Back in mine and Hazel's room, I was trying not to think. Of course being aro and ace didn't define me, it never would, but now I finally had time to let it sink in. And, well...

I couldn't fall in love. 'Getting it on,' as Thalia put it, was not an option for me when I got older. I could never get married or have kids or a family, and when I was younger I had promised myself I would have a family one day, and I would give them everything I couldn't have. And now I couldn't even have that. I knew this didn't define me, but it still made me bitter. Everything I had wanted for my future… suddenly, I couldn't have it. I would never be able to have it. What use was a daughter of Aphrodite when she was incapable of love? My mother's locket seemed colder lately, as if to possibly express her disapproval.

Did my mother not accept me because I couldn't love? I had never cared for my mother much, but the thought of losing another connection made me want to cry, which was something I did very rarely.

I mulled over this as I packed to leave.

I closed the bookbag the Hunters had gotten for me. They had somehow managed to acquire some fresh clothing and even gave us one of their tents. I had hung out with Georgie before bedtime last night, and she seemed genuinely concerned about my wellbeing. I assured her I was doing just fine.

"London!" Hazel called from the doorway. "We're going! You have to thank Emmie and Jo and pay your respects to the Hunters."

"Why do I have to pay my respects to Hannah?" I grumbled as I slung the bag over one shoulder and marched out the door, my wallet chains clinking against each other and Reaper swinging dangerously at my hip. I stopped in front of the door of the Waystation. Artemis, the Hunters, Emmie, Jo, and Georgie were waiting.

"Lady Artemis." Hazel knelt, inclining her head. Will and I did the same, but he made sure to keep his distance. He only knelt briefly and quickly left, seeing the murderous looks the Hunters were giving him.

"Thank you for your hospitality and your care." Will was telling Emmie and Jo. "Really, it means a lot."

"You're Apollo's kid, eh?" Jo clapped his back. "Not so much of a chip of the old block, I see. But it's really no problem. We're glad you enjoyed your stay. Try not to die on your quest, kiddos."

I was going to say bye to Georgie when Artemis grabbed my hand from behind.

"I wanted to tell you something. Not about you taking the Hunters' oath, but about a certain Brynn Maxwell. I believe you are familiar with her?"

I stiffened. Was she joking? I couldn't quite tell. She knew Brynn, Brynn 'leap before you look because only the good die young' Maxwell, the motto she lived by as I was growing up.

"How do you know her?" I asked harshly, trying and failing to keep the panic and spite out of my voice.

"Relax, daughter of Aphrodite. Brynn Maxwell was amongst the best of my Hunters, extremely skilled and devoted to her Oath. However…" The goddess shook her head. A silvery aura seemed to shroud her, and my mind was fogged with bitter pride. It was brief and hasty and vanished even before I had the chance to blink.

"There were some things she would have died for rather than live out the rest of her immortal years in safety amongst the Hunt. But, London Maxwell?"

Her eyes bore into mine, holding a gaze I couldn't break out of.

"I have a feeling she never would have regretted her choice."

I couldn't speak. How long had I known Brynn? Almost five years, and I hadn't noticed she never seemed to age, never grew, never got seriously ill or injured?

"Thank you for that, Lady Artemis." was all I could think of to say. She nodded and turned, walking away from me.

As I turned, a scene flashed before my eyes.

The front door creaked. Keith and I looked up from the kitchen table to be greeted with Brynn's mischievous grin.

"Hope you guys haven't been too bored while I was gone!" She set down her knapsack and kicked off her combat boots on the rug. Keith's expression hardened, while I cheered and wriggled out of my chair.

"Brynn! You're home! Where'd you go this time?"

"Went scaling Mount Everest with just my bare hands, that's what! No harness, no anything- and I made it all the way to the top." Her teeth flashed as she grinned.

"Were you scared?" I asked, eyes wide in awe. "Did you fall, even once?"

"Nah, not me! I lost my foothold once when I was near the very top and my friends were freaking out, but I held on tight and flipped upward and landed on a part of the mountain jutting out, just barely large enough for my foot to fit! You know, one day, I'ma take you climbing with me and my friends."

"Really? I don't think I'd be any good, Brynn." I responded doubtfully. She only let out a barking laugh and ruffled my hair.

"You kidding? You'd be the best out of all of us, London!" Brynn strode over to the kitchen table and collapsed into a chair, leaning back nonchalantly.

"What if I fell?" I asked carefully.

"Just remember to leap before you look because only the good die young!" Brynn's cocoa skin gleamed as she tilted her head back. "So as long as you grow up evil, you have nothing to worry about."

"That's horrible advice, Brynn." Keith said tightly, face contorting underneath the shadow of her baseball cap. "From someone who's supposed to be a role model and older sister."

"Only you would say so!" Brynn shot back carelessly.

"Listen, I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Fine. Shoot, then." Brynn picked at her finger with an air of indifference.

"In private." Keith's voice was becoming even tighter.

"We… are in private though."

Keith gave her a piercing look and realization dawned on Brynn's face. "You mean away from-"

Keith wasn't waiting for her to finish her sentence. She rocketed out of her chair so hard it tipped. Storming over to Brynn, she grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.

I was left standing there.

I scurried after them and pressed my ear against Keith''s closed bedroom door.

"What do you mean, no more trips?!" Brynn's shocked voice growled. "I have to go! I know what I signed up for! Maybe you didn't once Mom and Dad died, but I remembered who I was! Lady-"

"I departed with my honour!" Keith sounded exasperated. "But this isn't about me or you- it's about London! You and I both know what she's capable of."

Capable of? Why were they worried about me? My stomach coiled uncomfortably.

"She's getting older, she's going to have to learn who she is eventually! And she's stronger than any average one of our kind. It's going to attract them eventually- do you realize what's at risk if you keep going off galavanting and putting your life on the line for fun just because you can?"

"I'm practically immortal! I take the risk because Mom and Dad didn't and look where they wound up. I'm not going to die with the regrets they did, be it now or in a millennia!"

"Don't you dare use Mom and Dad's names like that, Brynn Maxwell. Don't you dare. They deserve better than that."

"Are you going to sit around and pretend that it wasn't their fault they're six feet under? Maybe if they had acted on their instincts they would still be alive. It was their own fatal flaws that got them killed-"

"And your fatal flaw is going to get you killed!" Keith hissed.

"Better deadly pride than being too careful!" Brynn shouted.

There was a guttural growl, a sharp crack, and a pained grunt.

"They died protecting you and I, Brynn!" Keith shrieked, her voice thick with tears. "Are you that quick to forget? Is it their fault they wanted their daughters to live to fight another day?"

"Do you remember what they put us through for that? We never stayed in the same place for more than one or two weeks, we could never make any friends because we'd always have to leave them, and the attacks, the attacks- how quick do you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten!"

"I think you have. You're trying to justify their ruining our childhood with their dying for us." Brynn said coldly. "They're not here anymore, Keith! We were able to live our lives! We were able to go and do what we pleased of our accord. We were able to have friends, and the only attacks we had to fend off were the ones we signed ourselves up for. And you left it all behind!"

"Weren't you the one who told me that Mom and Dad always said that it was going to be alright in the end? That even if it wasn't alright, it wasn't the end. Well, one day you're going to realize that even though it isn't alright and it is the end. It's been a long time since I've been on a battlefield, even held a sword. You're the only one who still knows what she's doing! You- your fatal flaw is no deadly pride! It's recklessness! You're a coward, a goddamn coward! You're going to get us all killed in the end because when we need you the most, you won't be there."

Brynn made a noise like she'd been kicked in the side. "You-"

"Go. Go with your friends and jump off a cliff with no harness just to see if you can. Go and face off a pride of starving lions to see if you can tire them. Go. Live your life. But as long as you're doing just that, you won't need to be a part of ours."

"Fine, then!" The fire was back in Brynn's voice. I had just enough time to dart back into the kitchen before I heard the door slam open and see Brynn and Keith march out. Brynn's nose was bleeding. Keith wasn't looking at her as she threw on her boots, grabbed her bag and, without even bothering to stop and say goodbye to me or tie her laces, she walked out.

And then I was at the door of the Waystation, shaking Jo's strong hand.

"Thanks again for your hospitality." I mumbled, stepping out into the cold air. My sword felt like it weighed a million pounds.

Will and Hazel thanked them once more and stepped outside with me. It was broad daylight.

"We need to find a shadow." Will said, chewing his lip.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" Hazel asked him pointedly.

"I do, but I'm prepared. Emmie and Jo gave me something that won't make me spontaneously combust if I take too much. Anyways, it's not even that much." He dug into the pocket of his cutoff shorts and pulled out a corked bottle the size of my middle finger and about three inches wide.

"Moonwater. I have to chug this immediately after the travel."

"Are you sure it'll work?" I eyed it cautiously.

Nobody answered. I sighed and decided to change the topic.

"It's 700 miles from Long Island Sound to Indianapolis. It's 1,614 miles from Long Island Sound to Texas in general. We have 914 miles left to go. Can you make it in one jump, Hazel?"

"Most likely, yes. But-" she added thoughtfully. "It would take more strength. I'm better rested than I have been in a while, actually, so the aftereffects wouldn't be so bad. We just need to be prepared. Emmie and Jo also were nice enough to give Will some more ambrosia and eight more ounces of nectar, and that on top of our previous stores? We're pretty well stocked."

"Where's the entrance? We need to get as close to there as possible." Will asked quickly.

"The Mill Pond Park. It's a huge tourist attraction. That's good and bad, because we could get blend in with the crowd but also literally because there are many people there." Hazel pursed her lips and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there." I decided, and stepped into the shadow of the Waystation.

Hazel took our hands and we plunged into darkness.

The shadows spat us out underneath the shade of a shrub. I tumbled a couple of feet along until I pulled myself up, coughed up a mouthful of dirt, and immediately pulled out my sword. Will was aware enough to uncork the bottle of moonwater and down it almost immediately. When he looked up, his skin was its usual tanned shade and his eyes were bright and inquisitive. There was almost no sign of ailment.

Okay, we were all fine. I gripped my sword tightly and slowly turned in a circle, holding out the weapon like a homing beacon. No monsters, as far as I could tell. That was good. We were in a deserted part of the park, which was even better.

I let out a breath that was building up in my lungs, and studied our surroundings. Hazel and Will were sprawled on the grass, brushing themselves off and gathering their scattered belongings.

I held out a hand to Hazel and she grasped it, pulling herself off the ground. Will did the same, clutching the pack that held his medical supplies and shotgun.

"Where to?" he asked, looking at Hazel.

"This is the Mill Pond Park- gods, what does dad have with parks?" she grumbled. A gold ambience seemed to envelope her. It felt disgruntled, scattered, and strangely terse. Hazel had seemed on edge the whole day, come to think of it.

Okay. This was just plain weird. First Georgie, then Will, Artemis, and now Hazel? Unlike the other times this had happened, it didn't disappear quickly. In fact, the ambience was thickening as the feeling was growing stronger. Will looked at me strangely.

"London? Are you okay? Good gods, if you pass out on me again I swear to- shit! Your eyes are turning purple."

"What?" I yelped, hands flying up to my eyes as if I could feel the colour by touch.

"It is too early for this paranormal bullshit…" Will groaned, scratching the back of his neck. "Hazel! What the hell is going on?"

"Will… her eyes aren't purple. They're amber, as usual." Hazel shook her head, cinnamon curls flying.

"But they were just purple! I know what I saw."

"Can we stop talking about my eyes? Please?" I asked wearily. Hazel's ambience had just begun to fade and my head was hurting. "We have to find the entrance to the Underworld."

"It's supposed to be at the waterfall." she pointed about fifty yards away. "It's not like the Door of Orpheus where you need to sing. It just needs a strong will. Dad wouldn't elaborate past that. The water is supposed to part and reveal a hidden entrance."

I was already sprinting towards it. "What kind of strong will does this need? Can I, like, punch a rock or something?"

"I already told you…" Hazel huffed. Her gold eyes were unsettled. "That my father didn't elaborate."

"Hazel?" Will asked tentatively. "You okay? You've been sort of… off… the whole day."

Hazel was silent for a good minute. Then she said quietly, "It's the Autumn Equinox. Nature doesn't like children of Hades/Pluto today. Nico and I have a pretty good relationship with Persephone, and Demeter doesn't hate us as much because we eat all the wheat stuff she gives us. But nature is still hostile towards us and today isn't much better."

Will's mouth formed a silent oh of understanding.

"Well, then, let's get this entrance open and get you out of the park." I declared, stepping up to the waterfall.

"Maybe we should wait." Will suggested. "Waiting would suggest a strong will because we're willing to wait in order to gain entrance."

So we waited. And waited. And waited some more.

"Maybe we should try harnessing our powers." Hazel said thoughtfully. "I could pull a stunt with the earth or Will could do something with the light."

As she spoke, she maneuvered her hands and a clod of dirt the size of a small boulder started forming. She thrust her hands forward and the dirt shot into the stream of water. Other than the temporary contamination of the liquid, nothing happened. Will bent some light and propelled it into the fall. Same results as before. I sliced the water with my sword, and other than some angry hissing as the water came into contact with the blade, we were still at square one.

I was beginning to get impatient. "We have to get into the Underworld. I didn't come all this way for nothing!" The locket felt like a chunk of ice against my chest.

I started forward, prepared to tear every muscle in my body digging my way into the Underworld when I heard a voice behind me.

"Did I hear you kids say you needed a way into the Underworld?" The voice was low and rough. I noticed Will and Hazel tense up noticeably out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around and lifted my sword, only to find myself facing a man who practically radiated anger.

Strange thing was, it didn't affect me.

"What's it to you?" I growled, trying to see his eyes through his black biker shades.

"A lot of things, kid." The man looked at me over the edge of his shades and for the first time I noticed the flames dancing in the lenses. "Haven't seen a more powerful band of demigods since I met Jackson and his friends in that restaurant back in '05."

I narrowed my eyes as I realized who he was. "Ares. What do you want?"

"The cards are in your favor if you play this right, kid. Be careful. I can tell you how to get into the Underworld. Now, I can tell you what you want to know, but you have to prove yourself worthy of it. One of you three has to fight a monster that I summon. That's the only way."

"What are your terms and conditions?" I asked carefully, not breaking eye contact

His lip curled, as if he didn't expect to be asked that question. "You're smart, demigod. Athena spawn, I presume?"

"Aphrodite, actually." I flashed him my most winning smile before reverting back to seriousness. "And now, the terms and conditions, if you may?"

"Term number one: I choose the monster." he said staring me down. "Term two: I choose which one of you fights it."

"But- but that's not fair!" Will sputtered. "We should at least be able to guarantee ourselves the best chance of success!"

"Nothing's fair in love and war, lightbulb." Ares said with distaste. "You demigods should know that out of anyone." He looked over us as if he was deciding which lamb to slaughter.

Something swelled in my chest and I stepped forward. "I'll fight your monster, I'll do it. Don't make them fight. This is my quest. My responsibility."

He let out a low, dry chuckle. "I admire your gumption, kid, but I have someone better in mind." His eyes scanned us once more before doubling back and resting on Will.

"You. Apollo's kid, no? Let's see just how good you are with a sword." he grinned and for the first time, I truly understood why people feared war. It didn't seem real until it was staring you in the face.

"Give me my gun." Will said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

I retrieved it from his bag and gingerly placed it in his hands. He cocked it and cursed. "Out of shells? I could have sworn we got some from Emmie and Jo…"

Ares caught my eye and the smug leer on his face told me all I need to know.

Silently, I handed Will my sword and tried to swallow the nervous lump in my throat. We watched as Ares snapped his finger and the ground broke open, spewing out a madly salivating hellhound. The lump in my throat solidified as I stared into its crazy eyes.

"Go away! GO AWAY!"

"Run! "RUN! Get back to camp, go, run, don't look back! You have to go!"

"What about you?!"

"Just GO! Get as far away from here as you can!"

"I may be mad at you for not telling me the truth, but I'm not leaving you behind! I'm NOT leaving you behind!"

It shook its head, spraying spit everywhere. It looked me in the eye and I knew that, somehow, it recognized me from that day in the woods three years ago.

Then, it charged.

Will yelped, tucking and rolling underneath its stomach and popped up behind it. While it was distracted, he hacked at its back ankle with my sword. The hellhound hissed and whirled around, snapping its jaws.

He feinted left, then right, then left again and managed to drive the blade into the monster's right front paw. He yanked it back out at a jagged angle and leapt several feet to the left as it pounced on the spot where he had been seconds before.

It had only been a few minutes, but he was still weak from shadow travel. Moonwater, ambrosia, and nectar could only do so much for a demigod, after all. And it was beginning to show. His neck was drenched in sweat and with the autumn sun beating down on us, his hair was plastered to his forehead and in his eyes.

The monster batted at the sword and it was propelled out of Will's hand. I watched, helpless, as it skittered into the waterfall.

Will scrambled after it, sparing a quick glance over his shoulder at the advancing monster. He must have heard the predatorial growl at the same time I did, because he turned around and made a quick motion with his hands. An orb of light shot at the hellhound's eyes. While it was distracted, he put his fingers to his lips and let out an awful supersonic whistle. I had only witnessed the use of it once or twice before.

The hellhound let out a harsh, piercing cry as it rolled on the floor in agony. Ares's leer turned into a snarl as Will dove for the sword and, with shaky hands, put the hellhound down.

"We did as you asked." he said fiercely, though I could see the pain in his eyes as he handed me back my weapon. "Tell us how to get into the Underworld."

"Ah, I think I might have forgotten to mention something." Ares flashed us a grin. "One of you kids has to fight me."

Instantly, I growled, "You didn't tell us that. I asked for the terms and conditions and you didn't tell me that after fighting the monster, we had to fight you. It's like you want our fucking quest to fail."

He scowled at me. "I would shut my trap if I were you, half-blood."

"This is my quest! My companions and the outcome of this quest are my responsibility, and I'm not taking any shit that might put those two factors in danger!"

"London. That's enough." Hazel's voice was strained and I knew she was trying to keep it together. "You don't want to anger the war god."

I took a deep breath, trembling all over. "Forget it. Let's just get this over with."

"You're Hades's daughter, aren't you?" Ares looked at Hazel with distaste. "As far as I know, you're not even supposed to be alive… Thanatos was supposed to take you back to the Underworld."

Hazel gritted her teeth. "I'm the daughter of Pluto. For someone related to Frank, you have a severe lacking in basic manners."

Ares's face was livid. "Step right up, Miss Levesque. It's time for you to stare into the eyes of certain death."

"Been there, done that, and survived it." Hazel deadpanned, brandishing her spatha.

Ares grunted and whipped out a hunting knife as long as my forearm and rushed at Hazel. She sidestepped and swiped at the air behind his back. He turned and sliced the spot where she had been standing a second before. Hazel was crouching on the ground, face contorted in concentration.

A wall of earth rose and flooded over Ares like a tsunami. He stood up, growling, and threw his knife up in the air. When it came down, Hazel scrambled but the war god grabbed it firmly by the blade and thrust the hilt into her side with a dull thud.

She stumbled, and instead of trying to detect his next move she tried to stop herself from falling. This proved to be a mistake, because Ares kicked her legs out from under her easily. She was dazed and in pain and was blindly stabbing the air with her spatha.

As I watched Ares hover over her collapsed frame, I realized in a rush that this wasn't a friendly sparring match, or at least as friendly as a match with the god of war could be. He was out for blood and was about to deliver the final blow.

I glanced at Will and saw that he was still recovering from his fight. In a split second I was in between Ares and Hazel, my blade against his, driving him back.

"This isn't your fight, kid." Ares hissed.

"It is when you try to kill my friends. Then it gets personal because by the gods, I didn't go on a quest to save one child of the Underworld and lose another." I hissed back.

With a burst of strength, I knocked his blade out of his hands and when he stumbled, I drove my blade into his upper thigh. He screamed as he fell and I pinned him down, my sword at his throat.

"How- dare- you. How dare you interfere in my quest and try to kill my friends all while dangling our only hope of success in front of us like the carrot in front of the donkey. I am no donkey, I am no idiot, and I will not be used for your entertainment. I am London Maxwell, daughter of Aphrodite, sister of Brynn and Keith Maxwell, trained by Nico di Angelo, son of Hades and I will not let some god walk all over me or my friends. Leave, or I will put my sword through your face and you can go back to Olympus and tell all the gods just how that happened."

I got off of him and held out my sword in front of me protectively. He got onto his feet and was silent for a long time. Finally, he chuckled lowly, slowly taking off his shades and meeting my eyes. His expression was calmer than you'd expect the face of defeated war to be.

"You look just like your mother." he said softly.

That caught me off guard. I didn't know how to respond, so I said carefully, "I guess I do carry her tenderness well."

"You both have the same eyes." he mused, examining me.

"Because we're both exhausted." I whispered, and wondered how it must tire the goddess of love to have to overlook so much heartbreak and hate in the world.

"And the hands."

"We share the same wilting fingers." It was one of the only things I had noticed I had in common with Aphrodite. The hands, regal as they seemed, were clad with invisible callouses.

"But the rage," he said with light concern, if it was even possible for the god of war to be concerned. War took and took and never gave. "Your mother doesn't wear that anger."

She does, I wanted to say. She's just better at masking it. Instead I said, "You're right. This rage is the one thing I get from my father."

I turned my back on him and went to Hazel. Will was kneeling by her, analyzing her injuries.

"Come on." I said. "Let's figure out how to get into the Underworld."

Will helped Hazel off the floor. "Okay."

"Half-bloods!" a voice behind us called.

I turned. "What do you want now, Ares?"

"Thank me later. Your entrance is already open. I shouldn't be telling you this, but, London Maxwell? It is necessary that you take a dip in the River Styx before proceeding with your mission. Absolutely imperative, as Athena would say."

I whirled around to check the waterfall. The water and stone were parted in a 5 by 5 opening into the ground below.

"Why? Is this a trick?" Hazel glared.

"It might ensure your survival. If you don't want to take my advice you're welcome to stay in the Underworld forever, London Maxwell. Normally, I don't think a dip in the Styx would be necessary for a warrior that could have been the outcome of war at its best, but you have to swim in Hades's river. You didn't hear it from me. No hard feelings?"

And with that, Ares vanished, leaving the three of us alone with the entrance to the Underworld.

I haven't updated this since November 3, and I am so, so sorry. I have no excuses but I'll try to make you understand anyway. I'm trying to keep my semester average above a 95, study for the SHSAT, not fail any tests, keep a tab on homework, and help care for my brothers while my parents are at work. It's a lot. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and Winter Break was the prime opportunity for me to catch up on sleep since September. With all that going on, a fanfiction is the least of one's worries.

I've been looking at Dolce Bambina and I realized that it's not going in the direction that I hoped. I'm taking a while to change past chapters while writing a new one, so please understand if you don't see much of me after this. Also you can expect one or two more chapters plus a one to two chapter epilogue for this story.

Okay. Other than that I've gotten into Voltron and can I just say Keith fucking Kogane man. This is my tenth fandom dammit. TENTH.

(Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Hunger Games, Divergent, Fantastic Beasts, Magnus Chase, and Trollhunters.)

Two Nicos. I cannot handle two Nicos. I will die of feels before I ever finish these fics.

Can I also just say KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE I'M SORRY I ONLY SAW KLANCE IN THAT FIRST EPISODE.

I'm only on the sixth episode but by the time I was halfway through the second I already adopted all five paladins. I have a problem, readers.

But anyway I'm digressing. Happy reading, all!