It was Danny's last night in Hermes cabin. Well, it was actually the first one. Something told Danny that sleeping on a tree, when you probably angered the God of lighting, isn't the best idea. People kept throwing him nervous glances there and there, but he couldn't care less.

Phantom woke up because something wet was touching his face. Opening his eyes, Danny saw a little green puppy with red eyes, sitting on him.

"Cujo," Danny whispered, looking around rapidly. Everyone was still asleep. It was still night outside, "what are you doing here?"

"Master Clockwork asked me to find you," puppy responded. Phantom raised eyebrows, "Mistress Danielle is in danger," Danny's face became serious.

"Lead the way"

Cujo got up from him and ran away, his master following close behind. They went across different buildings in the dead of night and walked out of the camp. Some time later they were back on the road, which Danny remembered from his meeting with Minotaur. Phantom hoped he wasn't late.

He was there right in time to hear the first scream. Danny saw Ellie and some other kids, surrounded by hellhounds. His eyes became red in rage. In a blink of an eye he appeared near one of hounds and stuck his blade in it's head. It howled in pain and turned into golden dust. He turned around to face the other beasts.

"Stay away from my daughter," Phantom growled, his voice echoing slightly, making hounds hesitate.

"Danny!" Ellie shouted. Smart girl, she hasn't forgotten that they have company. Danny gestured with his eyes to the group. Cujo understood the gesture. Puppy immediately growled. He then grew in size, becoming almost twice as big as hellhounds and lunged at one of them.

The attackers already looked unsure of themselves. Still, they decided to attack, but this time all at once. In graceful tandem Phantom and Cujo took down all of them, golden dust lightening the darkness. Finally, they all were gone.

"Is everyone..." he didn't finish the phrase, because when he was turning around his daughter hugged him tight. Very tight.

"Daddy!" She said not so loud. Danny stroked her hair, smiling.

"Hello, sweetheart, how are you?"

Ellie didn't have a time to respond. Girl's scream was heard. Actually, it was a satyr, who was being sniffed by Cujo, who sensed something like him for the first time. Kids looked terrified of adorable little...nevermind. Phantoms looked at each other and smirked. Danny whistled and giant dog ran to him. After command 'seat', he shrunked back to the size of puppy, to everyone's bewilderment.

"Don't worry about Cujo, he wouldn't do anything to you," Danny said.

"You named it after one of Steven King's beasts?" Some girl asked. Athena's daughter, resemblance is too darn big.

"Yep. Alright, if we want to get to the camp before breakfast then we should get going"

"Danny, this are my friends: Billy and Emily," Ellie gestured to the two kids, who waved slightly.

"And this is Mr. Goatman," she gestured to the satyr. Danny laughed.

"Sorry, Ellie, but this name is taken by Grover"

"I'm not a 'Goatman'," Satyr, who looked like he was in his mid-age, said, "I'm Gleeson Hedge, it's my job to get young demigods to the camp in safety," he said, clearly proud of himself.

"And you are doing well," Danny said. Satyr hasn't noticed sarcasm in his voice.

"What is that thing?" Emily asked, pointing at Cujo, who was wriggling in his young mistress' hands.

"This is Cujo," Ellie said.

"He is our family dog, now let's move on," Danny answered, clapping his hands.

-Laater-

They made it in time to breakfast. Everyone was walking to the dining area. Ellie was sitting on Danny's shoulders, with Cujo following nearby. Danny noticed his nephew.

"Hey, Percy!" He called. Percy turned around.

"Oh, Danny, people thought you ran away," Phantom laughed.

"Or that Zeus killed you," Annabeth said, coming closer.

"Nah, I just went to fetch someone," he smiled.

"Hello," Ellie waved her hand, calling attention to her. Everyone around looked at her curiously, "I'm Ellie"

"Danny, who is this girl?"

"Don't you see a family resemblance?" Danny and Ellie smirked.

"You mean she's another Zeus' kid?"

-Olympus-

"THEY AREN'T MINE!"

-Camp-

"Have you heard anything?" Percy asked, looking around.

"She isn't actually my sister," Danny said, "She's my daughter"

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.

"He is my daddy!" Ellie said and hugged Danny's head, making him chuckle.

"B-but how...she is six!" Percy asked.

"I'm eight months old!" Ellie said and showed eight fingers. People just stared at them.

"It's like with Athena," Danny explained, "but with a fruitloop instead of headache. Oh, wait, that's the same things," two Phantoms laughed at the joke only they could understand.

-Lateer-

Danny was still in the in cabin one. It was empty before him. Not a single piece of furniture. He did chores for others to make him at least two beds. His body told him it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing.

He heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold. Danny walked to the door and opened it, revealing Percy and Grover.

"Listen, Goatman, no need to be so loud, she is still sleeping," he deadpanned, rubbing his eyes, "what are you here for?"

"Mr. D wants to see us," Percy said, sounding a bit worried.

"Fine, I'm coming," Danny grumbled and shut the door. He got dressed and walked out.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in their direction.

"Don't we need an umbrella?" Percy asked.

Grover glanced uneasily at the sky, "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does"

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

They walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents-two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up, "Our little celebrities. Come closer. And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortals, just because you are 'Big Three' material "

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm"

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Danny put in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "You wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning one of you into a dolphin instead, sending him back to his father"

"Mr. D..." Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented, "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness" Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table, "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boys are still here when I get back, I'll turn them into an Atlantic bottlenoses. Do you understand? And if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do"

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at them, but he looked tired and strained, "Sit, please"

They did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

He shuddered.

"It scared me," he said, "If Danny hadn't shot it, I'd be dead"

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done"

"Done ... with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

Percy glanced at Danny, who kept his hands behind his back, smiling.

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet"

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details"

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as they could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said, "They're fighting over something valuable ... something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

"You are right," Danny said, crossing his legs, "Something VERY big"

"Your fathers are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives"

"Oh"

"Zeus's master bolt," Danny said, "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which makes hydrogen bomb smoke in the corner"

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher, "By you"

Their mouths fell open.

"At least," Chiron held up a hand, "that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best', 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly, that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it"

"But I didn't..."

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief"

"But he's never even been to Olympus! It's stupid!" Danny said and was struck by lighting. He blowed his hair out of his eyes, "alright, I'm shutting up. FOR NOW"

"Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..." Chiron looked at Percy as if he actually expected him to remember question thirty-eight.

"Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along - the proverbial last straw, and Danny's appearance doesn't help the matters"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon, my dad, he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron sighed, "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" Percy guessed.

"Oh, nuclear war will look like New Year salute compared to that," Danny said.

"So, we have to find the stupid bolt," Percy said, "And return it to Zeus"

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property along with his child?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know," Chiron's expression was grim, "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle"

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge"

Percy swallowed, "Good reason"

"You agree then?"

Percy looked at Danny, who nodded encouragingly.

"All right," Percy said, "It's better than being turned into a dolphin"

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said, "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

And so he went upstairs. Danny was just playing pinochle with Chiron. It didn't take too long for Percy to return.

"Well?" Chiron asked.

Percy slumped into a chair at the pinochle table, "She said I would retrieve what was stolen"

"That's not all, is it?" Danny asked. Oracle just told things that will happen in every timeline, without details.

"She...she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned"

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied, "Anything else?"

"No," he said, "That's about it."

Chiron studied his face, "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass"

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics, "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken"

"Hades"

Chiron nodded, "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility"

"I have another version," Danny said, putting a card and calling attention, "Hades has a grudge, sure. But Oracle said that we should just GO to him, not fight. Plus, there is another winning side"

"What is it?"

"Who will benefit from Gods' fighting each other, while they have unity? Who despises them and wants revenge? Who are waiting for the best moment to strike?" Chiron and Grover's eyes widened, while Percy looked confused.

"You mean Titans?" He asked. Danny nodded slowly.

"Exactly. But, Hades still is the main suspect"

"But a quest to ..." Grover swallowed, "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year"

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted, "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and Danny must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth"

Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads"

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Danny said, "Besides, Gods can't just break in like policemen on the other God's domain. They have heroes for that, they don't fall under this restriction"

"You're saying I'm being used"

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you"

Percy looked at Danny, "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"Ever since the moment Nancy took a bath in the fountain"

"So let me get this straight," Percy said, "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead"

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe"

"Yep," Danny said.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days"

"That's about right"

He looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him, "I can't ask that of you.

"Oh ..." He shifted his hooves, "No ... it's just that satyrs and underground places ... well..."

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt, "You saved my life, Percy. If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"Count on me as well, bro," Danny said, smiling.

"All the way," Percy turned to Chiron, "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west"

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America"

"Let me guess, It's under some studio in Los Angeles"

"Right"

"WHAT?! I was just kidding!"

"Oh," Percy said, "Naturally. So we just get on a plane..."

"Bad idea," Danny said, "Flying in the sky, which is ruled by the guy who hates you"

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland"

"That's right," Chiron said, "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help"

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise, "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said, "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up"

"Hey, what about me?"

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said, "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks colored, "Do you want my help or not?"

"A quartet," Percy said, "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron said, "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron said, "I think you should all get packing"