"You wanted to see me, Chiron?" I ask, stepping into the sitting room of the Big House. Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are sitting in chairs around the room also. I stop; surprised when I see them. "Oh. Hey guys," I smile nervously.

They all look nervous and anxious. That's not good in demigod language.

I make a face. "What's going on?"

"You might want to sit down," Percy says.

I take a seat in one of the remaining arm chairs and relax. "Okay… so now can someone please explain to me why you all look like something really bad is about to happen?"

Chiron sighs in his wheelchair and shifts uneasily. "Adara… we have just received word that Luke is still alive… and so is Aaron—the host body. They survived the fight back in December."

The first thing that comes to my mind is… holy shit he didn't die from that fall? Luke got pushed off a cliff by Thalia. How is he not dead? And Aaron? The host body for Kronos? He dropped off the side of the mountain, too. What happened?

"What?" I say, speechless. Anna bites her lip anxiously. Thalia picks at her nails. Percy fidgets before standing up and pacing the room. "But how…" I look to Thalia. "You…"

She glances up at me and for a second I regret bringing the memory back to her. But she simply says, "Yeah. I pushed his off a cliff. I have no idea how he survived that fall."

"So what does this mean? I mean… um… why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be telling the other cabin leaders, too?" I ask, confused a bit. Something isn't right here. They're leaving something out.

"We're telling you because…" Chiron lets out another one of his I'm-an-old-man sighs and says, "Our sources have told us that he is planning to come after you."

My eyebrows pop up in surprise. I swear, one sentence has never made me so flustered before. "Huh? Why?"

Percy interjects as Chiron massages the crook of his nose between his eyes.

"We think he might be trying to get into camp through the Labyrinth… there's an entrance—er, exit—to it near Zeus' fist… but he can't find a mortal with the gift of sight that isn't scared to death of demigods and this whole situation. You're the only demigod that can see the Labyrinth clearly."

I piece the puzzle together in my head and realize… "He wants me because I can lead him through the Labyrinth without a problem, right?"

Percy nods. "It would be a complete and total disaster. We know you wanted to leave tomorrow to visit your mother but we don't think that's such a good idea with him wanting to kidnap you."

I let out a noise—something between a sigh and a groan. "If I have to explain to my mother one more time that I can't come visit her the one time she's in Manhattan she'll personally come here and drag me to her apartment, Percy." I'm nineteen but my mother is a traveling (not to mention world famous) interior decorator and fashion designer. She bought me an apartment across the busy street from her loft.

"Adara," Annabeth says lightly. "This is a matter of protecting this camp… if he gets a hold of you…" I stopped her short before she got emotional about him.

"Annabeth, I slip under the monsters' radar because I'm not a true demigod. So, he won't be able to use his servants to find me. I doubt he even knows about my new apartment. The only thing I ever mentioned in camp when he was around was my mother's house in Upper State New York, not Manhattan. He doesn't know I moved."

"But we can't count on that," Thalia insists. "He has his ways of finding out things… There's a spy here, remember?" She reminds me of that.

I almost slap myself. "Oh… wonderful… yeah how could I forget the traitor we still can't find?"

Chiron says, "We cannot keep you from going to Manhattan tomorrow… but we recommend you do not leave camp… it would be a matter of our security."

What am I going to tell my mother this time? Hmmm…

"What if went incognito? I could put on a wig and put in contacts—turn into a totally different person until I get to my mother's apartment." It was a good idea, really. But of course Thalia had to say…

"What if he's already there waiting for you?"

"Damn," I mumble under my breath. This was going to be harder than I thought. "Well… it's a risk I'm going to have to take. I have to see her. I haven't seen her since Christmas time. I'll be careful. I promise."

"Dara, please," Annabeth practically begs me.

I start to get up and they all stand up too. "We could take you," Percy insists.

"Percy, you're forgetting there are people watching my mother. If they see her, and her daughter with three random teenagers the press will have a field day. I can't do that to her."

I go to walk out of the room and they still follow me. Chiron sighs loudly in the background and spins his wheelchair around.

"Adara," he says, speaking above the mindless chatter. They stop and looked over at him. "Just make sure you Iris Message us every chance you can… and here," he says, tossing me a bag. It's full of drachmas.

I smile, "Thanks, Chiron. I will."

With that I leave the big house… with the three musketeers still trailing behind me.

"Adara this is a matter of the sake of our world!" Percy says with a bit of venom in his voice. "How can you put us all at risk like that?"

I sigh in frustration and turn around mid-walk. "Percy I'm not a twelve year old. I'm nineteen and can handle myself just fine. My dad even gave me some things to keep me safe. I'll be fine."

"But, Dara!" Annabeth insists.

I turn on my heel and shout over my shoulder, "I'm still leaving in the morning! I'll see you all then!"

"My gods why is she so dense?" Thalia shouts angrily. "She's underestimating Luke. Does she not realize he practically came back from the dead?"

Annabeth and Percy exchange a look. "Can't we just tie her up and not let her leave?" Thalia laughs at Percy's proposal and shakes her head, meanwhile thinking it would be hysterical…

"No… but you two can spy on her," Thalia suggests slyly.

"But we have a briefing with the rest of the leaders tomorrow," Annabeth says.

"Well I certainly can't do it—hunter stuff to deal with, you know. I'm lieutenant."

Percy rolls his eyes. "I guess now all we can do is pray to whatever gods will listen that she gets there and back safely…"

As soon as I finish packing my weekend bag I flop onto my bed in the lonely minor gods' cabin. No one has ever been in here with me. It's like being a daughter of the big three.

I don't even un-make my bed. It's too hot out, and I'm about ten seconds away from knocking out cold.

I close my eyes and prepare for the nightmares.

"Adara," an ancient voice calls out my name. It starts off like every other nightmare… but then…

"Dad?" I ask, seeing his face through the dimness of the space. I just know it's him.

He speaks. "Adara you must listen to them. You must do as they say. I am locked in an agreement now." His voice sounds uneasy, as if a knife was at his throat at the moment. I shiver as the ancient voice laughs—Kronos.

"Yes, that's right, little half blood. You belong to us now."

"What?" I ask in confusion. My heart rate is starting to spiral up. What does he mean by that? I'm not a piece of property.

"Once we find you and you arrive here with us you will be locked in a binding agreement by the River Styx."

"I won't do it," I insist.

"You will have no choice, I'm afraid," Kronos answers back hastily.

Then a new voice enters the picture. "Don't make this hard, Dara. Tell me where you're going to be tomorrow." It's Luke. I know it. I practically shiver in my sleep at his voice.

"No." I'm defiant.

"Tell him," Kronos hisses angrily.

"No," I say again.

Suddenly I feel something cold on my neck. I know it's a blade by the sharpness of the metal.

"Answer him, Adara. Obey him," my dad warns.

"No," I say once more.

"Adara, please," my dad begs. "Please…"

I shake my head and feel the coldness press against my skin harder. It presses down even harder after a few more defiant 'no's from me.

If it was real life… I would've been dead.