AN: Last time when I said long chapter, I was obviously joking. I don't own Percy Jackson.

Nicole was bored out of her mind. She shouldn't have been, due to the fact there was a huge scale war about to commence in less than a week. But oh no, her father just had to be ridiculously overprotective and not allow her a part in it. Well, that was a bit of a lie. Hades wanted her to do one thing. But she had refused. She wouldn't do such a thing. So she was grounded. Or, as it was so delicately put, "on probation". Nicole wasn't dumb. She may not be book smart, but she knew when her father was lying to her. The upper right corner of his mouth twitched, just like her. Sulking in his throne room, bossing about some skeletons was not fun though. She couldn't even try to make it fun. Once she had tried to make a couple of ghosts play "Go Fish" with her. Her father told her there were no fish allowed in his domain. He very obviously didn't approve of her friendship with Percy.

Nicole hadn't seen him for about a month, maybe two. Everyone at Camp Half Blood had been so busy monster slaying... Not that Nicole wanted to go to the place. The last time she had seen sunlight was a couple of weeks ago, when she went to investigate...

"Daughter!" Hades yelled and Nicole immediately looked happy.

"Yes, father?" She asked, putting on her extreme polite voice.

"After much, er, consideration, I have decided to make you a deal." Nicole looked at him funny.

"I'm not grounded anymore?" He ignored that.

"You will do what I have instructed you to do. Then, if you succeed, I will tell you anything you want to know." He had her.

"But father, but you're asking me to do... Percy is one of my greatest friends."

"I only want to talk, I promise, nothing else." Nicole nodded.

"Okay." And with that, Hades lifted the barrier preventing her from shadow travel.

~0o0~

It was night when she arrived at Camp Half Blood. She landed right in the middle of a nymph and an angry looking satyr.

"Who are you?" The angry satyr, quite small and fat, said.

"Nicole Di Angelo." She shrugged, holding out her hand. The satyr refused it. Before Nicole could say anything else a very large wad of black fur pushed into her, forcing her to fall over.

"Will someone-what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"

"Sorry, Leneus," Percy said. "That's your name, right?"

The satyr rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!"

"WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said happily.

The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"

"Percy," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus-"

"I told you!" the satyr protested. "You are better off without that traitor."

Juniper stamped her foot." He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"

"WOOF!"

Leneus's knees started knocking. "I ...I won't answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"

Nicole laughed at him. "I'll walk the dog," She volunteered. She began whistling "We are the Champions", and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after her. She was a good hellhound. When she returned from the walk which turned out as more of a run, the satyr was gone.

"Good job, Percy. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook him up pretty well."

"Welcome back, "Percy smiled at her. "Why are you here? I thought you hated this place."

"Oh, uh, I came to talk about-"

"He scared us to death!" Juniper said. "Right out of the shadows. But, Nicole, you are the daugher of Hades and all. Are you sure you haven't heard anything about Grover?"

Nicole shifted uncomfortably. "Juniper, even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."

"But if you do hear anything?" she pleaded, grabbing her arm. "Anything at all?"

"Uh, you bet. I'll keep my ears open."

"We'll find him, Juniper," Percy promised. "Grover's alive, I'm sure. There must be a simple reason why he hasn't contacted us."

She nodded glumly. "I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I'm stuck here waiting. Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt-"

Mrs. O'Leary bounded back over and took an interest in Juniper's dress. Juniper yelped. "Oh, no you don't! I know about dogs and trees. I'm gone!"

She went poof into green mist. Mrs. O'Leary looked disappointed, but she lumbered off to find another target, leaving Nicole and Percy alone. They stood in comfortable silence. Nicole tapped her sword on the ground playfully. A tiny mound of animal bone erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off.

"I was sorry to hear about Beckendorf."

"How did you-"

"I talked to his ghost." Nicole had nearly had a panic attack when she had seen him, but he assured her Percy was fine. She felt bad for the guy though, so she walked him to Elysium herself. It sped up the process, to say the least.

"Oh... right. Did he say anything?"

"He doesn't blame you. He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."

"Is he going to try for rebirth?"

Nicole shook her head. "He's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone. Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death.

"I had a vision you were on Mount Tam, was that-"

"Real," She said, the last time she had seen the daylight. "I didn't mean to be spying on the Titans, but I was in the neighbourhood."

"Doing what?"

"Research. I kind of had to do it. Father wanted to know something about traffic or something..." She lied.

"Are you sure you're okay being his servant?"

"No," She murmured. "But it may be worth it soon."

"What's the lead?"

Nicole chewed her lip. How did Percy read her thoughts so well? "That's not important right now. You know why I'm here. I didn't come for a casual dropping by."

"Nicole, I don't know," Percy said. "It seems pretty extreme."

"You've got Typhon coming in, what ...a week? Most of the other Titans are unleashed now and on Kronos' side. Maybe it's time to think extreme." Percy looked toward the camp.

"Percy, you're not stupid. They're no match for the Titan army," Nicole said. "You know that. This comes down to you and Luke. And there's only one way you can beat Luke. We can give you the same power. You heard the Great Prophecy. Unless you want to have your soul reaped by a cursed blade..."

"You can't prevent a prophecy," Percy said.

"Maybe not, but you can fight it. Just like we already do. A son of Poseidon can be friends with a daughter of Hades. That's what we're about, Perce, defiance. You can become invincible."

"Maybe we should wait. Try to fight without-"

"Percy, you know it has to be now!"

"Um, you sure you're okay?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm being a bit too pushy. What I mean is, when the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. Two years ago my sister gave her life to protect you. I want you to honour that. Do whatever it take to stay alive and defeat Kronos. Plus, I hate to admit it, but I might actually miss you." She said, play punching him in the shoulder.

"All right," He decided. "What do we do first?"

She tried hard to smile, but she secretly wished he had said no. "First we'll need to retrace Luke's steps. We need to know more about his past, his childhood."

Percy shuddered. "Why do we need to know about that?"

"I'll explain when we get there," Nicole said. "I've already tracked down his mother. She lives in Connecticut."

Percy stared at her. "Luke ran away when he was really young," He said. "I didn't think his mom was alive."

"Oh, she's alive." If you could call it that. May Castellan was seriously creepy.

"Okay..." Percy said. "So how do we get to Connecticut? I can call Blackjack-"

"No. Pegasi don't like me and the feeling is mutual. But there's no need for flying." She grinned. "I haven't taken you shadow travelling yet?"

"Shadow travel?"

"What did you think I did? Climb up the fire escape all those times? Let me sum it up. Only one darkness, so shadow and night are the same, right? And creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."

"I don't understand," He said.

"No," Nicole said. "It took me a long time to learn. Heck, at first I could barely do it across a room. But I'm strong enough now, I think."

"Nicole, what do you mean?"

"Do you trust me?" He didn't reply but she nodded. "Good. Just, whatever you do, don't let go."

"Let go of what?" Nicole just grinned and pulled him into a tight hug. She counted down under her breath and they melted into the shadows.

~0o0~

Nicole almost forgot how fun shadow travel was. The best part was definitely the fact Percy screamed the entire time. She probably should have warned him to hold his breath. The next minute the shadows melted into a new scene. They were on a cliff in the woods of Connecticut. Down one side of the cliff, a highway cut through a ravine. Down the other side was someone's backyard. The property was huge-more wilderness than lawn. The house was a two-story white Colonial. Nicole staggered slightly and then nearly tripped over her own feet. Percy caught her, and she rubbed her eyes.

"How did you do that?"

"Practice, a few times running into walls, a few accidental trips to China. This was the stage where my powers were either ridiculously strong or annoyingly weak. The first time I did it, somehow I managed to go to LA and I passed out for a week. Now it just makes me a little drowsy, but I can't really do it that often, I'll need like an hour."

"So we've got some quality time in Connecticut." Percy gazed at the white Colonial house. "What now?"

"We ring the doorbell," Nicole said. The house was kind of creepy. The front of the house was lined with loads of beanbag animals that looked extremely tattered. When they reached the porch it looked exactly the same as before. It was infested with wind chimes; they all linked in sync as a breeze flew over them. The front door was painted turquoise. The name CASTELLAN was written in English, and something was written bellow in Greek: ÄéïéêçôÞò öñïõñßïõ. Nicole still couldn't read it.

Nicole looked at Percy. "Ready?" She'd barely tapped the door when it swung open.

"Luke!" the old lady cried happily. She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets. Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head. Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash. When she smiled, her face looked unnaturally stretched, and the high-voltage light in her eves made me wonder if she was blind.

"Oh, my dear boy!" She hugged Percy. "Come in!" she insisted. "I have your lunch ready!"

She ushered them inside. The living room was even weirder than the front lawn. Mirrors and candles filled every available space. Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock.

"This way, my dear!" Ms. Castellan steered them toward the back of the house. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!" She sat them down at the kitchen table. Stacked on the counter were hundreds of Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones on the bottom were green and fuzzy, like they'd been there for a long time. On top of the oven was a stack of cookie sheets. Each one had a dozen burned cookies on it. In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. Ms. Castellan started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly and started making a new sandwich. Something was burning in the oven. Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures cut from magazines and newspaper ads-pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.

Nicole coughed. "Um, Ms. Castellan?"

"Mm?"

"We need to ask you about your son."

"Oh, yes! They told me he would never come back. But I knew better."

She patted Percy's cheek affectionately, giving him peanut butter racing stripes.

"When did you last see him?" Nicole asked. Her eyes lost focus.

"He was so young when he left," she said wistfully. "Third grade. That's too young to run away! He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool- Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon..." Then she looked at Percy and smiled. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes." She turned toward the pictures of Hermes above the sink. "Now, there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."

"Ma'am," Nicole said. "What, uh ...what happened to your eye?" Her gaze seemed fractured-like she was trying to focus on her through a kaleidoscope. "Why, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasn't it? I'd always been special, able to see through the ...whatever-they-call-it."

"The Mist?" Percy said.

"Yes, dear." She nodded encouragingly. "And they offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"

Percy glanced at Nicole, but all she could do was shrug.

"What sort of job?" Percy asked. "What happened?"

She frowned. Her knife hovered over the sandwich bread. "Dear me, it didn't work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny! And now ...I still can't get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookie?" She pulled a tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen lumps of chocolate chip charcoal on the table. "Luke was so kind," Ms. Castellan murmured. "He left to protect me, you know. He said if he went away, the monsters wouldn't threaten me. But I told him the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in."

She picked up the little stuffed Medusa from the windowsill. "Do they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all." She beamed at Percy. "I'm so glad you came home. I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"

"Ms. Castellan," He said.

"Mom," she corrected.

"Um, yeah. Have you seen Luke since he left home?"

"Well, of course!"

Nicole sat forward expectantly. "When?" She asked. "When did Luke visit you last?"

"Well, it was ...Oh goodness..." A shadow passed across her face.

"The last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar, and his voice so full of pain..."

"His eyes," Percy said. "Were they gold?"

"Gold?" She blinked. "No. How silly. Luke has blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!"

"Ms. Castellan?" Nicole put her hand on the old woman's arm, if she was right about this... "This is very important. Did he ask you for anything?"

She frowned as if trying to remember. "My-my blessing. Isn't that sweet?" She looked at us uncertainly. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did."

Nicole gave Percy a look of triumph. "Thank you, ma'am. That's all the information we-"

Ms. Castellan gasped. She doubled over, and her cookie tray clattered to the floor. Nicole and Percy jumped to their feet. "Ms. Castellan?" Percy said.

"AHHHH," She straightened. Her eyes glowed green. "My child," she rasped in a much deeper voice. "Must protect him! Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate -no!"

She grabbed Nicole by the shoulders and began to shake her. "Not his fate!" Nicole was scared out of her mind. Monsters? Yes. Crazy old women with glowing eyes? No. Nicole yelped and pushed her away, gripping the hilt of her sword.

"Percy, we need to get out-" Suddenly she collapsed. Percy lurched forward and caught her, before she could hit the edge of the table. He propped her up in a chair.

"Ms. C?" He asked.

She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head. "Goodness. I... I dropped the cookies. How silly of me." She blinked, and her eyes were back to normal.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Well, of course, dear. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

He glanced at Nicole, who mouthed the word Leave.

"Ms. C, you were telling us something," He said. "Something about your son."

"Was I?" she said dreamily. "Yes, his blue eyes. We were talking about his blue eyes. Such a handsome boy!"

"We have to go," Nicole said urgently, she needed to get out of there. "We'll tell Luke ...uh, we'll tell him you said hello."

"But you can't leave!" She got shakily to her feet, and Percy backed away. "Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"

"Maybe next time," He said. "Thank you for-" He looked down at the burned cookies scattered on the floor. "Thanks for everything."

They managed to get all the way to the front porch. She grabbed Percy's wrist.

"Luke, at least be safe. Promise me you'll be safe."

"I will... Mom." That made her smile. She released my wrist, and as she closed the front door I could hear her talking to the candles: "You hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!"

As the door shut, Nicole and Percy ran for it. When they got to the cliff, it had had some additions. A cosy campfire crackled in a ring of stones. A girl about eight years old was sitting cross-legged next to the fire.

"Hello," she said. Nicole knew her. She had seen her once; when she was in camp half blood. She had only waved, but the girl, who she had discovered was Hestia, had beamed at the gesture. Nicole had preceded to talk to her, about what, she couldn't remember. Nicole bowed to her.

."Hello again, Lady." Percy bowed as well.

"Sit, Percy Jackson," she said. "Would you like some dinner?

Hestia waved her hand and a picnic appeared at the edge of the fire. There were plates of roast beef, baked potatoes, buttered carrots, fresh bread, and a bunch of other foods Nicole had never had. Hestia was the goddess of the Hearth, but Nicole didn't have a Hearth, not really.

Percy scraped part of his meal into the flames. "For the gods," He said.

The goddess smiled. "Thank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know."

"I recognize you now," He said. "The first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area."

"You did not stop to talk," the girl recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nicole talked to me. She was the first in many years. So much fire in her... Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family." Hestia had told her this when they first met. Nicole hadn't known what she meant, but she did now. Nicole was all fire and nothing else.

"You're Hestia," Percy said. "Goddess of the Hearth." She nodded.

"My lady," Nicole asked, "why aren't you with the other Olympians, fighting Typhon?"

"I prefer not to fight," Hestia said sadly. "I'm not much for fighting. Besides," she said, "Someone has to keep the home fires burning while the other gods are away."

"So you're guarding Mount Olympus?" Percy asked.

"Guard may be too strong a word. But if you ever need a warm place to sit and a home-cooked meal, you are welcome to visit. Now eat." Nicole's plate disappeared before her eyes.

"That was great," Percy said. "Thank you, Hestia."

She nodded. "Did you have a good visit with May Castellan?"

"What's wrong with her, exactly?" He asked.

"She was born with a gift," Hestia said. "She could see through the Mist."

"Like my mother, but the glowing eyes thing-"

"Some bear the curse of sight better than others," the goddess said sadly. "For a while, May Castellan had many talents. She attracted the attention of Hermes himself. They had a beautiful baby boy. For a brief time, she was happy. And then she went too far."

"One minute she was all happy," Percy said. "And then she was freaking out about her son's fate, like she knew he'd turned into Kronos. What happened to... to divide her like that?"

The goddess's face darkened. "That is a story I do not like to tell. But May Castellan saw too much. If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family."

"No wonder Luke ran away," He said. "I mean, it wasn't right to leave his mom like that, but still – he was just a kid. Hermes shouldn't have abandoned them."

"It's easy to judge others," Hestia warned. "But will you follow Luke's path? Seek the same powers?"

Nicole set down her plate. "We have no choice, my lady. It's the only way Percy stands a chance."

"Mmm." Hestia opened her hand and the fire roared. Flame shot thirty feet into the the fire died back down to normal.

"Not all powers are spectacular." Hestia looked at me. "Sometime the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. Do you believe me?"

"Uh-huh," He said. Nicole understood that.

The goddess smiled. "You are a good hero, Percy Jackson. Not too proud. I like that. But you have much to learn. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave up my throne for him. It was the only way to avoid a civil war among the gods."

"It unbalanced the Council," Percy remembered. "Suddenly there were seven guys and five girls."

Hestia shrugged. "It was the best solution, not a perfect one. Now I tend the fire. I fade slowly into the background. No one will ever write epic poems about the deeds of Hestia. Most demigods don't even stop to talk to me. But that is no matter. I keep the peace. I yield when necessary. Can you do this?"

"I don't know what you mean."

She studied him. "Perhaps not yet. But soon. Will you continue you quest?"

"Is that why you're here- to warn me against going?"

Hestia shook her head. "I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the last Olympian. You must remember me when you face your final decision."

He looked at Nicole, then back at Hestia "I have to continue, my lady. I have to stop Luke... I mean Kronos."

Hestia nodded. "Very well. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I have already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus."

"You're sending me to my hearth…" Percy trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing. "My mom's apartment?"

The goddess waved her hand, and everything faded.

~0o0~

Suddenly they just appeared on Percy's mom's couch in her apartment on the Upper East Side. Percy's mom and stepdad, Paul, were eating dinner when they randomly turned up. They looked a bit shocked, Nicole didn't blame them.

"Percy?" Mrs Blofis said, just looking concerned. "What are you doing here?" Mr Blofis didn't react as calmly. He literally jumped back out of his seat.

"How did you..." Mr Blofis stared at Percy like he'd never seen him before. "All the talk about monsters, and being a demigod... it's really true?" Percy nodded. Nicole remembered it well. Percy had freaked out; he had paced around his room for a solid hour. Nicole had tried to help him as best she could, but she hadn't really experienced the situation.

"You know, Mr Blofis, if you still need convincing, I could do this." Nicole said, trying to be helpful. She snapped her fingers and three skeletons appeared from the ground. Nicole had no idea how it worked in an apartment building, as they weren't touching the ground, but she wasn't about to ask. Mr Blofis jumped back even further.

"Nicole..." Percy gritted his teeth. "You're scaring him."

"Oh, right. Sorry..." She said, returning the skeletons. Maybe that was a bit overkill.

Mr Blofis laughed like he was delighted. "Are you kidding? This is awesome! I mean, when I saw the hoof prints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!"

"Thanks for not freaking out," Percy said.

"Oh, I'm freaking out," He promised, his eyes wide. "I just think it's awesome!"

"Yeah, well," Percy said, "you may not be so excited when you hear what's happening."

And so they told them about Typhon, and the gods, and the battle that was sure to come. Nicole explained her plan. Mrs Blofis took a deep breath, like she was thinking how to tell him no.

"Percy, it's dangerous," she said. "Even for you."

"Mom, I know. I could die. Nicole explained that. But if we don't try-"

"We'll all die," Nicole said. "Mrs Blofis, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there will be an invasion."

"An invasion of New York?" Mr Blofis said. "Is that even possible? How could we not see the... the monsters?"

"I don't know," Percy admitted. "I don't see how Kronos could just march into Manhattan, but the Mist is strong. Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think he's a storm system."

"Mrs Blofis," Nicole said, "Percy needs your blessing. The process has to start that way. I wasn't sure until we met Luke's mom, but now I'm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk."

"You want me to bless this?" She shook her head. "It's crazy. Percy, please-"

"Mom, I can't do it without you."

"And if you survive this ...this process?"

"Then I go to war," He said. "Me against Kronos. And only one of us will survive." When he said it out loud, it sounded twenty times worse. She silently prayed to all the gods that Percy would survive. He had to.

"You're my son," she said miserably. "I can't just..."

"Sally." Mr Blofis put his hand over hers. "I can't claim to know what you and Percy have been going through all these years. But it sounds to me... it sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage."

Mrs Blofis looked like she was about to cry. "Percy," she said, "I give you my blessing."

Percy glanced at Nicole. Why did she have to say yes? It was all Nicole could do to nod. "It's time."

"Percy," Mrs Blofis said. "One last thing. If you… if you survive this fight with Kronos, send me a sign." She rummaged through her purse and handed me her cell phone.

"Mom," I said, "you know demigods and phones-"

"I know," she said. "But just in case. If you're not able to call… maybe a sign that I could see from anywhere in Manhattan. To let me know you're okay."

"Like Theseus," Mr Blofis suggested. "He was supposed to raise white sails when he came home to Athens."

"They can find something else," Aphrodite shrugged.

"Except he forgot," Nicole muttered. "And his father jumped off the palace roof in despair. But other than that, it was a great idea."

"What about a flag or a flare?" Mrs Blofis said. "From Olympus –the Empire State Building."

"Something blue," Percy said. Nicole almost snorted. She never understood Percy's obsession with blue food.

"Yes," She agreed. "I'll watch for a blue signal. And I'll try to avoid jumping off palace roofs."

She gave him one last hug before he and Nicole left the apartment. The warm and fuzzy feeling you get just after a meal had worn off, and Nicole felt completely hollow.

"Where now?" Percy asked Nicole. "Los Angeles?"

"No need," She said. "There's a closer entrance to the Underworld."