Danielle and the Hunters of Artemis

by The Golden Dragon Lord

First story I'm putting on this website. When Danielle Potter was thrown out of Potter Manor in favor of her 'boy-who-lived' brother, she meets a certain group of man hating Hunters who take her to America. Welcome to the world of the gods, young witch. Twin story, girl-who-lived, minor bashing of Dumbledore and Potters.

14. The Son of Neptune

Thought I died, huh? Nope! I'm back and I'm better than ever! Okay, bad news and neutral news for everyone. Bad news was that this chapter was ready a while ago and this site wouldn't let me post it until now. The neutral news is that for those who knew, I worked at Yellowstone last year, well, I'm here again for this year. Sorry, but I need to work as well as write.

By the way, the one who guessed that Chloe was based off of the story 'The Queen's Champion' was right. If you hadn't read it yet, DO IT! It's a great story that though it does have Annabeth bashing, the characters are awesome and the plot is great. I do highly recommend it.

Camp Half-Blood, June 9

"Leo! Turn off the engine already!"

Danielle and Annabeth coughed as smoke filled Bunker 9, the place they were building the Argo II. As far as Greek warships came, it was even bigger and deadlier than normal. Mounted balliste, armed cannons that fired Celestrial bronze cannon balls, a dragon head in the front, and Leo had managed to fit it so he controlled it with a Wii remote.

Not exactly something the Ancient Greeks would use.

Leo coughed as well as he cut off the engine so he could see what the problem was. The ship was huge, filling the entire hanger and capable of holding all of the seven easily, and more. Everyone would have their own room, along with a dining room, a large room for storage, a stable capable of holding at least two pegasi, and more. Leo had wanted to build a game room but there wasn't enough time.

"Stupid flight stabilizers," Leo muttered he opened the roof of the bunker to empty the room of smoke. "I worked on those for a month and they still don't work without a cooling system."

"I'll get the other Hephaestus campers on that," said Annabeth, thinking. "I'm sure that I might have a blueprint for that lying around. Or maybe that was Malcom." She trailed off, not sure which of her siblings came up with what.

"Leo, did you manage to incorporate the runes I showed you into the hull?" Danielle asked. The runes in question would strengthen the hull to withstand more firepower while keeping its relatively light weight. While not perfect, it was better than nothing and could be charged ahead of time.

Leo nodded. "Yeah. Will Solace is pretty good at art as well as archery and put on the runes. I don't suppose you could just use magic to make it fly?" He didn't sound too enthusiastic, he obviously preferred machines and science to magic, and in this case, she had to agree.

"Magic could make it fly, but it would be completely dependent on me or some Hecate kid to constantly power the charms and runes," she explained. "If it was something small, like a motorcycle, than it would be no problem, but this is a huge Greek war ship."

"Good point," Leo muttered. He started doing some thinking and went back to work on the engines, thinking to himself the entire way.

"So," said Annabeth to Danielle as Leo walked away. "Any idea of where Percy is Dani?"

Piper came up the nickname for her and it seemed that Thalia loved it enough to call her that all the time. She didn't mind, having a nickname was actually kind of nice.

"Only that he should either be at the Wolf House now or he just left," she shrugged. "Lady Diana told me that Lupa trains Roman demigods personally sometimes before sending them to the Roman camp. He won't remember much though Annie."

Annabeth nodded, thinking the same thing. "Hera left Jason with just enough memory that he knew his last name. Using that, he knew about Thalia." She growled. "What did she leave for Percy to know?" she said to herself. "What if he forgets about me?"

Danielle gave her a supporting smile. "Come on. Percy might be clueless most of the time but he isn't stupid enough to forget about you completely. Besides, its not like it would be his fault if he did."

"I know, damn Hera."

"Come on, none of that," Danielle said sternly. "Lady Hera has the plan this time and it's up to us to make sure it works. Greeks and Romans have to work together on this and if this is the only way to do it, than I'll help the seven as much as I can."

Annabeth nodded, still angry at a certain queen of the gods. "Fine. By the way, how did you get permission from lady Artemis to come here so often?"

"Told her I was helping with the building of the Argo II and I was needed to stop Leo from turning it into a love machine for picking up girls," she said with a straight face. Annabeth gaped at her before they both burst out laughing.

"Sad part," said Annabeth. "I can see him doing that."

True, Leo was so focused on the ship the last few months that he hadn't flirted with anyone since he came back on the quest, but one never knew the inner workings of the male mind.

"What's the outside like right now?" asked Annabeth, looking serious. "With Gaea rising."

Danielle scowled. "Not good. Monsters are coming back even faster than before. I killed a Cyclops the other day and it came back to try to kill me again about ten minutes later. For now, the Hunt is safest here at Camp, but lady Artemis is working on putting up a shield for us like the one here. It's going slowly but it's better than nothing."

Annabeth nodded and they both got to work on the ship again. Leo's tool belt and Danielle's magic came in handy in conjuring things needed to fix the engines and several other minor things around the ship. If all went to plan, the Argo II would by flying within the month.

She was too tired to apperate back to the Hunter's camp that night so she was forced to stay the night in the Artemis cabin. None of the campers found it strange as they had seen her and Thalia around a lot lately. She for working on the Argo II and the daughter of Zeus for visiting Jason.

Thalia was taking her role of sister seriously and was constantly watching him to make sure nothing happened to him. It was a good thing she approved of Piper or there would have been bloodshed.

The daughter of Aphrodite had gone from being the new girl to one of the most popular ones in camp since she arrived. Taking over as cabin leader after getting back from the quest, she personally thanked the magical Hunter for helping her dad. Tristan McLean didn't remember a thing after he was kidnapped, or even that was taken in the first place. His new personal assistant Mellie and life coach Gleeson Hedge were a god send according to him.

Jason himself was trying to learn how to be a Greek camper while piecing together his past. He remembered a lot but according to him, quite a few key points were missing from his life. He recalled several names, but not their godly parent or what sort of relationship he had had with them. He had no idea if Gwen, Dakota, Bobby, Hazel or Reyna were looking for him like Percy's friends were searching for him, but the odds of them finding him at Camp was slim to none at best.

Ever since she had come back, lady Artemis explained everything, as did lady Diana. Having gotten used to her Greek half, most of the Hunt had never met her Roman side. Diana was a stricter goddess and didn't let up or give mercy, but worked harder to make the Hunters work together as a team more than Artemis did.

It didn't take much to believe Diana was the goddess of an empire, the embodiment of the Hunt in a more militaristic fashion. Danielle wasn't the only one going to bed each night with new bruises as Diana trained them to focus their skills. Fight hard and learn to trust each other, or be left behind for the weak. That was the philosophy of Diana.

Danielle fell asleep on her bunk in the cabin as soon as she hit the pillow.

(Dream)

When she opened her eyes, she blinked. She really hoped she was dreaming now.

She was now standing on what looked to be a glacier. The weather was so cold, she could feel it through the dream. She sighed, she hated the cold, she REALLY hated the cold.

In front of her stood a ghastly version of a ruined city, built on the ice of the glacier. Looking closely, she realized that it had a Roman feel to it, the same kind of sensation she got from being around lady Diana. Shrugging, she made her way into the city.

There was no sign of life. The gates stood wide open. There were trenches that bristled with ice spikes. The snow-brick ramparts glared blindingly white. Hanging from the guard towers scattered around the high walls hung tattered banners made of frozen blue cloth that shimmered in the moonlight.

Swallowing, she went deeper into the city. She looked for traps and other things that she had been trained to look out for, but she saw nothing. Reaching a crossroads, in front of a snow-brick building, a tall, dark, imposing figure stood, bound in icy chains.

The figure's hood slipped off as he looked at her as she approached. She gulped. She had wanted to talk to him again about this whole 'Mistress of Death' thing but didn't think she would see him like this.

Thanatos looked the same as she remembered from the last time she had seen him. As always, he looked more like a minor love god than the spirit of peaceful death. His wings shimmered in different shades of blue, black, and purple. The god's wrists were shackled in icy manacles, with chains that ran straight into the glacier floor. His feet were bare, shackled around the ankles and also chained.

"Thanatos," Danielle whispered, almost afraid to break the silence of where she was.

"My herald," he said, his voice as deep and melodious as it had been previously. "Good to see you again and with my items.

"I understand that the deal I made with you was that you keep my items, and in return, you assist me and my lord Hades whenever we have a need for you."

Danielle nodded.

"As you can see," he continued. "I am in need of rescuing and it must be done by June 24."

"How were you captured?" she asked. "Hera was godnapped when Kihone led her into a trap. Were you-"

"I was overpowered," he spoke over her. "Without me to police the Doors of Death, the portal between the realm of Tartarus and the upper world, Gaea can allow any deceased mortal to the land of the living. She has used this already, to great affect. Midas was one such person."

"To fund her army," she nodded, now cursing that she had been stupid enough to not kill the gold maker when she had the chance.

Thanatos nodded. "The Doors of Death being opened also allows monsters to come back from Tartarus almost instantaneously. Without me, you have no chance of winning this war."

"Tell me where you are and I'll help," said Danielle, figuring that saving him would put a wrench in Gaea's plans. She shook her head, she had been spending too much time with Leo.

"It is not that simple," said Thanatos. "Only the fire of life can break these chains of ice." He shook the chains slightly that bound his arms and legs. "There is only one demigod that has the power to free me and you must join the quest he will form to save me."

"And that is?"

"I am not allowed to tell you as much as I would like, but I can tell you to go to Seattle. Find the Amazon building. That is as much as I can tell you without violating the Ancient Laws. And you must travel to Seattle alone."

"The Amazon building?" she frowned. "What would I find there?"

"That is as much as I can tell you," Thanatos insisted. "You will know when the right time to leave will be. Find the one who can free me, and we will talk about my items."

Danielle didn't like it but it wasn't like she could disagree with a god. If she could, she would demand from him to know how these stupid things worked and what powers she had with them but figured he would ignore her.

Finally, she nodded with a mental sigh. Looks like she would have to adlib for a while longer.

"Our time grows short," said the god. "Free me by the 24 of June. Make your way to Seattle. That is all I can say."

She watched as the various buildings and walls around her started to vanish. The last thing she saw before waking were the god's golden eyes staring at her.

Camp Half-Blood

"It is unwise to leave at this time," Chiron told her the next morning. Danielle didn't really care what he had to say though, The aged centaur may be the trainer of heroes, but he didn't have any supreme authority over her. "With Gaea rising, and the monsters coming back faster than ever, it would be for the best to bring back up, at the very least."

Danielle nodded, having thought of that too. "I wish. Thanatos told me to go alone, and that is what I'm doing. Now, are you going to allow me to leave, or do I have to run away and go anyway?"

Chiron sighed and gestured for her to go. "I trust you have talked to lady Artemis about this. What she can expect about this solo quest of yours."

Danielle frowned this time. "I talked to lady Diana, not Artemis. I'm not sure what she will remember when she goes back and forth like that but I told Thalia when I saw her at breakfast anyway."

She was currently strapping the last of her supplies to Arcus. The hippogriff was not happy that it was her and not Thalia riding him but had consented to take her to Seattle at least.

Chiron was not happy about letting her go but figured that he was powerless to stop her if she was this determined.

"Going to go, huh?"

Danielle and Chiron turned to see Annabeth at the doorway, looking wistfully at the hippogriff. The blonde clearly wanted to leave camp as well but she was needed with Leo to make sure that the kid of Hephaestus didn't do anything too weird with the Argo II.

"Thanatos needs my help," said Danielle, making sure she had everything. "Sorry Annabeth but I need to go alone."

The daughter of Athena didn't like it as much as Chiron hadn't but she didn't try to stop her. "Just…if you find Percy-"

"I'll kick his ass if he forgot you," Danielle finished, now smirking. Annabeth shook her head and laughed a little, needing it after everything. "But seriously, I doubt he forgot about you. Even he's not that stupid."

"Just find him," Annabeth said, sounding a little desperate. "Even if you don't meet up with him on the quest. Find him at that Roman camp and knock some sense into him. Okay?"

"Done and done. Now, clear the runway. Arcus and I have a meeting to get to in Seattle."

Both the daughter of Athena and Chiron moved out of the way as Danielle jumped onto Arcus's back. The hippogriff was eager to fly as well and ran out of the stables, wings beating, and jumped into the sky. Danielle just had time to look back at the camp before it was already almost gone behind her.

Looking forward, she focused on getting to her goal. According to her math, even if Arcus flew all day and all night at his top speed, it would still take a few days to get from New York to the west coast. Too bad the pegasi were being used on other missions or this would only take a few hours. Arcus was more magical than most of his bretheren, a side effect of living with godly pegasi since he found Camp Half-Blood months ago, but he was still nowhere near as fast or as strong as they were.

As they flew, Danielle had to wonder if Hera's plan could work. The plan was somewhat simple and complicated at the same time. Exchange the two leaders from the two camps, one Greek and one Roman, have them gain the trust of the other camp, and somehow work to make sure they don't kill each other when they meet together to face Gaea. Greeks and Romans alone could not do it; they needed to combine forces to face the earth mother.

On the surface, it was a great idea. Demigods uniting to stop an evil force before everything went to Tartarus and a hand basket. After all, they were all children of the gods, just different aspects of their godly parents.

The reality, of course, was far different. Ever since ancient times, the fall of Troy for example, the Greek and Romans were constantly arguing and going to war with each other. The Greeks always had the east, the Romans the west, but fighting still broke out all the time.

The biggest war between Greek and Roman demigods had been during the American Civil War, however. It had been a bloodbath. Horrible injuries on both sides. The whole thing was just as much east versus west as it had been north against south.

According to both lady Diana and Chiron, the gods had influenced the Mist to make sure the two groups were separated for good. Both sides forgot about the other. They wouldn't run into each other on quests. It would be like the other side didn't exist for the other.

Of course, both sides still worked together, just indirectly. While the Greeks were protecting Manhattan against Kronos, Jason admitted that he led the battle against Mount Orthys and he personally destroyed the throne of Saturn. Doing so allowed Luke the power to overpower Kronos and for Percy to give him the choice to finish the prophecy.

From what little Jason could remember of the Roman camp, it was more militaristic than Camp Half-Blood. If the Greek camp was like a regular summer camp, the Roman counterpart was like a military school. Something that only Clarisse and her fellow Ares campers fully accepted and could understand.

At least the Hunters didn't really care about the whole 'Greek vs. Roman' debate. Lady Artemis/Diana allowed anyone to join but hadn't had a Roman Hunter for a long time. Most Romans were happy with their lives and most didn't have a reason to join the Hunt. Phoebe had to admit that she had known about the Romans but she had been forced to swear by the River Styx that she would never reveal anything unless the person in question had already figured it out.

Really made her wonder what Zoe had thought of the whole thing. She had personally seen the rise and fall of the Roman Empire after all.

By the time Danielle and Arcus had landed for the night, they were only in South Dakota. They had a long flight ahead of them.

XXXXX

June 14

Four days. That was how long it had taken for her to get from one end of the country to the other on the back of a hippogriff. It would have taken three or even two if SOMEONE had told her that Arcus would refuse to go anywhere without a regular donut break.

Apparently, a particular black Pegasus that belonged to Percy named Blackjack had told Arcus about the pastry in question and he wanted some before he would go anywhere.

It had taken Danielle hours to figure out what Arcus had wanted as she didn't speak eagle/horse hybrid and another hour to go to a store for a box and back again. The stupid, stupid magical creature wanted a jelly filled one, apparently.

But no. Arcus had wanted a box A DAY! That was what had taken so long as the blasted hippogriff refused to land anywhere near a store that sold those stupid donuts, forcing her to hike through woods and monsters to get them and then back.

She was going to kill Thalia for saving Arcus in the first place. She was going to kill Percy for saving Blackjack from Luke. She was going to kill the person who created the idiotic pastries in the first place!

If only she knew where Seattle was, she could have apperated there. Sadly, she had never been there before so she couldn't just vanish and reappear where she wanted to go in this case.

Arcus had flown off almost the moment they had arrived in the center of town, winging his way back to New York or perhaps where the Hunt was now situated. 'Oh, who needs you, stupid chicken.'

As usual for Seattle, it was raining. She was forced to put a water repelling charm on herself to keep her dry as she searched for this Amazon building that Thanatos told her about. Wishing that she could simply look up the information, she had no idea where the local library was so she had no internet access and payphones were a thing of the past so there were no phonebooks she could look up the information.

Forced to look around on foot, she figured that searching downtown would be a good place for the information needed. If nothing else, she could perhaps ask the locals for directions. Turning herself invisible, she lifted off the ground and flew downtown, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that could help.

From the air, she could see a nearby wharf with a few boats tied in the slightly stormy water and the top of the space needle at a distance.

A few hours of fruitless searching and some very vague answers from locals later, she headed south of downtown, into a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings. She was now sure she was on the right track. Looking around, she was almost positive that she was being watched.

Turning a corner, she found a building with the Amazon logo on it. Having a feeling of what was going to happen, she walked into the building.

The lobby was like an empty fish tank; glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with medium length black hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said Alaina. Her smile was friendly enough, but her eyes reminded Danielle of an auror's. They always seemed to look through a person, wondering who was going to attack them next.

Yeah, she had never wanted to be an auror growing up.

Alania smiled slightly at the sight of her. "May I help you?"

"I think so," said Danielle, wondering if this was what she thought it was. "I'm looking for Amazons." It actually was pretty clever. Hide a race of female warriors in plain sight for all to see.

Alaina glanced at Danielle's knives in sheathes on her belt and the almost invisible wand holster strapped to her arm.

"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Do you have an appointment with someone or-"

"I'm looking for female warriors," Danielle said, looking straight into the women's eyes.

Before Danielle could say or do anything else, Alaina pulled a sword out of nowhere and held it under her chin, preventing the Hunter from saying anything more. A dozen other girls dressed in black flooded up the staircase, swords in hand, and surrounded her.

Alaina glared at her, which to her credit, did not make her flinch even with a sword at her throat. "Trespassing on our territory is punishable by death, Hunter. You're going to meet with Queen Hylla. She'll be the one to decide your fate."

After that lovely and probably melodramatic announcement, she was ordered to turn over all of her weapons. One of the Amazons held out a large plastic bin that airport security uses for travelers to place their metal objects in and she was forced to give them her knives, both of her wands, her bow and quiver, another knife hidden in her boot, and even her invisibility cloak. After that, she was marched down so many flights of stairs, she lost count of how many.

Finally, they emerged in a cavern so large it could have accommodated the whole of Hogwarts within it, as well as the grounds and Quidditch stadium. Stark fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling. Conveyor belts wound around the room like waterslides, carrying boxes in every direction. Aisles of metal shelves seemed to stretch on forever, stacked high with crates of merchandise. Cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments, and taking things on and off the belts. Some of the shelves were so high, they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theater scaffolding.

Danielle had to admit, she was impressed at seeing how well the Amazons were doing, and it looked like all the work was being done by computers and robots. The only humans she could see were some black-suited security women patrolling the catwalks and some men in orange jumpsuits, like prison uniforms, driving forklifts through the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes. The men wore iron collars around their necks.

"Hmm," Danielle hummed. "Didn't know Amazons still kept slaves." Really, Hermione would have had a heart attack if she ever saw this.

"The men?" Alaina snorted. "They're not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move."

And people said that the Hunt was hard on men. Hah! If someone said that to her now, she was just going to laugh in their face before giving them directions to this place.

They walked to the other end of the warehouse, which was a really long walk, when Alaina opened a large set of double doors and led them into another cavern, just as large as the first.

"How big is this place?" Danielle wondered out loud. She could deal with the huge distances, but this seemed too much for anyone.

Alaina smiled smugly. "You admire our base of operations? Yes, our distribution system is worldwide. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, finally, we are turning a profit. Soon, we'll be richer than any mortal nation. Then, when the weak mortals depend on us for everything, the revolution will begin!"

That particular line almost made Danielle laugh at how cheesy it was but she refrained. It wouldn't have gone over well. The company Amazon was large and shipped things online all over the world, but she had a hard time believing that everyone all over the world would require Amazon for everything in their lives.

They crossed a lane of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts, and ducked under a row of robotic arms that were packing up boxes.

Most of the merchandise looked pretty ordinary: books, electronics, baby diapers. But against one wall sat a war chariot with a big bar code on the side. Hanging from the yoke was a sign that read: ONLY ONE LEFT IN STOCK. ORDER SOON! (MORE ON THE WAY).

Finally, they entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination of a loading zone and a throne room. The walls were lined with metal shelves six stories high, decorated with war banners, painted shields, and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions, and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war. An iron-collared male drove each machine, but an Amazon warrior stood on a platform in back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades.

The shelves in this room were stacked with cages containing live animals. Danielle blinked at seeing black mastiffs, giant eagles, a lion/eagle hybrid that must have been a gryphon, and a red ant the size of a compact car.

She watched as a forklift zipped into the room, picked up a cage with a Pegasus, and sped off while the horse whinnied in protest.

"You can buy a Pegasus online?" Danielle asked. She didn't know if she should be amused or horrified.

Alania shrugged. "We have followers all over the world. They need supplies. This way."

At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers, and a throne made of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women.

Sitting on the throne, tapping and reading from a tablet computer, was a young woman that Danielle guessed was this Queen Hylla.

Hylla was in her twenties, lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown but around her waist was a strange belt made of interlocking gold links, like the pattern of a labyrinth. Her hair was a dark black that went with her dark eyes and she had a hard expression, like she was trying to decide which of the Amazons before her deserved death.

Before anyone could say anything to get Hylla's attention, a large crash distracted everyone. Turning, Danielle saw that the commotion came from a tan roan stallion with a black mane. The horse was slamming against the cage door, the metal bars shuddered and the guards retreated nervously.

"That's Arion," said Alaina to her. "He's a royal treasure of the Amazons; to be claimed only by our most courageous warrior, if you believe the prophecy."

Before Danielle could say anything, Hylla looked up, as if finally sensing that she wasn't alone anymore, and stood up as regally as she could, dropping the tablet computer on the throne.

Alania moved Danielle forward. "My queen, this Hunter was asking for Amazons. We brought her to you to decide what her fate may be."

Hylla moved her attention to the red haired Hunter but Danielle stood straight and didn't flinch under her dark gaze. It seemed that she passed some sort of test as Hylla nodded once.

"Why are you here?"

Danielle took in a deep breath and explained the situation as best as she could. She told her who she was and all of her titles, that Gaea was rising again and had captured Thanatos. How she was Mistress of Death and that the god had told her to come to the Amazon building to find the demigod who could use the 'flames of life' who was coming soon, whatever that meant.

Hylla listened without comment during the whole explanation but didn't react at all, which she wasn't sure if it was a good sign or a bad one.

"You wish to stay here while you wait for whatever quest is on their way." Hylla summed up. "You then plan to join them and aid them in saving Thanatos so he may police the Doors of Death once more." She sighed and contemplated the situation for a moment. "You may stay." Danielle was surprised but Hylla wasn't done yet. "However, you must pull your weight while you are here. I do not allow people to stay here for free."

Danielle nodded. "Of course, queen Hylla. Wherever you could use me, is fine by me."

Hylla's smile turned feral. "Really? I take it that as a Hunter, you are skilled in combat." Danielle nodded with a gulp. "We have an arena that all may use during their break times. That is your job. Maintain the arena area and spar with whoever requests for it."

"My queen," said one of the guards.

"It is my hope, Jen, that our new guest could teach us some new tricks," said Hylla, glaring at the one who had spoken. "We have used the same moves and techniques for centuries, but I think a new fighter will aid our warriors in the long run."

'Oh great,' thought Danielle. 'I get to be their personal punching bag.'

"Show her to her new room and give her back any weapons you took from her," said Hylla, turning back to her computer. "Just so you know, Hunter, use any weapon on an Amazon warrior outside of a sparing session or to escape, and you will suffer."

Danielle nodded once, not wanting to admit that Hylla did intimidate her. It wasn't hard to believe that she was a queen or why.

She started to hope that the questers wouldn't take too long to get to Seattle.

June 21

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

Danielle had been here at the Amazon base for a week and was already wishing for daylight. The only three places she had been to for the entire time she had been here were the room she had been given, the arena, and Hylla's throne room. Her new jobs included cleaning the arena of various broken weapons, empty drink cups, and a blood stain here and there. Every day she was forced to either sharpen weapons, clean the arena, or spar. Endlessly spar with every Amazonian warrior that was even slightly bored with their time off.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. She was now glad of the training she got from lady Diana as she had gotten used to running on empty and sporting small injuries. If lady Artemis was her mother figure, lady Diana was her step-mother from Tartarus.

She was practically limping back to her room where she could get a hot shower and some food when she heard someone talking about Hylla, and not in positive ways either in some board room she was passing.

"I'm telling you, Hylla is as good as dead. You sure that Gaea will give us what she promised?"

"Of course," another voice almost purred. "My dears. It is simple. We overthrow Hylla and unite our forces with the giant Polybotes. Gaea will reward us handsomely for the destruction of Camp Jupiter and New Rome."

"I don't know Otrera-"

"That is QUEEN Otrera to you!"

"Yes, of course. My apologies Queen Otrera. It is just that you must defeat Hylla in battle and since you just came back yesterday…"

"My physical condition is as good as it ever was," the woman who called herself Otrera said. "Now then, we must plan for…wait. What is the Hunter doing right outside the door?"

Uh oh.

Danielle was about to run as fast she could when the door banged open revealing what looked to be half of Hylla's personal guard with an older silver haired woman she had never seen before. She was quickly pinned against the wall and completely outnumbered in seconds. That, and she wasn't exactly in peak condition at the moment.

"Hmm," The older woman smirked as she studied her, her hand around Danielle's throat. "What shall I do with you?"

"It's just the Hunter," said one of the girls. "She doesn't mean anything."

"You say that now," said Otrera. "Then you find yourself with a blade in your ribcage. You, Hunter, will not say anything you have just heard or we will kill you. Understand?"

Danielle glared at her but couldn't deny they had the advantage at the moment. She had been run ragged from fighting all day against random Amazons and her energy and magic were on zero. She was running on fumes at this point.

"I don't think lady Hera would approve of this very much," Danielle managed to say from around the hand wrapped around her throat. "She is your matron goddess, after all."

Otrera smirked at her again. "Queen Hera doesn't care what we do as long as we don't attack her directly. She cares nothing for us, even if she is our matron. It is time for a new queen, and that is Gaea."

Danielle was thinking quickly with what limited oxygen she had left in her lungs. She rose her hand, palm up, and summoned the peacock feather Hera had given her months ago. The moment it appeared, most of the Amazons backed away as if burned. Even Otrera looked uneasy as she dropped the Hunter to the floor.

"What is that?"

Danielle panted slightly for more air but smiled. "What do you think? A feather from one of lady Hera's sacred birds. It would appear that she favors me over you at the moment. Who knows? Would she come to save me if I asked? Do you really want to find out?"

She had to admit, she secretly enjoyed watching the traitors to Hylla's throne back away, worried about what would happen if Hera did show up. Looking at Otrera, she focused on her with her Death powers and saw that she was indeed brought back from Hades. Another soul that Gaea saw fit to release from the underworld. The wannabe queen was screaming the fact that she was alive and yet not alive at the same time.

Otrera snarled at her and brought out a knife. She turned to face her guards but none of them looked too eager to help her. "Fine. Bunch of cowards." She turned to the red headed Hunter. "I'll kill you myself."

"If I had a drachma for every time I've heard that," Danielle muttered. She was forced to jump backward as the supposed to be dead wannabe queen slashed at her. Tired from everything else she had been forced to do that day, she couldn't prevent Otrera from pouncing on top of her so they were now wrestling on the floor.

"I will see you dead, child," the older woman hissed as she tried to stab her. "I cannot die for long. Even if you kill me, I will back tomorrow and every day as long as Gaea controls the Doors of Death."

'Let's hope this works,' Danielle thought. Just as the knife was getting closer to her face, she flicked her wrist that was connected to the wand holster on her arm, thinking of the spell she wanted. Her wand came shooting into her hand and instantly ignited with her sword, going right through the woman on top of her so it extended out the other side of her body.

Otrera instantly stiffened before going limp, her knife hitting the floor next to Danielle's face. Letting out a breath of relief that she wasn't in danger at the moment, she deactivated her sword and put her wand away, just in time to watch the woman who had tried to kill her a moment ago turn into the same golden dust a monster does when they were killed.

Looking up, she saw that Otrera's followers were gone, likely they had left the moment their leader had died. Grimacing at her lack of energy at the moment, she still had to alert Queen Hylla of what had just happened and she didn't have the magic to spare for a messenger patronus.

Sighing, she managed to stagger to her feet and sway as she stood up too fast. Lighting her sword took too much energy from her that was on short supply before the fight even started.

Taking a breather for a moment, she did remember the way to Hylla's throne room at least and made her way there. Slowly.

To say that Hylla angry was an understatement in the extreme. She wasn't angry at Danielle, no, she was furious at her own guards siding with a former queen of the Amazons over her! Otrera had apparently shown up the previous day with a request to see how her old people had faired ever since she had died a few thousand years ago. She didn't explain how she had come back from the dead, just that Hylla should allow her temporary sanctuary from one former queen to the current one.

Needless to say, Hylla hadn't liked that.

Otrera had been a daughter of Ares and the very first queen of the Amazons, and now it seemed that there were multiple traitors in Hylla's ranks more eager to serve an undead spirit than her.

Hylla had still thanked Danielle for the warning and prolonging Otrera from gaining more followers and had given her a coupon for ten percent off on her next Amazon purchase. Danielle had taken the coupon with a smile but secretly promising herself to use it as kindling at the first opportunity.

June 22

Danielle was now standing in Hylla's throne room, not sure how she had gotten here. Apparently, the queen of the Amazons was now working on removing all of her guards that would side with Otrera over her if the older queen took over. Going through all of the people she could trust, Hylla had chosen to include her for some reason.

True, the Hunter had defeated Otrera the previous day and brought the issue to her as soon as she could, but she didn't know if that warranted this amount of trust already.

Hylla and Danielle were going over several reports, with the Hunter actually getting an in depth look on how big Amazon really was, when the door to the throne room opened revealing a half dozen warriors. Danielle frowned, most of them had been with Otrera in that board room.

"Queen Hylla," said one of them, stepping forward. "We the council have decided that the Amazons should move in a different direction than what you are planning."

Hylla stood up, glaring at the one who had spoken. She was wearing the same jumpsuit she had a week previous and it was extremely intimidating. "And what has the council decided?" she asked, her expression darkening. "Need I remind you, that I am queen?"

"Not for much longer," an Amazon muttered.

"We the council just think that the winds of change blow in the direction of Gaea," the first girl said. "She has promised much and has already delivered some of her promises in the form of our first queen."

"A person who tried to kill my guest," Hylla said, her tone cold. She and Danielle were standing at the base of the steps of the throne, looking down at the council. "Gaea will lead us to ruin, not glory. I refuse to ally ourselves with her."

"Gaea will rule all," the girl said, her face turning red. "The Olympians are weakening. The gods will fall. Our only hope for survival is to side with Gaea and the giants. Already, they plan on attacking Camp Jupiter and the Romans will not survive with that size of an army. This is the most logical solution!"

"This 'logical solution' you are referring to will lead us all to death!" Hylla yelled at them. "Gaea and the giants lost to the gods once before, they will defeat those monsters again."

Danielle was watching both sides like they were on opposing sides of a tennis match. Neither the council woman nor Hylla were giving an inch. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the door to the throne room open and more Amazons appeared, staying at a respectful distance until this meeting was over.

"Once the giants have taken over New Rome, they will take over!" Another one of the council women said. "The Doors of Death are opened! We ally ourselves with Gaea, and no longer will Amazons perish in battle. The earth goddess will bring back any and all of our sister warriors who fall in combat. She has done this with queen Otrera, and she will do the same with us all!"

"Otrera is not fully alive, however," Danielle spoke for the first time this meeting started. "She might be out of Hades, but her life force depends on Gaea's will. Side with her, and all Amazons she bring back to life will be indebted to her, whether they want to be or not."

"I refuse to work with the earth mother," said Hylla, forcefully. "We are proud warriors, we will not bow down and depend on a goddess for our lives. She is not helping us, she is forcing us to choose between servitude and death!"

"Servitude to a goddess who aids us, unlike the Olympians!" the first council woman almost shouted. "Once we are powerful enough to overtake the mortal world, Gaea has promised us aid. Soldiers, weapons, anything we desire, Gaea will provide for us for our great revolution!"

"You are a fool if you believe Gaea will follow through with her promises," Hylla said, eyes narrowing. She then noticed the approaching Amazons who had entered earlier for the first time and realized that they had prisoners. "Enough!"

The arguing Amazons shut up immediately. Hylla waved them aside and beckoned an Amazon who had introduced herself as Kinzie forward.

Kinzie shoved their three prisoners forward, much like Danielle had when she first got here. The three prisoners were two boys and a girl that all looked to be about fourteen to sixteen. The girl had mocha colored skin, dark brown and gold flecked hair, and seemed to be about fourteen.

The guy on the girl's right, Danielle couldn't get a read on him at all. He was Asian, possibly Chinese though she honestly had no idea and was just guessing. He had a baby like face, that didn't go with the military haircut or his huge frame. He looked like a toddler who'd taken steroids and joined the Marines.

The other boy, though, Danielle had seen multiple times. There was no mistaking that black hair, sea green eyes, and physique that looked like a distance swimmer's.

"Percy!"

Hylla growled lowly in her throat suddenly. "Jackson!" She glared at Percy with murderous rage.

Percy Jackson, son of Posiedon, muttered something in Ancient Greek when he saw Hylla that probably wasn't for polite company.

"Clipboard," he said. "Spa. Pirates."

The other two demigods that came with him were confused but Danielle had heard the story before. Annabeth was quite vocal about her and Percy's adventures every now and then. Hylla nodded to him, stepping down from the dais of best sellers and drew a dagger from her belt.

"You were incredibly foolish to come here," the queen of the Amazons said. "You destroyed my home. You made my sister and me exiles and prisoners."

"Percy," the guy who had come with them said. "What's the scary woman with the dagger talking about?"

"Circe's island," said Percy. "I just remembered. The gorgon's blood, maybe it's starting to heal my mind. The Sea of Monsters. Hylla…she welcomed us at the docks, took us to see her boss. Hylla worked for the sorceress."

Hylla bared her teeth. "Are you telling me you've had amnesia? You know, I might actually believe you. Why else would you be stupid enough to come here?" She turned to Danielle. "I take it these are the demigods you are waiting for?"

Danielle nodded, worried that Hylla's anger would be directed toward her.

"We've come in peace," the girl in Percy's group insisted. "What did Percy do?"

"Peace?" Hylla raised her eyebrows at her. "What did he do? This male destroyed Circe's school of magic!"

"Circe turned me into a guinea pig!" Percy protested.

"No excuses!" Hylla said. "Circe was a wise and generous employer. I had room and board, a good health plan, dental, pet leopards, free potions, everything! And this demigod with his friend, the blonde-"

"Annabeth." Percy tapped his forehead like he wanted the memories to come back. "That's right. I was there with Annabeth."

"You released our captives, Blackbeard and his pirates." Hylla turned to the girl. "Have you ever been kidnapped by pirates? It isn't fun. They burned our spa to the ground. My sister and I were their prisoners for months. Fortunately, we were daughters of Bellona. We learned to fight quickly. If we hadn't…" She shuddered. "Well, the pirates learned to respect us. Eventually we made our way to California where we…" She hesitated as if the memory was painful. "Where my sister and I parted ways."

She stepped toward Percy until they were nose-to-nose. She ran her dagger under his chin. "Of course, I survived and prospered. I have risen to be queen of the Amazons. So perhaps I should thank you."

"You're welcome," said Percy, too late to see Danielle shaking her head frantically behind Hylla's back.

The queen dug her knife in a little deeper. "Never mind. I think I'll kill you."

"Queen Hylla," said Danielle, not able to keep quiet any longer. "Percy is on a quest to rescue Thanatos, just like I told you earlier, right?" she asked Percy, wishing him to tell her yes.

Percy nodded as much as he could with a knife at his throat.

"Reyna sent us!" said the girl. "Your sister! Look at the ring on his necklace."

Hylla frowned. She lowered her knife to Percy's necklace until the point rested on a silver ring hanging there. The color drained from her face.

"Explain this," she glared at the girl. "Quickly."

The poor girl tried. "We came from Camp Jupiter where Reyna is praetor. We are on a quest to rescue Thanatos in Alaska so he can close the Doors of Death. On the way here, we ran into a huge army of Gaea's led by the giant Polybotes. Reyna gave us the ring to give to you so you could hopefully come to help us."

As she talked, another group of Amazons entered the throne room. Danielle looked at them and noticed the silver hair of Otrera. She hadn't stayed dead long, just like she had promised. Hylla noticed her as well and they both stared daggers at each other.

"So we need your help, Reyna needs your help."

Hylla gripped Percy's necklace by the leather cord and yanked it off his neck; Camp Half-Blood beads, ring, a Roman style tablet and all. "Reyna…you foolish girl."

"Well," said Otrera interrupted. "Romans need our help?" She laughed and the Amazons around her joined in. "How many times did we battle Romans in my day? How many times have they killed our sisters in battle? When I was queen-"

"Didn't I kill you yesterday?" Danielle asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

The supposedly dead queen gave her a death glare. "Otrera," said Hylla. "You tried to kill my guest yesterday and failed. You are not welcome here any longer."

The older woman spread her hands and made a mocking bow. "As you say-at least until tonight when I challenge you for my old position back. But I speak the truth, Queen Hylla." She said the word like a taunt. "I've been brought back by the earth mother herself! I bring tidings of a new war. Why should Amazons follow Jupiter, that foolish king of Olympus, when we can follow a queen? When I take command-"

"If you take command," Hylla said. "But for now, I am queen. My word is law."

"I see." Otrera looked at the assembled Amazons, who were standing very still, as if they'd found themselves in a pit with two wild tigers. "Have we become so weak that we listen to male demigods? Will you spare the life of this son of Neptune, even though he once destroyed your home? Perhaps you'll let him destroy your new home, too!"

"If I remember the story correctly, ex-queen Otrera," said Danielle, glaring the woman she had killed just the previous day. "Annabeth was the one who freed the pirates on Circe's island while Percy was a furry little animal at the time. If anything, she is the one responsible for what happened to Queen Hylla, not Percy."

She was a Hunter, but she did not personally hate all male demigods just because they happened to obtain a Y-chromosome at their conception. Danielle knew that women could cause just as much panic and destruction as men, if Bellatrix LeStrange and Gaea were any indication.

The Amazons looked back and forth between Hylla and Otrera, watching for any sign of weakness.

"I will pass judgment," Hylla said in an icy tone, "once I have all the facts. That is how I rule. By reason, not fear. First, I will talk to this one." She jabbed a finger toward the girl. "It is my duty to hear out a female warrior before I sentence her or her allies to death. That is the Amazon way. Or have your years in the Underworld muddled your memory, Otrera?"

The older woman sneered, but she didn't try to argue.

Hylla turned to Kinzie. "Take these males to the holding cells. The rest of you, leave us."

Otrera raised her hand to the crowd. "As our queen commands. But any of you who would like to hear more about Gaea, and our glorious future with her, come with me!"

About half the Amazons followed her out of the room. Kinzie snorted in disgust, then she and her guards hauled Percy and the other guy away.

Soon, Hylla, Danielle and the girl were alone except for the queen's personal guards. At Hylla's signal, even they moved out of earshot.

The queen turned to the other two girls in the room. Her anger dissolved, and they saw desperation in her eyes. The queen looked like one of her caged animals being whisked off on a conveyor belt.

"We must talk," Hylla said. "We don't have much time. By midnight, I will most likely be dead."

Danielle let out an angry sigh. "I killed Otrera yesterday, but she was skilled with that knife, let me tell you. I caught her by surprise and she underestimated me. That's the only real reason I'm still alive." She turned to the girl. "Sorry, Danielle Peverell."

"Hazel Levesque," she took the hand Danielle gave her. When the Hunter touched her, the red head grimaced as she felt something with her Mistress of Death powers. "Anything wrong?"

Danielle shook herself slightly. "Not really. Just, when did you escape from the underworld?"

Hazel was instantly on edge. "Who said-"

The Hunter raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry, but I got a massive 'you have died' reading on my radar. But…you're not like Otrera." She shook her had. "I have no idea what that means."

Hazel stared at her. She then sighed. "It was Nico, if that means anything to you. He was the one who brought me back."

Danielle nodded. "Nice, Nico. I've met him a couple of times before. Nice kid. Kind of gloomy and serious all the time but his heart is in the right place."

Hazel nodded as well before turning to Hylla. "Will you help us? Help Reyna?"

The queen studied the necklace she'd taken from Percy. "It's complicated," she said. "Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods; especially male demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta's belt, this belt I'm wearing. It took us centuries to recover it. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera."

"You mean the lady-"

"-Who just left, yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares."

"Mars?"

Hylla made a sour face. "No, definitely Ares. Otrera lived long before Rome, in the time when all demigods were Greek. Unfortunately, some of our warriors still prefer the old ways. Children of Ares...they are always the worst."

Danielle shrugged. "I'm not a fan of children of Ares myself but I know of two that are much more tolerable than most." She was thinking of Phoebe and Clarisse, both of whom were heroes in the battle of Manhattan and Phoebe had taught her so much.

"The old ways…" Hazel muttered, lost in thought for a moment. "You mean the Amazons are a mix…Greek and Roman?"

Hylla continued to examine the necklace, the Greek beads and the Roman tablet. She slipped Reyna's silver ring off the cord and put it on her own finger. "I suppose they don't teach you about that at Camp Jupiter. The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares, Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American; a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?"

"I-I'm not sure. Are all Amazons demigods?"

"That's like asking if all Hunters are demigods," said Danielle. "I'm not a demigod myself but I've been a Hunter of Artemis…or Diana…whatever, for years. She doesn't care if one has godly blood, as long as they are willing to follow her."

"We all have some immortal blood," said Hylla. "But many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations. Others are children of minor gods. Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah, here she is now."

The girl with auburn hair from before approached the queen and bowed.

"The prisoners are safely locked away," Kinzie reported. "But…"

"Yes?" the queen asked.

Kinzie swallowed like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Otrera made sure her followers are guarding the cells. I'm sorry, my queen."

Hylla pursed her lips. "No matter. Stay with us, Kinzie. We were just talking about our, ah, situation."

"Otrera," Hazel guessed. "Gaea brought her back from the dead to throw you Amazons into a civil war."

The queen exhaled. "If that was her plan, it is working. Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and lead us to war against the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her."

"Not all," Kinzie grumbled.

"But Otrera is a spirit!" Hazel said. "She isn't even-"

"Real?" asked Danielle. "Knowing your situation, Hazel, do you really want to finish that sentence? I'll admit, Nico did something right with you when he brought you back that Gaea didn't, but you did die before. When did you die?"

"Nineteen forty-two," Hazel said. "But, but you said that I'm not like Otrera. I wasn't sent by Gaea. I came back to stop her. This is my second chance."

"Your second chance…" Hylla gazed at the rows of battle forklifts, now empty. "I know about second chances. That boy, Percy Jackson, he destroyed my old life. You wouldn't have recognized me back then. I wore dresses and makeup. I was a glorified secretary, an accursed Barbie doll."

Kinzie made a three-fingered claw over her heart and pushed outward, an ancient sign of warding off evil

"Circe's island was a safe place for Reyna and me," the queen continued. "We were daughters of the war goddess, Bellona. I wanted to protect Reyna from that violence. Then Percy Jackson, or this girl Annabeth rather, unleashed the pirates. They kidnapped us, and Reyna and I learned to be tough. We found out that we were good with weapons. The past four years, I've wanted to kill Percy Jackson for what he made us endure."

"But Reyna became praetor of Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "You became the queen of the Amazons. Maybe this was your destiny."

Hylla fingered the necklace in her hand. "I may not be queen for much longer."

"You will prevail!" Kinzie insisted.

"As the Fates decree," said Hylla without much enthusiasm. "You see, Hazel, Otrera challenged me to a duel right after she arrived. She could not last night, obviously, as she had been killed, but we will have that duel tonight at midnight. Every Amazon has that right. We'll battle for the throne."

"But…you're good, right?" Hazel asked.

Hylla managed a dry smile. "Good, yes, but Otrera is the founder of the Amazons. And Danielle has told me that she has not dulled in her skills too much while she was dead. You see, it's a battle to the death…"

She waited for that to sink in.

"Even if you kill her," Hazel said, "she'll just come back. As long as Thanatos is chained, she won't stay dead."

"I can attest to that," said Danielle, bitterly.

"Otrera has already told us and showed us that she can't die. So even if I manage to defeat her tonight, she'll simply return and challenge me again tomorrow. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can't win."

Hazel gazed at the throne. Danielle was positive that Otrera could not be allowed to defeat Hylla, but was sure that Gaea had stacked the deck in her client's favor.

"There has to be a way," Hazel said. "Don't Amazons have…special powers or something?"

"No more than other demigods," Hylla said. "We can die, just like any mortal. Danielle is a Hunter of Artemis who forsaken the company of men in exchange for almost endless life. We Amazons; we would prefer to live life to the fullest. We love, we fight, we die."

"I thought you hated men."

Hylla, Kinzie and Danielle laughed.

"Hate men?" said the queen. "No, no, we like men. We just like to show them who's in charge."

"And the Amazons are extremists compared to the Hunters," Danielle said, smiling. "Most of us are okay with love and men, we just don't want it for ourselves in favor of a loving family."

"That's beside the point, though," said Hylla. "If I could, I would rally our troops and ride to my sister's aid. Unfortunately, my power is tenuous. When I am killed in combat, and it's only a matter of time, Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She'll go to join the giant's army."

"We've got to help her," Hazel said. "My friends and I killed Phineas, one of Gaea's other servants in Portland. Maybe we can help!"

The queen shook her head. "You can't interfere. As queen, I must fight my own battles. As it is, it was a good thing she was killed yesterday in self-defense and not because Danielle was looking for a fight or this would be even worse. Besides, your friends are imprisoned. If I let them go, I'll look weak. Either I execute you three, four if Otrera wants Danielle, as trespassers, or Otrera will do it when she becomes queen."

Hazel's shoulders slumped in defeat. "So I guess we're all dead. Me for the second time."

In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.

"The horse seems to feel your despair," Hylla said. "Interesting. He's immortal, you know; the son of Neptune and Ceres."

Hazel blinked. "Two gods had a horse for a kid?"

"Long story."

"Oh." Hazel blushed red with embarrassment.

"He's the fastest horse in the world," Hylla said. "Pegasus is more famous, with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea. No creature is faster. It took us years to capture him; one of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horse will not allow anyone to ride him. I think he hates Amazons. And he is expensive to keep. He will eat anything, but he prefers gold."

Both Hazel and Danielle stared at her. "He eats gold?"

Arion, the extremely fast, precious metal eating immortal horse with two gods as parents. Yeah, that was normal.

Hazel knelt and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked. A chunk of gold ore the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth. She stood, examining her prize.

The two Amazons and one Hunter in the room with her stared at her.

"How did you…? Hylla gasped. "Hazel, be careful!"

Hazel approached the stallion's cage. She put her hand between the bars, and Arion gingerly ate the chunk of gold from her palm.

"Unbelievable," Kinzie said. "The last girl who tried that-"

"Now has a metal arm," the queen finished. She studied Hazel with new interest, as if deciding whether or not to say more. "Hazel…we spent years hunting for this horse. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would someday master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet no Amazon can touch him, much less control him. Even Otrera tried and failed. Two others died attempting to ride him."

That probably should have worried Hazel but the way he was acting around her, it was hard to imagine Arion harming her in any way. She put her hand through the bars of the cage and stroked Arion's nose. He nuzzled her arm, as if asking for more gold.

"I would feed you more, Arion," Hazel glanced pointedly at Hylla. "But I think I'm scheduled for an execution."

Danielle laughed slightly. "Oh yeah, this is the quest I've been waiting for." She turned to Hazel. "Thanatos told me to wait with the Amazons so I can join you and together we can free the god of death. The fact that you have Percy, well, I'm not going to leave you three now."

"Ah," said Hazel, still stroking Arion. "Phineas the seer and our Augury Octavian foretold that we would join with a bearer of the Hallows, whatever that means."

"That's me," said Danielle, now smirking. "Thanatos created three items called the Deathly Hallows and through a series of crazy adventures that I don't have time for, I have all three. I'm known as the Mistress of Death. The god of death even called me his herald." She smiled. "Count me on board?"

"Find us a way out of this mess, and you got a deal."

Danielle's smile now turned feral as she turned to Hylla, who seemed to understand what she was getting at. "My queen, it would be a shame if Otrera's guards around the other two just so happened to have a small accident that would knock them out while they were holding my new friends."

Hylla gave her the same smile Danielle was giving her. "Yes. It would be embarrassing if Otrera's followers failed in their duties; if, for instance, they were overcome by a few outsiders and a prison break occurred."

Kinzie began to smile. "Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing."

"Of course," Hylla continued, "none of my guards would know a thing about this. Kinzie would not spread the word to allow them to escape."

"Certainly not," Kinzie agreed.

"And we couldn't help you." The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel. "But if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends…if, for instance, you took one of the guards' Amazon cards-"

"With one-click purchasing enabled," Kinzie said, "which will open the jail cells with one click."

"If, gods forbid! Something like that were to happen," the queen continued, "you would find your friends' weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel…well, as I mentioned, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape."

Danielle was liking this plan. She was excited to be a part of it! And by the look on Hazel's face, she was too.

"Queen Hylla," Hazel said. "I-I'm not much of a fighter."

"Oh, there are many types of fighting, Hazel. I have a feeling you're quite resourceful. And if the prophecy is correct, you will help the Amazon nation achieve prosperity. If you succeed on your quest to free Thanatos, for instance-"

"-then Otrera wouldn't come back if she were killed," Hazel said. "You'd only have to defeat her…um, every night until we succeed."

The queen nodded grimly. "It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us."

"But you're trusting me," said Hazel. "And I trust you. You will win, as many times as it takes."

Hylla held out Percy's necklace and poured it into Hazel's hands.

"I hope you're right," the queen said. "But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?"

Hazel slipped the necklace into her pocket. She shook the queen's hand.

"This conversation never happened," Hylla told Kinzie. "Take our prisoner and her invisible imaginary friend to the cells and hand them over to Otrera's guards. And, Kinzie, be sure to leave before anything unpleasant happens. I don't want my followers held accountable for a prison break."

The queen smiled mischievously and Danielle was reminded of Chloe, the fun loving daughter of Athena in the Hunt. Now that was a girl who could pull a prank with the best.

"Good-bye, Hazel Levesque, Danielle Peverell," the queen said. "If any of us die tonight…well, I'm glad to have met you both."

Danielle turned herself invisible as Kinzie pulled out her sword, gesturing for Hazel to go first. Pretending to be caught and held at sword point, Hazel left the throne room with Kinzie right behind her and the magical Hunter following both.

Kinzie led them up three different ladders to a metal catwalk, tied Hazel's hands loosely behind her back and pushed her along past crates of jewelry.

The Amazon jail turned out to be at the top of the storage aisle, sixty feet in the air. A hundred feet ahead, under the harsh glow of fluorescent lights, a row of chain-link cages hung suspended from cables. Percy and their third quest member, whatever his name was, were in two of the cages, talking to each other in hushed tones. Next to them, three bored looking Amazon guards leaned against their spears and gazed at black tablet computers.

It made Danielle wonder why demigods couldn't use phones but could use any other kind of technology. And what about those apps that could turn an I-Pad into a phone? At least she was sure there was an app for that.

"Get moving, girl," Kinzie ordered, loud enough for the guards to hear. She prodded Hazel in the back with her sword.

They passed a pallet of crates marked 24-CARAT BLUE TOPAZ RINGS, and another labeled SILVER FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS. An electronic display next to the friendship bracelets read: People who bought this item also bought GARDEN GNOME SOLAR PATIO LIGHT and FLAMING SPEAR OF DEATH. Buy all three and save 12%!

Hazel froze, clearly thinking hard.

"What is it?" Kinzie hissed. "Keep moving! They'll get suspicious."

"Make them come here," Hazel whispered over her shoulder.

"Why-"

"Please."

The guards frowned in their direction.

"What are you staring at?" Kinzie yelled at them. "Here's the third prisoner. Come get her."

The nearest guard set down her Kindle. "Why can't you walk another thirty paces, Kinzie?"

"Um, because-"

"Ooof!" Hazel fell to her knees and tried to put on her best seasick face. "I'm feeling nauseous! Can't…walk. Amazons…too…scary."

"There you go," Kinzie told the guards. "Now, are you going to come and take the prisoner, or should I tell Queen Hylla you're not doing your duty?"

The nearest guard rolled her eyes and trudged over. Danielle saw her chance and slipped past the guard toward the other two.

The first guard grabbed Hazel's arm. "Fine. I'll take custody of the prisoner. But if I were you, Kinzie, I wouldn't worry about Hylla. She won't be queen for much longer."

"We'll see, Doris." Kinzie turned to leave. Both Hazel and Danielle waited until her steps receded down the catwalk.

The guard Doris pulled on Hazel's arm. "Well? Come on."

Hazel scrunched up her face like she was in pain. "Not…feeling good."

"You are not throwing up on me," Doris growled. She tried to yank Hazel to her feet, but Hazel went limp, like a kid throwing a fit in a store. Next to her, the boxes began to tremble.

"Lulu!" Doris yelled to one of her comrades. "Help me with this lame little girl."

Amazon warriors named Doris and Lulu? Okay…

The second guard jogged over. She didn't get far before an invisible fist knocked the back of Lulu's head, knocking her out quickly. Now visible, Danielle smirked at everyone's surprise before sweeping the third guard off her feet and onto the catwalk.

Hazel decided to stop playing around apparently as the entire pallet of jewelry exploded with a sound like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot. A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing Doris and Lulu's unconscious body right over the railing.

Hazel summoned a few hundred bracelets, which leaped at the guards and lashed around their ankles, leaving them hanging upside down from the bottom of the catwalk, Doris screaming like a little girl.

Breaking her bonds like they were tissue paper, Hazel watched as Danielle gave a swift punch to the head and the other Amazon was out like a light. Turning, the Hunter faced Hazel, shaking her hand.

"That always hurts no matter how many times I do it," she said idly, Danielle didn't really focus on hand to hand combat, preferring her weapons and magic, but she could easily knock out an unprepared Amazon. Her hand always hurt afterwards though.

Hazel shook her head and shouted over the side to Doris. "Amazon cards! Pass them up, unless you want me to undo those friendship bracelets and let you drop!"

Four and a half seconds later, Hazel had an Amazon card. Racing over to the cages, she swiped the card and the doors popped open.

The big guy looked at them both in astonishment. "Hazel, that was…amazing."

Percy nodded. "I will never wear jewelry again." He turned to Danielle. "I have a feeling I met you before."

"Let's talk about that later," Danielle said as Hazel tossed Percy his necklace. "We should hurry. Pretty soon-"

Alarms began wailing throughout the cavern.

"Yeah," she said, "that'll happen." She held out her hand and a moment later, several weapons came zooming from the nearby guard house and hovered for the shocked demigods to take. The big guy took a spear and Hazel a large calvary sword. Percy already had Riptide. "Let's go!"

"And we are taking you because…" the big guy said, suspiciously.

"Frank," Hazel said, warningly. "She helped me out back there. We need her anyway. She's the Hallow master that Octavian told us about."

"Talk later," Danielle said again as she started running toward the ladder to the lower levels. "Move now!"

Getting down was easy. Every time Amazons swarmed beneath them, demanding their surrender, Hazel made a crate of jewelry explode, burying their enemies in a Niagara Falls of gold and silver. When they got to the bottom of the ladder, they found a scene that looked like Mardi Gras Armageddon; Amazons trapped up to their necks in bead necklaces, several more upside down in a mountain of amethyst earrings, and a battle forklift buried in silver charm bracelets.

"You, Hazel Levesque," the guy named Frank said, "are entirely freaking incredible."

Hazel's face blushed, but they didn't have time for romance at the moment. They ran back to the throne room.

They stumbled across one Amazon that must've been loyal to Hylla. As soon as she saw the escapees, she turned away like they were invisible. "Hey Dani!" she yelled out to them. "Good luck with the quest!"

"Thanks Becca!"

Percy started to ask. "What the-"

"Hylla's guards want us to escape," Danielle said. "Hazel will tell you later."

Hazel mock glared at her but they kept moving.

The second Amazon they ran into wasn't so friendly. She was dressed in full battle armor, blocking the throne room entrance. She spun her spear with lightning speed but Percy stepped forward this time. He drew Riptide and stepped into battle. As the Amazon jabbed at him, he sidestepped, cut her spear shaft in half, and slammed the hilt of his sword against her helmet.

The guard crumpled.

"Mars Almighty," Frank said. "How did you…that wasn't any Roman technique!"

Percy grinned. "The graceus has some moves, my friend. After you."

"Same old kelp head," Danielle muttered as they ran into the throne room. As promised, Hylla and her guards had cleared out. Hazel dashed over to Arion's cage and swiped the Amazon card across the lock. Instantly the stallion burst forth, rearing in triumph.

Percy and Frank stumbled backward.

"Um… is that thing tame?" Frank asked.

The horse whinnied angrily.

"I don't think so," Percy guessed. "He just said, 'I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man.'"

"You speak horse?" Hazel asked.

"Baby man?" Frank spluttered.

"Speaking to horses is a Poseidon thing," Percy said. "Uh, I mean a Neptune thing."

"Then you and Arion should get along fine," said Hazel. "He's a son of Neptune too."

Percy turned pale. "Excuse me."

"Long story short," said Danielle. "Immortal horse son of Neptune and Ceres. He's fast enough to get us all out of here. We just need a chariot or something for him to pull."

Arion whinnied again.

"Ouch," said Percy. "Danielle, he just called you a, you know, I'm not going to translate that. Anyway, he said that there is a chariot in the warehouse he's willing to pull."

"There!" someone yelled from the back of the throne room. A dozen Amazons charged in, followed by males in orange jumpsuits. When they saw Arion, they backed up quickly and headed for the battle forklifts.

Hazel vaulted onto Arion's back.

She grinned at her friends. "I remember seeing that chariot. Follow me, guys!"

She galloped into the larger cavern and scattered a crowd of males. Percy knocked out an Amazon. Frank swept two more off their feet with his spear. Danielle knocked them on the heads with the handles of her knives.

Hazel bowled into a patrol of Amazons, who scattered in terror at the sight of the horse. Hazel's sword, too long for average everyday use, was the perfect size as she swung it at everyone who came within reach. No Amazon dared challenge her.

The two boys and Danielle ran after her. Finally, they reached the chariot. Arion stopped by the yoke, and Percy set to work with the reins and harnesses.

"You've done this before?" Frank asked.

Percy didn't need to answer. His hands flew. In no time the chariot was ready. He jumped aboard and yelled. "Frank, Dani, come on! Hazel, go!"

Danielle enlarged the chariot for three people just as a battle cry went up behind them. A full army of Amazons stormed into the warehouse. Otrera herself stood astride a battle forklift, her silver hair flowing as she swung her mounted crossbow toward the chariot. "Stop them!" she yelled.

Hazel spurned Arion. They raced across the cavern, weaving around the pallets and forklifts. Danielle erected a shield to block a crossbow bolt aimed at the back of Hazel's head.

Growling, Danielle planted her feet with a sticking charm so she wouldn't fall out of the back of the chariot and summoned her bow. Percy and Frank getting out of her way, she fired arrows at all the closest Amazons but specifically aimed for Otrera. Firing two or three arrows at a time, she managed to light an arrow on fire with some magic and shot it at a box that happened to be filled with gun powder. The following explosion took out quite a few forklifts.

"The stairs!" Frank yelled. "No way this horse can pull a chariot up that many flights of-OH MY GODS!"

Thankfully, the stairs were just wide enough for the enlarged chariot, because Arion didn't slow down. He shot up the steps with the chariot rattling and groaning. Percy and Frank hadn't fallen out, but their knuckles were white on the sides of the chariot, their teeth chattering like windup Halloween skulls.

Finally, they reached the lobby. Arion crashed through the main doors into the plaza and scattered a bunch of guys in business suits.

Hazel pulled back on the reins, which Arion didn't like at all as the fresh air was making the horse almost frantic to run. "Ella!" Hazel shouted at the sky. "Where are you? We have to leave."

The magical Hunter had no idea who Hazel was referring to but it didn't seem important at the moment. Behind them a battle forklift clattered up the stairs and roared through the lobby, a mob of Amazons behind it.

"Surrender!" Otrera screamed.

The forklift raised its razor-sharp tines.

"Ella!" Hazel shouted desperately.

In a flash of red feathers, a harpy showed up out of nowhere and landed in the chariot. "Ella is here. Amazons are pointy. Go now."

"Hold on!" Hazel warned. She leaned forward and said, "Arion, run!"

The world seemed to elongate. Sunlight bent around them. Arion shot away from the Amazons and sped through downtown Seattle. Danielle held on for dear life, even if her boots were stuck to the bottom of the chariot, as she saw a line of smoking pavement where Arion's hooves had touched the ground. He thundered toward the docks, leaping over cars, barreling through intersections.

Hazel screamed a shout of joy as Arion reached the water and leaped straight off the docks.

Danielle's ears popped. As Arion tore over Puget Sound, she heard a roar that she identified as a sonic boom. Seawater turned to steam in his wake as the skyline of Seattle receded behind them.

Arion seemed more determined to run as fast as he could in the general direction they were supposed to go than anything else. Danielle simply held on to the side of the chariot next to the harpy named Ella while Frank leaned out of the other side, emptying his stomach twice.

Ella didn't help matters as she kept muttering. "Seven hundred fifty miles per hour. Eight hundred. Eight hundred and three. Fast. Very fast."

The horse sped north across Puget Sound, zooming past islands and fishing boats and a very surprised pod of whales. Danielle had never gone hunting here before, but she could tell they had just crossed into Canada.

Arion rocketed onto dry land. He followed Highway 99 north, running so fast, the cars seemed to be standing still. Finally, just as they were getting into Vancouver, which Danielle did recognize, the chariot wheels began to smoke.

"Hazel!" Frank yelled. "We're breaking up!"

She got the message and pulled the reins. The horse didn't seem happy about it, but he slowed to subsonic as they zipped through the city streets. They crossed the Ironworks bridge into North Vancouver, and the chariot started to rattle dangerously. At last, Arion stopped at the top of a wooded hill. He snorted in satisfaction, as if to say, that's how we run, fools. The smoking chariot collapsed, spilling Percy, Frank, Danielle and Ella onto the wet mossy ground.

Danielle and Frank stumbled to their feet, swaying heavily. Percy groaned and started unhitching Arion from the ruined chariot. Ella fluttered around in dizzy circles, bonking into the trees and muttering. "Tree. Tree. Tree."

Only Hazel seemed unaffected by the ride. Grinning with pleasure, she slid off the horse's back. "That was fun!"

"Yeah," Frank swallowed back some nausea. "So much fun."

Arion whinnied.

"He says he needs to eat," Percy translated. "No wonder. He probably burned about six million calories."

Once the world stopped spinning, Danielle examined the chariot. The wheels had fallen off probably a few hundred miles back and the rest didn't look too good. "I could probably fix this but I'm not sure how well protected I could make it if we ride like that a lot. Just conjure some wheels, maybe some runes to enhance sturdiness-"

She stopped when she realized that Arion had run off at the mention of grazing.

Hazel knit her eyebrows. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"I don't know," Percy said. "He seems kind of…spirited."

Danielle sighed as she stopped examining the chariot. "Won't do any good without anything to pull it. If he doesn't come back, we'll need to find a new ride to Alaska."

"Seriously," said Percy, as he and Hazel started going through the wreckage. "Have we met before? You do look familiar."

Danielle mentally sighed. She wanted to tell him everything but Hera's plan could be ruined if everything was revealed too fast too soon. That didn't stop her from telling him some small things though.

"I should look familiar," said Danielle as she picked up a random box of Amazon merchandise. "We were on a quest together a few years ago. Saving lady Artemis from the Titan Atlas."

Percy's expression turned pained, like he was trying to remember that encounter and couldn't. "Altas…you glowed silver and fought him…a Hunter's death. Argh!" He almost dropped to his knees.

"Don't strain yourself, Percy," said Danielle sadly. "Just know that Annabeth is looking for you. When we have some free time, I promise I will tell you as much as I can."

He nodded, watching Ella as she shrieked with delight when she found a shipment of books in the chariot. She snatched up a copy of The Birds of North America, and began scratching through the pages so fast, Danielle wasn't sure if she was reading or shredding.

Frank leaned against a tree, apparently trying to recover from the fast chariot ride and control his vertigo.

"I am trying to remember," Percy told her, sounding a little lost. "I remember bits and pieces but not everything." He paused. "What does it mean that I never forgot Annabeth? Who is she?"

Danielle chuckled and slapped Percy on the back, looking a little ridiculous as she was thirteen and he was a big sixteen year old. "Good to know you didn't forget your girlfriend. She did promise pain if you had forgotten her. Look, I'll tell you everything, but this isn't the best place. Let's find shelter and I'll explain. Okay?"

All three nodded, Frank still a little suspiciously, but he seemed concerned about his own inner thoughts. "I'm practically home," said Frank. "My grandmother's house is right over there."

Hazel squinted. "How far?"

"Just over the river and through the woods."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? To Grandmother's house we go?"

Frank cleared his throat. "Yeah, anyway."

Hazel clasped her hands together in prayer. "Frank, please tell me she'll let us spend the night. I know we're on a deadline, but we've got to rest, right? And Arion saved us some time. Maybe we could get an actual cooked meal?"

"And a hot shower?" Percy pleaded. "And a bed with, like, sheets and a pillow."

Danielle shrugged. "I have a tent if we need it, but if we could spend the night in an actual house, it would be safer."

Frank thought it over for a moment before he finally nodded. "It's worth a try. To Grandmother's house we go." As they started following Frank, he looked at their newest member. "You know, you just joined so…"

Danielle sighed. "I swear on the River Styx that I am not working with Gaea. I am only interested in rescuing Thanatos, and I will not lie or betray the three people I am traveling with."

A roll of thunder sealed the oath and since she was still standing, that was apparently good enough for Frank.

"Sorry, but we've been through a lot the past couple of days."

"No problem," said Danielle. "Thanatos told me to go to the Amazon building and join the quest to save him. I'm his…employee, for lack of a better term, and he said that only the 'fire of life' could free him from his chains. Any idea of what that means, Frank?"

Frank flinched harshly and his gaze turned to Hazel before returning to Danielle. "Uh, I might…" he trailed off, not wanting to talk anymore.

Danielle frowned at his less than forthcoming answer but didn't want to push her luck by pursuing her questions. Her place in this quest was on a rocky start already and she didn't want them to get suspicious of her, even with the oath.

They walked in silence for a while and Frank was so distracted, he almost walked into a monster's camp. Fortunately, Percy pulled him back.

The five of them crouched down behind a fallen log and peered into the clearing.

"Bad," Ella muttered. "This is bad for harpies."

It was fully dark now. Around a blazing campfire sat half a dozen shaggy-haired humanoids. Standing up, they probably would have been eight feet tall, tiny compared to the giants Danielle had seen, but that didn't make them any less scary. They only wore knee-length surfer shorts. Their skin was a sunstroke red; covered with tattoos of dragons, hearts and bikini-clad women. Hanging from a spit over the fire was a skinned animal that she recognized as a wild boar, and the giant ogres were tearing off chunks of meat with their clawlike fingernails, laughing and talking as they ate, baring pointy teeth. Next to the ogres sat several mesh bags filled with bronze spheres like cannonballs. The spheres must have been hot, because they steamed in the cool evening air.

Two hundred yards beyond the clearing, the lights of a large mansion glowed through the trees. Wondering if they could sneak around them, they saw more campfires in both directions, as if the ogres had surrounded the property.

"What are these guys," Frank whispered.

"Canadians," Percy said.

Frank leaned away from him. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, no offense," Percy said. "That's what Annabeth called them when I fought them before. She said they live in the north, in Canada."

Danielle rolled her eyes when Frank still looked offended. "They're Laistygonian giants."

Ella continued where she left off, plucking a feather from her wings and turning it in her fingers. "Cannibals. Northern giants. Sasquatch legend. Yep, yep. They're not birds. Not birds of North America."

"Yep," Danielle agreed with the harpy. "Definately, not birds."

Frank scowled at the dudes in the clearing. "They could be mistaken for Bigfoot. Maybe that's where the legend came from. Ella, you're pretty smart."

"Ella is smart," she agreed. She shyly offered Frank her feather.

"Oh…thanks." He stuck the feather in his pocket, then noticed Hazel was glaring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Hazel said that implied that it wasn't nothing but she turned to Percy. "So your memory is coming back? Do you remember how you beat these guys?"

"Sort of," Percy said. "It's still fuzzy. I think I had help. We killed them with Celestrial bronze, but that was before…you know."

"Before Death got kidnapped," Danielle said. "So now, they'll just come back if we kill them."

Percy nodded. "Those bronze cannonballs…those are bad news. I think we used some of them against the giants. They catch fire and blow up."

"If we cause any explosions," said Frank, "the ogres at the other camps will come running. I think they surrounded the house, which means there could be fifty to sixty of these guys in the woods."

"So it's a trap," said Hazel looking at Frank with concern. "What about your grandmother? We've got to help her."

"We need a distraction," Frank decided. "If we could draw this group into the woods, we might be able to sneak through without alerting the others."

"I wish Arion was here," Hazel said. "I could get the ogres to chase me."

"Why can't I get the ogres to chase me?" Danielle asked. "I managed to figure out to turn invisible whenever I want. I could get their attention, prevent the others from hearing anything going on, and lose them in the woods by turning invisible and allowing you access to the house."

Hazel and Percy looked like they wanted to argue, but they couldn't come up with any other ideas. Frank actually looked relieved as he put away the spear strapped to his back.

"Leave it to me," Danielle smirked. Concentrating, she used her limited knowledge of wards and started moving her hand in complex motions, muttering words under her breath. Her friends started getting a little concerned when she hadn't stopped five minutes later without her drawing breath but she finally nodded in approval when she stopped.

"There, I put up a one-way silencing ward. It won't last long, but the giants can hear me while none of the others can. Shall I?" she asked rhetorically as she stood up and walked right into the camp of ogres.

Summoning her bow, she knocked an arrow and hit one of the giants in the forehead. The giant roared in pain as he slowly dissolved.

"Hey!" one of the giants yelled before spotting her putting away her bow. "Hunter will die! Let's get her!"

The remaining five giants and a reforming sixth one started chasing her as she ran into the woods, away from three demigods. "Come on! Can't catch little old me?" She yelled over her shoulder.

Unfortunately, a few had grabbed some cannonballs and threw them at her, only for her turn invisible and destroy the incoming projectiles with a wandless blasting curse. She was forced to turn visible every now and then to keep them running after her and away from the mansion. She just kept running through the woods, having six giant ogres chasing after her.

When they were far enough away from the house, she silenced them all with a silencing charm, turned invisible again, and rose into the air, pulling out her bow. Firing arrows from above, the giants couldn't even shout out as all of them turned to dust.

Nodding for a job well done, she took off in the direction of Frank's house. She turned visible when she saw Ella fluttering after her, looking at the piles of sand the ogres had been. "No Laistrygonians. Six minus six is zero. Arrows are good for subtraction. Yep."

"Yeah, they are," Danielle said, figuring that agreeing with her was the best thing she could do. "Let's get back to the others."

It didn't take long before they were back at the house and she and Ella landed on the back porch with the three demigods.

"You can fly?" Frank asked, sounding stunned.

"Eh," Danielle shrugged. "A fun power, I guess, and I do enjoy doing it. Only figured out I could do it about….what? Six, seven months ago?"

Hazel smiled. "Jason could fly too. He's a son of Jupiter."

"I know, I met him a while ago. He's a good guy."

"He's safe!" Hazel almost shouted. "You know where he is?"

Danielle sighed. "I'll explain as much as I can when we're inside. Okay?" When they nodded, she looked around and saw that the entire house was surrounded by giant ogres, but the house itself was untouched.

The porch itself looked like a peaceful place if it wasn't currently surrounded by monsters. Wind chimes jangled in the light summer breeze. A wicker chair sat empty, facing the road. Lights shone through some downstairs windows. Frank checked a stone elephant statue in the corner and pulled a spare key tucked under its foot.

He hesitated at the door.

"What's wrong?" asked Percy.

Frank seemed lost in thoughts and flashbacks. Like he was remembering something that had happened recently that was fairly traumatic. His expression turned worried and he started shaking.

"Frank?" Hazel asked.

"Ella is nervous," the harpy muttered from her perch on the railing. "The elephant, the elephant is looking at Ella."

"It'll be fine." Frank's hand was shaking so badly he was having trouble fitting the key into the lock. "Just stay together."

Inside, the house smelled closed-up and musty. Danielle had never seen so many Asian symbols in her life. There were Buddha statues in strategic places around the room. Incense burners that had gone out days ago. Red banners hanging on walls with Chinese symbols and characters. Shelves filled with glass, porcelain and china plates, vases, teapots, teacups, and other knickknacks.

They examined the living room, the dining room, the kitchen. Dirty dishes were stacked in the sink, which Frank said was just plain unnatural.

In the parlor, more Buddha statues and Taoist immortals grinned at them like psycho clowns. Looking closely, the various vases and other knickknacks were covered in dust and cobwebs. Danielle tried to be helpful by using a few cleaning charms that cleaned everything somewhat, but they had never been her best spells and she failed to get a lot of it.

The fireplace was dark and cold.

Hazel looked at it and turned to Frank. "Is that-"

"Yeah," Frank said. "That's it."

"That's what?" asked Percy. Danielle was also confused.

Hazel's expression was sympathetic as she looked at Frank.

"It's the fireplace," Frank said to Percy and Danielle, which sounded stupidly obvious. "Come on. Let's check upstairs."

The steps creaked under their feet as they entered Frank's old room. It was an average sized room for a large house like this with a bow and quiver on the wall, some spelling awards from school (weren't all demigods dyslexic? How'd he win those?) and photos of a younger Frank with an attractive older Chinese woman that was probably his mother. Frank and her sitting on a Humvee in a place called Kandahar Province (according to the photo); one with her in a soccer coach uniform, her hands on Frank's shoulders, one with her in a military dress uniform, the time she visited Frank at school for career day.

"Your mother?" Hazel asked gently. "She's beautiful."

Frank didn't answer, but he looked choked on emotions, probably a little embarrassed a sixteen year old guy like him would have pictures of his mom in his room.

Percy and Danielle nodded and went to check out the other bedrooms. The middle two were empty. A dim light flickered from under the last door.

Frank knocked on that door quietly. No one answered. He pushed the door open. The bed was occupied by a frail looking Chinese woman, looking gaunt and frail, her white hair spread around her face. Danielle closed her eyes and used her senses, seeing that the woman was still alive, but only just. In fact, if it wasn't for Thanatos being chained, she was sure that Frank's grandmother would be dead by now.

"Mars," Frank said, looking at a corner of the room. Looking at the other two, Danielle saw that they were just as confused as she was as no one was there.

"Frank?" Hazel whispered. "What do you mean, Mars? Is your grandmother…is she okay?"

Frank glanced at them. "You don't see him?"

"See who?" Percy gripped his sword. "Mars? Where?"

"Guys," said Frank. "It's…it's nothing. Listen, why don't you take the middle bedrooms?"

"Roof," Ella said. "Roofs are good for harpies."

"Sure," Frank said in a daze. "There's probably food in the kitchen. Would you give me a few minutes alone with my grandmother? I think she-"

His voice broke.

Hazel laid her hand on his arm. "Of course, Frank. Come on, Ella, Percy, Dani."

Walking out of the door again, they headed down the stairs to the kitchen like Frank suggested. Danielle tried her best to clean the house up a bit and even used a spell that caused the dirty dishes in the sink to wash themselves, much to the amusement of Percy and Hazel.

"Magic is awesome," said Hazel.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," said Danielle. They managed to find everything needed for sandwiches and they were not picky enough to care at the moment what they ate. Ella grabbed some food with cinnamon for some reason before flying out the window, presumably for the roof. "Magic tends to create as many problems as it fixes, which makes it a bad idea for a lot of people with no common sense to have it."

Hazel and Percy nodded, the unneeded 'Amen to that' was clear.

"So," said Hazel, "you're not a demigod. But are you a legacy of Trivia or something?"

"Nope," Danielle said. "No godly blood at all. By the way, I think Hecate as always been Hecate. I don't think she's ever been seen as Trivia. Anyway, she gave people magic, they have kids with magic as well, and then you have me. If you have any kids of Hecate/Trivia, I can do most of the things they can do."

"This is ringing some bells," Percy said, still straining to remember. "I met you in…Maine, I think?"

Danielle nodded. "About two and a half years ago, yes. The Hunt ran into you, Annabeth, and a few others while trying to get some demigods to camp."

"Percy's a Greek, isn't he?" asked Hazel. "Not a Roman. It makes sense. He uses the Greek names for things, he doesn't use any Roman style fighting, his sword, Riptide, is a Greek design and made of Celestrial bronze instead of Imperial gold, and he knows people that have never been seen anywhere near Camp Jupiter."

Danielle sighed, aware that both Hazel and Percy were staring at her. "Alright, first off, I can't reveal too much or else Juno's plans will go all out of whack. And Hazel, what I have to say, you cannot tell anyone else until the time comes. You can't even tell your praetor."

Hazel grimaced but nodded. "Should I swear on the River Styx?"

"No, I trust you not to tell anyone," said Danielle, waving that to the side. "To answer your question. Yes, Percy is a Greek demigod. There is a whole camp full of Greeks similar to your Roman camp that follows the Greek traditions."

"My gods," said Hazel, shaking her head. "It's like Octavian's worst nightmare come true."

"He was mentioned several times, who is he?"

Percy snorted. "He claims to be the augur, the one in camp that predicts various things for the future of Camp Jupiter and New Rome. He's also power hungry, an annoying scarecrow legacy of Apollo and he slaughters teddy bears."

Danielle opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "Teddy bears?"

"Any stuffed animal, really," said Hazel, shrugging.

"Right," Danielle said slowly, drawing the word out. "Anyway. Juno's plan is to switch Percy and Jason, as the two leaders of their respective camps, erase their memories and have them gain the confidence of the other camp. Jason has been at the Greek Camp for about six months now and he's doing extremely well, a lot of the campers respect him.

"And if Percy is on a quest for the Roman camp that succeeds-"

"He'll gain the trust of the Romans," Hazel finished, getting what the plan was. "As far as I know, Octavian might be a problem as he's convinced that Greek demigods are out there and conspiring against the Romans."

Danielle shook her head. "I don't know how he came up with that, but they didn't even know about the Romans until Jason came along. Right now, the main problem is Gaea…or Terra…agh! The goddess of the earth anyway. The prophecy of seven demands that seven demigods, both Greek and Roman, stop the earth mother as soon as possible before she can raise her army and fully wake. The Greeks are building a flying warship now that will go to the Roman camp to pick up the remaining members of the prophecy before flying to Rome, and then to Greece for the final battle."

Hazel and Percy gulped.

"A Greek warship is going to be flying toward Camp Jupiter?" asked Hazel. "That's going to be a problem."

"We're just going to have to keep assuring everyone that the Greeks mean no harm," said Percy, though knowing this Octavian, that might be a serious problem.

"All of this is moot if we don't rescue Thanatos," said Danielle, though agreeing with Percy. "Once we do that, we can work on that army and the giant going to your Roman camp. After that, hopefully the Romans won't blast all of my Greek friends out of the sky. I helped build that ship."

The other two nodded and they continued their meal in silence. When they were done, Percy looked at Danielle.

"I take it there is more?" He asked. "Who's in on this plan?"

"As far as I can tell, Hera/Juno was the one to come up with the plan," Danielle shrugged. "Most if not all of the other gods have agreed to let her plan succeed or fail." She turned to the staircase. "That's probably what Mars is telling Frank right now. To go through with the plan, even if he doesn't like it."

"I still don't like Mars," Percy muttered.

Danielle smiled a little. "No. You don't like Ares. The Greek war god is pretty much a bully that attacks first and thinks never. Mars is more about violence with a purpose. His Roman version hates war without any point to it at all and supports people who have fallen in glory. While Ares probably wouldn't care."

"How are the Greek gods different than their Roman counterparts?" Hazel asked, finding this fascinating.

"The Greeks are more laid back in comparison. Lady Artemis tries to instill a proper home and family life with the Hunt, helping the Hunters train in their specialalty. If a girl is better at a bow than hunting knives, lady Artemis won't force her to learn how to use them. Lady Diana however is more like a drill sergeant who tries to get all of the girls working as a team more to take down larger monsters. If any Hunter can't keep up, she's not going to hold their hand and make everything better.

"I can see the pros and cons to both sides," Danielle admitted. "However, I've gotten so used to lady Artemis, that having Diana running around is kind of strange.

"I know that there really isn't that much of a difference to Hera or Juno. At least, not really that I've seen so far. I really haven't had any other experiences with the Roman versions of the gods."

Percy sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I can see that Mars might be someone I can support but I still don't like Ares. I…" He trailed off, looking frustrated. "I think I fought him, but I can't remember the details."

"According to Annabeth," said Danielle. "You managed to injure Ares when you were twelve. Of course, he wasn't taking the battle very seriously. You fought on a beach, with the ocean right next to you the whole time, and Ares isn't…ahem, very smart compared to other gods." She really hoped Mars wasn't listening in to their conversation.

"Who is Annabeth?" asked Hazel, looking curious. "She's Percy's girlfriend, obviously, but other than that…"

"Annabeth Chase is a daughter of Athena that is said to be the smartest girl in camp," Danielle smiled as she thought of her friend. "She's been Percy's friend since they were twelve and they've been adventuring and going on quests at least once a year since then."

"I'm sorry," said Hazel, looking disbelieving. "But a child of Athena? As far as I know, Minerva has never had any children. And isn't she a maiden goddess?"

"True," Danielle said slowly, wondering what Hazel meant by that. "Athena found a loophole in her maiden vow that allows her to have children similar to how she was born. All of her children are created by Athena's intelligence mixing with the father's creativity and they are literally born through thought. The whole thing is strictly a mental affair. But…Minerva has no kids?"

That was, frankly, confusing to her. All of the gods that had not vowed to be maidens had kids in both their Greek and Roman forms, and even Athena found a way around that to have Annabeth and her other kids. What would make Minerva so against having Roman children?

"It's late," said Percy, standing up. "We can talk some more in the morning. I'll take one of the bedrooms and you two have the other?"

Danielle nodded and she and Hazel stood up as well. The guest bedrooms were pretty standard with just a medium sized bed, a desk, and a nightstand with a lamp. After some debating, Hazel agreed to have the bed while the Hunter pulled out her sleeping bag from her bag to sleep on the floor.

"You don't have to sleep down there, you know," Hazel said, looking on her.

Danielle shrugged. "Trust me, I've slept in worse places than on the floor in a mansion." She yawned. "So, Nico brought you back, huh?"

"Yeah," said Hazel, sounding a little uncomfortable. "Apparently, he was looking for his other sister, Bianca, at the time and he found me instead. He said that Bianca chose to be reborn to have a second chance."

Danielle winced. "Poor Bianca. I was there when she died. That was a bad quest all around." Hazel looked at her and she continued. "Bianca was a daughter of Hades who joined the Hunt when she was twelve. We were off saving lady Artemis and we ran into the giant metal statue Talos. Bianca was able to defeat it, but…"

"I'm sorry," said Hazel, sounding awkward.

The red head shook her head. "It's been a while, I'm over it. It was her first quest and we had only met a few days before prior to that. We weren't that close but I would have liked to get to know her better. The loss of our lieutenant at that time was more devastating to me as she was like my older sister." She sighed. "Well, at least Bianca has a second chance and Zoe is okay with where she is now." She almost wanted to look out the window at the night sky to see if she could spot the Huntress constellation but refrained for the moment.

Hazel was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. "I died back in the forties. My dad, Pluto, warned my mom not to listen to Gaea and she did anyway. We were forced to work for her day in and day out in Alaska while she used my powers to bring back a giant. My abilities allow me to control gems and precious metals in the earth, which the earth mother used for her plans. I…I died to stop Gaea's plan but it killed my mom as well."

"I'm sorry."

Hazel shook her head, obviously not wanting to cry. "It's okay. Nico found me in the underworld and brought me back to have a second chance. The only ones who know I died are Frank, Nico and now you."

Danielle nodded, not wanting to say anything. Here was another family torn apart by Gaea. Leo's mom died in a fire that Gaea set up, just to punish the son of Hephaestus for something he hadn't done yet. Jason and Percy had had their memories taken because of this plan to stop the earth goddess. Even Piper's dad had gotten in danger because she was a member of the prophecy of seven.

Now Hazel was off to Alaska, the same place she had died, to free the god of death that might take her back to the underworld. Danielle had to give Hazel props for her courage, facing death a second time for her friends and to face Gaea again.

"Nico is trying to find the Doors of Death now," Hazel continued, looking at the ceiling. "Trying to find it so he could hopefully close it and prevent the dead coming back."

"What do you plan on doing if you run into Thanatos and he wants to take you back?"

Hazel shook her head. "I don't want to go back. I want to fight against Gaea. She ruined my life and my mother's, I want to pay her back and help do that anyway I can."

"Good answer," said Danielle, thinking.

She was interrupted when Hazel got up and started for the door.

"Frank hasn't come out of his grandmother's room," Hazel explained. "He'll probably stay in there all night. The least I could do is bring him a blanket."

Danielle nodded and conjured one for her, along with a pillow. "That should do it."

"Thanks."

When Hazel came back, it was obvious she didn't want to talk anymore that night and Danielle respected that, not wanting to either. Sleep took longer to come to her that night, something about the house being surrounded by cannibal giants, but she finally drifted off.

XXXXX

Waking early, Danielle found that she was the first one up the next morning. Hazel was still snoozing on the bed, completely out of it. Looking at the clock on the night stand, it was almost seven in the morning and the sun was starting to rise.

Taking a quick shower and cleaning her clothes from last night with magic, she got out of the bathroom to find that the running water had apparently woken the two demigods; Frank still nowhere to be seen.

"Sleep well?" Danielle asked, knowing full well she hadn't herself and doubted that the other two had either.

Percy mumbled something incoherent, clearly not a morning person, and dove for the bathroom before Hazel could reach it. Grumbling, the daughter of Pluto went to help Frank by getting some clothes ready for him for when he did wake up.

Shaking her head, Danielle put the finishing touches on by lacing up her boots and putting on her charm bracelet that she had filled with magic over the last few months. Heading toward the kitchen, she figured she could at least make everyone some breakfast with the food they did have in the kitchen.

About fifteen minutes later Percy joined her in the kitchen, looking better but still horrible. He was dressed in the same clothes he had worn yesterday: jeans, a purple t-shirt and a jacket. He ignored the food Danielle was making and went with the quick and easy breakfast of cereal.

"And a wonderful morning to you too," Danielle said, making sure she sounded way too happy for only seven thirty in the morning.

"Bite me," Percy muttered, still looking half asleep.

Hazel showed up right on time for the red head in their group to load two plates full of eggs, bacon and toast, which made Percy sigh in defeat and grab some toast as well.

The three of them ate in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Before they knew it, the meal was over and Ella came fluttering in from the open window.

"Ogres are all around us." She said. "Ogres are bad for harpies."

"Good to know," Danielle muttered too low for Ella to hear. "Shall we go check it out?"

Percy nodded, now looking more awake than he had a few moments ago. "Check out the roof? It would at least allow us to get a better look at the property."

"Door to the roof that way," said Ella, flapping her way past them and up the stairs. Shrugging, Percy and Danielle followed her while Hazel stayed behind to make some food for Frank when he woke up. Walking up the stairs, they found the door at the end of the hallway that Ella was standing in front of. "Door to roof. Yep. Yep."

The door led to a staircase that revealed the attic. Both of their jaws dropped open when it turned out there were tons of weapons up here. The attic had enough ancient armaments to supply an army. Far more than what Danielle had seen in the Peverell vault at Gringotts. Shields, spears, and quivers of arrows hung along one wall. At the back window, a scorpion crossbow was mounted and loaded, ready for action. At the front window stood something that looked like a machine gun with a cluster of barrels.

"What the…" Percy examined the gun.

"Potatoes," Ella said, looking at it. "Ella doesn't like potatoes."

The harpy had apparently made a nest for herself between two old steamer trunks. She fluttered over to it and started reading six or seven of the Chinese scrolls that made it up at the same time.

"Potatoes?" Danielle swiveled the gun around and found that the eight barrels were loaded with spuds. At the base of the gun, a basket was filled with more edible ammunition.

Percy looked out the window where the ogres were starting to get restless. They were milling around, showing off their muscles to each other, or occasionally shouting insults at the house.

"They have cannonballs," said Percy slowly. "And we have a potato gun."

"Starch," Ella said thoughtfully. "Starch is bad for ogres."

"I'll take your word for it," Danielle said, not sure if starch was bad for ogres or not but figuring they would probably find out eventually. "Let's get to the roof."

Percy nodded and pulled down the ladder to the roof.

The roof wasn't large but it did allow them room to maneuver in case things got bad. And things were definitely looking bad. Ogres had indeed surrounded the property, looking to be about sixty in total. If Danielle had the choice, she would simply pick them off a few at a time with her bow, but as they would come back moments later, that was out. Percy had found a hose on the roof and turned it on, smirking as water came out.

"Why is there a hose on the roof?"

Percy shrugged. "Don't know, but I think a son of Poseidon can work with this." An ogre apparently got tired of waiting and threw a cannonball at the house. Percy controlled the water from the hose in a high-powered blast at it, which caused it to detonate. "Maybe that's why."

It made as much sense as anything else here so Danielle let it go. They didn't have to wait long for Hazel to show up, looking grim as she took in the scene around them. "This is bad."

"Understatement, but yeah," said Danielle, thinking. "I could fly maybe one of us out of here but that would leave the other two. What we need is a ride north to Alaska."

"That would be a good thing," Percy agreed. "But then we have a ton of cannibal giants to worry about on the way there."

The ogres started chanting. "Zhang. Zhang."

"I take it Frank's last name is Zhang," Danielle commented and Hazel nodded, starting to pace back and forth along the roof.

Percy and Hazel brought out their swords just in case things got worse as Percy continued to shoot high-pressured jets of water whenever a cannonball came near. Each explosion that followed shook the entire house however.

Danielle growled. "If I thought it would help, I would start shooting arrows at these guys. As it is, that would probably just make all of them fire at us at the same time."

Percy smiled grimly. "The last few times I've seen you angry wasn't a good sign. Atlas didn't like that."

Danielle snorted. "Atlas deserved that. She kidnapped lady Artemis and killed my best friend."

"I miss Zoe too," Percy sighed.

"You only knew her for less than a week."

"True, but she seemed like a good person. At least lady Artemis put her in the sky."

"At least you remember that," Danielle shook her head, sadly.

"I also remember you fighting like a demon at the battle of Manhattan," Percy grinned before he had to fire another blast of water at a cannonball.

"Look who's talking," Danielle said, now fully smiling. "You were the one with the curse of Achilies and was decimating monsters left and right."

Percy shrugged. "I guess. Too bad I had to give up the curse in order to cross the river around Camp Jupiter. Apparently it's a Greek curse, and it doesn't fit in well with Romans."

"Sorry to hear about that."

"You guys have had a lot of adventures," Hazel commented, still keeping look out and alerting Percy every time a cannonball came at them. "At Camp Jupiter, we mostly just hang around camp unless a quest is needed."

"Same with the Greek camp, really."

They were interrupted when Frank came up the ladder and joined them on the roof. He had apparently showered as well and was wearing what Hazel had layed out for him: an olive green shirt and beige cargo pants.

"Morning," Percy said grimly. "Beautiful day, huh?"

Frank nodded and turned to look around the roof, clearly never been up here before despite it being his house. He took in the situation but his gaze seemed to linger on Hazel, with him getting a goofy grin on his face.

Hazel was still patrolling the roof but turned to look at him, frowning slightly, her eyes flashing with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," he stammered. "Thanks for breakfast. And the clothes."

Hazel nodded, now smiling a little as well. "Glad you liked it. Too bad we have a pretty big problem right now."

She gestured toward the army of ogres, who were getting increasingly bold, shuffling closer to the house.

Percy readied the garden hose. "I've got one more trick up my sleeve. Your lawn has a sprinkler system. I can blow it up and cause some confusion down there, but that'll destroy your water pressure. No pressure, no hose, and those cannonballs are going to plow right into the house."

"I can still blow up the cannonballs from afar," said Danielle, looking at him. "Even without water. But I can't protect the house if they all start shooting at us the moment we try to attack or run for it."

Frank was silent for several moments, like he was trying to figure out a battle strategy or an escape route.

"Guys, I've got an escape plan," he said. "My grandmother told me about a Roman pilot with a plane waiting for us at the airfield a few miles away. He's apparently an old family friend and will help us. I got some letters to give him in case he causes any trouble but he's honor bound to help. He's a legion veteran. He'll help us."

"But Arion's not back," Hazel said. "And what about your grandmother? We can't just leave her."

Frank choked back a sob. "Maybe…maybe Arion will find us. As for my grandmother…she was pretty clear. She said she'd be okay."

Danielle reached out her senses and grimaced. "Yeah. Frank, I'm sorry to say that your grandmother is running on borrowed time at the moment. We rescue Thanatos, and she won't be around for much longer."

"I think she knows that," said Frank, his eyes were getting misty, but none of them decided to call him out on it.

"There's another problem," Percy said. "I'm not good with air travel. It's dangerous for a son of Poseidon."

"You'll have to risk it…and so will I," Frank said. "By the way, we're related."

Percy almost stumbled off the roof. "What?"

Frank gave them the five second version of what was probably a long and thrilling tale: "Periclymenus. Ancestor on my mother's side. Argonaut. Grandson of Poseidon."

Hazel's mouth fell open. "You're a, a descendent of Neptune? Or Poseidon?" She frowned at Danielle. "That is frustrating. Frank, that's-"

"Crazy? Yeah. And there's this ability my family has, supposedly. But I don't know how to use it. If I can't figure it out-"

Another massive cheer went up from the Laistrygonians. They must have just spotted Frank and were pointing and waving and laughing. As if they had just spotted their breakfast.

"Zhang!" they yelled. "Zhang!"

Hazel stepped closer to Frank. "They keep doing that. Why are they yelling your name?"

"Never mind," Franks said. "Listen. We've got to protect Ella, take her with us."

"Of course," said Hazel. "The poor thing needs our help."

"No," said Frank. "I mean yes, but not just that. She recited a prophecy downstairs. I think…I think it was about this quest." When they looked at him, he recited: "'To the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown. Falling from ice, the son of Neptune will drown-' Ella said the rest of the prophecy was burned and couldn't read it."

"How can a son of Neptune drown?" Danielle asked. As far she knew, Percy could breathe underwater.

Percy's jaw tightened. "I don't know. But the crown of the legion-"

"That's got to be the eagle," Hazel said. When she saw Danielle's confused look, she elaborated. "The eagle standard is a giant staff topped with an eagle that can shoot lightning. It was blessed by the gods with their powers. But, the twelfth legion, the one that founded Camp Jupiter, had lost it years ago."

Percy nodded. "And Ella recited something like this once before, in Portland. A line from the old Great Prophecy."

"The what?" asked Frank.

"Tell you later," said Percy as he turned his garden hose and shot another cannonball out of the sky.

It exploded in an orange fireball. The ogres clapped with appreciation and yelled. "Pretty! Pretty!"

"The thing is," said Frank. "Ella remembers everything she reads. She said that the page was burned, like if she'd read a damaged text of prophecies."

Hazel's eyes widened. "Burned books of prophecy? You don't think…but that's impossible!"

"The books Octavian wanted, back at Camp?" Percy guessed.

Hazel whistled under her breath. "The lost Siyblline books that outlined the entire destiny of Rome. If Ella actually read a copy somehow, and memorized it-"

"Then she's the most valuable harpy in the world," Frank said. "No wonder Phineas wanted to capture her."

"Frank Zhang!" an ogre shouted from below. He was bigger than the rest, wearing a lion's cape like a Roman standard bearer and a plastic bib with a lobster on it. "Come down, son of Mars! We've been waiting for you. Come, be our honored guest."

Hazel gripped Frank's arm. "Why do I get the feeling that 'honored guest' means the same thing as 'dinner'?"

He looked at Percy. "Can you drive?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Grandmother's car is in the garage. It's an old Cadillac. The thing is like a tank. If you can get it started-"

"We'll still have to break through a line of ogres," Hazel said.

"The sprinkler system," Percy said. "Use it as a distraction?"

"Exactly," Frank said. "I'll buy you as much time as I can. Get Ella, and get into the car. I'll try to meet you at the garage, but don't wait for me."

Percy frowned. "Frank-"

"Give us your answer Frank Zhang!" The ogre yelled up. "Come down, and we'll spare the others; your friends, your poor old granny. We only want you!"

"They're lying," said Danielle.

"Yeah, I got that," Frank agreed. "Go!"

Percy and Hazel ran for the ladder, but Danielle stayed where she was. "I think you might need some backup." She shrugged. "Besides, I'm used to helping the hero and ignoring orders."

Frank looked nervous, but seemed to realize he couldn't convince her to leave with the others. He gave her a grin and yelled at the ground, "Hey, down there! Who's hungry?" The ogres cheered as Frank paced along the widow's walk and waved like a rock star.

Danielle was ready to fly Frank out of there and off of the roof as soon as possible. The big guy looked heavy, but with magic, it was probably possible to at least apperate them both out if they had to.

Frank closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate on whatever this special family power was. The magical Hunter watched as his face strained, and he clenched his fist. His face beaded with sweat.

Nothing happened.

The ogres started to get restless. The cheering turned to catcalls. A few Laistrygonian giants hefted their cannonballs.

"Hold on!" Frank yelled. "You don't want to char me, do you? I won't taste very good that way."

"Come down!" they yelled. "Hungry!"

"Yeah, you don't want to eat Frank!" Danielle yelled down at them as well. "He's got…um…parasites!"

Frank stared at her and a couple of the giants looked a little disgusted.

"He's got…worms, in his…tubes," Danielle said, lamely.

"Oh yeah," said Frank, catching on. "I'm loaded with the buggers!" He pretended to act sick and faint. "You wouldn't want to eat me at all!"

The ogres turned out to not be fooled that easily and while several had left, most stayed. They started laughing and more were picking up cannonballs.

"Do you promise to spare my friends," Frank asked. "Do you swear on the River Styx?"

The cannibal giants started laughing harder. One threw a cannonball that arced toward them that Danielle was forced to detonate with a well placed spell that only took out half the chimney.

"I'll take that as a no," she muttered.

"Okay, fine!" Frank yelled down. "You win! I'll be right down. Wait there!"

The ogres cheered, but their leader in the lion's-skin cape scowled suspiciously. They wouldn't have much time. Descending the ladder quickly, they saw that Ella was nowhere in sight. Hopefully Percy and Hazel had gotten her to the car already. Danielle went to one of the windows and summoned her bow.

"Shall we?"

Frank grinned as he grabbed a quiver that was labeled ASSORTED VARIETIES in neat handwriting. Then he ran to the machine gun.

Danielle started raining down arrows at the same time Frank swiveled the barrel, took aim at the lead ogre, and pressed the trigger. Eight high-powered spuds blasted the giant in the chest, propelling him backward with such force that he crashed into a stack of bronze cannonballs, which promptly exploded, leaving a smoking crater in the yard.

Apparently starch was bad for ogres.

Getting the idea, Danielle started aiming for the cannonballs, both those that had been fired and the ones still on the ground. She watched as her arrows caused the bronze cannonballs to explode, taking out ogres left and right. Frank added his own arrows, which proved to be trick arrows.

Some of his missiles detonated on impact. Others splintered like buckshot and left the giants with some painful new tattoos. One hit an ogre and instantly turned him into a potted rosebush.

Unfortunately, the ogres recovered quickly. They began throwing cannonballs, dozens at a time. The whole house groaned under the impact. Both teens ran for the stairs. The attic disintegrated behind them. Smoke and fire poured down the second floor hallway.

"Grandmother!" Frank cried, but the heat was so intense, he couldn't make it to her room.

"Come on!" Danielle grabbed his arm and dissaperated them to the garage. The Cadillac Frank had told them about had it's headlights on. The engine was running and the garage door was opening.

"Get in!" Percy yelled.

Frank dove into the backseat with Hazel, Danielle right behind him. Ella was curled up in the front, her head tucked under her wings, muttering, "Yikes. Yikes. Yikes."

Percy gunned the engine. They shot out of the garage before it was fully open, leaving a Cadillac-shaped hole in the splintered wood.

The ogres ran to intercept, but Percy shouted at the top of his lungs, and the irrigation system exploded. A hundred geysers shot into the air along with clods of dirt, pieces of pipe, and very heavy sprinkler heads.

The Cadillac was going about forty when they hit the first ogre, who disintegrated on impact. By the time the other monsters overcame their confusion, the Cadillac was half a mile down the road. Flaming cannonballs burst behind them.

Danielle looked back at the house on fire, the walls collapsing inward and smoke billowing into the sky. She saw a large black speck, maybe a buzzard, circling up from the fire. It might have been her imagination, but she didn't sense anyone die in the manor so it was possible that Frank's grandmother was still alive.

"I think she'll be alright," said Frank softly, not really talking to anyone. "She did say she wouldn't let herself be killed by the ogres. That she would die in her own way."

Both girls in the back seat with Frank looked at each other. Danielle was hoping the older woman was okay while Hazel was more concerned for Frank's wellbeing.

They drove through the woods and headed north.

"About three miles," said Frank in a louder voice than before. "You can't miss it!"

Behind them, more explosions ripped through the forest. Smoke boiled into the sky.

"How fast can Laistrygonians run?" Hazel asked.

"Let's not find out," said Percy.

The gates of the airfield appeared before them, only a few hundred yards away. A private jet idled on the runway. Its stairs were down.

The Cadillac hit a pothole and went airborne. Frank's head slammed into the ceiling. When the wheels touched the ground, Percy floored the brakes, and they swerved to a stop just inside the gates.

Everyone scrambled out of the car, Frank and Danielle pulling out their bows. "Get to the plane!" Frank yelled. "They're coming!"

The Laistrygonians were closing in with alarming speed. The first line of ogres burst out of the woods and barreled towards the airfield; five hundred yards away, four hundred yards…

Percy and Hazel managed to get Ella out of the Cadillac, but as soon as the harpy saw the airplane, she began to shriek.

"N-n-no!" she yelped. "Fly with wings! N-n-no airplanes."

"It's okay," said Hazel, trying to sound comforting while the cannibal ogres were getting closer. "We'll protect you!"

Ella made a horrible, painful wail like she was being burned.

Percy held up his hands in exasperation. "What do we do? We can't force her."

"No," Frank agreed. The ogres were three hundred yards out.

The magical Hunter could simply knock the harpy out with a stunner, or make her sleepy enough to doze throughout the entire flight, but she didn't want to. That was one of the problems Hecate magcials had. Just because they could do something, didn't mean they should.

That, and Danielle didn't want to harm a friend, and Ella was quickly becoming that to her.

"She's too valuable to leave behind," Hazel said. Then she winced at her own words. "Gods, I'm sorry, Ella. I sound as bad as Phineas. You're a living thing, not a treasure."

"No planes. N-n-no planes." Ella was hyperventilating.

The ogres were almost in throwing distance.

Percy's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea. Ella, can you hide in the woods? Will you be safe from the ogres?"

"Hide," she agreed. "Safe. Hiding is good for harpies. Ella is quick. And small. And fast."

"Okay," Percy said. "Just stay around this area. I can send a friend to meet you and take you to Camp Jupiter."

Danielle looked at him as Frank unslung his bow and knocked an arrow. "A friend? How do you remember them?"

Percy waved his hand in a tell you later gesture. "Ella, would you like that? Would you like my friend to take you Camp Jupiter and show you our home?"

"Camp," Ella muttered. Then in Latin that Danielle had been forced to study thanks to lady Diana said: "'Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome.'"

Danielle started as she prepared her own arrows. "Wisdom's daughter?" She asked, startled. "Mark of Athena burning through Rome? What could Annabeth have to do with this?"

She had no idea what it meant but it sounded important. Annabeth was starting to be a great friend, she didn't want her to burn through Rome or something that could allow Gaea an advantage.

"We can talk about that later," said Percy. "Ella, you'll be safe at Camp. All the books and food you want."

"No planes," the harpy insisted.

"No planes," Percy agreed.

"Ella will hide now." Just like that, she was gone, a red streak disappearing into the woods.

"I'll miss her," Hazel said sadly.

"We'll see her again," Percy promised, but he frowned uneasily and he glanced at Danielle, who looked as troubled as he did about that last bit of prophecy, the thing about Athena's daughter.

An explosion sent the airfield gate spinning into the air.

Frank tossed Percy an envelope. "Show that to the pilot! Show him your letter from Reyna too! We've got to take off now."

Percy nodded. He and Hazel ran for the plane.

"Let's do this," said Danielle, looking at Frank and preparing three arrows at the same time. Frank nodded and the two of them took cover behind the Cadillac and started firing at the ogres. Danielle taking out two or three ogres with every shot while Frank shot a tulip-shaped arrow. The Hunter watched as the arrow she recognized as a hydra arrow shot from Frank's bow flew forward. Ropes lashed out like squid tentacles from the arrow and the entire front row of ogres plowed facefirst into the dirt.

"Show off," Danielle muttered just loud enough for Frank to hear as she set one of her arrows on fire and blew up a cannonball an ogre was holding before he could throw it. The following explosion took out maybe four or five monsters in the front.

They heard the plane's engines rev.

They shot more arrows as fast as they could, blasting craters into the ogres' ranks. The survivors were only a hundred yards away, and the brighter ones stumbled to a stop, realizing that they were now within hurling range.

"Frank! Dani!" Hazel shrieked. "Come on!"

A fiery cannonball hurtled toward them in a slow arc. Judging by the angle and speed, it was clear that it was going to hit the plane. Before Danielle could act, Frank notched an arrow and fired at the cannonball himself. It intercepted the cannonball in midair, detonating a massive fireball.

Another two cannonballs sailed toward them. Both teens ran toward the plane.

Behind them, metal groaned as the Cadillac exploded. Demigod and Hunter dove into the plane just as the stairs started to rise.

The pilot must've understood the situation just fine. There were no safety announcements, no pre-flight drink, and no waiting for clearance. He pushed the throttle, and the plane shot down the runway. Another blast ripped through the runway behind them, but then they were in the air.

Danielle looked down and saw the airstrip riddled with craters. Swaths of Lynn Canyon Park were on fire. A few miles to the south, a swirling pyre of flames and black smoke was all that remained of the Zhang family mansion.

It wasn't the first manor that Danielle had been around when it burned, but she hoped it was the last.

The magical Hunter let out a huge breath and sank into an empty seat by the window, watching as Vancouver disappeared in the clouds below. Frank, who was sitting nearby, buried his head in his hands and started to cry.

Before she could ask about it, the plane suddenly banked to the left.

Over the intercom, the pilot's voice said, "Senatus Populusque Romanus, my friends. Welcome aboard. Next stop: Anchorage Alaska."

'For the senate and people of Rome,' Danielle thought. That was the motto of the old Roman Republic, before it turned into the Roman Empire and when it was more of a democracy instead of what could be considered a monarchy.

Most of the Roman Emperors hadn't done too bad a job of leading, but some were just plain crazy in their building projects or ideas. That, and with a dwindling system of checks and balances, a weakening economy, and a senate that was more concerned about their own personal power than the state of the Empire, it was inevitable that it would fall.

Much like another certain society that was based off of secrecy and a small group of people had all the power while denying the rights of others that she dared not mention.

"If it makes you feel any better," said Danielle to Frank as Percy and Hazel joined them, "your grandmother didn't die. She's still around somewhere."

Frank looked miserable and didn't comment, but at least her words perked him up a little. "That is a little strange," he finally said. "How you can tell if someone is dead or not. If I didn't know any better, I would say you were a legacy of Pluto."

Danielle shook her head as Hazel sat on the seat next to her. "Nah. I just have some death powers that Thanatos let me have. I get the powers and I have to do odd jobs for him and lord Ha…lord Pluto every now and then." Using the Roman names of the gods was hard after using their Greek names for so long.

Looking at the seat across from her, Percy was trying not to panic for being in an airplane. He had been in a plane once before, but that had been an emergency when he was a twelve, and it wasn't like the king of the gods was going to blast Percy out of the sky back then when his master bolt was in danger. Still, a son of Poesidon didn't belong in the air unless it was on a Pegasus, which was a kind of neutral territory.

Hazel sat next to Frank, trying to comfort him and reassure that he had done everything in his power to protect everyone. Danielle happened to agree, but she was fairly sure that Frank wouldn't listen to her when he trusted Hazel more.

Frank kept his head down like he was ashamed to have been crying, but no one blamed him. The big guy had been brave and had seen his house go up in flames less than an hour ago. As far as Danielle was concerned, anyone should be allowed to shed a few tears after all of that, especially if the person involved had just fended off an army of ogres that wanted to eat that person for breakfast.

Frank sighed finally. "Thanks guys. But, we should talk about last night. I did get to have a conversation with Mars." He looked at Percy, as if unsure about his reaction.

Percy shrugged. "Dani explained everything to me. I don't like Ares, but Mars sounds like a halfway decent guy."

"Um, right," said Frank, sounding a little confused but pushed it aside. "Anyway, as my grandmother and Mars explained to me, I have this 'family gift' that has been passed on throughout the generations. Apparently, thanks to this, I was deemed by the Fates to be too powerful and Juno came to my house when I was still a baby.

"Long story short, Juno told my mother and grandmother that if a piece of firewood that was tied to me was completely burned, I would burn up as well. The prophecy Juno had heard about was the only thing that saved me that night to prevent the wood from burning too soon. The piece of wood apparently can't just be placed in a safe deposit box for it to be safe, I had to take it with me when I left for Camp Jupiter. I asked Hazel to hold on to it for me as she is the one I trust the most with it."

Now Danielle was impressed. "The flames of life," she said, nodding. "Thanatos told me that only the flames of life can melt his chains of ice. That must be the fire from this piece of wood. The question is, can we free him without this entire piece of wood being used up?"

The fact that he went on this quest, knowing that a small flame might snuff out his life and he very well might die at the end anyway, was something that she had to respect. It did explain why Frank and Hazel seemed to be so close, and why Frank had seemed especially afraid of fire back at his family manor. She would have to avoid using flame magic around him.

"Frank," said Percy, after some thought. "I'm proud to be related to you."

Frank's ears turned red. With his head lowered, his military haircut made a sharp black arrow pointing down. "Juno has some sort of plan for us, about the Prophecy of Seven."

"Yeah, we know," said Percy, looking at Danielle. He sighed. "I must admit, I didn't really like Hera. I really don't like her any better as Juno."

"This really is the best plan, though," said Danielle, sounding awkward. "An exchange of leaders is needed. I'm sure that Athena, or Minerva, would agree to that. I don't like the plan any better than you do, but can any of you think of any alternative? Any way for the Greeks and Romans to work together against Gaea without killing each other first?"

Percy and Hazel quickly explained everything to Frank what they had discussed last night. About Percy being Greek instead of Roman. Jason being sent to the Greek camp to gain their trust, just like Percy was doing the same with the Romans. And the Argo II, a Greek warship, heading for Camp Jupiter in a couple of days.

Frank tapped nervously on the back of his seat. "Mars said Juno wants to unite the Greeks and Romans to fight Gaea, I knew that. But, jeez…Greeks and Romans have a long history of bad blood."

Hazel took a deep breath. "That's why the gods have kept us apart this long. If a Greek warship appeared in the sky above Camp Jupiter, and Reyna didn't know it was friendly-"

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "We've got to be careful how we explain this when we get back."

"If we get back," Frank said.

Percy nodded reluctantly, sharing a glance with Danielle. Together, they did have the most experience with quests, after all. He turned back to the other two. "I mean, I trust you guys. I hope you trust me. I feel…well, I feel as close to you two as to any of my old friends at Camp Half-Blood. But with the other demigods, at both camps…there's going to a lot of suspicion."

Hazel did something none of them was expecting. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. It was totally a sisterly kiss. But she smiled with such affection, that Percy smiled warmly back at her.

"Of course we trust you," she said. "We're family now. Aren't we, Frank?"

"Sure," he said. "Don't I get a kiss?"

Hazel laughed, but there was a nervous tension to it as she looked at the other female in the room. Danielle rose an eyebrow. "Don't look at me, I'm not kissing anyone. Swore off of that for eternity, remember?"

The three chuckled at that, but they still seemed nervous. "Anyway," said Hazel. "What do we do now?"

Percy took in a deep breath. Time was running out to save Thanatos. He said to rescue him by the twenty-fourth. Today was the twenty-third and it was already almost half over. "I've got to contact a friend," he said. "To keep my promise to Ella."

"How?" Frank asked. "One of those Iris-messages?"

"Still not working," Percy said sadly. "I tried it last night at your grandmother's house. No luck. Maybe it's because my memories are still jumbled. Or the gods aren't allowing a connection. I'm hoping I can contact my friend in my dreams."

A bump of turbulence made him grab his seat. Below them, snowcapped mountains broke through a blanket of clouds.

"I'm not sure if I can sleep," Percy said. "But I need to try. We can't leave Ella by herself with those ogres around."

"Yeah," Frank said. "We've still got hours to fly. Take the couch, man."

Percy nodded. For a moment, he looked so tired that he appeared to have aged several decades in the time Danielle had seen him last. He stretched out on the couch and was passed out in moments.

The magical Hunter shook her head and used the one way silencing ward again on Percy. They could hear him if he woke up, but he couldn't hear anything they said until he was awake.

"That should give him some peace while he contacts one of his friends," she said. "Let's hope he does manage it." She had to admit, Ella was an odd friend, but she did consider the harpy as such in the short time she had known her. She didn't deserve to be found by cannibal ogres.

Frank nodded. "Any idea of who's he contacting?"

Danielle shook her head. "No. He has a lot of people searching for him though, so I don't know which one he would contact first. Likely the one who's closest to us right now." She frowned. "Nico is trying to find the Doors of Death, so he's out. The Hunters gave up searching for him when lady Diana told us Juno's plan. Annabeth is focusing on building the Argo II to keep her mind off of Percy, concentrating only on getting to him at Camp Jupiter. Hmm. I guess it could be Grover or even Tyson. He's close to them both."

She would have to assume that the gods shut down the empathy link Percy had to Grover, preventing the satyr from finding him right away. The last she had heard of Tyson was that he and Mrs. O'Leary the friendly hellhound were traveling together, following Percy's scent that Juno had covered slightly to prevent his friend from finding him.

Out of everyone, Tyson was probably the closest but she honestly had no idea.

Neither Frank nor Hazel knew who Grover or Tyson were but they didn't bother asking, they were too focused on other things.

"So," said Frank. "You've been a Hunter long?"

That sounded almost like a cheesy pick up line but Danielle knew he didn't mean it like that.

"Only since I was thirteen," she shrugged. "If I aged normally, I would be about eighteen right now. I would turn nineteen at the end of July this year. We don't really celebrate birthdays in the Hunt, as we live for so long, so it's easy to lose track."

She honestly couldn't remember the last time any Hunter actually celebrating their birthday as long as she was in the Hunt. Sure, everyone roughly knew the year they joined, but it wasn't like all thirty plus girls in the Hunt go out and party in honor of the day they were born.

"Have you been on a lot of quests?" Hazel asked, trying to know her new friend.

Danielle chuckled. "Only about four. One to rescue lady Artemis when she was godnapped; Percy was with us on that one. I don't know if defending Manhattan against Kron…Saturn and his army counts as a quest but I was there when he was defeated so I guess it counts."

She paused for a moment. "Two other Hunters and I were given the mission of going to Britain to take out a magical terrorist last August. We finally got him around early December. Nasty customer, but I got Thanatos's items out of that quest and became Mistress of Death.

"The last quest I guess I went on really wasn't really mine, I just came along for the ride. It was the one with Jason formed with some Greek campers to rescue Juno, who had been godnapped by the giant Poryphrion."

Hazel seemed to growl at the mention of a giant, but otherwise kept quiet.

"Every giant is bred to take out a certain god. Well, Poryphrion was the anti-Jupiter. It took a lot but we were able to defeat him just because he had underestimated us and Juno helped us at the end."

Both Frank and Hazel looked impressed, but she honestly didn't feel too much from everything she had done. For most of those quests, she was just there to help. Only the one against Voldemort had been hers and hers alone as the de facto leader and even then, she couldn't have done it all by herself.

"For the most part," Danielle continued. "Quests are a group effort. Everyone needs to rely on each other and cover their weaknesses, or else there are going to be mistakes and casualties."

Hazel looked thoughtful while Frank nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I got that kind of impression from the few quests I had heard about. No one person did everything on their own. Teamwork is needed for just about everything like this. Even Jason couldn't have done everything solo, just like Percy couldn't have."

"They are powerful," Hazel agreed. "Jason and Percy are two of the strongest demigods I've ever met. But you're right, they couldn't have done everything alone. They always had a team with them."

"And we are that team," said Danielle, nodding. "I'm not in this Prophecy of Seven, at least, I don't think so. But I'll help anyway I can to make sure Gaea is defeated and snoring again."

They lapsed into peaceful silence after that, not feeling awkward at all. Frank had to be the only non hyper demigod in the world and Hazel had learned patience in the underworld. That, and Danielle didn't feel the need to talk just to cover the silence.

XXXXX

A few hours later, Percy stirred awake and the silencing ward fell around him as the plane started its descent.

Hazel laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sleep okay?"

Percy sat up groggily. "How long was I out?"

Frank stood in the aisle, wrapping his spear and his bow into his ski bag he slung over his shoulder. "A few hours." He said. "We're almost there."

Out the window, a glittering inlet of the sea snaked between snowy mountains. In the distance, a city was carved out of the wilderness, surrounded by lush green forests on one side and icy black beaches on the other.

"Welcome to Alaska," Hazel said. "We're beyond the help of the gods."

Danielle shouldered her bag, seeing Percy's slightly confused expression. "It just means that the gods can't hear us from Olympus, even if we pray to them. Don't worry, all of our powers still work."

Despite popular belief, she had not been everywhere in all of North America when she was traveling with the Hunt. Alaska was one of those places. Yes, she had been all over Canada and the United States, but she had never actually crossed the border into Alaska. There was just something about the place that prevented the Olympians from influencing it. It was wild, with gods far different than the Olympians.

As they landed in Anchorage, the pilot told them he couldn't wait for them, but he had been nice enough to call for a taxi to take them wherever they needed. That was honestly okay with Danielle, they would worry about getting back after they had saved Thanatos.

"Contact someone?" she asked Percy, as they waited for the taxi to arrive.

Percy looked a cross between anxious and strangely invigorated. He finally nodded. "Managed to talk to Tyson and told him about Ella. I also got to see the giant Polybotes and his army prepare to attack Camp Jupiter."

At that point, the taxi had arrived and Percy explained with more detail to the others as they drove into downtown Anchorage. The fact that the giant army was right on the borders on the Roman Camp was not a good sign but as they seemed to have some sort of discipline problem, the news wasn't all bad.

"A Cyclops and several other monsters abandoned the march to the camp for a winery tour?" Danielle asked, being both confused and finding it hiliarous.

Percy managed to smile. "Yeah. I think he said that the Cyclops's name was Ma Gasket."

Danielle felt her smile slipping. "Leo and Piper told me about her. Apparently, they and Jason met her and her kids on their quest to free Juno last December. That's she's back and helping this giant Polybotes…I don't know if that's bad or not."

At best, it meant nothing. At worst, she would want revenge against Jason, Piper and Leo and take it out on the Roman Camp.

Percy continued telling them about his dreams and Frank choked when he heard about Tyson. "You have a half-brother that's a Cyclops?"

"Sure," said Percy, like it wasn't a big deal. "Which makes him your great-great-great-"

"Please," said Frank, covering his ears. "Enough."

"As long as he can get Ella to camp," said Hazel. "I'm worried about her."

"How'd you get a harpy as a traveling companion, anyway?" Danielle asked, trying to work that out in her head.

Hazel smiled. "Met Phineas the seer in Portland."

"Ah," said Danielle. "You mentioned the name before. Wasn't he the guy who got visions all the time but cursed the gods? I think Jupiter blinded him and made it so that anytime he wanted to eat, a harpy would snatch it away from him."

She had a mental image of an evil blind guy constantly getting food on a pier only for sea gulls to keep taking it. Funny and sad at the same time.

Hazel nodded. "Something like that. Gaea had brought Phineas back and had apparently gotten revenge as he was driving all the harpies away while he got to eat everything. Even worse as the harpies could only eat the food from Phineas's table. Ella was one of those harpies and we got to talking."

"And she wanted out," Danielle said. "You brought her with you."

Hazel nodded. "I felt sorry for her, I couldn't just abandon her there, even after Percy got Phineas killed with Gorgon's blood."

Danielle winced. "Ouch. That'll take awhile for him to come back. I remember that blood from one side of a gorgon is poison while the blood from the other side can cure anything but I forgot which side is which."

Percy grinned. "Too bad for him, I had both. Tricked him into drinking the poison and I got the healing potion."

"Only because Gaea liked you more than him," Frank said. "You actually gave her a choice, him or you. She picked you."

Danielle gaped at him. "You forced Gaea to choose one of her own servants or you? Are you completely crazy?"

"Nope," said Percy. "I knew that Gaea wanted to kill me personally, not some minor servant or monster. She apparently has plans for me."

"That's not exactly a good thing."

"At least we were able to find out where we're going," said Hazel. "Phineas was convinced to tell us where Thanatos is, Hubbard Glacier."

While they were talking, the taxi turned onto Highway One, which looked more like a small street than an actual freeway, and took them north toward downtown. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the sky.

"I can't believe how much this place has grown," Hazel muttered.

The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror. "Been a long time since you visited, miss?"

"About seventy years," Hazel said.

The driver slid the glass partition closed and drove in silence.

According to Hazel, almost none of the buildings were the same, but she pointed out features of the landscape: the vast forests ringing the city, the cold, gray waters of Cook Inlet tracing the north edge of town, and the Chugach Mountains rising grayish-blue in the distance, capped with snow even in June.

It was rare even for Danielle to smell air this clean before. The town itself had a weather-beaten look to it, with closed stores, rusted-out cars, and worn apartment complexes lining the road, but it was still beautiful. Lakes and huge stretches of woods cut through the middle. The arctic sky was an amazing combination of turquoise and gold.

Then there were the giants. Dozens of bright-blue men, each thirty feet tall with gray frosty hair, were wading through forests, fishing in the bay, and striding across the mountains The mortals didn't seem to notice them. The taxi passed within a few yards of one who was sitting at the edge of a lake washing his feet, but the driver didn't panic.

"Um…" Frank pointed at the blue guy.

"Hyperboreans," Percy said. "Northern giants. I fought some when Kronos invaded Manhattan."

Danielle smiled as she remembered Thalia and her killing one in that battle, the daughter of Zeus beheading it so it turned into an ice sculpture.

"Wait," said Frank. "When who did what?"

"Long story," Percy said. "But these guys look…I don't know, peaceful."

"They usually are," Hazel agreed. "I remember them. They're everywhere in Alaska, like bears."

"Bears?" Frank said nervously.

"The giants are invisible to mortals," Hazel said. "They never bothered me, though one almost stepped on me by accident once."

Danielle snorted. "Just so you know, never shoot an arrow at one in panic. Personal experience, I know how big of a snow ball these guys can make."

Thalia just had to fire an arrow at one. All her fault she had a huge snow ball the size of a house rushing toward her a moment later.

The taxi kept driving. None of the giants paid them any attention. One stood right at the intersection of Northern Lights Road, straddling the highway, and they drove between his legs. The Hyperborean was cradling a Native American totem pole wrapped in furs, humming to it like it was a baby. If the guy hadn't been the size of a building, he would've been almost cute.

The taxi drove through downtown, past a bunch of tourists' shops advertising furs, Native American art, and gold. Danielle remembered the Amazons and hoped that Hazel wouldn't get agitated and make the jewelry shops explode.

As the driver turned and headed toward the seashore, Hazel knocked on the glass partition. "Here is good. Can you let us out?"

They paid the driver and stepped onto Fourth Street. Compared to Vancouver, downtown Anchorage was tiny-more like a college campus than a city, but Hazel looked amazed.

"It's huge," she said. "That-that's where the Gitchell Hotel used to be. My mom and I stayed there our first week in Alaska. And they've moved City Hall. It used to be there."

She led them in a daze for a few blocks. They didn't really have a plan beyond finding the fastest way to the Hubbard Glacier, but then they heard food sizzling and at least Percy was demanding that they eat.

"Food," he said. "Come on."

They found a café right by the beach. It was bustling with people, but they scored a table at the window and perused the menus.

Frank whooped with delight. "Twenty-four-hour breakfast!"

"It's, like, dinnertime," Percy said, though no one could tell by looking outside. The sun was so high, it could've been noon.

"I love breakfast," Frank said. "I'd eat breakfast, breakfast, and breakfast if I could. Though, um, I'm sure the food here isn't as good as Hazel's."

Hazel elbowed him, but her smile was playful.

Seeing them like that made Danielle happy. Those two needed to get together, it was so obvious. Hunter she might be, but come on! She wasn't anti-romance if both people in the relationship agreed to be in one. Now if he was forcing himself on her, then she would have a problem. But Hazel looked happy with the idea of her and Frank, she couldn't get in their way.

"You know," said Percy, "breakfast sounds great."

Rolling her eyes, Danielle played along and they all ordered massive plates of eggs, pancakes, and reindeer sausage, though Frank looked worried about the reindeer. "You think it's okay that we're eating Rudolph?"

"Dude," Percy said. "I could eat Prancer and Blitzen, too. I'm hungry."

The food was excellent. Danielle had never seen anyone other than maybe Ron Weasley eat as much as Frank. The red-nosed reindeer hadn't stood a chance.

Reindeer wasn't that strange to her. Thanks to the Hunt, she had eaten just about every kind of game animal out there at least once. All she could say was that eggs and bear meat was actually a good breakfast, as well as deer stew. Say what one wanted about lady Artemis, but she never allowed her Hunters to go hungry.

Between bites of blueberry pancake, Hazel drew a squiggly curve and an X on her napkin. "So this is what I'm thinking. We're here." She tapped the X. "Anchorage."

"It looks like a seagull's face," Percy said. "And we're on the eye."

Hazel glared at him and Danielle felt it was her duty to do what Hazel could not at that moment. She slapped Percy upside the head.

"It's a map, Percy," Hazel said. "Anchorage is at the top of this sliver of ocean, Cook Inlet. There's a big peninsula of land below us, and my old home town, Seward, is at the bottom of the peninsula, here." She drew another X at the base of the drawing. "That's the closest town to the Hubbard Glacier. We could go around by sea, I guess, but it would take forever. We don't have that kind of time."

Frank polished off the last of his Rudolph. "But land is dangerous." He said. "Land means Gaea."

Hazel nodded. "I don't see that we've got that much choice, though. We could have asked our pilot to fly us down, but I don't know…his plane might be too big for the little Seward airport. And if we chartered another plane-"

"No more planes," Percy said. "Please-"

Hazel held up her hand in a placating gesture. "It's okay. There's a train that goes from here to Seward. We might be able to catch one tonight. It only takes a couple of hours."

She drew a dotted line between the two X's.

"You just cut off the seagull's head," Percy noted.

Hazel sighed, barely noticing Danielle slapping Percy upside the head again. "It's a train line. Look, from Seward, the Hubbard Glacier is down here somewhere." She tapped lower right corner of her napkin. "That's where Alcyoneus is."

"Isn't that the anti-Pluto?" Danielle asked, wondering if lady Diana's lessons were paying off. She then remembered that Hazel and her mom had been forced to work for Gaea before. Being used to bring back a giant and Hazel had died in her attempt to stop her. Of course it was the giant born to defeat the lord of the underworld that Hazel had been forced to rise. Gaea apparently liked ironic twists.

Frank nodded to her and turned to Hazel. "But you're not sure how far the glacier is from Seward?"

Hazel frowned and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it's only accessible by boat or plane."

"Boat," Percy said immediately.

"Fine," Hazel said. "It shouldn't be too far from Seward. If we can get to Seward safely."

Danielle looked out the window. So much to do, and only twenty-four hours left. Apperition was out as she had never been to Hubbard Glacier before. Portkeys were out as she still wasn't very comfortable making them for people she wanted to live. And flight was really only a one person thing, maybe two if she was carrying someone light.

Not only that, but there was apparently a huge giant led army heading right for the Roman Camp. While she hadn't been there personally, she was told of the general location and a few of its features, which was enough for her to want to save it. That, and the Romans were needed to fight against Gaea. She needed to fight in that battle if the Romans were going to even consider listening to her.

A Hyperborean giant lumbered across the street. Nobody in the café noticed. The giant stepped into the bay, cracking the ice under his sandals, and thrust his hands in the water. He brought out a killer whale in one fist. Apparently that wasn't he wanted, because he threw the whale back and kept wading.

"Good breakfast," Franks said. "Who's ready for a train ride?"

The station wasn't far. They were just in time to buy tickets for the last train south. As everyone climbed on board, Percy said, "Be with you in a sec," and ran back into the station.

"Where's he going?" Frank asked. The train was going to leave in a few minutes and they really didn't want to leave Percy alone like that.

Danielle shook her head. "All this time with him and his friends and I still can't predict what he'll do. Don't worry about him missing the train though, he won't."

Even if he did, she could just disapperate back to the station, grab him and apperate back. Either that, or fly back and grab him. But she didn't think he would appreciate that.

Finally, the train whistle sounded. The conductor shouted, "All aboard."

Percy had apparently ran back and made it inside just as the doors were closing. He slid into his seat, looking both sad and tired.

Hazel frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he croaked. "Just…made a call."

The other three got that. They didn't need to ask for details.

Soon they were heading south along the coast, watching the landscape go by. Cool things kept happening outside. Bald eagles soared overhead. The train raced over bridges and along cliffs where glacial waterfalls tumbled thousands of feet down the rocks. They passed forests buried in snowdrifts, big artillery guns (to set off small avalanches and prevent uncontrolled ones, Hazel explained), and lakes so clear, they reflected the mountains like mirrors, so the world looked upside down.

Brown bears lumbered through the meadows. Hyperborean giants kept appearing in the strangest of places. One was lounging in a lake like it was a hot tub. Another was using a pine tree as a toothpick. A third sat in a snowdrift, playing with two live moose like they were action figures. The train was full of tourists ohhing and ahhing and snapping pictures, but since they couldn't see the Hyperborean giants, they were missing the really good shots.

Meanwhile, Frank studied a map of Alaska that he'd found in a seat pocket. He located Hubbard Glacier, which looked discouragingly far away from Seward. He kept running his finger along the coastline, frowning with concentration.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked him.

"Just…possibilities," Frank said.

No one knew what he meant, so they let it go.

After about an hour, Danielle was starting to relax finally. They bought hot chocolate from the dining car. The seats were warm and comfortable, and she thought about taking a nap.

Then she started getting a sense that there was something inhuman around them, and not a Hyperborean giant.

A shadow passed overhead. Tourists murmured in excitement, and started taking pictures.

"Eagle!" one yelled.

"Eagle?" said another.

"Huge eagle!" said a third.

"That's no eagle," Frank said.

Danielle looked up just in time to see the creature make a second pass. It was definitely larger than an eagle, with a sleek black body the size of a Labrador retriever. Its wingspan was at least ten feet across.

"There's another one!" Frank pointed. "Strike that. Three, four. Okay, now we're in trouble."

The creatures circled the train like vultures, delighting the tourists. Danielle wasn't delighted. The monsters had glowing red eyes, sharp beaks, and vicious talons.

Percy started reaching for Riptide. "Those things look familiar…"

"Seattle," Hazel said. "The Amazons had one in a cage. They're-"

Then several things happened at once. The emergency brake screeched, pitching them forward. Tourists screamed and tumbled through the aisles. The monsters swooped down, shattering the glass roof of the car, the entire train toppled off the rails.

When the train went stable enough to stop, several of the monsters started swooping down on them in attack formation.

"Gryphons!" Danielle summoned her bow and started shooting as many of the things out of the sky as she could. As the first up, the demigods were still trying to regain their bearings but one gryphon took that out of their hands as one picked up Percy and started to carry him off.

Danielle sighed and turned to Frank and Hazel. "Protect the tourists as much as you can. I'll get Percy." Without seeing if they had followed her order or not, she leaped into the air and flew after Percy, putting away her bow and summoning her knives so she was slashing at the monsters in close range.

Unlike their magical counterparts, godly gryphons actually had no resemblence to lions. The monsters she was hacking to pieces actually had the bodies of panthers, sleek, black, and feline, with the wings and head of an eagle. Their eyes glowed blood-red.

The cat/eagle hybrids around her defeated, she took off after the one that was still holding Percy and carrying him off higher and higher. For his credit, the son of Posiedon was struggling and trying to get free, but as he didn't have his sword out, it would be hard to get himself free.

Summoning her bow again, she fired a few arrows at the offending gryphon that had carried off her friend and managed to hit it in the monster's neck. The creature shrieked and let go before another arrow hit it and it dissolved to dust in midair.

Percy fell, crashing through tree branches until Danielle rocketed downward and caught him in time for them both to crash into a snowbank. She had managed to slow them down enough for her to cushion the fall but not enough to not crash.

Managing to stand and finding nothing broken, Danielle saw Frank next to her, shooting down as many monsters as he could. Hazel was at Percy's back, swinging her sword at any monster that came close, but there were too many swarming around them, at least a dozen.

Percy drew Riptide and Danielle her bow. An arrow from her bow hit a gryphon in the forehead and it dissolved, just as Percy sliced through another that burst to dust. But the defeated ones began to re-form immediately.

"Come on!" said Hazel. "We have to get them away from the train!"

The train cars had fallen over, and their roofs had shattered. Tourists were stumbling around in shock. Danielle didn't see anyone seriously injured, but the gryphons were still swooping toward anything that moved. The only thing keeping them away from the mortals was a glowing gray warrior in camouflage.

"What the Tartarus!" she yelled. That was a skeleton warrior, similar but not the exact same thing she had faced on her first quest. The idea that it was apparently on their side this time wasn't not exactly reassuring.

"Don't worry," said Frank as he continued to shoot gryphons. "Mars gave me the power to summon him. I can only do it one more time, but I had to protect the tourists."

Danielle nodded but she wasn't going near that creepy thing. An undead warrior that only lived to kill and maim was not something she wanted around for much longer.

"Let's move the fight!" Percy said, trying not to look at the skeleton fighter either. "Away from the tracks!"

They stumbled through the snow, smacking and slicing gryphons that re-formed from dust every time they were killed.

At least they weren't fighting magical gryphons. Magically resistant and powerful, they would be a lot harder to fight and were actually half lion.

After about fifty yards from the tracks, the trees gave way to an open marsh. The ground was so spongy and icy, all four of them felt like they were fighting across Bubble Wrap. Frank was running out of arrows. Hazel was breathing hard. Percy's sword swings were getting slower. Danielle was getting a workout but both lady Artemis and Diana had given her a good stamina. Too bad she was starting to lose energy as well. She realized that they were alive only because the gryphons weren't trying to kill them. The gryphons wanted to pick them up and carry them somewhere.

'Didn't gryphons guard treasure or something,' Danielle thought. 'Are they trying to take our valuables back to their nests?'

Then Percy tripped over something in the tall grass-a circle of scrap metal about the size of a tractor tire. It was a massive bird's nest, a gryphon's nest, the bottom littered with old pieces of jewelry, a gold dagger, what looked to be a dented Roman centurions's badge, and two pumpkin-sized eggs that looked like real gold.

Percy jumped into the nest. He pressed his sword tip against one of the eggs. "Back off, or I break it!"

The gryphons squawked angrily. They buzzed around the nest and snapped their beaks, but they didn't attack. Frank, Hazel and Danielle stood back to back with Percy, their weapons ready.

"Gryphons collect gold," Hazel said. "They're crazy for it. Look, more nests over there."

Frank knocked his last arrow. "So if these are their nests, where were they trying to take Percy? That thing was flying away with him."

Percy's arm still looked bad where the gryphon had grabbed him. "Alcyoneus," he guessed. "Maybe they're working for him. Are these things smart enough to take orders?"

"Marginally," said Danielle. "I really only fought these things once. There's another group of nests in Northern Canada. But if someone does offer gold, they usually agree to whatever they want."

"Weaknesses?" Frank asked. "Please tell me they have weaknesses."

Hazel scowled. "Horses. They hate horses, natural enemies or something. I wish Arion was here!"

The gryphons shrieked. They swirled around the nest with their red eyes glowing.

"Can't say I disagree with you there, Hazel," said Danielle. Arion would be a great help at the moment.

"Guys," Frank said nervously. "I see legion relics in this nest."

"I know," said Percy.

"That means other demigods died here, or-"

"Frank, it'll be okay," Percy promised.

One of the gryphons dived in. Percy raised his sword, ready to stab the egg. The monster veered off, but the other gryphons were losing their patience. Percy couldn't keep this standoff going much longer.

Looking around, about a quarter mile away, a Hyperborean giant was sitting in the bog, peacefully picking mud from between his toes with a broken tree trunk.

"I've got an idea," Percy said. "Hazel, all the gold in the nests. Do you think you could use it to cause a distraction?"

"I, I guess."

"Just give us enough time for a head start. When I say go, run for that giant."

Frank gaped at him. "You want us to run toward a giant?"

"Trust me," Percy said. "Ready? Go!"

Hazel thrust her hand upward. From a dozen nests across the marsh, golden objects shot into the air; jewelry, weapons, coins, gold nuggets, and most importantly, gryphon eggs. The monsters shrieked and flew after their eggs, frantic to save them.

The four heroes ran. Their feet splashed and crunched through the frozen marsh. They poured on speed, but they could hear the gryphons closing behind them, and now the monsters were really angry.

The giant hadn't noticed the commotion yet. He was inspecting his toes for mud, his face sleepy and peaceful, his white whiskers glistening with ice crystals. Around his neck was a necklace of found objects; garbage cans, car doors, moose antlers, camping equipment, even a toilet. Apparently he'd been cleaning up the wilderness.

It seemed mean to disturb him, especially since it meant taking shelter under the giant's thighs, but they didn't really have a choice.

"Under!" Percy told the others. "Crawl under!"

They scrambled between the massive blue legs and flattened themselves in the mud, crawling as close as they could to his loincloth. Danielle knew they didn't have a choice, but she was going to kill Percy for this very uncomfortable hiding place.

"What's the plan?" Frank asked. "Get flattened by a blue rump?"

"Lay low," Percy said. "Only move if you have to."

The gryphons arrived in a wave of angry beaks, talons, and wings, swarming the giant, trying to get under his legs.

The giant rumbled in surprise. He shifted. Danielle had to roll to avoid getting crushed by his large hairy rear. The Hyperborean grunted, a little more irritated. He swatted at the gryphons, but they squawked in outrage and began pecking at his legs and hands.

"Ruh?" the giant bellowed. "Ruh!"

He took a deep breath and blew out a wave of cold air. Even under the protection of the giant's legs, Danielle could feel the temperature drop. The gryphons' shrieking stopped abruptly, replaced by the thunk, thunk, thunk of heavy objects hitting the mud.

"Come on," Percy said. "Carefully."

They squirmed away, trying to keep out of the giant's vision, but the big guy was too busy to notice them. He was trying to figure out how to string a frozen gryphon onto his necklace.

"Percy…" Hazel wiped the ice and mud from her face. "How did you know the giant could do that?"

"You remembered that Hyperborean freeze Clarisse in Manhattan, huh?" Danielle asked, waved her hand over them and cleaning the mud off their clothes

Percy nodded. "Not to mention almost getting hit with it myself. We'd better move. The gryphons won't stay frozen forever."

Not having any other choice, they started moving, walking overland for about an hour, keeping the train tracks in sight but staying in the cover of the trees as much as possible. Once they heard a helicopter flying in the direction of the train wreck. Twice they heard the screech of gryphons, but they sounded a long way off.

As near as Danielle could figure, it was about midnight when the sun finally set. It got cold in the woods and forced her to tighten her parka around herself, still hating the cold. The stars were so thick, she was tempted to stop and look at them several times, truly understanding why Zoe had loved them so much without light pollution getting in the way. Then the northern lights appeared, which looked even more spectacular.

"That's amazing," Frank said, looking at the colors in the sky as well.

"Bears," Hazel pointed. Sure enough, a couple of brown bears were lumbering in the meadow a few hundred feet away, their coats gleaming in the starlight. They sensed a Hunter was nearby and they looked at Danielle for a moment before leaving, respecting her. "Huh, that was interesting."

Danielle shrugged. "Wild animals love all Hunters. I'm used to it."

As they trudged on, Percy found himself walking next to the Hunter. "Seeing this," he said to her, gesturing to the wilderness around them, "it really makes you think if this is what Gaea wants."

Danielle saw what he was talking about. This was truly a land beyond the gods. Everything here was rough and untamed. There were no rules, no prophecies, no destinies, just the harsh wilderness and a bunch of animals and monsters. Mortals and demigods came here at their own risk.

"Just remember Percy, Gaea isn't a gentle goddess," she reminded him. "She's not some fairytale princess with bunnies and birds frolicking around her. She wakes up, and all of human civilization is wiped out. Allowing the earth to go back to its natural state before humans came along would undo hundreds of thousands of years of human progress."

Percy nodded, already figuring that out.

After another couple of hours, they stumbled across a tiny village between the railroad tracks and a two-lane road. The city limit sign said: MOOSE PASS. Standing next to the sign was an actual moose. For a second, she almost thought it was a statue for advertising. Then the animal bowed to her slightly and bounded into the woods.

They passed a couple of houses, a post office, and some trailers. Everything was dark and closed up. On the other end of town was a store with a picnic table and an old rusted petrol pump in front.

The store had a hand-painted sign that read: MOOSE PASS GAS.

"That's just wrong," Frank said.

By silent agreement they collapsed around the picnic table. After walking for hours on end, even Danielle was starting to feel exhausted, and she was used to this kind of thing after doing it for years. Percy slumped into his seat, drained of all energy. Hazel put her head in her hands and passed out, snoring. Frank took out his last sodas and some granola bars from the train ride and shared them with Percy and Danielle.

They ate in silence, watching the stars, until Frank said, "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

Percy looked across the table. "About what?"

In the starlight, Frank's face might have been alabaster, like an old Roman statue. "About…being proud we're related."

Percy tapped his granola bar on the table. "Well, let's see. You single handedly took out three godly basilisks while I was sipping green tea and wheat germ with Iris. You and Danielle held off an army of Laistrygonians so that our plane could take off in Vancouver. And you can apparently summon a Spartus warrior to help some defenseless mortals. You are, hands down, the nicest child of the war god I've ever met…maybe the only nice one. So what do you think?"

Danielle chuckled. "Don't let Clarisse hear you say that." She got up and took out her tent from her bag, setting it up just inside the tree line where it would be out of sight from mortals and monsters.

She got back just as Frank continued. "It's just…I was supposed to be in charge of this quest, the centurion, and all. I feel like you guys had to carry me."

"Not true," Percy said.

"Perhaps we could finish this inside," Danielle suggested lightly. Waving her hand, Hazel was gently levitated from her seat at the table and hovered inside the tent where the red head carefully placed her on one of the two beds inside.

The inside of the tent was large and comfortably furnished. Not unlike tents back in the magical world, it held two beds, a couch and a couple of armchairs, a small kitchenette and two doors that led to a closet and a working bathroom. A kerosene heater warmed the tent and drove away the chill from the outside.

"I need to get a tent like this," Frank muttered, collapsing into one of the armchairs. He sighed as Danielle layed out on the couch while Percy grabbed the other chair. "I'm supposed to have these powers I haven't figured out how to use," he said bitterly. "Now my spear can only be used one more time, I'm almost out of arrows. And…I'm scared."

"I'd be worried if you weren't scared," Percy said. "We're all scared."

"But the Feast of Fortuna is…" Frank thought about it. "It's after midnight, isn't it? That means it's June twenty-fourth now. The feast starts tonight at sundown. We have to find our way to Hubbard Glacier, defeat a giant who cannot be defeated in his home territory, and get back to Camp Jupiter before they're overrun. All in less than eighteen hours."

"And when we free Thanatos," Percy said, "he might claim your life. And Hazel's. Believe me, I've been thinking about it."

Frank and Percy looked at Hazel on one of the beds, still snoring lightly. Her face was buried under a mass of curly brown hair.

"She's my best friend," Frank said. "I lost my mom, my grandmother…I can't lose her too."

"I lost my best friend, years ago," Danielle said sadly from her place on the couch, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. "The one who brought me to the Hunt. Before that, I had no friends, my family had kicked me out of the house, and I had nothing except the clothes on my back, my wand, and some camping supplies. But…it's always the blackest before the dawn, right?"

She looked at the resurrection stone on her finger, wanting more than anything to contact Zoe and talk to her again. But Zoe promised her not to do it. What was the point of having a magical item that allowed her to talk to the dead if she couldn't use it?

"I'm not going to lose any of you," Percy promised. "I'm not going to let that happen. And, Frank, you are a leader. Hazel would say the same thing. We need you."

Frank lowered his head. He seemed lost in thought. Finally, he leaned his head back until it hit the back of the armchair and he started snoring in harmony with Hazel.

Percy sighed. "Another inspiring speech from Jackson," he said to himself. "Rest up, Frank. Big day ahead."

"I don't know if talking to yourself is a sign of madness or not, but I don't think so," said Danielle, smiling a little. "There is another bed. You want it or are you okay with the chair? I'm fine here, actually."

"You have the bed, I'll take the couch."

"Fine by me," said Danielle, groaning a little as she got up and made her way to the bed. "And, Percy." She looked back at him, smiling. "If you die later today, you'll have to face Annabeth's wrath as she wants revenge for making her worry."

"Well," said Percy, smiling back. "Can't let that happen." He collapsed onto the couch and was asleep within moments.

XXXXX

At dawn the next morning, Danielle packed up the tent just as the store next to them opened up. The owner of the store was a little surprised to find four teenagers camping out near his business, but when Percy explained that they had stumbled away from last night's train wreck, the guy felt sorry for them and treated them to breakfast. He called a friend of his, an Inuit native who had a cabin close to Seward. Soon they were rumbling along the road in a beat-up Ford Pickup that had been new about the time Hazel was born.

Hazel, Frank and Danielle sat in back. Percy rode up front with the leathery old man, who smelled like smoked salmon. He told them stories about Bear and Raven, the Inuit gods, and all the four of them could think was hope that they didn't run into them. They had enough enemies already.

The truck broke down a few miles outside of Seward. The driver didn't seem surprised, as though this happened to him several times a day. He said they could wait for him to fix the engine, but since Seward was only a few miles away, they decided to walk it.

By midmorning, they climbed over a rise in the road and saw a small bay ringed with mountains. The town was a thin crescent on the right-hand shore, with wharves extending into the water and a cruise ship in the harbor.

Percy shuddered, likely remembering the Princess Andromeda cruise ship that had been filled with monsters.

"Seward," Hazel said. She didn't sound happy to see her old home.

They'd already lost a lot of time, and none of them liked how fast the sun was rising. The road curved around the hillside, but it looked like they could get to town faster going straight across the meadows.

Percy stepped off the road. "Come on."

The ground was soft, but Danielle didn't think much of it until Hazel shouted, "Percy, no!"

Percy's next step went straight through the ground. He sank like a stone until the earth closed over his head, and the earth swallowed him.

"Percy!"

Not even thinking, Danielle conjured a rope, tied one end around herself and dived in after him headfirst, hoping that Frank and Hazel would pull them both out when she grabbed the son of Posiedon. The earth closed around her.

Instantly, her vision started going black.

'What the Tartarus?'

'Oh, but my dear,' a female voice she had never heard before said. 'Tartarus has nothing to do with this. This is a gift from me.'

Danielle was suddenly back at Potter manor. She and Lily were sitting at the kitchen table, James and David outside in the backyard. David looked to be about eleven, which wasn't right. Her reflection in the window also showed her when she was eleven. She remembered this day. It was the day her first Hogwarts letter had arrived and Lily had told her to stay out of David's way or at least not drag him down with her.

Lily and James had been in a great mood. Their son, their precious boy-who-lived was going off to Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius were coming over for a party. After Lily had finished berating her for something she hadn't done yet, she had gone up to her room and watched everything from the window, wishing she could join them.

It was right after breakfast but the house elves had baked fresh cookies, cake and other sweets for the party, which were on the counter and made the whole room smell wonderful.

"You could stay here," said a smiling Lily, but her eyes were blank white. The voice belonged to someone else and it didn't take her long to realize who it was talking to her.

"This isn't real," said Danielle.

She tried to get up, but the smell of fresh baked goods made her feel lazy and sleepy. The soft music playing the background was trying to soothe her into a false sense of security. It was the day she got her school letter and the world seemed full of possibilities. Danielle could almost believe she had a future in the magical world.

"What is real?" asked Gaea, speaking through her mother's face. "Is this life amongst the gods real, Danielle? This is your world. The one of magic. Is it real that you're sinking into a bog, suffocating?"

"Let me go! Percy needs my help!" Danielle tried to force herself back to reality. Tring to force this intruder out with what Occlumency skills she had. She could imagine the rope around her waist, but that was starting to feel fuzzy. The sound of music and the smell of the food were overpowering.

Lily offered her a cookie.

'No. This isn't my mother. This isn't where I belong. This is Gaea trying to trick me.'

"You could have your old life back," Gaea said. "I can give you that. This moment can last for years. You can grow up here in magical Britain, and everyone will adore you. You'll never be ignored or forgotten. No Voldemort to worry about. You can be with your parents-"

"It's an illusion!" Danielle said, choking on the sweet scent of flowers mixing with fresh baked bread.

"You are an illusion, Danielle Peverell. You could have a life here, away from the gods and their expectations and live a happy normal life with family and new friends. I have never touched you personally, focusing on the actual members of the prophecy of seven, but I have never lied to or used you. Unlike the gods."

"The gods use everybody," Danielle growled at her. "And they actually gave me a family."

"Ah yes, the little Hunter girls," said Gaea, sipping some wine. "A charity group run by a sexist goddess afraid of commitment. The group who plucked you out of your world and into another where you are forever indebted to the Olympians. Once you release Thanatos, Hazel will be thrown into the underworld forever. Frank and Percy won't stop that from happening. Would real friends and family ask you to give up your happiness? The gods don't care that Zoe is dead and won't care when Hazel goes back to the underworld. They don't even care that Nico was found and captured spying on the Doors of Death. Tell me who is lying, and who is telling you the truth. Especially since you are Mistress of Death you might be the one to take Hazel to the fields of Asphodel personally."

That was harsh, but Danielle had to admit that it was a possibility.

"That's right," Gaea purred. "You don't even know what your job is. Thanatos was supposed to tell you right away and not just the barest of basics Charon told you. They could literally ask you to do almost anything and thanks to that foolish oath you swore to Olympus after your first quest, you would have to obey. Combined with everything, you are just one more servant that mindlessly obeys the gods, even if you don't want to."

"At least one Olympian actually cares about me!" Danielle yelled. "And thanks to that, I have a family that supports me."

"And you can have your real blood family again," Gaea said. "I have you in my embrace, Danielle. You'll die anyway. If you give up, at least I can make it pleasant for you. Forget saving Percy Jackson. He belongs to me. I'll keep him safe in the earth until I am ready to use him. You can have an entire life in your final moments. You can grow up here, marry, go to Hogwarts, have a real loving family. Not a fake adopted one. All you must do is let go."

Danielle curled her hand into a fist. She had to admit, the goddess of the earth was as persuasive as she had heard. She felt a hand grab onto her other arm, but she didn't panic. She knew it was Percy, suffocating, desperately grasping for a chance of life.

She glared at the goddess. "I'll never cooperate with you! LET. ME. GO!"

Her mother's face dissolved. Potter manor melted into darkness. Danielle was drowning in mud, one arm being held by something alive, deep in the darkness. She was just able to pull hard on the rope around her waist. Frank and Hazel pulled her up with so much force it pulled all of the remaining air out of her lungs.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying in the grass, covered in muck. Percy sprawled at her feet, coughing and spitting up mud.

Frank hovered over them, yelling, "Oh gods! Oh, gods! Oh gods!"

"Not…helping," Danielle muttered, closing her eyes again and trying to get the image of Gaea out of her head. Hazel had pulled out some spare clothes and was using them to wipe the mud off of Danielle's face, not that it helped much. Frank pulled Percy farther away from the mud pit, looking innocent among the regular ground.

"You were down there so long," Frank cried. "I didn't think…"

Hazel finally backed off, giving her space. "It was Muskeg," she said softly. "Mud that acts like quicksand but faster. I had completely forgotten about it."

Danielle got to the side of the road, shivering, and spitting up mud clods. She couldn't feel her hands. She wasn't sure if she was cold or in shock, but she managed to explain everything that happened down there. She told them about Gaea's offer of a fake life, and the part about Nico's capture. She didn't want Hazel to accuse her of keeping secrets and he was her brother, she deserved to know.

Percy rubbed his shoulders. His lips were blue. "You…you saved me, Dani. I promise you, I won't hate you if the gods ask you to do something you don't want to do. We'll figure out everything about Nico."

Danielle squinted at the sun, which was now high in the sky. The warmth felt good, but it didn't stop her trembling. "Does it seem Gaea let us go too easily?"

Percy plucked a mud clod from his hair. "Maybe she still wants us as pawns. Maybe she was just saying things to mess with your mind."

"She knew what to say," Danielle agreed. "She knew how to get to me."

Frank put his jacket around her shoulders. "This is the right world for you. Magical or godly, I'm glad you're on our side."

He sounded so determined, Danielle had a hard time not believing him. She didn't want to argue, but she didn't see how Frank could stop Death from possibly making her take Hazel into the underworld. If he really wanted to, Thanatos could make her take Frank himself. Hazel had his piece of firewood. What would happen if she died while holding his stick?

Only now did it seem like making that oath on the Styx so many years ago sound like a bad idea. At the time, it had made sense. But now…she didn't want to be forced into things like this. Logically, she knew that Hazel should be dead. But she had no idea if she could live with herself if she personally took her to the underworld. And if Thanatos couldn't make her do it, Hades technically could.

Then again, she swore on the river Styx to obey the Olympians. Neither of those two gods were on the Olympian council. But then having the Hallows and being Mistress of Death meant she had to listen to them anyway.

Dang it! She didn't want this but she might not have a choice!

Glancing at the rising sun…time was running out. She thought about Hylla. Wondering if she had survived after dueling Otrera two nights in a row by now. She was counting on Danielle and the others to release Death.

She managed to stand. The wind coming off the bay made her tighten her mud covered parka around herself. "We should get going. We're losing time."

Percy gazed down the road. His lips were returning to their normal color. "Any hotels or something where we could clean off? I mean…hotels that accept mud people?"

Danielle just waved her hand and both of them were clean. Like they hadn't been playing in the mud a little while ago.

"Handy," said Hazel, looking down at the town she had lived and died in back in 1942. "Come on, I might know of a place to regroup."

Hazel became lost in thought as she led them into town. She looked so used to walking down the road that it was hard to believe the last time she did so was seventy years ago.

The daughter of Pluto led them down Third Avenue. They passed a railroad station that looked to have been around seventy years ago. Hazel told them that the big white two-story Seward Hotel was still in business, though it had been expanded to twice its old size.

Instead of going into the hotel, however, they turned toward the shoreline. On the shore was a miserable looking shack, leaning over the water on barnacle-encrusted piers. The roof sagged. The walls were perforated with holes like buckshot. The door was boarded-up, and a hand-panted sign read: ROOMS-STORAGE-AVAILABE.

"Come on," Hazel said.

"Uh, you sure it's safe?" Frank asked.

Hazel found an open window and climbed inside, followed by the others. The room hadn't been used for a long time. Their feet kicked up dust that swirled in the buckshot beams of sunlight. Mouldering cardboard boxes were stacked along the walls. Their faded labels read: Greeting cards, Assorted Seasonal. Why several hundred boxes of season's greetings had wound up crumbling to dust in a warehouse in Alaska, Danielle had no idea, but as Hazel had been gone for seventy years, it seemed like a cruel joke. As if the cards were for all the holidays Hazel had missed while she was in the underworld since the forties. Decades of Christmases, Easters, birthdays, Valentine's Days.

"It's warmer in here, at least," Frank said. "Guess no running water? Maybe I can go shopping. I could find us some clothes."

Danielle was only half listening to him.

She watched Hazel climb over a stack of boxes in the corner that apparently looked familiar to the other girl. An old sign was propped against the wall: GOLD PROSPECTING SUPPLIES. When she moved the sign, she revealed some old photos and drawings pinned there. The sign must have protected them from sunlight and the elements. They seemed not to have aged. They looked childish, but they clearly had some sentimental value if Hazel was in shock at seeing them. There was a photo of Hazel and an older woman that must have been her mother, standing in front of a business sign: QUEEN MARIE'S GRIS-GRIS-CHARMS SOLD, FORTUNES TOLD.

Next to that was another photo that showed Hazel and some guy that looked to be about her age. He was smiling crazily at the camera with curly black hair and…

Danielle stared at the guy. A few alterations, and the guy could pass as a clone for Leo! She shook her head. That was impossible. This photo had been taken sometime in the early forties or late thirties even. There was no way that was the crazy fire user she knew.

Frank's fingers hovered the photo. "Who…?" He saw that Hazel was crying and clamped back on his question. "Sorry, Hazel. This must be really hard. Do you want some time-?"

"No," she croaked. "No, it's fine."

"Is that your mother?" Percy pointed to the photo of Queen Marie. "She looks like you. She's beautiful."

Then Percy studied the picture of Hazel and the other guy. "Who is that?"

Percy looked stunned, apparently recognizing that the boy in the picture looked like Leo too. "That's…that's Sammy. He was my-uh-friend from New Orleans." Hazel forced herself to not look at Frank.

"I've seen him before," Percy said.

Danielle studied the picture some more. It was really weird for a picture of a guy who looked like Leo to be here of all places.

"You couldn't have," Hazel said. "That was in 1941. He's…he's probably dead by now."

Percy frowned, not fully convinced. "I guess. Still…" He shook his head, like the thought was too uncomfortable.

Frank cleared his throat. "Look, we passed a store on the last block. We've got a little money left. Maybe I should go get some food and clothes."

Hazel put the gold prospecting sign back over her mementos. It looked like she didn't want to think of an old friend, who was probably more, with Frank around.

"That would be great," she said. "You're the best, Frank."

The floorboards creaked under his feet. "Well…I'll be back soon." He looked awkward and by the look of it, needed time to think about Hazel possibly having a crush on this Sammy in her first life.

Once he was gone, the three teens made temporary camp. They found some old blankets in a crate and used them to cover some of the dust on the boxes, turning those into some makeshift chairs.

Percy set his sword on the floor where it glowed with a faint bronze light. Then he stretched on a bed of Merry Christmas 1982.

"Thank you for saving me," he said to Danielle, who was lost in thought at the moment. "I should've said that earlier."

Danielle nodded. "You would have done the same for me."

"Yes," he agreed. "But when I was down in the mud, I remembered that line from Ella's prophecy, about the son of Neptune drowning. I thought. 'This is what it means. I'm drowning in the earth.' I was sure I was dead."

His voice quavered and it was really the first time she had heard that before.

She sighed, smiling slightly. "The great hero Percy Jackson, slayer of Kronos, bane of monsters and the greatest demigod in the history of Olympus is really just another guy after all, huh?"

Percy chuckled, smiling.

"Percy," said Hazel, interrupting them, "that prophecy might not have been complete. Frank said Ella was remembering a burned page. Maybe you'll drown in something else."

He looked at her cautiously. "You think so?"

Hazel looked awkward reassuring him. He was older than her and had a lot more experience with these kinds of things. But she nodded confidently. "You're going to make it back home. You're going to see your girlfriend, Annabeth."

"You'll make it back, too, Hazel," he insisted. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. You're too valuable to me, to the camp, and especially to Frank."

Hazel picked up an old valentine. The lacy white paper fell apart in her hands. "I don't belong in this century. Nico only brought me back so I could correct my mistakes, maybe get into Elysium."

"There's more to it then that," Danielle said, sitting down on some old calenders from 1975. "You three and the four other members of the prophecy of seven are supposed to fight Gaea together. I'm just here to help you guys. And Frank…you can see that the guy is crazy about you, Hazel. You have to fight for this life with him if you want it to happen."

Hazel closed her eyes. "Please, don't get my hopes up. I can't handle it if it turns out you're wrong."

Danielle made her way over to Hazel and wrapped her arm around the girl, surprising her. "Hazel. If you give up already, then you prove that this life you have now isn't worth it. If you die again, then at least you should say you tried your best and fought before giving in."

The daughter of Pluto gave her a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes, but at least it was progress.

"What was Sammy's last name?" Danielle asked, needing to know this.

Hazel looked confused at the question. "It was-"

The window creaked open. Frank climbed in, triumphantly holding some shopping bags. "Success!"

He showed off his prizes. From a hunting store, he had gotten a new quiver of arrows for himself, some rations, and a coil of rope.

"For the next time we run across muskeg," he said, the magically summoned rope had vanished shortly after Percy and Danielle had been rescued.

From a tourist shop, he had bought three sets of fresh clothes, some towels, some soap, some bottled water, and a huge box of wet wipes. It wasn't exactly a hot shower, but Hazel ducked behind a wall of greeting card boxes to clean up and change. They had been in a hurry that morning and had neglected to use the shower in Danielle's tent.

The magical Hunter in question was standing off to the side, lost in thought again. Today was June the twenty-fourth. Thanatos had to be freed today. And she was also fairly sure that Percy had said the giant Polybotes was going to attack the Roman camp as well today. One way or another, their quest would end this evening.

She started gripping the handles of her knives. She might not be as important as the seven demigods destined to defeat Gaea but she was still determined to help them in any way she could.

She would also have to put faith in the gods to not force her to send Hazel to the underworld. She wanted to pray to Hades/Pluto to spare Hazel's life but she was in Alaska, beyond the gods, beyond their help. They were on their own.

"So," said Danielle, trying to sound normal. "Now we need to find a boat to Hubbard Glacier."

It would be better if they had Arion with them, but apparently the immortal horse was off doing his own thing. Too bad, with him they could just jet off to the glacier across the water.

Frank patted his stomach. "If we're going to battle to the death, I want lunch first. I found the perfect place."

No one really argued that much, despite their deadline, and they all climbed out the window again. Frank led them to a shopping plaza near the wharf, where an old railway car had been converted into a diner. Hazel said that it hadn't been there in the forties, but the food smelled good.

While Frank and Percy ordered for them, Hazel and Danielle wondered down to the docks to ask around for anything that could help. When they got back, they needed some cheering up.

"We're in trouble," Hazel said. "I tried to get a boat…I miscalculated."

"No boats?" Frank asked.

"Oh, I can get a boat," Hazel said. "But the glacier is farther than I thought. Even at top speed, we couldn't get there until tomorrow morning."

Percy turned pale. "Maybe I could make the boat go faster?"

"Even if you could," Danielle said, "from what the captains told us, it's treacherous, icebergs, mazes of channels to navigate. You'd have to know exactly where you were going."

"A plane?" Frank asked.

Hazel shook her head. "We asked the boat captains about that. They said we could try, but it's a tiny airfield. You have to charter a plane two, three weeks in advance."

They ate in silence after that. Danielle's cheeseburger was excellent, but she couldn't concentrate on it. The only thing they she could think of was use runes to enchant a boat to make it fly to the glacier. She had done something similar to that carpet back in Myrtle's bathroom, but that had taken time for something as simple as going down a pipe, not fly miles across dangerous open water. She was stumped.

She'd eaten about half of her food when a raven settled on a nearby telephone pole and began to croak at them.

There was something off about that raven. It seemed too smart to be an ordinary bird. She almost missed Hazel shudder at the sight of it.

She was forcibly reminded of Nico. She was sure Gaea hadn't been lying when she said that the son of Hades had been captured while trying to find the Doors of Death. She felt guilty. She had never even tried to get in contact with Nico after Bianca's death and the kid seemed alright.

She still blamed herself slightly about what happened to Bianca, even though it had been Percy's idea and the daughter of Hades had gone through with it despite her trying to stop her. She hoped that Nico was alright.

Suddenly, the raven's cawing changed to a strangled yelp.

Frank got up so fast that he almost toppled the picnic table. Percy drew his sword.

Turning around, Danielle followed their eyes. Perched on top of the pole where the raven had been, a fat ugly gryphon glared down at them. It burped, and raven feathers fluttered from its beak.

The two girls stood up as well and one summoned her bow while the other unsheathed her spatha.

Frank and Danielle knocked an arrow each. Before they could fire however, the gryphon shrieked so loudly the sound echoed off the mountains. Frank flinched and his arrow went wide but Danielle's was a perfect bulls eye. The gryphon turned to dust but it started to reform right away.

"I think that was a call for help," Percy warned. "We have to get out of here."

With no clear plan, they ran for the docks. The gryphon was back now and shot toward them. Percy slashed at it with his sword, but the gryphon veered out of reach.

They took the steps to the nearest pier and raced to the end. The gryphon swooped after them, its front claws extended for the kill. Hazel raised her sword, but an icy wall of water slammed sideways into the gryphon and washed it into the bay. The gryphon squawked and flapped its wings. It managed to scramble onto the pier, where it shook its black fur like a wet dog.

Frank grunted. "Nice one, Percy."

"Yeah," he said. "Bad news, look over there."

About a mile away, over the mountains, a black cloud was swirling, a whole flock of gryphons, dozens at least. There was no way they could fight that many, and no boat could take them away fast enough.

Frank and Danielle knocked some more arrows. "Not going down without a fight," said the son of Mars.

Percy raised Riptide. "I'm with you."

Then there was a sound in the distance, like the whinnying of a horse. Danielle thought she had imagined it but Hazel cried out desperately, "Arion! Over here!"

A tan blur came ripping down the street and onto the pier. The stallion materialized right behind the gryphon, brought down his front hooves, and smashed the monster into dust.

Hazel's face looked like ready to burst, she looked so happy. "Good horse! Really good horse!"

Frank backed up and almost fell off the pier. "How-?"

"He followed me!" Hazel beamed. "Because he is the best-horse-EVER! Now, get on!"

"All four of us?" Percy asked. "Can he handle it?"

Arion whinnied indignantly.

"All right, no need to be rude," Percy said. "Let's go."

They climbed on, Hazel in front, Frank, Percy and Danielle balancing precariously behind her. Frank wrapped her arms around Hazel's waist, which only made the daughter of Pluto's grin wider.

"Run, Arion!" she cried. "To Hubbard Glacier!"

The horse shot across the water, his hooves turning the top of the sea to steam.

XXXXX

Danielle closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Percy's waist, wishing for the journey to end and that Arion was bigger for all four of them. He really was only a three person horse and she was thanking the gods she still had the body of a thirteen year old. If she really had the body of an eighteen year old, she would never have managed it.

As it was, she only just barely able to keep herself from falling off. Thanks to Arion's speed, the other three wouldn't know she was gone for fifty or sixty miles.

The boat captains in Seward had told her and Hazel that Hubbard Glacier was three hundred nautical miles, a hard and dangerous journey, but Arion had no trouble. Opening her eyes, she saw that he was moving at the speed of sound, heating the air around them so none of them could feel the cold.

They raced through icy straits, past blue fjords and cliffs with waterfalls spilling into the sea. Arion jumped over a breaching humpback whale and kept galloping, startling a pack of seals off an iceberg.

It seemed like only minutes before they zipped into a narrow bay. The water turned the consistency of shaved ice in blue syrup. Arion came to a halt on a frozen turquoise slab.

A half a mile away stood Hubbard Glacier. Danielle, who had never seen a glacier before, thought she was looking at a huge floating mountain. Purple snowcapped mountains marched off in either direction, with clouds floating around their middles like fluffy belts. In a massive valley between two of the largest peaks, a ragged wall of ice rose out of the sea, filling the entire gorge. The glacier was blue and white with streaks of black, so that it looked like a hedge of dirty snow left behind on a sidewalk after a snowplow had gone by, only four million times as large.

As soon as Arion stopped, Danielle could feel the temperature drop. All that ice was sending off waves of cold, turning the bay into the world's largest refrigerator. The eeriest thing was a sound like thunder that rolled across the water.

"What is that?" Frank gazed at the clouds above the glacier. "A storm?"

"No," Hazel said. "Ice cracking and shifting. Millions of tons of ice."

"You mean that thing is breaking up?" Frank asked.

As if on cue, a sheet of ice silently carved off the side of the glacier and crashed into the sea, spraying water and frozen shrapnel several stories high. A millisecond later the sound hit them- a BOOM almost as jarring as Arion hitting the sound barrier.

Danielle gulped. "Thanatos brought me here in a dream. But seeing it here in person…this is unreal."

"We can't get close to that thing!" Frank said.

"We have to," Percy said. "The giant is at the top."

Arion nickered.

"Jeez, Hazel," Percy said, "tell your horse to watch his language."

Hazel looked like she was trying not to laugh. "What did he say?"

"With the cussing removed? He said he can get us to the top."

Frank looked incredulous. "I thought the horse couldn't fly!"

This time Arion whinnied so angrily, everyone could tell he was cursing.

"Dude," Percy told the horse. "I've gotten suspended for saying less than that. Hazel, he promises you'll see what he can do as soon as you give the word."

"I'm so not going to like this," Danielle muttered, saying a sticking charm under her breath so she wouldn't slide off by accident.

"Um, hold on, then, you guys," Hazel said nervously. "Arion, giddyup!"

Arion shot toward the glacier like a runaway rocket, barreling straight across the slush like he wanted to play chicken with the mountain of ice.

The air grew colder. The cracking of ice grew louder. As Arion closed the distance, the glacier loomed so large, Danielle got vertigo trying to take it all in. The side was riddled with caves and crevices, spiked with jagged ridges like ax blades. Pieces were constantly crumbling off; some no larger than snowballs, some the size of houses.

When they were about fifty yards from the base, a thunderclap rattled them, and a curtain of ice that could have covered Camp Half-Blood carved away and fell toward them.

"Look out!" Frank shouted, which seemed a little unnecessary.

Arion was way ahead of him. In a burst of speed, he zigzagged through the debris, leaping over chunks of ice and clambering up the face of the glacier.

Percy, Frank and Danielle cussed like horses and held on desperately while Hazel wrapped her arms around Arion's neck. Somehow, they managed not to fall off as Arion scaled the cliffs, jumping from foothold to foothold with impossible speed and agility. It was like falling down a mountain in reverse.

Then it was over. Arion stood proudly at the top of a ridge of ice that loomed over the void. The sea was now three hundred feet below them.

Arion whinnied a challenge that echoed off the mountains. Percy didn't translate, but it was pretty clear he was calling out to any other horses that might be in the bay: Beat that, ya punks!

Then he turned and ran inland across the top of the glacier, leaping a chasm fifty feet across.

"There!" Percy pointed.

The horse stopped. Ahead of them stood the same frozen Roman camp that Danielle had seen in her dream. Everything was the same, from the trenches with ice spikes to the snow brick ramparts and the banners hanging from the frozen watch towers, shimmering in the arctic sun.

There was no sign of life. The gates stood wide open. Danielle was reminded of the presence she had felt when she had met Gaea down in that mud pit. She felt the same thing here, that same uneasy feeling in her gut. It was so similar, as if the earth were trying to wake up and consume everything, as if the mountains on either side wanted to crush them and the entire glacier to pieces.

Arion trotted skittishly.

"Frank," Percy said. "How about we go on foot from here?"

Frank sighed in relief. "Thought you'd never ask."

With a bit of help, they managed to unseat Danielle, who was clamped down so hard on Arion's flank it took a moment to get her off, even without the sticking charm.

"Sorry," she said, looking nervous. "But combined with the cold and the high speeds…I'm terrified." She looked green from the wild ride they had just had but she managed not to lose her lunch, barely.

The ice seemed stable, covered with a fine carpet of snow so that it wasn't too slippery.

Hazel urged Arion forward. The other three walked on either side, weapons ready. They approached the gates without being challenged. Just like in Danielle's dream, there were no traps of any kind, nothing that would deter them from getting closer.

Walking next to her, Frank told her that this was a huge copy of the Camp Jupiter back in California. They were walking down the Via Praetoria, or the main road. At the crossroads, was Thanatos being held in chains in front of the snow-brick Principia building, the building that acted as headquarters for the various cohorts.

"Thanatos," Hazel murmured.

Meeting him person again, Danielle knew he hadn't changed. Hazel however looked like she was having trouble looking at the god of death directly, which wasn't surprising. The daughter of Pluto almost fell of Arion's back but Frank helped keep her stable.

"We've got you," Frank promised. "Nobody's taking you away."

He was talking to Hazel, but his eyes were split between her and Danielle, who felt awkward. She didn't want Hazel to go back to the underworld any more so than he did.

"I'm alright," said Hazel, though they could tell she was lying.

Percy looked around them uneasily. "No defenders? No giants? This has to be a trap."

"Obviously," Frank said. "But I don't think we have a choice."

Hazel urged Arion forward through the gates. They passed by the barracks, baths, armory. Frank said it was a perfect replica, down to the last detail, only three times as large. Just like in her dream, Danielle felt tiny and insignificant in the huge camp, like she was moving through a huge model of the Roman Camp constructed by the gods.

They stopped ten feet in front of the chained god.

Arion cantered back and forth, as if sensing their disquiet.

"Thanatos," said Danielle, her voice echoing throughout the camp. "We're here."

The god raised his head.

Instantly, the whole camp stirred to life. Figures in Roman armor emerged from the barracks, the principia, the armory, and the canteen, but they weren't human. They were shades, the same kind of spirit Danielle could summon from the underworld with her ring. Their bodies weren't much more than wisps of black vapor, but they managed to hold together sets of scale armor, greaves, and helmets, which shouldn't be possible. Frost-covered swords were strapped to their waists. Pila, which were really just spiky maces, and dented shields floated in their smoky hands. The plumes on the centurion's helmets were frozen and ragged. Most of the shades were on foot, but two soldiers burst out of the stables in a golden chariot pulled by ghostly black steeds.

When Arion saw the horses, he stamped the ground in outrage.

Frank gripped his spear. "Yep, here's the trap."

The shades formed ranks and encircled the crossroads. There were about a hundred in all, which would be a problem. Some carried the tattered lightning bolt banners of the Twelfth Legion, Fifth Cohort, which Frank whispered to her was important. Others carried standards and insignias the two Roman demigods didn't recognize, as if they'd died at different times, on different quests, maybe not even from Camp Jupiter.

Most were armed with Imperial gold weapons, more than what Camp Half-Blood had in Celestrial bronze. Danielle could feel the combined power of all of that gold humming around her, even scarier than the cracking of the glacier.

"Thanatos!" Hazel turned to the robed figure. "We're here to rescue you. If you control these shades, tell them-"

Her voice faltered. The god's hood fell away and his robes dropped off as he spread his wings, leaving him in only a sleeveless black tunic belted at the waist. He showed off his face, revealing why he really should be a minor love god.

By the look of it, Hazel forgot how to breathe when she saw him. Danielle would have slapped her, but knew she had had that same problem when she had first seen him.

"Oh," said Hazel in a small voice.

"It's Cupid," Frank said.

"A really buff Cupid," Percy agreed.

"You compliment me," Thanatos said, sounding as gorgeous as he was, deep and melodious. "I am frequently mistaken for the god of love. Death has more in common with Love than you might imagine. But I am Death, I assure you." He turned to Danielle. "And my herald has returned with the questers, just like I asked."

"Yeah, we're here to rescue you," Danielle managed, fighting against Thanatos's voice. "Where's the giant?"

"Rescue me…?" Thanatos narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hazel. "Do you understand what you are saying? Do you understand what that will mean?"

Percy stepped forward. "We're wasting time." He rose his sword.

"Percy, stop," said Danielle, blocking his way. "Celestrial bronze won't work. We need the 'flames of life' to melt the chains."

"Very good," Thanatos said. "As for the giant, he is close. These shades are not mine. They are his."

Thanatos's eyes scanned the ghost soldiers. They shifted uncomfortably, as if an arctic wind were rattling through their ranks.

"So Frank has to use his stick to free you?" Hazel asked.

Thanatos turned his attention back to her. "Daughter of Pluto, child of my master, you of all people should not wish me released."

"Don't you think I know that?" Hazel said, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. "Listen, Death," she drew her cavalry sword and Arion reared in defiance. "I didn't come back from the Underworld and travel thousands of miles to be told that I'm too stupid for setting you free. If I die, I die. I'll fight this whole army if I have to. Even if Dani herself forces me back."

Thanatos studied her for a heartbeat. "Interesting. You do understand that these shades were once demigods like you. They fought for Rome. They died without completing their heroic quests. Like you, they were sent to Asphodel. Now Gaea has promised them a second life if they fight for her today. Of course, if you release me and defeat them, they will have to return to the Underworld where they belong. For treason against the gods, they will face eternal punishment. They are not so different from you, Hazel Levesque. Are you sure you want to release me and damn these souls forever?"

Frank clenched his fists. "That's not fair! Do you want to be freed or not?"

"Fair…" Death mused. "You'd be amazed how often I hear that word, Frank Zhang, and how meaningless it is. Is it fair that your life will burn so short and bright? Was it fair when I guided your mother to the Underworld?"

Frank staggered like he'd been punched.

"No," Death said sadly. "Not fair. And yet it was her time. There is no fairness in Death. If you free me, I will do my duty. But of course these shades will try to stop you."

"So if we let you go," Percy summed up, "we get mobbed by a bunch of black vapor dudes with gold swords. Fine."

"I could handle some combat," Danielle shrugged. "But first, Thanatos, how do I use your items? You let me have them, now tell me how to use them."

Thanatos smiled. "The one who unites the Hallows will be master or mistress of Death."

"Without the riddles, please?" Danielle asked. "I already have all three."

"It wasn't a riddle."

Frank drew a shaky breath. "Hazel, I need my stick back."

"Frank, no," Hazel said weakly. "There's got to be another way."

Laughter boomed across the glacier. A rumbling voice said: "My friends. I've waited so long!"

Standing at the gates of the camp was the anti-Hades/Pluto, Alcyoneus. He wasn't as large as Porpherion had been, but larger than the giant Enceladus. He had metallic golden skin, armor made from platinum links, and an iron staff the size of a totem pole. His rust-red dragon legs pounded against the ice as he entered the camp. Precious stones glinted in his red braided hair.

Danielle glared at him and prepared for an attack. Pluto was the god of the riches in the earth and it looked like his counterpart had copied that. He seemed to have been made from precious metals and gems.

The giant approached, grinning at them with his solid silver teeth.

"Ah, Hazel Levesque," he said. "You cost me dearly! If not for you, I would have risen decades ago, and this world would already be Gaea's. But no matter!"

He spread his hands, showing off the ranks of ghostly soldiers. "Welcome, Percy Jackson! Welcome, Frank Zhang! And most important of all, welcome, Danielle Peverell! I am Alcyoneus, the bane of Pluto, and once I kill her, the new master of Death. And this is your new legion."

Danielle was seething. This giant wanted to kill Hazel, but his true target was her. She had some of the powers of Thanatos in the items she carried. Now, she had to figure out how to use them.

She had gotten the cloak, the stone and the wand, the three Deathly Hallows. The same items the three Peverell brothers got from Death centuries ago. But how could those things stop a huge giant made of gold and jewels?

The one who unites the Hallows will be master or mistress of Death

Great, just great. Was that metaphorical, or was it literal? Was just wielding them not enough? Stupid ancient laws forbidding the gods from telling her anything in a clear straight forward way.

"Hazel," said Frank in a voice he was trying to keep steady. "That package you're keeping for me? I need it."

Hazel glanced at him in dismay. Sitting on Arion, she looked like she was home on that horse, like she had been born to ride. Her brown hair swept over her shoulders and a wreath of icy mist around her head. "Frank, no, there has to be another way."

"Please. I, I know what I'm doing."

Thanatos smiled and lifted his manacled wrists. "You're right, Frank Zhang. Sacrifices must be made."

"Just don't start talking about the 'Greater Good,' on me Thanatos," said Danielle, getting her knives out. "I've heard that way too often."

The giant Alcyoneus stepped forward, his reptilian feet shaking the ground. "What package do you speak of, Frank Zhang? Have you brought me a present?"

"Nothing for you, Golden Boy," Frank said. "Except a whole lot of pain."

The giant roared with laughter. "Spoken like a child of Mars! Too bad I have to kill you. And this one…my, my, I've been waiting to meet the famous Percy Jackson."

The giant grinned. His silver teeth made his mouth look like a car grille.

"I've followed your progress, son of Neptune," said Alcyoneus. "Your fight with Kronos? Well done. Gaea hates you above all others…except perhaps for that upstart Jason Grace or Danielle Peverell. I'm sorry Percy but I can't kill you right away, but my brother Polybotes wishes to keep you as a pet. He thinks it will be amusing when he destroys Neptune to have the god's favorite son on a leash. After that, of course, Gaea has plans for you."

"Yeah, flattering." Percy raised Riptide. "But actually I'm a son of Poseidon. I'm from Camp Half-Blood."

The ghosts stirred. Some drew swords and lifted shields. Alcyoneus raised his hand, gesturing for them to wait.

"Greek, Roman, it doesn't matter," the giant said easily. "We will crush both camps underfoot. You see, the Titans didn't think big enough. They planned to destroy the gods in their new home of America. We giants know better! To kill a weed, you must pull up its roots. Even now, while my forces destroy your little Roman camp, the other giants are preparing for the real battle in the ancient lands! We will destroy the gods at their source."

The ghosts pounded their swords against their shields. The sound echoed across the mountains.

"Yeah, yeah," said Danielle, wondering when he would shut up. "We get it. You guys are going to attack the real Mount Olympus in Greece. Already working on that."

Alcyoneus chuckled. "Ah, Danielle Peverell. Magical Hunter of the goddess Artemis. Birth name of Danielle Potter and abandoned for her famous brother. It seems you ran into three unique items that grant you limited powers over death, but not the knowledge of how to use them. Hand me the items and I might spare you. I will replace Pluto as lord of the Underworld but with those items, I will be unstoppable! With Hazel Levesque in my service, I will have all the riches under the earth as well!"

Hazel gripped her spatha. "I don't do service."

"Oh, but you gave me life!" Alcyoneus said. "True, we hoped to awaken Gaea during Would War II. That would have been glorious. But really, the world is almost as bad a shape now. Soon, your civilization will be wiped out. The Doors of Death will stand open. Those who serve us will never perish. Alive or dead, you three will join my army."

"Only three?" said Danielle. "Who's the fourth that will die and stay dead?"

"You my dear," said the giant. "Gaea has no love for anyone who would defeat Porphyrion, and you did just that! She wants you dead even more than Jackson and Grace combined! Now, either give me those items willingly or be killed while I take them anyway."

Percy shook his head. "Fat chance, Golden Boy. You're going down."

"Wait," Hazel spurred her horse toward the giant. "I raised this monster from the earth. I'm the daughter of Pluto. It's my place to kill him."

"Ah, little Hazel," Alcyoneus planted his staff on the ice. His hair glittered with millions of dollars' worth of gems. "Are you sure you will not join us of your own free will? You could be quite…precious to us. Why die again?"

Hazel's eyes flashed with anger. She looked down at Frank and pulled a wrapped-up piece of firewood from her coat. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Frank said.

She pursed her lips. "You're my best friend, too, Frank. I should have told you that." She tossed him the stick. "Do what you have to do. And Percy…can you protect him?"

Percy gazed at the ranks of ghostly Romans. "Against a small army? Sure, no problem."

"Then I've got Golden Boy. Danielle?"

"I'm with you," the magical Hunter lifted a few feet off the ground. "He's only the third giant I've taken on. Shouldn't be that hard."

Hazel nodded. Both girls charged the giant.

Just like against the other two giants, the plan was a simple one. Danielle would attack from the air and keep the giant busy from above while Hazel and Arion sped in and attacked below.

The red head flew right at Alcyoneus's head with her light sword out and swiped at the giant's head. The giant had apparently been told to expect it however and almost managed to hit her with his staff. This allowed Hazel on Arion to get a free hit on his knee cap though, the horse jumping as Hazel's sword slashed through the dragon hide.

Alcyoneus growled in rage but didn't seem hurt, just annoyed. Danielle tried attacking from behind but she was hit by the staff, this giant moving much faster than the others.

"Fool, you defeated two of my brothers and you think you know all of our tricks!" the giant roared as Danielle tried to stand again. She was just barely able to get to feet in time when she had to roll out of the way, the giant's staff slamming into the ice and snow she had been a moment earlier. "I have learned from their mistakes, Mistress of Death. Gaea wants you dead, and I will be the one to do it."

He winced when Hazel made a deep cut in his legs and turned to face the daughter of Pluto instead, but she was already getting out of the way on Arion. The horse's speed getting both human and beast out of danger every time.

With a yell, Danielle flew at Alcyoneus with her sword out, managing to make a gash in the monster's stomach and through the armor he was wearing. The giant winced again but raised his hand and swatted her out of the sky again, making her crash into the snow-brick barracks.

She raised her head slightly in time to see Arion jump onto the building as well, Hazel riding on top, before leaping off the roof for the girl to slash at him with her sword again.

"You can't win," Alcyoneus yelled as Hazel's sword hit the same wound on his stomach. "I am invincible in my own home territory, even with a god on your side!" As if to prove his point, his wounds closed instantly, not even leaving scars. It was if nothing had happened.

The master or mistress of death is the one who unites the Hallows.

Danielle groaned as she stood up, moving out of the way as the giant's staff smashed through the barracks, destroying the building like it was a child's snow fort. 'What does that mean?' She thought frantically. 'I have all three, what more do I need to do!'

Thanatos offered no more answers. Danielle was forced to watch as Alcyoneus swiped at Hazel with his staff, knocking over walls and cleaving massive chasms in the ice. Only Arion's speed kept himself and Hazel alive.

"Percy!" yelled Frank in the distance. "They can die now!"

That meant that Thanatos was free but Percy sounded like he wasn't doing too well. At least Frank was still alive.

Unite the Hallows…Oh! It couldn't be that simple, could it?

Danielle could have smacked herself, it was so simple and so obvious. Pulling out the wand and the cloak from her bag, she held each in her hands. 'Here goes everything.' She touched the two of Death's items together with the ring on her finger.

There was a pulse of magic but it didn't seem to do anything. Danielle watched as there was a flash of light and she was suddenly holding a staff. The wooden shaft was about five feet long and completely black. The top was decorated with a small emerald jewel that was decorated with a vertical line, a circle around it, and a triangle covering both. The shaft had numerous runes carved into the wood, which she couldn't even begin to decipher.

'Okay, I wasn't expecting that.'

You have some of my powers, the voice of Thanatos said in her mind. Make it count.

Gripping the staff, she took to the air again and saw that the battle against Alcyoneus wasn't going too well. Arion was still able to outrun the giant, but he was getting slower, even for him. She watched as Hazel cried out in pain. Arion screamed as the giant got a lucky shot. His staff sent both horse and rider tumbling over the ice, crashing into the ramparts.

Danielle growled and shot toward the giant, faster than she remembered she could fly before. She didn't even notice Frank summon his skeletal friend to help Percy, all she saw was that Hazel was buried somewhere in a collapsed pile of snow-bricks. Arion stood over her, trying to protect her, rearing and swatting at the giant with his front hooves.

The giant laughed. "Hello, little pony. You want to play.

Alcyoneus raised his staff.

With a shout, a huge blast of pure magic hit the giant in the side and he stumbled back, looking around wildly. "YOU!"

Danielle smirked. She was hovering a few feet above the ground, twirling her staff a little. "Me," she said simply, before shooting another blast of pure magic at him. The staff was so powerful that it blasted the giant back a few feet. "Okay, this is awesome!" She waved her staff in front of the pile of snow-bricks and they suddenly vanished, leaving Hazel winded but alive on the ice.

The magic didn't drain her reserves at all. Confused, she shot another few jets of magic at the giant, making him fly backwards a few feet each time. She still didn't feel any pull on her magical core. It felt more like she was channeling the magic from the very atmosphere through the staff.

'Okay, there has to be a downside here somewhere but dang it if I know what it is,' she thought.

"You will burn, Peverell!" the giant roared, standing at his full height. "You will die, screaming for mercy at Gaea's hand. You will-" His speech was cut off when a giant eagle came out of nowhere, talons extended, the razor-sharp claws raking across the giant's eyes.

Alcyoneus bellowed in pain. He staggered backward as the eagle came closer to Danielle and Hazel, turning into Frank.

"Frank…" Hazel stared at him in amazement, a cap of snow dripping off her head. "What just…how did-"

"Fools!" Alcyoneus shouted. His face was slashed, black oil dripping into his eyes instead of blood, but the wounds were already closing. "I told you that I am immortal in my homeland, Frank Zhang! Danielle Peverell! And thanks to your friend Hazel, my new homeland is Alaska. You cannot kill me here!"

"We'll see," Frank said. "Hazel, get back on your horse."

The giant charged, Danielle getting into the sky while Frank charged to meet him. As Frank ran, his body became heavier, thicker, rippling with muscles. He crashed into the giant as a full-grown grizzly bear, a thousand pounds of pure force. He was still small compared to Alcyoneus, but he slammed into the giant with such momentum, Alcyoneus toppled into an icy watchtower that collapsed on top of him.

Frank sprang at the giant's head. A swipe of his claw was like a heavyweight fighter swinging a chain saw. Frank bashed the giant's face back and forth until his metallic features began to dent.

"Urgg," the giant mumbled in a stupor.

Frank turned back to normal and jumped back as a huge beam of pure magic shot out of the staff in the red head's hands and crashed into the giant's head. Continuing the attack for roughly thirty seconds, the beam ended to show that there was nothing around the giant's head. The magic had destroyed everything around it and the only reason the giant was still alive was because he was immortal in Alaska.

"Dang it!" the Hunter yelled. "That should have vaporized anything! Stupid giant." She felt winded now, and if she had tried that with a regular wand she would have passed out for days, but the staff was pretty powerful apparently.

Frank pulled out the rope he had bought back in Seward, quickly made a noose, and fastened it around the giant's scaly foot.

"Hazel, here!" He tossed her the other end of the rope. "I've got an idea, but we'll have to hurry!"

"Kill-uh-you-uh…"Alcyoneus muttered. He wasn't looking too good after a bear mauled him and a huge magic attack. His red hair had been burnt off while the very little he still had was on fire. His golden skin looked cracked and blackened, while his armor seemed almost melted to his skin now.

Frank ran to the giant's head, picked up the nearest heavy object he could find, a legion shield, and slammed it into the giant's nose.

The giant said, "Urgg."

Frank looked back at Hazel. "How far can Arion pull this guy?"

Hazel just stared at him. "You-you were a bird. Then a bear. And-"

"Hazel, snap out of it," Danielle shook her slightly, and she seemed to come out of the daze she had been in.

"But Percy!" Hazel said.

Uh oh.

Through the ruins of what used to be the camp, they saw Percy with his back to edge of the cliff. The skeleton warrior Frank had summoned to help him was gone. He held Riptide in one hand and the legion's golden eagle in the other. The entire army of shades edged forward, their weapons bristling.

"Percy!" Frank yelled.

Percy glanced over. He saw the fallen giant and seemed to understand what was happening. He yelled something that was lost in the wind, probably: Go!

Then he slammed Riptide into the ice at his feet. The entire glacier shuddered. Shades fell to their knees. Behind Percy, a wave surged up from the bay, a wall of gray water even taller than the glacier. Water shot from the chasms and crevices in the ice. As the wave hit, the back half of the camp crumbled. The entire edge of the glacier peeled away, cascading into the void; carrying buildings, shades, and Percy Jackson over the edge.

Frank and Danielle were so stunned that Hazel had to yell their names a dozen times before they realized Alcyoneus was getting up again.

Danielle gestured for the shield, Frank gave it to her, and she was the one to slam the giant in the nose until Alcyoneus began to snore. Meanwhile, the glacier kept crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer.

Thanatos glided toward them on his black wings, his expression serene.

"Ah, yes," he said with satisfaction. "There go some souls. Drowning, drowning. You'd best hurry, my friends and herald, or you'll drown, too."

"But, Percy…" Frank could barely speak his friend's name. "Is he-"

"Too soon to tell. As for this one…" Thanatos looked down at Alcyoneus with distaste. "You'll never kill him here. You know what to do?"

Frank nodded numbly. "I think so."

"Than our business is complete."

The three teens exchanged nervous looks.

"Um…" Hazel faltered. "You mean you won't…you're not going to-"

"Claim your life?" Thanatos asked. "Well, let's see…"

He pulled out his pure black iPad from thin air. Death tapped the screen a few times, and Danielle was starting to get nervous.

"I don't see you on the list," Thanatos said. "Pluto gives me specific orders for escaped souls, you see. For some reason, he has not issued a warrant for yours, Hazel. Perhaps he feels your life is not finished, or it could be an oversight. If you'd like me to call and ask-"

"No!" Hazel yelped. "That's okay."

"Are you sure?" Death asked helpfully. "I have video-conferencing enabled. I have his Skype address here somewhere…"

"Really, no." Hazel looked as if several thousand pounds of worry had just been lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you."

"Urgg," Alcyoneus mumbled.

Frank hit him over the head again.

Death looked up from his iPad. "As for you, Frank Zhang, it isn't your time, either. You've got a little fuel left to burn. But don't think I'm doing either of you a favor. We will meet again under less pleasant circumstances."

He looked at Danielle. "For your service against Voldemort and sending him to the Underworld as he died, here's a warning. You will get your powers back several hours after you lose them. Don't worry too much about it."

"Huh?" Danielle was now really confused.

The cliff was still crumbling, the edge only twenty feet away now. Arion whinnied impatiently. They needed to leave, but Frank asked one last question.

"What about the Doors of Death?" he said. "Where are they? How do we close them?"

"Ah, yes." A look of irritation flickered across Thanatos's face. "The Doors of Me. Closing them would be good, but I fear it is beyond my power. How you would do it, I haven't the faintest idea. I can't tell you exactly where they are. The location isn't…well, it's not entirely a physical place. They must be located through questing. I can tell you to start your search in Rome. The original Rome. You will need a special guide. Only one sort of demigod can read the signs that will ultimately lead you to the Doors of Me."

Cracks appeared in the ice under their feet. Hazel patted Arion's neck to keep him from bolting.

"What about my brother?" she asked. "Is Nico alive?"

Thanatos gave her a strange look, possibly pity, though that didn't seem like an emotion Death would understand. "You will find the answer in Rome. And now I must fly south to your Camp Jupiter. I have a feeling there will be many more souls to reap, very soon. Farewell, demigods, until we meet again."

Thanatos dissipated into black smoke.

The cracks widened in the ice under Danielle's feet.

"Hurry!" Frank told Hazel. "We've got to take Alcyoneus about ten miles due north!"

He and Danielle climbed onto the giant's chest and Arion took off, racing across the ice, dragging Alycyoneus like the world's ugliest sled.

XXXXX

It was a short trip.

Arion rode the glacier like a highway, zipping across the ice, leaping crevices, and skidding down slopes that would've made a snowborder's eyes light up.

No one had to knock out Alcyoneus too many times, as the giant's head kept bouncing and hitting the ice. As they raced along, the half-conscious Golden Boy mumbled a tune that sounded like 'Jingle Bells.'

Danielle was pretty stunned herself. She had unlocked at least one secret about the Hallows and hoped there were others to find. As they traveled, she could almost see the magic in the area, seeing places that were stronger and weaker magically.

Not only that: they had released Death, and both of her traveling companions were alive. And Percy…he would be okay. He had survived long falls before, Annabeth had told her about the St. Louis Arch, and he could breath underwater, even in Alaska.

She remembered the map of Alaska they had seen on the train earlier from Anchorage. She hadn't got a good look at it, but she knew approximately where they were going.

Finally, Arion zoomed between two mountains into a valley of ice and rocks, like a massive bowl of frozen milk with bits of Coco Puffs. The giant's golden skin paled as if it were turning to brass. They had crossed into friendly territory.

"Here!" Frank yelled.

Arion veered to one side. Hazel cut the rope, and Alcyoneus went skidding past. Both teens jumped off the giant right before he slammed his head into a boulder.

Immediately Alcyoneus jumped to his feet. "What? Where? Who?"

His nose was bent in an odd direction. His wounds had healed, though his golden skin had lost some of its luster and he was still bald. He looked around for his iron staff, which was still back at Hubbard Glacier. Then he gave up and pounded the nearest boulder to pieces with his fist.

"You dare take me for a sleigh ride?" he tensed and sniffed the air. "That smell…like snuffed-out souls. Thanatos is free, eh? Bah! It doesn't matter. Gaea still controls the Doors of Death. Now, why have you brought me here, son of Mars?"

"To kill you," Frank said. "Next question?"

The giant's eyes narrowed. "I've never known a child of Mars who can change his form, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me. Do you think your stupid soldier of a father gave you the strength to face me in one-on-one combat?"

Hazel drew her sword and Danielle raised her new staff. "How about three on one?"

The giant growled and charged at Hazel, but Arion nimbly darted out of the way. Hazel slashed her sword across the back of the giant's calf. Black oil spouted from the wound.

Alcyoneus stumbled. "You can't kill me, Thanatos or no!"

Danielle rose her staff and shot out another beam of pure magic at the giant. This one hit the giant in the other leg and created a deep gash. More black oil poured onto the ground.

"Stop that!" Alcyoneus shouted. "This is Alaska. I am immortal in my homeland!"

"Actually," Frank said. "I have some bad news about that. See, I got more from my dad than strength."

The giant snarled. "What are you talking about, war brat?"

"Tactics," Frank said. "That's my gift from Mars. A battle can be won before it's ever fought by choosing the right ground." He pointed over his shoulder. "We crossed the border a few hundred yards back. You're not in Alaska anymore. Can't you feel it, Al? You want to get to Alaska, you have to go through me."

Slowly, understanding dawned in the giant's eyes. He looked down incredulously at his wounded legs. Oil still poured from his calves, turning the ice black.

"Impossible!" the giant bellowed. "I'll-I'll-Gah!"

"So articulate," Danielle muttered just loud enough for Hazel to hear her, which made her laugh a little.

Alcyoneus charged at Frank, determined to reach the international boundary. For a moment, it looked like Frank wasn't going to do anything.

The giant kept coming. Twenty yards. Ten yards.

"Frank?" Hazel called nervously.

Frank stood his ground. "I got this."

Just before Alcyoneus smashed into him, Frank changed. His body swelled to massive size. His skin thickened. His arms changed to stout front legs. His mouth grew tusks and his nose elongated.

Alcyoneus slammed into a full-grown ten-ton elephant. The giant staggered sideways. He screamed in frustration and slammed into Frank again, but Alcyoneus was completely out of his weight division. Frank head-butted him so hard Alcyoneus flew backward and landed spread-eagled on the ice.

"You-can't-kill me," Alcyoneus growled. "You can't-"

Frank turned back into his normal form. He walked up to the giant, whose oily wounds were steaming. His golden skin began to corrode, breaking into chunks.

Hazel dismounted and stood next to Frank, Danielle joining them, the daughter of Pluto's sword ready. "May I?"

Frank nodded. He looked into the giant's seething eyes. "Here's a tip, Alcyoneus. Next time you choose the biggest state for your home, don't set up base in the part that's only ten miles wide. Welcome to Canada, idiot."

Hazel's sword came down on the giant's neck. Alcyoneus dissolved into a pile of very expensive rocks.

For a while, the three teens stood together, watching the remains of the giant melt into the ice. Frank picked up his rope.

"An elephant?" Hazel asked.

Frank scratched his neck. "Yeah. It seemed like a good idea."

The fact that Frank could turn into various animals didn't really seem weird to Danielle. After spending so much of her childhood around two animagi, James and Sirius, she was used to people turning into animals. Of course, it was always one animal and not any they wanted, but it was the same basic principle.

Hazel's expression was unreadable for a moment. Then she kissed Frank, a full one real one on the lips, much more romantic than the sisterly one Hazel gave Percy on the airplane.

"You are amazing," she said. "And you make a very handsome elephant."

Frank blushed a bright red but smiled. Before he could say anything, a voice echoed across the valley.

You haven't won.

Danielle looked up, she had heard that voice before. Shadows were shifting across the nearest mountain, forming the face of a sleeping woman.

You will never reach home in time, taunted the voice of Gaea. Even now, Thanatos is attending the death of Camp Jupiter, the final destruction of your Roman friends.

The mountain rumbled as if the whole earth were laughing. The shadows disappeared.

Hazel, Frank and Danielle looked at each other. None of them said a word. They climbed onto Arion and sped back toward Glacier Bay.

XXXXX

Percy was waiting for them. He looked mad.

He stood at the edge of the glacier, leaning on the staff with the golden eagle, gazing down at the wreckage he'd caused: several hundred acres of newly open water dotted with icebergs and flotsam from the ruined camp.

The only remains on the glacier were the main gates, which listed sideways, and a tattered blue banner lying over a pile of snow-bricks.

When they ran up to them, Percy said "Hey," like they were just meeting for lunch or something.

"You're alive!" Frank marveled.

Percy frowned. "The fall? That was nothing. I fell twice that far from the St. Louis Arch."

"Hah!" said Danielle pointing at Frank. "Told you! And you didn't believe me."

"Never mind that," said Percy. "The important thing was I didn't drown."

"So the prophecy was incomplete!" Hazel grinned. 'It probably said something like: the son of Neptune will drown a whole bunch of ghosts."

Percy shrugged. He was still looking at Frank like he was miffed. "I got a bone to pick with you, Zhang. You can turn into an eagle? And a bear?"

"And an elephant," Hazel said proudly.

"An elephant." Percy shook his head in disbelief. "That's your family gift? You can change shape?"

Frank shuffled his feet. "Um…yeah. Periclymenus, my ancestor, the Argonaut, he could do that. He passed down the ability."

"And he got that gift from Poseidon," Percy said. "That's completely unfair. I can't turn into animals."

Frank stared at him. "Unfair? You can breath underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking hurricanes, and it's unfair I can be an elephant?"

Percy considered that. "Okay. I guess you got a point. But next time I say you're totally beast-"

"Just shut up," Frank said. "Please."

Percy cracked a smile.

"Boys," Danielle rolled her eyes. "You have plenty of powers Percy, you don't-" Her speech was cut off when her staff suddenly vanished with a small blast that threw her back twenty feet.

"Dani!"

Danielle groaned as she got up. She wasn't hurt, the blast just threw her back. "Ow. What was that?"

None of them knew the answer. She frowned then felt weak and shivered heavily. "Guys, when did it get so cold." She tried to use a warming charm, nothing happened. "Oh, this is so not good." She held out her hand. "Lumos." There was nothing. She frantically pulled out her wand. "Lux Gladius!" There wasn't even a spark.

"HOW CAN I NOT HAVE MAGIC?"

"Well," said Frank, as Danielle put her wand back into her holster, slumping her shoulders. "Now we know what Thanatos meant by you losing your powers."

"Now that isn't fair. I get amazing magical abilities with that staff but I lose even basic magic afterwards. Weak." She tried to fly, but couldn't even hover. All of her magic was gone. "Let's hope this is only temporary."

"We need to go," said Hazel, looking sad that her friend was magically drained. "Camp Jupiter is under attack. They could use that gold eagle."

Percy nodded. "One thing first, though. Hazel, there's about a ton of Imperial gold weapons and armor at the bottom of the bay now, plus a really nice chariot. I'm betting that stuff could come in handy…"

It took them a long time, too long, but they all knew those weapons could make the difference between victory and defeat if they got them back to camp in time.

Hazel used her abilities to levitate some items from the bottom of the sea. Percy swam down and brought up more. Frank helped by turning into a seal, which was cool, though Percy claimed his breath smelled like fish. Danielle could only haul the items into a large bundle with Frank's rope, enough slack left to strap it to the chariot later.

The chariot took all three demigods working together, but finally they'd managed to haul everything ashore to a black sand beach near the base of the glacier. They couldn't fit everything in the chariot, but they managed to get most of the weapons and the best pieces of armor.

"I could have levitated everything and even shrunk the weapons if I had MAGIC," Danielle grumbled. In a way, it made sense. A huge gain in magic for a huge loss later, but it still wasn't fair she hadn't been told about it earlier.

"It looks like Santa's sleigh," Frank said. "Can Arion even pull that much?"

Arion huffed.

"Hazel," Percy said, "I am seriously going to wash your horse's mouth out with soap. He says, yes, he can pull it, but he needs food."

Hazel picked up an old Roman dagger, a pugio. It was bent and dull, so it wouldn't be much good in a fight, but it looked like solid Imperial gold.

"Here you go, Arion," she said. "High-performance fuel."

The horse took the dagger in his teeth and chewed it like an apple.

"I'm not doubting Arion's strength," Frank said carefully, "but will the chariot hold up? The last one-"

"This one has Imperial gold wheels and axle," Danielle said, examining it. "It should hold. And if not, then without magic, it would take a long time to fix so let's try not to do anything reckless with this thing."

"Come on!" Hazel said, jumping onto Arion's back again as the three others climbed into the chariot.

"Giddyup!" she yelled.

The horse's sonic boom echoed across the bay. They sped south, avalanches tumbling down the mountains as they passed.

XXXXXX

Four hours.

That was how long it took the fastest horse on the planet to get from Alaska to San Francisco Bay, heading straight over the water down the Northwest Coast.

Danielle was forced to stand next to Percy and Frank and the bunch of weapons they brought. They didn't talk, each lost in their own thoughts.

She was personally going to kill Arcus when she saw him next. It took four DAYS to get from New York to Seattle while it only took four hours for Arion to get from Alaska to southern California. Stupid chicken.

The fact that she had no magic at the moment was actually extremely disconcerting. She had always had magic, even when she didn't use it, she could at least have it as a backup if her knives or bow wasn't enough. Now she didn't even have that. There was no energy under her skin ready to use, there was no pulsing power in her magical core, she couldn't even feel her core.

She might as well be a squib for the moment. Absolutely humiliating. At least she knew this was only temporary. She would just have to use her Hunt skills in the upcoming battle, which were formidable at least, even if she wasn't at full strength. If only she had known about this before she was going to go into a full scale battle that numbered in the thousands.

The coastline began to look familiar. They raced pat the Mendocino lighthouse. Shortly afterward, Mount Tam and the Marin headlands loomed out of the fog. Danielle could almost hear Atlas shout out insults as they passed that mountain. Arion shot straight under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay.

They tore through Berkley and into the Oakland Hills. When they reached the hilltop above the Caldecott Tunnel, Arion shuddered like a broken car and came to a stop, his chest heaving.

Hazel patted his sides lovingly. "You did great, Arion."

The horse nickered slightly but Percy didn't comment on any bad language so he must have been tired.

Percy, Frank and Danielle jumped off the chariot. The magical Hunter still felt weak from the sudden loss of power and her legs felt like she had been hit by a jelly-legs jinx. Her joints were stiff and she could barely walk.

Percy and Frank didn't look much better. Frank hobbled to the top of the hill and peered down at the camp. "Guys…you need to see this."

When the others joined him, their hearts sank. The battle had begun, and it wasn't going well.

Jason had told her of the layout of the Roman camp and Danielle looked out. Camp Jupiter was on one end of the valley and the closest to the tunnel entrance. New Rome was the city about a mile away from the Camp that held the families, businesses, and government buildings like the Senate building and the Coliseum. Next to the city was Temple Hill, the place with the various temples dedicated to the various gods, where Romans could go to ask for guidance.

In between the camp and the city was the Field's of Mars, a huge open area that was usually reserved for war games. Now, however, it was where the Twelfth Legion was arrayed, trying to protect the city. Scorpion crossbows fired into the ranks of Earthborn. An elephant in a Kevlar vest plowed down monsters right and left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered.

On a Pegasus, the remaining Praetor that she figured was Reyna flew around the giant Polybotes, trying to keep him occupied. The house ghosts, Lares, had formed shimmering purple lines against a mob of black, vaporous shades in ancient armor. Veteran demigods from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their shield wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant eagles circled the battlefield, doing aerial combat with two snake-haired ladies in green Bargain Mart vests, gorgons.

The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but their formation was breaking. Each cohort was an island in a sea of enemies. A Cyclops' siege tower shot glowing green cannonballs into the city, blasting craters in the forum, reducing houses to ruins. As they watched, a cannonball hit the Senate House and the dome roof partially collapsed.

"We're too late," Hazel said.

"No," Percy said. "They'll still fighting. We can do this."

"Where's Lupa?" Frank asked, desperation creeping into his voice. "She and the wolves…they should be here."

Danielle shook her head. "Lupa gives Romans the tools they need to succeed but she won't fight on the front lines. Wolves only attack when they have superior numbers and usually under the cover of darkness. Lupa teaches you to deal with your own battles, but it's always fight or die, prove your own worth."

"She did what she could," Percy agreed. "She slowed down the army on its way south. Now it's up to us. We've got to get the gold eagle and these weapons to the legion."

"But Arion is out of steam!" Hazel said. "We can't haul this stuff ourselves."

"Maybe we don't have to," said Percy, scanning the hilltops.

He whistled as hard as he could, a good New York cab whistle that would've been heard all the way from Times Square to Central Park.

Shadows rippled in the trees. A huge black shape bounded out of nowhere-a mastiff the size of an SUV, with a Cyclops and a harpy on her back.

"Hellhound!" Frank scrambled backward.

"It's okay!" Percy grinned. "These are friends."

"Brother!" Tyson climbed off and ran toward Percy. Percy tried to brace himself, but it was no good. Tyson slammed into him and smothered him in a hug. For a few seconds, Percy's head was lost in the Cyclops's flannel shirt. Then Tyson let go and laughed in delight, looking Percy over with that massive baby brown eye.

"You are not dead!" he said. "I like it when you are not dead!"

Ella fluttered to the ground and began preening her feathers. "Ella found a dog," she announced. "A large dog. And a Cyclops."

Was she blushing? Danielle laughed before she got hugged by Tyson as well, making her see nothing but flannel and black spots. "Dani! You are not dead either!"

"Yeah, amazing, isn't it?" she said dryly. She liked Tyson and he seemed to like her as well when Annabeth introduced them formally. Then again, the big guy liked just about everyone.

Looking over, Percy was found on the ground, his black mastiff licking him all over and barking so loudly that even Arion backed up.

"Hey, Mrs. O'Leary," Percy said. "Yeah, I love you too, girl. Good dog."

Hazel made a squeaking sound. "You have a hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Long story," Percy managed to get to his feet and wipe off the dog slobber. "You can ask your brother…"

His voice wavered when he saw Hazel's expression. He had apparently forgotten that Nico di Angelo was missing.

"Sorry," he said. "But yeah, this is my dog, Mrs. O'Leary. Tyson, these are my friends, Frank and Hazel."

Danielle turned to Ella, who was counting all the barbs in one of her feathers.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "We were worried about you."

"Ella is not strong," she said. "Cyclopses are strong. Tyson found Ella. Tyson took care of Ella."

Danielle raised an eyebrow. Ella was blushing.

"Tyson," Percy said, "you big charmer, you."

Tyson turned the same color as Ella's plumage. "Um…No." He leaned down and whispered nervously, loud enough for all the others to hear: "She is pretty."

Frank tapped his head like he was afraid his brain had short-circuited. "Anyway, there's this battle happening."

"Right," Percy agreed. "Tyson, where's Annabeth? Is any other help coming?"

Tyson pouted. His big brown eye got misty. "The big ship is not ready. Leo says tomorrow, maybe two days. Then they will come."

Danielle frowned. "Damn. What's keeping Leo? I helped build that ship and he said it would be done by now." They could really use a huge war ship right about now. "We don't have two minutes."

"Okay," said Percy. "Here's the plan."

As quickly as possible, he pointed out which were the good guys and the bad guys on the battlefield. Tyson was alarmed to learn that Cyclopses and bad centaurs were in the giant's army. "I have to hit pony-men?"

"Just scare them away," Percy promised.

"Um, Percy?" Frank looked at Tyson with trepidation. "I just…don't want our friend here getting hurt. Is Tyson a fighter?"

Danielle laughed. "Is he a fighter? Frank, you are looking at General Tyson of the Cyclops army who led the battle against the monster Typhon last year."

"By the way," said Percy. "Tyson, Frank is a descendant of Poseidon."

"Brother!" Tyson crushed Frank in a hug.

Percy stifled a laugh. "Actually, he's more like a great-great-…Oh, never mind. Yeah, he's your brother."

"Thanks," Frank mumbled through a mouthful of flannel. "But if the legion mistakes Tyson for an enemy-"

"I've got it!" Hazel ran to the chariot and dug out the biggest Roman helmet she could find, plus an old Roman banner embroidered with SPQR.

She handed them to Tyson. "Put these on, big guy. Then our friends will know you're on our team."

"Yay!" Tyson said. "I'm on your team!"

The helmet was ridiculously small, and he put the cape on backward, like a SPQR baby bib.

"It'll do," Percy said. "Ella, just stay here. Stay safe."

"Safe," Ella repeated. "Ella likes being safe. Safety in numbers. Safety deposit boxes. Ella will go with Tyson."

"What?" Percy said. "Oh…fine. Whatever. Just don't get hurt. And Mrs. O'Leary-"

"ROOOF!"

"How do you feel about pulling a chariot?"

It didn't take long for Percy to unharness Arion from the chariot and hook up Mrs. O'Leary, which looked strange, to be sure.

They were, without a doubt, the strangest reinforcements in Roman military history. Hazel rode Arion, who had recovered enough to carry one person at normal horse speed, though Percy said that the horse complained all the way down the hill.

Frank transformed into a bald eagle and flew into the battle. Tyson ran down the hill, waving his club and yelling, "Bad pony-men! BOO!" while Ella fluttered around him, reciting facts from the Old Farmer's Almanac.

That left Percy and Danielle riding Mrs. O'Leary into battle with a chariot full of Imperial gold equipment clanking and clinking behind, the golden eagle standard of the Twelfth Legion raised high above him.

They skirted the perimeter of the camp and took the northernmost bridge over a river called the Little Tiber, charging onto the Fields of Mars at the western edge of the battle. A horde of Cyclopses was hammering away at the campers of the Fifth Cohort, who were trying to keep their shields locked just to stay alive.

Percy shouted, "Fifth Cohort!" and slammed into the nearest Cyclops. The last things the poor monster saw were Mrs. O'Leary's teeth.

After the Cyclops disintegrated, and stayed disintegrated, thanks to Death, Percy leaped off his hellhound and slashed wildly through the other monsters. Danielle smirked and pulled out her knives, getting to work as well.

Tyson charged at the Cyclops leader, Ma Gasket, the one Jason, Piper and Leo had defeated shortly before meeting her. She was wearing a chain-mail dress spattered with mud and decorated with broken spears.

She gawked at Tyson and started to say, "Who-?"

Tyson hit her in the head so hard, she spun in a circle and landed on her rump.

"Bad Cyclops Lady!" he bellowed. "General Tyson says GO AWAY!"

He hit her again, and Ma Gasket broke into dust.

Meanwhile, Hazel charged around on Arion, slicing her spatha through one Cyclops after another, while Frank blinded the enemies with his talons.

Danielle was finishing with the retreating monsters, her arrows turning all Cyclopses around her to dust. Once every monster within fifty yards had been reduced to ashes, Frank landed in front of his troops and transformed into a human. His centurion's badge and Mural Crown gleamed on his winter jacket.

"Fifth Cohort!" he bellowed. "Get your Imperial gold weapons right here!"

The campers recovered from their shock and mobbed the chariot. Percy and Danielle did their best to hand out equipment quickly.

"Let's go, let's go!" a grinning guy urged, smiling like a madman and swigged from a flask at his belt. "Our comrades need help!"

Soon the Fifth Cohort was equipped with new weapons and shields and helmets. They weren't exactly consistent. In fact they looked like they'd been shopping at a King Midas clearance sale. But they were suddenly the most powerful cohort in the legion.

"Follow the eagle!" Frank ordered. "To battle!"

The campers cheered. As Percy and Mrs. O'Leary charged onward, the entire cohort followed, forty extremely shiny gold-plated warriors screaming for blood.

They slammed into a herd of wild centaurs that were attacking the Third Cohort. When the campers of the Third saw the eagle standard, they shouted insanely and fought with renewed effort.

The centaurs didn't stand a chance. The two cohorts crushed them like a vise. Soon there was nothing left but piles of dust and assorted hooves and horns. Whoever those centaurs were, they were nothing like Chiron and the Party Ponies. They were a different breed. They had to be defeated.

"Form ranks!" the centurions shouted. The two cohorts came together, their military training kicking in. Shields locked, they marched into battle against the Earthborn.

Frank shouted, "Pila!"

A hundred spears bristled. When Frank yelled, "Fire!" they sailed through the air, a wave of death cutting through the six-armed monsters. Danielle had even managed to fire several of her own arrows amongst the flying spears. The campers drew swords and advanced toward the center of the battle.

At the base of an aqueduct, the First and Second Cohorts were trying to encircle Polybotes, but they were taking a pounding. The remaining Earthborn threw barrage after barrage of stone and mud. Karpoi grain spirits, little piranha Cupids, were rushing through the tall grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line. The giant himself kept shaking godly basilisks out of his hair.

Unlike the magical version, godly basilisks were just normal sized snakes that could spit poison and fire. Not as dangerous as the magical variety but still deadly if there were enough of them.

Every time a godly basilisk landed, the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their corroded shields and the smoking plumes on their helmets, they'd already learned about the poison and fire.

Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin whenever he turned his attention to the ground troops. Her purple cloak snapped in the wind. Her golden armor gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung his weighted net, but the Pegasus Reyna was riding was almost as nimble as Arion.

Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their aid with the eagle. She was so stunned, the giant almost swatted her out of the air, but the flying horse dodged. Reyna locked eyes with Percy and gave him a huge smile.

"Romans!" her voice boomed across the fields. "Rally to the eagle!"

Demigods and monsters alike turned and gawked as Percy bounded forward on his hellhound.

"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. "What is this?"

Percy grinned and raised the eagle and shouted, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!"

Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose a blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings-arcing in front of Percy like the branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another, completely ignoring the Roman forces.

When the lightning stopped, the First and Second Cohorts were facing one surprised-looking giant and several hundred piles of ash. The enemy's center line had been charred into oblivion.

The look on some blond kid's face was priceless. Danielle didn't know what his problem was but the guy's face went from shock to outrage, Then, when his own troops started to cheer, he had no choice except to join the shouting: "Rome! Rome!"

The giant Polybotes backed up uncertainly, but the battle was far from over.

The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopses. Even the elephant was having a hard time wading through so many monsters. His black Kevlar armor was ripped so that the label that once said 'Elephant' just said ANT.

The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being pushed into the city. The monster's siege tower was still hurling explosive green fireballs into the streets. The gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and now flew unchallenged over the giant's remaining centaurs and the Earthborn, trying to rally them.

"Stand your ground!" One of them yelled, still wearing a Bargain Mart uniform. "I've got free samples!"

Polybotes bellowed. A dozen fresh basilisks fell out of his hair, turning the grass to poison yellow. "You think this changes anything, Percy Jackson? I cannot be destroyed! Come forward, son of Neptune. I will break you!"

'Why do giants keep saying that?' Danielle thought. If anything, giants were relatively easy to defeat after seeing three sent to Tartarus the hard way personally.

Percy dismounted Mrs. O'Leary. He handed the centurion from before the eagle standard. "You are the cohort's senior centurion. Take care of this."

The guy blinked, then he straightened with pride. He dropped his flask and took the eagle. "I will carry it with honor."

"Frank, Hazel, Dani, Tyson," Percy said, "help the Fourth Cohort. I've got a giant to kill."

He raised Riptide, but before he could advance, horns blew in the northern hills. Another army appeared on the ridge; hundreds of warriors in black-and-gray camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts knocked in their crossbows.

"Amazons," Frank said. "Great."

Polybotes laughed. "You see? Our reinforcements have arrived! Rome will fall today!"

The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their forklifts barreled into battle. The giant's army cheered-until the Amazons changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.

"Amazon's, forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt around her waist.

"Queen Hylla!" said Hazel. "She survived!"

"You doubted her?" Danielle smirked.

The Amazon queen shouted: "To my sister's aid! Destroy the monsters!"

"Destroy!" Her troops' cry echoed through the valley.

Reyna wheeled her Pegasus toward Percy. Her eyes gleamed. Her expression said: I could hug you right now. She shouted, "Romans! Advance!"

The battlefield descended into absolute chaos. Amazon and Roman lines swung toward the enemy like the Doors of Death themselves.

Percy rushed toward the giant while the others attacked the monsters surrounding the Forth Cohort.

Danielle jumped off Mrs. O'Leary and started darting around the battlefield. Summoning her bow, she took aim. "Mrs. O'Leary, I hope you like your new chew toy."

The giant hellhound looked at her, confused, but started wagging her tail when she saw that two arrows shot from her bow had cut through the wings of one of the gorgons, sending the monster screaming as she fell. Mrs. O'Leary woofed in joy and picked up the gorgon, shaking her from side to side and chewing on the monster's Bargain Mart vest.

Snickering, Danielle ran off, slashing and hacking at any monster that dared to get in her way. Jumping over a Cyclops, she sank one of her knives into its eye and ripped it out, making the monster yell out in pain before it dissolved.

As she fought, she heard the others more than she saw them. Tyson was taking care of multiple Earthborn at once, pounding them into the ground like a game of whack-a-mole. Ella was fluttering above him, dodging missiles and calling out advice: "The groin. The Earthborn's groin is sensitive."

SMASH!

"Good. Yes. Tyson found its groin."

In the distance, Hazel and Arion were galloping across the battlefield, cutting down centaurs and karpoi. One grain spirit yelled, "Wheat! I'll give you wheat!" but Arion stomped him into a pile of breakfast cereal. Queen Hylla and Reyna joined forces, forklift and Pegasus riding together, scattering the dark shades of fallen warriors. Frank himself turned into an elephant and stomped through some Cyclopses.

Danielle smirked and ran toward something completely different. The large siege tower that was still firing on the demigods and campers. The huge thing had to be about one hundred feet tall and was causing problems for everyone. It had to be stopped.

Grabbing a unique arrow from a fallen quiver, she fit into her bow and fired. The arrow was what she thought it was and it trailed a line as it flew, hooking at the top of the tower. Getting some speed, she started climbing the rope, made easy by the convenient notches every few feet on the rope.

After a quick but dangerous climb, she took in a deep breath and pulled the top hatch of the tower open, revealing a ladder down into the inner workings. The hole itself was probably about three feet across, large enough for a full grown person to fall through.

Forgoing the ladder entirely, she fell down the hole and rolled to a safe landing, taking a nearby Cyclops by surprise. Not giving it time to sound the alarm, one knife slash was all it took to send it to Tartarus.

Making her way through the inner workings of this huge machine, she ran through one passageway after another, turning the occasional monster to dust as she went.

Going down yet another ladder, she finally found the cannon that was constantly being fed Greek fire bombs by two huge Cyclopses. They were bigger than most, maybe eight feet tall, but that didn't make them any less ugly.

The two monsters spotted her and stopped loading bombs. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

The other one slapped the first over the head. "Stupid! Who cares, she'll be make a good apitizer for Ma."

"If you mean Ma Gasket," said Danielle, matter of factly. "I'm afraid that she got killed due to a sudden case of demigods. Want to join her?"

The two Cyclposes, apparently the sons of Ma Gasket that Piper and Leo had told her about, didn't like that and one threw a Greek fire bomb at her. Dodging quickly, she shot two arrows at a time and the one who attacked her was dust in no time.

In shock at seeing his brother turn to dust and not rise instantly, the other one didn't stand a chance as a simple knife to the throat made him burst to dust as well.

Snorting, she put away her knife and loaded the cannon with a Greek fire bomb. She smirked as she aimed it right at a group of Earthborn that were bothering Queen Hylla and Reyna and fired.

The missile flew with a whistle and exploded, taking out all monsters within the blast range. Danielle nodded at the two sister's stunned look and loaded the cannon again. This time she fired at a group of rogue centaurs that were about to overrun the Fourth Cohort, blasting them to pieces.

"Hey!" yelled a voice from an intercom in the wall. "What are you doing down there? You're taking out our own troops, stupid!"

Danielle ignored the annoying voice and kept going. She was getting irritated that she had only taken over one of several cannons as other missiles were still targeting campers. Looking for her next target, she saw the giant Polybotes chasing Percy through the Fields of Mars toward New Rome.

Aiming the cannon, she took careful aim and when Percy stopped moving to talk to what looked like an armless statue, she fired the cannon. The blast flew and hit the giant just as he stopped to threaten Percy and made Polybotes fall to the ground, stunned from the explosion of Greek fire.

Just as she was loading another bomb, a sound behind got her attention and she jumped to the side. An instant later, a club smashed the cannon exactly where she had been a moment earlier.

"Damn," said a huge Cyclops, hefting his club over his shoulder. "I missed." He was probably one of the biggest of his brothers and twice as ugly. Standing at nine or ten feet tall, his whole body rippled with muscles and that club looked to be as big as she was. He was wearing full Roman style armor and a helm with a red horse hair plume. "You'll die now."

Danielle rolled her eyes and dodged the club as it came at her a second time. As the monster got closer, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Perfect.

"Hey, ugly," she said, sounding more confident than she felt at the moment. The Cyclops looked at her, narrowing his eye. "I bet you can't defeat me if you take two steps to the left."

"I bet I can," he growled at her. He shuffled two steps to the left. He then rose his club. "Any last words?"

"Yeah, actually." She summoned her bow. "That's is literally the oldest trick in the book." She fired an arrow and hit the pile of Greek fire bombs right next to the monster. The Cyclops didn't have time to look surprised as the bombs exploded, sending her back several feet, the monster exploding into dust as he hit the back wall at several hundred miles an hour.

Unfortunately, she noticed that the explosion had taken out a good chunk of the floor and a couple of the support beams. Getting to her feet, she ran for the door just as more Greek fire bombs fell to the lower decks, exploding there as well. The whole tower was now leaning to the side, Greek fire bombs hitting random walls and exploding setting various parts of the tower on fire.

XXXXX

"You'll never win!" Polybotes groaned as he struggled to stand and failed. "You cannot defeat me alone."

"I'm not alone." Percy wasn't sure why that siege tower had fired on their own boss but figured he had someone to thank for that later. Percy raised the stone head of the Roman god of borders above the giant's face. "I'd like you to meet my friend Terminus. He's a god!"

Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant's face. Percy smashed the god's head as hard as he could into Polybotes's nose, and the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin and poisonous muck.

Percy staggered away, completely exhausted.

"Ha!" said the head of Terminus, the Roman statue god of borders. "That will teach them to obey the rules of Rome."

The battle was winding down now. Percy watched as the huge hundred foot siege tower slowly fell over with a crash, exploding into a green inferno.

Spotting a figure with dark red hair in the distance, he watched as Danielle, holding one of her arms in pain, slowly approached him. Her clothes were blackened from Greek fire, her hair was singed, and she looked ready to collapse.

"Percy," she said as she got closer, nodding to the others as they got close. "Word of warning. NEVER try to destroy a huge siege tower on your own."

"Duly noted," said Percy, grinning. "Something wrong with your arm?"

"Oh, just broken, thank you for asking," Danielle said sarcastically but smiling at the same time. "Had to smash my way through one of the walls of the tower before the whole thing fell over. And with no magic, I can't heal it right away."

"Ambrosia or nectar?"

"Do you want me to spontaneously combust? Blessing of Artemis or not, Mistress of Death or not, I'm not a demigod." She sighed, looking over the fields of Mars. "I'll have to wait until I get my magic back to heal it. Should be fun."

For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few fires burning, and a few retreating monsters screaming in panic.

A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around them. Tyson, Ella, and Mrs. O'Leary were there. Frank and Hazel were grinning at Percy with pride. Arion was nibbling contentedly on a golden shield.

The Romans started to chant, "Percy! Percy!"

They mobbed him. Before they knew it, they were raising him on a shield. The cry changed to, "Praetor! Praetor!"

Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and grasped Percy's in congratulation. Then the mob of cheering Romans carried him around the Pomerian Line, the border of New Rome, carefully avoiding Terminus's borders, and escorted him back to Camp Jupiter.

It didn't take long before everyone made it to the mess hall for the Feast of Fortuna. The feast in celebration of the Roman goddess of luck that would determine what kind of luck the camp would have for the year.

Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Fauns, the Roman equivalent of Satyrs, were invited since they they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, like he had for Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias; magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh baked cookies.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, nobody really caring that they changed seats so much they lost track of their food.

After a faun had wrapped up her arm in a bandage, Danielle, her arm now in a sling and bandaged, had fun mingling with the Amazons she had met when she was in Seattle. There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling, which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. At one point, Danielle ran into Alaina, the girl that had disarmed her back in Seattle. She told her what had happened after they had left, how Hylla had defeated Otrera in two consecutive duels to the death, so that the Amazons were now calling their Queen Hylla Twice-Kill.

She was highly amused by the Amazon Kinzie flirting with Percy. For once, the son of Poseidon actually seemed to be aware of someone flirting with him but the girl seemed okay with being let down gently.

Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help. Then she hugged her sister and everyone applauded.

Reyna raised her hands for quiet. "My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye-"

Hylla laughed. "That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons," Reyna continued. "I joined Camp Jupiter. But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices."

Hylla nodded. "I want to personally thank the official ambassador of lady Diana that gave me the aid needed to make it here today. Danielle Peverell!"

Danielle blinked but stood up when people started cheering for her. Unknown to her, quite a few people had seen what she had done with the siege tower and if she was known as the one who brought the Amazons here, even better.

Reyna looked at her and nodded, smiling. "My sister and I wouldn't even be in America right now if it were not for one person. Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield- Percy Jackson!"

More cheering, much louder this time. The sisters raised their glasses to Percy and beckoned him forward.

Everybody asked for a speech, but Percy looked tongue tied as he stood in front of everyone. He protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with applause. Reyna took away his probation neck plate. The skinny blond kid from the battle shot Percy a dirty look, then turned to the crowd and smiled like this was all his idea. He ripped apart a teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming year; Fortuna would bless them! He passed his hand over Percy's arm and shouted: "Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, first year of service!"

The Roman symbols burned into Percy's arm: a trident, SPQR, and a single horizontal line. It must have been extremely painful, but Percy managed not to scream.

After the blond kid hugged him, Reyna gave him an eagle medal and purple cloak, symbols of the praetor. "You earned these, Percy."

Queen Hylla pounded him on the back. "And I've decided not to kill you."

"Um, thanks," Percy said.

Percy made his way around the mess hall one more time, all the campers wanted him to sit at their table. A Lar, that Danielle was told was named Vitellius, followed him, stumbling over his shimmering purple toga and adjusting his sword, telling everyone how he'd predicted Percy's rise to greatness.

"I demanded he join the Fifth Cohort!" The ghost said proudly. "Spotted his talent right away!"

Danielle sighed and slapped the ghost upside the head, glad that her Mistress of Death powers gave her the ability to do that.

"Nice," Hazel said next to her, smirking. "Only Nico is able to touch ghosts like that."

Danielle shrugged. "Something else from Thanatos, I guess."

All the attention was clearly embarrassing Percy, but he looked happy to see how his three quest teammates were doing. Everyone called the four of them the saviors of Rome. There was even talk about reinstating Frank's great-grandfather, Shen Lun, to the legion's roll of honor. Apparently he hadn't caused the 1906 earthquake after all.

Percy eventually sat with Tyson and Ella, who were honored guests. Tyson kept calling for peanut butter sandwiches, eating them as fast as the nymphs could deliver. Ella perched at his shoulder on top of the couch and nibbled furiously on cinnamon rolls.

"Cinnamon rolls are good for harpies," she said. "June twenty-fourth is a good day. Roy Disney's birthday, and Fortuna's Feast, and Independence Day for Zanzibar. And Tyson."

She glanced at Tyson, then blushed and looked away.

Danielle yawned a little, talking to whoever was near her at the time. Apparently Hylla had told Reyna about her and the younger sister was giving her the same status that Nico had whenever he visited the Roman Camp.

"Ambassador of Diana, huh?" Frank said, smirking at her. He was just sitting with Hazel, enjoying the night and company like everyone else.

Danielle shrugged. "Eh. I guess I would do a better job of it than our lieutenent. Thalia would be considered…rude, to most of the Romans here. She is a better leader than I am, but I don't know if she would have the patience to be a diplomat."

The daughter of Zeus was certainly one of a kind, that was for sure.

"So, the blond scarecrow boy over there is Octavian, huh?"

Hazel nodded, lightly glaring at the legacy of Apollo. "Just be careful of him. He doesn't like outsiders or anyone not Roman. And he has some pretty powerful friends."

'Like a more competent version of Draco Malfoy,' Danielle thought, drinking from her glass, deep in thought. 'Okay then, let the game of politics begin.'

After dinner, the entire legion got the night off. Percy, Frank, Hazel and Danielle drifted down to the city, which wasn't quite recovered from the battle, but the fires were out, most of the debris had been swept up, and the citizens were determined to celebrate.

At the Pomerian Line, the statue of Terminus wore a paper hat.

"Welcome, praetor!" he said. "You need any giants' faces smashed while you're in town, just let me know."

"Thanks, Terminus," Percy said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes, good. Your praetor's cape is an inch too low on the left. There, that's better. Where is my assistant? Julia!"

A little girl that couldn't be older than seven or eight ran out from behind the pedestal. She was wearing a green dress and her hair was in pigtails. When she smiled, Danielle saw that her front teeth had apparently fallen out but were beginning to grow back. She held up a box full of party hats.

Percy tried to decline, but Julia gave him the big adoring eyes.

"Ah, sure," he said. "I'll take the blue crown."

She offered Hazel a gold pirate hat. "I'm gonna be Percy Jackson when I grow up," she told Hazel solemnly.

Danielle burst out laughing, until Julia held out a black witch's hat for her. "Oh you got to be kidding me. I wore one of these when I was eleven once. Never wore it again afterwards." She was forced into it though by a pouting little girl and she gave in with a smile.

Hazel smiled as well and ruffled Julia's hair. "Being Percy Jackson is a good thing to be, Julia."

"Although," Frank said, picking up a hat shaped like a polar bear's head. "Being Frank Zhang would be good too."

"Frank!" Hazel said.

They put on their hats and continued to the forum, which was lit up with multicolored lanterns. The fountains glowed purple. The coffee shops were doing a brisk business, and street musicians filled the air with the sounds of guitar, lyre, panpipes, and armpit noises. (Danielle didn't get that last one and she doubted the ancient Romans would have approved.)

The rainbow goddess Iris must have been in a party mood too. As the four of them strolled past the damaged Senate House, a dazzling rainbow appeared in the night sky. Unfortunately, the goddess sent another blessing, too. A gentle rain of gluten-free cupcake simulations.

"What in Tartarus?" Danielle picked one up, trying to figure out why a rainbow goddess would send these things.

"Ran into Iris on the quest," said Frank, shrugging. "Seemed to like ultra-healthy foods like this."

Danielle took that in before banging one of the cupcake simulations against one of the walls of the buildings. It didn't look the fake pastry took any damage at all.

"Maybe as bricks," she muttered, throwing the one she was holding into the nearest trash can. In her own personal opinion, she liked the real stuff. Real sugar, real butter, and as much gluten as she could stomach.

For a while, they wandered the streets with Hazel and Frank, who kept brushing shoulders.

Finally, Percy said, "I'm a little tired, guys. You go ahead."

Hazel and Frank protested, but it was obvious they wanted some time alone.

With nowhere else to go, Danielle followed Percy back to camp.

"You took over one of the cannons in the tower, huh? That's another time you saved me," said Percy, smiling at her.

Danielle nodded. "The tower was the biggest threat. Took it down from the inside and all it cost was a broken arm." She paused. "And really, Percy, we all protected each other on this quest, even if I joined half-way through. Besides, you're now praetor! One of the two leaders of New Rome. Good job."

"Thanks, although all I really did was stop the giant. You guys did all the hard work."

Danielle shook her head. "You are one of the good males on this planet, Jackson. Even lady Artemis doesn't hate you. If anything, you are the only male she somewhat likes."

"I'm not that great," said Percy, looking down.

The magical Hunter sighed. "You were Zoe's only male friend, proving to her that the male race isn't all bad before she died. You took the sky from lady Artemis when you didn't have to, just so she could fight Atlas. Your fatal flaw is loyalty, so you honestly cannot betray anyone. What is not to like about you?" She gave Percy a playful nudge in the shoulder and he pushed her back, laughing.

"Well, when you put it like that…"

As they walked back to camp, they saw Mrs. O'Leary playing with Hannibal the elephant in the Field of Mars. Finally, she found a playmate she could roughhouse with. They frolicked around, slamming into each other, breaking fortifications and generally having an excellent time.

At the fort gates, Percy stopped and gazed across the valley. "Hasn't been that long since I was here as a clueless demigod with no memories, Hazel showing me around," he chuckled. "Now I'm praetor."

"That's just you, Percy," said Danielle, staring off into the eastern horizon with him. They lapsed into a peaceful silence, just staring at the camp. "The Argo II will arrive tomorrow, maybe the day after that. Think you can handle seeing everyone again?"

Percy grinned at her. "Can't wait to see Annabeth again. I've come to love Camp Jupiter, but I want to go back to Camp Half-Blood too. New York is my hometown but…I get the feeling that Gaea is going to make it hard to get back there again."

"Gaea's not done causing trouble," Danielle agreed. "But, there are now four giants down, we're getting closer to stopping her."

Percy nodded and they got to the camp. Reyna had given Percy the second praetor's house on the Via Principalis while she let Danielle stay in the room Nico was given as ambassador. Percy decided to forgo the posh room, saying that it was for Jason, not him, and went back to the barracks for the fifth cohort.

Danielle saw no issues with staying in the not as fancy but still nice ambassador's suite, and passed out on the bed instantly.

The next morning, Percy, Hazel, Frank and Danielle ate breakfast early, then headed into the city before the senate was due to convene. As Percy was praetor now, he could go pretty much wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. As ambassador, Danielle was strictly a guest and while there were no real restrictions she had to follow, she was expected to follow the rules or be thrown out.

On the way to the city, they passed the stables, where Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary were sleeping in. Tyson snored on a bed of hay next to the unicorns, a blissful look on his face like he was dreaming of ponies. Mrs. O'Leary had rolled on her back and covered her ears with her paws. On the stable roof, Ella roosted in a pile of old Roman scrolls, her head tucked under her wings.

When they got to the forum, they sat by the fountains and watched the sun come up. The citizens were already busy sweeping up cupcake simulations, confetti, and party hats from last night's celebration. The engineer corps was working on a new arch that would commemorate the victory over Polybotes.

Hazel said she'd even heard talk of a formal triumph for the four of them; a parade around the city followed by a week of games and celebrations, but they knew they'd never get the chance. They didn't have time.

"I had a dream about Juno last night," Percy said, getting their attention right away. "She explained why she had to take my memories herself and why I vanished for eight months. Apparently, it just wasn't time to come here. She said I would be a loose cannon if I had waited around here for all that time."

Danielle snickered. "She's got a point there, Percy. You are impulsive."

"Understatement," said both Frank and Hazel at the same time.

Hazel frowned. "The gods were busy last night. Show them, Frank."

Frank reached into his coat pocket. At first, they thought he was going to pull out his piece of firewood but instead he produced a thin paperback book and a note on red stationary.

"These were on my pillow this morning," He passed them to Percy and Danielle. "Like the Tooth Fairy visited."

The book was The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Danielle had seen Phoebe read it every now and then so she was somewhat familiar with it, even if she hadn't read it herself. The letter read: Good job, kid. A real man's best weapon is his mind. This was your mom's favorite book. Give it a read. P.S.- I hope your friend Percy has learned some respect for me.

"Wow," Percy handed back the book. "Mars is different than Ares. I don't think Ares can read."

Frank flipped through the pages. "There's a lot in here about sacrifice, knowing the cost of war. Back in Vancouver, Mars told me I'd have to put my duty ahead of my life or the entire war would go sideways. I thought he meant freeing Thanatos, but now…I don't know. I'm still alive, so maybe the worst is yet to come."

He glanced nervously at Percy and Danielle, giving them the feeling Frank wasn't telling them everything.

"'Seven half blood shall answer the call, to storm or fire the earth must fall,'" Danielle muttered, loud enough for them to hear. "'An oath to keep with a final breath and foes bear arms at the doors of death.' If I had to say who is in the prophecy of seven, I would say that you three were in it. That means that you get to face against Gaea at the end."

She shook her head. "On the plus side, I got my magic back." She showed off her fully healed arm. "Fixed it in a heartbeat this morning." She also got all three Hallows back after they had vanished when she had combined them at Hubbard Glacier. She wasn't sure how, but wasn't questioning it.

Hazel squeezed Frank's hand.

Those two seemed more comfortable around each other this morning, not quite as nervous or awkward. Danielle wondered if they started dating. She hoped so, but decided it wouldn't be polite to ask.

"Hazel, how about you?" Percy asked. "Any word from Pluto?"

Hazel looked down. Several diamonds popped out of the ground at her feet. "No," she admitted. "In a way, I think he sent a message through Thanatos. My name wasn't on that list of escaped souls. It should have been."

"You think your dad is giving you a pass?" Percy asked.

Hazel shrugged. "Pluto can't visit me or even talk to me without acknowledging I'm alive. Then he'd have to enforce the rules of death and have Thanatos or Dani here bring me back to the Underworld. I think my dad is turning a blind eye. I think…I think he wants me to find Nico."

The four of them glanced at the sunrise, Percy looked like he was hoping to see a Greek warship descending from the sky. So far, nothing.

"We'll find your brother," Percy promised. "As soon as the ship gets here, we'll sail for Rome."

Hazel and Frank exchanged uneasy looks, like they'd already talked about this.

"Percy…" Frank said. "If you want us to come along, we're in. But are you sure? I mean…we know you've got tons of friends at the other camp. And you could pick anyone at Camp Jupiter now. Even Dani has more experience than us. If we're not part of the seven, we'd understand-"

"Are you kidding?" Percy asked. "You think I'd leave my team behind? After surviving Fleecy's wheat germ, running from cannibals, and hiding under blue giant butts in Alaska? Come on!"

The tension broke. All four of them started cracking up, maybe a little too much, but it was a relief to be alive, with the warm sun shining, and not worrying, at least for the moment, about sinister faces appearing in the shadows of mountains.

It reminded a certain magical Hunter of her first quest. When she, Percy, Grover, Thalia and Zoe got to Hoover Dam and they started joking about that dam snack bar. Good times. Good times.

Hazel took a deep breath. "The prophecy Ella gave us, about the child of wisdom, and the mark of Athena burning through Rome…do you know what that's about?"

"Percy," Danielle said hesitantly. "It's probably about Annabeth. She's on the Argo II coming here, to New Rome. You guys are also going to the real Rome." She paused. "How dangerous do you think bringing Annabeth with us is?"

"I'm not sure," Percy admitted slowly. "I think there's more to the prophecy. Maybe Ella can remember the rest of it."

Frank slipped his book into his pocket. "We need to take her with us; I mean, for her own safety. If Octavian finds out Ella has the Sibylline Books memorized…"

Percy shuddered. According to what Danielle found out about him, Octavian used his prophecies to keep his power at camp. Now that Percy had the spot the legacy of Apollo wanted as praetor, he would use anything he could get his hands on to exert his influence. If he got his hands on Ella…

"You're right," Percy said. "We've got to protect her. I just hope we can convince her-"

"Percy!" Tyson came running across the forum, Ella fluttering behind him with a scroll in her talons. When they reached the fountain, Ella dropped the scroll in Percy's lap.

"Special delivery," she said. "From an aura. A wind spirit. Yes, Ella got a special delivery."

"Good morning, brothers!" Tyson had hay in his hair and peanut butter in his teeth. "The scroll is from Leo. He is funny and small."

"Leo! About time he got the Argo II ready," Danielle said happily.

The scroll itself looked unremarkable, but when Percy spread it across his lap, a video recording flickered on the parchment. Leo's grinning face beamed up at them. He was wearing his Greek armor, looked like he had drunk several cups of coffee, and was sitting in a dark room with timber walls like a ship's cabin. Oil lamps swung back and forth on the ceiling.

Hazel stifled a scream.

"What?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"

Danielle got it though. This was the first time Hazel had seen a picture of Leo, and he looked just like the daughter of Pluto's first crush, Sammy.

"Hey!" said the image of Leo in the video. "Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I'm the…" He looked off screen and yelled: "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or-"

Piper's voice yelled back, "Repair boy."

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen. "So yeah, I'm…ah…supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. By the way, Dani, machines beat magic any day of the week! Eat that! Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out."

The parchment went blank.

"It can't be," Hazel said.

"What?" Frank asked. "You know that guy?"

Hazel looked like she had seen a ghost. It wasn't that hard to figure out why.

"It's Sammy Valdez," she said. "But how…how-"

"No, that was Leo Valdez," said Danielle softly. "I guess that would make your Sammy his grandfather or something."

Hazel was about to say something when they were interrupted by horns blowing in the distance. The senators came marching into the forum with Reyna at the lead.

"It's meeting time," Percy said. "Come on. We've got to warn them about the warship."

XXXXX

"Why should we trust these Greeks?" Octavian was saying.

He'd been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what Percy had told them about Juno's plan and the Prophecy of Seven.

The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too afraid to interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll. Meanwhile the sun climbed in the sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural spotlight.

The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Frank, and Hazel sat in the front row with the senators. Danielle was sitting the ambassador's seat, filling in the spot Nico usually filled. Veterans and ghosts filled the back rows. Even Tyson and Ella had been allowed to sit in the back. Tyson kept waving and grinning at Percy.

Percy and Reyna occupied matching praetors' chairs on the dais, which didn't seem to help Percy's nerves. It wasn't easy looking dignified wearing a bed sheet and a purple cape.

"The camp is safe," Octavian continued. "I'll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?"

"I'm glad you asked." Percy stood, taking the question as an opening.

Octavian stammered, "I wasn't-"

"-part of the quest," Percy said. "Yes, I know. And you're wise to let me explain, since I was."

Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed.

"Gaea is waking," Percy said. "We've defeated two of her giants, but that is only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece."

An uneasy ripple spread through the senate.

"I know, I know," Percy said. "You've always thought of the Greeks as your enemies. And there's good reason for that. I think the gods have kept our two camps apart because whenever we meet, we fight. But that can change. It has to change if we're to defeat Gaea. That's what the Prophecy of Seven means. Seven demigods, Greek and Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together."

"Ha!" shouted a Lar from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska in the first place! Why should we believe you now?"

Octavian smiled smugly and Danielle had to work hard not to teach that little bastard a lesson. It didn't help that she didn't have her weapons as they were banned in the city. Some of Octavian's allies in the senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain.

"I carried Juno across the Tiber," Percy reminded them, speaking as firmly as he could. "She told me that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most important gods would appear at camp if the situation wasn't serious?"

"He's right," said a girl that Frank told Danielle was named Gwen from the second row. "I, for one, trust Percy's word. Greek or not, he restored the honor of the legion. You saw him on the battlefield last night. Would anyone here say that he is not a true hero of Rome?"

Nobody argued. A few nodded in agreement.

Reyna stood. Everyone watched her anxiously. Her opinion could change everything, for better or worse.

"You claim this is a combined quest," she said. "You claim Juno intends for us to work with this…this other group, Camp Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for eons. They are known for their deceptions."

"Maybe so," Percy said. "But enemies can become friends. A week ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?"

Queen Hylla laughed. "He's got a point."

"The demigods of Camp Half-Blood have already been working with Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "We just didn't realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself."

Reyna backed up, almost tripped over her toga. "You…what?"

"I know it's hard to believe," Percy said. "But I think I've earned your trust. I'm on your side. Hazel and Frank, I'm sure they're meant to go with me on this quest. The other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor."

"Oh, come on!" Octavian shouted. "He's making things up, now."

Danielle couldn't stay silent any longer and stood up. "I am the ambassador of Lady Diana. I have been to Camp Half-Blood myself. I was on a quest with Jason Grace just last winter. Juno took away his memories and sent him to the Greek Camp, just like she did the same to Percy and sent him here.

"Gaea is rising, how else could she have risen these giants that have attacked this camp and city? The gods have said themselves that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass and the seven greatest demigods are needed. Greek or Roman. It won't be enough for one, but combined, it might just be enough. Either you listen to the gods, or you allow New Rome to be destroyed. Take your choice."

Octavian sneered at her, reminding her of Draco Malfoy. "How can we believe you, either? Are you even Greek or Roman?"

Danielle smirked, which made the scarecrow boy flinch slightly. "I'm British! I'm neither Greek nor Roman. I'm not a demigod or even a legacy. But I swear on my honor as a Hunter of lady Diana that the Greeks mean no harm to your city."

Reyna frowned. "It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek demigods? You say they're going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn't be worried."

"Yes." Percy looked over the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators. "Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will back up everything I'm telling you. I swear it on my life."

"On your life?" Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. "We will remember that, if this turns out to be a trick."

Right on cue, a messenger rushed into the Senate House, gasping as if he'd run all the way from camp. "Praetors! I'm sorry to interrupt, but our scouts report-"

"Ship!" Tyson said happily, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. "Yay!"

Sure enough, a Greek warship appeared out of the clouds, about a half mile away, descending toward the Senate House. As it got closer, Danielle could make out the bronze shields glinting along the sides, billowing sails, and a figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. On the tallest mast, a big white flag of truce snapped in the wind.

After all the work Danielle had helped Leo with on that thing, it was the most incredible ship she had ever seen.

"Praetors!" the messenger cried. "What are your orders?"

Octavian shot to his feet. "You need to ask?" His face was red with rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. "The omens are horrible! This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!"

He jabbed a finger at both Percy and Danielle. "Their friends are attacking in a warship. They have led them here. We must attack!"

"You fool!" Danielle yelled down at him. Despite her lack of height or the fact she looked thirteen, her silver aura was glowing and making her look far more powerful than she really was. "Is this how proud Romans behave! Attack a surrendering ship that has evidence of your old praetor on board? The flag of truce has been unfurled. Wouldn't Romans such as yourselves parlay with the ones offering themselves to you?" Her expression was so fierce, that everybody flinched when they looked into her hazel eyes.

Percy stood up. "I say we stand ready, but do not attack. Let them land. Let them speak. If it is a trick, then I will fight with you, as I did last night. But it is not a trick."

All eyes turned toward Reyna.

She studied the approaching warship. Her expression hardened. If she vetoed Percy's orders…well, no one was sure what would happen. Chaos and confusion, at the very least. Most likely, the Romans would follow her lead. She'd been their leader much longer than Percy.

"Hold your fire," Reyna said. "But have the legion stand ready. Percy Jackson is your duly chosen praetor and Danielle Peverell is ambassador to lady Diana herself. We will trust their word…unless we are given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet our…new friends."

The senators stampeded out of the auditorium; whether from excitement or panic, Danielle didn't know. Tyson ran after them, yelling, "Yay! Yay!" with Ella fluttering around his head.

Octavian gave Percy and Danielle a disgusted look, then threw down his teddy bear and followed the crowd.

Reyna stood at Percy's shoulder.

"I support you, Percy," she said. "I trust your judgment. But for all our sakes, I hope we can keep the peace between our campers and your Greek friends."

"We will," he promised. "You'll see."

She glanced up at the warship. Her expression turned a little wistful. "You say Jason is on board…I hope that's true. I've missed him."

She marched outside, leaving Percy alone with Danielle, Hazel and Frank.

"They're coming down right in the forum," Frank said nervously. "Terminus is going to have a heart attack."

"Percy," Hazel said. "you swore on your life. Romans take that seriously. If anything goes wrong, even by accident, Octavian is going to kill you. You know that right? And Dani, you will be thrown out of the camp, never to return."

Percy smiled and Danielle nodded. They knew the stakes were high. They both knew this day could go horribly wrong. But they also knew that Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Leo were on that ship. If things went right, this was one more step to taking down Gaea.

Percy threw an arm around Hazel and Danielle and one arm around Frank.

"Come on," he said. "Let me introduce you to my other family."

Okay, I had this thought and I have to do it.

Omake!

Two people stood next to each other next to the River Thames in London. One was a shaggy guy with some scars on his face while the other was a younger woman with mousy brown hair.

"Why Remus? I love you, I want us to stay together," the woman said, looking at her boyfriend in disbelief.

"Sorry Tonks, but your just not good for me," said Remus, starting at her. "You were nothing but a distraction. Someone I could have fun with, but you're just not the person for me. Besides, I'm a monster. We can't be together."

"Oh Remus, I don't care that you're a werewolf," said Tonks, moving close to Remus, but he just backed away so they were the same distance. "I love you. I've loved you since you saved me from that accident in front of the school parking lot."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're just not…good for me, Tonks. Every month I want to try to kill you. It's just not safe around me. You should go and find yourself a nice human guy. Have a happy human life, away from me."

"Remus…"

"It'll be like I was never here," Remus said, staring at the river. "You deserve someone better."

"Remus I," Tonks was about to say something but she burst out laughing instead, falling down to the ground.

The Golden Dragon Lord (aka Gold) walked onto the set of the fake River Thames. "Cut! Cut, cut, cut! Tonks, what was that? You were supposed to give your next line!"

"I'm sorry," said Tonks, honestly not being able to keep her composure anymore and fell over laughing, her hair turning back to pink. "But really? This script is just too funny!"

Gold sighed, face palming. "Tonks, you were supposed to fall to the ground in a useless heap while Remus just walked off without caring. Do I have to bring in Kristan Stewart in again to show you how to act like her?"

"NO!" Tonks said, now a little afraid of meeting that woman again. "It's fine, I'm sure I'll get it in the next take."

"Fine. And Remus, nice acting. Robert Pattenson give you any trouble?"

"No," Remus shrugged. "I think I met him before though. Was he a Hufflepuff when I was teaching…oh well."

"Ah, come on, Moony," said Sirius, walking onto the set from where he had been sitting. "It's not that bad. Besides, you're a monster once a month. Big deal, Tonks here is a monster for several days a month."

Both Tonks flared with anger as well as Silver, Gold's sister, as she stomped up to him, furious as well.

"You had to make that joke!" she shouted, Tonks yelling at Sirius as well. "As if I don't get enough of-"

"Hey!" Gold said, hands outstretched. "I'm just repeating a joke I've heard a hundred times! I don't personally believe that. Uh, Hey, Danielle! A little help here!"

Danielle, who had been watching the whole thing, just shook her head. "Oh no, you're on your own there. You were stupid enough to make that joke." In a softer voice, she muttered, "just glad I don't have to deal that myself anymore."

Silver heard though. "Wait, what? What do you mean she doesn't have to deal with that anymore?"

Gold shrugged. "Makes sense to me. A Hunter of Artemis doesn't age so I figured their internal cycle is shut down. Besides, can you really see Artemis and her Hunters going into a grocery store all the time for 'feminine items?'" He shuddered. "Makes me glad I'm a guy and I don't have to deal with that."

"Serves you right for being a guy and creating a main female character," Danielle smirked. She made no move to stop Silver from chasing Gold around the set, nor Tonks from cursing Sirius into staying in his dog form while looking like a pink poodle. "Yeah, girls rule."