DISCLAIMER:

Nyx: *holds up PJatO* Look at this awesomeness!

Nic: You say that like you don't stalk the author and rightful owner of that series.

Nyx: …Problem?

Nic: Yes. Hunter, Bree, and Brook feel betrayed. You love Rick Riordan's work as much as them, who belong to us.

Nyx: Well, if they read it, they'd love his awesomeness, too.

*begin*

"Bree. Brianna…"

Someone nearby groaned. I wished they hadn't. Sound made the pounding in my head worse, particularly something that low-pitched and close by.

"Ugh, I've had it! Let me try this."

Something sharp and hot lit across my face, jolting me awake. I gasped, grabbing my cheek to stifle the pain, my eyes widening on blurred objects, shades, and colors.

"See, it worked!" Hunter's voice, nearby. I closed my eyes to block out the painful colors and stifled another moan.

"Bree?" Brook, her voice softer, accompanied with a warm hand on my shoulder. "Bree, are you awake?"

"I could slap her again," Hunter suggested.

"No!" I groaned, opening my eyes. I was staring up at them, their faces light against a dark sky above. "I'm up!"

A smile broke across Hunter's face, her white teeth gleaming. "About time. That was awesome!"

"Hm?" I asked, puzzled, still struggling to remember where I was. To my utter shock, I couldn't. Before I could try to recall further information Brook's arms clamped around my torso, driving the breath from my lungs. "Oof."

"Sorry," Brook said, and squeezed harder. "I was worried. You've been out for almost two hours."

That got my attention. "Two hours? What…"

At last it all came rushing back. The weird substitute. The demons. The Titan lord and the kid with an eye patch. The Greek gods and the Black Wall and the dining hall and sneaking out… The fight…

The image of the boy my age, lying dead on a battlefield, utterly defenseless even if he'd had been alive, attacked my mind again. I struggled not to vomit as the scene flashed before my eyes, quickly followed by the rest of the battle. "Oh, gods…"

"Yeah. Godsssss. Plural," Brook agreed sadly as she let me go.

I glanced at Hunter. "Where are we?" My throat felt like sandpaper.

She looked around. "Well, it appears to me that we're in a small alleyway made of yellow-colored bricks. You tell me the rest. You're the one who brought us here."

I blinked at her. Maybe I had gone insane. "…I'm sorry, what?"

"You brought us here. The panic-noise went off and you grabbed us and did your shadow thing. Kronos said shadows move a lot faster than humans – you've taken us somewhere far away." She glanced behind her, from where I could hear the sounds of people and cars. "Some city, it looks like. And from the symbols flashing on the big screens, somewhere in Asia."

I blanched. "Asia?"

"Asia. Not Japan, though – I don't see any anime. Seriously, you should've tried for Tokyo. Then we'd have had something to do while waiting for you to come around."

Pressing one hand to my temple in a vain effort to stop the headache, I struggled to process that. Asia. I'd teleported myself and my sisters to Asia.

"We have to get back somehow," Brook said softly. "We've got to get back to Kronos. Before he knows we're missing, and before something finds us out here."

Hunter nodded in agreement. "He was right, Bree. About everything."

"Alright, alright! I know that now! I got it! Ach, someone make the walls stop tilting."

Hunter put an arm around my shoulders. "Easy. How're you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Sick. What kind of a world-"

"Asking that question isn't going to help," she warned. Her hand landed on my forehead. "You collapsed the moment we got here. Scared us to death. We gave you some more nectar, but we were scared of an overdose considering we just had a little bit a few hours ago. But the safe amount didn't work. So we waited. You're fever hasn't faded yet, but as of right now I'm just kinda glad you're talking."

I leaned into her shoulder. "Hm. What are we going to do?"

She sighed heavily. "I don't know. I'd suggest you teleport us back, but that's out of the question."

Brook's small hand found mine. I squeezed her fingers gently. I really wasn't sure what else to do, much less what to say.

After a few minutes I found something appropriate, though. "I'm sorry. For getting us stranded here. I shouldn't have panicked."

"I think that's not your fault. That noise made everyone go nuts," Hunter sighed. "I was ready to cut your head off and sprint away, so long I made it out alive. That noise messed with your head, Bree. It's not your fault."

Brook turned and began fiddling with her little hiker's pack that she'd worn along to the battle. Of course she'd be the only one smart enough to bring extra stuff. "Here. I got some granola bars. If you think you can hold them down, it might be a good idea to eat some."

I wasn't entirely sure if they would stay down, but I felt hungry, so I took one. I was nibbling on the last bit of it when – thank whichever god or goddess you want to, I don't care – our savior came.

It started out as a ball of dark green light. I didn't notice until Hunter stiffened and growled at it. We all stared at it with dull curiosity. Yes, it was odd, but we'd seen a lot we couldn't explain that day. And it couldn't get our old lives back, not even take us back to Mount Othrys – what interest should we have in it at all?

But the little ball began to grow. It glowed that strange dark green color and pulsed lightly. It was about the size of a door when it stopped growing.

We were eying it now not with interest but with fear. It could very well be something that wanted to eat us. Or turn us in to the evil Olympians. Or my insane half-brother.

But just as we were about to turn away again, a familiar voice stirred inside it. It was blurred and fuzzy, like we were underwater, and the words were impossible to make out. But the tone and syllable pattern stuck out like a sore thumb.

Hunter frowned at the light. "…Hello?"

The voice began to rant at us, angrily bubbling beneath the surface, some of the words almost breaking through.

Brook gasped. "That's Ethan!"

"Ssh," Hunter said, then turned back to the light. "…Ethan? Is that you?"

More ranting. He was pissed.

"I think he wants us to go to it," Brook said. "He wants us to go to the green thing. It's a portal or something."

Hunter stared at her, then at the green light, then back at me. The voice – if it really was Ethan – had fallen silent. "…You feel up to trying it?"

"We don't have any other options," Brook pointed out.

Hunter sighed. "Alright. Come on, Bree." She pulled on my shoulders gently and held a portion of my weight as I stood. Brook rose with us, clamping her hands onto my free arm.

Hunter gave us one last determined glance, then turned her glare on the portal. "Alright! Beam us up, Scotty!"

And she stepped forward into the light, dragging us with her.

It wasn't like the shadow travel. This was cold, but not as much as the dark landscape I'd seen before. The dark-green light pulsed everywhere. I felt like I was falling at an incredible speed, but I found it just a little disappointing – my shadows were faster. I instantly didn't like this portal-trick.

As the green color whizzed by, still pulsing to some unseen heartbeat, for all of a moment. Then it was gone.

The three of us, still holding on to one another, stumbled. The light changed rather suddenly and made my eyes hurt. The smooth marble felt very foreign after the uneven grassland of Labyrinth clearing and rocky alleyway. I gasped for breath, not realizing until then that I'd held it through the portal ride.

"Oh, great gods!" Sure enough, it was Ethan's voice, very exasperated and very ticked. I opened my eyes to stare at him – he stood in front of us, dark eye blazing. "What in Hades were you thinking?!"

Hunter looked around. We were in a small hallway, more like a corner. The portal still spun happily behind us. The walls were lit by the same green flames. We were back at Mount Othrys. "Um…"

His glare intensified. "If Kronos finds out you left… What's wrong with that one?" He nodded towards me.

"We're not sure," Hunter said. "Shadow travel complications."

His gaze smoldered. "Do you have any idea how stupid that was? You better have a pretty damn good reason for running off a fight when absolutely none of you know how to hold a sword, let alone use your powers or how a fight works in the first place!"

"We were sightseeing," Hunter replied evenly. "You have a problem with that?"

"Yes! I told Kronos you guys were safe in your dorm! Do you know what he'd do if he learned I was wrong?"

Brook sighed roughly and motioned towards the end of the corridor, where the rest of the palace lay beyond. "Has he notice we're missing yet?"

"He would have. You were supposed to meet us both outside the armory at dawn, a good hour ago. I came about thirty minutes before that to tell you it'd been moved to noon because of the fight. But, obviously, you weren't there." His scowl deepened. "I came here to find you. Hecate – goddess of magic – works for us, and she has a little station here of portals and scrying pools so she doesn't have to use up energy every time she poofs. I nearly got caught five times, which would've ended as badly as Kronos finding out you were gone. I couldn't find you, but the fight was long over and the Labyrinth had collapsed…" He trailed off, cold anger dominating his features.

"The Labyrinth collapsed?" Hunter asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "Yes. With all of our remaining forces under it. They're all dead. You three are the only survivors."

That thought hit home. I choked, closing my eyes and doing my best to forget that fight. But I could still scent blood and that thick, sweet scent hung in the air even now.

Ethan's hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump and forcing my eyes open. He studied my face closely. "I'm assuming you ended up in China by shadow travel?"

"Yes. There was a massive panic at the end of the fight, and it kinda ended up with us being dragged with her," Hunter provided. "…She'll be fine though, right?"

Ethan's hand brushed my throat, searching for a pulse. "I think so. You should probably get back to your dorm before you're missed, though. And catch some rest. Be at the armory on time, alright?"

I groaned and shook my head. No. That only gave me five hours to sleep, which was my normal amount, but I felt ready to collapse onto the marble and start snoring then and there. "Can you cover for us?"

His gaze hardened again as he stepped back and turned, leading us out of the corridor. "Absolutely not. It's not my fault you ran off. Put up with the consequences. Right now we're just lucky Kronos didn't find out."

*space*

So, at twelve forty-five, I stood in a courtyard, sword drawn, trying to figure out how to copy Ethan's battle stance.

Five hours of sleep hadn't really been sufficient, but it was better than nothing. I'd been the walking dead when Hunter dragged me from my cot. I'd eaten lunch on our way to the armory. From there Kronos took Hunter somewhere else. Being separated from her made my stomach twist with unease. Ethan had taken Brook and I into the armory to pick things that fit and then here, to this courtyard, to show us how to fight with our weapons.

Magic we'd learn later, he said. And probably from someone else, seeing as he lacked the ability to use it most of the time.

"Most of the time?" I'd asked. He'd dismissed the question with a flick of his hand and the sharp glint of teeth, exposed through a snarl.

Now, I spread my feet to shoulder-width, and held my hands out in front of me, staring at him and wondering if he would attack. The idea brought back images from the fight. I shoved them back as hard as I could.

Ethan sighed. "Put your sword down." He threw his own aside. "Now, hold up your hands like you're boxing. Ah, finally – something you recognize." His voice was cold and rather disappointed, which lit a fire in the pit of my stomach. I hated it when people acted like I was less than their standards, that I'd failed. I was trying my best, and honestly I saw no reason for him to take that tone with me.

"Now, copy what I do," he said, shifting so that he stood next to me, side-by-side, a fair amount of space between us. His right hand shot out in a punch that would've knocked an enemy in the face. I mimicked it the best I could.

We spent some time doing that. Brook was on his other side, copying this. Since it was basic sword fighting today, she would join in. But as her real skill was in her bow, she wouldn't need to know the more complex things. This was all she needed, and actually it was quite necessary – she might not always have the advantage of distance, Ethan had warned.

Eventually we added in some kicks. Then we sped up, forming sequences, pre-planed series of moves done quick as lightning. I wasn't as fast as Ethan just yet, and Brook was even slower – a first, me being faster than her – but we got the moves down. We'd all been in fistfights before, obviously.

Around two o'clock, Ethan grabbed his sword again and signaled for us to do the same. "Now, hold your sword like I showed you… And the same stance we had earlier. Right. Now show me the first sequence."

It consisted of an upward punch, a downward cut, and a roundhouse kick. He'd been pushing our physical conditions to the limit all day.

With the sword, though, I recognized the moves. The punch became a thrust, the downward strike a parry, and the kick just another kick. But no doubt it'd give you an advantage for the next strike.

"Sequence two!" Ethan barked as soon as I was done. I moved into it as smoothly as I could.

He sighed. "Good so far. But when you add the sword you have to change the way your hands are angled. Your sword, Bree, is good for just about anything – one-handed, with a shield, or two-handed and without. Brook, yours is… Well, it's your size. It's longer, so it's really meant for two hands."

"Do I have to keep this thing?" Brook asked as she hefted the heavy sword again. "I like by bow better."

He shook his head. "This is just to practice with. If you want your own sword, you'll have to strike a deal with our forgers. Or the weapons master, but that's kinda dangerous. Hey… Where is your bow anyway?"

"In her pocket," I said. I turned my own sword into an eraser and slipped it into mine. "Hers turns into paper."

His gaze sparked with interest. "Most weapons that do that are bound to their wielders. It'll teleport back to your pocket if you drop or leave it somewhere."

So for the next five minutes Brook and I tried that. Sure enough, every time I flung my sword off to the side, it reappeared as an eraser. It'd done this before, I realized, while we were practicing our moves without the swords. I just hadn't noticed.

Ethan nodded. "Neat. You must have a nice bond with it, huh?" he asked as I drew my sword once more.

I glanced at him. "A… a bond?"

"Yes. I'm not talking magic or anything – just a bond. Are you fond of it?"

I considered, hefting the sword from hand to hand. The answer found itself on my lips and I realized it was true. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

He nodded. "You gonna name it?"

I shrugged, knowing not everybody did name their weapons. "I don't know. Anyway, where were we?"

"Oh, right," he said, turning his gaze from my sword back to my eyes. "Now, when approaching an enemy, it's best to hold your ground. When you're locked in a sword fight, you might step forward to thrust, but always return to the same spot and the same stance. It's your go-to. Hold your ground. Back up only if you need to, and even then, don't break stance. Like it's a dance."

To demonstrate, he stalked up towards me, keeping his feet the right distance with each stride and, when he got close enough that his sword could almost touch my shoulder, lunged.

I yelped and jumped back, shocked. The razor-sharp sword passed just inches from my throat, slicing through the air where I'd just been. But he didn't stop. The golden arch flew at me again, fast as lighting, forcing me to react.

My sword went up instinctively, and I shoved his sword back. He used the momentum to come straight at me again. I dodged to one side and tried to turn but lost my footing, tripping over my own feet, and went sprawling onto the rocks and dirt.

He sighed, looking up at the bright sun overhead. "You didn't keep stance."

"I know that!" I spat, coughing and raising myself to my feet again. I still ached from the night before, though my headache had faded. Now I felt it coming back.

Brook shoved the end of her sword into the dirt and let it stand there on her own. "You forgot the stance because you weren't on the balls of your feet. Keep light an easy," she suggested.

I shot her a glare. "Since when were you an expert?"

"Hey, hey," Ethan said, waving our argument aside. "Brook, would you like to try?"

She said no, but that didn't stop him. Her swing at it didn't go much better than mine, but I couldn't find satisfaction in it.

Ethan stared down at where she lay sprawled in the dust. "You really want that bow, don't you?"

"Yes!" she spat, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. "More than you want to please that psychotic idiot like you're his little Chihuahua! Looking for a treat, pretty boy?"

He looked ready to lop her head off for that, but fortunately I'd been in situations like this before. Too far to jump in the way, I resorted to my voice, which could be pretty darn loud when I wanted it to. I forced a blistering tone past my tongue. "Stop it! Both of you!"

Ethan glanced at me, shocked I could raise my voice as loud as Hunter's. Brook hissed angrily.

I glared at her. "You mess with the bull, you get the horns. Don't bait him like that unless you want your head detached from your shoulders."

She sighed and glared up at him, abandoning their spat. "Give me a knife. If I have to learn close-quarters combat, I think I'd do better with a dagger or something."

He sighed and waved towards the rack of spare weapons to one side. "Take your pick, then."

As she left, he turned on me. "Now, where were we?"

I raised my sword. "Battle stance?"

He leveled his own, and for the first time I saw something engraved along its base. "Right." And, without further conversation, he lunged.

The movement, for some strange reason, was familiar. He hadn't tried this move before, but I knew it. The colors seemed to zoom into focus again, each detail highlighted, his lunge put into slow motion. Seeing a sword come flying at my face really turned on the adrenaline.

I leapt to one side and immediately swung at him from the side. He managed to parry at the last moment, a look of surprise crossing his face. My balance came easily this time. He came back with an overhand and I struck his sword aside, and feeling pretty good, went on the offense. I started with a thrust, aiming straight for him. Looking back on it, it was pretty stupid, seeing as my sword could've easily killed him.

But Ethan was better than that. His dodge came swifter than I could think. I ducked past his strike, which came out of nowhere, and whirled on him again. There was a loud crash as our blades locked.

I pressed back on him, gasping for breath. He was stronger. His hilt was slowly inching back towards my face, along with both swords. The glint of his dark green eye seemed to dance, a light I hadn't seen in him before. Thrill, I recognized.

I scowled and, knowing there was only one escape, dropped and rolled to one side. I leapt to my feet again just as fast – he'd taught us how to fall and get up again earlier while fist-fighting. I barely made it in time to parry his strike, and before I knew what was going on, he lunged again. But he'd stopped being careful – he wasn't going to stop. His sword flung at my chest with deadly accuracy.

Falling back on instinct, panic, and adrenaline, I spun not fast enough to dodge but just enough to get my sword up there. From the unexpected angle and my momentum behind it, my sword slammed into his. The blade twisted in my wrist and, with a fatal clang, his bronze weapon landed on the stones.

My sword swung up and froze in the air, the tip under his chin, less than a centimeter from his exposed throat.

He wasn't breathing as hard as I was and had hardly broken a sweat, but his eye was wide in shock. Not really sure what had happened, I glanced around, trying to process the bronze blade lying on the ground, and wondering how it'd gotten there. Certainly not because of me.

His gaze met mine and, so small I almost missed it, the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. The light reflecting off his eye highlighted a streak of dark green. That's when I realized what'd happened, staring at the light and shadows on his face.

Approaching from a different angle after attacking Brook, he'd forced me back, and we'd fought the whole thing under the protection of the castle's massive shadow.

*end*

Nic: Ooh, pissy Ethan!

Nyx: Yes. PO'd Ethan.

Nic: Ethan thanks all you those who review out there! I know he sounds mad, but he loves you all!

Nyx: Oooh! I love you more! So keep reviewing!

Nic: …

Nyx: What?

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