"Annabeth had seen some strange things before, but she had never seen it rain… cars?" Athena murmured doubtfully. She was sitting in a New York public library, reading a book that had just came out. When she saw the cover, The Mark of Athena, the goddess just couldn't resist taking a peek at it.

Athena kept reading chapter 51 silently, sometimes turning pages and muttering random lines from the book.

"As the Argo 2 descended... his smile was better than any tapestry she'd ever seen… that sea spawn!"

"You found the Athena Parthenos! I knew it would be recovered someday!"

"... The doors of Death are in Tartarus? How will they close them?"

" The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side… the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling. Secure it, before it falls into Tartarus!"

" A sharp pain shot up Annabeth's leg… oh no… cut her ankle? something dragged her toward the pit… oh gods no! Percy lunged."

Athena didn't realize it, but she had moved toward the edge of her seat. As she read the next few lines, the goddess almost toppled over.

"She slipped over the edge!" as Athena read that, she almost fell off her chair."No!"

"A one-way trip… a very hard fall… then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness."

Athena silently walked over to the check-out station and handed the librarian her library card. She had to show Poseidon. However much the goddess hated him, the sea god had a right to know the fate of his son.

Poseidon paled considerably when Athena arrived at his underwater palace. He was about to slam the door in the wisdom goddess' face when he noticed something that made the sea god look twice: not only was Athena not yelling in his face, but her bottom lip was trembling, and she looked like she had been crying.

The sea god's eyes softened.

"Why don't you come in, and we can talk more comfortably."

The usually stoic goddess nodded, took a few steps, and burst into tears.

Now Poseidon was no softie, especially when it came to Athena, but the guy had a heart! What was he supposed to do, just walk away? He put his arm around his rival and guided her to a sofa, conjuring a tissue box and some nectar as he went.

Athena finally calmed down and, after a sip of nectar, handed Poseidon the book she'd been carrying when she had walked inside.

"Skip to chapter 51," she said, more like her usual self. The sea god obliged.

As Poseidon read, his eyes steadily grew wider, until he looked like an owl (no pun intended) at the end of the chapter.

"Is this real?" he whispered to Athena. She nodded.

"I checked with the fates before I came."

"Well then, our next step is obvious!" Poseidon exclaimed.

"It is?"

"Of course! We have to…"