They arrived at the foot of the skyscraper without any trouble. Once everyone was safely inside the elevator, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"So this is your first mission, huh?" Percy asked Lydia. "You're pretty laidback about the whole thing."

Laidback wasn't quite the word to describe it, but Lydia nodded. "I've been told I'm a resigned sort of person. I work with what I have, and I don't waste time with complaints or regret."

"An excellent philosophy." Annabeth looked approving. "So do you have everything ready, Percy?"

"Watch-shield, check. Riptide in pocket, check. You?"

"I've got Aegis and my spear. I'm set. Lydia?"

"I don't carry weapons, but I do have a spare set of winged shoes in my bag."

"Perfect. We – Percy, watch out!" Annabeth's eyes widened in horror as she realized that the clasps of the cello case propped up right behind Percy were popping open, one by one. He jolted back just in time to avoid the flying tackle of the boy who was supposed to be safely locked away. Alex, unfazed by his evasion, propelled himself by his feet off of the elevator doors and lunged at Percy, snatching his watch off of his wrist and activating it. The large, unwieldy shield took up a lot of space and Alex used it to section off a quarter of the elevator. "Hand over the spear and the sword. Now," he commanded from behind the shield.

"How did you know … oh. Wait, how long have you been conscious for?"

"Not long enough," he snarled. "Kick. Your. Weapons. Over."

Annabeth growled. "As if." Before Percy could stop her, she had Aegis out and her spear unfolded and was lunging at Alex, who adeptly dived to one side, intending to brace himself against one wall.

Unfortunately for him, that wall contained the doors of the elevator, which happened to ding at that very moment. A startled Alex found himself hurtling through the air to crash into—

A cloud?

"Hmm. On second thought, maybe I should have sent them some backup," Zeus mused.

"Yes, you should have." Annabeth agreed quietly to herself, gracefully stepping out of the elevator, followed by Percy and Lydia. "I bring respectful greetings, gods and goddesses of Olympus. Can you explain?"

"Annabeth," her mother spoke, gaining her immediate attention. "This boy is named Alex Rider. He is the direct offspring of the primordial entity Ananke, overseer of bonds both psychological and physical, and the manifestation of necessity, compulsion, and inevitability. He is also distantly related to many immortals, myself included. And, in technical terms, he is the half-brother of the Fates."

Percy gaped. Lydia froze. And Annabeth asked a question. "Is that why no restraints could hold him for very long? Even the charmed locks?"

"Yes, daughter. The more he exercises his control over bonds, the more powerful he becomes. It is only a matter of time before he is able to manipulate emotional ties as well. Alright, you may let him down now, Nephele. There is nothing more we can say that he should not hear."

A vague, mistily white shape of a woman floated down from where she had taken Alex, out of earshot, and placed him on his feet next to Annabeth. Athena smiled. "Thank you, dear cloud. That will be all." Nephele condensed in what might have been a bow and evaporated away.

Alex, who had been unsuccessfully trying to get away from this … thing … had no idea what he could think. Being kidnapped by a crazy cult wasn't good, by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it was comprehensible. Being taken for a ride by a talking cloud and standing in front of massive people dressed like the Greek gods in an eerily realistic rendition of a modern Mount Olympus was rather less easily processed.

So he did the only natural thing there was to do. Something he was apparently making a habit of.

He grabbed Percy Jackson by the throat and used him as a human shield. Whoever he was, he seemed to have considerable value at the last cult camp. "I'm going now, thanks for the hospitality," he hissed to the holograms – they could only be holograms – of Greek gods. "If I meet any opposition whatsoever, this boy is going to pay with blood." He retreated towards the elevator, keeping one eye on his audience and one on the exit.

Athena was more exasperated than frightened or shocked. Hadn't she warned them that something like this was bound to happen? She waved her hand, and an entourage of owls swooped down from nowhere, picking Alex up bodily and setting him down before her.

"Have some sense, won't you?" she said condescendingly. "Sit."

Alex, after getting over his initial shock, thought that it might be best to play along, for now. No one was very fazed by his brief hostage-taking, and he couldn't exactly hurt a hologram. Besides, they looked like they wanted to talk, which was almost always good. It was a chance for him to gain information and understand his situation and learn more about these people. So he sat in the wicker chair that appeared behind him (trapdoor, he assumed). The woman – who was probably supposed to be Athena – nodded with satisfaction. "Now, why don't you introduce yourself?"

"After you."

Athena sighed, almost rolling her eyes, and looked to her right. She met someone's gaze inquiringly, and before Alex could see who she had gotten permission from Athena spoke again. "Very well. But only because we wish for this meeting to commence without further conflict or delay. Do not expect such indulgence in the future."

The chair spun suddenly so that he was looking at a regal woman with high cheekbones and hair so black it was almost blue, decked in a splendid gown of peacock feathers.

"I am Hera, Queen of the Gods, Patroness of Marriage and Protector of Motherhood."

The chain shifted counterclockwise so Alex was facing an imposing marble throne, larger than any of the others, which supported a man clutching a lightning bolt. Zeus.

"I am Zeus, Monarch of the Gods, Master of the Heavens, Emperor of Storms."

Again his seat moved, and this time so Alex was facing a man in a sea-glass throne.

"I am Poseidon, King of the Seas, Founder of Horses, Patron of Water."

And the chair turned so he was facing a new deity, each introducing him or herself, until he was again facing Athena.

"And I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Tact, Queen of Strategy, Patroness of Weaving. Hades has declined to come, as usual. And now –"

"Who is she?" Alex asked, gesturing at a small, taciturn woman by a hearth. She, unlike all of the others, was an actual person rather than an oversized but very realistic hologram.

"Hestia. Stop interrupting. We…"

But Alex was still looking at the reclusive figure by the fire. He knew that the ignored and overlooked were often the easiest to recruit for his cause – escape. He would keep an eye on "Hestia".

"…and you, Alex, are such a child. Do you understand?"

Alex sighed. Of course he understood. He had been told this fancy story countless times before, although "Zeus" told it condescendingly, as if he were wasting his time. Alex was not entirely impressed. "Yes." He gritted out. "I do."

For one, this made no scientific sense. The simplest flaw was that it wasn't possible for anything without DNA to pass on traits to their offspring. Alex guessed there were countless other faults in their reasoning, but he wasn't complaining, not aloud. Fanatics trying to convert him were better than fanatics trying to kill him, at least for now.

"Good. Because Lady Ananke has sent us a message. Moments before you arrived, she instructed us to send you to find the amulets she has scattered over the earth. Once you have proven yourself, you will be reunited with the Lady. Do you accept?" Zeus was tapping his fingers now, eager to get this over with.

This was taking it too far. "That's ridiculous."

"Well chosen. Now – wait, what did you say?" Zeus was obviously caught off guard by his answer. For a supposed divine king, he wasn't all that perceptive.

"Amulets? Across the earth?" A sudden thought occurred to Alex. "Am I doing this alone?" Was he being handed a ticket out of here?

"Of course not. Your fellow half-bloods there will accompany you. They have already accepted the quest to escort and assist you until the matter between Lady Ananke and you are resolved."

"Too bad. They'll have to go home. I'm not having anything to do with this ludicrous 'quest' you've set up. I rej-" The words were half out of Alex's mouth before his tattoo throbbed. He ignored it. "-ect it completely."

Accept, a frustrated voiced hissed inside his head. Accept!

No! was his first thought, before he had the chance to wonder at the voice's identity.

Suddenly a white flash of pain blazed up his arm and engulfed him. He couldn't remember falling, but he was on the ground, writhing in agony, clutching his arm.

"Wh-who—" he choked out, not sure if he was speaking aloud and not caring through the invisible torture.

Do not push the limits of inevitability, boy! Do not become arrogant because of the little semblance of control you possess over compulsion and bonds! I am the sole queen of such things, and you WILL

A torturous fire burned through him.

NOT

His body convulsed unnaturally.

DEFY

An inhuman shriek ripped from his lips

ME!

And as suddenly as it came, the pain disappeared, leaving Alex gasping on the ground, his tear-stained face tensed and sore.

"What's happening?" Lydia cried. Percy and Annabeth stood silently, aghast.

Hera turned her elegant face towards the horrified demigods. Her apathy was reflected in the faces of all of the gods (maybe not Hestia, but no one was really looking at her).

"Some parents are harsher than others," the goddess of motherhood stated indifferently.

A/N: What a mother.

Thank you all for your wonderful and encouraging reviews!

yashendra2797, roshane, o, The-Dancing-Fox, Anonymous: Don't worry, I have every intention of writing and updating!

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Major Simi: Oh yes ...