I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

AN: This is my favorite chapter that I've written. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Eight: Visiting Family

Chrysa had just enough warning to close her eyes when Ares flashed them away.

While seeing a god's true form wouldn't kill her, it was still somewhat uncomfortable in her halfway-in-between state.

They reappeared in what Chrysa recognized as Ares' temple on Olympus.

She wrenched her arm out of the god's grasp and quickly moved several steps away, knives already in her hands.

"Don't touch me," she warned. "Don't you dare touch me. You know what'll happen if you do."

Ares sneered at her.

"Don't worry, little sister. I've got no plans of making Father upset for hurting Daddy's little girl."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find Father for the duration of this little exercise," Chrysa growled, "since I assume you won't allow me to go back to Denver until they've done what you've asked."

"Bingo," Ares smirked. He waved a hand, as if he could dismiss her. "Go on, little sister. Go complain to Daddy. He's a bit busy at the moment."

Chrysa stormed out of the temple and took a moment to orient herself on the streets of Olympus outside. She sheathed her knives as she moved towards the throne room, where she expected her father to be.

As she walked, her t-shirt and jeans ensemble was encased in shadows and replaced with something more appropriate for an Olympus on the verge of war. The shadows formed into her Stygian iron breastplate, bracers, and greaves, which took their place over soft black clothing suitable for sneaking around in. There were six visible knives on her person: two belted to her waist, two strapped to her thighs, and two ones on her forearms. There were many other weapons on her person, but those were the only visible ones.

Before Chrysa could enter the throne room, she was intercepted by a man in a Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, and Birkenstocks.

She inclined her head to him, but kept her eyes on him warily.

"Poseidon," she greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I would have a word with you, Leuke Chrysocomê," the sea god stated.

Chrysa raised an eyebrow at him.

"Need I be worried for my safety?"

Poseidon looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"I already have one brother threatening to start a war. I don't need my other brother and my wife against me as well."

Chrysa inclined her head in agreement and gestured for him to lead the way.

To her surprise, Poseidon did not lead them to his temple, where he would be the safest, but instead towards a small garden behind the throne room. While the garden had no proper name, it was often called "Kepos Triadelphes" or the "Garden of the Three Sisters" due to the monument that stood there.

The monument was a tribute to Leuke, Metis, and Amphitrite for their aid in the War of the Titans. They had been the first of the Titans to convert to the side of the gods, and all six children of Kronos and Rhea knew that without them, the battle would not have been won. The monument had been set up after Leuke's death, so that no one would forget the three Oceanids who built Olympus.

It was shaped much the same as a temple, except it was missing the front wall and had no roof. Each of the three walls had images of Leuke, Metis, and Amphitrite. Metis' wall was on the left, Amphitrite's was on the right, and Leuke's wall was at the back of the monument. It was the largest of the three walls, depicting her long life and her mysterious death.

"Amphitrite comes here every time she is on Olympus," Poseidon said, breaking the silence. "It pains her to see the images of her lost sisters, but she comes here anyway. She does not want to forget you or Metis."

"Well, I am alive again. I'll be a bit harder to forget now," Chrysa pointed out.

"But she does not see you often," Poseidon replied. "She does not say so, but she often wishes that you would visit more. She thinks that your memories are not strong enough for you to still consider her your sister."

Chrysa's eyes widened in surprise.

"I have always seen Amphitrite as my sister. I did not want to overstep my boundaries by acting as such with her though. I thought she only considered me a partial replica of her sister."

"She still loves you, and she misses you dearly. She knows that you are not the same now as you were then. Neither is she the same now as she was when you were first alive. Time tends to change people, even gods."

"We have both suffered much since we were born as sisters," Chrysa said quietly, taking a seat at one of the benches that lined the central walkway of the hall.

Poseidon took the bench across from her.

"I did not take the Master Bolt," he said bluntly after a short silence.

"I did not think you did," Chrysa replied calmly. "Nor do I think Hades did, despite what Ares may have claimed."

"It did not seem like something Hades would do," Poseidon admitted. "He would rather avoid us than have Zeus' symbol of power stolen. Besides, he has you back, and he's happier than I've seen him since you died."

"None of you attempt to see him very often, so I'm not surprised you say that," Chrysa said icily. "But I digress. Why have you called me here, Poseidon?"

The sea god took a deep breath, before rushing out, "Iwanttoknowaboutmyson."

Chrysa took a moment to rewind that sentence in her mind.

"Percy, I assume?"

Poseidon nodded.

Chrysa smiled slightly.

"He's a good kid. He's naturally talented with a sword, and he has the best battle instincts I've seen in a long time. He cares very deeply for his mother, and he despises his stepfather. I don't doubt that his stepfather is abusive towards both Percy and his mother."

Poseidon was visibly furious.

Chrysa gave him a look.

"There is nothing you can do about it at the moment," she lectured.

Poseidon took a deep breath and let it out again.

"He also wants your attention," Chrysa offered. "He wants to know that you didn't just sire him and then forget about him."

"I was there when Medusa's head arrived," Poseidon admitted. "I thought it was hilarious. Your father was quite as amused."

"I was wondering what the reactions would be to that," Chrysa replied. "I thought it was funny too."

The pair shared a smile.

"I know you're officially not supposed to interact with him, but you should do something to show him that you care," Chrysa pointed out.

Poseidon thought a moment, and then a mad grin spread on his face.

"What if – once this whole mess is over and done with – I send Medusa's head back to him so he can deal with his stepfather?"

Chrysa's face lit up.

"Wonderful idea! I know I'd love to be able to petrify my mortal relatives. We'll have to wait until this mess is over though."

Suddenly, a loud voice announced across Olympus, "Attention everyone. Hephaestus TV will begin rolling in ten seconds… nine… eight…"

Poseidon snapped his fingers and a television screen appeared in front of them. On the screen were Annabeth and Percy, inside what Chrysa suspected was the "Tunnel of Love" ride that Ares had sent them to.

"I knew Ares was up to something," Chrysa grumbled.

"When did you meet Ares? And why aren't you with Percy in the first place?" Poseidon asked.

"Ares kidnapped me in order to get Percy, Annabeth, and the satyr to do his dirty work," Chrysa said bluntly. "We're apparently watching said dirty work now. The girl is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Water exploded around the pool the pair was in, drenching them and washing away the metallic spiders that were coating everything. Percy pulled Annabeth into the seat next to him and fastened her seat belt just before the tidal wave slammed into their boat. The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool. Then the boat's nose turned toward the tunnel and they rocketed into the darkness.

Hephaestus TV only caught rapid flashes of Percy and Annabeth screaming as the boat hurtled around curves and corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and miniature Cupids.

"You should be proud of him," Chrysa noted. "He's only known he's your son for a week and he's already controlling water."

"I am proud of him," Poseidon said, and Chrysa could see it in every aspect of his being. He truly loved and was proud of Percy. "Will you tell him so?" the sea god asked.

"I will," Chrysa said.

They watched as Percy and Annabeth rocketed towards the exit of the ride, which was chained shut. Percy and Annabeth unfastened their seatbelts and argued about jumping for it. Thankfully, Percy gave in to Annabeth. She was probably better at physics anyway.

They jumped out of the boat even as it struck the sealed gates. They were thrown through the air, straight over the gates, over the pool at the end of the ride, and down toward solid asphalt.

Miracle of miracles, the satyr managed to catch them, even if he was unable to completely stop their fall due to their combined wait. He was able to slow it, though, and while the pair were banged up upon hitting the ground, they looked fine overall. Percy still had Ares' shield on his arm.

The pair got the satyr out from where he had crashed into a photo board, and then turned back towards the cameras and spotlights.

Percy waved at them.

"Show's over!" he yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The screen went black.

"Well, that was amusing," Chrysa said.

"I suppose so," Poseidon said. "Even if it was a child of Athena with Percy."

Chrysa stared at her uncle for a moment, then stated, "I'm going to laugh at you if those two get together. Repeatedly. While following you around your palace. Trite will let me."

Poseidon sighed.

"Fine. If they get together, which I highly doubt, you have bragging rights."

Any more conversation was interrupted by a loud voice bellowing, "POSEIDON!"

"I think Father's realized we're both here," Chrysa said drily.

Zeus stormed in a moment later, eyes fixed on Poseidon, looking absolutely furious.

"What is the meaning of this, brother? Why have you absconded with my daughter? Do you mean to do her harm?" he demanded.

"Father, Father," Chrysa soothed, standing up and gesturing towards herself. "I'm fine. Poseidon and I were simply talking about Amphitrite. We've planned a visit once this little mess is over."

Zeus still looked suspicious, even as his eyes scanned Chrysa for any harm.

"When are you planning to visit?" he asked.

Chrysa glanced at Poseidon.

"June 23rd? I can't do the 22nd, I'm hosting a dinner party. And I'm supposed to be in England on the 24th. Anti-Voldemort rallies and all that."

"The 23rd sounds good to me," Poseidon agreed with a smile.

"What dinner party are you hosting on the 22nd?" Zeus asked. "And why am I not invited?"

"You are. Hera knows. It's her job to get you there. It's black tie, by the way. Trite's bringing you, Poseidon."

Both gods stared at her.

"I think I may be busy that day…" Zeus hedged.

"Rhea's coming."

"I'll clear my schedule," Zeus said quickly.

"Me too," Poseidon added.

Chrysa smirked at them.

"Your wives cleared them for you," she replied sweetly.

Both gods groaned.

Chrysa mentally checked the time.

"Well, I do have to get back to Denver. Please don't attempt to murder each other once I'm gone. I will be very upset if either of you miss my dinner party."

The shadows came up from around her and transported her back to the diner parking lot in Denver. Ares was already there, leaning against his motorcycle.

"Might want to change, sweetheart," Ares said, giving her a leering once-over. "Ancient Greek assassin isn't exactly the fashion choice around here."

"Ha-ha," Chrysa deadpanned, even as the shadows up to return her t-shirt, jeans, and combat boots.

It was a good thing that she came back when she did, because as soon as she was dressed again, Percy, Annabeth, and the satyr rounded the corner.

"Well, well," Ares said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy accused.

Ares grinned wickedly.

"Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You look good on TV," he mocked.

Percy shoved his shield at him.

"You're a jerk," he said firmly.

Annabeth and the satyr held their breaths.

Ares grabbed his shield and spun it in the air. It melted into a bulletproof vest, which he slung across his back.

"See that truck over there?" he asked, pointing to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The sign on the back of the truck read, Kindness International: Humane Zoo Transport. Warning: Live Wild Animals.

"You're kidding," Percy said.

Ares snapped his fingers, and the back door of the truck unlatched.

"Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He grabbed a blue nylon backpack off the handlebars of his motorcycle and tossed it to Percy, who looked inside.

"I don't want your lousy…" Percy began, but the satyr interrupted him.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," he said, giving Percy a warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Percy was gritting his teeth, looking like he was trying not to explode.

"You owe me one more thing," Percy told the war god. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" Ares said, kick-starting his motorbike. "She's not dead."

Percy looked shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept," Ares stated.

"Kept. Why?" Percy demanded.

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else," Ares pointed out.

"Nobody's controlling me," Percy said angrily.

Ares laughed. "Oh, yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled his fists.

"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Ares' eyes glowed red. A hot wind blew all around them.

"We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancey Street.

"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, Percy," Chrysa pointed out.

"I don't care," the boy replied.

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god," Annabeth said.

"Hey, guys," the satyr said, "I hate to interrupt, but…"

He pointed towards the diner, where two men in Kindness International uniforms were paying their check.

"If we're taking the zoo express, we need to hurry," the satyr said.

The four ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind them.

The stench was immediate. It smelled like no one had bothered to clean the refuse out of the truck in days.

Chrysa whipped out her wand and ordered, "Lumos!"

The tip of the wand lit up, illuminating a row of filthy metal cages holding pathetic looking zoo animals: a zebra, an albino lion, and an antelope.

"This is kindness?" the satyr yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

Before he could say anymore, the truck's engine roared to life and the trailer started shaking. They were forced to sit before they fell down.

Chrysa dug deep into her purse and pulled out three camping lanterns. She gave one to each of the children.

"Here, turn these on. I'm going to need my wand."

Once the lanterns were on, Chrysa ordered, "Nox!" before casting an air-freshening spell. She then used her wand to levitate the correct food to each animal, before going over to sit by the lion.

"Hello," she said. "My name is Chrysocomê. Do you have a name?"

"No, lady," the lion replied. "They never needed to give us names, though one of the drivers has been calling me 'Snowy'."

"May I give you a name?" Chrysa murmured, reaching into the cage to stroke his tangled mane.

The lion bowed his head.

"I would be honored, lady."

Chrysa thought for a moment before asking, "How about Kyrios? It means 'lord.'"

"It is an honor for the lady to name me a lord," the lion replied.

"I found a water jug, if we want to refill their bowls," Percy said quietly.

Chrysa jumped slightly. She hadn't realized he had come up behind her.

"I wouldn't trust anything that came from this place," she said scornfully. She cast a scouring charm on the lion's water bowl and then ordered, "Aguamenti!" The bowl filled with fresh, clean water. Chrysa moved around the room and did the same to the water bowls of the zebra and the antelope.

The satyr had calmed the antelope down, and Annabeth was in the process of cutting the balloon off its horn.

"Can we get the gum out of the zebra's hair?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked regretful. "I think it's too risky, with all the bumping around we're doing."

"I promise we'll help you more in the morning," Chrysa whispered to the lion, stroking his mane. "We can't do much right now. We're stuck here too."

"That's alright, lady," Kyrios the lion replied. "It is enough."

The lion seemed to share her opinions that it was time to sleep.

The satyr curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double-Stuf Oreos from Ares. Percy settled down beside her. Chrysa stayed next to the lion, fingers tangled in his mane, as she curled up on the ground.

She was almost asleep when Annabeth began to talk.

"Hey," she said, "I'm sorry for freaking out at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay," the boy replied.

"It's just…" she shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," Percy guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Chrysa couldn't see her, but she assumed Annabeth nodded.

"Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying."

"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" the satyr mumbled.

Annabeth and Percy laughed.

"In the Iris-message, what did Luke say?" Annabeth asked.

"He said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."

The satyr let out a mournful bray.

"I should've told you the truth from the beginning," the satyr said, voice trembling. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"I've known that you were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia," Percy replied. "Chrysa told me my first day of camp."

"She still blames me," the satyr said glumly.

"And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp…that was you and Luke, wasn't it?" Percy asked, presumably directing the question to Annabeth.

"Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They'd been working together for almost two years before they found me. They were happy to take me with them. They were…amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about four months before Grover found us."

"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," the satyr said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought…I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker..."

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," the satyr said miserably. "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so. Chrysa says so."

Chrysa sighed and sat up abruptly.

"I don't truly blame you, Grover Underwood," she stated tiredly.

The three jumped at the sound of her voice.

"You…you don't?" the satyr asked in a small voice.

"Not entirely. A piece of the blame rests on you, but it also rests on Father, Hades, and me."

Chrysa sighed and looked down at her lap.

"Thalia ran away from home in March of 1998. I learned about the gods in May of 1998, and I first spoke to Father in December of that same year. December 22, to be exact. Thalia's birthday. But Father didn't tell me I had a little sister out there, a little sister that I could have saved had I known. I didn't learn about Thalia's existence at all until I arrived at camp until September of 2002, three months after she had died. I could have helped her. But if I'd known about Thalia as soon as I knew about the gods, she never would have met Luke and Annabeth. They both would have died before making it to camp."

"That's right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Thalia and Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

"It's just my luck," the satyr sniffled. "I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."

"You didn't find me," Chrysa pointed out. "But I got directions from my boss, so there were no satyrs involved."

"Your boss?" Percy asked in confusion.

"I never told you?" Chrysa asked in surprise. "I have a summer job working for one of the gods. My contract doesn't allow me to speak of who I work for, but I'm pretty much an administrative assistant between the months of March and September. This is my first time being at camp during the normal summer season. That's why only the year-rounders know me. My boss and I are…friends, of a sort, as much as you can be friends with a god, so he tells me things. Current Olympian gossip, information on potential enemies, where to find Camp Half-Blood…"

"Back to the original subject, you're not lame, Grover," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now."

Chrysa saw her foot shift, presumably kicking Percy for his response.

"Yeah," Percy said. "It's not luck that you found Thalia and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one to find Pan."

"If you manage to find a child of Hades though, we're going to have to rethink your talents," Chrysa added.

The satyr let out a deep, satisfied sigh. They waited for him to say more, but he started snoring instead.

"How does he do that?" Percy marveled.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was a really nice thing you told him."

"I meant it," Percy replied.

Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts.

"That pine-tree bead," Percy said. "Is that from your first year?"

She looked down. She hadn't realized what she was doing.

"Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress – now that was a weird summer…."

"And the college ring is your father's?" Percy asked.

"That's none of your…" Annabeth stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell me," Percy said.

Annabeth glanced at Chrysa.

"Chrysa already knows the story. I kinda rant to her a lot," Annabeth said. "I don't mind telling you."

She took a shaky breath.

"My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake form Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her….That's a long story. Anyway, he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Percy pointed out.

"Yeah, well…the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron, who sent Chrysa to bring me right back to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy looked over at Chrysa, who shrugged.

"I talked to Annabeth's parents while she was at school. They technically signed over custody of her to me. Apparently I'm a bit more comforting than a man in a wheelchair who turns into a centaur."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"Please, I'm not into self-inflicted pain," Annabeth replied, though she wouldn't meet Percy's eyes.

"You shouldn't give up," Percy told her. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," Annabeth said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

They passed another few minutes in silence.

"So if the gods fight," Percy said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena against Poseidon?"

Annabeth leaned her head against the backpack from Ares and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"

Annabeth fell asleep before Percy could respond.

"Don't worry, Percy," Chrysa said with a yawn as she laid back down. "If things turn into a war, I'll kidnap you and Annabeth and we can go live on my private island."

"You have a private island?" Percy asked.

"I told you, I'm filthy rich. Now go to sleep."

The next morning, it took both Annabeth and the satyr shaking Percy to get him to wake up.

"The truck's stopped," the satyr said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed. She pulled her Yankees cap onto her head.

Percy and the satyr dived behind feed sacks. Chrysa cast Disillusionment spells on them, then backed into the shadows, which came up to hide her.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his nose. "I wish I hauled appliances."

He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked Kyrios, before splashing the rest of the jug into the lion's face.

Kyrios roared in indignation. Chrysa resisted the urge to do the same, or better yet, curse the man into oblivion. However, cursing Muggles was still illegal, especially in the US.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra.

"How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra was wide-eyed with fear.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

Eddie yelled back, "Maurice? What'd you say?"

"What are you hanging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

"What banging?" Eddie yelled in response.

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie all the while.

Annabeth pulled off her cap, appearing beside Percy. Chrysa stepped out of the shadows and cancelled the Disillusionment charms.

"This transport business can't be legal," Annabeth said.

"No kidding," the satyr replied.

"They're animal smugglers, lady," Kyrios said.

"Kyrios says that they're animal smugglers," Chrysa volunteered.

"Who's Kyrios?" Annabeth and Percy asked.

"The lion," Chrysa replied.

"We've got to free them!" the satyr insisted.

Percy grabbed his sword and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage. It burst out, then turned to Percy and bowed.

The satyr held his hands up and said a blessing in goat-speak.

Maurice poked his head back inside to check the noise, but the zebra was faster. It leapt over his head and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. All four rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth pointed out.

"The other animals first," the satyr said firmly.

Percy cut the locks with his sword. The satyr raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra.

"Good luck," Percy told the animals.

The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages. The antelope jumped out of the truck immediately, but the lion stayed to nudge Chrysa's waist.

"Thank you, lady," he said.

"Do you want me to send you to my father instead?" Chrysa asked, kneeling down to wrap her arms around the zebra's neck. "He'll take care of you."

Kyrios hesitated.

"I would like that, lady."

Chrysa turned to the other three, who were watching them.

"Go on," she said. "I'll catch up once I take care of him."

They looked hesitant, but grabbed Ares' backpack and stumbled out of the trunk.

Chrysa, keeping her arms wrapped around the lion, pulled the shadows around them both and transported them to Mount Olympus.

As expected, Zeus was in the throne room.

"Father!" Chrysa exclaimed. "Could you take care of this lion for me? Please? I know lions are one of your less well-known symbols, but he really needs help!"

The Lord of the Sky looked slightly stunned that his daughter had just randomly appeared with a half-starved albino lion.

"As you wish, daughter," he said. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Chrysa was faster.

"I have to get back to Vegas now. Love you! Bye!"

The shadows enveloped her again, and she reappeared in Percy's shadow as they walked through Vegas.

"Kyrios is all taken care of," she announced.

All three jumped.

"Stop. Doing. That!" Annabeth exclaimed, clutching her heart. "You're going to give me a heart attack before I'm thirty!"

Chrysa shrugged. "Sorry. I can't help it."

They continued walking through Vegas, passing Monte Carlo, the MGM, pyramids, a pirate ship, and the miniature Statue of Liberty.

They somehow ended up standing at a dead end in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Chrysa had never actually seen the entrance before – it was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking – as she and Hades always shadow-travelled in when they wanted to visit their kids.

The doorman smiled at them.

"Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Chrysa knew what a bad idea it was, but, just like with Medusa, she couldn't tell them that.

"Whoa," the satyr said as they stepped inside.

Just like every other time she had visited the casino, Chrysa was impressed. The whole lobby was as giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide around the glass elevator, which went straight up for at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on one side of the building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual reality suites with working laser guns, and hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Waitresses and snack bars served every kind of food one could imagine. It was any teenager's paradise.

"Hey!" a bellhop said as he approached them. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino," he said. "Here's your room key."

"Um, but…" Percy stammered.

"No, no," the bellhop laughed. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. IF you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

"How much is on here?" Percy asked as he took his green plastic credit card.

"What do you mean?" the bellhop asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" Percy questioned.

The bellhop laughed.

"Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

"I would like a separate room," Chrysa said quickly.

The bellhop startled, but handed her another room-key.

"4002, right next door to theirs," the bellhop stated.

The four rode up the elevator to the 40th floor, where their rooms were. The other three were in a three-bedroom suite, complete with a fully-stocked snack bar.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is…"

"Sweet," the satyr said. "Absolutely sweet."

"Showers, then meet back here?" Percy offered.

"My suite is right through there," Chrysa said, pointing at a door in the living room. "I'll be right out, if you need me."

She went into her suite and bathed in a shower that could have held four people. There were windows in the bathroom that let in the natural sunlight, so Chrysa wrapped a towel around herself and tossed a drachma into the rainbow the water created.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering," she said. "Hades, in the Underworld."

The image formed of Hades, sitting at his desk, scribbling furiously at his paperwork. Thankfully, he was alone.

"Aidôneus, she called teasingly.

Hades looked up, eyes immediately finding her barely-dressed form.

"Hello, darling," he said in a low voice, nearly purring. "What's this call? I thought you were on a quest with the little sea-child."

"I am," Chrysa replied with a smile. "We took a detour to the Lotus Casino. It'll take them a bit to figure out what's going on. I was wondering if you'd like to stop by for a bit? Then maybe we could go spend some time with the kids?"

Hades began to smile.

"I'll be right over."

"Actually, finish whatever paper you're working on. I need to make sure that the kids actually go play some games," Chrysa said with a sigh. "You can come over when you're done, and I'll be back up here once I'm sure they're busy."

Hades glanced down at the pile of paperwork in front of him.

"It may take a few minutes," he admitted.

Chrysa blew him a kiss.

"I'll be waiting," she teased, just before slashing her hand through the water to end the connection.

She quickly got dressed in the hotel-provided clothing – a silky emerald blouse that brought out her eyes and a pair of black leather Daisy Dukes, completed by a pair of black, lace-up, thigh-high boots with stiletto heels. She quickly pulled her hair away from her face and added on a bit of hotel-provided makeup before returning to the kids' living room.

Thanks to the hotel's magic, they said nothing about her appearance. Grover was eating a bag of potato chips while Annabeth watched National Geographic.

Percy came out from his room, hair still wet from his own shower, and immediately asked Annabeth, "All those stations, and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting," Annabeth defended.

"I feel good," the satyr said. "I love this place."

Without his even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Percy and the satyr looked at each other and grinned. They held up their green plastic casino cards.

"Play time," Percy said.

After that, it was a mad rush for the kids to get to the elevator. Chrysa returned to her room to find Hades waiting for her.

She closed the door behind her and made sure the door from her living room to the kids' was locked.

She used her shadows to make her movement to Hades immediate.

"So, darling," Chrysa said, trailing a hand down Hades' chest. "Ready for a little play time of our own?"

His only response was a passionate kiss.

A few hours later – in real time, not Lotus Casino time – they were dressed in more proper clothes and went off through the hotel to track down Nico and Bianca. The other guests of the hotel somehow sensed Hades' power and moved out of his way without consciously realizing what they were doing.

They found Nico where they usually found him: at the Mythomagic table. A wave of Hades' hand freed him from the hold the hotel had on him.

His face lit up upon seeing them.

"Mamma! Papà!" he cried out excitedly.

Nico abandoned his Mythomagic cards in order to embrace his parents.

"I've missed you! How were your meetings these past few days? Are we going to leave soon?" he babbled excitedly.

"Soon, Niccòlo," Chrysa said as she hugged her son tightly. "It won't be too much longer now. A few days. A week at most, I think. Then we'll be able to be a family again."

She gave her son one last hug, then pulled away, allowing Hades to do the same.

"Do you know where your sister is, Tesoro?" Chrysa asked, a hint of an Italian accent coloring her words.

"She's playing the archery game again," Nico said, his shoulders drooping slightly. "She never wants to play with me anymore."

Chrysa leaned down so she was at eye level with her son.

"Bianca loves you very much, my Niccòlo. She just needs some time to herself every now and then. She's almost a teenager after all," she said with a smile and a small laugh.

Nico smiled in reply.

"Alright, Mamma. Are we having family time?" he asked, looking up at his father.

"Indeed we are," Hades rumbled, a smile on his face as well.

Nico ran ahead through the casino, dodging through the people and games like he had been there for years, even though it was only seven weeks in his mind.

As Nico had said, Bianca was at an archery game, firing arrows into different things – targets, animals, random flying things – with near-perfect accuracy.

"Can we make bows of Stygian iron?" Chrysa whispered in Hades' ear. "Because I think she needs one."

"I'll set the spirits on it," Hades promised. He waved his hand, and Bianca was also freed from her trance, though her attention remained on the game.

"Bianca!" Nico yelled.

"Quiet, Nico, I almost beat my high score!" the older girl scolded. She was twelve years old now, the same age as Percy and Annabeth. Deep inside, Chrysa knew her desperation to keep her cousin alive was so that her children could one day be free of this place.

"But Bianca…" Nico whined, but she cut him off again.

"I don't care about your Mythomagic game, Nico, I want to finish this!"

"But Mamma and Papà are here!"

Bianca froze, and the split second of inattention caused her to miss one of her targets. She set the game controllers down and turned around. Like Nico, her face lit up and she flung herself at them.

"Mamma! Papà!"

Unlike her brother, Bianca managed to catch both of her parents in one hug. She clutched their necks tightly as they embraced her in turn.

"We're having a family day, Bianca!" Nico exclaimed happily. "You, me, Mamma, and Papà! All four of us!"

Even before they had been in the Lotus Hotel and Casino, family days with all four of them had been very rare.

"Are we staying at the hotel, or going out?" Bianca asked.

Hades and Chrysa exchanged glances. Twice now, they had snuck the children out of the hotel and done "family days" somewhere else. One of the times, they had a week at Disney World. Chrysa had spoken to Zeus first, and they had exchanged oaths that Zeus would not harm them as long as Hades and Chrysa took the pair back to the casino when they were done.

"Inside this time, I think," Chrysa said slowly. She needed to be here in case Percy, Annabeth, or the satyr managed to snap out of the Lotus-eaters' control. "Papà will only be here today, but I'll be staying a little while longer. What would you like to do first?"

"Mythomagic!" Nico exclaimed, just as Bianca exclaimed, "Shooting range!"

"How about we go to lunch first?" Hades said smoothly. "I'm feeling a bit peckish."

The children exchanged glances.

"Lunch sounds good," Bianca said, and Nico nodded.

Eventually, they did get to both the shooting range and Mythomagic, as well as swimming in the pool, going bowling, and playing Monopoly. They ended the day by watching Bambi II in Nico and Bianca's bedroom, all curled up together on the bed. All four of them had gone together to see the original Bambi in theatres in 1942, just as they had every other Disney animated film released before Maria's death. The last film they had seen together was The Three Caballeros in February of 1945.

Once they had put the children to bed, Hades destroyed his block on the hotel's powers, leaving them unchanging and unaware of the passage of time.

He turned to Chrysa and kissed her sweetly.

"I'll see you soon, I hope," he whispered against her lips.

"Hopefully my cousin will be able to break the spell so we can get out of here," Chrysa replied, before kissing him again.

"Anything that returns you to my side is something that I can get behind," Hades said.

"Feel free to send me my paperwork. I'm sure I'll be here for a few more days. If the solstice passes, I'm getting myself out," she replied.

"Fair enough," Hades said. "I'll see you on the solstice then."

"I'll see you on the solstice," Chrysa repeated.

AN: And I bet that you all thought "Visiting Family" just meant Zeus.