To say Percy was upset was an understatement. He couldn't explain things to Tyson. He knew Percy was sad. He knew that Percy wanted to go on a trip and Tantalus wouldn't let him.

"You will go anyway?" he asked. "I don't know," Percy admitted. "It would be hard. Very hard." "I will help." "No. I—uh, I couldn't ask you to do that, big guy. Too dangerous."

Tyson looked down at the pieces of metal he was assembling in his lap—springs and gears and tiny wires. Beckendorf had given him some tools and spare parts, and now Tyson spent every night tinkering, though Percy wasn't sure how his huge hands could handle such delicate little pieces.

"What are you building?" Percy asked.

Tyson didn't answer. Instead he made a whimpering sound in the back of his throat. "Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes. You ... don't want me along?"

"Oh, that's not it," Percy said halfheartedly. "Annabeth likes you. Really." He had tears in the corners of his eye.

"And… Gohan? He's scary when he's gold." Percy nodded at that. Gohan was terrifying when he was like that. And, there were times when Percy though Gohan didn't even recognize him when he went like that.

Tyson folded up his tinkering project in an oilcloth. He lay down on his bunk bed and hugged his bundle like a teddy bear. When he turned toward the wall, Percy could see the weird scars on his back, like somebody had plowed over him with a tractor.

"Daddy always cared for m-me," he sniffled. "Now ... I think he was mean to have a Cyclops boy. I should not have been born."

"Don't talk that way! Poseidon claimed you, didn't he? So ... he must care about you ... a lot... Come on, Gohan. Got anything to say?" Percy asked, desperate to avert the conversation. However, he was met with silence.

"Gohan? Hello?" Percy sat up and looked at Gohan's bed… only to see that it was empty.

"Gods damn it. Where is he?" Tyson sniffed.

"He left ten minutes ago." Percy groaned as he covered his face. The last thing Percy needed was for Gohan to get eaten by a bunch of harpies.

Percy got out of bed and pulled on some clothes. He grabbed a beach blanket and a six-pack of Coke from under his bunk. The Cokes were against the rules. No outside snacks or drinks were allowed, but if you talked to the right guy in Hermes's cabin and paid him a few golden drachma, he could smuggle in almost anything from the nearest convenience store.

Gohan sighed as he floated in the air and gazed over the ocean. The sound of the surf rumbled in the distance. He could smell the warm scent of the strawberry fields, and hear the laughter of the dryads as they chased owls through the forest.

Sneaking out after curfew was against the rules, too. If he got caught he'd either get in big trouble or be eaten by the harpies. Gohan didn't mind, though. It reminded him of the nights he had spent with his father, looking up at the stars.

"I figured I'd find you here." Gohan turned his head to see Percy standing behind him, holding a blanket and a six-pack of Coke.

"I needed quiet. And to think." Gohan responded as he continued to float, crosslegged.

Percy spread his blanket near the surf and popped open a Coke. For some reason sugar and caffeine always calmed down his hyperactive brain. He handed one towards Gohan, who took it and gulped it with a grin.

"Gods, this stuff is delicious!" Percy chuckled.

"You really don't have this stuff on your world?"

"Nope! We've got cola, but it doesn't taste anything like this!" Percy sighed.

"I guess you were right. About Clarisse and the quest." Gohan shrugged, which looked really weird when he was floating.

Percy tried to decide what to do to save the camp, but nothing came to him. He wished Poseidon would talk to him, give him some advice or something. Then again, there was someone pretty experienced right next to him.

"Look, Gohan. You've been doing these adventures way longer than I have. What would you and your friends do?" Gohan frowned as he scratched his chin.

"Hmmm… it varies. Vegeta and Piccolo would have just blasted off without listening to anyone. Actually, Vegeta would have vaporized Tantalus first. Dad would have… well, he would have immediately raced off at the mere mention of an adventure. Me? I would have probably followed them all in a heartbeat. Believe me, I always followed them rather than study, no matter what it was."

"So…" Gohan sighed.

"I'd go anyway. I'm not very good at listening to authority."

"Well said!"

The two of them almost spewed soda.

Standing right next to them was a guy in nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon T-shirt. He was slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair and a sly smile. He looked kind of familiar, but Percy couldn't figure out why.

Percy's first thought was that he must've been taking a mid-night jog down the beach and strayed inside the camp borders. That wasn't supposed to happen. Regular mortals couldn't enter the valley. But maybe with the tree's magic weakening he'd managed to slip in. But in the middle of the night? And there was nothing around except farmland and state preserves. Where would this guy have jogged from? Gohan had a different mindset. He was on his feet in an instant, both his fists crackling with yellow energy.

"You have five seconds to tell us who you are or I'll vaporize you." Gohan snarled. The man simply laughed.

"May I join you?" he asked. "I haven't sat down in ages."

Percy said, "Uh, sure." He smiled. "Your hospitality does you credit. Oh, and Coca-Cola! May I?" Gohan sputtered.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" Gohan yelled as he flapped his hands.(Imagine one of those angry faces from anime, like Fairy Tail)

The man laughed as he sat at the other end of the blanket, popped a soda and took a drink. "Ah ... that hits the spot. Peace and quiet at—"

A cell phone went off in his pocket.

The jogger sighed. He pulled out his phone and both boys' eyes got big, because it glowed with a bluish light. When he extended the antenna, two creatures began writhing around it—green snakes, no bigger than earthworms. Gohan was so surprised that the light vanished from his hands.

The jogger didn't seem to notice. He checked his LCD display and cursed. "I've got to take this. Just a sec ..." Then into the phone: "Hello?"

He listened. The mini-snakes writhed up and down the antenna right next to his ear.

"Yeah," the jogger said. "Listen—I know, but... I don't care if he is chained to a rock with vultures pecking at his liver, if he doesn't have a tracking number, we can't locate his package... A gift to humankind, great... You know how many of those we deliver—Oh, never mind. Listen, just refer him to Eris in customer service. I gotta go."

"Stop ignoring me!" Gohan yelled.

He hung up. "Sorry. The overnight express business is just booming. Now, as I was saying—" "You have snakes on your phone." Percy stated.

"What? Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha." Hello, George and Martha, a raspy male voice said inside Gohan's head. He visibly flinched, as did Percy.

"Don't be sarcastic", said a female voice. "Why not? "George demanded. I do all the real work.

"Oh, let's not go into that again!" The jogger slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Now, where were we ... Ah, yes. Peace and quiet."

He crossed his ankles and stared up at the stars. "Been a long time since I've gotten to relax. Ever since the telegraph—rush, rush, rush. Do either of you have a favorite constellation?"

"Uh, I like Hercules." Percy said

"Why?" "Well ... because he had rotten luck. Even worse than mine. It makes me feel better." The jogger chuckled. "Not because he was strong and famous and all that?" "No." the man chuckled.

"And you? Anything interesting you see in the stars? Tell me, do they look different on your world?" Gohan was a bit taken aback.

"Well… a bit. At least we can travel in space where I'm from." The man seemed amused by this.

"You're an interesting young man. It's been a very long time since I traveled between the dimensions. And so, what now?" Somehow, Gohan knew immediately what he was asking. What did the two of them intend to do about the Fleece?

Before he could answer, Martha the snake's muffled voice came from his pocket: I have Demeter on line two.

"Not now," the jogger said. "Tell her to leave a message."

"She's not going to like that. The last time you put her off, all the flowers in the floral delivery division wilted."

"Just tell her I'm in a meeting!" The jogger rolled his eyes. "Sorry again. You were saying ..."

"Um ... who are you, exactly?"

"Surely at least one of you has figured it out by now?"

"Show him! Martha pleaded. I haven't been full-size for months. Don't listen to her! George said. She just wants to show off!" The man took out his phone again. "Original form, please."

The phone glowed a brilliant blue. It stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top. George and Martha, now full-sized green snakes, coiled together around the middle. It was a caduceus, the symbol of Cabin Eleven. Still, Gohan cocked his head in confusion. But, Percy's throat tightened. He realized who the jogger reminded him of with his elfish features, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes...

"Coooooolllll!" Gohan said with wide eyes as he poked the snakes.

"You smell like monkey." Martha said

"I had monkey once. Too sour." George added.

"Please don't poke the snakes." the man asked.

"You're Luke's father," Percy said. "Hermes."

"WHAT?!" Gohan looked alarmed now.

The god pursed his lips. He stuck his caduceus in the sand like an umbrella pole. "'Luke's father.' Normally, that's not the first way people introduce me. God of thieves, yes. God of messengers and travelers, if they wish to be kind."

"God of thieves works," George said.

"Oh, don't mind George." Martha flicked her tongue. "He's just bitter because Hermes likes me best."

"He does not! Does too!"

"Behave, you two," Hermes warned, "or I'll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate!" he looked over Gohan curiously.

"So, you are the Otherworlder who defeated Ares and Set. And recovered the Master Bolt. I must admit, I've been curious to meet you ever since I first heard of your exploits. Tell me, you can really transform?" Gohan nodded.

"Fascinating. It has been a very long time since I've encountered an Otherworlder. I can see you're quite powerful, though you keep the majority of your power hidden. I can see why this fragment of the Master Bolt chose you. To be chosen by the Master Bolt to wield it is a very rare thing indeed. A strong warrior with a pure heart." Hermes murmured as he ran his hands across Ascension's blade, which sparked in his hands. Gohan blinked in surprise, and then shot his head down to his wrist, where the band that Ascension was usually on was gone.

"WHAT THE? How did you?" Gohan's head shot up and down from Hermes to his wrist, his jaw agape. Percy laughed, while Hermes looked amused.

"God of Thieves, remember?" He tossed the blade back to Gohan, who caught it with a surprised expression.

"Now, you two still haven't answered my question. What do you intend to do about the quest?"

"W—We don't have permission to go."

"No, indeed. Will that stop either of you?" "I want to go. I have to save Grover."

"Same here." Gohan added.

Hermes smiled. "I knew a boy once ... oh, younger than you by far. A mere baby, really."

"Here we go again," George said. "Always talking about himself"

"Quiet!" Martha snapped. "Do you want to get set on vibrate?"

Hermes ignored them. "One night, when this boy's mother wasn't watching, he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo."

"Did he get blasted to tiny pieces?" Gohan asked.

"Hmm ... no. Actually, everything turned out quite well. To make up for his theft, the boy gave Apollo an instrument he'd invented—a lyre. Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry."

"So what's the moral?"

"The moral?" Hermes asked. "Goodness, you act like it's a fable. It's a true story. Does truth have a moral?"

"Back home, most stories had morals." Gohan muttered.

"Um ..."

"How about this: stealing is not always bad?"

"I don't think my mom would like that moral." Percy pointed out.

Rats are delicious, suggested George.

"What does that have to do with the story?" Martha demanded.

Nothing, George said. But I'm hungry.

"I've got it," Hermes said. "Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. How's that?"

"You're saying we should go anyway," Percy said, "even without permission." Hermes's eyes twinkled. "Martha, may I have the first package, please?"

Martha opened her mouth ... and kept opening it until it was as wide as my arm. She belched out a stainless steel canister—an old-fashioned lunch box thermos with a black plastic top. The sides of the thermos were enameled with red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes—a hero killing a lion; a hero lifting up Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

"That's Hercules," Percy said. "But how—"

"Never question a gift," Hermes chided. "This is a collector's item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season."

"Hercules Busts Heads?"

"Great show." Hermes sighed. "Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming. Of course, the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box—"

Or if it hadn't been in Martha's mouth, George added. I'll get you for that. Martha began chasing him around the caduceus. "Wait a minute," Gohan said. "This is a gift?" "One of two," Hermes said. "Go on, pick it up."

Gohan almost dropped it because it was freezing cold on one side and burning hot on the other.

"Hot! Hot! Cold! Cold!" Gohan yelped as he bounced the thermos between his hands.

The weird thing was, when he turned the thermos, the side facing the ocean— north—was always the cold side...

"It's a compass!" Percy said.

Hermes looked surprised. "Very clever. I never thought of that. But its intended use is a bit more dramatic. Uncap it, and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way. Not now! And please, when the time comes, only unscrew the lid a tiny bit. The winds are a bit like me—always restless. Should all four escape at once ... ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful. And now my second gift. George?"

She's touching me, George complained as he and Martha slithered around the pole.

"She's always touching you," Hermes said. "You're intertwined. And if you don't stop that, you'll get knotted again!

The snakes stopped wrestling. George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins.

"Candy! Food!" Gohan yelled, but got whacked on the head by Percy.

"Those are vitamins, you idiot!"

"You're kidding," Percy said. "Are those Minotaur-shaped?"

Hermes picked up the bottle and rattled it. "The lemon ones, yes. The grape ones are Furies, I think. Or are they hydras? At any rate, these are potent. Don't take one unless you really, really need it."

"How will I know if we really, really need it?"

"You'll know, believe me. Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids ... oh, everything you need to feel yourself again. Here, otherwise your friend would eat them all."

He tossed Percy the bottle. "Um, thanks," Percy said. "But Lord Hermes, why are you helping us?"

He gave them a melancholy smile. "Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest. Not just your friend Grover."

"You don't mean ... Luke?" Gohan suggested.

Hermes didn't answer.

"Look," Percy said. "Lord Hermes, I mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. Luke can't be saved. Even if I could find him ... he told me he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone. He betrayed everybody he knew. He—he hates you especially."

"He's evil! He's a jerk and a bad guy! Where I'm from, there's only one thing we do with bad guys! We throw them into the sun!" Hermes actually looked intrigued.

"I… doubt that Apollo would let that happen. It'd take him forever to clean up the sun chariot. Besides, Not all problems can be solved with violence, little warrior."

Hermes gazed up at the stars. "My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. It doesn't matter if they hate you, or embarrass you, or simply don't appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet—"

"You invented the Internet?"

"It was my idea," Martha said.

"Rats are delicious," George said.

"It was my idea!" Hermes said. "I mean the Internet, not the rats. But that's not the point. Percy, do you understand what I'm saying about family?"

"I—I'm not sure."

"You will some day." Hermes got up and brushed the sand off his legs. "In the meantime, I must be going."

"You have sixty calls to return," Martha said.

And one thousand-thirty-eight e-mails, George added. Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia.

"And you, two," Hermes said, "have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. Your friends should be coming right about ... now."

Suddenly, they heard Annabeth's voice calling his and Gohan's names from the sand dunes. Tyson, too, was shouting from a little bit farther away.

"I hope I packed well for you," Hermes said. "I do have some experience with travel."

He snapped his fingers and four yellow duffel bags appeared at my feet. "Waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, your father should be able to help you reach the ship. I assume the other one can fly."

"Ship?"

Hermes pointed. Sure enough, a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing against the dark water.

"Wait," Percy said. "I don't understand any of this. I haven't even agreed to go!"

"I already did." Gohan added

"I'd make up your mind in the next five minutes, if I were you," Hermes advised. "That's when the harpies will come to eat you. Now, good night, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you."

He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it. Good luck, Martha told them. Bring me back a rat, George said. The caduceus changed into a cell phone and Hermes slipped it into his pocket.

He jogged off down the beach. Twenty paces away, he shimmered and vanished, leaving the two boys alone with a thermos, a bottle of chewable vitamins, and five minutes to make an impossible decision.