Nothing, surprisingly, happened when we got to Kings Cross. It was just our luck that a train that headed to the station nearest Exmoor – Taunton – was at quarter to nine, and so we hung about the departures board for a bit. None of us even spoke. Dean and Sofia were… at it… whilst Helia was looking around like a rabbit at a headlights. Alfie was studying a map of England, and drawing out our route in pencil, and so Lucas and I decided to play a game of 'spot the hipster'. I won, with a staggering total of 13 hipsters crossing our path.

We took a short train from Kings Cross to Paddington. The tickets all cost twenty quid each, so I had plenty of cash left. Again, due to it being early on a Sunday, the train was fairly empty. I ended up next to Helia, who was a lot happier above ground and spoke to me a little about her past. Not much, mind, for Helia seemed happier to keep things to herself.

"Originally, I'm from Birmingham." She told me casually.

"Oh right." I said, interestedly. "Where abouts?"

"I can't remember that." She sighed at me, rolling her eyes and like I was being silly. I nodded once, then looked outside.

Once our train pulled up in Paddington, we had about an hour and a half to kill, so I suggested we all go to the McDonalds and get a breakfast. After a week of healthy camp meals, I was just itching for a bacon sandwich, which made Lucas look at me disgustedly for ordering. He ordered himself a coffee – apparently satyrs loved them – while Alfie and Dean both went for an Egg McMuffin. Helia had never been to a McDonalds before, and so I suggested she get a pancake, which she did.

Sofia took the longest deciding. She deliberated between having a bacon sandwich, like me, and simply having a muffin. She wondered which would be better for her weight.

"Sofia, you don't need to worry. You're fine." Dean sighed. She turned to him.

"Fine? So you're basically saying I'm fat." I wasn't sure why she was so highly strung, but I suspected the stress of the quest.

"No, I'm not." Dean sounded annoyed now.

"You know what, I'll have nothing." And with that, Sofia stormed off to the nearest table for six. I ordered a muffin, knowing that she'll change her mind, and we all sat down around the table.

"We all, other than Scarlet, who has her savings, have five pounds left. We probably need to get some more money, somehow." Alfie mused.

"No, we don't. I have sixty five pounds, which should do us." I didn't really participate; I was enjoying my breakfast too much. Lucas drew the short straw and disappeared to get us all cans of fizzy drinks from the vending machines.

"That's your savings though, Scarlet." Helia protested. "We can't spend your savings."

"What else am I going to spend it on? University?"

"Well, you have to plan ahead for those type of things." Alfie contributed.

"No, you do, Alfie. I don't."

"I still don't feel comfortable with it." Helia decided. "Good job I have an idea how to raise a bit more cash."

"What is this idea?" Alfie grimaced nervously. Helia merely winked in return, and the three of us got on with our breakfast.

"Sofia, you're being pathetic." Dean shook his head.

"You called me fat, Dean. We've been seeing each other, what, three days?"

"I never called you fat! I said you were fine!"

"Ooh." Lucas sighed, coming back with two Diet Cokes, for me and Alfie, a Coca Cola for Helia and a Sprite each for Dean and Sofia. "You never tell a girl that."

"Since when did you become the expert?" Dean looked up, amused.

"Since always."

Sofia sighed and looked away from Dean. Dean looked back at her.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I am. You're perfect. Okay?"

Sofia made a sudden transition from being the moodiest cow to walk the planet, which was very uncharacteristic of her, to brighter than Helia. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"As quest leader, I'm going to limit the amount of times you two do that." I said distastefully. "Now, Helia, what's your plan?"

"Scarlet, follow me outside. This is going to be great. And can we borrow your hat, Lucas?"

"Not exactly, Helia, people might see my horns…"

"Thank you!" Helia took the hat off of Luca's head, winking at him. I quickly gave the muffin to Sofia - who laughed, now embarrassed and I followed Helia outside McDonalds.

"Helia, seriously, what are we doing?"

"Busking." She grinned.

I had a double take.

"Helia, no." I said defensively. "I am not busking in the middle of Paddington Station. No way!"

"It'll be a laugh, and a great way to get some money. My dad's the god of music, it'll be fine."

"Mine isn't!" I protested. I turned to walk away when Helia grabbed my arm, but let go suddenly.

"Static shock…" she muttered.

"Oh, sorry." I didn't sound very sorry. I was used to giving people strong static shocks, and it was only since I got claimed I realised why.

"Scarlet, it's worth a try, surely?" Helia pleaded, her blue eyes bright and wide. I stared at her a minute, and sighed, irritated.

"Fine. But I'm not singing."

"Yes you are. I'll sound good enough for the both of us." She grinned wickedly. She held up Lucas' cap, and began to sing. "Tommy used to work on the docks, union's been on strike, he's down on his luck…"

"Bon Jovi, really?"

"I don't know any other music." Helia shrugged. "He was a son of Apollo, too, so he's kind of Cabin Seven's musical icon, which is how I know him… Gina works on the diner all day, working for her man, she brings home her pay, for love… for love… for fucks sake, come on Scarlet!"

"YOU GOT TO HOLD ON, TO WHAT WE GOT, IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERNCE IF YOU MAKE IT OR NOT." I shouted more than sung.

"WE GOT EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S A LOT, FOR LOVE… WE'LL GIVE IT A SHOT." Helia continued, and then we burst into the chorus together, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. People even came and put money in the hat, which Helia placed on the floor. Not lots, mind, but anything would do.

"OH, WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, OH, WE'RE LIVING ON A PRAYER, TAKE MY HAND, WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR, OH, LIVING ON A PRAYER." That bit we really went for, but I didn't know the next bit, so just swayed.

"Tommy got his six string in hock…" Helia started, but then we were interrupted, A couple of blokes, about forty odd, approached us, and I instantly marked them down as perverts. One tried to grope Helia, while the other came uncomfortably close to me.

"Fuck off." I hissed at them, trying to nudge him away, but no good. I had no brute strength - just bony elbows, and a lot of skill with a sword. Unfortunately, celestial bronze just passed straight through mortals, so it wouldn't work if I just got out my sword. Typical Londoners just passed straight by us, without bothering to help.

"It's alright, darling." The man smiled at me, and it made me want to puke. "If you need some money, you just have to do me some favours."

I tried to punch this bloke in the face, and he just grabbed my wrist. I settled by spitting in his eye, which seemed to only amuse him more.

"You bastard."

Helia was having more luck. Cabin Seven took wrestling lessons, and so she was able to kick her attacker in his soft spot, and punch him in the gut, winding him. This caused him to kneel over, although, due to Helia's optimistic nature, she believed that would be the end of it, and the man caught her by surprise by grabbing her by the hair.

"Oi." Dean had joined the scene. He took the bloke with me, grabbed him by the T-shirt and pulled him away. I gasped, a delayed reaction of panic setting in. Dean then knocked the arsehole out. I looked over to Helia, and saw that Alfie had done the exact same, only his was more artfully done; more karate like than wrestling.

"I was handling it, Dean." I protested.

"Scarlet, you evidently weren't." Dean sighed.

"Shut it." I snarled. There was nothing I hated more than someone fighting my battles.

"Guys," Helia said weakly. Alfie had an arm around her. "I hate to break up the family dispute, but a crowd have gathered."

I looked around and noticed that a small crowd had indeed come to watch. Not help us out or anything, just watch, and once they realised the action had ceased, they all departed.

"Humans are so stupid." Alfie shook his head. Lucas and Sofia, linking arms, came out of McDonalds.

"Are you two okay?" Sofia asked, wide eyed and worried.

"Yep, thanks to these two heroes." Helia grinned at Alfie and Dean. Sofia automatically looked immensely proud and hugged Dean. Lucas handed the four of us our drinks, which I nearly drank in one go.

"Steady on." Lucas smirked.

"I was just attacked, while you sat on your hairy goat hind." I retorted. "I'm going to check the departures board."

I marched away, leaving Sofia to fuss over Dean, while Helia, Alfie and Lucas discussed … whatever. I saw that our train was boarding on Platform 6, so I rushed back, and we collected our things before racing to our train. Sofia and Dean sat next to each other again, however Helia and Alfie swapped, so I was next to Owl Face.

At first, it was awkward. I wasn't as close to him as the others and I couldn't think of a plausible conversation starter. He was evidently feeling the same. I rolled my eyes, then suddenly remembered one of the only things I learned in Year 9, by Chiron.

"I thought Athena was a virgin." I announced. Alfie looked at me suspiciously.

"She is." He answered it like I was just being stupid.

"Hm, how stupid of me for being confused… I mean, it's not like she has eight demigod children, or anything." I snapped, folding my arms.

"She doesn't conceive like that." Alfie explained. "Children of Athena are brain children, and we are sprung from the divine thoughts of our mother, and mortal ingenuity of our father. We're brain children, as Athena was one herself. She sprung from Zeus' head in full body armour. We are then carried down by Zephyr the West Wind, in a golden cradle, deposited at the doorstep of our father."

"Oh. Well, my parents just had sex." I shrugged. "Do you have a bellybutton, then?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"No ambilical cord…" This time it was my turn to treat him like he was being stupid. "Anyway, you ever met Athena?"

"Yeah, once. When I was eight."

"Hold on… you were still living at home when you were eight."

Alfie put his head against his seat, and sighed.

"Mind your own business, Scarlet."

"Are you asking for a punch in the face?" My threat went ignored by Alfie, so I settled for glaring at him until he looked back at me.

"What?"

"Do demigods usually get to see their parents? And you are going to answer me."

Alfie sighed again. "No. Not normally. They aren't supposed to interfere. But Athena wasn't interfering with me. She came to my house, in central London. Dad had always told me about Athena and my godly ancestry so I was amazed, really, when she turned up. It was my eighth birthday, and Dad had taken my step-mum Julia, out for dinner, bringing my two year old half-sister, Gabriella. He had already been at work all day and Julia decided to pretend I wasn't there. Dad gave me a Nintendo, but didn't actually say anything to me. So, Athena came. She gave me a present – a book, written in Ancient Greek, with all the myths. Dad had always been frustrated that I couldn't read books in English, because of my dyslexia, yet Ancient Greek was easy. And that was that. A year later, after Lily was born, and shortly before Julia fell pregnant again with Frances, I left. I ran away, until a satyr found me, and took me to camp. Dad wrote to me once Frances was born, but it wasn't an affectionate letter. I always saw it as gloating. He's a prize twat, Scarlet."

"I think that might just be a 'dad' thing." I informed him. "Mines never even spoke to me."

"That's different; he's an Olympian. I was speaking to Sofia, and her dad's always been good to her, right?"

"Mr Moretti is lovely." I confirmed. I looked back at Sofia, to see if she heard, but she was asleep with her head resting on Dean's shoulder, who was asleep also.

"Those two, from what I've observed, seem to have formed a really close relationship in such a small space of time. 75% of the time, those relationships tend to be false, but they seem to be the real thing. Quite… nice." Alfie seemed to struggle to find a suitable word. "Bit irritating, though."

"Hm. I was all prepared to hate Dean, and prepared numerous threats in my head to direct at him before I went to sleep in Cabin One." I said. "Then we started our whole cousin thing, so I decided to let him off."

"How nice of you." Alfie said weakly. "And you don't care at all, that your best friend of ten years has found somebody?"

"No." I snapped. "Why, do you assume that I ache for a relationship now? No, Alfie. I'm happy for her. Like you said, it's irritating, but it was expected. Sofia's always had guys trailing after her, and it was only a matter of time before she liked one back. I'm just relieved Dean isn't an arsehole."

"You misunderstood me." Alfie responded. We both knew I didn't.

"Just don't mistake me for some hormone enraged teen who needs a guy to make her life worth living. I'm not. I have more important things to worry about, and don't need anyone."

"Oh, you're definitely hormone enraged." Alfie smirked. "Just anger, aggression and paranoia instead."

"Very funny." I grimaced. We spent the rest of the trip planning what to do when we got to Taunton. The estimated arrival time was quarter past one, and so Alfie and I looked at the map he had drawn out.

"We somehow need to get from Taunton Station to Exmoor."

"Well it's mainly country, so we should just be able to walk it."

"You reckon? So what do you propose the plan should be?"

"We won't be able to get to Exmoor today anyway, so I think we just need to find a place to set up camp."

"Fine by me."

"I wasn't asking your permission."

The two of stopped talking, and I instead listened in to Helia and Lucas' conversation from behind us. It sounded as though Lucas was educating Helia in music, after she expressed that she only knew Bon Jovi.

"Right, you need to listen to Taylor Swift, if you get the chance. And The Spice Girls, they're just legendary."

I had to intervene.

"No, Helia, don't do that. Listen to Nirvana, or The Foo Fighters. The Smiths are good too, and Arctic Monkeys…"

"Helia, do you really want to become like Scarlet?"

"Helia, do you really want to become like Lucas?"

Helia announced that she couldn't decide which one of us to listen to without actually listening to the artists we were suggesting. I made a mental note, if we survived this, to introduce Helia to my selected bands. I was slightly confused, to be honest. Helia had fifteen siblings – meaning sixteen kids in the Apollo cabin, which meant that every bunk was filled, but nobody was on the floor. The perfect number. But back to the point, it confused me that Helia was so ignorant when it came to music, as at least some of her siblings must have introduced her to t. They were children of the music god! I made another mental note to ask Helia about this.

The train finally rolled in at Taunton. We collected our things and Alfie woke up a still sleeping Sofia and Dean, in a very pleasant manner…

"Wake up, you idiots."

The six of us, dead legged, made our way out and an old friend of Sofia, Lucas and mine met us at the station. The sphinx from Tufford. The exact one, it had to have been.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked.

"She didn't stay vaporised long… unluckily for us." Lucas yelped.

"It's definitely the same one…" Sofia muttered.

We all instantly armed ourselves, as the sphinx hissed.

"Those weapons won't defend you, foolish half-bloods." The sphinx laughed manically. "I will have you lunch!"

The sphinx lunged towards a startled Sofia, who was pulled out the way by Alfie. They both tumbled to the floor. Dean and I took aim with our swords, while Helia cursed that she can't find an arrow, having must have used them up on the Fury. Lucas got out his reed pipes and began to play a song. After the song had been playing for a while, a high pitched noise rang the air, which the sphinx was evidently highly sensitive to. She roared in indignation.

Dean and I both spread apart, and went on each side of the lion, but she seemed to be onto us. She turned to me, and recognition passed through her eyes. With anger, she leapt at me. I rolled out of the way, only to find her running in my direction. I used my shield to block her attack, so she ran into the celestial bronze metal. This dazed her, which enabled Dean and I to both stab her whilst she was distracted. I hoped the double stab would mean she would stay gone.

The kill was quick, and that was a small relief, but I was highly confused.

"Chiron killed her at Tufford School… how is she back?"

"Monsters don't die." Alfie told me. "Their essence gets sent back to Tartarus. It could be a matter of days, or years, but they eventually come back."

"Isn't Tartarus that massive pit in the Underworld where the chopped up bits of Kronos are?" I asked.

"Yep, and also where monsters go."

"Well, nice to know they'll come back one day." Dean said sarcastically. "Sofia, are you okay? I was scared shitless when she attacked you."

Sofia looked like she was going to start crying.

"I did nothing, yet again." She said bitterly.

"Sofia, it's fine, we had it." Dean went over and comforted her.

"But I want to help! I hate this, I feel so useless."

"You're not useless, Sofia. You're great." Helia disagreed. "You can Charmspeak! That's like, the coolest thing ever."

"Not helpful in a fight though."

Sofia looked at me desperately, wanting me to understand, and I could see her anguish so plainly. I decided that the best course of action would be to change the subject completely.

"Come on, we need to get a move on." I announced, highly conscious of the mortals around the station looking at us suspiciously. I knew that the Mist would have made them see something different to what actually happened, yet I knew that it still couldn't have been good. One of them had got their phones out and taken a picture, and another was on the phone. Brilliant. I had a funny, horrible feeling that the police would soon be onto us.

"Yeah, Let's." Sofia agreed, a steely edge I'd never heard in her voice before. This worried me, more than the prospect of the one-hundred headed dragon we'd soon be facing.