I FOUND THE HORIZONTAL LINE THINGIE YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

DISCLAIMER: RICK MAY OWN PJATO AND HOO BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PUT LINES IN FFN DOCUMENTS, DOES HE?! Jk he could probably figure it out much faster than Nyx did.

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(Guest): Why, thank you :)

READ: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT COMPLETE. IT IS AN OVERDUE UPDATE AND IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

Before we shadow traveled into D.C., Hunter spent some time in Cabin 13 with Sis and I. We huddled on the icy floor and exchanged bandages, nectar, aloe.

The whispers of the dead had quieted. I could normally hear them here, if I chose to.

"Di Immortales," I muttered, using more than the recommended dollop of minty slop on Sis's face. "You are the color of a fire hydrant. Moon might pee on you."

Her grin stretched from ear to ear. "Yeah, but tonight, we're fighting in the dark. We can't lose this."

"We're not as likely to," Hunter corrected without looking up from the jewelry box.

We stared at her.

"Jason still might screw everything up," she added.

We laughed and double-checked our nectar canteens. Annabeth and Dr. Oswald always ensured we had a surplus.

Speaking of. While shuffling through the bags, I found our homework.

"We can ask Brook to do it again," Bree shrugged.

"She didn't like that," I said, confused.

"She's very bribable," Hunter snickered at the delicate engravings.

Fair enough. A knock sounded at the door, announcing her arrival. She had no trouble entering. Moon leapt down after her and skidded across the floor. Dawn sighed at her mentor's antics and strode in, flicking her tail to order the rest of the pack to wait.

Night, though, insisted on coming. Which got very awkward, because his apprentice Howl took one look at the doorframe and bolted.

Dawn shot out the door after her brother. Brook, Bree, and Moon followed. Night sighed heavily and loped along after them.

"We'll be the death of you."

I blinked at Hunter. "What?"

She looked up from the box. "What?"

"You…"

"Oh. That. Talking to myself," she muttered, and went back to her task, turning it over in her hands, ghosting her fingers across the wood.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." She stood and made her way to the bathroom, where she stood before the mirror with the door open and lights on. The box twisted every which way in her hands, and she examined the glass for each new angle. "Damnit."

"Determined?"

"I'm going to open this. It's important," she muttered. "I know it is."

While she focused, I made a decision. I pulled a bag of cookies smuggled from the dining hall out of my pocket and picked one out. Then I hid the bag. I got up to examine the box with her, and set it on the counter for when she finished.

A Ventus blew down the door.

I whirled, hand flashing for my sword, before the delusion cleared, and I saw Sis's wide purple eyes. "Woo! That wolf can run."

"Not as fast as me," Dawn preened as she pranced across the floor.

Sis bounced from foot to foot as Brook stepped in, shaking her curls aside. "Ugh. It's crowded out there, and yet no one thought to grab him before he got halfway to the woods. I thought these kids were smart."

"They are. When Percy's here for contrast," I explained.

"…Do you think Percy would have pulled us away from the Key?" she mused, fingering her arrows. Counting them.

I huffed. "Stop with that. It was going to happen eventually. That's what they do. Just do the favor to shut them up, and move on. That's the only way to deal with this."

"Stop acting like it's their fault," Hunter called from the mirror, where she was now brushing her hair. "Hermes sent us here for a reason. He's blessed this battle as thanks for the sword. This is our fight, not theirs… Ew, gross. Don't keep cookies in the bathroom. What kind of people can stand this injustice."

I pretended not to hear that. Bree glanced at me and bit her tongue.

A smile prodded at my face. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "Umbra's in the sword-fighting arena with Mrs. O'Leary. We just need to go get him and meet up with Annabeth…"

"Nico? You were the only one in here. You set this cookie on the counter, didn't you?"

Sis restrained whatever laugh was roiling behind her eyes. "…You going to help seal the rift?"

"Of course," I shrugged, double-checking my supplies as I put the aloe and bandages away. "Why not?"

"…Just… I think our nightmares-"

"Why would you set a cookie there? Like, yogurt, fine, whatever, that sucks. But a cookie?"

"We deal, as always," I sighed.

"Don't pretend I can't see you zoning out," she cautioned.

"And I was right there, how could… Nico? Were you trying to give me this cookie?"

We shied closer to the floor and I watched her, knowing from her tone that there was no convincing her otherwise.

"Was that your way of giving me food?" she asked again, looking rather bewildered.

I slowly nodded.

She put the cookie between her teeth and mumbled around it, sending grains of sugar raining down on us. "Is your counter clean?"

I nodded again. She careened it and probably half her hand down her throat.

"Hey!" a voice barked from the threshold. Every last one of us held our breath. "Ready?"

Annabeth was there, examining us. "Have you IMed Shay yet? What's their position?"

"El Paso," Hunter chirped, licking her lips. "They're as close as they can get to the Key without being noticed. No new rifts."

"Alright. Nico – how many are dead?"

"In D.C.? Mm…. 1572."

"Total, or 1572 more than usual?"

"Do you think I forgot to factor out all the noise I hear daily?"

"Whine all you want, podex. You guys are in Jason's battalion tonight. Let's get your dragon and move."

Hunter slipped the map to Nico, held it up in the correct orientation, and let him examine it with squinted eyes before passing it to me. City streets. Red marks here and there. The rifts.

A big one on the green before the capital building.

Umbra's head bobbed up and down.

"It's correct," I hissed, handing it back. Nico waved his agreement and peeked around the corner.

Ash suffocated the city like it was snow. Similarly, it has been swept from the streets, and left in barricades along the sidewalks. Lots of nice hiding places.

So long you covered your face with your shirt or something. The smell was so terrible, I could taste it even through the scent of death.

Beside me, Nico was taking measured breaths through an improvised washcloth mask.

Brook was yipping softly at her wolves, who huddled at our back.

Hunter was standing at the edge of the street, her caramel hair now grey and tickling my nose. We held our breath and glanced back and forth, and yet the city moved even less.

Footsteps began to pat themselves closer. The wolves muttered. Jason apologized as he waded through them.

"I swear to gods, if one more person starts screaming at one of us – look, whatever you got to say, you say it to me. Not them," Hunter said without taking her eyes off the street.

I didn't look at Jason, either, but I heard the rasp in his voice from the soot. "You guys got the map? Know the route."

"It's wrong. This street it blocked with debris. We passed it when we were here," she shrugged, and signaled me to hand over the map. I offered it and pointed to the point in question.

He muttered a curse. "Are you sure?"

"Well, unless the demons felt it was convenient to clear it…"

"Okay. Crud. I'll tell Annabeth. Sit tight."

As he padded away, Hunter glanced up at the skies. The sky was starless. Smoke overhead reflected the city's piss-yellow lights. No color purer shone. Perhaps there were still fires going somewhere.

Nico closed his eyes and breathed again. Recognizing that, I followed suit.

My tongue burned with starlight. My arms and legs encased a fuzzy tingling. Curious thoughts brushed against mine. Scared ones flitted away.

I opened my eyes and smiled. If the curve of his cheek could be trusted, then Nico was smirking.

Hunter stiffened. Nico's smirk vanished. A feeling of nausea rolled through me. My mouth tasted like rotting meat.

Brook yelped. "Guys?"

"It knows we're here," I gasped. The streets dimmed, and a red light began to seep from the ash.

The ghosts seared against my mind, and then vanished. We burned individually – that's what Tartarus liked. I could hear screeching from somewhere.

Nico's nails slammed down on my wrist. The city snapped back into pace – black, yellow streets, air so thick it might've been solid. The screeching was not imagined. There was a Ventus overhead, the blackest smudge rocketing down from the ash.

Nico jerked me back, out of Hunter's range. Anonymous streaked through the air an inch from my nose. The Ventus screeched and hammered its wings down on us before leaving. The wind launched more ash into the air.

I yanked Nico and I to a halt before we could stumble into the blanket on the sidewalk and make it worse.

Beside us, Brook hissed and coughed. We had to squint to see her, and her us. She didn't even try to string the bow.

Hunter scowled at the skies, but we could only see her silhouette. From overhead came the thunderous pounding of wings.

From beneath…

The smell of gasoline. Gangrene. Burnt rubber. I could feel my lungs shriveling into raisins.

"Pull it together!" Hunter's voice, unhindered by the soot. "First rift is two hundred yards south!"

Around me, through the smoke, the rippling shadows swam and launched themselves forward. Anonymous's glow lit only their eyes. As my feet ate the pavement alongside them, the smell of ash snapped back into place, and we found a familiar beat.

NEWER ANNOUNCEMENT: Inkitt's settings did not agree w/ FFN's, and it took me forever to realize this. I went back and edited all fifty-three chapters of Rebels, and though there's NOT MUCH TIME LEFT to compete, it should be visible shortly. ALSO: on Inkitt AND FFN, I've replaced the chapter "Massacre" with a newer version.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Another writing site online is hosting a fanfic competition, and we are proud to announce that Rebels has finally entered the running! Dead Can't Testify is also up for voting! We will not use any others to compete (we wouldn't enter a sequel unless it was a series competition), but these two will be open for voting through the twenty-first of October! Support us and head over to our new Inkitt page to vote now! Our username is Nic N Nyx, and the story's title - "Daughter of Darkness - Rebels" - is exactly the same as it is here. If you wish to submit your own work, hurry over and get it up! PM us your story so we can return the votes!

IN OTHER NEWS, I have a very good reason for hiatus, and it's not just school. Stalkerish and/or smart people can probably guess what it is. Thus, all of my MAP parts, updates, and even READING have been delayed for a short while.

This also means I have yet to read Magnus Chase. IF ANYONE SPOILS IT, WE SHALL UNLEASH THE UNHOLY WRATH OF THE WOUNDED GRAVITY FALLS AND MICHAEL GRANT BOOKS FANDOMS UPON YOU FOR THREE FORTNIGHTS AND THREE DAYS BEFORE HIDING THE BODY, AND WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE FOUND. Do not give me the opportunity to prove that. You know I can't resist a challenge.

That said, it is late, and I wish you all the best week you can have without us by your side! Stay strong. Speak German. Eat cake. Be happy. Review. Eat all the cake you wan't I won't judge.

-Nyx