Note: *author slowly peeks around her trusty marble column* Uh, hi? I know you have every right to run me over with Percy's Riptide, and Jason's galidus, and Annabeth's dagger, and - well, you get the picture! I am soooo sorry! :( I really am guys! But this chapter has been a pain in the neck for the last couple of weeks! It. Just. Won't. Come. Out. Right! I hope this outcome will be satisfying... if not, I completely understand! Really, I do! *smiles tentatively*

Uh, I hope you enjoy...

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson! :(

-.-

Chapter 9

Grover Underwood paused in the middle of the narrow road and let out a desperate wail.

Everyone was quickly on guard, drawing their respective sword and daggers. "What is it?" Percy demanded.

Grover crouched, munching his shirt. "Wine…" he moaned.

Reyna, who was closest to him, blinked. "Wine…?"

"We did not retrieve Mr. D's wine bottle!" Grover said, hysterically, tears welling up in his eyes. "Pe-rrrr-cy!"

Percy sighed, and capped Riptide again. "Grover, calm down. Once we are out of this mysterious, spooky island, I promise we'll go look for Mr. D's wine bottle, okay?"

"Stop munching your shirt!" Thalia commanded, yanking the shirt out of his teeth.

Grover sniffed.

"If you guys are done being childish and all," Luke's voice echoed a few feet ahead of the group, "you might want to see this."

The narrow path opened up to a vast, dry-grassed field. Trees rimmed its perimeter. Far off in the distance, Percy could make out moving silhouettes. They seemed to be in a line and were advancing steadily towards the dozen demigods.

Jason unsheathed his sword. "Monsters?"

"No," Hazel squinted. "I think they are people…"

"Demigods?" Frank and Leo asked.

The figures were clearer now, and Piper stifled a scream. A large group of demigods stood in a line, staring blankly at the new arrivals. Their faces were pale and ashen, their eyes blank white, and their mouths gaping slightly. Most of them had frostbites all over. One seemed to have lost his nose. Icicles dangled in deadly points from their swords, shield and even their ears.

"Frozen, walking, dead zombies," Nico grumbled.

"What happened to them?" Annabeth questioned, her gray eyes misty and jumping from frozen face to frozen face. "Who—?"

"Oh gods!" Percy exclaimed, eyes wide. "Is that Jacob from the Ares cabin?!"

Grover bleated. "Yes! And Amanda Snow from the Apollo cabin!"

"But—but—I thought they were dead!" Piper exclaimed. "Clarisse said—"

"Welcome, dear demigods!"

Ice traveled quickly along the vast land, covering it completely. Snow swirled in the middle of the formed line of frozen zombies, and a white lady stood in the amidst of it all. Her long black hair contrasted with her white robes and her unnaturally, pale skin seemed to sparkle.

She grinned at the demigods. "Missed me?"

Leo jumped. "Gah! It's the ice princess!"

"Khione." Piper and Annabeth shivered, remembering their last encounter with the snow goddess.

"I must admit that I am astonished to see you all here, my dears. I would have thought that Echidna and Chimera would finish you off, first, but once again, you prove to be really sneaky." Khione said, her cold eyes growing colder if possible.

"You are the mystery 'she' that everyone has been talking about?" Leo asked, his feet shuffling.

"Yes. I have stolen the gods' items." Khione smirked. "However, it was not my intention to strip the Olympians from their thrones. I simply wanted to kill you, my dear young ones!"

Annabeth shuddered. "What?"

"Especially you, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I wanted you dead the most. You and that boyfriend of yours, Percy Jackson. You two destroyed my chance. My only chance!"

Ice traveled towards the young heroes and crawled around their legs. Thick glaciers of ice wrapped around them, anchoring them to the ground.

"Cold!" Grover yelled.

"Aww, man, not cool!" Leo exclaimed, quietly, bending down with is hands on fire.

Khione, however, continued to glare at the Annabeth. "Gaea has promised me a large, vast land, where I will rule. She promised me that I could overthrow my father! She promised that I will not be a minor goddess anymore! She promised me my own ice statues—how many I pleased! But you came along! You came along and decided to ruin the plan to awaken the goddess!"

Khione took a step forward. The demigods readied their weapons as Leo moved to Jason's side, quietly and quickly melting the snow around his feet.

"When I heard that you were separating and that you went to the Underworld, I thought that was my chance. A little whisper in Persephone's ear, and she sent the hellhounds after you. Who would have known that there was a portal to the world above right in the middle of the Field of Asphodel, right?"

Khione glared in disgust. "They should have finished you."

"Well, they have done a pretty good job, even if they didn't complete it," Annabeth informed her, gesturing towards her bandaged up leg.

Leo moved to Piper's feet, then Reyna's, then Frank's. Piper shifted to the left slightly, adjusting her dagger in her hand. One look from Jason told her it was not time to attack. They had to wait.

"Well, yes," Khione said, staring at Annabeth's injured leg. "But that still doesn't satisfy me. Maybe, I will be satisfied if you become my first sculpture!"

The ice on Annabeth's feet traveled upwards until it covered her to the waist. She gasped. Percy gritted his teeth.

"Why steal the gods' items in the first place, then?" he demanded. "Why didn't you attack us directly?"

Khione laughed. "Isn't this more fun? I sent you on a wild goose chase. I have hoped that you would split up. You see, Percy Jackson, I have come to realize something. Together, you are strong. Alone, you don't stand a chance."

"We are together now!" he said. "What was the point?"

Ice traveled above Annabeth's waist and she shivered, gasping in pain.

"Stop!" Percy shouted, gritting his teeth.

The snow goddess grinned. "Why should I, Jackson? She will be the most beautiful sculpture I have!"

"Why would you bring me here, then?" Luke said, distracting her from Annabeth for a moment.

Khione shrugged. "You, as much as those two, have failed in your role to awaken the goddess, and for that, you must die as well."

"But—Chiron said…"

"Another whisper. I convinced your trainer that Krios might want revenge after what happened with his brother," the snow goddess looked disgusted. "I tried to make him an ally, but he had his own entertainment. Said his brother deserved what has been given to him."

"He sure did," Percy muttered, glancing back at Leo, who was working on Nico's ice. Annabeth shivered violently beside him.

"No matter! Once I am done with this sculpture," the ice traveled higher on Annabeth's body. It covered her completely; Khione grinned. "You'll all die."

"No!" Percy shouted, staring with horror at Annabeth's frozen form.

"Now?" Piper requested.

"Now!" Jason ordered.

They lunged forward, leaving Leo to deal with Luke, Percy, and Annabeth's icy problem. The frozen, demigod zombies charged forward as well, and in a matter of seconds, the sounds of swords clashing could be heard echoing throughout the snowy clearing.

"Leave me and save her!" Percy yelled at Leo, when the son of Hephaestus finally reached him.

"But—"

"Leo! Annabeth first! Now!" Percy demanded.

"Alright, alright, calm your bits, captain," Leo muttered, quickly moving towards Annabeth's frozen form.

Percy gritted his teeth, watching Jason slash his sword towards a zombie demigod. The Imperial Gold cut through the demigod in half, and with a wail, the frozen zombie crumbled into snow.

Jason blinked and silently cursed.

Frank shape-shifted into a tiger, and pounced into an unexpected group of demigods, who all screamed and wailed as Tiger Frank slashed his claws at them.

Reyna, Hazel and Piper were back to back, stabbing and clashing swords and daggers. Once Luke got to feel his feet again, he sprinted out to the fight. Thalia was throwing arrows while sprinting around the perimeter. Nico has summoned his own army of ghost zombies, who were distracting the frozen zombies from Leo, Annabeth and Percy.

Annabeth gasped as the ice melted from around her head. Her face was pale and she was shaking uncontrollably. Leo was muttering reassurances under his breath as more of the ice melted under his heated hands.

"Annabeth…" Percy whispered, reaching out to take her newly-freed hand. He flinched. She was still ice cold.

"Cold!" she gasped, shivering violently.

"Just a bit more, Annabeth, I am almost done," Leo reassured, working his hands down towards her waist. The ice melted obediently. Annabeth collapsed in a puddle of cold water, still shivering and gasping. She wrapped her arms around herself, stiffly, quickly working her hands to warm her up.

Leo moved towards Percy. In just a few seconds, the ice melted and he was beside Annabeth, working his own hands up and down her back, her sides, over her arms.

"I am so tired…" she gasped quietly, her eyes growing heavy.

Percy's eyes widened. "No. You're not allowed to go to sleep. Just stay with me, Annabeth. Listen to me."

"Hmm…" she mumbled, placing her head on his shoulder. "Just a few minutes…"

Percy cursed, and looked up at Leo. "Can't you warm her up?"

Leo grinned and opened his arms. "Give her to me, Jackson."

Percy scowled. "No funny business."

"Dude, she scares me more than I would like to admit. And I am pretty sure you'll run me with Riptide before the thought even crosses my mind, so no worries. I value my life too much."

Reluctantly, Percy handed Annabeth to Leo. Leo carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulder, keeping his hands in plain view on her shoulder blades. Annabeth relaxed visibly, and her face was gaining color as Leo's warm skin radiated heat.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Uh, no problem…" Leo mumbled, embarrassed.

Percy sighed. "Make sure she'll be alright. I'll be right back." And he sprinted towards Grover, who was fumbling with his belt.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked, uncapping Riptide.

"I can't find my pipes." Grover moaned.

A frozen zombie charged at them and Percy stabbed him with his sword. The offensive demigod crumbled to the floor. Percy winced.

They were winning; the frozen demigods were thinning and pile after pile of crumbled snow could be seen scattered around the whole floor. Khione was currently throwing ice spikes at Piper and Hazel, who was dodging them efficiently.

Reyna cursed as Piper jumped out of the way, rolling on the ice to dodge another three spikes. "She should seriously be careful!"

Khione cried out in frustration and snapped her hands towards the air. A gust of snowy wind swirled around the whole clearing, pushing the demigods backwards.

Grover screamed as he flew in the air, landing a few feet away. He sat up, spitting cold snow, and blinked.

Percy stabbed Riptide into the ground as an anchor and held on tightly. Nico crouched on the snow. Thalia braced herself, stabbing the tip of her bow to the ground. Luke secured his hands around a broken branch of one of the trees that was strewn aimlessly on the field.

The snow goddess laughed as the wind picked up.

"Gah!" Hazel gasped, clinging to Frank's arm. "How do you defeat a goddess?"

"I don't know!" Piper shouted, trying to keep her balance. Jason caught her around the waist as he stabbed his sword like Percy's. She fisted her hands on his shirt as Jason tried to control the wind swirling around them with little success. Reyna looked back at Leo, trying to keep her balance.

Leo was helping Annabeth limp towards Percy. The daughter of Athena seemed to be warm enough now. Percy looked up as Leo handed him Annabeth. He wrapped his arm around her, and looked at the son of Hephaestus as Leo dragged himself forward.

"Valdez, what are you doing?" Percy demanded.

"Distracting the ice princess," Leo shouted back over the wind. He threw a fireball at the general direction of Khione's place and the snow storm slowed down as the snow goddess jumped away from the warm ball.

She hissed. "You've always been a spike in the throat, fire bender!"

"I can't believe I almost hit on you, snow princess, so you're not alone!" Leo shouted back, firing three more fireballs.

Annabeth blinked groggily. "He hit on her?"

"Uh, it's a long story," Percy murmured. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I am better," she nodded weakly.

"Just stay with me for a few more minutes, okay? We'll figure this out!" Percy said, afraid that she would want to sleep again.

"We can't defeat a goddess, Percy. She's immortal. We could be locked into this fight for the rest of our lives. And we haven't—" Annabeth coughed.

The son of Poseidon hushed her. "It's going to work out somehow…"

Khione's screams of rage echoed around the clearing as Leo formed a fire wall around her. He was grinning like a maniac, shouting, "Fire up, baby! Fire up!"

Grover walked over towards the group, who were watching Leo. He held up a wine bottle. "I found it."

Piper blinked. "Where did you find it?"

"Covered in the snow over there." Grover said, shaking the bottle. "It's not full, though. I think someone drank some of the wine."

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" Hazel questioned.

"Not sure."

Abruptly, the temperature changed. It became colder and the wind bit into the demigods' skins. Everyone shivered violently.

Khione froze, staring at something behind the group of demigods. Leo backed up towards his friends slowly.

"Uh, what's happening?" he questioned.

"Khione!" a voice boomed, making everyone jump.

A sturdily built man marched towards the snow goddess, passing the demigods without a second glance. Nico flinched. "Damn."

Annabeth held her breath. "Is that Boreas, the North Wind?"

"Father…" Khione said in a small voice, gritting her teeth.

"You have been a great headache, lately, daughter," the man said, his icicle encrusted beard swaying slightly. "I thought I ordered you to stay in your room! And for your disobedience, your six years of isolation has increased."

Khione grounded her teeth.

The man finally looked at the demigods and blinked, as if noticing them for the first time. He frowned. "Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, what are you two doing here?"

Percy and Jason flinched. "Um…"

"Your majesty, we have been sent by the gods to retrieve the items your daughter has stolen from them." Piper answered.

Boreas's face softened a bit—he had always liked children of Aphrodite—before it hardened again as he looked at his daughter. "You have done what?"

Khione stayed silent.

Boreas's eyes looked murderous, but he addressed the demigods with a controlled voice. "I am sorry for my daughter's actions, I do hope you give Lord Zeus's my apologizes. And she will not be a trouble anymore, I assure you."

He took his daughter's arm and she hissed. "We will be taking our leave now, and I suggest you do that as well, demigods. I believe you have a time limit."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Very well," Boreas waved his hand. "You do not have much time, demigods, so I suggest you ride the wind."

A gust of wind slammed into the heroes' chests, sending them flying backwards before the world collapsed and turned into darkness.

-.-

When Percy's eyes fluttered, he was sure he wasn't in the strange island anymore. He could sense and smell the salty water and strips of golden light hit his face. He groaned and sat up.

He was back at his ship, the Sea Pearl. His friends were still asleep around him, and he could see the Rome parallel to his ship. He turned and woke his friends up.

When everyone was up and about, Annabeth blinked. "Is it over? Just like that?"

"I guess," Grover said, holding on to the wine bottle.

Annabeth frowned. "That was easy." She looked down at her injured leg. It was completely healed—she guessed that Boreas was responsible for this.

"Actually it wasn't," Leo contradicted, frowning. "You weren't the one had to face ice princess."

"It's a good thing Boreas helped us," Reyna called from her position on the Rome's deck. "We could have never defeated the goddess otherwise."

"Yeah," Hazel nodded.

"Uh, guys, I know that it is time to celebrate and all, but I think we only have three hours to make it back to the gods before sunset." Piper said, looking up at the sun.

Percy turned to his crew. "Alright, set sail to the east. We have to make it in those three hours, do you understand?"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

"Would you like to come with us?" Annabeth asked, looking at the Rome.

Reyna smiled. "Sure."

-.-

They were almost there. They still had fifteen minutes before the sun sank. Once both ship docked into the pier, the demigods sprinted towards Mount Olympus, Leo holding the items in his sack over his shoulder.

The Romans decided to stay on the Rome as Jason accompanied the small group of Greeks into Olympus, Fluff on his shoulder.

"Almost there!" Leo shouted.

He had spoken too soon. Just around the building that hosted Mount Olympus, two dozens of frozen zombie demigods were forming a line. Leo stopped, eyes wide.

"What the—?"

Piper gasped. "How—how did they—?"

"I guess Khione is really intent on killing us, huh?" Percy gritted his teeth, uncapping Riptide.

"Go Leo!" Jason said, handing him Fluff. "We'll take care of these!"

Leo nodded.

The zombies charged. The demigods slashed and stabbed. Leo sprinted around the fight and ran towards the entrance, Fluff crying out encouragements on their wake.

"Gah! See Annabeth? You just had to curse our luck!" Percy teased, slashing at frozen zombie and watching as it disintegrated.

"Seaweed Brain, I simply pointed out that it was too easy," Annabeth retorted, dodging an icy sword and stabbing the zombie in the chest.

"Uh, I don't think this is a good time for this!" Piper said, watching in horror as some of the crumbled pile of ice reformed into the fallen demigod.

Jason gritted his teeth. "Great!"

Pile after pile of ice reformed themselves and were slowly advancing towards the four demigods. Annabeth surveyed their location. They stood in between a huge park and the building that hosted Olympus.

"Percy, do you sense any water nearby?" she whispered, edging closer to his side.

He nodded. "There is a fountain not too far from here."

"Can you control it?"

"I guess…"

Piper caught on. "Jason, when Annabeth and I attack and they disintegrate, call the winds to scatter the ice pile into the air."

Looks of comprehension dawned on both guys' face. "Got it."

Piper and Annabeth gave each other a sly smile. "Girl power time." And they lunged forward, stabbing and slashing at each zombie that came their way with their respective daggers.

Jason threw his hands up and a gust of wind blew around them, swirling the ice pieces into the air. Percy closed his eyes, concentrated, and from a few feet away, a huge wall of water came rushing around the corner, dosing the ice piles, and turning them to liquid.

The girls continued to stab; the guys continued to scatter the remaining pieces of the offensive team. After a good solid five minutes, they began to relax as the Jason calmed the wind and Percy backed the water away.

Piper and Annabeth high fived, grinning.

Their respective boyfriends shot each other a wary look, knowing that their girlfriends would brag about this particular event from the whole next week.

"I hope this is the end of it," Percy voiced.

"Yeah, but I don't think Khione would have anything else up her sleeve," Jason replied, shrugging.

"That is until she's not grounded anymore, and she comes back for our lives," Annabeth said, cheerfully.

Piper grinned. "Well, let's go see how Leo is holding up."

-.-

They did not expect to see Leo Valdez sitting in the middle of the throne room, wearing a Christmas hat that the gods only know from where he conjured, and laughing like Santa Clause while handing out each present.

"Ho ho ho! Look what Santa has got here for you, Lord Poseidon, three amazingly shining pearls! Your son has gone to the depths of the ocean for it! You should thank him!"

He handed the pearls to Poseidon, who looked shocked, and turned to rampage through his bag.

"Ho ho ho! And lookii here, my dear Lady Aphrodite, a sweet perfume for you! Your daughter and the Roman praetor, Reyna, had to use Greek fire to retrieve it! Nasty stuff!"

Aphrodite took the perfume, squealing in delight, completely ignoring Leo's obvious hint.

Leo stuck his hand into the bag and brought out Athena's blueprint. "Oh! What do we have here as a last gift! My, if it isn't for your Lady Athena, I wouldn't know who it's for! Very dangerous adventure, that was! With a hydra and stuff—almost killed your daughter, if it wasn't for Captain Percy Jackson saving her. You should really just give them your approval already—Percy Jackson is a good guy!" Leo grinned, wiggling his finger at her. "Santa knows best, dear! Ho ho ho!"

Athena looked stricken as she took the blueprint from his hand. She was about to open her mouth and say something, when Fluff cried in approval, fluttering his wings from where it sat on Zeus's thrown.

"Birdie knows best as well, eh? Ho ho ho!"

Apollo was the only one laughing his butt off, strumming a tone on his lyre, while all the other gods seemed to stare at Leo in undisguised awe and shock.

Percy and Jason roared in laughter.

Leo turned around and grinned. "Merry Christmas!"

"Leo, it's not Christmas!" Piper said, stifling her laughter.

"With all the snow we have been through, I think it is, Piper McLean. Tell me, what's your wish for Christmas? Santa will make it happen! Ho ho ho!"

Annabeth smiled, her eyes shining in laughter. "Let's go home."

-.-

Note: *gulp* So? What do you think? Leave a review and tell me, please! As always, your opinion matters the most! *smiles tentatively again* On another note, two more chapters for this story and it'll be concluded... uh, don't like thinking about that, but everything must come to an end... *sniff*

Keep a weather eye on the horizon, sweets!

Take care!