Eleanor POV


As I dragged him across the pebbles and jagged rocks near the shore of the river, I couldn't help but notice how heavy the guy was, despite the fact he was teeming with scratches and cuts, and probably lost a lot of weight after being sick for so long.

"Where are we?" Percy croaked, exhaling an icy white fume. He loosened his grip on my hand and knelt down, choking on mist and water.

My heart started to pound. We were right near the entrance to Rome. I never informed anyone of my plan. The guards at the entrance would throw him in cells for being a Greek. No one would mistake it. With his sea-blown black hair and tanned skin, he had a complexion of a very powerful Greek god.

"Home," I said with finality. I dropped his hand gently and peered over across the entrance. The glint of golden weapons and armor was unmistakable. I silently cursed in Latin. I hoped for some rare reason, they would have fallen asleep.

I hope this works.

Being a daughter of Neptune, everyone avoids me. I don't have any friends. And I'm in the Fifth Cohort, which contains a steady amount of loners.

But I'm powerful.

Quickly, I summoned water droplets from the river, and willed it to float right in front of me. Percy knelt down with an arm propped on one knee, looking at the floating mass of liquid, unfazed.

Moving closer to the guards that stood near the entrance, I allowed the fluid to move swiftly toward them, careful not to touch any of it. With one quick push of my hands, I forced the water to spray on them both. I froze at the sound of metal hitting the floor. They would be out for only a few minutes, but wouldn't remember anything from the past week.

"What did you do?" Percy asked accusingly. He neared toward the river, reaching out a hand to touch the pleasing white swirling waters, but I grabbed it. He was a powerful demigod, but ignorant.

"Don't touch it," I said. "It'll only make it worse." I tightened the grip I had on his hand and pulled him up.

"Come on, we need to go. Hurry."

"Who are you?" Percy asked me cautiously as we walked toward the entrance. He glanced at me suspiciously.

What was my plan again? As I quickly reviewed it through my head, I blanched and blamed myself for being so stupid. I have not yet even told the praetor herself what I intended to do. Not to mention I still had a probatio tablet hanging around my neck. I didn't know why I forced myself to lure Percy Jackson, the most powerful demigod on the planet, into the waters of the River Lethe.

But I knew that it would work.

"I'm Eleanor," I responded after a long moment of hesitation. "Your sister."

I regretted it right after. Percy stopped abruptly, giving me a weird look. I didn't blame him. I would never believe that this incompetent white boy was my brother either. But we're both powerful children from Neptune/Poseidon. Choose your pick.

"Come on, hurry up!" I entered the rock entrance. I knew he was reluctant, but he trailed behind me anyway. There was nowhere else to go.

"Be quiet," I whispered softly in his ear as he neared me. I looked at the mess he was wearing. Blue jeans that was still giving a little mist that I tried to avoid. A disturbing orange shirt in tatters, with words that were faded away. But I knew what they wrote.

We crept pass the guards, who were laying on the floor from being splattered by Lethe water.

"What did you do to them?" Percy asked quietly.

"What did you do to yourself?" I accused him quickly, attempting an angry tone. "Jumping in the Lethe... "

Percy blanched. "The Lethe-?"

I attempted to fake tears to make it seem at least a little realistic that I actually knew him.

Adriano.

Streams of tears poured down my cheek as I just thought about a dead friend. The only person who treated me like I was a person.

Like I existed.

"You still remember what the Lethe is?" I asked him through small tears. I choked up a bit as I said, "Surprising."

Percy studied me. "You okay?"

"Are you?" I shot back, firing at him a glare as the tears started to dry on my face.

"No," he replied promptly, which actually shocked me a little.

"I don't remember anything."

Um... how was it? Again, suggestions and comments are appreciated!