-Olympus-

Description: Three and a half years have passed since Hirius fought his father, Hades, and was given his curse. In that time, he and his friends have searched for a way to break the curse, but their search has yielded no results. Now, after a dream has plagued him for the past weeks, Hirius decides to head to Olympus, despite his exile, in order to ask the gods for help. However, it will not be as easy as simply asking them for help. And so, a new adventure begins.

IMPORTANT NOTE (Please Read): I was recently browsing the internet and I found that someone had the nerve to copy two of my stories, post them on another website, and pass them off as their own work. Listen, you should never copy another persons work, it's just wrong and you will not get away with it. So always remember, respect the work that authors put into their stories and never try to copy them.

Well, that note will be going on all of my stories in the future. Anyway, usually I have a lot to say when I post a new story, but this time I have nothing. So, as always, enjoy the new story.

Sarah and Justin,

You guys are probably going to hate me for this, but I'm not going to drag you into this one. Not yet at least. Not after…well, you guys know what I'm going to say. Look, there's just something that I have to do and it'll have to be on my own for once so that's how I'll be going it for now. Don't worry, I'll be back, just give it a few days, I'm not running off into mortal peril without you guys, I know you would never let me do that. Just stay where you are for now.

I'm sorry Sarah, not just for this, but…well, you know.

Hirius

I read the note that I had prepared for my friends for what felt like the millionth time. After everything we had been through, all the times they had risked their lives for me, I felt awful about sneaking off in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, but it was the only way I would be able to get away from them. They always had a tendency to follow me wherever I went, even if they knew there was a good chance that all of us could get killed. This time I knew that I had to go it alone though.

I walked around the fire and set the note down next to Sarah, weighing it down with a small rock so I would be sure that it didn't blow away during the night. Sarah stirred for a moment before I got up to leave, but she remained asleep. I sat there and watched her for a moment. I was used to this, being up at night, wondering if what I was doing was right. The longer I stayed with Sarah and Justin, the more I thought that it wasn't fair to the two of them.

It had been over three years since I had faced Hades and he in turn gave me the curse of eternal youth. Justin and Sarah had both recently turned eighteen, but I hadn't aged a day since then. I felt like I had been keeping them from having lives of their own, like they had wasted those years chasing after something that was almost entirely hopeless.

I bent down and kissed Sarah lightly. "Bye Sarah," I said, "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Before I left her, I took a quick look at the bandages wrapped around her lower body. They would have to be changed in the morning. They were soaked in blood again. Recently, the three of us went on a little trip to Greece in hopes that we would find an answer to breaking my curse there. It may have been the worst mistake we had ever made. Being that close to the ancient lands isn't good when you're a demigod. Evils so ancient and deadly reside there that we couldn't even have imagined what it was like. Anyway, the short version of the trip was that Sarah was stabbed in the side by a dagger wielding monster that I never got a good look at. Normally, a bit of ambrosia and nectar would've patched her up within a few days at the least, but the dagger must have been coated with something because, even after going through what was left of our supply, the wound had yet to heal entirely. We were just lucky that Justin was a son of Apollo. Even if he wasn't the best healer, he still knew enough to keep Sarah alive and patch up her wound. It hadn't healed entirely yet, but she looked much better than she had when we left Greece.

Sarah stirred again and I heard Justin doing the same. It became clear that I shouldn't stick around much longer, so I stood and made my way out of our camp. I traversed through the woods a little ways until I was sure that I was far enough that I wouldn't wake Sarah and Justin. I concentrated on an image of a spot in New York City as I pulled the shadows in around me. Soon enough, I felt the familiar tugging feeling before I was shrouded in darkness and was shot forward like a bullet. Shadow travel wasn't the most enjoyable way to travel, or the easiest, but it was the fastest.

Before I knew it, the shadows melted away and I was standing in a familiar alleyway in the middle of New York City. I was pretty far from where I actually wanted to go, but the thing about shadow travel is that you really don't want to appear right in front of people, otherwise you might end up giving a mortal a heart attack, so I had to make sure that I would end up appearing in a spot where no one would be around to see me.

I sat down and let myself rest for a bit. Shadow travel doesn't look difficult, but it takes a lot of energy, it's easier when it's dark out, but that doesn't help as much as you might think, especially when you travel across an entire country. I probably sat there for a couple of hours, taking in the place where I was. It had been several years since everything had happened, but I still hated this place. It just served as a reminder of the fact that I wouldn't see my little sister ever again. Despite how much I hated it though, I still spent a long time sitting there, drinking in the memories. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to rise.

I got up and made my way onto the streets of New York, blending in with a crowd of people passing by. A couple years ago, walking out on the streets in broad daylight would've been dangerous for me, especially in New York. There were two reasons for that, one was that when I was twelve I accidentally used my powers to push a boy out of the top floor window of the orphanage that I lived at when I was a kid, so I was technically considered a murderer. Well, I was anyway, but not anymore. I found out that an investigation was done and that no clear evidence was found to convict me of the crime, so they cleared me of all charges. Of course, there was also the fact that I was considered a terrorist for several years after I destroyed the Washington Monument during a fight with a Cyclopes, but, a few years ago, the video that started the whole thing was reanalyzed and people finally saw the Cyclopes in the video and everyone just sort of decided that I was innocent and that this new guy must have been the culprit. It's funny how mortals figure things out you know. Anyway, basically, I was no longer considered a criminal in any way, though I had become somewhat like a celebrity in the mortal world, to those that recognized me anyway.

I quickly made my way through the streets towards my destination, wanting to get there as fast as I could, and, soon enough, I was standing outside of the Empire State Building. Okay, so, even being in the state of New York wasn't safe for me let alone standing right on the gods' doorstep. The Olympians had all decided that I shouldn't exist, but they let me live so long as I didn't interfere in any of their business. Basically, as long as I pretended like I didn't exist, I was allowed to live.

I knew that I might as well be asking Zeus to incinerate me on the spot, but something kept pushing me to come here. The last few days, I kept having this weird dream, which I was used to, but this one wasn't quite like the others. In this dream, I was always standing at the entrance to the Empire State Building. I never did anything though, I would just stand there and stare up, but I was always staring at the sky above the building. I was always alone in the dream too. I didn't know if that meant anything, but I thought it best to play it safe. One thing I knew for sure, the dream was definitely telling me that I needed to go to Olympus. Oh, if you didn't know already, Olympus, the home of the gods, is above the Empire State Building.

I walked into the lobby. The place was packed with people, but I didn't really care much, and I pushed my way through the crowd to the security desk. The guard was reading a book and wasn't paying much attention to anyone, even when they were asking him questions. I tried to get his attention, but he didn't notice me at all. Finally, I just decided to speak up.

"Six hundredth floor, please," I said. That's the non-existent floor that Olympus is on.

The guard took a moment to answer. "That floor doesn't exist," he said.

"I need to speak to Zeus," I said, "You know, king of Olympus."

The guard was silent again for a long time, and I thought that I had just made the mistake of talking about our world to a mortal. I was about to make a run for it before he decided to call the police, but then he spoke up again."

"Lord Zeus only takes an audience if you make an appointment," he said, "He's busy, especially these days."

"Oh, I think he can make an exception in this case," I told him.

"Really," the guard questioned, "And just what makes you so special?"

"I'm sure even you've heard of me," I said, "My name is Hirius."

"Hirius," the guard asked, finally putting his book down and looking at me. He took a moment to look me up and down, and then he let out a howl of laughter. "You've got guts showing up here," the guard said, "Zeus said he'd kill you if you got within ten feet of this building." He went back to reading his book and was silent again for a while. "In case you were wondering," he started again, "That means you can't go up."

I was already starting to get fed up with this guy. "Look, I need to see Zeus. Now!" The guard didn't answer me. "Alright, if you know who I am, then you know what I've done," I said, "I think it would be in your best interest to help me here."

The guard looked at me again. "Are you threatening me, kid," he asked.

I stared him in the eye. "What if I am," I asked.

The guard held my stare for a long time. Then he let out another laugh. "You know what," the guard said, "I'll let you go just so I can watch Zeus incinerate you." He shuffled through his desk for a moment. He pulled out a key card and handed it to me. "Here," he said, "Insert this into the security slot. Oh, and make sure no one else is on the elevator."

I nodded and took the card from him. I waited for a long time, watching the elevators, until I managed to get on one by myself. Once the doors were closed, I slipped the card into the security slot. It disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

I pressed the new button, felt the elevator lurch as it began to move upward, and then I waited, for a long time. I stood there, staring at the doors, hoping they would open soon, especially since the music playing was driving me nuts. Finally, the elevator stopped, I heard a ding, the doors slid open, and I thought that I had just died.

I was standing on a narrow stone walkway, high in the air, above the clouds even, higher than an airplane even. Below was the city of Manhattan, barely visible through the clouds and looking like a mere speck from that height. In front of me, white marble steps wound up through the clouds, into the sky, leading directly to the decapitated peak of a mountain, the summit of which was covered in snow.

The mountain peak rose up out of the clouds. The peak was covered with multileveled palaces, forming what looked like a city of mansions. Roads wound around the mountain in a fashion that seemed to make no sense, all of them going to the peak where the largest of the palaces gleamed against the snow. Gardens bloomed in every direction, full of olive trees and rosebushes. There was an open-air market full of tents, an amphitheater on one side of the mountain and a coliseum built on the other side. It looked like an ancient Greek city, like the ones we had seen during our trip to Greece, but this one was perfectly in tact, not in ruins like the others.

The place really was impressive, and I would've taken the time to admire it, but I wasn't there to take in the view. I climbed the steps toward the city and pushed my way through the place, through crowds of wood nymphs and minor gods, passed hawkers in the market trying to sell ambrosia, shields, swords, and other wares that I had little or no use for. I didn't care about any of it really. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. The longer I was there, the more risk I was in.

I climbed the main road to the palace on the peak, which was a reverse replica of Hades' palace, only it was white instead of black. I wasn't surprised really. I knew that Hades still held, and would always hold, a grudge against his brothers for stealing what he thought was his birthright. It was reflected in the way he built his palace as a copy of Olympus.

I climbed the steps into the courtyard and then to the throne room. The place was huge. It looked like it was built for giants rather than humans, which I suppose it was in a way. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was decorated with moving constellations. Twelve thrones were arranged in an inverted U shape, each of them built for beings ten times the size of a human. Most of them were empty, but some of the gods were there, almost like they were waiting for me. I had never seen them before, but I knew each of them despite that. Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hera, and, of course, Zeus, were all sitting in their thrones, watching me as I entered the room.

I remembered the last time I had spoken with Zeus. He was the only god that I was truly afraid of. He was the only one that radiated so much power that it actually paralyzed me. But I knew that I couldn't let that fear show. I had to keep my composure. I approached Zeus. He was dressed like he was when we met last, in a pin-stripped suit. He was sitting on a throne of solid platinum. He glared down at me with his rainy gray eyes.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Zeus said, "I thought that it was clear that you are not welcome."

"Very clear," I said, "But I thought you could use some company." I looked around the throne room at the gods that were there. "This place looks pretty empty."

"That is of no concern to you," Zeus said.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Really," I inquired, "Why is that?"

"Do not speak to Lord Zeus in that tone," Hera said.

I looked over at her. "What," I said, "I'm just curious is all."

I turned back to Zeus who was now glaring at me with a more intense anger than before. I was making a huge risk by pushing Zeus like this, but I had to do it. It was all part of my plan. Of course, I already knew why the throne room was empty, but I needed Zeus to tell me what was going on so I could use it as a bargaining chip against him.

Zeus sighed after a moment. "If you must know," he said, "We are faced with a growing threat as of late. The others are out on my orders, well, most of them are." His eyes darted toward the throne to his left, which would've been Poseidon's, but he didn't say anymore.

"A growing threat," I questioned with fake ignorance, "What could be a threat to the gods?"

"I think you know," Zeus said.

I smiled without meaning to. "Well, I always thought that you would consider Kronos a minor nuisance, especially when he's walking around in a demigod's body," I said, "But I guess that Typhoeus will be much harder to deal with, won't he?"

Zeus continued to glare at me, his anger growing. I should've known that he was on to me, and I did, but it didn't change anything. I had been having dreams the last few months. To make things short, I knew that Kronos' power had been growing ever since I had stopped him the first time. I also knew that he had procured a new demigod host in Luke Castellan, a demigod I had made friends with at Camp Half-Blood and who later betrayed his friends to join the titan lord. I also recently learned that Typhoeus had begun to stir and may soon escape his prison, which was under Mt. St. Helens. If he managed to, then, between Kronos and Typhoeus, Olympus may have been facing its final days.

Now, I would've involved myself in this sooner, but there were two reasons that I hadn't. The first was that, as I mentioned, I was forbidden from interfering in anything related to the gods or Olympus, this included attempting to prevent the destruction of one or both. The second was that Olympus had already found someone new to fight Kronos in Percy Jackson, Poseidon's son, who was also the latest candidate for the oh-so-glamorous position of the Prophecy Child. Plus there was the fact that I was halfway around the world while most of this was happening.

"Can I assume that you came here to discuss this," Zeus asked, "Or did you have something else to waste my time?"

"I guess I should get right to the point shouldn't I?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure why I needed to go to Olympus, but I had an idea. The dreams had gone on for several months, and it took me a long time to figure out what I needed to do, but I couldn't set it aside forever. Now the only problem was convincing the gods to go along with it.

"I was hoping that everyone would be here, but I guess this will work."

I looked at each of the gods in turn. I wondered if any of them would be on my side. I imagined that Apollo and Aphrodite would help, since they had already done so in the past. Ares was definitely a no go, unless Aphrodite could convince him, which was a long shot. Artemis was a wild card since I had no idea what her opinion on me was, Hera was the same, but my guess was that she would be against me. Zeus was the key of course. If I could convince him, then the others would have to follow suit.

"Alright Zeus," I said, "Here's how it is, I need help, and so does Olympus."

"And what makes you think that we need help?"

"Face it Zeus," I said, "Even the gods can't fight two enemies this powerful on their own and the demigods at Camp Half-Blood have already suffered heavy losses, you need all the help you can get to defend Olympus."

"You really think that you are that important to us," Hera asked, "We would sooner have you killed than we would help you."

"Hold on Hera," Apollo said, "I believe that we should hear him out at least."

"Of course you do," Hera retorted, "You and Aphrodite defend him to no end. Do you really think that he is worthy of it?"

"We do," Aphrodite cut in, "And remember, we were right about him the first time."

Hera fixed Aphrodite with a hard glare, but she had nothing more to say to her. Instead she turned to her husband. "Zeus," she inquired.

Zeus had not taken his eyes off of me, even during the commotion. "I suppose there is no harm in listening to him," Zeus said. I waited for Hera to object, but she never did.

"It's as simple as this," I began, "I still have this curse that Hades placed on me, and, as far as I know, there's only one way I'll be able to get rid of it and that's only if the gods take it away from me."

"So, you're asking us to break the curse that Hades placed on you," Zeus asked, "And I'm guessing that you would be willing to help us fight Kronos if we do."

I nodded. "That," I said, "Or you can continue to consider me an enemy, and I can start acting like one if you want."

"Should I consider that a threat," Zeus asked. I didn't answer him. "You intend to join Kronos if we do not help you?" Again I didn't answer.

I had no intention at all of joining Kronos. There was no way that I would help him, no matter what he offered, and he could be very convincing when he wanted to be. He had already convinced a number of demigods to join his cause with the promise that he would end the gods' reign and make a better world for them. I couldn't blame the ones that joined him really. The gods weren't the greatest of parents, or rulers for that matter. I knew both of these things all too well. It might seem like they only thought of their children as weapons, but they weren't as bad as Kronos made them sound, most of them weren't anyway. Besides, all of the titan lord's promises were empty. He was just going kill all of the demigods that helped him in the end. He couldn't have anyone around that could challenge him after all.

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, letting Zeus think that I would join Kronos, but it was the best bet that I had. The gods were already afraid of me to an extent. They weren't entirely sure what I was capable of, and that by itself was dangerous. At the very least, they didn't want me to fight against them.

"Preposterous," Hera let out, "We can't trust this boy, and besides, we have already decided on his fate, even listening to him is going against everything we have put forth."

"I believe that Hirius has already proven that he is on our side," Aphrodite said, "Have you already forgotten how he defeated Kronos once?"

"Yes, and he nearly sided with the titan lord and aided him in destroying Olympus," Hera responded, "And he also gave Kronos a second chance to gain back his power when he could have easily stopped it and prevented all of this from happening in the first place."

"You know as well as any of us that isn't true," Apollo spoke up, "There was nothing that Hirius could do about Kronos then."

Hera fixed Apollo with and angry look, but didn't appear to have any response for him. "Maybe so," Hera said after a moment, "But that does not change the fact that he is meant to be in exile. He is forbidden from interfering in any of our affairs."

"True that may be," Aphrodite said, "But I think we can all agree that our circumstances have changed since then."

"Nonsense," Hera said, "We don't need any help from him."

"I have to agree with Hera," Ares said, "This kid is dangerous, and there's no reason for us to turn back on our judgment. In fact, why don't you just let me take care of him Zeus?"

I turned my gaze away from Zeus for the first time and fixed it on Ares. He cracked his knuckles at me like he was trying to challenge me. I would've gladly taken the chance to knock the war god's ego down a couple of pegs, but I had more important things to do, so I just ignored him instead and focused on Zeus.

The lord of Olympus had a distant look on his face as he stroked his beard, a clear sign that he was deep in thought. He stared at me for a while, considering me, wondering what my intentions were. Here was another reason that Zeus scared me. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. The other gods, even Hades, could be read if I looked for the right signs. But not Zeus. There was no way for me to tell what he was going to do.

After a long time, Zeus looked over at Artemis. "And what do you say on this matter," he asked, "You have been uncharacteristically quiet."

Artemis had avoided looking at me until that point, but she couldn't do so any longer. I turned to look at her as well, having nearly forgotten that she was there, but it was hard to look directly at her. By far, Artemis was one of the most beautiful goddesses I had ever seen, she even gave Aphrodite a run for her money, I almost felt like I shouldn't be allowed to look at her. It was even harder to do so when she was staring right back at me.

As we stood there staring at each other, I couldn't help but wonder what she would do. I didn't know what her opinion on my existence was, whether she thought I should be dead or not, so I had no idea what she would say. But I saw something strange in her eyes. I had to be seeing things, the gods were too proud for something like this, but it actually looked like there was a sign of sympathy in the way Artemis was looking at me. Did she actually feel sorry for me?

"Well," Artemis said after a long time, "I think that Hirius does deserve a chance. I think that he has proven that we can trust him."

"No," Hera said, "There is no way that we can trust him, and we cannot go against our own judgment."

"Yeah," Ares said, "Plus I wouldn't get the chance to crush his skull if we decide to help him. Come on, just let me…"

"Enough," Zeus shouted at the other gods, "I have decided." He turned his attention back to me. "Hirius, I am still not sure that we can trust you," he said, "However, you have proven yourself in the past and I think that you are deserving of our help." Hera and Ares immediately broke into shouts and complaints, but they were quickly silenced by Zeus once again.

"So you'll take the curse off of me then," I asked.

"It will not be as simple as that," Zeus said, "No, you will have to prove yourself, that you are worthy of the gods' favor."

"And if I do, then you'll break the curse?"

"I swear it on the River Styx."

"Good," I said, "Now, how do you propose I gain your favor?"

Zeus was silent again as his expression became distant once again. He exchanged looks with the other gods at regular intervals, but no words were ever exchanged between them. "Yes, that would be appropriate," Zeus spoke up after a time, "I think that we shall proceed then."

"So what am I doing?"

"A task fit for only the bravest of warriors, or shall I say tasks," Zeus said, "If you wish to prove that you are worthy of our favor, then you must complete the twelve labors."

"The twelve labors," I asked, "That doesn't sound like much of a challenge."

"Perhaps, but only one man completed these labors," Zeus said, "And it took him several years. You will complete them before the end of the month of August."

"August," I asked, "But that only gives me a little over six months."

"This is my decision," Zeus retorted, "This is what you must do."

My eyes fell to the floor and I thought over it a few times. The twelve labors were only completed by Heracles, a man considered to be the greatest demigod that ever lived, and even he took several years to complete them. Individually, no single labor would be too difficult, not if I went about them the right way, but, together, doing them one after the other, it was practically a death wish. How in the world was I supposed to complete them in just over six months? This didn't seem at all possible. Maybe that was the point though. Maybe Zeus didn't want me to accomplish this.

"Don't I at least get some help," I asked, "I mean, even Heracles had a bit of help."

"True, though he was not meant to," Zeus said, "But no, you are to accomplish each of the labors on your own, not even your friends are allowed to aid you."

I stood and stared at the god for several minutes. "So that's in then," I asked, "That's your final word?"

"It is."

That was it then. Zeus was clearly setting me up for failure. There was no way that anyone, not me, not even Heracles, could accomplish such a task in such a short time on their own. Zeus didn't want to help me; he just wanted me out of his hair. This was nothing more than a distraction. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't interfere in the war with Kronos, whether I was on his side or not. Maybe my plan had backfired.

"Very well," I said.

I turned around and walked for the exit of the throne room. None of the gods spoke out against Zeus' word, they must have been too afraid to do so. This was completely unfair. I couldn't believe that Zeus would do something like this. That he would just send me off on some hopeless journey just so I would stay out of his way.

I would just have to prove him wrong then. I could turn his whole plan against him. If I could just pull it off somehow, if I could complete the labors in time then he would have to hold up his end of the bargain, even a god couldn't break an oath sworn on the Styx. I could do this. I had done crazier things in the past. It was all just a matter of careful planning. All hope wasn't lost for me yet.

I was just starting to figure out where I would start, when I heard someone chasing after me.

"Hirius," I heard them call.

I turned around and saw Artemis rushing toward me from the throne room, now shrunk to her normal human size. "Artemis," I said like it was a question, "What…"

"You realize what Zeus has just done don't you," she asked as she approached me, "Surely you are not so dense?"

"Well…" I trailed off for a moment.

Talking to Artemis posed a bit of a problem for me. It wasn't because of her beauty. That I could deal with. Actually, it was because of the fact that she reminded me too much of Emily. It was already bad enough that she looked a lot like her, especially since she dressed in the same way that her hunters did, the same way that Emily was dressed the last time I had seen her. She was also, more or less, the reason that Emily and I had been separated all those years ago. Justin asked me once if I blamed her for what happened to Emily. I didn't think, or even consider, that Artemis could be at fault for what happened, but I didn't blame her for it. After all, it wasn't like she separated us on purpose, or that she did it just to spite me or something.

"I did manage to put it together," I said, "I realize that he's setting me up to fail."

"Then why did you accept," Artemis asked, "You know that you cannot possibly accomplish such a task."

I shrugged. "You really think he would change his mind if I complained about it," I asked, "Besides, this might be my only chance to break this curse." Artemis looked like she was confused by my answer. "Hey," I went on, "Don't count me out yet. I'll find a way to do this, even if I have to do it alone."

Artemis turned away from me. "It's impossible; you realize that," she said, "You cannot accomplish this without help."

"So, what are you suggesting," I asked, "Do you want to help me?"

Artemis shook her head as she turned to face me once again. "I cannot help you, Zeus would not allow it," she said, "But I do know someone that will be able to help you."

"But Zeus said I couldn't have any help."

"I should be able to convince him to make an exception."

"Couldn't you just convince him to let my friends help me then?"

"This person is…special," Artemis said. I eyed her suspiciously. "Please just trust me," she said, "I do want to help you, even if I can't do so directly."

I continued to stare at the goddess, wondering if it were wise for me to trust her. It was true that she had spoken up to support me earlier, but that didn't mean much of anything. The gods weren't generally known for helping demigods, not unless they had a reason to do so. So what was Artemis' reason for helping me? What would she gain if I succeeded? Maybe she thought that I would be helpful if I joined in the fight against Kronos. That might've been it, but was that worth risking Zeus' wrath.

"Alright," I said not knowing if I was making the right choice, "I'll trust you."

Artemis nodded. "Thank you Hirius," she said, "You'll find someone who will join you once you leave Olympus."

"How will I know who it is?"

"Don't worry," Artemis said, "You will recognize her." I wasn't so sure, New York was a big place with a lot of people after all, but I would just have to trust Artemis. I turned around to leave, but Artemis stopped me one more time. "Hirius," she said. I turned around to face her again. "Your sister," she went on, "I got to know her well before she died. She was a good person. She didn't deserve what happened to her. I'm sorry."

Before I could respond, Artemis began to glow and I knew that I had to look away unless I wanted to be incinerated. Artemis disappeared in a flash of light, leaving me to stand there wondering what she had just said to me. I turned once more and left the palace.

As I walked through Olympus, I couldn't help but replay my conversation with Artemis over and over in my head. What she had said to me last, about my sister, it had really stuck with me. Emily had left to join the hunters of Artemis, but I never considered how close she might have been with the goddess. Aside from that, why had Artemis even brought it up at all? Did she feel somehow responsible for Emily's death? Was that why she wanted to help me?

I also had to wonder who it was that Artemis had sent to help me. I remembered the one time I had actually met the hunters of Artemis. There was this one girl, she wasn't the nicest, but she was an excellent warrior. I had only been around her for a short time, but I could tell that she was the one in charge, when Artemis wasn't around anyway. I never got to learn her name, but that must've been who Artemis was talking about, though I wasn't sure if I would be able to recognize her when I saw her. It was the only thing that made sense though.

I found my way back to the elevator and rode it back down to the lobby of the Empire State Building. The security guard did not look happy to see me, and was clearly disappointed that Zeus had decided not to incinerate me, but he mostly ignored me as I passed him. I pushed through the crowd in the lobby and left the building.

I looked up and down the street, looking for someone that I would recognize, but not being sure who I was actually looking for. And then I saw her. Across the street, looking up and down it like she was waiting for someone, was a girl. She had short, spiky, black hair and was wearing the same clothes that Artemis had been wearing.

This girl couldn't possibly be there though. True I had spoken to her once, and I had seen her on several other occasions, but she couldn't be there now. She was dead, technically I guess. Okay, so it wouldn't be that weird for me to see someone who should be dead, but usually I was the only one that could see them. But people passing her on the street were deliberately avoiding her, some of them even giving her strange looks, most likely due to the clothes she was wearing. But they shouldn't have been able to see her, so why could they? Well, there was only one way to figure out what was going on.

"Thalia," I said as I approached her, "Thalia Grace?" I didn't think that she would acknowledge me, thinking that she must be someone else, but she turned to me when I called her name.

Thalia gave me a confused look. "How do you know my name?"

"You don't remember me?"

Thalia considered me for a moment. "I don't think we've ever met."

Now this really didn't make sense. I had only met Thalia once, close to eight years ago now, and that encounter is really hard to describe. You see, Thalia technically didn't exist when I met her. Through a series of complicated circumstances that I won't get into now, Thalia had been turned into a tree by her fater, Zeus, two years before we met. Somehow, though, she managed to contact me while she was in that form. I still never learned how, or why, she had contacted me, but I was glad that she did.

"You have to remember," I said, "It was right here in New York."

Thalia stared at me silently again for a time before shaking her head. "Sorry," she said "I really don't remember."

My initial excitement at seeing Thalia was now gone. I had always wanted the chance to thank Thalia in person for what she had done for me. It seemed like such a small thing back then, but Thalia saved my life. She had kept me from giving up on myself. If it wasn't for her, I never would've met my friends. In fact, if it weren't for her, I would probably be dead. There was no point in thanking her now if she didn't even remember it though. It must've been such a small thing to her.

"Oh," I said disappointed, "Well, my name is Hirius. Artemis told me that someone would help me and…"

"What," Thalia shouted, stopping me in mid sentence, "This is what Artemis called me here for!? There's a war going on and she wants me to baby-sit!?"

"Baby-sit," I asked getting annoyed, "I think you're being a little…"

"I can't believe she would do this to me," Thalia went on, cutting me off again, "This is such a waste of my talents!? And a child of Hades to!? What does she think I am!? What does she even want me to help you with!?"

I was so sure that Thalia was just ranting to herself that I didn't answer her right away. "The gods set me to the task of completing the twelve labors before the end of September."

"Oh that's just great," she ranted on, "It couldn't be something easy could it!? No, instead of preparing to take on Kronos' forces, I have to go chasing a bunch of monsters around the country!? This is just great!" With that, she turned and began to storm off without another word. She didn't get very far before she turned to me, having realized that I wasn't following her. "Well," she shouted, "Are you coming or not!?"

"Can I at least ask where we're going," I said.

"The first labor was to kill the Nemean Lion," she said, "We have to find it before we can kill it, so hurry up." She turned and stormed off again.

I followed behind her quickly, not wanting her to explode at me again. I could already tell that this was not going to be a fun trip.

"Artemis," I whispered under my breath as I followed Thalia, "What in the world have you gotten me into?"