As expected, the only things left in my pack were the few trinkets that the old bandit hadn't considered worth stealing. I had Annabeth's notes, and this journal, but nothing else. Everything else had gone into the thief's pockets, which were now in the stomach of the turtle napping off its meal at the bottom of the pool.

"What a shame." Again, just as I was leaving, someone speaks up from behind me. It was a woman's voice, cultured, refined and with a little bit of ... pity, I guess? It didn't matter, I was done with interruptions. I turned, sword already ready.

There was a ... well, a stunningly gorgeous woman reclining on one of the deck chairs, black hair impeccably styled up, and wearing a modest, elegant bathing suit. There was no sun, but she seemed just at ease soaking up the full moon's rays. They lit up her skin like silver.

"Luke Castellan," she warned, her brown eyes showing disappointment. "Do you point your sword at all of the gods?"

I was dumbstruck for a moment, mind racing. I let the sword fall from my fingers, and I can't explain why I did it, but I dropped to one knee. Instinct, maybe. "Lady Hera," I guessed.

She smiled warmly, as if I'd spelled aardvark correctly. In English. "Rise, young hero, and come to my side."

I pushed myself up with some effort, and stepped over to stand at her feet, giving the statues a lot of distance. She sat up, and a large, fluffy towel appeared in her hands. She offered it to me with a nod and a smile.

"Thanks.." I didn't know exactly what was going on. I'd only met two gods in person before... My father once, and that went exactly how I'd have expected it to go. And Mr. D. And I've already talked about my feelings on that one. This, though... this was completely different. It didn't seem bad. So I rubbed the water off of my face and hair and let the towel hang over my shoulders before looking back at her, cautiously.

"Good." She didn't offer a seat, and I didn't take one. Something in her tone changed the mood in some way I couldn't quite put my finger on. "Ever since they devoured Sciron the first time, why, they've had quite the taste for thieves."

"S'that right?" I couldn't quite help the surge of annoyance at that statement. It was an old defensiveness that took the bait. But when all of your magical skills are things that suit a bank robber more than a hero, what grounds did I have to argue?

"The fact that you survived..." Her eyes flicked over me. "I suppose that means there is some hope, after all." With a wave of her hand, she was garbed in a deep green gown, elegant and proper. She stood and looked at me over her shoulder. "Give up your quest and turn back."

"I... I can't do that! Why would I do that?"

Hera's eyes darkened with anger. "I don't believe you understand, child. Those are my apples. You travel to my garden."

She was right, I hadn't understood. I'd read that they were hers, a wedding gift from Gaea when she had married Zeus, but... I don't know. I guess I had expected Hermes to have cleared it before giving me a quest. Or that Hermes was delivering a quest for her?

"So you... didn't give the okay on this."

"Those apples are symbols." Her smile never wavered, but now it looked more painted on and it certainly didn't reach her eyes. There was outright fury boiling in her eyes. "They mean commitment. Everlasting, eternal, happy commitment. Why would I ever want commitment to be stolen from me. Now... Hermes has played little jokes before... It's cruel for you to be caught up as a bit of a prank, don't you think?"

Joke. A prank. I didn't answer. I didn't think I could answer. I was too angry.

"Oh, don't be worried," she continued, misjudging whatever expression was on my face. "If you show a little sense, I'll surely forgive him. After all, we're family. I don't want all of the squabbling that this little .. problem... would be if you were to continue." She laid a hand on my shoulder, and my clothes were suddenly dry, cleaned and mended. "You understand the importance of family, don't you, Luke?"

Her aura washed over me like a wave of guilt. It coaxed out every wretched insecurity I had and laid bare for me all of the excuses I used under the withering stare of the mother of all mothers. In her brown eyes, I saw all the times I wasn't really all that proud of myself. I remembered the first time I lied to my mom, hiding the monster I'd just killed behind the living room couch. I remembered the time I convinced her I didn't need to go to school for half a month, by telling her every morning that it was Saturday. I saw her not really understanding that I wouldn't be back for lunch, despite me telling her several times. I smelled all the rotting sandwiches when we'd stopped back there to tend to Thalia's leg. I remembered the look of hurt on my father's face when I rightfully pointed out that he couldn't possibly love me. I remembered the jealousy I felt when Annabeth was claimed by Athena in such a flashy, dramatic way, the way camp bowed to her... something I'd never had because I already knew my parents. I remembered how I didn't talk to her much during the summers, when there were other children of Athena around her...

In the middle of all of it, was an insidious voice telling me that if I turned back now, I could fix all of that. There was time. There was a way. I could have a perfect family, warm and loving and-

I was being manipulated. I realized it suddenly and clearly, and it gave all of my anger a blazing hot focus.

I swallowed hard, glaring at her. "I'll think about it."

"See that you do." She seemed to grow, displeasure a thunderstorm on her face. "You have MUCH at stake."

I managed to look away before she dropped her disguise, and vanished. The towel around my shoulders evaporated with her.

I had stumbled back to one of the rooms without even bothering to pick up my sword. I leaned against one of the doors, concentrating in little, faded waves until the door's tumblers clicked into place and I got entrance to the room.

I didn't care if there were five hundred snakes in there, that night. I just wobbled over to the bed, threw myself down on it. I was asleep the moment I hit the covers.

I felt worlds better in the morning. Energy had crept back into me over night, so I started the day with the shower. I pocketed all of the toiletries and one of the towels, because, hey. They could be useful and Sciron had promised me them anyways. I went out to grab my sword, and happened to glance into the pool.

There was no sign of the other turtle in the water, but the monster that I had defeated was gone too. Instead, there was a harp floating in the water, tangled in the ropes.

"Lucky day, after all..." Monster parts sometimes did that. They sold really well if you could find a buyer and knew what you had. I kept Thalia and I going for years just on what we managed to kill. Hey, you can't steal EVERYTHING you need. Sometimes, cash was the only way to keep going. I didn't even think twice. I cut a few more of the ropes and reeled the treasure in.

The moment my hand touched it, the harp transformed, turning into an I-pod with a turtle shell design case. On a lark, I put the earbuds in and dramatically ordered up some music, imagining the way Thalia would wrinkle her nose and sigh at my taste in music. "Billy Joel."

The beat of Uptown Girl poured into my ears, drowning out all of the other sounds around me. I grinned.

"Shell and strings, huh?" I might have just found something better than earplugs.

There weren't any roads that lead to the hotel, but just like the old man has said, there was a well used set of train tracks near by. By the lack of a station, I guessed that only freight trains passed along them these days. That suited me well enough.

I wasn't exactly eager to activate my shoes again for a long run. They were useful, really useful, but they also kind of dumped me into a monster's trap. Besides I was still pretty sore from yesterday.

I walked along the planks probably for another mile or so until a train roared along the westbound set. I judged my timing, caught a ladder on a jump, and climbed to the top of one of the double box cars without dislocating my arm. There were no passenger cars, of course, and everything on the line was secured, but I didn't really need to unlock anything yet. The day was started out pretty nice. The sun was warm and the wind was cool, any weather was a long way off.

A thunderstorm brewed out on the horizon, one of those weird angry things that hover over the desert and churn out rain that evaporates long before it hits the ground. As the tracks gently veered northwards, the sunlight caught the rain just so, spreading a vivid, full arching rainbow across the sky.

So when the Iris message Annabeth had been trying to send me finally went through, it came on a three mile wide, one mile tall screen.

I nearly fell right off the damn train.

"Luke!" The monstrous, titanic, nine year old called out gleefully. It sounded like a dragon roaring. She paused and looked at me funny. "Luke are you okay?"

"Fine!" It was a little shrill. "I'm fine! Everything's fine!"

"That doesn't seem fine."

"I... You just startled me."

The giant sized Annabeth gave me a judging gaze, before deciding what she had to say definitely outweighed whatever I was hiding. Which is good, because there was NO WAY I was explaining that one.

"I figured out where you need to go! I can't believe I didn't get it immediately when you told me about the prophecy! It's so obvious." She leaned forward in the image. I leaned back, unconsciously. "The Golden Gate! It's one of the furthest and most well known landmarks in the west! Of course, it's a perfect symbol for the sunset! You'll need to go there at dusk."

"So," I thought, trying to remember. Look, I hadn't had a lot of time in mortal school, and didn't have a good time while I WAS there. Magical geography only got me as close as relative location. "San Francisco?"

"Exactly! You're not too far from it... try to get there tonight, okay?"

"Why? There's no time limit on this one."

Annabeth frowned. "No... but. I heard Dionysus arguing with someone about the quest. Something's really weird right now."

I couldn't help but feel a bit cold, especially after the conversation last night.

"I'll get back soon," I promised her. "Thanks... and hey. Annabeth?" She nodded; she was listening. "When I get back... lets talk more, okay?" What can I say, last night kind of really hit me in a sore spot. I had been kind of a jerk, a bit.

She ducked her head, but not before I could see the shy smile on her face. The feed cut.

I lay back on the top of the box car, grinning and resolved to get a bit of rest.