"Wake up sleepyhead." Someone smacked me in the face. I groaned in my mind. Whatever had happened, my face felt like it had been used as a punching bag. It would be a miracle if my nose wasn't broken. It was on fire. My eyes refused to open, and my tongue refused to move from the pain. Even my ears were tingling.

"He's out cold." Another person commented. I couldn't discern their voice with the buzzing in my ears. They slapped me again, using my face like a drum, making my teeth rattle. It made my face hurt worse, even though I didn't think it was possible.

"I think he moved his mouth! He's alive!" The first person said.

"It was just a twitch. Connor, put him back on the litter. We'll try to wake him in a couple hours."

I tried to talk, but my brain felt like mush. The tips of my fingers started to bristle, telling me that at least I wasn't paralyzed. I wiggled a couple of my toes. Nope, not paralyzed. Maybe it would hurt less if I was. I passed out.

When I regained consciousness again, it was night. I couldn't feel the heat of the sun on my face anymore. There were the regular chirpings from the crickets, and a couple of owls were hooting off in the distance. I heard a small creek gurgling nearby and I imagined how nice the coolness of its' waters would have felt on my body. Even in the cool night air, my body was melting.

I heard a couple of dings as a tin can was thrown into the night somewhere. It stopped, and about thirty seconds a barely audible ding echoed from somewhere far below me.

"Gods, I miss camp. I will never complain about the food ever again. If I even smell ravioli, I'm going to throw up." A voice said. I think it was Connors'. I hoped so anyways.

"We should be there in time for lunch tomorrow. I just want a nice soft bed to sleep on." replied Will. "These rocks are eating into my back."

"I need to finish my Go-Kart." James added. "Then these long quests would be a zip."

"You know, most people would find it selfish that you're building a Go-Kart in the middle of a war." Gabi said. "Like me."

"Let them think what they want. I want to actually enjoy life before I die. Not sit here all day and complain about the people around me." James shot back. "Like you."

I couldn't see the withering look that Gabi gave him, but I could feel it, and it made me glad I wasn't on the receiving end of it. I bet most monsters would have nightmares about it. "I at least take life seriously. This isn't a game, James. This is a life and death deal. Every day. I hope you realize that someday, before you get yourself killed."

"And look how happy that has made you."

"Why you little… You have no idea what I have given up. What I've had to go through!" Gabi's voice broke. "One day, I'll make you understand. I promise."

"Ooo, I'm so scared…."

Will cut in. "We've all lost something, Gabi. This war has been hard on all of us."

"No. You don't know anything. Not yet." She yelled, and walked off into the night.

"Do you think we should go after her?" Connor asked.

"No," Will said. "Let her have some time to cool off. I have a feeling if we follow her, our life-spans are going to be pretty short."

"Our life-spans are already short," James corrected. "Ever heard of a demigod having a happy ending? Ya, neither have I."

"What about Bobby?" Connor said. "He is like twenty-five now, and he is still going strong."

"Doesn't count. He is a legacy of Jupiter. And Mars." James defended. "He's got special stuff."

"Special stuff. And no small amount of luck." Will added. "He has been in more scraps than anybody at Camp. It's a miracle he still has all of his limbs. And they're attached, too."

"Have you heard anything from camp?" James asked.

"Not since we left. I figure if something happened they would have let us know by now." Will replied. "Well, something major anyway."

I rolled over, putting out my hand to stabilize myself, but there was nothing there. My hand just fell through the emptiness. I started to roll off the edge.

"Grab him!" Will yelled. I felt someone grab the back of my shirt and dragged me back from the ledge, depositing me right next to the fire. It started to singe my hair, and I tried to push myself away, managing to smack my head on some random rock. My head erupted into pain again.

"Next he is going to start sleepwalking," mumbled James.

"Everything hurts," I groaned. "Is this what dying feels like?"

"It probably hurts less. At least, that's what Hazel told me anyway. "James said. "Although, you don't look much better than a dead person."

"What happened? Why does my face fell like I head butted a pile of bricks?" I tenderly touched my nose. It didn't feel broken.

"You took a tree to the face. You should have seen it. Blood everywhere. I thought you were done for. But it seems like you're a tough nut to crack." James looked at each of us, expecting one of us to comment on his God awful pun.

"Earthborn threw a tree at you." Will told me finally. "Just about took your head off."

"Earthborn? What are those?" Great, I thought. Even more things out there trying to kill me.

"Giant mud people," James told me. "Eight feet tall. Six arms. And really smelly."

"Please tell me there is more Ambrosia. My entire body is on fire." I complained.

"No. We've given you too much already." Will said. "We don't want you bursting into flames after how much trouble we had to go through to find you."

"Ya, Aiden." Connor teased. "Don't make us waste our time."

"Shut up Connor."

He just started laughing.

I started to look around, trying to figure out where we were. They had set up camp on the side of a ledge, which looked like it went straight to the Underworld. All I could see below it was blackness. I couldn't even see the silhouette of the landscape below. A small stream ran along the ledge before it veered and plummeted off the edge, fracturing into a million tiny droplets on its journey to the ground below. Behind us rose a sheer cliff, completely unclimbable. It looked like a cozy little spot.

"If you're wondering where Gabi is, she took off a little while ago." Will informed me.

"Ya, I heard."

"How long have you been awake?" he asked as he took out his map.

"Awhile. I just didn't feel like moving."

"I don't blame you."

"Where are we?"

"The Berkeley Hills in San Francisco." He pointed his map. "Our outpost is… here." He dragged his finger to the spot. "Shouldn't take us too long to get there tomorrow. We'll resupply and fly out for New York the next day."

"Ah, finally. All the food I could eat," Connor said dreamily. "It'll be like a little slice of heaven. And apple pie."

Will gave him a look like he couldn't believe what he just heard. James started to choke on his water, spraying it all over the fire, where it started to hiss. "Is that all you ever think about?" He asked after he had managed to swallow the rest of his drink.

"No…" Connor said defensively. "Not the only thing."

I got up and walked to the edge of the ledge, stumbling a little bit. I didn't feel like listening to their stupid arguments. The headache was already bad enough. My face felt like one giant bruise and I think a couple of my teeth were a little looser than they used to be.

I stared out across the blackness and thought about my mom. Was she still alive? And if she was, where was she? Would I be able to find her in time? I prayed to everyone I knew that I could. That I would.

But I did know one thing. I wasn't going to New York. My mom was somewhere in San Francisco, and this is where I was going to stay. There was no way on earth that I was going to go off and fight a war for a father I never knew. If the Gods really wanted my help that bad, they were going to have to earn it first. Falling to their knees and begging would be a step in the right direction. I'm not going to fight for something that I had no part in.

"That is the most un-Ares like thing I have ever heard a Son of War say." A woman appeared next to me, straight out of thin air. She was beautiful in a motherly sort of way. Her face was regal, like a statue. Her hair was the color of chocolate, braided with gold ribbons, and draped over her shoulder. She wore a black dress, but when she moved it shimmered, revealing all the different colors you could think of.

She startled me so bad, I stumbled back, falling off the side of the cliff.

"Not so fast," she said. "We have things to talk about."

Invisible hands caught me in mid-air, setting me back in the same spot I was before she showed up.

"Um, thanks?"

"I couldn't let you die. You are more important than you realize." She said.

"Uh, that's comforting. I guess…" I looked back to see if anyone else had noticed this weird lady show up out of nowhere. They didn't seem too concerned. In fact, as I looked closer, they didn't even seem to notice. Or breathe.

"Don't worry, this is a private conversation," the lady said.

"Who are you?" I asked. Like I wanted anymore supernatural beings taking an interest in my life.

"I'm your grandmother."

"My grandmother died when I was five."

"You're godly grandmother. I am Hera. Queen of Olympus. Be sure to remember that next time," she threatened.

"You're the one who sent Will to find me?"

"Yes, I gave him a push."

"And I'm guessing you are here to meddle in my life. To try to get me to help you. Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not doing it." I told her. "I'm finding my mom. That's it."

"I'm not here to meddle. I came to give you a push, in the right direction." She said.

I waved her off. "Forget it. I'm not going."

"How many sons have lost their mothers? How many daughters have lost their fathers? And they don't have a chance to change the world. You do. You have the chance to help the world rebuild itself again."

"I don't care about the rest of the world. I care about finding my mother."

Hera sighed sadly. "That is more like your father. You may not believe me now, but he influences you more than you know. I only hope you pick the right side to fight for."

"I'll fight for my side. I don't care about anything else." I crossed my arms and turned my back to her, which probably wasn't the greatest idea in the world. I wasn't going to become someone else's servant. Not today, not ever.

Hera frowned. "I will tolerate your arrogance this time Aiden. But I will tell you, if you go after your mother, what you find will break you. And you will have wished you listened to your sweet, old grandmother." She disappeared in a flash of golden light, illuminating the entire place like it was daylight.

"Doubt it," I muttered, and I stared out across the night.

Will came over after a while. He sat down, dangling his legs off into oblivion. It reminded me of my near death experience just a few minutes before. I shuddered at the thought.

"Something up?" Will sounded genuinely concerned.

"Uh, no. Nothing's up." I lied. I could tell he saw right through it, but thankfully he didn't try to press me for answers. I wondered if I even knew them myself.

"Well then, I figured I would give you those lessons now. Help take your mind off things." He smiled at me.

"Um, sure. If it helps me avoid the bruising treatment, I'm all for it." My head hurt and I just really wanted to go to sleep, but I figured if it wasn't Will who beat me up, Gabi would. And she seemed like she would go for the kill.

"Great," he said and popped up. He drew his sword. "Now the trick is to always keep your balance. Trying not to fall off the mountainside should be a good motivator." And he lunged at me.

I almost died in the first two seconds. Will lunged and I stepped back, tripping over a stray rock. I regained my balance just in time. I looked down at my feet, my toes dangling over the edge. Three more inches, and I would have been nothing more than a grease spot on the ground below.

I backed up straight into Will's blade. "Balance is key," he instructed. "Now, take your spot."

I obliged grudgingly and stood opposite of him. He came out me again, but I was ready for it. I parried his thrust and swung at his arm. He blocked it easily.

"That was great," he said. "Good balance."

I was going to say thanks, but I never got the chance. He planted his foot behind mine and shoved me in the chest. I plummeted to the ground, jarring my head and generally making me wish I was dead. My head throbbed.

"But always be prepared for anything." He pulled me up.

"Thanks for the advice." I could barely think through the pain.

I stabbed at him before he could get a chance to recover. He parried, but only barely. I felt his shirt tug at my sword. He backed up, and I could see the small tear in the middle of his shirt.

"Always be prepared," I smirked, and went after him.

We dueled for a while. I pressed him as hard as I could. Will was concentrating on my sword, but I could tell he wasn't giving his all. It was nice to have a partner who lets you work at your own pace.

He attacked a little harder after a few minutes. Neither of us seemed to have the upper hand. Our swords just keep going back and forth, the clangs echoing against the empty night. I felt my body loosen up, and my headache went away. I was actually enjoying myself. I felt comfortable and the blade was perfectly balanced in my hand. James had made it well.

Will finally put everything he had into attacking me, and I was forced on the defensive. "Keep your guard up, Aiden," he said. Then he whacked me on the leg. "Not that far," he chided.

He kept doing that: giving me tips on how to block, dodge, or counter most of his moves. I ducked underneath one of his swipes, poking my blade in the small of his back.

"Dead," I said triumphantly.

"I told you. A natural," he said. He sheathed his sword. "Hopefully Gabi won't wail on you next time."

"We can only hope."

Will cracked a smile at that. "With a little training, you could easily become our best swordsmen. You might even stand a chance against Percy Jackson. Assuming he survives."