The Altered Seven - JJVey - Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms (2024)

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter Text

Lilly was pissed. Why? Because of Killian Vixon, son of Hyperion. He disappeared several months ago and had still not decided to show up, which was driving Lilly crazy.

They'd just woken up one day and he was gone from his bed. No sign of a kidnapping, no sign of a struggle. Just...gone.

And as if it weren't enough, the gods chose to close Olympus to the demigods, cutting themselves off from the demigods completely. Even Hades had shut himself in his palace, allowing Nico and Bianca into the underworld but not seeing them. While it was celebrated that Dionysus had vanished from Camp Half-Blood, it only proved to further aggravate Lilly who was looking for answers.

It didn't help that Michael and Percy were being as unhelpful as possible. Every time she asked them about where he could've gone, they clammed shut. Wouldn't answer anything, not even for Lee or Silena.

After another day of fruitless efforts by her, Lee, and Silena in researching Killian's disappearance, Lilly stormed their house and threw herself on the bed. She cried into his pillow, trying to find his scent, but after several months it had left, replaced by Lilly's instead. Lilly cried until her breathing shallowed and she fell into a deep sleep.

And of course, she dreamed. You couldn't be a demigod and not have weirdly prophetic dreams.

In her dream, she was in a golden car, its roof down and the Beach Boys playing from the radio, driving at such high speeds Lilly was sure she'd fly from the car as soon as the break was touched. A look over the edge of the car told her that she was in the sky. She gripped the door when she saw the ground miles and miles away.

"You're only dreaming, Lilly," said a voice from her other side. She whirled around and found Apollo grinning at her. His blond hair was waving in the wind and sunglasses covered his eyes. "Welcome to the sun chariot." He gestured to the car. "My hot rod. Kicks ass at mileage."

"Apollo, why am I here?" Lilly asked.

"Well, someone needs to be told the news," Apollo said as if it were obvious.

"What news?" Lilly asked when he didn't elaborate.

"You need to head to the Grand Canyon tomorrow," Apollo told her. "The boy with one shoe will be the key to helping you find Killian again."

"Great!" Lilly smiled as hope filled her chest. This was the first real lead she had.

"Hold on, I'm not done," Apollo said, waving his hand at her. "Listen, I know none of us like her, but Hera is missing. She needs to be saved."

"Why don't you gods go save her?"

"We don't know where she is. She's shielded from our sight. Zeus has ordered my sister and I to look for her, but there's only so much we can do. If you find and save Hera with the boy with one shoe, you'll find Killian."

"Why will he have one shoe?"

Apollo waved off her question. "Before you go, I must warn you: the road will be long and hard. The Prophecy of Seven is starting. You will play a crucial part in it, Lilly. You and Killian. Remember that. Oh, and take my daughter-in-law with you when you go."

"What, why?" Lilly asked, but the dream was fading. Apollo waved goodbye, blinding her with his too-white teeth, and she woke up.

She sat up immediately, butting heads with someone.

"Ow!" Lilly and the kid exclaimed at the same time.

"What was that for, Lilly?" Connor Stoll asked. He was holding his nose and grimacing in pain. "I was just going to wake you up. It's breakfast."

"I slept through dinner last night?" Lilly asked incredulously.

Connor nodded. "Percy and Zoë tried to wake you up, but you ignored them, muttering something about flying cars."

"Wait, it's tomorrow," Lilly said, realization washing over her.

"Umm, yeah," Connor agreed, confused.

"No, you don't understand," Lilly said. "It's tomorrow. Apollo said I have to get to the Grand Canyon today and find a boy with one shoe!"

"Wait, Apollo said what?" Connor asked as Lilly rolled out of bed. She scrambled towards the door. "Lilly!"

"I've got to get there!" She shouted back. "It's the only way I can find Killian!"

"Wait for me, then!" Connor raced after her.

Lilly ran into the pegasus stables, where she found Beckendorf polishing a celestial bronze chariot with Tessa Fletcher, a daughter of Hypnos who went by Tess and liked helping with the chariots.

"Lilly?" Beckendorf asked when she sprinted in. "What are you doing here?"

"Need pegasi," she panted. She grabbed reigns and began trying to strap them to a pegasus. "Need to get to the Grand Canyon."

"Why?"

"She says it's the only way to find Killian," Connor gasped as he stumbled through. He gripped a stable and panted. "To find a guy with one shoe. Gods, you're fast."

"Hang on, Lilly, let me help you," Beckendorf said, taking the leather reins from her. He strapped them to the two pegasi, then connected them to the chariot. "There you go."

"Thanks," Lilly said. She kissed his cheek before jumping onto the chariot.

"Wait for me!" Tess shouted, hopping on. "Careful-"

Lilly didn't wait as she cracked the reins. The pegasi neighed and started galloping away.

"To the Grand Canyon!" She shouted over the wind. The pegasi must've understood her because they neighed in answer.

With a sonic boom, the pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Lilly's stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place.

On the catwalk, she saw two teenagers.

Lilly landed the chariot on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the already spiderwebbed glass as if they sensed it was near breaking. Lilly left Tess to reign in the pegasi as she leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving.

"Where is he?" She demanded, walking up to the two boys.

A blond boy answered her. "Where's who?"

She frowned. If they didn't know anything, why did Apollo send her here? She glanced at the other one. A Latino boy with curly black hair.

"Where's your protector?" She asked. "Gleeson was sent to scout this school, right? What happened to him?"

The Latino cleared his throat. "He got taken by some ... tornado things."

"Venti," the blond said. "Storm spirits."

Lilly raised an eyebrow. "Romani," she murmured. "You mean anemoi thuellai? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"

The blond told their story, but by the end of it, Lilly was far from satisfied.

"He said he would be here!" Lilly exclaimed in frustration.

"Lilly," Tess said gently from beside her. "Look." She nodded to the blond's feet. "One shoe. He has to be the one you were told about."

Lilly grunted. "Fine. We'll take them back to camp and have everything be explained there." She marched towards the chariot.

The curly haired one shook his head. "What's her problem?"

"We have to get you out of here," Tess said. "I'll explain on the way."

"I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured toward the brunette. "She looks like she wants to kill me."

Tess hesitated. "Lilly's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. She was told she'd find someone here. Someone close to her."

"Who?"

"Her husband," Tess said. "A guy named Killian Vixon."

"This is so cool!" the latino boy exclaimed as they flew through the air. He said his name was Leo, and Lilly couldn't help but feel like she should know that name. He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Lilly said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-blood," the blond-Jason- repeated. "You mean demigods?"

Lilly looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Achlys, goddess of misery and poison. Tess here is the daughter of Hypnos, the god of sleep and dreams. She's a great help at camp with therapy. We've...We've all been through a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked with the tact of a teaspoon.

"A lot of the older demigods at camp have seen a lot," Tess explained carefully. She glanced at Lilly. "Demigods like Lilly. Several years back, there was a war, and...they fought in it."

"I don't remember hearing about a war."

"You wouldn't have," Lilly said, her voice hollow. "The mortal world didn't bear witness to it, and assuming you're fifteen years old, you would've been barely seven years old."

"How old are you?"

Tess's eyes flashed. "You're cute, boy, but you shouldn't go asking a woman her age. It's bad manners."

"It's alright, Tess," Lilly said. She took a deep breath. "I'm 23, Leo. Pretty old for a demigod, but ever since the war, we've been able to live longer. We're being trained harder so that we survive longer. You see, it's dangerous to be a half-blood. We're constantly in danger. Monsters can smell us, and for demigods like me, our smell is very powerful. Being outside our camp used to be counted as suicide, but since the war-"

"You know how to survive," Jason interrupted. He looked up. "You know how to fight."

Lilly nodded. "Hold on. It's about to get bumpy."

Lilly flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Then they were in New York.

A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Lilly saw the cabins, the Big House, the basketball courts, the lake, and the lava wall. A city of beautiful marble houses, brownstone mansions, and lucious parks.

Her home.

She steered the pegasi downward and eventually landed them in front of the lake.

"Lilly!" Lee ran up to her. "Tess! You're back! Beckendorf told me where you went, and I told Michael and Percy. Did you find anything about Killian?"

Lilly shook her head dejectedly. "Nothing. Just these two."

Lee turned to Leo and Jason. "Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked.

Before Lilly could explain, a tall girl pushed her way to the front. She had dark brown hair that was braided down her back and a burn scar on her coppery face. She grabbed Lilly by the shoulders and started berating her. "No shield! No note! Bed empty! Connor telling me you left! What's a woman to think?"

"Sorry, Zoë," Lilly muttered. "Apollo said I'd be able to find Killian. I wasn't thinking."

Zoë's brown eyes softened. She sighed and hugged Lilly. "I'm sorry for yelling. I was just worried."

"I know, Zoë. I should've told you, rather than let Connor do it. Is he still alive?"

Zoë chuckled. "Yes. I would feel bad for Jadia distress if I killed her husband." She looked up at Jason and Leo, who were staring at her. "Who are you two?"

Leo paled slightly before he smiled flirtatiously at Zoë. "I'm anything you want me to be, darling."

Zoë growled. Lilly and Beckendorf stepped in between her and Leo.

"Easy, Zoë," Lilly said, putting her hands on her shoulders to keep her in place. "He doesn't know any better."

"I recommend not saying that to Zoë," Beckendorf told Leo seriously. "She was the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, who are known for despising men. She's only met two men she's ever not hated, and she's married to one of them. And if he hears you flirting with her...well, death will be the least of your worries."

Leo paled hearing this. He backed up a few steps, making Beckendorf chuckle.

"We should get them started with a tour," Lee said, studying Jason like he was a math problem that involved calculus. "Then they should be claimed at dinner."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Leo asked.

Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first Leo thought he'd done something wrong. Then he realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch above him. He looked up and yelped. Floating over his head was a blazing holographic image - a fiery hammer.

He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"That," Lilly said, "is claiming."

"What is that? What's going on?" Leo asked, confused.

"Leo, you've just been claimed-"

"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turned to him.

"Jason," Lilly said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Lilly said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."

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

"It means you're my half-brother Leo. A son of Hephaestus." Beckendorf wrapped an arm around him, which looked odd since Beckendorf dwarfed Leo in size. "Let me show you around camp and then introduce you to our siblings." He quickly steered Leo away towards the cabins.

Lilly turned her attention back to Jason. She studied him. Finally she said, "Hold out your arm."

Everyone looked to where Lilly had been looking and was shocked to see that on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. It was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR.

"I've only seen one person with something like this," Lilly said. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot -almost like a declaration of war.

"They look burned into your skin," Lilly noticed.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean ... I think so. I don't remember." No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Lilly as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.

"He needs to go straight to Michael," Lilly decided. "Lee, would you take him?"

Lee nodded. "Sure thing, Lilly." He waved Jason over. "C'mon, kid. I'll introduce you to our director. He's ... an interesting guy."

Chapter 2: Camp Jupiter

Chapter Text

The snake ladies were starting to get annoying.

That's what Killian Vixon was thinking as he ran up a hill. A week earlier, he had woken up at some house with no recollection of how he got there and told to go south by a wolf lady. Normal enough. Then these two came along and would not die. He may not have his memories, but he's pretty sure that when someone gets their head sliced off, they die. They had been chasing him south for two days and would not stay 'dead', or golden dust, for more than two hours. It had been that long since he had last killed them so he expected them to catch up to him sometime soon.

Killian was running until he came to a stop at the top of a hill overlooking an apartment building and the freeway. His internal radar was going crazy. As he overlooked the freeway, he realized that there was most likely a tunnel underneath where he was standing. The freeway ran right underneath the hill.

Suddenly the sky darkened, alerting him that something was amiss once again. He pressed a button on his watch and a blade formed in his hand. The watch was something that he had on when he woke up with the wolves. He refused to take it off ever because he knew it was the key to him remembering his past and Lilly.

Lilly. She was the one person he could remember. Nothing else, not even his parents. Killian knew she was special to him and he refused to let her memory slip away. Her curly and flowing brown hair. Her sparkling green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. Her tan skin, soft and smooth. Her beautiful smile and laugh when he said something funny. Her lips on his when he made a fool out of himself. She must've kissed him a lot, then.

Hissing drew him back to reality as he readied his sword to defend himself.

"Put that away, young man," a hissing voice said to his left. He turned to see a snake-haired lady come out of the bushes. Her hair was a nest of red coral snakes and she had bronze boar tusks coming out of the corners of her mouth. She had rooster feet instead of actual feet.

"I'd rather not," Killian retorted. "Where is your idiot sister?" There had been two of them tracking him down.

"Do not worry about her," the snake-haired woman said. "Just put the sword away and let me kill you." Killian didn't do as she said. The slope behind him was too steep for him to run down and he didn't want to die. He had so much to live for still.

"No, I would prefer it if I did not die," Killian retorted again. Suddenly Killian felt a presence behind him. He whirled around and blocked a strike from a set of claws.

"Aww, it didn't work," the other snake-haired lady pouted as she walked out of the range of his sword. This one had green snakes instead of the coral snakes like her sister. "You said it would work Eurayle."

"Stheno, it's your fault," Eurayle growled at her. "Now come on, He can't take on both of us at once."

"Oh, I beg to differ," a new voice said. A woman suddenly appeared from the shadows. She had pitch-black hair and wore a dress that resembled the night sky. When Killian caught her eye he nearly stumbled back. The sheer power that was contained behind those starry eyes...

Her appearance at least seemed to have shaken the two gorgons. They both trembled in her presence.

"You...You can not be here!" Eurayle shrieked. "You belong in Tartarus! The gods did not give you permission to come to the surface!"

The woman smiled. "My, my, how ironic. You, also, belong in Tartarus, wretched monstress. I, however, do not require the blessing of another to go anywhere. I go where I please."

"She will come back," Eurayle growled. "Even you cannot stop her!"

The woman's face tightened. Dark power swirled around her hands as she ascended into the air. The world itself seemed to grow dark. Her voice was filled with power and rage as she bellowed, "DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF MY SISTER, MONSTRESS! BEGONE WITH YOU, TO THE DEEPEST CREVICES OF TARTARUS!"

Now, Killian wasn't sure how he knew, or if he was even sure, but he sensed grief in her tone. Pure, unbridled grief that seemed to shake her entire being.

She thrust her hands at the sisters. Tendrils of darkness sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the gorgons. They screamed as they began to sink, but like Buttercup in the Princess Bride when she fell into the lightning sand, they were gone in an instant.

The woman brushed off her dress as she floated back down towards him. The world lightened again. Killian had forgotten it was midday.

She faced him with a small smile. "My apologies, Killian. I lost my temper."

"...okay."

She waved her hand and they were suddenly at the bottom of the hill, in between the lanes of traffic. Killian cringed at the sudden loudness of traffic. Something inside him said: This isn't my territory. This is dangerous.

"Indeed it is not," the woman agreed. "But you will learn to accept it, as the Romans will learn to accept you."

"Romans?" Killian asked. "Do they not like me?"

The woman smiled at him. "They are a distrustful people, but you will leave your mark on them. I will transport you inside, but from then on, you will be on your own."

"I... Thank you. For helping me."

She smiled wider.

"You will make a fine ruler," she said before snapping her fingers.

The next moment Killian was next to a river. In front of him was a large wooden gate, guarded by two women. They both jumped in surprise as he appeared before taking out their weapons. Killian thought it was an appropriate reaction. He would take out a weapon too if a 6'7 man in a tattered orange shirt and jeans appeared in front of him.

They wore a bizarre mix of plumed Roman helmets, breastplates, scabbards, blue jeans, purple T-shirts, and white athletic shoes. The smaller of the two wielded a golden sword while the other had a bronze knife.

"Halt!" the smaller girl ordered. "Who are you?"

A wave of pink flushed over Killian's mind. Or that's how he saw it. The pink tried to force him to tell the girl what she asked, but he resisted.

"Where am I?" he asked.

The two girls shared a surprised look from under their helmets. The taller girl said, "Tell us who you are and we will answer your questions."

Reasonable enough, Killian thought.

"I am Killian Vixon," he said. "I've been told that I'm a half-blood. Now, please, tell me where I am and why I am here."

The girls once again shared a look.

"We can't tell you that second part," the taller girl said, "cause we don't know. Were you sent here by Lupa?"

"The wolf goddess? Yeah."

She nodded. "Then you are a demigod. Come on in. We'll bring you to Reyna." She turned and shouted, "Open the gate, Frank! We have a new demigod!"

"Opening the gate!" came the reply. The wooden gates creaked open.

The smaller girl waved at Killian. "Follow us, Mr. Vixon. We don't bite."

As Killian stepped through the gate, he felt like he'd stepped into a secret world. In the center of the valley, nestled by the lake, was a small city of white marble buildings with red-tiled roofs. Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments. Others looked like palaces, with golden doors and large gardens. He could see an open plaza with freestanding columns, fountains and statues. A five-storey-tall Roman coliseum gleamed in the sun, next to a long oval arena like a racetrack.

Across the lake to the south, another hill was dotted with even more impressive buildings - temples, Killian guessed. Several stone bridges crossed the river as it wound through the valley and, in the north, a long line of brickwork arches stretched from the hills into the town. Killian thought it looked like an elevated train track. Then he realized it must be an aqueduct.

The strangest part of the valley was right below him. About two hundred yards away, just across the river, was some sort of military encampment. It was about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, also studded with spikes. Wooden watchtowers rose at each corner, manned by sentries with oversized mounted crossbows. Purple banners hung from the towers. A wide gateway opened on the far side of camp, leading towards the city. A narrower gate stood closed on the riverbank side. Inside, the fortress bustled with activity: dozens of kids going to and from barracks, carrying weapons, polishing armor. Killian heard the clank of hammers at a forge and smelled meat cooking over a fire.

Something about this place felt very familiar, yet not quite right.

"Camp Jupiter," the girl said. "A safe haven for demigods and their children."

Killian glanced at them. They'd taken off their helmets, revealing young faces. The taller girl had curly blonde hair, like a princess's, and tanned skin, like she spent a lot of her time at the beach. The other had chocolate brown locks cut at varying lengths, like she had done it herself, and thin strands braided down the sides. She seemed to be of indigenous descent, as well, making her a stark but complimentary contrast to the other girl.

"What're your names?" Killian asked as they made the trek down the hill. "I told you mine, so it's only fair that you tell me yours."

The darker haired girl seemed reluctant to share, but the blonde looked amused.

"That's Piper," the blonde said, nodding at her friend. "Daughter of Venus. And I'm Annabeth, daughter of Minerva."

"Good to meet you two." Killian looked around. "This doesn't seem like California anymore. It's too beautiful."

Annabeth laughed. "California can be quite beautiful if you know where to look. The beaches here are quite good."

"So I've been told." Killian winced as a pain grew behind his eyes. "At least, I think I have."

The girls frowned.

"Do you have memory problems?" Piper asked.

"I guess you could say that," Killian admitted. "After all, I don't remember anything past three days ago."

Chapter 3: Campfire Questions

Chapter Text

As soon as Jason saw the house, he knew he was a dead man.

"Here we are," Lee said. "The Big House, camp headquarters."

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

Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground. "I am not supposed to be here," he said.

Lee chuckled. "Yeah, a lot of kids say that. 'I can't be a demigod, I'm a normal kid! I can't have a godly parent!' Usually takes a few days for it to sink in, but you'll get over the shock."

"No. I'm not supposed to be here. At this camp."

Lee frowned. "You know more than you're letting on, don't you?"

Jason shook his head. "I really don't know how to explain it. It's...It's a feeling. I don't feel welcome."

"Might I change that?"

Jason's head whipped around so fast he almost snapped his neck. Standing on the porch was a tall, androgenous person with mousy brown hair tied back in a ponytail. They smiled at Jason, revealing sharp teeth.

"I was wondering when you would show up," they said, their grayish eyes flashing. "Come in, come in. You too, Lee. We could use someone smart in this conversation."

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

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

"Calm yourself, Seymour," the tall person chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave."

"That thing is alive!" Jason said.

They seemingly summoned a package of Snausages out of nowhere. They threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.

"You must excuse the décor," they said. "All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."

"Mr. D," Jason said. "Dionysus?

"Yes," they said with a mirthless chuckle. "That bastard of a god."

Jason's eyes widened.

"You would-"

"Talk about a god like that?" they finished with a smirk. "Yes. Dionysus and I have no love for each other, nor will we ever, perhaps. I'm not afraid of angering him," they answered before Jason could ask. "While he is a god, and a rather fun god, if you look into the myths enough, he is not powerful enough to be a threat to me. Nor you, after enough time."

"Who-who are you?" Jason asked, wary of them since he had just claimed to be more powerful than an Olympian.

They laughed, acting oblivious to Jason's caution. "Where are my manners? I'm Michael Gardner, son of Selene, the Titaness of the moon. Lee, have you introduced yourself yet?"

"Those kids are getting to your head, man," Lee chided. "You gotta stop treating me like I'm a kid." He glanced at Jason. "Lee Fletcher, son of Apollo. I'm Lead Medic here at Camp Half-Blood and Chief Designer of Νέα Αθήνα, otherwise known as New Athens."

"That's the city," Jason guessed.

Michael nodded. "Lee designed it all himself. Maybe when you start a family you can get a house there. Join us older demigods."

Something clicked in Jason's mind. "You're like Lilly," he said. "You fought in that war she mentioned."

Michael and Lee's expressions darkened and Jason thought he'd overstepped.

"Yes," Michael said. "We did fight in that war. Did she tell you who it was against?" Jason shook his head. Michael clicked his tongue. "It was against Kronos, boy. The Titan Lord himself. I fought him on Olympus with my wife and brother in arms, Killian."

"Lilly's husband."

"Yup," Lee agreed. "Killian is an important part of life here at Camp Half-Blood. His disappearance shook most people here. But not you, Michael." He turned to face the son of Selene. "Since something is obviously happening, do you mind explaining?"

Michael sighed. "I guess I have little choice now that the gods are putting their plans into action. Jason, do you know where you come from? Where you got those marks on your arms?"

Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines.

"No," he said. "Nothing."

"Do you know where you are?" Michael asked. "Do you understand what this place is?"

"This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."

"So you believe those gods still exist?"

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

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

"Maybe," Jason answered. "I'm not really sure."

Seymour the leopard snarled. Lee's eyes narrowed.

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

"Quis erat-" Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English. "What was that?"

"You know Latin," Michael observed. "Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice, though my wife and I had an easier time since our native tongues were closer to Latin than English is."

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

"What does this mean, Michael?" Lee demanded. "He can speak Latin. What's that supposed to do with anything?"

"Only a certain type of demigod can speak latin so fluently," Michael said, not taking his eyes off Jason. "This is the first time one of them has stepped into this camp."

"Stop being so damn cryptic!"

"He is not Greek, Lee."

"But then how-" Lee paused, his blue eyes widening in realization. "Impossible. I thought there were none left?"

"They thought the same of us. They stay on the other side of the country. The last time we came in contact with each other...We caused the Civil War."

"America's bloodiest war. If that's what can happen, what are the gods thinking, sending him here? It'll only bring blood!"

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. "Why would my presence bring war?"

They stared at him.

"That is because you are not a Greek, Jason Grace," Michael said. "You are a son of Rome."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello, campers!" Michael greeted as the sing-along ended. "And welcome to our two new campers! I'm Michael Gardner, son of Selene. And yes, I am a he. I know I don't quite look it, but I am. I'm co-director of Camp Half-Blood. My counterpart is Percy Jackson, son of Ouranos. Percy, stand and give a wave." Percy, embarrassed, stood from where he sat with his family. His eldest daughter, Tara, giggled from Zoë's lap.

As Percy sat back down, Michael continued, "For anyone who hasn't been claimed, please be patient. We all know the gods can be lazy and forgetful. I promise that you will be claimed within a week of your arrival here. On to happier news, this Friday we will have a capture the flag game, supervised by me and Zoë since she won't let me do it by myself." Laughs echoed around and cheers went up. "In the meantime, we have important matters to discuss."

"Killian?" someone asked. The fire dimmed.

Michael gestured to Lilly. She took a deep breath and stood.

"I didn't find Killian," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name. "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, the Party Ponies, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis-everyone's out looking. We will find him. Michael's talking about something different. A new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.

Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until one of them stood up: Silena.

Michael nodded in agreement. "Many of you will remember the prophecy our oracle gave after she was gifted the power of prophecy. Percy and I have been talking about it and we believe Killian's disappearance marks the prophecy's beginning. As you may remember, it went like this: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-"

Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered. Even Michael seemed caught off guard.

"Jason?" he said. "What's-"

"Hostes arma ferunt mortes," he chanted. "Divinique halitus exordium signat."

An uneasy silence settled on the group.

"You know the rest of the prophecy," Michael said. "-Foes bear arms to their deaths, And marks the beginning of a god's last breath. How did you-"

"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," an Aphrodite girl called out. "Handsome and smart." There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin.

But it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed.

"That's the Great Prophecy," Michael continued. "We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Silena said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh ... were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.

"We don't know what this prophecy means," Michael said. "We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, we know one thing. This war may be worse than the Titan War. Percy and I don't know much, but we know this; Hera has been captured."

Shocked silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once. Michael pounded his foot, but still had to wait before he could get back their attention.

He told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk-how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods. He told them what Apollo had told Lilly about Hera's kidnapping.

"It is clear a quest is to be issued," he said. "And I believe Jason is here to lead it."

He paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him. He set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Michael continued. "An evil king is rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council day of the gods," Lee said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice," Michael spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things ... stir."

The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister-like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.

"Okay," Lilly said, glaring at the god. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine."

"You sound like Bianca."

"Whatever's going on, I agree with Michael. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so-"

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important-"

"He has been claimed," Percy announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue's. Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance-a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. Michael and Lilly stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.

"Wasn't that ..." Lilly hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."

"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.

"Electric," Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. "Back away."

Lilly and Michael got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.

When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in everyone's ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half-blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.

Jason lowered his lance. "Um ... sorry."

"Cool!" one of the younger kids shouted, breaking the silence.

Michael brushed some burning coals out off his coat. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."

"Another one?" someone shouted. "That makes-what, four kids of Zeus? I thought he was under oath not to have children."

"They unfortunately absolved that one," Percy said, standing up. His daughter got up to follow him. "It's a miracle we don't have more of them running around. Tomorrow, Zoë will contact Artemis and ask her to bring Mimi to camp so we can ask for a prophecy. In the meantime, be friends with our two new friends! We want to make their time here worth it."

Jason got the feeling he thought they were going to die.

The rest of the demigods seemed to think the same, judging by the pitiful looks they were shooting at him.

Michael clapped his hands. "Well, I think that's enough bad news for one night! Remember, curfew is at 10 pm sharp. Some of us shall be off to bed now. Oh, and Chloe? Show Jason your guys' cabin when you're both ready for bed."

Chapter 4: The City of New Rome

Chapter Text

Piper and Annabeth quickly brought Killian to what they called the Praetorian Gates. Killian received a number of questioning looks as they passed what looked like barracks, until they reached the Principia. They led him inside where they found a beautiful girl with dark brown hair and dark eyes scowling as she listened to a skinny boy with blonde hair and a smug look on his face.

The girl noticed the new occupants of the room before her eyes widened as she quickly stood from her chair, looking eager to stop conversing with the boy. She stooped into a bow and the boy turned, looking annoyed, before his eyes widened and he followed suit.

Killian whispered, "Do they do this with every new demigod?"

The girl's head perked up. "You are...not a god?"

Killian shook his head. "I'm pretty mortal, if you ask me."

She straightened immediately. "Apologies. I mistook you for a god. You have an air about you that tells of your power." She jerked her chin at Annabeth and Piper. "Chase, McLean, explain yourselves."

"This is Killian Vixon, Praetor," Annabeth introduced. "He appeared at the Tiber not ten minutes ago, asking where he was and what this place was. We believe he suffers from memory loss."

The Praetor nodded. She turned back to Killian. "I am Reyna, Killian. Forgive me, but you seem older than most demigods Lady Lupa sends our way."

"It's fine, Praetor," Killian assured her. "I look older than I am. I'm only 23."

"Most recruits are barely above 13," the boy said. "A demigod reaching adulthood is rare. Especially alone, beyond the safety of our borders."

Judging by the looks of disgust and annoyance on Piper and Annabeth's faces, Killian guessed that this kid wasn't the most popular.

"Who're you?" he asked.

The boy stiffened. "I am Octavian, a descendant of Apollo. I am the one who will consult the auguries about what your arrival means."

Killian raised his brow. "So you're an oracle?"

Piper scoffed. "He wishes."

Reyna resisted a smile. "Octavian is not an oracle, but he reads what is between the lines. He predicts the future with his offerings, a power he inherited from Apollo."

"Hm." Killian turned back to Reyna. "And what will happen if these auguries come back negative?"

"Then you will be turned away from the Legion," Reyna answered. "Though I doubt it will happen. We have never been denied a recruit, no matter how old they were." She turned and stalked over to her seat behind the table. She sat down, clasping her hands in front of her. "There are a few ways for you to be accepted, Killian. One is to fight a line up of our centurions to gauge your strength. A second is for you to have letters of recommendation."

"Don't have those."

"I suspected as much. The third, and much rarer way, is for a god to vouch for you. Not once during my leadership has that happened."

"I guess that leaves fighting," Killian surmised.

Reyna nodded. "Indeed. We will begin your test at 5 o'clock tonight. I would not recommend being late. Until then, Piper and Annabeth can show you the city and camp."

Killian glanced at the two girls. They didn't seem too bummed out by the idea of showing him everything, so he said, "Thank you, Praetor. I look forward to the challenge."

He bowed before turning to follow Annabeth out.

As they led him through the camp, Killian found it lucky that he wasn't afraid of ghosts. Half the people in camp were dead.

Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords. Others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghostly boy chased a ghostly dog down the street. And at the stables a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of ... Were those unicorns?

None of the campers paid the ghosts much attention, but as the three of them walked by, all the spirits stopped what they were doing and stared at Killian. A few looked angry. The little boy ghost shrieked something like 'Greggus!' and turned invisible.

"Can't help but feel as though he didn't mean to call me Greg," Killian commented as they walked.

"Graecus," Piper said. "Once you've been here awhile, you'll start understanding Latin. Demigods have a natural sense for it. Graecus means-

"Greek," Killian finished for her. The word had just popped up in his head.

Annabeth eyed him curiously while Piper was pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah," she said. "See? You're getting it."

"Romans and Greeks have an old rivalry," Annabeth explained. "Sometimes Romans use graecus as an insult for someone who's an outsider-an enemy. I wouldn't worry about it."

Killian chuckled. "I've been here ten minutes and I'm already being labeled an enemy. Great start."

As they approached the city, Killian jumped back in surprise when a previously inanimate white marble statue came to life.

"No weapons inside the Pomerian Line," the statue said sternly as it looked Killian up and down. It was a statue of a life-size muscular man with curly hair, no arms and an irritated expression. Maybe he looked mad because he'd been carved only from the waist up. Below that, he was just a big block of marble.

"A talking statue," Killian mused. "That's new."

Piper bit back a laugh. "This is Terminus. He is the God of Borders here in New Rome."

"Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, who is this outsider you are trying to bring into my city?" Terminus asked in a haughty tone.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Terminus, meet Killian Vixon. He's being admitted to the legion and has a test at the coliseum in about..."

"An hour and 13 minutes," Annabeth provided.

"Thanks, Chase," Piper said, winking at her. She turned back to Terminus. "So you see, Terminus, we have to show Killian around New Rome before he has to be at the coliseum."

Terminus turned to Killian with a suspicious look. "Unaware of your parentage, are you, boy? You smell like no god I have encountered."

Killian shrugged, feeling uneasy. He didn't know what Terminus was talking about but felt like he should. It gave him a slight headache.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Killian said. "All I remember is my mother, and she is-was, mortal."

The statue seemed to accept that. "Very well, then. Turn over your weapons, young man."

Killian raised an eyebrow. "Won't I need them for the test?"

"You'll get them back," Annabeth told him. "It's a safety measure to ensure no assassinations take place. Again."

"Oh, like Julius Caesar?"

Annabeth beamed at him. "Exactly."

"I'm not getting any younger, here!" Terminus said, sounding rather annoyed. "I have other things to do, you know!"

"Like being annoying?" Piper said. She took out a dagger from somewhere and put it in the bin beside Terminus. "There, Terminus. Am I free to go, now?"

Terminus scrutinized her closely. Finally, he said, "Very well, Piper McLean. You may pass. You next, Annabeth Chase!"

Piper shot Killian a smile as she walked past the statue. Annabeth replaced her, putting her bronze dagger in the bin.

"You'd better not lose that, Terminus," Annabeth threatened.

"Yes, yes! You never forget to remind me of that! Now go! Next in line!"

Annabeth passed him and Killian took up her spot. He took off his watch and put it in the bin.

"A watch?" Piper said incredulously. "How can a watch be dangerous?"

She reached to grab it but Terminus snapped at her.

"Careful, Ms. McLean! That weapon is quite dangerous. Do not be fooled by its magic. Designed by the Great Inventor himself, Daedalus, specifically for this young man." Terminus eyes Killian. "I see now. You are very special, Killian Vixon. I can see your potential. Now, that ring as well, sir!"

Killian glanced at his hand. An orange and green band wrapped around his ring finger.

Lilly

The name hit him like a brick to the head. He remembered that name, but why did it hurt so much now? Was she...

"No," Killian said.

"Excuse me?" Terminus screeched.

"No," Killian said more forcefully. "I don't know what it does, but it's staying with me. I will never take it off."

Terminus looked ready to strangle him, but fortunately, he didn't have arms. "That ring is the most dangerous item I've ever laid eyes on. In! The! Bin!"

"No," Killain said. "I swear I won't use it, but it stays with me."

Terminus fumed. "Fine! As long as your promise not to unleash it in the city, I'll allow it! But only because of its significance to you, Mr. Vixon! Good day!"

He disappeared in a poof of black smoke. Killian rolled his eyes as he crossed the Pomerian Line. "Is he always like that?" he asked.

"No," Piper admitted. "Today he was laid back. Usually he's more obsessive/compulsive."

"He inhabits every boundary stone around the city," Annabeth said. "Kind of our last line of defense if the city's attacked."

"Terminus isn't so bad," Piper added. "Just don't make him angry, or he'll force you to measure every blade of grass in the valley."

As they approached the forum, Killian was struck by the sheer number of people. College-age kids were hanging out at the fountain. Several of them waved at the senators as they passed. One guy in his late twenties stood at a bakery counter, flirting with a young woman who was buying coffee. An older couple was watching a little boy in diapers and a miniature Camp Jupiter shirt toddle after seagulls.

"This is...familiar," Killian said, gazing at the toddler. "I...I think..."

"You okay, Killian?" Piper asked, looking concerned. "You're tearing up."

"Am I?" He wiped his eyes. "Sorry. I just...I think I have a family. It's tough not remembering them."

Piper and Annabeth shared sympathetic glances.

"I'm sure they remember you," Piper assured him. "Is that why you have that ring?" She pointed to his hand.

Killian nodded. "I think so. I remember one person. I think it's my wife."

"We'll make sure that you get back to her when your memory comes back," Annabeth said. "We both know a bit about forgetting people we love." She looked out across the town. "Once upon a time, there was a guy I loved with all my heart. But something happened to us. Something made me forget him, and it took several years to remember any of it."

"Course, she's not in love with him anymore," Piper said, sidling up beside Annabeth and putting her head on the blonde's shoulder. "That spot's reserved for me, now."

Annabeth grinned, reaching up to caress Piper's cheek. "Yeah, it is." She glanced back at Killian, who was smiling at them. She blushed. "Sorry. I know relationships like ours aren't the most...normal, I guess."

Killian shook his head. "It's okay. It's good to see people happy, no matter who they find it in."

They both beamed at him.

"I knew you were a good chap!" Piper exclaimed. She kissed Annabeth on the cheek before grabbing her hand. "C'mon babe, let's show Killian the best spots around town! I think Bethany's cupcakes are ready!"

Annabeth laughed. "Sure, Pipes." She waved Killian along. "You'll want to try them. They're the best you'll ever have."

Killian grinned. "Looking forward to it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cupcakes were a highlight of his day, Killian decided as Piper and Annabeth led him to the coliseum. They were really good.

The two girls had shown him around town. They brought him to the Senate House and then the Forum before leading him to the Circus Maximus. They even showed him their favorite spots to hang out and relax.

But after an hour, they were forced to head to the coliseum. Killian wasn't nervous about the test Reyna had talked about, but guessed he didn't need to be. Piper was plenty nervous for the both of them.

"So what does this test entail anyway?" he asked, trying to help calm her. "Who exactly will I be fighting?"

"You will be fighting the centurions from each cohort," Annabeth explained. "You will fight each one, one after the other, until you lose. Once you lose, whichever cohorts are willing to take you will offer you a place. But you should be careful. The centurions are the best warriors in the legion." She tilted her head. "Well, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Octavian is the 1st Centurion of the First Cohort," Piper said. "But he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, if you ask me. He's only a Centurion because he's been here so long."

Killian chuckled. "I'll look forward to fighting him, then."

"You are not as nervous as most demigods are," Annabeth observed. "Not only that, but you assume you'll be able to face Octavian. I've never seen anyone get to him, and I've been here a long time."

"How long?"

"12 years," she said. "I came here when I was eight years old, and I'm nearly twenty, now. But don't change the subject. You'll have to fight without break, Killian. When I said one after another, I meant it."

Killian shrugged off her concern. "Your worry is appreciated, but unwarranted. Reyna seemed surprised to see how old I was, so I have to guess that most demigods don't make it to my age without being extremely skilled or powerful. I think I have a good chance."

Annabeth still seemed skeptical. "Well, I'd love to see the look on Octavian's face if you do beat him. Make sure to hit him one time for me."

"And a couple more for me," Piper added, making Killian laugh.

"What would happen if I do beat him?" he asked.

"You'll have to fight Reyna," Annabeth said seriously. "She's the best warrior in the legion. No matter how old you are, you'll have no chance. No one has ever beat her, not even our previous Praetor. It's impossible."

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on it. You're a daughter of Athena, you should know that the impossible is just something that hasn't been done yet."

Annabeth and Piper blinked at him.

"Athena?" Piper repeated. "Who's that?"

"He means my mother," Annabeth responded. "But that's her Greek name. How did you know that?"

"I-" Killian stopped and put a hand to his head. "I don't know. Ugh, that hurts."

"Something must be blocking your memory," Annabeth murmured. "Whenever you try to remember something, it repels you. It's like someone kidnapped your memories."

"Who would do that?" Piper asked.

"A vengeful god?" Annabeth guessed. "A hard hit on the head? It's hard to say."

"Chase, McLean!" Reyna shouted from the entrance to the coliseum. "You have thirty seconds left!"

They both glanced at Killian, who looked better than a few seconds ago.

"I'll be watching from the stands," Piper said. "Good luck, Killian. You're going to need it."

Chapter 5: Off On A Quest

Chapter Text

A horn sounded early in the morning, waking nearly all the demigods in camp. Jason heard Chloe, his 11 year old sister, groan in annoyance.

"Why do they have to be here so early?" she complained, sitting up in her cot. Her platinum blonde hair was sticking out in odd places as she rubbed her electric blue eyes. A trait they all shared.

"Who?" Jason asked.

"The Hunters of Artemis," Chloe said. "The oracle is a Hunter, so you need to talk to her in order to get your quest started." She yawned. "I'm sure Michael or Percy are already meeting them. They have to get up stupidly early cause of their kids."

"You'd better go," said their brother, Callum, from his cot. He had dark hair sprinkled with gray, even though he was only 13 years old. "They'll be waiting for you."

He changed clothes and checked his reflection in Zeus's shield. His face looked watery and strange in the metal, like he was dissolving in a pool of gold.

"Good enough," Chloe decided for him. She pushed him towards the door. "Go on, now. I promise our sister won't bite."

"Sister?"

"Yeah. Thalia is Artemis's lieutenant."

Jason frowned. Thalia. Why did that name sound so familiar?

He made his way outside before Chloe could complain more. As annoying as she could be, Jason was glad that he wasn't the only one in the cabin. Having a sister and brother was...different to what he was used to. Being here at Camp Half-Blood made him feel welcome. Loved even.

He walked past the campfire where he saw two young girls playing. They looked around seven or eight years old. One had dark hair while the other had blonde hair. They glanced at Jason as he passed and the dark haired one hid behind the other's back.

Ahead of him was a group of about forty girls in silver clothing, accompanied as they walked towards the cabins by Michael and a girl who looked similar to him, except her hair was two different colors-brown with streaks of blonde.

Michael noticed him first. "Ah, Jason! ¡Buenos días! Did you sleep well last night?"

Jason nodded. "Aside from Callum's snores, it was all right."

Michael smiled. "Great to hear!" An auburn haired girl coughed, making his smile drop slightly. "Oh, right! Jason, these are the Hunters of Artemis." He gestured to them. Some of the girls waved to him, others glared.

"...hi," Jason said awkwardly.

"Don't mind their hostility," Michael said. "Most of these girls don't like men-hate them, even. They've sworn off the company of men and any type of romantic or sexual relationships in exchange for following my cousin, Artemis."

"You'll never not be fascinated by that, will you?" said the auburn haired girl. She faced Jason. "I am Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunt. You will refer to me as Lady Artemis at all times, got it?"

Jason nodded quickly and the girl who looked like Michael laughed.

"Don't be so harsh, Arty," she chided. "He's brand new to this." She turned to Jason. "I'm Aelin." She pointed at Michael. "He's my father."

"He's not as new as you think, Aelin," Artemis corrected. "He's been through enough to know to respect the gods. Now, I heard that you need a prophecy?"

Jason looked to Michael, who nodded. "Yes, Lady Artemis."

She smiled, like she liked being called that. "Alright. Mimi! You're up!"

A dark haired girl stepped forward. She looked expectantly at Jason.

"Ask," Michael whispered.

Jason started. "Oh, right." He cleared his throat. "How can I save Lady Hera?"

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two hunters rushed forward and caught her. Green mist started swirling around Mimi's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient-the sound a snake would make if it could talk:

"Child of lightning, beware the earth, The giants' revenge the seven shall birth, The forge and magic shall break the cage, Nature's Ice starts the new age."

On the last word, Mimi collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away towards a silver cabin with the symbol of the moon above it.

"Is that normal?" Jason asked.

Michael chuckled. "Yes. Even though she's been the oracle for eight years now, she's still not quite used to it taking over her."

Jason nodded. "Okay. Do you know what that prophecy is supposed to mean?"

Artemis and Michael shared a look.

"We have some ideas," Michael said. "You'll need a child of Hephaestus to accompany you on this quest. That's what the forge means. And Hecate means magic. As for the other..."

"It's me!" Aelin piped up excitedly. "Dad has power over ice and mom is a daughter of Demeter, ergo, nature!"

"I don't know, Aelin," Michael said uncertainly. "I don't like you going on this quest. It's going to be dangerous."

"I know, dad. I'll be careful, I promise."

"Still..."

As the father and daughter argued, Artemis jerked her head at the cabin. "Go settle in. We'll leave tomorrow night after capture the flag."

All the Hunters grinned at the prospect of the game. They walked over to the cabin, but Artemis grabbed one girl before she could go far.

"Wait a minute," Artemis said. The girl, who had short black hair and a silver tiara, nodded.

"I have to go, dad," Aelin pushed. "I'm in the prophecy and none of my other siblings are old enough. It has to be me!"

Michael grit his teeth. "Fine, you can go. But I will be sending someone to go with you."

"That's fine with me," Aelin said. She took a deep breath before turning to Jason. "I'll meet you and this Leo kid by the stables later, kay? Bye! Bye, Arty babe!" She ran off, leaving Michael rolling his eyes and Artemis flushing a light pink.

The girl chuckled, drawing their attention to her. "She's like a more energetic version of Katie."

"We're well aware," Michael drawled. He glanced between Jason and the girl. "Oh, right. Introductions. Jason, meet Thalia. She's your-"

"My sister," he finished for him. He studied her. "Chloe mentioned you before I left this morning."

Thalia smiled sadly at him. "Yeah, she is a bit of a blabber mouth." She came up and gave him a hug. "I've missed you, little brother."

Jason was hesitant on returning the hug. "We've met before?"

Thalia nodded. "While Chloe and Callum are our siblings, you and I are closer than that. We share the same mom; Beryl Grace. Do you remember, Jason? Our last trip together...she left you in Sonoma. She told me you died, but I knew it wasn't true. I've been waiting a long time to see you again."

Her words tugged at Jason's memory. He hugged her back and slowly, he remembered her.

"Thalia...How're you younger than me?"

The others laughed.

"I'm immortal," she told him. "Well, partially. All girls in milady's hunt are granted partial immortality upon joining."

"That's so cool."

Thalia laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

"Why don't you two spend some time catching up," Michael suggested, reminding the two that he and Artemis were still there. "I'll go let Leo and your fourth know about the quest. Artemis, why don't you go find Zoë? I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Artemis brightened at the suggestion. "Yes, I think I will." She walked off.

Michael waved at Thalia and Jason as he followed her. "Meet us at the stables in two hours, Jason. I've got to let Katie know what Aelin's gotten into."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael stood at the entrance to the stables with Aelin and another girl as they watched Jason and Leo approach them, each with a backpack while Leo wore some type of tool belt around his waist.

"So ladies, shall we get this show on the road?" Leo asked with a flirtatious grin on his face.

Michael growled. "Flirt with my daughter again and I will have you hung by your ankles over the River Styx."

Leo paled and quickly backed off, much to Aelin and the other girl's amusem*nt.

Something about the other seemed off to Jason. The lower half of her face was obscured by a black mask. She had a weird glint in her dark purple eyes that made him uneasy. She wore a black and dark purple jacket over an orange camp T-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. Her hair, that went from black to dark purple, was tied back in a ponytail.

Aelin was dressed a little brighter. She had a silver windbreaker over a white shirt, silver jeans, and silver sneakers. She had a silver bracelet on her arm and two rings, one silver and one gray.

"How are we traveling?" Jason asked, looking at Michael.

"Pegasus," Michael said, turning and walking into the stables. "The prophecy said for you to be wary of the earth, so traveling by sky is your best option." The rest of them followed him into the stables. "Right now, we only have two that are willing to take you so you'll have to pair up." He gestured to a white and black pegasus and a brown one. "These are Ace and Poker."

"Does anyone have any idea where we are going?" Jason asked.

Aelin nodded. "North, to Quebec."

Jason and Leo both looked at her confused. "Why?" Jason asked.

"You were attacked by wind spirits, right?" Aelin asked. "Well, what better way to find out why than to ask their boss, a wind god? The closest one is Boreas, the North Wind. He'll know where we can find his boss, Aeolus, who is Lord of the Wind Spirits. Then we'll go from there."

Jason's eyes widened. "When did you figure all that out?"

Aelin rolled her eyes. "Please. If there's one thing my parents drilled into me, it's always have a plan."

"Who's this, though?" Leo asked, looking at the other girl. "She hasn't said a word this entire time."

"Oh, this is Aria," Aelin introduced. "She's a daughter of Hecate. My dad asked her to come along so she can watch over me. She's strong and will be a great help!"

"Okay, cool," Leo said.

"You should get going," Michael advised. "You'll need all the daylight you can get to travel. And be careful, Aelin. If you get into trouble, you can call me, mom, your grandfather, Artemis, Athena-"

"I know, I know," Aelin interrupted, annoyed. "I'm 13, dad. I can take care of myself. Besides, Mamma was 14 when she went on her first quest."

"And lost her arm," Michael added. He sighed. "Okay, you win. Just be careful. Please."

Aelin smiled. She kissed his cheek. "I will, dad."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group traveled for hours before they crossed into Quebec City in Canada. The girls turned to find Jason looking rather uncomfortable as Leo slept with his head leaning on Jason's back. Jason noticed the girls looking at them and quickly nudged Leo awake.

"We're here," he said as he steered his Pegasus over so that it was flying within talking distance of the girls.

Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town. In the center was an actual castle-at least it looked like a castle-with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop." Leo said.

"Yeah, Quebec City," Aelin confirmed, "one of the oldest cities in North America; founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain"

"And you know that because..." Leo trailed off.

Aelin rolled her eyes. "My Mamma and uncle are children of Hades. They're basically walking history books."

Leo held up his hands, "I was just wondering; but, uh, good to know I guess."

"Now what?" Jason asked.

"We need to get past them." Aelin pointed to what looked like two angels steadily rising up towards them, both armed with swords.

"I don't like this," Jason said. "They look like storm spirits.

At first it looked like he was right, but as the angels got closer, they could see they were much more solid than venti. They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might've been brothers, but they definitely weren't twins.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.

The other guy looked like he'd just stepped off a 1980's rock album cover. His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet. He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a god-awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open. Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.

The angels pulled up in front of the Pegasus and hovered there, swords at the ready.

The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."

"'Scuse me?" Leo said.

"You have no flight plan on file," said the wannabe love god in a French accent that was so bad it sounded fake. "This is restricted airspace."

"Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin.

Aelin and Aria looked ready for a fight, but Leo cried, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"

"I am Cal!" the ox grunted. He looked very proud of himself, like he'd taken a long time to memorize that sentence.

"That's short for Calais," the love god said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables-"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"-which includes his own name," the love god finished.

"I am Cal," Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

"Wow," Leo said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.

"Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the ladies here-" He winked at Aelin and Aria, but the wink was more like a facial seizure. "She can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"

Aria shook her head while Aelin laughed.

"Me? Date you? I'm not even into guys."

"Not into me? Impossible. You will find that I am the best you'll ever find! Better than any girl. No one can resist my beauty."

THUNK

Zethes's smile suddenly turned upside down. He looked down to see a large silver arrow embedded in his chest. Blood spilled from his lips before he fell out of the sky. Before Cal could even realize what happened, a large owl swooped in and raked its claws across his neck. He couldn't even scream before he joined his brother.

Aelin watched them fall in morbid glee.

"My girlfriends don't like sharing me," she said. She looked at Jason and Leo. "Well? Are we going to meet Boreas or what? C'mon, Ace!"

The pegasus neighed before flying towards the penthouse. Jason and Leo had no choice but to follow.

They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening.

"Feels nice in here," Aelin said as she slipped off her steed. "Could use a bit more color, though."

"Why'd you do that to them?" Jason demanded. "They could've helped us."

Aelin shrugged. "Doubtful. Besides, it's not my fault my girlfriends got angry with them. Zethes should've watched his words."

"Cal didn't deserve that, though," Leo pointed out.

Aelin shrugged again. "Again, not my fault. Besides, he would've tried to kill us when he realized his brother was dead. I wonder what Boreas will do, though. Maybe he'll try and kill us, too."

A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."

Chapter 6: Fighting Centurions

Chapter Text

Reyna handed Killian his watch. "Terminus was quite frightened by that ring of yours," she said. "I look forward to finding out why. Good luck, Mr. Vixon."

Killian nodded. "You'll find out soon, Praetor. And I look forward to challenging you."

Reyna raised a brow. "Arrogant, are we? That won't get you far here."

"Not arrogance. Confidence." He turned and strode into the arena, leaving Reyna staring in disbelief behind him.

The crowd thundered as he walked into view. A number of legionnaires were yelling at him to put on armor but he ignored them and waited for the event to begin.

After a few more minutes, Reyna silenced the crowd by raising her hand, "Killian Vixon of unknown parentage seeks to join the legion today. He needs a cohort to call family. Without letters of recommendation, he seeks to prove his worth in combat. He will fight each centurion until he is defeated. We shall start with the Fifth Cohort. Centurion Dakota, step forward."

An average sized kid came out of the other side of the arena dressed in full roman armor with a spear in hand. His lips were stained red, which Killian thought was odd.

"Where's your armor?" he asked.

"You need armor?" Killian retorted.

"Well, yeah," Dakota said like it was obvious. "We're fighting for real here."

"And here I was, thinking that was made of foam." Killian pointed at the spear. "Too bad."

"Where's your weapon?"

Killian raised his arm. "Right here?"

"A watch?" Dakota laughed. "Seriously?"

Killian simply stared as he flicked a switch. A double edged white knight's sword sprang to life in his hand. The hilt was black, with an even blacker pearl embedded within it.

Killian smirked. "Seriously."

Reyna, who was watching Killian curiously, shouted, "Begin!"

Dakota wasted no time in charging at Killian. He thrust his spear at Killian's midsection but Killian batted aside the strike with his bare hand. He swung his sword at Dakota, making him lean back, but in the same moment Killian grabbed the spear and pulled it toward him. Dakota was yanked forward and headbutted viciously. Many legionaries winced as Dakota crumpled to the ground.

Killian stepped back as he turned to Reyna, who was looking at him in shock. She recomposed herself. "Killian Vixon wins. Please bring Centurion Dakota to the infirmary. Next up is Centurion Gwen, 1st Centurion of the Fifth Cohort."

A few Apollo legionnaires removed Dakota from the arena as a girl with brown hair and green eyes walked into the arena, looking at Killian nervously.

"You seem like someone I know," Killian said, studying her. "Are you by chance a daughter of...what is it? Ceres?"

Gwen nodded. "Yes, why?"

Killian smiled fondly. "I have a friend who's also a daughter of Ceres. Her eyes are brown, but you have a similar face shape. More...plump, I guess you could say. It's reminiscent of your mother."

Gwen's eyes widened. "You've met my mother?"

Killian grimaced as his head throbbed, trying to remember. "I think so? Can't remember when, though."

Gwen's jaw dropped but before she could reply, Reyna shouted at them to begin.

Unlike Dakota, Gwen wielded a sword and did not attack Killian blindly. She swiped at Killian's legs but he blocked easily and sent a half-hearted strike at Gwen who blocked as well. No one in the stands noticed he wasn't going full-speed but after a minute Gwen locked his blade with hers as they stood only inches apart.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. "You're holding back."

"I'm gauging your potential," he said. "You have a fair ways to go, but you may become a great swordsman if you practice enough." He smirked. "Besides, do you really want to be shown up like I did your buddy? Cause I could have defeated you just as easily." To prove his point, pushed her sword to the side and pressed the tip of his to her abdomen. "See?"

She nodded, eyes wide.

Killian stepped back as the crowd applauded. Gwen walked back to the end of the arena she came from.

"From the Fourth Cohort, Centurion Bobby," Reyna yelled from her box in the stands.

Bobby wasted no time once Reyna started the match, pulling out his bow and sending a volley of arrows at Killian. Killian didn't move but every arrow seemed to miss. Once Bobby ran out of arrows, he stared at Killian in shock.

"Impossible!" he shouted. "I shot those directly at you! They should've hit you!"

"They would've," Killian said, "were I not so quick on my feet." He vanished from his spot, reappearing behind Bobby, and hand on his neck. "Yield?"

He nodded, his entire body shaking. There was a heat around him that made him want to pass out.

Killian stepped back and the heat disappeared. He clapped Bobby on the back as he stood.

"You're a good archer," Killian told him seriously. "No arrow was off its mark. Take pride in that. I know Apollo is proud of you for that performance."

Bobby looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

Killian smiled. "Really, kid. Like Gwen, you have potential. Don't waste it." He pat him on the back. "Maybe one day you'll be able to hit me. Some of those were really close."

Bobby smiled. "Thanks." He walked out of the arena happier than when he entered.

Killian made quick work of the next four centurions, surprising the crowd again and again.

Now Killian was to face a centurion from the Second Cohort. The kid was burly, probably a son of Mars judging by the arrogant look on his face.

"Don't think you're getting past me punk," he spat. "I'm the best swordsman in this camp."

Killian gave him a bored stare. "Correction; you were the best swordsman in camp. Emphasis on 'man.' Reyna is obviously the most experienced warrior here."

Kasey the centurion glared at him. "I'll show you, punk."

"Punk," Killian repeated. "How original. You're a lot like your father, you are."

Kasey didn't even wait for Reyna to tell them to begin as he charged Killian, bringing his sword down in a downward arc aimed at his head. Killian stepped to the side, unimpressed with the skill the son of Mars had boasted about.

Killian blocked strike after strike as the son of Mars pushed the offensive, but he couldn't even push Killian a step back. Killian eventually got bored and knocked Kasey's sword away before smacking him across the face with the flat of his blade. The son of Mars stumbled back in shock.

"The best swordsman, huh?" Killian goaded, walking around Kasey. "I don't see it. You're a disgrace to your father."

"Shut your mouth," Kasey growled. "At least my father wanted me."

Killian's eyes flashed dangerously.

Kasey smirked. "Unwanted, huh? Serves you right, you arrogant bast-" He was cut off as Killian socked him in the jaw. He stumbled back, clutching his face, but doubled over as Killian slammed his fist into his stomach. Killian elbowed him in the back, sending him to the ground.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth," Killian growled. He kicked him once, knocking him out.

Reyna looked at Killian in shock before ordering medics to attend to Kasey as she called for the 2nd Centurion of the First Cohort.

Killian was pleasantly surprised to see Annabeth walk towards him. "You're a centurion? You should've told me!"

Annabeth smiled apologetically. "Sorry. It didn't really come up in conversation."

Killian shook his head. "I can already tell you're gonna be a tough opponent. I'm gonna need to get serious."

Annabeth stared at him. "You weren't serious before?"

"No. Why? Did it seem like it?"

"A little bit." She glanced up when Reyna shouted for them to start, then back to Killian. "Go easy on me?"

Killian laughed. "Not likely. Now, c'mon. You make the first move."

Annabeth smiled before drawing a sword and charging. Killian frowned. Didn't she have a dagger? She slashed and stabbed, making Killian dodge, block, and parry over and over again. He stayed on the defensive until she overextended a jab, allowing Killian to get in her guard and try to slash at her legs.

She spun out of the way and slashed at Killian. He just managed to block, but then she came at him with a bronze knife. He leaned out of the way before rolling to the side. He hopped back to his feet, grinning.

"I was wondering where that knife of yours was," he said.

Annabeth grinned back. She charged him again. Killian attempted to stab her but she rolled under his strike. She stabbed upward with her knife, aiming for his stomach. He spun to the left and out of her knife's reach, bringing his sword down to knock hers to the side. He quickly brought his sword back the other way, clashing against Annabeth's knife. They locked for a moment before Killian pulled his sword up, overpowering Annabeth. The edge of his sword cut a small gash in her shoulder, forcing her to roll backwards out of his reach.

She panted as she stared at him. His speed and control with a sword astounded her. He was unlike any warrior she'd ever faced.

Then, before she could react, he was in front of her, his sword flying toward her face. She put up her sword to protect her, but ended up smacking herself in the face with the flat of the blade as Killian's bounced off. She stumbled back, cursing loudly.

Killian threw his blade in the air, allowing him to use both hands to get low enough to sweep Annabeth's legs out from under her. She fell onto her back with an oomph. The next thing she knew, Killian was holding her sword by the blade in one hand, pinned her knife arm with his foot, and held his sword to her neck.

"Impressive," he said. "Not many people can dual wield a sword and knife with such precision. Though panicking and putting your sword in front of you like that was a bit of a blunder."

She flushed, both under his praise and criticism.

Killian stepped back and offered her a hand. She took it and he hoisted her to her feet.

"I told you you'd be a tough opponent," he said, clapping her on her not wounded shoulder. "I bet together with that girlfriend of yours, you're unstoppable."

Annabeth flushed again. "Thanks, sir."

"Oh no, none of that 'sir' business. I don't care if I'm older than you. It's not by that much. Besides, we're friends, right?" Annabeth nodded uncertainly. "Then no calling me sir. I don't like it."

"Okay, Killian." She smiled. "Oh, and make sure you knock Octavian around a bit."

"If he's as bad as you make him out to be, you can count on it."

Octavian walked out of the other end of the arena, the usual arrogant look on his face nowhere to be seen. Killain glanced at the stands to see Piper with an evil grin on her face. He looked at Reyna, whose smile was more smug than anything else.

Once Octavian stood ten feet in front of Killian his eyes hardened. "It would not be wise to make an enemy of me, Vixon."

Killian raised an eyebrow. I was about to say the same thing, he thought.

"I'm just trying to find a cohort and make some friends," he said. "It's not my fault the people I'm drawn to hate your guts. Besides." He grinned mischievously. "You could always give up now."

Octavian glared at him and pulled out an imperial gold gladius. He charged the moment Reyna gave the word to begin. Killian easily sidestepped his first attack. Making a quick decision, he stabbed his blade into the ground, making Octavian pause.

"Giving up already, Vixon?" he taunted.

Killian crossed his arms with a smirk. "No. I don't need a weapon with you."

That seemed to really piss him off. Killian jumped to the side as he sidestepped another jab from Octavian. He continued to avoid the auger's attacks with relative ease as Octavian became more and more frustrated. Legionnaires in the stands began shouting and jeering at the two combatants; Killian for not fighting and Octavian for not being able to land a single blow.

Octavian raised his sword over his head to strike again but this time Killian went towards him instead of away as he snuck inside to Octavian's guard and kneed the legacy of Apollo in the stomach, causing him to hunch over. Instead of disarming him and ending the match, Killian clapped both of his hands on each side of Octavian's head, boxing his ears and drawing a pained yelp from the centurion. Octavian tried to regain his bearing as his ears rang painfully. Killian took a couple steps back and waited for the auger to attack again. Finally Octavian recovered and attacked again. Again, Killian easily dodged his wild slash.

"If I were to be your enemy," he said, "what threat would you pose? If this is all the battle skill you have to offer, I think I'm quite safe."

Octavian's face turned red in rage. He charged Killian again, trying to impale Killian with his blade with a jab to his chest.

Killian stood his ground without an ounce of fear. In the blink of an eye, he trapped Octavian's blade between his hands, only inches away from his chest. Octavian's eyes widened as he tried to force the blade forward but he couldn't overpower Killian. He tried to wrench the sword free but once again he did not have the strength to free the blade from Killian's iron tight hold. The crowd began to laugh and taunt Octavian as they watched him fail to overpower the newbie.

"Give up yet?" Killian asked with a smirk.

"You're going to regret this, Vixon... you're nothing. You think I'm scared of you?" Octavian sneered.

An evil grin slowly appeared on Killian's face. "Fear? You want fear, Octavian? I can give you that."

He pushed Octavian's sword away, causing the hilt to hit him in the stomach. Killian internally scoffed as it knocked the wind so thoroughly out of him.

Killian stepped back and tapped his ring. An orange and red glow surrounded his body. The once cool evening disappeared as the air around Killian shimmered. His shirt burned off to reveal veins of red and orange circulating across his body, which blackened to something like hardened lava. His hair turned into pure flame. A single edged sword of flame and ash appeared in one hand. A slightly smaller blade of flame appeared in his other. When he opened his eyes, they were replaced by white-hot flames. When he grinned at Octavian, his teeth looked like metal ingots as flames flickered in his mouth.

"Are you afraid now, descendent of Apollo?" he boomed, scaring the piss out of several legionaries. He took a step forward and Octavian dropped his sword. "Do you know who you stand before, boy?"

Octavian scrambled back to the wall as Killian advanced another step.

"I am Killian Adam Vixon!" Killian thundered. "I am the son of Hyperion, the Titan of Fire and Light, the Lord of the East!" As he passed Octavian's sword it melted into sludge. "I am the grandson of Neto, the god of War and Death!" He stopped a couple feet in front of Octavian, who was huddled against a wall, and spread his arms out. "I AM BROTHER TO MICHAEL GARDNER, SON OF SELENE, AND PERSEUS JACKSON, SON OF OURANOS! I AM THE SLAYER OF TITANS AND SAVIOR OF OLYMPUS! DO YOU FEAR ME NOW?"

Octavian could do nothing but whimper and shake in fear from where he pressed himself against the wall.

Satisfied, Killian backed away. He tapped the ring on his finger twice. The air immediately began to cool. The fire in his hair and eyes went out. His skin returned to its normal color. When he reached his sword, he looked just as he had when he began the test.

He glanced up at Reyna, who stared at him, her face white with shock. In fact, everyone seemed to be staring at him in a mixture of fear and awe.

"Don't fret, everyone," he announced. "I don't have any problems with you all as long as you have none with me. In fact, I'd prefer to be friends. But if you challenge me...If you threaten me or anyone I care about, I will not hesitate. I've seen my fair share of traitors, executed my share of demigods. I do not like it, but I have no quarrel with killing people who threaten my friends or family, got it?"

Silence.

Killian grinned. He turned to Reyna. "Praetor. I believe I am to face you next."

Chapter 7: The Wind God

Chapter Text

Aelin looked up the staircase and her eyes narrowed. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress; her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness.

"My Father will want to know why two of his sons now lie dead in the streets," the girl said.

"You can tell him they crossed the wrong girl," Aelin shot back.

The girl's eyes flashed. Before she could say anything, Jason said, "Who are you?"

She turned towards him, her eyes scanning him critically.

"I am Khione," she said. "And my father will wish to see you, Jason Grace. Follow, please." Leo made to take a step, but she froze him with a look. "Not you, Leo Valdez."

"Why not?" He probably sounded like a whiny kindergartner, but he couldn't help it.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father," Khione said. "Fire and ice-it would not be wise."

"We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."

Khione tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble."

"It's fine, guys," he said, sounding a tad defeated. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

"Listen to your friend," Khione said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

"Let's go," Aelin ordered. "Khione said Leo would be fine, so he'll be fine. Just don't screw up with Boreas."

She began to follow Khione, but Jason saw that she was fiddling with her bracelet. He didn't want to leave Leo, but Jason knew that it was the least dangerous option, so he followed Aelin and Aria after Khione.

They followed her until they reached the throne room, which was somehow colder than the entry hall. Aelin walked right behind Khione, a hand on her bracelet, ready to spring at a moment's notice. She remembered her Uncle Percy mentioning her name, but she couldn't exactly place why she was told about the goddess of snow. She didn't seem like a big threat, but Aelin knew that harmless-looking beings were usually the most dangerous. Artemis was normally in the body of a twelve year old girl, yet she was one of, if not the most dangerous Olympian.

She was brought out of her thoughts when they neared the end of the hallway. They found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. Jason was pretty sure he'd seen maps like this before. But in this version, all the wind guys were Winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.

The goddess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, and Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.

"This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be ... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

Jason guessed Khione's definition of fun was not the same as his.

"Um, okay," he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."

She smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her-big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton.

"Now, come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. "Hopefully you will survive your little talk."

Mist hung in the air. Jason shivered, and his breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of colored light-the aurora borealis-pulsed along the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, so Jason had to step carefully. All around the room stood life-size ice sculpture warriors-some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage-all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns locked and loaded.

At least Jason thought they were sculptures. Then he tried to step between two Greek spearmen, and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block Jason's path.

From the far end of the hall, a man's voice rang out in a language that sounded like French. The room was so long and misty, Jason couldn't see the other end; but whatever the man said, the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.

"It's fine," Khione said. "My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet."

"Super," Jason said.

They kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so Jason couldn't tell if his hair was gray or just white with frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's -as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under that permafrost. Jason hoped so.

"Bienvenu," the king said. "Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?"

Khione the snow goddess was about to speak, but Aelin stepped forward and bowed. "Votre Majesté," she said, "je suis Aelin Gardner. Et c'est Jason Grace, fils de Zeus, et Aria Rae, fille d'Hécate."

The king smiled with pleasant surprise. "Vous parlez français? Très bien!"

"Aelin, you speak French?" Jason asked.

Aelin grinned over her shoulder. "I speak many languages, Jason. French was an easy one."

The king said something else, and Aelin nodded.

"Oui, Votre Majesté."

The king laughed and clapped his hands, obviously delighted. He said a few more sentences then swept his hand toward his daughter as if shooing her away.

Khione looked miffed. "The king says-"

"He's delighted that I can speak French," Aelin interrupted, "so Khione won't have to translate now."

The king sized up Jason, and Jason decided it would be a good idea to bow. "Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask ... why does a Greek god speak French?"

"Gods speak the language of their host countries," Aelin explained. "Most Greek gods speak English nowadays, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks french."

The king said something else, and Aelin blew a short raspberry.

"The king says he has orders to kill us," she said shortly.

Jason tensed. The king was still smiling amiably, like he'd just delivered great news.

"Kill us?" Jason said. "Why?"

"Because," the king said, in heavily accented English, "my lord Aeolus has commanded it."

Boreas rose. He stepped down from his throne and furled his wings against his back. As he approached, Khione bowed. Jason, Aria, and Aelin followed her example.

"I shall deign to speak your language," Boreas said, "as Aelin Gardner has honored me in mine. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of lord Zeus ... without first hearing you out."

Jason's gold coin seemed to grow heavy in his pocket. If he were forced to fight, he didn't like his chances. Two seconds at least to summon his blade. Then he'd be facing a god, his daughter, and an army of freeze-dried warriors.

"Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?" Jason asked. "Why would he want us dead?"

"You are demigods," Boreas said, as if this explained everything. "Aeolus's job is to contain the winds, and demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon eight years ago..."

Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface-a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward the Manhattan skyline. Tiny, glowing figures-the gods, Jason guessed-swarmed around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared.

"The storm giant, Typhon," Boreas explained. "The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits-wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus's job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods-they did not help. They did not even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, eight years ago, Typhon was defeated again-"

"And his death released another wave of venti," Jasonguessed. "Which made Aeolus even angrier."

"C'est vrai," Boreas agreed.

"But, Your Majesty," Jason said, "why punish demigods for that?"

The king shrugged. "Aeolus cannot take out his anger on the gods. They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with the demigods who helped them in the war. He issued orders to us: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"That sounds ... extreme," Jason ventured. "But you're not going to crush our faces yet, right? You're going to listen to us first, 'cause once you hear about our quest-"

"Yes, yes," the king agreed. "You see, Aeolus also said that a son of Zeus might seek my aid, and if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might-how did he put it?-make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to listen, however. After that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I will listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you."

Jason felt like he could almost breathe again. "Great. Thanks."

Aelin elbowed him.

"Do not thank me." Boreas smiled. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusem*nt, as you can see."

He gestured around the room to the various ice statues.

Aria made a strangled noise.

"You mean-they're all demigods?" Aelin asked. "Frozen demigods? They're alive?"

"An interesting question," Boreas conceded, as if it had never occurred to him before. "They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, which would be very messy."

Khione stepped behind Jason and put her cold fingers on his neck. "My father gives me such lovely presents," she murmured in his ear. "Join our court. Perhaps I'll let your friends go."

"Let him go," Aelin ordered. Khione stiffened. "You heard me, Khione. You are not the master of this house, you never will be, so it is up to your father to decide what is in store for Jason. Now let him go." Aelin's voice took on a deeper, more powerful undertone.

Khione hissed but did as Aelin said. Boreas's eyes twinkled.

"So you are the granddaughter of Selene," he said, running his hand through his beard. "Most interesting."

"Indeed I am, Lord Boreas," she said. "But we are not here to talk about me or my family. We are here on a quest for Hera. We need to find Aeolus because we believe he can help us, but to find him, we need your guidance. We have a general idea of where he is, but cannot pinpoint his location."

The king stroked the icicles in his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.

"I would suggest finding storm spirits," Boreas said. "My master would be pleased, and would likely consider hearing you out in return."

"We were attacked by storm spirits," Jason spoke up. "At the Grand Canyon." He explained what had happened.

"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said. "I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took."

"You mean Coach Hedge?" Jason asked. "He's alive?"

Boreas waved aside the question. "For now. But the one who controls these storm winds ... It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."

"Hera's in trouble," Jason said. "In three days she's going to be-I don't know-consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise."

"Yes," Boreas agreed. Was it Jason's imagination, or did he shoot Khione an angry look? "Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos-your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits-these are only beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades ... Olympus has good reason to fear."

Jason wasn't sure what all this meant, but he didn't like the way Khione was smiling-like this was her definition of fun.

"So you'll help us?" Jason asked the king.

Boreas scowled. "I did not say that."

"Please, Your Majesty," Aelin said.

Everyone's eyes turned toward her. Something had happened to her. She looked more beautiful than when Jason last looked. Her silver eyes shone like stars. Her face seemed to glow-in fact, she was almost glowing with warmth in the cold throne room.

"If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."

"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She must have some type of charmspeak. She dares to use it on a god? Freeze her now!"

Boreas considered this. Jason slipped his hand in his pocket and got ready to bring out the gold coin. If things went wrong, he'd have to move fast.

The movement caught Boreas's eye. "What is that on your forearm, demigod?"

Jason hadn't realized his coat sleeve had gotten pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks.

The god's eyes widened. Khione actually hissed and stepped away.

Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. The god's form began to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius-a Roman sword like Jason's-hung at his side.

"Aquilon," Jason said, though where he got the god's Roman name from, he had no idea. The god inclined his head.

"You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?"

Jason shifted his feet. "Uh ... yes, Your Majesty."

"And Hera sent you there..." The winter god's eyes were full of mirth. "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken."

Aria tugged on Aelin's jacket and pointed at the god and shrugged.

"This is his Roman form," Aelin said, "You see, Lord...Boreas? Aquilon? Sorry, but I'm unsure what to call you at this moment."

"Lord of the North, will do."

"Thank you, Lord of the North. You are right when saying Hera plays a dangerous game. These demigods are pieces in her game, and it would do no good to kill them now. Why not wait and see how it plays out? A much more interesting option, is it not?"

"Indeed, young godling," Boreas said. "It is not for me to interfere. They will rip each other apart without my intervention. Better to wait and watch."

"Father!" Khione protested.

Boreas ignored his daughter. "If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Okay, sure," Jason said. "So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's trapped Hera?"

"Ah." Boreas grinned. "Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter."

Jupiter, Jason noticed. Before, he called me a son of Zeus.

"The one who controls the winds," Boreas continued, "yes, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant-a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage-truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you."

"Father," Khione protested, "you can't simply let them-"

"I can do what I like," he said, his voice hardening. "I am still master here, am I not?"

The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument. Khione's eyes flashed with anger, but she clenched her teeth. "As you wish, Father."

"Now go, demigods," Boreas said, "before I change my mind. Khione, escort them out safely." They all bowed, and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.

Khione led them back to the entry hall, where Leo was. At the bottom step, Khione turned on Aelin. "You have fooled my father, girl, but you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."

"Don't think you can threaten me, Khione," Aelin snarled. "Even without Artemis and Athena, you are no match for me. My father has made sure of that. You do what you wish, but you will never have a throne on Olympus. Mark my words."

Khione's eyes flashed with anger. "You will die painfully, Aelin Gardner. I swear it." She spun around and vanished into a mini snow storm.

Leo ran up to them. "What'd you do that for? She was gonna be my prom date!"

"We do not have time for your foolish antics, Valdez," Aelin snapped. "We have a mission here, and if you want to look for a girlfriend, I suggest you start walking back to New York, cause we don't have room for idiocy."

Leo paled but nodded quickly. Aelin started for the pegasi, who were itching to leave the freezing penthouse. She climbed onto Ace and beckoned them.

"Let's get going," she said. "Aria, you're with me. Grace, you're with Valdez on Poker." Once they were situated, they took off into the air, towards Chicago.

Chapter 8: The Praetor

Chapter Text

Reyna paled a bit at Killian's invitation. After the show he put on, she wasn't looking forward to fighting him. But she could not refuse his challenge. She was the Praetor, it would look bad if she did.

Reluctantly, Reyna made her way down from the stands, her armor gleaming and looking every bit the part of a commander. Killian waited, sword in hand.

When she was ten feet away, Killian grinned.

"Do not worry, Praetor," he said. "I won't use that trick on you. It's for enemies, not allies."

He was amused by the relief on her face, soon replaced by determination. "I hope you are ready, Vixon. I have yet to be beaten since becoming praetor."

She unsheathed her gladius and nodded her head at Killian to begin. The crowd was silent as they watched with bated breath as the new legionnaire and raetor squared off in the center of the arena.

Both Reyna and Killian charged each other at the same time, their blades meeting as sparks flew again and again as their swords clashed. Killian swiped at her legs, but Reyna jumped over his blade. She brought hers down but Killian spun out of the way at the last second. Reyna attacked again but couldn't get inside his guard.

Killian waited as Reyna's frustration was growing as she failed to get through his defenses. Just when he was about to make his move, Reyna took a step back as she calmed herself. Killian gave her an impressed look before he attacked, wielding his blade with speed and power that could only be achieved with years of training by the greatest heroes to ever live.

Reyna stayed on the defensive but had trouble keeping up with his speed. Killian then feinted an attack to her left side and spun to her right, slashing a shallow gash across her leg. Reyna jumped back before Killian could cut any deeper, looking at him with a bit of surprise, but also wariness. She looked around to see the entire legion with wide eyes at their praetor being beaten by Killian. Killian noticed their looks, too, along with the one of worry on Reyna's face.

He charged at her again, slashing at her legs and forcing her to jump back. He closed the distance, bringing his sword down in a long arc. She brought up hers and blocked the attack, though the strength behind it made her knees buckle.

With their swords locked, Killian whispered, "It wouldn't look good if you lost, would it?"

Reyna scowled. "I have not lost yet," she growled, "but no. It would most likely ruin my reputation as a leader."

Killian nodded knowingly. He jumped back and twirled his sword in his hand, seeming arrogant. Reyna took advantage of his pause and lunged at him, switching to offense. She slashed relentlessly at him, but every attack was parried or blocked. Her frustration eventually took over and she began to attack with more wild, unpredictable strikes. Killian ducked under one strike, raising his sword to where Reyna was aiming. Her sword hit his blade and it went flying from his hand.

Reyna could barely contain her shock. She quickly tried to pin him, but he knocked her blade off course with the back of his hand. He got under her arm and sent a quick strike to her wrist. Her hand spasmed, causing her sword to fall from her hand.

Instead of picking it up, Killian kicked it to the side. He sent a punch at Reyna's neck, but the daughter of Bellona dodged to the left. She brought out a dagger as Killian stumbled past her and placed it at his neck as he turned around.

Killian smiled at her. "It looks like you remain undefeated, Praetor."

Reyna's eyes narrowed as she nodded. She wanted to question him, but before she could the crowd erupted into applause for both of them.

She sheathed her dagger as Killian picked up their weapons. He returned his sword to its watch form before offering Reyna hers, hilt first. "A fair battle, Praetor Reyna. I can see why your soldiers respect you so."

Reyna nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Mr. Vixon. I want a word with you later, though. Got it?"

Killian smiled. "Understood. But first..." He gestured to the crowd.

Reyna understood immediately. She turned to the audience and announced, "Legionnaires, today we welcome a new recruit! Killian Vixon, son of Hyperion, has bested every centurion today! It is his decision which cohort he wishes to choose! Killian, what is your choice?"

Killian nodded. "Which cohort is Piper McLean in?"

"The Fifth."

"Then I will join her, if Centurions Dakota and Gwen will accept me?" He glanced to the side of the arena where the centurions resided. Well, the conscious ones, anyway.

They shared a look of disbelief. Then Dakota grinned madly. "We'd love to."

Gwen nodded in agreement. "We would be honored to take Killian as a member of the Fifth Cohort."

"Why do you want to join them?" someone from the crowd shouted. "They're the worst!"

"Is that so?" Killian said, amused. "Then I guess we'll have to change that."

Before anyone else could question him, Reyna said, "His decision is final! Killian Vixon will join the Fifth Cohort! You are dismissed!"

As everyone began to file out of the coliseum, Dakota and Gwen approached Killian.

"It'll be nice to have someone like you in our cohort," Dakota said, thumping him on the shoulder. "Maybe we won't be the laughing stock of the legion, now. I'll show you the barracks later, newbie."

"Thank you," Gwen said quietly as Dakota walked away. "I promise it's not as bad as everyone else says."

"I have no doubt that your cohort is amazing," Killian assured her. "I might have to whip you into shape, though. You and Dakota are good, but if you're the best the Fifth has to offer..." He shrugged. "I hope you're fine with some hardcore training."

To his surprise, Gwen smiled.

"I think everyone will look forward to it," she said. She glanced behind her, where Piper and Annabeth were waiting to speak with Killian. "I'll see you later, Killian. Welcome to the Fifth."

"Thanks," he said. She walked away and Piper ran up to him and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she nearly shrieked. "Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how happy I am that you joined us!"

"No problem, Piper," Killian said, setting her down. "I couldn't think of a better cohort to join." He looked at Annabeth. "Sorry, Annabeth. I just don't have any interest in being in the same cohort at Octavian."

Annabeth scowled slightly. "He just cost me the best recruit to ever walk into camp. I think I'm going to kill him this time." She shook her head. "Whatever. It would have been nice to work with you, Killian."

Killian grinned. "Hey, just because we aren't in the same cohort doesn't mean we can't work together. I want to spar with you again sometime. You're one of the only people who can give me a challenge."

Annabeth nodded. "I'd like that." She grabbed Piper's hand. "We'll leave you, now. It looks like Reyna wants to talk."

Piper giggled. "I hope you'll be in one piece when you get to the barracks. See you there!"

Annabeth dragged Piper away, leaving Killian and Reyna alone.

"Walk with me, Vixon, we need to talk." Reyna spun on her heel and walked out of the coliseum.

Killian easily caught up to her as she walked briskly out of New Rome and back towards the barrack area of Camp Jupiter. They walked in silence until they reached the Principia. Reyna opened the door for him before following him inside, locking the door behind her.

Killian raised a brow as she made her way over to her desk. "Should I be worried or..."

Reyna smirked slightly. "Do not worry, Vixon. I am not going to do anything. I simply wish to talk with you." She gestured to the seat in front of her desk. "Please, sit."

She watched him as he obeyed. He patiently waited for her to speak.

Finally, she said, "Where do you come from?"

Killian shrugged. "I wish I knew, Praetor. I don't remember much from before three days ago when I woke up at the Wolf House." He raised a brow. "Why the sudden interest, Praetor?"

"You are a warrior, Killian. Possibly the greatest I have ever met. And your power surpasses any demigod I have ever met. And your claims while scaring Octavian are quite audacious. I have trouble believing they are all true."

Killian shrugged. "I don't know where they came from. They just popped into my mind as I spoke."

Reyna studied him, but upon finding no deception, closed her eyes. "Listen, Killian. There is a power struggle in Camp Jupiter as the Centurions attempt to fill the position of my missing counterpart. None of them truly has what it takes to lead Camp Jupiter and New Rome."

"You want me to become Praetor," Killian guessed. "While I appreciate it, I don't know if I can accept. I'm new here. People might not like it. Perhaps later down the line, but I don't think now is right."

Reyna didn't seem surprised. "Be that as it may, I must still ask you for help. Perhaps you have noticed, perhaps you haven't, but monsters are becoming more vicious. They-"

"They reform," Killian interrupted. "They don't stay dead."

Reyna nodded. "War is brewing. I can feel it. And this war will be far more dangerous than the last, many years ago."

"Did you fight in it?"

She nodded. "I was young, maybe 14, when it came to a climax. I was experienced for my age. Maybe that's why I survived when so many didn't. We marched on Mount Othrys at Mount Tam. The praetors at the time, who are now retired, couldn't have been older than 16 when they fought the Titan Krios. But now, I fear..." She trailed off, but Killian didn't need her to finish. He understood perfectly.

"You're afraid that you'll be wiped out. That you won't be strong enough."

She nodded again. "Yes. That is why I need someone to work with. Someone like you, Killian."

Killian shifted. "I told you already, Praetor. I don't think it's a good idea."

Reyna sighed. "I see you are unyielding. Very well. Tell me this, then; why did you let me win today?"

Killian rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Why would I need to win? I had already beaten the centurions. There was no reason. Besides, all it would have done is lose you respect."

"You let me disarm you."

A shrug. "Maybe I did. Does it matter? I think we have bigger things to worry about than a friendly spar."

Reyna considered it for a second before nodding in agreement. "If you will not become praetor, I have two favors to ask of you."

"Shoot."

"Centurion Gwen is retiring in two days. I would like you to replace her."

"Do I have to bring up the fact that people won't like it again?"

"No," she said, scowling. "If they do not like it, oh well. I am praetor, and as such, holds the power to replace legionaries as I see fit. Your power and skill speaks for themselves in terms of experience."

"Alright, if you say so. What was your second favor?"

She smiled at him. "Please call me Reyna. Being called Praetor makes everything feel so formal and I'm not a fan of it."

Killian chuckled. "I know the feeling. You got yourself a deal, Reyna."

"Good. Tomorrow we will have our war games. Afterward, Gwen will announce her retirement. At the Senate meeting the next day, follow her there and I will appoint you as her replacement."

Chapter 9: Aria's Power

Chapter Text

They arrived in Chicago after a full night. A crescent of skyscrapers lined the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the western horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.

"Chicago," Jason said.

"One problem down," Leo said. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?"

Jason saw a flash of movement below them. At first he thought it was a small plane, but it was too small, too dark and fast. The thing spiraled toward the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape-and, just for a moment it became the smoky figure of a horse.

"How about we follow that one," Jason suggested, "and see where it goes?"

"Good idea," Aelin said. She pat her pegasus on the neck. "Let's go, Ace."

They followed the storm spirit from above the buildings for a few minutes, until Leo grumbled, "Oh great. There're two."

A second ventus blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down toward the street.

"Those guys do not need any more caffeine," Leo said.

"I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Aelin said. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."

"More than a couple," Jason said. "Look."

The pegasi circled over a wide avenue next to a lake-sidepark. Storm spirits were converging-at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.

"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked. "I wanna throw something at him."

But Jason focused on the art installation. The closer they got to it, the faster his heart beat. It was just a public fountain, but it was unpleasantly familiar. Two five-story monoliths rose from either end of a long granite reflecting pool. The monolith seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it looked like a high-tech, super-size version of that ruined reflecting pool he'd seen in his dreams, with those two dark masses jutting from either end. As Jason watched, the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with her eyes closed.

"Leo ..." he said nervously.

"I see her," Leo said. "I don't like her, but I see her."

Then the screens went dark. The venti swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.

"Did they just go down a drain?" Aelin asked. "How are we supposed to follow them?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"

Jason felt the same way, but they had to follow. It was their only way forward. They had to find Hera, and they now had only two days until the solstice.

"Put us down in that park," he suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."

Aelin had the pegasi land in an open area between the lake and skyline. The signs said Grand Park. The four made their way towards the drain the venti had disappeared down, According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze.

They walked to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

"Well, that's one way in," Aelin said and jumped in.

The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

Aria and Jason climbed down after her with Leo nervously bringing up the rear.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Aelin wondered aloud.

"No," Leo said. "Trust me."

Jason frowned. "How do you know..."

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

Jason tilted his head, listening, then pointed south. "That way."

"Alright," Aelin said before starting that way. They soon came across a pair of polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.

"This looks like a mall entrance," Leo said, confused.

"You should read the directory," Aelin told them. "Get's even more confusing."

Yes, it did, Jason thought.

Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level

Furnishings and Café M: 1

Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2

Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3

Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4

"Kennels?" Aelin said. "Ajax would hate this place. But what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons," Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."

The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready.

"Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."

Aelin joined him and caught her breath. "This is not Macy's."

The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.

Aside from the stained glass ceiling and the elevator, Jason couldn't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between the levels. The carpeting was a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take it at once, but Jason saw normal stuff like shirt racks and shoetrees mixed in with armored manikins, beds of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving.

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage-like an oversize canary cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club.

"Coach Hedge!" Jason said. "We've got to get down there."

A voice said, "May I help you find something?"

They jumped back.

A woman had just appeared in front of them. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model-maybe fifty years old, though it was hard for Jason to judge. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal supermodel way-thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.

She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

Leo glanced at Jason like, All yours.

"Um," Jason started, "is this your store?"

The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good ... how do you say ... first acquisition in this country."

She spoke with a pleasing accent, but Jason couldn't guess where from. Clearly she wasn't hostile, though. Jason started to relax. Her voice was rich and exotic. Jason wanted to hear more.

"So you're new to America?" he asked.

"I am ... new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"

Jason had heard of rich foreigners buying American department stores. Of course most of the time they didn't sell poisons, living fur coats, storm spirits, or satyrs, but still-with a nice voice like that, the Princess of Colchis couldn't be all bad.

Aelin poked him in the ribs. "Jason ..."

"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness ..." He pointed to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we ... have him back, please?"

"Of course!" the princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"

Jason hesitated. It seemed like a bad idea to give out their names. A memory tugged at the back of his mind-something Hera had warned him about, but it seemed fuzzy.

On the other hand, Her Highness was on the verge of cooperating. If they could get what they wanted without a fight, that would be better. Besides, this lady didn't seem like an enemy.

Aelin started to say, "Jason, I wouldn't-"

"This is Aelin," he said. "This is Leo. That's Aria. I'm Jason."

The princess fixed her eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, Jason could see her skull beneath her skin. Jason's mind was getting blurrier, but he knew something didn't seem right. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."

The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"

"Cool," Jason said.

"Boys," Aelin interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and the satyr. If this-princess-is really our friend..."

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's-cold and dark. "Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Aelin?"

Aelin did her best to stare daggers at him: No, it is not okay!

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them toward the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

Aelin didn't have much choice except to follow. Luckily for her, Aria seemed to not be affected by the woman's charm.

She hated department stores-mostly because she'd gotten caught stealing from several of them. Well, not exactly caught, and not exactly stealing.

Anyway, she wasn't thrilled to be back in a department store-especially one run by a crazy princess who glowed in the dark.

"And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks-some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells-ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.

The princess pointed to a bloodred vial-a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial"-she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside-"will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," Jason said. His voice sounded dazed and sleepy.

"Jason," Aelin said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?"

"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

Aelin growled in annoyance. She turned to Aria. "Could you please, Aria? I'd rather not have to slap him. I might break his neck."

Aria seemed reluctant, but she pulled down the cloth that covered her mouth, fully revealing her beautiful face and dark purple lipstick.

"Jason," she said, her voice full of beauty and magic. Leo and Jason whipped around instantly. "We need to get Hedge and the storm spirits and leave."

"Get Hedge and spirits," Jason repeated, sounding even further in his trance than before. "Got it."

Her Highness stared at the two girls in shock. "How?" she demanded. "How can you overpower my charmspeak? I have been perfecting it for thousands of years!"

"Yours was learned," Aelin said. "But hers is inherited. She is a daughter of Hecate, blessed with charmspeak."

"But no one can-"

"Stop."

Her Highness paused. Her face turned red as she realized she had been charmspoken. She glared at Aria, but she stared back fearlessly.

"Tell us who you are," Aria demanded.

Her Highness bit her lip.

"Tell us," Aria said more forcefully. It took everything Aelin had not to tell Aria everything about her, and the charmspeak wasn't even aimed at her.

"I am Medea, the Princess of Colchis," she spat.

Leo didn't bat an eye, but Aelin recoiled.

"Medea!" she repeated. "But-didn't she die centuries ago?"

"My Mistress brought me back," Medea sneered. "She promised me an empire. She promised the heads of you demigods!" She lunged at Aelin.

"Freeze."

Medea froze on the spot, her face scrunching in anger.

Aelin, who was ready to attack the witch, looked back at Aria. The daughter of Hecate nodded her head at Leo and Jason, both of whom were dragging the cages toward them.

"Free them from their trance," Aelin told her.

Aria nodded. She stalked toward Jason and Leo and placed her pointer fingers on both of their foreheads.

"Free."

The boys' eyes cleared. They clutched their heads as they stumbled back from Aria.

"Ack," Leo yelped, rubbing his temples. "What the heck, man? What was that?"

"That was you being forcibly freed from charmspeak," Aelin told them. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"A bit, yeah."

"What's going on?" Jason asked, rubbing his eyes. "We were shopping, and then..." He stopped as he gazed upon Medea, still frozen in anger. "Who is that?"

"This is Medea," Aelin introduced as she looked through the shelves. "You know, the Princess of Colchis? Who helped the original Jason with his tasks?" Aelin frowned at the mention of him but then got rid of it. "Yeah, this is her."

"But didn't she die thousands of years ago?" Jason exclaimed, looking alarmed as Medea stared at him with hate.

"Yeah, but her mistress brought her back."

"Who's her mistress?"

"It's-" Aelin frowned. "Actually, I don't know. Who is your mistress, Medea?"

"Like I would ever tell you, demigods," Medea hissed.

Aelin glanced at Aria but the daughter of Hecate shook her head, having placed the mask back over her mouth.

"Oh well, then. I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later." She plucked a couple things off the shelves. She grabbed a rope and tossed it to Jason. "Tie the cages with one side." She put two fingers to her lips and did the best New York taxi cab whistle she could muster, just like Alex had taught her.

All three demigods covered their ears and cringed.

"What was that?" Leo asked with a wince.

Aelin grinned as a dark shadow appeared over the roof of the department store. A pure black pegasus suddenly burst through, followed by Ace and Poker.

"Blackjack!" Aelin called, waving at the pegasus.

Blackjack whinnied loudly, making Aelin smile.

"Which one of you can carry these cages?" Aelin asked, gesturing to the cages of storm spirits and satyr.

Blackjack looked back at the other two and had a silent conversation before Poker stepped forward, albeit reluctantly.

"Thanks, Poker," Aelin said. She reached forward and scratched his chin. "Couldn't do it without you."

That seemed to put the brown pegasus in a better mood. She and Jason quickly fastened the cages to Poker while Aria and Leo climbed aboard Ace. He bucked when Leo tried to put his arms around her, causing the impish son of Hephestaus to yelp. Aelin climbed on Blackjack and Jason climbed onto Poker before the three steeds shot into the air and out of the store with the outraged screams of Medea fading out of earshot.

Chapter 10: The War Games

Chapter Text

The Fifth Cohort formed two lines behind their centurions, Dakota and Gwen. They marched north, skirting the edge of the city, and headed to the Field of Mars-the largest, flattest part of the valley. The grass was cropped short by all the unicorns, bulls, and homeless fauns that grazed here. The earth was pitted with explosion craters and scarred with trenches from past games. At the north end of the field stood their target. The engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other nasty surprises for the defenders to use.

"They did a good job today," Piper noted. "That's bad for us."

"Wait," Killian said. "You're telling me that fortress was built today?"

Piper grinned. "Legionnaires are trained to build. If we had to, we could break down the entire camp and rebuild it somewhere else. Take maybe three or four days, but we could do it."

"Let's not," Killian said. "So you attack a different fort every night?"

"Not every night," Piper said. "We have different training exercises. Sometimes death ball-um, which is like paint-ball, except with...you know, poison and acid and fire balls. Sometimes we do chariots and gladiator competitions, sometimes war games."

Piper pointed at the fort. "Somewhere inside, the First and Second Cohorts are keeping their banners. Our job is to get inside and capture them without getting slaughtered. We do that, we win."

Killian's eyes lit up. "Like capture-the-flag. I think I like capture-the-flag."

Piper laughed. "Yeah, well...it's harder than it sounds. We have to get past those scorpions and water cannons on the walls, fight through the inside of the fortress, find the banners, and defeat the guards, all while protecting our own banners and troops from capture. And our cohort is in competition with the other two attacking cohorts. We sort of work together, but not really. The cohort that captures the banners gets all the glory."

Killian stumbled, trying to keep time with the left-right marching rhythm. Piper sympathized. She'd spent her first two weeks falling down.

"So why are we practicing this, anyway?" Killian asked. "Do you guys spend a lot of time laying siege to fortified cities?"

"Teamwork," Piper said. "Quick thinking. Tactics. Battle skills. You'd be surprised what you can learn in the war games. Like who will stab you in the back."

They marched to the center of the Field of Mars and formed ranks. The Third and Fourth Cohorts assembled as far as possible from the Fifth.

The centurions for the attacking side gathered for a conference. In the sky above them, Reyna circled on her pegasus, Scipio, ready to play referee. Half a dozen giant eagles flew in formation behind her-prepared for ambulance airlift duty if necessary.

Piper propped her gladius against her shield and checked Killian's armor. Every strap was correct. Every piece of armor was properly adjusted.

"You did it right," she said in amazement. "Killian, you must've done war games before."

"I don't know. Maybe."

The only thing that wasn't regulation was Killian's glowing white sword-not Imperial gold, and not a gladius. The blade was like a knight's, and the writing on the hilt was Greek.

Killian frowned. "We can use real weapons, right?"

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "For sure. I've just never seen a sword like that."

"What if I hurt somebody?"

"We heal them," Piper said. "Or try to. The legion medics are pretty good with ambrosia and nectar, and unicorn draught."

Horns blew. Dakota and Gwen walked back from the officers' conference, looking grim.

"All right, here's the plan!" Dakota took a quick swig of Kool-Aid from his travel flask. "They're throwing us at the walls first to soften up the defenses."

The whole cohort groaned.

"I know, I know," Gwen said. "But maybe this time we'll have some luck!"

Leave it to Gwen to be the optimist. Everybody liked her because she took care of her people and tried to keep their spirits up. She could even control Dakota during his hyperactive bug-juice fits. Still, the campers grumbled and complained. Nobody believed in luck for the Fifth.

"First line with Dakota," Gwen said. "Lock shields and advance in turtle formation to the main gates. Try to stay in one piece. Draw their fire. Second line-" Gwen turned to Piper and Killian's row without much enthusiasm. "You seventeen, from Bobby over, take charge of the elephant and the scaling ladders. Try a flanking attack on the western wall. Maybe we can spread the defenders too thin. Piper, Killian...well, just do whatever. Show Killian the ropes. Try to keep him alive." She turned back to the whole cohort. "If anybody gets over the wall first, I'll make sure you get the Mural Crown. Victory for the Fifth!"

The cohort cheered half heartedly and broke ranks.

Killian frowned. "'Do whatever?'"

"Yeah," Piper sighed. "Big vote of confidence."

"What's the Mural Crown?" he asked.

"Military medal," Piper said. "Big honor for the first soldier to breach an enemy fort. You'll notice nobody in the Fifth is wearing one. Usually we don't even get into the fort because we're burning or drowning."

"Hmm. I guess we'll have to liven it up, then."

"'Liven it up'? How can you liven up a war game?"

Killian grinned at him. "You've never had me, before. Trust me, tonight'll be different."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the signal to begin the games sounded, the Fifth Cohort locked shields and began to march their way towards the fortress.

The Third and Fourth Cohorts weren't even advancing. They stood back and laughed, watching their "allies" get beat up. The defenders clustered on the wall above the gates, yelling insults at the tortoise formation as it staggered back and forth.

The defenders above pelted them with rocks and shot flaming bolts from the scorpions, blasting craters around their feet. A water cannon discharged with a jaw-rattling THRUM, and a jet of liquid carved a trench in the dirt right in front of the cohort.

Killian and Piper ran up to the wall, taking advantage of the chaos to get there unseen. Well, that and Killian's super speed.

Piper was breathless after he set her down at the base of the wall.

"Holy gods," she panted. "How in Pluto's name can you do that?"

He shrugged. "I superheat my body and it allows me to go faster. That's why you feel like you're going to blackout. It's heatstroke."

Spots danced in her vision. "Oh, is that it?"

"Here, let me help." He placed a hand on her shoulder. His hand glowed a warm orange and Piper's vision returned.

"Whoa." She stood up straight. "What was that?"

"Fire has the power to heal just as much as it does to hurt," Killian told her. He walked over to the wall. He punched the wall, creating small holes for him to grab onto. He grinned over his shoulder at her. "Hop on and hold on, Piper. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

"You should try that line with your wife," Piper said slyly as she climbed onto his back. She felt heat roll off him in waves and laughed. "Sorry. We have a battle to win."

"Yeah," he agreed. He shook his head for a brief moment before starting to climb.

Half way up the wall, a defender appeared on the wall above them. "Hey!" he shouted to his buddies. "Check it out! More victims!"

"Piper," Killian said, "get ready."

More kids came across the battlements to laugh and stare at them. A few ran to the nearest water cannon and swung the barrel toward Killian.

Piper closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.

Up on the wall, somebody yelled, "Open wide, losers!"

"MISS!"

THRUM

The jet of water missed them by a few feet. Someone else tried to aim at them, but Piper yelled, "TRIP!"

The kid tripped on the cannon, firing it directly at another one.

KA-BOOM!

The cannon exploded in a starburst of blue, green, and white. Defenders screamed as a watery shock wave flattened them against the battlements. Kids toppled over the walls but were snatched by giant eagles and carried to safety. Then the entire eastern wall shuddered as the explosion backed up through the pipelines. One after another, the water cannons on the battlements exploded. The scorpions' fires were doused. Defenders scattered in confusion or were tossed through the air, giving the rescue eagles quite a workout. At the main gates, the Fifth Cohort forgot about their formation. Mystified, they lowered their shields and stared at the chaos.

Killian was three quarters of the way up before the defenders recovered their senses enough to sound the alarm.

He glanced back at Fifth Cohort's main group. They were staring up at him, dumbfounded.

"Well?" Killian screamed. "Attack!"

Gwen was the first to unfreeze. She grinned and repeated the order. A cheer went up from the battlefield. Hannibal the elephant trumpeted with happiness, but Killian couldn't afford to watch. He clambered to the top of the wall, where three defenders were ready to stab him with their spears.

"Backwards!" Piper shouted when they pulled their weapons back. All three fell backwards like they were pulled from behind.

Killian threw Piper over the wall before hopping over himself. He watched as Piper disarmed two spearmen at once before incapacitating them with quick strikes to the temple with the pommel of her gladius.

He was distracted by a swordsman thrusting at him. He sidestepped and slapped the blade out of his hand. He clapped his hands over the kid's ears before head butting him, knocking the stunned demigod to the ground.

Together they cleared the defenders off the walls. Below them the gates broke. Hannibal barreled into the fort, arrows and rocks bouncing harmlessly off his Kevlar armor.

The Fifth Cohort charged in behind the elephant, and the battle went hand-to-hand.

Finally, from the edge of the Field of Mars, a battle cry went up. The Third and Fourth Cohorts ran to join the fight.

"A little late," Piper grumbled. "We can't let them get the banners."

"No," Killian agreed. "Those are ours."

No more talk was necessary. They moved like a team, as if they had been working together for years. They rushed down the interior steps and into the enemy base.

After that, the battle was mayhem.

Killian and Piper waded through the enemy, plowing down anyone who stood in their way. The First and Second Cohorts-pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine-fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side.

Part of their problem was Killian. He fought like a demon, whirling through the defenders' ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic. Octavian screamed in a shrill voice-maybe ordering the First Cohort to stand their ground, maybe trying to sing soprano-but Killian put a stop to it. He somersaulted over a line of shields and slammed the butt of his sword into Octavian's helmet. The centurion collapsed like a sock puppet.

Piper parried and countered and stabbed every legionnaire that got in her way. Some she charmspoke to turn against their allies, causing even more confusion and allowing them to get further and further inside.

Annabeth sparred with Killian for only a moment before forfeiting. She lowered her dagger with a smirk as Killian held his sword to her throat. She nodded her head to the inner keep on the other side of the small courtyard. Killian smirked and ran towards it.

Meanwhile, Piper climbed onto Hannibal's back. She charged toward the center of the fort, grinning down at her friends. "Let's go, slowpokes!"

The inner keep was virtually unguarded. Obviously the defenders never dreamed an assault would get this far. Hannibal busted down the huge doors. Inside, the First and Second Cohort standard-bearers were sitting around a table playing Mythomagic with cards and figurines. The cohort's emblems were propped carelessly against one wall.

Piper and Hannibal rode straight into the room, and the standard- bearers fell backward out of their chairs. Hannibal stepped on the table, and game pieces scattered.

By the time the rest of the cohort caught up with them, Killian had disarmed the enemies, grabbed the banners, and climbed onto Hannibal's back with Piper. They marched out of the keep triumphantly with the enemy colors.

The Fifth Cohort formed ranks around them. Together they paraded out of the fort, past stunned enemies and lines of equally mystified allies.

Reyna circled low overhead on her pegasus. "The game is won!" She sounded as if she were trying not to laugh. "Assemble for honors!"

Slowly the campers regrouped on the Field of Mars. Piper saw plenty of minor injuries-some burns, broken bones, black eyes, cuts and gashes, plus a lot of very interesting hairdos from fires and exploding water cannons-but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

She slid off the elephant. Her comrades swarmed her, pounding her on the back and complimenting her. Piper wondered if she was dreaming. It was one of the best nights of her life-until she saw Gwen.

"Help!" somebody yelled. A couple of campers rushed out of the fortress, carrying a girl on a stretcher. They set her down, and other kids started running over. Even from a distance, Piper could tell it was Gwen.

She was in bad shape. She lay on her side on the stretcher with a pilum sticking out of her armor-almost like she was holding it between her chest and her arm, but there was too much blood.

Piper shook her head in disbelief. "No, no, no..." she muttered as she ran to Gwen's side.

The medics barked at everyone to stand back and give her air. The whole legion fell silent as the healers worked-trying to get gauze and powdered unicorn horn under Gwen's armor to stop the bleeding, trying to force some nectar into her mouth. Gwen didn't move. Her face was ashen gray.

Finally one of the medics looked up at Reyna and shook his head.

For a moment, there was no sound except water from the ruined cannons trickling down the walls of the fort. Hannibal nuzzled Gwen's hair with his trunk.

Reyna surveyed the campers from her pegasus. Her expression was as hard and dark as iron. "There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but this..."

Piper wasn't sure what she meant. Then she noticed the marks engraved in the wooden shaft of the pilum: CHT I LEGIO XII F. The weapon belonged to the First Cohort, and the point was sticking out the front of her armor. Gwen had been speared from behind-possibly after the game had ended.

Piper scanned the crowd for Octavian. The centurion was watching with more interest than concern, as if he were examining one of his stupid gutted teddy bears. He didn't have a pilum.

Blood roared in Piper's ears. She wanted to strangle Octavian with her bare hands, but at that moment, Gwen gasped.

Everyone stepped back. Gwen opened her eyes. The color came back to her face.

"Wh-what is it?" She blinked. "What's everyone staring at?" She didn't seem to notice the seven-foot harpoon sticking out through her chest.

Behind Piper, a medic whispered, "There's no way. She was dead. She has to be dead."

Gwen tried to sit up, but couldn't. "There was a river, and a man asking...for a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just...I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?"

Everyone stared at her in horror. Nobody tried to help.

"Gwen." Killian knelt next to her. "Don't try to get up. Just close your eyes for a second, okay?"

"Why? What-"

"Just trust me."

Gwen did what he asked.

Killian grabbed the shaft of the pilum below its tip, but the wood was slick. "Piper, Dakota-help me."

One of the medics realized what he was planning. "Don't!" he said. "You might-"

"What?" Piper snapped. "Make it worse?"

Killian took a deep breath. "Hold her steady. One, two, three!"

He pulled the pilum out from the front. Gwen didn't even wince. The blood stopped quickly.

Piper bent down to examine the wound. "It's closing on its own," she said. "I don't know how, but-"

"I feel fine," Gwen protested. "What's everyone worried about?"

With Killian and Dakota's help, she got to her feet. Piper glowered at Octavian, but the centurion's face was a mask of polite concern.

Later, Piper thought. Deal with him later.

"Gwen," she said gently, "there's no easy way to say this. You were dead. Somehow you came back."

"I...what?" She stumbled against Killian. Her hand pressed against the ragged hole in her armor. "How-how?"

"Good question," Reyna said. "Could this be some power of Pluto?"

A thunderous voice rolled across the field: Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning.

Campers drew weapons. Hannibal trumpeted nervously. Scipio reared, almost throwing Reyna.

"I know that voice," Killian said.

Chapter 11: The Wolf King

Chapter Text

The foursome rode their pegasi for hours as they made their way toward Aeolus' Palace. After the fourth hour, Poker started to dip towards the ground.

Blackjack whinnied and Aelin nodded. She turned back towards the others and shouted, "We need to set down! Poker won't be able to stay in the air for much longer!"

Jason and Aria nodded and led their pegasi downwards, towards the snow-capped mountains. Blackjack and Aelin followed. They set down next to a cave and Poker nearly collapsed.

Aelin ran over to him as Jason untied the cages. She knelt next to Poker, whose pants were hoarse.

"I'm sorry, Poker," Aelin murmured. "We pushed you too hard. You did great, though. You got us so far."

The pegasus's eyes lit up from the praise.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Jason asked. Aelin shook her head.

"He needs to rest," she said. She looked at the other two pegasi. "Blackjack, Ace, can you two helps me get Poker inside the cave."

The two neighed before clopping forward. Aelin and Jason lifted the brown pegasus to his hooves and Ace and Blackjack pushed themselves on either side of Poker. They moved forward slowly until they made it to the back of the cave. Poker collapsed again.

"Leo, can you start a fire?" Aelin asked.

The son of Hephaestus jumped. "Uh, yeah?" He gathered a few sticks and bits of bark and placed them in a pile. He glanced at Aelin nervously. "Uh, do you want me to rub the sticks together, or grab two rocks and-"

"Use your powers," Aelin told him.

"You know about those?"

Aelin nodded. "Leo, you might not remember it, but my parents have met you before. My mom has a few photos of you all hanging out together. They told me about you and a girl named Piper, said you two were some of the bravest demigods they knew." She glanced at Jason shyly. "You were mentioned, too, but by my Uncle Percy."

"How do your parents know us?" Jason asked as he watched Leo create a fire in his hand. His eyes widened in surprise before his brows furrowed. "They have to be in their thirties or something."

"My mom is, but my dad isn't. He's 27. And Mamma is 24. They're polyamorous," she added to Jason's confused look.

Leo screwed up his eyes. "If you're 13, that would mean your dad was 14 when you were born."

Aelin shook her head. "He was 17. Mom was 19."

"That's impossible."

"Not so. You see, my dad and uncle actually went-" Se tensed, looking toward the cave entrance. "Did you hear that?"

For a second, nothing. Then they heard it: howls piercing the night.

"Wolves," Aelin said. "They sound close."

Jason rose and summoned his sword. Leo and Aria got to their feet too.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, she saw a pair of red eyes glowing in dark.

More wolves edged into the firelight-black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Then Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin. The alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur stood up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Aelin cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look." The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited-at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

Aelin stood up in front of Poker. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Aelin, they'll rip you apart," Leo said.

"Nah, I'm good."

Then they saw the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason said. "They respect a pack. And Aelin, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur-wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Aelin couldn't identify. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves'-and they fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

"Ecce," he said, "filli Romani."

"Hey man, I'd appreciate it if we kept it to english," Leo said. "Or Spanish, if you want. I can speak that."

The wolf man studied their little group. His nostrils twitched. "So it's true," he mused. "A child of Hecate. A son of Hephaestus. A legacy. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."

"You were told about us?" Jason asked. "By whom?"

The man snarled-perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."

The wolves snarled in the darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, Aelin saw Leo put up his hammer and slip something else from his tool belt-a glass bottle full of clear liquid.

Lycaon glared at Jason's sword. He moved to each side as if looking for an opening, but Jason's blade moved with him.

"Leave," Jason ordered. "There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want tofu burgers," Leo offered.

Lycaon bared his fangs. Apparently he wasn't a tofu fan.

"If I had my way," Lycaon said with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."

"Ha," Aelin said. "For good reason!"

Jason glanced over his shoulder. "Aelin, you know this clown?"

"I do," she said. "Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner, but the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh. Zeus got outraged-"

"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howled. The wolves behind him howled too.

"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," Aelin said. "They call werewolves lycanthropes, named after him, the first werewolf."

"Lycaon," Jason said, "you said you wanted to kill me first, but...?"

"Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. You are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?" Jason said.

The wolf king snickered. "Oh, a great admirer of yours.Apparently, you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."

"Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."

Jason took a step forward. "You're not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me."

Lycaon howled and extended his claws. Jason slashed at him, but his golden sword passed straight through as if the wolf king wasn't there.

Lycaon laughed. "Gold, bronze, steel-none of these are any good against my wolves, son of Jupiter."

"You can only hurt them with silver," Aelin shouted. She twisted her bracelet and a silver bow sprang to life in her hands. She pulled back on the string and a silver arrow appeared. "Get behind me. I'll deal with them."

Wolves leaped into the firelight. Aelin took aim with her bow.

But Leo struck first. He threw his glass bottle and it shattered on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves-the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shot a burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupted. Wolves yelped and retreated. Several caught fire and had to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looked uneasily at the barrier of flames now separating his wolves from the demigods.

"Good move, Valdez," Aelin said, her face an emotionless mask as she shot a wolf through the fire. "Werewolves fear fire almost as much as silver."

Every time a wolf came closer, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seemed to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline was already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warned. Then his face turned red. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. Gonna take the tool belt a while to recharge. What you got, man?"

"Aria, take my ring," Aelin shouted, throwing out her hand towards the daughter of Hecate. She scrambled forward, her face alight with fear, which Jason thought was unusual. She was so fearless in front of Medea and Boreas.

Aria slipped the ring off Aelin's finger and twisted it. A silver dagger appeared in her hand. She turned just in time to stab a wolf.

"Jason, what about your lightning?" Aelin suggested. She shot another wolf.

Jason concentrated, but nothing happened. "I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something."

Lycaon laughed. "I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me."

The flames began to sputter out. Jason cursed and dropped his sword. He crouched like he was ready to go hand-to-hand. Leo pulled his hammer out of his pack. Aria stood behind Aelin, her purple eyes bright with terror.

Then a ripping sound cut through the wind-like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf-the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow.

More arrows. More wolves fell. The pack broke in confusion. An arrow flashed toward Lycaon, but the wolf king caught it in midair. Then he yelled in pain. When he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

"Curse them!" Lycaon yelled. He growled at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. Lycaon fixed Jason with those glowing red eyes. "This isn't over, boy."

The wolf king disappeared into the night.

Chapter 12: Another Quest

Chapter Text

In the midst of the legion, a column of silver light sprung into the air. Heat seared Piper's eyelashes. Everyone scrambled backward as a huge huntress stepped out of the light.

Piper's dark hair stood on end. The huntress was ten feet tall, dressed in a silver bodysuit. Her black hair was braided down her shoulder. She was beautiful, yet radiated something that made Piper think, Don't do anything stupid. A bow hung on her back with a quiver of silver arrows. Strapped to her thighs were hunting knives, and atop her head was a tiara with a crescent moon.

Piper desperately wanted to run away and hide, but she couldn't. She took three more steps. Then she sank to one knee. The other campers followed his example and knelt. Even Reyna dismounted.

"That's good," the huntress said. "Kneeling is good. It's been a long time since I've visited Camp Jupiter."

Piper noticed that one person wasn't kneeling. Killian Vixon, his sword still in hand, was staring at the huntress in a mixture of annoyance and respect.

"You're Artemis," Killian said. "Where are your hunters?"

A collective gasp went up from two hundred campers and an elephant. Piper wanted to say something to excuse Killian and placate the god, but she didn't know what. She was afraid the war goddess would shoot her new friend with that extra-large bow.

Instead, the goddess bared her brilliant white teeth.

"Hello again, Killian," she said. "Artemis is my Greek form. But to these followers, to the children of Rome, I am Diana, hunter of monsters and maiden goddess, and without a hunt."

"We've met," Killian said. "We...we had a fight...."

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Yes, your friends said you were the greatest warrior to ever walk the earth, and I had to see for myself. You are a formidable opponent, Killian Vixon, but you have yet to defeat me, or face me in my Roman form."

Diana scanned the crowd. "Romans, lend me your ears!" She laughed—a laugh so infectious it almost made Piper smile, though she was still shivering with fear. "I've always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. My father, Jupiter, is against us gods communicating with you demigods, especially now, but times are dire. I have been permitted to speak for but a few minutes, so listen carefully."

She pointed at Gwen. "This young maiden should be dead, yet she's not. The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth again."

Was it Piper's imagination, or did the goddess glance at Killian?

"Thanatos has been chained," Diana announced. "The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them—at least, not impartially. Gaea allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons the giants are mustering armies against you—armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only he can reverse the tide."

Diana looked around, and noticed that everyone was still silently kneeling.

"Oh, you may rise now. Any questions?" Reyna rose uneasily. She approached the god, followed by Octavian, who was bowing and scraping like a champion groveler.

"Lady Diana," Reyna said, "we are honored."

"Beyond honored," said Octavian. "So far beyond honored—"

"Shut it, boy," Diana snapped. "Out with it, daughter of Bellona."

"Well," Reyna said, "Thanatos is the god of death, the lieutenant of Pluto?"

"Right," the goddess said.

"And you're saying that he's been captured by giants."

"Right."

"And therefore people will stop dying?"

"Not all at once," Diana said. "But the barriers between life and death will continue to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Monsters are already harder to dispatch. Soon they will be completely impossible to kill. Some demigods will also be able to find their way back from the Underworld–like your friend Centurion Gwen."

"If left unchecked," Diana continued, "even mortals will eventually find it impossible to die. Can you imagine a world in which no one dies —ever?"

Octavian raised his hand. "But, ah, mighty all-powerful Lady Diana, if we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely—"

"Don't be foolish, boy!" Diana bellowed. "Endless life? Mortals walking forever, deathless as us gods? Evils who cannot be defeated, wandering the world causing chaos? Is that what you want?"

Octavian paled and groveled even lower. Diana rolled her eyes.

"I order you to conduct a quest!" the goddess announced. "You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and thwart the plans of the giants. Beware Gaea! Beware her son, the eldest giant!"

Next to Piper, Annabeth made a squeaking sound. "The land beyond the gods?"

Diana looked down at her and smiled. "That's right, Annabeth Chase. You know what I mean. Everyone here remembers the land where the legion lost my father's favor. Perhaps if the quest succeeds, and you return by the Feast of Fortuna...perhaps then your honor will be restored. If you don't succeed, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever. Do not despair, but hope to your questers that they should succeed and return."

Octavian somehow managed to bow even lower. "Um, Lady Diana, just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us! We used to get them from the Sibylline books, but now it's up to the augur to glean the will of gods. So if I could just run and get about seven stuffed animals and possibly a knife—"

"You dare order me, boy?" Diana hissed. "A goddess has just given you a quest, and you ask for something as meaningless as a prophecy? That is my brother's expertise, not mine. Begone, foolish boy!" Octavian backed away.

"Hey, uh, Diana," Killian spoke up. Everyone turned towards him in alarm. Did he dare address a goddess without calling her a lady? "You can read minds, right?"

"If the target's mind is weak enough, yes."

"Well, going off your demeanor and history of being a protector of women," Killian went on, leaning on his sword, "what would you do to the person who nearly killed Gwen?"

"I would likely kill them on the spot."

"And if they were to prove to be more than a coward, but a traitor as well?"

"I would bring them to Olympus, to be judged by my father and the other Olympians."

Killian grinned. "Great. Now, I have reason to suspect Octavian was the one who threw him pilum into Gwen."

Diana scratched her chin. "Which one is Octavian?"

"He's the boy you just sent away. He hasn't gone far though." Killian looked over his shoulder. "I'd say he's about halfway back to the city by now."

Diana snapped her fingers and Octavian appeared in a flash of silver light. He paled at the sight of Diana's anger. "This is him?"

"That's him, Lady Diana," Killian agreed.

Diana's eyes glowed molten silver for a few seconds before it died, but then her entire form began to glow silver.

"You insolent male!" She bellowed. Octavian shook like a leaf in front of her. "You dare plot against Olympus? You dare to ally with Gaea, our enemy? You dare harm a maiden!"

"Easy, Lady Diana," Killian advised. "Please don't vaporize the entire legion in your anger."

Diana took a breath, and the air became much easier to breathe. "Thank you, Killian." She glared at Octavian. "I shall bring this one to Olympus, to be judged before my father. But a quest to save Thanatos must still be issued." She scanned the crowd until her eyes fell on Piper. "You, daughter of Venus, you must lead this quest."

"Me?" Piper asked incredulously. "L—Lady Diana, why would you give this quest to me?"

"It is your destiny, daughter of Venus. You can take two companions. Those are the rules. One of them needs to be Killian. As for the second, I don't care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your senate debates. You all are good at those."

The goddess's image flickered. Lightning crackled across the sky.

"That's my cue," Diana said. "Until next time, Romans. Do not disappoint me!"

The god erupted in silver, and then she and Octavian were gone.

Killian turned back to Reyna and the rest of the legion and their shocked faces. "Sorry, praetor, but I saw a chance to get rid of a traitor and took it. I hope that you found my punishment fitting praetor."

Reyna snapped out of her shock and nodded. "Yes, I believe it is fitting for his crime. Now we must call the Senate together to discuss the quest."

Killian nodded. "Good. Just make sure Piper gets the Mural Crown, please. She was first over the wall and deserves it. Now that Gwen is okay, I believe our victory is worth celebrating."

As Reyna walked away, Piper threw her arms around Killian. "Thank you, Killian! I didn't think I'd ever get the Mural Crown! And you got rid of Octavian!"

Killianc chuckled. "Your welcome, Piper. For the first thing. The second part was more of a favor to the legion. We don't need traitors in our midst, especially during times of war."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Annabeth remarked as she strolled up to them. "Perhaps you have already forgotten, Piper, but you were just issued a quest by Lady Diana. Doesn't seem like something to celebrate to me."

Piper let go of Killian and stuck her tongue out at the daughter of Minerva. "You're such a spoilsport, Annabeth. Let me bask in a win for once."

"I've let you bask in it," Annabeth said, "but you need to figure out what you're going to do. How do you plan to get to Alaska?"

"Boat?" Killian suggested. Both girls turned to him. "Going by boat would be best, I think. Quicker than by land and easier than by air."

"I'm not so sure," Annabeth said uncertainly. "Killian, the legion...we don't have a formal navy. The Romans have always feared Neptune and his domain."

"You're telling this to a guy whose power is fire," Killian retorted. "But I understand. I guess we'll just have to steal one."

Piper grinned. "Now you're speaking my language," she said. "Although, the proper term is 'borrow.'"

Killian raised a brow.

"Piper has a streak of 'borrowing' things from people using her charmspeak," Annabeth explained. "Only, she normally forgets to return them. That's why we met in the first place. I was assigned to watch her and make sure she didn't steal anything else."

"And after that, I only stole one more thing," Piper continued, sidling up to Annabeth. She wrapped her arms around her. "This brainiac's heart."

Annabeth smirked down at Piper. "Say that all you want, Beauty Queen, but we both know you fell for me first." She looked back to Killian as her girlfriend pouted. "I think your idea might work. Reyna will call a Senate meeting tomorrow to discuss the quest, and then we'll be sent on our way."

"I'll also be taking over for Gwen," Killian added. "Reyna wants me to become Centurion."

"I can live with that," Piper said, swinging around to face Killian. "It'll be fun!"

Killian smirked. "Wait until I've begun training you all to say that. I'll knock that smile right off your face."

"That's something I'd like to see," Annabeth laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Annabeth accompanied Piper and Killian to the Senate Hall. They had decided during dinner that she would be their third member for the quest. It made Killian feel confident. He was sure that with these two, they could handle almost anything thrown their way.

Piper, once again, was nervous for both her and Killian. This time, though, she also had Annabeth to worry about. Killian let Annabeth deal with calming her down and watched the Senators, along with Gwen and Dakota, make their way to a big white-domed building on the west end of the forum, dressed in purple togas. He was glad when Dakota told him that he didn't need to wear one. He'd end up being too tall for it, anyway.

The Senate House interior looked like a high school lecture hall. A semicircle of tiered seats faced a dais with a podium and two chairs. The chairs were empty, but one had a small velvet package on the seat.

Killan, Piper, and Annabeth sat on the left side of the semicircle. The ten senators occupied the rest of the front row. The upper rows were filled with several dozen hosts and a few older veterans from the city, all in formal togas. A small, African American kid stood in front with a knife and a Beanie Baby lion, just in case anyone needed to consult the god of cutesy collectibles. Reyna walked to the podium and raised her hand for attention.

"Right, this is an emergency meeting," she said. "We won't stand on formalities."

"I love formalities!" a ghost complained.

Reyna shot him a cross look.

"First of all," she said, "we're not here to vote on the quest itself. The quest has been issued by Lady Diana. We will obey her wishes. Nor are we here to debate the choice of Piper McLean's companions."

"Two from the Fifth Cohort?" called out Hank from the Third. "That's not fair."

"And not smart," said the boy next to him. "We know the Fifth will mess up. They should take somebody good."

Dakota got up so fast, he spilled Kool-Aid from his flask. "We were plenty good last night when we whipped your podex, Larry!"

"Enough, Dakota," Reyna said. "Let's leave Larry's podex out of this. As quest leader, Piper has the right to choose his companions. He has chosen Killian Vixon and Annabeth Chase."

A ghost from the second row yelled, "Absurdus! Piper McLean isn't a centurion! A quest must be led by someone of centurion rank or higher. This is completely—"

"Cato," Reyna snapped. "We must obey the wishes of Lady Diana. That means certain ... adjustments."

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Centurion Gwendolyn of the Fifth Cohort is retiring from the legion so that she may attend university here in the city of New Rome. She has served the legion with honor and loyalty and I would like to offer her my gratitude and thanks for her service."

A number of senators applauded their agreement.

"That means we are in need of a new centurion to lead the fifth. Usually we would choose someone who has been serving for a number of years but as we all know, we face difficult times ahead, as our late augur has mentioned in many of our recent meetings. Luckily for us, the gods have delivered us an experienced new recruit. I believe Killian Vixon was sent by the gods. Last night, during my sleep, I was visited by Lord Apollo. He told me that Killian Vixon, despite his parentage, fought for Olympus during the Titan War eight years ago. He said that he helped defend Olympus from Saturn's forces while we launched our attack on Mount Othrys. Taking Lord Apollo's word as truth, I believe that speaks for his credentials. With both Centurion Gwendolyn and Centurion Dakota's recommendation, along with Centurion Annabeth's of the First Cohort, I have decided that he shall take over for Centurion Gwen as the Senior Centurion of the Fifth Cohort."

The Senators all began to shout their own opinions on the matter as Reyna tried to regain control. Smirking, Killian nudged Piper. When she gave him a confused look, he tapped his throat before gesturing to the hall. Piper's eyes lit up with mischievousness.

"QUIET!" she shouted, and instantly, everyone's voices were silenced.

Reyna gave Piper a grateful nod before clearing her throat. "As praetor I have the power to replace officers within the legion as I see fit," she said firmly. "With Centurion Gwendolyn's recommendation, my decision is final. Killian, please come forward."

Killian stood from his seat and walked up beside Reyna as her eyes snapped to the new kid with an expectant look. The new augur nodded quickly before getting up from his seat and scrambling over to Killian and Reyna.

"Hold out your arm, sir," he said.

Killian smiled and did as he asked. The kid raised his hands to the heavens. "We accept Killian Vixon, Son of Hyperion, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for his first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"

"I do," Killian said confidently.

The senators shouted, "Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

Fire blazed on Killian's arm and everyone watched Killian, looking a reaction to the pain. Killian just stared into the senators eyes as their faces shifted from satisfied, to surprised, and then to scared.

Then the smoke and flame died, and new marks were seared onto Killian's skin: SPQR, an image of a flame and sword, and a single stripe, representing the first year of service.

Killian then looked at Reyna, who nodded to him. "You may return to your seat, Centurion," she said, looking satisfied.

When Killian sat back down in his seat, Dakota elbowed him playfully. "Nice one, newbie. Not even a flinch. Most people can't handle the pain."

Killian chuckled lightly. "Please, that was nothing." Dakota raised a brow and he said, "I'm 23 and have apparently fought in a war. I doubt that's the worst I've had to deal with."

Dakota shook his head. "Man, when you regain your memories, you're gonna have to tell me about that war."

"I'll make sure I do that."

"Now we must discuss what aid we can give the quest for their journey to Alaska," Reyna said once they were done.

A number of Senators began to speak all at once making the conversations impossible to understand. Killian stood up, making the Senators fall silent as all eyes turned to him.

"Praetor, I think it best if you keep all resources within Rome," Killian told everyone. "I think I will be able to handle any expenses or supplies that we will need on the journey."

Reyna blinked before smiling. "That is honorable of you, Killian. You will be a true asset to the legion. I believe with the timeline for the battle coming to New Rome, you and your companions should leave as soon as possible. We will need every fighter we can muster for the battle."

Killian nodded. "We will leave as soon as my friends are ready."

Reyna looked at Piper and Annabeth. "Go prepare to leave. We have no time to waste. This Senate meeting is over. I must speak to you before you leave, Killian."

Killian nodded and walked out of the Senate House to wait for Reyna while Annabeth and Piper ran back to their barracks to pack for the quest. Killian was incredibly glad to see the sunlight. In that dark hall, with all those eyes on him, he'd felt like the world was riding on his shoulders — and he was fairly sure he'd had that experience before.

A few minutes later Reyna came out and gestured for Killian to follow her as she walked back to her office in the barrack area.

Once they reached her office, Reyna closed the door and turned to Killian. "I have a favor to ask of you, Killian."

Killian raised an eyebrow in amusem*nt. "Another one, Reyna?"

Reyna pulled a necklace off her neck. She grabbed his hand and placed the ring on the end of the necklace in it.

"I'm honored, Reyna, but I'm already married," he joked, inspecting the ring.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "You're heading for Alaska and you will need to go by Seattle to get there, correct?"

"I suppose."

"There is a group of warriors stationed there," Reyna said.

"The Amazons, right?" Killian finished for her.

Reyna raised an eyebrow but shook her head deciding not how to ask how he knew. "Yes. Well, the Queen of the Amazons happens to be my sister, Hylla. If you show her this ring and explain everything that is happening here, well, we may be able to gain an ally for the battle."

Killian looked at Reyna skeptically, "Um... I don't think they will take very kindly to a man walking into their territory."

Reyna gave him a pleading look. "I don't know what else I could do. I cannot leave the camp without a praetor and go myself..."

Killian stopped her. "It's fine, Reyna. I'll go. You saw me with Diana yesterday. I have a feeling I might be able to get them to side with us."

Reyna still looked nervous. "You're not going to hurt or kill any of them, are you?"

Killian shrugged. "Depends on if they're with Olympus or not. Any traitors...well, you saw what happened with Octavian."

Reyna nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you, Killian. May Fortuna guide you on your quest."

"And may she shine favor on us in the coming days," Killian added, slipping the ring into his pocket.

Chapter 13: The Bridge to Aeolus

Chapter Text

Seconds later, Aelin heard more wolves baying, but the sound was different-less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white wolf burst into the cave, followed by two more.

"The hunters!" she shouted in relief.

A heartbeat later, their masters appeared: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carried bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

Their faces were covered with parka hoods, but clearly they were all girls. One, a little taller than the rest, crouched in the firelight and snatched up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand.

"So close." She turned to her companions. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you."

The other hunters mumbled agreement and disappeared, heading after Lycaon's pack.

The girl in white turned toward them, her face still hidden in her parka hood. "We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone all right? No one got bit?"

"Thalia!" Jason exclaimed, his shoulders slumping in relief.

Aelin ran up and hugged her. "Thank the gods you're here."

Thalia hugged the younger girl back. "Thank Artemis. She sent us to track Lycaon. About five minutes ago, she told me that you were close by and to go help you." She let go of Aelin and hugged her brother. "I had no idea she meant with Lycaon. That coward'll never fight when he's not absolutely certain he'll win."

"Who're you?" Leo asked carefully.

Thalia faced him. "Thalia, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Also a daughter of Zeus."

"Oh, so you're Jason's sister."

"Yup." Thalia turned back to Aelin. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We need to see Aeolus as the next part of the quest. We need to deliver some storm spirits to him, hopefully in exchange for the location of Hera."

Thalia nodded. "I will show you guys how to get there, it can be a little tricky." She glanced at Phoebe. "Go with the others. I will catch up as soon as I drop these guys off."

The hunter nodded her assent before taking off in the direction of Lycaon and his pack. Thalia slipped off her pack and fished around for a minute before pulling out two golden bags.

"They're enchanted," Thalia explained, handing one to Jason. "They can hold the wind spirits you have over there. Oh, and you might want to free the satyr."

They set to work stuffing the venti into the bags while Leo freed Coach Hedge. The satyr was a little wild, but calmed down when he saw Thalia and Aelin.

Thalia gestured for the group to follow before Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain.

Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like an over caffeinated gym teacher. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo..."

"Let's not," Thalia snapped.

So they ran in silence.

After about ten minutes, Thalia stopped and pointed above them.

"That," Leo choked, "is a really large rock."

They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, they could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands-or teeth.

But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Leo asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason said.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?" Jason asked.

Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait ... Jason, you can fly?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean ... you can't fly?"

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. Aelin knew she was a lot more scared of heights than she was letting on.

"Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Aria, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand."

Aria tried shaking her head, but Hedge grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge. Soon Leo, Jason, Aelin and Thalia started to make their way across the bridge.

Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo's fault. Aria and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo got distracted. He was thinking about bridges-how he would design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this were his palace. He was pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stopped him in his tracks.

"Why do they have a bridge?" He asked.

Thalia frowned, "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"

"They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?"

"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below," Thalia replied as she nervously looked down below.

"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked.

Thalia shook her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now, they know you're coming."

Leo's mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body's temperature rising. He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, but he knew he was on to something important.

"Leo?" Jason said. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."

Leo shuffled backward. With horror, he realized his body temperature really was rising. His excitement was causing the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. The ice was thinning.

"Leo, stop it," Aelin warned. "You're going to melt it."

"I'll try," Leo said but his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge."

"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia said. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is..."

"Just listen," Leo insisted. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along-like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."

"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh, gods."‖

Jason frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason, she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Killian. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

"I don't understand," Jason protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right, Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where..."

Aelin was about to speak up and tell them what she knew but her attention was quickly grabbed by the dissolving ice beneath their feet as the bridge dissolved. Leo and Aelin would've fallen to their deaths, but Jason grabbed their arms and pulled them to safety. The three of them scrambled up the bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot chasm. The bridge was continuing to melt.

"Go!" Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. "I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"

"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouted.

"You know where it is, little brother!" She was so far away now that they could barely hear her voice over the wind. Leo was pretty sure she said: "I'll see you there. I promise."

Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge.

Leo, Aelin, and Jason had no time to stand around. They climbed for their lives, the ice vapor thinning under their feet. Several times, Jason grabbed them and used the winds to keep them aloft, but it was more like bungee jumping than flying.

When they reached the floating island, Aria and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the vapor bridge vanished. They stood gasping for breath at the base of a stone stairway chiseled into the side of the cliff, leading up to the fortress.

The golden backpack of winds was strapped over Jason's shoulders as they walked up the steps towards the palace of Aeolus. The closer they got to the palace, the heavier the bag got. The winds struggled, rumbling and bumping around.

The only one who seemed in a good mood was Coach Hedge. He kept bounding up the slippery staircase and trotting back down, "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand more steps!"

Finally they arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though they couldn't imagine who would possibly attack this place. Twenty-foot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel-a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C.-except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's weird," Jason said.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said. "Dang, check this guy's front yard."

The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season. The section on their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, so no one was sure if they were decorations or alive. To their left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns-gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, Jason could see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisem*nt that read: watch Aeolus nightly!

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Aelin explained. "Four cardinal directions."

"I'm loving that pasture." Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind..."

"Go ahead," Aelin said. She was relieved to send the satyr off. It would be hard enough getting on Aeolus's good side without Hedge waving his club and screaming about braining monsters.

While the satyr ran off to attack the lawn, Jason, Leo, Aelin, and Aria walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read Olympian weather channel.

"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. Literally floated. She was pretty in that elfish way of nature spirits at Camp Half-Blood-petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully.

They couldn't tell if she had feet, but if so, they didn't touch the floor. She had a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" She asked. "We've been expecting you."

Chapter 14: Memories. On A Boat!

Chapter Text

One of their roommates, Bobby, gave them a ride to the border of the valley on Hannibal the elephant. From the hilltops, Killian could see everything below. The Little Tiber snaked across golden pastures where the unicorns were grazing. The temples and forums of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. On the Field of Mars, engineers were hard at work, pulling down the remains of last night's fort and setting up barricades for a game of death ball. A normal day for Camp Jupiter-but on the northern horizon, storm clouds were gathering. Shadows moved across the hills, and Killian imagined the face of Gaea getting closer and closer.

Looking down at the valley, Killian understood why Reyna cared so much about New Rome. Even though he was new to Camp Jupiter, he felt a fierce desire to protect this place. A safe haven where demigods could build their lives-it felt like he'd been somewhere like this before. Some place he shared with Lilly...

They got off the elephant. Bobby wished them a safe journey. Hannibal wrapped the three questers with his trunk. Then the elephant taxi service headed back into the valley.

Killian sighed. He turned to Piper and Annabeth and tried to think of something upbeat to say.

A familiar voice said, "IDs, please."

A statue of Terminus appeared at the summit of the hill. The god's marble face frowned irritably. "Well? Come along!"

"You again?" Killian asked. "I thought you just guarded the city."

Terminus huffed. "Glad to see you, too, Mr. Rule Flouter. Normally, yes, I guard the city, but for international departures, I like to provide extra security at the camp borders. You really should've allowed two hours before your planned departure time, you know. But we'll have to make do. Now, come over here, McLean, so I can pat you down."

"But you don't have-" Piper stopped herself. "Uh, sure."

She stood next to the armless statue. Terminus conducted a rigorous mental pat-down.

"You seem to be clean," Terminus decided. "Do you have anything to declare?"

"Yes," Piper said. "I declare this is stupid."

"Hmph! Piper McLean, Fifth Cohort. Fine, go. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, First Cohort Centurion. Killian Vixon. Ah! Centurion? Well done, Killian. And that haircut is regulation perfect. I approve! Off you go, then, Centurion Vixon. Do you need any directions today?"

"No. No, I guess not."

"Just down to the BART station," Terminus said anyway. "Change trains at Twelfth Street in Oakland. You want Fruitvale Station. From there, you can walk or take the bus to Alameda."

"You guys don't have a magical BART train or something?" Killian asked.

"Magic trains!" Terminus scoffed. "You'll be wanting your own security lane and a pass to the executive lounge next. Just travel safely, and watch out for Polybotes. Talk about scofflaws-bah! I wish I could throttle him with my bare hands."

"Wait-who?" Killian asked.

Terminus made a straining expression, like he was flexing his nonexistent biceps. "Ah, well. Just be careful of him. I imagine he can smell a demigod as potent as you a mile away. Out you go, now. Good luck!"

An invisible force kicked them across the boundary. When Killian looked back, Terminus was gone. In fact, the entire valley was gone. The Berkeley Hills seemed to be free of any Roman camp.

Killian looked at his friends. "Any idea what Terminus was talking about? Watch out for. ..Political something or other?"

"Poh-LIB-uh-tease?" Piper sounded out the name carefully. "Never heard of him."

"Sounds Greek," Annabeth said.

"That narrows it down." Killian sighed. "Well, we probably just appeared on the smell radar for every monster within five miles. We'd better get moving."

It took them two hours to reach the docks in Alameda. Compared to Killian's last few months, the trip was easy. No monsters attacked. Nobody looked at Killian like he was a homeless wild child.

Piper's sword was wrapped in a bedroll slung on her back. Annabeth had her knife in a small pack on her back. Together the three of them looked like normal college students on their way to an overnight trip. They walked to Rockridge Station, bought their tickets with mortal money, and hopped on the BART train.

They got off in Oakland. They had to walk through some rough neighborhoods, but nobody bothered them. Whenever the local gang members came close enough to look in Killian's eyes, they quickly veered away. He had a perfect wolf stare-a look that said: However bad you think you are, I'm worse. After running over gorgons in a police car, Killian wasn't scared of gangs. Pretty much nothing in the mortal world scared him anymore.

In the late afternoon, they made it to the Alameda docks. Killian looked out over San Francisco Bay and breathed in the salty sea air. Immediately he felt better. The open air allowed him more freedom. Whatever they faced, he'd have the upper hand as long as they were in the open.

Dozens of boats were moored at the docks-everything from fifty-foot yachts to ten-foot fishing boats.

Annabeth waited for Piper and Killian to get a boat. They came back ten minutes later grinning and holding a pair of keys in Killian's hand.

"Which one is ours?" Annabeth asked.

Killian smirked and pointed to an expensive speed boat.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "What? How're we going to return it?"

Killian shrugged. "I might just pray to Neptune one we're done with this quest. He might do it. Besides, it was for sale. I could always buy it after we're done. As long as we don't sink it, that is."

Annabeth still looked rather nervous about it but followed Killian and Piper onto the boat regardless.

Within minutes, Killian had the boat ready for travel as he pulled out of the marina and out into open sea, keeping within a mile or two from the coast and making their way north.

They traveled problem free for about an hour before the boat suddenly began to slow until they were hardly moving.

"Why are you slowing down?" Piper asked, confused.

Killian looked as confused as she was. "I'm not. Don't panic, but I think we're about to have company."

"But who would-"

"Oh, y'know," a voice interrupted Annabeth. "An old friend."

A few seconds later, a yellow light descended onto the boat until it solidified into a blond man with bright blue eyes. He smiled at the three of them.

"Be at ease," he told Annabeth and Piper. "I haven't come with ill intention."

"Who are you?" Killian asked, a hand on his watch.

"Keep Vorkna away, Killian," the man said. "I'm here to help. I'm one of the only ones who can right now. The rest of our friends are rather busy."

"Doing what?" Piper asked curiously.

"Preparing for war," the man answered. He looked at Piper. "Sorry, but what's your name? I'm afraid I don't know it."

"Killian asked first," Annabeth said before Piper could answer.

The man chuckled. "Ah, my bad. I forgot about that. I'm Lee Fletcher, son of Apollo." He bowed. Killian stumbled back slightly, making him smirk. "Ring a bell, Killian?" He straightened and looked at the other two. "Now, who're you?"

"I'm Piper," she said. "Daughter of Venus. This is Annabeth, daughter of Minerva."

"Interesting." Lee stroked his chin as he stared at them, his blue eyes unnerving. "So you're the girl in Katie's photos. I believe you and Silena will get along. As for you," he turned to Annabeth, "I can't believe you made it to the Roman camp. Percy and Luke will never believe this.

Annabeth's eyes turned dangerous. "How do you know Luke?" she asked, a hand on her knife.

Lee smiled. "He's a good friend. Both him and Thalia are."

"What about Lace?" Annabeth asked, though there was bitterness in her voice.

Lee's smile soured. "Lace was a traitor," he told her flatly. "Thalia killed him on Mount Othrys nearly 10 years ago."

"He's dead?"

Lee nodded. "He worked for Saturn. He deserved it." He turned back to face Killian as Annabeth digested that information. Killian was staring at him as if he were a wild animal. "Hmm, I see Hera has done her work on you. Percy warned me about this...C'mere a second." He reached up towards Killian's head, but he backed away. "Oh please, Killian. I'm not gonna do anything. I'm just gonna restore your memories."

He reached up again and Killian didn't move away this time. Lee pressed his thumb to Killian's forehead. Killian's head glowed for a couple of seconds before he collapsed.

"What'd you do?" Piper shouted, taking out her sword while Annabeth unsheathed her knife.

"Nothing that'll hurt him," Lee said. "Don't worry. He will wake in an hour or so. Until then, the ship will steer itself. You'll find yourself nearing Seattle soon enough."

"How?" Piper asked.

Lee's eyes twinkled. "You will see, daughter of Venus. You will see." He vanished in a flash of golden light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Killian woke an hour later, just as Lee predicted. His memories came crashing down on him, almost making him pass out again, but he resisted. He pulled himself out of the cot he was in and looked around. Neither Piper nor Annabeth seemed to be in the vicinity.

He made his way out of the room and onto the deck, where he found the pair of demigods. Piper noticed him first, and her face split into a huge smile.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "It's been so long!"

Annabeth turned, and while Killian could see relief in his eyes, there was also confusion.

She beckoned him over and he complied. He sat across from Annabeth, with Piper sitting in between them.

"So," he started. "What do you want to know?"

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked. "Really."

"I'm Killian Vixon," he said. "Son of Hyperion. I'm a Greek demigod."

"So the legends are true."

"Not exactly. We exist, but we aren't plotting the downfall of the Roman Empire. Barely any of us know you exist, and those that do wouldn't consider it. The Greek camp is based on the other side of the country-in New York."

"New York? Why there?"

"It's where Olympus is."

"Have you been to Olympus??" Piper asked excitedly. "Is it as pretty as they say in the legends?"

Killian shifted in his seat. "It's alright," he said. "Only, it was a wreck when I was there."

"A wreck?" Annabeth asked. "Why's that?"

"It was at the climax of the Titan War, and Kronos was on Olympus."

"What?" They both exclaimed simultaneously.

Killian nodded. "The gods were off fighting Typhon, so Olympus was left to us demigods. I was on Olympus when Bianca, a daughter of Hades-I mean Pluto, and a close friend of mine defeated Kronos. Saturn for you."

"So that's how it ended," Annabeth murmured. "This was before either of our times at camp, but the Romans marched on Mount Othrys at-"

"Mount Tam," Killian finished for him. "I know. My friends and I are very well informed."

"But how?" Annabeth asked. "You're demigods, you can't be everywhere at once!"

"Lee teleported," Killian said. "Is that not enough proof that we are more than we look?"

"That's pretty obvious already," Piper grumbled.

"What are you all?" Annabeth asked, ready to tear out his hair.

Killian smirked. "Swear on the Styx that you'll never tell, and I'll let you in on what we're doing." Both did it without a second thought. "Perfect. Now, we'll start with my brothers, Michael and Percy."

"You've mentioned them before," Annabeth said. "When you were scaring Octavian."

Killian nodded. "Technically, Michael is my nephew and Percy is my uncle, but we're close like brothers, so that's what we call ourselves. Michael is a child of Luna, the Titaness of the Moon, and Percy is a son of Uranus, the sky itself."

"But Uranus is dead," Annabeth protested.

Killian shrugged. "I don't know what to tell ya. He's no son of Jupiter. They rescued me 10 years ago when a monster tried to capture me and bring me to Atlas, who was free from his burden under the sky. He had kidnapped Diana and forced her under the sky. A quest was issued and four demigods were sent to rescue her. My friends Michael, Bianca, Zoë, and Thalia. I snuck along and saw Atlas before meeting up with them. Then we made our way across the country. In New Mexico we accidentally woke up a prototype of Talos and it almost killed Bianca, but Michael and I managed to save her, though she did lose an arm.

"Then we arrived in California and fought Atlas. I freed Diana from under the sky, taking it upon myself. Diana eventually tricked Atlas and pushed him under the sky and pushing me out of the way. That's where I got this." He tapped the gray streak in his hair. "It hasn't gone away all these years. The only other people to have this are Percy, who's held the sky before, and Lilly, my wife. She was kidnapped by Atlas's forces and forced under the sky. She was how Atlas got Diana to take his burden."

"That's horrible," Piper murmured, her eyes wide as she paid close attention to Killian's every word.

Killian nodded. "Luckily, we freed Diana and imprisoned Atlas. During the battle, however, Lace appeared." He glanced at Annabeth. "He and Thalia fought, and eventually, she killed him. It was for the best, I believe. If she hadn't, he would've become Saturn's host and threatened to tear down Olympus."

Annabeth nodded silently, tears glistening in her eyes.

"The next year," Killian continued, letting her grieve silently, "Zoë found the labyrinth. Oh, and during the last quest, she was the lieutenant for the Hunters of Artemis, a Greek group of girls who hunt monsters, but after the Winter Solstice, she was banished from the group by the Fates. Anyway, she found the labyrinth during a game of capture the flag. Then she, Percy, Lilly, and I were sent on a quest to find the creator of the labyrinth, Daedalus. We ended up at Alcatraz, Texas, North Carolina, and Mt. Etna. At Mount Etna, a bunch of telchines-sea demons-were remaking Saturn's scythe in Vulcan's forge. I blew up the volcano to put a stop to it, but in the process, I was blasted all the way to Ogygia. Calypso's island. I met her and stayed there for ten days before being sent back by hellhound. Then we went back into the labyrinth, found Daedalus, but he had already given Ariadne's string to our new enemy, Alex. A son of Neptune who had given himself over to Saturn out of bitterness at his father and Zeus and out of jealousy of Bianca becoming the prophecy child when it was supposed to be him.

"We rushed back to our camp to help prepare for battle. Saturn was sending a battalion of monsters to destroy the camp. We were eventually victorious and even killed Kampe, the monster jailer of Tartarus. Michael lost an arm to her, as well.

"Then, in late January, the war finally came to a climax. Saturn was marching on Olympus. All of us rushed to defend Olympus. Thalia, the new lieutenant of Artemis/Diana, came with the Hunters and together we pushed Saturn's forces back for a night. The next night, Michael, Percy, Bianca, and I fought my father, Hyperion, at the reservoir in Central Park."

"You fought Hyperion?" Piper exclaimed incredulously. "And you're still alive?"

"Not only am I still alive, but I managed to defeat him with Percy's help," Killian told her. "Then a giant pig-the Clazmonian Sow, if I remember correctly-appeared and Michael and Bianca rushed after it to kill it. Eventually, though, we were surrounded. We were pushed back to the Empire State Building-the entrance to Olympus. Saturn was there at the forefront, ready to kill us all, when our teacher and former camp director appeared with a huge group of centaurs called the Party Ponies."

"Aren't centaurs evil, though?" Annabeth asked.

Killian shook his head. "Not these ones. They care too much about partying and root beer to worry about being evil. They helped us push back Saturn and delay him one more day. The next day, however, everything came to a head." Killian suddenly got a haunted look on his face. "He managed to get to Olympus. Even with Hades, Persephone, and Demeter showing up with an army of the undead, he locked them out and got to Olympus. Michael, Bianca, and I got there just before the bridge to the mortal world dissolved. And in the throne room we fought. For what had to be an hour we fought. Even with three of us, we couldn't overpower him, but eventually, finally, Bianca broke through to Alex. She convinced him to turn back and he stabbed himself in his Achilles Heel, dispelling Kronos back to Tartarus, hopefully for good."

It was silent for a few minutes as the girls registered everything he said.

"I can't believe you fought Saturn," Piper murmured. "That's so...Wow. You're a bigger deal than I thought."

Killian shook his head. "I'm just me, Piper. Nothing else. I'm a husband, a brother, an uncle, and a father."

"So you do have a family," Annabeth said.

He nodded. "I have five children. The oldest is five, then 3, then the last three are 1 year old. I have 19 nephews and nieces in all, the oldest 13 years old and the youngest 2 months old."

Piper suddenly stood up, her face full of fiery determination.

"You'll see your kids again, Killian," she said passionately. "We'll finish this quest and save Camp Jupiter. Then we'll get you to New York to see your family."

Killian smiled. "Thank you, Piper. Diana knew what she was doing when she chose you to lead this quest."

"I agree," Annabeth said, looking at Piper. "And when this whole thing is over, you and I are finally getting married."

Piper flushed red, causing Killian and Annabeth to laugh.

Killian pushed himself to his feet. "To saving our families," he said, putting out a hand. Annabeth stood as Piper put her hand on his.

"To saving the world," Annabeth added with a smile.

"And to kicking some giant ass!" Piper added last.

Chapter 15: The Lord of the Winds

Chapter Text

Jason tried to respond, but it was a little hard to think straight, because he'd realized the woman was see-through. Her shape faded in and out like she was made of fog.

"Are you a ghost?" He asked.

Right away he knew he'd insulted her. The smile turned into a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Aelin glared at Jason for insulting the nymph. "Please excuse my friend, he is new to the whole godly world. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mellie." She said kindly.

"Oh..." Mellie said surprised before she smiled. "No problem. So you are from Zeus?"

"Um..." Jason said awkwardly, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent!" Mellie said. "Please, right this way." She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she mused. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Um, okay," Jason said.

The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around them, so it felt like he was pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open and slammed by themselves.

The things they could see were just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an aura?" Jason asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.

Aelin snorted. "They're harpies. We have them at Camp Half-Blood. If you stay out past curfew, they'll be the ones who try to eat you."

Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"

Jason's jaw dropped. The central section of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air-cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there was no floor. Jason almost fell into the chasm before Aelin pulled him back.

"Careful," Aelin said with an amused grin. "The falls here can be quite...dangerous."

An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside. Other caves were sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.

"Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit-three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing-and using large quantities of duct tape, which didn't reassure Jason. In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod -just about anything.

"That can't be safe," Jason said.

"Oh, it is!" Mellie assured him. "The harpies are very good."

Easy for her to say. She just drifted across without touching the floor, but Jason decided he had the best chance at surviving, since he could fly, so he stepped out first. Amazingly, the floor held.

"Not as good as the cyclops, but good enough," Jason heard Aelin mumble under her breath as she too stepped out.

Mellie led them toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man paid them no attention as Mellie brought them forward. She pushed a forty-two-inch Sony out of their way and led them into the control area.

Leo whistled. "I got to get a room like this."

The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs. Some Jason recognized-news broadcasts, mostly -but some programs looked a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they were movies, but they looked more like reality shows.

At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone. He had a remote control in each hand and was pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.

He wore a business suit that looked like the sky-blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and moved across the fabric. He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he had a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face, so he appeared not really young, not really old, just wrong-like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.

Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods-"

"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!"

It was one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As Jason watched, a Jeep plowed straight into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieked with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that on purpose!" He turned toward Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Um, sir," Mellie said, "this is Jason, son of-"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus said. "You're back. How did it go?"

Jason hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me-"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was-what-last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."

"I-I don't remember."

Aelous laughed. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus-gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into-"

"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."

"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"

Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on Aeolus. They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Mr. Aeolus." Jason slipped off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan-something he really didn't want. "Well, how nice."

Jason held up the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop-you know-ordering demigods to be killed."

Aeolus laughed, and looked incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed-did I order that?"

Mellie checked her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc... yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

"Oh, pish," Aeolus said. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and um, who's on guard duty-Teriyaki?-Teri, take these storm spirits down to cellblock Fourteen E, will you?"

A harpy swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag, and spiraled into the abyss.

Aeolus grinned at Jason. "Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face suddenly darkened, and his suit did the same, the labels flashing with lightning. "You know ... I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

Jason tensed. A cold tingle on the back of his neck ... Why did that sound so familiar? "A ... um, voice in your head, sir?"

"Yes. How odd. Mellie, should we kill them?"

"No, sir," she said patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."

"Of course." Aeolus laughed. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."

"A box of chocolates to every demigod in the world, sir?"

"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"

Aeolus flew off toward the blue screen as newscast music started to play.

Jason looked at Aelin, who seemed annoyed at the wind god.

"Mellie," he said, "is he ... always like that?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows'-that was based on him."

"And that thing about the sea monster," Jason said. "Was I here before?"

Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still-not that long."

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Jason asked.

"Oh ..." Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for ... twelve hours?"

A voice blared from floating speakers: "And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian Weather-the OW! channel-Aeolus!"

Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile was unnaturally white, and he looked like he'd had so much caffeine his face was about to explode.

"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today, so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!" He gestured at the blue screen, but when Jason checked the monitors, he saw that a digital image was being projected behind Aeolus, so it looked like he was standing in front of aU.S. map with animated smiley suns and frowny storm clouds."Along the eastern seaboard-oh, hold on." He tapped his earpiece. "Sorry, folks! Poseidon is angry with Miami today, so it looks like that Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter. Over in the Midwest, I'm not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms! Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies.

Aeolus kept going like that-forecasting each area of the country and changing his prediction two or three times as he got messages over his earpiece-the gods apparently putting in orders for various winds and weather.

"This can't be right," Jason whispered. "Weather isn't this random."

Mellie smirked. "And how often are the mortal weathermen right? They talk about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us why it's so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It's enough to drive anyone ..."

She trailed off, but Jason knew what she meant. Mad. Aeolus was completely mad.

"And that's the weather," Aeolus concluded. "See you in twelve minutes, because I'm sure it'll change!"

The lights shut off, the video monitors went back to random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus's face sagged with weariness. Then he seemed to remember he had guests, and he put a smile back on.

"So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolussaid. "I suppose ... thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

Mellie said, "Um, sir, this is Zeus's son."

"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."

"But, sir, they're here from Olympus."

"Actually," Aelin interrupted, "we're not."

Aeolus blinked. "But-"

"Jason is the son of Zeus," Aelin continued, "but we're not here on his request like you think. We're here on quest business."

Aeolus's expression hardened. "Like last time? Like every hero who comes here? Demigods! It's always about you, isn't it?"

"Sir, please, I don't remember last time, but if you helped me once before-"

"I'm always helping! Well, sometimes I'm destroying, but mostly I'm helping, and sometimes I'm asked to do both at the same time! Why, Aeneas, the first of your kind-"

"My kind?" Jason asked. "You mean, demigods?"

"Oh, please!" Aeolus said. "I mean your line of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus-the only surviving hero of troy. When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah. That's what I meant."

"I don't get it," Jason admitted.

Aeolus rolled his eyes. "The point being, I was thrown in the middle of that conflict, too! Juno calls up: 'Oh, Aeolus, destroy Aeneas's ships for me. I don't like him.' Then Neptune says, 'No, you don't! That's my territory. Calm the winds.' Then Juno is like, 'No, wreck his ships, or I'll tell Jupiter you're uncooperative!' Do you think it's easy juggling requests like that?"

"No," Jason said. "I guess not."

"And don't get me started on Amelia Earhart! I'm still getting angry calls from Olympus about knocking her out of the sky!"

"We just want information," Aelin said in her most calming voice. "We hear you know everything."

Aeolus straightened his lapels and looked slightly mollified. "Well ... that's true, of course. For instance, I know that this business here"-he waggled his fingers at the four of them-"this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. Now, you, son of Hephaestus ... yes, I see your future."

A piece of paper fell into the wind god's hands-an old tattered drawing done in crayons.

Leo took it as if it might be coated in poison. He staggered backward.

"Leo?" Jason said. "What is it?"

"Something I-I drew when I was a kid." He folded it quickly and put it in his coat. "It's ... it's nothing."

Aeolus laughed. "Really? Just the key to your success! Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous."

"We need the location of Hera," Aelin said confidently.

"Now, that's impossible," Aeolus said. "Even I can't see that, and believe me, I've tried. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location-very strong, impossible to locate."

"She's at a place called the Wolf House," Jason said.

"Hold on!" Aeolus put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I can't tell you where that is."

"Why not?" Leo blurted out.

"Some things are hidden even from me! Now, as for you-"

He said before suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes were wild. Despite the makeup, he looked like an old man-an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't-yes, yes I understand."

He swallowed, regarding Jason as if he had suddenly turned into a giant co*ckroach. "I am sorry son of Jupiter, new orders. You all have to die. There are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

"Whose orders?" Jason asked nervously. "My father will be angry for stopping the quest to rescue his wife."

"I doubt it," Aeolus said as he flicked his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opened in the pit. They could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up toward them, howling for blood.

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if she is waking-by all the gods-she cannot be denied. Good-bye, heroes. I am terribly sorry."

Jason summoned his sword. Aelin summoned her bow and Mellie yelled, "No!"

She dived at their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact. The five of them fell into the pit, and Aeolus screamed above them, "Mellie, you are so fired!"

"Quick," Mellie yelled. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"Um, a little!" Jason said nervously.

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabbed his hand, and an electric charge went through Jason's arm. He understood what she needed. They had to control their fall and head for one of the open tunnels. The storm spirits were following them down, closing rapidly, bringing with them a cloud of deadly shrapnel.

Jason grabbed Aria's hand. "Group hug!"

Leo, Aelin, and Aria tried to huddle together, hanging on to Jason and Mellie as they fell.

"This is NOT GOOD!" Leo yelled.

They channeled the wind so their fall became more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slammed into the tunnel at painful speed and went rolling over each other down a steep vent that was not designed for people. There was no way they could stop.

Mellie's robes billowed around her. Jason and the others clung to her desperately, and they began to slow down, but the storm spirits were screaming into the tunnel behind them.

"Can't...hold...long," Mellie warned. "Stay together! When the winds hit..."

Behind them, the tunnel was turning dark. Jason could feel his ears pop as the pressure built.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warned. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."

"Thanks, Mellie," Jason said. "I hope you get a new job."

She smiled, and then dissolved, wrapping them in a warm gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Jason blacked out.

Chapter 16: Ha-mazon

Chapter Text

"Where are we?" Annabeth asked when they pulled into a port. "Why're we stopping?"

"Seattle, Washington," Killian answered. "Reyna asked me to check in with her sister."

"She has a sister?" Piper asked.

"Yup. She's the leader of the Amazons."

"Then why are we in Seattle?"

"This is where they are located. The company, Amazon? It's run by them. And their main base is currently here in Seattle."

"Didn't the Amazons dislike men? Like, a lot?"

"No. They're okay with men. Like to keep them as pets."

"That doesn't bode well for us," Annabeth muttered. "Where's their base?"

"Just follow me," Killian assured him. "We'll find it."

They found it after thirty minutes of walking. It was a huge skyscraper with the Amazon logo emblazoned on the doors.

The lobby was like an empty fish tank-glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said Kinzie.

Kinzie nodded at Piper, ignoring Killian. "May I help you?"

"Um...I hope so," Piper said. "We're looking for the Amazons. "

Kinzie glanced at Piper's sword, then Annabeth's knife, though neither should have been visible through the Mist.

"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or-"

"Hylla," Killian interrupted. "We're looking for a girl named-"

Kinzie moved so fast, Piper's eyes almost couldn't follow. She kicked Annabeth in the chest and sent her flying backward across the lobby. She pulled a sword out of thin air, swept Killian off his feet with the flat of the blade. Or, she attempted to.

Killian had jumped over her blade and kicked her away. His white sword, Vorkna, sprung to life in his hands in time to catch Kinzie's next strike.

"Not so fast," Killian said, straining to keep Kinzie at bay. "Hear us out."

"Males don't speak without permission," Kinzie snarled, stepping back before launching another strike. Killian caught her blade in his hand, stopping her dead.

"I said," Killian growled, embers starting to come from his eyes, "hear us out." His hand glowed molten red, and Kinzie's blade melted in his grasp.

She dropped her blade as it glowed red hot, steaming and hissing against the ground.

"A son of Hephaestus?" she snarled, taking out her spear. Before Kinzie could even blink, Killian was in front of her, her spear snapped in half in his hand.

"A son of Hyperion," he corrected. He glanced up. A dozen girls like Kinzie had surrounded Piper and Annabeth. "Put down your weapons. We come with peaceful intentions."

"You attacked one of our own," one of the girls said.

"In retaliation for attacking me first," Killian said. "Or are you all too set in your sexism to understand that I am not the enemy here? Are you like the Hunters of Artemis, then?" Several girls bristled at the comparison. "I see. If that is the case, lower your weapons. All we want is to see Hylla."

Reluctantly, the women lower their spears.

Killian nodded. "Thank you. Now can you please take us to see Hylla"

"No one sees the Queen armed," Kinzie said with a glare.

Killian shrugged. "Seems fair. Hand em over, guys."

Annabeth and Piper seemed reluctant but did what he asked after a quick glare from him.

Kinzie looked at Killian, waiting.

"Me? That's a little trickier than you'd think." He held up Vorkna, which he had turned back into a watch. "This always returns to me, no matter who or what took it. But I promise not to cause trouble and will only defend myself."

Kinzie still seemed skeptical, but allowed it. They lead them down so many flights of stairs they lost count.

Finally they emerged in a cavern so big it could have accommodated ten high schools, sports fields and all. Stark fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling. Conveyor belts wound through the room like water slides, carrying boxes in every direction. Aisles of metal shelves stretched out forever, stacked high with crates of merchandise. Cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments, and taking things on and off the belts. Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theaters scaffolding.

Piper remembered newsreels she'd seen as a child. She'd always been impressed by the scenes of factories building planes and guns for the war effort-hundreds and hundreds of weapons coming off the line every day. But that was nothing compared to this, and almost all the work was being done by computers and robots. The only humans Piper could see were some black-suited security women patrolling the catwalks, and some men in orange jumpsuits, like prison uniforms, driving forklifts through the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes. The men wore iron collars around their necks.

"You keep slaves?" Piper knew it might be dangerous to speak, but she was so outraged she couldn't stop herself.

"The men?" Kinzie snorted. "They're not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move."

They walked so far, Piper's feet began to hurt. She thought they must surely be getting to the end of the warehouse when Kinzie opened a large set of double doors and led them into another cavern, just as big as the first.

"The underworld isn't this big," Killian complained, which probably wasn't true, but it felt that way to his feet.

Kinzie smiled smugly. "You admire our base of operations? Yes, our distribution system is worldwide. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, finally, we're turning a profit. The mortals don't realize they are funding the Amazon kingdom. Soon, we'll be richer than any mortal nation. Then-when the weak mortals depend on us for everything-the revolution will begin!"

At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers, and a throne made from about a thousand copies of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women.

At the base of the steps, several Amazons in camouflage were having a heated argument while a young woman-Queen Hylla, Piper assumed-watched and listened from her throne.

Hylla was in her twenties, lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown, but around her waist was a strange belt made of interlocking gold links, like the pattern of a labyrinth. Piper couldn't believe how much she looked like Reyna-a little older, perhaps, but with the same long black hair, the same dark eyes, and the same hard expression, like she was trying to decide which of the Amazons before her most deserved death.

Kinzie took one look at the argument and grunted with distaste. "Otrera's agents, spreading their lies."

"What?" Annabeth asked.

Hylla seemed to finally notice them. "Kinzie, why have you brought these people here?"

"They say they need to speak with you on behalf of your sister, Reyna, Queen Hylla," Kinzie replied.

Hylla narrowed her eyes. "I find it hard to believe that my sister would send men to my kingdom. Who are you?"

"I am Killian Vixon, son of Hyperion. My companions are Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, and Piper McLean, daughter of Venus." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring Reyna had given him. He tossed it to Hylla who caught it in her hand. She examined it before her eyes widened.

"Everyone except Kinzie leave. Now."

The other Amazons seemed curious but obeyed their Queen's order and left the room.

"Explain," Hylla demanded once the room was empty.

"There is currently an army marching on Camp Jupiter," he started. "They will arrive by the Feast of Fortuna. The Romans are outnumbered against them, they need help. Your help, Queen Hylla. Reyna asked me to come here on her behalf and ask you to come to their aid."

Hylla frowned. "I would like to aid my sister, but I'm afraid I have more pressing threats at the moment."

"What's more threatening than an attack on Camp Jupiter?" Piper asked incredulously. Killian sent him a glare that said Shut it.

"You mean Otera, don't you?" Killian guessed.

Hylla nodded. "How could you know this?"

"My friends and I are well informed, Queen Hylla."

Hylla opened her mouth to respond, but the opening of the doors at the other end of the hallway stopped her. An older woman with plaited silver hair walked into the room, glaring at Hylla viciously.

"What is the meaning of this?" she hissed. "Males in the throne room, speaking as if equals with us?"

"You should be dead, Otera," Killian said, his voice low with warning.

"Ha! My mistress Gaea had allowed me to come back and challenge Hylla for the right to be queen! As the founder of the Amazons, I am the perfect woman to lead the Amazons to kill you unruly demigods!"

"Hm." Killian clasped his hands in front of him and stared at her. "She's taking longer than normal."

"Who-"

Piper was cut off by a shadow forming behind him. After a few moments, a beautiful woman was there. She had hair the color of the darkest night, eyes shining like stars.

"Sorry I can't match your speed anymore, hot head," she said, turning around to stand beside Killian. "Is this a spirit who has escaped my father?"

"Yup," Killian agreed. "She also said her mistress is Gaea, so that would also make her a traitor to Olympus and the gods."

"Hmmm." The woman stared ponderously at Otera, who seemed to be frozen. "This is normally Nico's job, but he's busy at camp right now. I guess I'll have to make due." She clapped her hands. "To the underworld with you, spirit! My stepmother and I will have a grand time deciding what to do with you."

A crack appeared at her feet.

Otera snapped out of her shock. "What are you doing?" she shouted.

"My duty as the eldest child of Hades, the Princess of the Underworld and Mistress of Death. The Doors of Death may be open, but it was foolish of you to show yourself. Now begone."

Skeletal hands reached up from the crack and dragged her into the crack. She screamed and tried to claw her way out, but then the crack sealed, and her cries were no more.

"What," Hylla said shakily, "did you do?"

The woman smiled. "My father does not like it when spirits escape. My brother is doing all he can to find these missing spirits and return them to the underworld. Looks like he missed one."

"Thanks for that, Bianca," Killian said, turning to give her a hug.

Bianca returned it. "No problem, Killian. It's nice to get out of camp. The kids are keeping me real busy."

"I bet. You've got so many of them."

"Yeah, and now we've got Aelin to worry about." She frowned. "I can't believe Michael let her go." She shook her head. "Anyway! It's good to see you again, Killian. Oh, and you've made friends!" She waved to Piper and Annabeth. "I'll meet you two eventually. For now, though, I should get back. Katie will kill me if I'm gone for more than five minutes, leaving her with all of them. The triplets are only 2 months old."

"It's fine, B," Killian said. "Thank you for helping."

"No problem. I'll see ya!"

Before anyone could say anything else, she melted into shadow.

Killian chuckled, shaking his head. "Can't believe she's still sane." He looked up to Hylla. "Queen Hylla, I believe you will find Otera a problem no longer. My friend will make sure she does not come back this time."

Hylla looked utterly relieved. "Thank you, Vixon. You have saved me from having to face her. What can I do to repay you for such an action?"

"Come to Camp Jupiter's aid," Killian said. "They desperately need it, Queen Hylla. Reyna especially. We will continue on our quest to free Thanatos and keep the dead from rising again."

Hylla smiled. "Very well, Vixon. Kinzie, lead them out the back entrance. I cannot look weak by letting the others know I allowed them to leave."

Kinzie nodded and gestured for the group to follow her as she led them into a stairwell being Hylla's throne. She led them up and to an exit. At the exit, she said, "Go quickly. We can never repay you for saving our Queen's life. Free death, so we needn't worry about this ever again."

Killian nodded and led Piper and Annabeth back to their boat, where they set off for Alaska.

Chapter 17: The Wolf House

Chapter Text

When the group came to, they were in a wooded area. Everyone groaned and helped their heads as they sat up.

"You're half a mile south of the Wolf House," said a feminine voice that bounced around the woods. "Artemis's Hunters are there now, engaging Lycaon and his pack, along with a number of Gaea minions. If you truly need me, I will be there."

Aelin smiled. "Thank you, 'thena!" she shouted at the sky.

Jason and Leo stared at her. "Athena helped us?" Jason asked. "Why?"

Aelin smiled shyly. "Well, she's my girlfriend. She's not as affectionate as Artemis, but she definitely won't let me die."

"So you're dating two goddesses?" Leo asked. Aelin nodded. "Man, I want your life."

"You really don't." Aelin stood up before helping Aria to her feet. "Do you really want to deal with my father a much as I do?"

Leo thought about it. "You know what, maybe I don't."

Aelin laughed. "Let's get moving. You heard 'thena. Thalia and the Hunters are already at the Wolf House!"

Jason's eyes widened at hearing his sister was in trouble. He also couldn't shake the feeling this place seemed so familiar to him.

"What are we waiting for? Lead the way, Aelin." Jason said, climbing to his feet.

The legacy nodded before running off into the woods with her four companions hot on her trail.

After a short five minute run, the sound of metal clashing and the familiar twang of bow strings reached Aelin's ears. She broke through the edge of the wilderness where she could make out the hunters doing what they could to hold back a large force of Lycaon's wolves and Earthborn through the fog and mist.

Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward them, but made it only a few steps before a six-armed ogre-one of the Earthborn-burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.

"Look out!" Leo yelled. He rushed forward to help, but Thalia had it under control. She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.

Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. "That was my last one." She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. "Stupid monster."

"Nice shot, though," Leo said.

She ignored him. "Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

"What are we up against?" Aelin asked, stepping forward.

"Werewolves and earthborns," Thalia explained. "We took the Wolf House with no problem, but then this freak snowstorm blew in and wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but they must've planned this. It was a trap for anyone who tried to rescue Hera."

"Where is Hera?" Jason asked.

"She's inside," Thalia said. "Nico, Zoë, and Lilly are guarding her at the moment. We've tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. There's only a few minutes more before the sun goes down. Hera believes that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night."

"Wish we had Dad or Mamma," Aelin muttered. "They're stronger at night, too."

They followed Thalia towards the Wolf House when another Earthborn rose out of the ground. Before anyone could react, a pink shield was wedged in the side of its head, splitting it in two.

"Take that, you monster bastard!" shouted a familiar voice. Lilly appeared behind the Earthborn and yanked her shield out of its clay head. The monster melted back into the ground a second later.

She glanced up and brightened when she saw Aelin.

"You made it!" she shouted as she ran up. "C'mon! We need you guys to free Hera!"

She led them further inside. As soon as Jason stepped over the threshold he immediately collapsed.

"Hey!" Leo caught him. "None of that, man. What's wrong?"

"This place ..." Jason shook his head. "Sorry ... It came rushing back to me."

"So you have been here," Aelin said.

"We both have," Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was reliving someone's death. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."

"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowned. "Who is Lupa?"

An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions," Leo suggested. "Show us the goddess."

Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built in a giant U, and Jason led them between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting-pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation. One of the spires was much bigger-a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to Leo it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils he could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck-rising.

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that Leo doubted he could've gotten his arm through. Still, he could see inside. And in the center of the cage stood Hera.

Leo walked over and stood in front of the cage, eyeing it closely and making Hera's frustrations grow.

She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"

Thalia stepped next to him and looked at the cage with distaste-or maybe she was looking at the goddess. "We tried everything we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."

"Ohh, Thalia Grace," the goddess said. "When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born."

"Save it!" Thalia snapped. "You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Zoë-"

"She was disrespectful!"

"You dropped a statue on my friends."

"It was an accident!"

"And you took my brother!" Thalia's voice cracked with emotion. "Here-on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"

"Hey," Jason intervened. "Thalia-Sis-I know. But this isn't the time. You should help your Hunters."

Thalia clenched her jaw. "Fine. For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."

Thalia turned, leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building.

"Well, aren't you the beloved stepmother," Leo said dryly.

"Focus on the cage, Leo," she grumbled. "And Jason -you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well."

"I'm not your champion, lady," Jason snapped. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?"

He nodded to the other spire that looked like the king-size granite body bag. Was Leo imagining it, or had it grown taller since they'd gotten here?

"That, Jason," Hera said, "is the king of the giants being reborn."

"Gross," Aelin said.

"Indeed," Hera said. "Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again -my power. For weeks I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."

"So you're like a heat lamp," Leo guessed. "Or fertilizer."

The goddess glared at him, but Leo didn't care. This old lady had been making his life miserable since he was a baby. He totally had rights to rag on her.

"Joke all you wish," Hera said in a clipped tone. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken."

Leo frowned at the giant's spire. "Can't we blow it up or something?"

"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera said. "You might as well try to destroy a mountain."

"If you hadn't kidnapped my husband," Lilly snapped, "we wouldn't have that problem. He's blown up a mountain before."

"He was needed elsewhere," Hera growled. "If I did not take him, the Doors of Death would still be open. He is needed in New Rome."

"Sounds like you need him more than they do," Lilly spat. She looked at the others. "Save her or leave her, I don't care. It's up to you. I'll protect you." She turned away from them.

Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"

"I don't know." Leo tried not to panic. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"

Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg-beg him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."

"Sounds fair," Leo said.

Hera gave him the godly stink-eye. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you."

"But it's not a machine. It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and ..." Leo felt dizzy. The line of their prophecy came back to him: The forge and magic shall break the cage. "Hold on. I do have an idea. Aria, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

The air turned brittle with cold. The temperature dropped so fast, Leo's lips cracked and his breath changed to mist. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. Venti rushed in -but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm-cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red-eyed wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.

One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human-size statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statue for them to see-a nice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

"Thalia!" Aelin and Jason yelled. Jason rushed forward, but Aria and Leo pulled him back. The ground around Thalia's statue was already webbed with ice. Leo feared if Jason touched her, he might freeze too.

"Who did this?" Jason yelled. His body crackled with electricity. "I'll kill you myself!"

From somewhere behind the monsters, Leo heard a man's laughter, clear and cold. He stepped out of the mist in elaborate black armor and a single diamond blazing in the breastplate. His eyes were blue-white and as cold as a glacier. His hair and beard were blue-white, with his hair cut in military-style.

"Καλησπέρα, φίλοι μου," said Koios, the Lord of the North. He gave Leo a bright smile, reminiscent of Apollo. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."

"Koios," Lilly growled. "You'll pay for that."

She tapped her ring-a band of green and orange-and her body glowed green and purple. Green veins of energy circulated through her body and steam began to rise from her skin, which turned a pale white. Her hair sprouted flowers-purple foxgloves, deep blue aconite, pink oleanders-all of which glowed unnaturally. A dark green sword appeared in her hand, dripping with poison that sizzled on the ground.

Koios laughed, but his eyes showed his fear. "You cannot hope to defeat me, little demigod."

"Little?" Lilly yelled. "You dare call me little, Titan? I will destroy you for what you did to Thalia!"

Koios raised his sword, a massive weapon the size of a surfboard, which was colder than a glacier. "I'd like to see you try."

Lilly threw herself at the Titan, her sword poised to slice across his breastplate. Koios raised his sword and blocked it, the impact nothing short of monstrous. The ground shook, making monsters, wolves, hunters, and demigods alike stumble around. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

Jason hadn't thought anything could be scarier than Koios.

He was wrong.

Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped. He didn't radiate cold but there was something more terrible about him-a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

The giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons-daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody-maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

"Alive!" he bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"

Jason made a heroic little whimpering sound he hoped his friends couldn't hear. He was very sure no demigod could solo this guy. Porphyrion could lift mountains. He could crush Jason with one finger.

"Leo," Jason said.

"Huh?" Leo's mouth was wide open. Even Aelin seems dazed.

"You guys keep working," Jason said. "Get Hera free!"

Aelin shook herself free from her daze. She nodded confidently to Jason. "You got this, Grace. If you're anything like your sister, you're a f*cking badass. I'm going to go help my aunt."

He nodded. "I'll entertain this giant."

"Excellent!" the giant roared as Jason approached. "An appetizer! Who are you-Hermes? Ares?"

"I'm Jason Grace," Jason said. "Son of Jupiter."

Those white eyes bored into him. Behind him, Leo's circular saw whirred, and Aria talked to the cage in soothing tones, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Outstanding!" He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."

The sky didn't even rumble. No help from above. Jason was on his own.

"If you knew who I was," Jason yelled up at the giant, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."

The giant's eyes narrowed. He planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at his opponent. "So... we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphryion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess's cage. "Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"

"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth-and we will destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, but she was weakening. Jason could hear it in her voice. Piper kept whispering to the cage, and Leo kept sawing, but the earth was still rising inside Hera's prison, covering her up to her waist.

"Oh, yes," the giant said. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees-your eldest roots torn out and burned."

The giant frowned at Aria and Leo, as if he'd just noticed them working at the cage. Jason stepped forward and yelled to get back Porphyrion's attention.

"You said a demigod killed you," he shouted. "How, if we're so puny?"

"Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife-or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!"

He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to regather-storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.

"Great," Leo muttered. "We needed more enemies."

"Hurry," Hera said.

"I know!" Leo snapped.

"Go to sleep, cage," Aria said. "Nice, sleepy cage. Yes, I'm talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This totally isn't the weirdest thing I've done."

Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying a chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. "So, child of Zeus! I have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

Jason looked at the ring of monsters, waiting impatiently for their master's order to tear them to shreds. Leo's circular saw kept whirring, and Aria kept talking, but it seemed hopeless. Hera's cage was almost completely filled with earth.

"I'm the son of Jupiter!" he shouted, and just for effect, he summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion." Jason didn't know quite what he was saying, but he rattled off the words like he'd said them many times before. He held out his arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, and to his surprise the giant seemed to recognize it.

For a moment, Porphyrion actually looked uneasy.

"I slew the Trojan sea monster," Jason continued. "I destroyed the Titan Krios when he tried to free Atlas from his burden under the sky. And now I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

"Now!" Leo yelled.

"Sleep!" Aria said, so forcefully, the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.

The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cut off the cage's connection to Gaea. The tendrils turned to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.

"Yes!" the goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"

The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason one last look of hatred. His message was clear: Another time. Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"

But Jason was too much in shock. He understood too late. He watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly.

"Close your damn eyes, Grace!" he heard Lilly shout. He was tackled to the ground, a pink barrier coming in between him and Hera. A hand was slammed over his eyes, nearly knocking him out from the force used. He heard Lilly cry out in pain before collapsing on top of him.

Chapter 18: A Sheer Glacier Battle

Chapter Text

Annabeth woke with a start. She looked around the room but saw no one. A shout from above drew her attention. It sounded like Piper, and it sounded like she was being attacked.

She grabbed her knife and rushed above deck and found Piper crossing blades with a dark-haired androgynous-looking person who was only a few inches shorter than Killian with the colors blue and purple dyed in their hair. She saw several rings on their fingers and assumed one was a weapon, enchanted like Killian's. Killian stood off to the side, leaning against the side of the boat as he watched.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"Morning to you, too," Killian greeted. "Piper was just trying to attack our new teammate again for the twelfth time."

"New teammate?"

"Michael Gardner, child of Selene," they said, throwing Piper's cutlass to the side and stepping forward, dodging her next stab. They bowed and Piper's sword sailed over her back. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, daughter of Athena."

"It's Minerva!" Piper shouted, trying to stab her again. They deflected Piper's strike, making her stumble to the side.

"You're Killian's brother," Annabeth said, making Piper pause.

Michael grinned at her. "Indeed I am, Chase. I also hear that you've met Bianca. She's my wife. One of them, anyway."

"One of them?" Piper asked, lowering her sword. "Killian didn't mention that."

Michael shrugged. "Polyamory seems to run in the family. Percy has two wives and my eldest daughter has two girlfriends. Killian's managed to stick to one woman, though. Good for him."

"I'm the only one with enough restraint," Killian grumbled goodnaturedly.

"Yet you have five children," Michael shot back.

"And you have 16!"

"Six of them are twins! And three of them are triplets!"

"You have 16 kids?" Piper exclaimed. "How in my mother's name is that possible? You can't be more than twenty-two years old!"

"Actually, I'm 27. My first wife, Katie, is 32, and also prophesied to never be barren. My second wife is 24, only one year older than Killian here. Besides." He shrugged. "We like sex. Katie and I have been having sex since we were 18 and 17 years old."

"That's im-"

"Impossible, yeah, I've heard it all before," Michael interrupted. "Long story short, Percy and I went back in time when I was 17 and he was 18, but Katie remained 19, so now she's five years older than I am. It's complicated, but that's now what we're here to discuss. You three are on a quest!"

Killian nodded. "We've got to find our enemy here in Alaska."

Michael clapped his hands. "Alright! Our enemy is Aclyoneus, the bane of Hades. He's set up on Hubbard Glacier in a replica of an army base. He'll have an army of shades to try and stop you from fighting him or freeing Thanatos. I think that's why Percy wanted me here."

"I could've done it," Killian muttered.

"You're probably needed for something else, Killian. Something more important. Besides, we need two of you fighting Aclyoneus since he can't be killed in Alaska since he was born there."

Killian muttered more things under his breath.

"If this giant bastard can't be killed in Alaska," Piper said, "how're we going to murder him to death?"

"The same way Heracles did it in the original Gigantomachy," Killian answered. "We drag him into another land."

"Canada is about ten miles away from Hubbard," Michael mused. "If we can drag him there, we can kill him."

"Yeah, drag a giant a mere ten miles. Talk like you do this every day."

"Not the worst workout," Killian said, rolling his shoulders. "Can't be worse than sparring with Artemis."

"Indeed it can't," Michael agreed with a smile. He faced Annabeth and Piper. "You two ready to fight a giant?"

They glanced at each other nervously.

"As ready as we'll ever be, I guess," Annabeth said.

"Alrighty then. Let's go."

Michael grabbed them all in a group hug before shadow traveling them to the top of the glacier. Annabeth and Piper doubled over when they reappeared on top of the glacier.

"Oh, sorry about that," Michael said, scanning their surroundings. "I always forget most people can't handle shadow travel that well."

Annabeth glared at him. "Yeah...Thanks for that."

"You okay, babe?" Piper asked, rubbing her back.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Annabeth said.

"Look," Michael said, gesturing towards the frozen Roman camp.

It was like a smaller-sized Camp Jupiter. The trenches bristled with ice spikes. The snow-brick ramparts glared blinding white. Hanging from the guard towers, banners of frozen blue cloth shimmered in the Arctic sun. There was no sign of life. The gates stood wide open. No sentries walked the walls.

This place felt as if the earth were trying to wake up and consume everything - as if the mountains on either side wanted to crush them and the entire glacier to pieces.

They approached the gates without being challenged. Annabeth and Piper were trained to spot pits, snares, trip lines, and all sorts of other traps Roman legions had faced for eons in enemy territory, but they saw nothing - just the yawning icy gates and the frozen banners crackling in the wind.

They could see straight down the Via Praetoria. At the crossroads, in front of the snow-brick Principia, a tall, dark-robed figure stood, bound in icy chains.

"Thanatos," Michael murmured.

Annabeth looked around uneasily. "No defenders? No giant? This has to be a trap."

"Obviously," Killian said. "But I don't think we have a choice."

Before Piper could change her mind, she walked through the gates. The layout was so familiar - cohort barracks, baths, armory. It was an exact replica of Camp Jupiter, except three times as big. Even with Killian and Annabeth on either side of her, Piper felt tiny and insignificant, as if they were moving through a model city constructed by the gods. They stopped ten feet from the robed figure.

"Thanatos," Piper said nervously.

The hooded figure raised his head.

Instantly, the whole camp stirred to life. Figures in Roman armor emerged from the barracks, the Principia, the armory, and the canteen, but they weren't human. They were shades - the chattering ghosts Piper normally brought up from the Fields of Asphodel. Their bodies weren't much more than wisps of black vapor, but they managed to hold together sets of scale armor, greaves, and helmets. Frost-covered swords were strapped to their waists. Pila and dented shields floated in their smoky hands. The plumes on the centurions' helmets were frozen and ragged. Most of the shades were on foot, but two soldiers burst out of the stables in a golden chariot pulled by ghostly black steeds.

Annabeth pulled out her knife. "Yup, here's the trap."

The ghosts formed ranks and encircled the crossroads. There were about a hundred in all - not an entire legion, but more than a cohort. Some carried the tattered lightning-bolt banners of the Twelfth Legion, Fifth Cohort - Michael Varus's doomed expedition from the 1980s. Others carried standards and insignia they didn't recognize, as if they'd died at different times, on different quests - maybe not even from Camp Jupiter.

Killian, being the bravest, and possibly stupidest of his friends, showed no fear at the army in front of them. He turned towards Thanatos. "I'm surprised a giant can capture a personification such as yourself, Thanatos."

"You and Michael say the same things," Thanatos replied. The god's hood fell away and his robes dropped off as he spread his wings, leaving him in only a sleeveless black tunic belted at the waist. He was the most beautiful man Piper had ever seen. He was lean and muscular, with a regal face and black hair flowing down his shoulders. His wings glimmered in shades of blue, black, and purple.

Beautiful was the right word for Thanatos - not handsome, or hot, or anything like that. He was beautiful the way an angel is beautiful - timeless, perfect, remote.

The god's wrists were shackled in icy manacles, with chains that ran straight into the glacier floor. His feet were bare, shackled around the ankles and also chained.

"It's Cupid," Annabeth said.

"A really buff Cupid," Piper agreed.

"You compliment me," Thanatos said. His voice was as gorgeous as he was-deep and melodious. "I am frequently mistaken for the god of love. Death has more in common with love than you might imagine. But I am Death. I assure you."

"We're - we're here to save you," Piper managed. "Where's Alcyoneus?"

"Save me...?" Thanatos narrowed his eyes. "Dear child, do you know what that will mean?"

"Enough." Killian stepped forward, glaring slightly at Thanatos. "We're wasting time."

Michael twisted a ring and a xiphos sprang into his hands. He swung it at the god's chains. Celestial bronze rang against the ice, but the xiphos stuck to the chain like glue. Frost began creeping up the blade. Michael pulled frantically. Annabeth ran to help. Together, they just managed to yank her sword free before the frost reached their hands.

"That won't work," Thanatos said simply. "As for the giant, he is close. These shades are not mine. They are his."

Thanatos scanned the ghosts soldiers. They shifted uncomfortably, as if an artic wind were rattling through their ranks.

"Sae, how do we get you out?" Piper asked.

Thanatos glanced at Killian. "The fire of life can melt these chains of ice and death."

Before Killian could respond, laughter boomed across the glacier. A rumbling voice said, "My friends, I've waited for so long!"

Standing at the gates of the camp was Alcyoneus. He was even larger than the giant Polybotes they'd seen in California. He had metallic golden skin, armor made from platinum links and an iron staff the size of a totem pole. His rust-red dragon legs pounded against the ice as he entered the camp. Precious stones glinted in his red braided hair.

The giant approached, grinning at her with his solid silver teeth. He spread his hands, showing off the ranks of ghostly soldiers. "Welcome, Killian Vixon! Welcome, Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean! Welcome, Michael Gardner! I am Alcyoneus, the bane of Pluto, the new master of Death. And this is your new legion."

The giant stepped forward, his reptilian feet shaking the ground. "Now come bow before your new master and I shall make your passing quick."

Michael pointed his sword at the giant. "You will never be the master of death," he snarled with a glare. "That title belongs to one person, and one person alone. And you will never get to meet him."

The giant roared with laughter. "Spoken like a true Titan-born! Too bad I have to kill you. I was looking forward to meeting you, and to watch the hope leave your eyes as my brother destroys that Roman camp you come from."

"You can try to kill me, but I promise it won't go the way you expect. Plus, I'm not from Camp Jupiter. I'm from Camp Half-Blood."

The ghosts stirred. Some drew swords and lifted shields. Alcyoneus raised his hand, gesturing for them to wait.

"Greek, Roman, it doesn't matter," the giant said easily. "We will crush both camps underfoot. You see, the Titans didn't think big enough. They planned to destroy the gods in their new home of America. We giants know better! To kill a weed, you must pull up its roots. Even now, while my forces destroy your little Roman camp, my brother Porphyrion is preparing for the real battle in the ancient lands! We will destroy the gods at their source."

The ghosts pounded their swords against their shields. The sound echoed across the mountains.

"The source?" Annabeth asked. "You mean Greece?"

Alcyoneus chuckled. "No need to worry about that, son of Proserpina. You won't live long enough to see our ultimate victory. I will replace Pluto as Lord of the Underworld. I already have Death in my custody."

Killian shook his head. "Fat chance, Golden Boy. You're going down."

"Annabeth, Piper," Michael started, "you two take on the giant while Killian frees Thanatos." He turned his sword back into his ring. "I'll take on the shades and protect Killian."

"But they can't die until Thanatos is freed, " Piper protested. "You won't be able to handle them all."

Michael smiled at her.

"While your worry is appreciated, I'm a little bit offended." He grinned. "I'm the only demigod who can give this bastard a true challenge. I think I can handle a small army."

With that, he launched himself at the purple ghosts.

Killian knelt before the chains and summoned fire. It wasn't a normal fire, though. This one came from inside him, and it felt like he was being drained as he wielded it. The icy metal began to melt, the flame so bright it was more binding than the ice.

"Good," Thanatos said. "Very good, Killian Vixon."

With a clank, the first chain broke. Quickly, Killian stabbed the ball of fire at the chain on Death's other leg.

He risked a glance over his shoulder.

Michael was fighting like a whirlwind. His body glowed black and ice blue and a tornado of ice swirled around him. He had summoned his double bladed staff and was twirling it faster than Killian thought he was capable of. He moved faster than any of the shades, dodging and ducking under strikes and arrows.

He moved through the enemy lines, and even though he seemed to be leaving Killian undefended, the enemy was completely focused on Michael. Killian wasn't sure why - then he saw Michael's goal. One of the black vapoury ghosts was wearing the lion-skin cape of a standard-bearer and holding a pole with a golden eagle, icicles frozen to its wings.

The legion's standard.

Killian watched as Michael plowed through a line of legionnaires, scattering their shields with his personal ice cyclone. He knocked down the standard-bearer and grabbed the eagle.

"You want it back?" he shouted at the ghosts. "Come and get it!"

He drew them away, and Killian couldn't help being awed by his bold strategy. As much as those shades wanted to keep Thanatos chained, they were Roman spirits. Their minds were fuzzy at best, but they remembered one thing clearly: they were supposed to protect their eagle.

Still, Michael couldn't fight off that many enemies forever. Despite the cold, her face was already beaded with sweat.

Killian looked for Piper and Annabeth. He couldn't see them or the giant.

"Watch your fire, boy," Death warned. "You don't have any to waste."

Killian cursed. He'd got so distracted, he hadn't noticed the second chain had melted.

He moved his fire to the shackles on the god's right hand. His chest was starting to feel numb, his stomach tight. He thought of Lilly, his wonderful girlfriend. Her bright green eyes, her beautiful smile, her bravery in the face of danger. He remembered her after the Titan War, looking down on him as she treated the wounds he had received from Kronos.

"You're still an idiot for doing that," she had said. He saw her brown hair hanging down, her green eyes looking down at him with tears in them.

The third chain snapped. Killian thrust the ball at the last shackle. His body was racked with pain. Yellow splotches danced in his eyes.

He saw Lilly lift her hand up to his face and cup his cheek. In the distance, the gods were repairing their thrones. Lee was walking towards him, his hands full of ambrosia and nectar.

"I know, but it was worth it," Killian had said. "I needed to face Bianca and Michael. I had to help protect them. I need to protect you."

"You don't need to prove yourself to me," she said. She pressed her forehead against his. "I already know you'll protect me."

Finally, Death's last chain snapped. With a desperate yelp, Killian jabbed his hands into a pile of snow and extinguished the flame. His pain faded. He was still alive.

Thanatos raised his arms.

"Free," he said with satisfaction.

"Great." Killian blinked the spots from his eyes. "Then do something!"

Thanatos gave him a calm smile. "Do something? Of course. I will watch. Those who die in this battle will stay dead."

"Thanks," Killian muttered, slipping his firewood into his coat. "Very helpful."

"You're most welcome," Thanatos said agreeably.

"Michael!" Killian yelled. "They can die now!"

Michael nodded understanding, but he looked worn out. His strikes were getting slower. The entire ghostly army had him surrounded, gradually forcing him towards the edge of the glacier.

"Go help Piper and Annabeth!" he yelled. Killian glanced over and saw the two battling Alcyoneus.

Piper was battling the giant sword vs staff. Annabeth had found a bow and was firing arrows from a spot on a destroyed battlement. He saw as Piper was sent flying from a lucky shot of the giant's staff. She crashed into the ramparts. Annabeth raced over, skidding across the ice. She aimed her bow at the giant while standing in front of Piper, who was half-buried in a collapsed pile of snow bricks.

The giant laughed. "Foolish bravery, young one. I will enjoy snuffing out the light inside you." Alcyoneus raised his icy staff.

"Go!" Michael yelled again. "I've got these guys!"

Michael was running out of energy. He couldn't keep that form up for long. Killian knew that. He was being overwhelmed, but Killian ran to Piper and Annabeth's aid.

He pressed his watch and Vorkna sprung to life in his hands, but he didn't hold on to it for long. He held it like a javelin and prayed to Artemis and Apollo before throwing it. It rocketed towards Alcyoneus, a trail of fire rippling in its wake. The blade struck the giant in his bicep, making the giant roar in pain as he lifted his staff reflexively. This gave Annabeth time to dig Piper out of the snow bricks and carry her to safety.

Killian slid under Alcyoneus's swing, rising to his feet and slamming a fist into the giant's leg. Killian didn't expect anything, but the giant buckled, falling to one knee with a grunt. Killian spotted his blade still in the giant's arm high above and made a jump for it. An impossible jump, but as his hand wrapped around the hilt, Killian grinned.

He'd been told that he was different from everyone else, even Michael and Zoë. His power was greater than even the Olympians. His skills were unmatched. But this wasn't because he was a Titan-born. It wasn't because he was descended from multiple gods of different cultures.

It was because he was destined to rule.

He ripped Vorkna from Alcyoneus's arm before swiping upwards. His blade caught the giant across the nose, causing him to rear back with a screech of pain. He landed on his feet and jumped away, clearing twenty feet in a single bound.

Annabeth and Piper's eyes were wide.

"How did you do that?" Piper asked incredulously. "You moved quicker than anything I've ever seen!"

"I'm not like any other being you've seen," Killian responded. "I'm destined for something great. I can't be defeated by a mere giant." He raised his sword. "Now, c'mon. Let's finish this giant."

"We need to drag him out of Alaska," Annabeth said, eyes set on the giant. The wounds Killian had given him were already healed, the only reminder being the oily black blood the giant possessed. "Otherwise it'll be impossible to beat him."

"We need to knock him out," Killian agreed. "Piper, look for some rope real quick. Annabeth, help me knock around this giant."

Annabeth grinned, grabbing an arrow. "Gladly."

Chapter 19: The Battle For Camp Jupiter

Chapter Text

Annabeth fired an arrow at the giant, nailing him in the shoulder. Alcyoneus roared and ripped out the arrow. Annabeth kept firing though, distracting the giant as Killian ran forward. He dodged the giant's swing with his mighty staff, slicing across his leg. Alcyoneus fell to one knee and leaned back, a hand reaching up with a screech of pain as one of Annabeth's arrows hit him in the eye.

This was the distraction that Killian needed. He jumped up and slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of the giant's head. Alcyoneus crumpled forward, toppling an icy watchtower.

"Piper!" Killian shouted. "The rope!"

"I got it!" Piper yelled back. She rushed forward, her short legs covering ground as fast as a Hermes kid. She threw one end to Killian, who quickly made a noose and fastened it round the giant's scaly dragon foot.

"We need to drag this guy inland, as fast and far as we can."

"But Michael!" Piper said.

Killian pseudo-cursed. How could he have forgotten? Through the ruins of the camp, he saw Michael with his back to the edge of the cliff. He held his staff in one hand and the legion's golden eagle in the other. The entire army of shades edged forward, their weapons bristling.

"Michael!" Killian yelled.

Michael glanced over. He saw the fallen giant and seemed to understand what was happening. He yelled something that was lost in the wind, probably: Go!

Then he slammed his staff into the ice at his feet. The entire glacier shuddered. Ghosts fell to their knees. Behind Michael, a wave surged up from the bay - a wall of gray water even taller than the glacier. Water shot from the chasms and crevices in the ice. As the wave hit, the back half of the camp crumbled. The entire edge of the glacier peeled away, cascading into the void - carrying buildings, ghosts and Michael Gardner over the edge.

Killian was so stunned that Piper had to yell his name a dozen times before he realized Alcyoneus was getting up again.

He slammed a fist into the giant's nose until Alcyoneus began to snore. Meanwhile the glacier kept crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer.

Thanatos glided towards them on his black wings, his expression serene.

"Ah, yes," he said with satisfaction. "There go some souls. Drowning, drowning. You'd best hurry, my friends, or you'll drown, too."

"But Michael..." Killian could barely speak his friend's name. "Is he -?"

"Too soon to tell. As for this one ..." Thanatos looked down at Alcyoneus with distaste. "You'll never kill him here. You know what to do?"

Killian nodded numbly. "I think so."

"Then our business is complete."

"Urgg," Alcyoneus mumbled.

Killian hit him over the head again.

"What about the Doors of Death?" Annabeth said. "Where are they? How do we close them?"

"Ah, yes." A look of irritation flickered across Thanatos's face. "The Doors of Me. Closing them would be good, but I fear it is beyond my power. How you would do it, I haven't the faintest idea. I can't tell you exactly where they are. The location isn't ... well, it's not entirely a physical place. They must be located through questing. I can tell you to start your search in Rome. The original Rome. You will need a special guide. Only one sort of demigod can read the signs that will ultimately lead you to the Doors of Me."

Thanatos dissipated into black smoke.

Cracks appeared in the ice under their feet.

"We need to go," Killian said. "We need to get Alcyoneus over the border."

"How?" Annabeth asked. "Are you gonna haul him the entire way there?"

"No." A smirk crept onto Killian's face. "I'm gonna call a friend."

He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. After a few seconds, a winged wolf jumped out of Killian's shadow.

Annabeth and Piper jumped back as the wolf sniffed Killian, then licked his hand.

"Hey, Dusk," Killian said. He held up the rope. "You wanna help us lug this giant into Canada?"

Dusk barked and sat, allowing Killian to wrap the rope around his neck.

"Uh, how is this thing gonna pull a giant?" Annabeth asked nervously.

"This is no ordinary wolf, Annabeth. It's Michael's sacred animal, a creation of him and Nyx."

"Nyx?" Piper exclaimed. "Why would she-"

"Questions later," Killian interrupted. "Piper, hop on Dusk and hold on. Annabeth, you and I are surfboarding the giant."

Piper cautiously climbed on Dusk, nearly jumping out of her skin when he got ready to run. Annabeth and Killian hopped on the giant, Killian punching him again just for good measure.

"Dusk, run!" Killian shouted. The wolf howled before taking off, racing across the ice, dragging Alcyoneus like the world's ugliest sled.

It didn't take too long for them to reach Canada. Dusk rode the glacier like a highway, zipping across the ice, leaping crevices and skidding down slopes that would've made a snowboarder's eyes light up.

Killian didn't have to knock out Alcyoneus too many times, because the giant's head kept bouncing and hitting the ice. As they raced along, the half-conscious Golden Boy mumbled a tune that sounded like 'Jingle Bells'

Finally Dusk zoomed between two mountains into a valley of ice and rocks, like a massive bowl of frozen milk with bits of Cocoa Puffs. The giant's golden skin paled as if it were turning to brass. Killian felt a subtle vibration in his own body, like a tuning fork pressed against his sternum. He knew he'd crossed into friendly territory.

"Here!" Killian shouted.

Dusk veered to one side. Piper cut the rope and Alcyoneus went skidding past. Killian and Annabeth leaped off just before the giant slammed into a boulder.

Immediately Alcyoneus jumped to his feet. "What? Where? Who?"

His nose was bent in an odd direction. His wounds had healed, though his golden skin had lost some of its luster. He looked around for his iron staff, which was still back at Hubbard Glacier. Then he gave up and pounded the nearest boulder to pieces with his fist.

"You dare take me for a sleigh ride?" He tensed and sniffed the air. "That smell ... like snuffed-out souls. Thanatos is free, eh? Bah! It doesn't matter. Gaia still controls the Doors of Death. Now, why have you brought me here, son of Hyperion?"

"Well, I've brought you here to die," Killian said simply.

Alcyoneus growled. I am immortal in my homeland, you cannot kill me."

Piper giggled. "Maybe next time, then, you should make your homeland further away from the Canadian border, dumbass."

Slowly, understanding dawned in the giant's eyes. He looked down and saw that his wounds were still open, oily black blood flowing freely.

Before he could react, Killian appeared in front of him, sword slicing across his neck. Alyconeus dissolved into a pile of very expensive rocks. Killian picked up a diamond the size of a full Snicker's bar. He glanced back at his friends with a grin.

"One down," he said, pocketing the diamond, "one to go. We need to get to Camp Jupiter."

"But what about Michael?" Annabeth asked.

Killian grimaced. "I'm sure he's fine. He's survived a whole lot worse than an avalanche."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked this time.

"I'm not. I'm hoping and praying to the gods. But we don't have time. We need to get to Camp Jupiter before they're overrun."

"Might I help with that?"

"Katie!" Killian exclaimed, turning around to face his friend. Katie grinned at him and Piper and Annabeth backed up a step. She had furry ears and a tail, not unlike Dusk's.

"I heard Dusk get called," she explained. "Since he's Michael's sacred animal, I could tell where he went. I also felt like I should make an appearance. I don't wanna be a bad friend, now, do I?"

"That's the last thing anyone could call you," Killian told her. "Are you gonna help us fight, or just get us to California."

Katie's face turned serious. "I can't do much in this war. With the whole 'heir' thing, I might be incapcitaed because of who our enemy is. I don't want to accidentally turn on you guys. I will get you to Camp Jupiter, but cannot do more. I'm sorry, Killian."

"It's fine, getting us there will be enough." He turned to Piper and Annabeth. "Are you guys ready?"

"I guess," Annabeth said. "Nothing else to do, is there?"

Piper nodded. "We need to help the Romans."

Katie clapped her hands. "Then I will send you there."

"But Michael..." Immediately, Killian regretted saying her name. A dark look crossed Katie's face, darker than he'd ever seen before.

"What about Michael?" she asked darkly.

"He was on the glacier," Killian explained. "He was fighting the shades, but...he went over." Killian looked down in shame.

Emotion rippled across Katie's face. "I'll go find him," she said. "Beware, Killian." The son of Hyperion lifted his head. "I remember what happened last time. The others will soon be on their way. Make sure no one is on that ship alone."

Before Killian could ask what he meant, black and green wings sprouted from Katie's back. She snapped her fingers, and the three demigods were sucked into darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were spit out on the hilltop above Caldecott Tunnel. They stumbled around, unused to the form of travel Katie had just put them through. Piper was the first to get her bearings, and climbed to the top and peered down at the camp.

"Guys....you need to see this."

When Killian and Annabeth joined her, Killian's heart sank. The battle had begun, and it wasn't going well. The Twelfth Legion was arrayed on the Field of Mars, trying to protect the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the Earthborn. Hannibal the elephant plowed down monsters right and left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered.

On her pegasus Scipio, Reyna flew around the giant Polybotes, trying to keep him occupied. The Lares had formed shimmering purple lines against a mob of black, vaporous shades in ancient armor. Veteran demigods from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their shield wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant eagles circled the battlefield, doing aerial combat with two snake-haired ladies in green Bargain Mart vests - Stheno and Euryale.

The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but their formation was breaking. A constant volley of silver arrows sent from the archways kept the monsters back, but that was starting to fail. Each cohort was an island in a sea of enemies. The Cyclopes' siege tower shot glowing green cannonballs into the city, blasting craters in the forum, reducing houses to ruins. As Killian watched, a cannonball hit the Senate House and the dome partially collapsed.

"We're too late," Annabeth said.

"No," Killian said. "They're still fighting. We can do this."

He glanced behind him. Shining in the sunlight sat the eagle standard. The symbol of New Rome.

"Piper," Killian said, walking down and grabbing the standard. "You're going to take this to the fifth cohort. Rally them around you."

Piper gripped the standard, her face set with steely determination. "Got it."

"Annabeth," Killian turned to her, "go with her. With you two on their side, you'll demolish the monsters. I'm sure of it."

Her gray eyes steeled. "On it."

"What will you do?" Piper asked.

Killian smirked. "I'm gonna make one Zeus of an entrance." He shoved them. "Now go! Save New Rome!"

Piper grinned as she pulled out her sword. With a battle cry, she and Annabeth ran towards where the Fifth Cohort fought.

Killian, for his part, didn't stay idle. He covered Vorkna in a blade of flame before vanishing from his spot atop the hill. He appeared twenty feet in the air at the front lines of the enemy army. He landed on one knee, slamming a fist into the ground, creating a large earthquake that knocked hundreds of monsters off their feet. The stunned Romans were able to recover quickly and push forward.

Killian rose and sent a wave of fire into the enemy, creating some space for himself. Then, he charged.

He sliced through monsters after monsters, his body alight, forcing the Romans to keep well away from him. He moved with such skill and precision that he quickly became the main target for the monsters.

At the same time, the First and Second Cohorts struggled against the giant Polybotes. They stayed within ranks, trying to withstand the onslaught of attacks from cyclops and Earthborn. Reyna flew through the air on her pegasus, trying to distract Polybotes, giving the Romans a slight relief and time to focus on the monsters.

Piper and Annabeth led the Fifth Cohort, who had quickly defeated their small army of monsters, to the aid of the Third Cohort, who were being attacked by an army of centaurs. They slammed into a herd of wild centaurs. When the campers of the Third saw the eagle standard, they shouted insanely and fought with renewed effort.

The centaurs didn't stand a chance. The two cohorts crushed them like a vice. Soon there was nothing left but piles of dust and assorted hooves and horns.

"Form ranks!" the centurions shouted. The two cohorts came together, their military training kicking in. Shields locked, they marched into battle against the Earthborn.

"Pila!" Annabeth shouted. A hundred spears bristled. When Annabeth yelled, "Fire!" they sailed through the air - a wave of death cutting through the six-armed monsters. The campers drew swords and advanced towards the center of the battle.

At the base of the aqueduct, the First and Second Cohorts were trying to encircle Polybotes, but they were taking a pounding. The remaining Earthborn threw barrage after barrage of stone and mud. Karpoi grain spirits - horrible little piranha Cupids - were rushing through the tall grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line. The giant himself kept shaking basilisks out of his hair. Every time one landed, the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their corroded shields and the smoking plumes on their helmets, they'd already learned about the basilisks' poison and fire.

Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin whenever he turned his attention to the ground troops. Her purple cloak snapped in the wind. Her golden armor gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung his weighted net, but Scipio was almost as nimble as the legendary Arion.

Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their aid with the eagle. She was so stunned that the giant almost swatted her out of the air, but Scipio dodged. Reyna locked eyes with Piper and gave her a huge smile.

"Romans!" Her voice boomed across the fields. "Rally to the eagle!"

Demigods and monsters alike turned and gawked as Piper rushed forward with the Fifth and Third cohorts at his back.

"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. "What is this?"

Piper felt a rush of power coursing through the standard's staff. She raised the eagle and shouted, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!"

Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings - arcing in front of Piper like the branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another, completely ignoring the Roman forces.

When the lightning stopped, the First and Second Cohorts were facing one surprised-looking giant and several hundred smoking piles of ash. The enemy's center line had been charred to oblivion.

The First and Second cohorts cheered. They started chanting: "Rome! Rome!"

Killian appeared in a flash of fire in front of Polybotes.

"It's over, giant!" he yelled, his body still alight. "Your army is being crushed, and you're next!"

"You cannot defeat me, demigod!" Polybotes bellowed. "I cannot be killed without the help of a god!" He shook basilisk out of his hair, "The battle is not over yet, demigod! Look as your friends are crushed!"

Killian knew he was right. The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopes. Even Hannibal the elephant was having a hard time wading through so many monsters. His black Kevlar armor was ripped so that his label just said ANT.

The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being pushed towards the city. The monsters' siege tower was still hurling explosive green fireballs into the streets. The gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and now flew unchallenged over the giant's remaining centaurs and the Earthborn, trying to rally them.

"Stand your ground!" Stheno yelled. "I've got free samples!"

Even then, Killian steeled himself. He raised Vorkna, but before he could advance, horns blew in the northern hills. Another army appeared on the ridge - hundreds of warriors in black-and-grey camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts nocked in their crossbows.

"The Amazons!" Piper shouted.

Polybotes laughed. "You see? Our reinforcements have arrived! Rome will fall today!"

The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their forklifts barrelled into battle. The giant's army cheered - until the Amazons changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.

"Amazons, forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt round her waist.

The Amazon queen shouted: "To my sister's aid! Destroy the monsters!"

"Destroy!" Her troops' cry echoed through the valley.

Reyna wheeled her pegasus towards Killian. Her eyes gleamed. Her expression said: I could hug you right now. She shouted, "Romans! Advance!"

The battlefield descended into absolute chaos. Amazon and Roman lines swung towards the enemy like the Doors of Death themselves.

But Killian had only one goal. He pointed at the giant. "You. Me. To the finish."

Polybotes bellowed. He threw his trident at Killian, but the Titan-born rolled to the side. He charged straight at the giant sword raised. He sliced a deep gash in the giant's leg, causing him to let loose a cry of pain. He swiped with his trident but Killian rolled out of the way again. He thrust a fireball at the giant. It hit his injured leg, making him roar again. Killian retreated a safe distance as the giant recovered.

The giant glared at Killian. "What is your plan, Vixon? You cannot defeat me alone!"

Killian glared at Polybotes, ready to charge in again, but a silver arrow impaled itself in the giant's knee. Killian turned his head and found the goddess Artemis grinning at him. She let loose a few more arrows where they embedded themselves in the giant's calf, thigh, and chest.

Killian grinned before charging at Polybotes. A fourth arrow impaled the giant's wrist, making him drop his trident. Another struck the giant in his side. He tried to swat them aside, but more Romans and Hunters joined in and began firing arrows at the giant. Killian jumped on the first silver arrow and used it as a springboard, launching himself up where he gripped the arrow in the giant's thigh. He swung himself further up, slicing upwards with Vorkna. The giant stumbled back with a pained cry. Killian turned in midair, raising his sword and aiming for the giant's chest.

He focused his power into the soles of his feet before flying forward, stabbing his sword deep into Polybotes' chest. He roared in pain as he fell back. Artemis walked forward as Killian picked himself up, panting. She smiled at him as she took another arrow and stabbed the giant in the throat. Polybotes let out a pained scream that was quickly drowned in his blood before dissolving into a puddle of steaming liquid.

Killian smiled at Artemis. He was about to say something when a group of static legionnaires and Amazons rushed him.

The Romans began to chant, "Killian! Killian!"

They mobbed him. Before he knew it, they were raising him on a shield. The cry changed to, "Praetor! Praetor!"

Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and grasped Killian's in congratulation. Then the mob of cheering Romans carried him around the Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus's borders, and escorted him back home to Camp Jupiter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Feast of Fortuna had nothing to do with tuna, which was fine with Killian.

Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side by side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias - magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate and fresh-baked cookies.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. Killian changed seats so many times he lost track of his dinner.

There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling - which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. At one point Killian was cornered by Kinzie, the Amazon who had tried to attack him in Seattle. He had to explain that he already had a wife. Fortunately, Kinzie took it well.

Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help. Then she hugged her sister and everybody applauded.

Reyna raised her hands for quiet. "My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye -"

Hylla laughed. "That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons," Reyna continued. "I joined Camp Jupiter. But, looking around this room, I think we both made good choices. Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield - Killian Vixon."

More cheering. The sisters raised their glasses to Killian and beckoned him forward.

Everybody asked for a speech, but Killian didn't know what to say. He protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with applause.

The new augur ripped open a teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming year - Fortuna would bless them! He passed his handover Killian's arm and shouted: "Killian Vixon, son of Hyperion, first year of service!"

Then Reyna gave him an eagle medal and purple cloak, symbols of the praetor. "You earned these, Killian."

Queen Hylla pounded him on the back. "And I've decided not to kill you."

"Um, thanks," Killian said.

He made his way around the mess hall again, because all the campers wanted him at their table. Vitellius the Lar followed, stumbling over his shimmering purple toga and readjusting his sword, telling everyone how he'd predicted Killian's rise to greatness.

"I demanded he join the Fifth Cohort!" the ghost said proudly. "Spotted his talent right away!"

All the attention embarrassed Killian, but he was happy to see how well Piper and Annabeth were being treated. Everyone called them the saviors of Rome, and they deserved it.

Chapter 20: The Seven Revealed

Chapter Text

"Auntie Lilly!"

Aelin kept calling her name as she held her, though she'd almost lost hope. She'd been unconscious for two minutes now. Her body was steaming, her eyes rolled back in her head. She couldn't tell if she was even breathing.

"It's no use, child." Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.

"Shut it, you bitch queen," Thalia snarled. Her entire body was shaking with grief and rage as she glared at the goddess.

Jason sat next to Lilly, his eyes wide as Aelin held her.

"She...she saved me," he breathed. "I hadn't..."

Aelin glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"

"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen-"

"Fix her!"

Hera's eyes flickered with power. "I did warn you all. I would never intentionally hurt the girl. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."

"Um ..." Leo frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"

"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cried. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form!" Thalia shouted. "You've killed her!"

Leo shook his head in dismay. "Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on her! Bring her back."

Aelin half-heard their conversation, but mostly she was focused on Lilly's face. "She's breathing!" he announced.

"Impossible," Hera said. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever-"

"Auntie Lilly," Aelin called, putting every bit of her willpower into her words. She couldn't lose her. Her parents would be devastated, her cousins heartbroken. She would never forgive herself. "Please, auntie. Come back. You have to."

Her hands briefly glowed magenta. Nothing happened. Had he imagined her breath stirring?

"Healing is not a power of Selene nor Demeter," Hera said regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. Her mortal spirit-"

"Aunt Lilly," Aelin said again, and she imagined her energy surging through her body, straight down to her soul. That magenta power grabbing her soul from the underworld. Her hands glowed brighter as she said with every ounce of willpower she had, "Live."

Lilly gasped, and her eyes flew open. For a moment they were full of light-glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and her eyes were normal again.

"What-what happened?"

"Impossible!" Hera said.

Aelin wrapped her in a hug until she groaned, "Crushing."

"Sorry," she said, so relieved, she laughed while wiping a tear from her eye.

Lilly was immediately crushed in hugs from Thalia and Aria. She turned towards Jason.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she snapped at him.

Jason just stared in shock. "You...you saved me. Why?"

"You're Thalia's brother," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes. She winced at the action. "Besides, you're important. At least, that's what Michael says."

"Thank you," he said softly.

"You almost lost this war before it started, Hera," Thalia growled at Hera. "Killing her would've lost you the entire Greek camp."

Hera raised an eyebrow, making Thalia laugh humorlessly.

"If she had died, Killian would've destroyed all of Olympus to get to you. And there's no telling what the rest of the demigods would've done."

Hera huffed but turned away.

"C'mon, guys," Aelin said, gesturing for everyone to gather around. "I'll have Athena to take us to camp. Ask Artemis to do the same for the Hunters," she added to Thalia, who was still glaring at Hera.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll see you at camp."

Aelin closed his eyes and prayed. Within a few moments, a bright light enveloped them. When it died down, they were in Camp Half-Blood.

"Welcome back," Aelin heard Percy say. She turned around and saw her uncle raising a glass towards them before frowning. "Oh, you don't look so good. Uh. Lee?"

Aelin didn't hear anything else as she fell forward and everything went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin didn't wake up until three days later. Luckily, it was after three days that the Argo II, which Percy had Beckendorf working on for months, was finally ready. While there was more than enough room for the entire camp to fit, only a few were going. Jason and Leo were obviously going, but so was Lilly. After much debate, mainly against Katie and Bianca, Percy and Lee managed to convince them that Aelin was needed, too. She was one of the seven. That quest had decided it.

Since Aelin was going, Bianca sent one of her most trusted warriors to watch over Aelin. She had no doubt that Killian and Lilly would try their best, but this way she knew her daughter was going to be watched over at all times. Her warrior didn't need sleep anymore, after all.

They each had their own cabin on the Argo II, though Killian and Lilly would be sharing one. They left Camp Half-Blood at dawn, Michael having returned the night before. He was obviously distressed that his daughter was going on this dangerous quest but relented when he saw who Bianca had sent with her.

Leo had informed them that they would reach California about mid-day. Quite fast, but Jason assumed they had a little godly help for this trip. He wondered when they would be left to their own devices, their own wit and power.

He sat on the deck of the ship, watching as Lilly stood at the railing and stared ahead. He knew they were having similar thoughts. They would reach Camp Jupiter soon. Where Killian and the others were.

Where his old home was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lilly paced the deck, her hands in her jean pockets, her glass flower pin in her hair. She had on a red shirt with a faded picture of fire on it and an unzipped jacket over it. The shirt was too big, seeing how it was actually Killian's. Lilly had taken the liberty of wearing his shirts as he wasn't at camp to wear them himself.

To be honest, she broke down crying the first time she did and spent the day with Katie and Silena.

Lilly looked over the railing and gripped it to keep from falling at what she saw.

There, in front of the entire Roman legion, was her boyfriend, standing next to a dark-haired girl she recognized as Reyna, in a purple cape.

"Time to go down!" Leo called from the control console. The Argo II stopped descending and Lilly gripped the railing. She steadied her breathing before grabbing a rope and tying it to ship. Making sure there was enough rope to go all the way down, she gripped it in her hand, once again checking that there was plenty, and jumped.

She slid down the side of the bronze ship, gripping the rope loosely like she had learned scaling the lava wall at camp, her feet sliding down the outside. The ship disappeared and she was falling through the air, the rope her focal point. As the ground approached, she gripped the rope tightly, ignoring the burn she received, and grabbed her hairpin. It turned into a shield and she swung herself off the rope. She hit the ground, shield first, and rolled onto her feet, shaking hair out of her face. She pressed a switch on her shield and turned it back into a hairpin before sticking it in her hair.

Lilly walked as casually as she could towards Killian, acting as if she spent all her time jumping off ships that hover forty feet in the air.

Lilly saw him lean over and mutter something to Reyna, who responded with a confused response. She didn't care what they said. Her eyes had tunneled by now. She was vaguely aware of the Romans shifting to look at her. Vaguely aware of Aelin, her bodyguard, Leo, and Jason coming off the ladder behind.

Killian stepped forward and Lilly broke into a run. He shook off his purple cape and ran to me as well.

When they collided, Lilly immediately pressed her lips to his. Her body molded to his as he squeezed her closer to him, all these months apart finally coming to an end.

They separated and Lilly immediately slammed her fist into his jaw. There were some shouts from the Romans but Lilly didn't pay any attention. Killian stumbled back, shock on his face, soon replaced by a grin.

"I missed you, too," he chuckled. "I figured you were mad." He began laughing harder, and Lilly's anger slowly melted away. She wrapped her arms around him again and buried her face in his chest as she felt tears prickling her eyes. Killian buried his nose in her hair.

After a couple of moments, Lilly stepped back to examine him. He had grown taller, that was obvious. He was only an inch or two shorter than Michael and Percy now. His brown hair was combed to the side but was a little darker now, not that she minded. His skin had a little bit of a tan to it, but not like Michael and Percy had. He had put on a little muscle but not enough to make him bulky like Beckendorf.

Thankfully, his orange eyes were the same, fun-filled ones Lilly loved.

"Are you really wearing my shirt?" He asked playfully. Lilly looked down and blushed.

"You weren't going to wear it anytime soon," she said sheepishly. He lifted her head and their eyes met. He sighed.

"I've missed your beautiful green eyes," he said. He smiled. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for a long time now."

"That's what I'm supposed to say," she shoved him. "You were the one who disappeared." He shrugged.

"Blame Hera," he said. He put his arm around Lilly's shoulders. "Come on, I want to introduce you to the other two demigods who came with me." She let him lead her to the legion of Roman demigods.

Jason, Leo, Aelin, and her bodyguard had walked past them to the others already, and Reyna and Jason were exchanging words. Leo was saying hi to random Romans, introducing himself to several of the ladies.

And then there were two demigods standing at the front near Reyna. One was a Native American girl, her skin a couple shades darker than Michael's, her choppy brown hair swept to the side with her kaleidoscope eyes glinting in the sunlight. The taller girl had curly blonde hair. Her stormy gray eyes studied her for a couple seconds before she smiled.

"Annabeth, Piper," Killian said as they walked up. "I would like to introduce you to Lilly. Lilly, this is Annabeth, daughter of Minerva, and Piper, daughter of Venus." Lilly felt him slide his arm down and across her waist, making her feel warm inside.

"Nice to meet you, Lilly," Piper greeted with a wave.

"Nice to meet you, too," Lilly said with a smile. "Michael and Katie have talked a lot about you."

"So I've heard," she said with an annoyed glance at Killian.

"Did Katie ever find Michael?" Killian asked.

Lilly tilted her head in confusion. "Michael was lost? He was at camp before we left."

Killian let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Hestia. He broke apart a glacier in Alaska and we thought..." He didn't finish.

"Don't worry," she told him, cupping his cheek. "He's fine. Angry that his daughter is on this quest, but Percy and Lee are keeping him confined to camp."

Killian smiled at her. "Good."

"Killian," Reyna called. The big goofball turned and caught his purple cape. "You're going to need that at the senate meeting. You're a praetor. I'd like some help controlling them."

"No problem, Reyna," Killian called back. He let go of Lilly to don the cape, and she couldn't help but admire how regal he looked with it on. He smirked at her. "Come on, Lil," he beckoned. "I'd rather show you around the city for a little bit before the meeting. We've got plenty of time considering how they are having lunch now. You'll get to see how lousy I am at politics." Lilly giggled and allowed him to take her hand and guide her away.

They walked through the city, passing a talking statue that Killian called Terminus on the way in. The statue had tried to get them to give him their weapons, and while Lilly gave him a dagger, Killian kept his watch on and Lilly kept her hairpin.

"Stupid god of boundaries," Killian remarked as they walked away. Lilly laughed.

They walked around the city, eventually heading towards the senate building-the big, dome-topped one that had a hole in it.

They got hot chocolate and drank it as they slowly walked through a garden. Lilly sighed as she leaned against him, the hot drink warming her hands even though it was summer. Killian finished his quickly while Lilly savored hers.

They said nothing, the silence together speaking volumes for them. They just relaxed in each other's presence, and Lilly couldn't be happier. After they left the garden and made their way to the meeting that was about to start, Killian told Lilly of some of the things that had happened on his quest.

She laughed when he told her how the Romans reacted to him talking with Artemis and almost cried when he said that she was all he could remember when he first came to Camp Jupiter. Lilly did cry when he told her how he had a vision of their first real kiss while freeing Thanatos.

In turn, Lilly told him some of the things that happened on her quest to find him, leaving out the part of her almost dying. She assured him that their kids were being watched over. Perseus promised to watch them closely, which made Killian laugh. Luckily, Silena and Beckendorf offered to watch him watch their kids. They trusted the Risen Warrior, but weren't so sure how he was with kids.

When they finally reached the senate building, they had to separate. They kissed before he walked to the front, his purple cape flowing behind him as he did. Lilly sat next to Aelin and her bodyguard and watched.

"Romans!" Reyna's voice echoed through the hall, silencing the senate members. "Today, we are joined by Greek demigods-" she was interrupted when all the senate started yelling and arguing about us Greeks. Reyna tried to reign them in, but in the end, she looked to Killian for help.

Lilly's husband smirked as he bellowed, "QUIET!" Everyone listened. "Thank you. Reyna," he gestured for Reyna to speak again. She nodded her thanks and began again.

"No wonder he's praetor," the bodyguard muttered. "He's loud and powerful. Exactly what the Romans look to for leadership." Lilly couldn't help but snort in amusem*nt.

"He looks pretty natural up there, though," Aelin pointed out. "He's learned how to hold himself, and he helped defeat Polybotes. He helped regain the eagle standard. I hear that he almost single handedly defeated Aclyoneus."

Lilly tuned back into what Reyna was saying, seeing how Aelin and her bodyguard were done talking.

"These are our guests and we will treat them as such," she was saying. "They will not attack us. Right, Killian?"

Killian smiled. "While I have no control over any of my friends, I can assure you, none of us would dare attack New Rome on purpose. I believe the son of Hephaestus has put in safety measures for such a case?"

Leo stood up and nodded. He was still so short that Lilly had to sit up to see him. "The Argo II has many failsafe features for things like this. Only I, or someone I will add in the future, can use the weapons. And I will not be going up anytime soon."

"No one else knows how to work it, either," Aelin called out. They could tell Leo rolled his eyes, even from so far away.

"That too," Leo added and sat down.

"Thank you," Killian said. "As you can see, you have nothing to fear from us Greeks. Now, I believe we have the notion of a prophecy to talk about."

"Yes," Reyna agreed. "The prophecy of seven. Would someone like to recite it?" Jason stood up.

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

Foes bear arms to their deaths,

And marks the beginning of a god's last breath." He sat back down.

"Thank you, Jason," Killian said. "Reyna and I believe that the seven in prophecy are as follows: your former praetor, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, myself, my wife, Aelin Gardner, Annabeth Chase, and Piper McLean. We will set out as soon as we can, heading for the Ancient Lands. The Mare Nostrum.

"The Olympian Council will call upon the legion when the time is right, and Rome needs to be ready to answer the call. The final battle will be tough, but it will be impossible if you cannot put aside your differences with the Greeks. If we lose, if Olympus falls, our world will lie in ruin. The gods will be killed or cast into Tartarus, demigods will be hunted into extinction, life as we know it will perish in the hand of Gaea.

"So listen well, and listen closely! On the other side of the country is a camp of Greek demigods! They are-" He was cut off as yelling ensued through the hall. Killian lifted his hand and the fires from the multiple braziers shot into the air. The flames swirled into the air, shutting up most of the members.

"Enough!" He bellowed after the fire had reduced itself. "You are Romans! Not children! Act like the senate of New Rome and not children in a daycare." The shouts died down and Killian smirked. "These demigods have seen things that would make you wet yourself in fear. We fought Saturn himself on Olympus's doorstep for three days, delaying him from reaching Olympus. Bianca Gardner, a daughter of Hades, defeated him. I saw it with my own eyes.

"The gods would keep us apart," he continued. "Every time Greek and Roman have come into contact in the past, the outcome was bloodshed. But this time will be different. I am sure of it. We need to let past grudges go. Fighting together is the only way to save our world. Any attempt to disrupt peace between the Greeks and Romans will be seen as treason and the person responsible will soon find themselves in the care of Pluto and Proserpina. Any questions?"

None raised their hands. Killian nodded to Reyna, who nodded back.

"That is all, senators!" she said loudly. "Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

"Senatus Populusque Romanus!" came the reply of the senators before the meeting broke up.

Aelin ran up to Killian and the senators filed out of the building.

"Uncle Killian!" she shouted, jumping him with a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Killian chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "Me too, kid." He looked up as her bodyguard approached. "Ajax. It's nice to see you, friend."

The giant warrior smiled. "As it is you, Lord Killian."

Aelin laughed at the annoyed look on Killian's face.

"Lord?" Reyna spoke up.

"Yeah," Killian said, sending Ajax a quick glare. "He and his buddies refuse to stop calling me that. My sister-in-law is his mistress-not like that!" He added as Reyna's eyes widened. "I'm sure your sister told you about our time in Seattle. She's the one who sent Otera back to the underworld. She's literally the Mistress of Death, so Ajax and his fellow Risen Warriors call her Mistress. Or Queen. Of course, they refer to Katie as 'Queen' and Michael as 'My Liege.' Then the rest of us are either 'Lady' or 'Lord.' Percy and I hate it, but the girls have taken a liking to it, so we can't do anything to stop them."

"He's a ghost?" Reyna said, staring at Ajax. "He seems pretty solid, to me."

Ajax was very solid. He was 6 foot 10, making even Killian look small, and was packed with muscle. He had long blond hair that was tied in a knot on the back of his head. His blue eyes were fierce yet warm. He wore ancient Greek armor outfitted specifically for him by Beckendorf.

The giant warrior smiled at Reyna. "I am a ghost no longer. After the Titanomachy, my Mistress granted me and my surviving compatriots life again in return for our eternal service."

"And that's why he's here now," Aelin said, hands on her hips. "My parents hate that I'm going on this quest, so Mamma sent Ajax to watch me. As endearing as it is, it's annoying."

"Are you immortal?" Reyna asked Ajax.

He shook his head. "I may die, but depending on the circ*mstances of my death, I may be revived again. Mistress Bianca is very fond of me. She trusts me to protect her eldest daughter, an honor which I am grateful to have."

"Yeah," Aelin agreed. "It's nice having the strongest mortal warrior alive as my bodyguard."

Reyna opened her mouth, no doubt to further question them, but was interrupted when someone ran into the room.

"Yes?" Killian asked, stepping down to calm the girl who had run in. "What's happened?"

"The augur," she breathed. "He-he got possessed or something. Smoke came from his mouth and spoke a prophecy."

"Smoke?" Lilly asked. "That sounds like the Spirit of Delphi. But why did it take over your augur? We already have an oracle."

"The spirit works in mysterious ways, Lady Lilly," Ajax told her. "Not even us heroes of old understand it."

"Do you remember what he said?" Killian asked the girl.

She shook her head. "I didn't fully catch it, but someone wrote it down. I'll go-"

"We'll all go see what it is," Killian interrupted. "A prophecy is important, and it may pertain to our quest to the Mediterranean."

They followed the girl into the city and towards the altar where the augur makes his sacrifices. No one stopped them on the way there, and there was a crowd of people around the small temple.

"Calvin!" Reyna called. The small augur looked up from where he was being treated by a couple medics. He looked shaken up, like the Spirit of Delphi had roughed him up on its pass through.

"Do we have the prophecy?" Killian asked. Calvin nodded shakily and pointed to a blond kid holding a piece of paper. "What was it?"

The kid lifted the paper and read, "Wisdom's daughter walks alone, The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Twins hold Traitor's breath, Who's choice may bring endless death. Giant's bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."

"Wisdom's daughter," Piper breathed. She turned to her girlfriend. "That's you, Annabeth."

The blonde's face had turned a few shades whiter. Everyone was silent for a minute after the prophecy, no one quite sure what to say.

"We'll discuss the prophecy in more detail on the ship," Killian decided, turning away from Annabeth. "Reyna, we will take our leave now. I'm sorry about leaving right after becoming Praetor, but-"

Reyna held up her hand to stop him. "It is fine, Killian. You are needed elsewhere. I will handle the legion and prepare us for battle."

"A friend of ours might show up soon," Lilly told her. "They'll help transport the legion to our camp in New York. That way the demigods can learn to work together before the final battle. Our friends will make sure that the Romans and Greeks get along, too."

Reyna nodded. "I look forward to it, Mrs. Vixon."

Chapter 21: Is it a Plane? Is it a Bird? No! It's Much Worse!

Chapter Text

Leo quickly got the ship into the air and set it to autopilot, heading east. They all gathered in the mess hall. It was the first time they were all in the same place-the seven of them. It was going to be the seven of them who were destined for this prophecy.

Maybe their presence should've reassured Piper, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding at last. She had heard it years ago and it had haunted her dreams since. Now she understood why. She was one of the Seven.

The others must've felt it too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Jason's powers.

Killian sat at the head of the table. He was obviously the leader of the quest, being the most experienced and most powerful. Aelin and Lilly sat on either side of him.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza.

"Before we decide that," Killian said, "we need to talk about the prophecy. We all heard it, so I'm not going to recite it. Annabeth." Killian looked at her. "What do you know?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and she paled. Piper grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

That seemed to calm her. She took a deep breath. "My mom came and visited me two nighs ago. She said she needed me to do something for her, something that none of her children have ever been able to succeed at before."

Killian nodded for her to go on.

"She wants me to find the Athena Parthenos in Rome. It was stolen by the Romans when they conquered Greece. She told me to follow the Mark of Athena through Rome." She pulled out a coin with the Mark of Athena and placed it on the table in front of her.

"What do mean stolen by the Romans?" Piper asked.

"Athena and Rome have a...complicated relationship," Aelin explained carefully. "When the Romans adopted the gods, they changed her into what could be considered a minor goddess. They showed her almost no respect, favoring gods like Jupiter and Mars instead."

"So the Romans stole a statue of her?" Leo asked. "That seems stupid."

"It goes beyond that," Killian said. "The Athena Parthenos is one of Athena's most powerful symbols. When the Romans took it after sacking Greece, it was like a personal insult to the goddess. She has never forgiven them."

"So where is it?"

"No one knows," Annabeth said. "It's been lost for thousands of years."

Piper stared at her own dinner. The magical plates could conjure up a great selection of vegetarian stuff. She especially liked the avocado and grilled pepper quesadilla, but tonight she didn't have much of an appetite.

"And you have to find it?" she said quietly.

Annabeth nodded.

"And she'll have to do it alone," Killian said. "Percy explained what happened last time. Annabeth will have to travel alone to find the Athena Parthenos. The most we can do is support and pray for her, I'm afraid."

Everyone was silent for a minute. Piper was trying not to cry after hearing that. She didn't want Annabeth to have to be alone, trying to find that stupid statue.

Jason said, "What about the rest of the prophecy?"

"I have a rough idea," Killian said. "I have a few inklings as to who the 'twins' are, but don't know what 'traitor' the prophecy speaks of. As for the last two lines, they reference the Athena Parthenos and where it is hidden. Something to do with weaving, I believe, but I can't think of any monster who can-" He stopped dead.

"Killian?" Lilly asked worriedly as his face paled. "What is it, sweetie?"

Killian looked at Annabeth, fear written across his face. He swallowed.

"I know who it is," he said shakily. "I know who holds the Athena Parthenos."

"Who?" Lilly asked.

Killian shook his head. "I...I'll tell you later," he promised. "Right now..."

Annabeth's whole body shook. If whatever awaited her scared him that much...Annabeth was not inclined to meet it.

"I think that's enough for now," Aelin decided, standing up. "I'll be retiring to my room. Uh, Leo?"

The imp looked up.

"The ship isn't enchanted to keep out gods, is it?"

He frowned. "No? At least, I don't think it is. Why?"

"No reason." She skipped from the hall.

"I guess that's the end of this meeting," Lilly said, standing from her chair. She walked behind Killian and rubbed his shoulders. "Feel free to explore the ship. Just don't crash us, and we'll reach the Mediterranean in a couple days."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell. It reminded Piper of Grandpa Tom's place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, back on the reservation.

Aelin was the first to notice her. She smiled in greeting, which for some reason surprised Piper. She was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt under a silver windbreaker. Her multicolored hair was braided down her back and flowed in the wind.

Piper wasn't sure what to make of her. Killian had introduced her as his niece, which made Piper uneasy. She knew Killian and his friends were strong, but how strong would a combination of two of them be? Not only that, but she had a massive bodyguard.

"So!" Annabeth snuck up behind Piper, plucked the bagel out of her hand, and took a bite, but that didn't bother Piper. Back at camp, they'd had a running joke about stealing each other's breakfast. "What's the plan for today?"

"Sail," Aelin said. She frowned. "Or is it considered flying? I don't know. Either way, we don't really have any reason to go anywhere else. All we have to do is relax."

"Not true," Ajax said, walking up to the girls in full armor. He seemed to always be armored. So much so that Piper suspected he slept in it. "There are seven demigods on this ship made of precious metal. If your smell does not attract any monsters, the shine of the ship will make up for it."

"What, like a dragon?" Piper scoffed.

The ship suddenly tilted violently, sending Aelin flying backwards over the railing. Ajax dove forward and grabbed her hand at the last second.

"Never challenge the Fates," he said seriously. He pulled Aelin up just as a giant red beast flew by. The ship shook in its wake.

"There's no f*cking way," Piper said as she stared at the massive dragon circling the ship. It had large, red wings and a blue-black tint along the trailing edge that resembled metal scorched by fire. Its scales ranged from bright crimson to the dark red of a dying fire. Atop its head were swept-back horns and a frilly spine, and black smoke trailed from its face. "Dragons aren't real."

"They are very real," Ajax told her. He pulled out his shield and spear and stood protectively in front of them. "In ancient times, it was common to spot dragons in the distance. They avoided Greece because of the gods, but because of how big this country is, their appearances are much more common."

"How have I never seen one before?" Annabeth asked. "If they're so common?"

"Hecate is quite good with the Mist. Even for demigods such as yourselves, dragons are such an outlandish concept nowadays that your brains wouldn't be able to comprehend them."

They all stumbled as the dragon made another pass, shaking the ship. It roared, making their bones vibrate.

"Be wary!" Ajax ordered. "Where there is one, another is sure to follow!"

"I thought they were solitary creatures!" Annabeth shouted.

"Most are! But they are also vicious, and love battle! When one shows up, another is sure to challenge it!"

As if on cue, a second, less guttural roar was heard. A blue dragon appeared in the sky, streaking for the red one. This one had iridescent blue scales, ranging from bright azure to the deepest indigo, polished to mirror the sky. It had a huge, jagged horn on its head that it used as it charged the red dragon.

The red dragon opened its maw and spewed a giant wave of fire at the blue as it approached. The blue dragon roared and turned away. Unfortunately for the demigods, the fire was aimed right at their ship.

"Get down!" Aelin yelled, throwing up a huge ice wall in front of the ship. The ship rocked as the blast of fire hit the ice wall, knocking everyone down.

"What the heck is happening?" Killian yelled as he reached the deck.

"Dragons!" Aelin yelled, rubbing her hands together as mist rose from them. "A red and a blue!"

"f*cking dragons?" Lilly exclaimed as she ran to check on Annabeth, who had been thrown against the mast. "Are you serious?"

"Leo, get the Argo's weapons ready!" Killian ordered.

The imp nodded and ran for the controls. As he did, the blue dragon flew over them. Its jaw crackled with electricity as it aimed at them.

"Jason, you're up!" Killian grabbed the blond and threw him towards the dragon. "Redirect the lightning before it hits the ship!"

Jason's face was wide with fear as he flew through the air in between the dragon's crackling maw and the Argo II. The dragon suddenly shot a searing line of lighting right at him. It hit him full force, knocking him back towards the mast. He struggled to contain all the electricity. As he hit the mast, the lighting shot out of his raised arm. The sky lit up from the blast.

Jason fell back towards the deck, Ajax caught him before he could smash his head open.

"Well done, son of Zeus!" Ajax said, setting him down against the mast.

"It's not over yet!" Piper shouted. "It's coming back for another round!"

Indeed, the blue dragon was circling back for another blast. It's jaw was wreathed with electricity.

"Take cover!" Leo yelled.

A huge boom sounded from that side of the ship as a few celestial bronze cannonballs were fired. The blue dragon dodged one of the cannon balls but the second one smashed into its abdomen. It let loose a roar of pain, turning away from the ship.

Leo began to cheer, but then the red dragon reemerged. It spewed a torrent of fire at the ship, knocking it to the side. The hull held strong, though. Seeing this, the red dragon flew above them and fired another blast at the demigods.

Aelin tried to throw up another ice wall, but it was blasted to pieces. Everyone dived out of the way of the blast that was headed directly for Lilly. Killian threw himself in front of her and wrapped his body around her. She winced at the heat around them that nearly made her black out, but then it was gone. The deck around them was on fire but Aelin quickly went around putting out the fires.

"How the hell are we going to beat them?" Piper yelled from behind a mast.

Killian didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Leo, are we full speed?"

"We're going as fast as we can!" he shouted.

Killian's jaw set. He marched towards the edge of the ship, waiting as the red dragon flew towards them.

"Killian, whatever you're doing, don't," Lilly told him, but he didn't listen.

Once the dragon was 100 yards away, he shot off the Argo like a rocket. He slammed his fist into the dragon's face, knocking it off course of the ship.

"Killian!" Lilly screamed as the dragon sailed past, roaring in pain.

"Incoming!" Leo shouted. "Bluey coming in for another attack!"

Everyone paled and scrambled for cover as the blue dragon charged up. They braced for impact, but before the dragon could electrocute the entire ship, a white blast came from below the ship. It knocked the dragon's jaw upward so that its lightning attack ripped apart the clouds instead of the Argo II.

Its roar of anger was answered by another one that came from below the ship.

"Not another one!" Piper complained, hopping on the ballistae at the left side of the ship. She took aim at the blue dragon and fired. The stunned beat didn't have time to dodge. Greek fire exploded from the spear that was now stuck in its side. The fire burned holes in the membrane of the dragon's wings.

As it began to plummet from the sky, another, silver dragon shot out from underneath. At first, Piper thought it was a moving statue. It appeared to be made out of pure, iridescent metal. This dragon, despite only having two legs, unlike the other two who had four, was even bigger than the red and blue dragons. It dwarfed the blue dragon, like Ajax dwarfed Leo.

The silver dragon held the blue dragon in place by its feet, its silver wings flapping, creating gales that rocked the Argo. It roared in the blue dragon's face as its maw glowed white. Then the blue dragon got a blast of snow and ice directly to the face. The silver dragon continued for a couple seconds before stopping.

It let go of the blue dragon, whose face was completely frozen and wings now useless, and it fell back towards the earth.

Killian held on tight as the wind ripped at him. The dragon was flying at super speeds, trying to shake its head to get rid of him.

He held on tight, using its scales to climb up its face. When he got next to its fiery red eyes, he ignited one hand before shoving it in the dragon's eye. It roared in pain, trying even harder to get rid of Killian, but he held on with all his Titan-born strength.

After a few seconds, he removed his hand. What remained of the dragon's eye was a scorched ball of white. He was about to move onto the next eye when something heavy barreled into the red dragon. He was briefly thrown off, forcing him to grab one of the dragon's horns before he flew off.

He caught a brief glimpse of a silver beast on the dragon's underside before a blast of white clouded his vision. The red dragon roared in pain, but was cut off. Then it began to drop from the sky.

Before Killian could contemplate going splat with the dragon, he was grabbed from the sky by a silver clawed foot. He glanced up and saw an eye of liquid mercury staring at him.

He ignited his hands, ready for a fight, but a voice in his mind said, Peace, young one. I am not here for treasure nor violence.

Surprised, he let the fires go out. As the silver dragon closed in on the ship, he could see his friends getting ready to fight. Piper fired a shot from the ballista and the silver dragon rolled around it.

It landed on the deck, tipping the ship ever so slightly. It let go of Killian and he saw his friends charging forward, weapons in hand.

"Hold!" he shouted, raising his hands. "Don't attack!"

They stopped, confused.

"Lord Killian, are you alright?" Ajax asked, staring at the dragon with his spear clutched tightly in his hand. "Has this beast tricked you or warped your mind?"

Nothing like that, Ajax, son of Telamon.

Piper, Annabeth, and Leo jumped as the dragon spoke in their minds.

I am an elder dragon, the dragon told them, regarding them with its molten eyes. I despise dragons like the Reds and Blues. Treasure hoarders and dragons of evil intent. I am a good dragon, so to speak. I saw your ship in trouble and came to help.

"Well, uh," Lilly tried. "Thank you?"

The dragon nodded its head.

Beware the Chromatic Dragons. Your scent will put off many, but there will be those who are too hungry for precious metal to be deterred. I will leave you now. May fortune favor your journey.

With that, the dragon flapped its wings, knocking them all to the ground, and took off into the sky.

"What the f*ck was all that?" Aelin asked as she picked herself up.

"I think," Killian breathed, staring after the dragon, "that our quest just got a whole lot harder."

Chapter 22: Prophesied Love

Chapter Text

They set down in the Atlantic Sea a few days after the dragon attack. Leo and Annabeth had been working on a smokescreen that could mask the ship's shine and their scent, but so far hadn't gotten very far.

Jason had regained consciousness a few hours after the dragon attack. His chest was scarred with a blast mark from the lightning. Killian apologized for throwing him in the way, but Jason waved him off. He said that he needed to grow stronger if he wanted to catch up to the rest of them. That led to Lilly lecturing him, saying that he didn't need to live up to their heroics, but Jason didn't seem convinced.

They'd only been attacked one more time by a group of harpies but Piper had easily taken care of them. Now she wore a blue feather in her hair as a symbol of her victory.

The first night on the sea, Aelin had horrible nightmares. She stood in a vast gloomy space like an underground parking garage. Rows of stone pillars marched off in every direction, holding up the ceiling about twenty feet above. Freestanding braziers cast a dim red glow over the floor.

Aelin couldn't see very far in the shadows, but hanging from the ceiling were pulley systems, sandbags, and rows of dark theater lights. Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, and COSTUMES. One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS.

Aelin heard machinery creaking in the darkness, huge gears turning, and water rushing through pipes.

Then she saw the giant...or at least Aelin guessed that he was a giant.

He was about twelve feet tall—a respectable height for a Cyclops, but only half as tall as other giants Aelin had heard about. He also looked more human than a typical giant, without the dragonlike legs of his larger kin. Nevertheless, his long purple hair was braided in a ponytail of dreadlocks, woven with gold and silver coins, which struck Percy as a giantish hairstyle. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back—a giantish weapon.

He wore the largest black turtleneck Aelin had ever seen, black pants, and black leather shoes with points so long and curly, they might have been jester slippers. He paced back and forth in front of a raised platform, examining a bronze jar about the size of her uncle Killian.

"No, no, no," the giant muttered to himself. "Where's the splash? Where's the value?" He yelled into the darkness, "Otis!"

Aelin heard something shuffling in the distance. Another giant appeared out of the gloom. He wore exactly the same black outfit, right down to the curly shoes. The only difference between the two giants was that the second one's hair was green rather than purple.

The first giant cursed. "Otis, why do you do this to me every day? I told you I was wearing the black turtleneck today. You could wear anything but the black turtleneck!"

Otis blinked as if he'd just woken up. "I thought you were wearing the yellow toga today."

"That was yesterday! When you showed up in the yellow toga!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Ephie."

His brother snarled. They had to be twins, because their faces were identically ugly.

"And don't call me Ephie," Ephie demanded. "Call me Ephialtes. That's my name. Or you can use my stage name: The BIG F!"

Otis grimaced. "I'm still not sure about that stage name."

"Nonsense! It's perfect. Now, how are the preparations coming along?"

"Fine." Otis didn't sound very enthusiastic. "The man-eating tigers, the spinning blades...But I still think a few ballerinas would be nice."

"No ballerinas!" Ephialtes snapped. "And this thing." He waved at the bronze jar in disgust. "What does it do? It's not exciting."

"But that's the whole point of the show. He dies unless the others rescue him. And if they arrive on schedule—"

"Oh, they'd better!" Ephialtes said. "July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno. That's when Mother wants to destroy those stupid demigods and really rub it in Juno's face. Besides, I'm not paying overtime for those gladiator ghosts!"

"Well, then, they all die," Otis said, "and we start the destruction of Rome. Just like Mother wants. It'll be perfect. The crowd will love it. Roman ghosts adore this sort of thing."

Ephialtes looked unconvinced. "But the jar just stands there. Couldn't we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or something?"

"We need him alive for a few more days," Otis reminded his brother. "Otherwise, the seven won't take the bait and rush to save him."

"Hmm. I suppose. I'd still like a little more screaming. This slow death is boring. Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?"

Otis made a sour face. "I really don't like talking to her. She makes me nervous."

"But is she ready?"

"Yes," Otis said reluctantly. "She's been ready for centuries. No one will be removing that statue."

"Excellent." Ephialtes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "This is our big chance, my brother."

"That's what you said about our last stunt," Otis mumbled. "I was hanging in that block of ice suspended over the River Lethe for six months, and we didn't even get any media attention."

"This is different!" Ephialtes insisted. "We will set a new standard for entertainment! If Mother is pleased, we can write our own ticket to fame and fortune!"

"If you say so," Otis sighed. "Though I still think those ballerina costumes from Swan Lake would look lovely—"

"No ballet!"

"Sorry."

"Come," Ephialtes said. "Let's examine the tigers. I want to be sure they are hungry!"

The giants lumbered off into the gloom, and Aelin turned toward the jar.

I need to see inside, she thought.

She willed her dream forward, right to the surface of the jar. Then she passed through.

The air in the jar smelled of stale breath and tarnished metal. The only light came from the dim glow of a bronze sword, its Celestial Bronze blade set against one side of the container. Huddled next to it was a dejected-looking boy in tattered jeans, an orange shirt, and an old jacket.

"Alex," Aelin called. But the son of Poseidon couldn't hear him.

The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Alex's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be meditating. His face was pale, and thinner than Aelin remembered.

On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Alex had scratched three hash marks with his sword—maybe it had been three days that he'd been imprisoned?

It didn't seem possible he could have survived so long without suffocating. Even in a dream, Aelin was already starting to feel panicky, struggling to get enough oxygen.

Then she noticed something between Alex's feet—a small collection of glistening objects no bigger than baby teeth.

Seeds, Aelin realized. Pomegranate seeds. Persephone's specialty. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still encased in dark red pulp.

"Alex," Aelin said, "where is this place? We'll save you...."

The image faded, and a girl's voice whispered: "Aelin."

At first, Aelin thought she was still asleep. She often dreamt about Artemis. Even when she was younger, she would have prophetic dreams about them together. They were prophesied to be together, after all. But as her eyes opened and her vision cleared, she realized Artemis was really there.

She was standing by her berth, smiling down at her.

Her auburn hair fell across her shoulders. Her dim yellow eyes were bright with amusem*nt. She remembered the first time they had met, when she had been seven years old. They had seen each other from across camp and a coin from Artemis's pocket floated in front of her, leading her to Aelin. Then, when they were in front of each other, the coin exploded into a pink and purple heart around the two.

Ever since, the two would wear something purple, since Artemis wasn't a fan of pink. And Aelin saw the purple shirt underneath her jacket now as the goddess smiled at her.

"Wh—what's going on?" Aelin asked. "Are we in trouble?"

"No," she said, her voice low. "It's the middle of the night."

"You mean..." Aelin's heart started to race. She realized she was in her pajamas, in bed. She probably had been drooling, or at least making weird noises as she dreamed. No doubt she had a severe case of pillow hair and her breath didn't smell great. "You sneaked into my cabin?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Aelin, I'm a goddess. You can't seriously be scared of getting in trouble."

"Have you seen how protective Uncle Killian is?"

"Besides, Aelin, I just thought we could take a walk. We haven't had much time to be together alone anymore. I want to show you something—my favorite place aboard the ship."

Aelin's pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn't from fear of getting into trouble.

"Can I, you know, brush my teeth first?"

"You'd better," Artemis said. "Because I'm not kissing you until you do. And brush your hair while you're at it."

For a trireme, the ship was huge, but it still felt cozy to Aelin—like her room in her parents cabin in Canada. The two crept downstairs to the second deck, which Aelin hadn't explored except for sickbay.

Artemis led her past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.

"How does that thing even work?" Aelin asked.

"No idea," Artemis said. "You should know that I'm not good with mechanical things. That's Hephestaus's job."

"That's reassuring."

She smiled. "Come on."

They worked their way past the supply rooms and the armory. Toward the stern of the ship, they reached a set of wooden double doors that opened into a large stable. The room smelled of fresh hay and wool blankets. Lining the left wall were three empty horse stalls like the ones they used for pegasi back at camp. The right wall had two empty cages big enough for large zoo animals.

In the center of the floor was a twenty-foot-square see-through panel. Below, the ocean passed by. Far below, Aelin could see schools of fish and whales and all manner of sea creatures swimming by.

"A glass-bottomed boat?" Aelin asked.

Artemis grabbed a blanket from the nearest stable gate and spread it across part of the glass floor. "Sit with me."

They relaxed on the blanket as if they were having a picnic, and watched the sea world go by below.

"I heard that Charles Beckendorf built the stables so pegasi could come and go easily," Artemis said. "Only he didn't realize that pegasi prefer to roam free, so the stables are always empty."

"What do you mean, come and go easily?" she asked. "Wouldn't a pegasus have to make it down two flights of stairs?"

Artemis rapped her knuckles on the glass. "These are bay doors, like on a bomber."

Aelin gulped. "You mean we're sitting on doors? What if they opened?"

"I suppose we'd drown. But they won't open. Most likely."

"Great."

Artemis laughed. "You know why I like it here? It's not just the view. What does this place remind you of?"

Aelin looked around: the cages and stables, the Celestial bronze lamp hanging from the beam, the smell of hay, and of course Artemis sitting close to her, her face ghostly and beautiful in the soft amber light.

"Your palace," Aelin said. "The one in the mountains."

Her smile told her she'd gotten the answer right.

"That was a while ago," Aelin said. "It was our first proper date. You took me there as a show of trust, since it was your first time doing anything romantic. You were scared, so you took me to a place that comforted you."

Artemis nodded. "Look at me now. I can hold your hand without pulsing with moonlight now."

"You do it when I try to–"

"No," Artemis cut her off, beginning to blush golden.

Aelin laughed. She leaned over and kissed the goddess: a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no demigods anywhere, no screaming Aphrodite girls, no cooing Hunters.

Aelin stared at Artemis. Her auburn hair glowed in the dim golden light, as did her cheeks as she reeled from the kiss. Her eyes, if possible, appeared to have formed small heart shaped moons as she stared back at Aelin. They eyes that seemed to fish every secret out of her.

"I was having a nightmare when you woke me up," she admitted.

She told Artemis what she'd seen.

Even the most troubling parts didn't seem to surprise her. She shook her head sadly when she described Alex's imprisonment in the bronze jar. She got an angry glint in her eyes when she told her about the giants planning some sort of Rome-destroying extravaganza that would include their painful deaths as the opening event.

"Alexander is the bait," she murmured. "Gaea's forces must have captured him somehow. But not even us gods know exactly where they're holding him."

"Somewhere in Rome," Aelin said. "Somewhere underground. They made it sound like Alex still had a few days to live, but I don't see how he could hold out so long with no oxygen."

"Five more days, if I remember correctly," Artemis said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now. You should talk to Killian."

"Now?"

She hesitated. "No. It can wait until morning. I don't want to hit him with this news in the middle of the night."

"The giants mentioned a statue," Aelin recalled. "And something about a talented friend who was guarding it. Whoever this friend was, she scared Otis. Anyone who can scare a giant..."

Artemis gazed down at a shark swimming through a colorful coral reef. "Aelin, have you seen Athena lately? Or had any kind of sign from her?"

She shook her head. "Not since...Wow. I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since January, I think. I tried to contact her a few days ago but didn't get anything back." A sense of dread settled over her. "Why? Have you seen Athena?"

Artemis didn't meet her eyes.

"A few weeks ago," she admitted. "It...it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman schizophrenia that most gods are going through. I'm not sure. She said some...things."

"Like what?" Aelin asked. "If she hurt you, I swear–"

"No, Aelin," Artemis interrupted. "Nothing...nothing like that. She just...she's not herself. She's angry. Most gods are, especially with me."

"Why?"

"I'm not affected like they are," Artemis explained. "I'm not going back and forth between my Greek and Roman forms. I think it's because of my Hunters. They're the closest to children that I have, and they're either Greek demigods or mortals. I have no Roman children, so I can't be torn between the two."

"Isn't that a good thing? If you can control your forms, that means you're the most level headed, and you can–"

"It doesn't matter," she said miserably. "On top of that, I've been having nightmares of my own. They don't make as much sense as yours."

Aelin waited, but Artemis didn't share any more details. She wanted to make the goddess feel better and tell her it would be okay, but she knew she couldn't. She wanted to fix everything for both of them so they could have a happy ending.

Artemis managed a faint smile. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad things until the morning." She kissed her. "We'll figure everything out. For now, all that matters is you and me."

"Right," Aelin said. "No more talk about Gaea rising, Alex being held hostage, the world ending, the giants—"

"Shut up, Celeste," she ordered. "Just hold me for a while."

They sat together cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth. Before Aelin knew it, the drone of the ship's engine, the dim light, and the comfortable feeling of being with Artemis made her eyes heavy, and she drifted to sleep.

Chapter 23: Hercules or Heracles?

Chapter Text

The next morning, they held their war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Aelin felt right at home.

Artemis stuck around to add her input in the meeting and explain her situation and what was going on with the gods.

Aelin told them about her dream-the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Alex Mare trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

"Nico did report him missing," Killian murmured. "Disappeared while they were in the underworld."

"What are the seeds?" Jason asked.

"They're a specialty of my sister's," Artemis said. "The seeds are a last-resort food. It used to be that only children of Hades could eat them, but she modified some and handed them out to close friends and allies."

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Aelin looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Yes, we will," Killian said. "This is what the prophecy means. 'Twins hold Traitor's breath.' Alex is the traitor."

"Uh," Leo said, raising his hand. "If he's a traitor, why're we rescuing him? Isn't that, like, a bad thing?"

"He's not a traitor anymore," Lilly explained. "You remember us talking about the Titan War, how Kronos had a mortal host? Alex was that host, but he sent Kronos back to Tartarus. He would've died if Killian hadn't saved him."

"What's to say he won't betray us, though?" Jason asked. "You never trust a traitor."

"He won't," Killian said. "I'm sure."

"How can you be-"

"You dare question his word," Artemis snapped, eyes glowing. Jason paled.

"Easy, Arty," Aelin said, putting a hand on the goddess's shoulder. "He's never met Alex, so he doesn't know how much of a good person he is. He's just being wary."

Her eyes stopped glowing, but she still glared at the son of Jupiter. She crossed her arms. "Questioning him is like questioning me, boy. Do not do it again."

Jason nodded quickly.

"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Killian shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time. I remember having to go find Hades' sword in the underworld. That was a trap. I ended up fighting Iapetus next to the Lethe with Alex. He blasted the Titan with water from the river, wiping his memories."

From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill.

"That's Festus," Leo said. "He's my AI that I put on autopilot, but we must be nearing the Mediterranean. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to go from there."

"You'll have to get past my step-brother, first," Artemis said, arms still crossed.

Everyone frowned.

Piper started to ask, "Who-" but was interrupted by a ship's horn-a blast so loud it literally shook a few of them out of their chairs. Leo's hair burst into flame, Jason popped with electricity, and Killian belched out a ball of fire. It sounded like it was coming from several hundred yards away-from another vessel.

They all rushed to get to the top deck. About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.

Piper plugged her ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Killian speculated.

"WHAT?" Piper yelled back.

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by kids armed with ancient weapons and bows, they didn't let on.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising a smoking hand.

"Can I blast them?" Artemis asked.

"No, Arty," Aelin chided.

Lilly rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are-oh...Wow."

Everyone followed her gaze and gasped. Without the cruise ship blocking their view, they saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. Piper had seen impressive cliffs before. She'd driven Highway 1 along the California coast. She'd seen the cliffs and glaciers in Alaska. But neither was as amazing as this massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as Piper could figure. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded Piper of a colossal sphinx, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there -" She pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

The morning was warm, but Piper shivered. Despite the wide stretch of sea in front of them, she felt like she was standing at an impassable barrier. Once in the Mediterranean- the Mare Nostrum-they would be in the ancient lands. If the legends were true, their quest would become ten times more dangerous.

"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

Not triremes full of demigods, Piper thought.

Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar. Piper recognized that brooding expression on her girlfriend's face. It almost always meant that she anticipated trouble.

"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Heracles. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Heracles, huh?" Aelin frowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn-there he is."

A thunderous boom shook the Argo II, though no one was sure where it came from this time. No one saw any other ships, and the skies were clear.

"So...these Pillars of Heracles. Are they dangerous?" Piper guessed.

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning-"

"Non plus ultra," Jason said.

Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"

Jason pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. Piper was positive no island had been there before. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the Argo's masts. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater-maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."

No one answered-maybe because they had noticed the figure standing on the beach. As the ship approached the columns, they saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at the ship as if he were expecting them.

Annabeth inhaled sharply. "Could that be-?"

"Heracles," Ajax said. "The most powerful demigod in Ancient Greece."

"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick-"

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Heracles, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

"Won't Heracles be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean...he's one of us, right?"

Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."

"Great," Aelin said. "Ten of us against Heracles."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group -one or two at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Aelin suggested. "Half brothers don't always get along."

Jason scowled. "Thank you, Ms. Optimism."

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Heracles have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."

All eyes turned to Piper.

"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes."

"Actually," Killian interrupted, taking a break from glaring at the island to look at the group. "I'll go. He's an ancient demigod. I don't know if any of you have read the legends, but they tended to be less for words than power displays. I'll go, knock him around a little, get him to let us pass. Easy enough."

"But he's a god," Jason tried to protest. "You can't think you'll win against him."

"Killian has the best chance out of you all," Artemis interjected. Everyone turned to face her. She had been so quiet that they had forgotten she was there. She was staring angrily at the distant god, as if remembering something. "He has fought with three Elder Titans and defeated all of them. He spars with me, the greatest Olympian warrior. A god like Heracles is no match."

"Don't worry, Artemis," Killian said, patting her on the shoulder as he walked past. "I know what he did. I'll save a couple punches just for that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He looked almost the same way as Zoë had described.

His feet were bare, covered in white sand. His robes were purple, meaning he was the Roman version of Hercules rather than the Greek Heracles. His beard was horribly fashionably scruffy.

He was well built, but not too stocky. His ebony hair was close-cropped, Roman style. He had startling blue eyes like Thalia or Jason's, but his skin was coppery, as if he'd spent his entire life on a tanning bed. The most surprising thing: he looked about twenty. Definitely no older. He was handsome in a rugged but not-at-all-caveman way.

He had a club, which lay in the sand next to him, but it was more like an oversized baseball bat-a five-foot-long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze.

He approached from the surf, careful not to make any threatening moves. Hercules watched them with no particular emotion, as if they were some form of seabird he had never noticed before.

"Hello," Killian said.

"What's up?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting them in the high school locker room.

Killian shrugged. "Demigod things, y'know? Quests, the gods being morons, monsters trying to kill us. The norm."

Hercules nodded. "I see."

"Out of curiosity, where's your lion skin?"

"It's ninety degrees out here," he said. "Why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach?"

"Fair enough, I suppose. You're always depicted with one, so I was curious."

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, like he wanted to have words with his father, Zeus. "Don't believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."

"Hmm. Say, would you mind letting us past? Our quest heads into the Mediterranean, towards Rome. We kinda need to get there quickly, and don't fancy taking a longer route."

Hercules shrugged. "That's why I'm here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus. I said, Great! Palace duty! Party all the time! What he didn't mention is that I'd be guarding the doors to the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun."

"Stuck you say?" Killian scratched his face. "Certainly not what I've been told."

Hercules finally seemed to question Killian's presence. "Who are you, boy?"

"Someone who just wants to talk," Killian replied while raising his hands to seem less threatening.

"About what?" Hercules asked suspiciously.

"I told you already. My ship needs passage through here."

"A very likely story," Hercules retorted while watching him closely. "Tell me, why shouldn't I drag you back to Olympus?"

"Wouldn't that mean that you would need to be able to leave?" Killian retorted. "You're just as trapped as Calypso was." Hercules stiffened in rage. "Face it, Hercules. You're nothing but a puppet for the gods."

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Hercules snarled, turning golden with anger.

"No," Killian replied simply. "But if you aren't gonna give us passage, you'll find that I am looking for something."

"Oh?"

"I want to fight. No powers, no godly form, no weapons. Just a good ol' fistfight. And like all fistfights, there'll be some stakes. If you win, I'll sit here all nice and pretty while you summon the Olympians. But if I win, you need to do three things for me, without complaint or protest. Afterward, you're free to go...around the island."

Hercules shrugged, tossing his club to the ground a few feet away. He cracked his knuckles, then his neck. "Your funeral, boy."

Killian simply smirked, dropping his arms to put his hands in his pockets. The action enraged Hercules.

Does this kid know who he's dealing with? Does he not see me as a threat? He thought.

Hercules sprung forward suddenly with blinding speed, a fist aimed right for Killian's stomach. Killian sidestepped before the fist could make contact, letting Hercules stumble past him. He simply looked over his shoulder at the surprised god, his face not changing from the smirk. He could see Hercules's anger grow as he lunged for him again, this time aiming for his head. He leaned out of the way, staring into Hercules's eyes as he sailed past. Hercules stared back, eyes widening as he realized the speed his opponent was moving was far beyond his own.

Hercules caught himself before he went too far from his opponent. He turned around and stared at Killian, studying him in a new light. Maybe he could outmaneuver him if he kept up on the attacks, catch him by surprise...

With that plan in mind, Hercules lunged again, sending a flurry of punches and jabs at him, using his godly speed to try and catch Killian, but Killian was faster still. He weaved in and out of the jabs and grabs with such ease that it angered Hercules even more.

Eventually, Hercules stopped, seeing that his new strategy was only serving to tire himself. Thinking quick, he smashed a fist down into the sand, sending it flying everywhere. The god charged Killian while his sight was impaired, hoping to finally catch him off guard. He threw both hands forward as he smashed into the Titan-born, forcing him back until they stopped. Hercules looked up in horror and shock as he saw Killian holding both of his fists in his hands, his feet having left trenches in the sand from being pushed back with so much strength.

"Is it my turn?" Killian asked, amused as he started to bend Hercules's hands back, bending his wrists painfully. Killian suddenly jumped over the god, doing a somersault while still holding onto the god's hands. He pulled Hercules over him before slamming him into the sand with so much force that the god bounced back up. Killian quickly kicked him in the side, sending him skipping along the sand, a palm tree catching him in the end. Hercules groaned as he laid on the ground, Killian walking up to him. Killian was amazed he was still conscious considering he hadn't pulled his punches.

Killian pressed his foot onto Hercules's back. "Do you yield?" Hercules looked up at the Titan-born, blinking out some ichor that had dripped into his eyes before nodding slowly. Killian lifted his foot off the god before offering a hand. Surprised by the act, Hercules took it, pulling himself into a sitting position.

Hercules sighed as he leaned against the tree. "You win, so what are your three commands?"

"Well, one is to let my ship pass. We are on urgent business, as you know quests are. The second one is simple: Have an honest conversation with me."

"What?"

"You heard me," Killian replied while plopping down beside the god. "I want to have a conversation with you. No lies, no hidden truths, no omissions. Acceptable?"

"Is...is that it?" Killian nodded. "Then...yes, I accept your order."

"Good." Killian crossed his legs. "Firstly, answer me this: who is Ἡρακλῆς?"

"Huh? What kind of conversation starter is that? And why do you speak my name in Greek? Were you cursed, boy?"

"Just answer."

"Al...alright." Hercules rubbed his forehead, wiping away the ichor from an already healed cut from being smashed into the ground. "Hercules is the god of strength, the son of Zeus who completed the Twelve Labors."

"Is that all you are? Just the god of strength? Just the son of Ζeus? Did you only complete the Twelve Labors?"

"You ask a lot of questions, boy."

Killian shrugged. "I was told it was good to be curious in this life."

"That can be an aide." Hercules sighed. "I guess that there is more to me than just those three things. I was a demigod, the son of Alcmene, the daughter of Electryon, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, who was a son of the original Perseus. I was considered the strongest man on earth in my time. I am the slayer of the Invincible Lion of Nemea, the Nine-Headed Hydra of Lerna, and the Man-Eating Boar of Mount Erymanthus. I captured the Guardian of the Underworld, Cerberus. I rescued the princess of Troy, I stole an apple from the Tree of Immortality. I am a son of Zeus with little to no power from his father, relying on his own strength and wit to survive."

"Your own strength and wit, huh?" Killian repeated. "Did you not have help in your labors? Did you not receive help from the goddess Athena in driving away a flock of Stymphalian birds? Or a naiad's help in cleaning out the stables of the King Augeas? Or your nephew in the killing of the Lernaean Hydra? Or Artemis in allowing you to capture the Golden Hind?"

"Yes, yes," Hercules interrupted. "I had much help in my acts of heroism, for which I am grateful."

"I wasn't done," Killian growled. "Did you not also receive help from a Hespride in the retrieval of a Golden Apple of Immortality? Did she not distract Ladon and her sisters while you plucked an apple or two from the tree, before running away, leaving and forgetting about her completely, despite being given the sword that would be passed down for generations of heroes, finally landing in the hands of Alex Mare?"

"Yes," Hercules ground out.

Killian stared at him for a second before saying, "Good, you acknowledge it." Killian suddenly stood up. "Do you know who I am?" Hercules shook his head. "I'm Killian Vixon, son of Hyperion, the Titan of the East and Fire. Some of my friends wish a very painful death upon you for what you did to one of us."

"The Hesperide?" he guessed.

"Yeah. Her name is Zoë. She hates you and cannot speak a kind word about you. But I've read the accounts of your story. One action does not make a man, after all. You endured hardships few demigods could ever hope of surviving. Not just from monsters, but gods as well. And that leads into my third and final command."

"Well?" Hercules asked. "Out with it boy!"

"Come when we call," Killian told him. "My brothers and I have been planning something big. We would like to have you with us, as a former demigod who understands the torment we suffer from the grudges of gods who use mortals as playthings. We wish to rectify this. On how, we will fill you in later. Do you accept our offer?" Killian stretched out a hand.

Hercules studied him. "I believe it was a command, was it not?" The corner of his mouth quirked upward. "I accept, son of Hyperion. You sound as if you care for the demigods and people beneath you, something rarely seen among those who are destined to rule."

"Thank you. It is a trait I take pride in."

"Good. It is something to be proud of." He stood up and brushed off his robe. "Now get going, kid. You do not have much time until your friend expires. I will guarantee you safe passage past here, but once you are in the Mare Nostrum, untold dangers await you. Be wary, son of Hyperion."

Killian nodded before vanishing in a flash of fire.

Chapter 24: Piper's Dream

Chapter Text

Piper was not feeling the love.

She'd been useless the entire trip so far. First, the dragons had attacked, and while she had done some damage to one of them, it took another dragon and Killian to really save them. Then they were faced with Hercules, one of the most powerful demigods to ever live, and she was forced to stay on the boat while Killian went and 'convinced' him to let them pass, even after Annabeth suggested she go to reason with the god.

She was even visited by her mother, Venus. She went on about how Jason was much better for her than Annabeth. 'He's so much dreamier than that owl spawn,' were her exact words. 'A son of Jupiter is much better for the likes of my daughter. You can do so much better, dearie.'

It didn't help that Annabeth had been distant ever since they had left the U.S.. She spent most of her time in her cabin, studying the bronze map she'd been given by Artemis before the goddess had left, or looking up information on the computer Killian's friend Charles Beckendorf had installed.

Whenever Piper stopped by to see her, she was so lost in thought that the conversation went something like this:

Piper: "Hey, how's it going?"

Annabeth: "Uh, no thanks."

Piper: "Okay...have you eaten anything today?"

Annabeth: "I think Leo is on duty. Ask him."

Piper: "So, my hair is on fire."

Annabeth: "Okay. In a while."

She got like this sometimes. It was one of the challenges of dating an Athena girl. Still, Piper wondered what he had to do to get her attention. She was worried about her after hearing her prophecy, and she didn't know how to help her, especially if she shut her out.

After leaving the Pillars of Hercules, the ship traveled by air for a few hundred miles.

Piper hoped the ancient lands wouldn't be as bad as they'd heard. But it was almost like a commercial: You'll notice the difference immediately!

Several times an hour, something attacked the ship. A flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds swooped out of the night sky, and Leo torched them. Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning. While Ajax was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared from nowhere, stampeded over the warrior's enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.

"You foul beast!" Ajax called after it. "How dare you disturb my dinner!"

Finally around midnight, after the ninth or tenth aerial attack, Jason turned to her. "How about you get some sleep? I'll keep blasting stuff out of the sky as long as I can. Then we can go by sea for a while, and you can take point."

Piper wasn't sure that she'd be able to sleep with the boat rocking through the clouds as it was shaken by angry wind spirits, but Jason's idea made sense. She went belowdecks and crashed on her bunk.

Her nightmares, of course, were anything but restful.

Piper dreamed she was in a dark cavern. She could only see a few feet in front of her, but the space must have been vast. Water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the sound echoed off distant walls. The way the air moved made her suspect the cave's ceiling was far, far above.

She heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis shuffled out of the gloom. Piper could distinguish them only by their hair-Ephialtes had the green locks braided with silver and gold coins; Otis had the purple ponytail braided with...were those firecrackers?

Otherwise, they were dressed identically, and their outfits definitely belonged in a nightmare. They wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with V-necks that showed way too much chest hair. A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. Their shoes were open-toed sandals, proving that-yes, indeed-they had snakes for feet. The straps wrapped around the serpents' necks. Their heads curled up where the toes should be. The snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their gold eyes in every direction, like dogs looking out the window of a car. Maybe it had been a long time since they'd had shoes with a view.

The giants stood in front of Piper, but they paid her no attention. Instead, they gazed up into the darkness.

"We're here," Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.

Far above, something answered, "Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss."

The voice made Piper's stomach drop about six inches. An involuntary shiver traveled up her spine. It sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones, as if a swarm of African killer bees had learned to speak English in unison.

It wasn't Gaea. Piper was sure of that. But whatever it was, the twin giants became nervous. They shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully.

"Of course, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said. "We bring news of-"

"Why are you dressed like that?" asked the thing in the dark. She didn't seem to be coming any closer, which was fine with Piper.

Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately-"

"You said I was the knife thrower today," Otis protested.

"I said I was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don't want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching."

Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. With a shudder, Piper realized she was laughing.

"How long?" she asked.

"They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think," Ephialtes said. "Of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy."

He sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.

"I hope they arrive safely," Her Ladyship said. "It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?"

"Yes, Your Ladyship." Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis's left snake.

"Careful, you dolt!" Her Ladyship snarled. "Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?"

Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. Piper realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone, was more like a glacier-in some places solid, in other places...not so much.

Piper was glad she weighed nothing in her dreams. "There is little left holding this place together," Her Ladyship cautioned. "Except, of course, my own skill. Centuries of Athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns below us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well...my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything."

Ephialtes gulped. He kept his eyes on the crack in the floor. "Soon it will not matter, Your Ladyship. Gaea will rise, and we all will be rewarded. You will no longer have to guard this place, or keep your works hidden."

"Perhaps," said the voice in the dark. "But I will miss the sweetness of my revenge. We have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?"

The twins bowed. The coins glittered in Ephialtes's hair, and Piper realized with nauseating certainty that some of them were silver drachma, exactly like the one Annabeth had gotten from her mom.

Annabeth had told them that in each generation, a few children of Athena were sent on the quest to recover the missing Parthenon statue. None had ever succeeded.

We have worked well together over the centuries...

The giant Ephialtes had centuries' worth of coins in his braids-hundreds of trophies. Piper pictured Annabeth standing in this dark place alone. She imagined the giant taking that coin she carried and adding it to his collection. She wanted to draw her sword and give the giant a haircut starting at the neck, but she was powerless to act. She could only watch.

"Uh, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said nervously. "I would remind you that Gaea wishes the girl to be taken alive. You can torment her. Drive her insane. Whatever you wish, of course. But her blood must be spilt on the ancient stones."

Her Ladyship hissed. "Others could be used for that purpose."

"Y-yes," Ephialtes said. "But this girl is preferred. And the boy-the son of Hyperion. You can see why those two would be most suited for the task."

Piper wasn't sure what that meant, but she wanted to crack the floor and send these stupid gold-shirted twins down to oblivion. She'd never let Gaea spill anyone's blood for any task-and there was no way Piper would let anyone hurt Annabeth.

"We will see," Her Ladyship grumbled. "Leave me now. Tend to your own preparations. You will have your spectacle. And I...I will work in darkness."

The dream dissolved, and Piper woke with a start.

Jason was knocking at her open doorway. "We've set down in the water," he said, looking utterly exhausted. "Your turn."

Piper didn't want to, but she woke Annabeth. She figured Ajax wouldn't mind their talking after curfew if it meant giving her information that might save her life.

They stood on deck, alone except for Leo, who was still manning the helm.

It was about four in the morning. The weather was miserable. The fog was so thick, Piper couldn't see the figurehead at the end of the prow, and warm drizzle hung in the air like a bead curtain. As they sailed into twenty-foot swells, the sea heaving underneath them.

Despite all that, Piper was grateful to be back on the water. She preferred it to flying through storm clouds and being attacked by man-eating birds and enchilada-trampling pegasi.

She stood with Annabeth at the forward rail while she told her about her dream.

Piper wasn't sure how she'd take the news. Her reaction was even more troubling than Piper anticipated: she didn't seem surprised.

She peered into the fog. "Piper, you have to promise me something. Don't tell the others about this dream."

"Don't what? Annabeth-"

"What you saw was about the Mark of Athena," she said. "It won't help the others to know. It'll only make them worry, and it'll make it harder for me to go off on my own."

"Annabeth, you can't be serious. That thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor-"

"I know." Her face looked unnaturally pale, and Piper suspected it wasn't just the fog. "But I have to do this alone."

Piper swallowed back her anger. She wasn't sure if she was mad at Annabeth, or her dream, or the entire Greek/Roman world that had endured and shaped human history for five thousand years with one goal in mind: to make Piper McLean's life suck as much as possible.

"You know what's in that cavern," she guessed. "Does it have to do with spiders?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Then how can you even...?" She made herself stop.

Once Annabeth had made up her mind, arguing with her wouldn't do any good. She had to go on this quest. The fate of the world might depend on it. But part of him wanted to say: Forget the world. He didn't want to be without her.

Piper stared into the fog. She couldn't see anything around them. Being blind was unsettling.

They hadn't been attacked since they had touched the water, but the sea seemed different. Piper had been in the Atlantic, the Pacific, even the Gulf of Alaska, but this sea felt more ancient and powerful. She might not have been a child of Neptune, but even she could sense its layers swirling below her. Every Greek or Roman hero had sailed these waters-from Hercules to Aeneas. Monsters still dwelt in the depths, so deeply wrapped in the Mist that they slept most of the time; but Piper could feel them stirring, responding to the Celestial bronze hull of a Greek trireme and the presence of demigod blood.

They are back, the monsters seemed to say. Finally, fresh blood.

"We can't be that far from the Italian coast," Piper said, mostly to break the silence. "Maybe a hundred miles from it. Though I am just guessing."

"Good," Annabeth said. "By daybreak, we should-"

"Stop." Piper suddenly said. Her skin felt washed with ice. "We have to stop."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo, stop!" she yelled.

Too late. The other boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. In that split second, they registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the Argo II.

Annabeth and Piper were almost thrown overboard.

The ship blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the Argo II. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

By the time Piper had recovered her wits, the enemy was everywhere. She couldn't see well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be human-like dolphins, or dolphin-like humans. Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet, which reminded Piper of clown shoes.

Leo sounded the alarm bell. He made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.

Annabeth and Piper stood back-to-back, as they'd done many times before, their weapons drawn.

Piper raised her sword, ready to fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around them, wisely keeping out of striking distance of Piper's sword. The dolphin-men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises. Piper had never considered just how vicious dolphin teeth looked.

Piper tried to think. Maybe she could break out of the circle and destroy a few invaders, but not without the others skewering Annabeth.

At least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. They kept them contained while more of their comrades flooded below-decks and secured the hull. She could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with her friends. Even if the other demigods hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many.

Leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. Below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. Either the others had been subdued or...Piper refused to think about it.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor-sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs-and everything he wore was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade like Lilly's, was gold instead of bronze.

The golden boy, Piper thought, remembering her dream. They'll have to get past the golden boy.

What really made Piper nervous was the guy's helmet. His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head-curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. The likeness was good-a little too good for her taste.

Annabeth turned so she was shoulder to shoulder with Piper. Piper wanted to put her arm around Annabeth protectively, but she doubted she'd appreciate the gesture, and she didn't want to give this golden guy any indication that Annabeth was her girlfriend. No sense giving the enemy more leverage than they already had.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than Piper could follow, he smacked the sword out of Piper's hand and sent it flying into the sea.

He might as well have thrown Piper's lungs into the sea, because suddenly Piper couldn't breathe. She'd never been disarmed so easily.

"Hello." The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic accent-Middle Eastern, maybe-that seemed vaguely familiar. "Always happy to rob fellow demigods. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want..." He turned his metal mask toward Annabeth. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

Chapter 25: Crossing The Golden Sword

Chapter Text

Piper's heart did jumping jacks while Chrysaor walked back and forth, inspecting them like prized cattle. A dozen of his dolphin-man warriors stayed in a ring around us, spears leveled at Piper's chest, while dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing around belowdecks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs. Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships."

"Ha!" Chrysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Annabeth murmured before her eyes widened. "Medusa."

"Medusa is your mom?" Piper asked. "Dude, that sucks for you."

"You are as arrogant as your mother," Chrysaor said. "But, yes Piper McLean, Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom..." The golden mask turned on Annabeth. "That would be your mother I believe...Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head-"

"Two children sprang out," Annabeth remembered. "Pegasus and you."

"But if you're Medusa's kid," Piper said, "why haven't I ever heard of you?"

Chrysaor sighed in exasperation. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me? No!" He raised the tip of his blade to Piper's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."

"Imperial gold?" Piper guessed.

"Bah! Enchanted gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.

Chrysaor spread his arms, which was fine with Piper since it got the sword point away from her eyes.

"The best pirate," Chrysaor said. "I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

"I'm afraid your days of pirating are over," said a voice behind Chrysaor.

The pirate whirled, swinging his sword, but it clanged off Killian's sword. Killian kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back. Annabeth and Piper threw themselves to the deck as Chrysaor sailed over them, crashing into his dolphin crew.

Before they could get up, Chrysaor was there, pointing his sword at Piper's neck.

"Move again and your friends die!" Chrysaor roared. Unfortunately for him, that was when the rest of the crew showed up.

Aelin and Ajax rushed up the stairs. Aelin took one look at Chrysaor before summoning her bow and shooting his blade from his hand. Dolphin men swarmed her but were pushed back by Ajax, who wielded his spear with the finesse of a master.

Lilly appeared from below deck, her hands dripping with poison and acid. She jumped over one dolphin man who had charged her and he was met with a gold blade as Jason came up behind Lilly.

Annabeth whirled around with her dagger out but paled as a dozen dolphin warriors stalked towards her. Before they could react, a volley of silver arrows rained down, cutting down three of them quickly while the rest tried to take cover.

Killain gritted his teeth as he blocked a strike from Chrysaor. The son of Medusa was tough. His swordsmanship was as good as a god's, a Titan's, even. They battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying.

The golden gorgon mask was unnerving. The warm fog, the slick deck boards, the sounds of battle around him-none of it helped. Killian feinted and thrust at Chrysaor's gut, but Chrysaor anticipated the move. He knocked Killian's sword aside, but Killian held firm, not daring to lose his blade.

He seemed confused; like this was the first time he had failed to disarm someone with just the flick of his wrist.

Killian rolled to the side, barely avoiding Chrysaor's next strike. He jumped to his feet and slashed at him. Chrysaor deflected it but wasn't ready for the power behind the strike and stumbled back. Killian dropped low and kicked his feet out from under him before rolling back.

Chrysaor jumped up and tried to lunge for Killian but the Titan-born ducked out of the way and slammed his fist into Chrysaor's stomach. He stumbled back unsteadily, clutching his stomach. Killian took advantage and kicked his arm, making him drop his sword. Killian kicked it towards the edge of the ship.

Around him, the last of his dolphin men were forced to flee or killed. The demigods formed a circle around Killian and Chrysaor.

"What is this?" he wheezed. "Kill me already."

Killian shook his head. "You have two choices, Chrysaor. Swear loyalty to me, or I'll find you after you reform and make you swear."

Chrysaor growled. "Why would I ever serve you?"

Killian shrugged. He put his sword to Chrysaor's throat. "I've met your mother. She's a very nice mother. It would...be a shame if she heard I had to kill you."

Chrysaor went still. Killian smirked.

"Yeah, she's...friends with my sister-in-law," Killian said. "Four years ago, we found a way to reverse the god's curses. She was our first volunteer. Now she stays with us in secret." Killian stared into the eyeholes of the gorgon mask. "I'll ask you one more time. Swear loyalty to me, or face Tartarus."

"I...swear to serve you," Chrysaor ground out.

Satisfied, Killian removed his sword. "Get going, then. Sort yourself out. You'll know when I need you."

Chrysaor climbed to his feet. He took a step towards his sword when Jason put his blade to his chest.

"Are you really going to let him go, Killian?" He asked disbelievingly.

Killain nodded. "Let him go. He is no longer our enemy."

Jason slowly lowered his gladius as Chrysaor picked up his sword and sheathed it before starting to walk back to his ship. When he was at the edge of the ship, he paused. He turned and looked at Killian for a second.

"Be careful of capture," he said. "The giants need to sacrifice a male and a female with some immortal blood to wake the goddess. They wish for you and the daughter of Athena, but are not picky. They will use any of you. Be wary when you reach Rome, son of Hyperion. The goddess has many allies and many plans to stop you along the way." Chrysaor turned and continued back to his ship.

Apparently he still had men on his ship as a number began to work; cutting the lines attached grappling hooks before the ship pulled back and began to sail in the opposite direction of the Argo II.

"Someone take Leo to the sick bay," Killian ordered. "Annabeth, can you get the ship moving?"

The daughter of Athena looked shaken from Chrysaor's warning but nodded. She jogged over to the controls and started fiddling with them as Ajax and Jason took Leo below deck.

Lilly strolled up to Killian with a smile on her face. She had a bruise forming on her cheek and cut over her eye, which made Killian frown.

"What did you do?" he murmured, reaching up to cup her cheek.

"Dolphin person smacked me against some shelves," she said dismissively. "Don't worry."

"I'll be the judge of what I do and don't worry about," he countered. His hand glowed orange. The bruise faded and the cut healed itself. "There."

Lilly beamed at him. She pulled him down by the collar and kissed him. "You take such good care of me," she purred after they broke apart.

"You're still on deck," Aelin reminded them. They both looked around before spotting her picking up weapons the dolphin men had dropped. She rolled her eyes at them. "If you're going to get all lovey dovey, at least retire to your cabin."

"Fair enough, Aelin," Killian said as Lilly laughed. "We'll leave you kids to get us to Rome safely."

Aelin gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

Killian and Lilly laughed as they headed down to their cabin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Killian dreamed he was standing on the front porch of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared on the side of Half-Blood Hill-her massive features formed from the shadows on the grassy slopes. Her lips didn't move, but her voice echoed across the valley.

So this is your home, Gaea murmured. Take a last look, Killian Vixon. You should have returned here. At least then you could have died with your comrades when the Romans invade. Now your blood will be spilled far from home, on the ancient stones, and I will rise.

The ground shook. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree burst into flames. Disruption rolled across the valley-grass turning to sand, forest crumbling to dust. The river and the canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. The buildings of New Athens collapsed into rubble. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half-Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast. The only thing left was the porch where Killian stood.

Next to him, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white like sunlight shifting through branches. Her hair was as black as tilled soil. Her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips she seemed cold and distant. Killian got the feeling she could watch demigods die or cities burn, and that smile wouldn't waver.

"When I reclaim the earth," Gaea said, "I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. It doesn't matter when you fall, my sweet little pawn-to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now...will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love. Otherwise..."

Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth. Gaea saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, her power was unstoppable.

Killian's skin tingled. His hands went numb. He looked down and realized he was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters he'd ever defeated.

"Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn," Gaea purred.

A metallic CLANG-CLANG-CLANG jolted Killian out of his dream. His eyes shot open. He realized he'd just heard the landing gear being lowered.

There was a knock on his door, and Jason poked his head in. His blue eyes glittered with excitement.

"Hey, man," he said. "We're descending over Rome. You really should see this."

Chapter 26: Roman Holiday

Chapter Text

The sky was brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

Killian had seen big cities before. He was from New York, after all. But the sheer vastness of Rome grabbed him by the throat and made it hard to breathe. The city seemed to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets, so that if Killian concentrated just on those areas, he could imagine he was back in ancient times. Everywhere he looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to-or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to Rome.

It was as if the city knew about Percy's dream of Gaea. It knew that the earth goddess intended on razing all human civilization, and this city, which had stood for thousands of years, was saying back to her: You wanna dissolve this city, Dirt Face? Give it a shot.

"We're setting down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."

Killian wished Jason's sister Thalia were here. She'd always had a way of bending the Mist to make people see what she wanted. He had never been very good at that. He just kept thinking: Don't look at me, and hoped the Romans below would fail to notice the giant bronze trireme descending on their city in the middle of morning rush hour.

It seemed to work. They didn't notice any cars veering off the road or Romans pointing to the sky and screaming, "Aliens!" The Argo II set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted.

The noise of traffic was all around them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies. They reminded Killian of trees in those Dr. Seuss books his three year old daughter liked.

To their right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers-maybe a medieval defensive line, maybe Ancient Roman. Killian wasn't sure.

To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos. That's when Killian's legs started shaking. They were actually here. Killian thought his trip to Alaska had been pretty exotic, but now he was in the heart of the old Roman Empire, enemy territory for a Greek demigod. In a way, this place had shaped his life as much as New York.

Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."

Killian frowned. "Scipio...Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Annabeth put in. "They were a noble Roman family, and...wow, this place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..."

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at his friends' faces, Killian could tell they were just as much in awe as he was. They'd made it. They'd landed in Rome-the Rome.

"Plans?" Aelin asked. "Alex has until sunset-at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

Piper shook himself out of his daze. "You're right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which Killian could interpret just fine, even if it wasn't aimed at him: Don't say anything.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should-"

"Take me along," Piper finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at her. "That's not-"

"Safe," she supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, but Piper didn't back down. Her older sisters and brothers in Camp Jupiter had drummed it into her that it was good to walk your date to the door. It had to be good manners to walk her to the start of her epic solo death quest.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Aelin, do you think you can pinpoint Alex's location?"

Aelin blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Piper/Annabeth Show. "Um...hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Auntie Lilly, would you come with me?"

"Of course," Lilly said.

"And, uh...Leo," Aelin added. "It might be good if you came along too. We might come across something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."

Ajax drew his spear and rested it against the rail. "Jason, Lord Killian, and I can watch the ship for now. If you find Sir Alex, do not go in by yourself, Lady Aelin," he said sternly. "Come back and get Lord Killian and I. It will take all of us to fight those giants."

He didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on our side. Piper decided not to bring that up.

"Good idea," Killian said. "How about we plan to meet back here at...what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Alex. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

The others nodded in agreement, but Piper noticed several of them glancing at Annabeth. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Killian nodded. "That should give me enough time to figure out more of the ship's controls."

"We'll be back soon," Piper promised. She looked around at his friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time they'd ever be together. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Annabeth and Piper were first off the ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Under different circ*mstances, Piper thought, wandering through Rome with Annabeth would have been pretty awesome. They navigated the winding streets, dodging cars and crazy Vespa drivers, squeezing through mobs of tourists, and wading through oceans of pigeons. The day warmed up quickly. Once they got away from the car exhaust on the main roads, the air smelled of baking bread and freshly cut flowers.

They aimed for the Colosseum because that was an easy landmark, but getting there proved harder than they anticipated. As big and confusing as the city had looked from above, it was even more so on the ground. Several times they got lost on dead-end streets. They found beautiful fountains and huge monuments by accident.

Annabeth commented on the architecture, but Piper kept her eyes open for other things. Nothing attacked them, but Piper felt like they were being watched, and the watchers were not friendly.

Finally they reached the Colosseum, where a dozen guys in cheap gladiator costumes were scuffling with the police-plastic swords versus batons. Piper wasn't sure what that was about, but she and Annabeth decided to keep walking. Sometimes mortals were even stranger than monsters.

They made their way west, stopping every once in a while to ask directions to the river. It was apparent that Piper hadn't considered that-duh-people in Italy spoke Italian, while she did not. As it turned out, though, that wasn't much of a problem. The few times someone approached them on the street and asked a question, Piper and Annabeth just looked at them in confusion, and they switched to English.

Next discovery: the Italians used euros, and they didn't have any. Piper regretted this as soon as they found a tourist shop that sold sodas. By then it was almost noon, getting really hot, and she could tell Annabeth was starting to wish for a Diet co*ke.

Annabeth solved this problem. She dug around in her bag and fished out a credit card. Annabeth waved it triumphantly. "International credit card. For emergencies."

Piper stared at her in amazement. "How did you-? No. Never mind. I don't want to know. Just keep being awesome."

The sodas helped, but they were still hot and tired by the time they arrived at the Tiber River. The shore was edged with a stone embankment. A chaotic assortment of warehouses, apartments, stores, and cafés crowded the riverfront. The Tiber itself was wide, lazy, and caramel-colored. A few tall cypress trees hung over the banks. The nearest bridge looked fairly new, made from iron girders, but right next to it stood a crumbling line of stone arches that stopped halfway across the river-ruins that might've been left over from the days of the Caesars.

"This is it." Annabeth pointed at the old stone bridge. "I recognize that from the map. But what do we do now?"

Piper stared at the river. The Tiber didn't look much cleaner than the most rivers in California.

Piper gestured to a nearby café with tables overlooking the water. "It's about lunchtime. How about we try your credit card again?"

Even though it was noon, the place was empty. They picked a table outside by the river, and a waiter hurried over. Piper looked a bit surprised to see them-especially when they said they wanted lunch.

"American?" he asked, with a pained smile.

"Yes," Annabeth said.

"And I'd love a pizza," Piper said.

The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. "Of course you would, signora. And let me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?"

"Awesome," Piper said. She obviously didn't understand why the guy was giving her such a sour face.

Annabeth ordered a panini and some fizzy water. After the waiter left, she smiled at Piper. "I think Italians eat a lot later in the day. They don't put ice in their drinks. And they only do pizza for tourists."

"Oh." She shrugged. "The best Italian food, and they don't even eat it?"

"I wouldn't say that in front of the waiter."

They held hands across the table. Piper was content just to look at Annabeth in the sunlight. It always made her hair so bright and warm. Her eyes took on the colors of the sky and the cobblestones, alternately brown or blue.

She wondered if she should tell Annabeth his dream about her mother. She decided against it. Annabeth didn't need anything else to worry about-not with what she was facing.

But it made him wonder...what would have happened if they hadn't scared off Chrysaor's pirates? The rest of them would've bene killed. Killian and Annabeth would've been put in chains and taken to Gaea's minions. Their blood would have been spilled on ancient stones. Piper guessed that meant they would've been taken to Greece for some big horrible sacrifice. But they had been in plenty of bad situations together. They could've figured out an escape plan, saved the day...and Annabeth wouldn't be facing this solo quest in Rome.

"You shouldn't feel ashamed," Annabeth said. "You're thinking about Chrysaor, aren't you? Swords can't solve every problem. Killian saved us in the end."

In spite of herself, Piper smiled. "How do you do that? You always know what I'm thinking."

"I know you," she said.

And you like me anyway? Piper wanted to ask, but he held it back.

"Piper," she said, "you can't carry the weight of this whole quest. It's impossible. That's why there are seven of us. And you'll have to let me search for the Athena Parthenos on my own."

"It's not just that," Piper admitted. "I just haven't been able to-"

Lunch arrived. The waiter looked much calmer. Having accepted the fact that they were clueless Americans, he had apparently decided to forgive them and treat them politely.

"It is a beautiful view," he said, nodding toward the river. "Enjoy, please."

Once he left, they ate in silence. The pizza was a bland, doughy square with not a lot of cheese. Maybe, Piper thought, that's why Romans didn't eat it. Poor Romans.

"You're amazing, Piper," Ananbeth said. Piper almost thought she was talking to her sandwich, because she didn't meet Piper's eyes. "But you can't do everything. You have to let me go. You've got to believe I'll come back."

She swallowed another bite. "I believe in you. That's not the problem. But come back from where?"

The sound of a Vespa interrupted them. Piper looked along the riverfront and did a double take. The motor scooter was an old-fashioned model: big and baby blue. The driver was a guy in a silky gray suit. Behind him sat a younger woman with a headscarf, her hands around the man's waist. They weaved between café tables and puttered to a stop next to Piper and Annabeth.

"Why, hello," the man said. His voice was deep, almost croaky, like a movie actor's. His hair was short and greased back from his craggy face. He was handsome in a 1950s dad-on-television way. Even his clothes seemed old-fashioned. When he stepped off his bike, the waistline of his slacks was way higher than normal, but somehow he still managed to look manly and stylish and not like a total goober. Piper had trouble guessing his age-maybe thirty-something, though the man's fashion and manner seemed grandfatherish.

The woman slid off the bike. "We've had the most lovely morning," she said breathlessly.

She looked about twenty-one, also dressed in an old-fashioned style. Her ankle-length marigold skirt and white blouse were pinched together with a large leather belt, giving her the narrowest waist Piper had ever seen. When she removed her scarf, her short wavy black hair bounced into perfect shape. She had dark playful eyes and a brilliant smile. Piper had seen naiads that looked less pixieish than this lady.

Annabeth's sandwich fell out of her hands. "Oh, gods. How-how... ?"

She seemed so stunned that Piper figured she ought to know these two.

"You guys do look familiar," she decided. She thought she might have seen their faces on television. It seemed like they were from an old show, but that couldn't be right. They hadn't aged at all. Nevertheless, she pointed at the guy and took a guess. "Are you that guy on Mad Men?"

"Piper!" Annabeth looked horrified.

"What?" she protested. "I don't watch a lot of TV."

"That's Gregory Peck!" Annabeth's eyes were wide, and her mouth kept falling open. "And...oh gods! Audrey Hepburn! I know this movie. Roman Holiday. But that was from the 1950s. How-?"

"Oh, my dear!" The woman twirled like an air spirit and sat down at their table. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, thousands of years ago. But you're so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband..."

"Tiberinus," said Gregory Peck, thrusting out his hand to Piper in a manly way. "God of the River Tiber."

Piper shook his hand. The guy smelled of aftershave. Of course, if Piper were the Tiber River, she'd probably want to mask the smell with cologne too.

"Uh, hi," Piper said. "Do you two always look like American movie stars?"

"Do we?" Tiberinus frowned and studied his clothes. "I'm not sure, actually. The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I've rather lost track over the centuries."

"Okay," Piper said. "But...you're here to help?"

"My naiads told me you two were here." Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth. "You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?"

"Uh..." Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god so intently Piper started to feel jealous.

"S-so..." she stammered, "you've helped other children of Athena with this quest?"

"Oh, my dear!" The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I've been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He's just dreamy!"

"Thank you, my dear," Tiberinus said with a wry smile. "And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I've helped many of your siblings...to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!"

Piper gripped Annabeth's hand-probably a little too tight. "Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a little farther."

Rhea Silvia laughed sweetly. "But you can't, silly girl. You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants! The way will appear in that little knife of yours. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone."

"Indeed," Tiberinus said. "Annabeth must face the guardian of the shrine by herself. It is the only way. And Piper McLean, you have less time than you realized to rescue your friend in the jar. You must hurry."

Piper's pizza felt like a cement lump in his stomach. "But-"

"It's all right, Piper." Annabeth squeezed her hand. "I need to do this."

She started to protest. Annabeth's expression stopped her. She was terrified but doing her best to hide it-for her sake. If Piper tried to argue, she would only make things harder for her. Or worse, she might convince her to stay. Then she would have to live with the knowledge that she'd backed down from her biggest challenge...assuming that they survived at all, with Rome about to get leveled and Gaea about to rise and destroy the world. The Athena statue held the key to defeating the giants. Piper didn't know why or how, but Annabeth was the only one who could find it.

"You're right," she said, forcing out the words. "Be safe."

Rhea Silvia giggled like it was a ridiculous comment. "Safe? Not at all! But necessary. Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're on your own."

Annabeth kissed Piper. She hesitated, like she was wondering what else to say. Then she shouldered her backpack and climbed on the back of the scooter.

Piper hated it. She would've preferred to fight any monster in the world. She would've preferred a rematch with Chrysaor. But she forced herself to stay in her chair and watch as Annabeth motored off through the streets of Rome with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

Chapter 27: Wisdom's Daughter Walks Alone

Chapter Text

Annabeth figured it could've been worse. If she had to go on a horrifying solo quest, at least she'd gotten to have lunch with Piper on the banks of the Tiber first. Now she got to take a scooter ride with Gregory Peck.

She only knew about that old movie because of her dad. Over the past few years, since the two of them had made up, they'd spent more time together, and she had learned that her dad had a sappy side. Sure, he liked military history, weapons, and biplanes, but he also loved old films, especially romantic comedies from the 1940s and '50s. Roman Holiday was one of his favorites. He'd made Annabeth watch it.

She thought the plot was silly-a princess escapes her minders and falls in love with an American journalist in Rome-but she suspected her dad liked it because it reminded him of his own romance with the goddess Athena: another impossible pairing that couldn't end happily. Her dad was nothing like Gregory Peck. Athena certainly wasn't anything like Audrey Hepburn. But Annabeth knew that people saw what they wanted to see. They didn't need the Mist to warp their perceptions.

As the baby-blue scooter zipped through the streets of Rome, the goddess Rhea Silvia gave Annabeth a running commentary on how the city had changed over the centuries.

"The Sublician Bridge was over there," she said, pointing to a bend in the Tiber. "You know, where Horatius and his two friends defended the city from an invading army? Now, there was a brave Roman!"

"And look, dear," Tiberinus added, "that's the place where Romulus and Remus washed ashore."

He seemed to be talking about a spot on the riverside where some ducks were making a nest out of torn-up plastic bags and candy wrappers.

"Ah, yes," Rhea Silvia sighed happily. "You were so kind to flood yourself and wash my babies ashore for the wolves to find."

"It was nothing," Tiberinus said.

Annabeth felt light-headed. The river god was talking about something that had happened thousands of years ago, when this area was nothing but marshes and maybe some shacks. Tiberinus saved two babies, one of whom went on to found the world's greatest empire. It was nothing.

Rhea Silvia pointed out a large modern apartment building. "That used to be a temple to Venus. Then it was a church. Then a palace. Then an apartment building. It burned down three times. Now it's an apartment building again. And that spot right there-"

"Please," Annabeth said. "You're making me dizzy."

Rhea Silvia laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. Layers upon layers of history here, but it's nothing compared to Greece. Athens was old when Rome was a collection of mud huts. You'll see, if you survive."

"Not helping," Annabeth muttered.

"Here we are," Tiberinus announced. He pulled over in front of a large marble building, the facade covered in city grime but still beautiful. Ornate carvings of Roman gods decorated the roofline. The massive entrance was barred with iron gates, heavily padlocked.

"I'm going in there?" Annabeth wished she'd brought Leo, or at least borrowed some wire cutters from his tool belt.

Rhea Silvia covered her mouth and giggled. "No, my dear. Not in it. Under it."

Tiberinus pointed to a set of stone steps on the side of the building-the sort that would have led to a basem*nt apartment if this place were in Manhattan.

"Rome is chaotic aboveground," Tiberinus said, "but that's nothing compared to below ground. You must descend into the buried city, Annabeth Chase. Find the altar of the foreign god. The failures of your predecessors will guide you. After that...I do not know."

Annabeth's backpack felt heavy on her shoulders. She'd been studying the bronze map for days now, scouring the internet for information. Unfortunately, the few things she had learned made this quest seem even more impossible. "My siblings...none of them made it all the way to the shrine, did they."

Tiberinus shook his head. "But you know what prize awaits, if you can liberate it."

"Yes," Annabeth said.

"It could bring peace to the children of Greece and Rome," Rhea Silvia said. "It could change the course of the coming war."

"If I live," Annabeth said.

Tiberinus nodded sadly. "Because you also understand the guardian you must face?"

Annabeth remembered the dream Piper had described-the hissing voice in the dark. "Yes."

Rhea Silvia looked at her husband. "She is brave. Perhaps she is stronger than the others."

"I hope so," said the river god. "Good-bye, Annabeth Chase. And good luck."

Rhea Silvia beamed. "We have such a lovely afternoon planned! Off to shop!"

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn sped off on their baby-blue motorbike. Then Annabeth turned and descended the steps alone.

She'd been underground plenty of times. But halfway down the steps, she realized just how long it had been since she'd adventured by herself. She froze.

Gods...she hadn't done something like this since she was a kid. After running away from home, she'd spent a few weeks surviving on her own, living in alleyways and hiding from monsters until Thalia, Luke, and Lace took her under their wings. Then, once she'd arrived at Camp Jupiter, she'd lived there until she was twelve.

The last time she had felt this scared and alone, she'd been seven years old. She remembered the day Thalia, Luke, Lace, and she had wandered into a Cyclopes' lair in Brooklyn. Thalia, Lace, and Luke had gotten captured, and Annabeth had had to cut them free. She still remembered shivering in a dark corner of that dilapidated mansion, listening to the Cyclopes mimicking her friends' voices, trying to trick her into coming out into the open.

What if this is a trick, too? she wondered. What if those other children of Athena died because Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia led them into a trap? Would Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn do something like that?

She forced herself to keep going. She had no choice. If the Athena Parthenos was really down here, it could decide the fate of the war. More importantly, it could help her mom. Athena needed her.

At the bottom of the steps she reached an old wooden door with an iron pull ring. Above the ring was a metal plate with a keyhole. Annabeth started considering ways to pick the lock, but as soon as she touched the pull ring, a fiery shape burned in the middle of the door: the silhouette of Athena's owl. Smoke plumed from the keyhole. The door swung inward.

Annabeth looked up one last time. At the top of the stairwell, the sky was a square of brilliant blue. Mortals would be enjoying the warm afternoon. Couples would be holding hands at the cafés. Tourists would be bustling through the shops and museums. Regular Romans would be going about their daily business, probably not considering the thousands of years of history under their feet, and definitely unaware of the spirits, gods, and monsters that still dwelt here, or the fact that their city might be destroyed today unless a certain group of demigods succeeded in stopping the giants.

Annabeth stepped through the doorway.

She found herself in a basem*nt that was an architectural cyborg. Ancient brick walls were crisscrossed with modern electrical cables and plumbing. The ceiling was held up with a combination of steel scaffolding and old granite Roman columns.

The front half of the basem*nt was stacked with crates. Out of curiosity, Annabeth opened a few. Some were packed with multicolored spools of string-like for kites or arts and crafts projects. Other crates were full of cheap plastic gladiator swords. Maybe at one point this had been a storage area for a tourist shop.

In the back of the basem*nt, the floor had been excavated, revealing another set of steps-these of white stone-leading still deeper underground.

Annabeth crept to the edge. Even with the glow cast by her dagger, it was too dark to see below. She rested her hand on the wall and found a light switch.

She flipped it. Glaring white fluorescent bulbs illuminated the stairs. Below, she saw a mosaic floor decorated with deer and fauns-maybe a room from an Ancient Roman villa, just stashed away under this modern basem*nt along with the crates of string and plastic swords.

She climbed down. The room was about twenty feet square. The walls had once been brightly painted, but most of the frescoes had peeled or faded. The only exit was a hole dug in one corner of the floor where the mosaic had been pulled up. Annabeth crouched next to the opening. It dropped straight down into a larger cavern, but Annabeth couldn't see the bottom.

She heard running water maybe thirty or forty feet below. The air didn't smell like a sewer-just old and musty, and slightly sweet, like moldering flowers. Perhaps it was an old water line from the aqueducts. There was no way down.

"I'm not jumping," she muttered to herself.

As if in reply, something glowed in the darkness. The Mark of Athena blazed to life at the bottom of the cavern, revealing glistening brickwork along a subterranean canal forty feet below. The fiery owl seemed to be taunting her: Well, this is the way, kid. So you'd better figure something out.

Annabeth considered her options. Too dangerous to jump. No ladders or ropes. She thought about borrowing some metal scaffolding from above to use as a fire pole, but it was all bolted in place. Besides, she didn't want to cause the building to collapse on top of her.

Frustration crawled through her like an army of termites. She had spent her life watching other demigods gain amazing powers. Aelin, if she were here, could create a bridge of ice across. Killian could easily make the jump with his Titan strength. Leo would pull just the right tools from his belt and build something to do the job. Jason could simply control the wind and float down. Even Piper with her charmspeak...she could have convinced Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia to be a little more helpful.

What did Annabeth have? A bronze dagger that did nothing special, and a cursed silver coin. She had her backpack with a high tech laptop, a water bottle, a few pieces of ambrosia for emergencies, and a box of matches-probably useless, but her dad had drilled into her head that she should always have a way to make fire.

She had no amazing powers. Even her one true magic item, her New York Yankees cap of invisibility, had stopped working, and was still back in her cabin on the Argo II.

You've got your intelligence, a voice said. Annabeth wondered if Athena was speaking to her, but that was probably just wishful thinking.

Intelligence...like Athena's favorite hero, Odysseus. He'd won the Trojan War with cleverness, not strength. He had overcome all sorts of monsters and hardships with his quick wits. That's what Athena valued.

Wisdom's daughter walks alone.

That didn't mean just without other people, Annabeth realized. It meant without any special powers.

Okay...so how to get down there safely and make sure she had a way to get out again if necessary?

She climbed back to the basem*nt and stared at the open crates. Kite string and plastic swords. The idea that came to her was so ridiculous, she almost had to laugh; but it was better than nothing.

She set to work. Her hands seemed to know exactly what to do. Sometimes that happened, like when she was helping Leo with the ship's machinery or drawing architectural plans on the computer. She'd never made anything out of kite string and plastic swords, but it seemed easy, natural. Within minutes she'd used a dozen balls of string and a crateful of swords to create a makeshift rope ladder-a braided line, woven for strength yet not too thick, with swords tied at two-foot intervals to serve as hand- and footholds.

As a test, she tied one end around a support column and leaned on the rope with all her weight. The plastic swords bent under her, but they provided some extra bulk to the knots in the cord, so at least she could keep a better grip.

The ladder wouldn't win any design awards, but it might get her to the bottom of the cavern safely. First, she stuffed her backpack with the leftover spools of string. She wasn't sure why, but they were one more resource, and not too heavy.

She headed back to the hole in the mosaic floor. She secured one end of her ladder to the nearest piece of scaffolding, lowered the rope into the cavern, and shinnied down.

As Annabeth hung in the air, descending hand over hand with the ladder swinging wildly, she thanked Reyna for all those years of training on the climbing course at Camp Jupiter. She'd complained loudly and often that rope climbing would never help her defeat a monster. Reyna had just smiled, like she knew this day would come.

Finally Annabeth made it to the bottom. She missed the brickwork edge and landed in the canal, but it turned out to be only a few inches deep. Freezing water soaked into her running shoes.

She held up her glowing dagger. The shallow channel ran down the middle of a brickwork tunnel. Every few yards, ceramic pipes jutted from the walls. She guessed that the pipes were drains, part of the ancient Roman plumbing system, though it was amazing to her that a tunnel like this had survived, crowded underground with all the other centuries' worth of pipes, basem*nts, and sewers.

She debated which way to go. The tunnel seemed the same in both directions. Then, about fifty feet to her left, the Mark of Athena blazed against the wall. Annabeth could swear it was glaring at her with those big fiery eyes, as if to say, What's your problem? Hurry up!

She was really starting to hate that owl.

By the time she reached the spot, the image had faded, and she'd run out of string on her first spool.

As she was attaching a new line, she glanced across the tunnel. There was a broken section in the brickwork, as if a sledgehammer had knocked a hole in the wall. She crossed to take a look. Sticking her dagger through the opening for light, Annabeth could see a lower chamber, long and narrow, with a mosaic floor, painted walls, and benches running down either side. It was shaped sort of like a subway car.

She stuck her head into the hole, hoping nothing would bite it off. At the near end of the room was a bricked-off doorway. At the far end was a stone table, or maybe an altar.

Hmm...The water tunnel kept going, but Annabeth was sure this was the way. She remembered what Tiberinus had said: Find the altar of the foreign god. There didn't seem to be any exits from the altar room, but it was a short drop onto the bench below. She should be able to climb out again with no problem.

Still holding her string, she lowered herself down.

Chapter 28: Chauvinistic Ghosts-What A Pain

Chapter Text

The room's ceiling was barrel-shaped with brick arches, but Annabeth didn't like the look of the supports. Directly above her head, on the arch nearest to the bricked-in doorway, the capstone was cracked in half. Stress fractures ran across the ceiling. The place had probably been intact for two thousand years, but she decided she'd rather not spend too much time here. With her luck, it would collapse in the next two minutes.

The floor was a long narrow mosaic with seven pictures in a row, like a time line. At Annabeth's feet was a raven. Next was a lion. Several others looked like Roman warriors with various weapons. The rest were too damaged or covered in dust for Annabeth to make out details. The benches on either side were littered with broken pottery. The walls were painted with scenes of a banquet: a robed man with a curved cap like an ice cream scoop, sitting next to a larger guy who radiated sunbeams. Standing around them were torchbearers and servants, and various animals like crows and lions wandered in the background. Annabeth wasn't sure what the picture represented, but it didn't remind her of any Greek legends that she knew.

At the far end of the room, the altar was elaborately carved with a frieze showing the man with the ice-cream-scoop hat holding a knife to the neck of a bull. On the altar stood a stone figure of a man sunk to his knees in rock, a dagger and a torch in his outraised hands. Again, Annabeth had no idea what those images meant.

She took one step toward the altar. Her foot went CRUNCH. She looked down and realized she'd just put her shoe through a human rib cage.

Annabeth swallowed back a scream. Where had that come from? She had glanced down only a moment before and hadn't seen any bones. Now the floor was littered with them. The rib cage was obviously old. It crumbled to dust as she removed her foot. Nearby lay a corroded bronze dagger very much like her own. Either this dead person had been carrying the weapon, or it had killed him.

She held out her blade to see in front of her. A little farther down the mosaic path sprawled a more complete skeleton in the remains of an embroidered red doublet, like a man from the Renaissance. His frilled collar and skull had been badly burned, as if the guy had decided to wash his hair with a blowtorch.

Wonderful, Annabeth thought. She lifted her eyes to the altar statue, which held a dagger and a torch.

Some kind of test, Annabeth decided. These two guys had failed. Correction: not just two guys. More bones and scraps of clothing were scattered all the way to the altar. She couldn't guess how many skeletons were represented, but she was willing to bet they were all demigods from the past, children of Athena on the same quest.

"I will not be another skeleton on your floor," she called to the statue, hoping she sounded brave.

A girl, said a watery voice, echoing through the room. Girls are not allowed.

A female demigod, said a second voice. Inexcusable.

The chamber rumbled. Dust fell from the cracked ceiling. Annabeth bolted for the hole she'd come through, but it had disappeared. Her string had been severed. She clambered up on the bench and pounded on the wall where the hole had been, hoping the hole's absence was just an illusion, but the wall felt solid.

She was trapped.

Along the benches, a dozen ghosts shimmered into existence-glowing purple men in Roman togas, like the Lares at Camp Jupiter. They glared at her as if she'd interrupted their meeting.

She did the only thing she could. She stepped down from the bench and put her back to the bricked-in doorway. She tried to look confident, though the scowling purple ghosts and the demigod skeletons at her feet made her want to turtle in her T-shirt and scream.

"I'm a child of Athena," she said, as boldly as she could manage.

"A Greek," one of the ghosts said with disgust. "That is even worse."

At the other end of the chamber, an old-looking ghost rose with some difficulty (do ghosts have arthritis?) and stood by the altar, his dark eyes fixed on Annabeth. Her first thought was that he looked like the pope. He had a glittering robe, a pointed hat, and a shepherd's crook.

"This is the cavern of Mithras," said the old ghost. "You have disturbed our sacred rituals. You cannot look upon our mysteries and live."

"I don't want to look upon your mysteries," Annabeth assured him. "I'm following the Mark of Athena. Show me the exit, and I'll be on my way."

Her voice sounded calm, which surprised her. She had no idea how to get out of here, but she knew she had to succeed where her siblings had failed. Her path led farther on-deeper into the underground layers of Rome.

The failures of your predecessors will guide you, Tiberinus had said. After that...I do not know.

The ghosts mumbled to each other in Latin. Annabeth caught a few unkind words about female demigods and Athena.

Finally the ghost with the pope hat struck his shepherd's crook against the floor. The other Lares fell silent.

"Your Greek goddess is powerless here," said the pope. "Mithras is the god of Roman warriors! He is the god of the legion, the god of the empire!"

"He wasn't even Roman," Annabeth protested. "Wasn't he, like, Persian or something?"

"Sacrilege!" the old man yelped, banging his staff on the floor a few more times. "Mithras protects us! I am the pater of this brotherhood-"

"The father," Annabeth translated.

"Do not interrupt! As pater, I must protect our mysteries."

"What mysteries?" Annabeth asked. "A dozen dead guys in togas sitting around in a cave?"

The ghosts muttered and complained, until the pater got them under control with a taxicab whistle. The old guy had a good set of lungs. "You are clearly an unbeliever. Like the others, you must die."

The others. Annabeth made an effort not to look at the skeletons.

Her mind worked furiously, grasping for anything she knew about Mithras. He had a secret cult for warriors. He was popular in the legion. He was one of the gods who'd supplanted Athena as a war deity. Aside from that, Annabeth had no idea. Mithras just wasn't one of the gods they talked about at Camp Jupiter. She doubted the ghosts would wait while she whipped out her laptop and did a search.

She scanned the floor mosaic-seven pictures in a row. She studied the ghosts and noticed all of them wore some sort of badge on their toga-a raven, or a torch, or a bow.

"You have rites of passage," she blurted out. "Seven levels of membership. And the top level is the pater."

The ghosts let out a collective gasp. Then they all began shouting at once.

"How does she know this?" one demanded.

"The girl has gleaned our secrets!"

"Silence!" the pater ordered.

"But she might know about the ordeals!" another cried.

"The ordeals!" Annabeth said. "I know about them!"

Another round of incredulous gasping.

"Ridiculous!" The pater yelled. "The girl lies! Daughter of Athena, choose your way of death. If you do not choose, the god will choose for you!"

"Fire or dagger," Annabeth guessed.

Even the pater looked stunned. Apparently he hadn't remembered there were victims of past punishments lying on the floor.

"How-how did you... ?" He gulped. "Who are you?"

"A child of Athena," Annabeth said again. "But not just any child. I am...uh, the mater in my sisterhood. The magna mater, in fact. There are no mysteries to me. Mithras cannot hide anything from my sight."

"The magna mater!" a ghost wailed in despair. "The big mother!"

"Kill her!" One of the ghosts charged, his hands out to strangle her, but he passed right through her.

"You're dead," Annabeth reminded him. "Sit down."

The ghost looked embarrassed and took his seat.

"We do not need to kill you ourselves," the pater growled. "Mithras shall do that for us!"

The statue on the altar began to glow.

Annabeth pressed her hands against the bricked-in doorway at her back. That had to be the exit. The mortar was crumbling, but it was not weak enough for her to break through with brute force.

She looked desperately around the room-the cracked ceiling, the floor mosaic, the wall paintings, and the carved altar. She began to talk, pulling deductions from the top of her head.

"It is no good," she said. "I know all. You test your initiates with fire because the torch is the symbol of Mithras. His other symbol is the dagger, which is why you can also be tested with the blade. You want to kill me, just as...uh, as Mithras killed the sacred bull."

It was a total guess, but the altar showed Mithras killing a bull, so Annabeth figured it must be important. The ghosts wailed and covered their ears. Some slapped their faces as if to wake up from a bad dream.

"The big mother knows!" one said. "It is impossible!"

Unless you look around the room, Annabeth thought, her confidence growing.

She glared at the ghost who had just spoken. He had a raven badge on his toga-the same symbol as on the floor at her feet.

"You are just a raven," she scolded. "That is the lowest rank. Be silent and let me speak to your pater."

The ghost cringed. "Mercy! Mercy!"

At the front of the room, the pater trembled-either from rage or fear, Annabeth wasn't sure which. His pope hat tilted sideways on his head like a gas gauge dropping toward empty. "Truly, you know much, big mother. Your wisdom is great, but that is all the more reason why you cannot leave. The weaver warned us you would come."

"The weaver..." Annabeth realized with a sinking feeling what the pater was talking about: the thing in the dark from Piper's dream, the guardian of the shrine. This was one time she wished she didn't know the answer, but she tried to maintain her calm. "The weaver fears me. She doesn't want me to follow the Mark of Athena. But you will let me pass."

"You must choose an ordeal!" the pater insisted. "Fire or dagger! Survive one, and then, perhaps!"

Annabeth looked down at the bones of her siblings. The failures of your predecessors will guide you. They'd all chosen one or the other: fire or dagger. Maybe they'd thought they could beat the ordeal. But they had all died. Annabeth needed a third choice.

She stared at the altar statue, which was glowing brighter by the second. She could feel its heat across the room. Her instinct was to focus on the dagger or the torch, but instead she concentrated on the statue's base. She wondered why its legs were stuck in stone. Then it occurred to her: maybe the little statue of Mithras wasn't stuck in the rock. Maybe he was emerging from the rock.

"Neither torch nor dagger," Annabeth said firmly. "There is a third test, which I will pass."

"A third test?" the pater demanded. "Mithras was born from rock," Annabeth said, hoping she was right. "He emerged fully grown from the stone, holding his dagger and torch."

The screaming and wailing told her she had guessed correctly.

"The big mother knows all!" a ghost cried. "That is our most closely guarded secret!"

Then maybe you shouldn't put a statue of it on your altar, Annabeth thought. But she was thankful for stupid male ghosts. If they'd let women warriors into their cult, they might have learned some common sense.

Annabeth gestured dramatically to the wall she'd come from. "I was born from stone, just as Mithras was! Therefore, I have already passed your ordeal!"

"Bah!" the pater spat. "You came from a hole in the wall! That's not the same thing."

Okay. So apparently the pater wasn't a complete moron, but Annabeth remained confident. She glanced at the ceiling, and another idea came to her-all the details clicking together.

"I have control over the very stones." She raised her arms. "I will prove my power is greater than Mithras. With a single strike, I will bring down this chamber."

The ghosts wailed and trembled and looked at the ceiling, but Annabeth knew they didn't see what she saw. These ghosts were warriors, not engineers. The children of Athena had many skills, and not just in combat. Annabeth had studied architecture for years. She knew this ancient chamber was on the verge of collapse. She recognized what the stress fractures in the ceiling meant, all emanating from a single point-the top of the stone arch just above her. The capstone was about to crumble, and when that happened, assuming she could time it correctly...

"Impossible!" the pater shouted. "The weaver has paid us much tribute to destroy any children of Athena who would dare enter our shrine. We have never let her down. We cannot let you pass."

"Then you fear my power!" Annabeth said. "You admit that I could destroy your sacred chamber!"

The pater scowled. He straightened his hat uneasily. Annabeth knew she'd put him in an impossible position. He couldn't back down without looking cowardly.

"Do your worst, child of Athena," he decided. "No one can bring down the cavern of Mithras, especially with one strike. Especially not a girl!"

Annabeth hefted her dagger. The ceiling was low. She could reach the capstone easily, but she'd have to make her one strike count.

The doorway behind her was blocked, but in theory, if the room started to collapse, those bricks should weaken and crumble. She should be able to bust her way through before the entire ceiling came down-assuming, of course, that there was something behind the brick wall, not just solid earth; and assuming that Annabeth was quick enough and strong enough and lucky enough. Otherwise, she was about to be a demigod pancake.

"Well, boys," she said. "Looks like you chose the wrong war god."

She struck the capstone. The Celestial bronze blade shattered it like a sugar cube. For a moment, nothing happened.

"Ha!" the pater gloated. "You see? Athena has no power here!"

The room shook. A fissure ran across the length of the ceiling and the far end of the cavern collapsed, burying the altar and the pater. More cracks widened. Bricks fell from the arches. Ghosts screamed and ran, but they couldn't seem to pass through the walls. Apparently they were bound to this chamber even in death.

Annabeth turned. She slammed against the blocked entrance with all her might, and the bricks gave way. As the cavern of Mithras imploded behind her, she lunged into darkness and found herself falling.

Chapter 29: Don't Follow The Spiders

Chapter Text

Annabeth thought she knew pain. She had fallen off the wall of the fortifications at Camp Jupiter. She'd been stabbed in the arm with a poison blade. She'd even been shocked by a stray lightning bolt.

But that was nothing compared to landing hard on her ankle.

She immediately knew she'd broken it. Pain like a hot steel wire jabbed its way up her leg and into her hip. The world narrowed to just her, her ankle, and the agony.

She almost blacked out. Her head spun. Her breath became short and rapid.

No, she told herself. You can't go into shock.

She tried to breathe more slowly. She lay as still as possible until the pain subsided from absolute torture to just horrible throbbing.

Part of her wanted to howl at the world for being so unfair. All this way, just to be stopped by something as common as a broken ankle?

She forced her emotions back down. At camp, she'd been trained to survive in all sorts of bad situations, including injuries like this.

She looked around her. Her dagger had skittered a few feet away. In its dim light she could make out the features of the room. She was lying on a cold floor of sandstone blocks. The ceiling was two stories tall. The doorway through which she'd fallen was ten feet off the ground, now completely blocked with debris that had cascaded into the room, making a rockslide. Scattered around her were old pieces of lumber-some cracked and desiccated, others broken into kindling.

Stupid, she scolded herself. She'd lunged through that doorway, assuming there would be a level corridor or another room. It had never occurred to her that she'd be tumbling into space. The lumber had probably once been a staircase, long ago collapsed.

She inspected her ankle. Her foot didn't appear too strangely bent. She could feel her toes. She didn't see any blood. That was all good.

She reached out for a piece of lumber. Even that small bit of movement made her yelp.

The board crumbled in her hand. The wood might be centuries old, or even millennia. She had no way of knowing if this room was older than the shrine of Mithras, or if-like the labyrinth-the rooms were a hodgepodge from many eras thrown randomly together.

"Okay," she said aloud, just to hear her voice. "Think, Annabeth. Prioritize."

She remembered a silly wilderness survival course Gwen had taught her back at camp. At least it had seemed silly at the time. First step: Scan your surroundings for immediate threats.

This room didn't seem to be in danger of collapsing. The rockslide had stopped. The walls were solid blocks of stone with no major cracks that she could see. The ceiling was not sagging. Good.

The only exit was on the far wall-an arched doorway that led into darkness. Between her and the doorway, a small brickwork trench cut across the floor, letting water flow through the room from left to right. Maybe plumbing from the Roman days? If the water was drinkable, that was good too.

Piled in one corner were some broken ceramic vases, spilling out shriveled brown clumps that might once have been fruit. Yuck. In another corner were some wooden crates that looked more intact, and some wicker boxes bound with leather straps.

"So, no immediate danger," she said to herself. "Unless something comes barreling out of that dark tunnel."

She glared at the doorway, almost daring her luck to get worse. Nothing happened.

"Okay," she said. "Next step: Take inventory."

What could she use? She had her water bottle, and more water in that trench if she could reach it. She had her knife. Her backpack was full of colorful string (whee), her laptop, the bronze map, some matches, and some ambrosia for emergencies.

Ah...yeah. This qualified as an emergency. She dug the godly food out of her pack and wolfed it down. As usual, it tasted like comforting memories. This time it was buttered popcorn-movie night with her dad at his place in San Francisco, no stepmom, no stepbrothers, just Annabeth and her father curled up on the sofa watching sappy old romantic comedies.

The ambrosia warmed her whole body. The pain in her leg became a dull throb. Annabeth knew she was still in major trouble. Even ambrosia couldn't heal broken bones right away. It might speed up the process, but best-case scenario, she wouldn't be able to put any weight on her foot for a day or more.

She tried to reach her knife, but it was too far away. She scooted in that direction. Pain flared again, like nails were piercing her foot. Her face beaded with sweat, but after one more scoot, she managed to reach the dagger.

She felt better holding it-not just for light and protection, but also because it was so familiar.

What next? Gwen's survival class had mentioned something about staying put and waiting for rescue, but that wasn't going to happen. Even if Piper somehow managed to trace her steps, the cavern of Mithras had collapsed.

She could try contacting someone with her laptop, but she doubted she could get a signal down here. Besides, who would she call? She couldn't text anyone who was close enough to help. Demigods never carried cell phones, because their signals attracted too much monstrous attention, and none of her friends would be sitting around checking their e-mail.

An Iris-message? She had water, but she doubted that she could make enough light for a rainbow. The only coin she had was her silver Athenian drachma, which didn't make a great tribute.

There was another problem with calling for help: this was supposed to be a solo quest. If Annabeth did get rescued, she'd be admitting defeat. Something told her that the Mark of Athena would no longer guide her. She could wander down here forever, and she'd never find the Athena Parthenos.

So...no good staying put and waiting for help. Which meant she had to find a way to keep going on her own.

She opened her water bottle and drank. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was. When the bottle was empty, she crawled to the gutter and refilled it.

The water was cold and moving swiftly-good signs that it might be safe to drink. She filled her bottle, then cupped some water in her hands and splashed her face. Immediately she felt more alert. She washed off and cleaned her scrapes as best she could.

Annabeth sat up and glared at her ankle.

"You had to break," she scolded it.

The ankle did not reply.

She'd have to immobilize it in some sort of cast. That was the only way she'd be able to move.

Hmm...

She raised her dagger and inspected the room again in its bronze light. Now that she was closer to the open doorway, she liked it even less. It led into a dark silent corridor. The air wafting out smelled sickly sweet and somehow evil. Unfortunately, Annabeth didn't see any other way she could go.

With a lot of gasping and blinking back tears, she crawled over to the wreckage of the stairs. She found two planks that were in fairly good shape and long enough for a splint. Then she scooted over to the wicker boxes and used her knife to cut off the leather straps.

While she was psyching herself up to immobilize her ankle, she noticed some faded words on one of the wooden crates: HERMES EXPRESS.

Annabeth scooted excitedly toward the box.

She had no idea what it was doing here, but Mercury delivered all sorts of useful stuff to gods, spirits, and even demigods. Maybe he'd dropped this care package here years ago to help demigods like her with this quest.

She pried it open and pulled out several sheets of Bubble Wrap, but whatever had been inside was gone.

"Mercury!" she protested.

She stared glumly at the Bubble Wrap. Then her mind kicked into gear, and she realized the wrapping was a gift. "Oh...that's perfect!"

Annabeth covered her broken ankle in a Bubble Wrap cast. She set it with the lumber splints and tied it all together with the leather straps.

Once before, in first aid practice, she'd splinted a fake broken leg for another camper, but she never imagined she'd have to make a splint for herself.

It was hard, painful work, but finally it was done. She searched the wreckage of the stairs until she found part of the railing-a narrow board about four feet long that could serve as a crutch. She put her back against the wall, got her good leg ready, and hauled herself up.

"Whoa." Black spots danced in her eyes, but she stayed upright.

"Next time," she muttered to the dark room, "just let me fight a monster. Much easier."

Above the open doorway, the Mark of Athena blazed to life against the arch. The fiery owl seemed to be watching her expectantly, as if to say: About time. Oh, you want monsters? Right this way!

Annabeth wondered if that burning mark was based on a real sacred owl. If so, when she survived, she was going to find that owl and punch it in the face.

That thought lifted her spirits. She made it across the trench and hobbled slowly into the corridor.

The tunnel ran straight and smooth, but after her fall, Annabeth decided to take no chances. She used the wall for support and tapped the floor in front of her with her crutch to make sure there were no traps.

As she walked, the sickly sweet smell got stronger and set her nerves on edge. The sound of running water faded behind her. In its place came a dry chorus of whispers like a million tiny voices. They seemed to be coming from inside the walls, and they were getting louder.

Annabeth tried to speed up, but she couldn't go much faster without losing her balance or jarring her broken ankle. She hobbled onward, convinced that something was following her. The small voices were massing together, getting closer.

She touched the wall, and her hand came back covered in cobwebs. She yelped, then cursed herself for making a sound.

It's only a web, she told herself. But that didn't stop the roaring in her ears.

She'd expected spiders. She knew what was ahead: The weaver. Her Ladyship. The voice in the dark. But the webs made her realize how close she was.

Her hand trembled as she wiped it on the stones. What had she been thinking? She couldn't do this quest alone.

Too late, she told herself. Just keep going.

She made her way down the corridor one painful step at a time. The whispering sounds got louder behind her until they sounded like millions of dried leaves swirling in the wind. The cobwebs became thicker, filling the tunnel. Soon she was pushing them out of her face, ripping through gauzy curtains that covered her like Silly String.

Her heart wanted to break out of her chest and run. She stumbled ahead more recklessly, trying to ignore the pain in her ankle.

Finally the corridor ended in a doorway filled waist-high with old lumber. It looked as if someone had tried to barricade the opening. That didn't bode well, but Annabeth used her crutch to push away the boards as best she could. She crawled over the remaining pile, getting a few dozen splinters in her free hand.

On the other side of the barricade was a chamber the size of a basketball court. The floor was done in Roman mosaics. The remains of tapestries hung from the walls. Two unlit torches sat in wall sconces on either side of the doorway, both covered in cobwebs.

At the far end of the room, the Mark of Athena burned over another doorway. Unfortunately, between Annabeth and that exit, the floor was bisected by a chasm fifty feet across. Spanning the pit were two parallel wooden beams, too far apart for both feet, but each too narrow to walk on unless Annabeth was an acrobat, which she wasn't, and didn't have a broken ankle, which she did.

The corridor she'd come from was filled with hissing noises. Cobwebs trembled and danced as the first of the spiders appeared: no larger than gumdrops, but plump and black, skittering over the walls and the floor.

What kind of spiders? Annabeth had no idea. She only knew they were coming for her, and she only had seconds to figure out a plan.

Annabeth wanted to sob. She wanted someone, anyone, to be here for her. She wanted Leo with his fire skills, or Jason with his lightning, or Aelin to freeze the tunnel. Most of all she wanted Piper. She always felt braver when Piper was with her.

I am not going to die here, she told herself. I'm going to see Piper again.

The first spiders were almost to the door. Behind them came the bulk of the army-a black sea of creepy-crawlies.

Annabeth hobbled to one of the wall sconces and snatched up the torch. The end was coated in pitch for easy lighting. Her fingers felt like lead, but she rummaged through her backpack and found the matches. She struck one and set the torch ablaze.

She thrust it into the barricade. The old dry wood caught immediately. Flames leaped to the cobwebs and roared down the corridor in a flash fire, roasting spiders by the thousands.

Annabeth stepped back from her bonfire. She'd bought herself some time, but she doubted that she'd killed all the spiders. They would regroup and swarm again as soon as the fire died.

She stepped to the edge of the chasm.

She shined her light into the pit, but she couldn't see the bottom. Jumping in would be suicide. She could try to cross one of the bars hand over hand, but she didn't trust her arm strength, and she didn't see how she would be able to haul herself up with a full backpack and a broken ankle once she reached the other side.

She crouched and studied the beams. Each had a set of iron eye hooks along the inside, set at onefoot intervals. Maybe the rails had been the sides of a bridge and the middle planks had been removed or destroyed. But eye hooks? Those weren't for supporting planks. More like...

She glanced at the walls. The same kind of hooks had been used to hang the shredded tapestries.

She realized the beams weren't meant as a bridge. They were some kind of loom.

Annabeth threw her flaming torch to the other side of the chasm. She had no faith her plan would work, but she pulled all the string out of her backpack and began weaving between the beams, stringing a cat's cradle pattern back and forth from eye hook to eye hook, doubling and tripling the line.

Her hands moved with blazing speed. She stopped thinking about the task and just did it, looping and tying off lines, slowly extending her woven net over the pit.

She forgot the pain in her leg and the fiery barricade guttering out behind her. She inched over the chasm. The weaving held her weight. Before she knew it, she was halfway across.

How had she learned to do this?

It's Athena, she told herself. My mother's skill with useful crafts. Weaving had never seemed particularly useful to Annabeth-until now.

She glanced behind her. The barricade fire was dying. A few spiders crawled in around the edges of the doorway.

Desperately she continued weaving, and finally she made it across. She snatched up the torch and thrust it into her woven bridge. Flames raced along the string. Even the beams caught fire as if they'd been pre-soaked in oil.

For a moment, the bridge burned in a clear pattern-a fiery row of identical owls. Had Annabeth really woven them into the string, or was it some kind of magic? She didn't know, but as the spiders began to cross, the beams crumbled and collapsed into the pit.

Annabeth held her breath. She didn't see any reason why the spiders couldn't reach her by climbing the walls or the ceiling. If they started to do that, she'd have to run for it, and she was pretty sure she couldn't move fast enough.

For some reason, the spiders didn't follow. They massed at the edge of the pit-a seething black carpet of creepiness. Then they dispersed, flooding back into the burned corridor, almost as if Annabeth was no longer interesting.

"Or I passed a test," she said aloud.

Her torch sputtered out, leaving her with only the light of her dagger. She realized that she'd left her makeshift crutch on the other side of the chasm.

She felt exhausted and out of tricks, but her mind was clear. Her panic seemed to have burned up along with that woven bridge.

The weaver, she thought. I must be close. At least I know what's ahead.

She made her way down the next corridor, hopping to keep the weight off her bad foot.

She didn't have far to go.

After twenty feet, the tunnel opened into a cavern as large as a cathedral, so majestic that Annabeth had trouble processing everything she saw. She guessed that this was the room from Piper's dream, but it wasn't dark. Bronze braziers of magical light, like the gods used on Mount Olympus, glowed around the circumference of the room, interspersed with gorgeous tapestries. The stone floor was webbed with fissures like a sheet of ice. The ceiling was so high, it was lost in the gloom and layers upon layers of spiderwebs.

Strands of silk as thick as pillars ran from the ceiling all over the room, anchoring the walls and the floor like the cables of a suspension bridge.

Webs also surrounded the centerpiece of the shrine, which was so intimidating that Annabeth had trouble raising her eyes to look at it. Looming over her was a forty-foot-tall statue of Athena, with luminous ivory skin and a dress of gold. In her outstretched hand, Athena held a statue of Nike, the winged victory goddess-a statue that looked tiny from here, but was probably as tall as a real person. Athena's other hand rested on a shield as big as a billboard, with a sculpted snake peeking out from behind, as if Athena was protecting it.

The goddess's face was serene and kindly...and it looked like Athena. Annabeth had seen many statues that didn't resemble her mom at all, but this giant version, made thousands of years ago, made her think that the artist must have met Athena in person. He had captured her perfectly.

"Athena Parthenos," Annabeth murmured. "It's really here."

All her life, she had wanted to visit the Parthenon. Now she was seeing the main attraction that used to be there-and she was the first child of Athena to do so in millennia.

She realized her mouth was hanging open. She forced herself to swallow. Annabeth could have stood there all day looking at the statue, but she had only accomplished half her mission. She had found the Athena Parthenos. Now, how could she rescue it from this cavern?

Strands of web covered it like a gauze pavilion. Annabeth suspected that without those webs, the statue would have fallen through the weakened floor long ago. As she stepped into the room, she could see that the cracks below were so wide, she could have lost her foot in them. Beneath the cracks, she saw nothing but empty darkness.

A chill washed over her. Where was the guardian? How could Annabeth free the statue without collapsing the floor? She couldn't very well shove the Athena Parthenos down the corridor that she'd come from.

She scanned the chamber, hoping to see something that might help. Her eyes wandered over the tapestries, which were heart-wrenchingly beautiful. One showed a pastoral scene so threedimensional, it could've been a window. Another tapestry showed the gods battling the giants. Annabeth saw a landscape of the Underworld. Next to it was the skyline of modern Rome. And in the tapestry to her left...

She caught her breath. It was a portrait of two demigods kissing in front of a bnofire: Annabeth and Piper, the day their friends had thrown a party to support their reltationp-the first gay relationship in the legion. It was so lifelike that she wondered if the weaver had been there, lurking in the darkness with a camera.

"How is that possible?" she murmured.

Above her in the gloom, a voice spoke. "For ages I have known that you would come, my sweet."

Annabeth shuddered. Suddenly she was seven years old again, hiding under her covers, waiting for the spiders to attack her in the night. The voice sounded just as Piper had described: an angry buzz in multiple tones, female but not human.

In the webs above the statue, something moved-something dark and large.

"I have seen you in my dreams," the voice said, sickly sweet and evil, like the smell in the corridors. "I had to make sure you were worthy, the only child of Athena clever enough to pass my tests and reach this place alive. Indeed, you are her most talented child. This will make your death so much more painful to my old enemy when you fail utterly."

The pain in Annabeth's ankle was nothing compared to the icy acid now filling her veins. She wanted to run. She wanted to plead for mercy. But she couldn't show weakness-not now.

"You're Arachne," she called out. "The weaver who was turned into a spider."

The figure descended, becoming clearer and more horrible. "Cursed by your mother," she said. "Scorned by all and made into a hideous thing...because I was the better weaver."

"But you lost the contest," Annabeth said.

"That's the story written by the winner!" cried Arachne. "Look on my work! See for yourself!"

Annabeth didn't have to. The tapestries were the best she'd ever seen-better than the witch Circe's work, and, yes, even better than some weavings she'd seen in New Rome. She wondered if her mother truly had lost-if she'd hidden Arachne away and rewritten the truth. But right now, it didn't matter.

"You've been guarding this statue since the ancient times," Annabeth guessed. "But it doesn't belong here. I'm taking it back."

"Ha," Arachne said.

Even Annabeth had to admit her threat sounded ridiculous. How could one girl in a Bubble Wrap ankle cast remove this huge statue from its underground chamber?

"I'm afraid you would have to defeat me first, my sweet," Arachne said. "And alas, that is impossible."

The creature appeared from the curtains of webbing, and Annabeth realized that her quest was hopeless. She was about to die.

Arachne had the body of a giant black widow, with a hairy red hourglass mark on the underside of her abdomen and a pair of oozing spinnerets. Her eight spindly legs were lined with curved barbs as big as Annabeth's dagger. If the spider came any closer, her sweet stench alone would have been enough to make Annabeth faint. But the most horrible part was her misshapen face.

She might once have been a beautiful woman. Now black mandibles protruded from her mouth like tusks. Her other teeth had grown into thin white needles. Fine dark whiskers dotted her cheeks. Her eyes were large, lidless, and pure black, with two smaller eyes sticking out of her temples.

The creature made a violent rip-rip-rip sound that might have been laughter.

"Now I will feast on you, my sweet," Arachne said. "But do not fear. I will make a beautiful tapestry depicting your death."

Chapter 30: The Cursed Blade

Chapter Text

Piper paced the deck, waiting for Aelin, Lilly, and Leo to return. When she had returned, Killian showed her a knife that had showed up with a note with her name on it. It read:

Piper,

This dagger has played an important role in the history of the world and it appears it is time for it to do so again. This is Katoptris, the legendary blade of Helen of Troy. Although it may not look like much, the blade will show you much more than your reflection.

With love,

Venus

Rhea Silvia had said that it would show them the way, Piper was hesitant on looking into the blade. She knew the story of Helen of Troy. She was the woman who started the Trojan War, though that was because Piper's own mother had promised her to Paris when he chose to give her the Apple of Discord.

The story made Piper sick more than anything. Ajax looked inclined to agree. He would occasionally glance at the blade and mutter things in Ancient Greek under his breath.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Aelin, Lilly, and Leo ran up the plank.

"Now what?" Aelin panted, putting her hands on her knees. Leo collapsed against the railing. "We just ran...all the way...from the other side of town."

"This knife showed up," Killian said, lifting the blade. Ajax probably cursed in Ancient Greek. "A gift from Venus. To Piper."

"Tibernius said it would show the way," Piper said. "I just...I need to look into it."

"Like, as in looking at your reflection?" Leo asked.

"That is what it was once used for," Ajax said bitterly. "That accursed daughter of Zeus used it as a mirror while my friends were slaughtered, fighting to get her back. That fool Menelaus let her keep it after taking her back as his wife. That blade is cursed, Piper McLean."

"And it was a gift from your mother?" Aelin said. "How generous."

"We don't have a choice," Killian said. "Piper, it's time."

"What am I supposed to do?" Piper asked, confused.

Killian shrugged. "Just look into it and look for Alex."

Piper wasn't exactly confident in those directions considering she didn't even know what the two looked like but she gave a whirl anyway.

She looked into the blade, focusing hard, her mind chanting Alex's name. Piper began to lose hope as she continued to see only her own reflection before a bright light shimmered off the blade.

She nearly dropped it in shock before forcing herself to hold it tight as Killian and Lilly leaned over her shoulders to gaze into the blade.

She saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar.

The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Alex Mare was curled up into a ball, unmoving.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"Don't say that," Lilly growled. "He's just weak, we need to hurry."

Lilly didn't exactly sound convinced by her own words but it was clear she was not going to accept failure until she laid eyes on her dead friend.

Suddenly the view on the blade rapidly zoomed out until they saw ruins-a few crumbling walls, a bunch of columns, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines.

"That's the old coliseum," Killian said from over Piper's shoulder.

That was apparently all Killian needed as he stepped back. He snapped his fingers and his body went up in flames. Once they died away, the others gawked at his armor. It was Plated armor, minus the helmet, and colored like a heated hearth. His sword was strapped to his waist and a dagger was attached to his thigh. An ax was on his back.

"Leo, you and Aelin stay on the ship," Killian said. "If-When Annabeth comes back, she needs a way to get to us. We'll Iris Message you when we've killed this giant."

"I want to fight, Uncle Killian," Aelin protested. "I can fight!"

"No." Killian's order was stern and commanding. "You are, under no circ*mstances, allowed to leave this ship unless I or Lilly say so. Understood?"

Aelin grumbled something.

"Understood?" Killian growled.

"Yes!" Aelin said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I'll stay on the ship with Leo."

Killian turned his gaze on Leo, who paled. "Can I trust you to watch her, Valdez?"

The imp nodded quickly. "Yes, sir! We won't leave the ship until you tell us to!"

"Good." He glanced at the others. "Grab your stuff, and quickly. We have no time to waste."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group made their way into the coliseum. When they entered, they were confused; there wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere in the area. No giants. No monsters. Not even a damn tourist or tour guide.

Piper tilted her head. "What's that noise?"

Everyone listened closely. Faintly, they could hear rumbling and creaking, like a huge machine needed oiling.

"It's coming from below us," Lilly said.

"That is where the gladiators were kept during the games in ancient Rome," Jason said. "There is a whole other level below us where they would keep the props and anything else they needed for the games. But I'm not sure how to get there. There must be some type of entrance or something..."

Killian cut him off as he pulled out his sword. "I don't have time for that. We're making an entrance."

Without another word, he raised his blade before slamming it into the ground with a powerful strike, opening up a crack in the ground big enough for them to slip into.

Jason seemed a bit in awe at that ability before Piper chuckled. "You'll get used to that. He's got a lot of strength."

"Shall we milady?" Killian said, holding his hand out to Lilly who smirked a bit.

"Always the gentleman," she said with a wry smile while taking his hand. They both stepped forward before jumping into the crack without even a glance down at what they were jumping into.

Both landed on their feet in a slight crouch as they fell ten feet until a second floor appeared below them. Piper came down next, landing on her feet with her hand already on her gladius. Jason came down a second later, stumbling a bit before Killian grabbed his arm to steady him. Then finally Ajax, the ground cracking slightly under the warrior's weight.

The creaking and rumbling came from huge gears and pulley systems that raised and lowered sections of the floor for no apparent reason. Water flowed through open trenches powering water wheels that turned some of the machines. Other machines were connected to huge hamster wheels with hellhounds inside. Killian couldn't help thinking of Mrs. O'Leary, and how much she would hate being trapped inside one of those.

Suspended from the ceiling were cages of live animals-a lion, several zebras, wolves, a whole pack of hyenas, and even an eight-headed hydra. Ancient-looking bronze and leather conveyor belts trundled along with stacks of weapons and armor, sort of like the Amazons' warehouse in Seattle, except this place was obviously much older and not as well organized.

Leo would love it, Alex thought. The whole room was like one massive, scary, unreliable machine.

"What is it?" Piper whispered.

Killian wasn't really sure how to answer. He didn't see the giants, so he gestured for his friends to come forward and take a look.

About twenty feet inside the doorway, a life-size wooden cutout of a gladiator popped up from the floor. It clicked and whirred along a conveyor belt, got hooked on a rope, and ascended through a slot in the roof.

Jason murmured, "What the heck?"

There were several thousand things to look at; most of them in motion, but one good aspect of being an ADHD demigod was that Killian was comfortable with chaos. About a hundred yards away, he spotted a raised dais with two empty oversized praetor chairs. Standing between them was a bronze jar big enough to hold a person.

"Look." He pointed it out to his friends.

Piper frowned. "That's too easy."

"Of course," Lilly said.

"But we have no choice," Jason said. "We've got to save Alex."

"Yeah." Killian started across the room, picking his way around conveyor belts and moving platforms.

The hellhounds in the hamster wheels paid them no attention. They were too busy running and panting, their red eyes glowing like headlights. The animals in the other cages gave them bored looks, as if to say, I'd kill you, but it would take too much energy.

Killian tried to watch out for traps, but everything here looked like a trap. He remembered how many times he'd almost died in the labyrinth so many years ago.

They jumped over a water trench and ducked under a row of caged wolves. They had made it about halfway to the bronze jar when the ceiling opened over them. A platform lowered. Standing on it like an actor, with one hand raised and his head high, was the purple-haired giant Ephialtes.

Just like he'd been described, the Big F was small by giant standards-about twelve feet tall-but he had tried to make up for it with his loud outfit. He'd changed out of the gladiator armor and was now wearing a Hawaiian shirt that even Dionysus would've found vulgar. It had a garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver coins. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back, which wasn't a good fashion statement with the shirt. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals on his...well, not feet, but curved snakeheads. The snakes flicked their tongues and writhed as if they didn't appreciate holding up the weight of a giant.

Ephialtes smiled at the demigods like he was really, really pleased to see them.

"At last!" he bellowed. "So very happy. You're just in time for the main event!"

Jason and Piper closed ranks behind Killian, with Ajax behind them. Lilly stepped up to his side, showing she was there with him. Having her there made him feel a little better. This giant was smaller than a lot of monsters he had faced, but something about him made Killian's skin crawl. Ephialtes' eyes danced with a crazy light.

"We're here," Killian said, which sounded kind of obvious once he had said it. "Let our friend go."

"Of course!" Ephialtes said. "Though I fear he's a bit past his expiration date. Otis, where are you?"

A stone's throw away, the floor opened, and the other giant rose on a platform.

"Otis, finally!" his brother cried with glee. "You're not dressed the same as me! You're..."

Ephialtes's expression turned to horror. "What are you wearing?"

Otis looked like the world's largest, grumpiest ballet dancer. He wore a skin-tight baby-blue leotard that Killian really wished left more to the imagination. The toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. A diamond tiara (Killian decided to be generous and think of it as a king's crown) was nestled in his green, firecracker-braided hair. He looked glum and miserably uncomfortable, but he managed a dancer's bow, which couldn't have been easy with snake feet and a huge spear on his back.

"Gods and Titans!" Ephialtes yelled. "It's showtime! What are you thinking?"

"I didn't want to wear the gladiator outfit," Otis complained. "I still think a ballet would be perfect, you know, while Armageddon is going on." He raised his eyebrows hopefully at the demigods. "I have some extra costumes-"

"No!" Ephialtes snapped, and for once Killian was in agreement.

The purple-haired giant faced Killian. He grinned so painfully, he looked like he was being electrocuted.

"Please excuse my brother," he said. "His stage presence is awful, and he has no sense of style."

"Okay." Killian decided not to comment on the Hawaiian shirt. "Now, about our friend..."

"Oh, him," Ephialtes sneered. "We were going to let him finish dying in public, but he has no entertainment value. He's spent days curled up sleeping. What sort of spectacle is that? Otis, tip over the jar."

Otis trudged over to the dais, stopping occasionally to do a plié. He knocked over the jar, the lid popped off, and Alexander Mare spilled out. The sight of his deathly pale face and malnourished frame made Killian's heart stop. Killian couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead. He wanted to rush over and check, but Ephialtes stood in his way.

"Now we have to hurry," said the Big F. "We should go through your stage directions. The hypogeum is all set!"

Killian was ready to slice this giant in half and get out of there, but Otis was standing over Alex. If a battle started, Alex was in no condition to defend himself. Killian needed to buy him some recovery time.

Jason raised his gold gladius. "We're not going to be part of any show," he said. "And what's a hypo-whatever-you-call-it?"

"Hypogeum!" Ephialtes said. "You're a Roman demigod, aren't you? You should know! Ah, but I suppose if we do our job right down here in the underworks, you really wouldn't know the hypogeum exists."

"I know that word," Piper said. "It's the area under a coliseum. It housed all the set pieces and machinery used to create special effects."

Ephialtes clapped enthusiastically. "Exactly so! Are you a student of the theater, my girl?"

"Uh...my dad's an actor."

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes turned toward his brother. "Did you hear that, Otis?"

"Actor," Otis murmured. "Everybody's an actor. No one can dance."

"Be nice!" Ephialtes scolded. "At any rate, my girl, you're absolutely right, but this hypogeum is much more than the stageworks for a coliseum. You've heard that in the old days some giants were imprisoned under the earth, and from time to time they would cause earthquakes when they tried to break free? Well, we've done much better! Otis and I have been imprisoned under Rome for eons, but we've kept busy building our very own hypogeum. Now we're ready to create the greatest spectacle Rome has ever seen-and the last!"

At Otis's feet, Alex shuddered. Killian felt like a hellhound hamster wheel somewhere in his chest had started moving again. At least Alex was alive. Now they just had to defeat the giants, preferably without destroying the city of Rome, and get out of here to find their friends.

"He's alive," Lilly breathed next to him. They shared a look, and Killian grinned.

"All those for winging it?" Killian asked, glancing at the others behind him.

"We're behind you, Killian," Jason said while Piper quietly agreed. Ajax nodded.

Killian's grin widened.

"You know, they seem like they put a lot or work into this. Perhaps we ought to throw a wrench into their little spectacle," Lilly muttered quietly.

"And that's why I love you so much."

"What are you doing?" Otis muttered a bit nervously.

Killian smirked. "Planning how to defeat you."

"That will never work," Ephialtes said. "You need the help of a god, and there are none here."

"None yet. We just need to buy a little bit of time."

Jason looked at his friends. "I'm getting tired of this guy's shirt."

"Combat time?" Piper raised her sword.

Ajax readied his spear. "I hate giants."

Together, they charged.

Chapter 31: Underground Fight Scene!

Chapter Text

The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. Killian sprinted toward Ephialtes, but slots in the floor opened under his feet, and metal walls shot up on either side, separating him from his friends.

The walls started closing in on him like the sides of a vise grip. Killian jumped up and grabbed the bottom of the hydra's cage. He caught a brief glimpse of Piper leaping across a hopscotch pattern of fiery pits, making her way toward Alex, who was dazed and weaponless and being stalked by a pair of wolves.

Meanwhile, Jason charged at Otis, who pulled his spear and heaved a great sigh, as if he would much rather dance Swan Lake than kill another demigod.

Killian registered all this in a split second, but there wasn't much he could do about it. The hydra snapped at his hands. He swung and dropped, landing in a grove of painted plywood trees that sprang up from nowhere. The trees changed positions as he tried to run through them, so he slashed down the whole forest with Vorkna.

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes cried. He stood at his control panel about sixty feet to Killian's left. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal. Shall I unleash the hydra onto the Spanish Steps now?"

He pulled a lever, and Killian glanced behind him. The cage he had just been hanging from was now rising toward a hatch in the ceiling. In three seconds it would be gone. If Killian attacked the giant, the hydra would ravage the city.

Cursing, he threw Vorkna like a boomerang. The sword wasn't designed for that, but the marble blade sliced through the chains suspending the hydra. The cage tumbled sideways. The door broke open, and the monster spilled out-right in front of Killian.

"Oh, you are a spoilsport, Vixon!" Ephialtes called. "Very well. Battle it here, if you must, but your death won't be nearly as good without the cheering crowds."

Killian stepped forward to confront the monster, Lilly at his side, wielding her sword.

"Together?" she suggested, glancing at him.

He nodded. "Together."

They charged the monster. Killian rolled to one side as all eight hydra heads spit acid, turning the floor where he'd been standing into a steaming crater of melted stone. Killian really hated hydras. It was almost a good thing that he'd lost his sword, since his gut instinct would've been to slash at the heads, and a hydra simply grew two new ones for each one it lost.

The hydra lashed out. Killian ducked behind a giant hamster wheel. He peeked around and saw Lilly slicing through one of its heads. Thinking fast, he ran, thrusting his hands out. Fire blasted the hydra back, making it roar and hiss. Killian jumped on the decapitated head and focused his fire there, cauterizing the stump so that another head couldn't grow back.

He jumped off as another head tried to take a bit out of him. He drew his ax, swinging it experimentally. It had been a while since he'd used one of them in actual combat. He hoped he wasn't rusty.

He ducked under another hand and swung the ax, cutting off another head and making it roar in pain. He threw a fireball at the stump, which cauterized it instantly.

On the other side of the hydra, Lilly rolled out of the way as one head struck at it. She stabbed it in the eye with her sword, making it rear back in pain. She used its pain as a distraction and dived underneath it. She jumped up and sliced through its neck, decapitating another head.

"Got another!" She yelled to Killian.

"Switch!" he yelled back. He kicked the head he was dealing with, stunning it briefly.

They ran past each other as they switched heads. Killian lit his hand on fire and slammed it onto the stump, which was beginning to sprout a new head. Another head tried to bite him, but he slammed his ax into its face. The attack didn't kill it, but it certainly stunned it long enough for Killian to finish searing the neck.

Killian yanked his ax out of the hydra's head before slicing it's throat. It hissed in pain. He jumped around and did it again, this time taking off the head. He quickly burned this neck as well before moving onto the next.

After decapitating three more heads, the hydra fell dead. They looked around the room, trying to find their next target.

At the dais, Piper stood guard over Alex as the wolves advanced. She aimed her cornucopia and shot a pot roast over the canine' heads. It must have smelled pretty good, because the wolves raced after it.

About eighty feet to Piper's right, Jason and Ajax battled Otis, sword and spear against spear. Otis had lost his diamond tiara and looked angry about it. He probably could have impaled the two several times, but the giant insisted on doing a pirouette with every attack, which slowed him down.

Meanwhile Ephialtes laughed as he pushed buttons on his control board, cranking the conveyor belts into high gear and opening random animal cages.

Tucked against the back wall was a strange contraption like an artist's easel, fitted with rows of missile launchers. Killian spotted a bazooka, a grenade launcher, a giant Roman candle, and a dozen other wicked-looking weapons. They all seemed to be wired together, pointing in the same direction and connected to a single bronze lever on the side. At the top of the easel, spelled in carnations, were the words: HAPPY DESTRUCTION, ROME!

Killian bolted toward the device while Lilly ran to help Piper.

"I know!" Ephialtes cried out happily. "We can start with explosions along the Via Labicana! We can't keep our audience waiting forever."

Killian scrambled behind the easel and turned it toward Ephialtes. He didn't have Beckendorf's skill with machines, but he knew how to aim a weapon. He tugged at the lever. It didn't budge.

He tugged the lever again. This time the easel shook and the weapons began to hiss.

"Duck and cover!" Killian yelled, hoping his friends got the message.

Killian leaped to one side as the easel fired. The sound was like a fiesta in the middle of an exploding gunpowder factory. Unfortunately, the recoil knocked the easel sideways and sent more projectiles shooting all over the room. A chunk of ceiling collapsed and crushed a waterwheel. More cages snapped off their chains, unleashing two zebras and a pack of hyenas. A grenade exploded over Ephialtes's head, but it only blasted him off his feet. The control board didn't even look damaged.

Across the room, sandbags rained down around Piper. Piper tried to get out of the way, but one of the bags caught her shoulder and knocked her down.

"Piper!" Jason cried. He ran toward her, completely forgetting about Otis, who aimed his spear at Jason's back.

"Look out!" Killian yelled.

Jason had fast reflexes. As Otis threw, Jason rolled. The point sailed over him and Jason flicked his hand, summoning a gust of wind that changed the spear's direction. It flew across the room and skewered Ephialtes through his side just as he was getting to his feet.

"Otis!" Ephialtes stumbled away from his control board, clutching the spear as he began to crumble into monster dust. "Will you please stop killing me!"

"Not my fault!"

Otis had barely finished speaking when Ajax took advantage of his unarmed opponent. He stabbed the giant in the back of the knee, making him stumble to one knee. He thrust his spear head into Otis's throat before tearing it across the giants neck.

As the giant began to turn to dust, Killian's missile-launching contraption spit out one last sphere of Roman candle fire. The fiery pink ball of death (naturally it had to be pink) hit the ceiling above Otis and exploded in a beautiful shower of light. Colorful sparks pirouetted gracefully around the giant. Then a ten-foot section of roof collapsed and crushed him flat.

Jason ran to Piper's side. She yelped when he touched her arm. Her shoulder looked unnaturally bent, but she muttered, "Fine. I'm fine." Next to her, Alex sat up, looking around himself in bewilderment as if just realizing he'd missed a battle.

Sadly, the giants weren't finished. Ephialtes was already re-forming, his head and shoulders rising from the mound of dust. He tugged his arms free and glowered at Killian.

Across the room, the pile of rubble shifted, and Otis busted out. His head was slightly caved in. All the firecrackers in his hair had popped, and his braids were smoking. His leotard was in tatters, which was just about the only way it could've looked less attractive on him.

"Lord Killian!" Ajax shouted. "The controls!"

Killian unfroze. He flicked his watch and Vorkan returned to him. He lunged for the switchboard and slashed his blade across the top, decapitating the controls in a shower of bronze sparks.

"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "You've ruined the spectacle!"

Killian turned too slowly. Ephialtes swung his spear like a bat and smacked him across the chest. He fell to his knees, the pain turning his stomach to lava.

The others ran to his side, but Otis lumbered after them. Killian managed to rise and found himself shoulder to shoulder with Ajax, Jason, and Lilly. Over by the dais, Piper was still on the floor, unable to get up. Alex was barely conscious.

The giants were healing, getting stronger by the minute. The demigods were not.

Ephialtes smiled apologetically. "Tired, Killian Vixon? As I said, you cannot kill us. So I guess we're at an impasse. Oh, wait...no we're not! Because we can kill you!"

"That," Otis grumbled, picking up his fallen spear, "is the first thing sensible thing you've said all day, brother."

The giants pointed their weapons, ready to turn them into a demigod-kabob.

"We won't give up," Jason growled. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."

"That's right," Killian said. "You're both dead. I don't care if we have a god on our side or not."

"Well, that's a shame," said a new voice.

To his right, another platform lowered from the ceiling. Leaning casually on a pinecone-topped staff was a man in a purple camp shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals with white socks. He raised his broad-brimmed hat, and purple fire flickered in his eyes.

"I'd hate to think I made a special trip for nothing."

Of all the gods of Olympus to show up, this was by far the one Killian least hoped would have. Ever since Michael and Percy started running camp, he had been nothing but an incredibly large pain in his ass.

Two leopards paced over and butted their heads affectionately against the god's legs. Mr. D scratched their ears.

"Really, Ephialtes," he chided. "Killing demigods is one thing. But using leopards for your spectacle? That's over the line."

The giant made a squeaking sound. "This-this is impossible. D-D-"

"It's Bacchus, actually, my old friend," said the god. "And of course it's possible. Someone told me there was a party going on."

Bacchus stepped forward, and the giants stumbled back. "Have you two gotten shorter?" asked the god.

"Oh, now that's low," Ephialtes growled. "I'm quite tall enough to destroy you, Bacchus! You gods, always hiding behind your mortal heroes, trusting the fate of Olympus to the likes of these." He sneered at Killian.

Jason hefted his sword. "Lord Bacchus, are we going to kill these giants or what?"

Bacchus turned to look at Jason and the other demigods for the first time. His eyes lingered on him for a second before shifting to Piper and then to Killian, where they narrowed.

The god's image flickered before he shimmered into his Greek aspect of Dionysus.

"Now, the great Killian Vixon, slayer of Titans, savior of Olympus. What an honor to see you again," He sneered.

"The feeling's mutual, Dionyus," Killian spat. He co*cked his head to the side. "How's that ego of yours? Not still bruised from Zeus saying we run camp better than you did, I hope."

Dionysus' eyes burst into purple flames. "It's about to be restored, Vixon. Now is the time for you to get your comeuppance. You and your little girlfriend."

"If you lay a finger on her, I will drag you to Tartarus," Killian snarled.

The wine god smirked a bit. "Me? No. I wouldn't do such a thing to such a pretty girl. No, I'll let the wannabe kings of party try their luck against you two. Since you two are our supposed saviors then this should be a walk in the park for such great heroes as yourselves."

Before Killian could respond, the god disappeared along with Piper, Jason, and Alex.

The entire floor rumbled and began to rise. The ceiling opened in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in. The air shimmered like a mirage, and Killian heard the roar of a crowd above him.

Killian's heart did a somersault. This wasn't just any coliseum. It was the Coliseum. The giants' special effects machines had gone into overtime, laying planks across ruined support beams so the arena had a proper floor again. The bleachers repaired themselves until they were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.

Vents opened in the floor and sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props sprang up-garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and (for some reason) life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare. Killian, Lilly, and Ajax stood together facing the twin giants.

Killian smirked to himself when he saw Ajax standing beside him. Guess Dionysus's magic doesn't work on him.

Lilly stood next to him. "C'mon, Killian," she said, smiling at him like this wasn't a fight for their lives. "Let's kill these giants, and maybe some real gods will show up."

"That sounds good," Killian agreed. He looked up at the Risen Warrior. "Ajax, you mind calling someone for us?"

Lilly raised an eyebrow but was interrupted as Dionysus spoke again.

"This is a proper show!" boomed the voice of Dionysus. He sat in the emperor's box wearing his usual hideous Hawaiian shirt.

At his left sat Piper and Jason. On his right, Nico and Bianca were being tended by a nymph in a nurse's uniform. In front of the god crouched a satyr, offering up Doritos and grapes. The god raised a can of Diet Pepsi and the crowd went respectfully quiet.

"Now, mighty saviors of Olympus, banes of the Titan Lord, show me, a lowly god, your power. Show me a good show and perhaps I will take pity on you mortals and offer my aid," Dionysus boomed.

"We f*cking will," Lilly muttered under her breath as she readied her sword and pink shield. "And then we'll kill you for putting us through this."

Killian laughed. "Oh, I'll look forward to that."

Chapter 32: A Fight For Life

Chapter Text

Before they could say anything else, both giants attacked. Lilly backtracked, leading Otis towards the artificial lake.

Ephialtes charged at Killian, who spun out of the way of the giant's thrust. He swung his sword down, pushing the giant's spear into the ground, causing him to stumble a bit. Killian didn't hesitate as he charged, stabbing his sword into the back of the giant's knee, causing it to buckle.

Ephialtes roared in pain, swinging the spear wildly, but Killian ducked then rolled back and climbed to his feet.

Ephialtes pulled the spear out of his leg with a bellow of pain before hurling it at Killian who jumped to the side. Killian burst into flames, reappearing a bit further away.

Before Ephialtes could react, Killian charged at him. The giant braced for his attack, but Killian rolled in between his legs. Once behind him, Killian took out his ax and threw it at Otis, who was pressing Lilly back as he tried to run her through with his spear.

The ax flew straight into the giant's side, causing him to stumble. Lilly suddenly lunged forward, slashing at Otis with her sword. Ichor began to pour from the deep gash in his thigh.

Killian ducked as Ephialtes tried to backhand him. He sliced upward with his sword, cutting deeply into the giant's wrist but not taking it off. Ephialtes yelled in pain and back off, but Killian wasn't done. He charged the wounded giant and jumped, ready to stab him, but was suddenly hit by some unseen force.

Killian tumbled across the ground before flipping to his feet and skidding to a stop. He looked around wildly for what hit him, but spotted nothing. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Dionysus, who stared back with malicious amusem*nt.

Ajax had made his reappearance and was helping Lilly with Otis. The Risen Warrior ducked under Otis's thrust, which clanged off Lilly's unbreakable shield. He swiped upward with his spear, forcing the giant back a step. He feinted a thrust, ducking as Lilly jumped off his back, sword raised. Just as her sword started to pierce Otis's chest, she, too, was knocked back by an invisible force.

Otis looked around in surprise, which made Killian sure that it wasn't the giants doing it.

Ephialtes suddenly came into view, spear in hand. Killian's eyes widened before he jumped back, Ephialtes's spear cracking the earth where he had been a moment ago.

Killian lunged forward, but Ephialtes blocked his strike with his spear. The giant spun his spear, twisting Vorkna out of Killian's grip. Killian unsheathed his dagger and thrust forward, stabbing the giant's hand as he tried to grab Killian.

He howled in pain and stumbled back, shaking his hand and getting ichor everywhere.

Killian jumped forward and put his hands on either side of the giant's head. Ephialtes stared at him for a second before his eyes widened. Before he could shout, his head imploded in a burst of fire.

Killian jumped back as Ephialtes's body crumbled to dust. He wiped the ichor out of his eyes and grabbed his sword. He was about to run to Lilly and Ajax when a hand wrapped around his leg. He looked down and saw an earthen arm gripping his ankle.

He tried to pull free but was suddenly yanked backward. He fell to the ground, losing his grip on his sword and dagger. The earthen hand began to lift him up, and in a panic, Killian grasped wildly at his weapons. His fingers had barely tightened around his sword when the hand began to swing him around.

Killian grimaced in pain as he was swung around by his ankle. It felt like his leg was being pulled from the rest of his body.

The swinging suddenly stopped, but before Killian could be relieved, it smashed him into the ground. Everything went black for a second. When he came to, his body felt like it had been smashed into the ground twenty some-odd times.

As if tired of playing with him, the hand threw him away. He bounced across the sandy floor of the Coliseum before slamming into the wall. He stuck for a second before falling to the ground, like in a cartoon. When he looked at the wall, he saw that he'd left a crater that dripped his blood.

He could hear Dionysus laughing from the other side of the arena.

"Oh, Gaea sure knows how to deal with you demigods!" he cackled "That was the most entertaining thing I've seen in centuries!"

He could hear his friends shouting for him. He looked towards the box and saw them straining in their seats, but they couldn't break free from Dionysus's power.

Ephialtes stalked up to him. His face was full of delight.

"Look at you now, demigod!" he exclaimed. "You have witnessed just a tiny bit-the tiniest fraction of Mother Gaea's power! She will destroy your homes and make us, the giants, the kings of the world!"

Killian gazed across the arena. Next to the artificial lake, Otis was beginning to win as well. He knocked Ajax to the side with his hand. The warrior didn't go down, but he stumbled back. Lilly ran up and tried to attack Otis, but the giant just swatted her aside. She soared into the lake. Killian didn't see her get out.

"It's over, Vixon!" Ephialtes said, raising his spear.

No, Killian thought. Not while I can still breath!

Killian rolled out of the way of Ephialtes's strike, his body screaming. He pushed himself to his feet but stumbled. His ankle screamed when he put pressure on it.

Killian readied his sword for the giant's next attack. He parried it, getting inside Ephialtes's guard and stabbing him in the chest. The giant pushed him away, making Killian slip on his bad ankle. He fell, but quickly pushed himself back up.

He raised his sword in time to deflect another thrust. He thrust his free arm forward and a ball of flame exploded right in Ephialtes's ugly face.

The giant screamed, stumbling back. Killian pressed the attack, slicing off one of his arms and across his chest. But then he slammed into something invisible, making his eyesight go fuzzy.

He staggered back, clutching his head. As his vision cleared, he saw Ephialtes reattaching his arm. He picked up his spear and thrust at Killian again. He was barely fast enough to dodge. Ephialtes tried again and again, forcing Killian back towards the wall.

Killian pressed his back against the cold stone. His hair covered part of his vision and his eyesight was tinted red from the blood in his face. He could feel the blood on his back, on his leg...If Ephialtes didn't kill him soon, he'd die from blood loss.

Not the worst way to die, Killian supposed. Wouldn't make a good story, though.

"Just die!" Ephialtes screamed, thrusting one last time. His spear head caught Killian's side as he rolled out of the way, igniting a fire of pain in his side.

He could barely push himself to his feet this time. His side burned and spots danced in his eyes. Across the way, Lilly parried Otis's spear with her sword. She ducked under another strike as Ajax came in and stabbed the giant. Otis stumbled back, clutching his stomach. Lilly went in for the kill, but that same invisible force slammed into her, sending her flying into the wall.

"You can't keep this up forever, demigod!" Ephialtes yelled, ripping his spear out of the wall. "You'll tire eventually, and then we will have you! Mother wishes for your blood, and we shall give it to her!"

Killian parried Ephialtes's thrust and tried to counter, but was too slow. The giant stepped out of the way and smacked Killian on the back with his spear as he stumbled past, knocking him forward. Killian turned the fall into a roll and hopped to his feet, much to his ankle and side's displeasure, lunging to the left as Ephialtes tried to run him through.

Killian hated it, but he was right. He could feel his energy fading. He was, after all, still only a demigod. He could do some amazing stuff, but he had a limit. And fighting someone as tough as a giant...well, that shortened his limit.

He could see Lilly having the same problem. Her shield was abandoned on the ground as she slashed at Otis, who dodged and blocked her strikes. Her shield arm looked twisted, as if she had broken it after being thrown into the wall.

The thought made Killian angry.

He turned as Ephialtes charged him. He raised his hands and discharged a wave of fire from his palms. Ephialtes yelped and swatted at the flames, but Killian didn't care about him at the moment.

He ran as best he could towards the box in which Dionysus sat. The god's eyes followed him until he stopped in front of him. He most have looked horrible cause his friends looked at him in horror.

"If you want us to die," Killian yelled, "come down and do it yourself, coward! Don't hide your intent with these invisible attacks, don't make the giants do your work for you! Do it yourself, you sorry excuse for a god!"

Dionysus's eyes burned with purple fire. "That would be tainting my hands with your blood. This way, my hands remain clean."

Ephialtes laughed from behind Killian. He whirled around but wasn't quick enough. Ephialtes swung his spear right into Killian's stomach for the second time that day. This time, Killian was sure he'd broken a few ribs.

"You are out of luck, demigod!" the giant gloated. "The gods don't even want you to succeed! First, I will kill you! Then, I will kill you, Dionysus!" Ephialtes looked up at the god. "Watch now as I kill your hero!"

Killian couldn't believe it. After everything he'd been through-fighting Atlas, fighting Kampe, fighting Hyperion, Kronos, Aclyoneus, Polybotes-he was finally done for. He'd be killed before he could see his kids grow up. Before he could make good on his promise to Alex.

Killian didn't look up as Ephialtes laughed gleefully. He waited for the strike.

He closed his eyes and-

BOOM

Chapter 33: The Calvary Arrives

Chapter Text

Thunder shook the arena. Tourists outside shrieked and screamed in alarm.

"What is thi-" Ephialtes started to say before he was blasted back by three consecutive bolts of lightning.

"Brother!" Otis yelled. He tried to run to Ephialtes's aid, but shadows surrounded him. A tendril of darkness shot from the shadows and punched Otis directly in the face, knocking him back.

Killian looked up as a storm formed above the coliseum. Lightning flashed. Thunder shook the sky. Cold winds blew through the area.

Dionysus flashed down in front of Killian, who had propped himself up against the wall.

"I guess my time is up," he said, sounding rather put out. "I guess I must dirty my hands for this one."

A dark purple sword appeared in his hand.

"Say goodbye, Vixon," Dionysus crowed in triumph as he raised the sword. As the sword flew towards his face, Killian closed his eyes.

TWANG CLASH

Dionysus yelled out in pain. Killian opened one eye and saw a silver arrow protruding from the god's arm. His sword laid in front of Killian, a golden arrow next to it.

"You dare attempt to kill a Savior of Olympus!" boomed a familiar voice.

Twenty feet away stood Artemis and Apollo, both with bows out and looks of absolute fury on their faces.

"I should kill you, you worthless swine!" Artemis yelled. She notched another arrow and let it fly.

Dionysus cried out as it sunk into his shoulder. He raised his trembling hands. "I-It isn't what i-it lookis l-like!" he stammered.

"Isn't what it looks like?" Apollo snapped, a golden arrow aimed at the other god. "So you're not trying to kill Killian Vixon, the Savior of Olympus?"

"N-No!"

The golden arrow sunk into Dionysus's other shoulder.

"Then you're just thrusting a sword into his head for fun?" Apollo demanded.

"I-I-"

"Save it, Dionysus," Michael growled behind him. Dionysus jumped in surprise and fear.

Both Michael and Percy stood behind the god, swords out and with murderous looks on their faces.

"Not only did you create a barrier to try and prevent other gods from entering Rome," Percy snarled, "but you've been actively working against Killian and Lilly as they fought these giants!"

"You're a traitor to Olympus!" Artemis declared. "Your sentence shall be decided on Olympus!"

"Infighting?" Ephialtes said, gazing at everyone. "Mother will love to hear-"

"Shut it!" Percy roared. He threw out his arm and shot a bolt of lightning at the giant. Ephialtes exploded into millions of pieces before he could say a word.

Percy turned back toward Dionysus, his eyes glinting with murderous intent.

"You are going to pay for this, wine god," he growled. He stabbed Dionysus in the knee. The god cried out and fell to the ground.

Michael kicked him over. "I'm already in a bad mood, and you've just worsened it. First, my wife goes missing, then I find out you're trying to kill my friend?" A wild snarl ripped from his throat. "We'd kill you ourselves, but that would mean explaining it ourselves and sending you to Gaea, who you'd probably turn to and actually turn traitor. Instead, for now..." Michael snapped his fingers.

Ice suddenly formed around Dionysus, encasing him completely.

"We'll just keep you like this." Michael smiled sad*stically.

"Die!" Otis yelled, running for Artemis and Apollo with his spear held like a club.

Both turned and without hesitation shot the giant. He tumbled to the ground. Both Michael and Percy flicked their wrists, and Otis was simultaneously pierced by a large icicle and struck by lighting.

Artemis and Apollo's bows disappeared as they rushed toward Killian. Apollo knelt in front of him and laid his hands on him, already glowing gold.

"Percy, cut the storm," Artemis ordered. "Michael, go check on Lilly and your warrior."

The two nodded. Percy closed his eyes and concentrated while Michael ran towards the lake.

"How is he, Apollo?" Artemis asked, kneeling beside her brother.

Apollo grimaced. "Hurt badly. Five broken ribs, a cracked skull, probably several concussions, internal bleeding, a fractured ankle, and that's just the major stuff. But if I do enough, he'll live."

"Lady Diana!" Piper exclaimed as Percy brought her down. "Lord Apollo! Thank you so much! That bastard Bacchus-"

"Do not thank us," Artemis stopped her. "We should be thanking you. We had no idea Dionysus was doing this. Without you all screaming at us, we would never have known. Our family is furious. Zeus has already threatened to banish him from Olympus for all eternity for this."

"He'd deserve it," Alex said. He glanced down at Killian. "Is he..."

"He's breathing," Apollo told him. "After all he's been through, that in it of itself is a miracle. Most demigods would be dead by now."

As if on cue, Killian groaned. Piper wept in relief.

Artemis stood, wiping away a few tears of her own. "He will survive. He has an important destiny ahead of him."

"Yes he does," Michael said, helping Lilly limp forward. He set her down next to Killian.

Lilly immediately began checking him over. The blood seemed to have stopped flowing, but Lilly knew there could be much.

"Don't fret, Lilly," Apollo told her as he switched his hands to her. He held her arm as he began to mend it. "He will live. As will you."

"Thank gods," Lilly sighed. "I thought...I thought..."

"Don't, Lilly," Percy said gently, dropping down next to her. "You two fought bravely. We couldn't ask more from our best friends and future king and queen."

"How did you two know to come here?" Jason asked, his voice hoarse. From crying or screaming, the others didn't know.

"Ajax told Bianca what was happening," Michael explained. "When we found out it was Dionysus here, Percy and I knew we had to go, but we were stopped by the barrier. That bastard probably used all his strength to make it, but with the four of us pushing against it, it broke."

"Thank you," Lilly breathed, closing her eyes. "Thank you..." Her head lolled to the side.

"Lilly!" Percy and Piper shouted at the same time.

"It's okay," Apollo assured them. "She's just sleeping." He pushed her head against Killian's shoulder. "They'll recover."

Percy sighed. "Good."

"We must alert Lady Aelin," Ajax said from behind Michael. The Risen Warrior was beaten up and had several cuts and bruises, but otherwise looked okay. "I am sure she and Leo Valdez are awaiting our return."

Jason perked up. "I'll go fly to them," he offered. "I'll tell them to come here."

"No need," Artemis said. She pointed to the sky. "Look."

They all looked up and saw a shape in the sky above the Colosseum-a large dark oval descending rapidly. The Argo II was here.

Piper laughed in relief, sounding very close to hysterics.

"They made it!" she exclaimed.

Leo stood at the helm, Aelin grinning at his side.

The two rushed down from the ship as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.

"You're okay!" Aelin said, throwing herself at Piper. "You're alive!"

Piper hugged the girl back tightly. "Yeah, we are."

"What happened to Uncle Killian and Aunt Lilly?" she asked, kneeling down next to Apollo.

They explained what had happened all the way up to their appearance.

"Thank you, Arty!" Aelin sobbed when it was over, hugging the redhead. "You saved them!"

"Your father and uncle helped," Artemis murmured, but Aelin didn't hear it. She just cried and hugged Artemis even tighter.

"Let's take these two aboard the ship," Percy said, grabbing Lilly and lifting her up. "From there, we can continue the quest, and find Annabeth."

Two seconds before, Piper had been ready to collapse. Now another surge of adrenaline coursed through her body. The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below.

"Agreed," she said, helping Michael and Jason lift up Killian's body.

Once on board, they sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome. Artemis and Apollo had left the stadium with Dionysus to face judgment on Olympus. They assured the demigods that with more than half the council on their side, he would be punished.

All around the Piazza del Colossi, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange thunderstorm that had come from the ruins and disappeared without a trace. As far as Jason could see, none of the giants' spectacular plans for destruction had come off successfully. The city looked the same as before. No one seemed to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky.

The demigods gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Michael sat at the stern, feeding Alex ambrosia. The son of Poseidon could barely lift his head. His voice was so quiet, Michael had to lean in whenever he spoke.

Aelin recounted what she and Leo had witnessed from the ship while Leo tapped furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building."

Killian and Lilly had both regained consciousness, much to everyone's delight.

"I'm glad he's getting his comeuppance," Killian said when he heard what happened to Dionysus.

"Serves that bastard right," Lilly agreed. She had a bit of ambrosia. "Those giants were some tough f*ckers. And every time I was about to kill Otis, he hit me with an invisible wall! What a bitch!"

"That happened to me, too," Killian said. "It's a good thing you guys showed up when you did. I would've been a goner."

"But you're both still alive!" Piper exclaimed happily. "And now we're heading towards Annabeth!"

Percy shuffled nervously. "Just...be careful, okay guys? When you get to Annabeth. Take all the necessary precautions, have a plan, don't leave each other, watch out for webs-"

"Webs?" Jason interrupted.

Percy nodded. "Annabeth is currently in the lair of Arachne, the first spider."

Killian shuddered at her name.

"That's why you were so afraid," Jason pieced together. "You're afraid of spiders, too."

Killian nodded. "I'm descended from Athena, by a lot, but that's one thing that I got from her. My arachnophobia."

"And Annabeth is there with her right now," Piper murmured. "Leo, how long until we're there?!"

"Almost, Beauty Queen!" Leo yelled back.

"Guys," Michael broke in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."

He helped Alex to his feet. He was normally very tan from being outside and in the water, but his skin was now as pale as Nico's. His dark sunken eyes reminded Piper of photos she'd seen of liberated prisoners-of-war, which Piper guessed Alex basically was.

"Thank you," Alex rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group. "I'd given up hope."

"You went looking for the Doors of Death," Killian said. "When you were in the underworld with Nico."

Alex slumped against the helm. "Killian, I'm sorry. Percy told me about them a couple years ago. I thought I could...I thought I could..." He doubled over in a fit of coughing.

Michael held his shoulders until he could stand again.

"I thought I could find the Doors," he continued. "I searched the underworld high and low,but...I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere because of who I was friends with, but I walked right into Gaea's trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole."

"Um..." Jason chewed his lip. "What kind of black hole are you talking about?"

Alex started to speak, but whatever he needed to say must have been too terrifying. He turned to Michael.

He put his hand on his friend's arm. "The Doors of Death have two sides- one in the mortal world, one in the Underworld. The mortal side of the portal is in Greece. It's heavily guarded by Gaea's forces. That's where they brought Alex back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome."

"Where exactly in Greece is this doorway?" Piper asked nervously.

Alex took a rattling breath. "The House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but-but the mortal side of the portal isn't the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are in...in..."

A cold pair of hands did the itsy-bitsy spider down Killain's back.

A black hole. An inescapable part of the Underworld where even Bianca and Nico di Angelo couldn't go. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

"Tartarus," he guessed. "The deepest part of the Underworld."

Alex nodded. "They pulled me into the pit, Killian. The things I saw down there..." His voice broke.

Michael pursed his lips. "No mortal has ever been to Tartarus," he explained. "At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It's the maximum-security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It's where all monsters go when they die on the earth. It's...well, no one knows exactly what it's like."

His eyes drifted to his friend. The rest of his thought didn't need to be spoken: No one except Alex.

Michael handed him his bronze sword.

Alex leaned on it like it was an old man's cane. "Now I understand why Hades hasn't been able to close the doors," he said. "Even the gods don't go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn't go near that place."

Leo glanced over from the wheel. "So let me guess. We'll have to go there."

Alex shook his head. "It's impossible. I'm a son of Poseidon and have leftover Titan power in me, and even I barely survived. Gaea's forces overwhelmed me instantly. They're so powerful down there...no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane."

Alex's eyes looked like shattered glass. Killian wondered sadly if something inside him had broken permanently.

"Then we'll sail for Epirus," Killian said. "We'll just close the gates on this side."

"I wish it were that easy," Alex said. "The doors would have to be controlled on both sides to be closed. It's like a double seal. Maybe, just maybe, all seven of you working together could defeat Gaea's forces on the mortal side, at the House of Hades. But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory-"

"There has to be a way," Jason said.

Nobody volunteered any brilliant ideas.

Piper thought her stomach was sinking. Then she realized the entire ship was descending toward a big building like a palace.

Annabeth. Alex's news was so horrible Piper had momentarily forgotten she was still in danger, which made him feel incredibly guilty.

"We'll figure out the Tartarus problem later," she said. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?"

Leo nodded. "Michael, you said something about the parking lot in the back? Well, there it is. What now?"

Piper thought about Annabeth, trapped and alone in there with Arachne, the source of her greatest fear. Broken, terrified, alone...

"We have to get her out," Piper said.

"Well, yeah," Leo agreed. "But, uh..."

He looked like he wanted to say, What if we're too late?

Wisely, he changed tack. "There's a parking lot in the way."

Piper looked at Percy. "Can you summon another lightning bolt?"

Percy tilted his head before grinning. "I like your style, McLean."

Chapter 34: Her Ladyship

Chapter Text

Annabeth had reached her terror limit.

She'd been assaulted by chauvinist ghosts. She'd broken her ankle. She'd been chased across a chasm by an army of spiders. Now, in severe pain, with her ankle wrapped in boards and Bubble Wrap, and carrying no weapon except her dagger, she faced Arachne-a monstrous half-spider who wanted to kill her and make a commemorative tapestry about it.

In the last few hours, Annabeth had shivered, sweated, whimpered, and blinked back so many tears that her body simply gave up on being scared. Her mind said something like, Okay, sorry. I can't be any more terrified than I already am.

So instead, Annabeth started to think.

The monstrous creature picked her way down from the top of the web-covered statue. She moved from strand to strand, hissing with pleasure, her four eyes glittering in the dark. Either she was not in a hurry, or she was slow.

Annabeth hoped she was slow.

Not that it mattered. Annabeth was in no condition to run, and she didn't like her chances in combat. Arachne probably weighed several hundred pounds. Those barbed legs were perfect for capturing and killing prey. Besides, Arachne probably had other horrible powers-a poisonous bite, or web-slinging abilities like an Ancient Greek Spider-Man.

No. Combat was not the answer.

That left trickery and brains.

In the old legends, Arachne had gotten into trouble because of pride. She'd bragged about her tapestries being better than Athena's, which had led to Mount Olympus's first reality TV punishment program: So You Think You Can Weave Better Than a Goddess? Arachne had lost in a big way.

Annabeth knew something about being prideful. It was her fatal flaw as well. She often had to remind herself that she couldn't do everything alone. She wasn't always the best person for every job. Sometimes she got tunnel vision and forgot about what other people needed, even Percy. And she could get easily distracted talking about her favorite projects.

But could she use that weakness against the spider? Maybe if she stalled for time...though she wasn't sure how stalling would help. Her friends wouldn't be able to reach her, even if they knew where to go. The cavalry would not be coming. Still, stalling was better than dying.

She tried to keep her expression calm, which wasn't easy with a broken ankle. She limped toward the nearest tapestry-a cityscape of Ancient Rome.

"Marvelous," she said. "Tell me about this tapestry."

Arachne's lips curled over her mandibles. "Why do you care? You're about to die." "Well, yes," Annabeth said. "But the way you captured the light is amazing. Did you use real golden thread for the sunbeams?"

The weaving truly was stunning. Annabeth didn't have to pretend to be impressed.

Arachne allowed herself a smug smile. "No, child. Not gold. I blended the colors, contrasting bright yellow with darker hues. That's what gives it a three-dimensional effect."

"Beautiful." Annabeth's mind split into two different levels: one carrying on the conversation, the other madly grasping for a scheme to survive. Nothing came to her. Arachne had been beaten only once-by Athena herself, and that had taken godly magic and incredible skill in a weaving contest.

"So..." she said. "Did you see this scene yourself?"

Arachne hissed, her mouth foaming in a not-very-attractive way. "You are trying to delay your death. It won't work."

"No, no," Annabeth insisted. "It just seems a shame that these beautiful tapestries can't be seen by everyone. They belong in a museum, or..."

"Or what?" Arachne asked.

A crazy idea sprang fully formed from Annabeth's mind, like her mom jumping out of Zeus's noggin. But could she make it work?

"Nothing." She sighed wistfully. "It's a silly thought. Too bad."

Arachne scuttled down the statue until she was perched atop the goddess's shield. Even from that distance, Annabeth could smell the spider's stink, like an entire bakery full of pastries left to go bad for a month.

"What?" the spider pressed. "What silly thought?"

Annabeth had to force herself not to back away. Broken ankle or no, every nerve in her body pulsed with fear, telling her to get away from the huge spider hovering over her.

"Oh...it's just that I'm in charge of redesigning Mount Olympus," she lied, using the story Killian had told her about Lee. "You know, after the Titan War. I've completed most of the work, but we need a lot of quality public art. The throne room of the gods, for instance...I was thinking your work would be perfect to display there. The Olympians could finally see how talented you are. As I said, it was a silly thought."

Arachne's hairy abdomen quivered. Her four eyes glimmered as if she had a separate thought behind each and was trying to weave them into a coherent web. It was a big gamble, lying to Arachne. Annabeth had no idea if she knew the truth of who was designing Olympus. But it was all she had.

"You're redesigning Mount Olympus," she said. "My work...in the throne room."

"Well, other places too," Annabeth said. "The main pavilion could use several of these. That one with the Greek landscape-the Nine Muses would love that. And I'm sure the other gods would be fighting over your work as well. They'd compete to have your tapestries in their palaces. I guess, aside from Athena, none of the gods has ever seen what you can do?"

Arachne snapped her mandibles. "Hardly. In the old days, Athena tore up all my best work. My tapestries depicted the gods in rather unflattering ways, you see. Your mother didn't appreciate that."

"Rather hypocritical," Annabeth said, "since the gods make fun of each other all the time. I think the trick would be to pit one god against another. Mars, for instance, would love a tapestry making fun of my mother. He's always resented Minerva."

Arachne's head tilted at an unnatural angle. "You would work against your own mother?"

"I'm just telling you what Mars would like," Annabeth said. "And Jupiter would love something that made fun of Neptune. Oh, I'm sure if the Olympians saw your work, they'd realize how amazing you are, and I'd have to broker a bidding war. As for working against my mother, why shouldn't I? She sent me here to die, didn't she? The last time I saw her in California, she basically disowned me."

Annabeth told her the story. She shared her bitterness and sorrow, and it must have sounded genuine. The spider did not pounce.

"This is Athena's nature," Arachne hissed. "She casts aside even her own daughter. The goddess would never allow my tapestries to be shown in the palaces of the gods. She was always jealous of me."

"But imagine if you could get your revenge at long last."

"By killing you!"

"I suppose." Annabeth scratched her head. "Or...by letting me be your agent. I could get your work into Mount Olympus. I could arrange an exhibition for the other gods. By the time my mother found out, it would be too late. The Olympians would finally see that your work is better."

"Then you admit it!" Arachne cried. "A daughter of Athena admits I am better! Oh, this is sweet to my ears."

"But a lot of good it does you," Annabeth pointed out. "If I die down here, you go on living in the dark. Gaea destroys the gods, and they never realize you were the better weaver."

The spider hissed. Annabeth was afraid her mother might suddenly appear and curse her with some terrible affliction. The first lesson every child of Mierva learned: Mom was the best at everything, and you should never, ever suggest otherwise.

But nothing bad happened. Maybe Minerva understood that Annabeth was only saying these things to save her life. Or maybe Minerva was in such in bad shape, split between her Greek and Roman personalities, that she wasn't even paying attention.

"This will not do," Arachne grumbled. "I cannot allow it."

"Well..." Annabeth shifted, trying to keep her weight off her throbbing ankle. A new crack appeared in the floor, and she hobbled back.

"Careful!" Arachne snapped. "The foundations of this shrine have been eaten away over the centuries!"

Annabeth's heartbeat faltered. "Eaten away?"

"You have no idea how much hatred boils beneath us," the spider said. "The spiteful thoughts of so many monsters trying to reach the Athena Parthenos and destroy it. My webbing is the only thing holding the room together, girl! One false step, and you'll fall all the way to Tartarus-and believe me, unlike the Doors of Death, this would be a one-way trip, a very hard fall! I will not have you dying before you tell me your plan for my artwork."

Annabeth's mouth tasted like rust. All the way to Tartarus? She tried to stay focused, but it wasn't easy as she listened to the floor creak and crack, spilling rubble into the void below.

"Right, the plan," Annabeth said. "Um...as I said, I'd love to take your tapestries to Olympus and hang them everywhere. You could rub your craftsmanship in Athena's nose for all eternity. But the only way I could do that...No. It's too difficult. You might as well go ahead and kill me."

"No!" Arachne cried. "That is unacceptable. It no longer brings me any pleasure to contemplate. I must have my work on Mount Olympus! What must I do?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Just push me into Tartarus or something."

"I refuse!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Kill me."

"I do not take orders from you! Tell me what I must do! Or...or-"

"Or you'll kill me?"

"Yes! No!" The spider pressed her front legs against her head. "I must show my work on Mount Olympus."

Annabeth tried to contain her excitement. Her plan might actually work...but she still had to convince Arachne to do something impossible. She remembered some good advice the Centurion of the Fifth had given her: Keep it simple.

"I suppose I could pull a few strings," she conceded.

"I excel at pulling strings!" said Arachne. "I'm a spider!"

"Yes, but to get your work shown on Mount Olympus, we'd need a proper audition. I'd have to pitch the idea, submit a proposal, put together a portfolio. Hmm...do you have any headshots?"

"Headshots?"

"Glossy black-and-white...Oh, never mind. The audition piece is the most important thing. These tapestries are excellent. But the gods would require something really special-something that shows off your talent in the extreme."

Arachne snarled. "Are you suggesting that these are not my best work? Are you challenging me to a contest?"

"Oh, no!" Annabeth laughed. "Against me? Gosh, no. You are much too good. It would only be a contest against yourself, to see if you really have what it takes to show your work on Mount Olympus."

"Of course I do!"

"Well, I certainly think so. But the audition, you know...it's a formality. I'm afraid it would be very difficult. Are you sure you don't just want to kill me?"

"Stop saying that!" Arachne screeched. "What must I make?"

"I'll show you." Annabeth unslung her backpack. She took out her laptop and opened it. The green delta logo glowed in the dark.

"What is that?" Arachne asked. "Some sort of loom?"

"In a way," Annabeth said. "It's for weaving ideas. It holds a diagram of the artwork you would build."

Her fingers trembled on the keyboard. Arachne lowered herself to peer directly over Annabeth's shoulder. Annabeth couldn't help thinking how easily those needlelike teeth could sink into her neck.

She opened her 3-D imaging program. Her last design was still up-the key to Annabeth's plan, inspired by the most unlikely muse ever: Dakota Milan.

Annabeth did some quick calculations. She increased the dimensions of the model, then showed Arachne how it could be created-strands of material woven into strips, then braided into a long cylinder.

The golden light from the screen illuminated the spider's face. "You want me to make that? But this is nothing! So small and simple!"

"The actual size would be much bigger," Annabeth cautioned. "You see these measurements? Naturally it must be large enough to impress the gods. It may look simple, but the structure has incredible properties. Your spider silk would be the perfect material-soft and flexible, yet hard as steel."

"I see..." Arachne frowned. "But this isn't even a tapestry."

"That's why it's a challenge. It's outside your comfort zone. A piece like this-an abstract sculpture-is what the gods are looking for. It would stand in the entry hall of the Olympian throne room for every visitor to see. You would be famous forever!"

Arachne made a discontented hum in her throat. Annabeth could tell she wasn't going for the idea. Her hands started to feel cold and sweaty.

"This would take a great deal of web," the spider complained. "More than I could make in a year."

Annabeth had been hoping for that. She'd calculated the mass and size accordingly. "You'd need to unravel the statue," she said. "Reuse the silk."

Arachne seemed about to object, but Annabeth waved at the Athena Parthenos like it was nothing. "What's more important-covering that old statue or proving your artwork is the best? Of course, you'd have to be incredibly careful. You'd need to leave enough webbing to hold the room together. And if you think it's too difficult-"

"I didn't say that!"

"Okay. It's just...Athena said that creating this braided structure would be impossible for any weaver, even her. So if you don't think you can-"

"Athena said that?"

"Well, yeah." "Ridiculous! I can do it!"

"Great! But you'd need to start right away, before the Olympians choose another artist for their installations."

Arachne growled. "If you are tricking me, girl-"

"You'll have me right here as a hostage," Annabeth reminded her. "It's not like I can go anywhere. Once this sculpture is complete, you'll agree that it's the most amazing piece you've ever done. If not, I will gladly die."

Arachne hesitated. Her barbed legs were so close, she could've impaled Annabeth with a quick swipe.

"Fine," the spider said. "One last challenge-against myself!"

Arachne climbed her web and began to unravel the Athena Parthenos.

Chapter 35: Weaving To Demise

Chapter Text

Annabeth lost track of time.

She could feel the ambrosia she'd eaten earlier starting to repair her leg, but it still hurt so badly that the pain throbbed right up to her neck. All along the walls, small spiders scuttled in the darkness, as if awaiting their mistress's orders. Thousands of them rustled behind the tapestries, making the woven scenes move like wind.

Annabeth sat on the crumbling floor and tried to preserve her strength. While Arachne wasn't watching, she attempted to get some sort of signal on Daedalus's laptop to contact her friends, but of course she had no luck. That left her nothing to do but watch in amazement and horror as Arachne worked, her eight legs moving with hypnotic speed, slowly unraveling the silk strands around the statue.

With its golden clothes and its luminous ivory face, the Athena Parthenos was even scarier than Arachne. It gazed down sternly as if to say, Bring me tasty snacks or else. Annabeth could imagine being an Ancient Greek, walking into the Parthenon and seeing this massive goddess with her shield, spear, and python, her free hand holding out Nike, the winged spirit of victory. It would've been enough to put a kink in the chiton of any mortal.

More than that, the statue radiated power. As Athena was unwrapped, the air around her grew warmer. Her ivory skin glowed with life. All across the room, the smaller spiders became agitated and began retreating back into the hallway.

Annabeth guessed that Arachne's webs had somehow masked and dampened the statue's magic. Now that it was free, the Athena Parthenos filled the chamber with magical energy. Centuries of mortal prayers and burnt offerings had been made it its presence. It was infused with the power of Athena.

Arachne didn't seem to notice. She kept muttering to herself, counting out yards of silk and calculating the number of strands her project would require. Whenever she hesitated, Annabeth called out encouragement and reminded her how wonderful her tapestries would look on Mount Olympus.

The statue grew so warm and bright that Annabeth could see more details of the shrine-the Roman masonry that had probably once been gleaming white, the dark bones of Arachne's past victims and meals hanging in the web, and the massive cables of silk that connected the floor to the ceiling. Annabeth now saw just how fragile the marble tiles were under her feet. They were covered in a fine layer of webbing, like mesh holding together a shattered mirror. Whenever the Athena Parthenos shifted even slightly, more cracks spread and widened along the floor. In some places, there were holes as big as manhole covers. Annabeth almost wished it were dark again. Even if her plan succeeded and she defeated Arachne, she wasn't sure how she could make it out of this chamber alive.

"So much silk," Arachne muttered. "I could make twenty tapestries-"

"Keep going!" Annabeth called up. "You're doing a wonderful job."

The spider kept working. After what seemed like forever, a mountain of glistening silk was piled at the feet of the statue. The walls of the chamber were still covered in webs. The support cables holding the room together hadn't been disturbed. But the Athena Parthenos was free.

Please wake up, Annabeth begged the statue. Mother, help me.

Nothing happened, but the cracks seemed to be spreading across the floor more rapidly. According to Arachne, the malicious thoughts of monsters had eaten away at the shrine's foundations for centuries. If that was true, now that it was free the Athena Parthenos might be attracting even more attention from the monsters in Tartarus.

"The design," Annabeth said. "You should hurry."

She lifted the computer screen for Arachne to see, but the spider snapped, "I've memorized it, child. I have an artist's eye for detail."

"Of course you do. But we should hurry."

"Why?"

"Well...so we can introduce your work to the world!"

"Hmm. Very well."

Arachne began to weave. It was slow work, turning silk strands into long strips of cloth. The chamber rumbled. The cracks at Annabeth's feet became wider.

If Arachne noticed, she didn't seem to care. Annabeth considered trying to push the spider into the pit somehow, but she dismissed the idea. There wasn't a big enough hole, and besides, if the floor gave way, Arachne could probably hang from her silk and escape, while Annabeth and the ancient statue would tumble into Tartarus.

Slowly, Arachne finished the long strips of silk and braided them together. Her skill was flawless. Annabeth couldn't help being impressed. She felt another flicker of doubt about her own mother. What if Arachne was a better weaver than Athena?

But Arachne's skill wasn't the point. She had been punished for being prideful and rude. No matter how amazing you were, you couldn't go around insulting the gods. The Olympians were a reminder that there was always someone better than you, so you shouldn't get a big head. Still...being turned into a monstrous immortal spider seemed like a pretty harsh punishment for bragging.

Arachne worked more quickly, bringing the strands together. Soon, the structure was done. At the feet of the statue lay a braided cylinder of silk strips, five feet in diameter and ten feet long. The surface glistened like abalone shell, but it didn't seem beautiful to Annabeth. It was just functional: a trap. It would only be beautiful if it worked.

Arachne turned to her with a hungry smile. "Done! Now, my reward! Prove to me that you can deliver on your promises."

Annabeth studied the trap. She frowned and walked around it, inspecting the weaving from every angle. Then, careful of her bad ankle, she got down on hands and knees and crawled inside. She'd done the measurements in her head. If she'd gotten them wrong, her plan was doomed. But she slipped through the silken tunnel without touching the sides. The webbing was sticky, but not impossibly so. She crawled out the other end and shook her head.

"There's a flaw," she said.

"What?!" Arachne cried. "Impossible! I followed your instructions-"

"Inside," Annabeth said. "Crawl in and see for yourself. It's right in the middle-a flaw in the weaving."

Arachne foamed at the mouth. Annabeth was afraid she'd pushed too hard, and the spider would snap her up. She'd be just another set of bones in the cobwebs.

Instead, Arachne stamped her eight legs petulantly. "I do not make mistakes."

"Oh, it's small," Annabeth said. "You can probably fix it. But I don't want to show the gods anything but your best work. Look, go inside and check. If you can fix it, then we'll show it to the Olympians. You'll be the most famous artist of all time. They'll probably fire the Nine Muses and hire you to oversee all the arts. The goddess Arachne...yes, I wouldn't be surprised."

"The goddess..." Arachne's breathing turned shallow. "Yes, yes. I will fix this flaw." She poked her head into the tunnel. "Where is it?"

"Right in the middle," Annabeth urged. "Go ahead. It might be a bit snug for you."

"I'm fine!" she snapped, and wriggled in.

As Annabeth had hoped, the spider's abdomen fit, but only barely. As she pushed her way in, the braided strips of silk expanded to accommodate her. Arachne got all the way up to her spinnerets.

"I see no flaw!" she announced.

"Really?" Annabeth asked. "Well, that's odd. Come out and I'll take another look."

Moment of truth. Arachne wriggled, trying to back up. The woven tunnel contracted around her and held her fast. She tried to wriggle forward, but the trap was already stuck to her abdomen. She couldn't get through that way either. Annabeth had been afraid the spider's barbed legs might puncture the silk, but Arachne's legs were pressed so tightly against her body she could barely move them.

"What-what is this?" she called. "I am stuck!"

"Ah," Annabeth said. "I forgot to tell you. This piece of art is called Chinese Handcuffs. At least, it's a larger variation on that idea. I call it Chinese Spidercuffs."

"Treachery!" Arachne thrashed and rolled and squirmed, but the trap held her tight.

"It was a matter of survival," Annabeth corrected. "You were going to kill me either way, whether I helped you or not, yes?"

"Well, of course! You're a child of Athena." The trap went still. "I mean...no, of course not! I respect my promises."

"Uh-huh." Annabeth stepped back as the braided cylinder began to thrash again. "Normally these traps are made from woven bamboo, but spider silk is even better. It will hold you fast, and it's much too strong to break-even for you."

"Gahhhh!" Arachne rolled and wriggled, but Annabeth moved out of the way. Even with her broken ankle, she could manage to avoid a giant silk finger trap.

"I will destroy you!" Arachne promised. "I mean...no, I'll be very nice to you if you let me out."

"I'd save my energy if I were you." Annabeth took a deep breath, relaxing for the first time in hours. "I'm going to call my friends."

"You-you're going to call them about my artwork?" Arachne asked hopefully.

Annabeth scanned the room. There had to be a way to send an Iris-message to the Argo II. She had some water left in her bottle, but how to create enough light and mist to make a rainbow in a dark cavern?

Arachne began to roll around again. "You're calling your friends to kill me!" she shrieked. "I will not die! Not like this!"

"Calm down," Annabeth said. "We'll let you live. We just want the statue."

"The statue?"

"Yes." Annabeth should've left it at that, but her fear was turning to anger and resentment. "The artwork that I'll display most prominently on Mount Olympus? It won't be yours. The Athena Parthenos belongs there-right in the central park of the gods."

"No! No, that's horrible!"

"Oh, it won't happen right away," Annabeth said. "First we'll take the statue with us to Greece. A prophecy told us it has the power to help defeat the giants. After that...well, we can't simply restore it to the Parthenon. That would raise too many questions. It'll be safer in Mount Olympus. It will unite the children of Athena and bring peace to the Romans and Greeks. Thanks for keeping it safe all these centuries. You've done Athena a great service."

Arachne screamed and flailed. A strand of silk shot from the monster's spinnerets and attached itself to a tapestry on the far wall. Arachne contracted her abdomen and blindly ripped away the weaving. She continued to roll, shooting silk randomly, pulling over braziers of magic fire and ripping tiles out of the floor. The chamber shook. Tapestries began to burn.

"Stop that!" Annabeth tried to hobble out of the way of the spider's silk. "You'll bring down the whole cavern and kill us both!"

"Better than seeing you win!" Arachne cried. "My children! Help me!"

Oh, great. Annabeth had hoped the statue's magic aura would keep away the little spiders, but Arachne continued shrieking, imploring them to help. Annabeth considered killing the spider woman to shut her up. It would be easy to use her knife now. But she hesitated to kill any monster when it was so helpless, even Arachne. Besides, if she stabbed through the braided silk, the trap might unravel. It was possible Arachne could break free before Annabeth could finish her off.

All these thoughts came too late. Spiders began swarming into the chamber. The statue of Athena glowed brighter. The spiders clearly didn't want to approach, but they edged forward as if gathering their courage. Their mother was screaming for help. Eventually they would pour in, overwhelming Annabeth.

"Arachne, stop it!" she yelled. "I'll-"

Somehow Arachne twisted in her prison, pointing her abdomen toward the sound of Annabeth's voice. A strand of silk hit her in the chest like a heavyweight's glove.

Annabeth fell, her leg flaring with pain. She slashed wildly at the webbing with her dagger as Arachne pulled her toward her snapping spinnerets.

Annabeth managed to cut the strand and crawl away, but the little spiders were closing around her.

She realized her best efforts had not been enough. She wouldn't make it out of here. Arachne's children would kill her at the feet of her mother's statue.

Piper, she thought, I'm sorry.

At that moment, the chamber groaned, and the cavern ceiling exploded in a blast of fiery light.

Chapter 36: Altered Fate

Chapter Text

Annabeth had seen some strange things before, but she'd never seen it rain cars.

As the roof of the cavern collapsed, sunlight blinded her. She got the briefest glimpse of the Argo II hovering above. It must have used its ballistae to blast a hole straight through the ground.

Chunks of asphalt as big as garage doors tumbled down, along with six or seven Italian cars. One would've crushed the Athena Parthenos, but the statue's glowing aura acted like a force field, and the car bounced off. Unfortunately, it fell straight toward Annabeth.

She jumped to one side, twisting her bad foot. A wave of agony almost made her pass out, but she flipped on her back in time to see a bright red Fiat 500 slam into Arachne's silk trap, punching through the cavern floor and disappearing with the Chinese Spidercuffs.

As Arachne fell, she screamed like a freight train on a collision course; but her wailing rapidly faded. All around Annabeth, more chunks of debris slammed through the floor, riddling it with holes.

The Athena Parthenos remained undamaged, though the marble under its pedestal was a starburst of fractures. Annabeth was covered in cobwebs. She trailed strands of leftover spider silk from her arms and legs like the strings of a marionette, but somehow, amazingly, none of the debris had hit her. She wanted to believe that the statue had protected her, though she suspected it might've been nothing but luck.

The army of spiders had disappeared. Either they had fled back into the darkness, or they'd fallen into the chasm. As daylight flooded the cavern, Arachne's tapestries along the walls crumbled to dust, which Annabeth could hardly bear to watch-especially the tapestry depicting her and Piper.

But none of that mattered when she heard Piper's voice from above: "Annabeth!"

"Here!" she sobbed.

All the terror seemed to leave her in one massive yelp. As the Argo II descended, she saw Piper leaning over the rail. Her smile was better than any tapestry she'd ever seen.

The room kept shaking, but Annabeth managed to stand. The floor at her feet seemed stable for the moment. Her backpack was missing, along with her laptop. Her bronze knife, which she'd had since she was seven, was also gone-probably fallen into the pit. But Annabeth didn't care. She was alive.

She edged closer to the gaping hole made by the Fiat 500. Jagged rock walls plunged into the darkness as far as Annabeth could see. A few small ledges jutted out here and there, but Annabeth saw nothing on them-just strands of spider silk dripping over the sides like Christmas tinsel.

Annabeth wondered if Arachne had told the truth about the chasm. Had the spider fallen all the way to Tartarus? She tried to feel satisfied with that idea, but it made her sad. Arachne had made some beautiful things. She'd already suffered for eons. Now her last tapestries had crumbled. After all that, falling into Tartarus seemed like too harsh an end.

Annabeth was dimly aware of the Argo II hovering to a stop about forty feet from the floor. It lowered a rope ladder, but Annabeth stood in a daze, staring into the darkness. Then suddenly Piper was next to her, lacing her fingers in hers.

She turned her gently away from the pit and wrapped her arms around her. She buried her face in Piper's shoulder and broke down in tears.

"It's okay," she said. "We're together."

She didn't say you're okay, or we're alive. After all they'd been through over the last year, she knew the most important thing was that they were together. Annabeth loved her for saying that.

Their friends gathered around them. A guy with light brown hair was there, but Annabeth's thoughts were so fuzzy, this didn't seem surprising to her. It seemed only right that he would be with them.

"Your leg." Lilly knelt next to her and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"

She started to explain. Talking was difficult, but as she went along, her words came more easily. Piper didn't let go of her hand, which also made her feel more confident. When she finished, her friends' faces were slack with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well...some of it with a broken ankle."

Piper grinned. "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera- Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

Everyone gazed at the statue.

"What do we do with her?" Jason asked. "She's huge."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Lilly quoted. "Won with pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."

With a lot of pain, Annabeth thought.

Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was taking measurements. "Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."

Annabeth shuddered. She imagined the Athena Parthenos jutting from their trireme with a sign across her pedestal that read: WIDE LOAD.

Then she thought about the other lines of the prophecy: The twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the keys to endless death.

"What about you guys?" she asked. "What happened with the giants?"

Piper told her about rescuing Alex, Dionysus's appearance, and the fight with the twins in the Colosseum. Alex didn't say much. The poor guy looked like he'd been wandering through a wasteland for six weeks. Piper explained what Alex had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides. Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Piper's news made the cavern seem dark again.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," she said. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."

Alex grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."

The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. That's when Annabeth knew with certainty. The chasm did go straight to the Underworld.

Piper must have felt it too. She guided Annabeth a little farther from the edge. Her arms and legs trailed spider silk like a bridal train. She wished she had her dagger to cut that junk off. She almost asked Piper to do the honors with her sword, but before she could the chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.

Nausea swelled in Annabeth's chest. If the statue fell into the chasm, all her work would be for nothing. Their quest would fail.

"Secure it!" Annabeth cried.

Her friends understood immediately.

"Percy!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm, quick! Aelin and Ajax are up there alone"

Percy grabbed Leo and took off into the air.

"Jason, take Annabeth and Piper up there immediately," Killian ordered.

He nodded, grabbing Annabeth in his arms. "Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"This floor won't last!" Lilly warned. "The rest of us should get to the ladder."

Killian opened his mouth to agree but a scream cut him off. They looked up and saw Annabeth falling towards them. Killian jumped to catch her, but the moment they made contact, Killian felt like they were being pulled backward.

"Her ankle!" Piper shouted. "Cut it! Cut it!

Lilly understood. She took out her sword and lunged for the spider silk attached to Annabeth's ankle. The sword managed to slice through it, but as the silk raced past, it got caught on Lilly's leg instead, as if Arachne decided that if she couldn't have Annabeth, she'd take Lilly instead. She screamed as she tumbled towards the opening.

"Lilly!" Killian shouted. He shoved Annabeth into Piper's arms before lunging after her. She screamed as she was pulled toward the pit. "No!" Killian shouted, diving for her.

He grabbed her hand as her legs went over. He slammed his watch into the ground and his sword appeared.

Lilly's body slammed into something. She must have blacked out briefly from the pain. When she could see again, she realized that she'd fallen partway into the pit and was dangling over the void. Killian had managed to stab his sword into the cliff face about fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He was holding on with one hand, gripping Lilly's wrist with the other, but the pull on her leg was much too strong.

The pit shook. Killian was the only thing keeping her from falling.

Piper leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out her hand, but she was much too far away to help. Annabeth was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos, they'd never make it in time.

Lilly's leg felt like it was pulling free of her body. Pain washed everything in red. The force of the Underworld tugged at her like dark gravity. She didn't have the strength to fight. She knew she was too far down to be saved.

"Killian, let me go," she croaked. "You can't pull me up."

His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless.

"Never," he said. He looked up at Piper, fifteen feet above. "The other side, Piper! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Piper's eyes widened. "But-

"Lead them there!" Killian shouted. "Promise me!"

"I-I will."

Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.

Killian tightened his grip on Lilly's wrist. His face was gaunt, scraped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, but when he locked eyes with her, she thought he had never looked more handsome.

"We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."

Only then did she understand what would happen. A one-way trip. A very hard fall.

"As long as we're together," she said. She heard Piper and Annabeth still screaming for help. She saw the sunlight far, far above-maybe the last sunlight she would ever see.

Then Killian yanked his sword out of the earth, and together, holding hands, he and Lilly fell into the endless darkness.