…Percy…

I didn't have a grasp on time anymore. I wasn't aware if days had passed or just hours as we made our way through Spain.

Little sparks of magic seemed to tingle at Amber's fingertips every once in a while as she sensed Hecate's trail. Artemis' wolf, Raevin, seemed very quiet as she followed closed behind us, and I had a feeling she could sense the same thing. As we headed south, we were going the right way and getting closer.

I knew we had made our way far into the city because more Spanish natives and buildings started surrounding us. There were various floral markets every few blocks and natural greenery that decorated the city.

It would have been beautiful if all of us weren't so exhausted. Monster attacks in every village and little rest seemed to take be taking a toll on us. No one was complaining, but I knew we all felt it.

When we reached a livelier part of town, with cafes and benches along the side of the streets, Annabeth looked around. "There's got to be an information center here somewhere," she said. "Maybe we could ask someone exactly what's located further down south."

"It'd be best if we knew where we were being led," Thalia agreed.

From next to me, Nico mumbled, "Food." The smell of freshly iced pastries and cinnamon buns was drawing Nico towards a small bakery close by.

"You guys go," Annabeth offered. "Thalia and I will see if we can go find any information."

"Be safe," I called as Thalia and Annabeth headed off in the direction of the larger buildings, Raevin keeping close to Thalia. When I looked back, Nico had already started towards the bakery, leaving Amber and me following behind.

The three of us sat down at a comfortable booth built in towards the back of the bakery. The large signs displaying the menu behind the counter were all in Spanish. Nico held his hand out to me after we had sat down. "Hand it over," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to order? I doubt anyone would understand your amateur Spanish, Nico."

He gave me an annoyed look. "I've shadow traveled to China by accident before," he reminded me. "I think I know how to get around better than you would." He kept his hand out.

I finally sighed, reaching in my pocket for Hermes' credit card. Nico looked satisfied once I handed it to him. "Don't get carried away," I said. "Get stuff that we can pack and take on the road with us."

"Right," Nico said, barely paying attention to me as he stared at the plastic in his fingers. "This thing doesn't have a limit on it, does it?"

"No, but-"

"Great," Nico said, brushing me off. In no time, he had disappeared to the front of the bakery to wait in line behind the counter.

When I looked over at Amber, sitting next to me on the booth, she seemed to be staring at me.

For a second, I stared back, not knowing what was wrong. For a millisecond I feared there was some type of monster behind me that had managed follow our scent into the bakery. I turned on instinct, but sure enough there was nothing there. "What?" I asked her, quietly.

Amber snapped out of it quickly. Her purplish-blue eyes widened just a fraction when she realized she had been staring, before she looked away saying, "Sorry."

I frowned. "You okay?"

Amber nodded, giving me the best reassuring look she could pull off.

As I looked at the thirteen year old girl sitting next to me who had been brave enough to volunteer herself for the quest, I couldn't help but feel a little concerned about how she was holding up. There was a dry leaf stuck in her dark brown hair, and her pale skin made her look all the more exhausted. "It's alright to be missing camp or your family," I said. "I mean, when I was on my first quest, all I could think about was home and getting my mom back. Believe it or not, Annabeth wasn't too friendly at first."

Amber didn't respond, and I suddenly realized that family may have been a sensitive topic for her. Mostly every demigod had a rough experience in the mortal world before finding their way to Camp Half Blood. I wanted to take back what I had said, but Amber simply stared at her hands. "I haven't been at camp long enough to miss it," she told me. "I'm grateful that I have a place now, but I guess it's just not home yet. Besides, I don't mind being on this quest to save Olympus, honestly."

I could tell Amber was trying to assure me that she was fine, putting on her confident face. I didn't know what it was, but something inside me wanted to know more about her just so that I could help. "You said you haven't been at camp for that long," I remembered.

Amber played with the ring around her finger. "I knew about my powers since I was seven, but it didn't start making sense until I was older. Last year, when I was twelve, that's when things started going bad," she said, her voice suddenly cracking. Amber composed herself quickly. "I found camp just a few months ago, and I wasn't claimed by my mother until the day I turned thirteen.

I nodded slowly, knowing that the only reason Hecate had bothered claiming Amber was because of the new law passed after the war. Amber seemed to be thinking the same thing because she asked, "You were the great hero who made it a rule to recognize minor gods, right? Everyone talks about you back at camp, at least in the minor gods' cabins."

I shifted in my seat. "Yeah, that was me, but I'm no great hero," I told her. For a second, Amber looked just a little thankful, and I found myself saying, "I knew it wasn't fair. Every demigod deserves to be recognized. It was the least any of us could ask of the gods."

There was a small ding as the doors of the bakery opened and some more people entered. I wondered where Nico was, though the line barely seemed to be moving.

"Amber?" I said, getting her attention. "You said things started getting bad last year. What did you mean?"

I knew that sitting in a bakery in the middle of Spain while waiting for our friends to get back with vital necessities was not place to ask Amber about her past, but something was seriously pulling at my curiosity. Amber stared at the table, and I had a feeling it was the last thing she wanted to talk about. It surprised me when Amber took a deep breath. "My father was a professional magician," she told me. "He was always honest with me about my powers, but he expected too much. My dad pushed me too hard to master my magic as I was growing up. It was too much to take."

I nodded, understanding how hard it was to tame powers and specialties inherited by the gods. I wanted to know more, but I didn't press her.

A silence seemed to sink in between us, and I didn't realize it when Amber had begun staring at me again. "What is it?" I asked, fully focusing on what could have been bothering her. "You were looking at me again."

Just like the first time, Amber seemed to apologize immediately. "It's just that you look so much like him, it's scary," she admitted, quietly. "Your hair and features - just everything."

I blinked. "Who? You mean, your father?"

Amber shook her head.

A part of me felt relieved. The last thing I wanted to be told was that I looked like a grown man who mistreated his daughter.

"He's a year older than you," Amber explained, "but I swear you look exactly like he did when he was sixteen."

I tried to understand what she was saying. "Amber, who are you talking about?"

Amber's voice was shaky the next time she spoke. "Tyler."

"Tyler?" I repeated.

Amber was looking down at hands, her hair falling in front her face. "Tyler, my older brother."

I stared at her. "You have a brother? He's a child of Hecate, too?"

Amber shook her head quickly. "He was from my father's first marriage. He's fully mortal."

"So he's back at home with your father?"

She was quiet for a second and I feared that I had asked a sensitive question. Thankfully, Amber collected herself just a minute later. "Last year," she said, her voice struggling to stay steady. "That's when Tyler ran away from home. He couldn't take the way my father was treating me, pushing me to join him with his career. My brother always understood, he stood up for me, but things got really bad between him and dad. Just to prove his point, he left the house. I haven't seen him since then. Even if he ever returned, I wouldn't know. I've been at camp."

Amber looked sad, and I almost felt bad for making her tell me all of this. I was about to say something when a pile of wrapped croissants and pastries were dropped on our table. I looked up to find Nico standing in front of us, smiling, obviously proud of his purchase.

Amber brushed the hair from her face quickly, gathering herself back to the state she was in before she had remembered her family.

I watched Nico clear his throat. In his hands, he was holding a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in a transparent plastic with a purple ribbon. He held it out, offering it to Amber. "It was the last one they had," Nico said. "I bought it for you."

Amber looked surprised as she accepted the cookie. She gave Nico her best smile. "Thank you," she said, standing up. "I'll save it for later." She slid out of the booth, telling us she'd be right back from the bathroom as she disappeared down a hallway next to us.

Once Amber was gone, Nico sighed, sitting down. He buried his head in his hands. "She didn't like it, did she?" he worried. "She could be allergic to chocolate for all I know."

I was doing my best not to laugh out loud as I watched Nico's hopeless attempt to be romantic, but I was sure that my amusement was obvious on my face. I finally laughed, saying, "Nico, I told you to talk to her and get to know her, not try and win her over with a cookie."

"Well, they didn't have any more brownies!" Nico argued.

Before I could say anything else or even wipe the smile off my face, I could see Annabeth and Thalia with Raevin - who didn't get any attention thanks to her "puppy" disguise in the mist - by their side, entering the bakery. They looked pleased to be back under the air conditioner when they sat down at our table. "How'd it go?" I asked.

Annabeth shoved two brochures over my way. "If we keep heading in the direction we're going, we'll be reaching the city of Seville. It's a busy city with a lot of tourist attractions."

Thalia was staring at the pile of food centered on our table. "Did you guys buy anything sweet?"

Nico's ear seemed to spring to attention. "The cookie is for Amber. Don't touch it."

Annabeth looked around. "Where is Amber anyway?"

"Bathroom," I answered.

No sooner than I had said that than Amber rejoined us, looking much more collected. The five of us sat at the table together for a few minutes, our conversation quickly shifting to discussing our plans. We knew that once Hecate could be sensed the strongest, we had to be ready for combat.

The sun outside seemed to sink into the sky just a little before we stuffed as many of the croissants and wrapped biscuits into our back packs as we could, eating the rest right then.

Annabeth read all of our minds when she said, "The sun's going down. We should get going."

…Thalia…

I noticed something between Amber and Percy had changed once Annabeth and I rejoined the group. They had probably had one of those heart-to-hearts Percy seemed to, for some reason, enjoy having while on quests. I didn't think it had been the happiest of conversations, really.

Of course, I had to fight to hide my amusement at Nico. While being surrounded by couples on this quest was anything but fun, seeing how Nico was acting like a little puppy about Amber was hilarious. If I could get him alone, I would most definitely be teasing him about this, even if it was only by Iris-Message after the quest. It was just too tempting not to.

For now, however, I kept my silence and followed the rest as we walked south toward Seville. Raevin padded along at my side, once in a while lifting her muzzle to sniff at the air, making a huff of approval, and lowering it toward the ground again. Apparently we were going in the exact direction she would be leading us in if she were in front. If we ever went off track, I knew she would be barking at us and even tugging at my pant leg, since she had done it multiple times before on the Hunt. Between Raevin and Amber, we'd stay on track, I could tell.

Still, it was a long day of travel for us. Since we were walking, we had a long way to go, and there wasn't much to do. Well, I personally used my senses to keep aware in case monsters attacked us, but other than that, we could really only talk to one another and comment on the scenery. With so many more miles to go and just as many already walked, there were long periods of silence, followed by even longer ones where we found anything and everything to talk about.

Annabeth told us all about her work on Olympus, detailing what had been built, what was currently being built, and what would be built in the future. From her descriptions, I knew Olympus would be even more amazing than before – not that I had expected anything else from Annabeth. Percy didn't exactly have much to say, but he did tell me about how his mother and step-father were doing and how much school was aggravating him, with his ADHD and dyslexia and all.

Nico told stories about his horrific lessons in the Underworld taught by the Furies, emphasizing the punishments he was given. Amber spoke about her powers and what she could do with them, and she offered her opinion of Camp Half-Blood and what she had done there so far. I then went on to tell them about what I had been up to in the Hunt, both lately and before the Battle of Manhattan, telling them all about monster chases, my sisters' antics, and just how we had increased our numbers so much before the battle.

At one point, when we stopped in the middle of nowhere to eat something, Annabeth came over and sat next to me. "Does Raevin know where we're going?" she asked. I glanced over at the wolf as she ate the food I had set out for her.

"I think she knows the general direction like Amber does," I said. "If we really start going in the wrong direction, she'll let us know. When we get closer to where we need to be, she'll be able to sense Hecate's trail better. For now, it's more vague for her."

"So Amber will lead us to the area, and Raevin will take us right to where we need to go," Annabeth muttered, and I knew she wasn't really talking to me. "Thanks, Thalia." She looked like she was about to stand up again and leave me to eat alone, but instead, she pulled her backpack off and pulled out the map we had found. "Do you know where we are?" she asked, opening the map for me to look at.

It was only thanks to months and months in the Hunt, learning to always know where I was if I glanced at a map, and the fact that I had kept track of how many miles we had walked so far, that I was able to point to a specific point on the map and say, "There," with certainty.

Annabeth studied the map for a few minutes after that, while I ate my lunch, and eventually she said, "I think I know where we need to go so that we can avoid towns. We're too exhausted to fight right now."

"Lead the way, then, Annie," I told her with a smile.

After that, Annabeth rejoined Percy and actually ate her food, finally. Amber and Nico were quietly talking. I could see Amber was eating the cookie Nico had declared hers earlier when I had asked about anything sweet to eat. Oh boy did I have to tease Nico about that… Maybe once we were walking again, if I could separate him from the others for a bit.

Soon enough, everyone was done eating, and we set off again. Raevin walked beside me, brushing up against my leg every few minutes. Just like before, there were long periods of both quiet and talking, though this time most of the talking was between Percy and Annabeth, and Nico and Amber. I still managed to pull Nico aside at one point, though, and I could tell he was wary at the look on my face as I did it.

"So why give only Amber a cookie, Nico?" I asked teasingly. "Why not your favorite cousin as well?" To my surprise, Nico blushed just slightly.

"I just thought she'd like a cookie," he said.

"Uh-huh, sure you did. You didn't think I'd want a cookie?" Nico's eyes narrowed, and I decided to cut him a break – slightly. "Oh, just admit you like her, Nico, and save us all this trouble." His eyes widened, and he paled even more than normal.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he said, stuttering in the beginning.

"Yes you do, but if you want to live in denial just as much as those two lovebirds over there used to, then it's your problem." I shrugged and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. Just because I had sworn off boys and didn't have any urge to date at all didn't mean I couldn't mess with my cousins and their love lives.

In any case, Nico avoided me completely after that, and all I could do was laugh when Annabeth asked me about it later, telling her it was between the two of us and not to worry about it. I didn't expect him to allow this to affect the quest, after all.

Hours went by without much trouble, except aching feet for the others, who were unused to so much travel on foot; it was so hard not to laugh at them for that. At one point, I spoke to Amber alone, and I had to admit, she would be good for Nico, and she was a nice person. I could understand why Percy had taken a liking to her.

Eventually, though, the others couldn't go on any longer, and the moon had actually begun to rise, darkness long since falling. I quickly set up the tents and started a small fire so we could eat before going to sleep.

"I think we'll reach Seville by mid-morning if we leave not long after sunrise," Annabeth told us after checking the map once she finished eating.

I could tell that hearing the news was a relief to everyone. The others were happy that the walking was almost done, and I was just relieved another part of our quest would, hopefully, be completed before lunch tomorrow. It would bring us one step closer to stopping Hecate and returning home.

That night, I went to sleep thinking of the Hunt I had left behind to come on this quest, wondering how everyone was doing and wishing, somewhat, that I could be back with them.


Just wanted to point out one more time, to be safe, that this story was written before House of Hades, so the truth about Nico was not known. We hope you're continuing to enjoy the story. :)