AN: Hello all! I'm back with the next chapter. I want to thank everyone who's still bearing with me and reading this story, despite my previous long hiatus. It really means a lot to me. Anyway, let's do review responses.

First, from RunawayFromHome: "*is too lazy to log it to use name* Love it. Eliana having a crush on Gaius was an awesome idea! *two thumbs up* You're an awesome writer and I hope that Elizabeth gets more cliffhangers! *waves bye*"
A: Thanks! I've been working in little hints here and there throughout the series for how Eliana feels about Gaius, but this is certainly the first time it's been addressed so openly - by Elizabeth to use as leverage, no less. I'm glad it went over well! And don't worry, Elizabeth will get plenty more cliffhangers before all is said and done.

From cghe: "I personally don't suffer from depression so I don't know if I have the right to say this, but anyone that is sane will continue to push on with their life. Not sure if those are words of inspiration, but anyway keep going!"
A: Well, in my experience it isn't always as simple as that, but I appreciate your support! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

From ThatSpecialWriter: "I love it! Cliffhangers and all! So glad you're back bfalt1!"
A: I'm truly glad to be back. I love writing this story for you guys!

From RockRoy: "A cliffhanger like to that is what you do? Not cool :( Happy to see you and the novel returning :)"
A: You know me; I can't resist a good cliffhanger, hahaha.

From Constipatedkid: "Um, no offense, but Elizabeth sounds kinda stupid - I'm not talking about her decision to free her parents, but she seems to be missing some obvious give-aways, like the stewardess being a trap. And the point of the Zeus/Rhea dreams is pretty obvious too. TBH, I felt the same about Annabeth - good at memorising facts and stuff, and smart in the sense of quick-witted, but sucky when it comes to actual cognitive ability. The only good representation of intelligence I've seen is in James Dashner's Mortality Doctrine - Michael and Sarah."
A: I'm sorry you feel that way, but try and keep in mind that Elizabeth isn't thinking entirely clearly right now. She's been acting off of her emotions ever since her parents' disappearance, so she's not acting completely rationally or intelligently. It's easy to see what the right thing to do is from the outside of a situation, but it isn't really so easy to tell from the inside - I know that one from experience. Another piece, though, is a plot device. If a character has all the answers and can figure out all the answers easily, then they don't make dumb mistakes and end up in the dangerous situations that drive the story. So yeah. Those are the reasons I've written Elizabeth the way that I have, and I *think* that's why Rick Riordan writes Annabeth the way he does (obviously, I don't know for sure). At any rate, I hope you will enjoy this story going forward anyway. And I'll have to check out the book you mentioned.

From Person: "This made my day, and possibly my week. Thank you for uploading, and yes. I didn't die, but it felt like I was."
A: I'm glad I could cheer you up so much! And I'm glad you didn't die!

From George Oswald Dannyson: "When will Elizabeth catch a break"
A: Good question. You'll have to read to find out.

And finally, from J. Cage: "daaaammmmnn it has been long since I read a quality fic."
A: Well I hope this story counts, haha.

Alright that's it for review responses. On with the story! DFTBA!

Chapter 9: A Long Lost Relative Saves My Skin

My eyes snapped open. I gasped in air. "Wha – where in Hades am I?" My brain had finally registered my surroundings. I was in a drab lobby. Dozens of people were crammed into benches and chairs jittering nervously. Really obnoxious music was playing over the speakers. Up at the reception desk a ragged-looking teen, probably about my age, was arguing with the hulking receptionist. "Come on, I've been here for ages!" He was lanky, with shoulder length brown hair. His clothes were dirty and torn.

"No money, no passage," the receptionist said. He was a huge man with dark skin. He wore a white Italian suit, which matched his military cut bleach blond hair. Despite the fact that we were inside, he wore tortoise shell sunglasses. His voice was tinged with an accent close to a British one, but not quite, because it almost sounded like English was his second language. "At least, not until I'm feeling generous. And that doesn't happen very often, kid."

"But I was homeless," the kid protested. "I don't have any money."

"I have some money," I offered, stepping up to the receptionist. "I can pay for… whatever this kid wants to do."

The receptionist raised his eyebrows. "Fine. What sort of money do you have?"

I yanked my wallet out of my jacket pocket and leafed through the contents. Evidently, something caught the receptionist's eye, because he leaned forward and asked, "Was that a golden drachma?"

My internal alarm suddenly started blaring. It was strange that it hadn't already been going off, but for some reason nothing about this place had really bothered me up to this point. I mean, aside from the fact that I had no clue how I got here. But suddenly I was aware of how strange it was that I was in this place, and how strange it was that this receptionist knew what golden drachmas were. "Uh, yeah," I said, pulling one of the golden coins out of my wallet and placing it on the reception counter. "There you go."

The receptionist picked up the coin, holding it up and checking it in the light, no doubt making sure it was real. He seemed satisfied, so he pocketed the coin, then motioned the boy to the hallway behind him. The boy turned to me first. His eyes were a dull grey, though they had flecks of blue in them, almost like his eyes had changed color. I hadn't realized until I saw how hollow his face was, but the boy also looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in years. "Thanks," he said. "The name's Graham Andrews. Maybe we'll see each other down there."

He proceeded down the hallway to the receptionist's right and joined a line of people waiting in front of an elevator. Down there? I wondered. I turned back to the receptionist, wary. "Look, I'm confused. Uh, where exactly am I?"

The receptionist chuckled. "Haven't figured it out yet, demigod?" he asked.

"Legacy," I corrected from force of habit. "And no, I have absolutely no clue where I am, or how I got here."

"Have you checked my nametag?" he asked. "Might give you a hint."

I glanced at the man's nametag. "Charon?" I said. "So you've got an unusual name, I don't see… Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no."

"Yes," Charon said. "Welcome to DOA Recording Studios, entrance to the Underworld. And you, young lady, are dead."

"But I can't be dead," I reasoned. "I feel like I'd remember dying."

Charon chuckled. "I hear that one a lot. So tell me, what is the last thing you remember?"

I struggled, trying to think. It was a lot harder than I'd expected. My memory didn't seem to want to cooperate. "I was… searching for my family," I said, struggling to piece it all together. "They were kidnapped. And then…" Finally my memories snapped into place. A cold feeling filled my whole body. "Then I walked into a trap," I said numbly. "And I got blown up."

Charon smiled. "Well there you are, then. Getting yourself blown up is liable to kill you. Now, there's still room on this trip into the Underworld if you've still got enough money to pay."

Despite the fact that I was apparently, you know, dead, I felt my heart thunder in my chest (not sure how that was supposed to work). I couldn't believe it. I was actually… dead? But my family… And my friends… I'd never see them again. I'd never know if my family was safe – well I guess unless I ran into them in the Underworld. I'd never have a chance to tell Jocelyn what I thought about her. Still, this was my own damn fault. I had acted without thinking things through. I'd acted against everyone's advice – my friends, Chiron, Mr. D, my own grandmother. And I had paid the price.

Almost without meaning to, I reached into my wallet for another drachma. This was just the way the world worked. There was no point trying to fight it. Besides, at least I wouldn't have to worry about that final showdown with Gaius or our prophecy or any of that.

Suddenly there was a ding as the front door of the place opened. "Hold on," said a vaguely familiar voice. "Do not pay that man."

I turned. A woman was walking towards the reception desk urgently, wearing a simple white dress that understated her elegance and clearly apparent status. She had full dark hair and brown eyes. Her face was regal. "She will not be entering the Underworld."

"I'm sorry to disagree with you, my lady," Charon said. "But she is dead, and that's the rule. So… yeah, she will be going to the Underworld."

"I have already spoken to my son, your boss," the woman said. "She still has a role to play in the world of the living."

"Uh, hang on a second," I said, my heart halfway up my throat, "are you talking about bringing me back to life? Like a freak… a zombie?"

"Yes, I am talking about bringing you back to life," the woman said. "But you won't be a freak. Or a zombie. You will not be the first person ever to return from the grave, after all."

"Now hang on one second," Charon said. "I'm going to need some kind of proof that Lord Hades is okay with this."

The woman sighed, but she produced a scroll of paper and passed it to Charon. My head was spinning. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice getting higher, "but what the Hades is going on?! I – I – I don't know if I –" I couldn't finished the sentence. I could barely wrap my mind around the idea that I was dead – but now I had to contend with the fact that it looked like I was being brought back to life. I actually felt tears well up in my eyes.

The woman looked at me, her face full of sympathy. "I know that this must be traumatic for you, Elizabeth. And I know that you must have dozens of questions. But we don't have much time. The window of opportunity to bring you back is closing rapidly. As we speak, your mortal body's systems are completely shutting down. If we don't bring you back soon, return your soul to your body and get your heart beating again, you won't have a body to return to. You'll be stuck in the Underworld, and the war against the demititans will go sideways."

She looked me in the eyes and a series of rapid images flashed through my mind. I didn't catch all of them, but they weren't great – Camp Half-Blood in flames, riots on the streets of New York City, Gaius holding aloft Zeus's severed head, but most importantly for me, all my family and friends, lying in a mass grave. I staggered slightly as the stream cut off, gasping. "A vision of the future," the woman said, "if you fail to return to the surface world."

Charon looked up from the paperwork the woman had handed him. "It all seems to be in order. One 'Elizabeth Jackson' is granted a temporary pass on this particular death, pending the completion of her prophecy."

My head was still reeling from the images that I'd just seen. But one word in that caught my attention. "Temporary?" I asked.

The woman frowned. "Something we'll discuss when we return you to life. But we really must be going."

One of the images she'd shown me stuck in my head – my family dead. I was filled with determination. I nodded resolutely. "Alright. Let's do it."

The woman smiled. "This way then." She reached out her hand. I grabbed hold and together we walked out the front doors of DOA Recording Studios.

Coming back to life isn't a fun experience. I was instantly overwhelmed with sensory input as all my senses rushed back at once. My heart started beating again, pounding faster than I think it ever had, no doubt reveling in the fact that it was beating again. My lungs expanded rapidly, bringing in the air for the first time in… however long I'd been dead for. The air tasted sour to me, with a hint of iron. Of course, the iron was probably from my own blood, which I felt pooled up in my mouth. My nose filled up with the smells of burning.

And then there were the sights. They were pretty limited, but what I did see was grim. I was lying on my back, that much was clear. The sky above me was black with smoke. And based on the billowing, it definitely was the sky. The explosion had been so large it had completely obliterated the whole house. At the edges of my vision I could see flickering orange light – fires still raging from the explosion. My sense of hearing confirmed that, since I could hear the crackling of fire. But I could also hear a strange, high pitched tone rising and falling from somewhere nearby.

All of this happened in my first split second back alive. The next split second was spent screaming. I was in unbearable pain. I couldn't move for the pain. I had no sense of touch – only pain. I screamed until my throat was raw, pausing only to cough up blood every once in a while.

After my screaming had calmed slightly, the voice of the woman from the Underworld spoke up. "You should probably get that," she said. Suddenly her face appeared above me. I honestly had no clue what she was talking about. And the weird high pitched tone was not helping my concentration. "The sound," she said. "It is your… what do you call it? Cell phone. You should answer it. But don't say anything about what has happened."

The words made the sound suddenly familiar. My ringtone. I swallowed back another scream of pain as I tried, blindly, to reach for the phone. I couldn't lift my left arm at all. My right arm, though… maybe that would work. My robot arm was also in unbearable pain, but unlike the rest of my body, the robotic servos worked regardless of pain. I reached around with my right arm, very careful to only bend it at the elbow, since my shoulder was still human. As I moved it around, I could hear the robot arm groaning, the servos whirring much louder than they should have. That wasn't good.

After a few seconds of trying, I finally managed to grab my phone. With some effort, I raised it over my face. Frankly, I was amazed that it was still working at all. The screen was a cobweb of cracks. The rest of the phone was chipped and dented. But it was still working. I had to hand it to Uncle Leo – he made a damn good phone. Through the shattered screen, I could just make out the name "Nico di Angelo." With a jolt, I remembered that he could sense it when people died. He'd probably felt it when I did. But then I'd come back. No doubt he was all kinds of confused and worried.

Now, I couldn't see my face, but it was probably pretty messed up from the explosion. Besides, I didn't even know if the camera would work anymore. I tapped the "voice only" option.

"Elizabeth?!" Nico asked loudly. "I can't see you, are you okay?!"

"Uh, yeah," I lied, my voice coming out in a weak croak. Probably not very convincing. Still, might as well double down on the lie. "I'm fine," I added, my voice slightly stronger, but only a little.

"You don't sound fine," Nico said, still alarmed. "And more importantly, I felt you die for a second there!"

I coughed again, flecks of blood splattering the screen. I wasn't sure that I could fool him… but my savior was still right there, in my range of vision, and she was shaking her head fervently. The message was clear. I was supposed to convince Nico I was fine so that he'd drop it and not look into it. That was no doubt why she wanted me to answer my phone in the first place. "Well, I did just take a pretty bad hit in capture the flag," I said. "Theo was just telling me that my heart actually stopped for a moment. Maybe that's what you felt? You know how these things are. These games can get out of hand sometimes." Based on the silence on the other end of the line, Nico wasn't convinced. "Honest, I'm fine," I said. "Theo says a couple days of bed rest and I'll be all better." I really hoped that Nico wasn't already aware that I'd run away.

Finally, I heard Nico sigh. "Alright, fine. Just be more careful, yeah? You had me really scared there."

"I'll do my best," I said. Then, to make things seem less suspicious – and because I was curious – I asked, "Hey, how's the search for my family going?"

"I'm following up on several leads right now," Nico said. "Hopefully I'll have something substantial soon. I'll let you know when I do."

"Thank you," I said. "Anyway, Theo is telling me I need to get off the phone and get some rest. I'll talk to you later, Nico."

"Alright," Nico said. I could sense that he still didn't buy my lie, but he also seemed to have figured out it was better not to push it. "Take care, Elizabeth."

After I'd hung up, the woman spoke again. "Thank you, Elizabeth. It is best to make sure no one knows about your death and rebirth. My son made it very clear that if anyone found out about this, especially his youngest brother, there would be serious repercussions. Oh, forgive me. I shouldn't be referring to them like that. After all, I haven't introduced myself."

"No need," I said. "You're Rhea, it was… it was pretty uh… obvious." My head was swimming. These brief few minutes of being alive again had been draining. I felt my consciousness slipping away rapidly, which was annoying, because I had so many questions.

Again, Rhea seemed to read my thoughts. "Don't worry Elizabeth. There will be plenty of time for questions later, once we have taken you to safety."

"We?" I wondered. But already, I was losing consciousness. The last thing I saw before everything went black were four large figures joining Rhea.

When I came to, I was in a totally unfamiliar place. I was in a remarkably comfortable bed, the covers soft and clean. More importantly, I wasn't in much pain anymore, though I still felt incredibly weak.

It was in that moment that the force of what had happened to me hit me like… well, an explosion. That explosion had been massive. Frankly, it was a miracle my body was still in one piece. Then again, it might not have been without Rhea's intervention. But I had actually just died. Gone to the Underworld's entrance and everything. And it was all my fault. I'd been too rash, too… well, impulsive. My fatal flaw had actually proved fatal. My lungs constricted. My eyes filled with tears. My head pounded and my heart thundered. I forced myself to count to ten, trying to prevent a full-fledged panic attack. But it wouldn't work alone. I needed to distract myself. And what better way to do that than investigate my surroundings.

I looked around. I was in a cave, that much was clear. But it was a well-furnished cave. There were chairs and tables throughout. The floor was carpeted. There were some lamps. The place was honestly kind of homey. But there was no one around. I was certain that Rhea had to be somewhere nearby, but I would probably have to get up to find her. I groaned and sat up, pushing off the covers as I did so. It was at that point I realized I was completely naked. "What is it with me waking up in unfamiliar beds naked?" I wondered aloud, thinking back to a similar experience I'd had two years ago, when I'd woken up in the care of the Hunters. Luckily, the table next to my bed had some clothes – a simple beige shirt and drawstring pants the same color. I yanked them on, then stood up.

I wobbled when I did so. Pain shot up my left leg and my head swam. Okay, so maybe I still had some healing to do. I threw out my hand to steady myself and closed my eyes. Where my fingers met the cave wall, I felt a twinge of sensitivity. After a moment, my dizziness subsided. I looked at my left hand. It was an intense pinkish color. No wonder it was so sensitive. The skin was being grown back fresh. It'd probably been burned away completely by the explosion. Growing back skin after something like that shouldn't have been possible. But then, neither should coming back from the dead.

I checked my other arm. The robotics in my arm made audible groans as I moved it. It clearly wasn't doing great. But it was still working. For now. I decided to put it out of mind. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything I could do about it.

I turned and hobbled my way towards the front of the cave, continuing to look around. The cave really was quite nice. Finally, though, I made it to the mouth of the cave. I gasped at the view. The sun was setting behind the mountains in front of me. The cave seemed to be situated pretty high up on the side of a mountain. In front of me stretched woods, undisturbed by human settlement. The Adirondack mountains stood all around me in their majesty. Clear blue lakes glittered in the valleys below. It was breathtaking.

Nearby, Rhea sat on a log in front of a fire. She wore her hair in a simple ponytail. She'd changed out of her dress from earlier. Instead, she wore a plaid shirt and some of those fancy hiking pants. She honestly didn't look much like a deity. More like a middle aged woman who'd spent her whole life in the mountains. Next to her there was a stump fashioned like a chair. She didn't look up when I made it outside, but I sensed that she knew I was there. I staggered over and, with a fair bit of effort, managed to sit down without falling over. Finally, Rhea acknowledged my presence. She reached behind her log and grabbed something, passing it over to me. It was my sword. "I thought you might want this," she said. "I was unable to find your knife, though."

"Well nothing new there," I muttered. I closed my eyes, trying to focus, thinking back to the questions I'd had just after I'd been brought back – or even before then. "So, uh… great-grandmother… I have a few questions."

"You're wondering why I brought you back?" she asked. "And what I want with you, yes?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted.

Rhea chuckled. "Well, simply, I brought you back because you still have a part to play. Your destiny is not yet complete."

"But why exactly do you care about that?" I asked.

"Because without you my children are doomed," Rhea said. "I know the gods are not perfect, and I know that you aren't on good terms with many of them. But they are my family and I will not stand idly by while my ex-husband's lunatic son tries to kill them. You saw the images of what would happen without you. Frankly, even with you it still might happen. But it will definitely happen without you."

"So you brought me back from the dead," I said. "So what? You talked Hades into letting me out? Am I – am I immortal now?"

"Oh, no," Rhea said. "I'm already breaking multiple divine laws by interfering this much. And if you die again, there is no way I would be able to talk my eldest son into letting you out. As is, I barely convinced him to let you go this time."

I remembered the paperwork from the Underworld. "Temporary," I said aloud. "Charon said the form cleared me for a temporary pass. Does that mean that I… that I might have to go back after all this?"

Rhea frowned. "Unfortunately, it does seem that way. Hades has agreed to give you a pass until your prophecy has been completed. But after that… Well, it's possible that he'll let you keep living. He's done it before. But it's... it's not likely."

My stomach dropped. I felt equal measures panic and anger. The anger won out. "So you brought me back just so I can fulfill my use? Like a tool? And then what? I'm disposable after that?"

Rhea remained calm, though there was a new sternness in her voice when she next spoke. "Had you not been so reckless and thrown your life away, you would not be in this position. Be thankful for the time that I've bought you."

The words stung me. I didn't feel particularly thankful. I felt nauseous. Rhea was right. All this had been my own damn fault. I should have been more careful. I should have listened to all the warnings I'd been given. Even Mr. D had warned me for Poseidon's sake! Even so… "I was supposed to just let my family stay kidnapped?" I countered.

Rhea sighed. "You love your family. I understand that Elizabeth. I really do. Much of what I have done over the millennia has been for the sake of my family. But that does not mean that I have ever acted without putting in due thought and planning. I have never been impulsive. Your fatal flaw cost you your life, Elizabeth."

"Does everyone know my fatal flaw?" I grumbled.

"You make it fairly obvious," Rhea pointed out.

"Oh, gee," I said, "thanks for that. What now then? You saved me so I can go fulfill my prophecy and then return to the Underworld like a good little girl. Fine, whatever. But what now? Are you just going to send me on my way?"

"Oh no," Rhea said. "If I send you off now, you stand no chance when you fight Gaius. The last time you fought him, he cut your arm off. And he was barely trying. You need much more intensive training."

"And you're going to give me that training?" I asked.

"My Kouretes and I, yes," Rhea said. "They don't like hanging around the cave too much, too cramped they say. But you'll meet them tomorrow when we begin your training."

"Uh, I'm still not in great shape," I pointed out.

"Learning to fight well despite not being at one hundred percent is an important skill," Rhea said. "It will serve you well."

"Oh joy," I said. "I cannot tell you how excited I am for all that." I probably shouldn't have been so sarcastic to the Titaness who'd just brought me back from the dead. But whatever. I wasn't in a very good mood. "And how long exactly will you be keeping me here? Because I'd really like to get back to looking for my family…"

Rhea's nostrils flared. "Even after dying you want to continue your quest to find them? You still believe you'll succeed?"

The tone in her voice made me shift uncomfortably. She had a point. But my desire to find them hadn't changed. "I know to be more careful now. I know that I need to take my time and think things through. I won't fall victim to my fatal flaw again."

"No," Rhea said sharply. "You will not be continuing your foolhardy search. After our training, you will be going back to Camp Half-Blood." My anger flared again, but before I could say anything, Rhea cut me off. "Besides, the path to your family will only become clear by staying with your fellow campers."

I couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or just trying to appease me, but I decided to drop it. No sense in arguing with Rhea. Besides, she did have a point. As much as I still wanted to find my family, it was doing just that that I'd died in the first place. And I wouldn't be getting another chance if I died again. Finally, after getting the same warning from so many others, the message finally sunk in. I'm not sure if it was Rhea, or if something had changed in me. I certainly didn't feel all that different...

I nodded, though I wasn't happy about it. "Fine. You're right. Sorry."

Rhea gave me a thin smile. "Very well. As I said, we begin your training tomorrow. For the rest of today, take it easy. Continue resting. You'll need your strength."

AN: Alright, I'll see you all relatively soon with the next chapter!