Happy Holidays all! Or… anyone out there? I'm sorry for being such a shit updater—but this one's nice and long to make up for it!

"God it's good to be out of camp," Percy sighed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it there. But unstructured freedom! And hot dog stands!"

"Not entirely unstructured," Anabeth corrected. She glanced over at Caden. "Does anything look familiar?"

The other girl shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"No don't be. Ashton, please don't eat the hotdog wrapper, people are staring. We'll just stick to plan A. Get to Olympus, get an audience, find out who's you are and why you can't get into camp."

"I'm trying to work with this whole 'you're not crazy thing'," Caden sighed, "just because I've seen what I can only explain as magic. But are you sure… are you sure this isn't some elaborate hoax? I mean, Olympus? Really?"

Anabeth just grinned at her. "Really."

"Turn left here, if you want to trade out cars," Percy instructed from the back seat. Originally, he had called shotgun, but after Ashton fell asleep and started eating Caden's hair, new arrangements had to be made.

"I think it's the next block."

"Shut up Wise Girl. I think I know the way to my apartment."

Anabeth rolled her eyes, but made the turn.

A few moment's later, Percy cleared his throat. "It may, in fact, be one block over."

"Percy, really?"

"Count to ten. You know you love me."

It was only another five minutes before they were all climbing the stairs, Ashton with some difficulty, to Sally Jackson's two-bedroom apartment.

Percy took a deep breath through his nose as he knocked once, before inserting his key in the lock. The instant the door was open, he was swallowed by brown hair and pale blue cashmere, and his mother enveloped him in a hug. "Percy! You didn't tell me you were coming home!"

"It was kind of last minute Mom."

"Oh and Anabeth!" She grabbed pulled the girl in too. "How's everything at home?"

"It goes, I guess."

Sally squeezed Anabeth's hand. "That's a start." She looked around, beaming and a little teary eyed. "And who's this?"

"Mom, this is Ashton and Caden. Guys, this is my mom."

She reached out and gave them each a quick hug. "Sally Jackson. Good to meet you. Oh! Won't you all come in?"

Caden started to nod, already falling into the woman's aura of warmth, but Percy cut her off. "Actually, we're kind of on a tight schedule…"

Sally closed her eyes for a long moment. "Is this another quest? Because I swear to the gods Percy, if you're part of another great prophecy, I will kill the oracle that issued it."

"No! Gods no Mom, it's okay, it's nothing like that. We don't even have a prophecy. It's just that Caden's lost all her memories."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "This seems rather familiar."

"And she can't get into camp. We just want to visit Olympus, see if a god will claim her so she can get past the border. That's all. Just a trip to the Empire State Building. We'll be back for dinner!"

"Is that a promise?"

"That's a promise. We just… We need to borrow the car."

Sally followed them down the stairs. "This better come back in one piece. We had a hell of a time explaining to the garage how we got hoof prints on our hood, and Paul was very protective of his car after that. Plus, I mean, its new, and still all shiny… Just be careful, okay?"

Percy pecked his mom on the cheek. "I will. It will be back in perfect condition when we come for dinner."

Anabeth gave Sally a quick hug.

"Make sure you're here for dinner too," Sally said quietly to her. "I don't see enough of you."

Anabeth nodded, her throat tight. Percy's mom was amazing, and her own wouldn't even answer a prayer. "Thanks."

The four piled into Paul's SUV and Anabeth carefully reversed out of the parking spot.

The sun was high in the September sky when they stepped into the elevator and asked the attendant for the 600th floor. Having seen Percy and particularly Anabeth so often, he just nodded. However, when the elevator doors opened, it wasn't to the sprawling white marble of Mount Olympus, but a small balcony and brisk wind.

"This isn't Olympus."

"Really? I don't think I would have realized that without your help Percy. It's not like I spent hours poring over blueprints of it."

Percy grabbed her hand. "Hey, hey. It's not me you're mad at."

Anabeth scrubbed a hand through her curls. "I know. I'm sorry." She turned to the attendant. "Do you know why we didn't get up?"

"Musta been cuz one o you's not myth. No immortal blood, no Olympus."

"Do you think it could be because Ashton's a Satyr? I mean, Grover's been up here, so I don't see why, but…?"

"Sorry girlie. Satyr's go up all the time. Well, not all the time, but often enough that I'm aware of it. I mean, not aware aware, like I would be if it were an anomaly, but like, I know they can go up, okay? So it must be someone else."

All eyes turned to Caden. "It would kind of explain why I can't get into camp, right?"

"But not why you can eat Ambrosia without burning up."

"Just take us back to the ground, please," Anabeth said to the attendant. "Plan A is obviously not going to work. That's why we've got twenty-six letters."

Percy smirked in her direction, his eyes playful.

"No, Percy, don't—"

"And I wish they were all 'U'."

Anabeth groaned. "I told you, enough with the couple puns."

Caden leaned back against the hand rail. "Yeah. You two are kind of disgusting."

Percy kissed her cheek in an exaggerated manner.

Anabeth pushed his chest lightly away. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

A few moments later, the elevator pinged as it reached the ground level. The lobby was mostly empty, a few people strolling out for a late lunch. Outside, bright sunshine danced across the city streets, the cars outside, the tow truck just pulling out—

"Shit!" Percy groaned sprinting through the doorway. He darted up the street after the truck, keeping pace with the afternoon traffic. "Excuse me! Tow truck guy! Hello! That's my car!"

Anabeth skidded to a halt beside him three blocks down, grabbing his sleeve. "Oi, seaweed brain. Your mom might like the car, but she likes you better." She jerked her head at the crossing sign. "The light's red."

Percy grabbed her hand and the two turned back down the street. "I would have been fine you know. I heel fast."

Anabeth smirked. "Honey, no amount of Ambrosia and Nectar is going to heel 'squished'."

Just then Caden hurtled into them, her face red. "You were there, and then you just… poof!" She shook her head, breathing hard. "So fast."

"The car got towed."

"We saw. Now what?"

Percy opened his mouth, but Anabeth was already talking. "We'll take the subway. Look, here on the sign, it says the towing agency. We'll call them, find out where the car is. Then we go there, get it, pay them with your credit card, which you can explain to your mom later. Or, better yet, your dad. He wouldn't even notice. God, where's Piper when we need her." Anabeth blushed. "Okay, so it's simple."

"Except… how do we prove its our car?"

"Crap. Ummm…. Lie?"

"Fantastic. Everybody, let's get the subway!"

"That girls staring at me," Caden whispered in Percy's ear as they stood side by side on the subway.

"Nah, she's staring at Ashton. Can't you tell? He's incredibly attractive." He leaned in closer: "For a satyr."

"No, really," Ashton said from behind them, "I'm blushing."

Sitting opposite where they stood, a blonde boy's eyes narrowed in their direction. He nudged the brunette sitting next to him, whose eyes were already trained on the group of demigods. She nodded.

Percy leaned back into Anabeth. "They really are staring. Is there something on my face? Do I have a sword in my pocket instead of a pen? Are Ashton's hooves out?"

Anabeth shook her head. "No, no, and no." She locked eyes with the brunette, willing the other girl to look away. Instead, her lips curved into a small smile, black eyes dueling with grey. "' get off anyway," she told Percy, not breaking eye contact. "You're not too good with the mist yet, and I don't want to have to fight anything on the subway, in broad daylight, and end up on the wanted list again."

Percy nodded. "Alright. Next stop gang."

The brunette nodded to the boy beside her, whipping out a white, wand like object from her designer handbag, and tracing a small black shape on the boy's inner arm. His face tightened as she worked. "Dammit Izzy. Gentle."

Izzy just quirked a perfect eyebrow at him. "Uhuh. Do me." She held out her arm, and the boy quickly drew a shape identical to his own.

The train slid to a stop, and the four demigods hurried out as the doors opened, Anabeth looking warily back over her shoulder, but the staring pair had disappeared.

Anabeth hooked her fingers through her backpack straps. "So, next train?"

"Nah. We're pretty close to my mom's, let's just get the van and drive to the impound."

Ashton bleated.

"Does that not work?" Percy asked, turning to face the satyr.

"Could I just… uuh… some exposed hoof-age going on here. Help me?"

Percy hurried back across the platform to grab the foam filled sneaker that had slid down the crowded stairs. Ashton blushed through his scruff as he slipped it back on beneath his overlong cargo pants. Percy clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay." He patted his pockets. "I have the van keys, why I don't know, and we have the towing company, so—"

"Where's Caden?" Anabeth interrupted.

Percy looked around, climbing the stairs for a better view. "I don't see her…"

"Did she get off the train?"

"I thought so, I don't remember."

Ashton chewed his hoodie's zipper toggle. "I'm a terrible protector."

"You're not a protector. We don't even know if she's a demi-god."

"Irrelevant. She's still missing."

"Do we get on a train?"

"I mean, maybe? It's not like we'll be on the same one she is. That's gone."

"We were going to ride it to the car towing holding place… maybe we meet her there?"

"Okay. Okay. This is why demigods need cell phone. We need a plan."

"No shit."

"Percy, not helping. I'm doing my best."

He gripped her hand. "I know. There's just a lot that can happen to an untrained… person… with the sight, and a knack for attracting trouble. And by trouble, I mean monsters. What if it's the furies? I mean, Nico can talk his dad into releasing her if she's a prisoner, we hope, but there are worse things out there than Hades."

Anabeth turned his face so he was looking at her. He was flushed, little beads of sweat pooling at his temples, and his eyes were darting from side to side, the muscles in his shoulders and down his arms tense. "Percy. Percy look at me. Its done. This isn't a prophecy. You're okay, you're okay, we're okay. Yeah?"

He rested his cheek against hers. "Yeah. We're okay." He took a deep breath, in through his nose, out through his mouth, Anabeth's hair whispering against his cheek. Then he straightened up, slid his fingers through hers. "So I say we got get the van. We don't know when the next train is, and if the schedule's right, Caden should be at the impound in a little under fifteen minutes. Driving will hopefully be faster."

"Someone should stay here," Anabeth added, "in case she comes back to where she lost us."

"I will," Ashton suggested. You two are the only ones who can drive, and there will be two cars."

"It's a plan," Anabeth said. She dug out her phone and handed it to Ashton. "You keep this, so we can find each other. Percy's number is already in there. If all else fails, meet back at the Sally's—no, the Empire State Building, that's easier to find—at 8:30 tonight, okay?"

Ashton nodded. "Okay."

Though the sun outside was warm, Percy couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to Caden—something worse than missing her stop. He had to fight the urge to run down the street.

"Percy," Anabeth tugged at his sleeve. "Someone's following us."

"What do they look like?"

Anabeth leaned into his shoulder, in part as thanks to him not doubting her, in part to make the whispered description easier. "A couple, or very close friends. Golden boy, wiry muscles, carved face—" Percy raised an eyebrow at her, and she kissed his nose. "Don't be stupid," she scolded, continuing. "The girl is long, leggy, as much dark hair as confidence. They're both pretty tattooed and look, well, trained. Lethal. It's the people who were staring on the train."

"Recognise them from any kind of mythology? I honestly wouldn't rule out Aztec right now, if it came running."

Anabeth shook her head. "I hate it when I don't know."

Percy rubbed her shoulder. "Happens to the best of us. Even to the best Athenians. You know your mom, one time, somebody asked her to name every element on the periodic table, and she burnt a pavilion down."

"She did not."

Percy grinned. "No. But you can't beat yourself up about missing facts. Wisdom isn't knowledge."

Anabeth smiled at him. "You're pretty smart you know?"

"You're rubbing off on me."

"Touching, really," came a drawl from behind them. "My golden self is practically melting. The perfect couple."

The pair whirled around.

"Jace," Izzy chided from his side. "Don't be mean. We just want to talk."

Percy's hand slipped into his pocket, where it closed around his pen. "Coffee?"

Izzy grinned. "I know just the place."

Two blocks over they ran into a café, where a pale boy with hipster glasses and curly dark hair was jangling his leg as he sipped what looked to be his fourth cup of black coffee. Beside him, a fiery haired girl in a green cargo jacket with paint smeared on the sleeve sketched something on a napkin. In perfect tandem, Jace and Izzy swept to the seated pair, Izzy kissing the boy lightly on the cheek, and Jace stealing the girl's croissant. The pulled wire chairs across the cobbled floor with a hideous scraping sound, and the four turned to look at the still standing Percy and Anabeth.

"Please," the ginger smiled. "Have a seat."

So that's that! Two series meet and the true crossover begins! But where's Caden? And what happens when supersecret supernatural worlds collide! Dun dun dun… ;)
R&R please, as 'tis the season!
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