Some of you have asked me why I chose the name Andromeda, so here it goes...

If you don't know this already, Andromeda means 'ruler of men', something that will play a great part in this story. Andy will be the ruler of men and both senses: a) she'll have them falling in love with her; and b) she will be a leader to them, so she will rule in a way.

Plus, the original Andromeda's supposed to be beautiful and arrogant; the qualities I was after for Andy.

Another thing was: if Percy is Perseus, what else would Andy be called?

And finally, it just sounds super cool.


Act I - Storm At Sea

Part VII - Wise men say only fools rush in. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?


Not everything was lost. They used the infinite LotusCash card to pay for a ride from Vegas to Los Angeles. The driver left them at the beach in Santa Monica with no clue of what to do next.

Then Andy had another one of her ideas.

It blew her mind to think that her own father, the one she had never met, the one that had abandoned her, the one that was a freakin' god, controlled the seas. Two thirds of the Earth's surface was covered in water. How could someone be that powerful?

Well, time to have a taste of it.

She walked into the sea.

"Andy?" Anthony called, a note of amusement in his voice. "What are you doing?" She didn't answer and kept on walking. "You know how polluted that water is? There's all kinds of toxic—"

That's when her head went under. At first, Andy held her breath, afraid of what would happen. It wasn't easy to willingly inhale water. When she couldn't take it anymore, she gasped. Sure enough, she could breathe normally.

Now came the complicated part.

Andy focused in the lack of memories she had of her dad. It was hard; there wasn't a smile, a caress or even a familiar smell. But there was the sea around her. The waves. The salt. All the things that made him the sea god. This is who he is, she realized.

"Please," she pleaded. "Please, help me." She closed her eyes and waited. When she opened them, the ghost woman was there.

"Andy Jackson," she said.

"Who are you?" Andy had to ask.

"I'm a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It has been many years since a child of the sea has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

"Why doesn't he speak to me? You know, personally?"

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid said. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."

"Even to their own children?"

"Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift." She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm. "I know you journey to Hades' realm. Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?"

"With a little effort, I can burp the entire alphabet."

The Nereid narrowed her eyes. "You possess gifts you have only begun to know. The oracle has foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to adulthood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore, take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?"

"Depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."

"Alright. What about the warning?"

Her eyes flickered. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can. He never willingly lets people leave his realm. Keep faith. And good luck, Andromeda."


Getting there wasn't that hard. They convinced the security guard to let them pass. His name was Charon. He put them on the boat and complained all the way that he was underpaid. The boat went on, crossing a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other strange things.

Anthony said it was the River Styx. He said it was polluted with dreams, hopes, wishes that never came true. Thinking of that and of all the dead people around her, Andy started to panic. She wasn't supposed to be here. She took Anthony's hand, needing reassurance that somebody else was alive.

Then, of course, there was the dog. The giant three headed dog really wanted to eat them. Andy didn't think they would pass that. But Anthony somehow managed to control Cerberus. Bossing him around, really. He was so bossy even the gigantic hellhound did as he wanted! The dog couldn't wait to do what he said, to be pet, to be given attention.

It was unbelievable.

"No," Anthony told her. "That was obedience school."

After a while, Andy came to the realization that the dead weren't scary—they were just sad. Most of them were doomed to a waiting line. A lot of them were condemned to the Fields of Punishment. Only very few went to Elysium.

Suddenly, Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward dragging him away. "Maia!" he yelled, but that didn't work.

Andy and Anthony ran after him.

"Untie the shoes," Anthony shouted. But he couldn't. He was being taken to a dark tunnel that got darker and colder the further they went. Fortunately, Grover hit the wall and one of the sneakers fell; he lost speed. Anthony caught up to him and helped him take off the other shoe.

They all collapsed, exhausted.

Anthony glanced at the end of the tunnel. "This is the entrance to Tartarus," he said softly.

"We have to get out of here," cried Grover. They ran the other way a little too slowly because Andy's backpack was weighing her down. Something seemed to be trying to inhale them.

Finally, they got out of the tunnel. "What was that?"

Andy glanced at Anthony; he was obviously nursing an idea, but he chose not to share. "Let's keep going," he said. "Grover, can you walk?"

"Yeah, sure," he swallowed. "I never liked those shoes anyway."

They kept going until the found the garden. It was strange and dangerous. All around them there was poisonous mushrooms and shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Right at the center, there was an orchard of pomegranate trees.

"The garden of Persephone," said Anthony, who seemed to know everything about everything. "Don't touch anything." Sure enough, the smell of the pomegranates was overwhelming. Andy really wanted to have one.

They walked up the steps of the palace. Andy's backpack weighed a ton now.

Hades was the third god she got to meet, but the first one who struck her as godlike. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He was wearing black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. Immediately, Andy felt like he should be the one giving the orders. He knew more than she did. He was smarter, more powerful, more graceful, more—

Snap out of it!, she told herself.

"You are brave to come here, little one," he said; his voice sounded bored. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or very foolish."

Andy stepped forward. "Lord Hades, I come with two requests."

He raised an eyebrow. There were shadows moving around him. "What am I? A genie? You arrogant child. You have taken enough."

"I've taken nothing," she said, defensively. The throne room shook and Andy almost lost her balance.

Hades bellowed, "You think I want war, godling?"

"Well, you did take the master bolt."

"LIES!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne. "Your father may fool Zeus, but I am not stupid. I see his plan."

"Excuse me?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he accused. "Your father thought to keep you his dirty little secret. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at that school, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open."

"Lord Hades," called Anthony and Andy could almost see the gears turning inside his head. "Your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, son of Athena. You and the satyr have been helping the girl—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"Sir—"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me, I did not stop you. Return my helm now, godling, or I will stop death. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you—Andromeda Jackson—your skeleton will lead my army out of—"

"You're crazy," Andy snapped. "You're absolutely insane."

Hades seemed too shocked about the accusation to speak.

"You've been sending monsters after me because you think I stole something from you? Never occurred to you, I suppose, to prove that I had such item. Of course, Zeus did the same thing, didn't he? You are all out of your minds!"

"RETURN MY PROPERTY!" He demanded.

"I DON'T HAVE IT!" she yelled back at him. "I don't have your stupid helm. I don't have the master bolt. I didn't do anything wrong, so stop trying to kill me!"

Hades glanced at her, curiosity in his eyes. "I have not tried to kill you. I wanted you alive. I only ever sent the Furies to capture you. As for not having the helm and the bolt..." Hades grinned wickedly. "Open your pack."

A horrible feeling struck Andy. She let the pack fall from her shoulders and it hit the ground with a bang. Andy unzipped it and there it was it: the lightning bolt.

"Andy!" exclaimed Anthony.

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus' master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. Also, my helm."

Andy was feeling a kind of anger she had never experienced before. She wanted to go around punching gods in the face. They—all of them!—had played her. They were using her.

"This is wrong," she shook her head. "This is a mistake."

An army of skeletons appeared circling Andy, Anthony and Grover.

"There's no mistake," said Hades. "I know why you hesitate. I know what you want. You came for her." And then she was there, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was when the Minotaur took her. "Yes. I knew, Andromeda Jackson, that you would come to me. Now make your choice. I know you have pearls with you. But do you realize they each only protects a single person? Take your mother and pick one of your friends to leave behind. Go on. Choose. Or give me the bolt and the helm and I'll let you all go."

"Andy," Grover said from behind her. "Leave me here. You can't give him the bolt. Take your mom and go. I'm a satyr. We don't have souls like humans. He can't torment me forever."

"No," said Anthony. "I'll stay. You'll get your searcher's license. Get out of here. I'll cover you. I'll go down fighting."

"I'm staying," argued Grover.

"No. I am."

Andy turned to face them and handed each a pearl. Her heart felt like it was being split in two. "Andy—"

"I will find your helm," she told Hades before smashing the pearl. She could only hope the others had done the same. While she was being transported, Andy made a vow to save her mother. She would come back for her. She wouldn't fail like the prophecy said. She would save what mattered most in the end.

They were back at the beach. Andy looked out at the sea, but she wasn't really seeing it. She couldn't breath. She felt her body shaking, the tears streaming down her face. She couldn't fight it. She couldn't deal with it. Was she having a panic attack?

Suddenly, he was there. Anthony wrapped his arms around her and Andy sobbed against his shoulder. She sobbed out the fear, the sadness and the anger. She let it all out. She sobbed until there was nothing left. Then she straightened up and looked over Anthony's shoulder.

Ares was standing a few feet away, seeming genuinely pleased to see her or to see her crying. "You were supposed to be dead."

Andy marched toward him. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

He grinned. "Not personally. You're not the only hero who can run errands."

"Who?"

"Don't matter. The point is: you need to die in the Underworld. Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this..." from his pocket he took out a ski cap that before their eyes transformed into a war helmet. "Pretty soon, there'll be war."

"But they're your family," said Anthony.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight."

"Why didn't you keep the master bolt to yourself?" Andy asked. Ares got a twitch in his jaw. He seemed to be listening to a voice inside his head.

"I didn't... I... Because... A power like that..." His face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble."

"You're lying," she said. "It wasn't your idea."

"Of course it was."

"You didn't order the theft. Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. The thing... That thing in the pit is ordering you around!"

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Andy raised an eyebrow. "I never said you did."

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover with a smirk. "I will kill you now, kid. Nothing personal." He snapped his fingers and a wild boar appeared.

"Fight me yourself, you coward."

He laughed, but there was an edge to it. "Your only talent is running. So don't push me."

"Andy, looked out!" Anthony shouted as the boar charged. But Andy had had enough of that. She was done. It was time to put an end to it.

She uncapped the pen and knelt on the sand. The boar was there within seconds and she impaled him with the sword. The beast disappeared in smoke.

Andy stood. "Are you going to fight me now?"

Ares' face was purple with rage. "Watch, kid. I could turn you into—"

"Do it, then. Do your absolute worst."

"You are asking for it." A sword appeared in his hand.

"Andy," Anthony called. "He's a god."

"No. He's a coward."

"I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

"A smaller ego," she said. "If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine." Andy attacked. Ares was quick. He twisted and slashed and forced Andy into the ocean. He knocked the blade out of her hands and slapped her across the face. Andy lost balanced and fell.

She was seeing double, but she got up as the water healed her. Her senses were working overtime. She could see where he was tensing. She could tell which way he would strike. Andy picked Riptide and deflected when he attacked.

She felt the rhythm of the sea. She felt its power. She felt her dad.

She sent the tide over him and attacked at the same time. He turned in time to raise his sword but the water disoriented him. Andy changed direction, lunged to the side, and stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel.

The roar that followed made Hades' earthquake look like a minor event.

The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded. He limped toward Andy, cursing, but something stopped him. He lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling," he told her. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Andromeda Jackson." His body began to glow.

"Andy, don't look!" Anthony shouted. Andy turned the moment the god revealed his true immortal form.

The light died. He was gone, but the Furies were there.

"We've watched the whole thing," hissed Mrs. Dodds.

"Return this to Hades," Andy said throwing the helmet at her. Mrs. Dodds hesitated, then disappeared.

Then Grover and Anthony were there beside her, watching her in amazement.

"Andy..." Grover said. "That was so incredibly..."

"Awesome."

"So awesome," Grover agreed.

But Andy didn't feel awesome. She just felt empty. Exhausted. There was nothing left.

"We have to go back to New York. Tonight."

"That's impossible," Anthony said. "Unless we—"

"Fly, yes."

Anthony stared at her. "Chiron warned you not to. Zeus will strike you out of the sky and—"

"No, he won't. Because he wants this back, doesn't he?" Andy pointed at the backpack and smiled.