaea. The tendrils turned to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.

“Yes!” the goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. “Now I shall have my revenge!”

The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason one last look of hatred. His message was clear: Another time . Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he’d dropped down a chute.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, “Cover your eyes, my heroes!”

But Jason was too much in shock. He understood too late.

He watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly. Jason fell, light searing into his mind, and his last thought was that his body was burning.

Chapter Text

“JASON!”

Piper kept calling his name as she held him, though she’d almost lost hope. He’d been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. She couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

“It’s no use, child.” Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.

Piper hadn’t seen the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully she’d closed her eyes, but she could see the aftereffects. Every vestige of winter was gone from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before—still ruins, but with no evidence that they’d been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres.

The Hunters had been completely dried off. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Piper’s side, her hand on Jason’s forehead.

Thalia glared up at the goddess. “This is your fault. Do something!”

“Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen—”

“Fix him!” Surprisingly, it had not come from Thalia, but from Annabeth’s cousin’s green haired friend, Alex. Alex fixed the queen of the gods with a glare.

“Excuse me?” Hera asked, looking insulted. “You dare speak to me that way. You dare invite yourself into my presence?”

“Yeah, I dare,” Alex said. “Now, fix him. You’re a goddess aren’t you?”

Hera’s eyes flickered with power. “I should smite you where you stand, Alex Fierro. I warned all of you to close your eyes before I revealed my true form. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion.”

“Um…” Leo frowned. “True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?”

“I unleashed my power to help you, fool!” Hera cried. “I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice.”

“But mortals can’t look upon you in that form!” Thalia shouted. “You’ve killed him!”

Leo shook his head in dismay. “That’s what our prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera’s rage. Come on, lady. You’re a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back.”

Piper half heard their conversation, but mostly she was focused on Jason’s face. “He’s breathing!” she announced.

“Impossible,” Hera said. “I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever—”

“Jason,” Piper called, putting every bit of her willpower into his name. She could not lose him. “Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You’re going to be fine.”

Nothing happened. Had she imagined his breath stirring?

“Healing is not a power of Aphrodite,” Hera said regretfully. “Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit—”

“Healing is one of my powers,” Magnus said boldly. He walked over and knelt beside Piper. He placed a hand over Jason’s chest. “Try again, Piper.” His hand glowed with warm energy that made Piper think of summer.

“Jason,” Piper said again, and she imagined her voice resonating through the earth, all the way down to the Underworld. “Wake up.”

Jason gasped, and his eyes flew open. For a moment they were full of light—glowing pure gold, the same as Magnus’s hand. Then the light faded and his eyes were normal again. “What—what happened?”

“Impossible!” Hera said.

Piper wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, “Crushing me.”

“Sorry,” she said, so relieved, she laughed while wiping a tear from her eye.

Thalia gripped her brother’s hand. “How do you feel?”

“Hot,” he muttered. “Mouth is dry. And I saw something… really terrible.”

“That was Hera,” Thalia grumbled. “Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon.”

“That’s it, Thalia Grace,” said the goddess. “I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me—”

“Stop it, you two,” Piper said. Amazingly, they both shut up.

Piper helped Jason to his feet and gave him the last nectar from their supplies.

“Now…” Piper faced Thalia and Hera. “Hera—Your Majesty—we couldn’t have rescued you without the Hunters and Magnus and Alex. And Thalia, you never would’ve seen Jason again—I wouldn’t have met him—if it weren’t for Hera. You all make nice, because we’ve got bigger problems.”

Hera and Thalia glared at her, and for three long seconds, Piper wasn’t sure which one of them was going to kill her first. Alex and Magnus just looked bored.

Finally Thalia grunted. “You’ve got spirit, Piper.” She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper’s snowboarding jacket. “You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you.”

Hera crossed her arms. “Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite.” She assessed Piper, as if seeing her clearly for the time. “You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn’t reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You’re even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together.”

Piper's face felt warm. She wasn’t sure how to respond to Hera’s compliment, but she was still waiting for one more apology.

“And Magnus and Alex?” she asked.

Hera glowered. “I will not apologize for them. They should not be here.”

“Fair,” Magnus agreed.

“No wonder Annabeth hates you if this is how you treat her cousin and his…” Piper trailed off. “Um… are you two…?”

“I’m Maggie’s girlfriend,” Alex confirmed. “For now. Maybe boyfriend later. I dunno.”

Hera scowled. “Who they are related to changes nothing.”

“Drop it, Piper,” Magnus advised. “The Greek gods… we have an understanding with each other. None of them really like Alex and I.”

Piper knew that wasn’t the whole story, but then Leo stepped in.

“So,” he said, “I don’t suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?”

“No,” Hera agreed. “By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—”

“He ran away,” Jason said. “But to where?”

Hera didn’t answer, but a sense of dread washed over Piper. She remembered what Porphyrion had said about killing the Olympians by pulling up their roots. Greece. She looked at Thalia’s grim expression, and guessed the Hunter had come to the same conclusion.

“I need to find Annabeth,” Thalia said. “She has to know what’s happened here.”

“Thalia…” Jason gripped her hand. “We never got to talk about this place, or—”

“I know.” Her expression softened. “I lost you here once. I don’t want to leave you again. But we’ll meet soon. I’ll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood.” She glanced at Hera. “You’ll see them there safely? It’s the least you can do.”

“It’s not your place to tell me—”

“Queen Hera,” Piper interceded.

The goddess sighed. “Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!”

Thalia gave Jason a hug and said her goodbyes. After the Hunters left, Magnus and Alex offered the trio small smiles.

“We’ll see you at Camp tomorrow,” Alex said. “Let them know to expect us.”

Magnus blinked. “We will?”

“Do you want to catch up with your cousin or not?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think—”

“Just for a few days,” Alex said. “Besides. I kinda miss those guys.”

Magnus shrugged and shot Jason, Piper, and Leo a wide smile. “Guess we’re heading to Camp Half-Blood. See you there.”

“Now wait just a minute—” Hera started.

“Bye, your highness,” Alex trilled, shooting out of the courtyard with Magnus close behind her.

With the Hunters, Magnus, and Alex gone, the courtyard seemed strangely quiet. The dry reflecting pool showed no sign of the earthen tendrils that had brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky was clear and starry. The wind rustled in the redwoods. Piper thought about that night in Oklahoma when she and her dad had slept in Grandpa Tom‘s front yard. She thought about the night on the Wilderness School dorm roof, when Jason had kissed her—in her Mist-altered memories, anyway.

“Jason, what happened to you here?” she asked. “I mean—I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?”

Jason shook his head uneasily. “It’s still murky. The wolves…”

“You were given a destiny,” Hera said. “You were given into my service.”

Jason scowled. “Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn’t stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he’d fallen for her twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone.”

“It was the right choice for you as well, Jason,” Hera insisted. “The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus’s affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect—the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened—two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey.”

“Of his kind?” Piper asked.

“She means Roman,” Jason said. “Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus.”

Hera nodded. “And if you are strong enough, you live.”

“But…” Leo looked mystified. “What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp.”

“Not to Camp Half-Blood, no,” Hera agreed.

Piper felt as if the sky were spiraling above her, making her dizzy. “You went somewhere else. That’s where you’ve been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods—but where?”

Jason turned to the goddess. “The memories are coming back, but not the location. You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“No,” Hera said. “That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do… you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly—against Gaea herself.”

“You want us to help you,” Jason said, “but you’re holding back information.”

“Giving you answers would make those answers invalid,” Hera said. “That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible…” The goddess shook her head. “Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half-Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase.”

“Which you won’t tell us about,” Jason grumped. “And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we’ll have to walk home?”

Hera waved aside the question. “Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you’ll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you—at least this once. Farewell, demigods, for now.”

The world turned upside down, and Piper almost blacked out.

When she could see straight again, she was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin’s table, and Piper had one foot in Drew’s pizza. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment.

Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn’t good for Piper’s stomach. She could barely control her nausea. Leo wasn’t so lucky. He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it—which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.

“Jason?” Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years’ worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. “What—How—?”

The Aphrodite campers stared up at Piper with their mouths open. Piper figured she must look awful.

“Hi,” she said, as casually as she could. “We’re back.”

Then, the memory of Alex’s request occurred to her. It was strange because Piper was sure there had been more Alex and Magnus had said, but she couldn’t remember anything else other than the request.

“Alex Fierro and Magnus Chase said to tell you guys to expect them tomorrow,” she blurted.

She made a mental note to ask them about what had happened when they arrived tomorrow, but even that was slowly slipping away.

Chapter Text

“I HATE YGGDRASIL,” MAGNUS COMPLAINED. “There’s so many ways this could go wrong.”

Alex gave him a look. “We have literally been using the World Tree for weeks to travel around the continental US. Why have we been doing that if you hate it so much.”

“I just wish Hera could have transported us with Jason, Piper, and Leo,” Magnus sighed, climbing up onto another branch.

After they had left the Wolf House, Alex had made camp in a small grove while Magnus passed out after reclaiming Jack to pendant form. Magnus had stayed unconscious for about five hours while Alex kept watch. Once Magnus had woken up, he let Alex get two hours of sleep before setting off to find a spot where he could open a tear to access Yggdrasil.

Now they were clambering up branch after branch to find the one branch that would lead them to New York. Magnus said that it would probably be a very small branch since New York was primarily ruled by the Greek gods and the Norse pantheon didn’t really cross over into the Greek’s territory.

So the huge branch they stopped on was a huge surprise for Alex.

“You’re sure this one?” she asked Magnus.

Magnus scratched his head. “Yeah. I mean. It feels right. It’s not an exact science, Alex. Jack and I are both kinda just drawn to the exit.”

YARK!

“It’s perfect,” Alex decided. She jumped into the portal before the squirrel could appear.

When they were spat out of the portal, they were standing outside a large building. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. It was very early in the morning wherever they were.

“We’re in DC,” Magnus said.

Alex frowned. “DC? As in the capitol? Why are we here?”

Magnus didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on something behind Alex. She turned around to see where he was looking. A girl was sitting down with her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Dark hair fell over her face.

“Magnus?” Alex asked quietly.

“I think I know why we’re here,” he said. Magnus made his way towards the girl. Alex followed him after a slight hesitation.

Magnus came to a stop in front of the girl. “Hello, Bianca.”

The girl’s head shot up and she looked at Magnus with panicked eyes.

“It’s okay!” Alex said quickly. “We aren’t here to hurt you.”

“How did you find me?” Bianca stammered. “Just… just stay away from me. Please!”

“Your brother is worried about you,” Magnus said. “Nico’s looking everywhere for you. Thalia… the Hunters… they’d be so happy to see you.”

Bianca shook her head. “No. I don’t understand why I’m alive. I don’t remember anything! I need to stay as far away from my brother as I can. Whoever―whatever―brought me back… it wasn’t for good reasons. I know it.”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” Alex said. “Trust me, Bianca, I know Nico. There’s nothing that could stop him from helping you. And Annabeth is smart. She could figure this out.”

“No,” Bianca shook her head. “No, please. You can’t tell them you found me. I don’t want to be responsible for anything bad happening. What if there’s something possessing me or something and I bring that to Camp Half-Blood. No, it’s safer if I stay away until I know how I was brought back.”

Alex was getting slightly irritated now. She and Magnus had been searching for Bianca only to find her and hear her say that she was too scared to come back. That wasn’t good enough of an excuse.

“Listen,” Alex said harshly. “You are a daughter of Hades. If there is a ghost or spirit possessing you, then you will remind it who is in charge. If you bring an attack to Camp, then so be it. There are, I don’t know, fifty or sixty campers there who can easily stop the attack. You do not get to run away from your brother because you’re scared.”

Bianca stared down at her knees for a while. She wiped her eyes and stood up. “Okay,” she said quietly. “I will return to Camp Half-Blood with you. How will we get there?”

Magnus grinned. “You remember the quest to save Artemis and Alex and I told you guys that we were Norse demigods? So I’ve got this sword…”

Chapter Text

IT WAS PROBABLY AROUND 9 o’clock when they arrived at Half Blood Hill even though it was maybe 7 when they exited the World Tree. Bianca had tried to back out of coming twice, Magnus wanted to stop for breakfast in Manhattan, and Alex had tried to get them to build a snowman in Central Park.

Breakfast was the only thing that was allowed to happen. Even if a few bags of chips and a few bottles of water from the first convience store they saw wasn’t much of a breakfast.

“GREETINGS DEMIGODS OF CAMP HALF-BLOOD WE COME IN PEACE!” Alex yelled as she skipped down the hill.

Bianca gave Magnus a strange look. “Is she always like this?”

“Usually she’s way more violent,” Magnus answered. “But that’s just Alex.”

Bianca nodded and swallowed nervously. On the cab ride from Manhattan, she’d braided her hair to model her original Hunter look. Her silver Hunters uniform was dirty and worn, but she attempted to clean it up as best she could.

Magnus could tell she was nervous. She had every reason to be nervous. Bianca di Angelo barely spent any time with the Camp Half-Blood campers before her untimely death. Now she was resurrected and hoping to be welcomed into the Camp. Anyone would be scared.

A flash of blonde and then Annabeth was squeezing Alex into a very painful looking hug.

“You’re here!” she cried. Annabeth’s eyes fell on Magnus and she latched onto him next. “I missed you guys so much. I couldn’t believe it when Piper said you were coming and―” she cut off.

Bianca shrank back. “Hi.”

Annabeth’s jaw dropped. “You… you look exactly the same. Percy wasn’t lying. Oh my gods, Bianca, it’s really you.” She pulled the girl in for a hug. “I’ll have to IM Nico. He’s going to be thrilled to see you.”

“IM him?” Bianca asked. “You mean he’s not at Camp? Why isn’t he at Camp?”

Annabeth didn’t meet Bianca’s eyes. “He’s doing errands for Hades. He stops by often though. Plus, he was out looking for you. And Percy,” she added quickly.

Bianca was looking freaked out now. “Percy? Why is he looking for Percy?”

“Percy went missing a few days ago,” Annabeth said quietly. “Nico, Thalia and the Hunters, they’re all looking for him wherever they go.” She gave Bianca a gentle smile. “You’ve missed a lot. Come on, everyone’s in the dining pavilion for breakfast.”

Alex looked incredibly disappointed that only Annabeth had heard her declaration.

When they reached the dining pavilion, everyone fell silent. Chiron slowly trotted towards them. His eyes were fixed on Bianca in astonishment.

“Bianca di Angelo,” he said.

“Hello, Chiron,” Bianca whispered.

Chiron seemingly didn’t know what to say. He stared at Bianca for a few more seconds before turning his attention to Magnus and Alex. “I admit I was surprised to hear you were coming back,” he said.

Alex grinned. “As if we could pass up the chance to visit our favorite demigod camp.”

“Alex!” Allegra Nakamura launched herself out of her seat and flung her arms around the girl.

“Hey, Allegra,” Alex said, hugging her back. “How’s it been?”

“Great,” Allegra beamed. Her face fell slightly. “I wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait. I can’t believe you’re back.”

“I can hardly believe it,” Annabeth agreed.

Magnus gestured to Alex. “She made me.”

“Now I’m kind of hurt you didn’t want to see me,” Annabeth teased. She shook her head. “Anyway, there’s a counselor meeting this afternoon. Will you two come to that?”

“We’ll be there,” Alex promised.

Annabeth turned to Bianca. “You should come too. Since Nico isn’t here, you’re technically Hades senior counselor. Speaking of which,” she brought Bianca to an empty table, “number thirteen. Hades table. I’ll show you the cabin after breakfast.”

Once Bianca was settled in, Annabeth pulled Magnus and Alex off to the side.

“What in Hades name do you think you’re doing here?” she hissed. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I didn’t think you were coming back because of the whole claiming issue.”

“Relax,” Magnus said. “We’re only going to be here for a few days. Now that we’ve found Bianca, Alex and I have to get back before Blitz and Hearth murder her for kidnapping me or something.”

Alex snorted. “Oh my gods really? They think little old me is capable of kidnapping someone?”

“I think you’re capable of kidnapping someone,” Magnus said.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”

“I mean, you got Bianca to take a magic hike across a tree and you two don’t even know each other.”

Alex looked disturbingly pleased with herself. “You’re right, Maggie. Maybe I would make a good kidnapper.” She skipped over to the Hermes table and sat down.

“You created the monster,” Annabeth muttered to Magnus on her way past him towards the Athena table.

Magnus sighed and made his way over to the Hermes table.

Chapter Text

PIPER STILL DIDN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND the whole Bianca used to be dead thing. Silena tried to explain a little more, but it was hard for her. None of the campers really knew Bianca before her death.

Piper almost wanted to sit with her at the Hades table. Mostly because Bianca was all alone there and she looked unhappy. But before she could decide what to do, Chiron stood up and called them all to attention.

“I know you have many questions,” he said. “But I would like to ask that you all please respect Miss di Angelo’s privacy. However, I would like to welcome her back to Camp Half-Blood.” He gave Bianca a warm smile.

Bianca flushed, but smiled back tentatively.

“I really hope she doesn’t go back to the Hunters,” Silena muttered.

Piper frowned. “Why?”

“Waste of potential,” Silena said. “Besides, she’s too adorable to hate.”

Piper rolled her eyes.

“And of course a warm welcome to Magnus and Alex who will be joining us for…” Chiron trailed off.

“Let’s say three days!” Alex called. “We have to get back soon. Our buddies might think I’ve killed Magnus.” She grinned and Piper wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.

In the afternoon, before the counselor meeting, Piper met Chiron on the front porch of the Big House. He was in his human form, compacted into his wheelchair.

“Come inside, my dear,” he said. “The video conference is ready.”

The only computer at camp was in Chiron's office, and the whole room was shielded in bronze plating.

“Demigods and technology don’t mix,” Chiron explained. “Phone calls, texting, even browsing the Internet—all these things can attract monsters. Why, just this fall at a school in Cincinnati, we had to rescue a young hero who Googled the gorgons and got a little more than he bargained for, but never mind that. Here at camp, you’re protected. Still… we try to be cautious. You’ll only be able to talk for a few minutes.”

“Got it,” Piper said. “Thank you, Chiron.”

He smiled and wheeled himself out of the office. Piper hesitated before clicking the call button. Chiron’s office had a cluttered, cozy feel. One wall was covered with T-shirts from different conventions—party ponies ‘09 vegas, party ponies ‘10 honolulu, et cetera. Piper didn’t know who the Party Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks, and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must’ve had some pretty wild meetings. On the shelf over Chiron’s desk sat an old-fashioned boombox with cassette tapes labeled “Dean Martin” and “Frank Sinatra” and “Greatest Hits of the 40s.” Chiron was so old, Piper wondered if that meant 1940s, 1840s, or maybe just A.D. 40.

But most of the office’s wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Piper assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson. In some of the older photos, she recognized famous people: businessmen, athletes, even some actors that her dad knew.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered.

Piper wondered if her photo would go on that wall someday. For the first time, she felt like she was part of something bigger than herself. Demigods had been around for centuries. Whatever she did, she did for all of them.

She took a deep breath and made the call. The video screen popped up.

Gleeson Hedge grinned at her from her dad’s office. “Seen the news?”

“Kind of hard to miss,” Piper said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Chiron had shown her a newspaper at lunch. Her dad’s mysterious return from nowhere had made the front page. His personal assistant Jane had been fired for covering up his disappearance and failing to notify the police. A new staff had been hired and personally vetted by Tristan McLean’s “life coach,” Gleeson Hedge.

According to the paper, Mr. McLean claimed to have no memory of the last week, and the media was totally eating up the story. Some thought it was a clever marketing ploy for a movie—maybe McLean was going to play an amnesiac? Some thought he‘d been kidnapped by terrorists, or rabid fans, or had heroically escaped from ransom seekers using his incredible King of Sparta fighting skills. Whatever the truth, Tristan McLean was more famous than ever.

“It’s going great,” Hedge promised. “But don’t worry. We’re going to keep him out of the public eye for the next month or so until things cool down. Your dad’s got more important things to do—like resting, and talking to his daughter.”

“Don’t get too comfortable out there in Hollywood, Gleeson,” Piper said.

Hedge snorted. “You kidding? These people make Aeolus look sane. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but your dad’s gotta get back on his feet first. He’s a good guy. Oh, and by the way, I took care of that other little matter. The Park Service in the Bay Area just got an anonymous gift of a new helicopter. And that ranger pilot who helped us? She’s got a very lucrative offer to fly for Mr. McLean.”

“Thanks, Gleeson,” Piper said. “For everything.”

“Yeah, well. I don’t try to be awesome. It just comes natural. Speaking of Aeolus’s place, meet your dad’s new assistant.”

Hedge was nudged out of the way, and a pretty young lady grinned into the camera.

“Mellie?” Piper stared, but it was definitely her: the aura who’d helped them escape from Aeolus’s fortress. “You’re working for my dad now?”

“Isn’t it great?”

“Does he know you’re a—you know—wind spirit?”

“Oh, no. But I love this job. It’s—um—a breeze.”

Piper couldn't help but laugh. “I’m glad. That’s awesome. But where—”

“Just a sec.” Mellie kissed Gleeson on the cheek. “Come on, you old goat. Stop hogging the screen.”

“What?” Hedge demanded. But Mellie steered him away and called, “Mr. McLean? She’s on!”

A second later, Piper’s dad appeared.

He broke into a huge grin. “Pipes!”

He looked great—back to normal, with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile, and his newly trimmed hair like he was ready to shoot a scene. Piper was relieved, but she also felt a little sad.

Back to normal wasn‘t necessarily what she’d wanted.

In her mind, she started the clock. On a normal call like this, on a workday, she hardly ever got her dad’s attention for longer than thirty seconds.

“Hey,” she said weakly. “You feeling okay?”

“Honey, I’m so sorry to worry you with this disappearance business. I don’t know…” His smile wavered, and she could tell he was trying to remember—grasping for a memory that should have been there, but wasn’t.

“I’m not sure what happened, honestly. But I’m fine. Coach Hedge has been a godsend.”

“A godsend,” she repeated. Funny choice of words.

“He told me about your new school,” Dad said. “I’m sorry the Wilderness School didn’t work out, but you were right. Jane was wrong. I was a fool to listen to her.”

Ten seconds left, maybe. But at least her dad sounded sincere, like he really did feel remorseful.

“You don’t remember anything?” she said, a bit wistfully.

“Of course I do,” he said.

A chill went down her neck. “You do?”

“I remember that I love you,” he said. “And I’m proud of you. Are you happy at your new school?”

Piper blinked. She wasn’t going to cry now. After all she’d been through, that would be ridiculous. “Yeah, Dad. It‘s more like a camp, not a school, but… Yeah, I think I’ll be happy here.”

“Call me as often as you can,” he said. “And come home for Christmas. And Pipes…”

“Yes?”

He touched the screen as if trying to reach through with his hand. “You’re a wonderful young lady. I don’t tell you that often enough. You remind me so much of your mother. She’d be proud. And Grandpa Tom” —he chuckled— “he always said you’d be the most powerful voice in our family. You’re going to outshine me some day, you know. They’re going to remember me as Piper McLean’s father, and that’s the best legacy I can imagine.”

Piper tried to answer, but she was afraid she’d break down. She just touched his fingers on the screen and nodded.

Mellie said something in the background, and her dad sighed. “Studio calling. I’m sorry, honey.” And he did sound genuinely annoyed to go.

“It’s okay, Dad,” she managed. “Love you.”

He winked. Then the video call went black.

Forty-five seconds? Maybe a full minute.

Piper smiled. A small improvement, but it was progress.

At the commons area, she found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan—distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to gold, Midas style.

“Hey,” he said. “How did it go?”

It took her a second to focus on his question. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine.”

She sat next to him and they watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys—making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.

Meanwhile, the Aphrodite kids were watching Piper and Jason, and trying to pretend they weren't. Piper was pretty sure she saw money change hands, like they were placing bets on a kiss.

“Get any sleep?” she asked him.

He looked at her as if she’d been reading his thoughts. “Not much. Dreams.”

“About your past?”

He nodded.

She didn’t push him. If he wanted to talk, that was fine, but she knew him better than to press the subject. She didn’t even worry that her knowledge of him was mostly based on three months of false memories. You can sense possibilities, her mother had said. And Piper was determined to make those possibilities a reality.

Jason spun his basketball. “It’s not good news,” he warned. “My memories aren’t good for—for any of us.”

Piper was pretty sure he’d been about to say for us—as in the two of them, and she wondered if he’d remembered a girl from his past. But she didn’t let it bother her. Not on a sunny winter day like this, with Jason next to her.

“We’ll figure it out,” she promised.

He looked at her hesitantly, like he wanted very much to believe her. “I should probably wait until the meeting to explain. Annabeth… Annabeth should be able to make more sense of it. I… I think she somehow, on some level, knows.”

“Okay.” Piper plucked a blade of grass by her foot. She knew there were dangerous things in store for both of them. She would have to compete with Jason’s past, and they might not even survive their war against the giants. But right now, they were both alive, and she was determined to enjoy this moment.

Jason studied her warily. His forearm tattoo was faint blue in the sunlight. “You’re in a good mood. How can you be so sure things will work out?”

“Because you’re going to lead us,” she said simply. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

Jason blinked. Then slowly, he smiled. “Dangerous thing to say.”

“I’m a dangerous girl.”

“That, I believe.” He got up and brushed off his shorts. He offered her a hand. “Leo says he’s got something to show us out in the woods. You coming?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” She took his hand and stood up.

For a moment, they kept holding hands. Jason tilted his head. “We should get going.”

“Yep,” she said. “Just a sec.”

She let go of his hand, and took a card from her pocket—the silver calling card that Thalia had given her for the Hunters of Artemis. She dropped it into a nearby eternal fire and watched it burn. There would be no breaking hearts in Aphrodite cabin from now on. That was one rite of passage they didn’t need.

Across the green, her cabinmates looked disappointed that they hadn’t witnessed a kiss. They started cashing in their bets.

Piper didn’t know if she wanted to feel disappointed there wasn’t a kiss too. Annabeth’s words from days ago floated back.

Maybe it’ll work out. Just… Make sure you aren’t doing this because of fake memories. If you do get together, make sure you really feel that way.”

This relationship would always be tainted with the Mist memories. Piper couldn’t change that. But the Mist had brought them together. Maybe they could be something one day.

Aphrodite was right. Piper could see a lot of good possibilities. For now, she would just be content to be Jason’s friend.

“Let’s go,” she told Jason. “We’ve got adventures to plan.”

Chapter Text

LEO HADN’T FELT THIS JUMPY SINCE HE offered tofu burgers to the werewolves. When he got to the limestone cliff in the forest, he turned to the group and smiled nervously. “Here we go.” He willed his hand to catch fire, and set it against the door.

His cabinmates gasped.

“Leo!” Nyssa cried. “You’re a fire user!”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said. “I know.”

Jake Mason said, “Holy Hephaestus. That means—it’s so rare that—”

“Guess I know why you were asking about fire resistance,” Beckendorf said.

The massive stone door swung open, and everyone’s mouth dropped. Leo’s flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Piper and Jason looked stunned, and they’d seen enough amazing things lately. Only Chiron didn’t look surprised. The centaur knit his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard, as if the group was about to walk through a minefield.

That made Leo even more nervous, but he couldn't change his mind now. His instincts told him he was meant to share this place—at least with the Hephaestus cabin—and he couldn’t hide it from Chiron or his two best friends.

“Welcome to Bunker Nine,” he said, as confidently as he could. “C’mon in.”

The group was silent as they toured the facility. Everything was just as Leo had left it—giant machines, worktables, old maps and schematics. Only one thing had changed. Festus’s head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.

Leo went over to it, a bitter taste in his mouth, and stroked the dragon’s forehead. “I’m sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you.”

Jason put a hand on Leo‘s shoulder. “Hephaestus brought it here for you?”

Leo nodded.

“But you can’t repair him,” Jason guessed.

“No way,” Leo said. “But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us.”

Piper came over and frowned. “What do you mean?”

Before Leo could answer, Nyssa cried out, “Guys, look at this!”

She was standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook—diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.

“I’ve never seen anything like these,” Nyssa said. “There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus’s workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all.”

“Who built this place?” Beckendorf asked. “And why?”

Chiron stayed silent, but Leo focused on the wall map he’d seen during his first visit. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound, catapults mounted in the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites.

“It’s a wartime command center,” he said. “The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?”

“In the Titan War?” Piper asked.

Nyssa shook her head. “No. Besides, that map looks really old. The date… does that say 1864?”

They all turned to Chiron.

The centaur’s tail swished fretfully. “This camp has been attacked many times,” he admitted. “That map is from the last Civil War.”

Apparently, Leo wasn't the only one confused. The other Hephaestus campers looked at each other and frowned.

“Civil War…” Piper said. “You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?”

“Yes and no,” Chiron said. “The two conflicts—mortal and demigod—mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time—worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides.”

“Both sides,” Leo said. “You mean the camp split apart?”

“No,” Jason spoke up. “He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war.”

Leo wasn’t sure he wanted an answer, but he asked, “Who was the other?”

Chiron glanced up at the tattered bunker 9 banner, as if remembering the day it was raised. “The answer is dangerous,” he warned. “It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We’ve had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we’ve managed to avoid another civil war—at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place.”

Suddenly Leo‘s sense of triumph turned to guilt. “Hey, look, this place found me. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing.”

“I hope you're right,” Chiron said.

“I am!” Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see. “There,” he said proudly. “Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny.”

Nyssa frowned. “Leo, it’s a crayon drawing of a boat.”

“No, it’s not,” Beckendorf said in amazement. “Look.” He pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board—the blueprint showing a Greek trireme.

Slowly, his cabinmates’ eyes widened as they compared the two designs. The number of masts and oars, even the decorations on the shields and sails were exactly the same as on Leo‘s drawing.

“That’s impossible,” Nyssa said. “That blueprint has to be a century old at least.”

“ Prophecy—Unclear—Flight ,” Jake read from the notes on the blueprint. “It’s a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that’s the landing gear. And weaponry—Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin‘ hot war machine. Was it ever made?”

“Not yet,” Leo said. “Look at the masthead.”

There was no doubt—the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a dragon. A very particular dragon.

“Festus,” Piper said. Everyone turned and looked at the dragon‘s head sitting on the table.

“He’s meant to be our masthead,” Leo said. “Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea. I’m supposed to build this ship. I’m gonna call it the Argo II. And guys, I’ll need your help.”

“The Argo II.” Piper smiled. “After Jason’s ship.”

Jason looked a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. “Leo’s right. That ship is just what we need for our journey.”

“What journey?” Nyssa said. “You just got back!”

Piper ran her fingers over the old crayon drawing. “We’ve got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots.”

“Indeed,” Chiron said. “Much of Rachel’s Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You three—Jason, Piper, and Leo—are among the seven demigods who must take on that quest. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus.”

“Um…” Nyssa shifted. “You don’t mean Manhattan, do you?”

“No,” Leo said. “The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece.”

It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus campers started asking questions all at once. Who were the other four demigods? How long would it take to build the boat? Why didn’t everyone get to go to Greece?

“Heroes!” Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. “All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has even undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon.”

“It’ll take a year at least,” Nyssa guessed. “Do we have that much time?”

“You have six months at most,” Chiron said. “You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods’ power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god…” His voice trailed off, but Leo figured Chiron was thinking about his missing student, Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. He would’ve been good on this voyage, too.

Beckendorf clapped Leo on the shoulder. “We can do it. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had.”

All his cabinmates smiled at Leo. For once, Leo was speechless. Ever since his mom died, he’d spent his life on the run. Now he’d found a home and a family. He’d found a job to do. And as scary as it was, Leo wasn’t tempted to run—not even a little.

“Well,” he said at last, “I guess we’ve got work to do. Let’s build a spankin’ hot war machine!”

Chapter Text

JASON WAITED ALONE IN CABIN ONE. The head counselors’ meeting was soon, and Jason needed time to think.

His dreams the night before had been worse than he’d wanted to share—even with Piper. His memory was still foggy, but bits and pieces were coming back. The night Lupa had tested him at the Wolf House, to decide if he would be a pup or food. Then the long trip south to… he couldn’t remember, but he had flashes of his old life. The day he’d gotten his tattoo. The day he’d been raised on a shield and proclaimed a praetor. His friends’ faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Hazel, Bobby. And Reyna. Definitely there’d been a girl named Reyna. He wasn't sure what she’d meant to him, but the memory made him question what he felt about Piper—and wonder if he was doing something wrong. The problem was, he liked Piper a lot.

Jason moved his stuff to the corner alcove where his sister had once slept. He put Thalia’s photograph back on the wall so he didn’t feel alone. He stared up at the frowning statue of Zeus, mighty and proud, but the statue didn’t scare him anymore. It just made him feel sad.

“I know you can hear me,” Jason said to the statue.

The statue said nothing. Its painted eyes seemed to stare at him.

“I wish I could talk with you in person,” Jason continued, “but I understand you can’t do that. The Roman gods don’t like to interact with mortals so much, and—well, you’re the king. You’ve got to set an example.”

More silence. Jason had hoped for something—a bigger than usual rumble of thunder, a bright light, a smile. No, never mind. A smile would‘ve been creepy.

“I remember some things,” he said. The more he talked, the less self-conscious he felt. “I remember that it’s hard being a son of Jupiter. Everyone is always looking at me to be a leader, but I always feel alone. I guess you feel the same way up on Olympus. The other gods challenge your decisions. Sometimes you’ve got to make hard choices, and the others criticize you. And you can’t come to my aid like other gods might. You’ve got to keep me at a distance so it doesn’t look like you’re playing favorites. I guess I just wanted to say…” Jason took a deep breath. “I understand all that. It’s okay. I’m going to try to do my best. I’ll try to make you proud. But I could really use some guidance, Dad. If there’s anything you can do—help me so I can help my friends. I'm afraid I’ll get them killed. I don’t know how to protect them.”

The back of his neck tingled. He realized someone was standing behind him. He turned and found a woman in a black hooded robe, with a goatskin cloak over her shoulders and a sheathed Roman sword—a gladius—in her hands.

“Hera,” he said.

She pushed back her hood. “To you, I have always been Juno. And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper and Leo. They’re not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you will do well.”

“Did Jupiter send you here to tell me that?”

“No one sends me anywhere, hero,” she said. “I am not a messenger.”

“But you got me into this. Why did you send me to this camp?”

“I think you know,” Juno said. “An exchange of leaders was necessary. It was the only way to bridge the gap.”

“I didn’t agree to it.”

“No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfill your destiny.”

Jason tried to control his anger. He looked down at his orange camp shirt and the tattoos on his arm, and he knew these things should not go together. He had become a contradiction—a mixture as dangerous as anything Medea could cook up.

“You’re not giving me all my memories,” he said. “Even though you promised.”

“Most will return in time,” Juno said. “But you must find your own way back. You need these next months with your new friends, your new home. You’re gaining their trust. By the time you sail in your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great powers.”

“What if you’re not telling the truth?” he asked. “What if you’re doing this to cause another civil war?”

Juno's expression was impossible to read—amusement? Disdain? Affection? Possibly all three. As much as she appeared human, Jason knew she was not. He could still see that blinding light—the true form of the goddess that had seared itself into his brain. She was Juno and Hera. She existed in many places at once. Her reasons for doing something were never simple.

“I am the goddess of family,” she said. “My family has been divided for too long.”

“They divided us so we don’t kill each other,” Jason said. “That seems like a pretty good reason.”

“The prophecy demands that we change. The giants will rise. Each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. Those demigods must be the seven greatest of the age. As it stands, they are divided between two places. If we remain divided, we cannot win. Gaea is counting on this. You must unite the heroes of Olympus and sail together to meet the giants on the ancient battlegrounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest, the most important voyage, ever attempted by the children of the gods.”

Jason looked up again at the glowering statue of his father.

“It’s not fair,” Jason said. “I could ruin everything.”

“You could,” Juno agreed. “But gods need heroes. We always have.”

“Even you? I thought you hated heroes.”

The goddess gave him a dry smile. “I have that reputation. But if you want the truth, Jason, I often envy other gods and their mortal children. You demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents—even Jupiter, curse him—to understand the mortal world better than I.”

Juno sighed so unhappily that despite his anger, Jason almost felt sorry for her.

“I am the goddess of marriage,” she said. “It is not in my nature to be faithless. I have only two godly children—Ares and Hephaestus—both of whom are disappointments. I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter toward demigods—Heracles, Aeneas, all of them. But it is also why I favored the first Jason, a pure mortal, who had no godly parent to guide him. And why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my champion, Jason. You will be the greatest of heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus.”

Her words settled over him, as heavy as sandbags. Two days ago, he’d been terrified by the idea of leading demigods into a Great Prophecy, sailing off to battle the giants and save the world. He was still terrified, but something had changed. He no longer felt alone. He had friends now, and a home to fight for. He even had a patron goddess looking out for him, which had to count for something, even if she seemed a little untrustworthy.

Jason had to stand up and accept his destiny, just as he had done when he faced Porphyrion with his bare hands. Sure, it seemed impossible. He might die. But his friends were counting on him.

“And if I fail?” he asked.

“Great victory requires great risk,” she admitted. “Fail, and there will be bloodshed like we have never seen. Demigods will destroy one another. The giants will overrun Olympus. Gaea will wake, and the earth will shake off everything we have built over five millennia. It will be the end of us all.”

“Great. Just great.”

Someone pounded on the cabin doors.

Juno pulled her hood back over her face. Then she handed Jason the sheathed gladius. “Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again. Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other.”

The goddess vanished as the doors creaked open, and Piper walked in.

“You’re going to be late,” she said. “The meeting is starting soon.”

Jason set his gladius down in the alcove. “I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

IT WASN’T AFTER DINNER YET, but Will was hoping that Nico might be wandering around the woods anyway. Michael would be busy at the head counselor meeting, something Will still wasn’t used to, and the rest of his siblings would be in the infirmary or giving archery lessons. Hopefully no one would wonder why he was headed into the woods.

“Will?”

That was probably the dumbest thing he could have thought.

Will turned around. “Hey, Michael,” he said. “Did you need something?”

Michael narrowed his eyes at the quiver slung over Will’s back and the bow in his hand. “Please tell me you aren’t going hunting for monsters.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You tell me,” Michael said, gesturing to the weapon.

Will sighed. “I’m not going hunting. I was just going to… IM Nico. He… he should know his sister is here. I’m not going in very deep, okay?” he added when Michael didn’t say anything.

“I’ll go with you,” Michael decided.

“No way!” Will sputtered. “You’ll miss the meeting. It’s supposed to be important. I will be fine, Michael. I’ll stay close enough to shout for help. Besides, I’ve made it through the Titan war,” he grinned. “I can handle the woods.”

Michael didn’t look very convinced. “Will…”

“You all act like I’m incompetent!” Will exclaimed. “I might not be able to hit the target every time, but I’m not incapable of killing monsters. I will be fine. Go to your meeting!”

Michael sighed. “I’m just worried about you. No one should be going into the woods alone.” He gave Will a small smile. “Be safe. Don’t die. Have a nice talk with your crush.” He took off before Will could register what he’d said.

Will gapped after Michael. He scowled in his brother’s direction.

The trek through the woods to Zeus’s Fist was longer than Will intended it to be. The last time he’d been to the pile of rocks had been when they fought the Battle of the Labyrinth. Since then, no one had returned to the site. It held a lot of painful memories.

“Nico?” Will called. “Are you here yet?”

No answer.

Will sighed. He really had been hoping Nico was already there.

“What in my father’s name are you doing here, Solace?”

Will jumped up about a foot in the air. “Nico?”

Nico stood behind him with his arms crossed. “And where’s the snacks?”

“Eat this,” Will said, handing Nico a square of ambrosia.

Nico took the square with a sour look. “How did you know I would need this?”

“Because I don’t trust you to, what did you call it, ‘plan better’,” he said, using his hands to make air-quotes.

Nico glared at him, but ate the godly food. “I did plan better. I just made an accidental trip to Canada. I ended up in Brooklyn for a few days. Then I came here.”

“Brooklyn?”

“First of all, I had like zero control over where I ended up,” Nico stated. “I was just aiming for New York. Second, there’s a whiney god in Brooklyn, so that kind of pulls me off course. Third, I had to say hello to said whiney god because I heard he got a new host.” He paused, tilting his head. "Well, I knew he got a new host at any rate. I said hi last time. Figured I should say hi this time."

“I’m sorry, whiney god? And host?”

Nico gave Will a look. “Anubis?”

“Oh, right.” Will scratched his neck. “Um, so there was something I wanted to tell you. Magnus and Alex are back at Camp for a few days—”

“I’m not risking Jason seeing me just to say hello,” Nico said.

Will frowned. “That’s not what I meant. They’ve been looking for Bianca, right? Well—”

Nico’s eyes lit up. “Do they know where she is? Did they tell you? I have to go right away—”

“She’s at Camp,” Will blurted.

Nico faltered. “At. Camp.”

Will nodded. “She’s here. At Camp Half-Blood. There’s a counselor meeting right now. She’s there.”

“I… I can’t,” Nico said quietly. “I can’t be here while Jason is. If he remembers me… everyone will think I’m spying on Camp Half-Blood. Or Jason will think I was sent by the Greeks to spy on the Romans. This only ends in disaster, Will.”

“I refuse to believe that,” Will said. “Hera removed Jason’s memories and she hasn’t given them all back. He might not remember you. Hera can prevent him from remembering you. She wants this to succeed just as much as we do, right?”

“I’m going to regret this,” Nico muttered.

Will scoffed. “Don’t be so melodramatic. Come on.”

Chapter Text

THERE WASN’T EVEN THAT MANY extra people in the Big House rec room, but it felt like it was so crowded to Annabeth. Usually it was packed full with the counselors anyway, but that felt homey and cozy. Now with Bianca, Magnus, Alex, Piper, and Leo who were not counselors, it felt stifling. Not to mention the underlying tension in the room.

The layout was pretty typical. Jason, Piper, and Leo were all seated next to each other with Jason in the middle. Clarisse had her boots on the table. Clovis was snoring in the corner while Connor tried to see how many pencils he could fit in Clovis’s nostrils. Travis was holding a lighter under a Ping-Pong ball to see if it would burn. Ethan was sitting back with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. Allegra was chatting happily with Alex and Magnus while Bianca quietly observed the conversation, chiming in occasionally. Michael rushed in late and took the seat the furthest away from Clarisse, thank the gods. Lou Ellen was playing got-your-nose with Miranda, except that Lou Ellen really had magically disconnected Miranda’s nose and Miranda was trying to get it back.

Thalia wasn’t there, but Annabeth hadn’t expected the lieutenant of Artemis to attend. In fact, she had known that Thalia wouldn’t be in attendance.

Rachel was there too. She was between Chiron and Annabeth and dressed in her typical paint splattered clothes. There were a few colorful pens tucked into her hair and pockets which no doubt would be used to doodle on her jeans and skin by the end of the meeting.

“Let’s come to order,” Chiron said. “Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you’d kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Connor, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Glad you could join us, Michael.”

Michael flushed indigintly. “I was just―”

“He’s joking, idiot,” Clarisse said.

Michael opened his mouth to say something, but Chiron wisely cut him off.

“Now, as you can see, Jason, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully… more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in.”

Everyone looked at Jason. He cleared his throat and began the story. Piper and Leo chimed in from time to time, filling in the details he forgot.

“So Hera was here,” Annabeth grumbled. “Talking to you.”

Jason nodded. “Look, I’m not saying I trust her—”

“That’s smart,” Annabeth said.

“—but she isn’t making this up about another group of demigods. That’s where I came from.”

“Romans.” Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. “You expect us to believe there’s another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we’ve never even heard of them.”

Piper sat forward. “The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other.”

“I can respect that,” Clarisse said. “Still, why haven’t we ever run across each other on quests?”

“Oh, yes,” Chiron said sadly. “You have, many times. It’s always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities.”

“More warlike,” Jason said. “More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline.”

“Yuck,” Travis put in.

Several of the others looked equally uncomfortable, though Clarisse shrugged like it sounded okay to her.

Annabeth twirled her knife on the table. “And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire.” She didn’t add that the children of Athena especially disliked the Romans.

“Not exactly hated them,” Jason said. “The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman.”

“And it’s been that way ever since,” Annabeth said.

“Um, okay,” Alex interrupted. “But, like, there was a war last summer, right? I mean, I was there and I didn’t see any Romans. Or was that just a Greek war?”

Chiron tugged at his beard. “They did help, Alex. While Percy was leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans’ base in California?”

“Hold on,” Travis said. “You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos.”

“No,” Jason said. “It didn’t just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself.”

“In Kronos’s army,” Allegra began hesitantly, “there was… I don’t know how to describe it. Like a feeling? A warning maybe? I don’t know, but we always had to be upfront about our parentage. I think maybe Kronos was trying to keep the Greeks together and the Romans together.”

“We went to Othrys once,” Ethan added. “After that, all our assignments were mostly on the eastern side of the country.”

“The Roman camp is somewhere near San Francisco,” Annabeth said. “It must have been put there to keep watch on the Titan’s territory.”

“Where is it though?” Michael asked.

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair. “I cannot say. Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason’s memory, too, has been burned away.”

“The camp’s heavily veiled with magic,” Jason said. “And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it.”

Rachel laced her fingers. Of all the people in the room, only she didn’t seem nervous about the conversation. “But you’ll try, won’t you? You’ll build Leo’s boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you’ll sail for the Roman camp. You’ll need their help to confront the giants.”

“Bad plan,” Clarisse warned. “If those Romans see a warship coming, they’ll assume we’re attacking.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to plan for that,” Annabeth said.

“We’ll?” Leo asked.

“Oh, I’m coming with you three,” Annabeth said matter-of-factly. “Jason was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood. So he knows that we aren’t a threat to the Romans. Kind of like a peace offering.”

“So?”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “So Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. The seven heroes of the prophecy are a mix of Greek and Roman.”

“ Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death, ” Piper recited. “Gaea has opened the Doors of Death and she’s letting out all the worst villains of the Underworld. The Greeks and Romans have to be united to close the Doors.”

Annabeth met Magnus’s eyes. She looked away quickly before her cousin could do something stupid.

“Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death,” Clarisse pointed out. “It doesn’t say we’ll cooperate.”

There was silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.

“Um, but back to Annabeth,” Leo said. “I’m cool and all with Annabeth going, but how do you know you’re part of the Seven?”

“Because we know my boyfriend is part of the Seven and if anyone thinks I’m not going to be by his side, they are sorely mistaken,” Annabeth said.

“Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders,” Jason said. “A way for the two camps to learn of each other’s existence.”

“Yeah?” Leo said. “What does that have to do with Percy?”

“An exchange goes two ways,” Jason said. “When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn’t know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you’re not my enemy. The Roman camp—they’re not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don’t survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he’s going to be in serious trouble.”

“Him?” Leo asked. “Percy?”

“Exactly,” Jason agreed. “Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn’t even remember who he is.”

A heavy chill fell over the room. They were all so lost in thought that the loud banging on the door startled them.

“Chiron?”

Michael frowned. “Will? Is that you?”

The door opened and a sunny blonde head peeked in. Will’s smile fell at the serious looks on everyone’s faces. “Um, is it a bad time?”

“Nah, we just found out that Percy’s at the Roman camp without his memories,” Alex said. “So it’s all good.”

Will blinked. “Right. Um…” he disappeared behind the door frame and reappeared moments later, tugging a figure in black. “Come on.” He gently shoved Nico into the room.

Nico turned and glowered at Will. “You don’t need to push me. I can walk on my own.”

“Really, because you seemed frozen out in the hall.”

“Maybe it’s cold and I got turned into an icicle.”

“The temperature is regulated here!” Will said in exasperation.

“Well, maybe—”

“Do I know you?” Jason interrupted.

Nico froze. He turned around slowly and looked at Jason who he had ended up standing next to. “Not that I know of,” he said carefully. “Unless you’ve spent time in the Underworld recently.”

“Nico?” Bianca asked quietly.

Nico stared at her in awe. “Bianca,” he whispered. “You’re really here.” A smile spread its way across his face. “How? How did you…?”

Bianca’s face fell. “I don’t know.”

Chiron cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should address that now. Nico, are there any ways you can think of that would allow Bianca to return?”

Annabeth could see Nico’s hesitation. It wasn’t obvious, merely a quick millisecond flicker of uncertainty, but to anyone who knew what was going on, namely Annabeth and the others, it was plain to see that Nico knew more than he was letting on.

“The Doors of Death are Thanatos’s personal doorways in and out of the Underworld,” Nico said. “If something happened to them, it would be a lot easier for souls to escape the Underworld.”

“Like Medea and Midas,” Piper said. “We know Gaea brought them back.”

Clarisse narrowed her eyes at Bianca. “So Gaea brought you back too.”

“I… I don’t know,” Bianca said. “I swear. I thought about that too. That’s why I didn’t come back here.”

“Why are you here now?” Clarisse asked.

Alex raised a hand. “Guilty.”

“We ran into her,” Magnus said. “On accident. Purpose. On purpose accidentally.”

“I convinced her to come back,” Alex added. “To see Nico and stuff.” She crossed her arms. “Speaking of Bianca… how come we weren’t told that Thalia and the Hunters didn’t know about her?”

Annabeth winced. “I tried to contact Thalia, but the Hunters are always moving around. It’s hard to get a message through. She’ll be here at the end of the week though. Bianca, if you wanted to join back up, I’m sure Thalia wouldn’t turn you away.”

“No!” Bianca said quickly. “I… I can’t join the Hunters. It feels wrong.”

“Prophecy wrong or…” Will said.

Bianca rubbed her arms. “People shouldn’t cheat death.”

“Well, I for one love cheating death,” Magnus announced. “Avoiding death is best, but, you know… beggars and choosers.”

"I just... with my past and I'm the daughter of the god of the Underworld... everyone has an expiration date and it's not natural to cheat it," Bianca said. "I thought I was doing something I wanted to do, but it felt so, so wrong. I... honestly, I almost welcomed my death." She shot a nervous look at Nico. "I know it doesn't sound good, but I just didn't understand why I felt so wrong until I died."

Alex’s expression softened. “Yeah. I get it. You feel like a stranger in your own body.”

It wasn’t exactly the same, but it had never occurred to Annabeth that the di Angelo’s could have moments of dysphoria or that Alex might be able to understand them. Technically the di Angelo’s should be eighty years old. Technically, the teenaged di Angelo’s should be in the 1940s. If time dysphoria was something that existed, the di Angelos had every reason to have it.

“You’re here now,” Nico said. “Have you seen the cabin yet? I’ll have to show you. Come on.”

“Meeting adjourned,” Annabeth said with a small smile.

Chapter Text

BIANCA HAD ALREADY SEEN THE HADES CABIN, but that was okay because Nico really just wanted to talk to her anyway.

Once they were alone in the dark cabin, Bianca raised her eyebrows.

“What?” Nico asked.

Bianca gestured around. “Black? Really?”

“I like black,” Nico defended. “It’s the best color.”

“At least you have some color in here,” Bianca rolled her eyes, looking at a yellow pillow.

Nico’s face warmed. “That wasn’t my idea. Percy and Will complained about the color too. I told them as long as it wasn’t blue, they could give me whatever color.”

Actually, the real story was more like Will had complained about the colors and decided that he would be giving Nico an assortment of colorful objects for his cabin. Percy just happened to be standing there when Will said that, so Nico pointedly responded by saying, “Just make sure you don’t pick blue because it’s not my type.”

It was mostly a running joke between the two of them. Someone would ask if Nico wanted something, and Nico would respond with, “Nah, not my type” sending Percy dissolving into laughter or causing him to turn into a sputtering mess.

“Well, it’s something,” Bianca muttered.

“Bianca?” Nico asked. “Would you have waited for me to bring you back?”

His sister didn’t answer for a while. “No,” she finally said. “Probably not. My time already came and went.”

“But it didn’t,” Nico said. “ Do not despair, again she’ll reign / One will be lost in the land without rain .”

Bianca looked away. “You can’t know if that means I would be brought back or reborn, Nico. We more than anyone else should know the rules of death. I joined the Hunters an hour after I found out we were demigods. For the first few days, I felt great. Then I found out about our past, and I realized that I was just riding out the immortality high. I always knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what until then. We don’t belong in this time, Nico.”

“Yes, we do,” Nico insisted. “We’re here for a reason.”

“Maybe for you it’s different, but for me, I just feel so wrong,” Bianca said. “I mean, it might just be that I need to find a place like how you’ve found yours at Camp, but…” she trailed off. “You have friends here. Percy, Annabeth… I don’t know anyone.”

“You’ve only been here for a few hours,” Nico pointed out. “I—”

There was a knock on the door.

Nico’s eyes narrowed. There were very few people that actually braved going near the Hades cabin to knock on the door. Annabeth, Percy, Will, Lou Ellen, Cecil, Clarisse, Ethan, Allegra, and newbies who were dared. Magnus and Alex would probably be on that list too.

He swung open the door and frowned. “What?”

Lou Ellen beamed and pushed past him into the cabin. “Here to say hello to your sister, duh.”

Cecil trailed behind. He offered Nico an apologetic look. “She insisted.”

Nico sighed and closed the door behind them. “Bianca, this is Lou Ellen Blackstone, daughter of Hecate, and Cecil Markowitz, son of Hermes. What are you even doing here?”

“Saying hi to Bianca,” Lou Ellen said. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“Ulterior motive?”

Lou Ellen pouted. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you didn’t bring Will with you and he’s like all your impulse control.”

“Aww, were you hoping we were Will?” she teased.

Nico flushed. “No! Just… you… gah.” He crossed his arms.

“Hi,” Cecil said to Bianca.

Bianca’s eyes flickered between Nico and the two annoyances that Nico called friends. “Um, hi. Who’s Will?”

“Our friend,” Cecil said, mercifully cutting off Lou Ellen before she could say something that would turn Nico’s face redder than it already was. “Son of Apollo. He’s in the infirmary.”

“Of course he is,” Lou Ellen giggled. “He’s always in the infirmary. Anyway, I wanted to know if you’re bringing Bianca to the campfire tonight.”

Nico glanced at his sister. “Up to you. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, no, I’ll go,” Bianca said.

“Great!” Lou Ellen said. “We’ll save you a seat. And I expect to hear everything Nico hasn’t told us about himself. Bye, Nico.” She cackled as she ran out the door.

Cecil snickered. “Ulterior motive found,” he said.

Nico chucked a bone—femur maybe? he didn't check—at Cecil who ducked and ran after Lou Ellen.

“Don’t worry,” Bianca said. “I don’t really remember enough to tell them any embarrassing stories.”

“Good,” Nico said. “Um, look, I haven’t really told anyone about the Lotus Hotel. Outside Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Magnus, Alex, Will, and Chiron, no one else knows. It’s not a secret though. I don’t mind if you tell people.”

Bianca nodded. “Okay.”

The campfire was usually arranged by cabin. Hermes kids sat together, Apollo kids sat together, Demeter kids sat together, and so on. Not everyone followed the rules of course.

Nico usually sat with Will in the Apollo section. Annabeth would either sit in the Poseidon section with Percy or invite Percy to join her in the Athena section. Magnus and Alex sometimes sat with Percy and Annabeth in the Poseidon section. Chris Rodriguez occasionally braved the Ares section to sit with his girlfriend.

Silena and Beckendorf had it easy. Cabins Nine and Ten were right next to each other, so they would sit right on the edge of their sections next to each other.

Normally, Chiron didn’t mind it. Percy and Nico had both been the only ones in their cabins, and it got lonely sitting by yourself. If the Demeter kids wanted a friend or two to join them, Chiron let it slide since there weren't very many of them.

Nico hoped Chiron would be okay with the new arrangement for tonight.

Lou Ellen waved them over to the Hades section—the first time Nico had ever actually sat there—with a grin.

“Hope you don’t mind,” she said. “There’s two of you now, so I thought it might be best if we all join you rather than all of us joining Will.”

“Good idea,” Nico agreed. “Where’s Cecil and Will?”

“Oh, yeah, I sent Cecil to ask Alex where she got the tattoo,” Lou Ellen said. “Because it’s actually really cool. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but I don’t know what design. It’s got to be perfect, right? Because I can’t get rid of it.”

“You could use the Mist to see what it looks like on you,” Nico said.

Lou Ellen waved a hand. “Too much work. I’m not that good of an artist. I’d need to be able to visualize the design. Oh well. Maybe one day. Will’s pleading his case with Michael.” She winked. “I hear you met up in the woods. Alone. Privately.”

Nico’s face felt hot. “Lou!”

“Why is Nico’s face red?” Will asked.

Nico glared at Lou Ellen. “No reason. Will, this is Bianca. Bianca, this is Will.”

“Hi,” Bianca said with a smile.

“It’s good to finally meet you,” Will said. “You know, now that you’re not dead.” He winced. “I mean…” he trailed off. “There’s no good way to put this. I’m sorry.”

Bianca laughed. “Don’t worry. I don’t think there is a way to put it.”

Will took a seat next to Nico. That reminded Nico. He would have to do a little more explaining about the future he’d come from to Bianca. Somehow, they’d only managed to cover what had changed so far up until Thanatos going missing and the possibility of bringing Bianca back.

Though, Nico was pretty sure Bianca could guess how he felt about Will given the number of times Nico had blabbed on and on about the son of Apollo. Most about how Will Solace was extremely annoying, but, well, it was kind of cute. Kind of.

For now, he was just content to be sitting by the fire with his sister and his friends.

When they got back to the cabin that night, Bianca sat on the edge of her bed and stared at Nico. She blinked rapidly. “You’re older than me now.”

“Technically you’re like 83 and I’m 81,” Nico said.

“I’m twelve,” Bianca said quietly. “Maybe almost thirteen. I… I don’t know. You’re going to be fourteen next month. And you’re doing so much. You’re saving lives and… I’m proud of you, Nico.”

A warm feeling blossomed in his chest at that. He honestly never thought he’d hear his sister say those words. How could she? Bianca was supposed to be dead and moved on into a new life. Yet here she was, saying the words.

“I love you, Bianca.”

“I love you too, Nico.”

Nico almost smiled when Bianca used the partition sheet he’d had Annabeth install in the blueprint. The sheet had been added with Hazel in mind, but seeing Bianca choose to use it as well was bittersweet. He wished he could introduce the two of them sooner.

“Lights out,” he said jokingly once they were both ready for bed.

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be unbearable as the senior counselor?”

“Yes,” Nico answered before turning off the lights. The only glow came from eerie green lights along the edge of the ceiling and the walls.

The cabin was silent for a moment before Nico broke the silence.

“Bianca?”

There was a noise as Bianca rolled over in her bed to face Nico. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to be talking all night.”

“No,” Nico said. “I just… remember when I said we belong in this time?”

“Yeah?”

“I like this time way better than our time.”

“World War Two was brewing in our time. Dictators were taking over.”

“Not what I meant.”

Bianca propped herself up on her side with her elbow. “What did you mean then?”

“I meant the people here. People I’d never have met if our father didn’t put us in that hotel. I have good friends. And, well…” he trailed off.

“What?”

“I never finished telling you about the future.”

Bianca sat up. “What about it?”

Nico matched her, sitting up on his own bed. His focus was mostly stuck on the pillows on Bianca’s bed. “I was… the future that I came from… I—gods this is so awkward,” he said burying his face in his hands.

Bianca tittered. “Who was it?”

Nico snapped up to look at her. “How did you know?”

“Awkward conversations with siblings,” Bianca explained. “It’s either a crush or… yeah, that’s pretty much it. So? Tell me who?”

Nico inhaled sharply. “Will Solace.”

Bianca didn’t say anything for a while. She flicked at the fringe on the pillow in her lap. Finally, she shrugged. “I kind of figured there was something between you two. So that’s what’s keeping you here? A cute boy?”

Nico’s face went red. “No,” he sputtered. “I… he… not… no… Bianca!”

“Denial is the first step towards acceptance.”

“Shut up, Bianca.”

Bianca shot him a smile. “No, really, Nico. I’m happy for you. He seems nice and you really like him. You’re face kind of… I don’t know, lights up when you see him or talk about him. It’s kind of adorable.”

“I’m not adorable. I’m darkness and death.”

“Whatever you say, brother.”

That kind of made up for it.

Chapter Text

THEIR BRIEF STAY AT CAMP Half-Blood was over before Magnus knew it. He almost caved and asked Alex if she wanted to stay for a while. Just until the whole Gaea situation had blown over. But he didn’t.

Allegra had worried about them leaving with Gaea on the rise, but they had assured her that they would be in no danger. Given that Boston was the Norse capital of the modern world, it seemed unlikely that Gaea would go anywhere near them. Not that they could tell her that.

Magnus had been relieved when Allegra didn’t question them about claiming. He and Alex had shrugged it off when Annabeth brought the issue up the day they arrived, but Magnus had no idea what they would say if someone asked about that.

Worst case they could just say they had been claimed while away and just go from there. Magnus could always say Apollo claimed him, and Alex… Alex hadn’t made her disdain of her mother a secret. Everyone knew Alex knew who her mother was, but they also knew that Alex didn’t like her mother and probably wouldn’t question Alex not wanting to talk about it.

“Don’t hesitate to contact us,” Alex said. “Seriously. Doesn’t matter if Blitz and Hearth see. If you need help, call us.”

Annabeth smiled. “I know. Same for you guys. If you need help, call us.”

“You’ve got enough going on with Gaea,” Magnus protested. “Besides, what kind of trouble do you think we’re going to get into anyway?”

Annabeth gave him a look. “Is that supposed to be a trick question? A lot. You could get into a lot of trouble.”

“Yeah, but we aren’t going to,” Magnus said.

Annabeth shook her head. “Here,” she said, holding out something. “I had Beckendorf work on this. It’s not enchanted like Jack or anything, but I’d feel better knowing you have something you can use to defend yourself without hesitation.”

Magnus took the Celestial bronze dagger from his cousin. The design was very similar to Jack’s design. A leather wrapped grip, double-edged blade, and definitely better for hacking than stabbing.

“It’s Celestial bronze so it won’t hurt mortals, but it should work on Norse monsters,” Annabeth said.

“Thanks,” Magnus said. “I missed you, you know?”

Annabeth hugged him. “Yeah. I know. Get going, you butt. Take care of my cousin, Alex.”

“I’ll try,” Alex said.

Magnus frowned. “Hey.”

“Come on, Maggie,” Alex said, pulling Magnus down the hill.

The last image of Camp Half-Blood that Magnus saw was Annabeth laughing at the top of Half-Blood Hill.

It was back to normal in Boston. Magnus and Alex had arrived back two days ago, but so far, they hadn’t seen Blitz or Hearth anywhere. It was concerning since that probably meant they were chatting it up with Mimir about how Magnus had disappeared in November with a child of Loki and they hadn’t been able to follow or find him.

So here Alex and he were, attempting to find some homeless acquaintances that might know the whereabouts of the dwarf and the elf. Not that they called them that.

“Maybe they did some weird magic stuff to track us,” Alex mused. “They might be in Colorado right now.”

“If that’s the case, I’m not looking forward to that conversation,” Magnus said, making a face.

Alex grinned. “Magnus, how did you go from Colorado to DC?” she asked, mimicking Blitz’s voice.

“Golly gee, Blitz, I don’t know,” Magnus said sarcastically. “How did you know I went from Colorado to DC?”

“It’s going to be so funny to see them try to ask you about this.”

“Magnus Chase and Alex Fierro?” someone asked.

Magnus jumped. Neither he nor Alex had used last names. He was just Magnus and Alex was just Alex. The same reason Blitzen was just Blitz, and Hearthstone was just Hearth. The only people that would use their real names would be people from Camp Half-Blood or police and social workers that were looking specifically for them.

Magnus and Alex turned around to see a young girl walking towards them. She wasn’t dressed in whatever clothes she could get. This girl was clearly not one of the few homeless friends they had made during their time on the streets of Boston.

“Who’s asking?” Alex called.

As she got closer, Magnus could make out the green scarf wrapped around the girl’s head. The signature green hijab of…

“I’m Samirah al-Abbas,” the girl said. “I think we need to talk.”

Magnus closed his eyes. Great. Just great .

Chapter Text

THE WOLVES WERE PSYCHO. Utterly and completely psycho. Percy was almost glad to be rid of them and all their “only the strong survive” crap.

The problem came when he traded in the psycho wolves for the even more psycho snake-haired ladies. Those ladies just would not stay dead.

Normally—at least, Percy hoped normally—he wouldn’t kill ladies, but these weren’t just any ladies. They were monsters straight from the myths that Lupa—one of the wolves—told him about. They were also trying their hardest to kill Percy.

Percy didn’t know why they wanted to kill him so bad. He had only woken up a couple months ago a place Lupa called the Wolf House. Everything before that was a big blank. He knew his name was Percy, but he didn’t know much else besides that. His whole life was like one big fill-in-the-blank. He was ___, from ___. He felt like ___, and if the monsters didn’t die very, very soon, he’d be ___.

There were a few things he remembered. He remembered Annabeth. Her face, her blonde hair, her stormy grey eyes. The way she shook her head and smiles whenever he did something or said something stupid. But there was more he remembered.

Mostly feelings and it was mostly deja vu. He’d had it the whole past few months like he’d already lived this. Sometimes when the snake ladies said something, an image would flash in his mind, but would disappear before he could place it.

Percy shook his head. No use thinking about that now. Thinking about his past only gave him headaches and he couldn’t afford a headache right now.

He needed supplies. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but Lupa said he would know the way. For some reason, he believed her.

He ducked into a store called Bargain Mart. At the very least he could try and shoplift—or blatantly steal—something to sleep in.