Chapter Nine: Preparations

Aion's POV

"Aion, I'm coming with you."

"No," Aion replied, sheathing his knives. "You're not."

Zoë grabbed his hands, attraction his immediate attention. Silent tears highlighted her onyx irises, making their way down her fragile face.

"Zoë..." Aion rose from his kneeling position, and enveloped her with a hug. Zoë didn't object to this, wrapping her arms around him.

Aion breathed in her beautiful scent-a mixture of peppermint and lavender, which wouldn't normally smell pleasant together but did anyway. He could hear his wife's steady breaths: Inhale... Exhale... Inhale...

"She's my daughter too, you know." Zoë said weakly.

Exhale...

Aion focused solely on her breathing. If anything, he was afraid he would break into pieces right in front of her; in front of everyone. A commander shouldn't just give up and cry- he knew that. Commanders were supposed to lead their troops to victory, proud and confident with every step they took, even if it took years.

Inhale... Exhale...

"I know," he confirmed. "But our daughter is taken by Ouranos. She might be dead, for all we know. I just couldn't stand it if you died too; my family- dead," he shook his head. "It should never happen."

Exhale...

"I love you Zoë," he finally said.

Inhale...

"I love you, too, Aion," she murmured into his shoulder, but he heard it just fine anyway.

Aion pulled her into an embrace and studied her beautiful, shadowed eyes. He brushed away some stray tears with his thumb. "As much as I would like to deny it, this is my mission," he said, clearer now. "I have to get her back; you know that well."

"Yes," Zoë faintly nodded. "Yes."

"Just... Give me two days, three at the most. If I'm not back by then..." His next words died out before he could finish his sentence. He momentarily closed his eyes in concentration. "Look, I will make it back."

Zoë didn't meet his eyes on that one, merely nodding her answer. "What's your plan?" she inquired.

"Locate Artemis, kick Ouranos's ass so hard he won't be able to sit down for two agonizing years, and come back." Easy as pie... Right?

"And what if you don't?" she whispered.

"I'll improvise."

Zoë exhaled, avoiding his eyes, "Alright."

Aion caressed her face, tilting her chin up, and looked into her eyes. "Zoë, there is nothing to worry about."

Aion knew there was nothing to worry about. What Rachel said earlier-him dying at the hands of Ouranos-was purely a test. He couldn't die anyway; he was immortal, for Chaos's sake. His daughter was taken over by Ouranos- an obvious bait on his part. Ouranos would be waiting for him, and Aion wasn't one to come unprepared for such a task. He would be one hundred percent ready to face him when the time came.

"If you don't come back within forty-eight hours of your leaving, I'm getting your sorry ass back here."

Aion smiled, twirling a strand of her silky black hair. "There's that Zoë we all know and love."

Knives? Check. Of course he would have his knives. Who was he to embark weaponless? He had even made sure to stow a couple poison-tipped daggers in a small storage portal.

Food? No, he told himself. If he ran the distance, he estimated it would take him only a couple hours, depending on how fast he ran. He could last without food for a day's travelling. He was Lord Chaos's assassin after all; he would survive.

A map? Ouranos was the interpretation of sky, therefore he would meet Ouranos at the highest peak Gaea had created to be as close as she could to her husband. In this case: Mount Everest, standing at an enormous twenty-nine thousand thirty-five feet. No maps were obligatory.

If those were the last items on his mental checklist, he was ready to leave; the sooner, the better. Aion turned to look at the two-person crowd sending him off- both dark silhouettes against the moonlight. Aion identified them effortlessly; who else could know about his leaving at midnight? Both raised an arm in goodbye, and Aion emulated their gesture silently. He was about to turn, when he heard something.

"Wait!"

No, it can't be. Please, to Lord Chaos himself, please it can't be.

"Wait!"

There it was again. Gods, if she screamed like that again, he swore he would decapitate her and send off her head as a present to the ultimate bitch of the gods, Athena. Behind the Big House was a dark form, getting rather closer by the second.

Athena spawn's face became highlighted by the moonlight, curly blonde hair flying behind her, her form almost graceful in the night, almost. A permanent frown settled upon Aion's face, and his eyes narrowed with distaste at the mere sight of her. Nevertheless, he straightened his posture, ready to decline whatever question she threw his way.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," he said quietly, careful of his voice echoing and waking the whole Camp Half-Blood. "What in Chaos's name are you doing outside at night? Don't you know your curfew?"

She crossed her arms. "I might ask the same for you."

What did it look like he was doing? Summoning Gaea's forces in Camp Half-Blood? Please.

"Rescuing my daughter," he replied.

"Well I'm coming with you."

"No," was his immediate answer.

"Excuse me?" she snapped. Like mother, like daughter.

"I said no. Your useful prowess is needed here, for whichever monsters Gaea throws at the feeble Camp Half-Blood," he explained, layering his words with little white lies. As much as he hated her, he didn't want her to trek to her death. She was needed here, not with him, rescuing someone she didn't even know the name of.

Annabeth studied his face. Seriously, how didn't she recognize him yet? He didn't wear hoods- they blocked out most of his eyesight, only allowing him to look straight ahead. She frowned, "I'm coming with you anyways."

This girl didn't give up as easily as Aion thought. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't know..." she struggled to find the right words. "I-it just feels right."

The camp probably set her up on this; she was assigned for the task. Who would go with the deadly assassin on a quest to get his daughter back, anyway? Alright; let them figure out the holes in their plan. Aion would play along.

"Fine," he said. He'll let her tag along for now, but she shouldn't be expecting him to protect her from the thousand dangers. "We leave now. Hope you can climb."