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Chapter Text

I. FRANK

Frank was tired of hearing voices. First it had been his dad, the Roman war god Mars, arguing with his own Greek alter-ego, Ares. But since yesterday when Frank had received his battlefield promotion to praetor and led an army of ghosts to victory (yeah, his life was weird), the war god had pretty much shut up. Which would have been great if there hadn't been a new voice in Frank's head, one which he had first heard whispering to him from a tunnel within the House of Hades.

"I await you in Pylos."

That was all it said, over and over again. Between that, his nightmares, and the general stress of being under constant attack, Frank was afraid he was starting to go crazy.

After the last few weeks, he should have been used to the monster attacks, which had increased ever since Frank and his friends, the seven demigods of the current Great Prophecy, had entered the Mediterranean in their magical flying warship, the Argo II. But Greece had Italy beat on the sheer volume of monsters that seemed to have a personal vendetta against the Argo II. Maybe because Greece was the original birthplace of the gods, and therefore the monsters, but since they'd left Epirus, it seemed like they were always fighting something. So when the alarm bells went off again, Frank was more resigned than afraid.

"I await you in Pylos."

"Shut up," he told the voice as he left his cabin, grabbing his bow and arrows on the way.

He ran into Piper and Annabeth coming out of the mess hall. They must have been getting breakfast, judging by the half-eaten bagel in Annabeth's hand. She was pale and a little too thin after her time in Tartarus, but overall Frank thought she and Percy were doing pretty well for two people who had just survived the worst part of the Underworld.

"All hands on deck?" she asked as Frank reached them.

"Sounds like it," he said.

Piper rolled her eyes. Frank noticed she had braided her hair without any feathers this morning; maybe because that was one less distraction in a fight. "These monsters need to get a life," she said.

"I think they prefer messing up our lives," Frank muttered.

As they reached the stairs, the ship tilted hard to port, throwing all three of them against the wall. There was a roar, a snap, a massive THUD, then a chorus of yells, punctuated by some pretty creative cussing Frank thought was coming from Leo. Frank exchanged nervous looks with Piper and Annabeth, then the three of them charged up the stairs. They froze at the top, though, as they took in the horrible sight of the monster that was attacking the ship.

A massive sea serpent was towering over the Argo II.

After the skolopendra and the giant turtle, Frank should have been used to nightmare monsters rising out of the ocean, but the sight of this one turned his knees to jelly. Its scales were bright, poisonous orange and encrusted with barnacles, like armor. Its mouth, lined with saber-like fangs, was big enough to eat half the ship, and crew, in one bite. Frank guessed that the only reason it hadn't already devoured them was because the serpent was distracted by Jason, who was flying around its head and trying to stab it. On deck, Percy and Hazel were attacking the monster between its barnacle armor, while Leo was running around the helm, his hands flying over the controls. The main mast and parts of the railing were missing, either bitten off or smashed by the monster.

As Frank, Annabeth, and Piper stood frozen at the top of the stairs, Percy summoned a wave, trying to push the Argo II away from the sea serpent, but the monster had curled its tail around the underside of the ship, holding them neatly in place while it attacked. It roared as the ship slammed into it. The serpent's tail swept over their heads, chopping the foresail in half and sending it flying over Festus's head, into the sea.

"I am sick of replacing the masts," Leo yelled. "Stop destroying my ship, you stupid snake!"

Festus roared and blew fire at the serpent's tail, leaving a ten-foot long scorch mark. The monster roared again and lunged at the dragon's head but Jason dove and plunged his sword into its left eye. The sea serpent whipped around so fast it yanked Jason's sword out of his hand and probably would have eaten him, too, if he hadn't dodged out of the way at the last second. The monster roared in pain, shaking its head to try and get the Imperial gold blade out of its eye, its whole body thrashing and sending massive waves in every direction. The ship would have been swamped if Percy hadn't deflected the waves back at the serpent.

Percy finally noticed the three of them just standing there, gaping. "A little help here?" he said between gritted teeth.

Frank shook himself out of his daze and reached for his bow. He nocked an arrow and sent it flying toward the serpent's other eye, but the monster was thrashing around so much, he missed. Annabeth and Piper drew their swords and ran to the other side of the ship, hacking at the serpent's tail, the way Percy and Hazel were attacking the body.

"Leo, get us in the air!" Hazel called as she sank her blade into the monster's body. Green ooze poured from the wound, but it didn't seem to bother the serpent. Up above, Jason had managed to retrieve his sword and added an extra kick at the monster's injured eye for good measure.

"I'm trying!" Leo yelled, banging a Wii remote against the Archimedes sphere. "The oars and the stabilizers are all out of whack again. It's going to take a minute."

"We don't have a minute," Percy said. He was thin and pale, like Annabeth, and right now his face was beaded with sweat from trying to keep the waves from flooding the ship. "We're going to sink in about thirty seconds. We need to find a way to get rid of this thing."

"It's the Ketos," Annabeth called as she dodged the monster's flailing fish tail. "Poseidon sent it to kill Andromeda after her mother bragged that she was more beautiful than Aphrodite."

"Great history lesson," Leo grumbled. "But how do we kill it?"

All of them hit the deck as the serpent's tail swept over their heads again. Green blood from its ruined eye spattered the deck, sizzling against the wood.

"Perseus, the original Perseus, turned it to stone using Medusa's head," Annabeth said as they got back to their feet and resumed trying to stab the stupid thing.

"Too bad we're a little short on Medusa heads at the moment," Percy said. The ship tilted violently as the monster struck it from below, sending the crew rolling across the deck. Hazel screamed as she fell through a hole in the broken railing, but Percy lunged and grabbed her. He managed to pull her back on deck, but he must have lost his focus on holding back the sea because a massive wave crashed onto the deck, nearly sweeping Piper and Annabeth overboard. Up above, Jason yelled in frustration and attacked the monster's head again, trying to blind it, but the serpent was too quick.

Frank shot another arrow at the monster, this time aiming for its mouth. He hit his target, but the monster didn't seem to care; in comparison to the serpent, the arrow was smaller than a toothpick. Frank'e eyes swept the deck. They needed a new strategy, and fast, before they drowned or became snake chow. At the prow, Festus roared again, managing to incinerate the corner of the serpent's fish-tail.

Fire.

Frank's plan came together in a second. Fire, he thought. That's ironic.

"We need fire!" he shouted. "Annabeth, Piper, get to the ballistae—use the flaming arrows! Leo, we'll need you and Festus. Percy, get ready to use the waves to push the ship as far away from this thing as you can!" To Frank's surprise, none of them looked shocked at his taking charge; they all did as he said. Annabeth and Piper ran for the ballistae, Leo typed in a couple of commands and started to smolder, and Percy nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on the waves.

Hazel looked at Frank. "What about us?" she asked.

"I need you to come with me and tell Jason to use lightning. We're going to see if we can fry this thing."

"Okay, but how—?"

Frank concentrated. He'd done this twice before. He pictured it in his mind, a massive, fire-breathing, flying dragon. His body expanded, getting heavier, his neck stretched, he felt fangs creep down over his lips. In a few seconds, he had become a giant lizard, wings furled against his sides.

Hazel was staring at him, her mouth open. Frank crouched lower and jerked his head, indicating that she should get on. She grinned, then climbed up his foreleg and onto his back. "Let's do this," she said.

Frank leapt into the air and unfurled his wings. Within a few seconds, he was level with the sea serpent's head.

"What the—?" Jason almost fell out of the air as Dragon Frank flew up next to him.

"We're going to try and torch this thing," Hazel called from Frank's back. "Can you hit it with some lightning?"

Jason grinned. "Gladly."

Frank flew down so that he was about at the serpent's middle.

Hazel raised her voice. "On three! One—two—three!"

Yells rang out around the monster. Festus roared and blew fire, while at the helm Leo sent a volley of fireballs at the monster from his hands. The monster's lower half was enveloped in green flames as Piper and Annabeth fired the ballistae. A flash of light lit the sky as lightning arced off Jason's blade straight down into the serpent's skull. Waves were rising, pushing the Argo II forward, out of the loop of the serpent's body. With a rush of satisfaction that his plan was working, Frank unhinged his jaw, opening his dragon's snout as wide as it would go. There was a rush of heat in his throat, then a plume of fire burst out of his mouth, searing the sea serpent.

Blackened, burning, and still sizzling with electricity, the monster gave a final roar before collapsing back into the depths of the Ionian Sea.

Frank landed on the deck with a thud. Hazel slid off and he changed into himself again. As soon as he was human, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"That was amazing!" she said.

"Good plan, man," Jason said, still grinning as he landed next to Frank and Hazel. "I thought we were in some serious trouble that time."

"Yeah, three cheers for Zhang's 'burn everything' strategy," Leo said from the helm where he was checking different monitors. "But we actually are in serious trouble. That thing wrecked the ship. We need to do some major repairs, plus replace both masts." He looked up at the others. "I hate to say this, but we're going to have to get back on land, or at least over it, and get some supplies."

"Cause our trips ashore have worked out so well," Frank said.

"I know, but I don't think we have a choice," Leo said. He hit a few buttons on the Archimedes sphere and clicked the "A" button on his Wii controller. A 3-D holographic image of the ship popped up, complete with little flashing red lights that Frank figured were alerting Leo to leaks or cracks in the hall. Where the masts should have been were two massive, blinking exclamation points. "We can still sail like this, but we're not going anywhere fast. Which is a problem since we need to make it to Athens in, what is it now?"

"Thirteen days," Piper said as she, Annabeth, and Percy joined the rest of the crew at the helm. "Today's July nineteenth."

"Okay, well, if we want to make it to Athens in thirteen days, we need to fix the ship." Leo twitched his Wii controller and the holograph of the Argo II was replaced by a map of Greece. "And we can't fly, so we're going to have to find a town with a port."

Frank studied the map. A dot showed the Argo II, about twenty miles off the coast. The nearest town was a place called Preveza. Frank pointed to it. "How about there? It's close."

Leo examined the map. "That works. Set course for Preveza!"

"Um, you're the navigator," Hazel pointed out.

"Just checking to see if you were paying attention," Leo said with a grin. Frank started to roll his eyes, but just then another dot on the map caught his eye.

Pylos.

Frank's stomach clenched. He could hear the voice again.

"I await you in Pylos."

But it was at least a hundred miles down the coast, way too far for what they needed right now, which was a quick pit-stop to fix the ship. However, it was on their way to Athens. An idea started to form in the back of his head, but Frank decided to wait to mention it. First things first, they needed to stop in Preveza, hopefully without any mishaps. Right, because that usually happened.

"We should be there in a couple hours," Leo was saying. "Unless, Percy, maybe you can help speed us along?"

Percy looked worn out from the fight with the sea serpent and summoning the waves to get them away from it, but he said, "I can try." After a second, though, his knees buckled and he would have hit the deck if Annabeth and Jason hadn't caught him. His face was green, but Frank was pretty sure the son of Poseidon didn't get seasick. "Sorry, guys. I don't think—I can't manage it right now."

"It's fine," Piper said quickly. "You already helped get us away from the sea serpent and kept the waves from sinking the ship."

"Yeah," Frank added. "That's probably enough for one day."

Annabeth shot them both a grateful look. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, sliding an arm around his waist, "let's get you downstairs. Jason, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Jason said. The three of them made their way below decks. A few seconds later, as a particularly large wave rocked the ship, Hazel turned the same green as Percy and excused herself to run back to her cabin. Frank's heart twisted. He wished he could help her, but there wasn't anything he could do against motion sickness. Healing wasn't a gift of Mars.

"Looks like we've got guard duty," Piper said, leaning against the railing. "So what all do we need when we get to Preveza, Repair Boy?"

"Watch it, Beauty Queen," Leo said as he fiddled with the controls and brought the diagram of the Argo II back up again. Frank didn't understand every aspect of the diagram, but he was pretty sure that many flashing red lights were typically a bad sign. "The main thing is wood for the masts. And I could use some more Celestial bronze to repair the hull. Hopefully Percy'll be better in a bit, 'cause no one else can repair those cracks on the outside." He looked at Frank. "Unless you can turn into an octopus or something?"

"Never tried." Frank didn't think Leo was making fun of him, and even if he was, if Frank could turn into an octopus, they could get the repairs done sooner and he could propose his Pylos idea. So he concentrated hard, trying to picture the octopi he had seen swimming along the bottom of the tank at the aquarium in Atlanta, before that experience turned into a disaster.
Don't think about koi, he told himself fiercely.

An instant later, Frank was sitting on the deck, but he felt different, more wiggly. Also, his arms seemed to be missing. But as he twisted, Frank realized they had just relocated down to his hips, which were no longer actually there. He had become a pink blob with eight long, tentacled legs. He felt fairly pleased with himself. He wasn't always able to turn into animals he wasn't really familiar with (like when he'd unsuccessfully tried to become a rhino in Venice), but so far, sea creatures seemed to come easily. He wondered if that was because of his family's Poseidon ancestry.

After a few seconds, though, Frank noticed he was having trouble breathing.

Oh no, he thought. Octopi were ocean animals; they could be on land for about as long as humans could hold their breath under water. And Frank had never been really great at holding his breath. He started to panic, but considering Piper and Leo didn't look too concerned, his panic must not have shown on his octopus face.
Just relax, he told himself. You are not going to die as an octopus. That would be totally humiliating. He forced himself to focus on becoming human again.
A moment later, he was back to himself. He took a deep breath of the salty sea air.

"Man, that's awesome," Leo said, grinning at him. "You can use four hammers at once!"

"Why not eight?" Frank asked, glad that they didn't seem to realize he had just been panicking. It was embarrassing to forget something as basic as "ocean creatures can't breathe out of the water."

"Because the other four legs are going to be holding the nails," Leo said.

"Oh, right."

"That almost sounds like it should be a joke," Piper said. "But there's no punchline."

"How about this? Knock knock," Leo said. When neither of them answered, he wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh come on, it'll be funny. Knock knock?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Who's there?"

"Octopus.

"Octopus who?"

"BAM!" Leo yelled and both Piper and Frank jumped. "You just got octo-punched!"

Frank groaned as Leo grinned maniacally and Piper just shook her head. "That was terrible," Frank said.

"Never open the door to an octopus," Leo replied. A small light on the control panel lit up and started blinking frantically, making a whistling noise. The grin slid off Leo's face. "Uh-oh."

"What now?" Piper asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at the alarm.

"Um, minor leak may have just turned major," Leo said. He glanced at Frank. "So, theoretically, if I gave you a hammer and some bronze—?"

Frank sighed. "Just let me get in the water first this time."

Chapter Text

II. PERCY

Percy's dream started off pretty good. He was back in New Rome, as the crew members of the Argo II approached Reyna. He had stepped out to get a better look and then froze when he saw her. With the sunlight in her blonde hair, Annabeth looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Her eyes met his and he grinned. Then, like he was being drawn by an irresistible force, he was moving toward her, she was in his arms, he kissed her, and nothing else in the world mattered.

Then, she judo-flipped him.

The stupid thing was that even as his back slammed against the ground and all the air whooshed out of his lungs, all Percy could think, giddily, was, That's my girl. Frankly, he would have been more surprised if she hadn't tried to cause him bodily harm. When she pressed her arm against his throat and threatened him, he couldn't help but laugh because it was so awesomely familiar. He watched the anger, worry, and annoyance drain out of her eyes as he said, "I missed you, too," and when she helped him back to his feet, he knew life was good. They were together.

The dream shifted and once again Percy was falling through the darkness, falling and falling, wondering if they would ever hit the bottom, if there was even a bottom to hit, and what would happen then. His science class at Goode High School had done an egg-drop last fall (before Hera kidnapped him). They'd made cages out of straws and masking tape, the goal being to make a contraption that would keep the egg from breaking. Then, they'd dropped them from a third story window. Nate Jones had been the only kid who'd managed to make something that kept his egg from breaking. Everyone else's eggs, including Percy's, had splattered on impact, yolk and shells covering the sidewalk. Tumbling through the darkness, Percy wished he'd paid more attention to what Nate Jones had done to keep his egg from exploding on the pavement; he could have used a few tips right now.

He pulled Annabeth closer because if he was going to break like an egg, well, he'd rather die holding her. In his dream, just like in real life, she pressed her lips against his ear and whispered, "I love you." A shiver went down his spine as he felt her breath brush his skin. He wanted to answer her, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth he might do something really embarrassing, like scream. Then another voice broke into his dream.

"How sweet."

The dream shifted again and suddenly Percy was alone. He blinked, his eyes trying to adjust to the bright daylight after the darkness of the pit. After a moment, his vision cleared and he realized he was standing on another cliff, looking out over a city, the wind whipping around him. He turned and his stomach dropped. He recognized this place. Annabeth had shown him pictures of it a thousand times. The Parthenon. He was in Athens.

There was a soft laugh beside him and Percy jumped. He reached for Riptide, but the pen wasn't in his pocket. Panic swelled up in his throat and he stumbled back as Gaea loomed above him, as large as Tartarus had been when he'd assumed a human form. Dirt crumbled in landslides off her sides and he had to dodge falling rocks as she stepped forward, earthen skirts swirling around her.

"Welcome, Percy Jackson," she murmured. Her eyes were still closed, but that didn't seem to matter. He could feel the power and menace rolling off her in dusty waves. "How do you like the place I have designated for my scene of triumph? There are ancient stones in plenty. All I need is the blood of Olympus to spill upon them. Blood you are so kindly delivering straight to me."

Percy felt naked without his sword in his hand, but he managed to find his voice. "I'm not delivering anything to you. We're coming to stop you."

Gaea laughed, a slow, deep roll, like the heartbeat of the earth. "You cannot stop me, my sweet pawn. You, better than anyone, should know this. After all, you met my husband, Tartarus, did you not? You could not stop him, and you will not stop me."

Percy's legs were shaking, but he forced himself to look straight up into Gaea's half-asleep face. "You're wrong. We'll find a way."

Gaea gave another sleepy laugh. "Such bravado. But you're a fool, Percy Jackson. Your quest has been doomed from the beginning. The son of Hephaestus is fated to die in Preveza, while your other friends, the son of Mars and the daughter of Pluto, will meet their fate in Pylos. There is a chance you, too, might meet your end there. Which would leave Jason Grace and Piper McLean to be my sacrifices. I could do worse. And then there's Annabeth Chase. I have a special punishment in mind for her."

"No one is going to die, no one is going to be your sacrifice, and no one is going to be punished," Percy spat, his hands clenched into fists. "I won't let you hurt my friends."

"Are you going to protect them, Percy Jackson?" Gaea murmured. "As you protected my failure of a son, Damasen, and his Titan friend Iapetus? Bob, I believe you called him."

It was as if an iron fist had slammed into his chest. Suddenly, Percy couldn't breathe. For an instant, he was back at the Doors of Death, watching Damasen and his drakon leading Tartarus away while Bob and Small Bob, the saber-tooth kitten, prepared to fend off a horde of monsters so that Percy and Annabeth could escape back to the mortal world. He couldn't speak.

Gaea laughed again. "You will fail to save those you love, Percy Jackson. Just as you did before." A wave of dirt rushed over him, choking him, drowning him in the earth, and Percy woke up, gasping for air.

For a few moments, he was completely disoriented, breathing heavily like he'd just run a marathon. When he saw the Minotaur horn hanging on the wall above his desk, for just a moment he thought he was back in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Then he looked around again and realized he was in his bed on the Argo II. The Minotaur horn was on his wall because Annabeth had hung it up before the ship left for Camp Jupiter, to make his cabin feel more homey, she said. Nice to have a considerate girlfriend. But thinking of Annabeth reminded Percy of his dream, and Gaea saying she had a special punishment for her, which wasn't good news.

Percy didn't enjoy feeling like a failure. He hated that he hadn't been able to save Bob, Damasen, and Small Bob in Tartarus. This afternoon, he'd almost passed out when Leo asked him to speed up the ship, something he shouldn't have had a problem with. Reminding himself that he had managed to keep the sea serpent from sinking the ship by controlling the waves didn't make him feel that much better. The experience had left him so drained, Annabeth and Jason had to half-carry him back to his cabin so he could take a nap. He didn't want to only succeed sometimes; he wanted to be able to help his friends every time.

"Stupid fatal flaw," he muttered to the ceiling of his cabin. Fortunately, the ceiling didn't respond. Someone else did, though.

"First sign of insanity, talking to yourself," Jason's voice said from the doorway.

Percy sat up on his bed and looked at his friend. "I've heard you're only in trouble if you answer," Percy said.

"That's comforting," Jason replied. "We're almost to Preveza. Everybody's meeting on deck in ten minutes to figure out what the plan is."

"Okay, cool." Percy swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up.

Jason hesitated, then added, "Annabeth's door is shut, I thought maybe you'd rather—."

"On it." Percy moved to head into the hallway, but Jason stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"And don't beat yourself up, man," he said. "You can't be the hero every time. That's why we're a team."

"Yeah, I guess," Percy said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking at Jason. "But it still sucks, feeling like you can't cut it. I hate other people having to take risks."

"Dude, I just spent a fight with Khione as a freeze-dried throw rug while Leo got blasted into the sky and Piper had to fight the Boreads alone," Jason said. "Believe me, I know the feeling. But it worked out. Piper was the hero on that one. We can't all do everything all the time. We're only human." Percy raised his eyebrows and Jason quickly corrected himself. "Okay, I guess we're not, technically, but you know what I mean."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, I see your point. We're a team. We get to take turns pulling each other's podex out of the fire."

Jason laughed. "Something like that." He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then turned to walk down the hallway. "See you on deck in ten."

Percy crossed the hall to Annabeth's door, the only one that was shut. Judging from the sounds, everyone else was either on deck or in the mess hall. He knocked, but there was no response. Maybe she was asleep? He tried the doorknob: it was unlocked. Hoping he wasn't about to be attacked, Percy opened the door.

Annabeth was sitting on her bed staring morosely at the wall above her desk, apparently lost in thought.

"Knock, knock?" he said as he stepped inside.

She jumped and turned to look at him. "Oh, it's you."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Good to see you, too."

Annabeth shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that. I just wasn't expecting you, or anybody." She shook her head again, like she was trying to shake her thoughts out, then focused on him. "What's up?"

"Meeting on deck in ten minutes so we can figure out a Prevailing plan."

"Preveza," Annabeth corrected with a small smile.

"Yeah, that." Percy moved farther into the room. The smile had already faded from Annabeth's face. "You okay?"

She looked at the wall above her desk again, but as far as Percy could tell, there was nothing there. "Actually, I was just trying to decide exactly how much of an ungrateful brat I am."

Whatever he had expected her to say, it wasn't that. "Um, I think I'm going to need some more information," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"This is going to sound horrible," Annabeth said, still looking at the wall. "I know I should just be grateful that we're alive, especially after everything that happened at the Doors, with B-Bob and Damasen. And I am. What they did, it's too—I mean, gods, in comparison, this is so stupid, but—."

"What?" Percy asked.

"I miss Daedalus's laptop. And my knife," Annabeth said miserably. She finally looked away from the wall and met his eyes. "There. Now tell me how much of an ungrateful brat I am."

Percy didn't answer for a moment. Annabeth looked like she expected him to get angry, but Percy didn't blame her. He remembered the feeling from his dream, when he'd reached for Riptide and the sword wasn't there. True, it didn't compare to his actual friends, but still, the sword had been with him through a lot and he'd miss it. "Maybe about one percent."

Annabeth looked shocked, then she gave a shaky laugh. "I was thinking one hundred percent."

Percy shrugged. "The laptop was pretty sweet. And you had that knife since you were seven. I'd be upset if I lost Riptide. Besides," he added, "I know how you felt about Bob and Damasen."

Annabeth smiled. "You always manage to surprise me, Seaweed Brain."

Percy tried to smile back, but his stomach twisted at her words. Not always in a good way, he thought. He took a deep breath. "That reminds me. I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For, you know, what happened with, um, Akhyls." Percy felt Annabeth stiffen beside him and he kept his eyes on the blanket. "I lost control. And after everything we'd been through, it felt, well, good to punish someone. I'm not proud of that," he added hastily, "but it won't happen again. When I realized you were afraid of me—," he stopped to take a breath. "I never want to give you a reason to look at me like that again."

For a second, there was silence. Then, he felt Annabeth's fingers brush his cheek. Percy forced himself to look at her. Her expression wasn't afraid or judgmental, just thoughtful. Her hand was still resting against his cheek.

"You know," she said, dropping her hand from his cheek to his neck and sending butterflies shooting into his stomach, "I'm so used to you being your normal sweet, funny, loyal, occasionally annoying, self that I forget sometimes that you're dangerous."

"What? I'm not—," Percy started to say, but Annabeth raised her eyebrows and he stopped. She had a point. He remembered when he and Thalia had their fight next to the creek at Camp Half-Blood, after losing Capture-the-Flag a couple years ago. Chiron, their teacher, had pleaded with them both to stop, but it was only now, looking back on it, that Percy realized how afraid the centaur must have been, knowing that if they didn't listen, there wasn't much he could do to stop them.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Annabeth said. Percy was slightly distracted by her thumb tracing slow circles on his skin, but he wasn't complaining. "Everyone on this ship is dangerous. Jason can summon lightning. Frank can turn into deadly animals. Leo's fire skills, Hazel's ability to control precious metals and the Mist, Piper's charmspeak. They could cause a lot of havoc. But they don't. You don't," Annabeth said. "Because you're all decent human beings. What happened with Akhyls scared me because that's not you, Percy. You don't hurt people just because you can."

"But I wanted to hurt her," Percy admitted. "It was like something broke inside me."

Annabeth looked concerned. She was so close he could smell the lemon scent of her shampoo. "Tartarus brings out the worst in everyone," she said, "if they let it. But you didn't. You did the right thing in the end. You let Akhyls go."

"Yeah," Percy said, feeling a little better. "I guess so."

Annabeth's fingers brushed the back of his neck, sending jolts like electricity down his spine. "So, are we good?" she asked him.

"Definitely," he said.

Annabeth smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him and Percy forgot about Akhyls and Tartarus and possibly his own name.

Too soon, Annabeth pulled away. "Aren't we supposed to be up on deck or something?"

"Oh, yeah," Percy said, his brain still a little fuzzy. "Yeah, I think there's a meeting."

"What took you two so long?" Leo asked as Percy and Annabeth joined the rest of the crew at the helm. "Wait, on second thought, I don't want to know."

"Oh shut up," Annabeth said and Leo grinned. "Now, what are we trying to decide?"

"Basically, who's going ashore in Preveza," Piper said.

"Easy decision," Leo said, holding up four fingers. "Hazel to find Celestial bronze, Jason to fly our supplies back, Piper to convince someone to give us a deal," Piper started to protest, but Leo held up his hands, "only if it's necessary, yeah, I know. And me, because I'm the only one who knows what we need from the hardware store."

Percy's stomach dropped as he remembered his dream of Gaea, saying Leo would die in Preveza. "Um, actually, guys, maybe Preveza isn't the best place to stop."

His friends looked confused until he quickly explained his dream, then their expressions changed to a mixture of worry and anger.

"So I guess this would be a bad time to mention that while we were in the House of Hades, one of my ancestors told me to go to Pylos," Frank said.

"Considering Gaea wants to kill you, Hazel, and me there, it might not be the best side trip," Percy pointed out.

"But the fact that she told you going there is a bad idea means we almost have to go," Hazel said.

"Come again?" Leo said.

"If Gaea is trying to scare us away from a place, it means there's something there that might help us," Hazel said. "It might be worth the risk."

"I agree," Annabeth said. She didn't look shaken by Gaea's threat of a "special punishment" for her. Instead, her face was set in an expression of grim determination that Percy knew well. "But it can't hurt to take precautions. For instance, Leo should probably stay on the ship until we leave Preveza."

Leo shook his head. "No way." There was a steely note in his voice that Percy hadn't heard from Leo before. "I won't hide from Queen Dirt Face while someone else goes and gets killed in my place."

"Leo, it's not like—," Jason started to say, but Leo held up a hand.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not staying on the ship. Besides," he added, "do any of you organic life forms even know where to find polyvinyl acetate in the grocery store?" He grinned at their blank looks. "Exactly."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Fine. But as for Pylos—."

"We'll deal with Pylos when we get there," Percy said hastily. Like Leo, he had no intention of putting someone else in danger while he stayed behind, but there was no point in starting an argument about it now. He ignored the look Annabeth was giving him and said, "So what are Frank, Annabeth, and I supposed to be doing while you guys are getting supplies?"

"Great question," Leo said. He pressed a few buttons on the Archimedes spear, which projected a 3D diagram of the Argo II. "In my absence, Annabeth will be supreme commander of the Argo II. Which means, she'll be directing you two on how to fix these leaks with the supplies that we have, so that the ship doesn't sink while we're gone."

"Is that a possibility?" Hazel asked, looking alarmed.

"Not if the leaks get fixed," Leo said.

The sun was setting when Jason, Leo, Piper, and Hazel set out. Following Annabeth's instructions, Percy and Frank the Octopus worked on mending cracks in the hull of the ship and realigning the oars. The good news was that Percy could communicate underwater with Frank while he was in his sea creature form. The bad news was that once the sun went down, neither of them could see what they were doing. It was ridiculously frustrating. Percy could sense the depth of the water, the way the currents were flowing, the exact longitude and latitude of the Argo II, but without light, he was completely incapable of hammering in a nail. When he missed the hull of the ship entirely and smacked Frank in the head with the hammer, they decided to give it up, though not before Frank threw out some curse words that would have made even Hazel's foul-mouthed horse Arion blush.

"Sorry, man," Percy said sheepishly when they were back on deck and Frank was human again.

"It's fine," Frank said, rubbing the rising knot on his head. "But next time, you can hold the nails."

"Deal."

"Well, we shouldn't sink, at least," Annabeth said, looking at the diagram of the ship. "Maybe Leo can pull some high-powered flashlights out of that toolbelt of his when they get back with the supplies."

But when the others came back, they were empty-handed.

"All the stores were closed," Piper said glumly.

"We'll have to try again tomorrow," Jason said.

"On the plus side, I always like to put off certain death until tomorrow," Leo said.

As Percy jumped back into the water, now with high-powered, waterproof, LED flashlights clutched in four of Frank's octopus arms, he wished it were that easy, that he and his friends could just keep putting off dying until tomorrow. But Gaea was rising and Percy had a sinking feeling that time was already running out.

Chapter Text

III. PIPER

Looking at her dagger before bed had been a huge mistake. For the last week, it had been showing Piper a series of increasingly disturbing images. She only got it out tonight because she was hoping to learn something useful, particularly after Percy's dream of Gaea saying he, Frank, Hazel, and Leo were all destined to die before they even reached Athens. Piper didn't really want to use her knife, but if she could learn information that might keep her friends alive, it was worth being frightened by what she saw.

Unfortunately, Katoptris was less than helpful. As Piper sat on her bed, the knife balanced against her knees, the first thing she saw in it was Leo facing down a hulking figure, not quite as big as a giant, but still massive. Leo was weaponless; he didn't even seem to have his toolbelt. But before she could dwell on that image, it changed to show a woman kneeling beside a stream, her back to Piper. There was a quick flash of what looked like a scorpion, but Piper didn't know if it was related to the image of the woman, or something else. Then, a series of images flashed across the knife: Reyna and Coach Hedge battling gryphons, while Nico sat slumped against the Athena Parthenos; Percy, Frank, and Hazel being swept down a hill by a wash of murky water (enough with the images of people drowning, Piper thought); a woman who looked vaguely familiar standing on the deck of the Argo II and holding out an olive branch; a giant laughing as he stood over two figures huddled in a metal cage; and finally, Octavian, getting kicked in the shins by a Kerkopes, one of the wild dwarves Leo had unleashed on the Romans to slow down their assault on Camp Half-Blood. The last image made her smile, but the others worried her, particularly the one of the giant, who she thought was probably Porphyrion, laughing and standing over a cage. The image had been too fuzzy for her to make out who was in it, but she guessed it was intended for two of the demigods aboard the Argo II, so that they could be used as sacrifices to wake Gaea. The thought made her sick.

Piper sheathed the stupid dagger and flopped back on her bed. She should have been exhausted. After yesterday's so-called adventure in the House of Hades and today's super fun fight with the sea serpent, not to mention their failed trip into Preveza, Piper ought to have collapsed on her bed and been dead to the world for at least a few hours. And her body was tired, but her mind wouldn't shut down. Her nerves were buzzing like she'd ingested too much caffeine. She kept replaying images in her head: the monster army pouring out of the tunnels, Jason giving up his rank of praetor, Frank leading the dead army into battle, following the dead through the dark to help Hazel and Leo, the giant Clytius, and, most importantly, seeing Percy and Annabeth again.

Piper had to admit that the relief of seeing them alive had temporarily overwhelmed her. She hadn't been able to hold back the tears as she hugged Annabeth. While Piper had never given up hope that her friends would make it through Tartarus alive, it had seemed like a long shot. But they had survived, somehow. And now, having sent Nico and Coach Hedge with Reyna and the Athena Parthenos, it was just the seven of them, off to fight the giants in Athens. Piper remembered their previous fights with the giants, which had meant nothing since they were now reborn, and shuddered. She thought of the visions she had seen in Katoptris and gave up on sleep entirely.

Flinging back her covers, Piper stood up and stretched. It was after midnight and the ship was mostly quiet, except for the creaking and groaning as it rocked from side to side in what felt like yet another venti attack. Piper was getting tired of those. A few weeks ago, she would have rushed on deck to help, but now she simply stepped into the corridor and listened. She could hear Jason and Leo on deck, yelling in defiance, and she figured the situation was under control. This was why they took turns on watch; so that the entire crew wasn't rushing above decks for every random monster attack. Instead, Piper made her rounds.

It had become a habit over the last few weeks. On the nights when she couldn't sleep, which were frequent, and she wasn't on guard duty, she would walk around the ship, checking to make sure that the people she loved were safe (at least, as safe as they could be on a giant warship constantly under attack). It was how she had found out Leo often slept in the engine room and Nico slept in sick bay, though she hadn't told either one she knew; where they slept was their business. She had just been glad to discover that both of them occasionally did sleep. After the skolopendra attack in the Atlantic and losing Percy and Annabeth in Rome, Leo had been pushing himself to the breaking point. He seemed a little more relaxed now that they had their friends back, but something was obviously still up with him. Piper had some suspicions about where Khione had sent him and who he had met there. She'd seen the blood drain from his face in Malta when Frank mentioned Calypso, but if Leo wasn't ready to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him.

As for Nico, Piper suspected she was the only one who knew he slept in sick bay. They had offered him Percy's cabin, but for whatever reason, Nico adamantly refused to stay there. The first time Piper stumbled across him asleep, he had been curled up on top of the covers, fully clothed, hugging a pillow like a stuffed animal and muttering in his sleep. She couldn't make out the words, but the sight of him made her heart twist. With his dark hair covering his face and his knees pulled up almost to his chest, he looked like a little kid. He was shivering. Piper had grabbed an extra blanket from the other bed and gently draped it across him.

Now, standing outside her own door, she wondered where Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge were now. The image in Katoptris had shown them fighting gryphons, but she hadn't been able to make out any details of where they were. She just hoped they could make it safely back to Camp Half-Blood and stop the war between the camps.

The rocking of the ship was becoming less violent, which hopefully meant that the boys were taking care of the venti. If they'd needed help, they would have sounded the alarm. She could still hear them yelling, punctuated by an occasional roar from Festus, so she knew they were alright. In the cabin next to hers, she could hear Hazel retching. Piper wished there was something she could do for her friend, but she knew from experience that Hazel preferred to be left alone while she was dealing with her motion sickness.

For the first time in weeks, Percy and Annabeth's doors were shut, which made Piper happy. They were back; against all odds, they were alive. Piper could hear Percy's snores through his door, which made her smile. She figured the guy deserved the rest. There were no sounds from Annabeth's room, but Piper hoped that meant her friend was sound asleep.

She moved off down the hall, passing Jason's door, which was open since he was on deck. She paused outside Frank's room and heard snuffling snores that weren't quite human, leading her to believe that Frank often slept in some animal form. Across from Frank's room, Coach Hedge's cabin door was open. Piper poked her head in. The coach's room was a pig-sty (or was it a goat-sty?), a jumbled assortment of weapons and sports equipment, but it made Piper miss the satyr already, though she would never admit it. However, she was grateful to be able to walk around the ship after curfew without having to worry about being smacked with a baseball bat.

Suddenly, from the mess hall, Piper heard a noise. She stiffened, listening. There it was again. It almost sounded like—a sob. Piper's heart dropped.

She crept to the door of the mess hall and looked in. Annabeth was sitting at the table, looking at the video feed from Camp Half-Blood. Because of the time difference, it was still evening there. The summer sun was just beginning to set over Long Island Sound, tinting the sea and the cabins with an orange light reminiscent of the campers' t-shirts. The camp should have been settling down for the night, but instead, campers were rushing around, gathering weapons, drilling in formation, and checking supplies. Most wore armor. Some, clearly on patrol, paced back and forth along the hills and beach, weapons drawn. None of that surprised Piper; it was what the video feed had been showing for days as the Roman legion got closer. What did surprise her were the tears streaming down Annabeth's cheeks.

"Annabeth?" Piper said softly as she stepped into the mess hall. "Are you okay?"

As soon as she said it, Piper realized what a stupid question that was. Her friend had just been through Tartarus and now she was watching the home she had lived at since she was seven prepare to be attacked. Of course she wasn't okay.

"Do you want me to get Percy?" Piper asked.

Annabeth shook her head and swiped her hand across her cheek. "No, I don't want to wake him up. He's earned some sleep."

"So have you," Piper said gently. She sat down across from Annabeth.

"I tried. Nightmares."

"Oh." Piper studied her friend. Annabeth's cheeks were a little sunken and her t-shirt hung more loosely on her than before, but overall, she looked in pretty good shape for someone who had just been through hell, literally. The biggest relief, to Piper anyway, was that Annabeth's eyes were the same. There was some darkness, some sadness, that hadn't been there before, but neither Annabeth's nor Percy's eyes had the fractured look of Nico's. She figured it was probably because they had each other, while Nico had been forced to travel alone. "How about some hot chocolate?"

Annabeth managed a weak smile. "That sounds amazing, actually."

"Coming right up," Piper said.

Annabeth continued to watch the walls as Piper made two cups of hot chocolate. "It makes it worse," she said, "seeing it and knowing we won't be going back anytime soon."

"I know," Piper said as she handed Annabeth a mug and sat back down with her own. "I almost wish Leo had just left the walls blank."

Annabeth nodded absent-mindedly and sipped her hot chocolate. "I hope it works. The statue, I mean. If it can heal the gods' split-personality problems—."

"Then maybe we can get some godly back-up in Athens," Piper finished. "Which would be helpful."

"Definitely," Annabeth said. "We have to defeat the giants before they can wake up Gaea. Because once she's awake, even the Olympians won't be able to stop her."

The way she said it, with such certainty, sent a chill down Piper's spine. "How do you know?"

"Because," Annabeth hesitated, as if trying to decide how much to say. She locked eyes with Piper. "Because we met Tartarus himself at the Doors of Death and even a Titan and a giant together were no match for him. If Gaea is even half as powerful when she awakes, we won't stand a chance."

Piper listened as Annabeth told her about the giant Damasen and the Titan Bob, formerly Iapetus, who had helped Percy and Annabeth cross Tartarus and then sacrificed their lives to allow the two demigods to escape. When she finished, Piper didn't even know what to say. She just put a hand on her friend's arm as Annabeth brushed away tears.

"That was my nightmare," Annabeth said finally. She took a shaky breath. "It's like my dreams are stuck on a loop. I just keep replaying that scene in my head, over and over again, seeing Bob and D-Damasen as the Doors shut, trying to think of a new strategy, something that we could have done differently, but—."

"But there was nothing we could do."

Piper and Annabeth both jumped. Piper turned to see Percy leaning against the doorway. She had no idea how long he had been standing there; she'd been so absorbed in Annabeth's story, she hadn't heard him walk in. His arms were crossed and he looked exhausted.

"Sorry, wasn't trying to startle you. I heard voices, so," he shrugged. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine," Annabeth said. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah." Percy ran his hand through his hair and Piper noticed his fingers trembling. "Guess we should have expected that."

Piper recognized the expression on Percy's face because it was one she'd often seen on Jason's. He was trying to maintain the illusion of the confident leader, while inside he was freaked out. She guessed that he was doing this more for her benefit than Annabeth's. Judging from the way Annabeth was studying her boyfriend's face and frowning slightly, Piper figured she had guessed right. Time to go.

She patted Annabeth's arm as she stood up. "We're going to defeat the giants and put Gaea back to sleep. We'll find a way." She put just a touch of charmspeak into her words and both of her friends' shoulders relaxed a fraction. She squeezed Percy's arm as she passed him. "Try to get some sleep, you guys."

Feeling drained, as if Annabeth's story had sucked the energy out of her, Piper made her way back down the hall. The ship was now rocking gently with the waves. She paused at the door of her cabin, listening for noises from on deck. She heard Leo's voice and Jason's laugh, so she knew they were safe.

For now.

Piper wasn't sure whether she actually heard the voice, or if it was only in her head, but it sounded like Gaea, taunting her again. She tried to push from her mind the thought that Leo was fated to die in Preveza.

"I will never let you hurt my friends," Piper whispered to the demented earth goddess.

She thought she heard a laugh, as low as the rumble of an earthquake, but she couldn't be sure.

Shaking, but determined to try and get some sleep, Piper shut her door, curled up under the covers, and counted pegasi until she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

IV. ANNABETH

As Piper's cabin door closed, Percy came into the mess hall and sat down next to Annabeth. She looked up as he took her hand. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as ever and that made her feel better. She hadn't told Piper the worst part of her dream, which had been seeing Percy shrouded in the corpse-like Death Mist again, but with his eyes hollow and empty. She had sat straight up in bed, choking back a scream. Too afraid to close her eyes again, she had come to the mess hall, where Piper, and now Percy, had found her.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked.

"Maybe an hour or two," Annabeth said. "I was hoping I was exhausted enough that I wouldn't have any dreams, like last night, but no such luck."

Percy studied her face, his eyebrows scrunched together. Annabeth flashed back to the balcony of the Plaza Hotel, after she'd been stabbed, when he'd looked so adorably worried about her. If she hadn't been half-delirious with pain at the time, she probably would have kissed him then and there. Now, just because she could, she leaned forward and kissed him. "It's just the second night. I'm sure it'll get better."

"Yeah, maybe." Percy frowned, but then his eyes lit up. She recognized his "I've just had an idea" expression, which instantly made her wary.

"What are you thinking, Seaweed Brain?"

"Just trust me." He stood up and pulled her to her feet, then led her along the passageway, past the cabins. As they descended the steps to the lowest level of the ship, she thought maybe Percy was taking her to sick bay to try and find sleeping pills. However, he walked right by that door.

"Percy, where are we going?"

He squeezed her hand, but didn't answer.

They passed the engine, chugging away, and the storage rooms, then Percy pushed open the doors to the stables. He let go of her hand, picked up a blanket, spread it across the glass doors, and sat down. "This is your favorite spot on the ship, right?"

Annabeth didn't trust herself to speak. She just nodded and sat down beside him. Percy put an arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I love you," she said.

Percy kissed her forehead. "Love you, too."

Annabeth's heart leapt. It was the first time he'd actually told her he loved her. Not that he needed to say it. His actions, especially over the last few weeks, had made it very clear how he felt. Still, it was nice to hear.

"So, would you have brought me down here if Coach Hedge was still on the ship?" she asked him.

Percy shuddered. "Gods no, we'd end up with bells tied around our necks."

Annabeth laughed. "Plus, he's got that baseball bat."

"Yeah." Percy was quiet for a moment. "I hope they're okay, though. Reyna and Nico and Hedge."

"Me too," Annabeth said. "If they can get the statue back, stop the war with the camps, and heal the gods' split-personality problems, we might actually be able to defeat Gaea."

"That's a big 'if'," Percy muttered.

"If anybody can do all that, it's Reyna," Annabeth said confidently. "She'll find a way."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Percy said. He gave her his sarcastic, annoyingly endearing, grin. "You usually are."

"Don't forget it, Seaweed Brain."

"Never," Percy said seriously. He kissed her and, for a few moments, Annabeth forgot about the war.

When she finally pulled away, she asked, "Can we stay down here? Just for a little while?"

"As long as you want," Percy said. He kissed her again, lightly.

"Good," Annabeth said.

She snuggled closer to him and Percy wrapped his other arm around her. True, they were still in danger and the worst battle lay ahead of them. There was no guarantee of what might happen when they reached Athens. But at this moment, back in the mortal world, surrounded by their friends, with Percy's arms around her, Annabeth allowed herself to relax. She could hear Percy's heart beating. Not the doomsday BOOM of Tartarus's heart, but a steady, comforting thump. Between his heartbeat, the humming of the engines, and the gentle rocking of the ship, Annabeth's eyelids were getting heavy. Exhaustion was overtaking her fear of nightmares and she gave in, letting it pull her under into a deep, mercifully dreamless, sleep.

The next thing she knew, sunlight was streaming through the glass doors. She lifted her head from Percy's chest, which she had been using as a pillow, and turned toward the sound of a groan from the doorway of the stables.

Frank Zhang was standing there, his face bright red. "Oh, come on," he said. "Not again."

The others didn't tease them too much, for which Annabeth was grateful. She was also glad that Coach Hedge had gone with Reyna and Nico; otherwise, the satyr might have tried to institute his "bells tied around the necks of you cupcakes" policy.

Everyone else was on deck by the time Annabeth had showered, dressed, and grabbed some breakfast. Piper was going through her backpack, checking supplies. Jason was standing near her, squinting at the sky as if he were checking the direction of the wind, while Percy was making a stack of their remaining Celestial bronze. Frank and Hazel were standing near the railing, discussing something in low voices.

Annabeth knew Frank wanted to go ashore with Hazel, but they needed him here. The plan was for him and Percy to continue to repair the ship with the supplies they had until the others came back with the rest. But she could understand why he wasn't happy about it. She kept thinking about Percy's dream of Gaea saying that Leo would die in Preveza and Percy, Frank, and Hazel would die in Pylos. She knew Percy wouldn't stay on the ship any more than Leo would, but if he was in danger, she wanted to be there to help. She imagined Frank was probably feeling the same way now because Hazel was going with Leo and whatever was supposed to kill him would likely put the rest of the group in danger, too. Frank's expression resembled a grumpy bulldog as he and Hazel joined the rest of the crew.

"Are we ready to go?" Hazel asked.

Leo was making checkmarks on a list. "Just need to double-check…," he scanned the list, "Yep, got it. All set, people. Let's roll."

Piper bit her lip. "Leo, are you sure you shouldn't—?"

Leo held up a hand. "Save your breath, Beauty Queen. I'm not staying on the ship."

"It'll be fine," Jason said. "We're just going to get what we need and come back. Nobody's going to get hurt."

Judging from Piper's expression, she wasn't convinced, but she didn't say anything.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Hazel said, giving Frank a quick kiss, which made him look slightly less grumpy.

"Just be careful," Frank said.

When the others had gone, Annabeth turned to Percy and Frank. "Alright, let's get to work."

The repairs weren't difficult. They mostly involved hammering new pieces of Celestial Bronze on top of ones that had been cracked when the sea serpent attacked. It was time consuming work, though, which meant that Annabeth spent most of her day leaning against the railing, looking across the marina at Preveza, and answering the boys' questions when one of them would occasionally pop up (usually Percy, since Frank was once again in octopus mode). The city was pretty, full of white stone buildings with red tiled roofs. People were strolling along the waterfront, enjoying the nice weather. It was a gorgeous, sunny day; the sky was bright blue. The water in the harbor was so clear that if she looked down, she could see Percy and Frank the Octopus swimming around the hull of the Argo II.

The sun was hot against her back and Annabeth was debating jumping over the side for a quick swim, when both boys resurfaced.

"Well, that's it," Percy said. "We're out of bronze."

Frank had turned back to human. "The major cracks are fixed, though. At least we won't sink."

"Always a good thing," Annabeth said as she dropped the rope ladder over the side.

"Are the others back yet?" Frank asked as he climbed over the railing.

Annabeth shook her head. "Not yet. But if they had to go to several stores, and find wood for the masts, it could take them a few hours." She smiled and patted Frank's arm. "I'm sure they're fine."

Frank nodded, but his eyes swept across the city, searching for their friends.

"I forgot about the masts," Percy said, as he climbed back up onto the deck. Frank was drenched, but Percy was completely dry, a talent Annabeth was always a little jealous of. "How the heck are we supposed to fix those?"

"We had to replace them a couple times while you guys were, you know, gone," Frank said. "Usually they're just trees, with the branches cut off."

"Classy," Percy said.

"Oh, most definitely," a woman's voice said.

Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin. She, Percy, and Frank whirled, weapons in hand, to face the woman who had suddenly appeared on the deck. She was standing near the stump of the main mast, looking as if the sight hurt her feelings. The woman was dressed in a flowing Greek gown the golden color of wheat. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, with a few stalks of wheat sticking out like they were being used as hair pins. Her face was familiar, not only from Mount Olympus, but because the demigods of Cabin 4 at Camp Half-Blood shared their mother's sharp nose and arched eyebrows.

"Demeter," Annabeth said.

The goddess nodded, still studying the stump of the mast as if it had offended her. "Not enough fiber," she announced grimly. "Although why some horrible creature would destroy such a beautiful thing, I have no idea. Oak, wasn't it?" She looked sharply at Frank, who looked baffled.

"I, um, have no idea," he said.

Demeter shook her head. "No one has any appreciation of dendrology anymore."

"Den what?" Percy asked.

"Dendrology," Annabeth said. "It's the study of trees. From the Ancient Greek 'dendron', meaning tree, and 'logia', meaning study of."

Demeter looked delighted. "Are you a student of dendrology, my dear?"

"Actually, I'm an architect," Annabeth said. "Demeter, we've met before. I designed your new garden on Mount Olympus, remember?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes," the goddess said, waving her hand dismissively. "Lovely place, very well-cultivated."

"Um, thanks?"

"You're welcome." The goddess had gone back to studying the mast stump. "Pine, I think," she said decisively.

Instantly, a giant pine tree sprang out of the stump. Annabeth, Percy, and Frank hit the deck to avoid being knocked overboard by the branches.

"Oh, that's much better," Demeter said.

A sixty-foot tall pine tree now loomed over the deck. The air smelled like Christmas.

"It's a great tree," Annabeth said carefully as she got back to her feet, ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch. She didn't want to offend the goddess (they tended to turn demigods into small animals when they got mad), but there was a problem. "The branches will create a lot of wind resistance, though. We won't be able to go very fast." Not to mention they were taking up most of the deck space.

Demeter sighed. "True. And I suppose you do need to get to Athens quickly." She clapped her hands and the branches disappeared, leaving a perfectly formed mast in the middle of the deck. A second later, the forward mast repaired itself as well, though without becoming a pine tree first.

"Thank you," Annabeth said. "You just saved us hours of work."

"Oh, don't thank me," Demeter said. "I've probably just helped to speed you to your deaths."

"Fantastic," Percy muttered.

"But I also have some advice for you," the goddess added, smiling as if she hadn't just told them they were going to die. "There is an object that may be able to help you in your fight against the giants and the earth goddess."

"Great," Annabeth said. "Where is it?"

"I have no idea. You'll have to find it, of course," Demeter said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Annabeth fought down the impulse to roll her eyes. Goddesses, she thought. "Can you at least tell us what type of object we're looking for?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Demeter said, now admiring the pine mast. "That's part of the mystery, isn't it? You have to seek out the object, the knowledge, yourself, otherwise it won't have any meaning. Like your quest for that statue, my dear."

Annabeth wanted to strangle the goddess. "Can you give us any kind of clue about what we're looking for?"

"Of course!" Demeter looked offended. "I've already given you one."

"Can we get a second clue?" Percy asked.

"It's a part of the mystery," Demeter said as if she were explaining that two plus two equals four. "My mysteries, my sacred festival. I would imagine that if you go to the place where the ceremonies were held, you would find something that could aid your quest. Of course," she said, tilting her head as if she were considering the matter, "you'd have to pick up the key. Otherwise, you'll never be able to get in."

Percy pressed his fingers against his temples like he was getting a headache. "Where can we find the key?"

"I have no idea," Demeter said. "It's been lost for centuries."

Percy opened his mouth but Annabeth grabbed his arm before he could say something that would get him turned into a pine tree. "Do you know where we can start looking?" she asked.

"That young man knows." Demeter gestured to Frank, who looked perplexed.

"I do?"

"Oh yes, son of Ares," Demeter said, nodding.

"Mars, actually," Frank corrected. "And are you sure I know where to look? Because I don't think I know anything about where to find a key."

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Pylos, obviously. Didn't your ancestor Periclymenus tell you to meet him there?"

Frank looked like he'd been struck by lightning. "P-Periclymenus? He's the one who's going to meet me in Pylos?"

"Obviously," Demeter said, rolling her eyes again and looking very much like her daughter, Annabeth's friend Katie Gardiner.

"I think I'm getting a migraine," Percy muttered.

"Just to be clear," Frank said, ticking off points on his fingers, "we need to go to Pylos to meet my shape-changing ancestor Periclymenus, who is going to tell us where to find a key, that will let us get into some place where your festival was held, where we might find a tool that will help us defeat Gaea and the giants."

Demeter nodded, looking very pleased with herself. "Exactly."

"I am definitely getting a migraine," Percy said.

Annabeth wanted to scream. The Olympians had given them cryptic advice before, but this was ridiculous. "Is there anything else?"

"No, the son of Ares summed everything up quite nicely," Demeter said.

"Mars," Frank said under his breath.

"And I have one last gift for you." Demeter held out her arms and a dozen baskets overflowing with bread appeared on the deck. There was rye bread, pumpernickel, sourdough, baguettes, croissants, even, for some reason, Wonder Bread. "You could all use more fiber. Enjoy!" And the goddess disappeared in a swirling dust cloud of grain, leaving the three demigods coughing, surrounded by bread baskets.

"That might be the least helpful advice I've ever gotten from an Olympian," Percy said. "And that's including the time Apollo gave me dating tips."

"At least she fixed the masts," Annabeth said.

"How the heck are we supposed to figure out what her sacred festival is, though?" Frank asked.

As it turned out, that was the easy part. A quick Google search on the ship's computer pointed them straight to the Eleusinian Mysteries. "Held in Eleusis, Greece," Annabeth read, "the sacred festival to Demeter involved secret rites that initiates must pass through, in order to be purified to receive the sacred mysteries of the goddess." She looked at the boys. "Wow, that sounds fun."

"And how in Hades is this supposed to help us defeat Gaea?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "I have no idea."

"You sound like Demeter," Percy said.

She smacked his arm. "Watch it, Seaweed Brain."

"We'll just have to start in Pylos," Frank said. "Hopefully, Periclymenus will be able to help us."

Annabeth pulled up a map of Greece. "Pylos isn't far. We should be able to get there by tomorrow, as long as we can finish the repairs tonight."

"Speaking of which," Percy said, still rubbing his arm where Annabeth had smacked him, "it's getting kind of late. Shouldn't the others be back by now?"

Annabeth looked around. The sun was starting to sink toward the Ionian Sea. Her stomach dropped. "It shouldn't have taken them this long."

Frank looked pale. "I'm going to turn into an eagle, see if I can spot them."

Percy nodded. "Come get us if you see anything."

Frank took off, spiraling up into the darkening sky until Annabeth lost sight of him. She looked at Percy, who was scanning the Preveza waterfront for familiar faces. His jaw was clenched. She knew he was thinking of what Gaea had said, about Leo dying in Preveza, about Jason and Piper being captured and used as sacrifices. She slipped her hand into his. "They're probably fine," she said.

Percy squeezed her hand, but he didn't say anything. They stayed at the railing, looking out at the city, as the sun slowly set behind them.

Chapter Text

***Hi all, here's chapter five. Quick note: Leo's dialogue about Nicopolis is taken directly from the Margarona Royal Hotel website. Also, I am not Rick Riordan, so none of this belongs to me.***

V. HAZEL

The trip started out well. Preveza was much smaller than Rome or Venice and there weren't nearly as many tourists, which was nice. It was a beautiful, sunny summer day, a great day to walk around a seaside Greek town. Hazel wished Frank could have come with them, but she had fun walking through Preveza with Piper, Jason, and Leo, ducking into shops and checking things off Leo's list of supplies. By lunchtime, they had everything on the list except wood for the masts and Celestial bronze. They decided to stop for a bite to eat and discuss their options.

"Have you gotten any bronze hits on your precious metal radar?" Leo asked as they waited for their food.

Hazel shook her head. "Nothing. There's plenty of gold and silver, some precious stones, all about fifteen feet below street-level, but no Celestial bronze."

Leo whistled. "So if we were on a treasure hunt, you're saying we'd be in good shape?"

"But we're not," Piper pointed out. "We're in Greece, there has to be some Celestial bronze around here somewhere."

Hazel frowned, thinking about it. "You're right, there should be. Everywhere else we've gone in the ancient lands, I've been able to sense some. It's not always a lot, but there's usually a piece of Celestial bronze or a weapon somewhere nearby. But not here. There's nothing."

Jason started to say something, but stopped as the waitress brought their food. He waited until she'd left, then said, "Could someone have taken it? Maybe Gaea moved it all so we wouldn't be able to use it."

"She never has before, though," Hazel said.

"But we've never needed it before," Leo said, "not since we got into the Mediterranean."

They were quiet as they ate their lunch. Hazel was focusing on the layers of earth beneath her. There was something strange about it. "It's like it's supposed to be there," she said slowly.

The others looked at her. "The bronze?" Leo asked.

Hazel nodded. "That's why the ground feels strange here. It's like I can feel the holes where the Celestial bronze is supposed to be. But it's not there. It's like someone—like someone collected it."

"Gaea doesn't want us to repair the ship." Piper put her sandwich down. "She's trying to prevent us from getting to Athens."

"I don't think so," Hazel said. Her certainty was growing the longer she sat there. "If Gaea had moved it because she didn't want us to repair the ship, she would have done it yesterday. But the bronze has been gone longer than that, maybe months. The traces are very faint."

Jason looked impressed. "How can you tell all that?"

Hazel shrugged. "Same way you can control the winds and Leo can pick two thousand year old locks. Just a talent, I guess."

Piper raised her eyebrows at Leo. "You can pick two thousand year old locks?"

Leo grinned and wiggled his fingers. "I've got the magic touch."

Piper rolled her eyes at Hazel, who bit back a smile.

"Who would want all that bronze, though?" Jason asked, still focused on the main problem. He seemed more relaxed, more at ease, since he'd handed the role of praetor over to Frank, but Hazel figured taking the lead had simply become a habit. "What would they do with it?"

"Build something with it," Leo suggested. "Melt it down and make weapons or armor. Put it in a pool and go swimming in it, Scrooge McDuck-style. There's a lot of options, man."

"But I should be able to sense it," Hazel insisted. "Something that big should be obvious."

"Unless—unless it's just too far away," Piper said thoughtfully. She stopped a passing waiter. Giving him a dazzling smile, she asked, "Are there any Greek ruins around Preveza?"

The waiter swallowed. "There's Nicopolis. About eight kilometers north."

"Thank you," Piper said, still smiling sweetly.

"Uh-huh," the waiter said. He turned away and promptly ran into a table. Hazel giggled.

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Should I be jealous?"

"Of what?" Piper asked. Her eyes widened. "Oh gods, did I just use charmspeak on him?"

Leo laughed. "You didn't even realize you were doing it?"

"No," Piper moaned, putting her face in her hands. "I usually know, now, when I'm doing it, but I wasn't paying attention. I got used to using it in all those stores, I didn't even think about it."

"Yeah, I liked that 'Olympian discount,'" Leo said.

"Anyway," Piper said, clearly eager to change the subject, "it sounds like maybe we should check out this Nicopolis. Let's face it, only a mythological something-or-other would collect up all the Celestial bronze in the area. And based on our past experiences, they all seem to like to hang out at sites that had some ancient significance."

"So what's important about this Nicopolis site?" Hazel asked. As she said it, she felt a twinge of worry for her brother, Nico, wherever he was right now.

"Well, it was 'built in the 1st century by the Roman Emperor Octavian August after his triumph at the Aktion naval battle against Marc Antony and Cleopatra'," Leo said.

Hazel, Jason, and Piper stared at him. Then, Hazel remembered the Pantheon, in Rome. "Is there a Spanish tour guide around?" she asked.

Leo grinned. "You caught me. It's on the placemats."

"Okay, well, I say we check out this Nicopolis," Piper said. "We don't have a better lead, and we need the bronze, right?"

Leo nodded. "Right. But, um, eight kilometers is about five miles. I don't know about you all, but a hike in ninety degree weather isn't my first idea of fun."

"I could fly out there," Jason offererd, "but I can't take all three of you at once."

"There's another option," Hazel said. "But first, maybe we should get somewhere more open."

Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding to Nicopolis. Hazel and Leo were riding on Arion, while Jason and Piper were next to them on Jason's storm spirit horse, Tempest. Hazel wished Nicopolis was a hundred miles away; when she was riding, she felt powerful, fearless, unstoppable. But with Arion's speed, five miles flew by like nothing. Within minutes, they had arrived at the ruins.

"Whoa." A wave of dizziness hit Hazel and she would have fallen off Arion if Leo hadn't caught her. "There's Celestial bronze here, alright. Tons of it. Literally."

Leo frowned at the stone ruins of the massive amphitheater in front of them. "Underground?"

"No," Hazel slid off Arion. He nuzzled her cheek and whickered nervously. "It's above ground." She felt suddenly cold as a memory of the sorceress Pasiphae in the House of Hades came back to her. "But there's some serious Mist cover-up going on here."

Hazel examined the ruins in front of them as Leo slid down from Arion and Jason and Piper jumped off of Tempest. A giant stone amphitheater was set into the hillside, its crumbling tiers of seats ringing a performance space. Hazel imagined coming here in ancient times, to watch a play or take in a political debate. She figured whoever was on that stage must have had to work hard to compete with the view behind them. From the amphitheater, the countryside stretched out in rolling green hills and farmland, until it ended in the blue of the bay near Preveza. Hazel wished she could just relax and enjoy the view, but her skin was tingling from the amount of Celestial bronze and magic in the air.

"Hazel says there's a ton of Celestial bronze around here," Leo told Jason and Piper.

"Tons," Hazel corrected. "About four and half tons, just on the other side of the hill. But we need to be careful. There's some seriously strong Mist here."

Piper shivered. "Do you feel that? The temperature's about twenty degrees colder than it was a minute ago."

Hazel felt it. She knew it was probably an illusion, but the air was growing steadily colder, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.

"Is it Khione?" Leo asked. "'Cause I swear, if she tries to blast me into the sky again—."

"It's the Mist," Hazel said, trying to keep her voice calm, even as her heart was starting to race. "The cold is just an illusion."

"A really good illusion," Jason muttered. He put an arm around Piper, to keep her warm, and Hazel felt a pang, wishing Frank was here.

Leo's hand ignited into flames. The warmth washed over Hazel, chasing away the numbing cold. "Pays to have the fire guy around," he said. "So, the bronze is on the other side of the hill?"

Hazel nodded. She looked around for Arion, to tell him they'd be back soon, but the horse was already grazing two fields away. Tempest had disappeared. Hazel turned back to face the ruins. "Let's go."

It didn't take them long to climb the stone tiers to the top of the amphitheater, sticking close to Leo and his still-burning hand.

"Wow," Jason said, when they reached the top.

"Double wow," Leo said. He let the flames on his hand die.

Hazel had to agree, the view from up here was even better. She could see the countryside rolling away from them for miles in every direction, varying shades of green and brown, occasionally spotted with houses and farm equipment. But her focus, at the moment, was on the bronze door that had just appeared in front of them. Hazel was certain it hadn't been there when they'd climbed up. The door itself didn't bother her. The dozen Cyclopes with twelve-foot long spears guarding the door, however, bothered her a lot. Especially when they lowered their spears and pointed them directly at Hazel and her friends.

Piper held up her hands, clearly trying for the smile she had given the waiter. "Put down your weapons. We just want to talk."

One of the Cyclopes grunted. "The boss man will want to talk with you, too."

Quicker than Hazel would have believed possible, four Cyclopes darted forward. Hazel never even had a chance to draw her spatha. The last thing she remembered was the crack as the butt of a spear hit her head, then everything went black.

Chapter Text

VI. JASON

Jason was starting to worry about brain damage. Seriously, he was getting really tired of being knocked on the head. His mood didn't improve when he returned to consciousness surrounded by a dozen of the largest, hairiest, most heavily-armed Cyclopes he had ever seen. Cyclopes who apparently liked to bathe in manure, judging by the stench coming off them. He heard a groan next to him and looked over to see Leo sit up, blinking. "Where are we?" Leo asked.

Jason sat up straight. "And where are the girls?"

"Over here," Piper's voice said, from his left. Jason looked over to see her and Hazel about ten feet away. Both of them were sporting bruises from getting hit over the head, but otherwise they looked okay. Relief washed over him. At least his friends were alive. For now, anyway. Their weapons were gone, though. The Cyclopes must have searched them while they were unconscious. The only things they had left were Leo's toolbelt and Piper's cornucopia.

Jason looked around, only now taking in his surroundings. He and Leo were sitting with their backs against the wall of a massive arena. For a moment, Jason thought the blow to his head had affected his vision, because everything seemed to be some strange golden color. But he blinked a couple of times and realized, no, the whole place was actually glowing bronze. Glowing bronze. It looked like they'd discovered where all the Celestial bronze in Preveza had ended up.

He focused on the spear-wielding Cyclopes again. They were having what appeared to be a pretty heated discussion over by a doorway that led into a tunnel, like the kind a football team would come out of in a stadium. Not far from the tunnel entrance, Jason could see his, Piper's, and Hazel's swords lying in the dirt. Before Jason had a chance to confer with any of his friends and try to come up with a plan, the Cyclopes broke apart. They stood suddenly at attention, six on each side of the tunnel, their spears pointed straight up.

A dark shape filled the tunnel. At first, Jason thought a boulder was rolling towards them, but then he realized it was actually a giant. The giant was so large his bulk filled the twelve-foot-high tunnel as he stepped into the arena.

When the giant straightened to his full height and surveyed them, Jason's only consolation was that this wasn't one of the giants, the sons of Gaea who had been working so hard to kill the crew of the Argo II. This giant was smaller, only about ten feet tall, and looked more human, no dragon legs. Instead, the giant was covered in muscles like a body-builder; he looked like the type of guy who would eat a dozen raw eggs for breakfast. His face could have been carved from a boulder, the features completely chiseled and set hard as stone. He was bald and on his head the image of a hammer had been tattooed. Jason recognized that symbol.

Beside him, Leo gulped. "Please tell me that guy doesn't have Cabin Nine's symbol tattooed on his head."

Jason's mouth tasted like bile. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"SILENCE!" the giant roared and Jason and Leo both jumped. The giant turned to the Cyclopes. "Bring the prisoners forward."

"What do you think?" Leo asked as the Cyclopes approached. "Should we light them up?"

Jason debated it for a moment, then shook his head. "There's too many of them. Let's see what he wants and go from there."

"From the looks of it, I think he wants to grind our bones to make his bread," Leo muttered, but he refrained from burning the guards as they hauled Jason and Leo to their feet.

The Cyclopes dragged the four demigods to stand in front of the giant, turning them so that Jason and Leo were across from Piper and Hazel. Jason found himself facing Piper, who gave him a tiny, reassuring smile. Next to her, Hazel's eyes were flickering around the Celestial bronze arena. Jason wondered if she could use any of that metal against their captors, but there was no way to ask her.

The Cyclopes stepped back, standing guard behind their captives, as the giant walked between them. He surveyed the demigods like they were cattle at an auction and he was trying to decide which of them was most worth his money. The feeling made Jason's skin crawl.

After a second pass, the giant returned to his starting point. He stood with his hands clasped behind him and nodded approvingly. "Welcome, demigods, to the Arena of Hephaestus!"

Leo winced.

"What?" Piper asked.

"An excellent question," the giant said, nodding again. "It has been many years since I, the greatest son of Hephaestus, have sought competitors for my arena. But the Earth Mother has brought me back. Gaea knows that I am her greatest asset. For I am Cercyon, Bandit of Eleusis!"

"Um, aren't we in Preveza?" Leo asked.

Cercyon glared at him. "In ancient times, my arena was near Eleusis. My guards would capture travelers on the road and then, we would wrestle—to the death."

Jason looked at Cercyon's bulging arm muscles and decided he really didn't want a headlock from this guy.

"But now," Cercyon continued, "that area is guarded by another servant of the Earth Mother, so I was sent here. I have rebuilt my arena from the finest Celestial bronze and now I seek my first competitor." He leered at the demigods as he flexed his muscles. Jason wanted to think this guy was just bragging, but he guessed that if Cerycon felt like it, he could crush Jason and his friends without even breaking a sweat. Jason was starting to sweat, though, trying to come up with a plan to get all four of them out of this alive.

Cercyon was still eyeing the demigods, apparently trying to decide who he wanted to fight first. He shook his head at Piper and Hazel. "I will not fight a female."

"What, you're afraid of being beat by a girl?" Piper asked.

Cercyon grinned, displaying chipped, yellow teeth. "Such spirit. I like a little fire. But no, Piper McLean, I am not afraid of being beaten by a female demigod."

Piper looked taken aback. "How do you know my name?"

"The bounties from Gaea, of course. She gives so many interesting facts about each of you. Of course, I didn't read them all, who has time for that? But I remember your names. And while I'm sure either you or Hazel Levesque would pose quite a challenge, it would be beneath me to fight a female."

"You're just scared because you know we'd win," Hazel said. "Coward."

There was a hard glint in Cercyon's eyes that was far more terrifying than his muscles as he looked at Hazel. Jason wasn't sure what the giant planned to do next, but he decided he'd better intervene. "I'll fight you, Cercyon," he volunteered.

Cercyon bellowed with laughter, which was not exactly the reaction Jason had expected. "A son of the elder gods? Do I look like an idiot to you, boy? It was Theseus, a son of Poseidon, who killed me long ago. No, I have no interest in wrestling the sky god's spawn." He looked from Jason to Leo. "But a fellow son of Hephaestus? That would be a most interesting challenge."

Jason glanced at Leo. He knew straight up fighting wasn't his friend's style. Leo looked pale, but his jaw was set, his eyes on Cercyon. Jason ran some strategies in his head, but none of them ended well. Even if he could call some lightning, combined with Leo's fire, Piper's cornucopia, and anything Hazel could do with the bronze around them, they were still weaponless and outnumbered three to one. And Cercyon had just drawn a knife from his belt.

The giant kept his eyes locked on Jason as he laid the blade against Piper's throat. "On your knees, son of Jupiter," he said softly.

"I thought you were a wrestler," Leo said through gritted teeth.

"I am," Cercyon replied. "The best wrestler in the world. But before we get to the match, I want to ensure that I'll have your full cooperation." He pressed the knife harder against Piper's throat. "Once more, son of Jupiter, get on your knees. Hands behind your head. I won't ask again."

Jason didn't have a choice. He knelt down and put his hands behind his head like he was being arrested. Cercyon smirked. "Very good. Now, as Leo Valdez pointed out, I am a wrestler. And it has been far too long since I have been able to test my strength."

The Cyclopes were beginning to get excited. "Gonna be a good fight, boss—Get 'em, boss—puny demigods ain't no match for you."

Cercyon had a smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face as he sheathed his knife, then signaled for the Cyclopes to march Piper and Hazel back to the side of the arena. A Cyclops yanked Jason to his feet and dragged him away before Jason had a chance to give Leo some words of encouragement, though, admittedly, he couldn't think of any.

"Let's make a deal, Cercyon," Leo said as he and the giant faced each other, alone in the middle of the arena. "If I win, you and your buddies over there have to let us go."

"And if I win?" Cercyon was still smirking, like the thought of losing was a joke to him. Which, Jason guessed, it probably was.

"Then I guess you get the honor of sending Leo Valdez to the Underworld." Leo tried for a winning smile. "But you still let my friends go."

Cercyon bent forward so he could look Leo in the eye. "How about if you put on a good show, I'll kill your friends quickly, rather than torture them?"

Leo swallowed. "But if I win, we go free. Swear on the Styx."

"I swear it on the Styx," Cercyon rumbled. He stood up straight and spread his arms. A cold wind rushed through the arena and suddenly the seats were filled with glowing purple Lares, ghosts of Romans who had once lived in Greece, when it was ruled by the empire. "And now, let the match begin!"

Jason's stomach twisted into knots as he watched Leo and Cercyon face each other in the center of the arena. Leo looked surprisingly calm, except for his fingers nervously tapping against his leg. There was a determined glint in his eyes, but all Jason could think about was Gaea telling Percy that Leo would die in Preveza. And Jason really didn't want that to happen. However, he was having trouble coming up with a contingency plan. He could summon lightning, but without his sword it was much harder to control the strike. He didn't want to accidentally hit any of his friends.

Jason glanced at Piper and Hazel, hoping one of them had thought of a plan. Piper's face was pale and her eyes were fixed on Leo. Hazel's eyes were still darting around the arena like she was calculating the amount of Celestial bronze in it. She caught Jason's eye and he thought she might have had a plan, but they had no way to communicate without the Cyclopes hearing them. For now, it looked like things rested on Leo's wrestling match with a partner three times his size.

"So are we going to do this thing or what?" Leo asked.

"First, the toolbelt, son of Hephaestus," Cercyon rumbled. "Take it off."

"What, this old thing?" Leo tried, and failed, to look innocent.

"It's just an empty tool belt, Cercyon," Piper said. Jason could feel the persuasive power of charmspeak in her voice.

Cercyon blinked, then gave a booming laugh. "That sorcery speak won't work on me, girl. My father is married to your mother. I learned long ago to ignore Aphrodite tricks." He turned back to Leo. "Lose the tool belt, brother."

Leo looked nauseated by the "brother" comment, but he took off his tool belt and tossed it to Hazel. "Keep an eye on that for me."

Cercyon cracked his knuckles. "Now, we wrestle!"

A Cyclops raised a massive Celestial bronze gong. There was a resounding BOOM around the arena as he hit it.

Cercyon immediately rushed toward Leo, who dove to the side. The giant turned and tried to grab him, but Leo had already rolled out of the way and was now behind the giant. Cercyon growled in frustration. They went on like this for a few minutes. Jason was impressed. Cercyon clearly relied on his bulging muscles to win his fights, but Leo was a lot lighter and quicker than the giant, so he was using that to his advantage to wear Cercyon out. And it seemed to be working. Cercyon was breathing hard, his face getting redder and redder, though Jason wasn't sure if that was from exhaustion or anger.

"Stand and face me, coward!" Cercyon growled as he tried to grab Leo, who dodged the giant's fist. Leo darted behind Cercyon again, who was turning in circles trying to spot him. Jason hoped he was getting nice and dizzy.

"Dude, I learned a long time ago not to get caught by guys who are bigger than me," Leo said. He ducked as Cercyon made a sloppy grab at him. "You would have fit in well in some of the foster homes I was in, though. Lot of other big, ugly guys who like to pick on people for you to hang out with."

Cercyon roared in rage and lunged at Leo. Leo rolled to the side at the last second and Cercyon bit the dirt, hard. Leo started to back away but, quick as a striking snake, Cercyon's hand whipped out and grabbed him by the ankle, yanking Leo off his feet.

"No!" Hazel cried.

Cercyon slowly stood back up, spitting dust. He was dangling Leo by one ankle. Leo was thrashing and kicking, but it didn't seem to bother the giant. "Now," Cercyon said through gritted teeth, "we finish this match my way."

Cercyon flipped Leo up in the air and caught him as he came down. For a second, Jason thought he was giving him a bear-hug, but then he realized the horrible truth: Cercyon was attempting to crush his opponent. And judging by the pained look on Leo's face, he was succeeding.

Piper gasped. Jason's heart was racing. Last ditch effort, he thought. "Hey, Cercyon! Are you fireproof?"

Cercyon scoffed. "That's a Cyclopes' trait. It is not a gift Hephaestus gives to his children."

"Wrong," Jason said. "It's a gift he gives to some of his children." He met Leo's eyes and saw that he understood. He also saw that Leo hated his plan as much as Jason himself did. But it was the only way. "Now!"

Leo burst into flames and Cercyon screamed. The giant dropped Leo and backed away, still screaming, his entire body blazing. Jason ran to grab their weapons from the edge of the arena. The Cyclopes moved forward to recapture the demigods but Piper yelled, "Stop, drop, and roll!" and all twelve Cyclopes hit the dirt and obediently began to roll around.

The Lares were rising in the stands, cursing and yelling, but Hazel screamed and suddenly the stands began to shake. She fell to her knees just as the arena collapsed around them in a shower of Celestial bronze.

Jason didn't stop to think. He thrust the swords he was holding at Piper, scooped Hazel up, and ran for the tunnel, the only part of the arena still standing. Behind them, the Cyclopes were getting back to their feet, shouting and grabbing their spears. The tunnel around them was shaking, threatening to collapse at any second. He could hear Piper and Leo right behind him. Jason could see daylight ahead. He put on an extra burst of speed as the tunnel began to crumble around them, Cercyon's screams following them out into the afternoon sunlight.

"Jason, I'm fine. Put me down," Hazel said as they emerged at the foot of the ruined stone arena of Nicopolis. Jason set Hazel on her feet, then bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Leo dropped onto the lowest stone bench of the arena and buried his face in his hands. Piper swiped her hand across her face, whether to brush away tears or sweat Jason wasn't sure, then handed Jason back his gladius, gave Hazel her spatha, and drew her own jagged sword from the Boreads.

"Heads up," Piper said. "There might be some angry Cyclopes left."

Hazel shook her head. "I collapsed the tunnel on them as soon as we got out. They're monster dust by now."

"Nice one," Jason said, straightening up. "How'd you collapse the rest of the arena?"

"Underneath the seats the arena was hollow, except for its support beams." Hazel shrugged. "All I had to do was pull the beams toward me a little bit. Destabilized the whole thing."

Jason was impressed. "Again, nice one."

"Thanks." Hazel glanced in Leo's direction. Jason followed her gaze. Leo was still staring at the ground, his head in his hands. The three of them exchanged worried glances. Jason knew Leo had killed monsters before, but setting Cercyon on fire like that couldn't have been an easy thing to do.

Hazel walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Leo?"

Leo raised his head and she handed him back his tool belt. He managed a weak smile, though his face still looked pained, like when Cercyon was crushing him. "Thanks."

"Don't beat yourself up, man," Jason said. "You did what you had to do."

"You saved us," Piper added.

"Yeah." Leo stood up and put his tool belt back on. He tried for a "hey-I'm-Leo-and-this-doesn't-bother-me" smile, but Jason didn't buy it. "Come on, let's get that bronze and then get the heck out of Preveza."

By the time they had collected as much Celestial bronze as they could carry, the sun was beginning to set. Even better, Jason failed to summon Tempest and Arion didn't appear when Hazel whistled for him.

"They're both pretty free-spirited," she said reluctantly.

"Or something like that," Jason muttered.

Weighted down by Celestial bronze and the events of the day, the four of them began their trek back toward Preveza and the Argo II.

They had just reached the city when a bald eagle swooped down on them. Jason just had time to think, Great, another attack, before it turned into Frank Zhang.

"Thank the gods!" Frank said. He hugged Hazel so hard he lifted her off her feet and made her drop the bronze she was holding. "Oops, sorry."

"It's fine, Frank," Hazel said as he helped her collect the bronze.

"What took you guys so long?" Frank asked. "We were getting worried."

Jason glanced at Piper and Leo. "We took a little detour. Tell you about it on the ship. Where are Percy and Annabeth?"

"Back on the ship." Frank nodded in the direction of the port. "I just left to do some scouting because, well, like I said, we were getting worried." But from the way he looked sheepishly at Hazel, Jason guessed Frank might have been slightly more worried than the other two.

Hazel must have guessed this, too, because she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Frank's cheek. "Thanks for finding us."

With the help of Frank, part-time dragon, it only took one trip for him and Jason to fly the Celestial bronze back to the Argo II. Jason did a double-take when he saw the new masts.

"How'd you manage to fix those?" he asked, incredulous.

"Long story," Percy said. "Also, we've got some news for you guys."

"Good news?" Jason asked.

"It came from a goddess," Percy said. "What do you think?"

"Great," Jason muttered.

Chapter Text

VII. LEO

Leo was tired of goddesses giving them ridiculous or impossible tasks. Just once, would it be so hard to give a straight answer? "Here's a bazooka. It's great for blowing up giants. Use it to win this war." Or, better yet, "Why don't you all take a vacation? There are some great beaches around here. We gods, with our awesome powers, will take care of killing these giants for you." But no, that would be too easy. All the demigods ever got were cryptic instructions about "a tool that might help you" in the "place where my festival was held." Nice and clear instructions, nothing cryptic about that at all. Oh yeah, and don't forget, first they had to track down Frank's long-lost grandfather or something.

At least the part about Demeter's festival had been easy to figure out. A quick Google search on the ship's computer made it clear that the major festival dedicated to Demeter was held in Eleusis, near Athens. They were called the Eleusinian Mysteries. Great, because Leo wasn't at all sick of mysteries. And Pylos, where Frank's ancestor was apparently meeting them, wasn't too far away, so hooray, more good news. On the negative side, Frank, Hazel, and Percy were all supposed to die in Pylos. Of course, Leo thought, I was supposed to die in Preveza and that didn't work out so well for Queen Dirt Face.

He shuddered, remembering Cercyon's screams when he'd set the giant on fire. Leo tried to remind himselt that the guy was about to squash him like a bug and then planned to torture and kill Jason, Piper, and Hazel, but it didn't help much. Leo was a mechanic. He liked building things, fixing things, not destroying them. Even though the guy was a monster and he knew he'd made the right choice, Leo still didn't feel good about what he'd done.

"Fire is a tool," his mother had always said. Since December, when he, Piper, and Jason had crash-landed at Camp Half-Blood and Leo had learned he was a demigod, he'd gotten better at controlling his ability to summon fire and more used to using it. He'd even used it as a weapon occasionally, when he had to, but he preferred to use fire as a tool. "Even a weapon is, at its heart, just a tool," he imagined his mother would say.

"Well, then, I guess I'm one dangerous tool," Leo muttered to himself.

"Did you just call yourself a tool?"

Leo jumped. Percy was leaning against the railing a few feet away. Leo had no idea how long the guy had been standing there; he'd been so lost in his own thoughts, he'd forgotten that Percy was also on guard duty with him.

"Um, yeah," Leo said. "But not like a tool tool, more like a hammer tool."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Or a blowtorch?"

Leo winced. "Something like that."

Around them, the ship was quiet; it was just after midnight. The rest of the crew was asleep. The sea was calm and the sky was clear; Leo could actually see the Milky Way. It would have been peaceful if he weren't constantly on the alert for any sign of an attack.

"Wish I could relax," Percy said, echoing Leo's thoughts, "but when it's quiet like this, it just seems like the calm before the storm."

Leo nodded. "I keep waiting for Shrimpzilla or one of his ugly cousins to pop up on the sonar."

"That would seriously suck," Percy said.

"Agreed."

Silence fell between them. Leo checked the controls, mostly to look busy. Of all the people on the Argo II, Percy was the one Leo had spent the least amount of time with. Jason and Piper were Leo's best friends and he'd gone on several mini-quests with Frank and Hazel. And even though she still scared him, Leo had spent a decent amount of time with Annabeth, when she had helped with building the Argo II. But Percy was still a little bit of an enigma. Leo knew he was tight with Frank and Hazel after their "free Death in Alaska" quest, he'd been with Jason and Piper during the nymphs-and-giants and-Colisseum-battles-oh-my! fun in Rome, and, well, he'd jumped into Tartarus to be with Annabeth—'nough said. But Leo and Percy had never really had any one-on-one time. Leo guessed it didn't help that they'd gotten off to a rocky start when he'd blown up New Rome and all. Plus, Leo still felt guilty about the fortune cookie fiasco. He didn't think anybody but Hazel knew about it, but still. All things considered, now that it was just the two of them on guard duty, Leo wasn't exactly sure what to say to the guy. Glad you didn't die in Tartarus didn't really seem appropriate.

"Glad you didn't die in Preveza, man," Percy said.

Or maybe it was.

"That makes two of us," Leo said. "Besides, 'avoiding death' is one of my favorite hobbies."

"Mine too." Percy grinned. "Plus, no one else actually knows how to work the ship, so we kind of need you."

"That's me, 'Indispensable Valdez,'" Leo said.

"Which reminds me, how the heck did the others get from Africa to Malta to find you if the ship was messed up from the bomb?" Percy asked. "I mean, I know Piper woke up Festus with charmspeak, which—."

"—makes absolutely no sense," Leo nodded.

"Your words, not mine, but yeah. But even with him working, didn't they say the engine was messed up? And that's got to be hundreds of miles to travel. How'd they make it in time?"

Leo grinned. "Apparently, it involved breaking wind."

"Excuse me?"

"Ask Jason about it," Leo said.

"Oh, I will." Percy's grin turned evil and Leo laughed.

But then Leo remembered how he'd ended up in Malta and the smile slid off his face. Percy must have had a similar thought, because he suddenly cleared his throat and looked away. That was when Leo knew.

"You know where I went."

"Lucky guess," Percy said. "I've been there, too."

"Yeah, I know," Leo said, his voice tight with anger. He pulled up a map of Greece, just so he wouldn't have to look at Percy. "And you left her there. You promised she would be free, but you never bothered to follow up."

Leo expected Percy to get angry, to yell, to say how it wasn't his fault, maybe even take a swing at him. He was completely unprepared for Percy to sag against the railing and say, "I know. I messed up."

Part of Leo felt that he should respond with, Darn right, you messed up. But the confused part of him won out and he ended up saying, "Huh?"

"Look, down in Tartarus, we—we ran into these arai, the spirits of curses, and, well," Percy then told Leo about fighting the arai, which sounded like absolutely no fun, since if you killed one, they gave you a curse, and if you didn't kill them, they tried to rip your face off. And he told Leo about the special curse Annabeth had unleashed, from Calypso.

Leo was stunned. "I'm sure she didn't realize," he began, but he had no idea how to finish that sentence, so he let it drop. He wanted to protest that Calypso would never be that vindictive, but he remembered how furious she had been when he'd first landed on her island and the minor meltdown she'd had when she thought Reyna was his girlfriend. He hated to admit it, but he could imagine her, in a horrible mood, wishing that Annabeth would one day feel as abandoned by Percy as she herself did. But he was also equally certain that she never really intended for that wish to come true, and definitely not under the circumstances Percy had just described.

Percy held up his hand. "I don't blame Calypso. It's my fault. I should have followed up, made sure the gods kept their word."

"Yeah, you should have," Leo said, but there wasn't any venom in his words. He was just agreeing. His mouth felt dry, but he forced himself to say, "I promised I would come back for her. I swore on the Styx."

Percy studied him seriously for a long moment, then he nodded. "I'll help you, man. When we get back, we'll figure something out. She—she deserves to be happy."

"She does," Leo said.

They looked at each other, a brief, silent conversation, but Leo figured Percy got the gist.

"Alright then."

"Alright."

"So," Percy said, after a few moments of awkward silence, looking at the map of Greece that Leo still had pulled up over the controls, "how far to Pylos?"

Leo did some calculations. "A couple hours. We could get there faster, but there didn't seem to be much point in showing up before the sun comes up." He zoomed in on the map so they could see Pylos more clearly. It didn't look all that different from Preveza—a marina, red-tiled roofs, then countryside intersected with a couple highways. "Does Zhang have any idea where in Pylos his ancestor is supposed to be?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't think so. I guess we'll just go ashore and see what we find."

"That should work out well," Leo said.

Chapter Text

VIII. FRANK

Frank had messed up. He was the son of Mars, the war god, but he had no battle plan. Or any type of plan, really, as he, Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth went ashore in Pylos. Frank had been so focused on meeting his ancestor in Pylos, he had never thought much about where the meeting would actually take place. Now, standing on the sidewalk under a palm tree and looking up at the tiers of white and pastel-colored houses in front of him, Frank realized that he had no idea what to do next.

"Where are we headed?" Percy asked.

Frank felt himself turning red. This was ridiculous; he was a praetor now, he was supposed to be in control, but he had to tell them the truth. "I'm not sure. I guess I was kind of hoping Periclymenus would just meet us."

The four of them looked around. It was still early morning; the sun was just rising over the hills. Across the street, several market stalls were being set up. At the end of the road, a bored-looking guy was lounging against a van printed with Greek letters, playing with his phone.

"Maybe we just have to find the right meeting place," Hazel said. "What do we know about Periclymenus? Besides that he was a shape-changer."

"He was the grandson of Poseidon," Frank said.

"So there's a good chance he's hanging out close to the water," Percy said.

"And he was an Argonaut," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "You know, one of the guys who sailed with the original Jason."

"Oh yeah," Frank said; he'd completely forgotten that fact. "Maybe—maybe there's a connection here."

"We could ask that guy," Percy said, pointing to the guy leaning against the van.

"Why?" Hazel asked.

Percy looked confused. "Because of his van."

"I don't know about you, but my mother told me not to talk to strangers with vans," Frank said.

Now Percy looked completely lost. "What? No—look at what it says on his van."

Frank looked at the van again. "It's in Greek."

"Well, yeah," Percy said blankly.

Annabeth nudged him with her elbow. "They're Roman, Seaweed Brain. Latin comes naturally to them, not Greek." She turned to Frank and Hazel. "It says 'Express Tours' on the side of the van."

Hazel caught on faster than Frank, who still didn't understand what that had to do with their problems. "So maybe he's a tour guide," she said.

Percy nodded. "He might know where some Ancient Greek-type stuff is around here."

"Worth a shot," Frank said.

He led the way over to the guy, who was still messing with his phone. As they approached, Frank heard him mutter, "Nine hundred emails. I've got to get a better spam filter."

Oh good, Frank thought, he speaks English. Which struck him as a little odd, since the company's name was only in Greek. But maybe the guy had picked up English from driving around American tourists or something like that. "Excuse me?"

The guy looked up. He had curly hair under his baseball cap and elfish features. There was something about his grin that made Frank a little uneasy, like maybe he should watch his valuables around this guy. "Looking for a tour?"

"Just some information," Annabeth said. "Do you know anything about Periclymenus, the—."

"—Argonaut, sure," the tour guy said. "The quest for the Golden Fleece and all that. Great story." He narrowed his eyes. "But why are you interested in him?"

"School project," Hazel said, smiling sweetly. "We're on a summer trip, studying mythology."

That's one way to put it, Frank thought. Hazel kept smiling innocently at the tour guide, who was still studying the four of them with narrowed eyes. Then, unsettlingly quickly, a grin popped back up on his face and he clapped his hands. "Awesome. I am all about mythology." He slipped his phone in his pocket. Frank noticed the case looked like it had snakes on it. "And if you're interested in the Argonauts, I know just the place you need to go. I'll even give you a ride."

The van looked spacious from the outside, but on the inside, it was crammed full of boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," the tour guide said cheerfully. "I do some deliveries on the side."

"Some?" Percy muttered as he climbed over a large box to get to an empty seat in the back.

Frank wished he could turn into something smaller, like maybe a squirrel, because it would be a lot more comfortable than sitting here with the corners of two different boxes poking into his back and Hazel squashed in next to him so tightly she was almost in his lap. However, he didn't want to alarm the driver. He wasn't sure how the Mist would cover up the fact that there were suddenly only three humans in the van, rather than the four he'd picked up.

Hazel pushed against one of the boxes, trying to move it over, but it didn't budge. "You must not give tours to very big groups."

"Nope," the guide said. "I'm pretty selective."

Alarm bells started going off in Frank's head. He glanced at Hazel and knew she was thinking the same thing. Something was definitely off about this guy. There was a good chance they had just walked into a trap.

The guide picked up a stack of boxes off the front passenger seat so that Annabeth could sit down. "Hold these for me, will you?" he asked her.

"Uh, sure," she replied. The guide dumped the boxes on her lap and Annabeth jumped. "There's something dripping from the bottom one!"

"Oh, yeah." The guide's slightly arched eyebrows drew together in concern. "Sorry about that. It's harmless stuff, though."

Annabeth looked disgusted, but she swallowed back whatever she had been going to say. "So, where are we going?"

"Voidokilia Beach," the guide said. He put the van in drive and took off so fast Frank was slammed against the seat. He winced as the boxes jabbed him in the back. "There's a place there called 'Nestor's Cave'. It's a little bit of a hike, but I think you'll find it's worth it. It's got a great view of the bay."

The name "Nestor" sounded vaguely familiar to Frank. "Is Nestor another Argonaut?"

The guide looked at him in the rearview mirror and grinned again. "Very good. Lot of history at that cave. Some say it's where Hermes hid Apollo's cattle. It's also supposedly where Nestor met with Telemachus, when Telemachus was searching for his father, Odysseus, after the Trojan War."

"But what does all that have to do with Periclymenus?" Hazel asked.

The guide shrugged. "It's related to the Argonauts. I thought that's what you were interested in?"

"We are," Frank said hurriedly. The cave might not be a good lead, but it was the best one they had. "How long does it take to get there?"

"Typically, about twenty-five minutes." The guide looked at Frank in the rearview mirror again and gave him that unsettling grin. "But I can usually make it in ten."

After that, Frank didn't get a chance to ask the guide any more questions because he was too busy inwardly cursing, praying to whichever god prevented car accidents, and holding on to Hazel's hand for dear life. When they finally screeched to a halt in the beach parking lot, Frank's knees were shaking. He let out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding as Hazel doubled over, pressing her face against her knees.

"That was horrible," she said.

Frank patted her back. "Yeah, it was."

Percy, Hazel, and Frank managed to work their way out of the back of the van and onto the pavement. Annabeth handed the guide the stack of boxes she had been holding. "What do we owe you for the ride?" Annabeth asked.

The driver waved his hand. "Don't worry about the money. But you'd be doing me a huge favor if you could make a quick delivery for me."

"Sure, we can probably do that," Frank said cautiously.

"Fantastic," the driver said. "Bottom box here, miss," he told Annabeth, balancing the rest of the stack in his hands so she could grab the bottom one. "You shouldn't have a problem figuring out where it goes. Just be careful with it. I have a feeling the person it belongs to may need it soon." With a final grin and a wave, the guide put his foot on the gas and shot out of the parking lot.

"That was weird," Percy said. "So who are we supposed to be delivering this box to?"

Annabeth looked at the label. The blood drained out of her face so fast Frank thought she was going to faint. "Oh my gods. Percy."

"What?" Percy must have had the same thought as Frank because he put an arm around Annabeth's waist like he thought she was going to fall. "Who does it go to?"

Annabeth was still staring at the label like she'd seen a ghost. "No, I mean, look at the label. Percy, it goes to you."

Percy read the label, then suddenly looked like he was trying to swallow a baseball. "There's no way. She destroyed it. She told me she destroyed it."

Frank craned his neck to read the address on the package. It said:

The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, NY
With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON

Over that was written, "Return to Sender." "Wait, Percy, you sent this?"

"Yeah, when I was twelve. But my dad sent it back to me. He didn't want it, for some reason."

Hazel was still pale from the crazy van ride. It seemed to be the popular look at the moment. "You know what's in there?"

Percy nodded grimly. "It's Medusa's head."

The sand was hot, the water was clear, the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky. It was, Frank thought, a great day to be at the beach—unless, of course, you were hiking up a steep hill in search of your long-dead ancestor, and carrying around a severed head capable of turning people to stone.

Not that Frank had to carry Medusa's head, which he was guiltily glad about. Percy had taken charge of it, though he was holding the box gingerly like, well, like it contained something dead and disgusting.

"I still don't understand how Hermes found this, though," Percy said as they climbed up the hill. "My mom told me she destroyed it after she turned Smelly Gabe into a statue."

"He deserved it," Annabeth assured Hazel, who looked shocked.

They had decided it must have been the messenger god who had given them a ride. Hermes (or had he been Mercury?), god of travel, thieves, and, apparently, delivering long-lost packages that no one wanted.

"Did she tell you how she destroyed it?" Frank asked.

Percy frowned. "No. No, I guess she wasn't really specific."

"She probably did believe she destroyed it," Annabeth said. "But monster parts that are spoils of war are really hard to get rid of. Hermes must have found it after your mom threw it away."

"And it sounds like he thinks we'll need it to turn someone to stone," Hazel said. "We'd better be on our guard."

"Periclymenus better have some really good information for us," Frank muttered as they reached the entrance of Nestor's Cave, set into the hillside.

After their various adventures in Rome and the House of Hades, Frank was expecting something impressive. But Nestor's Cave was just that—a cave. There were a few stalactites and stalagmites and a small pool at the back, but that was it. Frank felt let down. "I think Mercury gave us some bad advice."

"He's always been helpful before," Percy said, looking put out at the total lack of anything interesting in the cave. "There has to be something important here."

Hazel laid her hand against the stone wall of the cave, next to where some tourists had carved their names. "There's something here," she said. She tilted her head as if listening, then pointed toward the back of the cave. "The water. I think it's covering up a tunnel."

The four of them walked to the small pool near the back wall of the cave. Percy knelt down and dipped his hand in the water. He frowned.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"There is a tunnel here," Percy said slowly. "Actually, it's more like a well. It drops straight down, but I can't tell how far. And I can't control it," he added, looking a little nervous. "It's like something else, or someone else, has control of the water and their will is a whole lot stronger than mine." He glanced up at Frank. "What do you think, man? Your call."

Frank's palms were sweaty. If Percy couldn't control the water, that didn't seem like a good sign. He had never considered the idea that maybe Periclymenus wouldn't want to help them. Frank wondered, again, if they were walking into a trap. But Demeter had specifically said to come talk to Periclymenus, to get the information they needed to find the weapon that would hopefully help them defeat Gaea. If his ancestor was hiding at the bottom of this well, Frank needed to find him. "I think we've got to take the chance and go in," he said.

Percy looked resigned. "Yeah, you're probably right. So how are we going to do this?"

"Are your other water powers still working?" Frank asked.

Percy pulled his hand out of the water; it was completely dry. "Seem to be."

"Okay, then you and I will go down the well and see what we can find." He turned to Hazel and Annabeth. "You two, um, I guess stay here and keep watch."

"And how are we supposed to contact you if something happens? Or vice versa?" Hazel asked.

"Yell loudly?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "I don't know that splitting up is the best idea."

"Can you breathe underwater?" Percy asked her. Annabeth glared at him and he shrugged. "We'll just go check things out. If we're not back in ten minutes—"

"Wait longer?" Hazel suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Pretty much."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She and Hazel exchanged a glance. "We'll give you guys fifteen minutes," Annabeth said. "Then we're figuring out a way to come after you."

"Perfect," Percy said. He kissed Annabeth on the cheek, then handed her the box with Medusa's head. "Keep an eye on this."

She looked nauseated, but she took the box.

Hazel gave Frank a quick kiss. "Just be careful."

"You too," he said. He agreed with Annabeth that splitting up didn't seem like a great plan, but they didn't have another option. Frank followed Percy into the water, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Within seconds, he had become a six-foot-long mako shark. If they were walking into a trap, Frank wanted to be something with teeth.

"Nice," Percy said appreciatively. He gestured downward. "After you."

With one last glance at Hazel and Annabeth standing worriedly at the side of the pool, Frank turned and dove into the depths.

It took them a full five minutes to swim to the bottom of the tunnel. Frank wasn't sure how many hundreds of feet that was, but he figured it was a lot. Finally, though, the shaft they were in opened up into a much larger space, like an underground lake. Frank and Percy swam forward until the water got shallow. They surfaced in front of an island of stone set in the middle of a massive underground cavern. Frank turned back to human so he wouldn't have to crawl onto the shore on his shark belly. He looked up and could just make out stalactites the size of school busses hanging down from the ceiling a hundred feet up, which made him realize something. "Where's that light coming from?"

Percy pointed. "Top of the island."

Sure enough, at the pinnacle of the island, about fifty feet away, was a small crystal, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire cavern. Silhouetted in front of the light, as if he were facing them, was the figure of a man. Frank unslung his bow and notched an arrow. Percy drew his sword. Together, they walked slowly up the slope towards the figure.

As they got closer, Frank realized that the figure was an old man, bald and so wrinkled he actually looked several thousand years old. His eyes were cloudy white with cataracts, but he turned to Frank and said, "I have been waiting many years for you, Frank Zhang. Welcome. I am Periclymenus."

"Uh, hi," Frank said, because it was all he could think of. What exactly were you supposed to say to long-dead ancestors? "Nice cave."

"Thank you," Periclymenus replied. He gestured to a stone table with benches around it. "Please, sit down, so we can talk."

Frank's grandmother had been fanatical about respecting ancestors, but if she'd ever mentioned what the proper etiquette was for sitting down with the ghost of one, Frank had missed the lesson. He and Percy sat down awkwardly across from Periclymenus, who seemed quite at his ease. "And, Periclymenus, this is Percy—"

"—Jackson, yes," Periclymenus said, nodding his bald head and turning his milky eyes towards Percy. "The most recent demigod child of Poseidon. Even amongst spirits, Perseus, you are quite famous."

"Is that a good thing?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus chuckled. "You know, Hercules once told me there is no such thing as bad publicity."

"We met him," Frank said. "He threw pineapples at our ship."

"Yes, that sounds like him," Periclymenus said. He leaned back and looked at Frank again. "We were crewmembers on the Argo, he and I. Sailed with Jason to find the Golden Fleece. Now, as I understand, you are sailing with a new Jason, on the Argo II."

"How did you know that?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus spread his hands and shrugged. "Spirits hear things, m'boy."

"You don't look like a spirit," Frank said. And it was true; Periclymenus looked solid and alive, not like the dead soldiers from the House of Hades, or even the spirit army in Alaska.

"Yes, well, many of us who came back through the Doors of Death appear like the living," Periclymenus said. "Your girlfriend, for instance."

Frank's stomach clenched. "Hazel's not a spirit. She's alive."

"Is she?" Periclymenus said lightly, tilting his head to the side. "For that matter, m'boy, are you?"

"What?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus leaned forward. The whiteness in his eyes reflected the glow of the crystal, making Frank uneasy. "I know about your curse, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, descendant of Poseidon, bearer of my own legacy. Your life is fated to be bright and brief."

Beads of sweat broke out on Frank's forehead, despite the cool dampness of the cave. But he took a deep breath and forced his voice to stay steady as he said, "I know that. But right now, we've got bigger problems. Demeter said you could give us some information about finding a key to unlock a weapon that will help us defeat Gaea and the giants."

Periclymenus nodded again. "I can give you that. And I can also give you this advice: our fates are not set in stone." He reached across the table and patted Frank's arm. Periclymenus's skin felt dry and papery, but his hand was solid. "We are each capable of choosing our own destiny. Perseus knows this. His friends Iapetus and Damasen discovered this fact for themselves."

Percy looked like he was struggling to swallow a boulder. Finally, he said, "He's right. If a Titan and a giant could choose to change their fate, probably anyone can."

"A Titan and a giant?" Frank asked incredulously.

"Tell you later," Percy said.

"So you see, Frank, you may have been born with that cursed piece of tinder, but your fate, your destiny, is still up to you. When the time comes, the choice will be yours."

The choice would be his. Frank wasn't sure that choosing to die was exactly much better than being fated to die, but for some reason he felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, similar to the way he had felt when Leo gave him the fireproof bag to keep his stick in. Our fates are not set in stone. "I'll keep that in mind," he told Periclymenus. "Now, about that information Demeter mentioned?"

"Ah, yes." Periclymenus sat back and laced his fingers across his stomach. "Sadly, I do not possess the key that you seek. However, I do know where you can find it."

"Great," Frank said. "Where is it?"

"You must go to Santorini and seek out those whose love was as destructive as the volcano which shaped that island. I don't imagine they'll be hard to find." Periclymenus frowned, then added, "And you may not like to hear this, but I recommend that only female demigods go on this quest."

"Okay, why?" Percy asked.

"Because the lady of the island has good reason to be suspicious of men and her, for lack of a better word, companion prefers to deal only with women. Trust me, the ladies in your group will be much more successful on their own."

Frank and Percy exchanged a look. "This should be interesting," Percy muttered.

"Indeed," Periclymenus said. He opened his mouth to tell them something else, but suddenly he stiffened. His eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no."

Instantly, Frank's hand went to his bow and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Percy reach for his sword. "What's wrong?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus turned pale, suddenly appearing much more like a spirit. "You need to leave now. Get back up to the cave. He is approaching."

Frank and Percy both stood up. "He who?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus seemed to be growing frailer, as if whoever he was talking about was literally sucking the life out of him. "The bane of Poseidon. You have met him before."

Frank's stomach dropped. Percy's expression turned grim. Frank flashed back to a dragon-legged giant towering over a hillside, basilisks falling from his hair.

"Polybotes."

Chapter Text

IX. PERCY

Percy didn't want to meet any more destructive people. And he wasn't a huge fan of volcanos, having once been blown up in one. But right now, the problem was Polybotes. And Annabeth and Hazel, who were alone in a cave with the giant.

Unfortunately, Percy and Frank burst out of the water in full attack mode. This was unfortunate because they ended up body-slamming Annabeth and Hazel, who were standing at the water's edge. The four of them fell to the ground with a chorus of shrieks and yells.

"What in Hades is wrong with you two?" Annabeth said.

"But—but Periclymenus said," Percy stuttered, looking around the cave, which was completely giant-free.

"Oh, gods," Frank muttered, his face bright red. He stood up and helped Hazel to her feet. "Do you think he lied to us?"

"Lied about what?" Hazel asked.

"Percy, could you please get your knee out of my stomach?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, sorry." He scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to pull Annabeth up. She gave him a dirty look, but let him help her up. "But Periclymenus said Polybotes was up here. We thought—"

"Polybotes?" Annabeth said. "The guy who chased us across Tartarus?"

"And attacked Camp Jupiter?" Hazel asked.

"That's the one," Percy replied.

"Periclymenus said he was up here," Frank said, looking around, his bow in his hand. He turned to Percy. "Do you think he was lying?"

Percy thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I think he told us the truth. He said Polybotes was approaching. Which means we need to get the heck out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Hazel said.

Percy picked up the box containing Medusa's head, which Annabeth had dropped when he'd accidentally tackled her, and the four of them high-tailed it to the mouth of the cave.

But no sooner had they stepped out into the late morning sunlight when the ground exploded beneath their feet. Before Percy had a chance to figure out what had happened, a wall of water crashed into him, sweeping the demigods down the hill.

Percy lost all sense of direction. The water was wildly out of his control. The only thing he could do was hang on to the box with Medusa's head and wait for the current to slow. He knew instantly when they were washed into the sea at the bottom of the hill. The salt water was like a shock to his system, revitalizing his senses. Focusing all his willpower, he used the ocean to halt the flood from the hillside. Instantly, the water calmed and Percy was able to get to his feet in the shallow water just off the beach.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Hazel! Frank!"

"Here," Hazel said beside him, struggling to her feet as waves collided where the ocean met the muddy wash of water that had carried them downhill. Percy turned and saw Frank on his other side, also getting to his feet. They were both drenched, their hair plastered to their faces, but otherwise looked okay. On the beach, mortals were grabbing their towels and running for their cars, yelling what he assumed was Greek for "Mudslide!" But Percy didn't see Annabeth anywhere.

Panic was choking him like the muddy water. "Annabeth!"

"Son of Poseidon!" A horribly familiar voice boomed from the hillside. Percy raised his eyes to see Polybotes standing halfway up the hill, in front of Nestor's cave. His dragon legs and viper-dandruff hair were as awful looking as ever, but the worst part of the giant's appearance was the fact that he had one massive forearm hooked around Annabeth, lifting her off the ground. She was kicking and struggling, but the giant didn't seem bothered. Percy's stomach dropped. Polybotes leered at him and began to walk down the hill. "I have been waiting for you, Percy Jackson. You may have evaded me in Tartarus, but I will send you right back to the pit."

"No thanks," Percy said through gritted teeth. He felt Hazel and Frank close ranks on either side of him as Polybotes reached the beach.

"If we each attack from a different direction, we might have a chance," Frank said. "There's only one of him."

"But he'll crush Annabeth," Hazel protested. "And we might be able to fight him, but we can't defeat him. We don't have a god on our side."

Realization hit Percy. He almost thought he heard George, Hermes's snake, saying, "You owe me a rat for this one." He looked at the box in his hands. The water had dissolved the tape and the cardboard was getting soggy. One pitiful looking snake head was hanging out from the top. "We already have our godly help," Percy said.

Hazel and Frank looked confused for a moment, then Hazel's eyes widened in realization and Frank nodded, saying, "Mercury."

"Yep," Percy said. He turned back to face Polybotes. "When I give the signal, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you it's safe."

"And Annabeth?" Hazel asked.

"I'm working on that." Percy's heart was beating uncomfortably fast as he walked towards the beach, the cardboard box held out in front of him. He was trusting completely in the fact that he and Annabeth had been fighting monsters together for so long. Hopefully, she would see the box and understand his plan. If not, well, he'd have to think fast because he was pretty sure she would somehow find a way to kill him if he turned her into one of Aunty Em's garden decorations.

"What is this?" Polybotes asked as Percy approached him. "An offering for me? A good gesture, son of the sea god, but it will not save you now. I will personally deliver you and the daughter of Athena to Mother Gaea in Athens. She will reward me above any of her other sons. The Dark Lady will be upset that she cannot exact her revenge on this one," he gave Annabeth a shake, "for humiliating her, but the Earth Mother's wishes prevail. Now, Percy Jackson, what do you have for me there?"

"A gift for you, courtesy of the Olympians," Percy said. His plan was seeming increasingly more ridiculous. Even if he managed to turn just Polybotes to stone, there was a good chance that the giant's stone arm would crush Annabeth.

However, she solved his dilemma by biting down, hard, on Polybotes's arm. The giant roared in pain and dropped Annabeth to the sand. She immediately rolled out of the way. Polybotes snarled and stepped toward her, but Percy yelled, "Here!"

He thrust his hand into the cardboard box. The feeling of the limp, cold snakes against his fingers sent chills up his arms, but he fought down his repulsion and yelled, "NOW!" as he shut his eyes and yanked Medusa's head out of the box. He prayed that his friends had closed their eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE—" Polybotes thundering voice stopped as suddenly as a radio being turned off. There was a weird grinding noise, like stone on stone, then the beach shook as something very heavy hit the sand.

Percy dropped Medusa's head back into the box and quickly closed the flaps. Only then did he open his eyes.

Where Polybotes had been, there was now only a twenty-foot-tall stone statue, lying face down in the sand.

"Remind me to burn an extra cheeseburger for Hermes when we get back to camp," Percy said.

He dropped the gloppy remains of the cardboard box on the sand. Medusa's head had dissolved into monster dust and blown away by the time Percy reached the beach. Now he, Frank, Hazel, and Annabeth were standing beside the massive, grotesque statue of Polybotes. Frank kicked the giant's arm.

"Definitely stone," he announced.

"What do we do with it?" Hazel asked. "We can't just leave it on the beach for the mortals to find."

"Anyone got a drachma?" Percy asked.

Annabeth handed him one of the golden coins. "Why don't you ever carry any?"

"Because I know you always do."

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to send an Iris message?" Hazel asked.

"Actually," Percy said, "I'm hoping I can send a package by Hermes Express."

As he said the last two words, a packing sticker, a pen, and a pouch for coins popped up on the beach in front of him. "Awesome," Percy said, taking the pen and beginning to fill out the address label on the sticker.

"Where are you sending it?" Hazel asked.

Frank looked over Percy's shoulder as he wrote and read off, "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, New Jersey, USA. What's that?"

"It's where the rest of Medusa's statues are stored," Percy replied. He peeled off the sticker and stuck it on the giant's forehead.

Annabeth looked critically at the massive statue. "Do you really think one drachma will cover the shipping on this thing?"

Percy considered this, then added, "I.O.U. whatever it costs to ship a stone giant" to the bottom of the address label. "There goes my college fund," he said as he dropped the pen and the drachma in the pouch and tied that to Polybotes's ear.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the giant rose into the air, showering them with sand, before picking up speed and shooting into the sky. There was a small "pop" and the statue disappeared.

"Alright," Percy said. "One giant down. How many more to go?"

"Too many," Frank muttered.

"We need to get back to the ship and tell the others what happened," Annabeth said. "Did you guys learn anything else from Periclymenus?"

Percy and Frank exchanged looks. "Yeah," Frank said. "We'll tell you on the ship. Speaking of which, how are we going to get back? I don't think Mercury is going to do us another favor."

Percy looked out at the ocean, then grinned at Frank and Hazel. "Have you two ever ridden a hippocampus?"

By the time they reached the ship fifteen minutes later, Percy was pretty sure Hazel was in love.

"They're amazing!" she said, stroking the mane of the hippocampus she was riding. The hippocampus turned its head and nuzzled her. Hazel giggled.

Percy grinned. "Yeah, they're pretty awesome."

Frank and Annabeth thanked their hippocampi, then swam to the side of the Argo II, where Leo had thrown down a rope ladder. Percy also slipped into the water, but Hazel seemed reluctant to leave her hippocampus.

"We can go for another ride when we get back to the U.S.," Percy promised. "We can take my brother, Tyson, he loves the 'fish-ponies'. You'll have to meet his favorite, Rainbow."

Hazel smiled. "Sounds like fun." Her hippocampus whickered happily as she gave it a last hug before following Frank and Annabeth to the ladder.

Percy gave his own hippocampus a final pat. "Thanks again, big guy. And, hey, if you could pass on a message to Rainbow for me? Tell him to let Tyson know we're doing okay over here."

The hippocampus neighed agreement, then all four turned and sped off back into the Ionian Sea.

Chapter Text

X. PIPER

They decided to fly part of the way to Santorini, to save time, so Piper took second watch with Jason. After a couple of venti attacks, though, the night got quiet. Piper was standing at the forward rail, leaning against Festus and thinking about what Frank, Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel had told them about their trip to Pylos. She was glad they had dispatched one of the giants, but it sounded like Periclymenus was sending them on a wild goose chase. Piper spun her knife around on the railing. It pointed like a compass toward the southeast, the direction they were headed, but she figured that was just a coincidence. The horizon ahead of them was turning pale with the first hint of sunrise. In the distance, Piper could see the twinkling, faraway lights of Greek islands and the occasional light from a fishing boat. But mostly, there was only the dark ocean below and the star-sprinkled sky above.

"Pretty peaceful out here," Jason said, joining her at the railing.

"Mmhm." Piper patted Festus's neck, then shifted so that she could lean against Jason instead of the dragon. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Are you okay with this 'girls only' quest today?" he asked.

"I guess so. Why, don't you think we can handle it?" she asked him, teasing.

"Oh, I know you can handle it. I've seen the three of you in battle," Jason said. "I just think it's weird, for Periclymenus to suggest that."

Piper was quiet for a moment. "You think it's a trap."

"Maybe," Jason said. "Just be careful, Pipes. Keep your eyes open."

Piper looked up at him. The wind was ruffling his blonde hair. In the faint moonlight, she could just make out his bright blue eyes and the little scar over his upper lip, her favorite feature. She kissed him. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right," he said. They were quiet for a few minutes. Piper was simply enjoying the peaceful moment and the warmth of Jason's arm around her. Then, Jason said, "By the way, I've been thinking about after the war and about, you know, us."

"Oh yeah?" Piper said, her heart suddenly racing.

"Well, I've been thinking that maybe, I might not go back to Camp Jupiter." Jason suddenly looked bashful. "I really like Camp Half-Blood. I was hoping that, after the war, maybe I could just stay there. With, um, you. And Leo and everyone else," he added hastily. "Does—does that sound like something you might want?"

Piper's heart leapt. Her secret fear had been that Jason would go back to Camp Jupiter, leaving her on Long Island. To hear him say that he wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood—impulsively, Piper flung her arms around Jason's neck and kissed him, hard.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jason said when she pulled away.

Piper laughed. "Yes. You sticking around at Camp Half-Blood is definitely something that I want."

Jason grinned, which Piper thought he needed to do more often; his whole face lit up when he smiled. "Awesome."

He bent down to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by Festus, who suddenly began creaking in alarm.

"More venti?" Jason asked the dragon, scanning the sky.

But Piper looked straight ahead and her stomach did a slow roll. Rising from the island in front of them was a pure black funnel cloud, its silhouette sharp against the sunrise. If she didn't know better, Piper would have thought the ancient volcano was erupting. But they were close enough to the island now to see mortals in the town were going about their business looking calm and happy. Clearly, the funnel cloud was a magical disturbance. Which didn't make Piper feel any better. She didn't want to go anywhere near that thing, which led her to believe it was exactly where they needed to go.

"We need to wake up the others," she told Jason. "

"It looks like the Mist on that hilltop where I met Hecate," Hazel said.

She, Annabeth, and Piper were standing at the edge of the funnel cloud, craning their necks to look up to where the top of the cloud disappeared into the clear blue sky. It had been a short hike from where the ship was floating beside a pier. All four boys had seemed reluctant to let them go.

"If you're not back by midafternoon, we're coming after you. I don't care what Periclymenus said," Percy told Annabeth.

She kissed him. "Relax, Seaweed Brain. We'll come back. Promise."

Jason kissed Piper's cheek. "Keep your eyes open. It could be a trap."

"Will do," she replied.

"Just be careful," Frank said as he hugged Hazel.

"And if you stop for souvenirs, I want a t-shirt," Leo had added, which at least made everyone smile or roll their eyes as the girls climbed down the rope ladder to the pier and set off.

Now, standing at the edge of the darkness, Piper had to wonder if Jason had a point about a trap. "So you're saying we should just walk straight into this thing?" Piper asked.

Hazel shrugged. "That's what I did when I met Hecate. It was calm at the eye of the storm. Maybe this is the same way."

Annabeth was studying the storm. She looked a little pale, but determined. "We need the key," she said simply. "If this is the way we need to go, we'll just have to figure it out."

Piper nodded. "Let's do this."

Piper expected to be hit by winds as she, Hazel, and Annabeth walked into the funnel cloud, but instead it felt like walking through cool mist.

Or the Mist, Piper thought.

For a few moments, everything was dark. She could barely make out the shapes of Hazel and Annabeth on either side of her. Then, the darkness thinned, and they stepped out into blazing sunlight.

The three of them were standing on the edge of a clearing. It looked like a forest glade from a Disney movie, like the place Snow White ended up when she met the dwarves. There were fruit trees, wildflowers, birds, rabbits, and deer. A stream ran right through the middle of the clearing, bubbling cheerily as it tumbled over the stones. All that was missing was a cute little cottage.

"What is this place?" Hazel whispered.

Piper and Annabeth both shook their heads. As idyllic as the place seemed, Piper couldn't relax. It seemed too perfect to be real. And as she looked around, taking in the scene, Piper realized they weren't alone.

A woman with long, flowing dark hair knelt beside the stream, trailing her fingers absentmindedly through the water. She was dressed in a simple, white silk dress, with a braided gold belt. The air shimmered with magical intensity and Piper's senses were on high alert. The woman didn't seem to notice them coming into her clearing. Piper exchanged looks with Annabeth and Hazel. The woman didn't seem dangerous, but they all knew that didn't mean anything.

Piper summoned her courage. "Hello?"

The woman looked up at the sound of Piper's voice, but her face was still hidden by her hair. She rose to her feet, her movements elegant and graceful, then turned fully around to face them.

Piper's breath caught in her throat. Beside her, she heard Annabeth and Hazel gasp.

The woman was stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful. Her large, almond-shaped eyes were a color halfway between a warm brown and Hazel's gold, and framed by long, thick lashes. She had high cheekbones, a nose supermodels would have spent millions to achieve, and full, pink lips. Her hair flowed down over her shoulders like a waterfall that spilled almost to her waist. Piper had often been complimented for her beauty, but compared to this woman she was nothing. Even Piper's mom Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, would have to work hard to compete with this woman.

The woman slowly approached them. She held out her hands in a welcoming gesture, but she didn't smile. Her almond-shaped eyes held a deep sadness, as if her heart were breaking.

"Welcome," the woman said. Her voice was melodious, soft and sweet. Her sad eyes fixed on the weapon at Piper's hip. "My name is Helen. And I believe that is my dagger."

Piper instinctively put her hand on the hilt of Katoptris. "Your dagger? Wait, are you—are you the Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Helen gave her a gentle smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I am. Although before that I was Helen of Sparta and I prefer that name. Or just Helen. Troy brought me nothing but misery." A bitter note entered her sweet voice.

Hazel swallowed. "But aren't you—aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Helen took her golden-brown eyes off Katoptris to look at Hazel. "I could say the same about you, my dear."

Hazel looked taken aback, but Annabeth jumped in. "What are you doing here?" she asked Helen. "Who brought you back?"

"Gaea, of course." Helen sighed, a tiny, heartbreaking sound, but Piper kept her hand clenched around Katoptris. "But she didn't want me. She only wanted him." She spat the final word like a curse.

"Him who?" Piper asked, though she had a guess. Helen, after all, was only half of the most famous couple in history.

Helen's eyes were mournful as they met Piper's. "You know his name. He is the doom of Troy, the slayer of Achilles, the mortal chosen to judge the beauty of goddesses. I was the prize your mother offered him. And I have been cursed to spend eternity bound to him, the blood of thousands of Greek soldiers and Trojan citizens on our hands."

Helen held up her hands and Piper almost threw up. Her hands were covered in fresh, bright red blood. Bending down, Helen dipped her hands in the stream. The water turned pink as the blood was washed away. But by the time she stood up, her hands were covered in blood again.

"It never goes away," she said sadly, looking at her palms.

"That's—that's horrible," Annabeth choked.

"'The face that launched a thousand ships.' Isn't that what they say about me?" Helen faced them again. "But do they ever tell how few men sailed those ships home?"

Piper found her voice. "Please," she said, putting just a hint of charmspeak into her words, "we need the key to Demeter's temple in Eleusis. Do you have it?"

"I have half of the key," Helen said, "which I will gladly give up. But it will do you no good. He will never give you the half he holds. This is why Gaea brought us back. To keep you from harnessing the power of the Eleusinian Mysteries."

Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel exchanged looks.

"Demeter was telling the truth," Annabeth whispered. "If Gaea is afraid, it means the weapon must work."

Hazel turned back to Helen. "Please, can you at least take us to him? We have to get the other half of the key."

Helen closed her eyes. Blood from her hands dripped onto the hem of her white dress, but it left no stain. Finally, she opened her eyes. In them, Piper saw an endless well of pain, but also a flicker of defiance. "Very well. I will take you to," she shuddered, "Paris."

Chapter Text

XI. ANNABETH

Of all the old heroes Annabeth had read about, Paris seemed by far the least threatening. But that was before she saw him. She had expected someone young and handsome, but if Paris had been that way once, he certainly wasn't now. The best word Annabeth could think of to describe him was grotesque.

Helen had led the demigods into an adjacent glade where Paris was seated on a leafy throne that reminded Annabeth of the one she had seen Dionysus sit on once at a Council of Cloven Elders meeting. Oddly, the clearing was full of small apple trees interspersed with chocolate fountains. Paris was lounging on his throne, using a paring knife to cut slices from a chocolate-dipped apple, which seemed to Annabeth like a weird combination. Beside the throne was a massive chocolate fountain, at least ten feet tall, and a pile of ripe, red apples. Paris had chocolate smeared across his face and there were chocolate stains down the front of his Greek chiton, which was stretched tight across the massive expanse of his stomach. His entire body was bloated and speckled with chocolate and apple seeds. The sight made Annabeth nauseous. He looked up as they approached him and a hideous, chocolate-stained grin split his face.

"Helen, my love!" he said jovially, opening his arms as if he expected a hug. Helen, however, stopped at the foot of his throne, her beautiful face fixed in an icy expression. Paris either didn't notice or didn't care. He had already turned away from her to look at the three demigods. "And who have you brought to me?"

Annabeth's skin crawled as Paris's eyes raked over her, Piper, and Hazel. His expression was greedy, as if Helen had brought him a tasty snack. "Let me see, daughters of Aphrodite and Athena, I believe," he mused. "I had the pleasure of meeting your mothers, long ago. Zeus himself chose me to decide which goddess was the most beautiful, you know. Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. Whichever I chose received the golden apple. You can see that Gaea has rewarded me with apple trees here, to remind me of my great decision."

Annabeth remembered the story of the Judgment of Paris. Hera had offered to make him ruler over all of Greece and Asia. Athena had offered to make him the wisest man in the world. But Aphrodite had offered him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, to be his bride. Despite the fact that Paris already had a wife, a nymph named Oenone, he chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful, so that he could have Helen.

"Yes," Paris said dreamily. "I chose Aphrodite's gift, my sweet Helen. And so I have the chocolate fountains because chocolate, after all, is the food of love. Isn't that right, child of the Underworld?" He winked at Hazel, who recoiled.

"And you gorge yourself on this food every day," Helen said, still staring straight ahead.

Paris's expression hardened. "I may do as I please, woman. Don't forget that."

"Of course you may," Helen said. Her voice was flat and emotionless. "I apologize, my prince."

Annabeth exchanged looks with Piper and Hazel. None of them wanted to stay in this place any longer than they had to. They needed to get Paris's half of the key and get out.

Piper took a deep breath, then forced a smile. "Perhaps, Prince Paris, you can help me as you once helped my mother." Annabeth could sense the power of charmspeak in Piper's voice. Paris perked up. "My friends and I are looking for a key that will allow us to get into Demeter's temple in Eleusis. We knew you were the best person to ask about it and we would be so grateful if you could help us." Piper's smile was sincere, but Annabeth could see her friend clenching her fists behind her back.

Paris considered them carefully. For a moment, Annabeth thought it might actually be that easy, that he would just hand over whatever the key was. But then, still smiling condescendingly, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot give you that, my darling. You see, the earth mother herself has entrusted me with the task of guarding the chest, just as Zeus once trusted me to judge the beauty of the great goddesses." He pointed over his shoulder at a small golden chest sitting on a shelf behind his throne.

"I am not your darling," Piper said. "So you're just going to sit back and let Gaea destroy the world, the same way you allowed Troy to be destroyed so you could have what you wanted?"

The smile slid off of Paris's face like melting chocolate. "Helen was given to me by your mother. If anything, Aphrodite started the Trojan War. The fault is not mine."

"What about when you challenged Menelaus to single combat, then ran away when it looked like you would lose?" Annabeth said. "You let Hector, your brother, die in your place."

Paris's face had a very ugly expression. He was still clutching the paring knife in one hand, the chocolate-covered apple in the other. "Hector volunteered to fight for me. His death is not on my hands."

"What about Achilles?" Hazel asked. "You took advantage of his weak spot and shot him from a distance, like a coward, rather than face him. Is his blood on your hands?"

Paris looked at Helen, standing as still as a statue beside Piper. "I don't know, my dear," he said in a low voice. "On whose hands is the blood of these heroes?"

Helen's hands, held loosely at her sides, were still dripping blood on her dress, though the drops left no stain. Paris held up his own hands, which were streaked with chocolate and juice from the apple he was holding, but there was no blood.

"Am I any worse than those so-called heroes you three claim to love?" Paris asked as he sliced another chunk of apple off and popped it in his mouth. He pointed his knife at Annabeth. "You claim to hate me because I left my brother to die in my place, but Perseus Jackson did the same thing. He left Charles Beckendorf to die while he fled to safety in the sea."

Annabeth felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "Percy didn't want to leave him," she said, hating how weak her voice sounded. "Beckendorf made his own choice. He died a hero."

"As did my brother Hector," Paris said with a revolting smile. He turned to Piper. "And you dare to say that I selfishly abandoned my home, while Jason Grace plans to do the same thing. He told you, didn't he, that he will leave Camp Jupiter, his home of fourteen years, to stay with you at Camp Half-Blood?"

All the blood drained out of Piper's face. "How—how can you know that?"

Paris's smile widened. "The earth mother has many eyes and ears." He looked at Hazel, who gritted her teeth. "Frank Zhang has a weakness, just as Achilles did. You have to know that it is only a matter of time until someone takes advantage of that weakness, as I did to Achilles, the supposed greatest warrior in history." Paris made a disgusted face. "Leo Valdez is very good with fire, isn't he? How can you be sure you can trust him? He's keeping secrets even now. I mean, he hasn't told you where he went for that week he was gone, has he? For that matter, how can you trust the two who came back from Tartarus?" Paris gestured towards Annabeth, whose stomach clenched. "How do you know that place didn't change them?"

"Stop it!" Hazel snapped. A tremor rippled through the clearing like a tiny earthquake, shaking the fountains so that chocolate splashed over the sides. "You're not turning us against our friends."

"You're as bad as Hercules," Piper spat. "You blame everyone else for your problems and try to make other people as miserable as you are. But you're wrong. Jason, Leo, Frank, and Percy are way better heroes than you ever were. All you are is a disgusting, selfish pig."

Paris's face froze. Annabeth clenched her fist around the handle of her sword. When Paris spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. "I was chosen. I alone of mortals was deemed fit to judge the beauty of goddesses. I was given the gift of the most beautiful woman in the world. That is my legacy. I will not be slandered by some worthless female demigods."

Annabeth suddenly understood why Periclymenus had suggested that the boys stay on the ship. It wasn't just to gain Helen's trust. It was because Periclymenus wanted to humiliate Paris and he knew that having the Trojan prince be brought down by a female demigod would be a crushing blow to Paris's pride. Annabeth was happy to indulge the old Argonaut on this one.

She drew her drakon bone sword and glanced at Piper and Hazel. "We need to get that chest."

Hazel drew her spatha. "Only one way to do that."

Piper drew Katoptris, leaving her Boread sword in its sheath. Annabeth guessed the gesture was symbolic, since that had been Helen's knife. "Let's go."

The three of them charged at Paris. Annabeth knew it wasn't a fair fight, but she didn't care. They had to get the chest and Paris seriously needed to go back to the Underworld.

However, Paris moved unimaginably fast. Annabeth dove to the side as he threw his paring knife at her. Hazel dodged as he flung the chocolate-covered apple at her. Piper jabbed her knife at him, but Paris spun out of the way, surprisingly light on his feet for someone so large. He grabbed an armful of apples off the pile by his throne and began flinging them at the demigods. The apples were so ripe that they burst on contact. Annabeth figured she was going to have bruises from where the fruit hit her, but she could deal with that later. Helen was still standing stock-still near the throne, neither helping nor hindering.

Paris ran out of apples and took off running out of the garden, dodging around chocolate fountains and apple trees. Hazel screamed and another tremor shook the ground, this one much harder. Chocolate fountains tumbled, splashing chocolate everywhere, apples thudded to the ground, and Paris was knocked off his feet. Annabeth lost her balance and fell to her knees. Piper charged at Paris again, but he was ready for her. He caught her wrist as she brought Katoptris down and twisted. Piper cried out in pain and dropped the knife. The next instant, Paris was on his feet, holding Katoptris against Piper's throat.

"Enough of this," he growled. He limped back to his throne, one arm locked around Piper's shoulders, the other hand keeping the blade of the knife against her throat.

Annabeth's heart was pounding as she got back to her feet. Usually this was the point where she would start trying to talk her way out of the situation. But Paris was insane. Annabeth was afraid that if she said the wrong thing, he would kill Piper.

"Now," Paris said as he stood in front of his throne, "Gaea demands one of you for her sacrifice in Athens. I don't care which one she takes. The other two will stay here with me. You will serve me, as Helen does, because I am—"

"—a world-class jerk," Piper finished. She head-butted Paris in the mouth. He roared in pain and flung her away from him, clutching his face.

Piper slammed against the ground. Katoptris flew out of Paris's hand and landed at Helen's feet. Slowly, Helen bent down and picked up the knife.

"Help me, woman!" Paris said through his busted lip. Blood was running down his chin, mixing grotesquely with the chocolate on his face.

Helen looked at him for a long moment. If Helen decided to attack Piper, Annabeth and Hazel were too far away to help. Hazel began to move, cautiously, towards the throne. Annabeth held her breath. All of Paris's attention was focused on Helen and Piper in front of him. Then Helen said, softly, "No."

"Excuse me?" Paris demanded.

"No," Helen said simply, louder this time. She pulled Piper to her feet and handed her back Katoptris. "I am done helping you."

Paris hissed. "You were my prize, woman. Without me, you are nothing!"

Helen shook her head. "Wrong. It is you who are nothing."

Paris opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance. He had been so focused on Helen, he hadn't noticed Hazel, who snuck around behind his throne and drove her sword through his chest.

Paris let out a hideous wail. His form shivered, smoking where the Imperial gold blade touched him, and then his body burst like the fountains, spraying chocolate everywhere. Hazel, Piper, Annabeth, and Helen were doused in the goop.

"Gross!" Hazel shrieked, backing away from the throne.

Annabeth gagged. She swiped at her arms, trying to get as much of the Paris-chocolate off of her as possible.

Piper actually threw up. Her face was pale under the chocolate as she stood back up and said shakily, "That was the single most disgusting thing I have ever seen."

"Yes," Helen said. She looked strangely unperturbed by the chocolate staining her clothes and skin. "But he's gone now." She turned to Annabeth. "You can take the chest."

Annabeth had absolutely no desire to get closer to the spot where Paris had been, but she forced herself to walk forward and collect the small golden chest off of the shelf behind his throne. It was warm to the touch, like it had been sitting out in a field on a summer day. The chest was carved with agriculture-related scenes outlined with stalks of various grains—barley, oats, wheat.

"I must thank you girls," Helen said. "You have brought me a brief respite from my curse and I am grateful. This belongs to you." She handed Piper a wicker basket with a lid, the size of a small picnic basket. "This kalathos, along with the kiste chest, will get you into Demeter's sacred place in Eleusis. But take care not to open either of these until you are in front of her altar. I doubt the goddess would appreciate that."

"Thank you," Piper said as she took the basket.

"You're welcome," Helen replied. Her eyes were mournful again. "I am sorry for Paris's behavior, but there is truth in the things he told you. You can't trust heroes. They will always let you down."

Annabeth's hands tightened on the chest she was holding. "You're wrong. Percy has never let me down. And Piper's right, these guys are different than the old heroes. They're better people."

Helen just looked at her, as if foreseeing heartbreak. "For your own sakes, my dears, I hope you're right. Now, farewell. And good luck with your quest." With that, she raised her hand in a final wave as she and the clearing evaporated like mist.

The pitch-black funnel cloud also slowly dissolved, leaving the three girls standing on a sunny, wind-swept hillside that looked completely normal.

Hazel exhaled. "Well, that was less than fun."

"Yep," Piper agreed. She studied the basket in her hands. "This is the weirdest looking key I've ever seen."

"Yeah, it is," Annabeth said. "Hopefully it makes sense once we get to Eleusis."

"Here's hoping," Piper said.

Hazel made a face as she pulled an apple peel off her shirt. "Come on, let's get back to the ship. We can tell the guys what we learned."

"And get cleaned up," Annabeth added.

"Yeah," Piper said as they started to walk back. "I don't know about you two, but I don't think I'm going to eat chocolate or apples again for a long time."

***Just a last, quick note: I know the story of Paris and Helen is often considered really romantic (epic love and all that), but in several versions of the story, Paris really was a jerk. He had a wife and a son whom he abandoned to chase after Helen and he did run away from the fight with Menelaus, Helen's actual husband, which led to Hector being killed by Achilles. That's where the idea for this chapter came from: I wanted to play around with the idea of Paris being a selfish jerk who Helen doesn't actually want to be with. Hope you enjoyed reading!***

Chapter Text

XII. HAZEL

It wasn't a pleasant walk back to the ship. True, it was another beautiful summer day, but Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth were covered in chocolate and smashed apples; Hazel's shoes squished as she walked. More disturbing, though, were the things Paris and Helen had said. In the distance, Hazel could see the Argo II, floating like a giant bronze balloon about ten feet above the surface of the water. She thought she could see tiny figures moving around the hull; the guys must have been making some more repairs or upgrades to the ship. Finally, Hazel got up the courage to ask, "Do you think Paris and Helen were right?"

"No," Annabeth and Piper said together, immediately.

Hazel bit her lip. "But some of the things they said were true, about Frank's weakness and Leo not telling us where he went. Not that I think he's hiding anything bad," she added hastily, "but was what they said about Percy and Jason true, too?"

Piper blushed and Annabeth looked uncomfortable. "They were right that Percy left Beckendorf," Annabeth said. "But he didn't want to. They went on a mission to blow up Kronos's demon cruise ship and they got caught. The detonator they were using didn't have a time delay, so when Beckendorf pressed it—," Annabeth took a shaky breath. "He knew what he was doing and he died a hero. Percy only survived because he could use the ocean currents to get away from the worst of the explosion. But believe me, he felt horrible about what happened. I know he beat himself up over it, wishing there was something else he could have done."

Hazel nodded. That sounded like Percy as she'd come to know him. "And Jason?"

Even through the chocolate, Hazel could see that Piper's cheeks were red. "Yes, he said he wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood after the war. But he gave up his role as praetor to Frank," she added defensively. "And Frank will be an awesome praetor; you should have seen him lead the ghost army in the House of Hades. So Jason should be free to go where he wants to now. He's not abandoning Camp Jupiter. He's left it in really good hands."

Hazel smiled. "Thanks, Piper."

"Helen had a point, though," Annabeth said. "A lot of times the heroes in the old stories turned out to be jerks. But it doesn't have to be that way."

"Paris just wanted to cause trouble," Piper said. "And Helen has been let down too many times. She's bitter. I don't think she even wants to believe that there's such a thing as good heroes."

"But she's wrong," Hazel said. "I have to believe that those guys," she pointed at the Argo II, "are good heroes."

"They are," Annabeth said. "And they have us to keep them that way."

Hazel and Piper laughed. "Exactly," Piper said.

"So, on the negative side of the trip, we got bad dating advice," Hazel said. "But on the plus side, we got the key to Demeter's temple. How do you think it works?"

Piper shifted the wicker basket in her hands, turning it to look at all the sides. "Helen said not to open either one until we get to Demeter's altar. So maybe we have to set them somewhere specific? I honestly have no idea."

"I wonder how long it'll take us to get to Eleusis," Annabeth said.

"As soon as we get back to the ship we can ask Admiral Valdez," Piper said as the three of them started down the final slope toward the pier where the Argo II was floating.

"Holy Hephaestus, what happened to you three?" Leo asked as Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth climbed back aboard the ship. All four boys were gaping at them, which led Hazel to believe that they must have looked pretty bad.

"Paris," Hazel said, picking chunks of apple out of her hair, which was sticky with chocolate.

Frank's brow furrowed. "Um, isn't that in France?"

"Not the city, the Trojan," Annabeth said, wiping a trickle of chocolate out of her eye. When the boys continued to look blank, she added, "As in Helen and Paris, who effectively started the Trojan War."

The three of them explained what had happened on the island and showed the boys the kiste chest and kalathos basket.

"So these are supposed to get us into Demeter's sacred temple?" Leo said, tilting the chest up as if checking for mechanisms.

"Apparently," Piper said. "And this weapon better be worth it, because getting that key was repulsive."

"I don't know," Percy said, grinning. "The covered in chocolate part isn't terrible."

Annabeth threw an apple peel at him. "If it were just chocolate it'd be okay, but it's Paris-chocolate, which is disgusting."

"Um, what?" Percy asked.

"When I stabbed him, Paris exploded," Hazel said matter-of-factly, "into a giant, chocolatey mess."

All four boys suddenly looked nauseated.

"So that's Paris all over you?" Leo asked.

"Well, some of it's from the chocolate fountains," Piper said, "but yeah, it's mostly Paris leftovers."

"That's sick," Jason said.

"Yes, it is, which is why I just want to get cleaned up and get this gunk off," Piper said. She plucked an apple core off of her shorts.

"Same here. And," Annabeth glanced over the side of the ship, as if measuring the distance to the water, then looked back at the others with a mischievous grin, "it's a great day for a swim." And she jumped over the side of the ship.

The rest of the crew stood stock still for a minute, staring at the spot where she'd disappeared. Then, Percy grinned.

"I freaking love her," he said as he, too, jumped over the side.

Piper shrieked as Jason scooped her up. "Can't let them have all the fun," he said. He summoned a gust of wind to carry them over the side and drop them gently in the water.

"Yeah, so, that looks like fun and all, but I think I'll hang out up here, maybe work on the Archimedes sphere," Leo said, backing away from the railing with his hands up. "Fire and water don't really go together."

Hazel glanced at Frank and saw an evil grin on his face that matched her own. "No way, buddy," she said to Leo. "You're going in."

Hazel and Frank lunged and caught Leo by the arms before he could get away, then tossed him, cursing and flailing, over the side and into the water. He came up spluttering. "I know where you sleep!" he yelled.

"We're so going to pay for that," Hazel said.

"Probably," Frank replied. He held out his hand. "But first, want to join me for a swim?"

Hazel smiled and took his hand. "I'd love to."

Together, they jumped over the side to join their friends.

The crew spent most of the afternoon in the water and at the nearby beach, where Piper used the cornucopia to produce a picnic lunch. It was nice to forget about the war, just for a little while, and hang out like normal teenagers. Hazel felt somewhat guilty about wasting the afternoon, but they couldn't make it to Eleusis until the next morning anyway, and she thought they could all use the break. They'd been under a lot of stress the last few weeks.

Back on board the ship, after everyone had changed into dry clothes, the seven of them gathered around the helm to plan their next move.

"Looks like we'll be arriving in Eleusis at 0700 hours," Leo announced after typing the coordinates into the ship's computer.

"Since when do we use military time?" Frank asked.

"Since now," Leo replied with a grin.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "The point is, we're going to get there tomorrow morning. We need to decide who's going into the temple."

"I think it should be all of us," Annabeth said.

There was silence as everyone turned to look at her.

"We'll attract every monster in a hundred-mile radius," Jason said.

Annabeth shrugged. "There's a bounty on our heads. We're already attracting every monster in the vicinity."

"Yeah, but we don't need to make it easier for them," Percy muttered.

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend, clearly hurt that he wasn't automatically taking her side. "Look, I know it's been said before, but Hera made us a team of seven for a reason. Think about Rome, or the House of Hades, or even Charleston. We work best when we work together. All together."

There was silence again, then Frank nodded. "I agree. Like you said, look at the House of Hades. It took all of us to get through that place and close the Doors of Death. And we don't know what we'll encounter at Eleusis. It only makes sense to have all our resources available."

"Paris did say that Gaea wants to keep us from getting this weapon," Hazel added. "So there's a good chance she's going to put up a fight to stop us from getting through the temple. We'll probably have a better chance if everyone goes."

Annabeth gave them both a grateful smile, but Piper, Leo, Jason, and Percy were all still frowning at the floor.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked.

Percy raised his head. He looked at Frank, then Hazel. When their eyes met, Hazel saw something unexpected. He's afraid, she thought, stunned. Percy looked away. He took Annabeth's hand. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said. "I—I can't explain. But I think you're right. We all need to go."

Piper glanced uneasily from Percy to Jason to Leo. "What about the ship?"

"Festus can keep an eye on things," Leo said. "And I've added some extra cloaking features. To mortals and immortals, when we're not on board, it's just going to look like some old rowboat sitting in the harbor."

"How come you can't do that when we're on here?" Frank asked. "Wouldn't that help cut down on attacks?"

"Demigod blood, my friend," Leo said. "Kills the illusion."

"Lame," Frank muttered.

"Anyway," Annabeth said. Her eyes were narrowed, looking at the last hold-out. "Jason?"

Jason was quiet for a minute, still studying the floorboards. Then he looked up. His eyes flickered around the group and Hazel saw the same flash of fear she'd seen in Percy's. "I have the same feeling as Jackson," he admitted. "I don't know why. I haven't—haven't had a dream or anything like that, but I have a bad feeling about Eleusis. I didn't really pay attention to it before today, but I think it's been in the back of my mind for a while."

"Same here," Percy said. "Nobody else is getting this?"

The rest of them shook their heads. True, Hazel was dreading another mysterious encounter with some god's cult, but she didn't have any specific bad feelings about Eleusis.

"Then I think that's all the more reason everyone should go," Jason said. "Like Frank said, since we don't know what we'll encounter, it's best if we have all our resources available."

Piper took Jason's hand. "Do you think it's a trap or something?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel like something's going to go wrong."

"Dang, I was hoping I was imagining things," Percy said. "But if you're feeling the same way, man, that's not a good sign."

"We'll just have to be on our guard," Annabeth said.

"Everything will be fine," Piper said. Hazel suspected there was a hint of charmspeak in her voice as she said, "We're going to go to the temple, use the key, and get the weapon. Then we'll use it to blast Gaea and the giants to smithereens. And then we can go home and stop the camps from annihilating each other."

"I like it," Leo said. "A nice, straightforward plan."

The tension broke as there were some small laughs.

"Piper's right," Hazel said. "We'll be fine."

Festus blew fire. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our signal to lift off," Leo said. "As I said before, we'll be in Eleusis at 0700. So anyone who's not on first watch, go get some sleep."

Frank was taking first watch with Leo, but Hazel pulled him aside as the others headed downstairs to their cabins. She kissed him. "Thanks for being one of the good heroes."

"Uh, you're welcome?" Frank seemed reluctant to let go of Hazel's hand. "I hope everything goes okay tomorrow. I mean, if something has Percy and Jason that freaked out…"

"I know." Hazel squeezed his hand. "But like Annabeth said, Hera made us a team for a reason. Between the seven of us, we should be able to figure out whatever it is."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Frank kissed her again. "You'd better get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

Chapter Text

XIII. JASON

Jason had hoped to get a good night's sleep, but his dreams were less than restful. He saw Reyna, looking fierce and a little battered, striking down gryphons in what might have been London; there was a giant Ferris wheel in the distance and a clock tower that looked like Big Ben. Behind her, Nico was slumped against the Athena Parthenos. Jason couldn't tell whether the son of Hades had passed out or was just sleeping. He heard a familiar war-cry and turned in time to see Coach Hedge whack one gryphon over the head with his baseball bat, then roundhouse kick another. Both monsters exploded into dust and the dream changed.

He saw his sister, Thalia, leading a group of Hunters through a forest in what looked like Colorado; above the treetops, Jason could make out the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. With the Hunters were a group of satyrs, including Percy's friend Grover Underwood.

"You're sure they were around here, Grover?" Thalia whispered. Her bow was in her hands, two arrows already on the string, ready to fire.

"Positive," Grover replied. He was clutching his wooden pipes tightly. "Gaea released two dozen Earthborn somewhere really near to—"

Grover was cut off as a roar went up and at least twenty six-armed Earthborn stormed through the trees.

Before Jason could see what happened, his dream changed again. He was standing on a cliff, overlooking a city. Wind pulled on his hair and clothes. Behind him, he heard a low chuckle. He turned to see the Parthenon rising against the star-strewn sky. A chill swept over him.

The ground in front of the ancient temple swirled until it formed the face of a sleeping woman. Gaea chuckled again. "A cage awaits you, son of Jupiter."

Jason opened his mouth to say "No, thanks," but a gust of wind blasted him in the chest and flung him over the side of the cliff. He tried to control the winds, to stop his fall, but the wind wouldn't obey. Just before he hit the ground, he woke up, sitting straight up in bed, drenched in sweat. It took a minute for his heart to stop racing. Jason was grateful Leo had thought to add rubber flooring and insulated walls to his room because judging by the scorch marks, he had thrown off some pretty good bolts. It happened sometimes during his more disturbing dreams. And tonight's dreams had been especially disturbing.

He glanced at his alarm clock, which said 5:30. An hour and a half until they were scheduled to arrive in Eleusis. Jason wished he knew why he had this sinking feeling in his stomach every time he thought of the place. There was no specific reason he should feel this nervous. But it was as if, on a gut level, he knew that something was going to go horribly wrong. And apparently Percy felt the same way. What bothered Jason was that none of the others had the same apprehension.

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

Everyone agreed that "storm" probably referred to either Jason or Percy. Jason wondered if that was why they were the only ones with the bad feeling about Eleusis; maybe Gaea had a plan to eliminate the "storm" part of the prophecy there. Jason remembered his dream of the Earth Mother saying, "A cage awaits you, son of Jupiter," and he shuddered.

Sleep was obviously out of the question. Jason threw back the covers and decided that, since he was already awake, he might as well get dressed and grab breakfast. But waking up at 5:30 in the morning didn't feel like a promising start to the day.

Things didn't get any more promising when the seven of them reached the ruins in Eleusis. The ruins were set on top of a hill, looking out over the bay. The view of the bay, the town, and the rolling hills was great, but Jason had seen a lot of great views. His uneasiness was growing; all he wanted was for them to find this weapon and get back to the ship as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there were no obvious signs saying, "Demigods this way," which would have been helpful.

"Seriously, would it be so hard to get a deity-drawn map or something?" Leo complained.

"It's like Pylos all over again," Frank muttered.

"Except no Hermes this time," Percy said, looking around.

"Let's just start with the obvious," Piper said. She had the kalathos basket tucked safely in her backpack, while Annabeth had the kiste chest in hers. At least the key objects were portable, Jason thought. The wind was whipping Piper's hair across her face and she impatiently brushed it away. "Where was Demeter's temple?"

"Over this way." Annabeth led the way toward some ruins set at the mouth of a shallow cave in the hillside. "I looked up some information on Eleusis last night. There were a few things about the ruins, but unfortunately the ceremony itself was pretty accurately called the Eleusinian Mysteries. There was barely any information on them."

The ruined temple didn't look like anything special, just six stone steps leading up to a marble slab covered with broken off pillars. Jason supposed it must once have been impressive, but now it just looked like someone's patio after a bad storm had gone through, with loose stones and rubble scattered around.

"Getting anything from those sacred objects?" Leo asked. "Maybe they'll heat up when they get close to the altar or something."

Annabeth and Piper both shook their heads. "Nothing," Piper said.

Hazel turned in a slow circle, taking in the ruins. She studied the cave. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Percy asked.

Hazel didn't answer. She walked into the cave, staring at the back wall. Jason couldn't see anything there.

"Hazel?" Frank asked.

The others followed Hazel into the cave. It was still early enough that it was chilly in the shade. Jason felt a shiver pass down his spine as he crossed into the shade, but he wasn't sure if it was from the change in temperature or something else.

Hazel was examining the back wall of the cave. She reached up to brush some loose dirt off and suddenly Jason saw what Hazel had already noticed. Carved into the rock was a symbol that looked like a lot of curved sticks clustered together. "What is that supposed to be?" Jason asked.

"I think it's supposed to be a sheaf of wheat," Hazel said. "When grains are harvested, they're set up like this, to keep them off the ground. The sheaf of wheat is one of the symbols of Demeter."

"So this must be the entrance," Percy said.

Hazel bit her lip. "There should be a door here, but I can't figure out how to open it. It's like it's locked or something."

"Maybe we need the chest and the basket?" Annabeth suggested.

"No," Jason said. Even in his own ears, his voice sounded odd. But he had just noticed an indentation in the rock above the sheaf, a hollow that curved in a familiar shape. "Piper, we need the cornucopia."

"The cornucopia?" Piper looked confused until she saw where Jason was looking and her eyes widened. Quickly, she unslung the horn and pressed it into the indentation. It fit perfectly. Blue light poured from the horn, lighting up the stalks of wheat, and forming the outline of a door. The stone melted away, revealing an archway that led into a tunnel. The blue light died and the cornucopia fell back into Piper's hands. Everyone stood still, stunned. "If Hercules hadn't assigned us that task," Piper whispered, "if I hadn't gotten the horn from Achelous—"

Jason nodded grimly. "Someone set us up."

"Hera?" Leo wondered.

Jason shrugged. "Maybe. Or—or someone else." He meant Gaea, but he didn't want to say the earth goddess's name when they were about to go underground. From his friends' faces, though, he guessed they understood what he meant.

"It doesn't matter," Annabeth said. "We have to keep going."

Hazel nodded. "We need to get the weapon. Just keep your eyes open, in case it's a trap." And she led the way into the dark tunnel.

The tunnel twisted and turned, seeming to go on forever. The door had disappeared behind them a long time ago; now, the only light came from Hazel, Jason, and Percy's swords, plus the ball of fire Leo had summoned in his hand. They were trusting mostly in Hazel's underground senses, but she led them confidently, not missing a turn. Finally, up ahead, there was a glimmer of light. They came around a final bend in the path and saw a massive archway, at least twenty feet tall, up ahead. Outside the archway, something was making a strange rumbling noise, followed by a burst of steam that blew across the doorway.

Hazel started forward, but Frank put out an arm to hold her back. "Wait. Let me check it out first." Without waiting for an answer, Frank transformed into a snake. He slithered up the wall of the tunnel and across the ceiling until he could look out. Jason had to admit it was a good idea. Frank the snake was much less noticeable than a full-size demigod. After a moment, Frank slithered back and dropped to the ground. He transformed back into himself, his face pale. "You've got to see this. But stay quiet. We definitely don't want to wake it up."

The seven of them crept forward until they could look out of the archway. What he saw made Jason's heart drop into his shoes.

The tunnel opened into a cavern massive enough to house four football stadiums. Sunlight streamed down through enormous glass panes set into the roof several hundred feet up. The cavern itself was oddly beautiful, peaceful like a cathedral or a library, the type of place where whispering was the only acceptable form of noise. Except here, Jason didn't even think whispering was a good idea. Looking into the cavern, he understood immediately why Frank had said to stay quiet.

Curled against the wall, the length of a football field away from the demigods, was a huge golden bull. Huge, actually, didn't quite fit. Jason searched his vocabulary for the right word. Gargantuan sounded about right. The bull was eighty feet tall lying down. When it stood up, it would probably be a hundred feet tall, easily. Its body was made of solid gold, except for its hooves, which glinted like steel. From its head sprouted two enormous horns, each as long as several subway cars and tapering to deadly points. The bull's eyes were closed and Jason decided he really wanted them to stay that way. The bull snorted, a puff of steam shooting out of its nostrils. It was asleep.

"Holy Hephaestus," Leo breathed. Jason resisted the urge to clamp a hand over his mouth.

"Please tell me we don't have to fight that thing," Percy whispered. The idea of fighting the bull made Jason's knees weak. They wouldn't win. It would squash them like ants.

"I think we just have to get past it," Annabeth said. She pointed to a stone door set into the cavern wall directly across from them. Unfortunately, "directly across from them" was still almost a quarter mile away. "We'll have to move fast."

"Oh, goody," Leo said.

They sheathed their weapons and set off, walking briskly but trying to stay quiet. Everyone's heads kept turning, looking from the bull to the door and back again. Jason's heart was pounding so hard he hoped it didn't wake up the bull.

They were almost halfway across when it happened. Jason didn't know if they hit a trip wire or if the bull had really good hearing or maybe it was just on an automatic timer. It didn't matter. The bull opened its eyes.

For an instant, everything froze. The bull's eyes blazed like Hephaestus's forge. Jason didn't breathe. Please don't notice us, he thought. But they were standing, completely exposed, in the middle of the otherwise empty cavern. The bull snorted again, sending steam spiraling across the floor. Then, with a thunderous clanking noise, it got to its feet.

Frank summed up their strategy in one word. "Run."

There was no debate, no questions about "hey, maybe we should stay and fight this thing." All seven of them simply took off, sprinting for the door as the bull lowered its head and charged.

Jason had never run so fast in his life. The bull roared, its footsteps shaking the cavern floor. Jason made the mistake of glancing back and a thrill of fear shot through him. The bull was less than fifty feet away.

Up ahead, Percy slammed against the door which, thank the gods, opened. Percy disappeared through it, followed by Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel. Jason could feel steam from the bull's nostrils against the back of his neck. He shoved Piper and Leo in front of him, then barreled through the doorway. The door fell into place automatically behind him with a crash, which was good because as soon as he got through the door, Jason smashed into something in front of him. Something sharp hit him in the gut, causing the air to whoosh out of his lungs. Jason had no idea what he'd run into; it was pitch black in this room. He heard an angry roar as the bull apparently rammed its head against the stone wall, causing an earthquake that would have flung Jason off his feet if he hadn't been pinned between the door and whatever was in front of him. When the shaking subsided, he finally realized that the something in front of him was actually Piper and Leo. He was pinned so tightly between his friends and the wall that he could barely move. The sharp thing he had run into was the hilt of Piper's Boread sword. "What in Hades?"

"We're stuck." Annabeth's voice was muffled, like she was pressed against a wall. "The door didn't lead to a tunnel. This is like a broom closet or something."

"Yeah, no offense," Leo said, "but this is a little too cozy."

"We can't go back the way we came," Piper said. The bull roared again and the room shook as the mountain of metal flung itself against the stone.

"There has to be another door," Annabeth insisted. "We'll just have to find a way to distract the bull or—"

"There's a door here," Percy said. There was a thumping sound, like a fist hitting wood. "But I can't get it open. There's no handle. The wood feels pretty old though."

"Maybe we can break it down," Hazel suggested.

"Maybe," Percy said. "Frank, where you at, big guy?"

"Here," Frank said.

"Not that helpful in the dark, man."

There were some scuffling noises, then Frank said, "Ow! That was my eye!"

"Oops, sorry," Percy said. "But, Frank, if you move to your right, you should be able to switch places with Annabeth and help me with this door."

More scuffling noises, accompanied by some pretty creative cursing in both Greek and English from Annabeth and Frank.

Hazel gasped. "That was my foot."

"Sorry," Annabeth said.

A thud as someone hit either the door or the wall. Jason noticed that the noises from the bull had disappeared. He hoped that meant it had given up and gone back to sleep.

"I'm at the door," Frank said.

"Great," Percy replied. "On three, hit it as hard as you can. One—two—three!"

There was a crunch as the door gave way and the demigods tumbled out. Jason took another hit to the gut, this time from Leo's elbow. Groaning, he managed to stand up and help Piper to her feet. Around him, the others were getting up. It was a moment before he comprehended the fact that he could see again. "Where's that light coming from?" he asked.

"No idea," Leo answered.

They were in yet another cavern, this one long and low like a subway tunnel, but as wide as an eight-lane highway. The light seemed to be coming from the sandstone walls around them, which gave off a faint glow. Running through the middle of the room was a chasm about thirty feet across. In front of them, in line with the door, was a narrow stone bridge, just wide enough to walk across. There were no railings. On the other side of the chasm, set into the far wall, was a perfectly round hole, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through.

"Well, at least if we fall, you can catch us, right, Superman?" Leo joked.

But Jason shook his head. "I don't think so. There's no wind to control." The cavern was completely still. It was eerie, like the entire room was holding its breath.

Percy glanced into the chasm. "Looks like that drop would take us straight back to Tartarus."

Annabeth shuddered. "Don't even say that."

"How deep is it?" Frank asked Hazel.

She knelt next to the chasm and pressed her hand against the rock. Her eyes narrowed. "I can't tell."

Leo shivered. "Hey, guys, is it just me or is it getting cold in here?"

Piper opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened. She tried to talk again, but nothing happened. Jason's stomach twisted.

"Frank," he said, trying to keep his voice even, "try to change into an animal."

Frank looked at him like he was crazy. "Why?"

"Just try."

Frank concentrated, but nothing happened. His brow furrowed. "Can't do it."

"Seriously," Leo said; his teeth were chattering and his lips were turning blue, "you guys aren't cold?"

"No," Percy replied. "I could seriously use a drink though. I didn't realize I was this thirsty."

"It's the room," Jason said, sure of it now. "It's suppressing our powers."

"Wait, what?" Percy asked.

"It's targeting our specific godly powers," Jason said. "Leo's cold, you're dehydrated, Piper can't speak."

"Frank can't change form and I can't tell how deep this chasm goes," Hazel said, catching on. "We need to get out of here."

"But which way do we go? I mean, how did we get in here?" Annabeth asked, looking around. She put her face in her hands. "I can't think straight. This place is making my head spin."

Percy turned pale. "We need to go." He grabbed Annabeth's hand and led the way across the bridge.

Jason crossed last, behind Piper, who was following Leo. Leo was shivering so badly Jason was terrified he would lose his balance. Luckily, he made it across, but Piper made the mistake of looking down as she stepped off the bridge. Her foot slipped. For a horrible second, Jason thought she was going to fall, but he managed to catch her.

"Careful," he said, as they made it onto the solid ground on the other side. Piper nodded against his chest.

Hazel was kneeling in front of the tunnel.

"Can you sense anything?" Frank asked.

She shook her head. "Still nothing. But it's the only way out."

Hazel led the way into the tunnel. Fortunately, since they had to crawl, this tunnel went straight and at a slight upward angle, but it felt at least as long as the one they had walked down to get to the bull's cavern. Jason was starting to feel really claustrophobic when he noticed light ahead. A few minutes later, he followed his friends back out into the sunlight. As he stood up and stretched, he thought he'd never appreciated the wind in his face more than he did at that moment. It helped to push away the eerie feeling the silent room had given him. He still felt vaguely uneasy about this entire trip to Eleusis, but he pushed the feeling away. Focus on the quest, he reminded himself.

Jason looked up to take in his surroundings and received a jolt. They were standing on top of the hill at Eleusis. Below them were the ruins of Demeter's temple and the overhanging rock that hid the cave entrance they had come through. The others were just noticing where they were, as well.

"We're right back where we started!" Frank said.

"If you're telling me we went through all that when we could have just climbed the stupid hill—," Leo growled. Jason was annoyed, too, but he was relieved to see that his friend was no longer shivering. The effects of the cave seemed to have disappeared as soon as they left the tunnel.

"It wouldn't have worked," Hazel said. "The ruins are a magical place. We had to pass the tests. I'm betting if we'd just climbed the hill, that wouldn't have appeared." She pointed to a river that was cutting across the top of the hill. On the other side of the river was a smaller hill with carved Greek pillars standing on either side of a jagged opening in the rock.

"Fantastic," Piper muttered, "another cave."

Annabeth was still staring back at the tunnel they had climbed through. "We need to go this way," Percy told her gently, gesturing toward the river.

Annabeth glared at him. "I know that now, thanks. Our powers were only suppressed in that one room. I was just thinking," she tucked her hair behind her ear, "those caverns and tunnels and the way that distance obviously didn't matter, it reminded me a lot of the Labyrinth." She looked at Hazel. "Pasiphae told you she was rebuilding it, didn't she?"

"She did," Hazel said. "But if this place is supposed to test whether people are worthy to enter Demeter's shrine, the tunnels might not be related to the Labyrinth."

"I hope so," Annabeth said. She shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter right now. Let's check out the river."

The river looked completely normal. It was only about ten feet wide. The water was clear and seemed pretty shallow. Percy confirmed this by saying, "It's only about three feet deep in the middle."

"So we should be able to walk across, no problem," Piper said.

"But if this is another test, it might not be that easy," Frank pointed out. "We could get out in the middle and a sinkhole could open or, I don't know, a giant crocodile could pop up or something." He noticed the looks the others were giving him and flushed. "It could happen."

"No, you're right," Percy said. "I'll go first."

"You are the water dude," Leo said.

Percy made a face. "Okay, I can almost understand why Mr. D doesn't want to be called the 'wine dude.'"

Percy waded out into the river. The water was about a foot deep when he gasped and fell to his knees.

"Percy!" Annabeth said. She took a step forward, but Percy held up a hand, signaling that he was okay. His eyes were closed and he was gritting his teeth like he was in pain. After a minute, he opened his eyes. He was breathing hard, like he'd just run up a hill, as he got shakily to his feet.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Percy swallowed. "You see them. Every monster or—or demigod you've killed. You see them all." He looked at his hands. "And the water burns like it's—like it's burning them away or something, if that makes any sense."

"It's part of the Eleusinian Mysteries," Annabeth said quietly. "One of the requirements is freedom from 'blood guilt,' which means you can't have committed a murder. The river is supposed to cleanse you. I'm sorry, I didn't even think about this river being related to that." She looked at Percy. "Is it like—?"

Percy nodded, his eyes dark. "Yeah, it's like that."

"Like what?" Piper asked.

Annabeth clenched her fists; possibly, Jason thought, to keep her hands from shaking. "The River Acheron," she said.

"The river of murderers," Hazel murmured. "It flows into Tartarus, doesn't it?"

Annabeth nodded. She didn't elaborate, but judging from her expression, Jason guessed the experience hadn't been pleasant.

As Percy climbed out on the opposite bank, Leo clapped his hands. "So, who's next to take a dip in the river of traumatic memories?"

Annabeth immediately stepped into the water. Like Percy, she fell to her knees about a quarter of the way across. When she stood back up, her face was white. She stumbled to the bank, where Percy caught her. Annabeth said something, but the only word Jason heard was, "Luke."

"Yeah, I know," Percy said.

Hazel took a deep breath and stepped into the stream. The water had barely reached her ankles when she collapsed, shivering, on her hands and knees. Tears were streaming down her face as she stood, but she managed to make it across. "I saw my mother," Hazel whispered.

"That wasn't your fault," Frank said fiercely.

Hazel just shook her head. Annabeth hugged her.

Frank stepped into the stream. He made it almost halfway across before he dropped to one knee. When he stood up, his face was tinged slightly green, but he climbed onto the opposite shore. He wrapped his arms around Hazel, who was still shaking.

"Better get this over with," Piper murmured. She squeezed Jason's hand and stepped into the river. She, too, made it almost halfway across before falling to her hands and knees with a splash. A shiver ran through her, but when she got to her feet, her mouth was set in a firm line.

Jason stepped into the water as Piper climbed onto the opposite bank. The water was almost to his knees when he felt it start to burn, like the river had suddenly become boiling hot. He dropped to his knees as images began to race in front of his eyes. He relived killing the Trojan sea monster, Krios on Mount Othrys, Enceladus last winter in San Francisco, ventus after ventus after ventus, monsters from the army in the House of Hades, and a hundred other different monsters and evil creatures.

He didn't feel especially bad about any of the monsters' deaths (after all, each of them had been trying very hard to murder him at the time), but it was disturbing to watch himself kill again and again and again. The images left a sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. The feeling stayed even as the images faded and he was able to get to his feet and make his way onto the riverbank to join his friends.

Alone on the other side, Leo squared his shoulders and walked in. The water had barely reached his ankles when he, like Hazel, collapsed onto his hands and knees. His eyes were clenched tightly shut and he gave a small, dry sob. When he stood up, his fingers were trembling.

"I'm not feeling particularly cleansed, how about you guys?" Leo muttered as he flopped onto the riverbank. Jason held out a hand to help him up. "Thanks, man," Leo said. He looked at Hazel. "I saw my mom, too. The night she died in the fire that I started. The fire Gaea," he spat the earth goddess's name like a disgusting swear word, "tricked me into starting."

Hazel gave Leo a hug. "We're going to make her pay," she promised.

"Yeah, we are," Percy said, his jaw clenched tight. "Let's go get that weapon."

Hazel led the way to the cave entrance. Whereas the other entrances had looked like doors or been perfectly round, the entrance to this cave was a jagged slash, like the rock had been struck by something and cracked. The marble pillars on either side, though, looked pristine, as if they'd been newly constructed. Everything about this doorway set off alarms in Jason's head, but he had no idea why. Then, when Hazel tried to walk into the cave, she bounced back with enough force that Frank stumbled when he caught her.

"I can't get through," Hazel said as Frank set her back on her feet. She pressed her hands against the air. Jason followed her example. It was like pushing against a wall, only there was nothing there, at least not that he could see.

"There's a barrier here," he said.

"Let the master take a look," Leo said. But when he went to push against the barrier, he stumbled forward, passing through it with no problem. "What the heck?"

"How'd you get through?" Piper asked.

"No clue," Leo said, looking baffled.

"Well, at least we know it's possible," Jason said.

"Yeah, except, um," Leo pounded his fist against the empty air like it was a wall, "I can't get back out."

Chapter Text

XIV. LEO

Once again, Leo made the mistake of being simply too good. He should have learned his lesson in Rome when he'd discovered the lock and tunnel in the Pantheon. Now, he was stuck behind an invisible barrier, completely cut off from his friends. And, not to sound like a wimp, but he really didn't want to go down the creepy new tunnel of doom by himself.

As it turned out, he didn't have to. Piper and Annabeth both passed through the barrier as if it wasn't there. Unfortunately, like Leo, neither of them could get out again.

"Is this another test?" Leo asked, pushing with all his weight against the barrier, which did nothing. "Because if so, I think we're failing."

"Of course!" Annabeth said suddenly. "It is a test. This was another part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Only Greeks can go into the temple."

"But I'm Greek," Percy protested. "Why can't I get through the barrier?"

"It's the tattoo," Annabeth said. "The barrier won't let someone pass with a Roman tattoo."

"Oh." Percy looked like he'd been smacked between the eyes. "Okay. I—I guess that makes sense."

"Good thing you two have the chest and the basket," Frank said to Piper and Annabeth.

"Yeah, that's lucky," Leo said. He caught Jason's eye and knew they were thinking the same thing—that maybe it wasn't luck, maybe, like with the cornucopia, someone was pulling the strings. But whether it was Hera or Gaea, Leo decided he didn't like being manipulated.

"We'll wait for you guys here," Jason said.

"Thanks for worrying about me, bro," Leo said, grinning. Jason rolled his eyes.

"There's no point in all of you staying, though," Piper said. "We could be gone a while. Someone should check on the ship."

Hazel glanced over her shoulder toward the bay where the Argo II was anchored. "Why don't Frank and I go check on the ship? We can make sure it's ready to go in case we need to make a quick getaway. Then Percy and Jason can stay here and wait for you guys to come back."

"That works," Percy said. Frank nodded in agreement.

"Alright, fire guy," Piper said to Leo. "Lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am." Leo summoned a handful of fire for light, then ducked through the jagged entrance and into the tunnel.

Leo's fire could only do so much. It was bright enough to see, but not bright enough to see very far, and without Hazel's flawless underground senses, Leo kept running into the walls every time the tunnel twisted and turned. Which it did every few feet.

"Can we just get to the end already?" he muttered.

As if the tunnel were saying, "Well, you asked for it, buddy," when Leo came around the next curve, he saw a rectangular doorway straight ahead. He extinguished the fire in his hand as they crept closer to the door. There was a low rasp as Piper and Annabeth drew their swords. Leo patted his toolbelt, which was still securely fastened at his waist, then moved cautiously into the doorway until he could look out and see—nothing.

The tunnel opened into a small, rounded room, almost like a grotto. In the center of the room was a stone altar with two torches in heavy-looking candle holders on either side. That was it.

"Huh," Leo said. "That's anti-climactic."

"Don't complain," Piper said as the three of them walked towards the altar. "I was expecting a monster."

"Then you're in luck," a cold voice said.

The woman was standing in front of the doorway they had just come through, blocking their only escape route. She was wearing a long, silver dress and a matching veil that hid her face. The effect creeped Leo out; she looked like a faceless ghost. Then, she raised her veil and Annabeth gasped.

"You recognize me?" The woman was clearly a goddess, she was beautiful, but her eyes were as cold and hard as diamonds. Leo had absolutely no idea who she was, but Annabeth seemed to understand.

"You look like them," Annabeth said.

"Like who?" the goddess hissed, her eyes turning frostbite cold. "Say their names."

From her tone of voice, Leo didn't think saying these names sounded like a great idea, but Annabeth said, "Artemis and Apollo. Your children. You're Leto."

"My children," Leto said. "Nasty, ungrateful brats who did nothing to stop Hera from torturing me. But Gaea has promised me revenge on Zeus's queen. And on Zeus himself, for abandoning me."

"Koios recruited you," Annabeth said. Her voice shook, but her sword was steady as she raised it. "We heard him in Tartarus, saying you would join the fight against the gods."

"And my father was correct," Leto said. "But first, Gaea has asked me to prevent you from taking Demeter's weapon. As spiteful Hera was the one who arranged your little quest, I informed the earth mother that I would be happy to destroy you."

"That's a little harsh," Leo said.

"You would fight against your own children?" Piper asked. "That's horrible!"

Leto's eyes widened and Leo saw the spark of insanity in them. Her voice was dangerously soft as she said, "Horrible? You want to talk to me about horrible? Hera cursed me because I was loved by Zeus. She forbade me from having my children anywhere on the earth. It was only when I found the floating island of Delos that my children were able to be born. I have suffered, demigods. Because of Hera. But have my children ever taken revenge on that wretched goddess? No. They sit in council with her on Olympus. They care nothing for the pain of their mother. So I will care nothing for their pain when Gaea destroys Olympus forever."

"You should win an award," Leo said. "Most Cheerful Goddess."

Leto hissed like an angry cat. "I am not a goddess, fool. I am a Titan. And you are about to die."

She raised her hands and two giant scorpions appeared on either side of her. Their barbed tails curved over their backs, dripping poison that sizzled against the stone floor. Leo decided he didn't want to be stung by one of those things.

"I would love to watch you die painfully," Leto said, "but I have business elsewhere. And remember, demigods, when you reach the Underworld, it is Hera who is to blame for your demise." And on that happy note, she disappeared in a flash of silver light.

"We've trained for this," Annabeth said. Her voice was calm, which was not the emotion Leo was experiencing as the ten-foot-long scorpions advanced on them. "We can handle these things. Leo, distract one. I'll distract the other and Piper, you sneak around and cut off their tails. That will take away their main weapon and then we should be able to kill them."

The scorpions darted forward. Leo and Annabeth dove out of the way as Piper dodged between the monsters. Leo couldn't believe the scorpions didn't turn on her, but apparently they weren't very smart. One went after Annabeth and the other came after Leo. He backed away slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the scorpion's beady black eyes and watching its barbed stinger in his peripheral vision.

"Nice scorpion," he said softly. Slowly, he reached into his toolbelt. Immediately, the tool he wanted was in his hand. Leo clutched the glass bottle; he would only get one shot at this. "You're from the desert, you like heat, right? Try this!"

Leo threw the glass bottle of gasoline at the scorpion and immediately rolled to the side as the tail struck right where he had been standing, leaving a three-foot-deep crater in the floor. The glass shattered, spilling gasoline all over the floor beneath the scorpion and soaking its underbelly. Leo quickly shot a couple fireballs from his hands and the gas ignited. The scorpion gave a high-pitched squeal as the flames engulfed it, then it exploded into fiery chunks of monster dust.

"Ugh," Leo said, brushing the burning dust off his arms and shirt. The flames were already dying as the gasoline was used up. He heard a shout and turned just in time to see Annabeth duck and plunge her sword into the other scorpion as Piper cut off its tail. That scorpion, too, burst into golden dust.

Leo walked over to the girls. "Leto's going to be disappointed."

Annabeth snorted. "If she really wanted us dead, she should have stuck around to make sure the scorpions killed us."

"Glad she didn't, though," Leo said.

"This," Piper said, wiping monster dust off her sword before sheathing it, "has been a very long day."

"It has," Annabeth agreed. She frowned. "Actually, it really has. We got to the ruins about eight this morning, right?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "And?"

"Well, when we got back out on the hill, it looked like late afternoon. We weren't in the tunnels that long."

"Time moves differently in magical places, though," Piper pointed out. "And even if we spend all day in Eleusis, it's only July 23rd. We still have plenty of time to get to Athens."

"Which is only about fifteen miles away," Leo added.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, though she still looked uneasy, "yeah, you're right."

"Let's check out this altar," Piper said.

The three of them approached the altar. It was a long, low marble slab, carved with a frieze that depicted Demeter doing things like teaching a guy Leo assumed was Triptolemus (the dude Frank, Hazel, and Nico met in Venice) how to farm properly and searching for her daughter, Persephone, when she was kidnapped by Hades. The torches set in the metal holders on either side of the altar were shaped like ears of corn, which Leo thought was an odd choice. But then, he wasn't big into farming.

Piper had taken the kalathos basket out of her bag and was holding it uncertainly. "Should we set these on the altar?"

"I guess," Annabeth said. She got out the kiste chest. Together, she and Piper placed them on the altar.

And nothing happened.

"Okay," Leo said. "What's Plan B?"

"Helen said we should wait to open these until we were in front of Demeter's altar," Piper said. "We're in front of the altar now. Maybe we should open them."

"This isn't going to be like Raiders of the Lost Ark, is it?" Leo asked. "You know, we open these boxes and golden light comes out and melts our faces?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Let's hope not."

"On three," Piper said. "One—two—three."

She and Annabeth flipped open the containers and all three of them instinctively cringed. Fortunately, no face-melting light came out, but when he looked into the boxes, Leo was a little let down. The kiste chest contained some small, random looking objects, while the kalathos basket was empty.

"Maybe we should light the torches," Annabeth suggested. "We could use the extra light to see if there's a clue about what to do next on the frieze or something."

"Oh, I wouldn't recommend that," a new voice said.

Leo, Piper, and Annabeth whipped around as another woman appeared from the tunnel doorway. But this woman was wearing a golden dress and had dark hair piled on top of her head and held in place with wheat stalks.

"Demeter," Annabeth said.

"Indeed." The goddess smiled as she approached them. "You have done well to retrieve my kiste and kalathos. It has been far too long since they have sat upon my altar here. Now, the only thing left to do is move the objects from the chest into the basket. When you have done that, you will unlock the weapon."

"That's all we have to do?" Leo asked incredulously.

"You've passed my tests," Demeter said. "The hard part is over. Now, daughter of Athena, you first."

Annabeth reached her hand into the chest and pulled out a golden snake, which formed a circle because it was swallowing its own tail. "The Ouroboros. It represents immortality and rejuvenation."

Demeter nodded. "Correct. Much like plants, which grow and die and leave behind their seeds to grow again." Annabeth placed the snake into the basket and Demeter looked at Leo. "You next, son of Hephaestus."

Leo stuck his hand in the chest and pulled out the first thing he touched, which was a small, speckled egg. "Is this a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' thing?"

"Actually, yes." Demeter raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. "The egg, like the Ouroboros, is a symbol of rejuvenation and continuation."

"Cool," Leo said, setting the egg gently in the basket, in the center of the serpent ring.

"Now you, daughter of Aphrodite," Demeter said.

Piper pulled a much stranger object than a snake or an egg from the chest.

Leo cleared his throat. "Okay, that looks like—you know what, I'm actually not going to say what body part that looks like."

"Please don't," Piper said. Her face was bright red as she quickly transferred the object into the basket with the serpent and the egg.

"These are all symbols of fertility and longevity, children," Demeter said calmly. "No reason to be embarrassed."

"I disagree," Leo muttered.

"And the final items." Demeter gestured to Annabeth.

Looking a little nervous now, Annabeth reached into the chest again. She frowned. After a moment, she lifted her closed fist from the basket. She opened her hand to reveal six small seeds. "Pomegranate seeds?" Annabeth asked. "To represent Persephone?"

Demeter's face puckered like she'd just bitten into a lemon. "To remind me of the months when my daughter is kept locked away from me in the Underworld. But also to remind me of the time when she will return and the flowers will grow again."

Annabeth tipped the seeds into the basket. Piper closed the lid.

"Now what?" Leo asked.

"Now," Demeter said, "you may take the torches."

Leo thought he had misheard her. "That's the great weapon? Corn-cob shaped torches?"

"Impressive, aren't they?" Demeter said, completely serious. "With these, you will strike fear into the hearts of Gaea and her giants."

Or they'll die from laughing at us, Leo thought, but he wisely kept his mouth shut as Piper and Annabeth each plucked one of the torches out of the candle holders.

"Thank you, my lady," Annabeth said. She zipped the torch into her backpack and Piper followed suit.

"You are welcome. But be warned, they will only work once. Do not light them until the end."

"How will we know it's the end?" Piper asked.

Demeter looked at her solemnly. "Because you will be out of all other options."

Leo gulped. Piper and Annabeth looked pale. "That sounds promising," Leo said.

"Don't give up," Demeter told them. "There is still time to stop Gaea and her sons. But you must work together." Suddenly, her form changed. A wreath of gold leaves appeared in her hair and her dress changed to white with a golden belt—Leo realized this must be her appearance as Ceres, her Roman form. The goddess pressed her fingertips to her head and then resumed her original form, with the gold dress and wheat stalks in her dark hair. "I have spent too much time here. I must return to Olympus. But I can give you one final warning: Be careful when you exit the tunnel. You won't like what you find on the other end. Farewell, demigods. And good luck."

They averted their eyes as Demeter disappeared in a flash of light.

"What does she mean we won't like what we find on the other end?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But we need to get back to the others now."

Without another word, the three of them ran for the tunnel, making their way back through the darkness as quickly as they could, terrified of what they might find when the tunnel ended.

Chapter Text

XV. FRANK

The last thing Frank expected to see when he and Hazel returned to the Argo II was someone else on board the ship. Yet there the man was, standing near the mast and frowning at the rigging.

Hazel froze. "I thought Leo said the ship would be hidden from anyone else while we were gone."

Frank bit back a curse. If this man had gotten through the cloaking devices Leo had installed, that meant he was probably a pretty powerful immortal, which Frank really didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

He studied the man, who didn't seem to have noticed Frank and Hazel's appearance. The man was dressed in khaki pants and a polo shirt. For a moment, Frank thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but then he realized the man's shirt was gradually changing colors, from pale blue to deep navy to light green to stormy gray and back to blue. He had a long, tangled white beard and hair, which made him look almost like a wizard, but Frank suspected he was a god.

Before Frank could decide what to do, Hazel took a step forward and said, "Excuse me, sir? Can we help you?"

The man turned around. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but it took Frank a moment to figure out what it was. Then, with a jolt, he realized that the man's sea-green eyes were exactly like Percy's. "Poseidon?"

The god's eyes flashed. "That was my name once. Back when I was favored by the Greeks. But no more. I am Neptune."

Frank gulped. From what Percy had said, his dad, Poseidon, was a pretty cool guy. But Neptune, Poseidon's Roman form, was a much different god. He was more angry and vengeful, reflecting the Roman's fears about the sea. Frank wasn't sure why the god was here, but he doubted it was to deliver good news.

Neptune's eyes narrowed as he looked at Frank. "You are a praetor of Rome, correct?"

Frank almost said no, before remembering that yes, in fact, he was. "Yes, I am."

"And a son of Mars Ultor?"

"Yeah."

Neptune nodded as if he approved. "Good, then I believe I can entrust you to carry a message from me to my son."

"Percy Jackson?" Hazel asked.

Neptune stared at Hazel for a long moment, then he snorted. "One of Pluto's brood," he muttered. "Yes, child of the Underworld, I have a message for my son Percy Jackson." He turned back to Frank. His sea-green eyes were piercing. "How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"Is that like a riddle or something?" Frank asked.

A wave rose up and smacked the side of the ship, causing Frank and Hazel to stumble forward. "No, boy, that is my message," Neptune boomed. There was a flash and a trident appeared in his hand, blue-green energy buzzing around it. "I will repeat myself one more time. How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?" Frank repeated. "That's the message for Percy?"

"It is," Neptune said. The sea settled, though the trident was still in the god's hand. "Make sure that he receives it. He will understand."

"I'll tell him," Frank promised.

"Good. Then I will take my leave. Farewell, son of Mars." Frank and Hazel averted their eyes as, without another word, Neptune disappeared in a flash of light.

They stood in silence for a moment, then Hazel took a shaky breath. "Well, that was an eventful return to the ship."

Frank gave a small laugh. "And here I thought we'd gotten the easy job." He looked at Hazel. "But 'How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?' What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. Do you think Percy really will understand it?"

"I hope so," Frank said. He glanced at the sky. It was late afternoon. "I wonder how long the others will be gone."

"No idea." Hazel sighed. "Come on, we'd better get the ship ready, just in case we need to make a quick escape when they get back.

By the time the sun set, Frank and Hazel, with a little help from Festus, had the ship ready to depart. The problem was, there was still no sign of their friends.

"Should it have taken them this long?" Frank asked nervously as the sun sank into the sea.

Hazel bit her lip. "You could fly over the ruins," she suggested. "Maybe see if they're on their way back."

"Good idea," Frank said.

"Just be careful," Hazel added. "And come get me if there's a problem."

"I will." Frank gave her a quick kiss, then changed into an eagle. Within a minute, he was soaring over the ruins, but there was no sign of the other demigods. He circled over the hilltop, even landed on the steeple of a church there, but there was no river and no caves. Apparently, that place only existed after passing through Demeter's tests. He flew back down to the cave behind Demeter's temple, but realized he had no cornucopia to get through the door. Discouraged, Frank made one last pass over the ruins, but after seeing nothing, he flew back to Hazel on the Argo II.

"Did you see them?" she asked as soon as he changed back into himself.

Frank shook his head. "Nothing. But I'm sure they'll be back," he added hastily.

Hazel's brow furrowed, but she managed a weak smile. "Of course they will." She sat down next to the mast. "We'll just have to wait a little bit."

Frank sat down next to her. They were quiet for a few minutes, watching the stars come out.

"It almost feels like we're on guard duty at Camp Jupiter," Hazel said.

"We could practice our French again," Frank suggested.

"Didn't our last conversation in French involve a question about a shoe being green and how the beef was feeling?"

Frank shrugged. "Obviously we could use the practice."

Hazel laughed. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "I think it's a lost cause."

Silence fell between them and Frank found his mind drifting to his visit with Periclymenus. He didn't believe what the man had said about Hazel being only a spirit and not truly alive. She felt alive, sitting next to him warm and solid, not ghostly like Phineas had seemed in Portland or the shades of Roman soldiers in Alaska or the House of Hades. Then he remembered his ancestor saying, "Our fates are not set in stone," when talking about Frank's own curse, the stick of firewood that determined his lifespan.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Hazel asked. Her golden eyes glowed in the moonlight as she looked up at him.

Frank had to swallow before he could answer her. "Just thinking about something Periclymenus said. Do you think our fates are set in stone?"

Hazel rested her chin on her knees, looking out at the lights of Eleusis in the harbor. "I wish I knew. The first time I met my father, he said I'd been born too soon. But then my mother took me to Alaska and I died to stop Gaea. I like to think that was my choice, but sometimes I wonder if that's true, because if I hadn't died then, I wouldn't be here now. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. So you want to know what happened because of the choice you made and what happened because it was fated to happen?"

"Or did the Fates know what my choice would be, so even though I made the decision, it was still exactly what was supposed to happen?" Hazel shook her head, then smiled at Frank. "This is a really philosophical discussion."

Frank smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Hazel said. "You were thinking about your firewood, right?"

Frank nodded. "Iris and my dad both said my life would burn bright and short. But Periclymenus said that our fates aren't set in stone. And apparently Percy met a Titan and a giant who changed their fates."

"Seriously?" Hazel asked.

"That's what he said. I guess I'm just hoping—"

"That it's true," Hazel said quietly. "That you can determine your own fate."

"Periclymenus said when the time comes, the choice will be mine." Frank's throat felt dry as he said this. "I just hope I make the right decision."

"Trust me, when the time comes, you'll make the right choice," Hazel told him. Frank met her eyes and recalled that she had already sacrificed her life once to stop Gaea.
The thought gave him courage. If Hazel had been able to make that decision, then he could, too.

Hazel kissed him and Frank decided that whether it was fate or not, he was really glad they were together.

Hazel leaned her head against Frank's shoulder. They were still holding hands. Together, they watched the moon rise over the hills and waited for their friends to come back.

Frank woke to sunlight piercing his eyes. He was stiff from sitting against the mast all night. Hazel's head was on his shoulder and she was breathing slowly, still asleep. He had to admit, that was a nice way to wake up. What was less nice was the realization that came to him as he looked around the silent ship. He shook Hazel's shoulder gently. "Hazel, wake up!"

She blinked, then yawned and sat up. "Frank, what's wrong?"

"Listen," he said.

The Argo II was as quiet as a ghost ship. The only sounds were the occasional creak from Festus, the waves lapping against the hull, and their own breathing.

Hazel's eyes widened. "Oh gods, the others—."

Frank nodded, fear clenching his stomach in a vise. "They never came back last night."

Chapter Text

XVI. PERCY

Percy hated waiting. For one thing, he was ADHD, which meant sitting still wasn't one of his strengths. But more than that, he liked action. At least in a fight, he knew where he stood. But waiting for a fight or, worse, waiting for someone else to come back from their own battle, was torture. Especially when it was Annabeth he was waiting for.

Percy remembered other times he'd had to wait for Annabeth to come back from something dangerous—when she'd visited the old oracle of Delphi in the attic a few summers ago, when she'd led a raid on a monster stronghold during the Titan war, most recently when she'd gone to meet Helen and Paris, and, of course, when she'd gone on her Mark of Athena quest. Considering that last one had gone epically wrong, even for them, when they'd fallen into Tartarus, Percy felt he was justified in being worried about her. He knew better than anybody that she was completely capable of taking care of herself, but still, he preferred being there to watch her back. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to enter the cave.

The barrier won't let someone pass with a Roman tattoo.

Percy examined the tattoo on his forearm, the symbol of Poseidon, or Neptune, whichever, with the single line underneath representing his first year of service. He'd never been resentful of the tattoo. To him, it represented belonging at Camp Jupiter and in New Rome and what that could mean for his, and Annabeth's, future. But he had never considered the fact that it might mean he didn't completely belong with the Greek demigods anymore.

"You alright, man?" Jason asked. He was sitting on the grass a few feet away from Percy, also watching the mouth of the cave their girlfriends—and Leo—had disappeared into.

"Just questioning my identity," Percy replied. "No big deal."

Jason laughed ruefully. "Been there. It was kind of a blow when the centurion ghosts wouldn't listen to me in the House of Hades. Apparently I'm not fully Roman anymore."

"And I'm not completely Greek, according to that stupid door," Percy said, gesturing to the offending entryway.

"Is that a bad thing, though?" Jason asked. "Why can't we belong both places? I mean, even though Camp Jupiter was my home for so long, I like Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood basically is my home, but yeah, I liked Camp Jupiter, too" Percy admitted. "And—and New Rome."

Jason's blue eyes were piercing and for a moment Percy was strongly reminded of Thalia when she was trying to extract information from him. But Jason didn't press him about New Rome. He just said, "There has to be a way to make peace between the camps. If Reyna, Nico, and Hedge can get the statue back, it's got to help."

"They'll manage it," Percy said. "Reyna's pretty tough. So is Nico."

Jason gave him a sideways glance that Percy couldn't interpret, but before he could ask what that was about, Jason said, "Do you still have that bad feeling about Eleusis?"

Percy hadn't thought about it much since they'd entered the first tunnel; he'd been too busy running from the giant bull, getting trapped in a closet, panicking in that weirdly silent room that drained their powers, and reliving some seriously craptastic memories in that stupid river to worry about any other weird feelings. But now he focused and realized the ominous feeling was still there, like a buzzing in his ears that made his heart race and his stomach churn.

"Yep," he said. "Still getting a really bad vibe from this place. You?"

Jason nodded. "Weird that it's just you and me, though. I wondered if it had something to do with the storm part of the prophecy. I mean, everyone kind of assumes that part is referring to either you or me."

"So maybe Gaea has a plan to go ahead and remove us from the equation while we're here?"

"Maybe."

Percy really didn't like that idea, especially since it sounded plausible. "If we hadn't already killed Polybotes again, I'd think it was him waiting for me here. Unless it's that giant king guy who's supposed to replace your dad."

"Porphyrion is the leader of Gaea's armies. I doubt he'd leave Athens just to kill us. We're not that special," Jason said with a dry smile. "Have you personally irritated any other monsters?"

"I have personally irritated an army's worth of monsters," Percy said. "I'm assuming you have, too."

"It's possible," Jason admitted. "What was it you said, though, about Polybotes and the other 'defeated ones' tracking you guys through Tartarus?"

An unpleasantly familiar voice spoke from behind them. "He probably said something about how these so-called 'defeated ones' were waiting to get revenge on you lackluster demigods for completely ruining their show!"

Percy and Jason both whipped around. All Percy got was a glimpse of a tattered leotard before something hit him on the head and the world went black.

Chapter Text

XVII. PIPER

Piper's heart felt like it was in her throat as she, Leo, and Annabeth made their way as fast as they could back through the twisting tunnel. Demeter's words were echoing in Piper's ears.

You won't like what you find on the other end.

Jason was on the other end of the tunnel. And Percy. And Frank and Hazel, who had gone back to the ship.

You won't like what you find on the other end.

Oh gods, just let the others be okay.

The tunnel began to get lighter. They came around another turn and Piper could see the jagged entrance to the tunnel ahead. The three of them slowed to a stop. Piper and Annabeth drew their swords. Leo pulled a hammer that must have weighed ten pounds from his tool belt. Together, they crept toward the entrance. Piper's ears were straining for any noise from outside the tunnel, but there was nothing.

Piper reached the jagged door in the rock and peered out. The hillside was empty; there was nothing to be seen except the river, gurgling cheerily. Then realization struck and Piper's stomach turned over. The hillside was empty.

Judging by their stricken faces, Leo and Annabeth had noticed the same thing.

"Where are Percy and Jason?" Annabeth whispered.

Piper shook her head. "Maybe—maybe they went back to the ship."

"Yeah, right," Leo said. "Like they'd leave with you two here." When Piper and Annabeth both shot him a look, he raised his eyebrows. "It's only the truth."

Piper knew he was right. Jason and Percy wouldn't have left with the three of them still in the tunnel unless something was wrong. "We've got to find them."

"The only hiding place is against the cave," Annabeth whispered. "We could see someone anywhere else on the hill. Be prepared for an attack from behind."

"What about the barrier?" Piper asked. "Will we even be able to get out?"

Annabeth hesitated. "I'm guessing it disappeared when we returned the kiste and kalathos to Demeter's altar."

"Only one way to find out," Leo said grimly, tightening his grip on his hammer. "Let's go."

The three of them burst out of the tunnel. Thankfully, the invisible barrier was gone. Piper immediately turned around—and froze. "You."

"Me," Ephialtes said. The giant's voice was calm but there was a crazed smile on his face. He had an arm hooked around Jason's neck. Piper's heart thudded. Jason looked unconscious, his head lolling on Ephialtes's arm. Otis, wearing a tattered baby-blue leotard and looking grumpy, was standing a few feet away from his brother, holding Percy up by the back of his t-shirt. Percy, too, had been knocked out. "It's wonderful to see you again, Piper McLean. I hope that this time you'll be more open to playing your part in our performance."

"Not a chance," Piper said through gritted teeth. "Let them go!"

Ephialtes just laughed. Otis continued to look grumpy. "You're going to make up for ruining our show in Rome. Your deaths are being streamed live to Hephaestus TV, channel 192." He pointed to a camera set up on a tripod with a satellite dish attached.

"It's only a pay-per-view channel," Otis grumbled.

Ephialtes glared at him. "Yes, and we get five percent on every purchase, you nitwit. Don't you know how many monsters, and gods, are going to tune in to see Hera's little hand-picked team meet a well-choreographed demise?"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Annabeth said.

"Does my dad know you're doing this?" Leo asked. "Isn't he in charge of Hephaestus TV?"

"We may have pirated some equipment," Ephialtes said, waving a hand carelessly. "Besides, Hephaestus won't be in charge much longer. Gaea has promised that when she rises, we will take over the airwaves."

Otis perked up. "And I can have a twenty-four hour ballet channel, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be part of the sports package," Ephialtes said. He turned back to the demigods with a manic gleam in his eyes. "Once we kill you all, we'll collect Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque from your ship. They'll be the Earth Mother's sacrifice, which will be the official first broadcast of our new brand, Big F TV!"

"I thought you said we could call it the O Network?" Otis said.

"Oprah already took that," Ephialtes snapped. He hitched a grin back on his face as he looked at Piper. "Now, daughter of Aphrodite, I believe you asked me to let these heroes go?" He shook Jason, who was as limp as a ragdoll. "I suppose I can do that. Now, Otis!"

Before Piper could move, Ephialtes threw Jason at her. His dead weight slammed into her, knocking them both to the ground. Otis sighed and flung Percy into the river before pressing the play button on an enormous boombox, which exploded with the tinny sound of off-key trumpets.

"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "I told you 'Track 12,' not 'Track 8.'"

Otis didn't get a chance to reply as Leo leapt forward and swung his hammer into Otis's gut. The giant doubled over with a loud, "Oof!"

Annabeth charged at Ephialtes, meeting his spear strikes with her drakon bone sword and trying to get close enough to stab him.

Piper struggled to get up, but Jason was a lot heavier than her. Finally, she managed to roll him onto the ground. His eyes were just beginning to flutter open. She grabbed a square of ambrosia from her backpack and stuffed it unceremoniously into his mouth. After making sure he wasn't choking, she got to her feet. Her stomach dropped when she saw Percy floating face down in the river, but before she could even take a step in that direction, Percy coughed and twisted in the water. He sat down on the river bottom, looking dazed. Next to her, Jason was groaning and trying to sit up. Piper moved to help him when she heard a strangled yell.

Otis had wrested the hammer out of Leo's hand and as Piper watched, horrified, the giant did some kind of ballet jump and kicked Leo squarely in the chest. He flew across the hillside and slammed into the grass. She ran towards him, but turned when she heard a shriek of pain.

Ephialtes had caught Annabeth by the arm, bending it behind her back. He twisted her wrist, forcing her to drop her sword. The point of his spear was at her throat. "Looks like you'll be our first victim, daughter of Athena. When Alcyoneous takes over the Underworld, he'll toss you right back into Tartarus. Nyx has personally demanded a little reunion with you. If you're lucky, it might even make Big F TV." He raised his spear.

Percy and Jason were both struggling to get up. Leo was barely moving. Piper was too far away. Ephialtes turned to face the camera. He grinned, like this was all a great show and not sick and twisted.

Something in Piper snapped. All of her fear and anger suddenly boiled over in a hot ball of rage. "STOP IT!"

She wasn't even sure she'd used charmspeak, but suddenly the entire hillside froze. Then Ephialtes smiled, slowly and horribly. "Fine, Piper McLean. You can be the first to die, instead." He twisted Annabeth's arm again. There was an awful crack and Annabeth screamed. Ephialtes threw her down, hard, into the grass. Her arm was bent at a sickening angle.

Fury rose like bile in Piper's throat. "That's enough!" she yelled as Ephialtes approached her. She didn't wait for the giant to get any closer, though. Piper charged forward and swung her sword with all her strength.

Ephialtes blocked her strike with the butt of his spear. She spun and stabbed at him again. They continued to exchange blows. Piper was trying to remember everything Hazel had taught her in their sword-fighting lessons. She tried to get inside the reach of Ephialtes's spear, but the giant was fast. He swung the spear like a baseball bat and caught Piper in the shoulder, sending her reeling backward. Her sword arm was numb from the blow.

Ephialtes was breathing hard. "A good fight, little demigod," he said. "Very entertaining. But now, it's time to finish this. We're on a schedule. I only booked a half-hour show. Otis," he called over to his brother, "finish the son of Hephaestus."

Otis was standing a few feet from Leo, who had managed to get to his hands and knees. The giant looked put out. "I've told you, deaths choreographed to Swan Lake or Coppelia would look so much more—"

"Enough with the ballet!" Ephialtes screamed.

Piper took a step forward. She couldn't lift her sword, but she had another weapon that didn't require her to move her arm: her voice. "You won't hurt them."

Ephialtes sneered. "Watch me."

Piper took a deep breath. She tapped into everything she felt for her friends, for Jason, her memories of the good times they had all spent together. She poured all her power into her words. "You will not hurt the people I love. Never again. I won't let you."

For a moment, Ephialtes stood still as the power of her charmspeak washed over him. His eyes glazed over and the spear point dipped toward the ground as his arm went slack. "Won't—hurt—them," he muttered. Then he blinked and his eyes cleared. "You're powerful, girl. Maybe I can't hurt your friends. But you never said I couldn't kill you." He raised his spear and plunged it into Piper's stomach.

The world seemed to slow down as pain swept through Piper. She fell to her knees, arms wrapped around her stomach. Ephialtes grinned. He raised his spear to strike again and Piper prepared to die. She wanted to lift her sword, her knife, even the cornucopia could help, but she had no strength left.

Suddenly, Percy hurtled out of nowhere and rammed Ephialtes, knocking the giant's spear out of his hand. Percy rolled out of the way just as flames engulfed the giant and Leo stepped forward, his eyes blazing as fiercely as his hands. Ephialtes was shrieking curses, stamping around trying to get away from the flames. Otis pirouetted in to try to help his brother, but Percy slashed at him and he retreated. While Leo and Percy kept the giants occupied, Jason and Annabeth dragged Piper away from the fight.

"Oh gods," Annabeth sobbed as she moved Piper's arms away from her wound. Piper didn't want to look. She focused on Jason as he whipped off his shirt and handed it to Annabeth.

"Try to stop the bleeding," he said. As Annabeth pressed the shirt against Piper's midsection, Jason cradled her head, brushing her hair out of her face. Piper was getting dizzy from blood loss, but she tried to focus on his eyes, which were the same bright, clear blue as the sky above him. "Stay with me, Pipes. It's going to be fine. Do we have any ambrosia?" he asked Annabeth.

Annabeth was already digging a baggy of the squares out of her backpack. Her broken right arm was cradled against her stomach. She handed Jason the ambrosia and used her left hand to press Jason's t-shirt hard against Piper's middle. "Give her an entire square. We need this to start healing now."

The edges of Piper's vision were going black as Jason helped her to eat the ambrosia. It tasted like her dad's black bean soup. She felt feverish, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the ambrosia or the wound.

She could still hear the sounds of Leo and Percy fighting the giants. Judging by the groans and curses from the giants, she figured the boys were winning. That's good, she thought drowsily. Her eyelids were getting heavy.

"Don't go to sleep!" Jason demanded, an edge of panic in his voice. He lifted her into a half-sitting position and Piper gasped as a wave of agony radiated out from her stomach. "I'm sorry, but you have to stay awake. Is the ambrosia working?" he asked Annabeth.

Annabeth shook her head. Piper tried to focus on her friend's face, but it was blurry. She thought she saw tear tracks on Annabeth's cheeks, though. "The wound's really deep and there's too much blood. I don't know if—if the ambrosia can work fast enough."

"We have to do something," Jason said fiercely.

Leo came into her vision as he knelt next to Jason. His face turned pale when he looked at her. "Gods, Piper," he said weakly.

"Do you have anything in your toolbelt that can help?" Jason asked.

Leo rummaged in the belt's pockets, but all he came up with was some gauze and a box of Band-Aids. He cursed. "Nothing useful."

Jason swore. Piper was starting to feel cold, despite the warm summer air and Jason's arms around her. She figured that was a bad sign. Jason's face swam into view as he leaned closer to her. He kissed her, but she could barely feel it; it was as if her consciousness was already leaving her body behind. "Please, Pipes. You can't leave me."

She tried to say she didn't want to leave him, but she didn't seem able to speak.

The world around Piper was becoming hazy but she distinctly heard a yell, followed by a massive splash of water, accompanied by screams. A second later, Percy dropped to his knees beside Annabeth. "Dropped the river on them," he said. "It'll keep them from reforming, but we can't win without a god."

"Somebody looking for a god?"

Piper couldn't see where the new voice was coming from, but her friends' heads turned and Annabeth gasped, "Lord Apollo!"

A new face swam into view above Piper. With her blurry vision, he looked kind of like Jason, with the same blond hair and blue eyes. He winced. "Spear to the stomach. Ugly, but I've seen worse."

"Can you help her?" Jason asked.

"God of healing at your service," Apollo said. His hands were warm as he placed one on Piper's forehead and one on her stomach. He closed his eyes and began to hum. A rush of heat spread through Piper, then seemed to settle at her midsection. She sucked in her breath as she felt the damaged muscles, organs, and skin begin to knit back together. It was uncomfortable, but much better than the excruciating pain she had been experiencing. Her vision began to clear. She blinked and suddenly she could see Jason, Leo, Annabeth, Percy, and Apollo all sharply outlined against the sky. Apollo finished his song and raised his hands. Jason helped Piper to sit up. She looked down at her stomach. The only sign of her wound was a hole in her t-shirt. She didn't even have a scar. Piper looked up at Apollo, who was sitting back on his heels looking pleased with himself. "Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure," he said, flashing her a grin. His teeth were blindingly white. "Now, where are those giants?"

Percy jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The river."

Piper looked at the river where two lumps that almost resembled Ephialtes and Otis were swirling in their own personal whirlpools. They were bickering with each other with their half-formed mouths. Apollo snapped his fingers twice. A wail went up from the giants as a column of fire blasted them into dust.

"Two more giants down," Leo said.

Annabeth winced as Percy helped her up, still cradling her broken arm.

"Oh, almost forgot about you," Apollo said. He laid a hand on Annabeth's arm. The next moment, the bones had mended themselves.

"Thanks, Lord Apollo," Annabeth said.

Apollo waved his hand airily. "Don't mention it."

Leo and Jason helped Piper stand. She still felt a little shaky, so she leaned against Jason, who wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Glad you're okay," Jason told her.

"Me, too," Piper said.

"Yeah, that was some nice magic," Apollo said. "Very noble, trying to protect your friends and all."

"Would it have worked?" Piper asked.

Apollo shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe. Love is weird. But you must have impressed your mom because she kicked me off Olympus to come down here and heal you. And I was just about to get a perfect score on Guitar Hero."

"Sorry?" Piper ventured, a little stunned that her mother would go to so much trouble.

Apollo waved off her apology. "No big deal. You owe me a game, though. One on one, next time you're on Olympus."

"Um, sure," Piper replied, unsure whether Apollo was kidding.

"By the way," Apollo added, looking from Piper to Annabeth and Leo, "I think I need to apologize for my mother. She's pretty bitter. But the truth is, Hera has the right idea about your quest. And Demeter, too. Trust that weapon."

Thunder rumbled and Apollo glanced up at the sky. "That's my cue. But before I go, one piece of advice." He looked at Percy. "I'm usually all about the hot, but try to keep your cool when you get back to your ship. The schizophrenia's hit him hard, but he means well."

"Okay," Percy said. "And who are we talking about?"

"You'll see." Thunder boomed. "And now I really have to bounce. Good luck, demigods. You'll need it." On that happy note, Apollo disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"Just once," Leo said, "just once, I would love to get a straight answer from a god."

"You and me both," Percy muttered.

"Come on," Piper said. "We'd better get back to the ship so we can deal with whatever this new problem is."

Chapter Text

XVIII. ANNABETH

After Apollo left, Annabeth, Leo, and Piper filled Percy and Jason in on what had happened at Demeter's altar.

"Darn," Percy said, looking at the corn-cob torches, "I was hoping for a Celestial bronze nuclear warhead or something."

"Same here," Leo said.

"Demeter said they'll help us," Annabeth told the boys as she put the torch back in her backpack. "We'll have to trust that it's true."

The five of them set off to hike back to the ship. Piper had insisted she was fine to walk back, but after stumbling twice, turning pale, and wincing as she put a hand on her stomach, she agreed to let Jason fly her back to the ship. This left Annabeth, Percy, and Leo to make the short walk back to the pier, which they did in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Demeter's corn-cob shaped torch bounced lightly against Annabeth's back with every step she took. She tried not to recoil from it. Despite what she had told Percy and Leo, she hated the idea of the torches. Sure it was great they had a weapon that would supposedly help them defeat Gaea and the giants, but Annabeth didn't like how Demeter had answered Piper's question about knowing when to use the torches.

"You will know it is the right time because there will be no other options."

The goddess had made it sound like they were already doomed, as if every other plan would fail, leaving them with only the torches to use as a last resort. Annabeth refused to believe that. There had to be more than one way to win.

When they reached the ship, they found Piper and Jason consoling Frank and Hazel, who looked frantic.

"What's going on?" Percy asked.

"You guys were gone all night," Hazel said. "We've been terrified."

"What do you mean 'all night'?" Annabeth said. "We just got out of the caves less than two hours ago."

"We came out of the caves yesterday," Hazel said. She looked exhausted. "Frank and I got back to the ship yesterday. We've been here all night and most of today waiting for you guys to get back. We even went back to the ruins, but without the cornucopia we couldn't get in."

"So we've been gone an entire day?" Leo asked, his brow furrowed. "How is that even possible?"

"Time flows differently in magical places," Annabeth said, echoing Piper's words in Demeter's cave. She took a deep breath. "But at least it was only a day. We still have plenty of time to get to Athens."

"That's not all, though," Frank said, exchanging glances with Hazel. "We had a visitor."

Quickly, Frank and Hazel told the rest of the crew about their visit from Neptune and the message he had left for Percy.

"'How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?'" Annabeth repeated. "That was the message?"

Hazel nodded. "He said Percy would understand."

"Well, he's wrong," Percy said bluntly. Everyone turned to look at him and Annabeth's stomach dropped. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were overly bright. "I have no idea what he's talking about." He shook his head in disgust. "The first message from my dad in a year and that's it."

Waves were rising around the ship, responding to Percy's anger. Annabeth fought to keep her balance. "Percy—."

"Thanks a lot, Dad!"

"Percy!"

"Thanks for your cryptic, useless advice. It's just great. Gods forbid you actually help us!"

The Argo II was now rocking wildly, like in a storm. Waves were beginning to wash across the deck. Hazel stumbled against Frank, who caught her. Jason and Piper were flung against the railing and Leo slammed into the controls as a particularly large wave hit the ship. Annabeth just managed to keep her footing. She took a step towards Percy, determined to slap him if she couldn't get his attention. "PERCY!"

Percy finally looked at her. He blinked and suddenly seemed to realize what was happening. His eyes widened in horror. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the waves died down. The crew managed to get back to their feet. Percy looked at Hazel. All the color had drained from her face, which was now tinged with green. Frank was still supporting her. "Hazel, gods, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—."

Hazel waved away his apology. "It's fine. But I'm just going to—," she pointed down the stairs. Frank put an arm around her waist and helped her walk, throwing a look at Percy that was equal parts nervous and annoyed.

As they disappeared, Percy turned to the rest of the crew. "Guys, I'm sorry."

Leo shrugged. "Dude, we've all got daddy issues."

Percy snorted. Annabeth was watching him closely. He was still angry; she could see the tension in his neck and shoulders. He turned to her and said, aggressively, "What?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You want to try that again?"

He looked at her for a moment, then seemed to deflate. His shoulders drooped and he leaned back against the railing, running his hands over his face. Annabeth moved closer to him. Piper, Jason, and Leo, gathered around the controls, studiously ignored them.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his voice muffled from his hands over his face. He dropped his hands to look at her and the hurt expression in his green eyes made her heart twist. "It's just that after everything, the amnesia, Camp Jupiter, Rome, Tartarus, the first thing my dad says to me is that." Percy slammed his fist against the railing. "And he doesn't even give me the message in person."

Annabeth took another step closer, so she was standing right in front of him. "Hazel's father let her be dragged off to Alaska to die. Jason's never even talked to his dad. My mother sent me on a suicide quest that ended with me falling into Tartarus. None of us are doing that great with our godly parents, Seaweed Brain."

Percy took a shaky breath. "Yeah, you're right. I was being an idiot."

"It happens." Annabeth took his hand. "Besides, your dad cares about you. You know that. I'm sure he wouldn't have bothered giving you this message unless it's going to help in some way."

"Maybe," Percy said. "Plus we've still got, what, a week before the Feast of Spes? That should be enough time to figure out a battle plan for Athens, how to use those torches from Demeter, and my dad's advice, right?"

"We'll figure it out," Annabeth assured him. She kissed him, lightly, since their friends were only twenty feet away. "We always do."

Leo suddenly yelped and Annabeth turned in time to see his nose burst into flames. He quickly patted it out, but he looked stunned.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked him.

Leo swallowed. "Guys, Festus says we've been gone seven days."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Annabeth asked.

"Today is July thirtieth," Leo said. "The Feast of Spes is the day after tomorrow."

Percy cursed. "I hate magical places."

"On the plus side," Piper said, "we didn't miss it."

"Yeah, but this changes things." Jason looked grim. "I'll get Frank and Hazel. We need to decide what we're going to do now."

"A week," Annabeth said. "We lost a week. For all we know, the war with the camps could already be over."

"I don't think so," Leo said. He punched a couple of buttons and a holographic message appeared above the controls. "I got an e-mail from the Kerkopes guys. Don't ask me how; they probably stole someone's laptop. Anyway, it says, 'Still slowing down the Romans. Collecting lots of shinies. Hope you're not dead, Blue-bottom.' It was just sent today."

"Why do they call you 'Blue-bottom'?" Percy asked.

Leo turned red. "Not important. Point is, it sounds like the Romans haven't attacked Camp Half-Blood yet."

"So there's still time for Reyna, Nico, and the coach to get the statue there," Piper said.

Jason reappeared on deck with Frank and Hazel, who still looked pale. "We've been gone a week?" she said.

"Looks like it," Leo said.

Frank groaned. "That gives us a day to make a battle plan and execute it before the giants raise Gaea."

"Before the giants try to raise Gaea," Annabeth corrected. "They're still missing a crucial part of their plan."

"Demigod blood," Piper said, nodding. "They still need two of us."

"With that in mind," Leo said, "I suggest staying here tonight. We make sure the ship and our supplies, weapons, everything are in top condition. We're only fifteen miles or so from Athens. Probably not smart to get any closer until we're ready to actually fight. No reason to make it easy for them to capture us."

"That actually sounds like a really good plan," Annabeth said, impressed.

Leo grinned. "No need to sound so surprised."

Frank frowned. "But we still need to make a battle plan for Athens."

"The problem is we don't know exactly what we're facing when we get to Athens," Percy pointed out. "Hard to make a plan when you don't know what the other side's army looks like."

Annabeth's mind was racing. "You're right. We need to know what type of forces Gaea has assembled in Athens." She glanced at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set.

"It's too late to do anything about that today," Jason said, echoing her thoughts. "But we could send out scouts tomorrow, see if we can figure out what's going on. Like Leo said, it's only fifteen miles away."

"I'll go," Frank volunteered. "I can turn into a hawk or a pigeon or something."

"A pigeon?" Leo's mouth twitched.

"What?" Frank said defensively. "There's tons of them in all the big cities, no one would notice another pigeon."

"That's a great idea," Annabeth cut in before Leo could respond. "So, for now, let's focus on getting everything ready and tomorrow morning, when Frank gets back, we'll come up with our battle plan. Does that work?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, then the crew broke up in order to get to work on their various tasks of preparing for the battle ahead.

For the first time in a week, Annabeth didn't dream about Tartarus. But her new nightmare was so bad, she almost wished she had.

She was standing on Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree, but something was wrong. Peleus the dragon was gone. So was the Golden Fleece. She heard a snort and looked to her right. Her heart thudded as she saw Octavian standing there, his arms crossed, a grimly satisfied expression on his face as he gazed down at Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth felt a hot rush of anger as she looked at the skinny augur. She would have punched him, but considering the fact that Octavian hadn't commented on her sudden appearance, she knew she wasn't actually on Long Island; she was just observing what was going on through her dream.

Down in the valley, she could hear the familiar sound of Clarisse shouting orders. The valley was full of activity as campers prepared for battle, rushing around priming catapults, putting on armor, and sharpening weapons. At the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, Annabeth could see a small Roman contingent, like a scouting party. They looked bored. Two of the kids were sitting on the grass playing Mythomagic. Others were leaning on their spears (pila, Hazel had called them) and chatting.

Octavian turned and started walking back towards the other Romans but stopped when there was a rustling in the trees nearby. He hesitated, glanced down at the Roman soldiers, then gripped the knife at his belt and stepped through the trees.

Ten feet into the forest, they came upon a sight that made Annabeth want to cry with joy. Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge were standing there, at the base of the Athena Parthenos statue. Reyna was saying to Nico, "—glad you didn't pass out this time."

Nico shrugged. "Maine to Long Island isn't a bad leap." He looked up at the statue. "So, we're back. Now what do we do with this thing?"

"It's a weapon, right?" Coach Hedge said. "Let's blow something up!"

"We're not blowing anything up," Reyna said wearily, like she'd had this conversation before.

A twig crunched under Octavian's foot and Reyna, Nico, and Hedge tensed, all reaching for their weapons. But as Octavian stepped into the clearing, they relaxed. No one but Annabeth noticed the knife he had drawn and was now holding behind his back. She wanted to shout a warning, but the others wouldn't hear her. She could only observe as Octavian walked slowly toward the group gathered around the foot of the statue.

"Octavian, what are you doing here?" Reyna asked. Her eyes narrowed. "If you launched an attack without my orders—"

"The attack hasn't started yet," Octavian said smoothly. "We're waiting until the Feast of Spes so that the goddess of hope will favor us." He looked up at the massive statue.
"So it was true. That Chase girl really did find the statue. Impressive—I'd assumed she would die."

Annabeth took a swing at him, but her fist passed right through his stupid head.

"Yes, we need to meet with the Greeks," Reyna said, turning to look up at the Athena Parthenos towering over the group. "Nico will go find the head of the Athena cabin, I'll return the statue to them, and hopefully then we can work this mess out."

"No."

Reyna looked at Octavian over her shoulder, like she didn't understand him. "Excuse me?"

"You are no longer a praetor," Octavian said. "You traveled to the ancient lands, making you officially a traitor. As a true Roman citizen, I have the right to kill you on sight."

Octavian whipped the knife from behind him and sank it into Reyna's back. Annabeth watched in horror as the praetor sank to her knees. Nico and Hedge were standing in complete shock. Before they could recover, Octavian screamed, "Help! HELP! This Greek traitor has stabbed the praetor!"

There was a crashing sound as three Roman centurions came running through the trees. Nico shot a murderous look at Octavian, but as the centurions burst into the clearing, he grabbed Hedge's arm and the base of the statue and shadow-travelled away.

The centurions froze in horror as they saw Reyna kneeling on the ground with the knife in her back. Octavian bent down and put his hand on the knife again.

"No, don't—" one of the centurions said, but Octavian had already pulled the knife out, causing the wound to bleed even more.

"I'm sorry," Octavian gasped, his face a mask of grief. "I was just trying to help."

"You made it worse," one of the centurions growled. "You shouldn't have removed the knife."

"I'm sorry," Octavian said again. "I'm just so shocked. I heard a noise and came to investigate and I found the praetor lying here. The Greek traitor, that child of Pluto, stabbed her."

One of the centurions, a big guy built like a football player, picked Reyna up while another pressed a shirt against her wound. "We need to get her to the infirmary, now!"

Reyna seemed to be losing consciousness, but she muttered, "Octavian—traitor—statue."

"She's delirious!" Octavian said as the group left the clearing. "We must take revenge for what the Greeks have done, to our city and to our praetor!"

Focused on Reyna, the centurions ignored him, but Annabeth doubted that would last long. The Romans would want revenge. And if they believed Octavian's lies, they would take their revenge on Camp Half-Blood.

"Will she live?" the guy carrying Reyna asked.

The girl holding the shirt against Reyna's back had tears in her eyes. "I don't know."

Annabeth tried to follow them, but the dream was fading, the woods turning to darkness around her. She thought she heard a low rumble, like the earth was laughing at her, but she couldn't be sure.

Someone was shaking her. "Annabeth. Annabeth! Wake up!"

Annabeth jerked awake. Her heart was racing and she was covered in cold sweat. She blinked and Percy's face swam into view above her, his brow furrowed and his sea-green eyes full of concern. She sat up and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

"Annabeth, what—?"

"Reyna," she choked. Tears were spilling down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away. Percy now looked downright alarmed. "Octavian stabbed Reyna."

Chapter Text

XIX. HAZEL

Hazel couldn't believe it. The situation was too horrible. "Octavian stabbed Reyna," she repeated. "And he blamed it on Nico?"

Annabeth nodded and swiped a hand across her eyes. The crew was sitting around the table in the mess hall, everyone in their pajamas except for Jason and Leo, who had been on first watch.

"That scheming coward," Frank growled, slamming his fist on the table. "How could he do this?"

Jason had his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "I always knew Octavian was a jerk, but I never would've thought he'd do something like this." He lifted his head to look across the table at Annabeth. "And you have no idea if Reyna's even going to survive?"

"I told you, I woke up before they took her to the medics," Annabeth said. She glanced at Piper. "But the wound looked almost as bad as Piper's."

The color drained out of Jason's face.

Hazel felt nauseous and it wasn't from seasickness. "We have to do something."

"What can we do?" Leo asked. "We have a day to stop Gaea and the giants. We can't make it to Long Island and back in that amount of time."

Percy clenched his fists on the table. "Octavian is going to use this to rouse the Romans. If they believe him, they'll obliterate Camp Half-Blood to get revenge. We can't let that happen."

"Leo's right, though," Piper said. "I want to toss Octavian off a cliff as much as everyone else, but there's no time."

"But I'm the praetor now," Frank insisted. "I should be there."

"We could take Arion," Hazel suggested. "Frank and I could go, help Reyna, and probably still be back in time to go to Athens."

"And if the two of you are captured or killed on the way?" Annabeth said. "I'm sorry, guys, but Demeter said we need to work together. I think that means it's going to take all of us to defeat Gaea and the giants. I hate what happened to Reyna, but if Gaea destroys the world this won't—won't matter."

"We have to stop Gaea," Jason agreed dully.

Silence fell around the table. Judging by her friends' faces, Hazel could tell they hated this situation every bit as much as she did. There was no good solution. If they went to Athens, by the time they got back, the camps might have destroyed each other. But if they went back to stop that war, the giants would likely raise Gaea, who would destroy all of Western civilization. No matter what they chose, Hazel felt they would lose.

Another thought occurred to Hazel. "Where would Nico go?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look, then Percy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," he said. "I doubt he'd come back here, not after they made it all the way across the Atlantic."

"He waited until the centurions came, so Reyna wasn't alone with Octavian, then he got out of there with the statue and Hedge," Annabeth said.

"But if he'd just shadow-travelled from Maine, he must have been tired," Hazel said. "They can't have gone far. And if the Romans catch Nico, after what Octavian told them—," she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Then that'll be a bad day for those Romans," Percy said. "Nico's not helpless, Hazel. He'll be okay."

"Plus he's got the coach with him," Leo added. "That's got to count for something."

Hazel wasn't totally reassured, but Percy was right. Nico wasn't helpless. He was one of the most powerful demigods she knew. She hoped he could find someplace safe to go with the statue—and Coach Hedge. "So, what now?"

"Same plan as before, right?" Leo shrugged. "Frank checks out Athens in the morning and we go from there."

"And if anyone can go back to sleep, they probably should," Piper said. She noticed the looks the others were giving her. "Just a suggestion. If we're not sleeping, we should double-check the weapons and supplies."

"Good idea," Annabeth said, standing up. "Leo, can you help me with the ship's computer? I want to see if we can bring up a city map of Athens and maybe a schematic of the Parthenon, since Percy and Jason have both had dreams about Gaea being there."

"Sure thing." Leo got to his feet, too, and the two of them left the room.

Percy stared moodily at the video stream of Camp Half-Blood for a minute, then pushed his chair back. "Think I'll check out that map, too," he said and left the mess hall.

The room was quiet. Jason was slumped in his chair, looking defeated. Piper was spinning Katoptris on the table, as if resisting the urge to look into it. Hazel noticed that the arms of her own chair were now studded with rubies, which was not something she had done intentionally. Suddenly, Hazel couldn't bear to sit here; she needed to do something. She met Frank's eyes. "Let's go see if they've found anything," she said.

He nodded. "You guys coming?" he asked Piper and Jason.

Piper glanced at Jason's bowed head. "In a minute," she said.

Hazel and Frank climbed the stairs back to the main deck, where Leo, Percy, and Annabeth were clustered around the computer.

"Got it!" Leo pressed a button on his Wii remote and over the controls appeared a holographic image of the Acropolis, with Athens spread out below it and the Parthenon perched on top.

Frank surveyed the map critically. "If Gaea really has set up command in the Parthenon, that's not great for us. It gives her the higher ground if we try to attack. Top of a hill is an easily defensible position."

"But we have a flying warship," Leo pointed out. "Why can't we just come in guns blazing, like at the Colisseum in Rome, and blast her away?"

For a moment Hazel thought Annabeth was seasick; she almost turned green. "We are not blowing up the Parthenon. It's one of the most important historic buildings in the world."

"Nobody's blowing up the Parthenon," Percy assured her. "But Frank's right, we can't attack from below, either."

"Depending on what Gaea's forces look like, we might not be able to attack at all," Hazel said. "At least, not a frontal assault. There's seven of us. Even if she only has a couple dozen monsters with her, we'll be in trouble."

"And if she has the giants with her, we're in serious trouble," Leo said. "We can't defeat them without a god on our side."

"Apollo showed up to help today," Percy said. "Maybe the Olympians can get their act together long enough to give us a hand in Athens."

The five of them looked at the map, beginning to comprehend the magnitude of the problem facing them.

"We need more information," Annabeth said finally. "Hopefully Frank can learn something tomorrow. Then, we can make a plan."

"And put an end to both wars," Hazel said fervently.

"Exactly," Annabeth replied.

Chapter Text

XX. JASON

Jason usually tried to be upbeat but this—this hurt. He felt like he'd been sucker-punched. He also felt incredibly guilty because he was partly responsible for putting Reyna in this situation. Jason was so busy feeling awful about everything that he didn't immediately notice that everyone but Piper had left the mess hall.

She put a hand on his arm. "Jason, I'm so sorry. I know she means a lot to you."

Jason was grateful she said "means" and not "meant" since, as far as they knew, Reyna was still alive and would hopefully stay that way. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "We've been friends for a long time. And she's a great praetor. I just never thought—I mean, I know Octavian is a," he called Octavian a name that made Piper raise her eyebrows, "but I never would have thought he was capable of murder, or attempted murder, or whatever." He put his head in his hands again.

There was quiet for a few minutes, then Jason heard Piper huff in frustration. He looked up to see her sheathing Katoptris.

"The stupid knife never shows me anything useful," she complained. "I ask it to show me Reyna and all I get is the Parthenon. And what looks like a mountaintop."

"Thanks for trying," Jason said, taking her hand.

"Reyna's a fighter," Piper said. "She traveled across the Atlantic and halfway across Europe by herself. She's going to be fine. Unfortunately for you, that means she'll have beaten Octavian to a pulp before you ever get a chance to hit him."

Jason cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, he may not live long enough to regret this if Reyna recovers."

"When Reyna recovers," Piper corrected.

"Right." Jason looked at his girlfriend suspiciously. "Charmspeak?"

"No. I just really believe what I'm telling you."

Jason met Piper's eyes, with their swirling kaleidoscopic colors. He said a silent prayer of thanks to Apollo for helping them today and to Aphrodite for sending the sun god to heal her daughter. Jason had never felt more helpless in his life than he had on that hillside, seeing Ephialtes stab Piper and then being unable to do anything to save her. As if she knew what he was thinking, Piper leaned over and kissed him.

"It's been a long day," she said.

"That's an understatement."

They were quiet again, watching the flurry of activity at Camp Half-Blood on the video feed. Jason had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew the legion. He knew how they would react to what had happened to Reyna, on top of what happened at Camp Jupiter. If Camp Half-Blood couldn't fend off the attack, the Romans wouldn't just win. They would obliterate the Greeks and salt the earth where the camp had once been so that nothing would ever grow there again. Total destruction.

"We can't let it happen," he murmured.

"The war between the camps?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. "There's good and bad at both places, but if we could work together, both camps would be stronger. Look at our crew—we've got a mix of Romans and Greeks and we're better because of that." He looked at Piper again. "We've got to defeat Gaea and the giants so we can get back and save the camps. We have to shut Octavian up and explain about the eidolon that possessed Leo, and about Gaea, and the Athena Parthenos, and Hera's plan, and all of it. The Romans will listen. They're not all like Octavian. Most of them are good people."

"Like you. And Frank and Hazel. And Reyna." Piper kissed him again. "We're going to defeat Gaea and save the camps. I have no idea how, but between all of us, I know we can figure it out." She got to her feet and held out her hand. "Come on, let's see if the others found anything good on those maps."

Jason took her hand and followed her out of the mess hall.

As it turned out, the others hadn't found anything especially helpful on the maps. And it was only a little after two in the morning, way too early for Frank to fly to Athens. All their equipment and supplies had been checked before everyone went to bed, so there wasn't really anything to do, but no one seemed to want to go back to sleep either. Finally, Percy looked over at Jason.

"Want to spar?" he asked.

"Yes," Jason said immediately. It would actually be nice to work out some of his anger and frustration.

They moved to the middle of the ship. Jason had on jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, while Percy was wearing basketball shorts and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt; Jason tried not to read too much symbolism into their shirts. Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth were leaning against the railing, while Frank and Leo were standing at the helm. Jason drew his sword and Percy uncapped Riptide.

"Let's do this," Percy said.

They circled each other for a moment. By this point, they had a good idea of each other's fighting style. Jason knew that if he hung back, he could play off Percy's impatience. Just as he expected, the son of Poseidon attacked first. Jason blocked Percy's strike and twisted the blades so that he could swing his sword up in a slashing movement. Percy dodged the blow and faked another strike from above, but at the last moment he jabbed at Jason's exposed right side. Jason caught the attack on his blade and then immediately attacked low, causing Percy to jump back. Jason pressed his advantage, forcing Percy to go on the defensive as they exchanged blows. Jason's mind went on autopilot, his reflexes kicking in: strike, parry, duck, dodge, block, jab, feint.

Jason was surprised that Percy didn't try to go back on the offensive, but when the son of Poseidon took another step back so that he was standing against the railing of the ship with the sea behind him, Jason realized he might have been led into a trap.

Percy grinned. "Want to make things interesting?"

Jason narrowed his eyes, but he grinned back. "Don't start something you can't finish, man."

"I'll take my chances."

A massive wave rose up behind Percy. Before Jason could move, the wave crashed over him. He heard some shrieks and shouts from the others. When he blinked the saltwater out of his eyes, Percy had disappeared.

"Alright, Jackson," Jason muttered, "it's on."

He summoned the wind to carry him up and over the railing. He stayed about ten feet above the water, alert for any sign of a disturbance. Then, about five feet to his left, he saw a ripple. Jason zoomed backwards just as Percy burst out of the sea on a water spout. Jason blocked and parried his friend's blows, but Percy was significantly stronger on the water; it seemed to add power to his swings. Jason had to resort to flying higher up just to get a quick break.

"It's cheating if I can't reach you," Percy called.

"And it's not cheating when you have the whole ocean at your back?" Jason replied.

"That's just called using your resources."

Jason laughed. Then he dropped out of the sky, almost on top of Percy, but Percy had been anticipating this because he deflected Jason's attack and summoned a wave to carry him back to the ship. Jason followed, dropping lightly onto the deck. "Tired?"

"Not a chance," Percy said. He gestured to the ship. "Neutral ground, though."

"Ah, got it." Since he had hung back before, Jason now attacked first, hoping to throw Percy off. It worked for a second, because Percy was a moment slow at getting his guard up, but that didn't last long. They exchanged blows with a speed that left Jason relying entirely on his reflexes and instincts; if he stopped to think, he was going to be in trouble. It was his favorite kind of sword fighting, just relaxing his mind and letting his muscles take over.

Finally, arms shaking, Jason held up a hand and stepped back. "I give."

Percy lowered his sword. He was out of breath. "Should we call it a draw?"

"Sounds good." Jason wiped the sweat out of his eyes. "You've got some moves, man."

Percy grinned. "Thanks. You too.'

At the helm, Leo whistled. "Glad you guys are on our side."

Jason and Percy walked over to where the girls and Frank were standing against the railing.

"Not bad," Annabeth told Percy. "But you're still letting down your guard too much on your left side. You need to work on that." She handed him a glass of water, which Percy gulped down. "But overall, pretty good."

"Thanks," Percy said.

Jason took the cup of water Piper handed him. "You got any tips for me?" he asked her.

Piper laughed. "That would be a no. To be honest, I could hardly follow what was going on sometimes. You guys are fast."

"We'll keep working on the sword fighting," Hazel assured her. "Pretty soon you'll be kicking their butts."

"Awesome," Piper said.

Jason leaned against the railing next to her. The workout had made him feel better, but he still had a massive brick of guilt sitting in his stomach over what had happened to Reyna. And, since it was long after midnight, today was July 31st. Which meant that tomorrow was the Feast of Spes. One way or another, their quest would be over.

"So, I had a thought," Leo said.

"Uh-oh," Jason replied.

"Ha ha," Leo pulled up another holographic map of Greece and pointed to the blinking dot that showed the Argo II's position near Eleusis. "Since we're all awake anyway, we could go ahead and sail down the coast." He traced the route with his finger. It cut through a channel between an island and the mainland before opening up into the bay near Athens. "We can stay anchored out of sight of the shore, but we'll be a little closer to our destination and it won't be so far for Zhang to fly tomorrow. Or today, technically."

The crew exchanged glances, then Annabeth said, "Sounds like a plan."

"Alright then, let's roll," Leo said. He pressed some buttons, flipped a couple switches, and the engine came to life. Festus blew fire toward the sky.

Jason had butterflies in his stomach. Judging by the serious expressions on the others' faces, they felt the same way. After weeks of travel and months of planning, this was it. The final leg of their journey.

They were on their way to Athens.

Chapter Text

***Here's the "bonus" Nico chapter (since Rick Riordan had said on Twitter that there will be some Nico chapters in the real Blood of Olympus), hope you like it!***

XXI. NICO

Nico was beginning to regret coming to the Triple G ranch. Not that Eurytion, the giant cowherd, and his two-headed dog Orthus weren't good hosts; they were great, actually, and Eurytion's barbeque was the best Nico had ever had. But it was currently 110 degrees in the shade in Texas and Nico was not enjoying it. Plus, his skin honestly wasn't used to this much sunlight. Nico was pretty sure he was going to look like a tomato soon. He'd already been turned into a cornstalk in Venice; he really didn't feel like resembling any other vegetables. So he stayed on the farmhouse porch, in the shade, wishing for a breeze to make the day a little less sweltering. But, like most of the things he wanted, he didn't get it. The air was as still and suffocating as the jar Ephialtes and Otis had trapped him in.

Okay, don't think about that, Nico told himself sternly. But if he stopped thinking about the jar, and Tartarus, and Greece, he started thinking about Reyna. The image of her collapsing to her knees with a knife in her back was burned into his brain. And what had he done?

Run away. Because apparently that was what he was good at.

Telling himself he had saved the statue (and the satyr) didn't help. Nico glared at the Athena Parthenos standing in the front yard. Waves of heat rolled off its gilded surface, making the statue shimmer. So much effort, so much sacrifice for one stupid object that so far had done nothing except make everyone's lives miserable.

And after all that trouble to get the thing across the Atlantic, here they were, stuck in Texas almost two thousand miles away from where the statue needed to be. Nico slumped in his chair. He decided that if someone killed Octavian before he got a chance, he'd resurrect the skinny augur just long enough to punch him in the face. The thought marginally cheered him up.

The only good news was that, as far as Nico could tell, Reyna was still alive. At least, he hadn't noticed her die. Same with Hazel, Percy, Jason, and the others. Nico kept checking in with the Underworld, but he hadn't seen any of their spirits show up.

"So there's that," he muttered.

Coach Hedge came out onto the front porch. His baseball cap was pulled down low to shade his eyes and he was tapping his bat against his leg. The coach had thrown a fit when Nico shadow-travelled them away from camp, and not just because of Reyna. Hedge had come clean to Nico about his wife and baby. Nico had apologized for taking him away, but he finally made the coach understand it had been the best choice at the time. Once Octavian labeled them assassins, there was a good chance the Romans would have shot first and asked questions later. "You can't help your family if you've been executed," Nico had told him and, grudgingly, Coach Hedge had agreed.

Now, the satyr, too, shot a glare at the statue. "We need to do something about this. Feast of Spes is tomorrow."

"I'm open to ideas," Nico said.

"What, I have to be the brains and the brawn?" Hedge said indignantly.

Nico didn't respond. He was staring across the fields and animal pens (which were all in much better shape thanks to Geryon not yet reforming) and thinking about the last time he'd been at the ranch. He'd been lost and angry, avoiding dealing with his grief over Bianca's death by obsessing over bringing her back. Percy, and Annabeth, had helped him then. Nico wanted to help them, and Hazel, Frank, Jason, Piper, and Leo, by delivering the Athena Parthenos. If the statue could heal the gods, maybe the Olympians could help the demigods in Greece to defeat Gaea.

But Nico couldn't take the statue back to Camp Half-Blood. Without Reyna to mediate, there was almost no chance the Romans would listen. However, as Nico thought about it, there might be one other place he could take the statue. It wasn't exactly what they had planned, but he thought it might work.

Nico hated to admit it, but he needed help to make this plan work. He just had absolutely no idea where to get it. The only person he'd ever really gone on quests with was Percy and he was in Greece, probably preparing for the final fight with Gaea and the giants. Same with Hazel.

As he watched the river snaking its way across the fields in the distance, Nico was vaguely reminded of Percy telling him about Bob the Titan, who had helped him and Annabeth through Tartarus. Nico rememebered fighting the Titan on the banks of the Lethe before Percy blasted him with water and erased his memory. That had been during a less-than-fun quest when Nico's goddess stepmother Persephone had recruited him, Percy, and Thalia to the Underworld to retrieve Hades's lost sword.

Nico sat up straight liked he'd been jolted with electricity. That's appropriate, he thought wryly. He looked at Hedge, who was still grumbling at the statue. "I have an idea," Nico told the satyr.

Nico and Thalia had never been close. She was Annabeth's friend, and Percy's. But, Nico remembered, she had also been Bianca's friend. Plus, he had a lot of respect for the daughter of Zeus and the things she had done.

Thalia listened closely as he explained the situation through an Iris message. Her blue eyes were piercing, like her brother's, and Nico fought hard to ignore the memories of Croatia and Cupid. Focus, he thought. When he finished explaining, Thalia didn't ask questions. She just nodded and said, "We'll help you."

"We?" Nico asked.

"Grover and I." Thalia gestured to the satyr standing next to her. Grover waved. "We're in Colorado right now, but I can call in a few favors and we'll be there in a couple hours."

"Great, thanks," Nico said, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. It always half surprised him when people were willing to help him out. "See you soon."

He swiped through the Iris message and turned back to Coach Hedge. "Come on, we'd better get ready to go."

Eurytion was helping Nico attach a rope harness to the Athena Parthenos when Thalia and Grover walked up the gravel driveway. Orthus barked in two-part harmony and ran to greet them. Thalia scratched the dog's ears, but Grover cringed, remembering, Nico guessed, that the two-headed dog hadn't been quite as friendly the last time they'd been at the ranch. Orthus led the way back up the driveway, with Thalia and Grover following. They both froze when they saw the statue.

"Zeus Almighty," Thalia muttered. She looked at Nico. "And you say this will cure the gods' schizophrenia?"

Nico shrugged. "Supposedly. Athena told Annabeth in a dream that the statue needed to go to Camp Half-Blood, but with the war and what happened to Reyna, that's not going to work right now."

"So you want to take it to Olympus, instead?" Thalia asked.

Grover eyed the statue. "That thing's never going to fit in the elevator."

"No," Nico agreed, "which is why we're going to shadow-travel."

Grover gave a nervous bleat. "Shadow-travel onto Olympus? Without an invitation?"

"Pretty much."

"We are so going to get incinerated," Grover mumbled.

"Relax, goat boy," Thalia said, though she looked a little pale. "If this works, the Olympians will be thanking us."

"Let's get a move on, cupcakes," Coach Hedge said, coming out of the house where Nico suspected he had been sending an Iris message to his wife. "First stop, Olympus. Second stop, Camp Half-Blood." He eyed Nico. "You can get us past the barriers?"

"I've done it before," Nico said.

Hedge jerked his head in a nod. "Good. And, uh, the sooner we can get back to camp, the better, because the baby's coming soon."

"How soon?" Nico asked.

"Let's just say, I'd appreciate it if this Olympus business doesn't take too long."

Nico felt a jolt in his stomach. It took him a moment to realize that the feeling was excitement. With everything bad that was going on, it was a relief to know that something good, like a new baby, could happen, too. "Don't worry, Coach. You have my word that once we're done on Olympus, I'll get you home to your wife."

"Appreciate it," Hedge said gruffly, clapping Nico on the shoulder before going to the statue and picking up his part of the harness.

Thalia and Grover followed the coach's lead, strapping themselves in. Nico turned to Eurytion. "Thanks again for letting us stay."

"Glad to have the company," the cowherd said. He squinted at the statue, then held out his hand to shake Nico's. "Come back and see us again. And good luck."

"Thanks," Nico said again. For just a moment, despite the blazing sun and the humidity, he wished he could stay here on the ranch. It was peaceful. But he couldn't stay. He had to get the statue to Olympus and try to heal the gods so they could help his friends in Greece. Hazel needed him. Percy needed him. Nico couldn't let them down.

So he shook Eurytion's hand, gave Orthus a last pat, and stepped forward to take his place between Thalia and Coach Hedge. As he pulled the ropes over his shoulders, Nico said a silent prayer that his plan would work. He hoped at least one of the gods was listening. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped into the shadows.

Chapter Text

XXII. LEO

By the time the sun came up, Leo was beat. He just didn't want to admit it. They were anchored several miles away from the shore, with nothing to see but ocean, sky, and a few fishing boats and ferries. He had quadruple-checked every aspect of the Argo II and was confident that the ship couldn't possibly be better prepared for the battle ahead.

Frank was preparing to head off on his scouting mission. Hazel had stayed up to see him off. Piper was also on watch, but Jason, Percy, and Annabeth had gone back to their cabins to grab a few hours of sleep. Piper was now trying to convince Leo to do the same thing.

"Seriously, you need to rest," Piper told him. "You didn't get any sleep at all last night."

"Okay, fine," Leo said absently, focusing on the diagram he had pulled up. "But just let me check these boosters, because if we need to get away fast again, like with that turtle—," he was interrupted by Piper grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look at her.

"Go to bed," Piper said so forcefully that Leo's eyelids immediately got heavy. He was tempted to curl right up on the deck and take a nice nap.

"Yes, Mom," he yawned.

Piper gave him a push toward the steps. "Get some sleep. We can handle things for a couple of hours without you."

"Gee, I feel so loved," Leo said, but he went to his room without complaining more; he knew perfectly well he wouldn't be any good to anyone if he collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the battle.

He was tempted to go to the engine room, but if he went down there, he wouldn't sleep; he'd get caught up in tinkering with something. And he was afraid that if Piper found him still awake, she might do something drastic. Frankly, that Boread sword of hers was pretty intimidating. So he went to his cabin and flopped down on the bed. Within a minute, he was fast asleep.

This close to Athens and the final battle with Gaea, Leo anticipated having a nightmare, but his dream turned out to be the exact opposite. He found himself on a familiar white sand beach, which still sported the crater where he had crash-landed and destroyed a dining table and chairs. Leo's heart started racing as he looked around, but the beach was deserted. He followed the well-known path through the trees toward the place where he knew her garden was.

As he came out of the trees, his heart, which had been pounding, seemed to skitter to a stop. Calypso was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. Barefoot, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, with her long, caramel-colored braid hanging over her shoulder, she was staring into what looked like a Celestial bronze mirror. In it, Leo could see himself, lying passed out in his cabin on the Argo II. It wasn't the first time he had been in a dream and seen himself asleep, but it was a little embarrassing since his mouth was hanging open and he was snoring. He figured it might be a good idea to draw her attention away from that awkward image.

"So do you spend a lot of time spying on me?" he asked.

Calypso whipped around. Leo saw a flash of what might have been happiness cross her face before she managed to summon a haughty expression. "Of course not. Don't you think I've got better things to do with my time than stare at you? Besides, I only summoned you here to give you a warning."

"Sure you did." Leo grinned as he walked towards her. "Admit it, you totally just missed the awesomeness that is me."

Calypso wrinkled her nose. "I most certainly did not."

"Liar."

Their eyes met. Calypso muttered something unflattering in Greek before grabbing his t-shirt, pulling him close, and kissing him. Leo's brain felt like it was short-circuiting, but somehow he didn't mind one bit.

"Yeah, you missed me," Leo said when Calypso let go of him and stepped back.

She smacked his arm, but it only hurt a little bit, so Leo knew he was right. "For what it's worth," he added, "the feeling's mutual."

"Great," Calypso said, rolling her eyes. "But believe it or not, I really did bring you here for a reason."

"How did you do that, by the way?"

"I'm a goddess, duh! Drawing someone to you in a dream isn't that hard. Anyway," she turned back to the Celestial bronze mirror, "I've been watching Gaea and her minions, looking into the recent past to try to figure out what their plans are."

"That's impressive," Leo said, moving next to her so that he could see into the mirror, too, which was now showing the Parthenon.

Calypso waved her hand. "I told you, the past is easy, it's the present and the future that are harder to see. Unfortunately, Gaea and the giants must be using some type of magic to hide what they're doing because I could only make out bits and pieces. But none of it is good." She ran her hand across the surface of the mirror and the image zoomed in until they seemed to be standing in front of the Parthenon. Inside the ruined temple, Leo could see swirling dark clouds, which seemed pretty ominous. He guessed they were magical in nature, though, because the mortals crowding the ruins didn't seem to notice anything.

"That looks like fun," he muttered.

"That's not all." Calypso waved a hand across the mirror again and the image whirled. When it stopped, Leo could see what looked like Earthborn, Gaea's six-armed giants, and numina montanum, the mountain gods, scooping rocks out of a hole they were drilling in the top of a mountain.

"What the heck?"

"It gets worse," Calypso said grimly. The image panned up. Goosebumps exploded on Leo's arms and a shiver ran down his spine as he recognized the giant operating the drill. Leo flashed back to a mountaintop burning in California months ago.

His mouth was dry as he said, "Enceladus."

"Gaea and Porphyrion spoke of pulling the gods up by their oldest roots, right? That's what they're working on here. This is Mount Olympus. The original Mount Olympus. It's still imbued with the power of the gods—a part of their essence, their power, is tied to that mountain."

"And the giants are literally trying to dig it up," Leo said. "Which means my life just got a whole lot more complicated."

Calypso nodded. "You and your friends need to go to Athens first, to face Gaea. But after that, you've got to get to Mount Olympus and stop the digging. Otherwise—"
"Otherwise Gaea will be gone but the gods will still die," Leo finished.

"Pretty much." Calypso hesitated, then said, "Also, you need to be prepared. I couldn't understand the details, but it was clear that Gaea is planning some type of final trick or attack, to prevent your crew from getting to the Parthenon. You'll need to warn your friends when you go back."

The words "go back" startled Leo out of his thoughts of giants and dying gods. "And how soon do I have to do that?"

Calypso smiled sadly. "Now, my hero."

"Are you sure? Because I'm not really in a huge rush or anything."

Calypso laughed and the sound made Leo's heart leap. He liked making her laugh. "Nice try, but I've already kept you here too long. You need to get back to your ship and your friends." She kissed him again, which pretty much made this the best dream of Leo's entire life.

"This is real, right?" he asked.

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Obviously, you idiot. Now get back there and kill some monsters for me."

"I will," Leo said, gripping her hand tightly even as he could feel himself beginning to wake up. "And then I'm coming back here and breaking you out."

Calypso's smile didn't reach her eyes. Leo hated that she didn't believe him, but he understood why. "Good luck, Leo Valdez."

Leo woke with a start. He was disoriented for a moment before he remembered that he'd slept in his cabin, not the engine room. His mind was still spinning from his dream about Calypso. If he closed his eyes, he could still see her smile. The warning she had given him was ringing in his ears.

Gaea is planning some type of final trick or attack, to prevent your crew from getting to the Parthenon. But what exactly this trick or attack was going to be, Leo had no clue.

He jumped when Jason knocked and stuck his head in the door. "Hey man, glad you're awake. Frank just got back, so team meeting in ten minutes at the helm. Time to make a game plan."

"Great," Leo said, sitting up and throwing back the covers. "I've got some news, too. Spoiler alert: it's not good."

Chapter Text

XXIII. FRANK

Athens, Frank thought as he flew over it, was beautiful. The city sprawled like Rome, hills and ruins interspersed with the more modern buildings. But Athens felt even more ancient, thousands of years of history piled on top of each other like marble blocks. The one thing Frank was sure of as he rode an updraft higher above Athens and watched the morning light make the buildings glow brilliant white, was that they had to save this city.

Frank spotted the Acropolis, rising out of the center of the city, with the Parthenon perched on top. Bathed in sunlight, the temple was breathtaking, but Frank didn't have time to appreciate it right now. A vortex of dark energy, like they had seen on Santorini, was rising out of the heart of the Parthenon. Dread settled in the pit of Frank's stomach, but he flapped his wings and sped towards the disturbance.

He had settled on a hawk form for this scouting mission. Despite what he'd told Leo, a pigeon would have been just too embarrassing. Besides, his vision was sharper as a hawk. Which was a good thing because, as he reached the Acropolis, he was able to spot the Cyclopes and snake-women (dracaenae, Annabeth had said they were called when he'd described them to her) stationed every twenty feet around the base of the hill. The mortals ignored the sentries. Frank figured the Mist made them look like really ugly statues or something, but he doubted the monsters would allow demigods to pass through their ranks. So that was problem number one. As he flew higher, he spotted problems two, three, and four: Gaea had stationed monsters in three more rows, each a little further up the hill. There were about two hundred monsters in all, which meant that the demigods would be outnumbered almost thirty to one. Frank really didn't like those odds. But he didn't spot the biggest problem until he flew over the Parthenon itself.

The temple was open to the sky, so Frank had no problem spotting the two giants standing inside, looking over what seemed to be a map. The larger giant had lima-bean green skin and weapons braided into his hair; based on the description Jason, Leo, and Piper had given, Frank guessed that this was Porphyrion, the king of the giants. But it was the second giant that turned Frank's blood cold. The metallic golden skin, rust-red dragon legs, and hair glinting with precious stones were gut-wrenchingly familiar.

Alcyoneus was back.

Hazel slammed her fist on the table. Plates and glasses rattled. "I cannot believe he's alive again!"

The crew was gathered around the table in the mess hall, alternately eating lunch and discussing their situation. Nobody had been happy when Frank had told them what he'd seen, but Hazel was irate. Her golden eyes flashed and all the silverware was shaking as if it was about to zoom towards her. Frank put a hand over her clenched fist.

"We took Alcyoneus down once," he told her, "we can do it again."

"Frank's right," Percy said in between bites of blue pizza. "And after Polybotes, Ephialtes, and Otis reappearing, we should have expected Alcyoneus, too."

Hazel's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, but it's my fault he even exists now. If I hadn't raised him—"

"You died to stop him from rising," Frank said fiercely. "It's not your fault."

"And you defeated him in Alaska," Piper pointed out. "This is Gaea's fault. She's the one who brought the stupid giants back through the Doors of Death."

Leo winced and set down his fork. "Yeah, about that. I had a—a vision or a dream or whatever about another old friend. Enceladus is back, too."

Jason and Piper both turned pale. Jason swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti and said, "Where is he? The Parthenon?"

Leo shook his head. "He's on Mount Olympus. The original Mount Olympus." He quickly told them about the giants' plan to dig up the mountain and destroy the gods. "But we have to stop Gaea in Athens first. Then, she said, we can go to Mount Olympus and stop Enceladus."

"Wait, she?" Frank asked. "She who?"

Leo turned bright red and became very interested in his burger. Percy, for some reason, was also suddenly looking at his plate. Frank felt lost.

"Leo?" Piper asked gently. "Who are you talking about?"

Leo muttered something so low that even Frank, sitting across from him, didn't catch it.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

Leo took a deep breath and lifted his head. "Calypso. I had a dream about Calypso. Her island is where I ended up when Khione blasted me into the sky."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "But she was supposed to be released. The gods were supposed to set her free after the Titan war last summer."

"Yeah, well, they didn't," Leo said. "But that's going to change when we get back."

Percy looked up. "Yeah, we're going to fix that."

Leo nodded curtly and both boys returned to their food.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Okay, so back to the problem at hand. Let's focus on dealing with Porphyrion and Alcyoneus here in Athens first. Then we can figure out what to do about Enceladus on Mount Olympus."

"Sounds good," Piper said. "And at least we don't need a god to defeat Alcyoneus."

"Yeah, but if he's been reborn here in Greece, that's an issue," Frank said. "He's immortal in his homeland."

Jason ran a hand over his hair. "And how far to an international border?"

"Too far," Frank said.

"The giants aren't even our biggest problem, though," Hazel pointed out. "How exactly are we supposed to put Gaea back to sleep?"

"A lullaby and a glass of warm milk?" Leo suggested.

"Maybe the torches will do it," Piper said.

"Aside from Gaea and the giants, there's still the army of monsters waiting at the Acropolis," Frank said. "We're seriously outnumbered. And we can't use the scepter of Diocletian again, not without Nico."

"Can't you use it?" Percy asked Hazel.

She shook her head. "I can't control the dead."

"There's also Porphyrion," Jason said. "We can't defeat him without a god."

Annabeth tapped her fingers on the table. "Let's start with the problems we can solve. Theoretically, we should be able to defeat Alcyoneus and the monsters without extra help. We just need the right strategy."

"Okay, you're the strategist," Percy told her. "What have you got?"

"Actually, I was thinking that what we need is to appoint one person to be in charge of our strategy, like a commander," Annabeth said. "That way we're organized and there aren't five different people giving orders at once. And I nominate Frank for commander."

Frank was pretty sure he had heard her wrong. "I'm sorry, what?"

Strangely, no one else seemed surprised. They were nodding thoughtfully.

"That's a good idea," Jason said. "Like in the House of Hades."

"But you guys," Frank gestured to Jason, Percy, and Annabeth, "all have more real world battle experience than I do."

"Maybe so," Annabeth said, "but, Frank, you have a knack for realizing someone's strengths and then utilizing them on the battlefield in the best possible way. That's the type of strategy we need for tomorrow. So, yes, I nominate you for commander."

"I second that," Hazel said immediately, smiling at Frank.

"Third," Leo said, somewhat to Frank's surprise.

Percy raised his hand. "Fourth."

"Fifth," Piper said.

"You've got this, man." Jason clapped him on the shoulder. "I, uh, sixth the motion."

Frank's face was burning. His friends' confidence in him filled him up like a warm drink, but he was terrified of letting them down. However, after a moment he managed to say, "Thanks, guys." Then, he pushed his plate away and straightened his shoulders. "Alright, let's get to work."

Chapter Text

XXIV. PERCY

Making a plan took the rest of the day, partly because there were so many details and partly because they kept being interrupted by monsters. Several times an hour, two or three members of the crew would have to run from the mess hall where they were drawing up their battle plans to fend off first Stymphalion birds, then gryphons, followed by several venti attacks, and culminating in an attack by what looked like a skolopendra junior, which took all seven of them to defeat. By the time that monster sank back into the sea, blazing green with Greek fire, everyone was exhausted. Every muscle in Percy's body ached; he felt like he'd taken the final for his "Monster Fighting 101" class. And the real battle hadn't even happened yet.

"I believe this day can be called 'sucktastic,'" Leo said as he set the ship hovering a little ways over the ocean, to hopefully prevent any more marine animal attacks.

"That sounds about right," Percy muttered.

Leo told Festus to call them if there was an issue, then the crew trooped back to the mess hall for dinner and to finalize their plans.

"The timing's going to be tricky," Jason said, scrutinizing the plans as they all wolfed down their food (nothing like fighting monsters to give you a great appetite, Percy thought), "but I think this is going to work."

"It's like a machine." Leo swallowed half a slice of pizza in one bite. "Separately, it's just a lot of random pieces, but when you put everything together, it's greater than the sum of its parts."

Annabeth froze with her fork suspended in the air. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, staring into space.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked.

Annabeth blinked, but before she could answer, Percy said, "That's your 'I'm planning something' look."

"I do not have—."

"You do."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Percy grinned. "And that's your 'I'm annoyed at Percy again' look."

"She makes that one a lot," Hazel said.

They all laughed, even Annabeth. Percy gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. "So, what's your brilliant plan?"

"It's not really a plan, more of an idea," Annabeth admitted, "but Leo made an interesting comment."

"Excuse me, all my comments are interesting, thank you very much," Leo said. Piper smacked his arm. "Geez, Beauty Queen!"

"Go on," Piper said to Annabeth as Leo rubbed his arm and glared at her.

"Like I said, it's really just more of an idea, or a feeling, but the concept of a machine being greater than the sum of its parts, well, I wonder if that would apply to us, too." She looked around the table, seeming, Percy thought, surprisingly nervous. "The prophecy specifically mentions seven half-bloods. What if it's not just referring to the quest as a whole? What if it'll actually take all seven of us, working together, to put Gaea back to sleep?"

"That makes sense," Hazel agreed. "But the problem is still how we do that."

"That," Leo said, pointing his fork at her, "is the million drachma question."

Annabeth shrugged. "Anyway, it's something to think about. Maybe somebody will have a brilliant flash of insight tomorrow."

"Here's hoping," Percy said.

Silence fell around the table. As far as Percy could tell, everyone had finished eating. Now they were all, like him, eyeing their battle plan, checking for any last mistakes. Percy had to admit, it was a pretty sweet plan, if it worked. Annabeth had been right in nominating Frank for commander; the big guy was seriously skilled at utilizing everyone's strengths to create a hopefully winning strategy. As far as Percy could tell, the only problem with the plan was their one major wildcard: the gods. They thought they had figured out a way to defeat Alcyoneus, but there was no way they could take out Porphyrion without some serious godly back up.

Jason must have been thinking along these lines, too. "Aphrodite sent Apollo to heal Piper," he said. "Surely one of the Olympians will help us out tomorrow, too. I mean, they don't want the world destroyed either."

"Sure," Leo said. "Though it's too bad we don't have another trireme of gold to sink as a tribute."

Hazel drummed her fingers on the table. "The gods—Hecate, Dionysus—they've all forced us to prove ourselves before they step in to help. Maybe that's what we'll have to do in Athens. If we defeat Alcyoneus and the monsters—"

"—and put Gaea back to sleep," Frank added.

"Right," Hazel said. "Then maybe the Olympians will show up to help us finish off the other giants."

It got quiet again. Percy knew they had all been skirting around the issue of how to put Gaea back to sleep as they'd made their plans. The truth was, he had no clue how that was supposed to work. They were putting a lot of faith in Demeter's torches, hoping that once they were lit, a way to knock out the demented earth goddess would become clear. But, although he hated to admit it, Percy didn't have a lot of faith in that particular part of the plan. He was trying to stay optimistic, but the truth was they were relying on luck just as much as strategy.

Leo clapped his hands and the others jumped. "Good pep talk. Now, everyone who's not on first watch should probably get some rest so we can be up bright and early to kick some monster booty."

Hazel, Frank, and Piper drew dish duty. Percy found it baffling that there were magic plates that could produce any food you wanted but couldn't clean themselves. Leo went up to check with Festus about the ship's status and Jason accompanied him, since he'd drawn first watch with Annabeth. Annabeth moved to follow Jason and Leo on deck, but Percy held her back.

"I'm supposed to be on deck for first watch," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I know, but this'll only take a minute," Percy replied, pulling her into his cabin. He shut the door, then leaned against it.

"Look, about Calypso," he started to say, but Annabeth stopped him.

"Percy, it's fine," she said. "Honestly. We've talked about this. You came back and we're together now. That's all that matters." She met his eyes and he remembered the conversation they'd had shortly after they started dating, about Calypso and Rachel and Luke. It hadn't been particularly enjoyable (actually Percy had been terrified Annabeth would stab him when he said he'd kissed Rachel), but they had agreed it would be easier to hash everything out so they could start fresh without having to feel guilty or hide things from each other. Now, Annabeth continued, "But we're going to have to make sure the gods keep their promise when we get back. Calypso deserves a chance to be happy, too."

"Yeah, I hope—I hope all our friends can be happy," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at him quizzically. "Was that all?"

"No, not really," Percy said, suddenly nervous. He had planned out what he wanted to say in his head, but now, standing here with Annabeth in his dimly-lit cabin, everything he'd planned to say went right out of his brain.

Instead he blurted out, "Before the drakon attack, at the Empire State Building last year." Annabeth raised her eyebrows, and Percy hurriedly continued, "I wanted to pull you aside then and tell you—but there wasn't time. And now with the battle tomorrow, I just—if it all goes wrong, I don't want—I mean, I think you already know but still—"

Annabeth took his hand. "Breathe, Percy. Just spit it out."

He squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to tell you, you're my best friend and you mean everything to me."

Annabeth looked surprised for a moment, but then she smiled slowly. Her gray eyes sparkled in the dim sunset light from the porthole as she slid her arms around his neck. Percy's pulse began to race.

"Ditto, Seaweed Brain," she said. Then she kissed him. Percy experienced the now familiar sensation that his brain was melting. He would have given a lot to just stay in this moment.

Eventually, Annabeth pulled away, but Percy kept his arms around her. He was afraid to let go. "Everything's going to be fine tomorrow, Percy," she said. "We have a good plan; it'll work. We'll put Gaea back to sleep, take care of the giants, and sort out the mess with the camps. And then—."

"And then what?" Percy asked.

"Ask me when we get back to New York." She kissed him again. "Now, I need to get on deck. Try to get some sleep; you'll need it."

Reluctantly, Percy let her go. She gave him a last, quick kiss, then disappeared into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Percy tried to sleep, but his brain didn't want to shut down. He tossed and turned for a while, going over the plan for tomorrow and trying not to think about everything that could go wrong. He thought about his father's advice: "How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"I don't know, Dad. What the heck does that even mean?" he muttered.

None of the others had asked him about Poseidon's message again, probably because of the way he reacted when he first heard it. Percy was pretty embarrassed about that, to be honest. He hadn't meant to lose control, it had just been such a shock. Annabeth was right, though. His dad wouldn't have given him that message unless it was important. Percy just had to trust that when the time was right, he would understand what it meant.

When he finally managed to fall asleep, his dreams were even less restful than usual. Percy felt like he was falling into Tartarus again. He was surrounded by darkness, but this time, Annabeth wasn't with him. He was alone in the dark, tumbling over and over, unable to get his bearings. Most disturbing of all was the rumbling noise that seemed to be coming out of the darkness around him. Without knowing how he knew, Percy recognized the sound.

It was the sound of Gaea laughing at him.

An urgent voice shocked him out of his nightmare. "Percy. Percy! Jackson, wake up!"

Percy opened his eyes to see Leo standing over him. "Leo, what—?"

"They're gone," Leo said. His face was ashen and his hands were shaking. "Hazel and I went up on deck, to take second watch, but there was no one there. Jason and Annabeth, they're—they're gone."

Chapter Text

XXV. PIPER

A nightmare, Piper kept thinking, please, please, just let it be a nightmare. But it wasn't. Jason was gone. Annabeth was gone. And they'd left their weapons behind.

Jason's Imperial gold blade was lying in the middle of the deck, near the main mast, amidst several piles of monster dust that were already starting to blow away. Annabeth's drakon bone sword was near the helm, also surrounded by the remains of at least two or three monsters.

"So they put up a fight," Frank said dully. The rest of the crew was gathered around the helm as Leo's fingers flew over the controls, trying to find something that would indicate what had happened to their friends.

"Of course they did, it was Jason and Annabeth," Hazel said. She looked as shell-shocked as Piper felt. Hazel and Leo, coming up for second watch, had been the ones to discover that their friends were missing. Hazel had woken Piper up. One look at the other girl's face told Piper something was very, very wrong, but she'd refused to believe the truth until she'd come up and seen the empty deck for herself. They'd run a quick search over the rest of the ship, just to be sure, but it had been pointless; Jason and Annabeth were not on the Argo II.

"How could this have happened?" Percy asked. He was clutching the hilt of Annabeth's sword so hard his knuckles were white. "Why didn't we hear anything? Why didn't they sound the alarm?"

"Maybe it happened too fast," Hazel suggested. "What does Festus have to say about it?"

The dragon had left a scorch-mark on the deck, so he'd obviously tried to help, but Leo shook his head. "He isn't specific. He just keeps repeating 'bad-giants-bad' over and over again."

Piper turned cold at those words. "Which giants?"

"I don't know. Like I said, he's not big on specifics. But I'm trying to pull up the infrared scope, see if I can run it back, check the recorded data. Maybe it'll give us some information."

Suddenly, the air above the console shimmered. "Is that the data?" Piper asked.

"I'm not doing that," Leo said.

"Incoming Iris message," Percy said tersely.

The scene solidified and all five of them gasped. Jason's nose was bleeding, there was a rising bump on his forehead, and one eye was swollen almost shut. Annabeth had a cut on her forehead and a massive bruise on her cheek. Both of them were gagged, on their knees, with their hands tied behind their backs. Behind them loomed—

"Porphyrion," Piper hissed.

The giant king's skin was the color of lima-beans, his hair braided with swords and spears. His massive reptilian legs were big enough to crush Jason and Annabeth flat. His blank white eyes met Piper's and he gave her a leering grin. "Piper McLean. Good to see you again. And Leo Valdez, as well. I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the rest of your crew, but Gaea has told us all about you, Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang."

"Let them go." Percy's voice was dangerously, deadly calm, but his eyes were blazing. "If you hurt them, Porphyrion, I swear you'll wish I'd only sent you back to Tartarus."

The giant king threw back his head and gave a booming laugh. "I love a good boast. But here are the facts, demigods. We have brought these two," he gestured to Jason and Annabeth, "here to Mount Olympus, where their blood will water the stones and wake the Earth Mother. Your quest has failed. At sunrise, they will die. Gaea will rise and the reign of the giants will begin."

Piper's heart was beating fast and not just because of the horrible things Porphyrion was saying or the fact that he was holding her friends hostage. When Porphyrion said they were on Mount Olympus, Annabeth, almost imperceptibly, shook her head. He's lying, Piper thought, eyes flickering from her friend to the giant king and back.

"Enjoy your night, little heroes. It will be your last. At sunrise, your world will end." Porphyrion raised a massive hand and swiped through the message.

No one spoke as the image of Jason, Annabeth, and Porphyrion faded. All Piper could hear was the rapid breathing of the others and her own pounding heart.

"We have to rescue them," Percy said. "And not just because—because they're our friends. We can't let Gaea use them as a sacrifice."

"No, we can't," Leo agreed. He typed in some commands, then said, "Sunrise is exactly four hours from now. Which is about how long it's going to take us to get to Mount Olympus from here, assuming we're not attacked on the way."

"They're not on Olympus," Piper said through numb lips. The others turned to look at her.

"Porphyrion said Mount Olympus," Hazel told her.

"But Annabeth said no." Piper looked around at her friends. "Didn't you guys see her shake her head?"

The others, even Percy, all looked confused and Piper's stomach dropped. Could she be mistaken? But she didn't think so. She was certain she had seen Annabeth shake her head no when Porphyrion stated they were on Mount Olympus.

"We only get one shot at this," Frank said. "If we choose wrong—"

"The people we love will die and the world as we know it will end," Percy finished. "Yeah, we know."

"I'd rather trust Annabeth than Porphyrion," Hazel said quietly. "If she says they're not on Olympus, then they must still be in Athens. Besides, that's where Frank saw Porphyrion earlier today—at the Parthenon."

"But just because they're not on Olympus doesn't necessarily mean they're in Athens," Leo pointed out. "What if they're at some random location that just happens to have some old stones?"

Frank shook his head. "Gaea wants a big ceremonial sacrifice, she wouldn't choose some random spot. The problem is that using Olympus, the original Olympus, actually makes more sense than Athens, if you think about it. Olympus was the original seat of the gods' power. Athens was just sacred to Athena."

"But Athens was the heart of Greece," Piper argued. "And maybe there's something symbolic about having the sacrifice on the Acropolis. It was one of the most sacred spots in Ancient Greece."

"I'm with Piper," Percy said. "Frank, you're right that Mount Olympus makes more sense, but if Annabeth said that's not where they are, I believe her."

"Guys, I think we're missing an obvious point here," Leo said. "Why would Porphyrion try to trick us?"

Everyone got quiet. Then Hazel said, "It's a trap."

"Actually, I think it's two traps," Leo said. "I'm betting that if we were to go to Olympus, there's a trap waiting for us there. And there's probably some plan to capture or kill us if we go to the Parthenon. Think about it. Porphyrion and company had to know we'd try to rescue Jason and Annabeth."

Frank's jaw was clenched; he looked to be about halfway through a bulldog transformation. "Leo, can you bring up a diagram of the Acropolis?"

"On it," Leo replied. A moment later, a holographic image of the Acropolis blinked into existence above the controls. Frank studied it for a moment, then nodded.

"Obviously we can't use our original plan," Frank said. Piper knew he was right. Their original attack plan relied heavily on Jason's wind and lightning powers and Annabeth's ability to improvise. Plus, it had been designed for seven demigods to carry out and they were down to five. "But I have another idea. We have four hours until sunrise, right?"

"Three hours and fifty-five minutes, to be exact," Leo replied.

Frank took a deep breath. "Fine. So let's all get ready—armor, weapons, those Eleusinian torches, everything—and meet back up here in ten minutes to work on our new plan. Sound good?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, then the crew separated to gather their equipment and get ready. But as Percy started to follow Frank, Hazel, and Leo down the stairs, Piper put a hand on his arm to hold him back.

"What's up?" he asked her.

Piper met his eyes. "We're getting them back," she said. There was no charmspeak in her voice, but she saw the same determination in Percy's eyes that she herself felt.

"Yeah," he said, "we are."

He squeezed her shoulder and the two of them headed downstairs. But Piper felt better knowing that they had the same goal in mind even more fiercely than the others. There was no way they would allow the giants to use the people they loved in some horrible sacrifice to wake a demented goddess.

Chapter Text

XXVI. ANNABETH

Annabeth had been trapped before. She thought the worst was when Atlas pinned her underneath the weight of the sky, which had been excruciatingly painful and left her helpless, a feeling she hated. But being stuck in a metal cage like a maltreated animal was humiliating. And to make matters worse, she was trapped in a cage in the middle of the Parthenon.

Ever since she had learned about the existence of the temple, and particularly its relevance to her mother, Annabeth had wanted to visit the Parthenon. Not only was it the most important temple of Athena, the building was also an architectural marvel. There were no straight lines in the entire place, yet due to an optical illusion it appeared that all the pillars were perfectly formed. The truth, Annabeth knew, was that if the structure had been designed with perfectly straight lines its pillars and walls would have appeared to bend or narrow. It was truly a genius design. But this wasn't exactly the way she had imagined seeing it.

The attack had happened so suddenly she and Jason never stood a chance. The moment the first dracaena landed on the deck, Annabeth had run for the helm to sound the alarm and wake the others, but she never made it there. Two more dracaenae and a Cyclops had been dropped by their gryphon rides onto the deck in front of her. She managed to kill both of the snake-women before the Cyclops grabbed her and forced her to drop her sword. At the mast, Jason had killed the first dracaena, plus three Cyclopes, but he was overwhelmed by two more Cyclopes, who grabbed his arms and held him in place as another dracaena hit him over the head with the butt of her spear. Jason went limp, his sword hitting the deck with a dull thud. Annabeth tried to bite the hand her Cyclops captor had clamped over her mouth, so she could at least yell for help, but it didn't work. The monster didn't even flinch. Before she could do anything else, the gryphons swooped back down and carried their group off to the Parthenon.

Now, Annabeth glanced over at Jason leaning against the bars a few feet away. He still looked a little dazed; she guessed the snake-woman had hit him pretty hard. "You doing okay?" she asked.

Jason winced as he gingerly felt the knot on his forehead. "I'll live. But I'm pretty sure I'll have a permanent concussion by the time this quest is over."

Annabeth managed a small smile. "You don't have anything to pick a lock with, do you?"

Jason shook his head. "I could try lightning, but there's a good chance I'd electrocute you. And, honestly, I'd rather face Gaea than Jackson if that happened." He looked at her sideways. "You know they're going to try to rescue us, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Annabeth's heart sank. She knew Percy would come after her as certainly as she'd known he would try to rescue her from Atlas. But she was equally certain that, just like with Atlas, he and their friends were being led into a trap. "Do you think they believed Porphyrion about being at Mount Olympus instead of here?"

"No idea."

They lapsed into silence. Annabeth leaned back against the cold metal bars and closed her eyes. Think of something positive, she told herself. She thought about Percy pulling her into his room after dinner, the adorably nervous look on his face when he told her she meant everything to him, the way her heart began to race, the feel of his lips on hers. He had seemed reluctant to let her go and although she had tried to pretend otherwise, she hadn't wanted to leave. She felt safe in Percy's arms. But, like on the banks of the Acheron in Tartarus, she knew the sad reality was that none of them were safe. Obviously, she thought wryly, opening her eyes to the sound of pounding footsteps coming closer.

She and Jason both turned to watch as Porphyrion and the golden giant Alcyoneus lumbered forward, carrying between them a massive casket. Annabeth felt nauseous. Except for the fact that it was made of clay rather than gold, the casket looked almost exactly like the one in which Kronos had reformed.

The floor shook as the giants dropped the casket directly in front of Jason and Annabeth's cage. Alcyoneus leered at them. "Not much longer, demigods." He stamped his foot and water began to pour from a crack in the marble floor of the temple. It flowed around the base of the casket, softening the clay. "The casket will be dissolved by sunrise, revealing the Earth Mother's form. And then all we'll need to do is add a few drops of your blood."

"All of their blood," Porphyrion corrected.

Alcyoneus frowned. "It will only take a few drops to wake the Earth Mother. Why kill them when we can torture them?"

Porphyrion's mouth twisted in annoyance, like this was a conversation he was tired of repeating. "Yes, a few drops would wake the Earth Mother. But to achieve her full power, she requires a complete sacrifice. She needs their life's blood. All of it." Porphyrion turned his blank white eyes on Annabeth and Jason, then said softly, "Besides, we'll have the other five to torture. That should be more than enough."

Annabeth felt sick, but as the giants began to walk away, she remembered something Hazel had told her. "It won't work," she called to the giants' retreating backs.

Porphyrion and Alcyoneus paused, then turned back to look at her. "And why is that?" Alcyoneus sneered.

"Because you need willing victims," Annabeth said, hoping she was right. Hazel had said Gaea required her mother's willing sacrifice in order to raise Alcyoneus. When Marie Levesque had denied her that and died resisting Gaea, the earth goddess's plan had fallen apart. "You can kill me, but I'll never willingly help to raise Gaea."

"Same here," Jason said, glaring at the giants.

Porphyrion and Alcyoneus exchanged a look, then Porphyrion said, "And why do you think we want your friends to join us?"

"But you told them to go to Mount Olympus," Jason said.

Porphyrion shrugged. "If they go to the mountain, Enceladus will capture them and bring them here. But we all know they will check this temple first. You demigods are as predictable as you are noble."

"Why do you need the others?" Annabeth asked. "You have us for the sacrifice."

The giant king gave Annabeth a smile that chilled her blood. "Well as you just said, daughter of Athena, you won't willingly die to raise Gaea. But I have a simply strategy to force your cooperation. Alcyoneus mentioned torture; that's always a good method. Love is also a useful tool. If I combine the two, well—son of the sky god, you met Cupid in Croatia, didn't you? You saw for yourself how dangerously powerful love can be."

Sparks shot down Jason's arms. He was glaring at the giant, his jaw set, but his face was pale.

"How long will you hold out, once you hear Piper McLean screaming in pain? And you, my dear," Porphyrion continued, his blank white eyes boring into Annabeth's, "how long will you be able to listen to Percy Jackson begging me for mercy before you willingly turn yourself over to Gaea?"

Annabeth's breathing was shallow. She wanted to sob or scream. Most of all, she wanted a weapon she could drive right into Porphyrion's sneering face. But she had nothing. All she could do was sit there as the giants marched out of the temple, roaring with laughter.

Jason's face was ashen. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Annabeth sank to her knees inside the cage, watching as the first softened pieces of clay crumbled away from the casket. Despair gripped her. She looked at the ruins of the temple around her. The Parthenon had once been imbued with the power of Athena. Please Mom, Annabeth prayed silently, I need your help. Give me a sign, an idea, anything. Please. She waited, holding her breath, hoping.

But there was no response.

Chapter Text

XXVII. HAZEL

Hazel didn't want to split up. It seemed like every time the crew did that, something bad happened. Of course, she thought, gazing up at the towering cliff of the Acropolis, bad things happened when they were all together, too, so maybe it didn't matter. Still, she wasn't happy about it.

"Okay, does everyone have what they need?" Piper asked quietly.

Percy held up a rope, Leo raised the Eleusinian torches he was holding, and Frank just nodded. Leo stuck the torches into his toolbelt. "Torches, check. Fire guy, check. Shape-shifting friend, also check," Leo said.

"Did your idea work?" Percy asked Hazel.

Hazel placed her hand against the cliff. She concentrated and the next moment, a perfect handhold formed in the stone. "It works."

Percy exhaled. "Awesome."

Their plan was straightforward. There were caves all over the Acropolis that had been dedicated to various gods and goddesses over the centuries, including one to Demeter. Frank thought he had a pretty good idea of where that cave was from studying the map on the ship. He and Leo were going to find it and light the torches. They were hoping that by being underground, the torches would work better, burning Gaea up from inside. Leo also thought he could rig up something that would basically create a quick-burning inferno in the heart of the Acropolis. The goal was to put Gaea back to sleep without destroying the ruins.

Hazel was amazed at Frank's bravery, considering the plan involved fire, but ever since he'd been given the role of praetor, he seemed to have more confidence. She was proud of him. Originally, she'd planned to go with Frank and Leo, to help search underground, but it made more sense for her to help Percy and Piper with the second part of the plan. The three of them were going to climb the cliff to the top of the Acropolis, hopefully avoiding Gaea's monster guards that way, and rescue Jason and Annabeth from the giants. They needed Hazel for this part of the plan, not only because she would be able to create hand and footholds to help them climb, but because Frank suggested she might be able to exert some control over Alcyoneus, as she had done in Alaska, by using his jeweled skin against him.

Sunrise, when Porphyrion had declared he would sacrifice Jason and Annabeth in order to raise Gaea, was still about an hour away, which would give them just enough time, barely, to carry out their plans. There were so many things that could go wrong, Hazel felt sick, but this was the only good idea they had.

Hazel kissed Frank. "Be careful."

Piper hugged Leo and kissed him on the cheek. "And good luck."

"You too, Beauty Queen," Leo said. He looked at Frank. "Ready?"

Frank nodded. "Let's go."

The two of them set off. Within seconds, they had disappeared into the trees. Hazel took a deep breath, then turned to Percy and Piper. "Who's ready to climb?"

They looped the rope around their waists so that if one of them slipped, they wouldn't fall to their death, then Hazel started to climb, creating hand and footholds from the solid rock as she went. The climb wasn't as hard as she expected. Piper, too, seemed to be doing fine, climbing with a determined look on her face. Percy, however, was struggling a little bit because he was taller than her, which, Hazel realized, meant that the handholds she was making as she went along weren't quite as convenient for him.

None of Gaea's monster sentries were around, but several times Hazel froze against the rock as gryphons swooped overhead, shrieking. The sound brought back memories of the quest to Alaska. She shuddered, remembering the train crash and the gryphon attack. As she started climbing again, though, she smiled at the memory of hiding from the monsters with Frank and Percy under a blue giant's butt.

The smile disappeared as she remembered that Alcyoneus was waiting at the top of the hill for her. Hazel was more angry than afraid about having to face the giant again. How many times was she going to have to pay for her mistakes, her weakness? More importantly, how many times were her friends, and the world, going to have to pay?

Every so often, Hazel glanced over her shoulder at the sky, which was very slowly lightening. Dawn wasn't far off. She began to climb faster.

When she reached the top, Hazel signaled for Piper and Percy to stop. Slowly, she raised herself up until she could just peek over the edge of the cliff. The ruins were deserted. Hazel climbed up onto the flat hilltop, then held out a hand to help Piper and Percy up.

"I have spent way too much time rock-climbing on this quest," Percy muttered as he untied the rope from around his waist.

Piper and Hazel also untied themselves, then Hazel stuffed the rope into her backpack. The three of them crouched behind some large marble slabs, scanning the ruins. The temple was lit by floodlights, which made the columns glow with a soft, golden light. But inside the pillars, Hazel could see the swirling vortex of dark energy Frank had mentioned, which obscured whatever was inside the temple.

"Where are the giants?" Piper whispered. "Or the monster guards Frank saw yesterday?"

Hazel looked around, but the ruins were completely deserted. That didn't make her feel better.

Percy's mouth was set in a grim line. "It's a trap."

Hazel nodded. "They want us to go into the temple."

She exchanged looks with Percy and Piper. None of them wanted to walk into a trap, but they didn't have much choice. If Jason and Annabeth were here (which Hazel sincerely hoped they were, and not on Mount Olympus), it was almost guaranteed that the giants were keeping them in the temple. The best the demigods could do was be prepared and try to avoid being caught completely in the giants' trap.

Piper drew her jagged Boread sword. "Let's kick some giant booty."

Hazel and Percy drew their swords, too. The three of them set off across the hilltop, looking around constantly, waiting for an attack. The chill morning air gave Hazel goosebumps. The only sound was the scuff of their shoes against the stones. They hesitated as they reached the foot of the temple, then Percy started up the steps with Piper and Hazel following. As they passed beneath the pillars and entered the heart of the temple, Hazel gasped.

In the center of the temple was a raised stone slab, surrounded by lumps of wet clay. And on top of the slab lay the massive sleeping body of the earth goddess.

Gaea was ready to wake.

Hazel was so horrified by the earth goddess that it took a moment for her to spot the equally nauseating sight of Annabeth and Jason locked in a cage beside Gaea's body. Before she could take a step in their direction, though, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Heroes. So noble. So predictable."

Hazel reacted instinctively. She reached out her hand, called for the jewels in Alcyoneus's hair to obey her, and, with a shout, she yanked the giant to the ground. The floor trembled as Alcyoneus collapsed.

"YEEEAAAGGGHHH!" the giant screeched.

All Hades broke loose as several dozen monsters flooded into the Parthenon, charging between the pillars, straight at the demigods.

"Get those open!"

Percy told Hazel, gesturing to the cages as he and Piper raised their swords.

Hazel sprinted across the temple floor, dodging around monsters, rocks, and Gaea. Behind her, Alcyoneus was getting to his feet. Hazel dove toward the cages just as Alcyoneus roared like an angry bull and charged towards her.

Hazel was afraid the cages would be made of steel or some other metal that wouldn't respond to her, but fortunately they were made of silver.

"Did they think you were werewolves or something?" Hazel muttered. She took a deep breath and remembered the gold bar in New Rome, which she had reshaped easily. She held out her hand, then clenched her fist and the bars melted into puddles.

"Thank you," Annabeth said, ducking out of the cage.

"Yeah, thanks, Hazel." Jason winced as he stood up straight.

"No problem." Hazel handed them back their weapons, then turned to face Alcyoneus. The giant was stomping towards her, nostrils flared. She didn't think he could breathe fire, but he looked mad enough to try.

"YOU DARE TO EMBARRASS ME?" Alcyoneus bellowed. "YOU UPSTART, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING LITTLE—"

He was cut off by a rumble that shook the entire hill. Everyone—Alcyoneus, the monsters, Hazel and her friends—froze. Then, a new voice spoke, a voice Hazel knew well. It seemed to echo from the earth around them, but the voice itself came from one place: the body of Gaea.

"Good-for-nothing?" Gaea said. Her voice was still murmuring, sleepy, but closer to being awake than Hazel had ever heard it. "Not true, Alcyoneus. These demigods are good for so many things. Most importantly, they will be perfect for ensuring my rise." The ground rumbled a second time, like the aftershock of an earthquake. "You were correct though, in saying that they are predictable." The earth goddess laughed lightly. "Did you think, little demigods, that I did not know about Demeter's torches? Did you think you could distract me here, while Frank Zhang and Leo Valdez attack me from below? Fools!" Gaea hissed the last word.

Hazel's heart was thumping so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest. "What have you done to them?"

Gaea laughed again, though her lips didn't move. "You should have gone with them, Hazel Levesque. Then, they might have stood a chance. But unfortunately, there was no one around to protect them when the cave collapsed."

"No!" Hazel shrieked.

"Yes," Gaea said. "They're dead, but don't worry, you'll join them soon." She raised her voice, giving orders to the monsters surrounding them. "Seize the son of Poseidon and daughter of Athena. I want them for my sacrifice. Kill the others."

Chapter Text

XXVIII. PERCY

If Percy had a dollar for every time he heard a monster or god say "Kill them," he would have had a great start on his college fund. Unfortunately, all he ever got was attacked.

Egged on by Gaea, the monsters attacked with renewed force. Luckily, Hazel had gotten Annabeth and Jason free and returned their weapons, so they were able to help Percy and Piper fight the monsters while Hazel took on Alcyoneus. From what Percy could tell in between stabbing, dodging, and bashing monsters with the hilt of his sword, Hazel was holding her own against the giant. Her control over precious metals and gems had remarkably improved since Alaska; she was weaving around Alcyoneus's feet, keeping him off balance as she made the gems in his hair jerk his head from side to side. Alcyoneus was roaring in rage, but he seemed unable to counter Hazel's attacks. Percy grinned as he sliced a dracaena in half and stabbed a gryphon on the backswing.

His smile faded quickly, though. The fight was going badly. Even after defeating half the monsters on the hillside, the demigods were still outnumbered three to one. The sun was just appearing over the horizon when Percy found himself next to Piper, a few feet away from Jason, Annabeth, and Gaea's body. Percy could hear the earth goddess chuckling to herself, even over the noise of the battle. "We need to put her back to sleep," he told Piper.

Piper nodded. "I have an idea. Cover your ears."

Percy did what she said. Piper bent down next to Gaea. "Go to SLEEP," she said, so forcefully that Percy's eyes grew heavy and half a dozen monsters immediately collapsed, snoring. One Cyclops even started sucking his thumb. But Gaea's laughter continued.

"You cannot believe it would be that easy, little demigods," a new voice rumbled from behind Percy. Before Percy could react, he felt a massive arm encircle him, pinning his arms to his sides as Porphyrion, the king of the giants, raised him into the air. Porphyrion's other hand swept out and knocked Piper off her feet.

A scream. Percy looked up to see Alcyoneus kick Hazel in the chest. She flew through the air, crashed into a marble pillar, and slumped at its base, unconscious.

"Hazel!" Percy yelled.

"Now, brother!" Porphyrion called to Alcyoneus, tightening his arm around Percy. Percy struggled against the giant king's grip, but he couldn't break free. The remaining monsters had Annabeth and Jason surrounded, holding them at spear point. Piper was trying to get up, but something was wrong with her leg; she didn't seem able to stand. Percy tried to control the saltwater flowing around Gaea's platform, but it wouldn't respond to him. He was forced to watch, helplessly, as Alcyoneus strode through the circle of monsters, grabbed Annabeth, and dragged her next to Gaea.

"You have failed, demigods." Porphyrion's voice boomed out over the Acropolis. "Gaea has gotten exactly what she wanted—the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena will be her sacrifices. Yes, on the very spot where your parents once competed to be patron of Athens, your blood will wake the Earth Mother!"

The monsters cheered, banging their swords and spears against their shields. The sound set Percy's nerves on edge, but his brain felt numb. This was why Gaea wanted Annabeth and him—because she planned to sacrifice them at the place where Poseidon and Athena had their competition to find out who would become patron of Athens. Percy remembered Annabeth telling him the story on their very first quest together. Poseidon had created a saltwater spring, Athena had created an olive tree, and apparently the people of Athens decided they preferred olives to saltwater. Go figure.

Percy was out of ideas. He couldn't break out of Porphyrion's death grip and across from him Annabeth was having no luck getting away from Alcyoneus. Hazel was unconscious, there was a good chance Frank and Leo were dead, Jason was surrounded by a dozen monsters, and Piper was injured. Percy glanced up at the sky, hoping against hope, but no godly help appeared.

Instead, a flying ham smacked Porphyrion in the head.

"What the—?" the giant was so startled, he lost his grip on Percy, who dropped to the ground and rolled out of arm's reach of the giant just as a pineapple caught Porphyrion between the eyes.

Piper was still on the ground, but her eyes were narrowed as she used the cornucopia to pelt the giant king with cooked meats and produce.

Percy took advantage of the distraction to stab Alcyoneus in the rump. The giant wailed and dropped Annabeth just as Porphyrion bellowed with rage and charged at Piper.

The wind rose, rushing through the Parthenon. Jason yelled. Lightning streaked out of the sky. Percy, Annabeth, and Piper dove for cover as lightning arced off Jason's Imperial gold blade, and ricocheted around the temple, bouncing off the pillars, incinerating monsters, and making Alcyoneus squeal in pain. Porphyrion, however, absorbed the electricity as if he didn't even feel it. The giant king snarled and stalked towards Jason. The wind rose higher, now whipping dust and stones into a tornado that rose from the Parthenon. But below the wind, below the yelling, below the sound of his own pulse thudding in his ears, Percy could hear Gaea's laughter reverberating through the ground.

He knew Annabeth could hear it, too, because her face was pale as she said, "We have to put her back to sleep."

"How?" Percy demanded. "We don't have the torches, the gods obviously won't help us, our friends can't help us. Besides, she's not even awake, how the heck—" The truth crashed into Percy like a tsunami. His father's words came back to him, but he suddenly understood them. "How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?" Percy murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked.

"My dad's message. I just got it." Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm. "Come on!"

The wind was swirling around them, but they managed to fight their way back to Gaea's side. Percy's heart was racing. "We have to wake her up."

"Are you insane?"

"Possibly. But I'm also right. My dad's message, 'How do you put to sleep that which is not awake'—he meant Gaea. We can't put her back to sleep if we don't wake her up first."

Annabeth's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh gods."

"It makes sense, right?" Percy insisted.

"Yes, but Percy, if we're wrong—"

"I know," Percy said. "But I'm sure this is what he meant."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I believe you, Seaweed Brain." She moved to stand on Gaea's other side.

Percy locked eyes with Annabeth. "I love you," he said. It was the only thing worth saying at this point.

She gave him the ghost of a smile. "I know."

Not taking his eyes off her, Percy drew his sword across his palm as Annabeth did the same. Before he could register the pain, or rethink the insane thing he was about to do, he slapped his bleeding palm into Gaea's open, grasping hand. Across from him, Annabeth had pressed her hand against the goddess's. For a single heartbeat, nothing happened.

And then the earth exploded around them.

Chapter Text

XXIX. JASON

Jason heard the explosion and turned just in time to see Percy and Annabeth flying through the air away from a funnel cloud of dirt and stones rising from the summit of the mountain. The funnel cloud expanded until the entire Acropolis was encompassed in a swirling vortex of dirt and stone. Jason flattened himself on his stomach to avoid being brained by the chunks of marble whipping through the air. He tried to control the winds, but he didn't stand a chance; a force far more powerful than anything he'd ever experienced had control of the storm. It was impossible to see anything through the clouds of dust. Jason had no idea where his friends were or if they were okay. All he could do was brace himself and wait for the tempest to die down.

But when it did, Jason looked up and his insides dissolved. Standing in front of him was a woman. Except she was clearly not human: she was twenty feet tall, wearing a green dress, with dark, curly hair tumbling around her shoulders. She was beautiful, he supposed, but there was also something cruel and malicious about her face. Her eyes, when she fixed them on Jason, were as dark and bottomless as pits and her smile was cold. Jason knew he should stand up and draw his sword, but the power and malevolence radiating from the woman froze him to the spot.

Gaea was awake.

The earth goddess's gaze traveled slowly around the temple, moving from Jason to the remaining monsters, kneeling awestruck before her, over Hazel, still slumped against a pillar (Jason had no idea whether she was conscious or not), over Piper, who still had the cornucopia in one hand and her sword in the other, but looked just as stunned as Jason felt, and passing over Porphyrion and Alcyoneus, who looked beyond thrilled, before settling on Percy, who was crumpled on the ground not far away from Gaea. Jason couldn't tell if he was alive or dead and he had no idea where Annabeth was; for all he knew, she'd been thrown off the Acropolis during the storm, though he seriously hoped that wasn't the case.

Gaea walked toward Percy. Jason wanted to say something, like "stay away," but his voice wouldn't work. He met Piper's eyes and knew they were both thinking the same thing: How could this have happened? How could Gaea be awake?

The earth goddess bent over Percy with a smug smile on her face. She reached forward, but before she could touch him, Annabeth said, "Leave him alone!"

Gaea straightened up. Jason followed her gaze to where Annabeth was standing on a fallen block of marble. She was covered in cuts and scrapes, but her sword was in her hand and her eyes were blazing.

Gaea's smile widened. "My dear," she crooned, as if Annabeth were a long-lost child, "I believe I have you most to thank for my rise. You made such lovely bait to draw out my favorite pawn." The goddess gestured to Percy, sprawled at her feet.

Annabeth's eyes didn't waver from Gaea's face. Jason knew she had to be panicking, but her face and voice were calm as she said, "You haven't risen yet, Gaea. For that, you need a full sacrifice. We only gave you enough blood to wake you up."

Jason's heart began to race. "Wait, what? You guys woke her up on purpose?"

Annabeth glanced at Jason. "Only way. Remember Neptune's advice?"

How do you put to sleep that which is not awake? Suddenly, the sea god's cryptic advice made sense. Jason saw Piper's eyes widen in understanding.

Gaea waved a hand. "It doesn't matter. I am awake now. War will soon break out between the demigod camps and when it does, the soil will be drenched in the blood of Olympus. It is only a matter of time until my rise is complete. Until then, there are other tasks I can accomplish, now that I have a physical form."

At the goddess's feet, Percy groaned. Jason saw relief wash across Annabeth's face. Gaea looked down at Percy again.

"The upstart hero," she mused. "Though I suppose I could use that term to describe all of you on Hera's team." She said the last word scornfully, then gave a short laugh. "The best heroes Olympus has to offer. What a joke."

Jason gritted his teeth. He managed to get to his feet, his sword clenched in his hand as he faced Gaea. "Yeah, we were such a joke when we defeated the Titans last year. And it's pretty funny how we've been beating up your precious giants for months, isn't it? Who's the real joke here, Gaea?"

The smile disappeared from Gaea's face. Now, she was wearing a very ugly look that was directed at Jason. He knew he should feel more afraid, but he was tired of the stupid earth goddess bullying him and his friends. She'd been doing it for decades, ever since she'd taken over Marie Levesque's mind. Gaea had cost Hazel and her mother their lives. Then, she'd come back again and tricked Leo into starting the fire that killed his mother. Not to mention all the things she had done to try to prevent the demigods from even reaching Athens in the first place. Jason was over it.

"You're going to lose," he told Gaea. "Just like Kronos."

Gaea snarled. Porphyrion, Alcyoneus, and the dozen or so monsters scattered around the temple were looking back and forth between the two of them like they were watching a tennis match. Jason raised his sword. In his peripheral vision, he saw Piper and Annabeth do the same.

"I don't have time for this," Gaea snapped. She turned to Alcyoneus. "Handle these demigods, then join us on Olympus. We will destroy the gods at their roots. And then we will destroy everything else."

Alcyoneus cracked his jewel-encrusted knuckles and nodded. "Don't worry, Mother. They will die. Painfully."

Porphyrion smirked. Jason felt equal parts enraged and sick with fear. Gaea gave the demigods one final, cold smile. She raised her hands and the earth trembled.

"Enjoy watching your world burn, little heroes," she hissed as the earth opened up and swallowed the goddess and the giant king.

Chapter Text

XXX. HAZEL

Hazel came to just as Gaea and Porphyrion disappeared into the ground. She assumed she had a concussion, because that image made no sense whatsoever. What she could understand, though, was Alcyoneus and a pack of monsters attacking Jason, Piper, and Annabeth.

Hazel pushed herself to her feet, even though every muscle in her body protested the movement. Her head was swimming from slamming against the pillar and she felt like throwing up, but she forced herself to take in what was happening in the Parthenon. Jason was flying around Alcyoneus, dodging the giant's attacks and occasionally stabbing him with his sword, much to the giant's annoyance. Piper seemed to be injured, because she was standing with all her weight on her right leg, but she was holding her own against several dracaenae, who were getting in each other's way with their wild spear swinging. In her other hand, Piper had the cornucopia, which she was using to shoot cheeseburgers into the air. Hazel realized the brilliance of this strategy when she saw that the gryphons shrieking above them were much more interested in the burgers than the demigods, diving to snatch the food out of the air.

Closer to Hazel, Annabeth was slicing through some Cyclopes, trying to get to Percy, who was lying on the ground, barely moving. Before Hazel could move to help any of her friends, a Cyclops charged towards her. Hazel raised her cavalry sword just in time to cut the monster's legs out from under him and he crumbled to dust before he even hit the ground. One down, she thought.

Looking around, Hazel saw that there were less than half a dozen monsters left. That, she knew, they could handle. The real issue was Alcyoneus. The giant was still roaring in anger, flailing around and trying to snatch Jason out of the air, but not having much luck. They needed to take him out. And Hazel thought she might actually know how to do that. But she needed help.

She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled, as loudly as she could. Please hear me, please hear me, she thought desperately, crossing her fingers. Her heart leapt as she saw a tan blur come streaking across the hills and down the streets. Arion trampled down the final three dracaena and a Cyclops before stopping in front of Hazel and whinnying proudly.

She climbed into the saddle and patted his neck. "Good horse. Now let's take down this giant again. You remember how we did it in Alaska?"

Arion neighed and reared up on his hind legs, which Hazel took for a yes. She pulled the rope she, Percy, and Piper had used while climbing the Acropolis from her backpack. "Okay, let's go!"

They charged forward so fast Hazel was able to loop the rope twice around the giant's legs before Alcyoneus realized what was happening.

"What is this?" The giant tugged at the rope, then glared at Hazel. He lunged towards her, but he was no match for Arion's speed. The horse dodged nimbly out of the way and added a kick at Alcyoneus's face for good measure.

Hazel secured one end of the rope around Arion's saddle, then tossed the other end to Jason. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"We have to get him over the water," Hazel said. "Alcyoneus is only immortal in the land in which he's reborn."

Jason grinned. "Let's go!"

Jason summoned the wind and Hazel spurred Arion, who took off like a shot. Alcyoneus howled as he was dragged forward. There was a dull thunk as his head hit a pillar, but he kept on yelling, cursing Hazel, Jason, and their friends and describing the different tortures he would make them suffer when he was free.

Talk all you want, buddy, Hazel thought as they sped through Athens, the bay rapidly growing closer. This ends now.

They got to the water and Hazel cut the rope tying the giant to Arion at the same moment Jason let go of the end he was holding. Alcyoneus skipped across the surface like a stone, then began to sink like one. The gold and gems covering his body dimmed like a flame inside the giant had been snuffed out. He glared at Hazel as he flailed in the water. "This isn't over, demigods. You will never defeat Gaea or my brothers. When the Earth Mother rules, the Underworld will be mine. And then, Hazel Levesque, your soul will burn for eternity."

Hazel looked at Jason. "I am sick of listening to this guy talk."

Jason nodded. "Let's shut him up."

He raised his sword and thunder rumbled. Lightning arced off the Imperial gold blade and blasted Alcyoneus in the chest. Before the giant could recover, Arion raced over. Hazel leaned down from the horse and plunged her sword right through the giant's heart. Alcyoneus disintegrated with a final, anguished wail.

Annabeth, Percy, and Piper were waiting for them when they got back to the Acropolis. All three looked like they'd had some ambrosia. Hazel was relieved to see Percy back on his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she slid off of Arion.

He nodded. "Took a chunk of marble to the head. I don't recommend it."

Annabeth looked from Hazel to Jason. "Alcyoneus?"

"Rubble," Jason said.

Piper bit her lip. "What about Frank and Leo?"

Fear crashed into Hazel, choking her. In the chaos, she had almost forgotten what Gaea had said about causing a cave-in and crushing them. "Oh gods."

Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them."

"I'll make a quick pass around the Acropolis," Jason volunteered. "That way we don't waste time looking in the wrong place." He summoned the winds and disappeared over the side of the cliff.

They waited in silence for him to come back. Arion whickered softly and nuzzled Hazel. She stroked the horse's nose mechanically, fighting to keep the panic at bay. After only a few minutes, Jason returned. Hazel's heart twisted when she saw the grim look on his face.

"I found the right cave," he said. "But we have a serious problem."

It was obvious that there had been a cave-in. Boulders, loose stones, and dirt spilled from the mouth of the cave, completely blocking the entrance. The sight made Hazel nauseous and judging by her friends' pale faces, they felt the same way.

"It might not be as bad as it looks," Annabeth managed to say. "Maybe—maybe just the entrance is blocked. They could have been further back and just been trapped."

Piper's chin trembled. "Either way, we have to clear the entrance."

"Can you move all of these rocks?" Percy asked Hazel.

"I think so." Hazel thrust out her hands, willing the stones to move aside, to create a tunnel so she could rescue her friends.

Nothing happened. It was like the earth itself was resisting her. With a shock, she realized that it was. Gaea was trying to keep her from saving her friends.

Rage like she had never known filled Hazel. She hated Gaea. She hated her for taking away her mother, her first life, Sammy, everything. But the earth goddess was not taking Frank and Leo.

The ground shook. Against her anger, this pile of rocks was nothing. Hazel screamed. Boulders burst into gravel. Stones flung themselves out of the way, clearing a path straight into the heart of the cave.

Hazel fell to her knees, dizzy with the effort.

Percy pulled her to her feet, his eyes wide. "That was terrifying."

"Come on," Hazel said. "We need to find Frank and Leo."

The cave was shallow. Twenty feet in they found Frank and Leo sitting up, coughing from the dust and covered in bruises, but alive.

Such powerful relief washed over Hazel it made her knees wobbly. She half-tackled Frank, throwing her arms around him. "You're alive!"

"Yeah, well, it's nice to have a friend who can turn into an elephant when the roof collapses," Leo said as Jason held out a hand and helped him up. "Zhang here held the rocks back long enough to slow the cave-in and keep us from being completely crushed. I assume we have Gaea to thank for that one?"

"Yep," Piper said as she hugged Leo.

"Great," Frank grumbled as he and Hazel stood up. He looked at Jason and Annabeth. "At least the rescue worked out and you were able to keep Gaea from waking up."

Percy winced. "Yeah, about that—"

The earth trembled. Hazel closed her eyes and willed the rocks around them to stay in place. After a moment, the earthquake died down.

"Let's get back to the ship," Hazel suggested. "It sounds like we have a lot to discuss."

Chapter Text

XXXI. LEO

Leo was feeling fantastic—not! Actually, he felt like someone had used him as a punching bag. That was probably because Gaea—the dirt-face queen of potty sludge—had dropped several tons of rocks on top of him. If it hadn't been for Frank turning into an elephant and slowing the cave-in, they would have both been crushed. And just to make this day even better, it turned out that Percy and Annabeth, acting on Neptune's stupid advice, had actually awakened Gaea, the very thing they had all been trying so hard to avoid.

Now, back on the Argo II, Leo set course for Mount Olympus while the rest of the crew gathered around the helm to figure out what the heck they were supposed to do next.

"How fast can we get to Olympus, Leo?" Piper asked.

Leo glanced at the controls. "At top speed, about two hours."

Percy turned pale. "Seriously?"

Leo punched a button on the Archimedes sphere and brought up a map of Greece. The blinking dot indicating the Argo II's position hovered over Athens. Leo pointed to the triangle that marked Mount Olympus, near the northeastern coast of Greece. "Seriously. Mount Olympus is about two hundred miles away from Athens, up here in, well, the mountains. We're not going to cover that distance in ten minutes."

"Fine. That gives us time to come up with a plan," Annabeth said. "But first, we need to figure out—"

She stopped speaking as the air near the main mast suddenly shimmered.

"Is that an Iris-message?" Hazel asked.

"This better not be another giant," Leo muttered.

It wasn't.

"Rachel!" Annabeth gasped.

The Oracle of Delphi breathed a sigh of relief. "Annabeth, Percy, you're alive! Oh, thank the gods! Listen, we have a problem."

Rachel moved back so they could see the other head counselors at Camp Half-Blood gathered around the Ping-Pong table in the Big House rec room. Leo recognized Clarisse from the Ares cabin, Katie from Demeter, Butch from the Iris cabin, Lou Ellen from Hecate, Travis and Conner Stoll from Hermes, Pollux from Dionysus, Will Solace from Apollo, and even Clovis from the Hypnos cabin, though he was slumped over and snoring. Near the doorway stood Chiron, in full centaur mode, frowning with his arms crossed.

"The Romans are preparing to attack," Rachel continued. "But we're at an impasse." She gestured around at the assembled counselors. "Half of the counselors vote for striking first, attacking the Romans before they attack us. The other half say we should just defend ourselves—keep the Romans out of the camp, but don't go on the offensive."

"The best defense is a strong offense," Clarisse said. She was already dressed in full armor, her spear in her hand.

Will Solace's hand clenched on his bow as he glared at Clarisse. "That's stupid. We have the ability to hold them off from a distance, so we should do that. We don't need another battle like the Labyrinth or Manhattan. We don't need the casualties. Or did you forget about those?"

Clarisse shot to her feet. "I've forgotten nothing, Solace."

Chiron stamped his hoof against the ground. "That's enough." He looked toward the Iris message and said dryly, "As you can see, there's a bit of a disagreement."

"There's no tie if Travis and I vote separately," Conner Stoll said.

"It's one vote per cabin," Chiron said wearily. "We've been over this."

"Um, guys," Percy said, "no offense, but we're kind of dealing with a situation over here, too. Why did you contact us?"

"You have almost half the head counselors on your ship," Rachel pointed out. "Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena. We need your votes."

Leo exchanged glances with Jason, Piper, Percy, and Annabeth, but it was clear they were all thinking the same thing. "No."

Clarisse sneered. "What a surprise. Of course, you're all chummy with the Romans now, right? Wouldn't want us to hurt your new friends."

"It's not that," Annabeth said. Quickly, she explained about Gaea and what they were trying to do now. "But if there's bloodshed between demigods at Camp Half-Blood, she'll wake up fully and we'll never be able to put her back to sleep. You have to hold off the Romans, defend the camp, but it can't come to full combat."

Some of the counselors nodded, others looked put out, but after a moment, even Clarisse grudgingly muttered, "Fine."

Chiron nodded. "Thank you. Now, we'll plan our strategy here, while the rest of you focus on what you need to do in Greece."

"Good luck," Rachel said as she raised a hand and swiped through the Iris message.

There was silence on the deck as the message faded.

"Well, that was fun," Leo said.

"Good thing they didn't try to contact us when we were on the Acropolis," Percy said.

"Octavian's going to launch a full-on attack," Hazel said. "How long can Camp Half-Blood hold out?"

"As long as they need to," Annabeth said, though Leo thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. But it was gone the next second as she took a deep breath and said, "But we can't worry about that yet. We have to focus on what we need to do here. We have to stop Gaea."

"Right," Piper agreed. "So, now we need a new plan. Any thoughts?"

Frank was staring into space, obviously thinking hard. Leo was about to ask him if it hurt, when Frank unexpectedly grinned. "What's the second line of the prophecy again?"

"To storm or fire the world must fall," Jason recited with a frown on his face. "What about it?"

"Why does it have to be 'or'?" Frank said. "I say, we give them both—storm and fire."

"You have a plan?" Hazel asked.

Frank nodded. "It's either brilliant or insane."

"The best plans are usually a mix of both," Annabeth said.

"Better be something we can put together quick, though," Leo said, glancing at the ship's computer screen. "We're now officially only ninety minutes out from Mount Olympus."

An hour later, Leo watched, stomach churning, as Mount Olympus rose up against the sky ahead of them. Even from this distance, Leo could see the massive hydraulic drill that was burrowing into the heart of the mountain and, nearby, the smaller shapes of Gaea, Porphyrion, and Enceladus. Monsters, an army's worth of them, swarmed the sides of the mountain. Leo swallowed hard. Frank's plan, which had seemed genius an hour ago as they'd sailed over the Greek countryside, now seemed completely suicidal. But it was too late to change anything.

Of course, it never hurt to have a backup plan. Leo hesitated, then typed in a couple of commands to Festus, just in case. Then, he joined the others at the railing.

They'd dropped off Piper and Annabeth a few miles back with the Eleusinian torches and Arion. Between Hazel and Percy, they'd been able to convey the plan to the horse and he'd agreed to help. While the other five caused one epic distraction, Piper and Annabeth were going to try to sneak around and light Gaea up like a bonfire. Leo hoped it would work. There had been a debate about whether he should go instead of one of the girls since he was, as Jason put it "the fire guy," but in the end they'd gone with Annabeth and Piper. Demeter had given the torches specifically to the two of them and the whole crew agreed that might mean they were supposed to be the ones to use them. Leo was fine with this—the last time he'd tried to use the torches, several tons of rock had collapsed on his head.

Jason, Hazel, Frank, and Percy were all grim-faced as they watched the mountain looming closer but, to their credit, no one said, "Oh gods, we're going to die."

"Autopilot is set," Leo said as he joined his friends. "Ship will stop and hover over the summit, hopefully just out of reach of those stupid rock gods."

"Numina montanum," Hazel clarified, her eyes fixed on a group of them stacking boulders a few hundred yards away.

"Yeah, those," Leo said.

Percy gripped the railing. "And you're sure that's a hydraulic drill? Like, it's going to have water?"

Leo nodded. "When I saw it in Calypso's mirror, it looked like a standard hydraulic drill, which means it should be using water as a coolant. With any luck, you'll be able to blow it up."

"But not until after we're finished with the 'fire' part of things," Frank said. "Since, you know, water puts out fire and all."

Percy cracked a smile. "Yeah, so I've heard."

Hazel glanced at Frank. "And you're sure you can do the transformation?"

"I think so." Frank concentrated, then turned into a massive grizzly bear. Leo had gotten so used to Frank's shape-changing that he only flinched a little bit. The grizzly closed its eyes, then suddenly shrank into a lion. A second later, the lion turned back into Frank, who said, "Yep, animal to animal without having to go back to human in between."

Hazel smiled. "That's amazing."

"Why a bear and a lion?" Leo asked.

Frank shrugged. "First things that popped into my head."

The Argo II was now only a hundred yards from the summit of Mount Olympus and drawing the attention of the monster army below. Hundreds of monsters began yelling and shaking their fists at the ship. A few arrows whistled past the railing.

"Oh good, we have fans," Leo said.

"Everyone ready?" Jason asked.

The others nodded, then flinched as what looked like a bronze dodgeball blew up near the ship.

"I hate Laistrygonians," Frank muttered. He gave Hazel a swift kiss, then changed into a giant eagle.

Jason clapped Leo on the shoulder before summoning the winds and rising over the side of the ship. Together, he and Frank flew down to the summit. Leo had to admit, it looked pretty impressive.

Apparently, Gaea didn't think so. The earth goddess looked massively ticked off as Frank and Jason hovered a few feet away from where she was standing between Porphyrion and Enceladus. "You! How are you not dead?"

"Turns out your boy Alcyoneus couldn't get the job done," Jason said. "And you're about to go the same way he did. But we're here to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" Porphyrion's blank white eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, a deal." Jason drew his sword. "Pack all this up and crawl back into whatever hole you came from. Otherwise, we're going to send you to Tartarus the hard way."

"He's pretty good at that acting confident stuff," Leo muttered.

Hazel hushed him.

Gaea stared incredulously at Jason for a long minute, then her upper lip curled in a snarl. "Arrogant demigod. You are no match for us." She looked toward the army of monsters, waiting for instructions. "Kill them!"

"And she says we're the predictable ones?" Percy grumbled.

Before the monsters had time to react, Frank changed forms. Suddenly, a massive, fire-breathing dragon materialized above the mountainside. Frank spread his wings, unhinged his jaw, and deep-fried the monsters' front line. Meanwhile, Jason summoned the winds, which began to blow hard and fast around the summit.

"That's our cue," Percy said.

"Showtime," Leo agreed.

Hazel reached out and grasped their hands. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Darkness enveloped them, but the next second Leo blinked and they were standing on the mountain, right behind Jason, who had landed near the drill. Leo fought down the wave of dizziness and nausea from shadow-traveling or Mist-traveling or whatever it was; no time to be sick now. Frank was still swooping over Gaea's troops, breathing fire and wreaking havoc, which was awesome, while the Dirt Queen herself was shrieking orders at her troops, orders the monsters were completely ignoring. Leo grinned, but he couldn't concentrate on that. He had another part to play.

Jason's tornado was growing, gathering dust and loose stones into its vortex, and making Porphyrion and Enceladus stumble as they ran into its sides. The giants growled in frustration. Leo focused on them, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the monsters who weren't on fire, most of them Cyclopes, were now charging up the slope, toward the demigods at the summit.

"Hazel, Percy, now would be good!" Leo shouted.

"I'm still not sure about this," Percy shouted over the wind. "The last time I tried this, I sort of blew up a volcano. And we're trying to, you know, not destroy this mountain."

"Man, this is a really bad time to mention that!" Leo dodged out of the way as Porphyrion made a grab for him, then shot a fireball that caught the giant king right in the nose. Porphyrion stumbled toward the drill, frantically batting at the flames.

"It'll be fine, I'll help you," Hazel said. "But it has to be now!"

Percy grimaced, but he drew his sword. "Here goes nothing."

Two dozen Cyclopes were less than fifty feet away when Hazel raised her hands and the ground trembled. Jewels, silver, Imperial gold, and Celestial bronze shot into the air. Some pierced monsters like bullets and they dissolved on the spot. The rest rained down or got swept into the windstorm Jason had created.

But the monsters were still coming. Leo felt a tremor run through the ground. He turned just as Percy yelled and sank Riptide to the hilt into the mountainside. A crack rippled out from where the sword touched and water spouted into the air. The ground rumbled and suddenly a massive chunk of stone broke away from the side of the mountain, starting an avalanche that swept a hundred monsters down the mountain and over the edge of a cliff.

Before they could enjoy their momentary victory, there was a crackle of electricity. Leo, Percy, and Hazel whipped around as Porphyrion raised his spear and a bolt of dark lightning shot from the end of the weapon, straight at Jason's chest. Jason didn't have time to move. The bolt hit him directly in the chest and he flew backward, slamming into the drill and falling to the ground where he lay, motionless.

"No!" Leo yelled. He felt his temperature rising and looked to see flames dancing along his arms. He locked eyes with Porphyrion. "You're going down."

Porphyrion sneered. "You'll never defeat me, son of Hephaestus. Not without a god on your side. And the Olympians will soon be destroyed!"

As he spoke, the entire mountain shook, throwing Leo, Percy, Hazel, and half of the monsters off their feet.

Gaea laughed. The sound chilled Leo's blood. She looked at the demigods, eyes gleaming. "We've reached the center of the mountain. Once we drill through the heart of Olympus, we will break the power of those wretched gods." She turned to Porphyrion and Enceladus. "What are you waiting for? Get to the drill!"

"Yes, Mother!"

"Of course, Mother!"

Porphyrion kicked Jason's limp body aside as he bent to work the controls while Enceladus repositioned the drill. Gaea watched in delight, completely ignoring the demigods. Leo realized the only reason they weren't already dead was because Gaea and the giants were distracted, while Frank was still holding back most of the monster army; he'd transformed from a dragon into what looked like a war elephant, crushing monsters under his feet and sweeping them aside with his tusks. Leo glanced at Percy and Hazel.

"Can you blow up the drill?" he asked Percy.

Percy shook his head. "Not without killing Jason. He's too close."

Leo gritted his teeth. Before he could suggest a plan (not that he had one—his mind was blank), he heard the defiant whinnying of a horse. A black and tan blur zipped across the mountainside and suddenly Arion materialized in front of Leo and the others. Gaea and the giants didn't even look over—all of their focus was on the drill and the imminent destruction of the Olympians.

Piper and Annabeth slid down from the horse. The Eleusinian torches were still cold and dark.

"What in Hades is going on?" Percy asked. "You were supposed to light those!"

"We tried everything," Piper said. "The stupid things wouldn't light."

"And then Demeter appeared," Annabeth said. "She said she couldn't help us here on Olympus, but if we proved ourselves maybe some other gods would stop by, her exact words. She also said that the torches could only be lit with the fire of life, whatever that means."

Hazel gasped and Percy turned pale. The two of them exchanged a look.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"Frank," Hazel whispered and Leo's stomach dropped. Frank's stick—the fire of life.

"Let me try," Leo blurted out. Piper held out her torch and Leo's hand ignited, but when he held his hand against the torch, nothing happened. The corncob torch wouldn't catch fire. Leo cursed.

Hazel swung herself up onto Arion. Her chin was trembling but her voice was steady as she told Annabeth and Piper, "You have to get to Frank. Tell him the torches can only be lit with the fire of life. He'll understand what that means."

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

"Somebody needs to hold the monsters back once Frank," Hazel's voice caught, "if Frank is helping with the torches."

Percy nodded. "I'll help you." He gave Annabeth a quick kiss, then climbed up behind Hazel, who spurred Arion and they shot away towards Frank and the monster army.

Leo didn't think it was possible to feel worse until Piper asked, "Leo, where's Jason?"

"Um, he took a hit." Leo glanced towards where Jason was still crumpled on the ground.

Piper followed his eyes. "Oh gods."

"The best way we can help him is to stop this," Leo said.

Annabeth seemed to be measuring the distance to Frank and back to Gaea. "We'll never make it before she notices what's going on. I hate to say this, but we need another distraction. Something seriously chaotic."

"Chaos." Leo looked up at Festus and the Argo II floating above them. "I can do chaos."

Leo had one last trick up his sleeve. Not only would it create a distraction, it was an almost foolproof way to take out a lot of monsters. He only hoped it wouldn't also get his friends killed. "Get ready to run," he told Piper and Annabeth.

Piper's brow furrowed. "Leo, what—?"

Leo managed a grin. "Just trust me, Beauty Queen. It's about to get interesting." He looked again at the bronze dragon figurehead fifty feet above him. "FESTUS!"

Festus's neck creaked as he turned to look at Leo. "Execute Plan Omega!"

Festus breathed fire to show he'd understood. There was the rush and whir of machinery gearing up. The ballistae and crossbows swung around and took aim at the ground. The middle row of aerial oars retracted, to be replaced by a row of weapons that looked like a cross between a cannon and a machine gun, which Leo had named simply "big mother blasters." They fired Celestial bronze orbs the size of oranges that exploded like grenades upon contact. This was Plan Omega—the Argo II's last resort feature, which fired every weapon the ship had at once. And it had to work, because the problem with Plan Omega was that after it was over, the ship would be defenseless.

"DOWN!" Leo hoped his friends knew him well enough by now to take cover.
Apparently they did, because Annabeth, Piper, Hazel, Percy, and Frank (now back in human form), hit the ground, while the horde of monsters looked up, confused. Leo glanced toward Jason, who was still down, but was partially shielded by the drill, which Porphyrion was still focusing on. However, when Leo yelled, Gaea and Enceladus frowned and turned to look at him.

"What now?" Gaea started to say, but she was interrupted by a shrill wheeeeee as the blasters fired. There was a deep boom from the ballistae and a roar from Festus. Leo ducked and covered his ears as explosions rocked the hillside. A wave of heat rolled over him and he coughed as dust clouds billowed up around the summit.

As the dust settled, Leo blinked. He looked around, wanting to see if the monsters were dead and his friends were still alive, but the only thing he saw looming out of the gloom was the big, ugly face of Enceladus.

"Die, demigod scum," the giant hissed.

His massive hand shot out, smacking Leo in the chest so hard he was sure he felt his ribs break. The punch sent him flying through the air. The last thing Leo saw was the side of the mountain coming at him. He slammed against the stone and the world went black.

Chapter Text

XXXII. FRANK

The best thing about being a dragon, Frank realized, was that he was fireproof. His scaly hide was as immune to flames as Leo's skin. For once, as he swooped over the screaming monsters of Gaea's army, breathing fire and sending masses of them back to Tartarus, Frank felt invulnerable.

He couldn't keep the dragon thing up forever, though; it required too much effort to maintain. But an elephant was almost as good. He still felt powerful, unstoppable.

And then Leo had done his little trick with the Argo II, firing every weapon the ship had at once. When the dust settled, Frank—back in human form because it made him less of a target—looked around and realized that very few of the monsters were left. The ones that had escaped the Argo II's bombardment were still shakily getting back to their feet, looking dazed. Most hadn't even gathered their weapons back up yet. Frank was trying to decide between turning into a grizzly bear or a lion—he'd almost settled on the grizzly—when Arion thundered up to him, Hazel and Percy on his back. Both of them slid off of the horse and when he saw their faces, Frank knew something was very wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"The Eleusinian torches," Hazel said shakily, then stopped, as if she couldn't get the rest of the words out. She looked at Percy, who turned to Frank, grim-faced.

"The torches can only be lit by the fire of life. I'm sorry, man."

Frank felt like ice was cascading down his throat, into his stomach, freezing him from the inside out. He was shivering like he was standing on the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska again. Suddenly, a whole lot of things fell into place. Mars telling him about his mother, how she put her duty first, even over her own life, and then telling Frank that a big sacrifice was coming. He could almost hear the war god's voice in his head again.

"Without you, Frank—without your sense of duty…the whole war will go sideways, and Gaea will destroy our world."

He realized that this was why Juno had saved him when he was a baby, so that he could be here now, the final piece that was needed to defeat Gaea.

Maybe Frank should have felt resentful to the goddess for that, but instead, as the shivering died down, he felt only a calm acceptance. His friends needed him. Sure, hopefully he could help save the world, too, but as he looked at Hazel and Percy, Frank suddenly understood why his mother had done what she did in Afghanistan. She'd died saving her friends. If Frank could help his friends to survive this fight with Gaea, then that was worth it to him.

Frank remembered something else Mars had told him.

"Duty. Sacrifice. They mean something."

But when Frank heard the words this time, they weren't in the voice of the war god. Instead, he heard his mother's voice. And that gave him the courage he needed.

Frank squared his shoulders. "Alright. Where are the torches?"

"Annabeth and Piper have them, over by the drill," Percy said. "But Frank—"

"It's okay," Frank said. He looked at Hazel. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to her, but he didn't want her to think he was saying them only because he was about to die. So instead, he kissed her. When he pulled back, he saw that her golden eyes were glittering fiercely with an emotion Frank couldn't quite identify. Maybe pride, or anger, or something else. But Frank decided that if his sacrifice meant Hazel got to live a full second life, then it was worth it.

Around them, the monsters were getting back to their feet, finally shaking off their confusion and gathering their weapons. The dust was settling. Near the drill, Frank could see that Gaea, Porphyrion, and Enceladus were getting back to their feet. And they looked mad. Time to go.

"We'll cover you," Percy said. He squeezed Frank's shoulder. "Just—just do what you need to do, man."

Hazel swung up onto Arion. With her sword in her hand, she looked both terrifying and beautiful. She looked down at Frank. "You're still my best friend, Frank," she said, echoing what she had told him in Alaska, as they'd prepared to attack Alcyoneus and free Thanatos. "Good luck."

"You too," he managed.

The remaining Cyclopes, dracaenae, Earthborn, and other monsters were preparing to attack. Hazel and Percy charged to meet them. Frank, his heart like a stone in his chest, turned and sprinted in the other direction.

Frank saw Enceladus swat Leo halfway across the mountain. Porphyrion was back at the controls of the drill, desperately drilling into the heart of Mount Olympus. He could see Piper and Annabeth, swords in one hand, torches in the other, ducking behind piles of dirt and stacks of boulders, trying to stay out of Gaea's view. The goddess herself was growling in frustration, her pit-dark eyes narrowed.

"I am the goddess of the earth itself! You cannot hide from me behind dirt and stones!" Gaea shrieked and a massive earthquake shook the entire mountain.

Frank turned into an eagle to avoid being thrown off his feet. He debated attacking Gaea's face with his talons, but he knew that wasn't the real solution. He had to get to Piper, Annabeth, and the torches.

He found the girls with their backs pressed against a house-sized boulder as the earth continued to rumble beneath their feet. He landed next to Annabeth and turned back into himself. She jumped, then looked relieved. "Frank! Thank the gods. Percy and Hazel said you would know a way to light the torches."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Frank undid the small fireproof pouch Leo had given him and took out his charred piece of driftwood. His hands were shaking, but he fought to keep his voice calm. He was a praetor of Rome. He could do this. "Hold out the torches."

Piper held out her torch, but she looked confused. "What does that stick have to do with the fire of life Demeter told us about?"

Annabeth's eyes flickered from the stick, to Frank, and back again. He could almost see her mind putting the pieces together. Her eyes widened. "Oh, Frank, no!"

"It's okay," he said. He looked at Piper. "The fire of life is my life, which is tied to this piece of wood. I used this stick to free Thanatos in Alaska. It'll work on the torches, too."

Piper looked horrified. "But does that mean, if the wood burns—?"

"It's okay," Frank repeated, even though he knew it wasn't. "We have to stop Gaea. Nothing else matters. Now, hold out the torches. Please."

Wordlessly, Piper and Annabeth held the torches up. Frank tried to keep his hands steady as he held the charred wood against Annabeth's torch. He thought of flames and immediately his stick ignited. Searing pain shot through his body, but Frank kept his hand steady until the torch caught. The torch blazed with a golden light that washed the three of them in warmth and the smell of summer air. Frank quickly transferred his burning lifeline to Piper's torch. He was alarmed to see how quickly his piece of driftwood was being consumed. His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins.

Piper's torch caught. But before Frank could put out his fire, the ground exploded. He, Piper, and Annabeth were blasted backwards. The piece of wood flew out of Frank's hand, landing on the ground fifteen feet away, near the foot of the hydraulic drill. He could hear Gaea screaming something, but he couldn't understand her words. Nothing was registering but the pain. Frank's vision was beginning to go black, but he got to his knees and crawled towards his burning stick. He remembered the rainbow goddess, Iris, telling him that he would die holding that stick, watching it burn. Irrationally, he thought, I have to get to it. I'm supposed to die holding it.

His muscles were beginning to seize up. It felt as if a blowtorch had been lit inside his chest. Frank gritted his teeth and fought to keep moving, to reach the fire, but his body didn't want to obey. His vision was fuzzy. The only thing he could focus on was the flame of his life, burning away.

He heard a yell. The ground shook in another explosion. There was more yelling, some screams, but it all seemed very distant from Frank.

He collapsed. Dimly, he registered the patter of what felt like rain on his face. The burning pain was subsiding. As he passed out, Frank wondered if his mother would be waiting for him in the Underworld.

Chapter Text

XXXIII. PIPER

Jason was down. Leo was down. Frank was down. Percy and Hazel were surrounded by monsters and the giants were about to drill through the heart of the mountain and destroy the Olympians. Piper wanted to sob. But that wouldn't solve anything.

She struggled to her feet. Miraculously, her torch was still lit and still in her hand; Piper had managed to hang on to it during Gaea's little hissy fit. About twenty feet away, Annabeth was also getting to her feet, her torch blazing in her hand. Piper met her friend's eyes and saw a furious glint in Annabeth's that matched Piper's own feelings. Silently, they agreed: Gaea is going down NOW.

But before they could move, the earth goddess cackled victoriously and the mountain shook again, almost flinging Piper back to the ground. Enceladus and Porphyrion roared in triumph. "Yes!" Gaea shrieked. "We've reached the center of the mountain. Now, we will destroy those wretched gods forever!"

Piper's stomach churned. Before she could think of a way to stop the giants, she heard Annabeth scream, "Percy! The drill!"

Percy looked over. He seemed to understand the situation in an instant. He closed his eyes, then yelled. The hydraulic drill exploded in a shower of water and metal, soaking everyone on the mountaintop. Somehow, Piper and her friends managed to avoid being impaled, but many of the monsters weren't so lucky. Amazingly, the torches were also still lit, which led Piper to believe that this was not normal fire. With a surge of relief, though, she saw that Frank's burning stick had gone out. He was unconscious, but she hoped there was still a little of his lifeline remaining.

There were now only about a dozen monsters left. Even as Piper watched, Arion used his back legs to kick a Cyclops in the chest, blasting the monster to dust, before bringing his front hooves down on a dracaena's head. Hazel swung her sword and annihilated three Earthborn in one stroke. Okay, so now there were closer to half a dozen monsters left.

Plus an irate primordial goddess and her two giant sons.

Porphyrion was blinking, dazed, with a dent in his head from where a girder had hit him. Enceladus had been smacked in the face with several hundred pounds of pressurized water and was still struggling to get back up. But Gaea hadn't been touched. Her expression was murderous as she turned toward Percy. The goddess's back was to Piper and Annabeth, though, and Piper suddenly saw their chance. She glanced at Annabeth, who nodded, eyes narrowed. Silently, they began to creep forward.

"YOU!" Gaea shrieked. "You worthless, no-good son of Poseidon!"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Worthless? No-good? That hurts, Gaea, coming from you. I thought I was your most valuable pawn."

Gaea was fuming, the ground trembling around her. Walking towards her was like trying to walk across one of those air-filled bounce houses. Piper fought to keep her balance, but she was getting closer to Gaea's left side. In her peripheral vision, she saw Annabeth nearing the goddess on the right. For a single instant, Percy's gaze flicked to his girlfriend, then locked back on the earth goddess. Piper realized he was deliberately infuriating Gaea to keep her focus on him, giving Annabeth and Piper time to make their move.

"You are nothing," Gaea spat.

"Oh, really?" Hazel, with Arion's help had finished off the last few monsters. Now, she cantered over to Percy's side and jumped down from the horse. "You might be powerful, Gaea, but you've underestimated us at every turn."

"Kronos made the same mistake," Percy said. His voice had turned steely. "He tried to use demigods as pawns. Luke, Silena, Ethan, me. But he messed up. He didn't realize that, to mortals, some things are more important than power. Love, respect, family. You immortal types never learn."

"I defeated you once," Hazel said quietly. "And you're about to be defeated again." She locked eyes with Piper. "Right NOW."

Piper lunged forward, jabbing her torch at Gaea's waist as Annabeth did the same.

Gaea screamed as her robes caught fire like corn silk in a drought. In seconds, she was a towering inferno. Piper scrambled backward, away from the heat.

The sky darkened. The entire mountain shook like it was trying to throw them off. Piper dug her fingers into the dirt, holding on and praying that this would work.

The flames from the goddess inferno rose sixty feet into the air. The burning smell and the heat made Piper's eyes water. She pressed her face to the ground. She couldn't see or hear anything except the roar of the flames, the rumble of the shaking earth, and Gaea's shrill scream. She hoped her friends were okay.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped. The ground stilled. Gaea gave a final, anguished wail and her body crumbled to ashes. The flames died. Where the goddess had stood there was now nothing but a pile of dirt that was already beginning to blow away.

The mountaintop was silent. The only sound Piper could hear was her own pounding heart.

Gaea was gone.

Before Piper could even begin to comprehend that fact, her attention was drawn to Enceladus, who was roaring in pure rage. The giant was back on his feet, his dreadlocks dripping wet. Piper hoped the water beating he'd taken would prevent him from being able to breathe fire, but there was still smoke curling out of his nostrils. His massive hands balled into fists.

Piper got to her feet. Nearby, Annabeth, Percy, and Hazel were also standing back up. Arion seemed to have run off in the chaos, not that Piper could blame him. In fact, judging by the homicidal rage on Enceladus's face, she thought maybe the horse had been the smartest one on the summit.

"You have won nothing!" the giant bellowed. "War will break out between the demigod camps, blood will drench the soil, and Gaea will rise again. But first, I will destroy you!"

"Funny," Piper said, her hand clenched on her sword hilt, "that was Gaea's plan, too. Didn't work out too well for her, though, did it?"

Enceladus snarled and charged toward her, but Piper was ready for him. As he reached her, she sidestepped and slashed her sword across his shin. The giant howled in pain as golden ichor ran down his leg.

"I will crush you! You cannot defeat me without a god. And you have no gods on your side."

"Is that so?" said a new voice that Piper vaguely recognized.

"Ah, no," she heard Percy groan.

Bacchus had appeared out of nowhere. Piper knew he was in his Roman form, not his Greek form, because he was dressed in the exact same outfit he had worn in the Coliseum in Rome, and he was casually swinging his thyrsus.

Before Enceladus could say anything, Porphyrion's voice boomed out. "We do not fear you, wine god. Your power may have been enough to thwart the twins, but you will never defeat us."

The giant king was back on his feet. Piper's heart thudded when she saw how close he was standing to Jason, who was still unconscious. If Porphyrion lost his balance or took a step back, Jason would be crushed. However, even in her panic, she knew this wasn't the moment for charmspeak. She needed to let Bacchus do—whatever it was Bacchus had come here to do.

Bacchus smiled grimly. "Sadly, that's true. Though I think a good pinecone to the head would give even you, Porphyrion, a nice headache for a few decades. But don't worry—I'm just the warm-up act."

"Warm-up act?" Hazel asked.

"Mmhm." Bacchus glanced at the sky, where dark clouds were still swirling directly over the summit of the mountain. A chill spread down Piper's back. "Mercury, Hermes, whatever, is still struggling with the schizophrenia, what with war about to break out on Long Island and all. So I'm here to deliver a message from Jupiter."

"And what message is that?" Enceladus growled.

Piper's ears popped as the pressure dropped. The hair stood up on her arms. There was a crackle of electricity and the smell of ozone. Thunder boomed as a brilliant flash of lightning exploded on the hillside, right where Enceladus was standing.

When Piper's vision cleared and her ears stopped ringing, she saw a charred pile of ash where Enceladus had been.

"Jupiter says hello," Bacchus told the ash pile, straight-faced.

Piper glanced around. Her friends were staring, open-mouthed, which was pretty much the same way Piper felt.

Porphyrion bared his teeth. Piper noticed he still had a dent in his head from where a piece of the drill had hit him. "I was born to oppose Jupiter. The sky god cannot defeat me."

"True. But that is why he has me," Hera said as she appeared next to Bacchus.

Piper hadn't thought she could be more shocked, but that did it.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth asked the goddess.

Hera smiled. "Helping you, of course, my dear." She looked at Porphyrion and her smile turned cold. "My husband cannot defeat you, giant. But I can."

Hera clapped her hands. There was another flash of light.

Piper gasped.

Porphyrion was gone. Or, at least, he had been transformed. Standing in the giant king's place was a bright blue peacock the size of a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon.

"Holy Hera," Percy muttered.

"Yes, thank you," Hera said. "And now, Porphyrion, be gone!" The goddess clenched her fists and the peacock exploded into a million blue feathers that rained down on the summit of Mount Olympus.

Piper was normally good with words. But right now, the only thing she managed was, "Um."

"Uh," Annabeth said.

"Huh," Percy remarked.

"Wow," Hazel said, which Piper thought summed things up pretty well.

"Nice one," Bacchus said approvingly.

"I thought so." Hera looked pleased with herself.

Piper finally managed to make her voice work. "So, anyway, our friends are hurt, plus there's a war about to break out at Camp Half-Blood."

Hera nodded. "Yes, there's still a lot of work to do. Luckily, I learned a few first-aid tricks from Apollo."

The goddess snapped her fingers. Jason, Leo, and Frank instantly sat up like they'd been zapped.

Leo's head snapped back and forth. "What the—where'd the giants go?"

Jason rubbed his temples and muttered something about "so tired of being knocked out."

Frank blinked. "This isn't the Underworld."

Hazel made a sound that was half a laugh and half a sob as she tackled her boyfriend in a hug. "No, it definitely is not!"

"You still have a little fuel left to burn, Frank Zhang." Hera smiled. "Use it well."

Jason walked over to Piper and she flung her arms around him. He hugged her back, hard. "I'm glad you're alive," she said with her face pressed against his chest.

"Same here." Jason winced. "I mean, I'm glad you're alive. And I'm alive. We're both alive. Oh, whatever, you know what I mean."

Piper gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Hey, what about me?" Leo asked.

Piper pulled away from Jason to throw her arms around Leo. "I'm glad you're alive, too."

"Yes, yes, this is all very nice," Bacchus interrupted. "But it's not over yet. If blood is spilled at that Greek camp, Gaea will reawaken. And all the trouble I've gone to won't matter."

"All the trouble you've gone to?" Percy said incredulously, his eyes narrowed. Annabeth put a hand on his chest.

"We need to get to Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth said. "But how will we get back there in time? And what about the Athena Parthenos? Where did it end up?"

"Oh, the statue is with Nico di Angelo. He, Thalia Grace, and some satyr showed up with it on Olympus a few days ago." Hera waved her hand dismissively. "They almost got incinerated for daring to shadow travel into the throne room unannounced, but Artemis demanded a reprieve for her lieutenant, and then we had to hear them out. It was quite the ordeal. Apparently they had some idea that it would heal the gods', ahem, personality problems right away, but with the camps at war, it didn't work. Anyway, I'll take care of everything. The son of Hades will meet you with the statue and I will personally transport you back to Long Island."

Leo groaned. "Lady, the last time you did that, I lost my lunch. And, besides, what about my ship?"

Hera rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure it gets there, too. Now, we're out of time." She looked at Annabeth. "Do you understand what must happen?"

Annabeth nodded. "I do. But what about Reyna?"

"You'll see," Hera said. "You've done well, demigods. Succeed in this final challenge and you will truly be worthy of being called heroes of Olympus."

Before any of them had a chance to reply to that, Hera waved her hand and darkness swallowed Piper and her friends.

Chapter Text

XXXIV. ANNABETH

Whatever Hera did to zap them halfway across the planet did nothing good for Annabeth's stomach. When her feet hit the ground, she felt almost as disoriented as she had riding the elevator from Tartarus back to the mortal world. The sun was just rising over the hills, which completely confused Annabeth, since it had been afternoon in Greece, but then she realized, of course, there was a seven hour time difference between Greece and New York—it was still early morning here.

When Annabeth took in her surroundings, her stomach did a few extra rollovers. She and the rest of the crew were standing on the summit of Half-Blood Hill, right next to Thalia's pine tree. On one side of the hill, down in the valley of Camp Half-Blood, the Greek army was gathered. On the other side, near the road, the Roman army was massed. Hera, being the fantastic (not!) goddess that she was, had deposited the seven of them exactly in between the two armies. Their sudden arrival had taken everyone by surprise. But the armies were quickly recovering.

From the Greek side, she could hear cheers and shouts of "Percy!", "Hey, Jackson's back!", "Annabeth!", "Jason!", "Piper!", and "Leo!". But the Romans stunned expressions were quickly turning to fury. At the head of the Roman lines, a skinny warrior with three teddy bears strapped to his belt screamed, "Get them! Kill the traitors!"

Frank moved faster than Annabeth would have believed possible. He transformed into a giant eagle and swooped down the hill. Octavian screamed shrilly as Frank dove down and locked his talons around the augur's skinny arms. Frank soared back up the hill with Octavian kicking and screaming, then dropped him at the top of the hill, right beside the great pine tree.

Percy, Jason, and Hazel all went for their swords, but Annabeth got there first. She backed Octavian up against the tree with the blade of her drakon bone sword at his throat. "Reyna. Where is she, you worthless little—"

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth kept her sword pressed against Octavian's throat, but she turned to see the Roman ranks parting as two people walked through: Reyna, leaning heavily on a red-mouthed demigod whose name Annabeth thought might be Dakota. The praetor still looked pale, but Annabeth was enormously relieved to see her up and moving. However, she was surprised when Reyna looked directly at her and said, "Release him."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. She studied Reyna, but she couldn't make out anything from the praetor's expression or stature. Reyna, Annabeth realized again, had an excellent poker face. But Annabeth trusted the praetor. Reluctantly, she lowered her sword. Octavian stumbled away, gasping and rubbing his throat, as if she'd actually hurt him. Annabeth suppressed the urge to punch him in the nose.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, there was a roar from above and a shadow fell across the hillside. Cries of alarm rang out, but it was only the Argo II, descending from the clouds.

Unfortunately, the sight of the ship that had fired on their city didn't do anything to erase the hostile expressions from the Roman's faces. Annabeth knew what she needed to do, but she didn't know if her strategy would work in this environment, with the two armies facing each other and with it unclear whose side Reyna was on. It probably wasn't a good sign that the praetor was staying close to the Roman army, rather than approaching the hill, but maybe that was just because she was still weak from her injury. Annabeth hoped so.

Reyna was watching them, her face inscrutable. "I assume since you're all here, Gaea has been defeated?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "We put her back to sleep. But if demigod blood is spilled here, she'll wake up again. And this time, we won't be able to stop her."

"Lies!" Octavian shrieked. He had worked his way halfway down the hill, almost back to the Romans. "The Greeks are still trying to deceive us. We must crush them!"

"One good blast," Jason muttered. "I could hit him from here."

"Hold," Annabeth said. "We need the Romans on our side." She locked eyes with Reyna again and raised her voice. "There is a way to bring peace. But we have to work together."

"We don't have the statue," Reyna pointed out. "Nico left with it."

"Yes!" Octavian chimed in. Annabeth wanted to wring his skinny neck. "The son of Hades ran away, after stabbing our beloved praetor."

"Shut up," Reyna told him. Her glare was so intense, Octavian actually shrank back. Annabeth had no idea why Reyna hadn't told everyone the truth, that it had been Octavian who stabbed her in the back, but she trusted the praetor had a reason.

Suddenly, the shadows beside the pine tree rippled. The darkness solidified, revealing a massive golden and ivory statue and a teenage boy dressed in black.
"I'm here," Nico gasped, stumbling forward. He looked around at the assembled armies. "Hera sent me with the statue so we can stop this war."

"The statue can heal the rift between the Greeks and the Romans, if we let it," Annabeth said.

"You said that in Greece. But how exactly is it supposed to work?" Reyna asked suspiciously.

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But I have an idea. I think the Romans need to officially return the statue to the Greeks. And the Greeks have to forgive the Romans for stealing it. If we can make peace, hopefully we can cure the gods of their schizophrenia and the two camps can work together."

In truth, Annabeth had no idea how the stupid statue was supposed to work. She was going off of pure gut instinct right now. But she had to believe that there was truth in it. If the Romans offered the statue back to the Greeks, and the Greeks forgave the Romans, it could end the two-thousand year old feud.

There was a lot of muttering and dirty looks going back and forth between both sides, but Annabeth kept her eyes fixed on Reyna. At the moment, the praetor's opinion was the only one that mattered. Reyna's expression gave nothing away; her dark eyes were serious, but with no hint of what she was thinking. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay," she said. "Let's try it."

Dakota helped Reyna walk up the hill. The praetor placed her hand on the base of the statue and looked up at the face of the goddess. "The greatest Greek treasure," she murmured. "Taken to Rome, rescued recently and taken back to Greece, then brought here to New York, the new home of the gods. The statue's history is, now, both Greek and Roman, but it remains a Greek treasure." She looked at Annabeth. "And I am sorry we took it from you. I offer it back to the Greek demigods and to the children of Athena in particular." Reyna took a step away from the statue.

Annabeth's heart was pounding and her mouth was dry as she stepped forward. She put a hand on the statue's base, as Reyna had. She could feel the power and magic radiating from the statue. If she was wrong, there was a good chance she would be incinerated by her mother's image. "On behalf of the children of Athena, I accept your apology. Thank you for bringing the statue back here."

She hadn't been incinerated, which Annabeth took as a good sign. The statue didn't do anything though. There was no sign that the exchange had worked. But Annabeth couldn't dwell on that; she had another dangerous request to make. She took a deep breath. "I must also ask the Romans to forgive the Greeks for firing on your city. The attack was orchestrated by Gaea. She's been defeated for now, but that won't matter if we kill each other—she'll still win. Please," and now Annabeth spoke directly to Reyna, "please accept our apology and call off the attack."

After a long moment, during which Annabeth tried to surreptitiously wipe her sweaty palms on her jeans, Reyna nodded. "I accept your apology. There will be no attack on the Greek camp today."

"Now wait just one minute." Octavian charged forward, fuming, the teddy bears on his belt swinging wildly. "We were attacked. New Rome was fired upon by that ship." He pointed at the Argo II still hovering about fifty feet above their heads. "Someone must be held accountable."

"And who would you suggest?" Reyna asked coldly.

A cunning expression stole across Octavian's face and Annabeth's stomach twisted. "I seem to remember that Percy Jackson, a praetor of Rome, swore on his life that the Greeks meant no harm. He also promised, in front of the entire Senate, that if the Greeks did attack, he would help to defend the city. But he didn't. Instead, he betrayed the city and ran away on the very ship that launched the attack." Octavian turned to Percy, whose fists were clenched. "In traditional Roman law, traitors are punished most severely."

"Yes." Reyna said. The fierce glint in her eyes chilled Annabeth's blood. "It is Roman law. Traitors must be punished."

Chapter Text

XXXV. HAZEL

When Reyna said "Seize the traitor," Hazel was certain she meant Octavian. So when two centurions from the First Cohort stepped forward and grabbed Percy's arms, she didn't understand, at first, what was happening. Neither, apparently, did Percy because he didn't fight back as the centurions dragged him forward to face Reyna.

Annabeth was quicker on the uptake. "No! Reyna, you can't do this, it wasn't his fault. It was Gaea, she sent an eidolon, that's why the ship fired on New Rome, you can't—"

"Restrain her," Reyna said in clipped tones, not taking her eyes off of Percy, who was beginning to understand what was going on.

Two more centurions, from the Second Cohort, Hazel saw, grabbed Annabeth, but she struggled wildly, almost breaking free, until Percy said, "Annabeth, stop." He was looking at Reyna as if he'd never seen her before, but his jaw was set. "She's right. I swore on my life that the Greeks meant no harm."

Other Roman officers came forward and seized Hazel, Frank, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico. The Roman army was still standing at attention, ready to hold back the Greeks if they made a move to interfere.

Octavian stepped forward. The augur's face was alight with malice as he said, "You also swore that if the Greeks attacked us, you would fight to defend Camp Jupiter with your life, Percy Jackson. Instead, you ran away on the very ship that instigated the attack. Do you deny it?"

"No," Percy said. His eyes were blazing, but he made no move to defend himself.

"You were a praetor," Octavian said gleefully, turning so that he could speak to the camp at large. "Yet you betrayed us, running off to the ancient lands, which have been forbidden to Roman demigods for centuries. But I forgot," he added, leering at Percy, who glared back, "you're not really Roman, are you? You're Greek." Octavian spat the word like it tasted bad.

Several Greek demigods raised their weapons at this, but Reyna pressed the point of her own sword against Percy's chest. The others lowered their weapons. "Do you deny the charges, Percy Jackson, former praetor?" she asked quietly.

"It's true," Percy said through gritted teeth. "But you know why we left, Reyna, why I had to go." He raised his voice so that the watching demigods could hear him. "I admit I left on the Argo II and traveled to the ancient lands. But it was to defeat Gaea. If we hadn't stopped her, barely an hour ago in Greece, she would have risen up and destroyed everything. Starting with Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood."

Hazel's heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst right out of her chest. Reyna's expression was inscrutable. Hazel couldn't imagine that the praetor would actually execute Percy, not when she knew the truth about fighting Gaea, but she couldn't be sure, not with all the Romans around and Octavian, the scheming rat, going on about justice, as if he knew anything about it.

"We're not talking about that, though, Percy Jackson," Octavian said. "Perhaps what you say is true, though we have no proof—"

"He's telling the truth," Frank growled, sounding so much like a bear Hazel was surprised to see he hadn't turned into one. "We were all there. We defeated Gaea and saved all of your sorry, ungrateful hides."

"Be that as it may," Octavian said, talking over Frank, "it is not the point. Percy Jackson broke his oath to the people of Rome. What was it that prophecy said, the Prophecy of Seven, the one you claim to have completed? An oath to keep with a final breath." Octavian's sneer was so vile, Hazel almost puked. "You will keep your oath to Rome, Jackson. With your final breath."

"No!" Annabeth shrieked. She started fighting against her guards again, as did Hazel and the others, but Reyna pressed the point of her sword harder against Percy's sternum, ripping his t-shirt, and they stopped.

"He has a point," Reyna said, keeping her eyes on Percy.

"Reyna, I'm praetor, too!" Frank said. "And I say you can't do this."

Octavian laughed. "You, you big lumbering oaf, a praetor? Lies."

"It's the truth," Jason said. His eyes were narrowed at Octavian and Hazel could have sworn she saw sparks fly from them. "I resigned my post and raised Frank to praetor on the battlefield in Epirus."

"True, but Frank was not the praetor at the time Percy swore his oath," Reyna said. "I'm sorry, Praetor Zhang, but this matter is not your concern."

"Not my—," Frank spluttered, but Octavian cut him off again.

"Yes, Praetor Zhang, shut up. You should be charged with treason yourself, for abandoning New Rome and crossing to the ancient lands. And Hazel Levesque." Hazel's stomach clenched as Octavian took a step towards her. She glared at him. "Am I correct in remembering that you spoke for Jackson when he arrived at Camp Jupiter? By our laws, you should share his punishment."

"No way," Percy said. For the first time, Hazel saw a flicker of fear cross his face. "Reyna, this is on me. Not Hazel, or Frank, or any of the others. I made the oath, just me."

"I fired on New Rome," Leo said. His face was pale, but he looked determined. "If anybody should be in trouble, it's me."

"You were possessed by an eidolon," Piper snapped. "That Gaea sent; it wasn't your fault. Reyna, this is ridiculous."

"Don't listen to the little witch," Octavian shrieked, his hands over his ears.

"I wasn't using charmspeak, you idiot. I'm just telling the truth," Piper retorted.

"Enough." Reyna's voice wasn't loud, but it immediately caught everyone's attention. She raised her sword until the blade was resting against the side of Percy's neck. "You say you accept the charges laid against you, of betraying Rome in her hour of need and traveling, without permission, to the ancient lands."

Percy's face was white, but he said, "I do."

"And do you agree to accept full responsibility for the actions of your co-conspirators?"

"Yes," Percy said, his voice more steady. "I'll accept full responsibility for all of it, the attack, leaving Rome, traveling to the ancient lands, the whole thing. Just let the others go."

Reyna nodded. "To be clear, you are accepting the blame for the crimes committed by Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Piper McClean, and Annabeth Chase, as well as your own offenses."

Percy didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Reyna turned to Octavian. "The punishment for treason against Rome is death, correct?"

"That is correct. Although the method of execution is often left up to the praetor, depending on the severity of the crimes." There was a manic gleam in Octavian's eyes. "And in this case, since he has been found guilty of such vile treason, I, for one, am just not sure a sword is severe enough."

Reyna looked grim. "I agree." Hazel saw Percy's hands shaking, but his face was blank. Reyna lifted her sword from his neck and pressed it against his chest again. "Percy Jackson, because of the severity of your own treason, and because of the severity of the crimes of the others which you have taken upon yourself, I sentence you to death."

"No," Jason and Frank both growled.

"You can't," Hazel said.

"Reyna, please," Annabeth begged.

"Silence!" Octavian shrieked.

Reyna ignored them all. "The manner of execution must match the severity of the crimes." She took a deep breath. "Percy Jackson, on behalf of Rome, whom you have dishonored, I declare your method of execution: being thrown into the pit of Tartarus."

Percy's knees almost gave way. Hazel felt as if all her insides had dissolved. She could hear an uproar from her friends, but it sounded as if it were miles away. She can't, she thought numbly. Reyna had been there the day Percy and Annabeth had escaped from the pit. How could she be so cruel as to send him back? Hazel glanced at Annabeth, expecting to see her friend looking shattered, but her expression was almost as shocking as Reyna's verdict. Annabeth's eyes were shining and she looked as if she were trying hard not to smile. But that made no sense whatsoever. Hazel was completely confused as Reyna began speaking again, almost shouting to be heard over the yelling.

"And I declare that this execution was carried out on July first, the Kalends of July, beneath Rome."

Utter silence.

Relief washed over Hazel as she realized what Annabeth had understood first. She would have clapped her hands if two beefy centurions hadn't been holding her arms. Slowly, she watched comprehension dawn on the faces of the others, grins slowly appearing, as a look of horror crept across Octavian's face.

"By falling into Tartarus, you have fulfilled your execution," Reyna continued, and Hazel almost thought the praetor was fighting back her own grin. "I hereby decree that you died in Tartarus, a traitor. When you rose again in Greece, you did so as a hero of Rome. And because their crimes were expunged by your execution, I also declare that Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez are also heroes of Rome for their efforts in the war against Gaea."

Percy looked so dumbstruck, Hazel had to laugh. The centurions holding Hazel and the others released them and the rest of the Romans lowered their swords. Percy turned to Annabeth as she moved to stand beside him and took his hand. "What just happened?" he asked.

"Reyna's a genius," Annabeth said. She grinned at the praetor. "Seriously, that was brilliant."

"And you got him to take responsibility for what we did," Hazel said, impressed. "So everyone's in the clear, but justice was still carried out."

"Almost," Reyna said, looking behind Hazel. "There's one last problem to sort out."

Hazel turned to see Jason and Frank walking forward with Octavian struggling between them.

"Unhand me, traitors!" he demanded, flopping around like a fish caught on the end of a line. "I am the augur of Rome!"

"Not for much longer," Jason said. They stopped in front of Reyna, whose face was impassive once again.

"Octavian, legacy of Apollo, augur of Rome," Reyna said, "you, too, stand accused of treason. I've kept quiet in order to give you a chance to come clean. Will you confess or will you force me to state your crimes?"

Octavian glared at her. "I have no idea what crimes you're talking about. I've done nothing but follow Roman law."

They had a silent stare-off. Reyna's lips hardened into a thin line before she said, "Fine. If you won't confess, I will tell everyone what happened." She raised her voice so that the watching Romans and Greeks could hear her. "Nico di Angelo did not stab me in the back. It was Octavian who attempted to assassinate me."

Cries of shock and outrage could be heard from the Roman army, but Hazel kept her eyes on the scene in front of her. Far from looking afraid, Octavian looked smug. As the commotion died down, he said, "I will admit that I stabbed the praetor. But," he had to shout to be heard over the yells from the Romans, "but in doing so, I broke no laws."

That quieted everyone down. Hazel saw Frank's hand tighten on Octavian's arm. It must have hurt, but the augur didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on Reyna, who was now glaring at him. Octavian smirked. "You broke the law, praetor. You traveled to the ancient lands. You committed treason against Rome. As a loyal Roman citizen, I was completely within my rights to kill you upon your return."

Every curse word Hazel knew ran through her head. The nuns at St. Agnes would have fainted. But Octavian was, technically, correct. She clenched her fists. Hazel saw her own fury reflected on her friends' faces, but before anyone could respond, Reyna held up her hand for silence. She took a step closer to Octavian.

"Laws can be changed. Especially laws that were made out of fear." She glanced up at the Athena Parthenos statue. "Yes, the ancient lands are dangerous. But by cutting ourselves off from them, we cut ourselves off from an important part of our legacy as demigods. We have been divided too long, both from our heritage and from our Greek counterparts." She looked around at the assembled armies of demigods. "Maybe the statue itself can't bring the Greeks and the Romans together. But it took Roman and Greek demigods, working together, to rescue the statue and return it here to Camp Half-Blood. Our two camps can get along, if we choose to. But we need to be united in our purpose of, well, uniting."

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Reyna as she turned back to Octavian. "You were within your rights, based on Roman law, to attempt to kill me when I returned from the ancient lands. But a true Roman should own up to his or her actions. Instead, you took the coward's way out. You blamed Nico di Angelo for what you yourself had done, in order to stir up more animosity between the Romans and Greeks. You, Octavian, have been set on dividing us from the start. But no more." To Hazel's surprise, Reyna turned to Jason. "Jason Grace, former praetor of Rome, you have stated that you gave up your position to Frank Zhang on the battlefield in Epirus, Greece. Please share your reasoning with the legion, so that they can decide whether or not to accept Frank Zhang as their true praetor."

Keeping a firm grip on Octavian's arm, Jason stepped forward and said, "Frank Zhang is a son of Mars. He has twice in battle received the blessing of the war god. In Venice, he defeated an army of monsters single-handedly. His strategic decisions and leadership led us to victory against another army of monsters in the House of Hades. He helped to kill the giants Clytius and Alcyoneus. Plus, Frank was the leader of the quest to recover the golden eagle of the legion, thereby restoring the honor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. And he was willing to lay down his life to defeat Gaea. He's a true Roman." Jason grinned at Frank. "Those are the reasons I gave up my position to Frank. He'll be a great praetor."

Frank's face was so red, Hazel could practically feel the heat coming off of him. Pride swelled within her, though, as Jason listed off everything Frank had done. Her sweet, silly, fierce, awesome boyfriend would make an excellent praetor. Hazel just hoped the Romans could see that, too.

Percy raised his hand. "As a former praetor, I second everything Jason said. Frank's the best man for the job."

Reyna nodded. She turned to face the Roman legion. "Legionnaires, you have heard Frank Zhang's qualifications. Will you accept him as your praetor?"

Hazel held her breath, but she needn't have worried. The Romans must have been impressed by what Frank had done (and the growth spurt he'd had in Italy probably didn't hurt), because they banged their pila against their shields and yelled, "Ave, Frank Zhang, praetor!"

Frank was still bright red, but he straightened his shoulders and raised his hand in salute. "Thank you."

Reyna was smiling, but her expression quickly turned somber again. "Now that we've settled our praetor situation, we still need to deal with Octavian. However, because the crimes he committed were against me, I cannot fairly pass judgment on him." She handed Frank her sword. "Praetor Zhang, I will leave it to you to dispense justice."

Frank took the sword and glanced at Hazel. "Will you?" he gestured for her to take his place. She nodded and grasped Octavian's arm firmly as Frank moved to stand in front of the augur. Octavian glared daggers at Frank, but he kept quiet.

"Justice," Frank mused. His hand was clenched around the hilt of Reyna's sword. Hazel's heart was pounding fast again as Frank surveyed Octavian. "You attempted to murder Reyna, who is a praetor of Rome, then you lied about it."

"She traveled to the ancient lands," Octavian said through gritted teeth. "She broke the law. I was within my rights to kill a traitor of Rome."

"Maybe so. But I'd also be within my rights to kill you as a traitor for what you did," Frank said. He raised the sword and laid it against Octavian's neck, the same way Reyna had done to Percy. All the blood drained out of Octavian's face. Hazel couldn't read Frank's expression, which worried her. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen next. Sure, Octavian had caused them a lot of grief, but executing him in cold blood still felt wrong.

"Lucky for you, I believe we can choose our own fates," Frank told Octavian. He lowered the sword. "So I'm giving you a choice. You can choose to stay in the legion, but you have to stop spouting this prejudice against the Greeks. Like Reyna said, we're done being divided."

"And if I refuse to accept those terms?" Octavian asked.

"Then you can leave," Frank said simply. "You'll be drummed out of the legion. You'll leave Camp Jupiter and make your own way in the mortal world."

For a long moment, Octavian glared at Frank. Then, the augur hung his head. "Fine. I accept your terms. I will stay in the legion and try to get along with these Greeks."

Hazel figured that was the best they could hope for from him and Frank seemed to feel the same way because he nodded. "Good. Now—"

Frank stopped speaking as an Iris-message suddenly flickered to life near the pine tree. A pretty girl with spiky black hair, electric blue eyes just like Jason's, and a bow slung over her shoulder looked out at them.

"Thalia!" Jason, Percy, and Annabeth all said.

"Thank the gods you guys are okay," Thalia said. She seemed to be standing in some type of enormous room, but Hazel couldn't make out many details through the hazy message. "Look, I'm in the throne room. I have a message. You seven," she pointed to Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel, "have been summoned to Olympus."

Chapter Text

XXXVI. JASON

They decided to fly the Argo II into Manhattan rather than try to fight the morning rush hour traffic in the camp van. Jason was a little concerned they would cause a panic when they entered the city's airspace, but he shouldn't have worried. Even if the mortals saw the ship for what it was through the Mist, it would take more than a giant flying bronze trireme to shock morning commuters in New York.

The ship set down in Central Park. As the crew disembarked, Percy took a deep breath. "It's good to be home." He grinned at Annabeth. "We had our one-month anniversary picnic on that hill over there, remember?"

"The one Hermes interrupted by sending us to fight a fire-breathing giant? Yeah, Seaweed Brain, I remember."

"Uh, yeah," Percy said. "But Paris afterwards was nice, right?"

Annabeth smiled as she slipped her hand into his. "Paris was very nice," she agreed and Percy looked satisfied.

Jason was still a little in awe over what the guy had done. Percy had no way of knowing Reyna was going to give him a reprieve. He'd been willing to die to keep his word and protect his friends. Jason was pretty sure that type of loyalty wasn't a Roman or a Greek quality. That was just a Percy Jackson quality and Jason seriously respected him for it.

Frank cleared his throat. He looked a little overwhelmed, which Jason could appreciate. They'd all been to some big cities recently, like Rome, but being in New York for the first time was like having all five of your senses assaulted at once—it took some getting used to. Talk about respect though—Jason had been impressed by the way Frank handled the situation with Octavian. He knew it couldn't have been an easy decision, but Frank made the right call. Jason was confident the big guy would make an excellent praetor. But right now, Frank seemed a little lost as he said, "So, um, how do we get to Olympus from here?"

Percy clapped him on the shoulder. "You're in New York, man. We'll take the subway."

Half an hour later, they were standing in front of the Empire State Building. Jason's mouth was dry and his stomach seemed to be trying to square dance. This was it. He was about to visit Olympus. He was going to meet his father.

Piper took his hand. She must have been nervous, too, but she looked calm and beautiful as she gave him a reassuring smile. "The hard part's over," she reminded him.

"Or so we hope," Leo muttered as he gazed up at the skyscraper. His brow was furrowed, but before Jason could ask him what was up, Annabeth pushed open the doors and they all followed her into the lobby.

A guard was sitting behind the desk, sniffling as he read a book with a blue cover and black and white speech bubbles on the front. The guard barely glanced up as they approached him.

"We've been summoned to Olympus," Annabeth said.

"Don't know what you're talking about," the guard muttered. He blew his nose with a loud honk.

"Look, we've already defeated a primordial goddess and stopped a war this morning," Annabeth told him. "Don't make us break out the swords again. Can we just, please, have the key?"

The guard glared at her with red eyes. "Fine," he snapped, handing over a plastic keycard. "Just make sure there's no one else on the elevator with you. Now leave me alone." And he turned back to his book.

As they approached the elevator doors, Hazel gasped. "They're just like the Doors."

Frank frowned. "Which doors?"

"The Doors of Death," Percy said grimly. "And yeah, they're the same, except the colors are reversed."

That didn't exactly reassure Jason as they all piled into the elevator. He was glad Piper was still holding his hand; knowing she was close made him feel better.

Before the doors could close, an older couple got on. They were in their fifties and clearly tourists—cameras hung around their necks over black and white "I Love NYC" t-shirts. The guy was even wearing socks under sandals, never a good look. The woman smiled. "Observation deck, please."

Leo, who was nearest to the controls, pressed the button for the observation deck. Jason noticed Annabeth casually hide the Olympus keycard behind her back. The guard had said to make sure no one else got on the elevator with them. Jason assumed they would have to lose the mortals before they could take the elevator all the way up. The doors closed and the elevator began to ascend. The easy listening music grated on Jason's nerves.

"Field trip?" the lady asked. Her husband was immersed in a guidebook titled, "Top Twenty Things to do in the Big Apple." They seemed like such clichéd tourists, Jason was afraid they were monsters in disguise.

"Actually," Piper said with a sweet smile, "we're here to meet our parents."

Leo choked. The lady didn't seem to notice. "Oh how nice. We're just in from Milwaukee," she said, gesturing to herself and her husband. "We've been enjoying the sights. There's so much history in this city, isn't there?"

More than you know, Jason thought. Out loud he said, "Definitely."

Awkward silence filled the elevator. Jason avoided meeting any of his friends' eyes, particularly Leo's, because if he did, he would bust out laughing. Thankfully, it wasn't long until the elevator arrived at the right floor.

"After you," the lady said, smiling at Hazel, who was nearest the doors.

"Um..." Hazel looked frantically at the others.

Percy blurted out, "Oh wait, weren't we supposed to meet them in the lobby?"

Annabeth smacked his arm. She did a good job of looking exasperated; Jason figured she'd had a lot of practice. "You couldn't have mentioned that before we got on the elevator?"

"Uh, sorry?" Percy ventured.

"To the ground floor!" Leo announced, pressing the button to close the elevator doors. He waved to the tourists, who looked slightly bemused as they exited the elevator. "Enjoy New York!"

The moment the doors closed, they all looked at each other, and burst out laughing. The whole thing was just so ridiculous.

Annabeth squeezed past Leo to insert the keycard. A button that said "600" popped up and she pressed it. The elevator began to ascend again. Annabeth shook her head. "Mortals. That has literally never happened to me before."

"First time for everything," Percy said with a grin.

The incident with the mortals had somewhat steadied Jason's nerves, but as the elevator passed the four hundredth and five hundredth floors, his stomach began to churn again. He gripped Piper's hand as they reached the six hundredth floor. The elevator gave a pleasant ding and the doors opened, revealing Olympus.

Jason's first thought was, "Wow."

A mountaintop was hovering in the sky above them. It was covered in beautiful villas, temples, and gardens. The scents of thousands of flowers perfumed the air. He could hear soft music playing over the trickling of fountains. At the very top of the mountain rose a temple more massive than all the others.

"The palace of the gods," Hazel murmured, her eyes also fixed on the biggest temple.

"You designed all this?" Piper asked Annabeth incredulously.

Annabeth blushed and tried to look modest. "Yeah. Olympus got pretty beat up during the Titan War, so they named me the official architect in charge of redesigning and rebuilding everything."

"And she did an amazing job," Percy said. "You should see the salad bar, it's—"

"Anyway," Annabeth said, "let's get to the throne room before they decide to incinerate us just for being late."

"Yeah, I prefer to stay un-incinerated when possible," Leo said.

They made their way across the floating bridge, then up through Olympus until they reached the bronze doors that led into the throne room of the gods. Jason guessed the doors were big enough for an airplane to pass through. Next to this building, he felt as small and insignificant as an ant.

"Jason, you should go first," Annabeth said. "You're the son of Jupiter."

Jason didn't like it, but he knew she was right. Piper squeezed his hand. Jason shot her a grateful look before reaching out and pushing the doors open.

Jason had thought the rest of Olympus was intimidating, but that was nothing compared to walking into a room the size of a football stadium and having thirteen twenty-foot tall gods and goddesses stare down at you from their thrones. Jason's heart thudded against his ribs as his eyes zeroed in on one god in particular—the king, the lord of the skies.

His dad.

Jupiter (or Zeus? Jason wasn't sure what form he was in at the moment) was dressed in a dark blue pinstriped suit. He had long dark hair and a beard to match, plus piercing blue eyes. His hands were resting on the arms of his throne, but his right hand wasn't far from the master bolt, which sizzled with electricity. Even from this distance, Jason could feel its power.

Jason wasn't sure what to say as he looked around at the assembled Olympians. "We're here" seemed a little obvious. Before he could decide, someone called, "Jason!" and the next second, Thalia ran up and flung her arms around him. Jason hugged her back, trying to swallow the sudden lump in his throat.

Thalia pulled back to look at his face, as if she were checking for injuries. "It's good to see you, little brother." She kissed his cheek, then released him to hug Annabeth.

"Do I get a hug, too?" Percy asked.

Thalia punched him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Six months, Kelp Head! Do you know how worried we were about you? What were you thinking?"

"Uh, it wasn't my fault?"

"Yeah, well, don't let it happen again." Thalia gave him a hug. "Because if Annabeth doesn't kill you, I will."

"Point taken," Percy said, rubbing his arm.

Thalia took Jason's hand and led him farther into the throne room. "Come on, heroes. Your parents want to talk to you."

None of the Olympians had moved during Thalia's display, but as they walked closer to the thrones, Hera, or maybe she was Juno since she had a goatskin cloak over her shoulders, smiled. She held out her hands in welcome. "My heroes. You have done well."

Jason could see many of the gods and goddesses, including his own father, nodding in approval.

"So, that's it?" Percy asked. "You guys aren't schizophrenic anymore?"

Juno frowned. "I don't appreciate that word. But yes, we are no longer divided between our forms. We can stay in whichever form feels most comfortable in any given moment, but without the side-effects of being torn between both."

"So the Romans returning the statue to the Greeks worked?" Annabeth asked.

"It did," Juno said. "But it's more than that. The seven of you, Greeks and Romans alike, were able to come together as a team. And by also getting the two demigod camps to unite, or at least not kill each other, you have allowed us to become whole again. And we must thank you for that."

A smattering of polite applause broke out around the throne room. Jason was glad the gods were back in their right minds, but he noticed that his father didn't clap.

Juno turned to her husband. "See? My plan worked. Admit it."

"It worked," Jupiter grumbled. "Though you're lucky it didn't end in warfare. It's unfortunate, though, that we again had to rely on mortals to fight our battles."

Oh yeah, Jason was so glad this dude was his dad.

Anger flared up in him. Before he could think too much about it, he said, "Well, you're welcome. Next time, why don't you fight your battles yourself? Then you won't have to rely on us mortals."

Jason's friends gaped at him. Jupiter stared down at him incredulously. Jason fully expected to take a hit from the master bolt, which he doubted he would survive, despite his electricity tolerance. But he didn't care. Everything they'd gone through and this was the reaction they got from the king of the gods? Not cool.

There was a long, terrible silence. Then the god seated to the right of Jupiter began to chuckle.

All eyes snapped onto the god. He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt. His throne looked like a deep-sea fisherman's seat. He had black hair and sea-green eyes. Poseidon.

Another god, with a metal leg brace and a smoldering beard, also began to laugh, though it sounded more like wheezing. Across the room, a stunningly gorgeous goddess, who could only be Aphrodite, smiled indulgently at Jason.

A goddess with dark hair and gray eyes smiled coolly. "I told you after the last war, Father. It is a mistake to both ignore and underestimate our children."

"Jason Grace is correct," said the goddess beside her, who was dressed in silver and had eyes as cold as moonlight. "We should be grateful to these heroes. They have done us a great service."

"Thank you, my lady," Thalia murmured.

Apollo sat up straight on his golden throne. "Well said, sis. I think we need to compose a poem to celebrate their deeds. 'To save our bacon/Heroes go across the sea—"

"That's enough of that," Bacchus said. He was lounging on his grapevine throne, legs crossed, with his thyrsus across his lap. "But I agree, they should probably be rewarded. They put on a pretty impressive display in Rome."

"Thanks," Percy muttered.

The war god thumped his fist on the arm of his throne. Jason assumed he was Mars, not Ares, because he looked at Frank with fierce pride. "Laurels all around for these kids. And maybe a couple explosions, for emphasis."

Frank gulped. "That's, um, really not necessary."

Jupiter was still glaring down at Jason. Jason met his eyes defiantly. He didn't think his dad would blast him, now that the other gods were on Jason's side. Finally, the sky god leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Fine. We'll reward the heroes for stopping Gaea and the war between the camps, blah blah blah."

Juno gave her husband a dirty look. "Try it again."

Jupiter grunted, then sat up straight. "Fine. The council recognizes the sacrifices the seven of you made to stop Gaea and the giants. You have done a great service to Olympus."

"And we are grateful," Juno added.

"Yes, yes. And in honor of your accomplishments, you should probably get some type of reward." Jupiter looked grumpily at Percy. "I assume you'll turn me down again if I offer you immortality?"

Percy glanced at Annabeth, then looked back at the sky god. "Probably. Anyone else, immortality?"

The others all shook their heads. It was a tempting offer, Jason thought, but after meeting demigods-turned-gods like Hercules and Dionysus, Jason was perfectly happy staying human. Or half-human. Whatever.

"Well, is there something else you would like for a reward?" Jupiter asked.

Jason had no ideas. He glanced around at his friends, but no one seemed to have any suggestions. Then, Jason noticed something odd. While the other gods' attention was focused on the demigods, Pluto, in his black throne at the end of the room, was studiously avoiding looking at them.

No, Jason realized with a jolt, the god of the Underworld was studiously avoiding looking at Hazel. And Jason realized why. If Pluto acknowledged her presence, he'd probably have to take her back to the Underworld. Jason's stomach clenched.

"Hazel," he blurted out.

She, and everyone else, turned to look at him. "What?" she asked.

"For a reward," Jason said hurriedly, "Hazel gets a reprieve. Pluto doesn't have to take her back to the Underworld. She can live a regular, mortal life."

Hazel's golden eyes widened. "That's not—you guys don't have to—I can't—"

"I agree with Jason," Frank said, reaching out to grasp Hazel's hand. "That's what I want for a reward."

"Yep," Percy said. "Same here."

Annabeth nodded. "I agree."

"Definitely," Leo said, grinning.

"That's perfect," Piper said.

Jupiter raised his eyebrows. "That's all you want? Well, that's easy. Hazel Levesque, by the power given to me by the council, I decree that you may have a normal, mortal life. You don't have to return to the Underworld until you, well, die. Pluto, you may acknowledge your daughter."

"Thank you, brother." The god of the Underworld turned to smile at Hazel. "Well done, child."

"Thank you," Hazel whispered. She seemed overwhelmed, but she also looked like a thousand pound weight had disappeared from her shoulders. Jason figured they'd chosen a pretty good reward.

"So, if that's all," Jupiter started to say.

"Hold up," Percy interrupted. "While we're talking about rewards, there's one thing you guys forgot to do last time." He turned to Leo. "You want to take it from here?"

"Absolutely," Leo said. He stepped forward, eyes narrowed.

Chapter Text

XXXVII. LEO

Leo didn't exactly want to wake the wrath of the gods, especially not right now when they all seemed so chill, but he'd made a promise and he intended to keep it.

"Calypso," he said. "You were supposed to free her."

A few of the gods, including his own dad, Hephaestus, shifted uncomfortably.

Juno sniffed. "Well, it's not like we can just go around freeing our enemies. How would that look?"

"It was part of our agreement after the Titan War," Percy said. "You swore on the River Styx."

"The boy has a point," Athena said. She pursed her lips as she looked from Percy to Jupiter. "It is not always wise to allow one's enemies to roam freely, but Calypso poses no threat. And it is definitely unwise to break an oath made upon the River Styx. Isn't that right, Uncle?" She turned to Pluto.

"Very true. I recommend we honor an agreement made on the Styx," Pluto said smoothly. "When those oaths are broken, we end up with problems like these." He gestured to Thalia, Jason, and Percy.

"Hey!" Thalia and Percy both said.

"Hades makes a good point," Poseidon said.

"Gee, thanks, Dad," Percy muttered.

The sea god winced. "I didn't mean—oh, never mind. The point is, we should honor our word and free Calypso."

Jupiter looked around at the assembled gods. "Does the council agree?"

Most of the gods and goddesses nodded, though Leo noticed that neither Juno nor Demeter did. He tried not to feel too annoyed by that.

"Then it's settled," Jupiter announced. "We will free the Titan's daughter from Ogygia, as we swore to do on the Styx."

Leo half-expected Calypso to immediately walk into the throne room. When she didn't he asked, "So, uh, when is this happening?"

Jupiter snorted. "It takes more than a few minutes to undo three thousand-year-old magic, boy."

Leo raised his eyebrows, but before he could respond, Hephaestus cut in. "Don't worry, Leo. I'll personally make sure the girl goes free."

Leo was surprised, but grateful. Out of all the Olympians, he trusted his dad the most. Which maybe wasn't saying much, but Hephaestus had helped him out in several situations. "Thanks, Dad."

Hephaestus nodded gruffly to him as he swatted out a stray ember in his beard.

"Good. Now that we've settled that issue," Jupiter rose to his feet and Leo was surprised to see a twinkle in the sky god's eyes, "I'd say it's time to celebrate!"

Leo had to admit, the Olympians knew how to party. It was like spring break combined with New Year's Eve in Times Square, with a little bit of a frat party thrown in. There were drinks, food, good music, and dancing. Honestly, Leo thought it was all a little over-the-top, but hey, everyone was celebrating their victory over Gaea, after all, so he figured he'd try and have a good time.

Leo got separated from his friends when some nature spirits whisked the seven of them off to get cleaned up and changed; they were all still covered in battle grime from Greece. He met back up with Jason a little while later over by the buffet table.

"Can you believe this party?" Jason asked.

"It's a pretty serious shindig," Leo agreed.

"Yeah." Jason frowned. "Don't you think it's a little too much?"

"Maybe," Leo admitted. "But, dude, we took down three giants and Gaea today and stopped a war between the camps. I think we've earned some party time. Plus, have you seen this food?"

Jason grinned. "Good point."

They loaded up their plates and sat down at a nearby table to eat. Leo hadn't realized just how hungry he was. Of course, he hadn't eaten since, what, last night? And he'd fought two battles since then. He dug in.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time to clean his plate. Around them, the party was getting into full swing. Across the garden, Leo saw Hazel and Frank dancing. Frank was bright red; it looked like he was apologizing, maybe for stepping on Hazel's foot or something. Leo shook his head, amazed that a guy who was so good in battle could be so uncoordinated everywhere else. Hazel just laughed, though, and gave Frank a kiss on the cheek.

"Nice one, by the way," Leo told Jason. "About the reward and Hazel."

"What?" Jason followed his gaze over to where their friends were dancing. "Oh, yeah. Well, it was the best choice. Besides, I didn't want to be immortal, did you?"

"Nah, I'm good," Leo willed flames to dance along his fingertips. "But I think I would've made a pretty hot god."

Jason shook his head. "Dude."

At that moment, Zeus and Hephaestus walked up to their table. At least, Leo thought the sky god was in Zeus form; he looked a little more laid back than he had in the throne room.

"May we join you?" the lord of the sky asked.

Leo and Jason exchanged looks, then Jason gave the only acceptable answer. "Uh, sure."

The two gods sat down and Leo decided to chalk this moment up to one of the strangest he'd ever experienced; which was saying a lot, since he'd had a ton of weird experiences.

Zeus turned to Jason and said, "I'm sorry for what happened in the throne room."

Jason looked taken aback. Zeus continued, "After what happened last August, it's hard to admit we needed the help of our demigod children again. But I am proud of you, Jason, and of what you've accomplished."

Leo had never seen his friend look so stunned. For a moment, Jason just sat there, staring at his dad. Then, he swallowed hard and said, "Thanks, Dad."

Zeus nodded. "You're welcome."

Hephaestus leaned back in his chair, stretching out his braced leg. "That was quite the ship you built, Leo. Very impressive piece of workmanship, if I do say so myself." He fixed Leo with a beady stare, though there was also a hint of pride in his eyes. "Your mother would have been proud."

It was Leo's turn to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. He hated to admit it, but the praise from his father meant more than he'd expected. "Yeah, well, it's all about choosing the right tool for the job."

Hephaestus nodded. "That's the truth." He looked across the garden and grunted. "Looks like my wife's coming over. Time for me to go. Keep up the good work, boy." Hephaestus clapped Leo on the shoulder as he got to his feet.

Zeus, too, stood up. "Enjoy the party. You've earned it."

The two gods walked away, leaving Jason and Leo in stunned silence.

"Huh," Leo finally managed.

"Yep," Jason replied.

Before they could continue that discussion, Piper came up to their table. Her hair was braided with a white feather and she was wearing a turquoise dress similar to the one she'd worn when they battled Enceladus last winter on Mount Diablo.

"Wow," Jason told her, "you look great."

Piper wrinkled her nose as she sat down beside him. "Thanks. My mom picked it out. And forced me to wear it."

"Your mom has good taste," Jason said.

"That's so sweet of you to say." A gorgeous woman who could only be Aphrodite smiled at Jason as she walked up to their table.

"Hi, Mom," Piper said glumly.

"Oh, don't worry, Piper, I won't stay long." Aphrodite beamed at the three of them. "I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you kids."

"On defeating Gaea?" Jason asked.

"Oh, yes, well, that too." Aphrodite waved her hand as if taking down a primordial goddess was no big deal. "But mostly on your love stories. They've been so interesting to follow. I love twists and turns in a love story. But I also love happy endings." The goddess winked at Leo. "Which reminds me, I think someone's looking for you. Enjoy the party, my dears!" Aphrodite wiggled her fingers at them, then disappeared into the crowd.

Leo's heart was thumping. He blamed Aphrodite—she'd said someone was looking for him and he sincerely hoped it was the "someone" he was thinking of. He looked in the direction the goddess had gone just as a familiar girl walked into the garden.

Leo's vision tunneled. He forgot how to breathe. Calypso's hair was pulled back in a ponytail, with a few loose strands framing her face. She was dressed simply in jeans and a white t-shirt. Leo thought she had never looked more beautiful. Until she spotted him and her entire face lit up as she smiled.

Leo stood up and stared like a zombie as she walked towards him. "You're here," he said, which seemed stupidly obvious once the words left his mouth.

"I'm here," Calypso agreed. They looked at each other for a moment. When Leo didn't move, Calypso rolled her eyes, pulled him forward, and kissed him. Leo's brain was short-circuiting again, but he decided right then that this was pretty much the best party ever.

"So, you're free," Leo said when he could breathe again. "How's it feel?"

"Amazing." Calypso's dark eyes sparkled. "I can't quite believe it yet. Are these your friends?"

Leo had completely forgotten that Jason and Piper were still sitting there. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, guys. Calypso, this is Jason and Piper. Guys, this is Calypso."

Jason waved. Piper smiled and said, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," Calypso said as she and Leo sat down. "Leo told me about your adventures with Festus the dragon."

"Oh yeah, freezing to death, crashing, almost dying—good times," Leo said.

His friends laughed. Sitting here with Jason, Piper, and Calypso, Leo felt like he was on top of the world. Which, he guessed, he kind of was, being on top of Mount Olympus and all.

"So, you're a goddess, right?" Jason asked. Leo and Piper both gave him a look, like, Really?

Calypso hesitated. "I was. I mean, technically, I suppose I still am. It's hard to say, though, without the immortality."

"Wait, what?" Leo was sure he'd heard her wrong. "What do you mean 'without the immortality'?"

"I gave up immortality when I gave up Ogygia." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "My power was tied to the island. Without it, I'm mortal."

A wave of guilt rushed over Leo. "Calypso—geez, I'm sorry—I didn't—I mean, I didn't realize—"

She placed a hand over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. "It was my choice to leave, Leo. Besides, I would rather live one mortal life with a hero who loves me, than spend eternity falling in love with ones who always leave."

Leo processed her words on a delay. When he finally realized what she was saying, he squeaked, "Me?" Super smooth, Valdez, he thought.

Calypso smiled again and took his hand. "Yes, you, you idiot." The tiniest glimmer of doubt crossed her face. "If, you know, you want me."

"Definitely," Leo said hurriedly. "That—I like that plan."

His friends laughed. Leo's brain was still running a little slow, like it needed a tune-up, but he managed to ask, "What's so funny?"

Piper grinned. "Your expression right now is priceless."

Leo couldn't think how to answer that, so he just said, "Oh."

Calypso kissed his cheek. "So eloquent."

"Yeah, well, I'm better with my hands," Leo said.

Jason choked on his drink. Calypso raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

It took Leo a second, but when he realized what they were thinking, he felt heat rise in his cheeks. "That's not—I wasn't—aw, shut up."

Piper, Jason, and Calypso were all cracking up. Leo joined in. It felt good to just laugh with his friends, without the eminent threat of death hanging over them, at least for the moment.

Calypso grabbed his hand. "Come on, you dolt. Let's dance."

"Okay," Leo said. As she led him to the dance floor, Leo couldn't erase the ridiculous grin from his face.

A slow song came on. "Don't get the wrong idea, Valdez," Calypso said as they swayed back and forth. "I still hate you."

Leo grinned. "You love to hate me."

"Something like that." She kissed him again and Leo decided he really liked winning wars.

Chapter Text

XXXVIII. FRANK

Frank was having problems. Take down a giant or a primordial goddess? No problem. Dance with his girlfriend without stepping on her toes? Much harder. He was grateful when Hazel suggested that they take a walk.

Wandering around Olympus holding Hazel's hand reminded Frank of walking around New Rome with her after they'd defeated Polybotes and his army. He'd been thrilled when Jason suggested that the gods grant Hazel a reprieve; his only regret was that he hadn't immediately thought of it himself.

Hazel seemed to be thinking along these same lines, because she said abruptly, "We should have asked about your firewood."

"What?"

"Your firewood." Hazel's golden eyes were dark with thought as she stopped walking and turned to look at Frank. "We should have asked the gods for a reprieve on that, too. I should have thought of it. I'm sorry."

"Oh." The thought had never actually crossed Frank's mind, which maybe was a bit ridiculous, but it had been a long day. It never occurred to him that the gods could get rid of his fatal weakness as a favor. "Nah, it's okay."

"It's not," Hazel insisted. "You guys agreed to save me, but we should have helped you, too."

"I don't think it works that way," Frank said gently. "My lifeline is my weakness, yeah, but it's also part of who I am. I don't think it can go away."

"But it's not fair."

"No, it's not," Frank agreed. "But that's okay, too. Look," he said, before she could argue again, "maybe my life will be short. But I'm done being afraid. I'm just going to enjoy whatever time I have. That's all we can do, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true warrior, kid."

Frank jumped. He hadn't realized anyone else was around. But there was the war god, Mars, leaning against a pillar.

"Father," Frank said stiffly.

Mars grinned. "Still not happy to see me? That's alright. You did me proud on the battlefield today, Frank. You put your duty before everything else, even your own life. Just like your mother."

Grief hit Frank like an unexpected punch to the chest. His throat was so tight, he couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted to, so he just nodded.

"It never gets easier," Mars said softly, "but time will give the pain a little distance."

"What do you want?" Frank croaked.

The war god raised an eyebrow. "Just having a talk with my son. That a problem?"

"It's unusual," Hazel said. "The gods spend most of their time ignoring their children."

For a moment, Frank was terrified his father was going to incinerate his girlfriend. But after a few seconds of silence, Mars grinned again. "I like this one," he told Frank. "She's a fighter."

Hazel's eyes flashed. "Yeah, I am."

Mars chuckled. "No need to break out the sword, girl. I just came to give my kid some advice, but it sounds like he already knows it."

"And what's that?" Frank asked.

"Like I told you before, life is only precious because it ends, kid. So enjoy the time you've got."

"This coming from an immortal god of war?" Frank said.

"Exactly. So I know what I'm talking about. One day, Frank, that stick will burn. But until then," Mars slapped Frank on the back, "keep up the good work."

The war god disappeared in a column of flame, which Frank thought was a bit rude considering what they had just been discussing, but whatever.

Before they could discuss what Mars had said, Percy ran up to them. "Hey, guys."

"Hi." Hazel smiled. "Where's Annabeth?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, pretending to be offended. "That's it? No 'good to see you, guy we traveled to Alaska and hid under a blue giant's butt with?' Just 'hey, where's your much cooler girlfriend?' Geez, I feel loved."

"You are," Hazel reassured him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "But we also like your much cooler girlfriend."

Frank snorted a laugh. Percy grinned and said, "Yeah, me too. But she's talking to her mother right now. And since Athena's not exactly my biggest fan, I figured I'd better leave before she found an excuse to blast me."

"Athena still doesn't like you?" Frank asked. "Even after what you did for Annabeth in, you know, Rome?"

Percy shrugged, like falling into Tartarus for his girlfriend was no big deal. "She would've done the same for me. Anyway, how are you guys doing?"

Hazel squeezed Frank's hand. Her smile made him feel warm all over. "We're good. I'm looking forward to going back to New Rome, though."

"Yeah." Frank felt butterflies in his stomach. "Hard to believe I'm going back as a praetor."

"You'll be amazing," Hazel said.

"Definitely," Percy agreed, clapping Frank's shoulder. "But you guys are staying around Camp Half-Blood for a few days, right?"

Frank nodded. "Yeah, it'll take a little time to get the legion organized. Plus, we need to figure out how things are going to go between the two camps. I just hope everything goes smoothly."

"It should, now that you've put Octavian in line," Percy said, grinning.

"What are you going to do?" Hazel asked Percy.

"Stay in New York, for now. I still have two years of high school to finish. After that, we'll see. But I'm definitely coming to visit Camp Jupiter. The three of us need to team up for the war games again. I'm still part of the Fifth Cohort, right?"

"Absolutely," Frank said. "And I agree; we need a repeat victory."

"Ah yes, quite an impressive victory last time," a new voice said. "I especially liked the trick with the water cannons."

The man walking up to them had dark hair, sea green eyes, and was wearing a Tommy Bahama shirt.

"Hey, Dad," Percy said cautiously.

"Hello, Perseus." Poseidon nodded to Frank and Hazel. "I wanted to thank you both for delivering my message. And congratulations. You all did admirably in the final battle."

"Thank you, sir," Hazel said.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Frank echoed.

"Now, I hate to interrupt," Poseidon continued, "but, Perseus, I was hoping I could speak with you for a few minutes."

"Sure," Percy said. "I'll catch up with you guys later. You'll be at the bonfire tonight, right? The s'mores are awesome."

"We'll be there," Hazel promised. She gave Percy a hug, Frank shook his hand, then the two of them continued down the street, leaving the son of the sea god with his father.

Music was still playing, partygoers were laughing and talking, and the smells coming from the myriad buffet tables were making Frank's mouth water. Olympus was pretty amazing, but a part of Frank's mind was three thousand miles away, on the other side of the country.

"So, what's the first thing you want to do when we get back to Camp Jupiter?" Frank asked Hazel.

She considered for a moment. "Honestly, I'd like to visit Hannibal and maybe the unicorn stables. Then, I want one of the chocolate chip muffins from that coffee shop near the Principia."

"Those are the best," Frank said.

"Do you want to join me?" Hazel asked, almost shyly.

Frank squeezed her hand. "It's a date."

Hazel beamed. "Good." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, which pretty much made Frank's day perfect.

As they started walking again, Frank felt hopeful. The war was over, he, Hazel, and their friends had all survived, and they were going home to Camp Jupiter. One day, he knew, his piece of firewood would burn. But until that happened, Frank decided, he was going to focus on living his life.

Chapter Text

XXXIX. PERCY

As Frank and Hazel left, Percy glanced sideways at his dad. He wasn't sure whether to feel nervous or annoyed at Poseidon. After all, his father had ignored him for months, hadn't done anything to stop Hera from kidnapping Percy, and had left Percy to struggle on his own through Tartarus. On the other hand, Poseidon (in Neptune form) had given them the advice they needed to ultimately defeat Gaea. So Percy settled for staying quiet, crossing his arms, and simply looking at his father.

Poseidon gave a sad smile, as if he knew what Percy was thinking. "I believe you've been told this before, but the hardest part of being a god, of being a parent really, is letting your children solve their own problems and make their own decisions. But I want you to know, Perseus, that I am very proud of the choices you've made."

Hearing his dad say he was proud of him made it really hard for Percy to stay angry. It also made it harder to look at his dad. Percy turned instead to face the fountain in front of them, which showed a hippocampus leaping in the air, water sprouting from the tips of its tail. "Thanks, Dad."

Poseidon nodded. He, too, looked at the fountain. "I quite like this one," he said appreciatively. "Annabeth Chase really did a nice job with the new design of Olympus."

"Yeah," Percy said. "She's pretty awesome."

"I particularly like the trident shape of my temple," Poseidon mused. He turned to look over his shoulder, as if someone had called his name. "Ah. Well, we'll talk soon, Percy. There are some—strange happenings we may need to discuss, but nothing to worry about right now. Tonight, enjoy the party." He patted Percy on the back. "By the way, I think someone's looking for you."

Poseidon winked at Percy before fading into the crowd on a gust of sea-breeze.

Percy turned and his breath caught in his chest. Annabeth had changed into jeans and a clean orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. With her blonde hair falling loose around her shoulders, she looked almost exactly like she had five years ago, when he'd passed out at her feet on the Big House porch after his fight with the Minotaur.

Except even more beautiful, he thought as she smiled and walked down the path to meet him.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey," Percy replied. His mouth was dry, but he couldn't figure out why he was nervous. Maybe it was just a flashback to when they'd been on Olympus after defeating Atlas. At the time, Percy had wanted to tell Annabeth how much he liked her, but he'd been too intimidated by Athena. "So, did you convince your mom not to incinerate me?"

"I think you're safe for now. Actually, she seemed almost impressed with you." Annabeth's smile turned teasing. "Does your dad want to blast me?"

"Nah, he seems to like you," Percy said. "Or, at least, he likes that the two of us dating annoys Athena."

Annabeth laughed and the sound burned away some of Percy's nerves. Music was drifting, low and sweet, around the garden. He remembered again that party on Olympus after Atlas fell. He held out a hand to Annabeth. "Want to dance?"

Her eyes sparkled as she took his hand. "I'd love to."

There were a few nymphs, satyrs, and minor gods and goddesses scattered around the garden, but no one was paying attention to anyone else. Percy and Annabeth swayed on the spot, not talking much, just enjoying each other's company. Percy caught a few words of the song playing from the magical speakers:

"Days like this lead to, nights like this lead to,
Love like ours. You light the spark in my
bonfire heart."

He didn't recognize the song, but it seemed appropriate. The song ended and another slow song came on, so they kept dancing. Annabeth moved closer and rested her head against his shoulder; her hair smelled like lemons. Percy tightened his arm around her waist. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this happy and relaxed. Maybe never.

As a third song ended, Percy pressed a kiss to the top of Annabeth's head. "Want to get out of here?"

"Sure." She pulled back to look at him. "Where are we headed?"

Nervous butterflies filled Percy's stomach again, accompanied by a massive wave of homesickness. He tried to respond, but he couldn't get the words past the sudden lump in his throat.

Annabeth seemed to read the answer on his face, though. She took his hand. "Come on, Seaweed Brain."

They threaded their way through the crowds, heading toward the elevator doors. Along the way, they stopped to tell Jason and Piper they were leaving.

"Okay," Piper said. "But you'll be back at camp for the fire tonight, right?"

"Definitely." Annabeth gave Piper a hug.

"You wouldn't want to miss out on the s'mores," Jason said, clapping Percy on the back.

Percy managed a smile. "Yeah, it's been way too long since I've had one of those."

The street outside the Empire State Building was bustling with midafternoon traffic. Cabs honked, people talked on their cell phones as they hurried past, tourists snapped pictures. Everything was busy and hectic and perfectly New York. To Percy, it felt like home.

Annabeth frowned. "I don't have money for a taxi or the subway, do you?"

"No need," Percy replied. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Blackjack, buddy, where are you?

On my way, boss, the horse replied. Within a minute, a dark shape swept overhead and landed on the sidewalk in front of them. No one seemed to notice; maybe the mortals just saw an extra-large pigeon. Blackjack nuzzled Percy. Sorry about that kick to the head, boss. I wouldn't have done it if you'd been yourself.

"It's all good, Blackjack. You probably saved our lives. Listen, we need a lift to the Upper East Side. You up for it?"

Blackjack whinnied, which Percy took for a yes. He climbed on the Pegasus, then held out a hand to pull Annabeth up behind him. "Let's go!"

Blackjack smoothly navigated the tunnel of New York streets, hemmed in by skyscrapers. Percy's nerves were mounting the closer they got, his stomach twisting in knots. He hadn't been home in eight months. He was grateful Annabeth was with him as Blackjack clattered to the pavement in front of his mom's apartment building.

As he slid off the pegasus, the rush of homesickness he'd been fighting ever since he woke up in the Wolf House months ago (when he didn't even know where his home was) threatened to engulf him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, but he couldn't seem to lift his foot and take that first step. Annabeth laced her fingers through his and tugged him gently towards the front door. "Come on, Percy."

The elevator ride to the fifth floor seemed to take no time. Suddenly, they were in front of his mom's apartment. Percy wasn't sure whether to knock. "I don't have my key with me. I think it's back in my cabin at camp."

Annabeth tried the door, which was unlocked. She opened it. When Percy didn't move, she gave him a light push. "It's just your apartment, Seaweed Brain."

Percy stumbled inside. The hall light was on and he could see the living room from here. A familiar voice called, "Paul? I thought you weren't going to be back until later?"

Mom. Percy wanted to call back, but his voice wouldn't work. It didn't matter, though. Sally Jackson came around the corner, smiling and drying a frying pan, expecting her husband. When she saw her son, she froze.

"Hey, Mom," Percy managed. "I—I promised I'd make it home."

The frying pan hit the floor with a dull thud. Sally shrieked and ran forward, flinging her arms around her son. "Percy!"

Percy buried his face in his mom's shoulder. She smelled like cookies and lavender and home.

Sally was alternating between sobbing and kissing his face. "Percy, oh my baby, we were so worried. There was that phone call, but then we never heard anything else and then Rachel and Grover told us you'd fallen into Tartarus and I never thought—but you're back." She finally pulled away, holding him at arm's length, examining him like she was looking for injuries. Apparently satisfied that he was okay, she hugged him again. "Oh, I'm just so happy you're home!"

"Me too, Mom," Percy said. His voice was thick and he felt tears stinging his eyes, which was a little embarrassing, but whatever. After everything they'd been through—his amnesia, Tartarus, the final fight with Gaea—when his mom hugged him, he didn't have any energy left to hold back the tears.

His mom noticed Annabeth and released Percy to throw her arms around his girlfriend. "Annabeth, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay, too!"

Annabeth's voice was muffled as she hugged Sally, but Percy was pretty sure he heard her say, "I told you I'd bring him home."

"I knew you would." Sally kissed Annabeth's cheek. Both of them were wiping their eyes as they broke apart.

A timer went off in the kitchen. "Oh, that's the roast," Sally said. "You're just in time for dinner."

"Awesome," Percy said.

His mom went back into the kitchen, stopping to pick up the dropped frying pan on her way, and Percy turned to Annabeth. "You told my mom you'd bring me home?"

She blushed. "Yeah, well, we were worried. Besides, I told you a long time ago, if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, you are."

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. When Annabeth put her hands around his neck, Percy was reminded strongly of their first real kiss. His pulse was racing as he leaned forward now and kissed her.

They broke apart when his mom called from the kitchen, "You two better not have left or, so help me, Percy, I will ground you for a year!"
They both laughed. Percy took Annabeth's hand and led her into the kitchen. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not going anywhere. Definitely not before dinner."

The front door opened and closed. Paul's voice said, "Sally, I got done early and—"

His voice died as he walked into the kitchen.

Sally beamed. "Look who's home."

"Percy!" Paul engulfed him in a bear hug. He thumped Percy on the back and said, gruffly, "Glad you're home, son."

"Thanks, Paul," Percy said, returning the hug.

As Paul released Percy to give Annabeth a hug, too, Sally wiped her eyes on a kitchen towel. She was still smiling, though, as she set the roast, potatoes, and carrots on the table. "Alright, guys, let's eat."

As the four of them sat down around the table, Percy couldn't help grinning like an idiot. The war was over, his friends had survived, and they'd made it back to New York. Best of all, his mom had made dinner.

It was good to be home.

***The song lyrics are from "Bonfire Heart" by James Blunt—the song just seems appropriate for Percy and Annabeth. Also, in case you didn't guess, when Poseidon says he and Percy need to discuss some things, he is referring to the Egyptian/Greek cross-over problems that are beginning and which show up in Son of Sobek, Staff of Serapis, and Crown of Ptolemy-if you haven't read them, you should check them out, they're fun.***

Chapter Text

XXXX. PIPER

For Piper, the Olympian celebration party had a few highlights: seeing Leo dancing happily with Calypso was definitely one. Getting epically beat by Apollo on Guitar Hero was not. She couldn't be too mad at the god of music; after all, he'd saved her life in Greece. However, when he invited her to play another round, she politely declined and handed the plastic guitar over to one of the Hunters of Artemis, who looked determined to take the sun god down.

Jason was still chuckling as they made their way through the city afterwards.

"Oh, shut up," Piper said.

"Sorry, Pipes." He shook his head, grinning. "But, I mean, that wasn't even a competition. He just kicked your butt."

"I'd like to see you do any better, Sparky," she said, nudging him with her elbow.

Jason held up his hands in surrender. "No way. I'd do worse. No musical talent."

They reached a platform that overlooked Manhattan. All of New York City was spread out below them. Even from this high up, Piper could hear the constant thrum of activity but in the late afternoon light the city looked peaceful and beautiful.

"Wow," she said softly.

"Nice view," Jason agreed.

He slipped an arm around her waist. The viewing platform was empty except for the two of them. Piper's heart began to race as she looked up at her boyfriend. He still had the racing stripe in his hair from Sciron the bandit and, of course, the stapler scar above his lip. Piper liked those imperfections. She also liked the way the scar almost disappeared when he smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. Piper felt as if sparks of electricity were running down her arms, making her skin tingle.

"Ahem."

"Seriously, dude?" Jason groaned as he and Piper broke apart.

Leo was grinning at them, still holding hands with Calypso, who smacked his arm. "It's not nice to interrupt," she chided him.

"They'll be fine," Leo said. "They're used to it."

Piper rolled her eyes. "You're so annoying."

"I try." Leo waggled his eyebrows and she had to laugh. "Just wanted to tell you guys we're heading back to camp soon. I already told Frank and Hazel; they're going to meet us at the elevator. Have you seen Annabeth and Percy?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "They already left."

"They left?" Leo asked.

"They were going to see Percy's mom," Piper explained. "She lives in Manhattan. But they said they'd be at camp for the fire tonight."

"Got it," Leo said. "Well, in that case, I think it's safe to assume they'll find their own way to camp. As for us, back to the Argo II!"

"Yes," Calypso said. "I can't wait to meet Festus."

"You're going to love him," Leo promised.

"Oh, I'm sure," she said. Leo's whole face lit up when Calypso smiled at him. Piper was thrilled to see him so happy; he absolutely deserved it.

Jason took her hand and Piper couldn't help smiling as the four of them left Olympus.

The Argo II set down over the strawberry fields. As Piper jumped down from the rope ladder, she inhaled the scent of moist earth and warm plants. It was good to be back. She looked around as the others climbed down from the ship. The camp was still busy. The Greek campers were cleaning and putting away armor and weapons, while the Romans were packing up and getting things ready to head back to California. A few would be staying, though, to check out the Greek camp. Piper knew it would take time for the two camps to really learn to work together—all their problems couldn't be solved in a day. But she thought maybe they were on the right track.

She, Jason, Leo, Calypso, Hazel, and Frank made their way across the camp to the amphitheater where the campfire would be. Many people, Romans and Greeks, called out greetings as they passed. Then, louder than anyone else, a familiar voice barked, "Valdez! McLean! Grace! Zhang! Levesque! Finally!"

"Does he really need to use all of our names?" Leo muttered as Coach Hedge ran up to them.

Before Piper could reply, she caught sight of the small bundle of blue blankets in the coach's arms and the tiny hand sticking out of the top. She squealed like, well, like an Aphrodite girl. "Oh my gods, Coach! Is that—?"

"Yep." Coach Hedge puffed out his chest proudly. "Demigods, I'd like you to meet my son, Nimbus."

Everyone moved closer to see the baby. He had a thatch of curly brown hair, but no horns yet. With his goat legs covered up, he looked like a regular human infant, fast asleep.

"He's adorable," Hazel said.

Jason grinned. "Congratulations, Coach."

"Yeah, congrats," Frank said.

"Thank you." Coach Hedge looked down at the sleeping baby with a tender expression Piper never would have imagined she'd see on the old goat's face. Then he looked up and his face went back to its usual expression. "Alright. Who wants to hold him?"

It was a close call, but Hedge judged that Piper's hand went up just a little bit faster than Hazel's, so she got to hold baby Nimbus first. He was lighter than she expected, even with all his blankets. The baby wrinkled his nose, opened his eyes, looked at Piper for a moment, then squirmed and fell right back asleep.

"Checking out his surroundings," Coach Hedge said approvingly. "He'll make a great warrior one day."

"No doubt," Leo said with a grin.

After a minute, Hazel held out her arms. "Okay, my turn."

Reluctantly, Piper handed the baby to her as Mellie, Coach Hedge's cloud nymph wife, drifted over to them. "Congratulations, Mellie," Piper told her.

Mellie beamed. "Thank you. It's good to see you all again. We're so glad you made it back safely."

"So are we," Piper said. She quickly introduced Mellie to Frank, Hazel, and Calypso.

As Calypso took a turn holding the baby, Coach Hedge leaned closer to Leo. "A goddess, Valdez?" The coach whistled. "Not bad."

"Uh, thanks. I think."

"So, who's next?" the coach asked as Calypso handed him back the baby. "Zhang, how about you?"

Frank's eyes widened. "I—I don't think—I don't want to drop him."

"Nonsense. You'll be fine," the coach said. "Just support his head. Like this."

Frank looked terrified as Hedge thrust the baby into his arms and showed him the proper way to hold Nimbus. Jason and Leo each took a step back, as if afraid they were next. Piper bit back a smile. She'd seen all three boys face some of the worst monsters and giants Tartarus could throw at them but apparently, to a teenage boy, nothing was scarier than a tiny baby. She met Hazel's eyes, then looked quickly away before they both burst out laughing.

As Coach Hedge forced Leo and then Jason to hold baby Nimbus, Piper asked Mellie, "What are you guys going to do now?"

"Oh, I'm going back to work for your father in a few weeks, after my maternity leave is over," Mellie said. "I left an aurae friend of mine, Lottie, in charge while I was gone. And Gleeson's going to stay home and take care of the baby."

Piper tried to picture the coach as a stay-at-home dad and, strangely enough, she could. Then, she imagined Coach Hedge in a pink, ruffled apron and quickly shook her head to get rid of that image. "I'm sure my dad will be glad to get you back."

"I just hope things are still in order," Mellie said. "Lottie's sweet as a summer breeze, but she can be a bit of an airhead."

The baby began to fuss in Jason's arms. Jason looked alarmed. "I didn't do anything, I swear!"

Mellie laughed gently. "He's probably just hungry." She picked the baby up and he snuggled against her shoulder. "Come on, Gleeson. The kids need to get to their campfire."

"Alright, babe." The coach pointed a finger at the demigods. "But don't forget, I'll still be keeping an eye on all of you. Make me proud."

"Yes, sir." Leo saluted the coach, who looked satisfied.

As Coach Hedge took Mellie's hand and strolled away toward the woods, Piper didn't think she'd ever seen the old goat look happier.

Jason shook his head. "Coach Hedge as a dad. Hard to believe."

"He'll be fantastic," Hazel said.

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "I think he will be."

"Alright, cupcakes," Leo said in an eerily good impression of the coach. "Let's get to the campfire. It's s'more time."

"Right, because you need more sugar," Hazel said.

"Not more sugar, s'more sugar," Leo corrected.

Frank groaned. "How long until we're across the country from Valdez's bad jokes?"

"Whatever, man. You know you're going to miss me."

"Yeah, maybe," Frank relented. Leo grinned and slapped him on the back.

"Excuse me, but what is a s'more?" Calypso asked.

Leo's eyes widened. "That's right, you've been trapped on an island for the last, what, three thousand years? Well, a s'more is—"

"Why don't you just show her?" Hazel suggested.

"Good point." Leo held out a hand to Calypso. "Right this way, m'lady."

"Is he always like this?" Calypso asked Piper.

"Pretty much."

Calypso smiled as she took Leo's hand. "I can live with that."

As everyone headed towards the fire, Jason squeezed Piper's hand. "It's good to be home," he said.

"It is," she agreed.

Hand in hand, they followed their friends into the amphitheater.

Chapter Text

XXXXI. ANNABETH

The sun was beginning to set by the time Annabeth and Percy left his parents' apartment. Annabeth was pretty sure the only reason Sally let them leave was because Percy swore up and down he would be back in a few weeks, before school started.

Blackjack was waiting for them on the sidewalk as they came out of the building. He whickered.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Dude, really?"

"What does he want?" Annabeth asked.

"He, um, says I owe him some doughnuts." Percy grinned sheepishly. "Do you mind if we make a quick stop?"

Annabeth had to laugh. "You know what? I could totally go for a doughnut."

Half an hour later, they were standing outside a doughnut shop on Eighty-Sixth Street, finishing off a box of glazed doughnuts, most of which had gone to Blackjack.

"Last one, boy." Percy tossed a sugar-coated ring into the air. Blackjack caught it and swallowed the doughnut whole. His nose was covered in crumbs, but Annabeth had never seen the pegasus look more content.

Percy crumpled up the doughnut box, then shot it like a basketball into a nearby dumpster, banking it off a brick wall. "Two points!" he said, grinning as he turned back to Annabeth. "So, where to now?"

The setting sun was tinting the buildings and streets with a golden orange light. There was only one place in the world Annabeth wanted to be right now. She kissed Percy. "Let's go home, Seaweed Brain."

"Best idea I've heard in months," Percy said. He climbed onto Blackjack, then helped her up behind him. "Next stop, Camp Half-Blood!"

They landed on Half-Blood Hill, near Thalia's tree. The Athena Parthenos was gone; it had been taken to Olympus, to be displayed in one of Athena's temples. Annabeth was proud of everything she and her friends had achieved with regards to the statue, but she was also relieved to be rid of it.

"Perrrrrcy!"

They had barely dismounted from Blackjack when Grover came flying out of nowhere and practically tackled Percy in a hug. Blackjack whinnied in either alarm or annoyance and took off, but Annabeth just grinned.

"G-man!" Percy said. "It's good to see you."

"You, too." Grover released Percy and looked at Annabeth. "You told him we'll kill him if he disappears again, right?"

"Obviously," Annabeth said. "Thalia told him that, too."

"That's a lot of death threats from people who are supposedly happy to see me alive," Percy said.

"We only say it because we love you," Annabeth told him.

"Or something like that," Grover replied.

Before Percy could respond, there was a shout of, "Percy and Annabeth!"

Annabeth shrieked in surprise as Tyson swept both her and Percy into a bone-crushing hug. "You are not dead! That is very, very good!"

"Yeah, big guy, it is," Percy said when Tyson let them go and they could breathe again. "Wow, it's great to be back. You have no idea how much I've missed you guys and this place."

The stars were beginning to come out and lights were coming on in the Big House and the cabins. A few satyrs were still in the strawberry fields, playing lullabies to the plants. Campers, both Greek and Roman, were still busy cleaning up all around, but most people were heading to the amphitheater, where it looked like the bonfire and sing-along were almost ready to begin. Looking around the camp, Annabeth had to agree with Percy; it was good to be home.

Ella the harpy landed on a branch right above Tyson's head and announced. "Fire. Great Fire of London, 1666. Great Fire of Chicago, 1871. Zhang family mansion, June. Camp Half-Blood campfire, now."

"Ella is smart," Tyson said, looking up at his harpy girlfriend. They both blushed, which Annabeth found strangely adorable.

"She is," Percy agreed. He took Annabeth's hand and threw an arm around Grover's shoulders. "I say we take her advice and get to the campfire."

On the way to the amphitheater, Grover told them that nature had settled down since Gaea went back to sleep. "No more fists popping out of mountains or earthquakes destroying forests. Everything's going back to normal."

"Good," Annabeth said.

Grover left them at the amphitheater. "I need to find Juniper. But I'll see you guys in the morning. Percy, try not to get kidnapped again."

"He'd better not," Annabeth said.

Percy held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not going anywhere, guys. I promise."

Grover waved and ran off to find his girlfriend. Tyson and Ella had already gone into the amphitheater. Annabeth was getting ready to follow them when she saw someone hovering near the entrance, as if debating whether or not to go in. She recognized the glint of his skull ring, as well as his aviator jacket and messy black hair.

"Nico!" She called to him. He looked around and spotted her and Percy. Reluctantly, it seemed, he walked over. "Are you going to the campfire?"

Nico didn't meet her eyes. "Actually, I was getting ready to, you know, just take off."

"Come on, man, you've got to stay." Percy put a hand on Nico's shoulder and the son of Hades flinched. Percy dropped his hand, but said, "Everyone's going to want to hear about how you and Reyna brought that statue all the way across the Atlantic."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." Nico crossed his arms.

"Nico, you helped stop a war between the camps," Annabeth said gently. "That's kind of a big deal."

"Just come in for a little bit," Percy coaxed.

Nico finally looked up. For just a moment, Annabeth saw a look of intense longing cross his face. Before she could interpret it, the expression disappeared and he looked like a sulky teenager again. "Fine. But I'm not staying long."

They found seats by Reyna and their friends from the Argo II. Nico immediately squeezed in next to Hazel, who gave him a hug. Annabeth could see her other camp friends scattered around, but after everything they'd just been through, these were the people she most wanted to be with right now.

The sing-along started, but it quickly turned into a (mostly) friendly competition between the Apollo campers from Camp Half-Blood and the ones from Camp Jupiter. As far as Annabeth could tell, the god of music had a pretty similar persona in both forms, but the competition definitely led to some very interesting musical arrangements. Over the cacophony of guitars, lyres, and sometimes off-key singing, Piper told Annabeth about Coach Hedge's baby satyr, Nimbus, and introduced her to Calypso, who was sitting between Piper and Leo.

Annabeth managed a smile as she shook the goddess's hand. She was trying hard not to remember the curse from Calypso she had unleashed by killing one of the arai in Tartarus; Annabeth didn't really blame Calypso, but it wasn't exactly a happy memory. There was an awkward moment as Percy and Calypso greeted each other and Percy apologized for not making sure that the gods had kept their promise about freeing her.

"It's alright," Calypso told him. "I think, maybe, everything worked out the way it was supposed to." She smiled at Leo, who grinned back.

"Maybe the Fates really do know what they're doing," Piper mused.

"Maybe they do," Annabeth said. She squeezed Percy's hand and he smiled at her.

Eventually the voices of the Apollo singers from both camps began to get hoarse and Chiron announced it was nearly curfew. "Also, it has been decided that the day after tomorrow we will have a friendly," he stressed the word, "game of Capture the Flag between the two camps."

Whoops and cheers broke out around the amphitheater. Annabeth's mind immediately began to race, forming strategies that would best utilize her friends' talents. Because if Jason and Percy created a storm at the creek, then Piper could use the cornucopia over near…and if Leo could rig up a net…or Frank could turn into a bear and Hazel could…wait, Frank and Hazel were Roman.

Hazel came to this conclusion the same moment Annabeth did. Her eyes widened. "We'll have to be against you guys!"

Leo grinned maniacally. "This should be interesting."

"It looks like we're going to have a battle after all," Reyna said. "Your camp against mine, Annabeth."

"Oh we are so going to take you down," Annabeth said.

"We'll see." Reyna's dark eyes glittered, but her smile was teasing. "But you've never seen the legion in the war games."

"I have." Percy looked nervous.

Annabeth resisted the urge to smack her boyfriend. Instead, she told Reyna, "Don't underestimate Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh, we won't," Reyna said. "But Praetor Zhang will come up with a winning strategy."

Frank gulped. "I will?"

"You will," Hazel told him confidently. Her smile was mischievous as she pretended to whisper, "We know all their tricks, remember?"

"Don't worry, we have a few surprises left." Piper's eyes danced and Annabeth wasn't sure if she was bluffing or if she actually had an idea; hopefully the latter.

Jason shook his head, but he was grinning. "Frank's strategy versus Annabeth's? This is going to be a good game."

Annabeth had to agree. As Chiron stamped his foot to get everyone's attention and announced again that it was almost time for curfew, Annabeth felt like everything was finally starting to go back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as things ever were in the life of a demigod.

Annabeth and Percy were the last to leave the amphitheater. By the time they'd said good night to all their friends, the campfire had died down to ashes. Percy stood up and stretched.

"We should probably go." He held out a hand to pull Annabeth to her feet. "After everything we've been through, it'd be pretty lame to get eaten by harpies."

"Very true," Annabeth agreed as she took his hand and stood. An idea struck her. "Of course, if we went down to the beach, we could always escape into the ocean if the harpies came. Right, son of Poseidon?"

Percy smiled slowly. "I like the way you think."

They walked down the beach until they were nearly at the camp's boundary. This way, they would have plenty of time to see the harpies if the chicken-ladies came squawking over the dunes. They sat down in the sand, just close enough to the water so that the edges of the surf washed over their bare feet.

"You know, I think this is almost the same spot where I met Hermes, before we went into the Sea of Monsters to rescue Grover," Percy said.

"Gods, that seems like so long ago." Annabeth looked out at the ocean, half expecting to see the Princess Andromeda, but there was no cruise ship on the horizon, only stars. "That was the first time you made an air bubble underwater, wasn't it? In Siren Bay?"

"Yeah." Percy picked up a sea shell and tossed it into the waves. "What did you tell me, by the way?"

"When?"

"In the bubble. You said something, but I had that wax in my ears, so I missed it."

"Oh." Annabeth remembered. Being ripped out of the fantasy the sirens had shown her had been horrible, but Percy had put his arms around her and let her cry and promised to get them safely back to their ship. As miserable as she had felt, she was also incredibly grateful he was there. "I just said thank you. For, you know, rescuing me and being there."

"I'll always be there." Percy grinned. "Just try and get rid of me."

Annabeth traced her finger in the sand. "That reminds me, I don't think I've told you yet."

"Told me what?"

Annabeth met his eyes. Butterflies danced in her stomach. "What you did in Rome, in Arachne's cave, was pretty amazing."

"Easiest decision of my life," Percy said. "I mean, what would you have done, if it was reversed?"

"Oh, I would have let go."

Percy looked as stunned as if she'd slapped him. "Wh-what?"

"Of the ledge, Seaweed Brain. Only the ledge." Annabeth smacked his arm lightly. "After all the trouble I went to searching for your sorry butt for six months, no way am I letting you get away again."

"Oh." Percy's shoulders relaxed and he exhaled. "Okay, good."

She shook her head incredulously. "You can't honestly have believed—"

"Nah, you just caught me off guard."

"Your head really is full of kelp."

"So I've been told." Percy leaned closer and Annabeth's heart began to race. He kissed her. His lips were salty and his hands on her back were warm. Annabeth felt the fear and the stress and the anger she had been living with for the past months finally melt away. She focused on the waves washing over her feet, the sea breeze blowing her hair, and, most importantly, on Percy beside her. It was a while before they spoke again.

"So, what happens now?" Percy finally asked as he laced his fingers with hers in the sand. "You told me I should ask you when we got home."

Annabeth looked at him. The wind off Long Island Sound ruffled his dark hair and she could just see the gorgeous sea-green color of his eyes in the moonlight. He was giving her that familiar, sarcastic troublemaker grin that had become so annoyingly endearing. Her heart leapt.

"Now," she said, leaning forward and returning his smile, "we get our happy ending."

But before she could kiss him again, she heard a screech coming from the dunes.

"Uh-oh," Percy said. "They found us."

Annabeth scrambled to her feet. "That's our cue to leave."

Percy's eyebrows scrunched together. "Wait, are we going back to the cabins or—"

"The ocean, Seaweed Brain!"

"Right." Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her with him out into the water. Just as the first harpy poked an eager head over the sand dunes, a ten-foot tall wave rose up behind Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth instinctively closed her eyes and held her breath as the wave crashed down, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, she saw why. "You're getting pretty good at these air bubbles."

"Thanks," Percy said. The wave must have pushed them farther away from the shore, because they were now about twenty feet below the surface. "I think we'll be safe from the harpies here."

"Probably." Annabeth slid her arms around Percy's neck. "So, where were we again?"

"I forget." Percy pretended to look confused. At least, she sincerely hoped he was pretending but, honestly, sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Ha ha, that's so funny—" She didn't have a chance to finish that sentence because Percy leaned down and kissed her.

And it was the new best underwater kiss of all time.

THE END