Chapter Text

IN WHICH
the newfound demigod realises she should have been more careful about what she was wishing for,
OR
where the sun god decides to grant a mortal's wish, selfishly ignoring his first prophecy.

Chapter Text

I CHEWED MY MINT gum as we drove through New York City. Just like for the past few weeks, the weather was terrible today, at least in Percy's opinion. In mine, I've always loved rainy, dark days, especially the storms.

He and Grover sat behind me, talking about the new Star Wars show episode I hadn't seen yet. Instead of joining in, I pushed my earbuds further up, listening to music and looking out the window. Every two months, our Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner would take us on the field for the entire day. And today was one of those days.

As we got off the bus, I felt the wind getting stronger and turned to look at my two friends behind me. One of them was busy trying to tie his shoe and failing with flying colours, while the other stared at the sky with a worried expression.

"You okay, Grovs?" I asked as I tied my hair into a ponytail, not wanting to get even more hair in my mouth.

He stared up at the sky for a few more seconds before nodding, "Yeah, I'm okay. How about we get inside?" I shrugged in agreement. Ever since the weather started acting up, he became a bit paranoid. Percy says he hadn't noticed it, but I think that Grover is afraid of storms.

Soon, my class and I entered the Ancient Greece museum. Our teacher led us around the building, while Cy and Grover chatted about the show from before, or more like Percy tried to, but Grover was intent on making Cy and I listen to our professor.

"Now, come closer, everyone. I know that you all are hungry, so this is our last stop, and then you can wander off or get food."

With a final judging glare from Grover, I rolled my eyes and finally paused my music, which I listened to the whole trip. I looked up at what Mr. Brunner was showing us. It looked like a fountain, quite similar to the one in Rome, except way smaller. "Does anyone know what this is?" Asked our teacher.

"Little pool?"

"Fancy pond?"

"Fountain?"

My classmates guessed around me, but instead of doing the same, I actually looked at what the structure contained before guessing. "A wishing well," I mumbled.

"Correct, Miss Nova. Now can you tell me why is it so special that it's displayed here?"

I bit my lip as I looked into the well again. It looked beautiful, but there was nothing eye catching about it that made me feel like it was rare.

Looking down at the water, I noticed something shining in it. "Maybe some of the coins, the golden ones. Never seen those." The golden coins that rested at the bottom had weird engravings on them, I've never seen before. They were also bigger than a normal penny.

My teacher chuckled at me, "No, not the coins, Bridget, but it's a good guess. Percy, what about you?"

He did not skip a beat, "It looks like one made specifically for gods, I think it's called Desire Well. People would come for it and wish on their favoured gods in the hopes that their prayers would be answered."

The way he said it made me think he was reading it. I scoffed. He was Mr. Brunner's favourite because he knew a lot about Greek mythology, but that was only because his mother would tell him stories.

I wasn't jealous of him. I was maybe jealous of the idea that his mom would read or tell him stories every night. Because my mom didn't do that, instead she picked up the night shifts at the hospital. I know that she only did it to keep a roof over our heads and that we could live comfortably in our big apartment, that I could get new clothes every season.

Or at least, I like to pretend that that was the real reason.

I snapped out of my thoughts, seeing a few kids take another step closer to the well and drop a penny, before catching up with their friends. I was about to do the same when a voice interrupted me. "You should use this. It's more effective," said my Latin teacher, holding out a similar, golden coin just like the ones in the well.

Taking it, I asked, "What's it called?"

"A Drachma. All you need to say is: Oh dear lord or lady, depending on your choice, please grant me my wish and say what you desire. Then just drop it."

I nodded, turning to my teacher, "For what god should I wish?"

"That's for you to decide." And with that, he left, making me turn to the well again. I bit my lip, tasting the mint gum I chewed earlier, rocking my brain, trying to remember a god who would help me. Unlike Percy, I wasn't interested in any type of myths or gods and only knew the basic stuff needed for classes.

Then my eyes caught a statue of an archer. I tilted my head, fidgeting with the coin in my hand. So that must be the Valentine's Day guy. Love. I looked backed down at the coin, I guess wishing for love seems like a safe choice.

It took me several seconds to read the nameplate because of my dyslexia, before I straightened up and looked down at the well, saying, "Oh dear lord Apollo, please grant me my wish of helping me find true love." With that, I closed my eyes, dropped the coin and walked off, missing how the Drachma shone as it hit the water.

I SAT DOWN NEXT to Grover on the bench and I opened my Lays chips, while Percy was sharing his mom's homemade sandwiches with Grover.

It was quiet and peaceful, we were just joking around about who would win a fist match between Mr. Tanner, our skinny biology teacher who was afraid of absolutely everything, or Mrs. Queens, our hundred-year-old Geography teacher, who we had no clue how was still alive.

"I'd place my bet on Mrs. Queens," I said, sipping my drink.

"You're not serious," scoffed Cy. I shook my head, tucking in my strands of hair before explaining myself, "No, no, but listen. She would use her cane to swipe Mr. Tanner off the floor and boom! Next thing we know, the guy is crying about how many germs there are on the floor."

Grover snorted. "Yeah, I'm on Gett's side."

"Whatever," Percy playfully rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes of peace, Nancy Bobofit started throwing wads of sandwiches which stuck in Grover's curly, brown hair. She was younger than us, thirteen or fourteen possibly, but her father was some important person, who believed that his daughter should attend every field trip possible, even the ones with upperclassmen. It also meant that we couldn't touch even a strand of her hair.

Her eyes met mine and she smirked, throwing another piece, that landed straight on top of my friend's hair.

She knew we couldn't do anything back to her, especially since I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip. "I'm going to kill her," Cy mumbled and I nodded along, already imagining it.

Grover tried to calm us down, "It's okay. I like peanut butter." He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat. "You're already on probation," He reminded me.

Percy stood up too, but this time it was me who pulled him down. "You are too, Percy."

He sighed and sat back down, taking a bite out of his sandwich, and shot glares at the ginger bitch, while I already planned on placing some snakes in her bed. I have heard rumours that in dorm thirty, there is a girl who is freakishly obsessed with reptiles.

"You know who will get blamed if anything happens," Grover sighed, taking out the bits of food out of his hair, with me and Cy helping him.

Chapter Text

I LOOKED AROUND, CONFUSED. This place looked unfamiliar to me, unknown.

The room, if you could even call it that was huge, it reminded me more of a ballroom, than anything else. The high walls were white, with gold details, and from the tall windows, rays of sunshine lit up the room.

Where the fuck was I?

"Olympus." A voice said behind me, making me turn around so fast I could have sworn I got whiplash. In front of me stood a guy, maybe a few years older than me. He had golden hair and stormy blue eyes. There was no other way to put it other than that he was gorgeous.

"What?"

The man laughed, taking a step forward. The sound that left his lips was almost like a melody and his voice was almost like honey. "Well, physically, you're in your bed. But consciously? You're here with me, in my residence in Olympus."

I knitt my brows, looking around. I don't think I ever had a dream this weird.

The man shook his head, "It is a dream, yes. But it's real." Every time he spoke, he took a step closer to me. I knew that in dreams I could feel warmth, but with every step he took, I felt the waves of heat getting stronger, as if he were a fireplace whose flames only got bigger.

He must have noticed my confusion as he continued, "Your consciousness is not controlling this narrative, I am."

I wanted to argue and say that it didn't make any sense, but I decided to play pretend. After all, it's just a dream, no matter what the stranger says.

"Who are you? I don't know you."

He crooked his head, staring down at me, we were only two steps apart. "Apollo," He said simply.

"Apollo who?"

"The one you wished for, darling." He chuckled and things clicked into their places. "The archer?" I asked.

He pulled away and started circling me as he rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'm the god of the Sun, Music, Prophecies, Medicine, Archery and more. Aren't you happy that you prayed for me and I answered you, little mortal?" He said the last part with so much ego, I was sure that it equalled all of the boys in my school and that he still had plenty for himself.

"I didn't pray for you!" I laughed. "I just threw a coin into a silly little wishing well, for a god I didn't even know it of."

I heard him pause behind me. "Excuse me?" The disbelief was evident in his tone, which made me chuckle again. I shrugged, "You heard me."

Turning around, I faced him. He wore an unreadable expression as he looked at me. He finally snapped out of it, taking a few steps towards me. We were now less than a step away from each other when he held up a golden necklace.

"What is this?" I asked, raising my hand and letting my fingers drift over the sun hanging on the chain.

"In the wishing well," He started. "You wished to find your true love. Well, my dear half-sister owed me a favour and with my help, she made this."

I slowly took the gold from his hands and it started glistening in the sun as I looked up to the god to see him already staring at me. "What does it do?" I asked.

"When you find your soulmate, your true love if you will, this will show you. Once you kiss the right person, it will burn you."

I slightly scoffed, glancing between him and the necklace, "Burn me?"

The god shrugged, a sly smile resting on his face, "I'm the god of the sun, pet. And you should know that everything has its cost." He brushed out a few strands of hair from my face, his touch lingering on my skin, "But, you have to wake up now."

Before I could question him, I did.

I groaned at the sound of my alarm clock ringing. I reached my hand to shut it off, but I only pushed the clock further away from me, to the ground, making the ringing somehow louder.

Muttering curses under my breath, I stood up and reached to turn off the alarm. I was about to put it back in its place and get five more minutes of sleep, when I noticed something unfamiliar lying on my bedside table.

I scrunched my brows and rubbed my eyes, making sure I was seeing what I was. Because on my bedside table laid the necklace from my dream.

I sat up, taking a good look at it. It was identical to the one I dreamt of. My eyes fell on my alarm clock. It was seventeen minutes until eight. I nodded, going back to stare at the necklace. My eyes widened as I grabbed the clock, which did in fact say 7:43, resulting in me scrambling off my bed and running in the bathroom's direction.

After finishing with only two minutes to spare, I quickly grabbed my silver rings and a few necklaces that I don't sleep with, when my eyes fell on the golden one again.

I hesitated, holding it in front of me. Before I could overthink it much, I clipped it to my neck and grabbed my bag, rushing out of my dorm, forgetting to lock the door.

Chapter Text

I QUICKLY SAT DOWN next to Percy, readjusting my tie. I breathe out in relief as I notice that the teacher is still in her backroom.

"Where were you?" Percy hissed as our teacher entered. I pulled my hair into a ponytail as I replied, "Overslept."

He looked at me weirdly, "Overslept? Your insomnia is getting better then?"

I paused. I didn't even realise, but the last time I checked the clock was twelve, meaning I've slept way longer than my usual three to four hours.

"I guess."

He nodded, "Good then. I also thought you left me alone for math." I sent him a smile as we both got our textbooks out. Cy, like me, is dyslexic, meaning we both hate math. Along with almost every other subject.

"Everyone, open your textbooks, page fifty-three." Mrs. Dodds said. "Today we'll go over the..."

I glanced out the window. The dream still lingers in my mind. Was it a dream? I touched the golden necklace through my clothes. It was proof, yet... still, it felt like I was going insane.

You're not insane.

I think my heart stopped. But, thankfully it started beating again as I shook my head. I probably just imagined it, maybe having a Redbull every day started catching up to me.

A chuckle rang out. It was almost like a melody, or maybe it was? I looked around the classroom, but no one was laughing or even smiling. Everyone was half asleep, reading their textbooks.

"You okay?" I quickly turned to my left, to make sure that Cy actually asked me that, or if I was imagining it too.

But to my relief, Percy was in fact looking at me, the concern was evident in his eyes. "You look pale." He said.

"Yeah, I don't feel so good."

I stood up and walked up to my teacher, asking if I could go to the bathroom. She was about to say no, but I mentioned my pale face and said that I was feeling nauseous, which was my ticket out of the classroom.

I almost threw the bathroom door open, quickly checking if anyone was there too, but thankfully I was alone. I washed my face in the sink, staring at myself in the mirror. "It was probably just my imagination running a little wild," I said to myself out loud, so that I would hear the truth in the words myself.

I wouldn't say so. The same voice reappeared in my mind.

I gripped the bathroom sink, quickly turning around, to see if a boy snuck into the girls' bathroom to mess with me. There was no one.

I gulped, grabbing my bag and rummaging through it, trying to find my ADHD medication. I chugged two pills down, without any water, which was big for me considering that I can't even do that with water. Usually, I have to break them apart into smaller pieces in my mouth before I can swallow them.

Sliding down onto the cold bathroom floor, I rested my head against the wall. I hoped no other girl would walk in right now, because I was sure that I looked like a crazy bitch.

You're not going crazy, pet.

"Yeah, easy for you to say," I replied to the thought out loud. I heard the voice sigh, but not say anything else, before I felt it disappear.

THE VOICE DIDN'T APPEAR for the rest of the day, so I pretended that I was fine. I made some excuse for Percy that I forgot to eat dinner yesterday, to which he and Grover made sure I ate enough during lunch. But my supposed peace didn't last too long.

It was the last lesson of the day, literature. My assigned seat was thankfully next to Grover, while Percy was a few seats away from us and sat with some girl named Amelia. I only knew her name because I'm pretty sure Cy has a crush on her.

"Did you do the homework?" Grover whispered.

I turned to him, confused, "We had homework?"

He winced and I turned in Percy's direction, whispering, "Hey! Percy! Did you do the homework?"

He was about to answer when his eyes went wide and before I knew it, a ruler slammed on my desk. I jumped and stopped myself from cursing out loud as Mrs. Hart looked down at me.

 think she genuinely likes the smell of a teenager's fear. It's as if she's just waiting for someone to forget to do their homework or speak too loudly to their classmates in class. "Miss Nova, how about you be so kind and answer some questions about the work you had to do, which was to read Romeo and Juliet, act one and answer twenty questions."

Another reason why students despised her was that she would give them the worst detentions for the smallest things. Including answering wrong to her pop-up questions, even if you had done the homework. Unlucky for me, I didn't even do that.

"On what condition does Capulet place Paris's marriage to Juliet?" Mrs. Hart asked. Oh fuck. Yeah, I was fucked.

Capulet places the condition to let two years pass on Paris's suit for Juliet. The voice appeared again in my thoughts.

Before I had time to overthink it, I repeated the words with confidence, "Capulet placed the condition to let two years pass on Paris's suit for Juliet."

The teacher looked surprised at my answer and I guessed that it was right. But she wasn't going to let me go that easily, I knew that.

"What important extended image does Lady Capulet use in describing Paris?"

I didn't even understand the question, but once again, the voice in my head muttered the answer.

"She describes Paris as a beautifully written book, so he looks good on the inside and the outside," I repeat the words again.

My teacher huffed, before she passed me and went to stand in front of the class and instructed everyone to open our books.

"How did you know? You didn't even know we had homework!" Grover whispered.

I didn't turn to him, instead, I flipped the book's pages. "I read it when I was a kid." I lied.

Chapter Text

WHEN THE LESSON ENDED I hurried out of the classroom. "Gett, where are you going?" Asked Grover.

"I have to go to the library."

My friend's brows knitted and soon Cy joined him saying, "You and library? These two things don't make sense together."

"I'll tell you later!" I yelled back at them, even though I probably won't.

As I entered the silence-filled space, I asked, this time quietly, "Who are you?"

You know who I am. And don't talk out loud, I can hear your thoughts just fine, or else some people might actually think that you're insane.

My eyes went wide as the voice replied. I quickened my steps as I walked to the history part of the library.

You're the guy from my dream. I stated.

I dropped my bag on a nearby table as I headed into the Greek mythology section. I didn't even know what I was looking for.

Noticing a book called The Twelve Gods of Olympus, I was about to pluck it out of the shelf, when suddenly, another book fell from the shelf to the left of me.

Confused, I picked it up. It didn't have a name on the cover, so I opened the first few pages and knitted my brows as the letters weren't the ones I was familiar with. But, I somehow understood the words, The Great God Apollo, it said. I took the book to my table and sat down. I was about to open the book again when I stopped.

Why did you help me? I asked, this time using my thoughts.

You asked for it.

I shook my head. Gods don't just help. They want something in return, almost always.

Maybe this is not the case, maybe I'm doing you a favour out of the goodness of my heart.

I scoffed, arguing. For doing a favour, one always wants one back.

You're right, maybe one day I'll call it in.

I leaned back in my chair, biting my lip as I thought. Nothing about this situation made sense. As if he heard my thoughts and now that I think about it he probably did, he spoke. Gods are real, I am real. The sooner you accept that, the better.

But they're stories. I argued. They're myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. The immortal gods of Olympus aren't real, right? This is just some weird dream!

Then what am I? The Sandman or something?

Maybe!

I heard him let out a frustrated huff. Open the book, read it. It should help you make sense of this situation.

I PINCH THE BRIDGE of my nose as I try to chew up the information. Everything I just read sounded like a joke, a fable.

So, the Greek gods, you are here? Like... in America? I finally asked.

We move along with the heart of the West. The voice replied.

He must have sensed my confusion as he explained further. The Western civilisation is a living force. It's... a collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. I, the gods, are part of it. We started in Greece. Then, we moved to Rome, where we got different names— except for me, I stayed the same because I'm obviously the superior.

The last comment made me roll my eyes and I chuckle. So you... gods, you've been everywhere?

Basically. Just look at the architecture and art. There are temples and buildings all around the world for us. For whom do you think Buckingham Palace in London was built?

I scoffed. The royals, maybe?

I imagined him rolling his eyes as he said. Obviously not. It was built for Hera. Father pissed her off, sired another child, I guessed, so he made those mortals build the palace for her so that she would forgive him.

Did it work? I asked, unable to hide a smile.

His voice was playful as he replied. I think so.

I looked out the window, I must have been here a while as now the sun was setting, and the rays of sunshine lit up the library a warm, golden colour. As the light landed on me, I felt the warmth wrapping around me.

Closing my eyes, I asked again in my thoughts. How did you know the answers about Romeo and Juliet?

I heard him fake an offended scoff. Well, I am proud of my children.

That made me snap my eyes open. Shakespeare was your son?!

Chapter Text

WEEKS HAVE PASSED SINCE our last field trip, meaning we're driving today to a new one. Also, the weather was getting weirder and weirder by day.

Even though the summer break was close and by that, I meant I could already feel the lazy days when I would decide to binge-watch a new show on TV or go to a nearby CD shop. But as I said, the weather was weird, so instead of sunny New York days like last year or years before, it was gloomy and it rained a lot too.

And unlike Grover, who practically would shit his pants every time he heard thunder, I enjoyed the chaotic weather.

But what hasn't changed for the past weeks is the presence of the sun god, lingering in my thoughts. On some days, he would tell me his opinions on my every action, leading us to argue over who was right. By the end of those days, my head would physically hurt from all the arguments.

On the other days, he would be quiet, but I still could feel him lingering, watching. On those days, he would pull me into a dream and once I was asleep, and he would let me explore the halls and views of his little palace in the so-called Olympus, while he would quietly follow me around, making remarks here and there.

A part of me still thinks that I'm suffering from one big schizophrenia episode.

I hear a fight break out at the end of the bus, making me roll my eyes. I don't know whose great idea was to make twenty-eight, mental case kids take a field trip to Manhattan with only two teachers. And one of them was tied to a wheelchair, mind you.

Today, we were heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff. I know — it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were. But they were definitely better than actually studying on the last days of school before the summer break in the air-conditioning-free dorms or classrooms.

Unlike me, Percy liked these field trips, because he liked Mr. Brunner's classes. As I said, unlike me. I mostly slept through the lessons, but that's only because Mr. Brunner's classes were either the very first one or the last one, meaning I can't focus properly, so why even try? During tests, I just made Percy help me out.

I sighed and looked at random stuff that was displayed as Mr. Brunner told some story about some demigod. I took a quick look, seeing both Grover and Cy eating up every word our Latin teacher said, and rolled my eyes, changing the song on my phone.

Not a fan of Hercules, pet?

I rolled my eyes, again, at the name, or just at the god generally. All of the stories are the same. I spoke with my thoughts as I looked at some random statues.

How so? I could practically hear the sly smile in his tone.

I'm not in the mood to argue, Apollo. After I decided to try and block him out by raising the volume of my music. It wasn't easy, blocking him out, considering that I had no particular clue how to even do so, but I've watched enough movies to try with music.

As my gaze drifted over the statues and other things, my eyes stopped on some interesting-looking skulls. Something was off about them, not that I knew what.

I looked at my friends again and noticed that they weren't paying attention to me as I departed from my class and headed in the direction of it.

At first glance, the skulls looked like real human ones, but as I got closer, I realised that they were made of stone. It looked like the eyes were made to look like they had shadows swarming in them. Suddenly pleas, screams and sounds of men begging filled my ears. I gasped and took a step back.

A hand rested on my shoulder, making me flinch and quickly turn around to face Mrs. Dodds, the other teacher on the trip. "You have wandered off a bit too far, honey. Let's get back to the rest of your classmates." She said, in a sickeningly sweet tone, that absolutely held no comfort. I nodded, swallowing and I tried to shrug her hand off my shoulder, but her nails only dug deeper.

As we got back, she spoke again, "How about me and you talk after, okay honey?" I nodded again and had to physically refrain myself from rolling my eyes.

Don't. His voice was back in my thoughts.

Don't what?

Meet her after. In fact, don't talk to her again.

I scoffed, which made me receive a few looks from my classmates. In return, I stared back at them, which made them uncomfortably look away.

Yeah, that's gonna be hard considering that she's my teacher. I replied.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. And it didn't even suit her in my opinion. She also appeared to mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker, at least that's what Percy said the first night after we met her.

She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, after our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. My friend thought that she was not human, ever since she made him erase textbooks all night.

I remember how Grover responded to his accusation, with a serious expression, "I think you're perfectly right."

I stood in between my friends when Percy snapped at Nancy Bobofit, the annoying child who would not shut up. She was our number one enemy, our own personal devil, as I liked to call her. The main reason why we hated her is that she is quite literally a fucking child who should be with kids her own age. And she also bullies Grover. But to be fair, he was not a hard target.

He was scrawny. He also got easily frustrated. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life, because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He did walk funny and it looked like every step hurt him, but that didn't fool me. I had seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.

Percy doesn't like her for the same reason, but me? I hated her guts since eighth grade when that kleptomaniac bitch tried to steal my iPod. What can I say? I hold grudges and I hate people who do wrong by my friends. Because only I can make fun of Cy's inability to properly read (I am just the same, if not worse), or Grover's weird enchilada obsession.

"Will you shut up?" Percy turned around and hissed the second time. He swallowed and turned back to Mr. Brunner. By the look on his face, it looked like it came out louder than Cy wanted.

I winced, already knowing that it was not gonna end well for my best friend. Nancy was like an angel to Mrs. Dotts and Percy was the devil. If anything, the roles should be swapped.

"Mr. Jackson," Our Latin teacher said, "Do you have something to say?"

His face was fully red as he said, "No, sir." Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele, I think that's what it's called, in front of us, "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?" I looked at the carving. Yeah, I had absolutely no clue what that was.

But unlike me, it looked like he recognised it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes," The teacher replied, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because..."

"Well... Kronos was the king god, and—"

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked. "Titan," Percy corrected himself and I shared an impressed look with Grover, he really did pay attention in class.

"And... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eeew!" Said one of the girls behind us and I rolled my eyes. We were sixteen for God's sake. Some snickers were heard from Nancy's group. So, I turned around and shot glares at them, making them almost immediately shut up.

"Nerd," I mumbled in Percy's direction and Grover let out a quiet laugh, while our other friend rolled his eyes. Like I said, only I can make fun of my friends.

Chapter Text

"IT'S TIME FOR LUNCH. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?" Said Mr. Brunner and I sighed in relief. I was really hungry.

Our trio was about to leave, Grover mumbling about how he might die if he didn't get food in the next five minutes, while Percy was talking about how his mom made us some sandwiches, when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."

I guess we'll still have to wait for Sally's famous sandwiches.

"You guys go, I'll meet you outside?" Percy sighed, and Grover and I nodded, heading out of the museum.

He and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school — the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

After ten minutes, our friend was back and started catching us up on his and Mr. Brunner's conversation. "Maybe you shouldn't share with us, I mean, it's private." Grover nervously said, scratching his neck, while I rolled my eyes, "Ignore him, I love other people's business."

"Who would have thought?" That comment got Grover Underworld a punch to his shoulder from me.

"-and then he was like: You must learn the answer to my question. So, I was confused and asked, are you, sir, talking about the Titans? And he said this, in an overly serious voice," Percy cleared his throat as he tried to mimic our Latin teacher.

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it. What you learn from me is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."

I snorted, "So, no pressure, right?"

My brunet friend gave me a look before finishing, "Then, Mr. Brunner took one long, sad look at some stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral. And then he told me to go outside and eat my lunch."

"Well, I didn't know that he was such a sunshine." I chuckled while taking a bite out of Percy's mom's homemade sandwiches. I just loved her food.

I was about to ask for another sandwich, since he had three more left, when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of us with her ugly friends— I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

I hate that stupid, kleptomaniac, important-daddy fourteen year old. 

"Oops," She grinned at Percy with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were the ugliest shade of orange, it looked as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos. Unlike me, she didn't win the genetic lottery.

I wouldn't say that I'm egoistic, but I have straight, black hair and dark, brown eyes — something that is way better than that orange mess. Also, Percy lieks to say that my eyes turn completely dark when I get mad, but I think he's full of shit.

I bit my lip, trying to stay cool, having to remind myself that I am three years her senior and that I shouldn't fall for her obvious tries to provoke me.

One of the reasons why I was at this shithole school was because I had major anger issues.

Over the years, I have learnt to control them, but I didn't have much luck in the past. For once, in fifth grade, I pushed a girl who made fun of my shoes down the stairwell. I think she broke her arm, fractured her ankle and had bruises all over her face. Now that I think about it, I think she lost one of her front teeth. Anyway, that was my first restraining order.

I was about to stand up and be true to my urges of pushing the little ginger bitch into the busy Fifth Avenue traffic, when suddenly some force pulled Nancy into the fountain, making her sit in the water, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

But did he? Because when I turned to him, he was just as confused as me.

Then suddenly, Mrs. Dodds materialised next to us. Some of the kids were whispering:

"Did you see?"

"The water—"

"—like it grabbed her—"

So apparently I wasn't the only one who saw that.

Apollo?

Yes, pet?

What just happened? I asked, ignoring the name he called me, focusing on Mrs. Dotts consoling the poor little Nancy, making sure that she was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop.

I can't tell you that.

But he did, because his answer was enough to make me realise that there was definitely something unexplainable in this situation.

"Now, honey-" Our math teacher started, almost triumphant-like fire was in her eyes as Percy sighed, "I know. A month erasing workbooks."

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said. Then she turned to me, "Miss Nova, you too. I think it's time for our little chat."

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me! I pushed her."

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for Percy. I mean, Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death. It makes me see him in a whole other light now.

But she glared at him so hard his chin trembled. "I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," She said.

"But—" Our friend tried to argue.

"You—will—stay—here." Grover looked at me desperately. And I pursed my lips, awkwardly smiling at him. At least he tried, and I know Percy will definitely remember that.

"It's okay, man," Cy told him. "Thanks for trying."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at us. "Now."

She then turned to me, "Miss Nova, I think it's time for our talk."

I scoffed at the woman, biting back a remark about widening her vocabulary.

Nancy Bobofit smirked at us as we passed her, so I sent her a glare. Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at us to come on. How'd she get there so fast? I turned to Percy and thank God he was just as confused as me.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between Percy and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but the teacher was too absorbed in his novel to notice.

I looked back up, Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall. She was probably going to make Percy buy a new shirt for Nancy, but what I couldn't guess was what she wanted to talk to me about. I don't think I had pissed her off.

Suddenly, the same honey-laced voice appeared back in my thoughts:

Bridget, do not follow them.

If you think that I'm leaving Cy alone with that witch, then you're wrong.

I heard him curse as he heard my answer in what sounded like Latin, but it was definitely not Latin. Greek, maybe?

I knitted my brows. And how did I understand him? I shook my head, deciding to worry about that later. I was about to catch up with my friend when a ray of sunlight shone through one of the high windows, blinding me temporarily.

After finally stepping out of the light, I looked around the museum, realising that I'd lost them.

Happy? I asked, rolling my eyes and heading back to the entrance. I didn't hear a reply from the god, which made me scoff.

"Pretentious asshole," I mumbled. That made me receive another blinding light as I fully stepped outside.

I sat down next to Grover, noticing that the weather had gone significantly worse since before. Just as quickly, it started to rain and I quickly grabbed his arm, dragging us to the entrance of the museum.

"Gett? Why did she let go of you so quickly? Also, where's Percy? Is he alright?"

I looked weirdly at him, before fixing up my hair and replying, "I fell a bit behind them and then lost them. He's still inside and probably fine. I know you're scared of Mrs. Dodds, but she's just a teacher, she won't do anything too bad."

He nodded, a confused look replaced his nervous one, so I bumped his shoulder, "By the way, you were a good friend trying to cover for Cy. I mean, we know how terrifying she is." He just stared at me in shock.

"Okay," I mumbled, turning away from him. Why was he acting so weird?

"I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your ass." I heard the annoying ginger child say.

Then, I knitted my brows. Mrs. Kerr? Who's that?

"Who?" I heard Percy ask.

"Our teacher, dumbass." The redhead said. I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. Percy asked Nancy what she was talking about. She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

As Percy neared us, he spoke, "Where's Mrs. Dodds?" I shrugged in response, while Grover said, "Who?"

I turned to him, confused. What the hell was going on?

"Not funny, man," Percy told him. "This is serious." Thunder boomed overhead.

He turned to me, "Bridget?" I just stared at him. Maybe this was some huge prank on him that Grover forgot to tell me?

Percy left us and headed in Mr. Brunner's direction when I turned to Grover, "Dude, what is going on? Because I do remember Mrs. Dodds, but I do not know of any Mrs. Kerr."

He just looked away from me, mumbling that he needed to use the restroom.

Chapter Text

I STARED AT THE words. All of them sounded the same to me. Chiron and Charon, or Polydectes and Polydeuces. I already imagined the big, fat D-.

And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it, I might as well just sleep and hope that Cy or Grover would help me.

I glanced at the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology textbook on the other side of my bed. Maybe I should ask Percy for help? After all, out of the three of us, he paid the most attention in class.

As I walked down the halls of Yancy, my smile faltered a bit as I remembered that Percy wouldn't be returning here next fall. Since he, like me, was on probation during the whole Nancy incident, he was just living on a tiny thread. But after that, his temper got way worse, which resulted in him talking back to teachers and getting bad grades. So, he did not receive an invitation for next year.

Okay, maybe I knew that Percy wouldn't be much help with Latin, considering that he was failing it too, but I just wanted to study with him for the last time.

Girl and Boy dorms were at different ends of the school, meaning that in order to get from one building to another, I had to go past the faculty offices.

Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office.

Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said, "...I think Bridget also might be one." I froze. I was about to take another step towards the door, so I could hear better, when I noticed Percy, also frozen five feet away from me.

We both shared a look before inching closer to the door.

"I noticed too," Mr. Brunner was saying. "She remembers Mrs. Dodds..."

Percy's eyes went wide as he pointed a finger in the direction of the office.

Later into our trip when he was freaking out about how he might have gone crazy, how he was imagining someone. I felt a bit bad, even though it was funny to see him that panicked, and told him that I too, remember our math teacher. But we soon realised that we were the only ones.

"-also Percy... alone this summer," Grover said. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more. And we need to be sure about Miss Nova." I scrunched my brows. What was going on?

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline—"

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her...."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"Sir, I... I can't fail my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

Percy and I shared a look as he mouthed 'what?'.

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"

Suddenly, Cy's book fell, making a thud. I cursed, quickly grabbing the book from the ground. We heard someone standing up and we quickly ran out of the hall as quietly as we could.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO leave my dorm in less than an hour. And like every year, I still hadn't packed.

I threw a bunch of stuff in my suitcase from the floor, trying to find my favourite pair of socks. I think I remember throwing them at the end of my bed a couple of days ago. Or was it two weeks ago?

After a good thirty minutes, I was done and all I had left was to figure out how I was going to get my magazine tower back home. Each month, Mother dearest would send me forty bucks. Almost all of the money I would spend on my Vogue and Vanity Fair magazine subscriptions, and makeup. I spent a lot of that money on makeup.

In the end, I managed to fit the bigger half of it into my suitcase and stuffed the rest into my duffel bag. I was about to leave my room when one of my rings fell to the ground, rolling under my bed. As I reached to grab it and I groaned, noticing four more magazines under my bed. I took a quick look at my carry-on and decided to just hold them.

The other girls outside of their dorms were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They went to Yancy for a reason. They did some shit, like me, but they were different, they were rich. Their daddies were executives, ambassadors, or celebrities.

Before going to this school, I was a nobody, from a family of somebodies. Mom's originally from a wealthy family, but then she did something - that something I think was being pregnant with me, and her family disowned her.

And my mom wasn't exactly winning Best Mom of the Year. She doesn't really have enough time for me, because she is always busy taking as many shifts at the hospital as she can. But even i know that she could find teh time to at least call me once a week. A text! But no, nothing.

I've been trying to deny the truth, but I genuinely think she just likes the hospital - her job, more than me.

Two years ago, she assisted in a very rare and successful surgery, which landed her a good-paying job and respect, which resulted in me getting into this shithole of a school. At first, I tried to be friends with the 'rich juvenile delinquents', but they were not the people I wanted to surround myself with.

Those kind of people were the two new guys, whom my enemy of two years, Nancy, decided to start picking on. And now Percy was leaving, it wasn't going to be the same without him. I was going to miss our trio so much.

But I still had a few hours with them, since the three of us lived in Manhattan. During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. I realised that he'd always acted nervously and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen.

Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting picked on. But there was nobody to tease him here. And apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed as Percy said, "Looking for the Kindly Ones?"

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha— what do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes and confessed about us eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh... not much. What's the summer solstice deadline?"

He winced. "Look, guys... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers..."

"Grover—"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you two were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and..."

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar," Cy stated, making our friend's ears turn pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."

Percy took it, staring at it weirdly, so this time I asked, "Grover, what did you mean when you said, you think I might be one too?" I asked and he winced again.

He just looked at me, wide-eyed. Before I could threaten him about posting the video of him singing 'Rolling in the Deep' on the internet if he didn't tell me in the next five minutes, Percy saved him.

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" Grover yelped. "That's my, um... summer address."

"Okay," Cy said glumly and I took the card out of his hands, reading what it said. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion." Grover nodded at Percy, "Or... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?" Percy scoffed and I knitted my brows and nudged him. It sounded harsh. Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple, "Look, guys, the truth is, I— I kind of have to protect you."

I stared at him. Then I burst into laughter, shaking my head. Grover, the crippled kid, protecting Cy or me? Yeah, right. Then if so, I have superpowers. But unlike mine, Percy's expression was serious: "Grover, what exactly are you protecting me from?"

Suddenly, there was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the vehicle over to the side of the highway

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover, Percy and I exited outside like everybody else. We were on a stretch of country road, no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there.

On our side of the highway was nothing, but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes in the shimmering afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. The stuff on sale looked fresh and delicious: boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider. Suddenly, I grew thirsty.

There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen. I mean, I guess they would have fitted Percy's feet.

The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like soggy fruits, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, and bony arms sticking out of bleached, cotton dresses.

I think I heard Apollo curse in my thoughts.

The weirdest thing was that they seemed to be looking right at someone on my left. I tuned and noticed that where their gazes lingered, was Percy. I looked over at Grover to say something about this, but only then I saw that the blood had drained from his face.

"Grover?" Percy asked.

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?" Grover concluded.

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?" I rolled my eyes at Percy's silly question, "Obviously."

"Not funny, guys. Not funny at all." Grover mumbled.

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors — gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath."We're getting on the bus," He told us. "Come on."

"Yeah, I'm not going in there," I scoffed.

"It's a thousand degrees in there!" Percy argued. "Come on!" Grover pried open the door and climbed inside, dragging me along.

AFTER A FEW MINUTES, we got going. Percy complained about feeling feverish and my head started to hurt. Grover didn't look much better. It looked like he was shivering and his teeth were chattering. "Grover?" Cy asked.

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling us?"

Grover dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve, "Guys, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

Confused, I turned to Percy, "Wait, that whole thing about her turning into a monster wasn't a joke?"

Percy shook his head and I ran a hand through my hair. I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than whatever Mrs. Dodds was. If it weren't for the sun god lingering in my thoughts, I would have started to worry for mine and Cy's mental health. Maybe I still should. Grover sighed, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn," He shrugged and our other friend closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. Was he in a cult?

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" As I heard his tone, even I realised that it was some sort of a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What happened last time?" I asked.

"Always tenth grade. They never get past sixteen." He mumbled.

"Grover," I repeated because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me." This seemed like a strange request to me, but Percy promised he would.

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer. "Grover, that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?" Percy suddenly asked, the dread in his voice visible.

Grover looked at Percy mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers Cy would like best on his coffin. If I had to choose, I probably would've went for Black Dahlias.

Chapter Text

I STARE OUT THE window as the reality of the situation finally kicks in. I was sitting in Percy's stepfather's, Smelly Gabe's, Camaro as Sally drove us to the special summer camp. I bit my lip, recollecting the last six hours.

After the three of us got off the bus, I smothered the boys with hugs and made Percy swear to not forget about me and to keep in touch. I also may have shed a tear or two.

Then I called the taxi and drove home. As I entered the apartment, the silence didn't surprise me. Just like last year, or the year before, mom didn't greet me home. I should have expected it, I knew that it would happen, but still, a pit of disappointment swarmed in my stomach.

A few hours passed when suddenly, someone started pounding on my door, yelling my name. My first instinct was obviously to grab a baseball bat and have 911 ready on speed dial, but imagine my surprise when I found Grover standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here? And how did you get my fucking address?!"

Grover only shook his head, "No time to explain, just quickly pack your necessities, leave this on the table for your mom —" He handed me a letter, making me catch a glimpse of words the 'camp director Mr. D' before my friend pushed past me into the apartment, "Quickly, we have to go!"

I was about to argue and push Grover against the wall and make him spill his guts about what was going on and ask if it had to do something with what I overheard him and Mr. Brunner talk about when his voice appeared in my thoughts:

Do as he says, pet. Trust me.

So I did. The next thing I knew, Grover and I were in a cab, going to some place called Montauk. At some point, it started raining. It was probably the middle of the night as we got out of the car and I paid the driver, as my friend led me to a cabin. My confusion only grew as I noticed how he was biting his nails and how his eyes darted around, paranoid.

The person who opened the door was a distressed Sally Jackson. The woman I met once when she picked up Percy for Christmas break and offered to drive me also, considering we lived in the same area. She also insisted that I call her Sally and tell her all about how Percy and I became friends.

"What were you thinking?" Grover breathed out, staring at the Jacksons. I noticed the mother turn to her son, "Percy," She turned to her son, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

But it looked like he wasn't listening to his mother, staring at Grover. Confused I turned to my friend beside me and choked out a gasp as I stared at his legs... or what was supposed to be his legs. Because Grover didn't have his pants on — and where his legs should be... oh my fucking god, was I hallucinating?

Because where his feet should be, there were in fact no feet. There were fucking horse hooves. How the fuck did I not notice before?! Was I going crazy?!

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" Grover yelled. "It's right behind us! Didn't you tell her?"

 I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in an antique-sounding language, and I'd understood him perfectly, just like Apollo, that it wasn't the first time I understood the language.

Ancient Greek! That could be the language, since after listening on YouTube of the modern version of Greek, I quickly realised that it's not the same.

Percy stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand and Mrs. Dodds. Then his mom told him to grab his rain jacket as she grabbed her purse and keys, yelling at us to get to the car. Grover ran for the Camaro — but he wasn't exactly running.

He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

And now, around twenty minutes into our drive I stared at the window, watching two drops of rain race to see who's faster. Percy was spewing questions at his mom and Grover, making me decide to join the questionnaire also.

"Um... what are you, exactly?" Percy asked our friend who sat in the backseat with me.

"That doesn't matter right now." I scoffed at his answer, finally joining the conversation, "It doesn't matter? From the waist down, our best friend is a donkey —"

Grover let out a sharp, throaty, "Blaa-ha-ha!"

My eyes went wide, jaw on the floor, making me and Percy slowly make eye contact. Let's just say that you could tell that we were flabbergasted by both of our expressions.

"Goat!" He cried.

"What?" I think it was Percy who asked.

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter!" I argued.

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like... Mr. Brunner's myths?" Percy asked.

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"

"Ha—" I let out a triumphant sound. "So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"

"Of course."

"Then why—"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You two started to realise who you are."

I knit my brows. "Grover, when we overheard Mr. Brunner say, 'We need to be sure about Miss Nova', did it have to do something with this?"

Grover bit his lip and looked down, getting me my answer.

"Who I— wait a minute, what do you mean?" Percy asked. A weird noise rose up somewhere behind us, getting closer and closer. There was something chasing us and it was hot on our trail.

"Percy," Mr. Jackson said, "There's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you two to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after us?"

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still annoyed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

My eyes widened. Apollo, is the man Grover's talking about possibly your uncle Had—

I wouldn't say his name right now, even in your thoughts.

What is going on?

You will find out everything soon.

How do you even know that? I scoffed, glancing at Percy and his mom who were talking.

You're talking to the god of prophecies, darling. It's kinda my job to know. Plus you know I can't lie to you. I could hear the sly smile on his face, which made me roll my eyes.

You can't lie to anyone, Solar.

Solar? Now that's a new one.

What? You have one for me, I might as well give you one too.

I didn't hear his response, as the next few moments were a blur. Percy and his mom were arguing, then suddenly she swerved the car, making it go off the road and causing us to crash.

I vaguely remember getting out of the car and helping Grover get out, while Cy helped his mom. Us running. Me turning back and seeing a gigantic half-bull running after us.

I also remember Percy realising what was after us, "That's Pasiphae's son."

"I wish I'd known how badly they wanted to kill you," Sally shook her head.

"But he's the Min—" I started saying, remembering the monster from Mr. Brunner's class as I dragged Grover to the pine tree that we had to get to, which was still way too far, at least a hundred yards uphill.

"Don't say his name," The mother interrupted me. "Names have power." She said.

"Food?" Grover moaned. "Shhh," I told him.

"Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?" Percy asked as we ran. "His sight and hearing are terrible," She answered. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

"And what do we do then?" I remember asking.

"Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging."

Then the bull-man started tromping uphill. He has smelled us. The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter. The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us. "Go, Percy! Bridget, you too! Separate! Remember what I said!"

Cy and I shared a look, nodding at each other as he quickly turned left, while I did the opposite, sprinting right.

Soon, I reached the top of the hill. Down on the other side, I could see a valley, just as Sally had said. I noticed a farmhouse, whose lights were glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.

The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing the older woman, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back towards the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.

"Run, Percy! I can't go any further. Run!" She yelled. As those words left her mouth, the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.

Percy yelled out something, but it did nothing when with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around her neck. But the worst part of it? I somehow felt her life slowly slipping away, before suddenly it stopped, as she dissolved before our eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form as if she were a hologram. A blinding flash, and she was simply... gone.

"No!" My friend yelled as he shrugged off his jacket, running after the monster, while I ran in Grover's direction. After I made sure he was alright, I turned to Percy, who was battling the bull.

With unfamiliar instincts, I ran to help out my friend. He was on top of the monster who tried to shake him off, but Cy held on like a rodeo bull champion.

Grover groaned out, catching the creature's attention. All I could do was help Grover up and then start running, dragging my friend as fast as I could.

Suddenly, I heard a loud CRACK! and the monster groaning. I turned to see Percy holding one of the creature's horns in his hands before he stabbed the monster. It yelled out in pain and slowly evaporated, making Percy fall to the ground.

My head was spinning, but I managed to get to my friend, carefully leaving Grover muttering the most random shit to rest in the grass, asking if he was okay, to which he replied, "Yeah, just peachy. You?"

"Could go for round two," I replied before feeling myself pass out beside him.

Chapter Text

I BLINKED REPEATEDLY, TRYING to adjust to the lighting. I sat up, looking around the room. It looked like an infirmary, there were two rows of wooden beds, and half of them were occupied by teenagers.

My first thought was, where was I? My second one was, why does everyone in here wear the same ugly and unstylish, orange shirts?

"Bridget! You woke up already, thank gods."

I turned, confused to see Grover. Relief flooded my insides as I smiled at the familiar face. However, my smile slightly faltered as I noticed him wearing the same orange shirt. Everything clicked in its place as my eyes darted around the room, making sure I wasn't imagining things.

I leaned towards him, lowering my voice, "Grover, to what I'm about to ask you, you have to reply with one hundred percent honesty, okay?"

He stared at me before his expression turned serious and he nodded. "Are you in a cult? Did you drug me and Percy, and then drag us here, to where this cult resides? That little prayer thing that you did when we were on the bus yesterday was the cult's thing? Wait, what day is it? No, what year is it?"

His eyes widened, "No— No... well, I mean maybe?"

"What!" I raised my voice, glaring at him as he stammered, "We didn't- we didn't drug you! Yesterday was real, I swear, I swear on the Styx!"

I stood up, "Grover, I swear to God, if you don't tell me right now..." I started nearing towards him, pointing a finger in his face. I was getting angrier and angrier by the second, it felt like shadows were swarming my head. "I will personally make sure that—"

"Miss Nova, you need to calm down!" I heard a familiar voice say, but it sounded miles away. The only thing on my mind was getting the truth.

"Grover, I'm gonna count to three. One…" I started, taking another step as Grover took two back, almost falling over something, his eyes wide as moons.

"I— you're... I mean, I'm…" He stammered, but I continued, "Two." This time I whispered, but it seemed to scare the boy in front of me even more. I heard voices around us, but they weren't just there:

"Chiron, we have to stop her!"

"Miss Nova!"

"Oh my gods, she's gonna kill Grover!"

I was about to mutter three, when I heard the honey-laced voice I can't ignore it, no matter how hard I always try.

As much as I like seeing you in your element, you need to snap out of it, pet.

And I did. Suddenly, all of my anger, and my need to get what I wanted faded away along with the shadows which clouded my mind. I took a couple of steps back, my eyes wide.

What the fuck happened? It was like I was possessed by anger, I was enraged that he wasn't telling me the truth. I wanted— absolute horror washed my face as I recollected my last thoughts before Apollo snapped me out of it.

Thank you. I said to him in my mind.

My friend's eyes closed in relief as he melted into the wall I had backed him into. "Oh God, I'm— I'm so sorry, Grover, I don't know what got into me... I mean, one second I was confused and then the next—" I started apologising.

He shook his head, opening his eyes, but they froze right above my head, "No... no need to. It's your nature." His words came out breathless.

Confused, I slowly looked around, realising that there were at least thirty more people here and every single one of their eyes were on me. Or well above my head.

I looked up and saw a three-headed dog hologram, shining above me. I winced, biting my lip, "Shit, that can't be too good, can it?"

I STARED AT THE man, who's apparently 'the one in charge'. Camp director or whatever. He stared back at me. I raised my brow, crossing my arms. The both of us were standing here in silence for about now eight minutes.

After the little incident I just had, Mr. Brunner, who was apparently here too, led me here to explain everything to me. But before he could, he got the news that Percy also woke up and decided to wait for him so that they could explain everything to us at the same time.

And then the old man disappeared, leaving me with him. Mr. D, whom I still had no clue what the D stood for, was a middle-aged man in khaki shorts and a really unstylish Hawaiian-style shirt.

I sighed. Everything was too much for me. It was too hot, too confusing. I physically wanted to peel off my skin and feel the ice-cold relief of the truth, of what was happening, yet no one was telling me anything. I don't know if I ever felt so helpless before.

I lifted my eyes at the Camp director, only to find him already staring at me as if he was analysing me. So, I did the same to him. He was powerful, or at least his aura was. I couldn't tell you how I knew, but I just knew. The question of how I knew was just another one on a list that was getting longer and longer.

After our silent stare-off, he spoke, "You're his daughter alright."

"Excuse me?" I scoffed.

"I mean, you got that whole 'I'm better than you' look and the same unimpressed stare. I wouldn't even need the whole claiming thing to know you're his daughter." He said, sipping his Diet Coke.

"Okay, you know what—" I started, but I was quickly pulled back by someone who hissed my name. I turned to see Grover whose eyes were once again wide from my actions.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

I raised one of my brows at him and he rolled his eyes, hissing, "D stands for Dionysus!"

"I can name a few other things it could also stand for, like Mr. Dickhea-" Before I could finish, Grover's hand slapped on top of my mouth, preventing me from finishing my sentence. I felt a ray of sunshine tingle my skin and I felt like it was like Apollo's approval of my joke.

I removed Grover's hand from my face and turned to Percy. "You okay?" I asked. It seemed that he didn't know of anything either, because he was looking around the place confused.

Cy nodded, his eyes on the Camp Director behind us, "Fine. You?"

"Yeah," I muttered, although I wasn't sure of my answer.

"Mr. Brunner?" I heard Percy say, staring behind me. I turned around and imagine my shock when I was faced with my Latin teacher, whom I had seen sitting in his wheelchair just fifteen minutes ago, was now a horse from the waist down.

"Oh, that's not..." I trailed off, staring at his... hooves?

"Uh, guys, Mr. Brunner's real name is Chiron. Camp activities director, the immortal trainer of heroes, he is—"

"Thank you, Grover. I'll take it from here," Chuckled my ex-teacher, who had horse legs. Yeah, the last part was pretty much unbelievable to me.

He turned to me, "Bridget, I know what just happened is still confusing to you."

I shook my head still staring at his horse's hooves, "Oh no, it's fine. I mean, you're a horse and I'm around ninety-nine percent sure that I have something to do with Hades, so it's all chill—"

"Young girl," said Mr. D, "I would be less casual about throwing those names around, even if that's your father." Chiron gave me a look and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

Then I froze. My brain went silent for a second. Only then, his words finally got to my head, "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Wait, Had—" Percy stopped himself as he got a look from Mr. D. "You know who, is Bridget's dad?"

I never had a dad. Or even a father figure. My Mom is an only child, meaning I have no uncles either. I never really got along with any of my male teachers in school, so there was that. And it's not like my mom tried to find someone who could fill that hole, or even try to do so herself.

"Oh, you missed quite the fiasco kid." Mr. D chuckled. "This doesn't make any sense!" I scoffed, but some suppressed memories started clouding my mind, the situation started to make sense.

When I was little, I saw things that weren't there. Like Demo, my neighbour's old dog who apparently died, but I would still sometimes see following its owner who went on his daily walks, or how I was weirdly comfortable in the dark. And the fact that I did talk to an actual god with my thoughts was something I couldn't ignore either.

Cy argued against the idea too, "Gods aren't real— They're what people believed before there was science!"

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Peter Johnson—" I saw Percy knit his brows at what was supposed to be his name. "What will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?"

"Bridget, Percy," Chiron said. "You may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

He glanced at me before continuing, "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

The memory of my friend's mom in the Minataur's clutches tugged my heart. But somehow, a little part of me knew that Sally Jackson was not entirely gone. How or why I knew that, I didn't know.

"I wouldn't like it. But, I don't believe in gods." Percy answered. "Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P— please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, taking a sip of his drink. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with kids who don't even believe!"

"You probably did something to deserve it then," I shot at the god, who began to stand up, when the shadows in the corners suddenly began to look darker, the whole atmosphere of the room started changing, which made Mr. D fall back to his chair, rolling his eyes, resulting in some of the shadows retreating.

My brows knitted as I looked around the room, what was that? I looked down and saw a shadow slowly circling around me. Before I could try to do something, the god of wine stole my attention.

"Protective asshole," He mumbled, sipping his Coca-Cola. "I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. Cabin eleven, you two. And mind your manners, Brianna Rona."

Chapter Text

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT to think. What I was supposed to do in this situation? I don't think that there's a handbook for finding out your father is a fucking Greek god. Hades, nevertheless.

So, instead of realising my situation, I decided to focus on our tour around the territory and the thought that this might be my home for how knows how long swarmed my mind.

We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn Percy was carrying, saying "That's him."

Another looked at me, whispering to his friend, "That's the girl who almost killed Grover!"

"That's his daughter? Yeah, I could have guessed," The other said.

Most of the campers were around the same age as us. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare, shaggy hindquarters.

I wasn't normally shy, I wasn't afraid to call out others for looking at me weirdly, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to make a gigantic hole to the underworld or something.

Wait, could I do that? I shook my head, trying to ignore the stares. They looked at me as if I was evil.

I turned to look at Percy, whose expression was similar, but the campers didn't look at him like they did at me. People looked at him with slight interest sparkling in their eyes. But to me? They looked at me with slight disgust and... fear, I realised. I saw maybe a ten-year-old look at me with wide eyes as she slightly took a step closer to her friends.

It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. For the rest of our tour, I kept my head down.

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune... on a reed pipe? Chiron told us the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus.

"It pays our expenses," He explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort." He said that Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was apparently restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.

I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.

"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" Percy asked Chiron. "I mean... he was a good protector. Really."

I snorted and Cy quickly elbowed me. Chiron glanced at me for a second before saying, "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than is reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."

"But he did that!"

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate... fate of your mother.

"And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."

"But it wasn't his fault!" I argued.

"Maybe." Chiron winced, "But, I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Bridget. The council was anxious to give him another, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age..."

"How old is he?" Percy asked.

"Oh, twenty-eight."

My jaw dropped, "Twenty-eight?! And he's in tenth grade?"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans. Grover has been the equivalent of a high school student for the past six years."

"That's horrible."

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by standard standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career...."

"That's not fair," Percy said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?" I asked. Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?"

I knitted my brows as I followed the centaur, questions swarming in my head.

I DON'T LIKE MY new roommates, at least for now.

Percy and I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids who seemed to occupy this cabin. They were staring at us as if they were assessing us. We were familiar with this routine. We've gone through it at enough schools.

But once again, they looked at me differently than they did at Cy. Just like the other kids outside, I realised.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." Annabeth was the camper that Chiron assigned to show us our cabin.

So naturally, Percy tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of himself. There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them were as loud as my snort of laughter. Annabeth raised her brow at me as if questioning why I was friends with Cy before she announced, "Percy Jackson and Bridget Nova, meet cabin eleven."

"Is he regular or undetermined?" Somebody asked.

So everyone already knew about me, great.

Not that I knew if it was good or bad, but Annabeth replied, "Undetermined."  And everybody groaned as they heard her answer.

A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy, Bridget."

He was probably about nineteen and he looked pretty cool. A leader of the cabin, I guessed. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile that I was suspicious of. He wore the same orange cult-like shirt, some sneakers, and a leather necklace with five different coloured clay beads.

The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and she was blushing. Interesting. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again, "He's your counsellor, for now." She said the last part more to Percy.

"For now?" He asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. As naturally we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travellers."

"What about me?" I crossed my arms. "I already got claimed," the last word sounded weird on my tongue. But from what I've been told, Hades, the ruler of shadows and the king of the Underworld, was my father, that's what the hologram meant.

My words made the other campers break into whispers, while I saw Luke scratch his neck. "Your, umn... godly parent doesn't have a cabin, like some other minor gods, so you'll stay with us."

I knit my brows, "Minor god? I didn't know that you guys consider the ruler of the Underworld a minor god."

"He's not— It's just the way the gods made it. Your father does not have a throne at Olympus, so therefore he doesn't have a cabin. And you get to stay with us." He motioned to himself and the rest of the cabin.

"Oh, well that's amazing," I mumbled. Percy elbowed me, shooting me a dirty look, before asking, "How long will I be here?"

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?" The campers around us all laughed. "Come on," Annabeth told us. "I'll show you two the volleyball court."

"We've already seen it."

"Come on.'' She grabbed Cy's wrist and he dragged me outside along too. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind us. I wanted to come back and give them a piece of my mind, but my friend only pulled me harder, probably noticing my expression.

When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?" Percy asked and raised my brow as I pulled my arm back from my friend who gave me a warning look. He knew that I wasn't the nicest person when I was mad.

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought that one of you was the one."

"What's your problem?" I asked, now getting angry. We have done absolutely nothing to her, yet she acted as if everything was our fault somehow.

"All I know is, we kill some bull guy—" Cy started. "Don't talk like that!" Annabeth interrupted him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

I scoffed, "To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I shook my head, while Percy spoke, "Look, if the thing we fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories..."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gazillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So..." He trailed off and I bit my lip. I was getting bored of this conversation, I inched to explore this camp.

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up," I mumbled.

"They don't have souls like us—" Annabeth started, but I didn't feel like getting another ancient Greek lesson.

"Well, on that particularly cheery note, I'm gonna go look around. I'll meet you later, Cy." And with that, I turned around and walked off.

Chapter Text

ONLY NOW THE REALISATION dawned upon me of this situation as I sat on maybe a seven-foot cliff on the beach.

I remember when my mom had told me why I was on this earth. It was a simple answer, I was an accident, a mistake. That I wasn't supposed to be born. I suppose that's a bit harsh on a ten-year-old. I think she said it during one of our arguments.

Our relationship was always like this, we argued every time we talked. She always blamed me for something. Everything was always my fault.

Now that I think about it, I think she knew. I think she knew who the man she slept with was. And I think, that deep down, I knew that what I saw, what I felt, wasn't just my imagination running wild.

A memory swarms my mind as I stare out the ocean and let it engulf my senses.

I slide down my door and wipe my tears away. I hated this. I hate her. Why can't she just go back to the stupid hospital, at least people want her there.

I choke out another sob as I bury my head in my knees. Who am I kidding? I want my mom here too. But she doesn't want me here.

"That's not true."

Scrunching my brows, I lift up my eyes, but I can't see anything, It's too dark.

"I suppose that's my fault, little princess."

I look around the room, the voice sounds scary, but I'm not afraid of it. I like to think that I'm the bravest out of all fifth graders. I slowly stand up. And look around, yet the darkness doesn't change.

"Who- who are you?" I asked.

A chuckle rang out, but it didn't answer me. I asked again, "I said, who are you?"

"Don't blame your mother for this, she's merely a mortal."

"A mortal?" I repeated. "Isn't it some old word for humans?"

Another chuckle, "Yes, I guess it is. But you're not like your mother. And you're not alone, never."

I wiped another tear. "Well, that's not true," I repeated the voice's earlier words. "Mom doesn't like me, she likes the hospital more. And Anna isn't real friends with me, I heard her laughing with one of the mean girls about my backpack earlier. But I don't get why, Star Wars is cool."

"Remember when you were little," The voice started. "You had this imaginary friend... what did you name him? Ah, yes, Colt." I could hear the amusement lacing his tone.

I crossed my arms, staring at the darkness, "How do you know? And technically it wasn't a friend, it was a dog. I always wanted one. But he's not real. And I'm alone."

"But he is real."

"I don't believe you."

"No?"

"No," I argued.

Suddenly, I let out a gasp as out of the shadows a little dog ran out. It was a shadow itself, I realised. And it looked just like the one I had imagined, a little French bulldog. It playfully grabbed one of my slippers and munched on it. I let out a teary laugh.

It turned his attention to me and assessed me, dropping the slipper and warily starting to come in my direction. I stretched out one of my palms and it smelled it.

A second passed, and then the next one, the dog hopped onto me and started licking my face. I laughed and went to pet him, he felt real.

"You're never alone, my little princess. Always remember that."

I lifted my eyes from the dog to my room which was still engulfed in shadows. "Who are you?" I asked once again, this time my voice was soft.

"One day we'll meet and you'll know. I can assure you that."

I nodded, looking down at the dog again, "Can I keep him?" The voice chuckled again, "I'm afraid not, but one day you'll learn to make your own, or maybe you'll even meet the original one."

I felt the dog slowly slip away, feeling his weight less and less and the next second he was gone.

"Bridget?" The voice spoke again.

"Yeah?"

"If that girl is mean to you again, be mean to her back. Show kindness only to the ones who deserve it." I looked at the shows, whipping my eyes again, "Okay."

The voice didn't speak again and when I turned on the lights, there was no sign of the voice or the dog, except the slipper, which had a tiny bite mark.

I open my eyes again. The breeze of the ocean was getting stronger. It was starting to get a bit darker too. I held my palms up, inspecting them. It was a ridiculous thought, yet I wanted to try it.

I closed my eyes again and focused on the image from my memory. The little body and paws, a square-shaped head and big ears that reminded me a bit of the ones that bats usually have.

I heard some rustling and opened my eyes to see a dark spot rolling in the green grass. I stood up to get a better look and let out a gasp.

The sound brought the little being's attention to me, who jumped from his position and slowly assessed me, just like five years ago.

That let me get a better look at him. His head looked a bit too big for his body, and one of his ears was smaller than the other. He looked perfect.

That's supposed to be a dog?

I scoffed at Apollo as my little shadow neared me and before I knew it, he was up in my arms smelling my perfume that still lingered from yesterday.

I'd like to see you try to make one, Solar.

Challenge accepted.

I knit my brows at his words, when suddenly one of the sunbeams that was warming the ground started to change and soon enough, a little fox appeared.

Now, she's perfect, just like me actually.

I barked a laugh at his words and I heard his melody-like chuckle ring out too. The fox neared me and I stretched out my free palm while the other caressed my little dog.

The animal looked at my palm with suspicion before smelling it. A second later, she laid her little head on my lap and I felt the warmth radiating off of her.

As if he were feeling that not all of my attention was on him, my shadow growled at the product of the sunbeam.

I don't think he likes her very much. I chuckled.

Well, then he has terrible taste.

Hey!

I'm sorry, pet, but it's true.

Whatever. I rolled my eyes as I stared at the dog again. I made him. I still couldn't completely get it in my head, that I created him, out of shadows. That I can control them.

Don't mind them too much. I heard him say.

What?

The other campers. We fear what we don't know and you, Bridget, are quite the mystery.

I sucked in my breath as I realised that it was probably the first time I had heard him call me by my actual name.

I just wish I'd finally fitted in. I mean, I'm surrounded by demi-gods like me, yet none of them are actually like me.

That's because you're unique, pet. After all, I don't just talk to anyone.

I let out a chuckle as I petted the fox. Really? Because it seemed to me like I am the only one who puts up with you.

Excuse you, I'll let you know that my presence is very appreciated. The tone of his voice had let me believe that he wasn't lying. Of course, he wasn't. After all, he was the golden boy of Olympus.

Oh, I'm sure of that. I thought as I looked down at the fox and the dog who smelled each other.

Have you known? I asked after a while, still feeling his presence.

There was a pause. Yes.

Then why haven't you told me?

I couldn't. I'm the god of prophecies. I have so many secrets to keep because of it, even when I don't want to.

Don't you get tired of it?

I hear him sigh. We sometimes must do things we don't like.

Can't we do something about it?

Not always.

Chapter Text

"YOU CAN'T SLEEP?" A voice asked, coming closer. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I also stole you some toiletries from the camp store." I lifted my eyes to meet Luke's, "Thanks."

He just shrugged, "Don't worry about it. The campers here, they're mostly good people and they will soon realise you are too. You're just a bit... unusual. But in the end, we're all extended family. We take care of each other."

I nodded. After a moment of silence, I spoke, "I used to have insomnia almost all my life. That's why—" I swallowed. "That's why I'm not, you know, sleeping."

I looked around the cabin as I felt him sit down beside me on the indoor campfire. "Nightmares?" I heard him ask and shook my head, "Haven't had them since ten probably."

"It's okay if you do," He shrugged. "Intense, recurring nightmares. We all have them, it's fine if you do."

"But I don't."

He chuckled at my stern voice, "Well, they're normal here. And the daydreams, and the ADHD, and the dyslexia." I raised my brows as I looked at him.

He sent me a smile and continued, "Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. You must have noticed in museums or some old books that you can read, you can understand."

I nodded. What he said was true. I understood the book that Apollo showed me. And his and Grover's curses. Now that I think about it, the school trip where I saw the wishing well, on Apollo's sculpture, his name was written in ancient Greek too.

"And the ADHD — you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom." I nodded as he continued, "That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's.

Of course, the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are." I let my eyes fall onto my bag where my ADHD meds lie. Probably should throw those out, never liked them anyway.

"Demi-gods just process reality differently than mortals do. For the first time in your life, you're just like everyone else."

I chuckled, "Am I?" His expression changed, "Our parents don't define us, Bridget. We are not like them."

"The unclaimed children..." I trailed off. "How does that work? Why do gods just— ignore them?"

Luke shook his head, "Spend too much time trying to figure out why the gods do whatever it is they do, you'll drive yourself crazy."

I scoffed, "It's not fair."

"No, it's not." He agreed.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside and we quickly stood up, heading out. We were met by Percy and Annabeth along with some other kids that I didn't recognise.

One of the girls suddenly pushed Percy to the ground, making Luke intervene and slightly push her back, "Hey, knock it off, Clarisse. It's like his first day, come on."

I sighed, going to help Cy, "Could you not embarrass us on the first day that many times?" His eyes went wide as he accepted my help, "She pushed me!"

"Womp, womp," I mumbled.

He nudged me and we both turned around to face the said Clarisse, "Wait, so these are the kids that killed the Minotaur. Is that right?"

"Yeah," Percy answered, looking at her a bit suspiciously.

She chuckled, "I'll bet. You want attention around here, dummy? Be ready for it when it comes."

I rolled my eyes and took a step forward, "Back off, alright?"

She smirked as her eyes finally landed on me. "And you're the child of the Underworld, aren't you?"

I maintained eye contact, "What about it?"

"I'm Clarisse, Cabin 5. If you need a team for Capture the Flag, you're welcome to join us." With that, she walked off.

I let out a chuckle, "Well, she seems nice. Also, Capture the Flag? What's that? And does her team win a lot?"

Luke shook his head, smiling, "I'll explain later."

"Why don't they mess with you?" Percy asked.

"Glory."

I scoffed, "Glory?" Luke nodded, "Demi-gods always fought for glory. They used to call it kleos. It's like this stuff that attaches itself to your name. Makes it bigger, scarier, and more important.

People listen closer when you talk, they work harder to be your friend. And they think twice before messing with you."

"They leave you alone because of glory?" I raised my brow.

"So, if I get glory, Clarisse won't mess with me either?" Cy asked and Luke nodded.

"Or... she could just start to hate you even more."

My friend looked at me with an unimpressed expression, "Gee thanks for your support, Gett."

I smiled at him, patting his shoulder, "Always."

"SERIOUSLY MAN?! WE JUST got here! What part of Don't Embarrass Us did you not understand?!"

"Clarise just came at me!" He hissed. I lifted my head from my pillow, "Remind me again, how did you manage to floor the entire girls' bathroom?"

Percy sighed, "I don't know. But I want to go home now."

I bit my lip and fell back onto my mattress, "Cy– I think... I think this is our home now. I mean they're just like us– like me."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?" I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow from underneath me at him. He caught it and used it himself, resting his head on top of it.

"I mean we're not human, Percy. Not totally human, anyway. I mean– I created a dog out of shadows today! Don't tell anyone, though."

His head jerked up, "You what?" I shushed him, "Yeah, it was super cool. I would do it again, but Ap–" I stopped myself, before I let out his whole name.

After I decided that I needed to go back to camp, Apollo warned me about not creating any more shadows for today, that it takes a lot of energy out of me, that I need to practise.

"–but I need to save up my energy." I tried to save my mistake, and even though Percy let it go, he still looked at me suspiciously.

"Annabeth said something weird about us." He spoke after a while.

"What is it?"

"She said that maybe one of us might be 'the one'." I scrunched my brows and looked at him confused.

He nodded as if at the time he was thinking the same thing, "Apparently, she always wanted to go on a quest, but after some incident, Chiron had decided against giving more quests. And the only way Annabeth can go on one is when someone special comes to the camp to complete one."

"Why does she think it can be you?" I asked. It sounded a bit egotistical that I questioned him instead of us, but nobody knew who was Cy's godly parent. He shook his head, "No clue, I think it's pretty obvious that the 'someone special' is you. I mean, you're Hade's daughter!"

"Yeah, I am." My words came out quieter than I wanted them to be.

"Is it weird, knowing he is your father?" Percy asked, his words quieter too.

I shrugged, "I guess. It definitely wasn't on my bingo card for this year or something." He barked a laugh at my comment and when he noticed my expression wasn't mirroring his he nudged me, "What's wrong?"

I plastered a fake smile, "Nothing, we should go, I think dinner is starting soon and I'm starving."

Chapter Text

I SAT BACK DOWN at the table as I looked back at my plate. I was a bit greedy, so I didn't burn the best part of the chicken I had. Funnily enough, the burnt offerings were still one of the weirdest parts of the camp for me, but I suppose it's only my third day — many things are still weird to me.

I looked at my goblet, which was filled with purple coloured Red Bull. As I took a sip, I remembered the first meal I had here.

The campers were talking amongst themselves when Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised his drink, "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their beverages, mimicking him, "To the gods!" I raised my brow, but lightly raised my empty goblet too, just without saying anything.

Next thing I knew, wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and what looked like a delicious Barbecue. I wet my lips at the thought of getting my hands on the food, I was starving.

I looked down at my empty drinking glass and then glanced at the people around me who were sipping their drinks. Luke must have seen my confusion as he said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want— nonalcoholic, of course."

Percy and I shared a look. Anything we want? "Cherry Coke," He said and the glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid.

My eyes widened as the glass granted his request and I spoke to mine, "Red Bull." And indeed the drink was now in my goblet. I glanced again at Cy who was sharing an amazed expression too.

Then I saw the look in his eyes, which only meant one thing, he had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke." Upon hearing his words the soda turned a shade of cobalt. I let out a surprised chuckle and watched him take a cautious sip.

He turned to me, nodding and I spoke again, "Purple Red Bull." And low and behold, my drink turned purple. I brought the glass to my lips, tasting the liquid. It was perfect — the energy drink wasn't too warm or ice cold. It was just perfect.

I shook my head at the memory as I looked around the tables. Everyone had to eat together during dinner, but that rule didn't apply to the other meals. The lunch usually lasts two hours meaning not everyone was here at the same time.

Some would come at the start to eat and some I noticed would arrive just ten minutes before the food would be gone. There were also campers who didn't even stay here to eat, instead, they would load their plates with food, knock the juiciest piece off their plate into the fire and disappear into their cabins.

Under different circumstances, I would be like the latter, socialising was never my strongest suit or just generally being around people, but at cabin 11, I didn't feel like I belonged. And the truth is, I didn't.

I was so out of it, I didn't even notice someone sliding on the bench beside me. But now that I was finally aware of the new presence, I turned to see a guy, maybe a year or two older, looking at me.

"Can I help you?"

A charming, handsome smile came up to his face as he stretched his hand out, "Asher Tart, head counsellor of Athena's cabin."

I looked at his hand, then glanced back at him, still not sure what he was trying to achieve here, by talking to me, "Right... I would introduce myself, but I have a feeling that you already know who I am." I couldn't help, but feel suspicious of him.

Even though a few days had passed since my and Percy's arrival, the campers still looked at me the same, while they, just like Luke said, forgot about Cy. So naturally, I became wary of others too.

He chuckled, taking back his arm, not looking a bit offended at the fact that I ignored his greeting, "So, you must be wondering why I'm here."

I took a sip of my drink, "Well, I did ask you that."

"I noticed that you hadn't started your training yet, so I thought I'd help."

I raised my brow, he was not telling me everything. Also, he noticed? Was he watching me? He looked at me for a second, must have caught on that I wasn't fully believing him, so he spoke again, "I need someone to train with too."

I glanced around, "Why me? There are many campers who would want to do that with you." What I said was true. I heard of him, Asher Tart, one of the best swordsmen at camp, an amazing battle strategist— making both teams want him on their side during Capture the Flag.

He nodded, glancing away from me as a group of girls from cabin ten passed us and greeted him, giggling. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when he sent them the same charming smile I received earlier. I suppose I did understand why people liked him. Even stripped of his many skills, his charm and appearance would've made up for it.

His gaze returned to me as he sighed, "Everyone here is the same. We all learn the same tactics, defence and attack strategies. I know what sets every single person in here off in a fight. How to make them make mistakes, even Castellan. But he has been training longer than me, so that's why he's the best, for now." I rolled my eyes at the last sentence. Ugh boys and their egos.

"My point is... I don't know you. You're... unpredictable, different. I saw you fight the Minotaur. I was on border patrol that evening—"

"It is not that big of a deal. I think there are quite some campers here who would have done the same," I interrupted him.

He shook his head. "Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that you're like no one else here."

A silence came over us as I thought. There weren't any reasons why I shouldn't at least try to train with him. I do have to learn how to wield a sword, even if I declined when Luke offered to teach me along with Cy.

"Alright, fine."

Asher's lips curved into a smile as he stood up, motioning for me to follow him. I scrunched my brows, "Now?"

"Do you have anything else better to do?" He asked in a light-hearted tone. I glanced at my almost empty plate before meeting his eyes, "Suppose not."

Chapter Text

THE NEXT FEW DAYS I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur. Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, who was all alright, I guess.

We also talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. I discovered that for the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed reading. Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. But still, I found myself inching to read books of myths, which apparently are not just myths, but also the truth.

The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me and Percy archery, but we found out pretty quickly that Cy wasn't meant for anything that used a bow and an arrow. And by that, I meant, that instead of shooting the arrow at the target, he almost shot one at me.

So, I decided against trying that out, because I knew that I was no better than my friend. Apollo was a bit grumpy about the fact that I hadn't even tried, but I just ignored him, focusing him out of my thoughts.

After lunch, Asher would take me to train. We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armour. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and Ash complemented my reflexes several times.

But the thing was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Asher told me I'll get used to it, but I just think that swords aren't really my thing.

Then there was the whole father thing. The Hermes children warmed up to me quite quickly, especially the Stroll twins after I unknowingly escaped their pranks for an entire day. Apparently, nobody has ever done that, the record being only 17 hours. Ever since then, during meals, they would attach themselves to me and I didn't mind, not one bit.

Other campers, on the other hand, hadn't really engaged with me, except Clarisse who would nod at me occasionally in greeting ( and I would always return one back ), or the two children of Athena which was I starting to like the company of more and more.

Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, and even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, but unlike the rest, I wouldn't scrape part of my meal into the fire. It just seemed wasteful to me. And I wasn't about to change my opinion because the rest didn't agree.

MY FIRST FRIDAY AFTERNOON in camp, I was sitting with Grovs and Cy by the lake, who was resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall that I witnessed in the front row.

At first, his struggle amused me, but when Percy's leg slipped, Grover and I immediately rushed to grab him from the lava.

I mean, who in their right mind thought that teenagers training in rock climbing where smoking hot lava was waiting for them at the bottom was a good idea? Grover told me that it was for motivation, but the only thing that the lava motivated me was not to even try climbing that.

Anyways, Percy hadn't gotten hurt badly, but his shirt did have a few smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off his forearms too, which I know I wouldn't have minded.

We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, which seemed very boring, so I turned my attention away from them as I finally got the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D.

His face turned sickly pale and for a moment, I was genuinely worried about him. He simply answered with, "Fine. Just great."

I knit my brows, because it sounded like it was the opposite of what he was saying, but Percy, clueless as always, asked, "So your career's still on track?"

He glanced at us nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well... no," I winced. I genuinely had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. Thankfully, Cy had come to that conclusion too, instead saying, "He just said you had big plans, you know... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said, I hadn't failed or succeeded with the two of you, so our fates are still tied together. If one of you gets a quest and I went along to protect you, and we all came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

I let a warm smile rest on my lips as I bumped his shoulder, "Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable cleaning duty. The chances of one of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

"Of course, we'd want you along! We don't need a why! You're our friend," Percy scoffed.

I crossed my arms, "Do you really think that low of us, Grovs?"

"No, I just..." Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving... Must be nice to have a useful skill."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, while Percy tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. Slowly, our conversation drifted to Star Wars and how we won't know if a new project is coming out, which led to a conversation about the camp and phones, which then somehow turned into a debate about the pros and cons of the different gods.

Finally, Cy asked him about the four empty cabins. "Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," Grover answered. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

My other friend looked a bit confused, but I nodded my head, "Yeah, makes sense." My answer received a look from Cy as if he couldn't understand how I understood.

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three? Well, they can't be right? Because Gett's dad doesn't have one..." As Grover heard our friend's words, he tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject.

"Number two, is Hera's," He said. "That's another honorary thing. The goddess of marriage, so of course, she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job." Those words made me scoff. Once again it just proved how much misogyny was messed up.

"-When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon—" Percy started and I finished for him, "And my father, Hades."

After a beat of uncomfortable silence, Grover nodded, continuing, "Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," I remembered.

"Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld," Cy said the rest.

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here," I said.

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that, no offence."

I awkwardly smiled, nodding, "None taken."

But the truth was, I was offended. It wouldn't be pleasant? I've heard stories about Hades, back in school, during lessons and not all of them were bad. I mean sure, in most he was portrayed a bit as a villain, but doesn't every story have two sides? Isn't it his role to keep balance? It's not his fault that sometimes things have to be done.

"But Zeus and Poseidon— they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?" Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably as he replied to Percy's question, "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage.

World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."

I knitted my brows, remembering something from Mr. Brunner's– Chiron's classes, "That's the most serious oath you can make." Grover nodded. Percy spoke, "But, Bridget is... well, here. So does that mean that the other brothers hadn't kept their word either— had kids?"

"Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo— he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia... well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that isn't fair! It wasn't the girl's fault," I ridiculed the gods and Thunder boomed. Calm down, uncle.

Grover hesitated, "Gett, children of the Big Three— you have powers greater than other half-bloods. You have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. I don't know how I haven't found you sooner. It's honesty a miracle that we got you to camp quickly, before the gods or the Styx could unleash their anger at Hades, at you."

I swallowed. I didn't know that it was that big of a deal. Grovs shook his head, continuing his story about my supposed cousin.

"When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill," He said, pointing across the valley, to the pine tree where we had fought the minotaur.

"All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal.

The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

I stared at the pine in the distance. "Bridget, you have to be careful," My satyr friend's words rang out, but I couldn't take my eyes away from the tree. Is that the fate I am going to meet?

"Grover," I said, "Have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

I heard him swallow, "Sometimes. Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." He named a few. I nodded. "And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" Percy asked, which made me turn my head to him.

"No. Never. Orpheus came close... Percy, you're not seriously thinking—"

"No," He said in a weird tone. "I was just wondering. So... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?" Grover studied our friend warily. I did too, concern was probably just as evident my face.

"Not always." He answered. "We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."

I playfully rolled my eyes, "Wow, thanks."

"And you found us. Chiron said you thought I might be something special." Grover looked as if Percy had just led him into a trap, he sighed, "I didn't... I got your and Bridget's auras confused, it happens. And you're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?"

Somehow, it seemed to me that Grover was not a satyr who would easily mix up auras and I got the idea that he was reassuring himself more than Cy.

Chapter Text

CAPTURE THE FLAG, WAS not something I looked forward to like most of the camp.

I sipped my purple Red Bull as I watched what was happening in front of me. Campers yelled and cheered as Asher, accompanied by Annabeth and another one of their sibling,s ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner.

It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner of identical size, but bloody red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Percy beside me, turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" I also asked, raising my voice too as more shouts started to be heard over the chaos. "Not always," He answered. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do— repaint the flag?" Luke grinned at Cy's question, "You'll see. First, we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?" He gave us a sly look, as if he knew something we didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost devious in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you two are going to help."

I knitted my brows and stretched out my hands, "Hold up- no! I told you I want no part in this."

Luke looked at me knowingly, "Asher specifically said that you need to attend this." I bit my lip as I turned away, rolling my eyes. What he said was true, about Ash urging me to participate. He said that the only way to know for sure how much progress I made, was if I was actually fighting for my life.

Because yeah, apparently, pretty much anything is allowed except for purposely trying to kill someone and I have a tinkling feeling that some, I don't want to point fingers, but I will, like Ares kids wouldn't mind losing their dessert privileges for a meal or two.

I focus back to the ceremony where the teams are being announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Privileges had been traded. Which I now realise are a big part of why people even participate in these silly games. You can get longer shower times, easier chore schedules, and the best slots for activities — all in order to win more support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.

Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters Percy wasn't too worried about, but I had seen Silena Beauregard angry and let me tell you, she can be a bit terrifying.

But about the rest of her cabin, they didn't seem too troublesome. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake, or did their hair and gossiped.

Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and bulky from working in the metal shop all day. Cy and I both agreed that we did not want to get in their way during the game, or just camp in general, they seemed scary.

And of course, Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. Okay, not all of them were ugly and by that, I meant like almost all of them. Truth be told, I could easily mistake some of them for Aphrodite's kids.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes!" He announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

The Centaur spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. "Holy shit," I whispered as I heard Percy beside me ask, "We're really supposed to use these?"

Luke looked at him as if he were crazy, "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here— Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol." He handed Cy some rusty armour.

"What about me?" I asked as Luke handed me some armour too, which I almost dropped on my foot because of how heavy it was.

"You're Tart's." I rolled my eyes at his words. I tried to hide my slight blush as I looked down at my shield, which was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus of Hermes in the middle. It weighed about a million fucking pounds.

My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes, it made sense I guess. Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

Everyone around me cheered and shook our swords, while I contemplated if there was any way I could leave without getting noticed. As the rest followed her down the path to the south woods, a hand rested on my shoulder, "Don't even think about it, Bridget."

I sighed, looking up to Asher who greeted me with his usual smirk. "You know, I don't think that anyone would miss me–" I started, but he pushed me forward, completely ignoring my words.

One thing that seemed a bit weird to me was that instead of Asher leading our team, Annabeth did. After a few moments, he pulled me away from the rest of our team as he led us through the woods.

"Where are you taking me?" I hissed.

"We're gonna be the location of our distraction placement."

My brows shot up, "What? Doesn't that mean we'll have to fight, like with swords?" I heard him chuckle a few steps ahead of me, "That's exactly what it means."

"But I don't know how to!"

"You've been learning," He shrugged. "It's the best way to test you." I almost tripped on a rock as I had to run to catch up with him, "You mean the best way to learn something you're not good at like at all, is to do it with the possibility of getting killed while doing it?!"

His eyes filled with amusement, "They won't kill you. The worst you can get is a dislocated shoulder or a few broken ribs." My eyes went wide, "What the fuck do you mean a few broken ribs? Are you hearing yourself?!"

"You'll be fine," He reassured me as we finally stopped and I realised where we were. Far away I can see some blue horse hair helmets going towards the bridge. I finally realised what the distraction meant. "We're trying to mislead the Ares cabin," I said. Ash nudged me, "Finally someone caught up."

We stood like that for a few minutes and I actually looked around my surroundings. It was a warm, windy evening. The woods were getting darker, with fireflies popping in and out of view. I looked down at my feet. Standing here, with my big blue feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot.

The bronze sword, like all the swords I've tried so far, didn't seem comfortable in my hands. I wonder how long will it take for Asher to give up on me and my terrible sword-fighting skills.

Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. Then I heard a sound that made my breath catch in my throat. Alarms went off in my head as I heard someone take slow steps as if they were circling us.

I raised my shield instinctively and looked at the Athena kid beside me, who stood very still, probably listening for threats too. Then I felt the presence retreating.

But that was not true at all, because the next moment, five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. "Get them!" Someone screamed and my eyes widened in fear. I snapped my head to Ash, but he just looked like he was enjoying this, psycho.

Before I even knew it, I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid as the Minotaur. Three went after Asher while two stayed with me. They surrounded me, and the girl out of the two, thrusted at me with her sword.

My shield deflected the hit, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. I let out a string of curses as I backed away, but they just kept getting closer.

My shield arm started feeling numb and my hair stuck to my forehead as I tried to swing my sword, but failed miserably as the boy pushed me into the ground with his boot. The two Ares kids shared a look, laughing.

ne of them scoffed, "I can't believe Clarisse wanted her on our team. Look at her, she's pathetic!"

And that did something to me. It's almost as if something in me snapped, suddenly, confidence grew in me as I stood up. I knew what to do.

I swung the flat of my sword against the guy's head and knocked his helmet off. I turned to the girl and quickly dodged her almost deadly blow — no maiming rule clearly doesn't exist at cabin 5, just as I thought, so why should it exist to me? — and I slammed my shield into her, making her fall a few steps away from me.

Both of them stood up quickly. The girl didn't look really anxious to attack, but the boy came coming at me, as if I had hurt his fragile, little ego. He raised his sword and tried to hit me in the knees, but I had quickly met his sword with mine, pushing it away from me.

I tightened the hold on my shied as he went for a blow again and our metals crashed. Then a strange thing happened, the unknown instincts kicked in once again and the next moments were a bit of a blur.

I remember the confused faces of the Ares kids. Then one of them ran in my direction, but I quickly sidestepped and disarmed her, before bashing her head against a tree.

The left kid tried to do the same, running in my direction, but with all my strength, I raised my sword at him. I somehow managed to push him off, and their sword dropping right beside me.

Barely breathing, I kicked their sword away from their hands, before picking it up myself and using the blunt handle to knock them out unconscious.

I breathed heavily as I shook my head and lifted my eyes to meet Asher's. His mouth was slightly agape, his gaze sharp and I finally had the courage to look down at my mess.

The Ares girl was lying against a tree, a bit of blood slowly running from the side of her head, while the guy layed in front of me, with bruises forming on his face, as he too, was unconscious.

Mind you, I have absolutely no fucking idea how I knew how to act in a situation like this, defend myself, more so - attack.

The other three of Ares cabin, the kids who went to attack Asher, were propped up against a tree, tied to it.

But not one of them by the looks of it had bled, only a few bruises were visible, but not almost black-like, purple ones like on the ones who attacked me, but light, red ones that would go away after a day.

I let my eyes drift to the two I had dealt with. Gruesome. That was the word I would use to describe the scene.

I swallowed, ignoring his stare as I felt the chains disappear, and bent down beside the Ares boy where my sword laid. I froze for a second, still bent down as I whispered to the unconscious teenager, with a smirk forming on my lips, "Guess who's laughing now."

Without sparing a glance at Asher, trying to act like I knew I was capable of this, I brushed passed him, saying, "Come on, let's find others. I doubt that mine will wake up soon, so there's no need to tie them."

THE WALK BACK WAS quiet. I was staring at my hands that had a bit of blood on them, probably from the girl. I swallowed, letting them fall down. I didn't feel bad. I had hurt those two kids badly and I didn't feel guilty. Does that make me a bad person?

No, pet, you're not a bad person.

I froze. You saw that?

Every second.

I breathed out. My breath shook a bit, probably from exhaustion. I lifted my eyes to meet Asher's concerned ones. Realising that I stopped, I looked back down and started walking again.

And you aren't disgusted? I asked in my thoughts.

Bridget, I saw every second of it. It means that I saw them attacking you first. You just only responded more harshly. You should never feel guilty about protecting yourself.

I didn't say anything back, still staring at my feet as we walked through the bridge, where some time ago the rest of our team did.

And I could never be disgusted by you.

I scoffed. No?

I heard him chuckle. I have a feeling that you can never make me hate something about you, Bridget Nova. And it's quite the skill considering that I hate a lot of things.

Like what?

I don't like BMW.

I almost burst out laughing, only being able to conceal my amusement with a quiet snort. You don't like a car brand?

Yes.

Why?

I don't need to tell you everything.

I shook my head, looking down, so the guy beside me wouldn't notice the smile on my face. No, please, elaborate on that.

I'm good.

Before I could bug him more, we reached the beach where almost everyone was. Every camper was quiet, which was definitely unusual. I let my eyes drift around the land and they settled on Percy, who was in the middle of it all, of course, he was.

"Oh, gods," I mumbled as I noticed the hologram of blue and green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear, a trident, shone above Cy's head.

"Poseidon," Loudly started Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

Chapter Text

I SAT UP FROM the comfy bed and immediately recognised my surroundings. I was dreaming of Olympus, again. I looked at the white, almost golden-like sheets and lifted them to my nose, breathing in the usual, sweet scent of honey.

I knitted my brows and lifted my eyes to meet his blue ones. He was softly staring, watching my every movement.

"You know, it's rude to stare, Solar."

A smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and let his head slightly fall back, making his golden hair shine in the sun. Just by looking at him, I could never forget that he's a god. Because he truly looked like one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen.

I pushed the sheets off of me and I noticed that instead of my dark blue hoodie and shorts that I went to sleep with, I was in the same, white linen dress just like in all the dreams before. My bare feet touched the cold marble ground and I knew he opened his eyes again, because his stare burned into my skin.

"You're staring again," I softly said. I felt him come to stand behind me as I stared out of the balcony from the room. Olympus was truly breathtaking. I saw the people trade bottles of wine for blocks of cheese as just a few steps further, a man was telling a story to young kids, who were so invested in it.

I knew that no mortals were allowed to live here, only the twelve gods, but Apollo had told me that one day the gods decided that this place was far too big for just the twelve of them, so each solstice they would invite a smaller god to live with them and now it's almost like a small, perfect village.

"I know," He replied.

Confused, I looked up to see him already staring at me. But his gaze was different. Something about him was different, I just didn't know what. Before I could ask him, something brushed by my legs and I looked down to meet the same fox from the field.

I knelt down to touch her as she nuzzled into my touch. "You kept her," I laughed. Even if I didn't see his expression, I knew that he had rolled his eyes before saying, "Obviously, why wouldn't I? She's perfection."

I scoffed, standing up, "You are so full of yourself."

"Remember who you're talking to, pet," He said, his voice sharp, but glazed with honey, while his eyes were filled with amusement. I rolled my eyes as I ignored him, brushing past him and walking out of the room I usually woke up in.

He caught up with me quickly, his pace matching mine, slowing down when I stopped to look at a painting. I felt his eyes on me, every single moment of it. Even though it wasn't unusual, it felt like something had changed between us.

"How's your hunting for your true love going?" He asked me. "Why am I here?" I voiced my question too, the one which was lingering in my thoughts the whole time.

"I asked first."

I rolled my eyes, walking away from the painting as I lifted my head to look at a magnificent chandelier, "And I asked second."

He stopped in front of me, making me slightly hit his chest. "Pet," He said, but I looked the other way. I heard him let out a tisk of disapproval, before he, in a sharp voice, said my name. It made me snap my dark brown eyes to his crystal blue ones.

"Answer my question."

I sighed, "I'm not sure." At that one word, his whole demeanour changed. His soft, warm touch on my elbow suddenly became cold, yet his hand hadn't left me.

"Who is he?" His voice was not laced with honey as usual, it was distant and a bit cold. "Is it the son of Athena? Because I had heard your thoughts, and you do not love him– it's ridiculous you even think so—"

I pulled away from his touch and scoffed, turning away back to the room we came out of. How dare he think he knows my feelings better than me?

Sure, I wasn't sure what I felt about Ash, but he was very good-looking, just my type and he had helped me. He made me feel special, but at the same time, he treated me like everyone else. One thing I knew though, Apollo has no right to tell me how I felt.

After Capture the Flag, Ash pulled me away and promised me that his opinion hadn't changed of how he thought of me. Well, he said that he also knew now that it was better not to piss me off, which—

"Stop thinking about him in my presence!"

I jumped, my eyes wide as I slowly turned around to look at Apollo. He was breathing heavily and he looked dishevelled. He was running one hand through his messy hair, while the other covered his face.

"Then don't be in my presence. I haven't asked you, Apollo. For any of this."

He let out a humourless laugh, "No, no, you did ask– you wished, for me."

I swallowed. What was going on with him? He was never like this. He looked like a true crazed god and I felt warmth heavily radiating off of him. By the looks of it, at this moment, he couldn't even fully control his abilities.

"Apollo?" I softly asked. I took a few steps until I was standing in front of him. "What is it?"

His hands fell from his face and he finally looked at me, his eyes were so full of emotion — I couldn't even exactly pinpoint what he was feeling.

"You," One of his fingers twirled around my loose strand of hair, his breath was softly fanning my face. "Are going to die because of me."

I knitted my brows, slightly pulling away, "W-what?" He shook his head, one of his hands going to the back of my head, "But you can't know this, because then you'll try to leave me." And then my vision went dark.

Chapter Text

I SLIGHTLY OPEN MY eyes, what was that? I blinked a few times, when finally Percy comes into view, his back to me.

"Cy? What are you doing here?"

He took a few steps backwards in my direction, not turning to face me. I sat up a bit, "Percy?"

"Gett, make them stop!" He suddenly spoke, sounding afraid.

Confused, I looked around and noticed the empty cabin slowly engulfed in shadows. My eyes went wide and my heart started beating faster as I too, jumped to stand beside Percy.

"I'm not doing anything!" I yelled.

The shadows were about to touch our feet and the terror on my best friend's face made me panic even more. What was going on?

I tried to stop it, not even knowing how, I just tried, pleading in my head that the shadows would stop. Why can't I fix it?

"Bridget?!" The terrified voice of my friend slowly moulded into an annoyed one, "Bridget! Wake up!"

I blinked. I was back in my bed, my covers on the floor. Cy's back was too me. "Percy?" I asked again. This time, my voice came out as a whisper. My heart skipped a beat. Oh gods, don't tell me I'm in a paradoxical situation.

But unlike moments before, he turned to me and, probably with all his strength, threw the pillow into my face. I let out a yelp as he burst out laughing.

When I hadn't moved, he spoke, his voice sounding a bit concerned, "Gett, you okay?"

I jumped from my bed and using the same pillow, I pushed him into someone's bed, almost suffocating him, "You asshole!"

I started laughing as he pushed me away, grabbing someone's pillow and hitting me with it. Finally after a few more moments we called a truce.

We both layed on the ground before he stood up, stretching out his hand for me to take. His smile faltered for a second. "You're crying?" His words came out as a question.

I quickly used the back of my hand to brush away my tears. I hadn't even realised I was crying.

We both stood still for a second before he wrapped one of his arms around me, pulling me slightly into him. We never did that. Hugging. But right now, I needed it. So I sighed and leaned my head onto his shoulder.

"You'll be fine. Us three will figure out something, like always." I breathed in and out before a small, "Okay," escaped my lips. I pulled away and turned my back to him, picking up a jumper from the floor.

"What are you doing here?" I sniffled, cursing my slightly croaky voice. "Shouldn't you be at your own cabin, cousin?"

Thankfully, Percy picked up on me wanting to forget what just happened as I heard him slightly laugh at the last word. "Well, cousin, Mr. D wants us in his office."

I raised my brow in his direction as I cleaned my under eyes, brushing away bits of my mascara. I never really cared enough to wipe it before bed. "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing!" His voice was really defensive which made me snort, "Sure, you're an angel aren't you, Cy?"

"Shut up," I heard him mumble and I smiled. Percy Jackson was the best, best friend I could ever ask for. I appreciated him more than he would ever know. I was about to turn and walk away when my eyes fell onto a mirror, from where I could see the sun pendant laying on my chest.

A sight of me walking down the halls of Apollo's palace in Olympus flashed in my mind. Confused, I stared into the pendant, an unknown feeling swarming my gut. I bit my lip, before hiding the necklace underneath my hoodie. Strangely enough, unlike the rest of the nights I had spent in Camp Half-Blood, I hadn't dreamt of the palace this night.

Yet, the memory somehow seemed fresh. And the nightmare? I did not have those ever since I was ten. I shook my head again, right now we had the whole Percy thing going on. I'll figure out my own problems later.

𝖂e met Grover outside and I looked up at the dark clouds. "Should I grab an umbrella?" I asked. After all, the walk from here to Mr. D's office was more than five minutes and I didn't want to receive a shower from mother nature.

"No," Grover said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

I nodded, remembering that he was right. In the week we'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen, had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

But this storm... this one was huge. At the volleyball pit, the kids from Cabin 7 cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

The boys and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on our first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. That made me raise my brow. He had told us a few days earlier that he preferred being in his natural form, unless there was a job to do in the 'mortal world' or whatever.

They were playing against invisible opponents —two sets of cards hovering in the air. It's safe to say that it creeped me the fuck out.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities. Not only one, but two forbidden kids in one summer!"

Percy and I shared a look as Grovs anxiously tapped his hooves against the floor. "Come closer," Mr. D said. "And the same goes to you as her, don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the window of the house. "Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus mumbled. I couldn't help, but let out a snort. Although, I would never say this out loud, Mr. D was probably my favourite god. That was my opinion even before coming here. Unlike the rest of the gods, who weren't exactly known for their good deeds, the story of Ariadne made me like him.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards as Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. "If I had my way," Dionysus spoke again. "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But just like with Briana here."

I scowled at the purposeful mistake. "Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in. "Nonsense," The god argued.

"Either of them wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father." Percy gulped as the god's eyes landed on me, "And you... eh, I still owe your father a bit, so I would just let him deal with you."

"Mr. D–" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." The god rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? Because I got enough shit for keeping one forbidden kid at camp. So, Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Then he turned to me, "And if you want to be done with this. You should do the same." My brows knitted at his words and the tone of his voice. While he was harsh with Cy, with me it was the same, except I heard a hint of warning.

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass, I realised. He snapped his fingers and the air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, and then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, Bridget, please. And Grover, you too." We did. Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. "Tell me, Percy," He said. "What did you make of the minotaur?" I swallowed, the monster bringing memories I wished I could forget. By the looks of Cy's face, he wished the same.

"You two will meet worse, Percy." I felt Chiron's stare, "Far worse. Before you're done."

"Done... with what?" I asked.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" I froze. A quest?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my friend glance at me and Grover, who was crossing his fingers. "Um, sir," Cy said, "You haven't told us what it is yet." Chiron grimaced, "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and sea were melting together. "The brothers," Percy started. "They're fighting over something valuable... something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks, while I sat dumbfounded. Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair, "How did you know that?" I turned to my friend, "Yeah, how did you know that, Cy?"

He blushed a bit out of embarrassment. I bet he wished he hadn't opened his big mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she had overheard something about a theft. And... I've also been having these dreams."

"Dreams?" I mumbled, but my words were omitted as Grover slightly yelled, "I knew it!"

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered. "But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"We don't know for sure, it could be Bridget's also. Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard, "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

I turned to Grover in question, silently asking if Chiron was actually saying what I was hearing. My satyr friend eagerly nodded as Percy beside me laughed nervously, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two foot long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives.

"Fun," I mumbled. A god lost his toy, so he's making it everyone's problem, I thought. And then I waited. A second or two passed and I got radio silence from Apollo. Normally, he would jump to add a remark or a joke in a situation like this, but he didn't.

I ignored the feeling similar to slight disappointment as I listened to the conversation. "Zeus's master bolt," I heard Chiron say. He was getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheared the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" I raised my brow.

"Stolen," Chiron said. "By who?" Percy asked. "By whom," Chiron corrected. I rolled my eyes. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By one of you."

I immediately turned my head to Percy, "Dude, I didn't. Did you...?"

He turned to face me too, "What? no!"

"You sure? Because last time you said that you didn't–"

"No, Bridget, I am pretty sure that I didn't steal a two-foot-long, metal lighting bolt!"

"At least," Chiron held up a hand, interrupting our argument. "That's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera.

Afterwards, Zeus realised his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly — that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't—"

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said to my friend. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne."

I raised my hand — just like in class, even though I never technically did raise my hand in school — before speaking up, "Right, but what do I have to do with this?"

Something appeared in Chiron's eyes before he sighed, answering my question, "The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. When you were first claimed, he thought that it was you. But quite a couple of gods pointed out that your fathers don't exactly get along and Dionysus managed to convince Zeus that he was sure that you were no part of it.

"Now Poseidon has openly claimed Percy as his son. And you, the daughter of Hades are coincidentally his best friend. So now, there are not only one, but two children of Zeus' somewhat enemies. To make the situation even worse, both of you were in New York over the winter holidays. Either of you could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief, or thieves."

"But we have never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy yelled as Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. "Er, Percy...?" Grover swallowed before continuing, "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. And I won't even start about Hades. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..."

He looked at us as if he actually expected one of us to remember question thirty-eight. I think I barely even passed that. Also, how could anyone accuse one of us of stealing a god's weapon? The most impressive thing that I had stolen was probably a small lighter from the corner shop.

Chiron was waiting for an answer. Percy turned to look at me, but I gave him a look. We both knew that he shouldn't have even glanced in my direction. "Something about a golden net?" He guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Correct," Chiron said, a small proud smile appeared on his face. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offence at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've two had come along — the proverbial last straws."

"But we're just teenagers!" I protested.

Chapter Text

I PLAYED WITH MY golden sun necklace as I waited for Percy to finish his audience with the Oracle or whatever. At first, we wanted to go together, but Chiron stopped us and said that we should go separately.

So here I am, standing on the other side of the green door, in the attic, waiting for Cy to walk out. I thought about calling out to Apollo. After all, prophesies are his area, but I stopped myself from doing so.

Maybe he got bored of me? I wouldn't be surprised, it's possible, he's a god and I'm a demi-god. I poked my tongue into the side of my cheek, I am a demi-god. Now that's a sentence I ever thought I'd say.

Finally, my friend came out, looking a bit pale and confused. "You alright?" I asked. He snapped his head to look at me, before looking away and scratching his neck, "I'm fine. You should go. I'll wait for you here."

I stared at him for a second, not for one minute believing his reply. Instead of confronting him, I just sighed, heading into the room behind the green door.

The moment I stepped foot in it, the door slammed shut, making me jump. I swallowed, breathing in when the smell engulfed my senses. The warm air smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else... a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. I almost immediately wanted to go back, but instead, I held my breath and walked further in.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armour stands covered in cobwebs. Once bright shields pitted with rust, an old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS.

There was also a long table stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things that made me shiver. In those jars I could see severed hairy claws, even huge yellow eyes, and various other parts of monsters. Safe to say I dreaded every second I had spent there.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome looking thing of all: a mummy. But not the wrapped-in-cloth Halloween kind, but a human female body shrivelled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, her eyes were glassy white slits as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles. By the looks of it, she had been dead a long, long time.

Just glancing at her sent chills up my back. Oh, and the smell coming from her was even worse. I felt the atmosphere change, before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from her lips, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes.

Safe to say, I understood why Percy looked so pale.

Then I heard a voice in my head, similarly like Apollo's, but instead of the rich, warm, honey voice that wrapped around my thoughts, it was harsh and croaky, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain.

I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.

I was scared. I could have lied to myself and say that I just felt uncomfortable, but my heart beated faster and faster. I realised something, I needed to calm down and usually Apollo helped me. So gods, where was he?!

I forced myself to take a deep breath. I was a big girl, I could take care of myself. I finally got the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?" I internally cringed at my choice of words, but my thoughts were distracted by the green mist that swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars.

My heart stopped. In front of me stood my mother.

She was in her hospital scrubs, her blond freshly done hair was tied into a lazy ponytail that she made look more classy than messy. Her makeup was done like always; it looked like she hadn't put on anything. She appeared like she was in a surgical show, rather than one of the most accomplished doctors in New York City.

Then my fist clenched and anger replaced other emotions. I remember how people complimented my mother at parties, saying how she had reached so much and still had raised a beautiful, and smart daughter. Fuck them, she didn't raise me, I raised myself.

I snapped out of my emotions as the mist started to slowly move towards my legs and my mother spoke:

In the fire of passion, amidst love's sweet swell,
A sacrifice awaits, a tragic farewell.
For in the heart of their beloved, a destiny's brand,
A true lover of Apollo will die by their lover's hand.

What? I thought as the figure began to dissolve. At first, I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried out, "Wait! What do you mean? What does Apollo have to do with this? What sacrifice?"

The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.

I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs too, and I wouldn't learn anything else. My audience with the Oracle was over.

I walked out, to see Percy fidgeting with one of his bracelets I gifted him for Christmas. "So?" He asked, the colour had now mostly returned to his face.

I bit my lip. I didn't think that Cy got the same prophecy as me. Because there was no mention of a feud between the gods or something stolen in mine.

"I'd rather sit near Mrs. Smith's table in her class again and breathe in her disgusting perfume than spend one more minute in that air again." My answer received a snort from my friend and he nodded, agreeing with me as we descended downstairs, where the rest were waiting for us.

"Well?" Chiron asked us the moment we entered the room. I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. Cy looked at me and I shrugged, pretending to let him tell what 'we' were told.

"She said we would retrieve what was stolen." Yeah, he and I definitely had different prophecies. Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

"She... she said we would go west and face a god who had turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned." I nodded trying to remember his words. "I knew it," Grover said. But Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

I felt Percy glance at me, but I pretended not to see him as I looked out the window, where some kids from Cabin 7 were playing volleyball. "No," My friend said. "That's about it."

Chiron studied my face. "Very well, you two. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

Oh, I hope so, because right now what I gathered from my prophecy is that someone is going to die and that somehow a lover of the god of the sun is tied to it too. But nothing made sense as I replayed the words in my head:

I didn't really understand the first part, In the fire of passion, amidst love's sweet swell. What could that mean, I had no clue.

A sacrifice awaits, a tragic farewell. Well, this clearly means that someone is going to die.

For in the heart of their beloved, a destiny's brand. This has to do something with destiny- Destiny. A moment from just minutes ago flashed in my mind; I finally got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"

No. Impossible. Chiron had said himself, Oracle's words have double meanings, maybe I'm just thinking too much.

"Bridget? You alright?" Chiron's voice snapped me out of my trace and I was greeted with three pairs of concerned eyes. "I'm fine, I just hadn't gotten a lot of sleep."

The older man nodded, but I felt him glance in my direction a couple of times during the rest of the conversation.

Chapter Text

I FELT OUT OF place. I reached for my leather jacket and signed, dropping it on my mattress. I am supposed to pack, because in an hour or so, Percy, Grover and I are going on a quest. Well, Annabeth too, since she volunteered.

But the quest wasn't the reason for the feeling in my stomach. Apollo. I had his presence in my mind for over a month, six weeks to be exact. Since then, he was always here, in my mind. He wouldn't say something sometimes, but I always felt his presence. It felt like we were connected.

But now, it has been over 24 hours of total radio silence from him, I couldn't even feel him. And somehow, his lack of presence bothered me. I don't understand this, because there were days when I just wished that I could erase him entirely from my mind.

Apollo? I said before I could talk myself out of it.

I don't think even five seconds passed as suddenly a voice in my head replied, Yes, pet?

A weird feeling filled my insides, similar to relief, before I actually let his words sink in, a frown appearing on my face. Pet? Seriously, do you call every girl that?

His chuckle rang out. No, don't worry darling, that name is solely yours.

'Pet'. I rolled my eyes. It sounded like he saw me as his little dog or something. Maybe that's how gods viewed us, demigods, their own little heroes. A part of me absolutely hated the stupid nickname, but another part of me liked that he had something only for me.

You're going on a quest. He stated. I looked out the window, seeing younger kids run around. Good observation.

The light smile slipped away from my lips as I remembered the Oracle. The prophecy. I quickly pushed away all those thoughts with the hope that he didn't hear them.

I did want to ask him about it, but something stopped me from doing so. After all, he's a god mentioned in the very same prophecy and right now, I didn't know if I could trust him.

I layed on my bed, staring up at the selling. He spoke instead of me, his tone now serious instead of slightly cocky or playful. You better be careful.

I will be fine. I rolled my eyes.

WE HIKED UP HALF-BLOOD Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. I felt a weird feeling in my stomach every time I thought of my cousin.

For the quest, the camp store loaned us one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other.

The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. He said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions — whatever that meant.

He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us.

t would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. That's probably why he gave me Cy's portion for safekeeping too.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told us had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. Grover liked her, but to me, she seemed like a complete stuck-up, who liked to prove that she knew more than us.

Grovs wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He put a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained, his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack — not very fashionable choice in my opinion — was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood some guy, who reminded me a bit of a surfer. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised.

Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. "This is Argus," Chiron told us. "He will drive you into the city, and, well, keep an eye on things." I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of red shoes.

I scrunched my brows, confused. What was he doing here? "Hey!" He panted. "Glad I caught you." Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. I just rolled my eyes.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me, before turning to the boy beside me, "And I thought... um, maybe you could use these." He handed Cy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. I looked over my friend's shoulder to inspect them. They looked like any other pair of red Converse.

Then suddenly, Luke said, "Maia." White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I shrieked and Percy dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. "Awesome!" Grover chuckled.

"Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad. I stared at him. Something about this didn't feel right.

SO, LONG STORY SHORT, Percy got a cool pen/sword, Annabeh doesn't like Percy because of their parents, oh and my old, evil Algebra teacher resurrected.

As she boarded our bus that was supposed to take us to our destination, behind her, we noticed two more old hags: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise, they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds — same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.

"Triplet demon grandmothers," Percy whispered to me, not taking his eyes off them. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," I mumbled. "Didn't you say that they could be dispelled for a lifetime?"

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth scoffed. "You two are obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whispered. "Di immortales!"

I bit my lip, finally looking away from them. Furies. My father's servants. They had tried to kill Percy, will they try to do the same with me? I glanced at them again as I remembered that back in the museum, Mrs. Dodds wanted to talk to me, but she never got a chance. I couldn't help now, but wonder, how does the God of the Dead feel about the fact that he has a daughter who is already causing him trouble.

"It's okay," Annabeth said, snapping me out of my thoughts, her face showing that she was obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld." She glanced at me before continuing, "No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover groaned. "A back exit?" She suggested. There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. Right now, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. "They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth said without even glancing at my friend beside me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sounds of outside. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," Said the second sister.

"So do I," Said the third sister.

They all started down the aisle and I silently muttered a curse. "I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth ignored him. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

Then she turned to me, "How is your Umbrakinesis?" I blinked, how does she know about my abilities? Has Percy told her?

"How do you know about that?" I spat.

"We don't have time for that right now," She brushed away my question. "Can you hide yourself?"

I wanted to argue. I wanted to turn to Percy and confront him about why was he telling her something I trusted him with, but the three old hags were getting closer. I sighed, relenting, "I can try." Annabeth nodded and Cy continued to argue against the idea, "I can't just leave you."

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

I looked down at my hands, before closing my eyes. I was angry at Percy, I was sad and frustrated, at the moment, I was a mess mentally. And to be frankly honest, I had no clue how to do it — I had no clue if I could do it. But, we were still in the tunnel, the bus was emerged in shadows, so I mustered up all my courage and relaxed, trying to become one of them. When I opened my eyes, everything felt different.

My body was tingling and my head was feeling funny. My vision was also a bit blurry, but I shook it off. I looked around for Percy. I saw him, yet at the same time, I didn't. I saw a blue light surrounding him, it was like thin outline of his body, almost non-existent.

Before I could register it, Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at us. My heart was pounding. Apparently, she didn't see anything. So Annabeth's hat worked on them. She and her sisters kept going. We were free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same — I guess those couldn't get any uglier — but their bodies had shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?" The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled.

"He's gone!" The Furies raised their whips.

Then, I did something weird. I just remember being angry at the monsters for trying to hurt Grover, and Annabeth too by an extension and then the next moment they shrieked in pain, losing their grips on the two demigods.

Suddenly, I felt my body become lighter, I heard Cy yell out my name, my powers probably wearing off. And then there was nothing.

Chapter Text

THE SUN WAS SHINING straight into my face as I rolled the other way, burying my face into the soft pillow. I froze and then relaxed when I realized I was in Olympus.

When I opened my eyes again, this time fully, I noticed that the palace was strangely silent. Then all of a sudden, something jumped on me. I shrieked, only to find out that it was Apollo's fox.

"Hello, you," I whispered as she nuzzled into my palm, coming to lay beside me. "Where's your owner?"

Instead of replying, she jumped off the bed and turned to me as if waiting for me to do the same. I laughed, but followed her. She guided me through the halls adorned with artworks and walls accented with gold, each step echoing in.

As we walked, I couldn't help, but be captivated by the beauty that surrounded us even though I had walked around this palace more times than I could count. The complex details of the paintings and sculptures seemed to come to life under the soft glow of the chandeliers that reflected sunbeams from outside.

Soon, I found myself outside the palace, on a big makeshift terrace, where the grass swayed gently in the warm breeze. The air was filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers, and the distant sound of a babbling stream added to the peaceful atmosphere.

My gaze fell onto Apollo, sitting on the edge of the wood, watching the busy streets of Olympus. I felt as though I was watching a living embodiment of perfection. His features were sculpted with outstanding precision, each line and contour crafted with almost divine artistry. Even though his back was turned to me, I could recall his eyes, a depth of warmth, that drew me in like a moth to a flame.

I was unable to tear my gaze away from him, utterly transfixed by him. Then I heard him chuckle, "Pet, how long are you going to keep staring at me?" Just like that, I snapped out of my daze, annoyance filling my senses.

Rolling my eyes, I came to sit beside him, my feet dangling over the edge of the wood terrace. The sun shone on me too, wrapping around me as if promising to never let me go.

"Never do that again."

I knitted my brows, turning to face a clenched-jawed Apollo. "What are you talking about?" He let out another chuckle, but unlike before it didn't sound like a sweet melody of a comforting spring morning, but more like a tense summer evening before a rainy storm.

"I warned you not to use your abilities in big amounts. Yet, you defied me, instead, you listened to that daughter of Athena. And if that wasn't enough, you completely pushed over the limit by pulling that little act before passing out. Stupid little girl."

I scoffed, standing up, "I did it to stop the Furies from unleashing their anger on my friends. You can't fault me for that!"

He stood up too, the air crackling with heavy tension. His usually radiant face was now etched with lines of frustration and disappointment, his golden eyes flashing with restrained anger.

"And by doing that, you risked your own life and endangered countless others. Do you even realise the magnitude of your abilities, Bridget? Once you gain control, with one snap of your finger you will be able to kill thousands."

I scoffed, as he ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "You were reckless. Reckless. You acted without a thought for the consequences."

I could feel my heart pounding as Apollo's gaze bore into me. As he spoke, his voice resonated with the authority of thunder, each word carrying the weight of his displeasure. In this moment he reminded me a lot of his father from the stories I heard.

I couldn't help but think, why did he even care? I was not his problem.

"And what would you have me do, Apollo? I couldn't just stand by and watch!"

He must have heard my thoughts, because he grasped my chin, his touch gentle yet firm, "You prayed for me and I accepted your wish. So from the moment you let go of that golden coin, you became my problem."

I couldn't breathe for a moment, it was like his words stole away my air supply. But he continued, either not noticing my current state, or deciding to ignore it, "You let your emotions cloud your judgment. Your friends could take care of themselves. They have been aware of their heritage longer than you."

I shook my head, relentless in my belief. I had done what I thought was necessary and this conversation isn't.

The god sighed, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. He let go of my chin and as if it were unconscious, his hand moved to touch the sun pendant on my neck, "Your stubbornness will be your downfall. Mark my words."

I scoffed, pulling away from him, "And maybe your narrow-mindedness will be yours. I won't apologise for doing what I thought was right."

"I want you to understand the consequences of your actions," He murmured, not breaking our eye contact. I took a step back, "And I want you to understand that sometimes, you have to just act. I won't back down, Solar. Not now, not ever."

He turned to look at the city at the bottom of the hill, his back to me, just like before. I sighed, turning away from him, walking back to the palace, completely missing the way he turned around, hoping to apologise.

Chapter Text

I GASP AWAKE AS something cold splashes across my face. I open my eyes to see Annabeth holding a bottle of water, with both Percy and Grover looking at me anxiously behind her.

I ran a hand through my hair, "What the hell happened?"

"You passed out."

And dreamt of Apollo, I recalled. Suddenly, the anger boiled within me. How dare he lecture me for doing what I believed was right? One thing was for sure - there was no guilt weighing on my conscience. If anything, I resented Apollo and his stupid arrogance.

I stood up from the ground and looked around, we were in a forest, "Yeah, no shit. So, what happened?"

I took in my friends, Cy looked anxious and Grover was shivering, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupils and were full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones, attacked us. All three at once."

My lips slightly parted as my memories began to come back. I turned to Percy, the memory of his 'betrayal' coming back to me as Annabeth continued for Grover, "You used too much of your abilities. Ergo, you passed out."

I didn't even look at her, too busy staring at what was supposed to be my best friend, yet friends don't spill each other's secrets. "I figured it out myself," Annabeth said out of the blue as of she was reading my thoughts.

I turned to look at her. She shrugged, "I have read a lot of books, and I know that the children of Hades can display mastery of Umbrakinesis, illusion creation and even Simulacrum or Clairvoyance."

I nodded, glancing at my friend. I knew that Percy wouldn't do that, tell my secrets, yet my mind automatically thought otherwise. It was always like this, me always thinking the worst, and frankly, it was exhausting.

"Okay, so I did my thing and passed out. Then what happened?"

"Percy blew up the bus."

My eyes widened as I turned to the said guy, who scratched his neck, "The Furies were about to get to you. What was I supposed to do? Let you guys get killed?" He scoffed, looking at Annabeth, who rolled her eyes, "You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine."

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "But fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," Said Annabeth and I snorted. I looked around suddenly and noticed something, "Guys, where are our bags?"

Grover and Annabeth turned to Percy, who blushed. "Oh, come on!" I groaned, sighing. This quest was going just amazing. Grover began rummaging through his pockets as the other two started to argue and I leaned against a tree, suddenly feeling dizzy.

Sit down. I heard his voice.

Fuck off.

I heard him click his tongue and mumble something in ancient Greek. Then suddenly, out of the clouds, the sun began to shine through the trees, one sunbeam landing directly on me. I felt as if a big rock had been rolled off my shoulders, the dizziness slowly disappearing.

Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out, enjoying the warmth. I was maybe still mad at him, but nevertheless, I sank down to sit on the grass, leaning against a tree.

I need you to understand where I'm coming from in our... disagreement. I heard him and scoffed. Disagreement? You're trying to control me, you have no right to.

I'm not- I heard him sigh. I'm trying to protect you. I don't want you to be all bruised and tired just as your quest began, pet.

I didn't respond at first, my eyes still shut, blocking out Annabeth and Percy, along with the sounds of Grover's pipe. He wants to 'protect' me. I rolled my eyes. So what were you trying to do back there? What, were you gonna punish me?

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

My eyes immediately snapped open as I felt my cheeks heat a bit. No, Solar, I do not want to be punished.

I heard him chuckle. Remember, I know you better than anyone else does. I could practically hear the sly smirk on his face, which made me annoyed even more.

You have known me for six weeks at most. Percy or Grover have known me way longer.

They may know what you let them know about you, but I know your mind, Bridget. Nothing tops that.

I didn't know what to say back and thankfully Grovs called out, "Hey, my reed pipes still work! If I could just remember the 'Find a Path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like one of Hilary Duff's songs. Not that I knew any. The two other teenagers beside me stopped arguing and came to walk beside me as I followed Grover.

Instead of finding a path, Cy almost immediately slammed into a tree and winced. I couldn't help but snort and I heard Annabeth let out a quiet giggle too. But I was not any better, because for the last mile, I was too, tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable, until I started to see the light up ahead: the colours of a neon sign.

I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realised I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. I needed a cheeseburger and some fries asap.

We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd hoped. And by the disappointment on Cy's face, I could see that he hoped for some junk food too. Instead, it was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sold lawn flamingos, wooden Indians, cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.

The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English. To me, it looked like; atnyu mes gderan gomen meprouim.

"Anyone's got a clue on what does that say?" I asked. Cy shook his head. "I don't know," Annabeth said and I remembered that she was still dyslexic, like us. Now that I come to think about it, she was right; she never gave me a reason to dislike her directly.

But Grover didn't share the same problem as us, so he translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy was the first to cross the street, probably following the inviting smell of the hamburgers. "Hey..." Grover warned. "The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," I said wistfully. "Snack bar," Cy agreed. "Are you three crazy?" Grover shouted, still not moving from his place. "This place is weird." We all ignored him, and I tugged him after us.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a statue that looked like a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps. "Blah-ha-ha!" He bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

I turned to the said statue. It really did look like a satyr, his eyes were even a similar shape as Grover's. Was this place a part of 'our' world? We stopped at the warehouse door. "Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" He said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

I scoffed, "You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminium cans." Grover shook his head, "Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are... looking at me." Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman — at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled.

Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady. I couldn't help, but feel suspicious of her.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" We all glanced at each other. "They're... um..." Annabeth started to say. "We're orphans," Percy said out of nowhere. My eyes widened and I turned to Cy mouthing, 'orphans?'.

"Orphans?" The woman questioned too. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy continued with the lie that was getting worse and worse. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" I had to bite the inside of my cheek at the actual ridiculousness of the lie.

"Oh, my dears," The woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

We thanked her and went inside. Annabeth muttered to Cy, "Circus caravan?" I nodded along, for the first time agreeing with the daughter of Athena, "Dude, where the hell did that come from?"

"Always have a strategy, right?" He winced.

"Your head is full of kelp," I heard Annabeth mumble.

The warehouse was filled with more statues — people in different poses, wearing different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair — it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow us.

All I cared about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said. "Awesome," Percy mumbled from beside me. "Um," Grover started reluctantly, "We don't have any money, ma'am." Before I could jab him in the ribs, Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said. The older woman stiffened as if the teenager had done something wrong, but then Aunty Em relaxed just as quickly. I knitted my brows, something was wrong. But the hunger clouded my judgment as I sat down, ignoring it.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," She said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

When I was full I leaned back in my chair. And Grover spoke up, "What's that hissing sound?" I listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth also shook her head. "Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," She said. "But please, relax." I knitted my brows, something was definitely off about this place, Aunty Em. Also, the older woman ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat.

It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face. But my mind was occupied by other things, so I didn't really care.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy tried to make small talk with our hostess, trying to sound interested. "Oh yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for a garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know." I took a sip of the milkshake in front of me, listening to the woman.

"A lot of business on this road?" I raised my brow. Somehow, I didn't really believe that someone would want one of her statues.

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get." My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are tainted. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked. "Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statutes. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep, that everything became even more suspicious to me.

Annabeth had also stopped eating. I glanced at her as she sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually, they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

I wasn't sure what she meant. My eyelids kept getting heavier, my full stomach making me sleepy. A nap sounded so nice right now.

Don't fall asleep. I heard him in my thoughts again.

Why not? I rolled my eyes as I let out a yawn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth shaking Cy.

Put the things together, Bridget. C'mon, you're a smart girl.

I bit my lip to stop myself from scoffing and suppressed another yawn as I thought over it. A strange woman believes our terrible lie and lets us eat a shit ton of food for free. On top of that, the house is filled with weird ass statues.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those." She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly. "We really should go."

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his wax paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!" I stood up too, trying to put the pieces together. I was stuck trying to figure out what was off about this, and not the obvious.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily. "A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children." Now I just blankly stared at the woman, her words creeping me out even more.

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy—"

"Sure we can," He argued. I was irritated with Percy, for being too fucking clueless to see that whatever was happening right now, wasn't normal. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" He shrugged.

"Yes, Annabeth," The older woman purred. "No harm." I could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues. I was tense, my eyes drifted from one state to another, they looked too realistic. Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," She said, "I'll just position you correctly. The girls in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," I remarked. "Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked. Aunty Em stepped back as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?" Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," The woman chastised, "Look this way, dear." She still had no camera in her hands. "Percy—" Annabeth started, but the woman cut her off, "I will just be a moment. You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil...."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted. "Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

Then finally, all the pieces clicked in their places as I gasped, "Oh shit!—"

At the same time Grover shrieked, "That is Uncle Ferdinand!"

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed me and the boys off the bench. I quickly jumped to my feet, eyes closed, as Grover bleated, "Run!"

Aunty Em. Aunty 'M.' How could I have been so stupid? I also curse Apollo in my thoughts. Solar, you could've maybe helped me out a bit earlier?!

It would help if you learned to use your instinct and listen to it. He answered. You need to learn to look out for yourself.

Oh, so now, I have to act on my instincts? I scoffed — hypocritical asshole.

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," I heard Medusa say, and at that moment, she didn't sound anything like a monster. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled and then turned back to Cy, whispering things in his ear.

"Percy!" I yelled, noticing Grover flying over to him, in Luke's gifted shoes. "Duck!" The Satyr was holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone, this was so not ending well. "Duck!" He yelled again. "I'll get her!" Percy dove to one side. Thwack!

At first, I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. But then Medusa roared with rage. "You miserable satyr!" She snarled. I let out a laugh, I thought Grover would miss and nail Percy instead. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

I quickly grabbed Cy and we both scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass. Ker-whack! "Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake hair hissing and spitting. Right next to us, Annabeth's voice hissed, "Bridget! Percy!"

I jumped, almost knocking over a garden gnome, "Shit! Don't do that!" Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. "One of you has to cut her head off."

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here," Percy protested.

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but..." Annabeth swallowed as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. I can't get as close to her as you can. Medusa would slice me to bits because of my mother. You— you've got a chance."

Percy's eyebrows shot up, "What? I can't—" He looked at me to back him up, but I just shrugged.

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—"

I shared a confused glance with Cy, before cutting her off, "Would you speak English?"

"I am!" She tossed Percy the glass ball, "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly." Then she turned to me handing me her cap, "You use this, so she wouldn't see you coming." I accepted the hat, the temporary truce between us forming.

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere above us. "I think she's unconscious!"

"Roooaaarrr!"

"Maybe not," Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch. "Hurry," Annabeth said to us. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash."

I saw Percy take out his pen and uncap it. I closed my eyes, wishing for the familiar chains to appear again in my palms. And they did. I opened my eyes and for the first time, I actually got a better look at them.

For some reason, I couldn't see the end of them, it was like they melted into shadows. They slightly glowed in light gray and were fairly heavy, but at the same time, weightless. I felt Annabeth's and Percy's gazes on me as I grabbed the edge of Percy's jacket and dragged him after the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair.

I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball in my friend's hand, so I could only glimpse Medusa's reflection and not the real thing. Then, in the green-tinted glass, I saw her. I backed away from Cy, putting on the cap.

I slowly advanced behind her, which wasn't easy, considering that I had to be quiet so a dozen snakes wouldn't hear me. Percy was in no better position himself. If she charged, he'd have a hard time defending himself. But she let him approach, twenty feet, ten feet. I was only five feet behind her myself.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," She crooned. "I know you wouldn't." He stared at her, he looked as if he was in a trace, before he muttered, "You're right, I wouldn't. But she would. Gett, now!"

I didn't even hesitate as I threw the chains and they magically wrapped around Medusa's neck, and pulled them with all my strength, choking her. But the chains weren't enough to disconnect the head from the body.

"Cy, a little help would be nice!" I yelled. I saw an uncomfortable expression on his face, before he sighed and closed his eyes, swinging the sword.

Then the room was filled with a sickening shlock! then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cave — like the sound of a monster disintegrating. It was followed by a slight rain of liquid that I felt land on my face and body. At the same moment, something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look.

I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snakeheads tugging at my shoelaces. "Oh, yuck," Grover grimaced. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and streaming.

After Annabeth announced that Medusa's head was hidden, the guys opened their eyes and I looked around. Grover made a face as his eyes landed on me, "Mega-yuck."

I pulled out my phone camera and let out a disgusted sound as I looked at myself. I was covered in light splashes of blood all over my face and chest. As I looked down, I groaned, seeing that one of my shoes was standing in a pool of blood.

"I'm going to wash myself up a bit," I announced, turning around and walking out of the garden, in search of a bathroom.

AFTER CLEANING UP, I headed back, seeing the three warp the head in some plastic grocery bags. I came to stand beside the table in front of them, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed me an irritated look. I guess our mini-truce is over. "Percy's dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve Percy as a nice statue. She's still sweet on his dad."

Cy's face was almost burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa." Annabeth straightened. In a quite accurate imitation of my friend's voice, she said: "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Forget it."

"You're impossible," She argued.

"You're—" Percy began, but Grover finally interrupted, "Hey! You two are giving me a migraine, and Satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"

I stared at the thing. I scrunched my nose, one little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

I saw a familiar glint in Percy's eyes, which only meant one thing, he had an idea. He turned and walked off, only coming back after a few minutes with a packaging box. The address said; Empire State Building. He grabbed the head and my eyes widened as I realized what he was doing.

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned.

I started chuckling, "But I love you for it."

Chapter Text

CONFUSED, I WATCHED GROVER. He was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal to be more specific. No. It wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle.

We camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a camp clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers. We'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but we didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. We didn't want to attract anything else.

Now it was morning and after Grover's walk, he came back with that thing. After a couple of minutes, Cy began to stir too. "Well," Annabeth said, "The zombies live." I glanced to my left seeing Percy rub his eyes, mumbling, "How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth tossed him a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

I turned my gaze back to the dog. The poodle yapped at Cy suspiciously. Grover shook his head, "No, he's not." I blinked, still confused by the situation.

"Are you... talking to that thing?" Asked Cy. The poodle growled. "This thing," Grover warned, "Is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?" I asked, but Grover ignored my question. "Percy, Gett, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy and Bridget." I stared at the dog, tilting my head to look more closely at it, sorry him.

To my horror, the dog mirrored my actions, tilting his head to the side too. What the fuck? "I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," I argued.

Percy agrees with me, "Yeah, I'm not either."

"Guys," Annabeth warned. "I said, say hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle." The dog growled. I swallowed and widened my eyes, while Percy almost immediately said hello. Both Annabeth and Grover stared at me, before I sighed, saying hi to the poodle.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Cy asked. "He read the signs," Grover shrugged and I let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of this. If you'd told me this was gonna happen during the quest, I wouldn't have believed the person and even called them crazy. Now all I can do is just stare at the pink dog while Percy mumbles sarcastic remarks under his breath.

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "We get the money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

OUR REWARD MONEY FOR returning Gladiola the pink poodle, had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get seats in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats.

Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. I watched Annabeth and Percy stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed. "So," Annabeth asked started, once they had gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, alarmed. I was planning on questioning him too about it, just not in front of Annabeth. Because I didn't like her and I didn't know if I could trust her. Grover did. But as it turned out, his reason for that is because he once was her protector too. So was it trust, or was it guilt? Because I knew how their venture ended.

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?" I asked. Percy looked reluctant to say anything. But once he and I shared a look, he sighed and told us his dream.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. She glanced at me at least two times, before saying, "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs." I look down recalling the memory from when I was ten.

"You're never alone, my little princess. Always remember that."

I lifted my eyes from the dog to my room which was engulfed in shadows. "Who are you?" I asked once again, this time my voice was soft.

"One day we'll meet and you'll know. I can assure you that."

A part of me wanted to argue. To say that Annabeth didn't know what she was talking about. Instead of doing that I simply looked out the window, listening to the conversation between the other two demi-gods.

Percy said, "He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"

"I guess... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" I shook my head at Annabeth's words, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover had told me he and Cy talked about in the morning, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something, not someone.

I shook my head again, already wanting this quest to be over. Maybe because Grover sensed my emotions, he snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned his head. Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades."

She glanced at me before continuing, "You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?" I asked. "You mean you've run into them before?" Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

I tuned out the rest of the argument, Annabeth's words filling my thoughts; He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I swallowed, remembering my mother's words, that had been stuck in my head ever since she said them to the fourteen-year-old me.

"How could you be so selfish! I work so you can live comfortably and you show your gratitude by lying about attending classes and now getting into fights, and not regular word spew, but fistfights! You are one callous brat, just like your father. I'm sending you to that boarding school. I finally won't have to deal with you."

It was the only time that I remember her mentioning him. The words dad, or father were banned from the Nova household. Was I really like him? Before coming to Yancy, I acted out. I got into verbal fights with teachers and students, every day I would come back later than usual from school because I had detentions pilled up right until summer break, and sometimes would even attend a lesson or two, still buzzed from a cigarette I had shared with older students during lunch break.

But the boarding school I got sent to was strict. They watched newcomers like hawks and did room searches whenever they felt like it. The punishments were not a simple detention or suspension like back in public school, they were worse.

So after five months, all the 'bad behaviour' was taught out of me. But so was my personality and emotions. Those five months were the worst of my life. I was fourteen going on fifteen and depressed. I had no energy to actually try to be myself. I didn't want to exist, I was tired of everything, of life.

Then, all of a sudden, I befriended Grover and then later Percy. They made me laugh and want to get up from my bed so we could mess around. In a way, I think the two boys saved me.

Chapter Text

"TWO DAYS UNTIL WE reach Los Angeles," Grover sighs. "Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the Underworld." My muscles tensed, and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as the three glanced at me, as if I were under a microscope.

Frustrated, I slapped my hands on the table, "Okay, I've had enough." I looked down at my hands, before brushing my hair out of my face and continuing, "We're just gonna go to the Underworld, grab the Lightning Bolt, and leave before anyone notices."

I feel like my stomach's tied up in knots, but I brush away the feeling, "And if we run into my father so what, we'll figure something out. Now, could you please stop staring at me like that every time he's mentioned?"

"Sorry," Percy beside me mumbles. Both Grover and Annabeth do the same and I melt into my seat.

"Can I ask a dumb question?" Percy suddenly speaks up.

"It's like you need me to make fun of you," Annabeth sighs and I cover up my snort. Grover rolls his eyes at us, "Shoot."

My friend beside me pauses before saying, "I've never been to Los Angeles before." Cy turns to me, "I know you've never been to Los Angeles before." Then he turns to the other two in front of us, "I'm guessing that also neither of you have been there. So, how do we have any idea where we're going?"

Grover shrugs, "No idea."

"Well, that's reassuring," I mumble. The satyr sighs, "But that's like step thirty-seven, and we're still on step four. We'll cross that bridge when we're there."

TOWARDS THE END OF our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch. I didn't really find anything that interesting about it. "I want to do that," She sighed.

"What?" Percy asked. Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Build something like that." I glanced back at the arch. It looked like something like an eight-year-old could design.

Soon we pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. By Annabeth's request, we headed into the arch's way, our footsteps echoing softly on the cobblestone path.

We were passing through a park bustling with people enjoying the beautiful weather, laughter and chatter filling the air. Children ran around playing games, couples walked hand in hand, and groups of friends sprawled on blankets, enjoying the sunshine. The scent of fresh grass and blooming flowers mingled with the distant smell of a nearby food vendor, adding to the calm atmosphere.

As we walked, something caught my eye, a brief sense of unease that made my heart skip a beat. I couldn't quite put it, but a nagging feeling forced me to stop in my tracks. I hesitated for a moment, trying to shake off the strange feeling, but it only grew stronger. Giving in to my instincts, I finally turned to look back.

At first, I couldn't figure out what was bugging me. I scanned the park, my eyes flitting over the familiar sights: families having picnics, cyclists whizzing by, and dogs chasing after frisbees. This park was quite familiar to the one back in New York. Everything seemed normal, perfectly in place. Yet, the unsettling feeling stayed.

Then, my gaze landed on a blooming laurel tree, its vibrant green leaves and delicate white flowers standing out against the backdrop of the park. It seemed to drew me in, almost as if the tree invited me for a talk. It was in full bloom, each petal glistening in the sunlight.

I heard someone call my name out, but I was too focused on the tree. It was as if the laurel was trying to tell me something, to reveal a truth I had forgotten. The park around me faded into the background as I took a step closer, drawn to the tree's mysterious allure.

Then all of a sudden, someone pulled me back. I was faced with Annabeth. "You okay?" She asked. I glanced back at the tree, this time, the girl beside me did too and she let out a gasp.

"Daphne," She mumbled. I knitted my brows, "What?"

Annabeth raised her brow, "You never heard the myth about Apollo and the river nymph named Daphne?" I froze at the mention of his name. My mind raced, confusion and suspicion intertwining in a tangled mess. What did he have to do with this?

I shook my head. She cast a glance back at me, before she turned to the tree, her eyes lingering for a moment. There was a softness in her gaze as she took in the sight of the blooming laurel. After a few seconds, she let out a long, deep sigh, the sound holding a mixture of understanding and sympathy.

"Once, the sun god made fun of Eros and his abilities. In retaliation, he shot Apollo with his bow and made him fall head over heels for an enchanting nymph named Daphne. But Eros shot Daphne with a different arrow, one that made her totally repelled by love, particularly Apollo's."

I listened to her as she stared at the tree and continued, "Gods aren't used to taking no for an answer. So, he started chasing Daphne through the forest, declaring his undying love and all that. But Daphne wasn't having any of it. She was determined to stay single and free."

The wind began to pick up, as I watched as the breeze swept through the branches of the laurel tree, causing its leaves to flutter. A few of the leaves broke free, drifting through the air before settling gently on the ground in front of us.

"Daphne began running for her life, and Apollo after her. At some point, she got desperate and called out to her father, who was a river god, to save her. Just when Apollo was about to catch her, Peneus — her father, transformed Daphne into a laurel tree right in front of the god. She was the first victim of his curse. Ever since then, the tree has been moving around. Never settling in one place long enough."

I knitted my brows, "Curse?" Annabeth nods, her expression turning sour, "It's a prophecy, the first one given to the god Apollo. Not a lot of people know its true content, but it is rumoured that every lover of the god is cursed to meet a terrible faith. It's something about balance and such."

I nodded, not knowing what to say to her. Is the prophecy that the Oracle shared with me the one that Annabeth's talking about? What do I have to do with it? "I'm getting the impression that you don't like me. Why?" Annabeth asked me all of a sudden. I widened my eyes, momentarily forgetting my thoughts, "W-what?"

She turned completely to face me, crossing her arms over her chest, "I've done nothing to you. If anything, when we met at first, I helped you out; I showed you around camp. But you don't like me."

I crossed my arms too, feeling defensive, "What, you want the truth?"

"Yeah," Annabeth nodded.

"I don't like how you seem to think that you're better than me or Percy," I said, my voice tingling with frustration. "It's like you believe that just because you know more or because you've been at camp longer, you have some kind of superiority over us. That you're better than us."

She looked taken back, "I don't think I'm superior to you. if anything, I think you're... cool."

Now it was my turn to be stunned, "You do?"

"I thought that it was admirable how you held your head high, while everyone was talking badly about you after the whole infirmary thing." She said, her tone filled with genuine respect.

I scratched my neck, now feeling awkward, "Oh, well... thanks." The girl in front of me nodded.

We stood awkwardly like that for a while, before I finally realised something, "Hey, uh, where are the guys?"

Annabeth tilted her head to a food truck across the street. "Getting food. I'm a bit hungry honestly, we should probably join them."

"Yeah, probably," I nodded along, glancing back at the laurel tree on our way out.

Chapter Text

"PERCY!" I YELLED AS I tackled my friend, "Gods, I thought you had gone to my father the hard way!"

Beacsue Percy, quite literaly jumped from one of the highest sculptures I've ever seen.

He snorts and I pull away with a wide grin as Grover goes to hug him. Annabeth came to stand beside me, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see him, "We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"I sort of fell."

I laugh, "Yeah, we saw!"

Behind us, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" Confused, I immediately turned to the commotion where a bunch of paramedic and cop cars were. A woman from a stretcher began yelling, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua—"

"Okay, ma'am," The paramedic sighed. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she noticed us and pointed at Percy, "There he is! That's the boy!"

He turned and pulled the three of us after him. We quickly disappeared into the crowd. "What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

"The one who gave me the freaks?" I ask. Percy stops in his tracks and sighs, telling us the story of the Chimera, Echidna, his high-dive act, along with the underwater lady's message.

THE NEXT AFTERNOON, JUNE 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. We hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn't taken a proper shower since Half-Blood Hill, and I was sure that was obvious.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth suggested. "I want to tell him about Percy's talk with the river spirit."

I knitted my brows, "We can't use phones, right?" Annabeth gave me a look, "I'm not talking about phones."

We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Finally, we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We walked towards the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were four adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good.

"What exactly are we doing?" Cy spoke up, as I took out the spray gun. "How weird would I look if I sprayed myself with water?"

The other three gave me a weird look and I sighed, whining, "Oh, come on. I feel disgusting, I need a shower," I scrunched my nose before continuing, "We all do."

"If we get any time left on the hose, it's your choice," Annabeth said, and I nodded. Percy waved his hands, getting our attention, "Okay, I'm going to repeat myself, because I've just been left on read, or heard, or whatever, in real life. What are we doing?"

"It's seventy-five cents," Grover grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?" Percy scoffs at the fact that yet again, he was ignored. He stares at me, arms stretched out, annoyed. I just shrugged, trying to keep in my laughter.

I fished out my last bit of change and passed Grover a quarter, which left me two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place. "Excellent," Grover smiled. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing." I stared at Grover dumbfounded, his reply making me even more confused.

"Instant messaging?" Percy tried to guess and Annabeth rolls her eyes, "Iris-messaging. The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"So, like Skype?" I guessed again, which received another weird look from the two campers. Percy raises his eyebrows, "You can summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

"Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow." Shrugged Grover, pointing the nozzle in the air as water hissed out in a thick white mist. Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapour and broke into colours.

Annabeth held her palm out to me. "Drachma, please." I handed it over. She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. For a moment, nothing happened. Then I was looking through the mist at the familiar strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and in the familiar ugly looking orange shirt.

He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow. "Luke!" Percy called out. He turned, eyes wide. I could swear he was standing three feet in front of us through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth and Bridget? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're— uh... fine," Annabeth stammered and I scoffed, already knowing what was going on. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. She had a crush on Luke, who was a bit older than us.

Normally, I wouldn't find anything wrong with the fact that a teenage girl has a crush on an older guy. Because in most cases, it's an actor or some other famous person. But, Luke? The guy was twenty-something and somehow even the idea of this situation weirded me out.

"We thought... Chiron- I mean—" I rolled my eyes at Annabeth's ramblings and spoke for her, "We need to talk to him."

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded, "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover alright?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?" Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. I had to give it to them, the song choice wasn't bad.

As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement. Okay, so maybe the song choice was good, but didn't their mothers teach them some manners?

"Chiron had to— what's that noise?" Luke tried to yell over the music. "I will take care of it!" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "I'll help her," I mumbled.

When I caught up to her, Annabeth looked like she and the group of guys weren't seeing eye to eye. "You mind turning down the music?" I yelled as I came to stand beside her.

One of the guys whistled as he slid off the car's hood, clearly checking me out, "Hey there, I'm Brian. What's your name, baby?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, disgust filling my insides. I was sixteen, I knew and had dealt with this type of guys; they are self-absorbed assholes, with gigantic egos that get bruised way too easily.

I flashed him a sarcastic smile, "I'm not-interested, and could you please turn it down a bit, thanks."

I saw something flash in his eyes, "Oh come on, no need to play hard to get."

"I'm not," I gritted through my teeth, "Just turn it down, yeah?"

He took another step towards me, invading my personal space, when all of a sudden, I noticed how much he was sweating. I knitted my brows as his expression suddenly dropped and he began fanning his shirt.

"Am I the only one who's super hot right now?" I heard one of his friends laugh, "No, that chick you're talking to is hotter!"

Normally at this point, my anger issues would have surfaced, but I was too focused on Brad or whatever his name is. His skin looked red, it was like he was about to—

"Boys, I think I'm gonna pass out," He managed to get out, before he fell to the ground and his friend's expressions quickly turned serious, making them turn off the music. They quickly rushed over to him, one of them yelling, "What the fuck did you do to him, bitch?"

I chuckled, finally realising what happened, "I think your friend got a sunstroke."

I pulled back, nudging Annabeth, who was silent the whole time and looked confused, "C'mon, I have a feeling that the music won't bother us anymore."

When we came back, Percy's expression was weird. Annabeth must have noticed it, "What happened? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," He shrugged, looking somewhat in big thought. "Come on, let's find some dinner."

Chapter Text

SOON WE WERE SITTING at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas. Finally, a waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow sceptically.

"Well?" I said, "We want to order some dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?" Grover's lower lip quivered. I was afraid he would start bleating or something. I glanced at Annabeth, who looked ready to pass out from hunger and Cy who stared at the family's next booth food with pure jealousy.

I bit my lip, trying to think up a sob story for the waitress, something better than the circus shit Percy tried to pull with Medusa, when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a gun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather — but leather that looked like... I shook my head, I did not want to imagine.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run to their mothers. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt, black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face — like one from a movie.

He was handsome too, I guess, but it was weird. I didn't find him attractive, but it was as if I couldn't ignore it.

I tilted my head to the side, there was something definitely off. It was a familiar feeling I had back at Medusa's and this time — I wasn't going to ignore it.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. I raised my brow, now this was not normal. Everybody went back to their conversations.

The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him by the way, and crowded Annabeth against the window. The way she was staring at him, made me think that she had a similar gut feeling too. He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Why are you still here?" He pointed at her, and she stiffened.

The waitress turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen. The biker looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but the feeling that started boiling in my stomach was too familiar.

My eyes flashed wide when I realised who was in front of me.

Be careful around him. That bastard likes to toy with everyone.

Before I could reply or make sense of Apollo's warning, the god of war gave me a wicked grin and spoke, "So, you're Grim Reaper's spawn that everyone has been fussing about, huh? The princess of Underworld."

I raised my brows, "Sure, although the name is Bridget."

The god chuckled, "Oh, believe me, I know." Then he turned to Percy, "And you're old seaweed's kid."

"What's it to you?" Percy sneered and Annabeth's eyes flashed him a warning, "Percy, this is—"

The biker raised his hand. "S'okay," He shrugged. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousins?"

"You're Clarisse's dad," My friend said. "Ares, god of war," I mumbled. Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it," I defended Cy. In reality, I don't even know what went on, we had bigger things on our mind then, than why Percy did what he did.

The god stared at me with his grin for a second, "You really look and talk like the old man, wine prince was apparently right. Anyways, she probably was. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for — I heard you were in town. And I got a little proposition for you."

For a second I was startled. You really look like the old man. Did I? Are we alike even more than our looks? Was I like him? Is it a good thing?

The waitress came back with trays of food — cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Ares handed her a few gold drachmas. She looked nervously at the coins, "But, these aren't..." Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails, "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold. I scoffed. He tilted down his glasses, "Got something to say, princess?"

Instead of me, it was Percy who spoke, "You can't do that. You can't just threaten people with a knife." Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? That's why I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favour."

"What favour could I do for a god?"

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Cy asked. The fire in the god's eye sockets glowed a little hotter. "Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"We're not interested," I interrupted. "We have something to fetch too." Ares's fiery eyes now burned into me, making me see things I didn't want to see — blood and smoke and corpses on an unknown battlefield.

"I know all about your quest. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally." When he mentioned him, I could swear his eyes darted to mine for a second, before he turned back to Percy.

"If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful..." The god licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

I couldn't help but laugh, though there was nothing that amused me about what Ares just said. "Just to be clear, you told Poseidon, that my father took it? And since gods can't steal each other's weapons, by extension, you basically blamed me for stealing it and now you want our help?" I scoffed. "The minds of gods are quite an interesting place for sure."

He gave me a deadly stare, "You would know, wouldn't you?"

I knitted my brows, he knew. I didn't know how much or what, but he knew something. Not that there was anything to know. But still, he knew.

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Percy interrupted our mini-staring competition. The god leaned back in his seat, "Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognised it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," I grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends." I scoffed, crossing my arms, "We're doing fine on our own."

"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. And no clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about his mom."

My eyes immediately darted to Percy, who spoke, "My mom?" Ares grinned, "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancey. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" Cy asked.

"Something scares you off?"Ares bared his teeth, but I'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous. "You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

I shared a look with Percy and Annabeth who was silent the whole time. I didn't even dare to glance at Grover, who was practically shaking beside me. After a silent agreement, the satyr practically jumped out of his seat, me and Percy after him. Annabeth joined us and we were about to turn and leave when we heard the god let out a tsk sound.

I turned back to him annoyed, "What?"

"Drop the attitude, sweetheart. And you—" He pointed his bulky finger at me, "—are going to stay here, with me."

Percy almost immediately jumped to protest, but I cut him off, "What for?" Ares grinned, "Let's call it reassurance that your friends come back." I sighed, turning to the other three, "Go, I'll be fine. Just get it fast and don't do anything stupid."

"So, don't do anything you would. Got it," Cy tried to joke. I rolled my eyes and lightly punched his shoulder, "Go." He nodded and my friends left the restaurant, but not before Annabeth gave me a silent warning look. Try not to anger the god, it said.

I sat down, ignoring Ares in front of me and picked up a fry. "So, what do you want with me, war machine?"

"Excuse me?"

I grinned at him, while grabbing an untouched can of Red Bull from a vacated table behind us, whose owners I saw go into the game zone, "I can do nicknames too, cousin."

His fire filled eyes seemed to burn into me for a minute before he leaned back into his chair, "Where'd you get that necklace, huh?"

One of my hands immediately flew to grasp the golden necklace as the god's laughter boomed across the restaurant. I just stared at him as he shook his head, "I felt it the second I entered this place. There is quite a powerful spell attached to it."

I opened my mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say. But Ares seemed to have plenty of words at his disposal, "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, princess."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Can't say," He shrugged. "My... girlfriend, finds this whole situation amusing. I won't ruin it for her."

I scoffed, "How kind of you."

Chapter Text

I SHIFTED MY WEIGHT from one foot to the other. I was waiting for my friends in an awkward silence with the god of war. And soon enough, the three entered my vision.

"Well, well," The god said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy sneered. I knitted my brows and turned to Ares, who gave me a wicked grin and shrugged, "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on camera."

I got even more confused as I recalled him pulling out his phone at some point while we were waiting. I thought he was starting another Twitter fight or something.

Cy shoved the shield at him, "You're a jerk." Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. I slightly shook my head at my friend. What was he thinking?

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back. "See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Should take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for my dyslexia:

KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: ALIVE WILD ANIMALS.

I scoffed, "You're kidding." Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched, "Free ride west. Stop complaining, princess. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

"I don't want your lousy—" He began to say, but was quickly interrupted by Grover, who gave him his best red-alert warning look, "Thank you, Lord Ares. Thanks a lot."

"You owe me one more thing," Cy spoke up all of a sudden. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" Ares made a dramatic pause. "She's not dead." I glanced between the god and my friend. I shook my head, "But I— I felt her leave us."

I could have sworn I saw something soften in his eyes for a split second, before he kick-started his motorcycle and said, "Did you?"

"What are you talking about?" Percy scoffed at the god, but I was too buried in my thoughts to hear the rest of the conversation. Instead, I thought over his words. That night, I remember how I somehow felt her life slowly slipping away, before it suddenly stopped. Did that mean that she was not truly gone?

A shiver ran down my spine. I blocked out the familiar feelings of dread and sorrow, the same feelings that I felt when I watched Sally Jackson die, or so I thought.

Suddenly, I was pulled away by Annabeth in the direction of the truck, the god of war now long gone. The first thing that hit me when we entered was the smell. It was like the world's biggest kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped his pen/sword. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

I clenched my jaw. This was horrendous. "This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?" He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and I would've helped him, but just then the trucks engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.

We huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell, the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in charge of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but I pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving.

Besides, I had a feeling we might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips. Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used Anaklusmos to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. I gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope.

We rode in silence for a few miles, bumping around on the feed sacks. The zebra munched a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at me hopefully. Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts. "That pine tree bead," I said. "Is that from your first year?"

She looked down. Annabeth looked like she hadn't realized what she was doing. "Yeah," She nodded. "Every August, the counsellors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—" I raised my brows in amusement as she chuckled. "—now that was a weird summer..."

"The college ring is your father's?" Percy asked.

"That's none of your—" She stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell us." I shrugged. It was actually pretty nice talking to Annabeth. Before, I didn't have many girl friends, like ever, so I didn't want to push any boundaries of our new friendship, or whatever.

"No... it's okay," She took a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I mumbled. A hint of jealousy prickled my stomach. It sounded a bit unfair to me; Annabeth's dad wanted to talk to her, but she didn't. Whereas in my life, a part of me always longed for a father figure, but I never had one, and by the looks of it, I never will.

I shook my head, trying to push away the negative feelings as I listened to the girl in front of me. "Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids out in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?" Annabeth didn't immediately meet Percy's eyes after he asked the question. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain." She responded. "You shouldn't give up," He told her. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," She said coldly, "But my father has made his choice about who he wants to live with." We passed another few miles in silence.

So, I guess we all have daddy issues.

I GROANED AS I turned the other way. "Two more minutes," I mumbled. Grover was shaking my shoulder. "The truck's stopped! We think they're coming to check on the animals, we need to hide. Gett, c'mon!"

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed. I rolled my eyes as I sat up, she had it easy. She just put on her magic cap and disappeared. Grover, Cy and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in. "Man!" One of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured somewater from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" He asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face. The lion roared in anger. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," The man rolled his eyes. Next to me, under the turnip sacks, Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra, "How ya doin', Stripes? At least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!" Now I was sure that my facials expression mirrored Grover's.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer. The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?" A voice outside — it must've been Eddie's — shouted back, "Maurice? What'd you say?"

"What are you banging for?" Knock, knock, knock. Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?" Our guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A second later, Annabeth appeared next to us. She must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer. She said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers! We've got to free them!" Grover said.

He, Annabeth and I turned to look at Percy, waiting for his lead. Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but I knew they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute.

Cy quickly jumped to stand and went over to the cages, slashing the lock off the zebra's cage. The animal burst out. It turned to him and bowed. Then Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leapt over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. We'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said. "The other animals first," Grover argued. Percy cut the locks with his sword. Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra.

The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets. Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos. "Will the animals be okay?" I asked Grover.

"Don't worry," He said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

I raised my brows, "Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," He shrugged. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

Grover shook his head, "It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned. I burst out laughing as Cy protested, "Hey!"

"Kidding," She said, even though a wide smile rested on her face. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

Chapter Text

WE STARTED WALKING, TO particularly nowhere. We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We saw the pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick.

It actually made me wonder about my mom. I left her a letter, the one that Grover gave me, but it's been around three weeks and I haven't heard from her. What even was in that letter that Mr. D wrote for her? She was probably glad that I wasn't bothering her anymore.

I shook my head. I wasn't sure what we were even looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a can of Red Bull, and make a new plan for getting west.

At some point, we must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance had a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking.

No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air conditioning that smelled like flowers — lotus blossom, maybe. I've never smelled one, so I wasn't sure. The doorman smiled at us, "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?

"Yes, please!" I rushed out, slightly pushing the man out of the way. I was tired and hungry. Felt insanely gross and honestly thought about dropping to lay on the carpet if it meant I could have a few seconds of peace.

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee jumping bridge. There were even virtual-reality suits with working laserguns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV.

Basically, what you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No lines to wait for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Can we never leave?" I sighed in awe. "Hey!" A bellhop yelled out. At least I guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops, "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Percy stammered something, but the man laughed, "No, no. The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed us each a green plastic credit card. I wanted to cry out of happiness. "Are we dead? Is this heaven?" The man laughed again, shaking his head at my question, "No, you're just at Lotus Casino."

"I never want to leave."

"No one does."

"How much is on here?" Percy asked all of a sudden. The bellhop's eyebrows knit together, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" The man laughed, "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

We all four shared a look before I shrugged, and turned to press a button to the elevator. We took it upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet.

The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I didn't really care either. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view in a room like this.

I COULDN'T REMEMBER THE last time I had so much fun. I bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, did the waterslide, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter.

I saw Grover a few times, going from game to game. He really liked the reverse hunter thing —where the deer go out and shoot the hunters. I met Cy once and we played a round of virtual-reality laser tag together, before we went our separate ways. I saw Annabeth playing trivia games and other brainiac stuff. They had this huge 3-D sim game where you build your own city, and you could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board. I didn't think much of it, but Annabeth loved it.

But there was something wrong. It was as if a voice was telling me to leave or whatever. I didn't pay attention to it, thinking that as always, I'm overthinking too much.

I was practicing my FBI sharpshooter skills and chugging a can of Red Bull, when someone literally took my gun out of my hands, making me lose the game. Annoyed out of my mind, I turned to the person, and I knitted my brows.

The guy didn't look like a stranger, that was Peter. Still, rude of him. "What are you doing? Didn't your mom teach you to have manners and to not interfere with people when they're using a gun?"

A look of confusion passed his face, "Percy."

Now I was confused, "No, I'm Bridget."

He shook his head, "I know you're Bridget. And I'm Percy, not Peter." I stared at him, Peter made more sense than Percy. To be honest, Percy l was a bit of a weird name. "Peter suits you better," I shrugged.

He gaped at me, "What? No—" He shook his head, "Doesn't matter, we got to leave, like now." I looked around, "Why? this place is amazing."

"It's a trap."

"To happiness? Sure," I said and turned back to my game. There was someone under the name 'BiancaAngel' whose high score was the highest of all. And I wanted to beat her, so I didn't have time for this nonsense.

"Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!" He yelled, making me pause. Those words were like déjà vu. So familiar. After I beat the high score I will look back into it. "Oh, come on, Peter. Just a few more minutes."

I think out of the corner of my eye I saw him almost rip out some of his hair in frustration, "I'm not Peter!— Annabeth?! Okay, Bridget, just wait here, I will be right back!"

"Not planning on doing otherwise," I mumbled, my focus back on the game. Suddenly, I felt something burning my chest. I winced and shrieked, quickly trying to take off whatever was burning me.

To my surprise, the object was a golden necklace, one I wasn't even aware I had on. The moment I touched it, a voice spoke clearly in my head.

Snap out of it. Now, Bridget.

I closed and reopened my eyes, the somewhat mist that clouded my mind now gone, the realisation dawning upon me.

"Bridget! We really—" Percy came back, with Annabeth and Grover behind him. I quickly hopped out of the game zone, slightly pushing past him, "C'mon we have to go."

"Huh?" A dumbstruck expression was on his face. I rolled my eyes and pulled the sleeve of his hoodie as I pushed past other kids, walking into the exit's direction. Suddenly, a dark-haired boy, maybe fourteen or fifteen runs into me, yelling, "Bianca!"

I rolled my eyes, "Hey, watch where you're going." He doesn't even spare me a glance, as he runs away, shouting the girl's name again.

We were close to the door, about to leave, when the Lotus bellhop hurried up to us, "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," I told him sternly.

"Such a shame," He said, and I got a feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. At the moment, I really didn't give a single fuck about it. I was pissed at the fact that we got fooled into whatever this scheme was.

"We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members," He held out the cards and I couldn't look at them. I wanted one. But I knew that if I took one, I'd never leave. So, instead, I glanced to my left where a bunch of teenagers stood in a DJ battle set and watched two guys mix up music as the rest were yelling the lyrics.

As I turned away, my eyes briefly met a pair of blue ones. But then my attention was on the bellhop. I plastered on a fake smile, "No, thanks."

We reached for the door, and as we did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once... Then we burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk.

It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat and lightning flashing out in the desert.

Percy ran to the nearest newspaper stand. I stood there confused. I saw slight panic in his eyes as he said, "Guys, today is June twentieth."

I furthered my brows, "We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days? How?"

He shrugged and I heard Annabeth curse beside me, "It means, we have only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest."

I paused. Finally taking in the information, "Wait, what day did you say it was?"

"Uh, twentieth?"

Oh.

Chapter Text

WE CAUGHT A CAB and asked to be driven to Los Angeles. The taxi driver was hesitant at first, but when Annabeth swiped her LotusCasino card, he began acting real nice. He even called Cy 'Your Highness'.

Since I sat in the passenger seat, I pretty much slept through the whole 300 miles and before I knew it, sunset came and the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfers waiting for the perfect wave.

It happened quite fast; Grover, Annabeth, Percy and I stood at the edge of the surf, looking into the water. Then the next thing I knew, Cy was halfway into the water, with Annabeth yelling about how polluted the surf was. And then he was fully submerged in water.

We didn't know what to do other than wait for him, so we did. After maybe twenty minutes, Percy came back to the shore, completely dry.

I pursed my lips as he finished explaining what had happened. I glanced at the pearls in his hand, it was suspicious to me how he got them from the sea spirit without a price.

Annabeth must have thought the same as she grimaced, "No gift comes without a price."

"They were free," He shrugged.

"No," She shook her head. "There is no such thing as a free lunch. That's an ancient Greek saying that translates pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait." On that happy note, we turned our backs on the sea.

IT SEEMS WE CAN never have peace, because not even an hour later, the four of us were sprinting away from a gang of white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces like the kids at Yancy Academy: rich brats playing at being bad boys. I wanted to gag.

We pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where we were going. We turned a sharp corner. "There!" Annabeth shouted. Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated. It didn't sound like a place I'd ever go except in an emergency, but this definitely qualified. We burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang of kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted. I sighed in relief. But then, a voice behind us boomed, "Lost who?" We all jumped.

Standing behind us was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward us slowly, but I got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to.

"I'm Crusty," He said, with a tartar-yellow smile. I shared a glance with Percy, it seemed that we both wanted to say, Yes, you are.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," He grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?" I was about to interrupt and say 'No, thanks' when he put a huge paw on my shoulder and steered me deeper into the showroom.

There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the universe-size. "This is my most popular model," Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway." I glanced at the bed. A nap did sound nice. Even though I had slept our whole way to L.A., passing on a quick nap was not something I would do.

Don't.

I took a few steps away from the group. Why not?

But I didn't need to hear his response as all of a sudden I heard Annabeth shout, "Hey!" I saw Crusty snap his fingers, "Ergo!" Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress. Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down. "N-not c-c-cool!" He stammered, his voice vibrating from the million-dollar message. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"

I quickly came to stand beside Percy. "What are we going to do?" I mumbled, not taking my eyes off the bizarre man. "Let our friends go," Cy gritted through his teeth.

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

My eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit." Annabeth and Grover kept struggling. "Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!" A new set of ropes leapt out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling my friends from both ends.

"Don't worry," Crusty told us reassuringly. "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you two would like, huh?"

"Guys!" Grover yelled. My heart was racing. I knew I couldn't take on this giant water-bed salesman, and the same went for Percy.

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" My friend asked all of a sudden. "Legally, it's Procrustes," He admitted.

"The Stretcher," I realised. I actually remembered the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens.

"Yeah," The salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now Crusty, anybody can say that."

Percy nodded along, "You're right. It's got a good ring to it." The monster's eyes lit up, "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely. And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!" I glanced confused at my friend, what is he doing?

Crusty grinned hugely, "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many," I mumbled, going along whatever Percy's thinking.

"That's right!"

"Bridget!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?" I glanced nervously back at the girl I started to get along with. From what I can see, there was only one way we could escape Procrustes, and that was by outsmarting him.

"Don't mind her," I told Procrustes. "She's impossible. Quite annoying too, thinks she knows better than the rest."

The giant laughed, "All my customers are like that too. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate and then complain and scream when I try to fit them, think they don't need to be perfect for my beds."

I shook my head, "So rude."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?" Percy asked. "Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix," Crusty shrugged. He reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

I swallowed hard, "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across intelligent customers!"The ropes were really stretching my friends now. Annabeth was turning pale. Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose.

I noticed how Cy was eyeing the axe, a plan probably already forming in his head, so I decided to distract the salesman. "So, Crusty..." I said, trying to keep my voice light. I glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special, "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out." My face palled at the suggestion, but Percy quickly jumped to cover for me, "But would it work for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way," I mumbled, although my tone didn't hold much excitement, or disbelief no matter how much I tried to fake it.

"Way," Crusty grinned. Percy slightly moved back, to the direction of the ax. "Show us?" He asked.

As the giant went to sit down eagerly on the bed, I gave Cy a nod, signalling to him that I understood what he was doing. Procrustes patted the mattress, "No waves. See?" I snapped my fingers, "Ergo." Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Center him just right," I said with a grimace. The ropes readjusted themselves at my command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.

"No!" He yelled. "Wait! This is just a demo!" My friend came to stand beside me, the axe in his hand.

I let out a fake gasp, "Percy, I think Crusty doesn't fit." He nodded along, "You're right, I think I should make a few adjustments." I agreed, "I think you should."

"You drive a hard bargain," He tried to reason with us. "I'll give you two thirty percent off on selected floor models!"

"I think I'll start with the top," Percy raised his sword. "No money down! No interest for six months!" He swung the sword over the monster's head and Crusty stopped making offers.

I went to cut the ropes off Annabeth with a knife I found on the salesman's table. Her expression was grim and a pit formed in my stomach. "I was just saying those things to Crusty about you to butter him up," I said.

She nodded, not meeting my eyes, "Yeah, of course."

I sighed, feeling slightly guilty. I knew what it was like to hear bitter words from people you were fond of, "No, I need you to know, that what I said is not how I think of you, okay? You're not annoying and even though I don't know you well, I think that your knowledge is one of your best qualities and I don't mean that in a negative way."

She gave me a small, honest smile, "Thanks." I stretched out my hand, helping her get up from the bed, "No problem."

As Annabeth and Grover got to their feet, they groaned and winced and cursed us out, "You look taller," Percy joked. "Very funny," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Be faster next time."

"I hope there won't be a next time," I said as I looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters. Under that, a bright orange flyer for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," Cy urged our friends. "Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death!"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," He said. As he said the next words, a breath caught in my throat, "It's only a block from here."

Chapter Text

WE STOOD IN THE shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. Underneath, stencilled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece. I swallowed, okay this was happening.

My heart was beating a hundred beats over a minute and I had stuffed my hands in my pockets, hoping to ignore the fact that they were slightly shaking.

"You guys remember the plan?" Percy asked.

"The plan." Grover gulped. "Yeah. I love the plan." Annabeth mumbled, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Don't think negative." Cy shrugged and Annabeth sighed, "Right. We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negatively."

I bit my lip, I was so not ready for this. "Gett?" I turned to look at Grover who spoke my name. "You okay?" He asked. I didn't meet anyone's eyes as I shrugged, "I'm fine." I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder, it was Percy.

"We'll get through this. Together."

I smiled up at him, "Yeah, we will."

We walked inside the DOA lobby. Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel grey. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator.

Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them all just fine, but if I focused on any one of them in particular, they started looking... transparent. I could see right through their bodies. Also, I couldn't feel them. In camp, I realised that me associating people with colours and feelings wasn't something everyone did. No apparently, I could connect to people's auras.

And in this room, the only ones I felt around me were Percy's light blue one, Grover's emerald one, and Annabeth's golden one.

When I snapped out of my thoughts, we neared the security guard's desk. It was a raised podium, so we had to look up at him.

He was tall and agile, with chocolate-coloured skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore black shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

I read the tag, then looked at him in bewilderment. "Your name is Chiron?" Percy asked, his tone matching my thoughts. The guard leaned across the desk. I couldn't see anything in his glasses except my own reflection, but his smile was sweet, cold, and familiar. "What a precious young lad." He had a strange accent — British, maybe, but also as if he had learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no," Cy stammered.

"Sir," The man added smoothly. "Sir," My friend repeated as the man in front of us pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters, "Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now: Mr. Charon."

"Mr. Charon," Percy repeated. "Well done," He sat back. "I hate being confused with that old horseman. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?" His question caught me off guard and left me momentarily stunned.

I turned to look at Annabeth for support. "We want to go to the Underworld," She said. Charon's mouth twitched, "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" I asked. "Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'"

He looked us over, "How did you die, then?" Cy nudged Grover. "Oh, um... we drowned... in the bathtub."

"All four of you?" Charon asked. I winced, but nodded along with others. "It was a big bathtub." Charon looked mildly impressed. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy set four golden drachmas on the counter, part of the stash I'd found in Crusty's office desk. "Well, now..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in..." His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

We were so close. Then Charon looked at my friend. "Here now," He said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No," Cy shrugged. "I'm dead."

His answer made me involuntarily laugh, which caused Charon to turn to me. He tilted his head, as if inspecting me. "And what's your name?"

I swallowed, nervously glancing at my friends beside me. "Briana Nora?" I said, but it came out more like a question than a statement. Something flickered in his eyes, "You're not dead, you're a godling."

My face palled and I fidgeted with my pendant. Something flicked in his eyes, "And you're not just any godling, are you?"

"What is it to you?" Percy asked, coming to stand in front of me, almost as if he was shielding me from the unwanted eyes of the being.

"Leave while you can," Charon told us, still keeping his eyes on me. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you." He started to go for the coins, but I snatched them back, suddenly feeling brave, "No service, no tip."

Charon growled  — a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors. "It's a shame, too," I sighed falsely. "We had more to offer." I held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. I took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through my fingers.

Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr, "Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh... just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot," I said. "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," I agreed. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay." With each word, I stacked another gold coin on the counter. Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. "I must say, miss, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

I stacked another few coins, "I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to him." He sighed, "The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you four and be off." He escorted us into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass.

Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with us and pushed them back into the lobby. He shut the doors and put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and we started to descend. He saw me looking and said, "Well?"

"Nothing," I managed. I thought he was grinning, but that wasn't it. The flesh of his face was becoming transparent, letting me see straight through to his skull. When I blinked again, the elevator wasn't an elevator anymore. We were standing in a wooden barge.

Charon was poling us across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things — plastic dolls, crushed carnations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges. "The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so..."

"Polluted," Charon finished for her. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across — hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the colour of poison. Panic closed up my throat. What was I doing here? These people around me... they were dead.

This was not how I imagined this summer break. It was more like stealing cigarettes from the corner shop and spending hours in the record store. Or listening to the white girl music that played on the radio and eating an unhealthy amount of my french fries and ice cream combo, while watching the sunset on a random rooftop.

No, instead, I was staring at the shoreline of the Underworld. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones — the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon chuckles. His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light. "Bad luck for you, godlings." I knitted my brows, "I'm sorry, the what?" He only glanced at me with that smile of his before turning back.

And before I knew it, the bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand.

AS WE GOT CLOSER to the gates, the more my stomach turned in anticipation, anxiety and fear. I had no clue what to expect and honestly, how was I supposed to feel about the fact that soon I could be meeting my deadbeat dad, who's actually the lord of the Dead, and who has sent the Kindly ones after me and my friends?

The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at my feet, but I still couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then, about fifty feet in front of us, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster. I hadn't seen it before because it was half transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid.

And it was staring straight at me. My jaw hung open. I hear Percy beside me say, "He's a French Bulldog." But I couldn't move or say anything. I was stuck in my place as I watched the creature and it watched me.

A breath caught in my throat and all I could think about was that he looked exactly like the one I conjured up on my first day at Camp, or the one I saw and wished was real when I was a kid. The only difference was that he was twice the size of an elephant, only mostly invisible, and had three heads.

I let my mind trail off to a memory from long before.

"One day we'll meet and you'll know. I can assure you that."

I nodded, looking down at the dog again, "Can I keep him?" The voice chuckled again, "I'm afraid not, but one day you'll learn to make your own, or maybe you'll even meet the original one."

I felt the dog slowly slip away, feeling his weight less and less and the next second he was gone.

That's what he meant. That little dog was Cerberus. A part of me hoped he had a familiar memory of me like I had of him, but I knew that was unlikely.

I glanced at my friends, who were all watching the dead walk right up to him — no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

"I'm starting to see him better," I muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think..." Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead." The dog's middle head craned toward us. It sniffed the air and growled. "So, it can smell the living," Percy swallowed.

"But that's okay," Grover said, trembling next to me. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," Annabeth nodded. I'd never heard her voice sound quite so small. "A plan." We moved toward the monster. The middle head snarled at us, then barked so loud, it felt like my eyeballs rattled. "Can you understand it?" I asked Grover. "Oh yeah," He said. "I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly." I saw Cy take the big stick out of his backpack — a bedpost he'd broken off Crusty's Safari Deluxe floor model. He held it up, "Hey, Big Fella. I bet they don't play with you much."

"GROWWWLLLL!" Okay, I don't think he has any recollection of me.

He waved the stick. The dog's middle head followed the movement. The other two heads trained their eyes on me, completely ignoring the spirits, or Percy. I think had Cerberus's undivided attention. But I wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Fetch!" My friend threw the stick into the gloom, a good solid throw. I heard it sploosh in the River Styx.

The dog didn't move.

"Good job," I mumbled. I saw him roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye. "Percy?" Grover said. "I just thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah?"

"Cerberus? He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that, well... he's hungry." My eyes didn't leave the dog as I scoffed, "A brilliant job, Cy. Truly."

"Okay, how about we tone down the sarcasm a little bit?"

Cerberus was now making a new kind of growl, deeper down in his three throats. I smacked my lips together, "Well, that's a no at the moment, considering we're about to get eaten!"

The dog moved into an attacking position. "Guys," Annabeth warned. "We have to run. Like now." Just as she finished saying the last syllable, the animal lunged and we all shrieked running in different directions.

I ran as fast as I could, cursing myself not actually doing the cardio I said I would each summer. I saw Grover on the left of me and decided to try to catch up with him. But then I made a mistake, I turned back to look where Cerberus was, only to find him maybe thirty feet away, charging straight in my direction.

I let out a string of curses as I felt the familiar stab of pain in my side, a sign that meant there was no way I could outrun the dog. My breathing changed from uneven, to trying not to suffocate from the pressure and only then did I lift my eyes, to see where I was running to.

It was a wall. A Great Wall of China, wall. Something I couldn't hop over, nor run around. I stopped, my hand flying over my heart, trying to control my radical breathing. My stomach turned as I heard the dog breathing heavily a few steps behind me. I looked down, my heartbeat definitely not falling back to its regular pace.

The next thing hit me like a bus. I never truly figured it out with Apollo. Sure I was mad at him for just straight-up yelling at me because I helped my friends and I did feel like he treated me like some clueless girl, which I wasn't, by the way. But he said it himself, he was trying to protect me.

I was so used to having to take care of myself, that maybe I hadn't even realised that what he was doing was just looking out for me, and not controlling me. After all, he wasn't my mother.

Apollo?

Behind me, I could hear the dog slowly coming over to me, growling.

Hey, so remember our disagreement? I laughed at my own words. When I got no response, I debated whether to continue or not.

You were right, I'm sorry, I suppose I've just grown accustomed to looking out for myself, you know? I- I guess maybe I just want to thank you for being here these couple of weeks. I don't think anyone has ever done that for me, so thanks. I rushed out the words.

When I hadn't heard anything back, I scoffed. Maybe it's not so good of me, but I've never thanked or apologized to anyone like that and in response, I get nothing. Egoistic asshole, I can't help but mutter for him to hear. I guess I'm dying alone.

I finally slowly turned around and stared up at the dog who was showing his teeth and lowly growling. The middle head opened his mouth and I came to the conclusion that I was going to be a dog biscuit for the last seconds of my life.

If I wasn't so tired from running, I might have tried to fight the dog off, but at this moment I am so genuinely done with life. I mean, the reason behind my death will be because I slacked off in PE. How pathetic is that?

Also, how come Asher didn't make me run laps or something? He always liked to repeat how swordsmanship was the most important part of battles, but right now, I'd argue and say that it's your capacity to run.

The middle head opened its maw and I closed my eyes, in the background hearing someone yell my name. Then the embarrassing thing happened. I didn't die.

Instead, I felt like a big bucket of Nickelodeon green slime was dumped on me. But no, that was purely Cerberus' saliva. Rather than the bitten head off I expected, I got a good old lick.

Another head pushed itself into my body, as if demanding cuddles. I couldn't help but chuckle, warily stroking his head. The dog let out a satisfied sound and the next moment, Cerberus plopped done on the ground, creating a loud noise.

"Bridget!" I heard someone yell my name again.

I turned to the direction which the sound came from, meeting three confused pairs of eyes. "How?" Percy asked.

"I think he remembers me," I shrugged, still caressing the fur, which was very soft, to note. I only got more confused looks, to which I rolled my eyes, not bothering to explain. I slowly pulled away from the dog, who let out a whine, as if annoyed that I stepped away.

"I will come back soon, I promise," I whispered to him, stroking his left head one last time. I touched my clothes, shuddering at the feeling of the slimy stuff on me. "Gods, I need to change," I mumbled.

Then I brushed past my friends, "C'mon, what are we waiting for?"

I saw the three share a look, before Cy shrugged and joined me, Grover and Annabeth not long after too. I shook my head, only one sure thing on my mind at the moment. When we're out of here, I am starting cardio.

Chapter Text

THE FIELDS OF ASPHODEL were not a place you'd feel comfortable in. The black grass had been trampled by probably aeons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Around me were black trees that grew in clumps here and there.

Annabeth, Grover, Percy, and I tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. I couldn't help but look for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead are hard to look at. Their faces shimmered and they all looked slightly angry or confused.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth suddenly said, making me look up. "That's the place for heroes."

My eyes finally settled ahead, where beyond the security gates were neighbourhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history — Roman villas, medieval castles and Victorian mansions. I even spotted a few familiar Brooklyn apartments. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colours. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking. Elysium, that's what this was.

But we were on a quest, so we continued waking and after a few miles, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat-like creatures: the Furies.

I turned to look away from the view, the reality of this situation was not something I wanted to confront yet.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully. "We'll be okay," I tried to sound confident, but in reality, I was saying this more to reassure myself. "Maybe we should search some of the other places first," He suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance..."

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said, grabbing his arm. Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass. "Grover," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't—" He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us. "Maia!" He yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

I quickly got over being stunned and tried to grab Grover's hand, but it was too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill. As we ran after him Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!" It was a smart idea, but I guess it's not so easy when your shoes are literally pulling you along feet first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

We kept running after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance. I was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of my father's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

"Shit." I cursed and Percy yelled, "Grover hold on to something!"

"What?" He yelled back. He was grabbing at the gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down. The tunnel got darker and colder. The mini hairs on my arms bristled. It somehow smelled evil down here.

I shook my head, and only then I saw what was ahead of us. Percy stopped dead in his tracks. I quickly stopped too, confused. Because the tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block. And Grover was sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy" Annabeth yelled, tugging his wrist. "But that's—"

"I know!" She shouted. "The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him." She was right, of course, so we started moving again. Our friend was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like we could possibly get to him in time. What saved him were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally, Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing onto the big rock and using it like an anchor.

He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when we caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. I still felt a bit sticky from Cerberus' saliva and now dirty from the gravel. Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding and his eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified. "I don't know how..." He panted. "I didn't..."

"Fucking hell," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. This day was just getting crazier and crazier. But apparently, I spoke too soon. "What's that noise?" Cy suddenly asked. I listened in, sharing a glance with Annabeth, we heard it too.

"Tartarus," Annabeth swallowed. "The entrance to Tartarus." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy uncap his sword, or pen — whatever. "We have to get out of here," Someone said. Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel.

The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we broke into a run. A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I lost ground, my feet slipping into the gravel. If we'd been any closer to the edge, we would've been sucked in.

I let out another string of curses as we kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy we'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when we'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

I looked at Annabeth and Percy who looked at each other. "Can you walk?" Cy asked instead and Grover swallowed, "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway." He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as the rest of us. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet.

THE FURIES CIRCLED THE parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open. Up close, I saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times — an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas masks–wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls — but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest, yet maybe the most beautiful garden I'd ever seen. Multicoloured mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, like piles of rubies as big as my fist, and clumps of raw diamonds.

Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues; petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs, all smiling grotesquely. In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

I understood why she wanted to move on. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I had a sudden desire to take at least just one bite, but I shook that thought out of my head. Because one bite of Underworld food, and we would never be able to leave. And this did not look like a place I'd want to visit more than once.

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. I guess they never had to worry about rain down here.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears, muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but I felt their hollow eye sockets follow me as we walked down the hall, towards the big set of doors at the opposite end.

This was it.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests. "You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

I couldn't help, but lightly chuckle at his remark, to which he sent me a smile. "Well, guys," Cy said. "I suppose we should... knock?" A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside. "I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth swallowed.

I don't know who took the first step, but I know it wasn't me. I was stuck in my place momentarily, unable to produce any action, other than staring at my father.

He was at least six feet tall if I had to guess, and dressed in black silk robes with a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair was shoulder length and the exact same colour as mine. His eyes were also familiar, but unlike how I expected, they weren't sharp, or harsh. No, his eyes stared back at mine with a look that I would describe soft if I didn't know any better.

But as I glanced at his throne of fused human bones, I knew better. He radiated power as he sat, looking as agile and dangerous as a panther. "Daughter," He nodded and then he slightly crooked his head as if taking me in, which I suppose he was actually doing.

Suddenly, I felt someone's warmth closer to me than before. Percy, now stood just barely in front of me, which made The Lord of the Dead, turn his attention to him. "You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," He said. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

"Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests." I had to bite my smile at his words as Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garments were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out.

"Only two requests?" My father repeated. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet." Well, this was going about as well as I'd feared.

I glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades'. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. It was Persephone's. But it was summer and she was not here. The Queen of the Underworld right now should be above in the world of light with her mother, Demeter. Her visits and not the tilt of the planet creates the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Lord Hades," Percy started again. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully. "Return Zeus's master bolt to me. Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus." The god's eyes grew dangerously bright as he stared at Cy. "You dare keep up this facade, after what you have done?"

I glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as I was. "Umn... uncle, you keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?" The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization.

They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits. "Do you think I want war, godling?" The god looked ready to cook Percy, so this time, frustrated, I almost yelled, "Then what is it that you want?"

Silence. Hades closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his temple. When he opened his eyes, he looked down at me from his throne with a different expression than the one moments ago, this one was calmer, "My helm of darkness. Your friends here, took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to check up on you at Yancy Academy, I wouldn't have known that Poseidon almost succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war."

I glanced back to my friends. Grover looked completely dumbfounded, Percy looked just as confused as ever, so it was Annabeth who spoke, "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing too?"

The calmness that met me when I talked to my father was gone, "Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy yelled. "Poseidon didn't— I didn't—"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "Because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can't afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But—"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your land a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson — your skeleton will lead my army of Hades." The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

"You're as bad as Zeus," My friend yelled and my eyes widened. This was so not gonna end well. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said. "And the other monsters?" Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you — I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily? Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm! I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades hissed. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!" I shook my head, "We didn't!" He met my eyes, "You, my daughter, may not. But I can't say the same for that hero."

"Open your pack, then," The god said in a calm tone. Confused, I watched Percy slung it off his shoulder and unzip it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy. "Percy," Annabeth said. "How—"

"Oh, fuck this shit. I am not doing this ever again," I mumbled shaking my head. When I lifted my eyes I was met with a glare from The Lord of the Dead, which pretty much said 'watch your language'.

I looked away, pursing my lips as Cy rambled on, "I— I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now... my helm. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy shook his head. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared. The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at Percy beside me eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come, I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her." Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was Sally Jackson, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

"Ah, the pearls," The god smiled and I knitted my brows, he wasn't supposed to know that. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson." I saw Cy almost involuntarily stretch out his hand. "Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

"We were tricked," Percy mumbles. "Set up." I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Cy. That seems to be the situation, how did you come up with it all on your own?"

Now he was the one who rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Gett."

"Guys!" Annabeth hissed. Grover shook his head, "We can't give him the bolt."

"Well, obviously," Percy sighed.

"Leave me here," Grover said. "Use the third pearl on your mom."

"No!" Percy shook his head, but he continued, "I'm a satyr. We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No," Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You three go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy and Bridget. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

I took the knife out of her hands, scoffing, "Ann, seriously? 'I plan to go down fighting'? Who will you fight? My father, the Lord of the Dead? No chance. I should be the one to stay. After all, this is technically my turf."

"No—" Percy tried to argue, but I shook my head, "I don't want to hear it, okay? Just get the helm and maybe mention me when you're in Olympus, 'kay? Please, I need this, now go!"

"Gett..."

I sighed, "I need you to trust me. I'll be fine, he is my father after all." Instead of a verbal response, I get a tight hug from my best friend. "I'll come back for you," He says. I laugh, "You better."

Grover goes to hug me second, and I feel something wet graze my cheek. When we pull away, I notice that he's crying, to which I try to offer my best smile. Annabeth hugs me last and the longest. "Thank you," She whispers.

I knit my brows, "For what?"

"For being my cool friend."

I laugh and I quickly brush away a tear from my cheek when we pull away. "You stink," Annabeth jokes and I make a face, remembering the remnants of the saliva from Cerberus. "Yeah, I would kill to have an outfit change."

Percy offers me another smile and a thankful nod. I turn to my father, "Release her. I will stay." He opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he nodded and with a flick of his hand, Mrs. Jackson came to life gasping for air.

Percy immediately went to hug his mom and after one look at them, I turned away. This reminded me of my mom back in New York, the woman from whom I don't remember receiving a hug similar to this before.

Sally looked around confused, but her son quickly handed her a pearl and before I knew it, they smashed them underneath their feet, leaving me here, in the Underworld.

Chapter Text

I STARE AT THE spot where my friends were just a second ago. The silence is loud and when I turn to face the Lord of the Dead, I think something in my heart breaks. Strangely, I never thought of what I would do or say if I faced my father who left me.

But when I really look at him, the expression on his face tells me that his thoughts are similar to mine. "You resemble me a lot from when I was younger," He says.

This one sentence, these ten words make me want to break down and cry. I bite the inside of my cheek before saying, "Why... why was I born? Aren't the big three not supposed to have children, not supposed to contact them?" I continue.

"You're my daughter. You existing is a miracle, I-" He stops himself.

The threat of tears sipping out of my eyes was now growing bigger and bigger. "What miracle?" I ask. He sighed, "Your mother had a tough life. She was engaged with a perfect life when she found out she couldn't bear children."

What? Only one thought comes to my mind, she never told me. "So when I met her, it was like her soul was already dammed to never have happiness because she wanted children, a lot. She came from a bad family and wished to give someone a life she never had, but that was not possible anymore.

“And then a miracle happpened, you. Persi was annoying me like hell one day, so I went up to the mortal world and in a bar, I met your mother. We had a... fun night, and then I forgot about her.

“That was until that little minx Hera somehow found out and paid me a visit saying I should check in on that blond girl I met. And I did, I found her in her apartment, staring at a pregnancy test with beliverment, paying me no mind on how I got there."

I didn't know how to react. How was I surprised to in this situation? The god must have seen me unable to speak, so he continued, "She was smart, she figured it out that I wasn't like her. And she didn't disagree with my intentions. She complied and somehow tricked me into believing that she would have an abortion."

Something changed in his eyes. "When I figured her lies out, it was too late. You were already born and one look at your little brown eyes was enough for me to realise that I didn't care about the rules, that I was going to protect you, even if I couldn't be there with you physically."

I choked out a sob. I felt him touch my shoulder and I didn't think twice before wrapping my arms around him, to which he replied by placing a hand on my head pulling me further into him, "I will always look out for you, my little princess."

I couldn't stop myself from crying even harder. I didn't even know how much I needed to hear those words. I had been hugged before, but I fear that no hug will ever compare to this one, a hug from a dad, my dad.

When I pulled away, I looked away not meeting his eyes. But then, I felt a palm on my cheek which guided me to meet his eyes that reflected mine exactly. "You stink, kid," He said which made me burst out laughing.

"You can thank Cerberus for that."

I saw him grin and I couldn't help but mirror the action. He nodded his head to the side, "Go to the room down the hall with golden handles. You can change there."

WHEN I PULL THE door open, I can't help, but gasp as I enter the room. I did not expect the sheer magnificence of the Goddess's walk-in wardrobe. The rest of my father's palace was dark and intimidating with the obsidian walls, but this room felt comforting.

Every empty inch of the space was decorated with beautiful vases, each filled with different flowers that made the room feel alive. The light scent of fresh flowers filled the air, as I looked up to the grand silver chandelier that cast a warm, inviting glow, its light reflecting off the polished surfaces.

The glass wardrobes lining the room were absolutely stunning. On one side, rows and rows of dresses were arranged by colour, it was like a rainbow of luxurious fabrics that shimmered and breathed elegance. On the opposite side, a collection of shoes, mostly heels, stood in perfect order. I'm pretty sure I saw like every pair I dreamt of having.

I let myself drift to the center of the room, where a glass display case held treasures that almost made my heart skip a beat. Inside were some of the most gorgeous pieces of jewellery I had ever seen, each gem and metal more beautiful than the last. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, and even tiaras sparkled under the chandelier's light.

Basically, I wanted to never leave this room.

I looked down at my sticky jeans and hoodie combo that I had worn for maybe more than a week and then looked back up at the wardrobe filled with dresses in front of me.

A grin formed on my face as I immediately started skimming through dresses. I'm sure Persephone wouldn't mind if I took one of her dresses, she seemed to have hundreds anyway.

My eyes fell on a long-sleeved one with an open back. It was made of silk, a cream-coloured dress that melted into black long sleeves.

Without having much thought about it, I plucked it from the hanger and turned to the shoe side of the room. I immediately skipped the heels, because there was no way I was going to torture myself.

A smile formed on my face when I noticed different coloured pairs of Converse and I pulled one pair out. My eyes also fall onto some black tights, so I grab an unopened packet too.

I open one of the doors that caught my attention earlier and sigh in relief when I notice that it's a bathroom.

After freshening up, I slip on the dress and I can't help but stare at myself in the mirror. The dress made me look like my skin glowed and it complicated my body perfectly. Apollo's pendant shone brightly on my chest.

I got a flashback of me apologising and no response from him. S,  the next thing came naturally, I unclipped the necklace from my neck and slipped it into a pocket of the dress.

When I re-enter the room, I see my dad leaning against the doorframe, fidgeting with a dark purple box in his hands. When he notices me, another grin forms on his face, "Now you look like a true princess."

I shake my head, smiling, "After all the things that I've heard this past month, that sentence sounds the weirdest. It's like I'm in the Princess Diaries or something."

"Princess what?" He asks and I laugh, "Nothing."

He comes over to stand in front of me before heading me the box I saw him earlier with. I look up at him confused and he motions for me to open it. I do so and a gasp escapes my lips when my eyes fall into a beautiful silver bracelet.

When I go to touch it, a weird feeling greets me and I look back up at him. "What is this?" I ask. He takes the bracelet and I stretch out my wrist for him to clip on.

"When you were born, I knew what rules I was breaking, so I asked for a favour from one Goddess that I thought help me. Hecate." I listened to him talking, unsure where this was going. "You should have seen her face when she realised I was asking for a favour that was not meant for me.

She gave you her Blessing. With it, she was able to lessen your aura and abilities to protect you. I hoped that you would be able to have a normal life."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. "And now you are aware of yourself, so her lessening your aura is not helping so much. But this bracelet, with time will help you control your abilities." With that, the bracelet was clipped on me and I felt its force run through my body.

"Thank you," I breathed out, trying to contain my emotions and not to start crying again. He shrugs, "Consider it your birthday present."

My lips part and he knits his brows at my reaction. "What? You're my daughter. Seventeen years ago, on June 20, my whole world flipped upside down."

Instead of saying anything, I crushed him into another hug, "Thanks, dad." I felt him freeze for a moment when the last word escaped my lips.

But before I could regret it, I felt him wrap his arms around me. "This also should stop the nightmares," He mumbled into my ear.

I slightly pull away, confused, "Nightmares?"

He sighs, "When you were a kid, Hecate told me that you were suffering from them since you were a kid. But ever since you came to Camp, her Blessing is not as powerful as it should be because of the protections around it. The bracelet should also stop the dreams."

I nod, smiling although inside I am confused. I don't remember having a nightmare ever. I guess it makes sense that I don't remember them from my childhood, because of the Blessing protecting me. But I don't recall having them in Camp Half-Blood either.

That's because you spent your dreams with Apollo. A little voice speaks in my mind.

"Your friend, Percy is annoying, but he does keep his word." I look up to him, snapping out of my thoughts. A smile broke out on my face at the mention of Cy. "It wasn't him who stole my helm. It was that wanker Ares." I raised my brows proudly, "Told ya."

He chuckles, "Okay kid, whatever. My Furies reported that your friend is going back to Olympus to redeem himself. And I don't want you to get the blame, so you should go too."

"You're letting me leave?"

My dad smiles at me, "You're always welcome to come here, just not the traditional way, okay? Persi wants to meet you too. So, whenever you wish to come, go into the shadows and hold that bracelet close to your body, it should help you travel more easily."

I tilt my head in confusion, "Travel?"

He nods, "Through shadows. You have a lot of abilities at your disposal, you just have to learn them."

"I will," I promise and he smirks. "I know you will. Come here," I follow him out of the room, back to where I came from, where his throne is placed. His expression is serious when he turns back to me. "If you ever need anything, call out to the shadows, I'm always listening."

"Thank you," I say for what it feels like the tenth time today.

He offers me one last smile, "Be careful." With that the world around me blurs. 

Chapter Text

WHEN I OPEN MY eyes, I'm met with the familiar sounds and smell of New York. As the locals pass me, they don't even note my outfit, because I'm pretty sure that a teenager dressed in a dress that could be easily mistaken as a ball gown was not the strangest thing they've seen on the street today.

I look around trying to make out where I am, when suddenly, someone yells my name and I wipe my head to my right where I see Percy hop out of a cab.

A grin forms on my face as I get crushed in a hug by him. "You okay?" He asks and I nod as we pull away. "Just fine."

"Hades just let you go?" I send a look to Percy, "He is my dad you know." To which he replies with another bone-crushing hug. "Thank you," He whispers in my ear. I simply send him a smile when we part again.

I turn to the building. "Ready?" I ask.

"Are you?"

I think for a moment. "I think so." With that, we enter the Empire State Building. We definitely looked weird, Percy looked almost like a homeless kid with his dirty and ripped clothes and I was severely overdressed.

We went up to the guard at the front desk and Cy said, "Six hundredth floor." He was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. I wasn't much into fantasy, or in books in general, but it must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up.

"No such floor, kiddo."

"We need an audience with Zeus," I said and he gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me." I was about to decide this guy was just a regular mortal, and we'd better run for it before he called the straitjacket patrol, when he said, "No appointment, no audience, kiddo. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."

"Oh, I think he'll make an exception." Percy slipped off his backpack and unzipped the top. The guard looked inside at the metal cylinder, not getting what it was for a few seconds. Then his face went pale. "That isn't..."

"Yes, it is," I shrugged. "You want us to take it out?"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to me. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

I did as he told me. And as soon as the elevator doors closed, I slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600. I pressed it and waited, and waited. A muzak started playing, "Raindrops keep falling on my head...."

I puffed out my cheeks as I and Percy awkwardly stood in silence. "Why do you look like that?" I ask. He sends me a weird look, "I could ask you the same."

"I simply cleaned up, but you look the opposite," I say, rolling my eyes. "It's like you fought in war or something." He scratches his neck, "I did have a duel with Ares for your dad's helm."

I quickly turn to Percy wide-eyed, "You did what?!"

"I won?" He sheepishly smiles and I shake my head, "Jesus Christ, Cy." My friend only shrugged and finally, we heard a ding. The doors slid open. I stepped out and almost had a heart attack.

I was standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below me was Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front of me, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky. My eyes followed the stairway to its end, where my brain just could not accept what I saw. "Holy shit," I mumble.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of palaces, a city of mansions — all with white columns, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires.

Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. The most beautiful gardens bloomed with olive trees and rose bushes. I could make out an open-air market filled with colourful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other.

It was an ancient Greek city, except it wasn't in ruins. It was new, clean, and colourful, the way Athens must've looked twenty-five hundred years ago. And to think that this place was just above the Empire State Building, in plain sight of millions of people.

Our walk to Olympus was pretty much a daze. As we passed, wood nymphs giggled and batted their eyelashes at Percy, but threw almost dirty looks at me. I paid no attention to them and held my head high.

The hawkers in the market tried to sell us ambrosia-on-a-stick, a new shield, and many more stuff. The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered — satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who might've been minor gods and goddesses.

Nobody here seemed to be worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood. Several of them turned to watch us pass, and whispered to themselves.

We climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld. There, everything had been black and bronze, but here, everything glittered in white and silver.

The steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne room. Actually, room really isn't really the right word to describe it. The place made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left.

I didn't have to be told who the two gods were that were sitting there, waiting for us to approach. I shared a glace with Percy. Here we go.

The gods were in giant human form, but I could barely look at them without feeling a tingle, as if my body were starting to burn. Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled grey and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud, handsome and grim, his eyes a rainy grey. As I got nearer to him, the air crackled and smelled of a storm.

The god sitting next to him without a doubt was his brother, but he was dressed very differently. He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it.

His skin was deeply tanned, his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was dark, just like Percy's. His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was a simple swivelling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident, flickering with green light around the tips.

The gods weren't moving or speaking, but there was tension in the air as if they'd just finished an argument. I nudged Cy to go first. He approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet.

"Father," He said, not looking up. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I simply kept my head down too. I could feel the energy radiating from the two gods. I hoped Percy would not say the wrong thing, because I had no doubt they could blast him into dust.

"Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?" Zeus' voice boomed throughout the room. "Peace, brother," Poseidon finally said. "The boy defers to his father. This is only right."

"You still claim him then?" Zeus asked, menacingly. "You claim this child whom you sired against our sacred oath?" I internally winced at his words. "I have admitted my wrongdoing," Poseidon said. "Now I would hear him speak."

"I had spared him once already," Zeus grumbled. "Daring to fly through my domain... pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence." I raised my brows, Percy flew on a plane?

"And risk destroying your own master bolt?" Poseidon asked calmly. "Let us hear him and the girl out, brother," Zeus grumbled some more. "I shall listen," He decided.

Then I felt their gazes fall onto me. "Daughter of Hades. You are brave coming here," Poseidon said. I looked up to the gods, "I only came here to speak the truth... if you'd let us."

That seemed to do as Poseidon looked down at his son. "Look at me. Address Lord Zeus, boy. Tell him your story."

He glanced at me and I nodded. He sighed, before telling Zeus everything. While he spoke, I took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence, and laid it at his feet. There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it. As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on my scalp rise.

"I sense the boy tells the truth," Zeus muttered. "But that Ares would do such a thing... it is most unlike him."

"He is proud and impulsive. It runs in the family," Poseidon said, slightly rolling his eyes. "Lord?" Percy asked and they both answered with, "Yes?"

"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else — something else came up with the idea." He described his dreams, and the feeling he'd had on the beach, that momentary breath of evil that had seemed to stop the world and made Ares back off from killing him.

"In the dreams," He said, "The voice told me to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as I was, to start a war."

"You are accusing Hades, after all?" Zeus asked, his eyes immediately flying to me. "No," Percy quickly shook his head. "I mean, Lord Zeus, I've been in the presence of Hades. This feeling on the beach was different. It was the same thing I felt when I got close to that pit. That was the entrance to Tartarus, wasn't it? Something powerful and evil is stirring down there... something even older than the gods."

Poseidon and Zeus looked at each other. They had a quick, intense discussion in ancient Greek. It looked like they were beginning to argue, when Zeus held up his hand angrily, "We will speak of this no more," He said. "I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal."

He rose and looked at Percy. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, boy. Few heroes could have accomplished as much." Then his gaze fell on me. "And if what I'm told is true, then you, child, you should choose your actions carefully."

Before I could question it, Cy spoke, "I had help, sir. Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase—"

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your lives. But don't let this fool you, I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson and Bridget Nova. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live."

"Um... thank you, sir," I forced out.

He turns to Percy, "Do not presume to fly again. Do not let me find you here when I return. Otherwise, you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation." Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.

Now it was only the son and father duo with me. "I'll meet you outside," I decided, to which my friend gave me a thankful smile. I step outside the palace and take in Olympus. I had seen it many times before from a different angle in my dreams, but I don't think I'm ever gonna get enough of this magnificent city.

Then my expression turned sour as I felt the pendant in my pocket. Apollo. I apologise, and I get nothing in return from him. No acknowledgement, no recognition, not even a hint of gratitude! Nothing! I humiliated myself, thinking I was about to die, and for what?

Suddenly, someone pulls my elbow slightly and I flinch, quickly escaping their hold. I close my eyes and one of my hands flies over where my heart should be. "Oh my god—"

"Yes, pet?"

Chapter Text

SUDDENLY, SOMEONE PULLS MY elbow slightly and I flinch, quickly escaping their hold. I close my eyes and one of my hands fly over to where my heart should be. "Oh my god—"

"Yes, pet?"

A part of me freezes as I hear the voice. The same honey-dipped voice that made home in my dreams. I slowly turn around to see him. The sun shines perfectly on his messy golden hair, highlighting it. The familiar cold blue eyes watch my every movement and I let out a shaky breath.

"Don't... don't scare me like that," I force out.

He chuckles, his head falling back, messing up his hair even more. I can't help, but watch him. I never quite fully realised that he was a god, an ethereal being. But here, he looks just like that.

Apollo looks down at me, being at least a couple of inches taller than me and says, "What, did you think I was someone else?"

I scoffed, "Well, I definitely didn't expect you."

While he smiles at my words, my expression is the opposite. Because as easy as it would be to forget what happened in the Underworld, how he ignored me, I'm not that kind of person.

And before I know it, his lazy smile morphs into something a bit more serious. "What is it?" He asks. I gape at him. Is he serious? "Are you actually asking me this?"

"Well, I wouldn't if I knew now, would it?"

I can't help but let out a bitter laugh and shake my head, "I'm not doing this." With that, I turn to walk off, but he almost immediately grabs my wrist, pulling me close to him. I can't explain the feeling, but when his flesh touched mine, it felt like those sparklers from New Year's were against my skin if only they weren't painful.

I don't face him, so I feel his slim fingers grasp my chin and force me to look at him. "Don't ignore me, Bridget." I form my lips into a mocking pout, tilting my head, "Oh now that doesn't feel so nice, does it?"

He goes to say something, but then his eyes move to my neck. Now, he completely sobers up, "Where's your necklace? The one I gave you. Where is it?"

Seriously? He dismisses me, it's nothing. But I take off a necklace and it's the end of the world? His audacity is just astonishing. I try to pull my wrist out of his hold, but his fingers only tighten around my flesh, so I do the next logical thing, I slap him.

He finally backs away, the hand that held my wrist now cupping his cheek. He lets out a laugh, but it's not the one I heard earlier. No, this one is cold and bitter.

"If that were anyone else, I would have burnt them to a crisp now."

My expression is also cold. "Why?" I shake my head. "Why... I don't understand you!" He takes a couple of steps forward, "You don't understand me?"

"Yes!" I nod. "Yes, I don't understand you. I'm a pet to you, right? I'm just someone you use to amuse yourself when you're bored and then you drop me to the side when I'm thinking I'm dying! But then... but then you say these things and just confuse me even more!"

The anger I saw in his irises earlier is now gone, replaced with an emotion I don't recognise. "Dying?" The word escaped from his lips as a whisper. It was like he was hearing this for the first time. I shake my head, not wanting to fall back to... whatever this was.

He raises his hand to cup my face and I try to back out of his touch, but he stops me, his actions now the opposite of harsh like before. I tilt my head up to look at him as he speaks. "Bridget, what happened in the Underworld? Did Hades– did he hurt you?"

I stare at him confused, the tone of his voice was not the one I was familiar with. "You were in my mind, or supposed to when I called you. Don't pretend."

Something flickered in his eyes, "I can't contact you there."

"What? Why not?"

He sighs, his palms now tingling against my skin. "I can be with you where the sun is. And I don't know if you noticed, but in Hades' place, there aren't any sunbeams seen."

"So, you didn't hear me," I conclude. Apollo shakes his head, "I didn't."

I nodded and went to pull away, but his hold on me didn't let me. "You're not something I amuse myself with, chaos. You mean much more to me than you know." I blink, the anger now slipping away before I can grasp it to hold on to it.

"I mean, you are amusing, and your thoughts are just fascinating. And you are so chaotic sometimes that you make it so easy to forget things that aren't easy to forget. You..."

"It's in my pocket," I murmur, cutting him off.

He tilts his head in confusion and I slightly pull away, taking out the golden pendant from my dress pocket. I see him sigh in relief. He motions to it, "May I?" I nod silently. Apollo takes it from my hands and walks around me.

My breath hitches I feel him move my hair. His touch lingers there and I can't help, but ask him, "Why is it so important that I wear it? I'm not even seeing anyone, so wearing it 24/7 doesn't really feel necessary, especially since I don't go around kissing everyone."

He finally moves my hair to the side and places the necklace in front of me, resting it on my collarbone. As he worked the clap he answered my question. "It's not just a tool to confirm the..." I feel him shake his head as he lets go of me.

I turn to face him. "I can't just read your mind like that," He snaps his fingers. "As long as it's near you, it creates a connection between us. It also goes both ways, your voice appears in my thoughts just like mine appears in yours."

I nod, more to myself as I take in the information. Then Apollo smirks, "So, if you're thinking about how much you love my charming personality, I'll know."

I roll my eyes. He just has to be irritating, doesn't he? "Or when I'm thinking about how much of an idiot you are, you'll know that too."

"Touché. But don't worry, you'll get used to being in the presence of greatness." I can't help, but let a smile slip, "You know, you are giving me the biggest urge to try to slap that ego out of you again."

He tilts his head, clearly enjoying himself, "You do know you're talking to a god?"

I gave him a look, "To me, you're just Apollo."

He didn't respond to that comment. Instead, he said something else. "Happy sweet seventeen, darling." A smile unwillingly spread on my face. "Thank you," I mumbled and another grin formed on his face.

I watched him suspiciously, practically seeing something form in his thoughts and the next thing I knew, he grabbed my hand again, slightly pulling me along. Confused and trying not to laugh I watched him.

"You're in a mood for a dance," He started, to which I raised my brows. "Uh, no I'm not?"

Apollo completely ignored me. "And when you get the chance..." He trailed off, slightly singing and my eyes widened when I realised what he was doing. "Solar, no," I shook my head.

"You are the dancing queen." He twirled me around and this time I couldn't stop my giggles. "Young and sweet," I rolled my eyes at him, but sang along to the rest of the lyrics too. "Only seventeen."

He moved around, murming the rest of the lyrics and I couldn't do anything else than just laugh at him. When we finally stopped and looked at each other, I couldn't help but just burst out laughing again.

"Wow, laughing straight to my face." I gave him a pointed look in response and he gave me another grin. Then all of a sudden, my hand still in his, he set off running, dragging me with him. "What are you doing?!" I yell, but I can't help but laugh again.

Apollo offers me a grin, "Savouring the time we have."

We run down the palace steps and he quickly pulls me into a more secluded alley, hiding us from the curious eyes of the locals. "This is a shortcut," He says pulling me along.

I sober up a bit as we pass different streets. "I have another question," I say, remembering my conversation with dad. "What is it?" He asks, still not letting go of my hand and I don't bother to let go of his either.

"The dreams," I begin and I see him glance at me. "Did you pull me to Olympus because of my nightmares?" We stop and his face is flooded with concern as he turns fully to me, "You had any of them?"

I slowly shook my head and his eyes softened in relief, before I said the next thing which made his expression harden, "But I want to have them." I need to know what are the dreams about. Why is my dad and Apollo so adamant on shielding me from them.

Something I couldn't catch flashed in his eyes and he shook his head, dragging me after him again. My eyes widened when he completely denied my request, "Solar!"

"No," He shakes his head. "Why not?" I ask. We abruptly stop again, making me almost run straight into him. "I need you to trust me. You'll find out, I can promise you that." I want to argue, but the pleading look silences me.

"Bridget!" My eyes snapped to where I heard Percy's voice. I see Apollo roll his eyes in annoyance. "I have to go," I state the obvious and he nods. "I know."

My hand which was in his just moments ago, now falls to my side and I turn around ready to leave when he calls out my name. I turn to him and he sends me a smile, "Tonight, same time as always?"

I can't help but laugh, "See you then." And with a final look, I walk out of the narrow alleyway. Percy sends me a confused look, "Where were you?"

"Just looking around," I shrug.

Chapter Text

WE WERE THE FIRST heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality TV contest. And to be honest, I didn't mind. Also, according to camp tradition, we had to wear laurel wreaths.

Asher placed mine on my head and then proceeded to make a comment about how he knew that we were gonna succeed. I couldn't lie, he helped me in a way too. While I didn't necessarily need to fight anyone excluding chopping Medusa's head off, I felt better knowing I could protect myself.

So, we had a big feast prepared in our honour and Ash made me tell him all about how I killed her. The Stroll twins stuck to my side like glue and told me all about how Hermes Cabin was the one who made my burial shroud, which thankfully was not put to use.

To put it shorty, the welcome back was fun. The rest of my friends seemed to be enjoying themselves too, so even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen our spirits. 

"Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get themselves killed and now they'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...."

Not long after, I decided to retire for the night, because the quest and the whole meeting my dad ordeal exhausted me like no other. But the twins that I shared the cabin with didn't think so. They kept bugging me about too many things and if I wasn't in such a good mood, I probably would've said something harsh by now.

At some point, another kid, a few years younger, joined in bugging me. I also started noticing how unknowingly to me, we have been walking further and further from the cabins, obstructing my view of them.

I put my hands on my hips looking at the younger boys in front of me, "Okay, spill it. What are you three planning?"

The twins didn't give anything up, one of them — which I don't know I can't tell them apart  —  said, "We don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, we just wanna hear more things about your quest," The other added.

My eyes settled on the blond boy who looked nervous and a bit uncomfortable. "Walker..." The boy scrunched his brows in confusion, "I'm Will?"

I waved him off, although I did try to remember his name for next time. "You see, I'm tired. Tired means sleep, and to get sleep I need bed. And you know where bed is?" I asked, but I didn't give them time to reply before answering my question myself, "The cabin. So, you either tell me what the hell is going on, or I'll find out myself."

The three shared a look, before the twins simultaneously shrugged and broke apart letting me leave. I glanced at the blond boy, who only offered me an awkward smile. I rolled my eyes and walked in the direction of our bedrooms.

The boys were trailing behind me, whispering something, which only made me quicken my pace. When we finally entered the cabin square or whatever you call it, there was an unusual amount of campers missing, which only confused me more.

And before I knew it, I was standing in front of the Hermes cabin. The lights were out, which made me even more suspicious than before. I glanced at the boys behind me, before grabbing one of the twins and pushing him forward.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Letting you open the door. C'mon."

He gave me a ridiculed look, "Seriously? What you're gonna make me test your bed too?"

I thought over it, before shrugging, "Maybe."

The boy sighed and opened the door, loudly saying, "See I'm coming in first! Bridget you second!" I raised my brow at the volume of his voice, what the hell was going on?

I slowly took the first step, looking around. A weird feeling washed over me. Before I could think it over, the lights turned on and a bunch of voices yelled, "Suprise!"

With the lights on, I could finally look around and the cabin was decorated in a bunch of shades of purple, my favourite colour. Percy and Grover stood in the middle, holding a big HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY sign.

I couldn't help, but laugh as Annabeth was the first to congratulate me. After pulling away from a hug, she handed me a book. "I didn't have a lot of time to find you a gift, but I remember reading this book a while back, when you were first claimed. It's filled with log-ins about other children of the Underworld, and there are a few chapters about your abilities too."

I gave her a genuine smile, "Thank you. This is really thoughtful."

A few more people congratulated me, one of them being Clarissa herself. I hadn't spoken to her more than two or three times before, but I'm thinking about changing that. After her, it was Percy's and Grover's turn. I hugged them both at the same time, whispering for only them to hear, "I didn't know you guys remembered."

Grover gave me a look that basically called me ridiculous for even thinking that. "You're our best friend," He said and Cy nodded along, "Sorry, I didn't know how to get you a gift, so I thought of this, Grover helped me put it together. With Annabeth, of course."

I shook my head, laughing, "This is the best gift you could've gotten me." I looked around sighing, "I never have celebrated any of my birthdays, not like this. So thank you, seriously guys." A tear threatened to escape and the guys pulled me into another hug.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth awkwardly standing on the side and I rolled my eyes, slightly pulling away from the boys and pulling her into our hug. She laughed at my actions, but now a bright smile was on her face.

"Cake time?" I heard someone say and of course, it was one of the twins. Everyone laughed and for the rest of the night, the grin on my face didn't disappear.

I THINK IT WAS around two am when Chiron came to break up the party. But he didn't look too angry at us for staying out too late and he even wished me a happy late birthday too. The cabin was a bit in chaos and the Cabin Councler was nowhere to be seen.

My first instinct was to just ignore it and go to sleep, but the less selfish part of me knew that it would be nicer of me to find Luke and bring him here so that he could take care of it. After all, he did allow me to celebrate here.

It took me a bit of a while to find him, but eventually I did. And he wasn't alone. "-but prophecies? Those things are so vague," I heard him say. 

I wanted to get a better look at the other person, but much to my dismay, I accidentally stepped on a branch, making a sound that got Luke and his companion's attention. Mentally cursing myself I stepped out of the shadows. I wanted to listen in more because my gut told me there was something going on. And one thing I had learned from the quest was to always trust my gut.

"Hey, uh, what's going on?"

Confusion only grew when I noticed that it was Percy with Luke. My friend fully turned to me, saying, "I can't help but think about the prophecy. The quest is over, and not everything the Oracle has said has come true."

Luke puts his lanterns down, "Has it?"

I take a couple more steps to stand beside Percy, remembering the prophecy I was given. In the fire of passion, amidst love's sweet swell, a sacrifice awaits, a tragic farewell. For in the heart of their beloved, the destiny's brand, a true lover of Apollo will die by their lover's hand.

I shrugged, pushing back the thoughts of my prophecy, "Well, Chiron did say that prophecies are filled with double meanings and that the truth is not always clear until the events come to pass." At least, I am hoping that Chiron was right, because mine doesn't end on a happy note.

But Percy shook his head, not listening to what I said. "No- you shall go west and face a god who has turned." He started reciting his prophecy.

"Ares. Okay," The son of Hermes replied not skipping a beat. I nodded along, sceptically listening to him. "Find what was stolen and see it safely returned," He continued.

"My father's helm and obviously the Bolt," I pointed out.

Percy seemed to pause, and glance at me. I raised my brow, not sure what was bugging him. The next words made me realise that my gut was right. "And you shall be betrayed..." He glanced at me again. "By one who calls you friend."

My mind went to Asher immediately. But then, I noticed how Percy didn't take his eyes off of Luke and it made me realise that this wasn't my prophecy, but his. And Luke was the one who helped him out and trained him, like Ash did me.

I took a step back from the older guy, carefully watching his movements. Something changed in his stare when Cy trailed off, "You..."

The emotion in Luke's eyes, or more the lack thereof was enough to confirm it for me. This time, I took a step in front of my best friend. "What have you done?" I ask, my voice not quivering.

"He worked with Ares to plant it on me, us. Didn't you?" Percy started staring right into Luke's eyes. His voice grew more firm with each word, "So, when the shoes you gave me, pulled me right into Tartarus, the bolt would be delivered right to Kronos."

Luke blinked. "I didn't think you'd give 'em to Gover to wear." The pure betrayal in Percy's eyes was enough for me to fully stand in between them.

I watched him in beliverment. But he didn't finish. "The gods are my enemy." He said and I scoffed, "I don't know if you noticed, but not counting our ex-alcoholic camp counsellor, there aren't any here. We aren't. "

He shook his head, "I know that. None of this was meant to betray you, or Percy." I glared at the son of Hermes as he met my eyes, "No, I'm here to recruit."

"Recruit?" Percy repeated. Luke slowly pulled out a sword I hadn't seen him use before, to which in response Cy immediately unleashed his. I took a step back to stand behind him, as I did not get the memo about carrying weapons everywhere with you. God, I wish I had a dagger or something.

"Easy, I don't want to fight." Luke warned, slowly walking in the opposite direction of us, "This is what I've wanted to show you." He glanced at me, "Both of you."

I watched him carefully as he backed even more away, towards a ruin of an old building I hadn't noticed before. "This... is our way out."

"Way out of what?" I asked. His face sobered up, and he dragged his sword along the columns, blue lines appearing after his weapon. "Camp and their control," He replied.

A cut appeared in the air and I quickly realised that he had cut through the shield that protected this place, that protected every kid here. I glanced at his sword, what the hell was it made of?

"Backbitter can open secret doors," Luke said as if answering my thoughts. "We can stay on the run for as long as it takes," He took more steps towards us, and we both took a couple of steps back.

I stare at him. "Woah, woah, what makes you think either of us are agreeing with your thought process?"

"And stop saying we," Percy added. The older guy looked almost confused as if we were stupid for not understanding this. "But it's the word Zeus fears the most."

I shared a glance with Cy, we had the same conclusion. Our 'quest' didn't look like it was truly ending soon. "The gods want us to fight for them," Luke's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Worship them, fear them. And they couldn't care less what we want."

"What we want, or what you want?" I asked carefully. Still, I didn't really understand where he was going with this. Luke ignored me, solely focusing on my friend, "They're bad parents, Percy. And they've gotten away with it for too long."

"No," He shook his head, "This isn't you. This is Kronos. He got to you." I rolled my eyes, biting back a joke, now was not the time for silly remarks.

But Luke disagreed, "No, he opened my eyes to the truth."

"And what is it?" I asked.

He turned his back again to us. "The golden age," He started. "That's what they called it when he ruled. We're gonna help Kronos bring back the golden age. Stealing the bolt and helm was easy," The mention of my father's possession made me shoot another glare at him.

"But for what comes next..." He trailed off. "We're gonna need all the help we can get." I rolled my eyes at the usage of 'we' again and as Luke raised his sword to draw another line, Percy jumped in front and pushed his weapon away from the ruins.

They both raised their swords, ready to right and before I could blink, they did. I quickly took a few steps back, thinking what to do. I couldn't interfere, because doing so without a sword would be stupid. So, I could only watch them, mentally making a promise to finally find a proper weapon for myself to carry.

Their swords clashed and their grunts echoed in the forest. I glanced back to where the rest of the camp was, wondering if I should maybe run back and inform Chiron. But before I could give it much thought, Luke slashed the column for the final time which resulted in a portal opening. 

Suddenly, Percy was backed into a corner by the fallen son of Hermes. "Last chance," Luke said.

In response, Cy clashed their swords again and even landed a slice on the older guy. "Sorry," He rushed out. My friend glanced at me and I shot him a confused glance, who apologises in an actual duel? Percy did, apparently by the looks of it.

Luke retaliated quickly and landed a cut on Percy too. He fell to the floor, along with his weapon which was now out of reach. The son of Hermes raised his sword, ready to strike Cy and before I knew it, I felt a cold metal in my palm and threw it in his direction without overthinking it.

To my surprise, from the other side of the forest, another dagged flew, the two metals easily cutting off Luke's attack. From thin air, Annabeth appeared taking off her mother's cap. Her face filled with astonishment and betrayal.

Luke watched the girl appear in shock. "Annabeth?" As the name fell from his lips, Ann raised her sword, gripping it tighter, "How could you?"

Those three words made him panic. He glanced between her, Percy and me, before he quickly ran over to the portal and jumped, it closing after him.

The three of us regrouped at the center, all slightly panting from the adrenaline. "This is easily the most bizarre birthday celebration I had," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

I STARED AT THE cloudless sky, watching the stars. I was on the same cliff on the beach, where once I took in the new reality of my life, of my arrival at the camp and the reveal of my father.

After we informed Chiron, he decided that it was best to tell the camp in the morning. And now, I couldn't bring myself to come back to the cabin.

I felt guilty. I was always suspicious of Luke, but somehow this still hit me like a tornado. So many kids looked up to him, he kept the Stroll twins in line, every camper listened to him and envied Percy, hoping they were in his place, being trained by Luke.

A part of me knew. Like a sixth sense, I knew that this was not the end, no that this was just the beginning. And truthfully? I wanted to be no part of it. But the prophecy of Apollo's lover hung above my head, resting on my shoulders. There was a reason I got it, the connection between us makes me question my part in it.

Am I supposed to stop it? Am I- "Gods!" I sighed, actually yelling out, rather than staying silent in my thoughts. "What the hell does any of this mean?"

"Something grave, I'm afraid, my dear."

I quickly snapped my head to where the voice came from to see a dark-haired woman softly looking down at me. I stood up. "Who- who are you?"

Her lips formed into a smirk as she moved passed me, to sit down on the edge of the cliff. As she moved a green mist followed her movements. It was her aura, I realised, and it was strong enough, for me to actually see it.

The woman patted the space next to her a few times. And before I could realise what I was doing, I did as she instructed. She glanced at me and chuckled, "You do not need to be this wary, dear. It's good instincts, but I have no means to harm you."

"Yet, you still don't tell me your name."

She smirked again, raising her hand and waiving it in front of her face. Her one head morphed into three. On each head, a crown sat, one golden, one bronze and one silver. Once her hand came to rest on her lap, only the middle head was left visible. I let out a gasp, recognising her.

"You're Hecate, the goddess of magic and ghosts."

"And many more things, but I'm not overbearing," She smirked. "I-" I shook my head at my stuttering. "I do not mean to be rude, but... why are you here?"

She smiled, dusting off her dress, "I want to see the girl I've given my blessing to. I don't give out them easily, but when Hades asked me for help, I knew that you were special. And one look at you proved my suspicions right all those years ago. And now look at you, a hero, daughter of Hades."

"Is it really that big of a deal that he's my father?" I ask. She laughs. "Oh dear, you have no idea what kind of deal this is." She reached for my chin, making me stare right into her eyes. "You have no idea what is coming for you, what you are capable of."

My breath hitched, "And what is that?"

"To rule both, the dead and the living. Once you're old enough, Bridget, you will be able to control souls like chest pieces." 

The soft smirk from her lips fell and she gently let go of my chin, turning away. "But unfortunately, your own soul is dammed and soon, your fate will be sealed. And what I, your father, or any of the gods can only do is watch."

I watch her fearfully. "What... what is it? Please, tell me, is it the prophecy?"

Her head quickly snaps to mine, which only confirms my suspicions. "What do you know?" Her tone is quiet.

"That... a person will die by the hand of someone they love," I reply. She nods, sighing, "So nothing, yet at the same time everything."

I watch her as she collects herself. "I can't say much, none of us can, but I can at least warn you. There is still time for you to pass it on, but as soon as my words become true, it's bound by destiny."

Why couldn't this day just end with my birthday celebration? "Tell me," I say instead.

The goddess glances at me one more time. She looks out to the lake and I finally turn my head too, realising the sky isn't so dark anymore and the sun is probably coming up already.

"With grace and beauty akin to the dawn's first light," She begins. "She captures Apollo's heart, a love pure and bright. Yet, during their affection's sweet embrace, lies the shadow, a foreboding, a tragic grace."

Shaking my head, I say, "I don't understand." The woman touched my cheek, "You will. I can only hope you will before it's set in stone."

I scoff, standing up, "Why- why can't you just tell me, please! You seem to want to stop this, so help me."

She stands up too, sadly looking at me. "Everyone who tries to interfere only makes it come true faster. No one can truly save you from this, no one but yourself, daughter of Death."

I notice how she moves her fingers and I slowly feel a metal appear in my hand. A dagger, the same one from before. I look up at her questioningly. "I can only hope that this might help you. It's called Erebos. It means force of darkness, I think it quite suits you. And it shall help you whenever you are in need of it."

"Thank you," I mumble. With one final nod, she disappears. Every fibre of my being wants me to scream, but instead, a single tear rolled down my cheek as I gripped my weapon.

Chapter Text

THE REST OF MY summer was calm. Luke didn't show his face again and there weren't any more crazy trips called quests we had to take. Right now, the bigger half of the campers were packing to go home, but I still stared at the letter in my hand.

If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.

Have a nice day!

Mr. D (Dionysus)

Camp Director, Olympian Council #12

I touched the new addition to my necklace stack. It was my camper's necklace, with one bead already on it. The background was blue mixed with purple, symbolising mine and Percy's arrival at the Camp. In the middle of it, there was a yellow lightning bolt painted, referencing to our quest. Apparently, the decision was unanimous.

I sighed and glanced back to the letter. It was morning, meaning I had a couple of hours to decide. Grover was finally approved for his quest to find Pan. Annabeth was giving another chance to her dad, deciding to stay with him for the school year. And lastly, Percy was going home to his mom who he had communicated with the whole summer with Iris messaging.

But me and my mom? The last time I saw her was on Christmas Day, when she announced that she was going to Miami for a work conference.

Plus, I liked it here at camp. No one gave me any more weird looks anymore like on the first day and I made some new friends. And if I stayed here, it meant no more school. Like no more maths, literature, PE…

But my dad's words repeated in my mind. My mom had a life before me, she was engaged. She was infertile, but somehow, I was born. I mean, it was probably my dad's god genes to blame, but still. I feel like I should actually talk to her for the first time, like sit down and everything.

I shook my head, I needed to make a choice.

YOU SURE YOU WANT to do this?" Percy asked as we both headed to the Big House, to drop off our letters. I sighed, fidgeting with the paper in my hand, "If what my dad has said is true, then mother dearest and I have some things to talk about.

He nodded, but then nudged me. "Hey, if you will ever need to escape, my mom says you're free to stay with us for as long as you'll need. And she wants you over for dinner at some point, to thank you."

"I already told you, it was nothing," I rolled my eyes, but then grinned. "But, I will definitely take the dinner invitation. I love your mom's cooking. And thanks for the the other offer, knowing my mom, I probably will take it at some point."

"Always," He smiled. "You're my best friend, Gett."

I nudged him, "Oh, look at us, we're so sappy."

THIS WAS IT. I was standing in front of the door, one of my hands holding my bag, while the other was frozen in front of the door, holding my keys. Maybe I should stay tonight at Percy's? When Sally picked us up, she offered for me to stay with them if I wanted to. After all, she knew my relationship with my mother. 

But I said no, knowing that if I didn't face her now, I wouldn't be able to do it at all. Which is why, I finally placed my key into the lock, and twisted it. I quietly closed the door behind me, although I didn't know why I decided to do so. She probably was at the hospital like always.

The apartment was dark, making me think that my suspicions were probably right. For the past few months at Camp, I grew more comfortable being in the dark, so I opted to turn on my phone's flashlight, rather than the big lights. Also, it felt good to finally hold my device after not having it for almost three months.

The light from my phone landed on a bunch of old, dirty cups and plates in the kitchen, which made me raise my brows. One thing about my mother was that she was a clean freak, ocd if you ask me. And we did have a maid come to clean up twice a week, but the amount of dirty dishes told me that she hadn't been here in a while.

As I passed the bathroom and my mom's office, I noticed a tiny light coming from the living room. My instincts kicked in and I quietly placed down my bag and turned off the flash, pulling out my dagger that Hecate had gifted me.

I approached slowly, sticking to the shadows, just like I had begun to learn in Camp. But to my surprise, it wasn't an intruder. No, the living room table was a mess, filled with documents and Chinese takeaways.

And on one of the chairs, sat a blond woman, her head resting in her palm. "Mom?" I say walking out of the shadows and lowering my weapon. Her head snapped in my direction and I scrunched my brows in confusion even more as I took her in.

Her always-perfect hair, looked like it hadn't washed in days, the eyebags under her eyes gave me the indication that she hadn't slept in a while. And the weirdest thing? She was in sweatpants and a hoodie. I had never seen her wearing either of those things, because she stood by the opinion that they were for 'lazy people' and the reason for fashion's demise.

"Bridget," She breathed out quickly standing up. She took my head in her hands and I watched her scan my face for something. "Are you hurt? I swear to god, when I heard from that bastard, I was ready to bring you back myself."

I took a few steps back, staring at her in astonishment. In this moment she truly looked like a mom worried for her only daughter. This was the first time I had received that, worry. She usually didn't care enough, the only time she did was when the school called and it was because of her reputation, not me.

"Did someone hurt you?" She asked, now scanning my body for injuries. "N- no," I forced out, my voice almost shaking.

She finally met my eyes and hers were flooding with emotion, which made mine only widen. I had never seen her like this, ever. "I was so scared. When he told me you were sent on a quest, that you got blamed for stealing something from Zeus, I couldn't– I couldn't even think about losing someone to him again."

"What?" I forced out. What the hell does 'again' mean? The next thing shocked me even more. She hugged me. No, she crushed me into one, stealing all my air supply. "I am so sorry, my darling. I was so scared that he would punish me again, with you, that I pushed you away and it didn't matter, because you still ended up in danger. I am so, so sorry my sweet miracle."

She was now sobbing and unknowingly to me, tears started falling from my eyes too. I pulled away. "What, what are you talking about? Why would– why would Zeus want to punish you?"

The woman tried to wipe her eyes, but the tears still kept falling. "It's best you sit down for this. It's finally time to tell you the truth, I don't know how much that bastard told you."

I raised my brows, "You mean my dad?" I saw her roll her eyes, although, the corners of her lips moved up. "Same thing," She shrugged. She sat down and motioned for me to do the same.

She breathed out, wiping her eyes one last time before starting, "I was sixteen when I met Harvey, he said that he was apparently exploring America in his gap year." She rolled her eyes, but this time it was more playful than anything. "Or at least that's what he told me. We met in a bar and at that time, my life was a mess."

I listened to her, not knowing where this was going. "But he made it his mess. He helped. He helped me leave my house, let me stay with him and helped me figure things out. I was so lost then, and he guided me back onto my path. He encouraged me to begin my studies to become a surgeon like I've always wanted to." She sighed, her stare focused on particularly nowhere, but her eyes displayed one foreign emotion, love.

She turned to me, "He was my knight in shining armour and I fell in love, like crazy in love. I couldn't stop thinking about him," She chuckled, but her eyes were still glossy. "Maybe it was because he had god blood running through his veins, who knew, the point is, when he told the truth about him, I wasn't thinking rationally."

I stared at my mother in beliverment, god blood? What the fuck. She sadly smiled at me, "I don't know what he was thinking either. What, he thought I would run for the hills when he told me he was Hercules?"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right here," I scoffed. "Hercules? You dated the Hercules?"

She gave me a look, "Lower the attitude, Bridget, I am still your mother." I shut my mouth and she sighed running a hand through her hair. "But, yes. And I didn't only date him, we were engaged. However, there was one thing that separated us, immortality. That was until, he proposed to give it up for me. He said that he didn't want it if it meant we couldn't spend it together building our own family."

She paused and looked out the window, but I saw how her eyes glistened. "Let me guess, Zeus didn't like that?" I asked in a quiet voice. She shook her, quickly wiping her fresh tears. "When he found out that the Hero of Olympus was planning on leaving, he threatened him, but we didn't listen."

She met my eyes, "I– we wanted a family more than anything. So, he made sure we couldn't have it. I suppose it was Hera who took my fertility away, but Herc spoke to her and she swore that she was made by her husband. To try and make up a bit, she warned us that if we stayed together, Zeus was planning on killing me..." The woman in front of me trailed off.

"So he left to protect you," I concluded and she nodded. My mother wiped her tears once again, "But then, I somehow conceived you. You, darling, were my little miracle. I was in a very bad place and you were my light."

I knitted my brows remembering what dad said, "Then dad found out and you fooled him into thinking that you would get rid of the pregnancy. But you didn't." My mother rolled her eyes, "I wasn't scared of him, nothing scared me back then."

"But he wasn't as stupid as I pegged him to be," She continued. "He figured it out, but you were already born and you changed him too. Though he delivered some grave news to me, he told me about the pact of the Big Three."

The woman shook her head, looking at me with so much regret my heart started swelling. "I was scared for you, for what would happen if Zeus found out my punishment to not have children was broken, what would happen if he found out about what Hades had done."

She shook her head, "I was young, scared and stupid. So, I thought the most logical thing was to be heartless. That if Zeus ever found out about you, he would think that leaving you with me were a bigger punishment than death."

I shook my head, not letting her finish, "No– you called me selfish, for simply wishing for my mother's love, you called me ungrateful and a brat." I scoffed. "You're telling me that making me feel like I didn't deserve your love was to protect me?" I choked out.

She slipped off her chair, coming to kneel in front of me, grasping my hands, "I know it wasn't the right decision, I know how painful those words were because I heard the same from my mother too, only she meant it," The woman shook her head and I could only stare as tears from our eyes dropped down onto our intervened hands. "I am so, so sorry. I was so cruel, I was unattentive and even if I thought I was protecting you, it is still the worst thing I could have done. I hope one day you can understand."

My eyes were brimming with tears. I could hate her, but I was starving for the love and acceptance from my mom. I pulled her into a hug, "I don't forgive you," I started, "And I won't forget this, but I understand."

She nodded and her arms around me made me feel so safe. Maybe I shouldn't be this easy on the situation, but I couldn't give a damn. "I will spend the rest of our time trying to fix our relationship, I promise you."

I sighed, still in her arms, "Okay."

Chapter Text

IN WHICH
one of the newest heroes of camp half-blood has a prophecy to figure out,
OR
where the god of sun has a decision to make, one that if chosen wrongly will end gravely.

Chapter Text

"GOD I WISH I could have seen that," I sigh tying up my shoelace. "I mean, Grover, in a wedding dress! Amazing," I mumble, but Percy chews on the inside of his cheek. "I don't know, I think he's in trouble."

I shake my head, "I'll tell you what's trouble, the Camp not allowing us to go back, yet." Before her afternoon shift, my mom was supposed to drive us to the Camp Half-Blood tomorrow morning, but she got a message last night from Chiron saying that Percy and I should stay in New York until further notice.

I tried asking Apollo what was up with that, but he changed the subject every time I did, so I knew that something was up. You see, the god that lingered in my thoughts has this inability to lie for some reason. He literally can't physically lie, so his 'no answer' answer was enough for me to realise that something was wrong.

Also, for the past nine months, me and my mom have been trying to mend our relationship. I still could see the guilt in her eyes every time I glanced at her when she thought I wasn't looking. But, she's actually been pretty great. I found out that when she used to be my age she also loved fashion magazines and even kept her favourites for me from back in the day.

But it's not like I forgot the past seventeen years either. Percy definitely didn't. He wasn't so understanding when I told him of my mom's situation, but he now only sends glares at her back and not to her face, which is something.

Some yelling snapped me out of my thoughts and I see that asshole Sloan moving to give Tyson one of his infamous good ol' kicks to the stomach. Sloan whatever his first name is, wasn't big or strong, but he acted like he was.

He had eyes of a pit bull, shaggy black hair, and he was always dressed in expensive but sloppy clothes, as if he wanted everybody to see how little he cared about his family's money. One of his front teeth was chipped from the time he'd taken his daddy's Porsche for a joyride and ran into a PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR CHILDREN sign.

And then there was Tyson. He was the only homeless kid at Meriwether College Prep. He was probably six-foot-three and built like the Abominable Snowman, but he got easily frustrated and tears threatened to fall from his eyes almost every second. The guy was huge, but was scared of just about everything, maybe even his own reflection too.

His face was kind of misshapen and brutal-looking. I couldn't tell you what colour his eyes were, because I could never make myself look higher than his crooked teeth. His voice was deep, but he talked funny, like a much younger kid — I guess because he'd never gone to school before coming to Meriwether.

Honestly, he was a bit pathetic, but I guess Cy had a thing for strays — for example me and now Tyson, because he always came to his rescue. And me being best friends with the guy who has a growing hero complex, I started to look out for the big guy too.

Anyway, Sloan snuck up behind him and tried to jump him, and Tyson panicked. He swatted Sloan away a little too hard. Sloan ended up flying fifteen feet and got tangled in the little kids' tyre swing.

"You freak!" Sloan yelled. "Why don't you go back to your cardboard box!" Tyson's face became red and he looked down, no doubt his eyes already glossy from the unshed tears. He sat down on the jungle gym so hard he bent the bar, and buried his head in his hands.

"Will you shut up, Sloan?!" Percy shouted. The guy just sneered at him. "Why do you even bother, Jackson? You might have friends if you weren't always sticking up for that freak."

I rolled my eyes, finally stepping in, "He has a friend, buddy. And unlike you, he doesn't need his daddy's money to have one."

"Just wait till PE, Nova," Sloan called. "You are so dead." I gritted my teeth, sighing. Why do I always find myself in trouble with that guy? I'd rather have everyone fear me like on my first days at camp than this.

When the first period ended, our English teacher, Mr. de Milo, who left us alone with no adult supervision in the first place, came outside to inspect the carnage. He pronounced that we'd understood Lord of the Flies perfectly. We all passed his course, and he also said that we should never, ever grow up to be violent people. Sloan nodded earnestly, then gave me a chip-toothed grin.

God, didn't his mother teach him that he shouldn't hurt girls or something? Right now, I'd actually take that misogynistic-laced card that girls are weaker and a guy shouldn't lay a hand on her because she doesn't have a dick.

I WAS TOO BUSY having an argument with Apollo in my mind about what was more culturally significant, the Tangled movie, more specifically Flynn Rider, or the convertible car introduction, to notice that Sloan appeared beside our desk and plucked something out of Percy's notebook until it was too late.

"Hey!" I heard Cy yell. Sloan checked out the picture and his eyes got wide. "No way, Jackson. Who is that? She is not your—"

"Give it back!" He yelled and I could only watch, trying to figure out what that little shit took that made my friend's ears grow red. Sloan handed the paper, which I now realise was a photo, to his ugly buddies, who snickered and started ripping it up to make spit wads.

They were new kids who must've been visiting because they were all wearing those stupid HI! MY NAME IS: tags from the admissions office. They must've had a weird sense of humour too, because they'd all filled in strange names like MARROW SUCKER, SKULLEATER, and JOE BOB.

No smart human beings had names like that, but then again, they didn't look like their IQ was even average. "These guys are moving here next year," Sloan bragged like that was supposed to scare us. "I bet they can pay the tuition, too, unlike your retard friend."

"He's not retarded," Cy gritted through his teeth and I had the biggest urge to try my new abilities on that spoiled rich brat. During easter, Percy and I went back to the Camp for a week and there, I accidentally made one of the newer campers chase after the Stroll twins when they pulled a prank on me.

Apparently, saying the words 'gods, I will chase those little fuckers down' was enough for me to accidentally control a ten year old and make him chase after the twins with a sword until he was knocked out. Thankfully, when he woke up, he was back to being in control of his mind.

I think it's safe to say that they won't try doing that again. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to properly explore my abilities, and Chiron gave me a good ten minute lecture about how to stay calm and not repeat the situation on an 'innocent' mortal. So, I have been suppressing them since then.

"You're such a loser, Jackson. Good thing I'm gonna put you out of your misery next period," Sloan said as his huge buddies chewed up the photo. I watched as similar thoughts like mine ran through Cy's mind as he glared at them. Sadly, I wasn't the only one who was under strict orders from Chiron to never take my anger out on regular mortals, no matter how obnoxious they were.

Before we knew it, PE had rolled around. The gym uniform at Meriwether was sky blue shorts and tie-dyed T-shirts. If you didn't wear the uniform, you had to spend one hour in detection and I was not spending any more time than needed at this hell hole. But also, there was no way I'd wear that. So I found my way around the rule.

I cut off the collar of my shirt and chopped the end a bit too, tuning the big, unflattering shirt into a one-shoulder, cropped one that I pulled over my sports bra. During the first few times I wore this, the other girls gave me glares for it and even tried to get me in detention, but sadly for them, I wasn't breaking any rules.

Much to our luck, and I say that with all the sarcasm I can muster up, Sloan got picked as one team's captains and then made Percy the other team's. But in the end, it didn't matter who he picked, because all the jocks and the popular kids moved over to Sloan's side and so did the big group of visitors.

On our side, we had Tyson, Corey Bailer the computer geek, Raj Mandali the calculus whiz, and a half dozen other kids who always got harassed by Sloan and his gang. Normally it wouldn't have been that bad, we had Tyson after all who was worth half a team all by himself — but the visitors on Sloan's team were almost as tall and strong-looking as Tyson, and there were six of them.

Putting it in simple words, we were fucked.

Percy must have seen me eyeing the door because he grabbed one of my elbows, "Don't even think about it. We're stuck in this together."

"Fuck, 'we're in this together'. That only applies to our dads' side family business. I do not want to be bruised for a week again!" I hiss.

Before Cy could say anything back, Tyson interrupted our argument. "Scared," He muttered. "Smell funny."

I looked at him, "What smells funny?" Because I don't think he was talking about himself. "Them," Tyson pointed at Sloan's new friends. "Smell funny." The visitors were cracking their knuckles, eyeing us like it was slaughter time.

"Yeah, I bet," I mumble. But I couldn't help wondering where they came from. Probably someplace where they fed kids raw meat and beat them with sticks. Sloan blew the coach's whistle and the game began.

Sloan's team ran for the center line. On my side, Raj Mandali yelled something in Urdu, probably "I have to go to the nurses office!" And ran for the exit, smart kid. Corey Bailer tried to crawl behind the wall mat and hide. The rest of our team did their best to cower in fear and not look like targets.

"Tyson," Percy started. "Let's g—" A ball slammed into his gut. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he sat down hard in the middle of the gym floor. Then before I knew it, one ball hit my shoulder making me almost lose my footing. I slightly crouched down, wincing. I couldn't believe anybody could throw that hard.

Tyson yelled, "Percy, duck!" He did just that as another dodgeball whistled past me at the speed of sound. It hit the wall mat, and Corey Bailer yelped. "Hey!" Cy yelled at Sloan's team. "You could kill somebody!" The visitor named Joe Bob grinned at us evilly. Somehow, he looked a lot bigger now... even taller than Tyson. His biceps bulged beneath his T-shirt. "I hope so, Perseus Jackson! I hope so!"

Slowly, Percy and I turned our heads to each other. Every time someone called him by his full name it meant one thing, they knew his true identity. Then I remember Tyson saying they smelled funny. Wait... was he another Satyr?

All around the visitors were growing in size. They were no longer kids. They were eight-foot-tall giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, hairy arms tattooed with snakes, hula women and Valentine hearts.

Sloan dropped his ball, "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who..." The other kids on his team started screaming and backing toward the exit, but the giant named Marrow Sucker threw a ball with deadly accuracy. It streaked past Raj Mandali just as he was about to leave and hit the door, slamming it shut like magic. Raj and some of the other kids banged on it desperately but it wouldn't budge.

"Let them go!" Percy yelled at the giants. The one called Joe Bob growled at him. He had a tattoo on his biceps that said: JB luvs Babycakes. "And lose our tasty morsels? No, Son of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"

"The Pastry Gouns what?" I yelled. In response he sneered and waved his hand as a new batch of dodgeballs appeared on the center line. But these balls weren't made of red rubber. They were bronze, the size of cannon balls, perforated like wiffle balls with fire bubbling out the holes. They must've been searing hot, but the giants picked them up with their bare hands

"I take it back," I mumble. "I'd rather have Sloan bitch around than this."

"Coach!" Cy yelled. Our PE teacher, Mr. Nunley looked up sleepily, "Yeah. Mm-hmm." Coach muttered. "Play nice."

"Play nice?" I scoffed. Truthfully, I wanted to rip my hair out. If he saw anything abnormal about the dodgeball game, he didn't let on. Because that's the stupid problem with mortals. A magical force called the Mist obscures the true appearance of monsters and gods from their vision, so mortals tend to see only what they can understand.

Basically, I was pretty sure nobody else realized we were dealing with genuine man-eating bloodthirsty monsters.

The giant named Skull Eater threw his ball. I dove aside as the fiery bronze comet sailed past my shoulder. "Run!" I yelled at my teammates. "The other exit!" They ran for the locker room, but with another wave of Joe Bob's hand, that door also slammed shut. "No one leaves unless you're out!" Joe Bob roared. "And you're not out until we eat you!" He launched his own fireball. My teammates scattered as it blasted a crater on the gym floor.

I felt the dagger gifted to me by Hecate form in my palm, although I wasn't completely sure what I was going to do with it.

Another fireball came streaking toward my friend. Tyson pushed Cy out of the way, but the explosion still blew him head over heels. I also found myself sprawled on the gym floor, dazed from the smoke. Just across the center line, two hungry giants were glaring down at us. "Flesh!" They growled. "Hero flesh for lunch!" They both took aim.

"My friends need help!" Tyson yelled. He jumped in front of me just as they threw their balls. "Tyson!" Percy screamed, but it was too late. Both balls slammed into him, but no... he'd caught them.

Somehow Tyson, the one who was so clumsy he knocked over lab equipment and broke stadium structures on a regular basis, had caught two fiery metal balls speeding toward him at a zillion miles an hour.

He sent them hurtling back toward their surprised owners, who screamed, "BAAAAAD!" As the bronze spheres exploded against their chests. The giants disintegrated in twin columns of flame — a sure sign they were monsters. Monsters sadly don't just die. They just dissipate into smoke and dust, which saves heroes a lot of trouble cleaning up after a fight.

"My brothers!" Joe Bob the Cannibal wailed. He flexed his muscles and his Babycakes tattoo rippled. "You will pay for their destruction!" I gulped, yelling, "Tyson! Look out!" Another comet hurtled toward us. He had just enough time to swat it aside.

It flew straight over Coach Nunley's head and landed in the bleachers with a huge KA-BOOM! Kids were running around screaming, trying to avoid the sizzling craters on the floor. Others were banging on the door, calling for help.

Sloan himself stood petrified in the middle of the court, watching in disbelief as balls of death flew around him. I could lie, but I won't, a part of me was glad the mist didn't work on him.

"Victory will be ours!" Roared Joe Bob. "We will feast on your bones!" I wanted to tell him he was taking the dodgeball game way too seriously, but before I could, he hefted another ball. The other three giants followed his lead.

I knew we were dead. Tyson couldn't deflect all those balls at once. His hands had to be seriously burned from blocking the first volley. "Move!" Percy told our teammates. "Away from the door."

I figured he had something in mind, so I quickly helped him get the others out of the way. Just as we got everyone to comply, a ball hurtled straight at us. Percy grabbed my arm and dove to the side as the fiery sphere demolished the locker room door.

Then suddenly, the wall blew apart. Locker doors, socks, athletic supporters, and other nasty personal belongings rained all over the gym. I was just glad that those weren't my things blown up, but the boy's locker room instead. Because the skirt I came in dressed today was really cute.

I turned to Cy and by his expression, I realised that this was what he wanted. There was only one giant left, Joe Bob, who had wisely held on to his own ball, waiting for an opportunity. He threw just as Tyson was turning to face him after taking down his friend.

The ball caught Tyson square in the chest. He slid the length of the court and slammed into the back wall, which cracked and partially crumbled on top of him, making a hole right onto Church Street. I didn't see how Tyson could still be alive, but he only looked dazed. The bronze ball was smoking at his feet.

Tyson tried to pick it up, but he fell back, stunned, into a pile of cinder blocks. "Well!" Joe Bob gloated. "I'm the last one standing! I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggie bag!" He picked up another ball and aimed it at Tyson.

"Stop!" Percy yelled. "It's me you want!"

"What are you doing?!" I hissed as he stood up. The giant grinned. "You wish to die first, young hero?" Percy charged. The giant laughed, "My lunch approaches." He raised his arm to throw. I watched wide-eyed, not wanting to believe what I was about to witness.

Suddenly the giant's body went rigid. His expression changed from gloating to surprise. Right where his belly button should've been, his T-shirt ripped open and he grew something like a horn?

No, not a horn — the glowing tip of a blade. The ball dropped out of his hand. The monster stared down at the knife that had just run him through from behind. He muttered, "Ow," And burst into a cloud of green flame, which I figured was going to make Babycakes pretty upset.

Standing in the smoke was Annabeth. Her face was grimy and scratched. She had a ragged backpack slung over her shoulder, her baseball cap tucked in her pocket, and a bronze knife in her hand. Sloan, who'd been standing there dumbfounded the whole time, finally came to his senses. He blinked at Annabeth as if he dimly recognised her, "That's the girl... That's the girl—"

Annabeth punched him in the nose and knocked him out flat. "And you," She told him, "Lay off my friends."

I quickly ran to hug my friend, who I hadn't seen in a while. "I missed you!" She smiled and hugged me back, but her grin fell as we pulled away and she looked around. The gym was in flames. Kids were still running around screaming. I heard sirens wailing and a garbled voice over the intercom. Through the glass windows of the exit doors, I could see the headmaster, Mr. Bonsai, wrestling with the lock, a crowd of teachers piling up behind him.

"There!" A woman screamed. The doors burst open and the adults came pouring in. "Meet me outside," Annabeth told Percy, taking my hand. "And him." She pointed to Tyson, who was still sitting dazed against the wall.

Ann gave him a look of distaste that I didn't quite understand, "You'd better bring him."

"What?" Percy scrunched his brows. "No time!" She said. "Hurry!" With that, she pulled me along as we disappeared through the crowd and out the gaping hole in the side of the building.

Chapter Text

"WHERE DID YOU FIND him?" Annabeth demanded, pointing at Tyson. We had just regrouped and we were standing in a closed-off alley.

"He's our friend," Percy shrugs. Ann raises her brow, "Is he homeless?"

"What does that have to do with anything? He can hear you, you know. Why don't you ask him?" Percy scoffed. The daughter of Athena looked surprised, "He can talk?"

"I talk," Tyson admitted. "You are pretty."

"Right," Annabeth grimaced, stepping away from him. I scrunched my brows, why was she rude? I mean Annabeth wasn't as nice as the children of Demeter, but she usually was not cold either.

"Ann, what's going on?" I ask. But before she could answer me, Percy spoke up, "Tyson... your hands aren't even burned." I glanced at the big guy's hands and Percy was right. Instead of being touched from handling the fireballs, his hands looked as grimy and scared as always.

"Of course not," Annabeth muttered. "I'm surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you with him around." Tyson just seemed fascinated by Annabeth's blond hair. As she spoke, he tried to touch it, but she smacked his hand away.

"What are you talking about? Paistry-what?" I ask and she sighs, "Laistrygonians. The monsters in the gym. They're a race of giant cannibals who live in the far north. Odysseus ran into them once, but I've never seen them as far south as New York before."

Percy opened his mouth to try and pronounce their name, "Laistry— I can't even say that. What would you call them in English?" Annabeth thought about it for a moment. "Canadians," She decided. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

"The police will be after us."

"That's the least of our problems," She said. "Have you been having the dreams?" Cy and I shared a look. "The dreams... about Grover?" I tried and her face turned pale. "Grover? No, what about Grover?"

Cy told her about his dream. "What were you dreaming about?" Her eyes looked stormy, like her mind was racing a million miles an hour. "Camp," She said at last. "Big trouble at camp."

I nudged Percy, "Told you." My friend rolled his eyes, "I know, but what kind of trouble?"

"I don't know exactly. Something's wrong. We have to get there right away. Monsters have been chasing me all the way from Virginia, trying to stop me. Have you had a lot of attacks?"

"None all year... until today," Percy answered verbally while I just shook my head.

"None? But how..." Her eyes drifted to Tyson. "Oh."

I knit my brows, "What do you mean, oh?"

Tyson raised his hand like he was still in class, "Canadians in the gym called Percy something... Son of the Sea God?"

Annabeth and I exchanged looks, now how the hell are we gonna explain that? Percy winced before saying, "Big guy, you ever hear those old stories about the Greek gods? Like Zeus, Poseidon, Athena—"

"Yes," Tyson said.

"Well... those gods are still alive. They kind of follow Western civilisation around, living in the strongest countries, so like now they're in the U.S. And sometimes they have kids with mortals. Kids called halfbloods."

"Yes," Tyson said, like he was still waiting for him to get to the point.

Cy glanced at me before continuing, "Uh, well, Gett, Annabeth and I are half-bloods. We're like... heroes-in-training. And whenever monsters pick up our scent, they attack us. That's what those giants were in the gym. Monsters."

"Yes," The big guy nodded. I just stared at him. He didn't seem surprised or confused by anything that Percy was telling him. "So... you believe me?" Percy raised his brows.

Tyson nodded. I chuckled, "Well, he handled that shocking, life changing information better than I expected."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at my comment and Tyson spoke up again, "But you are... Son of the Sea God?"

"Yeah," Cy nodded. "My dad is Poseidon." Tyson frowned. Now he looked confused. "But then..." A siren wailed. A police car raced past our alley. "We don't have time for this," Annabeth said. "We'll talk in the taxi."

"A taxi all the way to camp?" I said. "You do realize how much money—"

"Trust me." Annabeth pleads and I sigh, giving in. "What about Tyson?" Percy asks. I glanced at the big guy, who awkwardly stood to the side. "Yeah, I don't think we can just leave him," I agree.

"I know," Annabeth looked grim. "We definitely need to take him. Now come on." The way she said that confused me. Sure, it's understandable if she isn't the biggest fan of Tyson, but she looks at him as if he were a big disease we needed to get to the hospital.

I LOOKED DOWN AND found a large black chain instead of a seat belt. So, I decided I wasn't that desperate... yet.

Annabeth called us a special taxi that we could afford and given the fact that our drivers are three old hags that share one eye, I don't think the ride will be as smooth as I hoped.

The hags were too busy squabbling to pay any of us attention. I looked over at Annabeth, who was hanging on for dear life, and I gave her a why-did-you-do-this-to-me look. She rolled her eyes, saying, "Gray Sisters Taxi is the fastest way to camp."

"Then why didn't you take it from Virginia?" Percy asks.

"That's outside their service area," She said, like that should be obvious. "They only serve Greater New York and surrounding communities."

"We've had famous people in this cab!" One of the hags exclaimed. "Jason! You remember him?"

"Don't remind me!" The other wailed. "And we didn't have a cab back then, you old bat. That was three thousand years ago!"

"Give me the tooth!" Hag number one tried to grab at hag's number two mouth, but number two swatted her hand away. "Only if Tempest gives me the eye!"

"No!" The last one screeched. "You had it yesterday." My eyes widened at the words when I realise that the one driving the car did not actually see the road. "My god, I'm really beginning to question my life choices," I sigh.

You called me, chaos?

Like a reflex, I rolled my eyes at the sound of his voice. Will I live? I ask getting straight to the point.

Obviously, I wouldn't have let you on if that wasn't the case. Also, it's still not too late to turn around.

What are you babbling about?

I just think that it wouldn't be the worst idea to skip out on Camp this summer?

Solar... I trail off. He knows something, he just obviously wouldn't tell me because that would make him bearable and helpful. Sadly for me, he is usually anything but that.

Suddenly, the taxi spun four or five times in a cloud of smoke and squealed to a halt in the middle of the farm road at the base of Half-Blood Hill. As everyone stops screaming and yelling, I try to recover from my head hitting the seat in front of me.

I groan, rubbing my forehead, "What the hell?"

"Tell me what those numbers mean," Cy demands and I open a door to get out. What numbers? Why is maths on his mind right now? Didn't we struggle enough for nine months in it?

"No time!" Annabeth protests. "We have to get out now!"

I was about to ask why, when I looked up at Half-Blood Hill and understood. At the crest of the hill was a group of campers. And they were under attack. I groan again, "I am not made for this lifestyle of fighting every fucking summer!"

Percy pulls me along, "Well, too bad."

Chapter Text

"OKAY, BUT DO WE actually need to do this? Maybe it's a training exercise?" I offer and Percy gives me a look, "Oh yes, because two bronze bulls that are the size of elephants and breathe fire is a normal exercise here."

"We have a climbing wall where literal lava burns at the bottom!"

Annabeth shakes her head, not letting Cy say anything back to me, "Those are the Colchis bulls, made by Hephaestus himself." I turn to my brunet friend, in disbelief, "How many fucking gods did you manage piss off?!"

"I don't think this is my fault!"

I gave him an agitated look, "You don't think?"

"Guys!" Ann interrupted us again. "They need our help!"

I sighed, relenting, "Fine... but how?" The girl beside me turned to the big guy. "With him," She says and I share a confused glance with Cy. He pulls Annabeth to the side, whisper-yelling, "He's mortal! He got lucky with the dodge balls, but he can't—"

"Percy, we can't fight them without Medea's SunscreenSPF 50,000. We'll get burned to a crisp!" Annabeth hisses back and I only stare at her dumbfounded, "Medea's what?" I glance at Percy who just shrugs, having no idea what she was talking about either.

Annabeth rummaged through her backpack and cursed. "I had a jar of tropical coconut scent sitting on my nightstand at home. Why didn't I bring it?" I shared another glance with Cy, knowing that maybe it was better to just not question her at all.

"Tyson, stay back," My best friend yelled and then started running up the hill towards Clarisse and the other campers who were trying to take care of the bulls. Annabeth disappeared into thin air using her mother's gift and I was left with Tyson, staring at the chaos.

I should go and help out... right?

You know better than to ask me if you should put yourself in danger.

I pursed my lips, glancing at Tyson once. "Stay here," I point my indigo-coloured nail in his direction before running up to the gates of the Camp, right into the fight.

There were two bulls, after bull number one was Clarisse with her siblings and Percy, who running to help. The other bull was occupied with six campers who were failing miserably at trying to stop him from spewing any more fire.

Without much thought, like any of my decisions, I closed my eyes and focused on the second bull. I wasn't psychically strong and I don't have a special sword (I do have a dagger, just sadly, I don't think it will be much help in this situation), but what I do have is some strange abilities that I only used once or twice before.

My goal was simple — stop the bull from spewing fire, or just make him freeze in general. And I did, for a second I thought I took control of his mind, as I did to that ten-year-old back during spring break. But that only lasted a second, because the next moment it's head craned in my direction.

I stare back at him eyes wide. Please don't be looking at me, please don't be looking at me. Instead, it started charging in my direction. "Shit!" I curse as I start running.

This is what I get for trying to help out, one out of ten, will not be doing this again unless it's absolutely critical.

I turn back to see where it was, only to let out a string of curses as I realise it is much faster than I hoped it'd be. Suddenly someone pulled my body against theirs and before I knew it, a hot blast of fire flew in our direction, but the person's shield protected us from the flames.

I turned to the person who saved me, wanting to thank them when I froze. I didn't make out any particular features that I was familiar with, yet somehow, it felt as if I knew who the blond girl was.

When the charge stopped, like almost on instinct, I stretched out my hand and winced, when I felt like a source of energy pulse out from my veins. I opened my eyes and gasped when I realised the bronze bull was unmoving, because my shadows acted like ropes, tying him to the soil.

I blinked a few times trying to fix my vision, but with each blink, my eyesight started getting more blurry and the last thing I saw was Tyson punching the bull, before my body gave out and I fell to the ground.

WHEN I OPEN MY eyes, I get the strange feeling of deja vu. I blink sitting up, realising why was this moment so familiar to me. This was the place where I first woke up after helping Percy defeat the minotaur, this was the place where I got claimed by threatening to kill Grover.

My bittersweet smile falls from my lips when I realise I haven't seen my close friend in somewhat a year.

"You snore when you sleep."

I knit my brows turning to the left where the voice came from. Leaning on one of the bedposts was the blond girl who saved me. She wasn't wearing armour like when I met her. Instead, she was wearing a pair of black shorts and an orange camp shirt, layered with a leather jacket.

"Excuse me?"

Her gaze falls to my hands, "There's no need for that." Confused, I look down, realising I had accidentally conjured my dagger, Erebos. I watch it disappear from my palm, before turning back to the blue-eyed blonde. "Who are you?" I ask.

She raises a brow, "So, you don't remember me. I suppose fame does change people."

"Fame?" I mockingly repeat. What the hell is she babbling about? Has the bleach gotten to her head or something?

"You know, you should be thankful. I saved your life." I crossed my arms, "Sure, I will, when you finally tell me who you are."

She tilts her head, "The daughter of the great Hades does not like to be in the unknown, does she?" I opened my mouth to retort when the conch horn blew. The blond grinned, "Looks like it's time for dinner. I heard there have been some changes since you were last here, so you might want to come."

With that, she left and I was left staring at the place she was just a second ago, trying to figure out, who the hell she was.

"HEY, WHO'S THAT BLONDE, with the letter jacket on Ares' table?" I ask, quickly sitting down beside Percy.

He pauses his conversation, turning to me, "Hello to you too. Good to see you're alive and well."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble, rolling my eyes. "But who is she? I swear, I feel like I know her, I mean she definitely knows me and has indicated that I know her too, saying some shit about how 'fame changed me' or whatever, but I've got no fucking clue who she is-"

Percy gave me a look, silently interrupting me. After glancing at the table of cabin six, he sighs, "Almost every kid on that table is wearing a leather jacket, and I can see at least six blondes on that table. Be more specific."

I wince, "She's a girl?"

My friend rolls his eyes, before looking around. "You shouldn't be sitting here..."

I point my thumb in the big guy's direction, "He's sitting here."

Percy scrunched his brows, "Have you looked at Tyson?"

"The hell, where did that come from? From you of all people too."

He deadpanned and I rolled my eyes, glancing at our friend. I look at the guy in front of me and my eyes widen as a curse escapes my lips, "Shit!"

I glance at Percy who nods. "What..." I trail off. "How— how the hell does Tyson have one eye?! No offence to you, buddy."

Tyson, the guy I had known for ruffly nine months, had one eye instead of two. One large, calf-brown eye, right in the middle of his forehead. Okay, to be frankly honest, I didn't spend much time looking at his face, but still, you'd think I'd notice my friend having one eye!

"He's a Cyclops. A young one," Percy explains and I raise my brows as the big guy in front of me blushes. I offer him a smile, still very confused about the situation.

"Right," I nodded. "Well, this doesn't really explain why he can sit here at Poseidon's table with you."

Cy gives me a look. My eyes widen and I glance at Tyson, before turning my attention back to my best friend. "You're joking..." I trail off, but he shakes his head.

"You know what-"

"-don't you dare say it-"

"-I can see the resemblance!" I grin and he groans.

 nudge him, "Hey, at least you have a sibling, I would die for one." Percy shrugs and I ask, "Anyway, how long was I out?"

"Three days."

My eyes widen at his answer and my brows knit when I notice who was sitting next to Mr. D. I don't know him, but one thing is clear, that is not Chiron.

"Well, well, look who's back, Briana Nora. My millennium is complete. Also, back to your table."

I roll my eyes at the god's of wine antics, but stand up listening to him, "It's Bridget Nova, sir."

My eyes fell back to the man beside the god. He was someone I'd never seen before — a pale, horribly thin man in an orange prisoner's jumpsuit. The number over his pocket read 0001. He had blue shadows under his eyes, dirty fingernails, and badly cut gray hair, like his last haircut had been done with a weed whacker.

He stared at me; his eyes made me nervous. He looked... fractured. Angry and frustrated and almost as if he was starving — for a long time. "This girl," Dionysus told him, "You need to watch. Hades' child, you know."

"Ah!" He said, something sinister appearing in his eyes. "That one." His tone made it obvious that he and Dionysus had already discussed at length.

"I am Tantalus," The prisoner said, smiling coldly. "On special assignment here until, well, until my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise. And you, Bridget Nova, I do expect you to refrain from causing any more trouble."

"Trouble?" I voiced, sitting down beside one of the Stroll twins who gave me a grin and a pat on the back. Dionysus snapped his fingers and a newspaper appeared on the table, the front page of today's New York Post.

There were mine and Percy's yearbook pictures from Meriwether Prep. It was hard for me to make out the headline, but I had a pretty good guess what it said. Something like: Eighteen-year-old Lunatics Torch A Gymnasium.

"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said with satisfaction. "You and your friend caused plenty of it last summer, I understand." I glanced back at Cy who looked like he was fuming, too mad to even speak. I instead sat quietly, carefully watching the prisoner.

"You're that spirit from the Fields of Punishment," I suddenly heard Percy say. "The one who stands in the lake with the fruit tree hanging over you, but you can't eat or drink."

Tantalus sneered at him. "A real scholar, aren't you, boy?"

"You must've done something really horrible when you were alive," Cy shrugged and I groaned, internally mildly impressed about how he just kept making more and more enemies.

"What was it?" My friend asked as Tantalus's eyes narrowed. Behind him, the satyrs were shaking their heads vigorously, trying to warn him, but if there was one thing I knew about my friend, he sometimes just wouldn't shut up. Like, the guy has no regard for his life.

"I'll be watching you, Percy Jackson," Tantalus said. "I don't want any problems at my camp." I practically saw a retort forming in Percy's eyes, "Your camp has problems already... sir."

"And he's dead," I mumble, muttering the words Purple Red Bull to my goblet and taking a large gulp. I have a feeling that this summer is not going to be a calm one.

Chapter Text

WHEN I OPEN MY eyes, the familiar feeling beneath me tells me where I am. Because my bed back at Camp Half-Blood is not this comfortable. I sit up, and a heat wave meets my skin. I roll my eyes, knowing exactly why.

As I walk past the walls I've come to recognize, a grin forms on my lips when Desri hops out from a corner, clearly trying to startle me. I laugh softly, bending down to pet the fox. We step outside and her bright orange fur begins to fade to white, melting in the sunlight. I've noticed that the more light she absorbs, the whiter her fur becomes, like she's soaking up the sun itself.

She didn't even have a name until recently. Apollo finally named her after a week of me bugging him about it. It was just ridiculous how the little creature remained nameless for months. After a while, he had finally relented calling her Desri. It probably had some meaning, I just didn't bother asking about it. It probably was something deep or poetic, but it sounded pretty, so I didn't really care.

As usual, I find Apollo leaning against a tree — a laurel one, I think — staring at the city below. I can't help but glance at the plant, knowing the story behind one of them, Daphne.

My eyes slowly drift from the tree to the tall figure beside it. The golden sunlight filters through the branches, casting a warm glow over him. I shake my head, "So, who's responsible for this heatwave, your father or me?"

He sighs, running his hand through his golden hair. "I don't know, my darling chaos," He says with a smirk on his face that I can hear, "What do you think?"

I roll my eyes, ignoring how much I like this better than 'pet'. "I think you need to stop being like this, or you'll turn into him."

Zeus. After everything I had experienced last summer, I've come to hate the god. There wasn't a once of respect you could pull out from me for him.

And during one sunset, Apollo confessed to me that his worst fear was to become his father.

So, I jokingly swore to him, that I won't let that fear come true.

He finally turns to face me, his eyes meeting mine with that look I have been seeing a lot recently — sharp, like he's watching me more closely than before. "And have you despise me too?" He asks, the hint of amusement in his voice crossing with something else underneath. "I quite like your company, you know."

My heart skips once. Just once. I flash him a teasing smile. "But...?"

He clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes. "But," He says, and I can already feel an argument building between us. There's something in the way he says the word, low, measured, it's his tell. I already know that I'm not gonna like what comes out of his mouth next. "I thought we had a deal about you using your powers beyond a limit."

I don't skip a beat to reply, "And I thought we agreed that you can't dictate my life. You only get to give me advice, Solar." My tone is sharp, but the way his eyes linger on me reminds me that if I were anyone else, he wouldn't have brushed the attitude off.

He opens his mouth to retort, but I shoot him a look that makes him pause. Instead, his voice drops softer, "You may not like it, Bridget, but I actually care about your bloody health."

Something shifts in the air, and for a brief moment, I can't tell if it's the heat or something else altogether that makes my skin prickle. I roll my eyes to cover it, "Since when are you British?" The tension breaks as his mouth falls open in slight astonishment, and a laugh escapes my lips, before another one, and one more.

Apollo's lips form into a grin, and for a moment, it's just us — no teasing, no powers, no gods or demigods. Just this moment.

But I have a feeling that it will be the last one I'll remember with a smile in a good while.

"OKAY SO, THALIA'S TREE is dying, Chiron got the blame for it, monsters have been attacking the camp almost right after I left to go back to school in spring and our new activities director is a sadist. I got everything?"

Ash laughs after taking a sip of his water, "Yeah, pretty much. Oh, and I found the girl you asked me about."

I let go of my handful of hair, letting it fall from my ponytail, taking a few steps towards him in excitement. Asher stayed true to his word when I made him promise that he would run in the mornings with me. So right now, we were in the forest, taking a much needed break.

"Tell me." I plead and he tilts his head to the side, "And what do I get it of it?" I raise my brow, "What do you want?"

"Lessons. You'll help me out with some of the lessons I have to teach for the younger kids." I send him a glare, but relent, "Fine, but only one."

"Three."

"One."

"Two," He says and I sigh. "Alright. Now come on, tell me." Before he could even open his mouth, the conch horn blew and he flashed me a grin, "Looks like the Chariot race is about to begin."

Neither Asher nor I, were big fans of horses, so we both decided against participating, but still, it was a requirement for everyone to watch the race. I rolled my eyes as he closed his water bottle and ran back in Camp's direction. I groaned, but took a deep breath and ran after him too.

"IF HE'S REALLY FOUND it," Annabeth murmured, "And if we could retrieve it—"

"Hold on," I push my sunglasses further onto my skin to shield my eyes from the blinding sunlight that is no doubt Apollo being petty. "You act like this... whatever it is that Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"

My friend pursed her lips, "I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?"

Percy and I share a look, before responding simultaneously, "What's a ram?" Our friend sighs. "Doesn't matter, I'm talking about the fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool—"

"The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?" Cy asks all of a sudden. Annabeth scraped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava, with a nod.

How did those appear? I have no fucking clue, demon pigeons I call them, but during the Chariot race, they attacked everyone and Percy along with Annabeth, were blamed for it because of their horrible chariot driving skills.

Thankfully, because I decided against participating in the race, I simply sat, leaning on a tree, watching the two of them along with Tyson do the work.

"Remember the Gray Sisters?" Annabeth starts. "They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

"Yeah," Cy nods, while I shake my head. "I don't?"

Ann sighs, "Bridget, you need to start learning some of the stories, they could turn out really helpful in the future."

"What, no- Gett, you know this. Remember that old movie with the clay skeletons we watched like a year ago?" My eyes lit up, "Oh that one! Yeah, I remember!"

Annabeth rolls her eyes, "Oh my gods... you two are just hopeless."

"What?" I ask. Ann shakes her head, "Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them."

I scrunched my nose as I listened to the story. "So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."

"It was probably important to her," Percy mumbles and I snort at his joke. The daughter of Athena sends me a glare, "The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom.

The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—"

"It could cure Thalia's tree," I realise.

Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But, the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."

"But Grover found it," Percy said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, Annabeth. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"

Annabeth hesitated, "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?" I wince, "Wait, hold up- does this mean we have to go on another quest?"

"I'm not asking you to go with us if you don't want to, Gett." My friend shakes his head. "This could be dangerous."

I roll my eyes, "Percy, shut up. I'm not gonna let you leave without me. Plus, Grover needs our help."

"Oh shit," Annabeth mumbles. I scrunch my brows, "Now that's usually my phrase when I realise something bad." I noticed how she glanced at Tyson, who'd lost interest in our conversation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.

"We'll have to fight a Cyclops." She mumbled under her breath. "Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."

"Where's that?" Percy asks and she stares at him as if she thought he was playing dumb. And I don't think he was, because I didn't have a clue either. "The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others."

"You mean the Mediterranean?" He raises his brows and Annabeth considers it, "No. Well, yes... but no."

"Another straight answer. Thanks."

"Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's center of power shifts."

"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building?" I try. Ann nods, confirming my guess. "But a whole sea full of monsters — how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening... like, ships getting eaten and stuff ?" Cy asks.

"Of course, they notice. They don't understand, but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it."

I gasp, "Do you mean the Bermuda Triangle?! I was totally obsessed with it in sixth grade!"

"Okay... so at least we know where to look." Percy agrees, but Annabeth shakes her head, "It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters—"

"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?"

"You're jinxing it," I mumble. Annabeth knit her eyebrows, "We'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. But he'll say no."

I think about it for a moment, before saying, "Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."

"Maybe," A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get everything here done. Hand me the lava spray gun, will you?"

Chapter Text

I HESITANTLY OPEN THE door. I haven't been in the big House when it's dark, so it's safe to say that I was surprised at how cozy it looked.

"Sir, you wanted to talk to me?" I asked as my eyes finally settled down on the God of Wine.

He made a gesture with his hand for me to sit down in front of him and I did, while glancing at where he was staring at. Through the window, I could see everyone gathered at the usual campfire, but wasn't filled with music, laughs or any other things that are usual for the nightly activity.

It was very clear that Tantalus could not replace Chiron.

Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave me a head gesture, indicating that I should be following him a bit later to the Big House, before throwing Tantalus a distasteful look.

So here I was, very confused about why Mr. D wanted to talk to me and anxious about the fact that we were supposed to tell camp about our quest idea.

"When you showed up here this summer, you helped tame one of the bulls, didn't you?" Mr. D asked, his voice dripping with the usual mix of disinterest and sarcasm. He swirled his Diet Coke lazily in his hand, barely looking at me.

I nodded, unsure where this was going. "Uh, yeah..."

"And how, pray tell, did you manage that little miracle?" He raised an eyebrow, as if me taming a deadly creature was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

I furrowed my brows, trying to gather my thoughts. "I don't- I mean..."

Before my stammering could get any more embarrassing, the door creaked open and a head of white hair popped through. "Hey, Dad—" She started, but her words slowed the moment her eyes landed on me.

I took a second to look at her. I've heard about her a couple of times, being the only daughter of the Camp's director and all. She had distinct Asian features, and somehow, her cowboy boots felt like a perfect contradiction, completely fitting as the daughter of Dionysus.

I vaguely remember Annabeth mentioning that she had two brothers, but beyond that, I didn't know much about her.

"What is it, Tija?" Mr. D asked, sounding more annoyed than curious, though he had bothered to turn around.

Tija shot me another glance before blurting out, "So, hypothetically, if I wanted to order a package from Amazon, where exactly should I have it shipped?"

Mr. D's expression didn't change as he gave a long-suffering sigh. "Tija Fenzo, you did not—"

"—actually, never mind! I'll figure it out! Good night, Dad!" She interrupted him, slamming the door shut before he could finish his sentence.

Mr. D sighed, mumbling about how having a teenage daughter is a worse trial than his need to consume wine. He looked back at me, as though I were responsible for all of it. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Bulls. Thrilling. Let's just skip the part where you try to sound modest, shall we?"

The god took a lazy sip of his Diet Coke, eyes half-lidded as if the whole conversation was an enormous inconvenience. "Look, kid, I'm well aware of your little 'incident' with the Demeter brat in spring. You took control of his mind. Fascinating." He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"And now, you had a go at one of the bulls. Bit of a hiccup there, though — no soul to latch onto, but still. You managed to stir something up even in that pile of enchanted beef, or metal- whatever."

"I didn't take control of that kid on purpose!" I rush out. "It was an accident. I swear, it won't happen again."

Mr. D's expression didn't change. He regarded me like someone might inspect a half-empty soda can. "Oh, I'm sure it'll happen again," He said, sounding almost bored with my panic. "See, at first, I thought maybe the kid was just being extra obedient. Demeter's children are a bit... you know..."

He made a vague hand gesture, "Leafy. But the bulls? Nah. No soul, no free will to manipulate. That's something else entirely." He took another sip, as though this conversation was a mild distraction to cure his boredom.

"Ever heard of Everclark?" He asked suddenly, as if it were a passing thought.

I blinked. "Who?"

Mr. D turned his gaze out the window, already losing interest in the question. "Everclark was... complicated. The son of a god, just like you, except he could control souls with a mastery that made entire kingdoms tremble. The living were his playthings. Not that it was enough for him, of course."

He waved a hand dismissively. "He got greedy. Wanted to command the dead, too. Thought he could become the greatest Puppeteer of all time."

He paused dramatically, looking back at me with a dissociated look in his eyes. "Long story short, the dead didn't appreciate being yanked around. Turned on him, tore him apart. Yada, yada. Now he's remembered as the mad god's son who got what was coming to him. Tragic."

A silence stretched between us as his words sank in. I finally found my voice. "Is that... is that what I am? A Puppeteer?" The god sighed, like I was asking him to explain the obvious.

"Not just a Puppeteer. Listen, kid—" He stopped himself mid-sentence, squinting at me. "You're what, a few days away from eighteen? Well, if I'm right — and let's face it, I'm always right — you've already got the kind of power Everclark only dreamed of by being Captain's Underworld kid. It's almost impressive, really."

I stared at him, my mind spinning. So that's what Hecate was talking about that night, about how I'll be able to control souls like chess pieces. "Are there more people like me? Or him?"

He shrugged, looking about as interested as someone choosing between two brands of soda. "I don't know. Probably. I think I heard something about that actor from those superhero movies, but who's to say?"

I opened my mouth, then shut it. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'll have to figure that out later. "What am I supposed to do with these abilities?"

Mr. D yawned, "Honestly, kid, I couldn't care less. You'll either figure it out or blow yourself up trying. But if you're asking for advice — don't go all 'world domination' on us, okay? We've had enough of that, thank you very much. Maybe try not to get ripped apart by the souls you toy with. But hey, no pressure."

Before I could say anything else, the god rolled his eyes, "Practice. Just not on humans, obviously." He sips his diet coke before continuing, "Start on animals, bugs, whatever. Then I'll present your abilities to father dearest and we'll go from there. You could be a great asset to the gods with your abilities in full power."

"WE HAVE TO DO the quest," Annabeth decides.

"Do we really?" I question, my mind still stuck on the conversation with Mr. D.

"We'll get, like expelled or something." Ann gave me a look, "How many times have you gotten expelled?"

I nod along, "Good point. Cy, I think we should do it."

Percy was hesitating, so Annabeth continued, "If we don't go, there won't be any camp to come back to."

"Yeah, but you promised Chiron—"

Ann interrupted him, "I promised I'd keep you from danger. I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," Tyson interrupted. "No!" Annabeth's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean... come on. You know that's impossible." She glanced at Cy and I.

I just wondered why she had such a grudge against Cyclopes. There was something she wasn't telling us.

I thought about it for a moment, "Well, there is strength in numbers?"

Ann nodded along, "Which is why I think Asher should come with us." Percy crossed his arms, "I don't know if that's the best idea. We should be going now, since the-"

"-are we going or not?" Ash suddenly appeared out of the bushes. "The cleaning harpies are close, so if you're done being a bunch of scared little cats, we need to go." My best friend reluctantly glanced at me, but I shrugged, "I guess that means Tyson is going with us, unless we're leaving him to be eaten."

Annabeth sighed, but nodded along. Ash came to stand beside me, asking, "So, how are we getting out of here?"

"Hermes said my father would help."

I brought my coat closer to my skin, "Well then, get on with it, will you? It's cold." I watched as Cy stepped into the waves. "Um, Dad?" He called out. "How's it going?"

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed. "We're in a hurry!"

"We need your help," He called a little louder. "We need to get to that ship, like, before we get eaten and stuff, so..." At first, nothing happened. Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes.

Then, about a hundred yards out to sea, five white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast toward the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean. As they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of five white stallions reared out of the waves.

Tyson caught his breath, "Fish ponies!" And he was actually right. As the creatures pulled themselves onto the sand, I saw that they were only horses in the front; their back halves were silvery fishbodies, with glistening scales and rainbow tail fins.

"Hippocampi!" Annabeth said. "They're beautiful."

"Hippo what?" I questioned and Ash chuckled beside me, "Horses of the sea." The nearest one whinnied in appreciation and nuzzled Annabeth. "We'll admire them later," I said, scrunching my brows in distaste.

"There!" A voice screeched behind us. "Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!" Seven of them were fluttering over the top of the dunes — plump little hags with pinched faces and talons and feathery wings too small for their bodies.

They reminded me of miniature cafeteria ladies who'd been crossbred with dodo birds. They weren't very fast, thank the gods, but they were vicious if they caught you.

I swallowed, sharing a worried look with Percy before he approached one of the horses. I walked over to one too. I touched it's neck and it was wet. "Come on, Nova!" Asher's voice cut through the air, teasing. "You afraid?" He was already on his horse, a smug grin on his face, of course. I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to mount the creature.

But the horse had other ideas. It shifted under me, refusing to cooperate. I glanced over at Annabeth and Percy, who were nearly tripping over themselves trying to help Tyson onto his horse.

"You need help?" The son of Athena was suddenly beside me, probably having dismounted with ease. His gaze held that familiar mix of amusement and calmness he carried with himself. I muttered, "Please." Barely louder than a whisper.

Yeah, I wasn't the best at asking for help. But after training with me this summer and the one before, Ash had seemed to notice that.

He chuckled, stretching out his hand. "Here. Put your foot in my palm and give a good push."

With one last glance back at camp, I placed my foot in Asher's hand and let him lift me off the ground. A surprised yelp escaped me as I settled awkwardly onto the horse's back, the unfamiliar sensation unsettling, but strangely exhilarating.

"All good?" He asked, still standing beside me, his hand lingering at my waist.

I turned toward him, catching the warmth in his eyes. The contact, his touch — I realized I didn't mind it at all. "Yeah, all good," I mumbled, quickly dropping my head to hide the heat rising to my cheeks.

Thank the gods it was dark.

PRINCESS ADROMEDA. THAT'S THE ship we should supposedly board by Hermes' instructions.

On the ship, there was attached to the bow was a huge masthead — a three-story-tall woman wearing a white Greek chiton, sculpted to look as if she were chained to the front of the ship. She was young and beautiful, with flowing black hair, but her expression was one of absolute terror.

Why the fuck would anybody want a screaming princess on the front of their vacation ship?

"How do we get aboard?" Annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves. Her brother pointed to the starboard side of the ship, "There," He said. We easily rode through its huge wake, and pulled up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull.

"You first," Percy gestured to Annabeth. She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bottom ring. Once she'd hoisted herself onto the ladder, her hippocampus whinnied a farewell and dove underwater.

I let her get a few steps up and then followed her, Asher just after me. Percy followed him close after and it was just Tyson left in the water. His hippocampus was treating him to 360º aerials and backward ollies, while Tyson was laughing almost hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship.

"Tyson, shhh!" I hissed. "Come on, big guy!" Cy yelled.

"Can't we take Rainbow?" He asked, his smile fading. I stared at him. "Rainbow?"

The hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name. "Um, we have to go," Percy said. "Rainbow... well, he can't climb ladders." Tyson looked heartbroken. He buried his face in the hippocampus's mane. "I will miss you, Rainbow!" The hippocampus made a neighing sound I could've sworn was crying.

"Maybe we'll see him again sometime," Cy suggested. "Oh, please!" Tyson said, perking up immediately. "Tomorrow!"

Before Percy could make the situation worse, I quickly nodded along, "Sure! Tomorrow. Now c'mon, Tyson, get up here."

With one final goodbye, Tyson let go of the creature and climbed up the ladder as I took in the maintenance deck that was stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors, which Asher managed to pry open with his sword quite easily.

I figured we'd have to sneak around, being stowaways and all, but after checking a few corridors and peering over a balcony into a huge central promenade lined with closed shops, we began to realize there was nobody to hide from.

I mean, sure it was the middle of the night, but we walked half the length of the boat and met no one. We passed forty or fifty cabin doors and heard no sound behind any of them. "It's a ghost ship," I mumbled.

"No," Tyson said, fiddling with the strap of his duffel bag. "Bad smell." Annabeth frowned. "I don't smell anything."

"Cyclopes are like satyrs," Asher said, carefully looking around. "They can smell monsters. Am I right, buddy?" Tyson nodded nervously. Now that we were away from Camp HalfBlood, the Mist had distorted his face again. Unless I concentrated very hard, it seemed that he had two eyes instead of one.

"Okay," Annabeth said, trusting her half-brother. "So, what exactly do you smell?"

"Something bad," Tyson answered. "Great," Annabeth grumbled. "That clears it up." We came outside on the swimming pool level. There were rows of empty deck chairs and a bar closed off with a chain curtain. The water in the pool glowed eerily, sloshing back and forth from the motion of the ship.

"Well, this ship really gives off vacation vibes," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I glanced around. The creaking metal, the dim, flickering lights, and the musty smell of damp wood didn't exactly scream 'relaxation.' The distant rumble of the engines felt more like a warning than a lullaby. Almost as if the ship itself was daring us to feel comfortable.

Above us, four more levels — a climbing wall, a mini golf course, a revolving restaurant, but no sign of life. And yet... I sensed something familiar. Something dangerous. I had the feeling that if I weren't so tired and burned out on adrenaline from our long night, I might be able to put a name to what was wrong.

"We need a hiding place," Percy said. "Somewhere safe to sleep."

"Sleep," Annabeth agreed wearily.

We explored a few more corridors until we found an empty suite on the ninth level. The door was open, which struck me as weird. There was a basket of chocolate goodies on the table, an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand, and a mint on the pillow with a handwritten note that said: Enjoy your cruise!

We opened our duffel bags for the first time that the god left for us when he talked to Percy and found out that Hermes really had thought of everything — extra clothes, toiletries, camp rations, a Ziploc bag full of cash, a leather pouch full of golden drachmas.

He even managed to pack Tyson's oilcloth with his tools and metal bits, and Annabeth's cap of invisibility, which made them both feel a lot better. "We'll be next door," Annabeth said as we chose to room together. "You guys don't drink or eat anything," Warned Asher, before heading out. He decided to sleep separately.

"You think this place is enchanted?" Percy asked. Ann frowned, "I don't know. Something isn't right. Just... be careful."

Chapter Text

I WOKE TO A ship's whistle and a voice on the intercom — some guy with an Australian accent who sounded way too happy. "Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disembowelling practice on the Promenade!"

I sat up in bed. "What did he say?

Ann took off her bonnet, groaning, "I think it was disembowelling."

I quickly hopped out of bed, threw open the door, and glanced around. Asher was standing there too, poking his head out of his room, his hair a mess like he'd just woken up. My gaze dropped just below his face before I could stop myself, and I slammed the door behind me, feeling my cheeks heat up instantly.

He wasn't wearing a shirt. And gods, those training sessions had definitely paid off.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Ann's voice broke through my thoughts as she eyed me suspiciously. "Nothing," I mumbled, trying to play it off, but she wasn't buying it. Her arms crossed, brow raised. "And why are you blushing?"

"Shut up."

ONCE WE WERE ALL dressed, we ventured out into the ship and were surprised to see other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. A dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. Crewmembers in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.

Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us much attention. But there was something wrong.

As the family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids: "We are on a cruise. We are having fun."

"Yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool." They wandered off.

"Good morning," A crew member told us, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day." He drifted away.

I crossed my arms as the cold wind blew past my shoulders, "So, this is totally not weird." Ann nodded along, "It's like they're all in some kind of trance." Then we passed a cafeteria and saw our first monster. It was a hellhound — a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs.

The weird thing was, that a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet line right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Not hungry anymore," Tyson murmured. I swalload, "I feel you, big guy."

Before Annabeth or I could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday." Annabeth gestured frantically toward the nearest hiding place — the women's room and all five of us ducked inside.

And just to my luck, the bathroom wasn't the biggest, and my chest was pressed up against Asher's. When I looked up to him, he sent me a reassuring wink, that made me grin. But then something — or more like two somethings, snapped me out of my thoughts by slithered past the bathroom door, making sounds like sandpaper against the carpet.

"Yesss," A second reptilian voice said. "He drawssss them. Ssssoon we will be sssstrong." The things slithered into the cafeteria with a cold hissing that might have been snake laughter.

Annabeth glanced around. "We have to get out of here."

"You think I want to be in the girls' restroom?"

"I mean the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship."

"Smells bad," Tyson agreed. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth is right. We must leave the restroom and ship."

I shuddered. If Annabeth and Tyson were actually agreeing about something, then it's probably not a good sign.

I heard another voice outside — one that chilled me worse than any monster's. "—only a matter of time. Don't push me, Agrius!" It was Luke, beyond a doubt. I glance at Percy, who was frozen in his place.

"I'm not pushing you!" Another guy growled. His voice was deeper and even angrier than Luke's. "I'm just saying, if this source doesn't pay off—"

"It'll pay off," Luke snapped. "Now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check on the casket." Their voices receded down the corridor. Tyson whimpered. "Leave now?" Annabeth, Percy and I exchanged looks and came to a silent agreement.

"We can't," Cy told Tyson."We have to find out what Luke is up to." Annabeth agreed, "And if possible, we're going to beat him up, bind him in chains, and drag him to Mount Olympus."

After a beat of silence, it was Asher who spoke up first, "Right, so what's the plan?"

ANNABETH VOLUNTEERED TO GO alone since she had the cap of invisibility, but her brother convinced her it was too dangerous. Either we all went together, or nobody went. "Nobody!" Tyson voted. "Please?"

But in the end, he came along, nervously chewing on his huge fingernails. We stopped at our cabin long enough to gather our stuff. We figured whatever happened, we would not be staying another night aboard the zombie cruise ship, even if they did have million-dollar bingo.

We sneaked through the corridors, following the ship's YOU ARE HERE signs toward the admiralty suite. Annabeth scouted ahead invisibly. We hid whenever someone passed by, but most of the people we saw were just glassy-eyed zombie passengers.

As we came up the stairs to deck thirteen, where the admiralty suite was supposed to be, Ash hissed, "Hide!" And shoved us into a supply closet. I heard a couple of guys coming down the hall. "You see that Aethiopian drakon in the cargo hold?" One of them said. The other laughed, "Yeah, it's awesome."

Annabeth was still invisible, but she squeezed my arm hard. I got a feeling I should know that second guy's voice. "I hear they got two more coming," The familiar voice said. "They keep arriving at this rate, oh, man— no contest!" The voices faded down the corridor.

"That was Chris Rodriguez!" Annabeth took off her cap and turned visible. "You remember- the one from Cabin Eleven." I sort of recalled Chris from the summer before. He was one of those undetermined campers who got stuck in the Hermes cabin because his Olympian dad or mom never claimed him.

Now that I thought about it, I realized I hadn't seen him at camp this summer. "What's another half-blood doing here?"Annabeth shook her head, clearly troubled. We kept going down the corridor.

"Percy." Annabeth suddenly stopped.

She stood in front of a glass wall looking down into the multi-story canyon that ran through the middle of the ship. At the bottom was the Promenade — a mall full of shops, but that's not what had caught Annabeth's attention.

A group of monsters had assembled in front of the candy store: a dozen Laistrygonian giants like the ones who'd attacked us back at school with dodgeballs, two hellhounds, and a few even stranger creatures — humanoid females with twin serpent tails instead of legs. "Scythian Dracaenae," Ann whispered.

"Dragon women," Asher explained.

"Great." I mumbled.

The monsters made a semicircle around a young guy in Greek armour who was hacking on a straw dummy. A lump formed in my throat when I realized the dummy was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.

As we watched, the guy in armour stabbed the dummy through its belly and ripped upward. Straw flew everywhere. The monsters cheered and howled. Annabeth stepped away from the window. "Come on," Percy told her, "The sooner we find Luke the better."

At the end of the hallway were double oak doors that looked like they must lead somewhere important. When we were thirty feet away, Tyson stopped. "Voices inside."

"You can hear that far?" I asked. The big guy closed his eye like he was concentrating hard. Then his voice changed, becoming a husky approximation of Luke's. "—the prophecy yourselves. The fools won't know which way to turn." Before I could react, Tyson's voice changed again, becoming deeper and gruffer, like the other guy we'd heard talking to Luke outside the cafeteria. "You really think the old horseman is gone for good?"

Tyson laughed Luke's laugh, "They can't trust him. Not with the skeletons in his closet. The poisoning of the tree was the final straw." Annabeth shivered, "Stop that, Tyson! How do you do that? It's creepy."

Tyson opened his eye and looked puzzled. "Just listening."

"Keep going," I said, ignoring the dread in my stomach. "What else are they saying?" Tyson closed his eye again. He hissed in the gruff man's voice, "Quiet!" Then Luke's voice whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Tyson said in the gruff voice. "Right outside."

Too late, I realized what was happening. I just had time to say, "Run!" When the doors of the stateroom burst open and there was Luke, flanked by two hairy giants armed with javelins, their bronze tips aimed right at our chests. "Well," He said with a crooked smile. "If it isn't my three favourite cousins." His gaze landed on Asher, to which he grinned, "Come right in."

THE STATEROOM WAS BEAUTIFUL, and it was horrible. The beautiful part: Huge windows curved along the back wall, looking out over the stern of the ship. The green sea and blue sky stretched all the way to the horizon. A Persian rug covered the floor. Two plush sofas occupied the middle of the room, with a canopied bed in one corner and a mahogany dining table in the other.

The table was loaded with food — pizza boxes, bottles of soda, and a stack of roast beef sandwiches on a silver platter. The horrible part: On a velvet dais at the back of the room lay a ten-foot-long golden casket. A sarcophagus, engraved with Ancient Greekscenes of cities in flames and heroes dying grisly deaths.

Despite the sunlight streaming through the windows, the casket made the whole room feel cold. "Well," Luke said, spreading his arms proudly. "A little nicer than Cabin Eleven, huh?"

He'd changed since the last summer. Instead of Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt, he wore a button-down shirt, khaki pants, and leather loafers. His sandy hair, which used to be so unruly, was now clipped short. He looked like an evil male model, showing off what the fashionable college-age villain was wearing to Harvard this year.

"You bastard," I scoffed.

He shook his head clearly amused, "Now, now, Bridget. Don't make me kill you already."

I stared at him unaffected. His change — it somehow rattled me so much, that I didn't even know he had that kind of effect on me. I guess it truly shows how anyone can change.

He still had the scar under his eye. A jagged white line from his battle with a dragon. And propped against the sofa was his magical sword, Backbiter, glinting strangely with its half-steel, half-Celestial bronze blade that could kill both mortals and monsters.

"Sit," He told us. He waved his hand and five dining chairs scooted themselves into the center of the room. None of us sat. Luke's large friends were still pointing their javelins at us. They looked like twins, but they didn't look human.

"Where are my manners?" Luke said smoothly. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Perhaps you've heard of them." I said nothing. Despite the javelins pointed at me, I wasn't scared.

Luke made himself comfortable on the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"

"You poisoned Thalia's tree," Percy deadpanned.

"Right to the point, eh? Okay, sure I poisoned the tree. So what?"

"How could you?" Annabeth sounded so angry I thought she'd explode. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonour her—"

"I didn't dishonour her!" Luke snapped. "The gods dishonoured her, Annabeth! If Thalia were alive, she'd be on my side."

"Liar!" Ann violently shook her head as Luke stood up, "If you knew what was coming, you'd understand—"

"I understand you want to destroy the camp!" She yelled. "You're a monster!" Luke shook his head. "The gods have blinded you. Can't you imagine a world without them, Annabeth? What good is that ancient history you study? Three thousand years of baggage! The West is rotten to the core. It has to be destroyed. Join me! We can start the world anew. We could use your intelligence, Annabeth."

"Because you have none of your own!"

His eyes narrowed. "I know you, Annabeth. You deserve better than tagging along on some hopeless quest to save the camp. Half-Blood Hill will be overrun by monsters within the month. The heroes who survive will have no choice but to join us or be hunted to extinction. You really want to be on a losing team... with company like this?" Luke glanced over at Tyson in disgust.

"Hey!" Percy interrupted.

"Traveling with a Cyclops," Luke chided. "Talk about dishonouring Thalia's memory! I'm surprised at you, Annabeth. You of all people—"

"Stop it!" She shouted. I didn't know what Luke was talking about, but Annabeth buried her head in her hands like she was about to cry. "Leave her alone," I said. "And leave Tyson out of this."

His gaze settled on me, and he sighed dramatically. "And you... I really thought you'd understand me."

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Oh, absolutely! Because betraying everyone and letting monsters waltz into camp to maybe kill our friends and family is just so impressive and inspiring," I drawled, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I saw him bite the inside of his cheek, before another sadistic smile crept into his face, "So how's your plan to find the Fleece going? What were those coordinates, again... 30, 31, 75, 12? You see, I still have friends at camp who keep me posted."

"Spies, you mean," Percy glared. He shrugged. "How many insults from your father can you stand, Percy? Do you think he's grateful to you? You think Poseidon cares for you any more than he cares for this monster?" Tyson clenched his fists and made a rumbling sound down in his throat.

Luke just chuckled. "The gods are using you, Percy. Do you have any idea what's in store for you if you reach your twenty-first birthday? Has Chiron even told you," His eyes drifted back to me. "Or her about the prophecy?"

"I know what I need to know," Cy managed. "Like, who my enemies are."

"Then you're a fool." The older guy scoffed and Tyson smashed the nearest dining chair to splinters, "Percy is not a fool!" Before any of us could stop him, he charged Luke. His fists came down toward Luke's head — a double overhead blow that would've knocked a hole in titanium — but the bear twins intercepted.

They each caught one of Tyson's arms and stopped him cold. They pushed him back and Tyson stumbled. He fell to the carpet so hard the deck shook. "Too bad, Cyclops," He said. "Looks like my grizzly friends together are more than a match for your strength. Maybe I should let them—"

"Luke," Percy cut in. "Listen to me. Your father sent us." Luke's face morphed into something truly ominous. "Don't— even mention him." But my friend didn't listen, "He told us to take this boat. I thought it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you. He told me he won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are."

"Angry?" Luke roared. "Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! I want Olympus destroyed! Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Hermes it's going to happen, too. Each time a half-blood joins us, the Olympians grow weaker and we grow stronger. He grows stronger." Luke pointed to the gold sarcophagus.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees and I finally realized what was placed in the box. "He is re-forming," Luke said. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears—"

"That's disgusting!" Annabeth said. Luke sneered at her. "Your mother was born from Zeus's split skull, Annabeth. I wouldn't talk. Soon there will be enough of the Titan lord so that we can make him whole again. We will piece together a new body for him, a work worthy of the forges of Hephaestus."

"You're insane," I breathed out. The older guy shook his head, "Join us and you'll be rewarded. We have powerful friends and sponsors who are rich enough to buy this cruise ship, among many more. Percy, your mother will never have to work again. You can buy her a mansion. Bridget, you can have power, fame— whatever you want. Annabeth, you can realize your dream of being an architect. You can build a monument to last a thousand years. A temple to the lords of the next age!"

"Go to Tartarus," She said. Luke sighed. "A shame."

He picked up something that looked like a TV remote and pressed a red button. Within seconds the door of the stateroom opened and two uniformed crew members came in, armed with nightsticks. They had the same glassy-eyed look as the other mortals I'd seen, but I had a feeling that wouldn't make them any less dangerous in a fight. "Ah, good, security," Luke said, "I'm afraid we have some stowaways."

"Yes, sir," They said dreamily. Luke turned to one of his goons. "It's time to feed the Aethiopian drakon. Take these fools below and show them how it's done." Oreius grinned stupidly. "Let me go, too," Agrius grumbled. "My brother is worthless. That Cyclops—"

"Is no threat," Luke said. He glanced back at the golden casket as if something were troubling him. "Agrius, stay here. We have important matters to discuss. Oreius, don't fail me. Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed." Oreius prodded us with his javelin and herded us out of the stateroom, followed by the two human security guards.

AS I WALKED DOWN the corridor with Orieus's javelin poking me in the back, I thought about what Mr. D said — that I'm a puppeteer, and I have the ability to care control of a person.

We exited the corridor amidships and walked across an open decklined with lifeboats. I knew the ship well enough to realize this would be our last look at sunlight. Once we got to the other side, we'd take the elevator down into the hold, and that would be it.

I looked at Percy mouthing 'be ready'. He looked confused, but nodded nevertheless. I suddenly stopped, making Luke's guy turn his attention to me. "Move," He said. I ignored him, getting ready.

As soon as I felt him touch my skin, I focused all my energy on him and to my luck he froze, his eyes suddenly turning a shade of silver. I quickly escaped his hold, "Come on, I don't know how long this will work!"

The five of us quickly started running through the halls. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see one of the security guards draw his nightstick, but Annabeth knocked the wind out of him with a well-placed kick. The other guard ran for the nearest alarm box. "Stop him!" Annabeth yelled, but it was too late.

Just before Percy banged him on the head with a deck chair, he hit the alarm. Red lights flashed. Sirens wailed. "Shit," I mumbled, before we quickly sped up again.

"Lifeboat!" Cy yelled. We ran for the nearest one. By the time we got the cover off, monsters and more security men were swarming the deck, pushing aside tourists and waiters with trays of tropical drinks. A guy in Greek armor drew his sword and charged, but slipped in a puddle of piña colada.

Laistrygonian archers assembled on the deck above us, notching arrows in their enormous bows. "How do you launch this thing?" Screamed Annabeth. A hellhound leapt at me, but Asher slammed it aside with a fire extinguisher. "Get in!" He yelled.

The lifeboat was hanging over the side of the ship, high above the water. Annabeth and Asher were having no luck with the release pull. Percy jumped in beside them. "Hold on!" He yelled, and cut the ropes. A shower of arrows whistled over our heads as we free-fell toward the ocean.

Chapter Text

I LOOK OUT THE sea, remember the words Luke said back on Andromeda.

"-do you have any idea what's in store for you if you reach your twenty-first birthday? Has Chiron even told you," His eyes drifted back to me. "Or her about the prophecy?"

I sigh, letting my hand fall into the cold water. The whole school year I was so focused on trying to find out what Hecate had warned me about, about the prophecy of the true lover, that I hadn't bothered to pay attention to the one Percy told me about one night.

And instead of thinking about it now, my thoughts drift to the other one.

With grace and beauty akin to the dawn's first light, she captures Apollo's heart, a love pure and bright. Yet, during their affection's sweet embrace, lies a shadow, a foreboding, a tragic grace.

The goddess said that I didn't have much time until those words would come true, and my destiny would be set in stone. So what the fuck am I supposed to do?

"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth suddenly yelled out, making me lift up my eyes. I knit my brows, "How did the cruise travel so far overnight? That's like—"

"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy finished for me.

I paused and turned to stare at my friend, "How did you know that?" He looked just as confused as I did, "I- I'm not sure."

I glanced at Aher, who offered me a grin, before asking confidently, "Percy, what's our position?"

"36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," He said immediately. I laughed. Ash sent me a wink. Percy was still confused, "Whoa. How did I know that?"

"Because of your dad," Annabeth guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings. That is so cool."

I patted Cy's back, offering him a condescending smile, "Look at that, you're like our own sea GPS." He just rolled his eyes at my antics and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the son of Athena straighten up.

"Another boat is coming," He said and I looked back. The coast guard vessel was definitely on our tail now. Its lights were flashing and it was gaining speed.

"We can't let them catch us," I said the obvious. "They'll ask too many questions."

"Keep going into Chesapeake Bay," Annabeth said. "I know a place we can hide." I didn't ask what she meant, or how she knew the area so well.

I watched as Percy risked loosening the thermos cap a little more, and a fresh burst of wind sent us rocketing around the northern tip of Virginia Beach into Chesapeake Bay.

The Coast Guard boat fell farther and farther behind. We didn't slow down until the shores of the bay narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered the mouth of a river. Ann pointed at a shoreline, "Past that sandbar."

We veered into a swampy area choked with marsh grass. The lifeboat beached at the foot of a giant cypress. Vine-covered trees loomed above us. Insects chirred in the woods. The air was muggy and hot, and steam curled off the river. Basically, it wasn't Manhattan, and I didn't like it.

"Come on," Annabeth said. "It's just down the bank." I raised my brows, looking around and asking, "What is?"

"Just follow." She grabbed a duffel bag, Ash stood up too, following his little sister, "And we'd better cover the boat. We don't want to draw attention."

After burying the lifeboat with branches, we followed the trail along the shore, our feet sinking in red mud.

I muffled a scream as a snake slithered past my shoe, before disappearing into the grass. "You okay?" I heard Asher ask, but I couldn't take my eyes off the reptile. "I'm staring to think I'm not the biggest fan of snakes."

"Not a good place," Tyson said right after. He swatted the mosquitoes that were forming a buffet line on his arm.

After another few minutes, Annabeth said, "Here." All I saw was a patch of brambles. Then Annabeth moved aside a woven circle of branches, like a door, and I realized I was looking into a camouflaged shelter.

The inside was big enough for the five of us, even with Tyson. The walls were woven from plant material, like a Native American hut, but they looked pretty waterproof. Stacked in the corner was everything you could want for a campout — sleeping bags, blankets, an ice chest, and a kerosene lamp.

There were demigod provisions too, like some bronze javelin tips, a quiver full of arrows, an extra sword, and a box of ambrosia. The places smelled musty, like it had been vacant for a long time. "A half-blood hideout," Percy muttered, before he turned to Annabeth in awe. "You made this place?"

"Thalia and I," She said quietly. "And Luke." Almost like a reflex, I rolled my eyes at the mention of his name.

"So..." I started. "You don't think Luke will look for us here?" Ann shook her head, "We made a dozen safe houses like this. I doubt he even remembers where they are. Or cares."

She threw herself down on the blankets and started going through her duffel bag. Her body language made it pretty clear she didn't want to talk. I shared a glance with Cy and by the way he was fidgeting, I realised he wanted some time alone with the other girl.

I held in another eye roll before tapping Tyson and motioning him to walk with me. Only then did I realise that I had no clue where Asher was. Tyson was sitting on a beach while I scouted the shore for the familiar brunet.

A sudden puff of warm breath brushed the back of my neck. "Looking for someone?"

I spun around, dagger already materializing in my grip, and slammed the figure against a tree. The blade pressed to their throat before I realized who it was, Ash.

"Where were you?" I demanded. His lips quirked into a faint, playful tilt, but his eyes flicked down to the silver edge at his neck. I noticed the flicker of unease and let the dagger vanish, stepping back cautiously while keeping my gaze locked on him.

He laughed, light and easy, like none of this was a big deal, "What's gotten into you?" I didn't laugh. Didn't even smile. "Where'd you disappear to?" I asked again, sharper this time.

The smirk slipped from his face. His eyes darted away, before he shrugged and met my gaze. "I went to look around," He said, his voice smooth.

I stared at him, the weight of my suspicion heavy in my chest. Something was off — something I couldn't put my finger on. My pulse had been racing, I remember the unease knotting in my stomach just seconds ago, but now... nothing. It was like someone had flipped a switch, draining away my doubt.

I frowned, trying to chase the feeling, to remember why I'd been so on edge. My hand itched to summon the dagger again, but I didn't. I just stared at him, confused.

It was almost like the feelings weren't mine.

I cursed under my breath, frustration simmering beneath my skin. It had been too long since I'd heard from him. For someone who loves to share his opinions and tell me what to do, his silence was louder than his words.

"Sorry," I muttered, brushing past Asher. My gaze lingered briefly on Tyson before I turned to my mentor- if I could even call him that. "Can you keep an eye on him for a bit? I need to... take care of something."

He nodded, but I could feel his eyes trailing after me as I walked toward a quieter part of the beach. The gentle roar of the waves filled the silence as I kept going, putting distance between myself and the others. When I was finally alone, I sank down into the sand, the cool grains shifting beneath me.

What did you do?

At first, there was nothing. Just the crash of waves and the steady pull of the tide. But I felt him. Over the past year, our connection had deepened, and now I could sense him the way you feel the air change before a storm.

You know, when you ask like that, it makes me not want to answer. I might get in trouble. His voice filled my mind, tinged with that ever-present smirk I didn't need to see to imagine. I felt my jaw tighten, and I bit the inside of my cheek.

Did you mess with my emotions? I demanded. That moment with Ash- it wasn't me. Not fully.

A groan echoed in my mind, low and irritated. What's with you and that son of 'Thena, huh? I can't hear your thoughts when it comes to him. It's annoying. You're hiding something from me.

I couldn't help but scoff. So it was you.

Sue me. I don't like him.

I stood abruptly, brushing sand from my palms. I didn't have the energy or the time for this. A prophecy hung over my head like a stupid storm cloud, and that dammed quest wasn't helping either. Plus there was the whole Grover thing, I am starting to actually worry about him. So, no, I couldn't afford distractions — especially not him.

Leave me alone. I said, my voice a bit colder than I intended. I've seriously had enough of this.

Turning to head back, I barely took a step and almost collided with something. No, someone.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked up and there he was, just two feet away, arms crossed, towering over me, his expression dark with frustration. "You've had enough of this? Really, chaos?" Apollo's voice was unusually sharp.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, glancing around wildly. Panic clawed at me. "Any of them could see you!"

His brow arched, a bitter edge to his smirk. "Oh, so now you're ashamed of me too?"

I closed my eyes, trying to steady the anger bubbling beneath my skin. "Oh my god, tell me you are not serious." But I already knew he was. Apollo didn't show up like this, actually, this is the second time I'm seeing him not in my dreams.

I shot him a glare, almost sharp enough to make him bleed, and for a split second, his cocky expression faltered, "Don't worry, sweetheart." He said, his voice dripping with false charm, "I'm not actually here. Just a projection. If anyone else looks this way, they'll just see a blinding sunbeam. You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, how comforting," I scoffed.

He stepped closer, or at least, his projection did and tilted my chin up with a gentle touch that sent a shiver racing down my spine. I wanted to pull away, but instead, I found myself nearly melting into his touch, betraying every ounce of my self-control.

"Don't be mad," He murmured, his tone softer now, almost pleading. "I hate it when you're mad."

"Then stop acting like a child," I shot back, looking straight into his sky-blue irises. I'm trying to keep my tone steady, but I'm so angry at him and it's like every time we're together, I feel every emotion tenfold. "And stop messing with my head."

His jaw tightened, the playful light in his eyes dimming. "Okay," He said finally, the word clipped, like it hurt to admit. But I know better. I raised an eyebrow, scepticism dripping from the look I gave him. "Okay? That's it? Just like that?"

Apollo's gaze hardened, the fooling vulnerable edge gone in an instant. "I'll leave you to it," He said, his voice steady again. "If—"

I rolled my eyes, already exasperated. "Of course, there's an if. There's always an if with you."

He ignored my irritation, leaning in just enough that I could feel the pull of him, like gravity. "If you back off from that guy," He said, his jaw tightening. "I don't trust him around you."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you don't. You don't trust anyone who isn't you."

This time, I didn't just think about leaving, I do. Pushing past him, I forced myself not to look back, not even when the heat of his presence flickered.

"Leave, Apollo," I said louder, making sure he heard the annoyance in my voice. I could almost feel him unravelling behind me, his projection dissolving into nothing. But even as he disappeared, the weight of him stayed, as if his shadow had wrapped itself around a part of me.

But I don't dwell much on that.

Chapter Text

"THIS IS BAD," ANNABETH mumbled.

We were crouching behind a tree, staring at the donut shop in the middle of the woods. It looked brand new, with brightly lit windows, a parking area, and a little road leading off into the forest, but there was nothing else around, and no cars parked in the lot. We could see one employee reading a magazine behind the cash register.

That was it. On the store's marquis, in huge black letters that even I could read, it aid: MONSTER DONUT a cartoon ogre was taking a bite out of the O in MONSTER. The place smelled good, like fresh-baked chocolate donuts.

"This shouldn't be here," She whispered. "It's wrong."

I just stared at her, "It's a donut shop."

"Shhh!"

"Why are we whispering?" Percy asked too. "Tyson went in and bought a dozen. Nothing happened to him." The daughter of Athena gave us a look, "He's a monster."

"Ann, I think you're overreacting this time," I say glancing back at the building. Sure, it seemed a bit suspicious, but I don't think it was worth checking out and wasting the time we could spend trying to find Grover.

Cy backs me up, "Come on, Annabeth. Monster Donut doesn't mean monsters! It's a chain. We've got them in New York." He shrugs. "A chain," Annabeth agreed. "And don't you think it's strange that one appeared immediately after you told Tyson to get donuts? Right here in the middle of the woods?"

I thought about it. It did seem a little weird, but donut shops weren't really high on my list of sinister forces. "It could be a nest," Asher explained after staying silent the whole time.

Tyson looked around nervously. I doubt he understood what was going on better than I did, but our tone was making him nervous. He'd ploughed through half a dozen donuts from his box and was getting powdered sugar all over his hands.

"A nest for what?" I asked.

"Haven't you ever wondered how franchise stores pop up so fast?" Annabeth asked. "One day there's nothing and then the next day, boom, there's a new burger place or a coffee shop, or whatever? First a single store, then two, then four, exact replicas spreading across the country?"

I shared a look with Percy, before shrugging, "Um, no. Never thought about it."

"Gett, some of the chains multiply so fast because all their locations are magically linked to the life force of a monster. Some children of Hermes figured out how to do it back in the 1950s. They breed—" She froze.

"What?" I asked. "They breed what?"

"No—sudden—moves," Ash mumbled, as if his life depended on it. "Very slowly, turn around." Then I heard it: a scraping noise, like something large, dragging itsbelly through the leaves.

I closed my eyes in horror, "Shit."

I turned and saw a rhino-size thing moving through the shadows of the trees. It was hissing, its front half writhing in all different directions. I couldn't understand what I was seeing at first. Then I realized the thing had multiple necks, at least seven, each topped with a hissing reptilian head.

Its skin was leathery, and under each neck, it wore a plastic bib that read: I'M A MONSTER DONUT KID! I glanced to my left, where Percy was already taking out his ballpoint pen, but Annabeth locked eyes with me — a silent warning not to do the same. Not yet.

A lot of monsters have terrible eyesight. It was possible it might pass us by. But if I summoned my dagger, the silver glow would certainly get its attention. We waited. The Hydra, or at least I think that's what it was, was only a few feet away.

It seemed to be sniffing the ground and the trees like it was hunting for something. Then I noticed that two of the heads were ripping apart a piece of yellow canvas, one of our duffel bags. The thing had already been to our campsite. It was following our scent.

My heart pounded. I'd seen a stuffed Hydra-head trophy at camp before, but that did nothing to prepare me for the real thing. Each head was diamond-shaped, like a rattlesnake's, but the mouths were lined with jagged rows of shark like teeth.

Tyson was trembling. He stepped back and accidentally snapped a twig. Immediately, all seven heads turned toward us and hissed.

"Scatter!" Asher yelled. He dove to the right. I rolled to the left. One of the Hydra heads spat an arc of green liquid that shot past my shoulder and splashed against an elm.

The trunk smoked and began to disintegrate. I muffled another curse. This is why I'm starting to really hate quests.

The whole tree toppled straight toward Tyson, who still hadn't moved, petrified by the monster that was now right in front of him."Tyson!" Percy tackled him with all his strength, knocking him aside just as the Hydra lunged and the tree crashed on top of two of its heads.

The monster stumbled backwards, yanking its heads free and then wailing in outrage at the fallen tree. All seven heads shot acid as the elm melted into a steaming pool of muck. "Move!" I yelled at Tyson.

I summoned Erebos, catching the attention of one of the heads. It worked, I just wasn't sure what to do now. As soon as my glowing blade appeared, the Hydra whipped toward it with all its heads, hissing and baring its teeth.

The good news: the guys were momentarily out of danger. The bad news: I was about to be melted into a puddle of goo. One of the heads snapped at me experimentally. Without thinking, I threw my dagger, cutting straight through one of the heads and etching into a tree.

"No!" Annabeth yelled too late.

I sliced the Hydra's head clean off. It rolled away into the grass, leaving a flailing stump, which immediately stopped bleeding and began to swell like a balloon. In a matter of seconds, the wounded neck split into two necks, each of which grew a full-size head. Now I was looking at an eight-headed Hydra.

"Bridget!" Annabeth scolded. "You just opened another Monster Donutshop somewhere!"

I threw my hands in the air, "Oh I'm sorry, did me saving myself inconvenience you? I was about to die, Chase! I had to do something!"

"Okay, enough!" Asher yelled. "We don't have time for this." I rolled my eyes, summoning the dagger back into my palm. Cy came to stand beside me, "How do we kill it?"

"Fire," Ash said. "We have to make fire." But the thing was, we had no fire. I backed up toward the river. The Hydra followed. Annabeth moved in on my left and tried to distract one of the heads, parrying its teeth with her knife, but another head swung sideways like a club and knocked her into the muck.

We kept inching backwards, dodging acid splashes and deflecting snapping heads without cutting them off, but I knew we were only postponing our deaths. Eventually, we would make a mistake and the thing would kill us.

Then I heard a strange sound. At first, I thought was my heartbeat. But it was so powerful it made the riverbank shake. "What's that noise?" Annabeth shouted, keeping her eyes on the Hydra. "Steam engine," Tyson said.

"A what?" I ducked as the Hydra spat acid over my head. Then from the river behind us, a familiar female voice shouted: "There! Prepare the thirty-two-pounder!"

A gravelly male voice said, "They're too close, m'lady!"

"Damn the heroes!" The girl yelled. "Full steam ahead!"

I made eye contact with Percy and by the annoyed look on his face, I had a guess on whose voice was that.

"Hit the dirt!" Asher yelled and we all dove for the ground as an earth shattering BOOM echoed from the river. There was a flash of light, a column of smoke, and the Hydra exploded right in front of us, showering us with nasty green slime that vaporized as soon as it hit, the way monster guts tend to do.

"Ugh, disgusting!" Annabeth said making a face. I stood, coughing from the cloud of gunpowder smoke that was rolling across the banks.

Chugging toward us down the river was the strangest ship I'd ever seen. It rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck plated with iron. In the middle was a trapezoid-shaped casemate with slats on each side for cannons.

A flag waved from the top — a wild boar and spear on a blood-red field. Lining the deck were ghosts in gray uniforms, dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls, almost like the ghouls I'd seen back at my dad's place in the Underworld, guarding his palace.

The ship was an ironclad. A Civil War battle cruiser, I guessed. I could just make out the name along the prow in moss-covered letters: CSS Birmingham. And standing next to the smoking cannon that had almost killed us, wearing full Greek battle armour was Clarisse. "Hey losers," She mocked. "I suppose I have to rescue you. Come aboard."

"YOU GUYS ARE IN so much trouble," She laughed as she led us through the ship.

Everywhere we went, dead Confederate sailors stared at us, their ghostly bearded faces shimmering over their skulls. They strangely approved of Annabeth because she told them she was from Virginia.

They were interested in Percy, too, because his last name was Jackson, like some Southern general. But then he ruined it by telling them he was from New York. They all hissed and muttered curses about the Yankees.

With me on the other hand, some offered me winks of approval, some even took off their hats as I passed them, making me come to the conclusion that they knew who I was, or at least whose daughter I was.

And Tyson was just terrified of them.

Finally, we were escorted to dinner. The CSS Birmingham captain's quarters were about the size of a walk-in closet, but it still looked much bigger than any other rooms on board. The table was set with white linen and china. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, and Dr Peppers were served by skeletal crewmen.

At first, I didn't want to eat, but after taking a sip of my favourite soda, I grabbed a sandwich too. "Tantalus expelled you for eternity," Clarisse told us. "Mr. D said if any of you show your face at camp again, he'll turn you into squirrels and run you over with his SUV."

"Great," I mumbled. Then the door opened again and someone else entered the cabin. We all glanced to look and I immediately recognised the blond girl.

Unlike Clarisse who was wearing full on armour, she was wearing a dark brown leather jacket with some layered skirts underneath. I had to say it, she knew her way around a closet.

"Amelia? Amelia Rune?" Percy beside me suddenly asks, making me quickly turn my head to him. She raises her brows, "Well, at least one of you remembers me."

"You know her?" I mutter quietly and he nods, still glancing at the girl. "We used to have Latin together, history too right? We three once did a project together during class."

And then it hits me. Of course, I knew her. Before Percy and Grover came to Yancy, I was sitting with her in some of the classes. She used to not have friends, like me, so the teachers would just sit us together hoping we would bond or something.

But that didn't work, I can't really remember why. But what I do remember is that while I didn't have friends mostly on purpose, that was not the case with her. I think I recall hearing some rumour going around about her, I just don't remember what it was either.

The blond girl, or should I say Amelia tilted her head confidently, staring down at me, "Look at that, I think you remember me now." There, that was the other thing. I know now why I couldn't recognise her earlier.

Not only did she grow out of her church clothes style, but also her bob and bangs she used to hide behind, she grew more confident. Back in class, she used to hardly speak and if she would speak to me on rarer occasion, she would stutter like crazy.

"Well, it looks like you got some character development," I say raising my brows. The side of her lip twitches before she breaks the eye contact and goes to grab a can of Dr Pepper, brushing past her half-sister.

I nudge Cy, still keeping my eyes on her and whispering to him, "Hey, didn't you like a have a crush on her or someth-"

"Shut up," He hisses and I laugh. That's why he remembered her. I still recall being shocked when he told me he thought she was kinda cute during a game of truth or dare.

Well, one thing is for sure, Amelia Rune was definitely not cute anymore. I'd try the word hot.

As if hearing my thoughts, Annabeth cleared her throat, "Anyway, did the camp get you this ship?"

"'Course not. My father did," Clarisse smirks and Percy raises his brows, "Ares?"

She scoffed, "You think your daddy's is the only one with seapower? The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. I prayed to my father for a naval transport and here it is."

Amelia came to stand beside one of the ghosts, "These guys will do anything we tell them. Won't you, Captain?"

The said man's gaze lingered on me and I raised my brow, "Well, they might be on your ship, Rune, but my dad's the one they answer to, right, cap?"

Amelia's bold smile fell, and I saw Clarisse staring at me with a dangerous glint in her eyes. She turned to the man, angry, "You answer to us."

The captain stood behind her looking stiff and angry. "If it means an end to this internal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. Destroy anyone."

The daughters of Ares smiled and Clarisse nodded along, "Destroy anyone. I like that."

"Clarisse," Annabeth started, "Luke might be after the Fleece, too. We saw him. He's got the coordinates and he's heading south. He has a cruise ship full of monsters—"

"Good! I'll blow him out of the water."

I puff out my cheeks, muttering to my Dr Pepper can, "Well, someone's confident." The blond's eyes fell on me, "Did you say something?"

I flash her a smile, "Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over."

Annabeth sent me a glare that pretty much said 'shut up', "You don't understand. We have to combine forces. Let us help you—"

"No," Clarisse interrupted, looking at my friend angrily. "This is our quest! Finally, I get to be the hero, and you three will not steal my chance."

"Clarisse," Percy joined in, also glancing at the blond, "Amelia, Tantalus is using you. He doesn't care about the camp. He'd love to see it destroyed. He's setting you up to fail."

"No! I don't care what the Oracle—" She stopped herself, but it was too late. "What?" I said, raising my brows, "What did the Oracle tell you?"

"Nothing." Her tone quieted down. "All you need to know is that I'm finishing this quest and you're not helping. On the other hand, I can't let you go..."

"So we're prisoners?" Asher said, crossing his arms. "C'mon Clarisse, don't be ridiculous."

The said girl flashed him a smile, "Guests. For now." She turned to the dead man from before, "Captain, take them below. Assign them hammocks on the berth deck. And if they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies."

Chapter Text

THE WIND WAS BITING my skin and unintentionally, I inched closer to Asher who stood beside me. I had an uneasy feeling about this.

"You okay?" He mumbles to my ear.

I look up at him and nod, feeling my cheeks slightly heat up, knowing that it wasn't because of the cold weather.

Looking away from the Athena's son, Percy and I locked eyes as he came up the stairs, glancing around. He came to stand beside Annabeth, quietly conversing about something.

When I looked back to the sea again, in the north, I could see a huge mass of rock rise out of the sea. An island with cliffs at least a hundred feet tall. About half a mile south of that, the other patch of darkness was a storm brewing. The sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

"Hurricane?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Amelia shook her head. "Charybdis." Only now I realised how close she actually stood beside me. I was sure that if she let her hands fall down, they would brush against mine.

Ann paled, "Are you crazy?"

"Only way into the Sea of Monsters. Straight between Charybdis and her sister Scylla," Clarisse pointed to the top of the cliffs, and I got the feeling that something lived up there that I did not want to meet.

"What do you mean the only way?" I asked. "The sea is wide open. Why can't we just sail around them?" Amelia rolled her eyes, "Don't you know anything? If we tried to sail around them, they would just appear in our path again. If you want to get into the Sea of Monsters, you have to sail through them."

I sighed, "Great."

"What about the Clashing Rocks?" Asher asked. "That's another gateway. Jason used it."

"I can't blow apart rocks with my cannons," Clarisse said. "Monsters, on the other hand..."

"You are crazy," Annabeth almost yelled.

"Watch and learn, Wise Girl." Clarisse turned to the captain, "Set course for Charybdis!"

"Aye, m'lady." The engine groaned, the iron plating rattled, and the ship began to pick up speed. Out of surprise, I accidentally stumbled, but two hands that belonged to Asher immediately went around my waist, securing me and pressing my body to his, helping me to stay straight.

I looked up at him and my breath almost caught in my throat. He stared back at me with his dark chocolate eyes, his eyes watching my every movement. "Careful, there."

Before I could reply, a voice cut me off, "Bridget! Come up here."

I closed my eyes in annoyance, recognising the voice as Annabeth's from somewhere inside the boat. But when I turned back to Asher all that annoyance was gone for a second. "I should go," I mumble.

He didn't let go of me, "Yes, you should."

Suddenly, I realised how little space was between us. And his messy hair looked especially good from the wind tossing it. And he was so warm too.

The ship hit a hard wave again, making me stumble straight into his chest. That's how I found myself glancing at his lips. When I looked up at his eyes, he was looking at mine too.

I swallowed hard. Okay. No big deal. So he was attractive. I'd admitted that to myself once or twice — fine, more than that, but who's counting? I always held back the idea of doing this. For much longer than I cared to admit. Though the way he was looking at me made me forget the reason why.

I held his gaze as I stood on my tiptoes and I was about to do something that could potentially change a lot of things, when I heard someone else yell out, "Bridget! Where are you!" The voice this time much closer.

The yell pulled us apart and I sighed, biting the inside of my cheek. Asher was still looking at me, this time he was smirking. "Oh shut up," I rolled my eyes.

He raised one of his brows. "How about we continue this when it's all over?"

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep my face serious, "You wish."

Ash laughed, "That I do."

I nudged him and he sent me another grin. An arm slid around my waist, pulling me just a step closer as he guided me back toward the others. "C'mon," He said with a grin in his voice. "Don't want your fan club thinking you got lost."

"Fan club?" I snorted.

"WE NEED A BACK up plan," Annabeth said. "This isn't going to work."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The daughters of Ares decided that the best plan was to go full steam straight towards Charybdis, train their guns on her, and blow her to Tartarus. Clarisse said it with such relish I almost wanted to believe her.

But as we got closer to the monsters, the sound of Charybdis got louder and louder — a horrible wet roar like the galaxy's biggest toilet being flushed. Every time she inhaled, the ship shuddered and lurched forward. Every time she exhaled, we rose in the water and were buffeted by ten-foot waves.

Undead sailors calmly went about their business on the spar deck. I guess they'd fought a losing cause before, so this didn't bother them. Or maybe they didn't care about getting destroyed because they were already deceased. Neither thought made me feel any better.

"Annabeth is right," Tyson said. "Engine's no good."

I pressed my digits further into the skin of my eyelids. Knowing our luck, this was expected. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Pressure. Pistons need fixing," The cyclops shrugged, but before he could explain, the cosmic toilet flushed with a mighty roarrrrr!

"Full reverse!" Clarisse suddenly screamed above the noise. The sea churned around us, waves crashing over the deck. The iron plating was now so hot it steamed. "Get us within firing range! Make ready starboard cannons!"

Dead Confederates rushed back and forth. The propeller grinded into reverse, trying to slow the ship, but we kept sliding toward the center of the vortex. A ghost sailor burst out of the hold and ran to Clarisse.

His grey uniform was smoking. His beard was on fire. "Boiler room overheating, ma'am! She's going to blow!"

Amelia turned to him, "Well, get down there and fix it!"

"Can't!" The sailor yelled. "We're vaporizing in the heat."

I cursed, trying to keep myself calm, "This is going just great, guys." Percy nudged me, "Not the time, Gett."

"We're going in too fast," The captain said grimly. "Prepare yourself for death." Great, it will be like the second time in the past two days.

"No!" Tyson argued. "I can fix it."

Clarisse looked at him incredulously, "You?"

Annabeth nodded along, "He's a Cyclops, immune to fire. And he knows mechanics."

"Then go!" Yelled Amelia.

Percy grabbed tuned to his half-brother, "Tyson, no! It's too dangerous!" The Cyclops patted his hand. "Only way, brother." His expression was determined — confident, even. I'd never seen him look like this before.

"I will fix it. Be right back." We watched him follow the smouldering sailor down the hatch. Percy looked nervous, like he had a terrible feeling. And then I saw Charybdis.

She appeared only a few hundred yards away, through a swirl of mist and smoke and water. The first thing I noticed was the reef, a black crag of coral with a fig tree clinging to the top, an oddly peaceful thing in the middle of a maelstrom.

All around it, water curved into a funnel, like light around a black hole. Lastly, I saw the horrible thing anchored to the reef just below the waterline. An enormous mouth with slimy lips and mossy teeth the size of rowboats. And worse, the teeth had braces, bands of corroded scummy metal with pieces of fish and driftwood and floating garbage stuck between them

"We're all dead," I mumbled to myself, but I got a glare from Ann who didn't look like she was giving up.

"Lady Clarisse," The captain shouted. "Starboard and forward guns are in range!"

"Fire!" She ordered. Three rounds were blasted into the monster's maw. One blew off the edge of an incisor. Another disappeared into her gullet. The third hit one of Charybdis's retaining bands and shot back at us, snapping the Ares flag off its pole.

"Again!" the daughter of Ares yelled. The gunners reloaded, but I knew it was hopeless. We would have to pound the monster a hundred more times to do any real damage, and we didn't have that long. We were being sucked in too fast. Then the vibrations in the deck changed.

The hum of the engine got stronger and steadier. The ship shuddered and we started pulling away from the mouth. "Tyson did it," Annabeth sighed in relief.

"Wait!" Clarisse shouted. "We need to stay close!

"We'll die!" I yelled back. "We have to move away."

I gripped the rail as the ship fought against the suction. The broken Ares flag raced past us and lodged in Charybdis's braces. We weren't making much progress, but at least we were holding our own. Tyson had somehow given us just enough juice to keep the ship from being sucked in.

Suddenly, the mouth snapped shut. The sea died to absolute calm. Water washed over Charybdis. Then, just as quickly as it had closed, the mouth exploded open, spitting out a wall of water, ejecting everything inedible, including our cannonballs, one of which slammed into the side of the CSS Birmingham with a ding like a bell on a carnival game.

We were thrown backwards on a wave that must've been forty feet high. I saw Cy concentrating out of the corner of my eye, but the spinning out-of-control thing stole my attention away from him.

Another smouldering sailor burst out of the hold. He stumbled into the Ares sisters, almost knocking them both overboard. "The engine is about to blow!"

"Where's Tyson?" Percy demanded.

"Still down there," The sailor said. "Holding it together somehow, though I don't know for how much longer."

The captain shook his head. "We have to abandon ship."

"No!" Clarisse yelled, but the ghost persisted. "We have no choice, m'lady. The hull is already cracking apart! She can't—"

He never finished his sentence. Quick as lightning, something brown and green shot from the sky, snatched up the captain, and lifted him away. All that was left were his leather boots. "Scylla!" A sailor yelled, as another column of reptilian flesh shot from the cliffs and snapped him up.

It happened so fast, it was like watching a laser beam rather than a monster. I couldn't even make out the thing's face, just a flash of teeth and scales. "Everyone get below!" Percy pointed. "We can't!" Clarisse drew her sword. "Below deck is in flames."

"Lifeboats!" Asher yelled. "They'll never get clear of the cliffs," Amelia shouted back. "We'll all be eaten."

"We have to try. Percy, the thermos."

He shook his head, "I can't leave Tyson!"

"We have to get the boats ready!" Clarisse finally listened to Asher's command. She, her sister and a few of her ghost sailors uncovered one of the two emergency rowboats while Scylla's heads rained from the sky like a meteor shower with teeth, picking off Confederate sailors one after another.

"Get the other boat," Percy threw Annabeth the thermos. "I'll get Tyson."

"You can't!" She said. "The heat will kill you!" I met his eyes and I knew that my best friend, having the burden that is the hero complex, wouldn't just give up. No, instead he ran deeper into the ship.

Ann hurled her bag into the lifeboat and jumped in with the grace of someone who'd done this way too many times. I wasn't as smooth, but I managed to follow right after her without face-planting, so I counted it as a win.

Asher was about to do the same when a frustrated shout cut through the air.

"Ugh, come on, you stupid thing!"

We turned to see Clarisse, red-faced and furious, wrestling with her boat like it had personally insulted her. It was stuck half on the deck, half in the water, and absolutely refusing to cooperate.

Asher let out a sigh like he'd just been asked to clean up after a Minotaur. "I should help her," He muttered, already moving toward her.

Ann and I exchanged a quick look and nodded. We both knew if Clarisse got mad enough, she'd probably just punch the boat into submission. But if Asher could save us from that show, it was worth it.

While he jogged over to help, I glanced around, suddenly noticing something off. That was when I realized that Amelia was nowhere to be seen. And before I knew it, a loud BOOM rang throughout the boat.

The explosion rattled through the air, loud enough to make my ears ring. I barely had time to brace as the shockwave hit the ship, making our lifeboat lurch sideways. Clarisse and Asher went down with it, toppling straight into her boat with a loud THUD.

"Ah, come on!" I heard someone yell, but my attention snapped to the deck.

Through the cloud of gray smoke, two figures appeared. One of them was dragging the other, practically carrying their entire weight. My heart kicked into high gear. I jumped from my spot when I realised it was the blond girl who had my best friend slumped to her side.

I moved without thinking, jumping up and waving them over. "Over here!"

Amelia didn't hesitate. She stumbled toward me, dragging Percy like he was a sack of bricks, and I was already climbing up to meet her. Between the two of us, we managed to get him into the boat. He looked pale — too pale.

"Thank you," I said, breathless, but meant it. Her eyes flicked to me, sharp and determined. She gave a curt nod, like that was all the thanks she needed. Then the realisation washed over me, Tyson wasn't here.

I tried to swallow my emotions as the boat rocked again, harder this time. I grabbed the side to steady myself, eyes darting to her as she glanced toward the other lifeboats.

I watched as Amelia's gaze landed on one boat in particular — the one where her sister was supposed to be. But it wasn't there anymore. The sea had already pulled it away. I spotted Asher and Clarisse inside, both of them shouting something we couldn't hear over the waves.

I quickly got back into the boat, tuning to the daughter of Ares. "Jump!" I yelled, motioning her toward us. It wasn't a request. It was now or never.

Her jaw tensed. She looked toward her sister's boat one more time. Then she spun on her heel, sprinted two steps, and launched herself into our boat, landing with a thud beside Annabeth.

The girl didn't say anything, just sat back, chest heaving as she caught her breath. None of us said it, but we all knew the score.

Chapter Text

PERCY WOKE UP A few hours later. We were in the middle of the sea, the water surrounding us completely.

He tried immediately to sit up, but somewhat froze in the middle of the action. "Rest," Annabeth said, pushing him back. "You're going to need it."

"Tyson...?"

She shook her head. "Percy, I'm really sorry."

We were silent while the waves tossed us up and down. "He may have survived," I said half heartedly. "I mean, fire can't kill him."

Even though I said it, I had no reason to feel hopeful. I'd seen that explosion, it had to be ripped through solid iron. If Tyson had been down in the boiler room, there was no way he could've lived.

His eyes fell onto the blond girl who had fallen asleep around an hour ago. "What's she doing here?" He asked more quietly. Then he looked around. "Annabeth, where's your brother?"

She and I shared a look. "Long story," She sighed. "But he should be fine, he's with Clarisse."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Just as I found the guts to do something I've been wanting to do this whole summer, we broke apart. It's as if the universe is telling me kissing Ash is a big no-no.

Now that we were in the Sea of Monsters, the water glittered a more brilliant green, like Hydra acid. The wind smelled fresh and salty, but it carried a strange metallic scent, too. Like a thunderstorm was coming. Or something even more dangerous.

Thankfully Percy, being our sea GPS knew what direction we needed to go. But that didn't make us feel any less lost. No matter which way we turned, the sun seemed to shine straight into our eyes. We took turns sipping from the Dr Pepper, shading ourselves with the sail as best we could.

Then, he told us about his latest dream about Grover. By Annabeth's estimate, we had less than twenty-four hours to find Grover, assuming Cy's dream was accurate, and assuming the Cyclops Polyphemus didn't change his mind and try to marry Grover earlier.

"Yeah," He said bitterly. "You can never trust a Cyclops."

Annabeth stared across the water. "I'm sorry, Percy. I was wrong about Tyson, okay? I wish I could tell him that."

I looked down. I understood why Percy was mad, I was too shocked when she would act mean towards Tyson. But the end of this road is still far.

"Annabeth, what's Chiron's prophecy?" He suddenly asked and Ann pursed her lips. "Percy, I shouldn't—"

"I know Chiron promised the gods he wouldn't tell us. But you didn't promise, did you?" I turned to look at Annabeth who shook her head, "Knowledge isn't always good for you."

I stared at her, "Your mom is the wisdom goddess."

"I know! But every time heroes learn the future, they try to change it, and it never works," She sighed, but Percy wasn't giving up. "The gods are worried about something we will do when we get older."

"Something when we turn twenty-one," I added, remembering what Luke said.

Annabeth twisted her Yankees cap in her hands. "Listen, I don't know the full prophecy, but it warns about a half-blood child of the Big Three. The next one who lives to the age of twenty-one."

She glanced at Amelia, who was still passed out. "That's the real reason Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades swore a pact after World War II not to have any more kids. The next child of the Big Three who reaches twenty-one will be a dangerous weapon."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because that hero will decide the fate of Olympus. He or she will make a decision that either saves the Age of the Gods, or destroys it." She finished. I let that sink in. I was soon to be eighteen, and my powers were already showing.

Mr. D called me a Puppeteer. He told me that I had the ability inside me to control souls, like someone called Everclark. He told me that I could be a great asset to the gods in the future, a weapon.

"That's why Kronos didn't kill me last summer," Percy mumbled and Ann nodded. "You could be very useful to him. If he can get you on his side, the gods will be in serious trouble."

"So, one of us technically dies?" I ask.

She looked at me sadly, "We'll only know that if you would survive three more years. That can be a long time for a half-blood." Oh yes, dying at twenty-one, such a dream.

"When Chiron first learned about Thalia, he assumed she was the one in the prophecy," Annabeth continued. "That's why he was so desperate to get her safely to camp. Then she went down fighting and got turned into a pine tree and none of us knew what to think. Until the two of you came along."

"This kid in the prophecy... he or she couldn't be like a Cyclops?" Percy asked.

"The Big Three have lots of monster children," Annabeth shook her head. "The Oracle said 'half-blood.' That means half-human, half-god. There's really nobody alive who it could be, except you guys."

I knit my brows, "Then why do the gods even let us live? It would be safer to just kill us."

"You're right."

"Well, that's reassuring."

"Look, I don't know. I guess some of the gods would like to kill you, but they're probably afraid of offending Hades. I mean, no one wants to be on his bad side. The same is with Poseidon."

She glanced between me and Cy. "Other gods... maybe they're still watching you, trying to decide what kind of hero you will turn out to be. You could be a weapon for their survival, after all. The real question is, which one of you it will be? What decision will be made?"

"Did the prophecy give any hints?" My best friend asked. Annabeth hesitated. Maybe she would've told us more, but Amelia started to move, her eyes opening. She groggily sat up, running her fingers through her golden hair.

"Oh, I see you're up, sea horse." Percy immediately turned to her, clearly offended. "Sea- what?"

I laughed, "Oh, I like that one." Amelia flashed me a smile.

Suddenly, a seagull swooped down out of nowhere and landed on our makeshift mast. Annabeth looked startled as the bird dropped a small cluster of leaves almost straight into her lap. "Land," She breathed out. "There's land nearby!"

I sat up. Sure enough, there was a line of blue and brown in the distance. Another minute and I could make out an island with a small mountain in the center, a dazzling white collection of buildings, a beach dotted with palm trees, and a harbour filled with a strange assortment of boats. The current was pulling our rowboat toward what looked like a tropical paradise.

"Well, it looks like I woke up just in time," Amelia mumbled.

"WELCOME!" SAID THE LADY with the clipboard. She looked like a flight attendant, blue business suit, hair pulled back in a ponytail and perfect makeup that I definitely wasn't jealous of.

She shook Amelia's and Percy's hands as we stepped onto the dock. With the dazzling smile she gave us, you would've thought we'd just gotten off the Princess Andromeda rather than a banged-up rowboat. Then again, our rowboat wasn't the weirdest ship in port.

Along with a bunch of pleasure yachts, there was a U.S. Navy submarine, several dugout canoes, and an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship. There was even a helipad with a "Channel Five Fort Lauderdale" helicopter on it and a short runway with a Learjet and a propeller plane that looked like a World War II fighter. Maybe they were replicas for tourists to look at or something.

"Is this your first time with us?" The clipboard lady inquired. The four of us exchanged looks. Annabeth said, "Umm..."

"First—time—at—spa," The lady said as she wrote on her clipboard. "Let's see..." She looked us up and down critically. "Mmm. An herbal wrap to start for the young ladies. And of course, a complete makeover for the young gentleman."

"A what?" Percy asked. She was too busy jotting down notes to answer. He glanced at me with a concerned look and I had to cover my mouth to contain my laughter.

"Right!" She said with a breezy smile. "Well, I'm sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come, please."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Annabeth muttered.

 rolled my eyes linking my around around Ann's and Amelia's waists, following after the woman, "Oh no, we are doing this. I fully believe we deserve this." After all the shit we've been through, I added in my mind.

The place was amazing. There was white marble and blue water everywhere I looked. Terraces climbed up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes you could swim through. Fountains sprayed water into the air, forming impossible shapes, like flying eagles and galloping horses.

Honestly, I wanted to cry out of joy.

We passed all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napped in a stack of beach towels. A leopard stretched out asleep on the diving board. The resort guests, only young women, as far as I could see, lounged in deckchairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while masks dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails.

No doubt about it, this had to be one of my versions of heaven, or Elyssium I guess.

The room we came into had the whole front wall changed to windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive looking white furniture, and on a table in one corner was a large wire pet cage.

The cage seemed out of place, but I didn't think about it too much, because just then I saw the lady who'd been singing... and whoa. She sat at a loom the size of a big screen TV, her hands weaving coloured thread back and forth with amazing skill.

The tapestry shimmered like it was three dimensional, a waterfall scene so real I could see the water moving and clouds drifting across a fabric sky.

Annabeth caught her breath. "It's beautiful."

The woman turned. She was even prettier than her fabric. Her long dark hair was braided with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric. Animal shadows, black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night. "You appreciate weaving, my dear?" The woman asked.

"Oh, yes, ma'am!" Annabeth said. "My mother is—"

She stopped herself and I glanced weirdly at her. You couldn't just go around announcing that your mom was Athena. Our hostess just smiled. "You have good taste, my dear. I'm so glad you've come. My name is C.C."

The animals in the corner cage started squealing. They must've been guinea pigs, from the sound of them. We introduced ourselves to C.C. She looked Percy over with a twinge of disapproval, which caused me to quietly laugh again.

"Oh, dear," She sighed. "You do need my help."

C.C. called to the lady in the business suit. "Hylla, take the girls on a tour, will you? Show them what we have available. The clothing will need to change," she said, looking me over and I crossed my arms. If there was one thing I took seriously, it was how I dress.

Right now, I was wearing a looser pair of flared jeans, with a white tee that had washed-out words saying your girlfriend is a good kisser. On top, I had a dark brown leather jacket I found in the men's section while thrifting just before school ended.

Hey eyes fell onto Amelia. She shook her head, "Your skin, my dear. We need to do a deep clean on that." I glanced at the blond girl beside me, who unconsciously touched her cheek, where some light acne scars were visible.

And if it wasn't enough, the woman lastly turned her eyes to Annabeth. "And her hair, my goodness. We will do a full image consultation after I've spoken with this young gentleman."

"But..." Annabeth's voice sounded hurt. "What's wrong with my hair?" C.C. smiled benevolently. "My dear, you are lovely. Really! But you're not showing off yourself or your talents at all. So much wasted potential!"

"Wasted?" I repeated, somewhat bewildered. I could take jabs at me, but my friends?

"Well, surely you're not happy the way you are! My goodness, there's not a single person who is. But don't worry. We can improve anyone here at the spa. Hylla will show you what I mean. You, my dear, need to unlock your true self!"

Ann's eyes glowed with longing. I'd never seen her so much at a loss for words and when I glanced at the daughter of Ares, she had the same look. "But... what about Percy?" I asked.

"Oh, definitely," C.C. said, giving him a sad look. "Percy requires my personal attention. He needs much more work than you." The guinea pigs squealed like they were hungry.

"Well..." I said. If this meant I could possibly get new clothes and have a spa day, it didn't sound too bad. "I suppose..."

The woman grinned, "Right this way, dears," Hylla said. And we followed her into the waterfall-laced gardens of the spa.

They led us into a spacious room divided into neat sections, each corner feeling more luxurious than the last. One of the attendants handed me a soft, cream coloured robe and gestured toward a curtained-off area.

"You can change behind there," She said with a polite smile.

I slipped behind the curtain, swapping my clothes for the robe. The fabric was so smooth it felt like water against my skin. While I tied the belt around my waist, I could hear the gentle splash of water filling a tub. The subtle sound of it made something in my chest unwind, tension I didn't even realize I'd been carrying.

When I stepped back out, the smell hit me first. Lilies and vanilla, like a spring morning in some far-off dream. The bath water shimmered under the warm glow of the overhead lights, steam curling up in lazy swirls.

"Call out when you're ready," The attendant said, her tone light but practised. I nodded and let myself sink into the water, the heat wrapping around me like a blanket fresh out of the dryer.

Oh, yeah. I needed this.

I leaned my head back, letting the warmth soak into my muscles. For a while, I didn't think about anything. Not quests. Not danger. No endless cycles of "what ifs" and "what's next." Just me, the water, and that soft floral scent.

Time slipped away until the water cooled enough to chase away the warmth on my skin. Reluctantly, I climbed out and wrapped myself in the robe, squeezing out the last bits of bliss before it slipped away completely.

"Ready," I called.

The same woman reappeared, carrying a dress draped over her arm. It was a pale lavender shade, almost silver in a certain light, with long, flowing sleeves and a soft shimmer to the fabric. She held it up for me to see, her eyes flicking to mine like she knew it would leave me speechless.

"Change into this," She said, motioning for me to return behind the curtain. Once I had the dress on, I stepped in front of the full-length mirror, and for a moment, I just... stared.

The fabric hugged my figure in all the right places, giving me the kind of curves I usually only noticed on other people. The cut of the dress made me look taller, my silhouette sharper, more defined. It reminded me of the dress I'd borrowed from Persephone, not that I was complaining.

I blinked, half expecting the person in the mirror to blink back at me like she was someone else entirely.

"Come," The woman said, already moving toward a nearby vanity. She motioned for me to sit, and I spotted Annabeth and Amelia already there, their reflections catching mine in the mirror.

Annabeth was dressed in a white gown similar to mine, though her sleeves were shorter, ending just above her elbows. She somehow managed to look like she'd walked out of an ancient Greek painting.

Amelia, on the other hand, wore a sleeveless blush-pink dress, the colour so light it almost looked like rose quartz. I saw her fidgeting with the hem of her dress, while nodding along to whatever the woman that was taking care of her was saying.

I sat between them, glancing at their reflections before my own.

The attendant ran a comb through my hair with steady, practiced hands. I winced once or twice when the comb snagged on a stubborn tangle, but she worked it out with patience and precision. Her eyes shifted, landing on the golden necklace that hung around my neck.

Her gaze lingered for a second too long. Her brow furrowed. "Where'd you get that?" She asked, her hand reaching toward it. Before I could answer, her fingers brushed against the chain.

She gasped, yanking her hand back like she'd touched a burning stove. I saw it happen in real time, her fingers reddened like they'd been scalded. That caught the attention of both of the girls beside me who sent me questioning looks.

I glanced at the necklace, realisation dawning like a slow sunrise. Apollo and his tricks.

"I'm so—" I started to apologize, but she cut me off with a brisk shake of her head. She tucked her hand behind her back like it never happened, her face smooth and unreadable as she picked up the comb and resumed her work.

I watched her in the mirror as she twisted my hair with expert fingers, weaving and looping it with more patience than I would ever have. She added a single black dahlia to the side, its petals sharp against the rich black of my hair. With a gold clip, she pinned everything neatly in place.

I looked regal and I loved it.

Before I could say anything, another woman appeared and guided me to a second chair. I barely had time to sit before she tilted my face up and got to work.

A soft brush swept across my cheeks, dusting them with blush and a faint shimmer of highlight. I watched her closely, her movements as precise as a painter working on a canvas. She reached for her next tool, a small brush dipped in a blend of dark purple and black eyeshadow.

The moment the cool powder touched my eyelids, I blinked, eyes watering slightly. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Don't move," She replied, so calm it almost felt like a threat. I didn't move.

Once she'd blended the eyeshadow into something that looked sharp but soft at the same time, she went for the mascara. It wasn't until she reached for the lipstick that I leaned forward, holding up a hand.

"Actually, I got it," I said with an apologetic smile, plucking the lipstick from her fingers.

She arched a brow but didn't argue, stepping back to give me space.

Applying lipstick was personal. Something about having someone else do it felt... weird. I leaned in toward the mirror, twisting the tube to reveal the soft nude shade. I swiped it over my lips, pressed them together, and glanced at my reflection.

After the procedures, we were taken on a tour around where we were shown many things like a massive library that certainly caught Ann's attention, or the huge movie theatre and a museum that held artefacts like the yellow dress from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and we even saw the rack that held all of the 27 dresses from Katherine's Heigl's movie.

Soon, were back at C.C.'s office. At first, we didn't see her or Percy, so Annabeth called out, "Miss C.C.?"

The woman quickly appeared, but my best friend was still nowhere to be seen. "Where's Percy?" I asked. She smiled, "He's having one of our treatments, my dear. Not to worry. You look wonderful! What did you think of your tour?"

Annabeth's eyes brightened, "Your library is amazing!"

"Yes, indeed," The woman agreed. "The best knowledge of the past three millennia. Anything you want to study, anything you want to be, my dear."

"An architect?" She said hopefully.

C.C. rolled her eyes, waving her hand, quickly dismissing the thought. "You, my dear, have the makings of a sorceress. Like me." And that raised all the red flags.

"A sorceress?" Amelia repeated.

"Yes, my dear," C.C. held up her hand. A flame appeared in her palm and danced across her fingertips. "My mother is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I know a daughter of Athena or Ares when I see one. We are not so different. We don't need to stand in the shadow of men."

Then her gaze turned to me, "And you... daughter of Hades." She somewhat glared at me. "I see you got my mother's blessing."

I ignored the look that Annabeth shot me, "So what?" I raised my brow. C.C. ran a hand through her locks, "I suppose, here you would even be a starter of a legacy."

Before I could question her, she turned back to the two other girls. "Stay with me. Study with me. You can join our staff, become sorceresses and learn to bend others to your will. You would become immortal!"

"But—"

"You are too intelligent, my dear," She said to Annabeth. "You know better than to trust that silly camp for heroes. How many great female half-blood heroes can you name?"

"Um, Atalanta, Amelia Earhart—"

"Ugh! Men get all the glory." C.C. closed her fist and extinguished the magic flame. "The only way to power for women is sorcery. Medea, Calypso, now they were powerful women! And me, of course. The greatest of all."

"You are Circe," Amelia realised. The sorceress grinned, "Yes, my dear." Ann backed up, and Circe laughed. "You need not worry. I mean you no harm."

I cross my arms, "Then what have you done to Percy?"

"Only helped him realize his true form." Confused, Amelia and I shared a look as Annabeth scanned the room. I joined her and noticed the cage, and in there, all the screaming guinea pigs.

My eyes went wide as a shocked laugh escaped me. "Forget him," Circe said. "Join me and learn the ways of sorcery."

"Listen—" The daughter of Ares tried, but she was cut off, "Your friend will be well cared for. He'll be shipped to a wonderful new home on the mainland. The kindergartners will adore him. Meanwhile, you three would be wise and powerful women. You will have all you ever wanted."

"Let us think about it," Annabeth murmured. "Just- give us a minute alone. To say goodbye."

I worriedly glanced at Annabeth. Sure, she and Cy didn't get along sometimes, but this was crazy!

"Of course, my dear," Circe cooed. "One minute. Oh, and so you have absolute privacy..." She waved her hand and iron bars slammed down over the windows, which made me flinch. She swept out of the room and I heard the locks on the door click shut behind her.

The dreamy look melted off Annabeth's face and relief washed over me. Thank god no brain-washed Ann. She rushed over to the cage, with us following right after her. "All right, which one is you?" That didn't help much, because all the guinea pigs screamed.

The three of us shared a worried look. Ann scanned the room and rushed over to Percy's clothes, rummaging through his pockets. But instead of bringing out Riptide, she found the bottle of Hermes multivitamins and started struggling with the cap.

She popped a lemon chewable in her mouth, and threw us some too, just as the door flew open and Circe came back in, flanked by two of her business-suited attendants. I quickly chewed the gummy, watching Circe.

"Well," She sighed, "How fast a minute passes. What are your answers, my dears?"

"This," Annabeth said, and she drew her bronze knife. The sorceress stepped back, but her surprise quickly passed. She sneered. "Really, little girl? A knife against my magic? Is that wise?"

Circe looked back at her attendants, who smiled. They raised their hands as if preparing to cast a spell. The three of us moved closer to each other and I summoned my own dagger. Circe's eyes widened when she saw it. Oh, that's right, it was her mother's.

"What will your makeovers be? I'll start with Annabeth's," She mused, trying to cover up her previous expression. "Something small and ill-tempered. I know... a shrew!" Blue fire coiled from her fingers, curling like serpents around Annabeth.

I didn't have enough time to do something, so I just watched, horror-struck, but nothing happened. Annabeth was still herself, only angrier. She leapt forward and stuck the point of her knife against her neck. "How about turning me into a panther instead? One that has her claws at your throat."

Amelia and I shared a look, before shrugging and we moved to the two women who had entered with Circe. The blond girl raised her sword, one I didn't even notice she had and I did the same with my dagger.

"How!" She yelped. Ann held up my bottle of vitamins for the sorceress to see.

Circe howled in frustration. "Curse Hermes and his multivitamins! Those are such a fad! They do nothing for you."

"Turn Percy back to a human or else!" Annabeth said. "I can't!" The sorceress shook her head.

"Then you asked for it." Circe's attendants tried to step forward through us to help, but their mistress yelled, "Get back! They're immune to magic until that cursed vitamin wears off."

Annabeth dragged Circe over to the guinea pig cage, knocked the top off, and poured the rest of the vitamins inside. "No!" She screamed.

The cage exploded. All of a sudden there were like seven or eight guys on the floor, with Percy being one of them. "No!" Circe screamed. "You don't understand! Those are the worst!"

One of the men stood up, a huge guy with a long tangled pitch-black beard and teeth the same color. He wore mismatched clothes of wool and leather, knee-length boots, and a floppy felt hat. The other men were dressed more simply, in breeches and stained white shirts. All of them were barefoot.

"Argggh!" Bellowed the big man. "What's the witch done t'me!"

"No!" Circe shouted. Annabeth gasped. "I recognize you! Edward Teach, son of Ares?"

"Aye," The big man growled. Amelia turned to Annabeth in shock, "You mean Blackbeard?" The man turned to her, "What's it to you?"

Amelia paused, trying to find the words, "I'm your- gods this is weird. I'm also a child of Ares."

The pirate tipped his hat, looking at her in approval, "Delighted to meet you, lass. But I have got to take care of this." He moved to Circe and she screamed again.

She and her attendants ran from the room, chased by the pirates. I went to nudge Cy. "Idiot," I said and he sighed, "I know."

Next was Annabeth, who sheathed her knife and glared at Percy. "Thanks..." He muttered. "I'm really sorry—"

Before he could apologize, Annabeth surprised all of us by tackling him with a hug, but pulling away just as quickly. "I'm glad you're not a guinea pig."

"Me, too." He said, with his face slightly heating up. "Come on, sea horse," Amelia said with a light smile. "We have to get away while Circe's distracted."

We ran down the hillside through the terraces, past screaming spa workers and pirates ransacking the resort. Blackbeard's men broke the tiki torches for the luau, threw herbal wraps into the swimming pool, and kicked over tables of sauna towels.

"Which ship?" Annabeth asked as we reached the docks. I looked around desperately. We couldn't very well take our rowboat. I rolled my eyes, thinking the answer was obvious, "The most expensive one, easy."

"We need to know how to pilot it," Ann stated plainly. "There," Percy said, pointing at a boat that was probably my last choice. Annabeth blinked, "But—"

"I can make it work."

Amelia knitted her brows, "How?"

But he didn't stick around to explain. Instead, he bolted toward the ship, leaving us with little choice but to follow. "Argggh!" Blackbeard yelled somewhere behind us. "Those scalawagsare a-boarding me vessel! Get 'em, lads!"

"We'll never get going in time!" Annabeth yelled as we climbed aboard. I looked around at the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. The ship was in great condition for a three-hundred-year old vessel, but it would still take a crew of fifty several hours to get underway. We didn't have several hours. I could see the pirates running down the stairs, waving tiki torches and sticks of celery.

All of a sudden, Percy out of nowhere yelled, "Mizzenmast!"

The three of us just stared at him strangely. But in the next second, the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking. Ann ducked as a cable flew over her head and wrapped itself around the bowsprit.

"Jackson, how..." Amelia let out in awe.

"Holy fuck," I mumbled.

The ship lurched away from the dock, and by the time the pirates arrived at the water's edge, we were already underway, sailing into the Sea of Monsters.

Chapter Text

I WAS AT THE top of the ship, watching the trail of sea foam we left behind in the water. It was getting darker now, colder too, yet strangely I wasn't cold.

Percy was somewhere at the other end of the deck controlling the ship, and Annabeth was in the captain's chambers trying to contact Asher.

Amelia was a few steps behind me, and I bit my lip to suppress my urge to talk to her. It was like we were in a little battle, who would speak first. And I was not losing it.

I knew she was watching me, waiting, almost like a lion stalking prey. I rolled my eyes, I could practically feel her eyes on the back of my head. "You're awfully quiet," She finally said, her voice somewhat reminding me of the scrape of metal against stone.

I glanced back at her, catching sight of her golden hair. It glowed faintly in the fading light, loose waves brushing against her shoulders like the sun's last breath before dusk. She was still in the blush-pink dress, with the hem swaying slightly with the ship's movement.

"I'm thinking," I muttered, moving back to watching the sea trail behind us. My reflection flickered on the water, eyes darker than the waves beneath me. "Something you should try sometime."

"Ha. Ha," She said flatly, footsteps growing louder as she came to stand beside me. "You're hilarious, Nova." She leaned on the railing, arms resting lazily on the edge. "Always have been."

Her dress shifted with the breeze, and I caught a glimpse of her pursing her lips, like she'd decided something and wouldn't back down. I raised my brow, "Always?"

"Yeah, always," She said, eyes still on the sea. Her jaw tightened like she'd just bitten into something bitter. "Back in class, you'd always have something clever to say. Acting like you were better than everyone else."

I scoffed, but my stomach twisted, not from the waves but from her words. "I never thought like that," I said calmly. "That's just what you decided to see."

Amelia's eyes snapped to me, "Oh, please. You'd sit there with that little smug look like you were above it all. You'd barely say a word, but somehow, you'd make everyone feel like they didn't matter."

I turned to face her fully, my heart thudding hard in my chest. "You're wrong," I said firmly. If there was one thing I prided about myself, was that I didn't look down on people. I simply didn't care enough to do so. "You—" I stop myself before I could say something cruel.

Her eyes narrowed. "Go on. Finish it."

"Forget it," I muttered, looking back at the water. I was about to say, You're just saying that because you're jealous.

Silence stretched on like the sea ahead of us, endless and heavy. The only sound was the distant churn of the waves.

"My uncle once said this to me," Amelia said suddenly, her voice quieter. "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?"

I frowned, glancing at her. "What?"

She sighed like she was tired of explaining herself. "Do our lives really matter if there's nobody else around to experience them with us?" Her eyes didn't meet mine. They were fixed on the horizon, distant and untouchable.

I don't answer right away. I've heard that question before, maybe not in those exact words, but it's always been there. I remember it most clearly from when I was first claimed, in the way people's eyes would shift as soon as they realized who my father was.

Fear. Disgust. Like I was something dangerous or unwanted. What's she going to do? their eyes seemed to ask. Can we trust her?

"A sound is still a sound," I said at last, my voice steady as the waves, "Even around no one."

My gaze flicked to her, just for a second, and something shifted. She didn't say anything and I didn't question her, both of us just looking back at the waves.

After a few minutes, she pushed herself off the railing, her eyes catching mine for a second longer than normal. Her gaze shifted over me, quick and unbothered, but it lingered on me just a bit longer than it did on the water.

Her dress swirled lightly as she walked away, the pale pink fabric moving like a ripple in still water. I watched until she was gone and, unintentionally, I let out a relieved sigh. I hadn't even noticed how quickly my heart was beating until now.

I closed my eyelids and rested my head on the railing, the cold surface cooling my skin.

"What a dangerous little thing you have yourself tangled in." My eyes snapped open and I immediately took a few steps back from the unfamiliar voice, automatically summoning Erebos.

In front of me stood a woman. She looked in her mid 30's, with curly light red hair pinned to her head, although a few pieces had elegantly fallen out. She was in an odd dress, one I couldn't even describe how beautiful. Yet, the woman who was wearing the dress was even more captivating.

I glanced at the main deck, where at the moment I couldn't see anyone. My gaze returned to the woman, who tilted her head, watching me. "Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled, "My name is Psyche, I am the goddess of souls."

My lips parted and I slightly lowered my dagger. I straightened up, "What do I owe the pleasure then?"

The goddess moves from her place, so gracefully that it looks like she is standing on a cloud. "I've heard of you, Bridget Nova, daughter of Hades." Her laugh is like a melody. "Who hasn't at this point? The future Puputeer of Olympus, what an honour."

I raised my brows at her tone of the last few words. Then her words sank in. "The future Puputeer of Olympus?" I repeat.

Psyche waves her hand, "That is a fancy way of saying you'd be one of my warriors. You know, I wasn't surprised when I found out you bear my gift, it has been a long since another joined me."

I am so fucking confused. "You think I'll join you?"

Her gaze changed from soft to warning, though it felt non-threatening, "I was nice to call it a gift, Bridget. Without proper training, you'll go mad." She paused, her eyes becoming haunted, "But in the end, everyone always does."

I swallowed, slightly shaking my head, "You can't make me leave to... train."

"I can't train you at all."

I press my digits into my temple, getting frustrated. "But you just said-"

"I know what I said, child. But because of the prophecies, I was forbidden from giving you proper mentorship."

I knit my brows, "You mean the Great Prophecy? About a child of the Big Three?" Her eyes linger on my collarbone, where my necklace stack was, or had been. After the resort, only the one Apollo gave me was left. "Sure. Because of the Great Prophecy." The goddess repeats more quietly.

She shakes her head, "But it doesn't mean I won't help you. Like Artemis, I care about my warriors." She moves closer to me and I don't move from my spot at all, watching her closely, having no idea what's coming at me next.

"There is a prophecy I was given a while ago, it would help you and you fit right into it. It only comes with a catch," She started. I stare at her, an uneasy feeling swarming my stomach. "What is it?"

The goddess sighed, "In realms where gods and mortals entwine, Psyche seeks a maiden, unknown to the shrine. Blessed by love's touch, in Fate's design, with blessing given, a vow must bind."

She locked eyes with me, her expression too calm for what she was about to say. "The vow is that you'll have to get married."

Married? Married?! My brain short-circuited so hard I was surprised I didn't smell smoke. I'm barely eighteen! I can't even decide what cereal to eat in the morning, and now I'm supposed to pick a lifelong partner, or something?

Psyche must have sensed my spiral because she placed a hand on my shoulder, the universal sign for calm down, drama queen. "Calm downs," She said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "You don't have to get married right away. Just before you turn twenty-one."

Oh, great. So, instead of 'immediate crisis', it's a 'ticking time bomb.' How reassuring.

When I don't show any signs of agreeing, she tries again, "I'm doing this to help you. By this time next year, you'll either drown in your abilities, or with my blessing, you'll be able to protect and help more people."

I close my eyes. "Fine, I- I accept," I say without thinking it over too much. The goddess gives me a smile, "Good." She takes my hands into hers and places a kiss on my knuckles. A wave washes over me. At first, I don't understand what happened, because Psyche is nowhere to be seen.

I walk down the stairs to the main deck and my eyes snap to my left where I see Percy and Annabeth huddled together. But the thing is, I didn't see or hear them before, no, I felt it.

My best friend spots me and walks over. "Hey, Gett, you okay?" Ann follows after him too, but another wave washes over me, making me feel their presence even more. I close my eyes, it was like they were balls of energy that I could feel stronger and stronger with every step they took towards me.

When I opened my eyes, Annabeth stood in front of me, with a worried look on her face. "Bridget," She touches my shoulder. "You look pale, what's going on?"

My head is now practically ringing and I feel so overstimulated that before I can reply to her, I feel my legs give out and then suddenly, I greet darkness.

I WATCH THE SCENE before me, everything around me blurred at the edges, like the haze of an old memory. I take a step forward and the realization settles in — this is a memory. The bed in front of me is one I've woken up in countless times before. And lying there, tangled in the sheets, is... well, me.

But not me as I am now. My hair in this version of myself is shorter, darker. I knit my brows. Funny how I've never noticed that over the past year, my hair had grown lighter, even though I'd done nothing to change it.

It's strange, the things you miss until they're right in front of you.

A flicker of movement pulls my attention to the doorway. Apollo is there, leaning casually against the frame. I realise he's different too. His hair isn't as curly as it is now, more loose waves than tight coils. His presence feels more relaxed, less sharp.

This is definitely an old memory. But is it a memory at all? If this was, shouldn't I see this from my own perspective? I don't even remember this.

My gaze flicks back to him, and I watch as he looks at the younger me. His eyes are softer than I've ever seen them, warm in a way that feels like sunlight breaking through a cold morning.

He's watching her—me—with a kind of quiet awe, like he's memorizing every little detail of her face. My younger self stirs, her eyes cracking open. His gaze shifts instantly, that warmth twisting into something teasing and playful.

"You know, it's rude to stare, Solar," My past self mumbles sleepily, her voice still thick with sleep. His laugh is sudden and bright, the kind that makes his whole body move, head tipping back slightly as if the weight of his joy is too much to hold still.

I'm frozen, staring at them both, my throat tight with something I can't name.

The younger me watches him with an expression I recognize instantly. Curiosity, cautious but undeniable, like she's seeing him in a new light for the first time. She's looking at him the same way he'd just looked at her while she slept.

Oh gods.

I watch in horror as she pushes the bedsheets off her body and walks over to the balcony, leaning over it like she belongs there. I glance at Apollo, and he's right behind her, his eyes glued to her figure with an intensity that makes my stomach turn.

This has to be a trick.

I follow them onto the balcony and watch as he comes to stand behind her, his head lowered to hear her better, soaking up every word my past self says.

"You're staring, again," She says with a quiet laugh. "I know," He replies softly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Something darts through my feet, and I glance down just in time to see Dersi leaping towards them. The past me kneels down, her smile broadening as she scratches behind Dersi's ears. The little creature presses into her touch, purring softly. "You kept her," She says, her voice light with surprise.

I step closer, watching as Apollo rolls his eyes like it's the most ridiculous thing to doubt him. "Obviously, why wouldn't I?" He says, his voice lined with mock surprise.

But his gaze shifts then, locking onto the younger me's face. She's too focused on Dersi to notice, but I see it. The look he gives her is different. Not playful, not teasing. Just... focused.

"She's perfection," He says quietly, his gaze not leaving her.

I frown as I watch the scene unfold. He's not- why would he?

"You are so full of yourself," The younger me says, glancing up at him with an exasperated smile.

Apollo tilts his head, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Remember who you're talking to, pet," He says, his tone sharp but sweet as honey. His eyes gleam with amusement, but there's something else there too—something I can't quite name. The younger me snorts, rolling her eyes as she stands and brushes past him, walking out of the room I've woken up in so many times.

He catches up easily, his pace slowing only when she stops to glance at a painting hanging on the wall. I follow close behind, watching how Apollo practically didn't take his eyes off her, off me.

It's subtle, but I notice the change in his stance. The shift in the way he carries himself. He clears his throat like he's about to say something important.

"So, how's your hunting for love going?" He asks, voice casual, but too pointed to be meaningless. I lean against the wall, my arms crossed, watching them with my chest tightening like a vice.

"Why am I here?" I mutter under my breath at the same time as my younger self. My eyes slightly widened, yet my question still stands. None of this feels right.

"I asked first," Apollo replies, still watching the younger me, not me me.

She rolls her eyes again, letting out a short, dry laugh. She steps away from the painting, her gaze tilting upward as she takes in the magnificence of the oversized chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It sparkles like it's made of frozen stars. "And I asked second," She shrugs.

He stops in front of her, making her bump slightly into his chest. "Pet," He says, but the younger me looks away, her jaw tight. I hear him let out a sharp tsk of disapproval before his voice shifts, sharper now, and he says my name with authority.

Her eyes snap up to meet his, her dark brown eyes locking onto his crystal blue ones. The tension between them shifts as their gazes soften, like whatever invisible battle had been fought was forgotten now, that they were truly just looking at each other.

I swallowed, hard, as my heart pounded harshly against my ribcage.

"Answer my question," He said, trying to sharpen his gaze, although he didn't really succeed. The other me sighed, "I'm not sure." Her shoulders slumped.

That answer makes his whole demeanor shift. The warmth drains from his eyes, replaced by something sharp and cold. His lips press into a firm line.

"Who is he?" He demands, his voice stripped of its usual honeyed charm, colder than I've ever heard it. "Is it the son of Athena? Because I had heard your thoughts, and you do not like him enough to love him—it's ridiculous you even think so—"

I watched the interaction, my brows furthered. Could I love Asher? I knew I liked him, and found him attractive since the moment we met, but what's love?

The younger me pulled away and scoffed, turning back to the room we came out of. Her eyes were closed and scrunched as if she was deeply thinking. Apollo looked almost furious, then something triggered him. "Stop thinking about him in my presence!"

I jumped along with the younger version of me, startled by the rawness in his voice. We both turned around to look at him. He was breathing hard and he looked dishevelled. He was running one hand through his messy hair, almost pulling at the roots, while the other covered his face.

The other me stared right into his eyes, "Then don't be in my presence. I haven't asked you, Apollo. For any of this."

He let out a humourless laugh, "No, no. You did ask– you wished for me."

I hated that he was technically right. Then, I took a step forward when I saw a slight, golden glow radiate off of him. By the looks of it, he couldn't even fully control his abilities.

The younger me also steps forward, her gaze softening. "Apollo?" She asks quietly, her hand reaching for his shoulder. "What is it?"

"You," He murmurs, reaching forward to twist a loose strand of her hair around his finger. His breath is shallow, uneven. His voice is quieter this time, like a confession. "-are going to die because of me."

I practically feel the colours drain from my face. The prophecy the Oracle gave me.

In the fire of passion, amidst love's sweet swell,
A sacrifice awaits, a tragic farewell.
For in the heart of their beloved, a destiny's brand,
A true lover of Apollo will die by their lover's hand.

The younger me's face crumples with confusion. "W-what?" She whispers, pulling back.

He shakes his head slowly, his eyes half-lidded with something dangerously close to sorrow. His hand slides to the back of her head, cradling it gently, before she can even realise what's going on.

"But you can't know this," He breathed out. "Because then you'll try to leave me."

She passed out, Apollo wrapping his hands around her just in time to catch her figure. He pressed his forehead against her's, still breathing heavily.

"But not before I'll do everything in my power to stop it. I swear it to the Strix," He whispered, before the surroundings darkened.

Chapter Text

I GASP AWAKE, IMMEDIATELY sitting up. Oh god, oh no, no. That had to be some imagination-made dream, it needed to be.

My head starts pounding and I feel like a ball of fire is next to me. It doesn't burn me, it doesn't make me hot, yet it feels so overwhelming.

A gentle hand touches my chest, trying to push me back to a laying position and I turn to see a concerned Amelia looking at me. I realise she's the energy I feel. Her hair was tied up, with a few loose strands framing her face and she had changed out of the dress I had last seen her in.

She tried to push me back into the bed again and this time I didn't argue. "What happened?" I managed to get out. She crossed her arms, "We're hoping you could tell us. One moment we're talking and you're fine, five minutes later, you look white as a paper and pass out."

I groan, one of my hands going to my temple. I literally could feel her.

The door opens again and I groan again, as I feel more energy moving closer to me, though they were different. One felt light, but very... windy, like it was messing up my thoughts, while the other straight-up felt like someone was yelling five different things at me at all at once. It sucked.

My hands instantly go to my temple and I shut my eyes. I hear someone ask me something and touch my leg, but that brings me closer to the edge. I couldn't handle it.

"Get out please," I let out, trying to not start crying.

But it doesn't work and this time, I can't hold it in.

"Get out! Now!" I yell, and I feel the figures around me jump, before the energies start retreating.

I let out a sigh of relief, but it wasn't complete, because I was hot and the bedsheets felt too overstimulating, making me break out in sweat. I move to sit against the bed, on the cold floor, heavily breathing in and out, trying to keep my sobs in.

I wrap my arms around my body, trying to keep myself from having a panic attack or something, when a cold metal touches my skin, making me look down and see one of my bracelets glowing.

That made me look around and realise that I was in pitch black. Unnatural, pitch black. My eyes snap back to the bracelet and I realise it's the one my dad gave me.

I watch as the light from it slowly dims, until it's fully gone. The darkness around the rooms fades away at the same time and so does the weight off my shoulders. I examine it closer. It looked like it sucked everything in.

I lean back into the bed, feeling exhausted. What. the. fuck.

IT TOOK ME SOME time until I walked out of the room. In the cabin was also a bathroom where I took a long-needed shower, this time sadly without the scent of lilies and vanilla. As if one of them knew, there was my bag with a change of clothes that I really needed.

I changed into a fitted, long-sleeved shirt in deep purple that had subtle thumb holes for the extra sleek touch. For bottoms, I just packed my black everyday pants, which had patted knees and multiple pockets.

I slipped back into my dirty sneakers and pulled on the oversized leather jacket I had worn earlier. One that not even the sorceresses could snatch away from me. It was back in my bag, because in camp I knew of an Aphrodite kid, who knew a ritual that made clothes un-losable.

And I, of course, did it.

When I looked back in the mirror to fix my hair, I froze. Underneath my shirt, I could see the outline of the necklace. But then I glanced down at my bracelet and decided that I was one problem at a time.

So, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, which was already messy, considering the hair tie couldn't hold all of my layered hair and zipped up my jacket, hiding the golden chain under another layer.

The salty air greeted me and I sighed. I fumbled with my sleeve, making sure that my dad's bracelet was touching my skin. When he gifted it to me, he told me that it had abilities and maybe sucking in all that chaos was one of them.

I pulled my eyes from my hands and looked up. I could feel the energy slowly approaching. I closed my eyes, trying to focus. I could feel it, but unlike before, it wasn't overwhelming. it was just... there.

"Gett, you okay now?"

Lifting my eyes, I met Percy's blue ones. "I think so."

Feeling two more, I turned around and was greeted by Ann and Amelia, who were walking over with wary expressions. I need to get used to that. They came to stand beside us silently, Annabeth looking me over, before pulling me into a hug.

I closed my eyes, not moving and quickly breathing in and out. She pulled away, probably noticing my rigid stance and scanning my face. Her ball of energy was way more overwhelming than Percy's. Heck, I couldn't even turn to Amelia, since her's I could feel just as strong as I did Ann's when she hugged me.

"What's going on?" The daughter of Athena asked with a frown.

I glanced over at Cy who had crossed his arms, watching me with a worried expression. I needed to tell them. Not everything, but I can't deal with this alone. "How about we sit down?"

I FIDGETED WITH MY bracelet, waiting for any of them to say something. Annabeth finally spoke, "They have many names, from different cultures. In most, they're referred as Machitai Psychōn, if you would translate it directly into English, it would mean Warriors of Soul, but in newer texts, they are called the Puppeteers of Olympus."

I nod along, "That's what both Mr. D and Psyche called me."

Annabeth looked worried. Percy noticed. "Is it bad?" He asked. "It sounds kinda badass."

She sighed, "Percy, people with the ability like Bridget can see, feel and even control a person's soul. Imagine seeing life unfiltered. It can be overwhelming. Most even go mad, like Everclark."

"Who's he?" Amelia spoke for the first time. "Yeah," I nod along. "Mr. D mentioned him too."

Ann, pushed her braids out of her face and leaned back. "His story should be every hero's fear. It started when he reached a certain age and began expressing his abilities. He appeared charming, someone nobody could say no to, simply because they couldn't."

"At first gods thought that was because he was half god-"

"-he was a demi-god?" Percy interrupted and Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's what I just said, didn't it, seaweed brain?"

A smile broke out as I watched them bicker, before she rolled her eyes and continued. "Anyway- That's when a prophecy became known, that Psyche shall have an army and that Everclark was going to be the General."

"He was the first of his kind, one who Psyche herself taught in arts of the Souls. But the thing was, he didn't want to lead an Army. He wanted to be great, the best, so he went off the rails. His mastery of souls was so precise, so terrifying, that entire kingdoms trembled."

"The living..." She paused, glancing at me before continuing. "They were his playthings. He made puppets out of them, forced them to do his bidding. And for a while, that was enough. He was feared, admired. His name was spoken in awe across the lands."

"But after a while, it wasn't enough, was it?" Amelia asked.

She shook her head, "Everclark didn't want to control just the living. He wanted everything. He decided he should control the dead, too. Thought he could become the greatest Puppeteer of all time, make the dead dance to his tune like he had the living."

Annabeth grew quiet for a bit. "The thing is, the dead aren't like the living. The living feared him because they had something to lose. The dead had nothing. No pride. No pain. No patience. He yanked too hard on their strings, so the dead tore him apart."

I swallowed, "Mr. D, he said, I could become an even more powerful Puppeteer than Everclark."

All of their head snapped to me, but I continued, not even looking at them. "So did Hecate and Psyche." Percy scrunched his brows, "When did you talk to Hecate?"

I waved him off, "Not important." I shook my head. "The point is, they all called me that just in different words. They said, 'I'll be able to move souls like chess pieces' or 'I'll be a great asset to the Gods'. And Psyche told me that I might go mad if I don't marry someone!"

Silence. "I'm sorry- did you just say you have to marry someone?" My best friend asked and I groaned, moving from my sitting position on the floor, to just laying on it.

"Not in those exact words, but yeah! She gave me her blessing, but in order for me to actually get it, I had to agree to some prophecy that basically said she'd help me, if I marry someone before I turn twenty-one."

"Oh gods, Bridget," Annabeth sighs and I purse my lips. "It didn't even work," I mumble.

The daughter of Athena tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

I stared at her, "I mean, I feel your soul. It's like begging me to touch it, while also giving me a massive headache." Ann shook her head, "Maybe she is helping. You feel better now, yes?"

I nodded. "I think it's because of this." I show them my silver bracelet. "Dad gave it to me last year, he said it could help me in the future. And it did, it literally soaked up everything, because back there, I felt like I was gonna explode."

Percy scratched his neck, "Well, you kinda did."

I turn to him. "What?"

He winces, "You did kinda explode." The three of them shared a look before he sighed. "The... when you started freaking out- your... umn, your—"

Amelia rolled her eyes, interrupting him, "Darkness started pouring out from your veins when you freaked out and it engulfed the whole room. We barely managed to get out in time."

I pressed my fingers into my temple, "Fucking amazing. Now, I'm the freaking Darkness Incarnate. What's next, a demonic car and an angel in a trench coat?'"

Ann knits her brows and Amelia looks confused too. "What?" She asks, but I pay no attention to her, so Cy explains, "A tv-show reference. They are these cool guys that hunt-"

Chapter Text

THE WIND WAS COLD against my skin. I was staring straight ahead, just barely making out the island ahead of us, since it looked like a dark spot in the mist. "I want you to do me a favor," Annabeth suddenly spoke.

I turned to look at her. She was glancing between Percy and me. "The Sirens... we'll be in range of their singing soon."

I nodded. I remember stories about them, they were creatures that sang so sweetly, their voices enchanted sailors and lured them to their death. "No problem," I assured her, she was probably just gonna ask me if she could use the digital camera I've brought to capture the Sirens.

After the last quest, we had seen many things and I felt like I was going to forget them all if I didn't have any proof, alias — the camera.

My best friend nodded along, "We can just stop up our ears. There's a big tub of candle wax below deck—"

"I want to hear them."

I blinked. She wanted what? "Why?"

Ann fidgeted with one of her braids, "They say the Sirens sing the truth about what you desire. They tell you things about yourself you didn't even realize. That's what's so enchanting. If you survive... you become wiser. I want to hear them. How often will I get that chance?"

Percy and I shared a knowing look. Coming from most people, this would've made no sense. But Annabeth being who she was, well, if she could struggle through Ancient Greek architecture books and enjoy documentaries on the History Channel, I guessed the Sirens would appeal to her, too.

She told us her plan. Reluctantly, I helped her get ready. And as soon as the rocky coastline of the island came into view, Cy ordered one of the ropes to wrap around Annabeth's waist, tying her to the foremast.

Amelia watched us in concern, "You sure this is a good idea?"

I sighed, "This is Annabeth, she'll do it anyway. At least we can watch over her this way."

"Don't untie me," Ann said, tightening the ropes around her. "No matter what happens or how much I plead. I'll want to go straight over the edge and drown myself."

"Are you trying to tempt me?" Percy raised his brows and she let out a sarcastic, "Ha-ha."

I rolled my eyes and promised I'd keep her secure. Then I took two large wads of candle wax, kneaded them into earplugs, and stuffed my ears, with Cy and Amelia doing the same.

Annabeth nodded sarcastically, letting me know the earplugs were a real fashion statement. I made a face at her and turned to the sea. I couldn't hear it, so the silence was eerie. I couldn't hear anything but the rush of blood in my head.

As we approached the island, jagged rocks loomed out of the fog. I glanced back. At first, Ann seemed totally normal. Then she got a puzzled look on her face. Her eyes widened. She strained against the ropes.

It looked like she called my name. When I ignored her, she tried Percy. I could tell just from reading her lips. Her expression was clear: She had to get out. This was life or death. That I had to let her out of the ropes right now. Instead, I forced myself to look away.

I glanced at Amelia, who looked nervous, fidgeting with the zipper of her tight leather jacket. When I glanced back into the water, I still couldn't see much of the island, just mist and rocks, but floating in the water were pieces of wood and fiberglass, the wreckage of old ships, even some flotation cushions from airplanes.

How could music cause so many lives to veer off course? Sure, there were some Top Forty songs that made me hop onto my kitchen table, but still... What could the Sirens possibly sing about?

For one dangerous moment, I understood Annabeth's curiosity. I was tempted to take out an earplug, just to get a taste of the song. I could feel the Sirens' voices vibrating in the timbers of the ship, pulsing along with the roar of blood in my ears.

Ann was pleading with me. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She strained against the ropes as if they were holding her back from everything she cared about. How could you be so cruel? She seemed to be asking us. I thought you were my friends.

I then decided to walk further from the edge of the ship, completely turning my back to my friend. Five minutes didn't even pass and suddenly Percy rushed to the side of the boat. My eyes widened and I ran after him, right after Amelia who just noticed too.

I saw her, paddling madly for the island, the waves carrying her straight toward the jagged rocks. I screamed her name, but if she heard me, it didn't do any good. She was entranced, swimming toward her death.

Percy yelled something before he jumped over the side. I screamed his name too, but I doubt he heard it either. I shared a distressed look with the daughter of Ares, who watched my friends with furthered brows, not minding how the wind pushed her hair around.

After a few seconds, I lost sight of both Cy and Annabeth. I ran to the front of the ship, standing as far as I could, trying to catch sight of either of them. My heart was racing, we were supposed to be out of the Siren range now, yet they were nowhere to be seen.

That was until I suddenly heard a loud SLUMP, followed by coughs and I breathed out in relief when I saw Amelia helping them. I rushed over to both of them and smothered them in a hug, not caring about getting wet myself.

"I hate you guys," I mumbled. "If you ever do this again, either of you, I'll go back to the Underworld and pull you out. Won't care if you're in Elyssium or not."

They both lightly laughed, although Ann's eyes were sad. Amelia must have noticed too, which is why she quickly mumbled she'd get blankets and left us alone.

"You okay?" I asked. The moment I said it, I realized how lame that sounded. Of course, she wasn't okay.

"I didn't realize," She murmured. Percy watched her confused, "What?"

Her eyes were the same colour as the mist over the Sirens' island. "How powerful the temptation would be." She paused. "My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris."

"That brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?" My best friend tried and Annabeth rolled her eyes, "No, Seaweed Brain. That's hummus. Hubris is worse."

"What could be worse than hummus?"

My friend rolled her eyes again, "Hubris means deadly pride, Percy. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else... even the gods."

I raised my brows, "You feel that way?"

She looked down. "Don't you ever feel like, what if the world really is messed up? What if we could do it all over again from scratch? No more war. Nobody homeless. No more summer reading homework."

"I'm listening," Percy nodded.

"I mean, the West represents a lot of the best things mankind ever did, that's why the fire is still burning. That's why Olympus is still around. But sometimes you just see the bad stuff, you know? And you start thinking the way Luke does: 'If I could tear this all down, I would do it better.' Don't you ever feel that way? Like you could do a better job if you ran the world?"

Cy glanced at me, before shaking his head. "Um... no. Me running the world would kind of be a nightmare."

Both turned to me and I just shrugged, "I fear, I don't care much about the rest of the world outside my friends and family?"

Ann sighed, "Then you're both lucky. Hubris isn't your fatal flaw.

"What is?"

"I don't know, Percy, but every hero has one. If you don't find it and learn to control it... Well, they don't call it 'fatal' for nothing."

I nudged my friend, "Maybe it's your hero complex." He scrunched his brows. "I do not have a 'hero complex'."

I shook my head, "No, you definitely do-"

"-shut up-"

"Guys!" Both of us snapped our eyes to Annabeth, who watched us unimpressed. "So, was it worth it?" Percy asked after a beat of silence. I turned to her, curious too, "Do you feel... wiser?"

She gazed into the distance. "I'm not sure. But we have to save the camp. If we don't stop Luke..." She didn't need to finish. If Luke's way of thinking could even tempt Annabeth, there was no telling how many other half-bloods might join him.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. We both raised our heads up. Ahead was another blotch of land. We had reached the home of the Cyclops.

As we sailed toward the shore, Annabeth breathed in the sweet air. "The Fleece," She said. I nodded. I couldn't see the Fleece yet, but I could weirdly feel its power. Suddenly, it made me believe it would heal anything, even Thalia's poisoned tree.

"If we take it away, will the island die?" Amelia asked and Annabeth shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

In the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. They looked peaceful enough, but they were huge, like at the size of hippos. Just past them was a path that led up into the hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was the massive oak tree. And something gold glittered in its branches.

"This is too easy," I said. "We can just hike up there and take it?"

Ann's eyes narrowed. "There's supposed to be a guardian. A dragon or..."

That's when a deer emerged from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat, when the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves. Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

A second later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where the deer had been was a pile of clean white bones. The four exchanged looks.

"They're like piranhas," The daughter of Ares made a face. My best friend agreed, nodding along, "Piranhas with wool. How will we—"

"Look!" Annabeth gasped, grabbing my arm. She pointed down the beach, to just below the sheep meadow, where a small boat had been run aground... the other lifeboat from the CSS Birmingham.

WE DECIDED THERE WAS no way we could get past the man-eating sheep. Annabeth wanted to sneak up the path invisibly and grab the Fleece, but in the end, Cy convinced her that something would go wrong. The sheep would smell her. Another guardian would appear. Something. And if that happened, we'd be too far away to help.

Besides, our first job was to find Grover and whoever had come ashore in that lifeboat, assuming they'd gotten past the sheep. We moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet. We figured the ship was less likely to be seen there.

The cliffs looked climbable, barely, about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. At least it was free of sheep. I hoped that Polyphemus did not also keep carnivorous mountain goats or something.

Annabeth went first because she was the better climber, with Amelia following after her. Me and Percy only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good.

Finally, when my fingers felt like molten lead and my arm muscles were shaking from exhaustion, we hauled ourselves over the top of the cliff and collapsed. "Ugh," I said.

"Ouch," Let out Annabeth. "I hope we find another way back," Percy sighed, while Amelia nodded along her eyelids closing from exhaustion. Suddenly, I looked around, feeling more energy than the amount I got used to on the ship.

"Garrr!" Hollored another voice. If I hadn't been so tired, I would've leapt another two hundred feet. I whirled around, but I couldn't see who'd spoken. Amelia quickly clamped her hand over my mouth.

Confused I looked around and she pointed down. The ledge we were sitting on was narrower than I'd realized. It dropped off on the opposite side, and that's where the voice was coming from—right below us.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD news. The good news was that we found Grover and by extension, Clarisse. Bad news? Asher is nowhere to be seen, and Polyphemus has called off the wedding between him and Grover, deciding to eat the Satyr instead, and marry Clarisse in his place.

The four of us had to split up for the plan to work. Annabeth was going to distract Polyphemus, Percy, and Amelia were going to rescue her sister and Grover, and I was given the job of finding Asher.

I mean, the ship was seen on shore, and so was Clarisse. Our best theory was that the Cyclops captured the daughter of Ares, but Ash had managed to escape. So, here I was walking around the Island shore.

This was the first time I was alone and it seemed like this was what Apollo was hoping for. I couldn't really explain it, it was like he was standing outside the door, but for him to actually talk to me, I would have to unlock the door.

What I am supposed to think? That stupid dream was all I could think about. I couldn't— I can't stop thinking about him. But that didn't mean I wanted to face him, so the mental door stayed as it was, locked.

"Bridget?" The familiar voice made me turn sharply, and I let out a relieved sigh when I saw Asher. Without a second thought, I hurried over, throwing my arms around him. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, holding me close. Even when we pulled apart, his hands lingered, their warmth still present.

"Where..." I started but trailed off as my eyes caught the bag on his shoulder. "Where were you? Clarisse—"

"—is taken, I know," he cut in, nodding. His eyes stayed on mine, half-lidded, studying me. A nervous flutter stirred in my stomach, though I couldn't tell if it was the way he was looking at me or because of how his presence made me feel.

It was his energy, his soul. I had expected it to glow gold, and feel like the breeze you get escaping a slash of sword, just like our training. Instead, it was a dull, tainted yellow, as if the light within him had dimmed, or maybe it was always like this.

"Asher..." I whispered, but the way his eyes bore into mine made me forget what I wanted to say in the first place. The air between us grew thick, almost like every unspoken word was hanging heavily between us.

His gaze dropped to my lips, and my breath hitched. Slowly, hesitantly, he leaned in, the world around us fading into nothing. My heart pounded in my chest, the tension stretching unbearably thin.

Our lips were just a breath apart when a voice I have learned to dread interrupted us.

Chapter Text

"AM I INTERRUPTING A moment here, Ash?"

The sound of his voice was like a whip cracking through the air, slicing the tension between us. I stumbled back from the son of Athena, my eyes darting wide, locking onto the glimmer of Irise's rainbow. And standing within it, arms crossed, looking thoroughly amused, was none other than Luke Castellan.

My chest tightened. Oh gods.

Asher didn't say a word, and neither did I. My gaze shifted between the two of them, my lips parting as if words would magically fall out. "Why- what's going on?" I blurted, the question sounding as ridiculous as it felt, but it was all I could manage.

The so-called son of Hermes—no, traitor—shared a brief, silent exchange with Asher. And then, like a cruel mirage, the vision of Luke faded, leaving me and him alone.

"This doesn't have to be like this. Just listen—" He began, stepping toward me, his voice soft yet strained. Pleading.

But I shook my head violently, backing away instinctively. My body felt like it wasn't mine, legs moving on their own, desperate to create distance. "No. No... Just answer my question." My voice almost trembled, though I tried to sound firm.

Asher didn't stop. For every step I took, he took three, closing the space between us in a heartbeat. He was only a foot away now, and I saw him reach into his pocket. I should've been alarmed, but my mind wasn't connecting the dots anymore. All I felt was the crushing weight of realization.

A knife in my back, that's what this felt like. Twisting deeper and deeper. The memory of my early suspicions about Luke surfaced like a dark wave. From day one, I'd known something about him didn't sit right. It was why I kept my distance, why I hadn't trusted him like Percy had.

But Luke... I didn't give him enough credit. He must have seen that I was suspicious of him. He must have known. So, he sent Asher instead. And now, looking back, it was so painfully obvious.

The so-called rivalry between them? I have never seen them utter a word to other, they have never acknowledged each other, because they were careful not to be figured out.

And I bet the campers we lost during the summer to Luke's army was also thanks to him.

I didn't even call out my dagger. What would've been the point? Asher had trained me. He knew my moves, my strengths, and every last one of my weaknesses. He knew me. But him? I didn't know him at all. He was a stranger acting as someone I thought I could trust. Someone I thought—gods, this hurt—someone I thought I could like.

I wanted to scream at myself. How could I be so stupid?

"I was the one..." he started, his voice low. It seemed regretful, but I had a feeling it was not because of his actions.

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that he was lying. "You poisoned the tree?" The words came out as a whisper, but the truth struck like thunder. The look in his eyes confirmed it.

As I glared at him, my vision blurred and a tear slipped free. It wasn't for him. No, Asher wasn't worth my tears. It was for me. The vulnerability clawing at me was worse than the betrayal itself. It made me question everything.

Who was I? Which parts of me were truly mine, and which parts were what Luke wanted me to be? What had Asher moulded me into?

"Why me?" I asked, my voice almost breaking. Fuck, I hated myself for feeling this so deeply.

The waves crashed behind us, their roar loud enough to drown out my pounding heartbeat, but I didn't notice how the weather had changed. The sun had vanished, replaced by dark clouds and howling winds.

I barely noticed anything beyond the suffocating silence between us. I wanted this to be a nightmare. A bad dream I could just wake up from.

"You're a child of the Big Three," Asher began, his voice steady, as though he were explaining a fact, not my entire existence. His gaze briefly flicked to his hand, where he held something I couldn't see. But I didn't follow his gaze. I kept my eyes locked on his, waiting for him to meet mine again.

"And more importantly," he continued, his tone darkening. "The last of your kind was the closest anyone's ever come to overthrowing the gods."

I nodded, the weight of his words settling over me like a shroud. It always came back to this, didn't it? "Everclark, right?" I said bitterly, a hollow laugh escaping me. Nothing about this felt funny, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Bridget," he said softly, stepping closer, his hands reaching out to grip my elbows. "Join us. With you, we'd be unstoppable—"

"No," I cut him off, shaking my head fiercely. "No." I yanked at his grasp, trying to pull away, though his hold didn't falter. "I won't listen to your bullshit."

A shadow crossed his face, and for the first time, I saw something raw in his expression. Determination. "Then I guess I'll just have to make you."

Before I could react, something blue shimmered in his palm, and in one swift motion, he brought it to my face. A fine powder covered my nose and mouth, and I gasped reflexively, inhaling it.

A heavy fog crept over me instantly. My body betrayed me, limbs growing sluggish, my eyelids drooping no matter how hard I fought to keep them open. I blinked once. Twice.

The third time, my eyes didn't open at all.

I GROANED, MY BACK stiff and aching. The ropes burned against my wrists, tied tightly behind me. Pain shot through my shoulders as I twisted experimentally, testing the knots.

Then it all came flooding back, Asher, his Iris message with Luke, the betrayal.

"I hope that scowl isn't because of our mutual friend," a familiar, mocking voice said. "He's been insufferable enough already. I don't need him crying about how you 'misunderstand' him."

My eyes snapped to Luke Castellan, lounging like a king on a worn leather sofa. A knife and an apple rested in his hands as he lazily carved off a slice of fruit. He didn't even look at me when he spoke.

"You're a piece of work," I said, my voice sharp.

He smirked, finally glancing up. "Apple?" He held out a slice, his tone so casual it made my blood boil. "Might help you relax."

"Eat it yourself, Castellan," I spat, venom dripping from my voice. He shrugged and popped the piece into his mouth, chewing slowly, like he had all the time in the world. Smug bastard.

I glanced around the room, ignoring the way my wrists throbbed. The cabin swayed slightly, and through the window, I caught sight of the ocean and the low sun. Princess Andromeda.

It also meant that I could've been gone for hours, or worse, a whole day. But maybe that's good, Percy- my friends, would know something was wrong by now.

"Don't hate Asher too much," Luke said, dragging me back to the present. He tossed the knife in the air, catching it with ease. "His mother never saw his potential. But I do. Kronos does."

I stared at him coldly. "Yeah, well, maybe poisoning Thalia's tree and endangering the camp made him feel really accomplished. Great character growth from his side, Luke." Something flickered in his eyes, annoyance? Something else? I couldn't tell, and frankly, I didn't care.

"For the record, the tree was my idea," he said.

I raised a brow. "Want a medal for that?"

His jaw clenched, but he quickly schooled his features back into that infuriating calm. "What I want is you on my team."

Was he really this thick? Shaking my head, I laughed. "What part of this," I tugged at my bonds. "Makes you think I'd ever join you?"

"Because the gods want you dead." His voice was low, and pointed, as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "With us, you can strike back. You can kill them instead."

I raised my chin, meeting his gaze without flinching. "You think that's what I want?"

Luke didn't blink. "I think you don't realise what you're capable of. You're a Puppeteer, Bridget. You could control souls — mortals, demigods, even the gods themselves. Imagine what we could do together. You and me."

His words were honeyed poison, but I wasn't biting.

"Correction," I said coolly, raising my brows. "I could have the power. You'd just be riding my coattails."

That made him lean back, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Fair enough. But power, or no power, it doesn't change the fact that the gods want blood. Yours, preferably."

I tilted my head, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "If the gods want blood, I'll gladly give them some." I let my lips curve into a faint, mocking smile of my own, my gaze cutting into him. "Starting with yours."

His low chuckle filled the room, amused but edged with something darker. "You're clever, Bridget. Always admired that about you. You're not naive, or predictable like Percy. No, you see the bigger picture."

"And you're delusional," I said flatly. "The bigger picture is this: you've already lost."

Luke's grin faltered, just for a second, before he stood and began pacing, the knife twirling idly in his hand. "You know," he said, his tone conversational.

"It's that stubbornness that makes you dangerous. But also..." He stopped, turning to me with a glint in his eye, "...useful."

"Funny," I said, leaning back against the bedpost, feigning nonchalance despite the ache in my arms. "I was just thinking how useless you are. All that talk about power, and here you are, Kronos' errand boy, trying to recruit teenagers to fight your stupid war."

His expression hardened, but before he could respond, I leaned forward. "Face it, Luke. You're nothing but a puppet." I said, picking my words intentionally. "And you know it."

For a moment, silence hung between us, but then Luke smiled again. Only this time, it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll let you talk with your boyfriend instead, yeah?" I didn't respond, and with one last taunting look, he left the cabin.

The moment the door closed, I sighed, letting my head fall back into the frames of the bed I was tied to. For a second, I let myself think dangerous thoughts where I would just be a regular teenager living in New York, not a demi-god who inherited freaky powers I have no clue how to deal with.

Then, the door opened again and all of my fantasies disappeared. Asher walked in and I took him in, the real him.

The way he walked, it used to seem like confidence, maybe even ego. Now I saw it for what it was: a fragile shell, an insecure boy trying desperately to look like a man in control. Even his hair, which I once thought was effortlessly tousled, was a carefully constructed lie, styled to look like he hadn't tried at all.

He approached me, each step deliberate but hesitant, before lowering himself to the ground in front of me. He didn't untie me, didn't even try.

"Let me explain," he started, his voice almost pleading.

I cut him off, "Explain what, exactly?" He flinched but didn't meet my eyes, so I pressed on. "Explain how you never once tried to turn me into a weapon? That's what you want to say, right?"

His silence was answer enough.

My throat tightened, but I ignored the ache, letting my anger fuel me. "I remember it perfectly, Asher. The way you approached me that lunch after I fought the Minotaur. You said I was 'different,' 'unpredictable.'"

I saw the flicker of guilt in his eyes, the way his lips parted as if to interrupt, but I didn't let him. My voice rose, "And like an idiot, I thought that meant you saw me. That you found me interesting because of who I was."

I paused, letting out a mocking laugh, "But now I get it. Those words weren't admiration, they were calculation. You looked at me and saw raw iron, didn't you? Something to forge into whatever Luke needed."

"Bridget—"

"Answer me, Asher!" I snapped, my voice cutting through the tense air like a whip. The silence that followed was deafening. And I hated that it affected me that much, because my eyes started to burn.

He finally looked at me. "It doesn't matter what it was then, Bridget. I like you for who you are now."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Then, I nodded. "Now," I echoed, the word dripping with disdain.

"You like me now. After you've chipped away at who I was and shaped me into what you and Luke wanted me to be?"

He opened his mouth to protest, but I shook my head slowly, "Don't. Don't lie to me. Spare us both the time."

"Asher," I said, my voice low, but unyielding. "I will never join you. Or Luke. And I am not your weapon."

His face twisted, but he didn't argue. He couldn't. Because he knew, as surely as I did, that I was done being anyone's pawn.

Chapter Text

IT FELT LIKE HOURS since I last saw another soul — pun absolutely intended. From my understanding, Puppeteers don't just mess with someone's mind or heart, they control a person's very essence, their whole being.

And Luke Castellan knew that. His crew did, too. After the last stunt I pulled on Princess Andromeda, when I somehow froze one of his lackeys long enough to escape, I'm guessing they thought I'd mastered my abilities.

Truth is, I hadn't. I didn't even know how I did it back then. All I remember are his eyes turning an eerie shade of silver, like a ghost had stolen his body. If I would have another chance, I would try to do it again.

Except I think Luke had made it perfectly clear to his ghouls that no one comes near me. Cowards.

A pair of hurried footsteps rushed past my door. Then another. More followed, their pace frantic. Something was happening. Something big.

Shouts erupted outside, voices colliding in chaos. Shit, this was the perfect distraction. But first, I had to solve the problem of being tied to a fucking bedpost.

The ropes around my wrists were tight, biting into my skin every time I struggled. I yank harder, hissing through gritted teeth as the burning pain only deepened. Blood was starting to crust in patches on my raw skin.

"Fuck," I mumble, slumping back against the bedpost. Think, Bridget. Action movie logic: break the bedpost and free yourself. Except this wasn't some flimsy wooden prop — it was solid metal. And my arms weren't superhuman-like.

I glanced around. Maybe Luke left that knife he was toying with earlier? If I could just—

Wait. Holy shit. I'm an idiot.

Closing my eyes, I summoned Erebos. The dagger materialized in my palm, as familiar as an old friend. Its black blade shimmered faintly in the dim light, and with a few precise movements, the ropes fell away.

I stood, rolling my sore wrists as I took in the sight of the bloodied remnants of rope on the floor. "No one needs to know how long that took," I nod to myself. Another shout from outside snaps me back to the moment.

Carefully, I edged the door open, peeking out into the hallway. Empty. Good. I closed it again, inhaling deeply to steady my nerves. Alright, girl, time to go.

I threw the door open.

"Fuck!"

"Shit!"

The curses flew at the same time, and I froze, wide-eyed. Standing in front of me, looking equally freaked out, was Percy Jackson.

Before I could react, he pulled me into a hug. "Are you okay?" The relief in his voice was obvious.

"Okay now," I managed, nodding against his shoulder.

Without hesitation, he grabbed my hand and started tugging me down the hallway. "C'mon. We've gotta move."

"What's going on?" I yelled, trying to keep up with his pace as the shouts grew louder.

We burst onto the main deck, and it was madness. Sailors shouted orders, weapons clanged, and the ship rocked under the weight of the chaos. I could feel the tension in the air like a wire ready to snap.

Percy didn't waste a second. "Stay close!" he shouted over the noise, his hand gripping mine like a lifeline.

"Not planning to wander off!" I yelled back, dodging as a stray arrow zipped past us and lodged itself into the mast. What the actual fuck was happening?

He led the way, weaving through the throng of Luke's crew. They were too preoccupied fighting off... whatever was attacking them to notice us at first. I couldn't make out who, or what their opponents were, but Cy didn't slow down long enough to give me time to figure it out.

A burly guy with a spear stepped into our path, his face twisted in determination. Before I could react, Percy flicked his wrist, and Riptide sprang to life in his hand. The celestial bronze blade gleamed in the fading light as he deflected the spear's strike with a sharp clang.

"Keep moving!" He shouted, shoving the guy aside with his shoulder.

I followed, ducking as another crew member lunged at me. Without thinking, I summoned Erebos again and slashed upward. The black blade sliced through the air, forcing him to stumble back. I didn't wait to see if he recovered.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice strained as we dodged another group of sailors who were too busy yelling at each other to notice us.

"Annabeth and Grover are waiting by the lifeboats," Percy said as he dodged someone's sword. "We just have to get there before someone blocks us." Easier said than done. Luke's crew was thick on the deck, and as soon as one cleared out, another seemed to take their place.

Then I saw them. Ann stood by the railing near the lifeboats, her gray eyes scanning the chaos. Grover was standing close and I sighed in relief when I noticed he was okay. After all, I haven't seen him in months.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

Her head snapped in our direction, relief flashing across her face before it hardened into determination. "Hurry!" she shouted, beckoning us over. We were so close, but of course, nothing's ever easy. A group of Luke's sailors surged in front of us, blocking our path.

The crew was closing in fast. I don't know what I frankly did. One moment I just locked eyes with the closest aailor I saw, immediately feeling his energy. His soul, trembling just beneath the surface. And the second, it happened.

His eyes turned that ghostly silver I'd seen before. The men behind him did the same, all freezing in their place. Like puppets.

"Run!" I shouted. This time I grabbed his hand, and we pushed through the gap I'd created, sprinting towards our friends.

When we reached them, they ushered us to the lifeboat that already was dangling over the side of the ship. "Get in," Annabeth yelled over the shouts.

Percy and I scrambled in, with Grover and Ann following right after, cutting the ropes and holding the boat in place. The lifeboat dropped, and I grabbed the sides as we plummeted toward the water.

The moment we hit the waves, the daughter of Athena grabbed the oars. "Row!"

We didn't argue. Together, we paddled away from the ship as fast as we could. Behind us, the chaos of Princess Andromeda grew fainter, the shouts and clanging of weapons fading into the distance.

For a moment, none of us spoke. We just rowed, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins like fire. Then, something knocked the air out of my lungs, not a weapon or another twist of chaos, but arms wrapping tightly around me.

Naturally, a grin spread across my lips when I realized it was Grover.

"Thank fuck you're okay," I mumbled into him, clinging a little tighter than I usually would. He laughed, though it came out as a goat-like bleat.

"Same goes for you," he said, pulling back to look me over, his face a mixture of relief and lingering worry. I sighed, still catching my breath as I met the gaze of my oldest friend. "Some rescue mission, huh?"

Grover just waved me off with a smile. "Eh, we've had worse."

I snorted, leaning against the side of the boat and I took a deep breath, finally letting the tension ease just a little. "How'd you know I was there?" I asked, looking around the boat. We were now long away from Princess Andromeda, though I couldn't help, but look over the sea every few minutes to see if they somehow managed to catch up.

"Clarisse," Annabeth said after a moment of silence. "She told us that Asher betrayed her, and pushed her into Polyphemus' territory. After we didn't find you, it wasn't hard to connect the dots."

I nodded silently along. Then it settled on me. "Where's Amelia?"

My friends shared a look. For a second, I feared the worst. "She came up with a plan... Amelia was particularly pissed off when we realised what had happened," Percy started. "So, she decided she would try to infiltrate Luke's crew. Find out fully what they're doing."

"But that's dangerous?" I said. Annabeth shrugged, "She's a daughter of Ares, she'll be fine."

I pursed my lips and looked out the sea again. Further in the distance, I could see some land, it looked like a real mortal city. "Hey, GPS, where are we?" I asked.

Percy grumbled something about how he's not a device before answering my question, "42 degrees, 21 minutes, 71 degrees, 2 minutes, eleven point seven-seven seconds west."

The three of us just stared at him. I went to touch him, my finger pushing into the skin of his cheek, "He's so life-like..."

He swatted my hand, "Fuck off. I don't know, okay?"

IT APPEARED THAT PERCY'S numbers meant that we were near Boston. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice four eighteen-year-olds climbing out of an emergency boat.

We were debating if we should use Gray Sisters' taxi. Or more like Percy and Annabeth were. He was very against the idea, probably still traumatised from our last ride, while Annabeth resisted, telling him they had no choice.

But I didn't want to come back to camp at all.

The conversations I had while being captured begged the question, could it be possible that I was truly shaped as a weapon? How long before the gods realised and hoped to use me too? What if they already were?

And I saw the way Ann was looking at me, I knew she knew something.

But right now, I didn't want to deal with that. No, instead I wanted to sit on the rooftop of my apartment and eat some pica while watching the busy street, and listening to the radio. I wanted peace.

"I'm not going back with you guys," I blurted out.

My words made Cy and Ann snap their heads at me, forgetting their argument. Even Grover even let out a surprised Baa-aa.

"Hold up, what?"

I didn't meet Percy's stare, or anyone else's. I just looked down at my angry red wrists. When I found the courage, I lifted my eyes, though still not looking at my friends.

"I have something very special. I realise that now." I swallow, finally meeting my best friend's gaze. "And Luke said some things that made me realize that I don't know who I can truly trust, okay? But not you guys, obviously I can trust you... just, I need some time."

Cy walked over to me, touching my shoulder, "You sure? I can stay with you in New York If you want."

I quickly shook my head. "No, no... I need to be alone. To- to figure this out."

Without any words, Annabeth took a few steps forward and engulfed me in a hug. "Be careful," she whispered, and I nodded. "I will," I said, hoping I would be able to keep that promise.

Next was Grover. I felt particularly sad about not joining him. He was my first true and oldest friend, one who I hadn't seen for almost a year, and now when we were back together, I was the one to leave.

Last was Percy, who shot me another 'Are you sure' look. I nodded for what it felt like the hundredth time. "If you ever need me, just Iris message me," he said, his eyes searching for any sign of hesitation from me. There wasn't one.

"I know," I smiled. "I'll see you when you get back."

Chapter Text

HOME SWEET HOME. GODS, if you had told the sixteen-year-old me that I was back early at home, by choice, I'd call you crazy. But here I was, dropping my bag to the ground, not bothering to take off my shoes.

It was getting dark, but I didn't bother turning on the lights. I liked this in-between, the soft glow of sunset fading into the night but not quite gone yet.

I grabbed a can of Red Bull from the fridge and the pizza box I picked up on the way home. The best thing about my room? I have a window that leads straight to the fire escape, which means easy access to the roof.

I was halfway outside when my eyes landed on my old, beat-up CD player. I snatched it up, figuring there was probably a disc still inside. Either one I was too lazy to swap out or just forgot about. And worst case, I'd just settle for the radio.

From the roof, I could get quite a good view of Queens. If I looked slightly to the left I could even see the Queensboro bridge, Percy lived near that.

I popped the last bite of pizza into my mouth, leaning back as some song played in the background, Arctic something. The name didn't really matter. The steady rhythm, the distant city sounds, the cool night air—it all felt... peaceful. And I hadn't felt that in a long time.

I reached for my Red Bull, ready to take another sip, when it suddenly hit me. I was eighteen.

The thought settled in weirdly, like I was remembering something I should've known all along. During the quest, time blurred together, days, nights, weeks. I hadn't even realized my birthday had passed. That made two years in a row now.

Two whole years of forgetting the one day that was supposed to be mine.

But hey, on the bright side, I could legally buy cigarettes now. Actually, now that I thought about it, this view would probably be even better with a smoke.

I folded up the empty pizza box and pushed myself up, swinging my legs off the ledge. Just as I lifted my eyes, I nearly lost my balance, stumbling back. Because standing there, staring at me all stalker-ish was someone I definitely wasn't expecting.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Apollo tilts his head, arms crossed. "Long enough to see you grinning to yourself about something."

I roll my eyes, grabbing the empty can of my energy drink. "What is it now? I'm not allowed to smile?"

I don't pay much attention to his optical illusion. I wanted one evening where I could forget all the gods and Puppeteer bullshit, and the god of sun showing up was definitely not helping.

Before I could grab my CD player, strong arms slip around my elbows, pulling me away from my things. He tugs me slightly and I wince, pain shooting up from my wrists.

His eyes immediately scan over my figure, before I see them land on my red wrists in his hands. Something flashes in his eyes. "Did I...?"

The pain I feel begs the question, is he really here or is this one of his tricks?

I immediately shake my head, "No- no, that's from the ropes I was tied with."

Apollo's gaze doesn't leave the angry warks, his fingers gently brushing over the dried blood scabs. "Do you trust me?" he suddenly asked.

I blink up at him. For once, his sky-blue eyes aren't filled with mockery or mischief. And it was a rare time when his gaze wasn't pinned on me. Instead, he was just... watching. Waiting.

"No," I said.

He grinned, so I guess we both knew that was a lie. "Good," he whispered more quietly and my brows furthered. His words sent me back to that dream I experienced. The one where he said I would die because of him.

Suddenly, this was a very bad idea.

A tingle touched my wounds, making me look down to see soft golden light moving from his fingers. A gasp escaped my lips as I watched it wrap around my wrists, the warmth sinking into my skin like sunlight breaking through the cold.

Oh he was here alright.

I was simply frozen in my place. I should pull away, I realise that. But it was like he threw all my senses out of the window and I was stuck in my place, watching him heal my wounded wrists.

But then his fingers brushed against my pulse, and everything inside me stilled.

His touch lingered, it was soft, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he held on too tightly. His eyes flickered to mine, searching, unreadable. For once, there was no teasing smirk, no smug remark waiting on his tongue to whom I'd roll my eyes.

Just Apollo, standing too close, looking at me in a way like he shouldn't.

"You're warm," I murmured before I could stop myself.

His jaw tensed, his grip on my wrists tightening for a fraction of a second before he let out a soft chuckle. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

It didn't feel like a bad thing. Maybe that's the problem, it should've been, but it wasn't. And that was terrifying.

I felt my heart slam against my ribcage as his hand trailed up from my wrist, his knuckles grazing my arm, my shoulder, until his fingers ghosted along the side of my neck.

He exhaled sharply, and I suddenly could feel his breath against my lips. "Bridget," he murmured. Not a taunt. Not a joke. Just my name.

I lifted my eyes to meet his, and before I knew it, he was so close. The moment our eyes met, a curse flew from his mouth and he backed up.

This is a mistake, I quickly realised. Nothing was happening I just imagined everything. He probably doesn't even view me like that—

My thoughts were cut off when he suddenly cupped my cheeks and pressed our lips together. Apollo kissed me.

At first, it was soft, hesitant, like he wasn't sure if I'd shove him away or kiss him back. I didn't even think about the former, I couldn't think about anything. A light gasp escaped me when his hand moved to the back of my neck, him kissing me even deeper than before.

Apollo kissed me like a starved man. His hands tangled into my hair, pulling me closer, like he needed me, like the space between us was unbearable. His lips were warm, impossibly warm, like sunlight seeping into my skin, melting me from the inside out.

I couldn't think, all I could do was feel him. It was like I wasn't controlling my body anymore, my fingers curling around the collar of his shirt, gripping the fabric like it was the only thing keeping me standing, because it was.

I couldn't even tell you at what point I started kissing him back, but when I did, something in him snapped.

His arm wound around my waist, pulling me flush against him, and the moment I felt his heartbeat against mine, something hot sparked in my chest, not burning, but definitely noticeable.

My lips parted from his, and I gasped as the sensation got stronger, unconsciously gripping at his shoulders, "Apollo—"

For a second his eyes darted from my face and I could feel the warmth seeping into my skin stronger. I wanted to look down, but Apollo didn't let me.

It seemed that whatever I felt, drove him even more insane. The god in front of me let out a sharp breath, his fingers pressing into my waist, and then his lips crashed against mine again, hungrier this time, more desperate. Like he couldn't stand the loss of contact, like he needed more, more, and more.

The heat spread, pulsing between my ribs, curling up my spine. It wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming and intoxicating. My knees nearly buckled, and Apollo must have sensed it because his grip tightened, holding me up as he deepened the kiss.

It was dizzying. Infuriating. And terrifyingly good.

When he finally pulled back, his breathing was ragged, his forehead resting against mine. His fingers were still buried in my hair, his other hand firm on my waist, like he wasn't ready to let go just yet. His sky-blue eyes, so often filled with mischief, were dark. Hungry.

"This is dangerous," I whispered, my own breath uneven. Fuck.

A slow, lazy smirk tugged at his lips, but his voice was lower, rougher than I'd ever heard it. "I was just thinking the same about you."

I swallowed, the heat in my chest still buzzing, still alive. I watched him as he trailed his hand on my face. "There," he pressed the pad of his thumb against my lower lip, making butterflies erupt in my stomach all over again, "Not a trace of that son of Athena on you now."

I rolled my eyes, thought I could help but grin, seeing his lips that were red and swollen because of me. "He didn't get to kiss me."

It seemed my words fuelled him even more because he brought his lips to mine again. The kisses were something I never wanted to end.

But I pulled away, resting my face against his shoulder, sighing. Fuck, me. I raised my head, to see him watching me closely, almost nervously, like I was about to push him away any second.

"I need to breathe," I mumble.

He rolled his eyes playfully, trying to mask the emotions I saw slipping through the cracks. "Breathing is overrated."

I laugh and he chuckles too. Still not letting me go out of his reach, he moved us, so he sat his back to the ledge, lowering me on him. I wrapped my arms around him, one of my hands moving into his golden, curly hair.

It was pretty long now, formed into an outgrown mullet, that looked super hot on him. Not that I'd ever say it to him, his ego is big enough as it is already.

Apollo let out a content sigh at the action of me playing with his hair, which did made my ego slightly grow.

Only when he raised his hand, did I notice that he was wearing a ring. It was on his pinkie finger, a thick, golden one that had a shiny gem, whose colour I didn't quite catch, but it looked like a dark orange or maybe a rich brown.

His touch was warm as his fingers brushed a few loose strands out of my face. I found myself melting into his touch, after all, I'm one of those always-cold types.

"You are the most exquisite thing I have ever seen," he mumbled, almost like I shouldn't hear. His fingers twirled one of my lighter-shade strands of hair, ones I still have no clue how I got.

I raise my brow, "Is that so?"

His blue eyes, a shade which reminded me of the colour an ocean would wear on a warm summer evening, looked up at me, eyes half-lidded. "I have lived for centuries, darling, seen every edge of this world and yet there is nothing that has ever come close for it to compare to you."

I was left speechless when he said it. One of his hands was trailing the exposed skin on my back, messing up every sentence I tried to get out, so I did the only thing I could muster up, I kissed him again.

It was quick, and only lasted a few seconds, yet this one made everything feel real. I don't think those blue eyes have let me out of their sight yet and I hated that his simple gaze affected me that much. I could practically feel my face heating up.

And worst of all? I just had a total make-out session with him, and now I want another one.

I groan, seriously? Why can't I stop thinking about his lips? And how his hands seemed to fit perfectly around my face, how he— nope, no.

Pressing my digits into my face, I try to resist another urge to sigh, I need to snap out of it.

Apollo let out a tsk, before his warm hands palmed over mine and lowered them from my face. "Don't hide from me, sweetheart. I hate it when you do that."

I lift my head up and raise one of my brows, "You hate what? As I remember it's a very long list starting from BMW cars to—"

"—okay, sassy, I am allowed to have opinions, no?"

I snort, "Sure."

A silence falls onto us and he sighs, playing with the hem of my jeans. "I meant that you hide from me. You've been blocking me out of your thoughts," his tone got almost whiny, like he was some eight-year-old. "Not answering me, dismissing me and just straight up ignoring me. I am a god, by the way, a very important one too, so keep that in mind."

Trying to keep my face neutral, I nod along, saying, "Yes, yeah, absolutely."

His eyes bore into mine. Judging by his expression, he was not having it. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

I finally don't stop myself from laughing and he rolls his eyes, though I can see that amused grin he was failing miserably to suppress.

Rolling his eyes, Apollo slid one of his hands to cup my jaw, making my laughter fade out, his expression dropping into something that I best could describe as desire. And before I knew it, I was leaning in to kiss him again.

But the sound of the door from the staircase to the elevator opening took my attention.

My mother. Blake Nova, with her perfect blond hair still tied up in a bun, and still in her hospital scrubs was staring at me. And then her gaze moved to Apollo, who I was very much sitting on top of.

Oh, fuck me.

I quickly jumped from Apollo, with him quickly standing up too as I tried to put some distance between us.

"Bridget? What are you doing back here? Why aren't you in camp?" Her voice cut through the air.

My eyes widened in alarm. Fuck, what am I supposed to say? Hey Mom, I came back because I don't particularly trust a lot of people at camp right now, so here I am making out with a fucking god!

"I'm back?" I said, though it came out more like a question.

Mom nodded, still very unimpressed. "I see that." And then she turned to Apollo.

Her gaze was pretty much, get out of my sight, but Apollo being himself, he didn't get it. Honestly, I just think he has never been dismissed by someone who isn't his father or well, me.

So, he doesn't even look at me as he plasters on one of his charming smiles and stretches out his hand, moving in the older woman's direction. Actually, by technicality, he is way older.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm-"

My eyes widened and before he could mess this up even more, I cut him off, taking a few hurried steps, to stand in front of him. "Alexander. His name is Alexander."

I ignore the look he sends me, instead, I watch my mother. She glances between me and him, her eyes lingering in the space between us and I realise that I've been touching Apollo's shoulder the whole time.

My arm falls down as the surgeon in front of us asks another question. "Okay, Alexander. What are you doing here?"

But I don't let him answer this question either. The thing is, Apollo can't lie. I don't know why, I haven't bothered asking why either, though now I'm curious. "He's one of the campers. After our latest quest, I asked if I could home early and Chiron sent Alexander to make sure I got home safe."

My mom's gaze softens. "Another quest? I thought those were rare."

"They are," Apollo grins, or should I say, Alexander and I roll my eyes at his words. "Your daughter is just that special."

The soft look flees my mother's gaze as it settles on the god beside me. She tilts her head back, "Well, thank you for looking after my daughter." Her tone is pretty specific as she says it and I close my eyes, mumbling another curse in my head.

"You're free to go now," My mom says, seemingly realizing that he can't get the hint. Apollo is rooted in his place for a second, again, not used to being dismissed. So, when he doesn't move to leave, my mom speaks again. "I was being polite, kid. Out, now."

Even though this time he does what he's told to, I see him behind my mother's back turn around, not saying or doing anything, but just as if to look back to make sure this happened. That this wasn't just something he had imagined.

And now I'm left with the question, did I imagine this?

I FINALLY CLOSED THE door to my room, talk about awkward. Mom gave me a lecture about boys and how they're easily the dumbest breed alive — not that I argued — and then just sighed and left me alone, but not before pressing a kiss to my temple and telling me she was glad I was home safe.

When I got to my room, I immediately started taking off my clothes. I have been craving a scented, hot bubble bath ever since I had one back on Circe's island.

As I was taking off my shirt, I winced, feeling a tender spot on my skin. Slowly, I take off the rest of my shirt, leaving me just in my underwear and necklaces. During the summer, my already naturally tanned skin would turn darker, yet whatever was hurting me was not from the hot beams of the sun.

I couldn't see it properly, so I quickly clipped off my camp necklace, Apollo's golden one and another random one, finally leaving my chest and neck bare of jewellery.

I gasp escaped my lips, my eyes fixated on the mirror, more specifically just above where my heart should be. I wouldn't even call it a burn, the mark was only a shade or two darker than my own skin, yet the form of it...

My eyes flickered to the necklace hanger, where the golden pendant swayed gently in the summer breeze coming through the open window. The necklace was a golden chain, with a sun hanging from it.

I move my gaze back to the mirror, looking at the exact replica of the sun etched into my skin.

Chapter Text

"A LITTLE CONTEXT IF you care to listen. I find myself in a shit possession..." the lyrics easily flooded from my lips. I was at the local record store and the girl who was managing the store definitely had good taste.

It was early, like before eleven, yet I loved the calmness before lunch in the Big Apple. It was summer and unlike last year, I decided to spend the rest of my holiday, which was just a month, back home.

Hacate's blessing and the bracelet my dad has gifted me shield my aura from monsters, so I'm safe to spend the summer where I wished. And then there was the 'I've been manipulated my entire stay in camp' thing, which I will not get into again.

My fingers drifted along the CD boxes, trying to find something new to listen to. I stopped on some interesting-looking album called, Nothing Happens. I turned the back, to see if I knew the artist when a voice interrupted.

"Good choice, they're pretty good."

I lifted my eyes to see Apollo leaning on a stand
that was separating us. He was dressed to bend in, with an oversized white shirt and some basic, wide, blue jeans. This morning was colder, so a black beanie was hiding his hair, though bits of his longer, blond strands were out.

Ignoring the look in his crystal blue eyes that seemed to be drinking in my every movement, I move to a different aisle. The cold was never really a problem for me and since I barely had when to wear skirts back at camp, I wore a black one today.

For the top, I grabbed a fresh black button-up from the drier, only buttoning up the lower half, letting it leave my shoulders exposed, covering them up just enough to hide the newfound mark.

I was also pretty sure that it belonged to my mom, the top, which is why it looked a bit oversized for me. Lastly, I put on some black high boots, one of my favourite pairs, with white socks sticking out at the top.

I knitted my brows and glanced down, feeling a slight sensation where the mark was, like a small jolt moving through my body.

Walking away from the current aisle to the cash register, I try to act normal and ask in a playful tone, "Stalking now are we?" I would have bought it anyway without hearing Apollo's opinion, but he was the god of music, so it felt like a definite safe bet.

I didn't even glance back, I could feel him catching up to me. I looked back up at him when I felt him stand right behind me. His gaze lingered on the clearly visible golden chain on top of my button-up.

I usually hid it, but I was too afraid it would burn me again, yet if I took it off completely Apollo would definitely notice. So, on my clothes it was. And the fact that I wasn't hiding the necklace seemed to please him.

He smiled down at me, "Always, darling."

Not letting him get a reaction out of me, I turned around, trying to contain a smile by walking up to the girl working at the register. She was about my age, maybe a year or two older, with cool, hot pink hair, styled in space buns.

"Love the hair," I said as I handed her the CD by some group called Wallows.

However, she didn't even spare me a glance, mumbling something similar to mhm and looking right behind me, just where to Apollo was standing. She gave him a flirty smile, before glancing at my outstretched hand with the CD, and rolling her eyes.

Bitch!

As she scanned it, I turned to Apollo, who had one of his brows raised in an amused, you saw that? manner. Right, he was a god, attracting people and all that.

Rolling my eyes, I dropped a twenty on the table, grabbed the plastic disc case, and headed for the door, casually taking his hand as I went, making sure she noticed.

As we walked the streets of New York, I was afraid to admit it, but it felt good with Apollo's hand snaked up around my waist. I didn't even feel it at first, it just felt natural.

I glanced up at him, to see that grin of his plastered on his face. Adjusting my brown, vintage Bottega bag, I finally ask, "What is it?"

He pauses us in the middle of the street, not caring that we're definitely in the way of the people who are rushing to do their business. His other arm also makes its way around my waist, his fingers intertwining behind my back.

"Were you jealous?"

Rolling my eyes, I try to escape his hold, but his grip is firm and too strong for me to get out of. With him being taller than me, I have to crane my neck up to hold the eye contact. "Why would I be?" I raised my brow.

He laughs, "Oh, so we're playing that game?"

"What game?" I tilt my head, maintaining a clueless look.

He doesn't reply and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was speechless. One of his hands moved to my necklace, the very one he had given me, one that left the mark.

I felt it tingle since the moment he entered the music shop. The sensation didn't fully fade away, more like morphed into a warmth you feel sitting next to a radiator. And mark was the best way to explain it. It was the exact shape of the sun pendant that Apollo had given me.

Yesterday, the surprising heat I felt? That was the necklace burning me. He gave me this very necklace for a reason, it's how we started. I wished for guidance in love.

Back at that time, Chiron was posing as a teacher and gave me a drachma. I didn't know what to wish for, so I thought wishing for love was a calculated choice. It would never hurt to have some help. Or that's what I thought.

Suddenly, everything makes sense.

The prophecy I got? It was the very same one which warned me about the death of the true lover of Apollo. The same one that Hecate herself cautioned me about.

The necklace? Apollo said that it would burn me when I kissed my true love. And who dies in the stupid prophecy? His lover!

The only saving grace I have right now is that he's not in love with me, that maybe for some reason, he is my true lover, whatever that means, but I am not his.

Apollo's fingers touching my cheek brought me back to the present as he guided my face to his. The moment our lips touched I practically melted into him.

I would call myself a moth who is drawn to that stupid electric heater in this situation.

Before I knew it, my hand snaked around his neck and I was kissing him back, already forgetting my previous thoughts. That was the thing about him, it seemed he always without intention made me forget all my worries.

But this was New York, so the whistle of some asshole and a catchall made us pull apart. Apollo's head immediately flew over to the man who shouted the rude comment, but I held him back.

"It's our fault, don't mind them," I said, but his jaw was still clenched. It looked like my words just went right into one ear and left from the other. "Solar."

The nickname finally brought me his attention and I raised my brow, questioning what he was doing, but he simply threw one of his arms around my shoulder and started guiding us away. But he looked too pleased with himself.

"What did you do?" I carefully asked.

He shrugs, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I squinted my eyes, trying to figure it out, but that was not needed, because a second later, a loud, aggressive bark was heard, with people behind us gasping and a pained scream filled the loud street.

I managed to catch just a bit of the scene before more people turned around and crowded over, but what I saw was clear. It looked like a big dog - if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a wolf, but that's not possible because we were in one of the biggest cities on Earth.

And what was it doing? It was attacking the same guy who just threw his comment at us, at me. I think he yelled something like, wanna kiss me like that also, honey? But the thing was, in my eighteen years living in this huge city, I've heard commentaries or stories worse than that.

I glanced back at Apollo who had that little twinkle in his eyes, he found it amusing. And then it clicked.

I remember back at camp, one of the cabin's seven kids, who was no older than ten, had arrived for lunch with a literal wolf by his side.

Annabeth later explained that Apollo was the protector and master of wolves, so some of the kids from his cabin inherited a bond with the animal.

Soon, the police arrived ready to take care of the wild dog, but it quickly fled the scene. When it ran past us, I couldn't lie, it looked scary with its whole maw covered in blood.

But then it stopped in front of Apollo, seemingly lowering his head, like a sigh of respect, before it continued to disappear through the busy street, with a few surprised yells from bystanders.

I didn't say anything, I just simply shook my head at the proud look on his face. To which he replied with a kiss on the crown of my head, before his arm was back around me and he dragged me through the streets.

"DON'T YOU HAVE DUTIES or something? Or are you going to be stuck to my side this whole summer? And you do realise that you will not be able to hang around with me when schools starts back up again because I'm always with Cy, right?"

As I waited for his answers I took another bite of my burger. We were at this quiet jazz bar, right next to Hell's Kitchen. He said whenever he needs a break from Olympus and I'm not available, he comes here.

"Well, if you would open your mind back to me again, then it would be much simpler," Apollo shrugs as he sips his drink. I don't know what I expected, but him being a Martini guy definitely wasn't it, but now that I see it with my two eyes it makes sense.

I roll my eyes, bringing the Red Bull can to my lips, "So, there's this thing called privacy..."

He raises his hands in defence. "Fine. But then it means you're not being rid of me, darling, it's that simple." I raise my brows, picking up a fry from my plate and pointing it at him, "We'll see."

A comfortable silence settled on us as the soft jazz music filled the air. Apollo said that in the evenings, no matter the day, there would be live music, though Friday nights are the best in his opinion, which is why, he has officially booked my time for next Friday.

That's probably why I couldn't shake the feeling someone had been watching us. The people working here probably recognized him, or at least that's what I kept telling myself since we walked in.

He stole one of my fries, and that action earned a glare from me, before answering my other question, "Well, my main duty is that every now and then, I have to see if the Sun Chariot is doing okay working automatically."

He told me about that once. While Helios was originally the sun god, he took over driving the Sun Chariot across the sky, though he said that after a year he got bored and in less than a decade, he found an automated option with the help of a few gods.

He made sure to point out that he was very likeable. Though, I have a little inkling that his fellow gods did it, so that he would stop annoying them.

Apollo's tone changed when he said the next words. "Oh and if father says so, I have to spread a new disease or pandemic." He must have noticed my surprised expression, so he quickly added, "And then, I help Asclepius to grant some mortal doctor the knowledge of a cure."

"Right," I nod. Suddenly I remembered something. "Hey, you said this before, but why can't you lie?"

He groans, leaning back into his chair. "I hate it," he mumbles, finally taking his own fry instead of stealing mine since he has plenty. "Being God of Prophecy and Truth has its flaws. Actually, it's only flaws. For the past century, I've looking for a chance to grant the titles to someone else. Sadly, none have entered my line of vision that I think can actually handle the job."

I laugh and his grumpy expression immediately falls, with one of his warm smiles forming on his lips.

"How about we do something?" I suddenly say.

He leans back in his seat, crossing his arms, his gaze not leaving me, "What are you thinking?"

"We forget all of it," I start, trying really hard to not blush. "We pretend we're just normal New Yorkers. No god duties stuff, no weird abilities of me feeling everyone's energy, just simple citizens."

Apollo's eyes softened when I mentioned my problem. He said he only met one Puppeteer before, not Evercklark, but some son of Aphrodite. It worked out pretty well for the guy, in his opinion.

He said that the Puppeteer worked in Olympus and the gods sent him to whomever they didn't trust at the moment, to see if their aura would betray them.

The only thing is, for me, his situation was not something I'd describe as 'worked out well'. I don't want to be a slave for anyone, especially the gods.

"Alright," he nods. "Let's do it."

I grin, wanting to forget everything just for a few hours. "Well, we need different names then. You have Alexander-" Apollo grimaces as I say the name, but doesn't protest. "And now we need to make up mine."

I try to act normal, but the feeling of being watched still lingers. Something feels off. I let my gaze sweep over the bar, but everything seems normal enough.

He crossed his arms as if thinking deeply, before nodding to himself, as if approving. "Briar," he decided.

I thought over the name, it sounded familiar, though I could not pinpoint from where. But the name was pretty, so I mindlessly nodded along, my eyes scanning over the area. "Okay, I like it."

I hear Apollo sigh and finally bring my attention over to him. "What?"

He straightens out, "What is it? You've been acting tense."

Biting my lip, I look around again. Usually, I'm able to feel a monster, or at least it's energy. But now, all I can feel is Apollo's. After all, there is a reason why gods don't usually show up in the mortal world.

I glance around the room once again. We need to get out of here before-

"Hey," his voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I see him watching me, eyes full of concern. Only then did I notice that his hand was drawing small shapes on my knuckles, trying to soothe me.

"What is it?" He asks again. "You can tell me, I promise to take care of it."

I sigh, pressing my free hand's digits into my temple. "I think I'm just being paranoid."

Something in his gaze changes and he tilts his head, his fingers still drawing shapes on my hand, the action actually working in calming those thoughts down.

"I feel like someone's watching us," I blur out.

I'm ready to expect Apollo's concerned gaze, but instead, he does something else. Rolling his eyes, he pulls my hand to his lips pressing a soft kiss to them, almost like a promise, before he stands up and looks around the room, clearly pissed off.

Knitting my brows, I watch him skim the room, trying to figure out what's he doing. As his gaze finally settles, his jaw clenches and before I know it, he's standing up and walking over to the bar area.

On one of the barstools, sits a brown-haired girl, dressed in a light brown trench coat. I can't see her face, as it's hidden behind a newspaper, but it seems that the golden-haired god has recognised her almost immediately.

The only thing I can do is just watch as Apollo snatches the paper from the girl's hands and walks over back to our table, not giving the brunette another glance.

Passing me by, he presses another kiss to the crown of my head and I'm just stuck watching him calmly sit back in his seat.

Before I can ever question what just happened, or how casual that kiss just felt, the girl appears on my left, dragging a chair behind her and sitting on the left of me.

Apollo chugs down what's left of his Martini before practically spitting out the words with a cynical smile, "What are you doing here, Arti?"

The girl beside me scoffs, clearly affected by the given attitude. "What am I doing here? What are you doing Pheobus? Attacking a mortal with your wolf?!" Apollo rolls his eyes, which seems to anger the girl even more, or should I say his sister.

I lean in my chair, watching the two of them interact. He has talked to me about his twin several times, I just didn't expect to meet her right now- or at any point actually.

She was tall, taller than me definitely, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. She looked no older than sixteen, with freckles all over her face. But the one thing that truly set her apart was the silver eyes. The best thing to compare them to was the moon itself.

If I didn't know the fact, I wouldn't even be able to tell you that they were related, much less actual twins.

"How stupid are you? You do realise that you are putting her in danger too right? That not only are you attracting monsters to you, but to her as well," her gaze finally flashes over to me, before it pins back onto her brother.

It seems that this time, Apollo's expression shifts, as at the mention of me his annoyed expression falls guilt. The goddess shakes her head, her words quieter, "You should know better than anyone how dangerous it is for her."

Before the awkward silence could stretch out, the goddess finally turned to me. Her smile is gentler, her agitation from earlier seemingly gone. "I wish we hadn't met like this, but my little brother seems to always be creating messes."

"Only by twelve minutes," Apollo mumbled. "You're older by twelve minutes." His words sounded like he was annoyed, but when I glanced at him, he was watching us with a soft look in his eyes, his digits playing with the golden ring on his finger.

Artemis smiles. "Still older," she sings out the words, which makes Apollo roll his eyes.

I nod, smiling, "I'm Bridget, daughter of Hades."

The girl beside me laughs. "Oh, believe me, I know."

Confused, I glance at Apollo, who rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Arti." But his sister shakes her head, "Oh no, no. I am going to enjoy this, Pheobus. After all, I dropped my plans when I heard of you pulling this shit, under father's nose, no less."

I rest my chin on my palm, watching them bicker. There are quite a few things I regret, but the main one is not having a sibling. I wouldn't even care what gender, or age. At some point, I thought I had a chance, but no, of course, out of all the gods, my dad is part of the few who aren't allowed to have kids.

As their argument calms down, I knit my brows, suddenly realising something. I lift my eyes to Apollo in front of me, seeing him already staring back at me. "Wait, why does she call you Phoebus?"

His smile drops and his face practically pales, his head immediately snapping to his sister, "Artemis, don't you dare-"

But she doesn't even glance at him, her eyes on me. "O theoi, you don't know! Of course, he wouldn't tell you that," her lips form into a grin. "But, I will."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him sigh, motioning to one of the waiters for another one of his Martinis. I have to force myself to look down to hide my wide grin, before I turn to the goddess in front of me, eager to learn more about him.

Chapter Text

December 2006 ( five months later )

I SWEAR, THE TEACHER had some sort of abilities because that was the only way I could explain why the last five minutes of the lesson were going extra slow.

I knew that it was going to snow today, yet the moment I saw a little snowflake descend from the sky at the start of the lesson, I knew I was running straight outside.

Percy wasn't at school today, he muttered something about a dentist yesterday, so he left me all alone in this hell hole. Seriously, the only thing that was getting me through this year was that it was my last. Yep, I made it to senior year baby!

The moment the ball rang, my things were already in my bag and I was rushing to my locker to leave my books and grab my jacket, eager to feel the snow.

The moment my black heeled boots touched the ground, I couldn't stop grinning. The mark etched into my skin started warming up and the arms that snaked around my waist didn't startle me.

Turning around, I face Apollo staring back at me with those icy-blue eyes. He leaned in closer, the warmth from him seemingly wrapping around me. "Hello, darling," he said before closing the space between us.

I sighed into the kiss, my hand out of instinct going around his neck, into his hair. But instead of the usual soft curls, my fingers drift over spikes.

Gasping I pulled away, immediately pulling off the beanie from his head. "You buzzed your head?!" A sheepish smile formed on his lips and I frowned even more. I loved his hair— his curls.

Apollo tilts his head, "Oh come on, it's not that bad."

I only stared back at him as he ran a hand through his hair, or what was left of it. If I wasn't so in shock, I might have admitted that it looked good. But instead of admitting that, I crossed my arms.

He rolled his eyes, walking back over to me. But before he could reach me, I quickly grabbed a handful of snow and chucked it at him. And apparently, I'm a great shot because the snow landed straight into his face.

A laugh escaped me, but I quickly covered it up when I saw the glare on his face. Before I could even regret it, my face was covered in snow, this time it was Apollo who was grinning.

Pushing the bits of snow out of my face, I looked up at him. "Oh, it's on."

I scooped up another handful of snow and flung it at him, but Apollo, ever the show-off, dodged it effortlessly. The snow sailed past him, landing harmlessly on the sidewalk.

"Really?" He smirked. "That was just sad."

Before I could come up with comeback, another snowball hit me square in the shoulder. He didn't even bother hiding his amusement. "God of archery, remember?" he tilted his head.

I rolled my eyes, cleaning off the snow from my jacket, "No, I forgot between your other titles."

I lunged for more snow, but Apollo was faster. He pelted me with another, laughing as I shrieked and ducked behind a bench for cover. The cold seeped into my coat, but I barely noticed, since I was too focused on my counter attack. I grabbed as much snow as I could and launched it at him all at once.

This time, he didn't dodge in time. A victorious grin spread across my face as the snow exploded against his chest.

"Okay," he said, shaking the snow off. "Now you're in trouble."

I yelped and tried to run, but Apollo tackled me before I could get far. We tumbled into the snow in a blur of laughter. When we finally stopped moving, I found myself pinned beneath him, breathless, cheeks flushed and not just from the cold.

Snowflakes clung to his buzzcut hair, melting against the warmth of his skin. His blue eyes flickered with mischief, but there was something softer underneath. I swallowed.

"You cheated," I muttered, trying to sound unbothered.

Apollo only grinned. "And you started it."

His weight pressed into me, and for a moment, neither of us moved. The world around us had gone still, the snowfall quieting everything but the sound of our breaths.

An idea sparked in my head and I softly grabbed his neck, as if itching for a kiss. He obviously fell for it, so when the space was minimal I jerked my head to the side and pushed his face into the snow under me.

I twisted beneath him, slipping free just as he reached for me. Snow clung to his lashes, melting against his skin as he wiped his face, slow and deliberate. His expression was unreadable, except for the slight tilt of his head, and the sharp exhale through his nose.

He tsked, shaking his head. "Now that wasn't very nice, pet."

The old nickname curled around me like smoke, too familiar, too easy to sink into. I ignored the way it coiled in my stomach, the way something in me wanted to lean into it.

"All's fair in love and war, Solar."

His gaze flicked up at the name, something I couldn't catch flickering through his eyes. I barely had time to catch my breath before he reached for me, fingers curling around my wrist, tugging me back in like it was inevitable.

"Yes," he murmured, the weight of his gaze settling on me. "Yes, it is."

With that, his hand slithered around my neck and kissed me, hard. And me, being totally and helplessly enamoured with him, I melted right into him.

SKIPPING WASN'T SOMETHING APOLLO encouraged, but then again, I've skipped classes all my life. My mum was out at a conference in Pennsylvania, so I had the house all to myself.

I never really understood why the hell we had a fireplace in the living room, one we barely used too, but right now, I was appreciating the warmth from it as Apollo fixed the fire up.

If there was one thing that could compete in my house with the fire escape in my room, it would be our living room. We had a wall that was just windows and from it, I could see the busy streets of Queens.

With my hair still slightly moist from our snowball fight, I had a blanket wrapped up around me and some herbal tea in my mug. This December has been especially cold this year, so I found myself trying out one of my mom's teas last week — spoiler, they're actually pretty good.

The cars and people looked so small down there, I realised. Was that how the gods saw us? That we were just these little beings that were so easy to control and play with?

Apollo sat down beside me, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head, finally content with how the fire was. I closed my eyes and leaned into him. I knew that I was physically in my house, yet the comfort I received from the blond was one I would also call home.

"You know what, I feel a haiku coming," Apollo suddenly said and I couldn't keep the eye-roll in me. Ever since he went to Japan for something back in September, he wouldn't shut up about those haikus.

His face shifts serious as he turns to me and I inwardly groan, already preparing myself for it.

Apollo clears his throat, "You lean into me, seeking warmth and comfort, but mostly my god looks."

Without saying anything, I put down my cup of tea, turned around, grabbed a nearby pillow and stuffed it into his face, pushing him into the ground.

He laughed, easily pushing the pillow aside and pulling me further onto him, his hands moving to secure me on my waist. "Oh come on, that was a good one."

I shake my head laughing, "No, it was terrible."

"But you're laughing," he disagrees, twirling one of my lighter strands of hair. I nod along, "Yes, because it's so bad— you're the God of poetry, stick to that, love."

It seems that everything I said before that last word goes straight through him, "Love? Oh, Bridget, do I hold your heart captive?"

I roll my eyes at his dramatics, though silently cursing myself for calling him that. It wasn't on purpose, it just slipped out. "Shut up."

He doesn't say anything, I just feel him pull me even closer to him and press another kiss on top of my hair, his hand staying in my hair. I notice he does that a lot, just touches me. Like he needs reassurance I am here.

Or maybe that's just me.

Chapter Text

IN WHICH
two lovers try to go against all odds,
OR
where the curse of destiny sets off.