Oh my gosh! So many reviews! And for that, there's a faster update.

I do not own Percy Jackson. Again.

I ran without stopping, blindly putting out my arm and feeling more and more like a fool for each second I was running. Finally, I couldn't run anymore and I dropped to my knees, pulling my legs up to my face and began to sob quietly. I knew that it was kind of pathetic but I'd always been rejected, kicked out of so many schools that my aunt gave up in fifth grade and told me not to go to school.

Since then, the only way I knew about school was sneaking into my cousin's bookbag at night and doing math and stuff from her textbook. Where the gods really that mad at me that they would strip away the only things that I'd ever cared about?

Nico...even he was mad at me. For some reason, that stabbed at me worse than all of of things that Annabeth had told me. Finally, I began to move again, clutching my head and agony. What I would give for an aspirin right now.

Evantually, I began to get stiff and started walking again, shivering. Oh yeah, my jacket had been ripped apart by that dragon. I wished that I had let it destroy the others. Or at least Annabeth. I regretted that thought almost instantly.

No matter how mean she was to me, I could understand her motives. She really had from the bottom of her heart thought that I was evil. Her mother was the goddess of wisdom so she relies on facts and not on what she thinks of me. She really believed that the gods didn't make a mistake.

I really couldn't blame her for that but as for Nico...I felt really awful about his change of heart. I couldn't pretend like hearing his name mentioned even in my thoughts didn't hurt me because it did. How could he have changed his mind so quickly?

I couldn't linger on thoughts like that, though and I dusted myself off and began moving again. It was getting dark and I didn't want to be alone when the sun went down and human scumbags came out, drunk and laughing. I'd had a bad experience with them and being in a too familiar place cut too close to home. It was the only time my aunt stood up for me, calling the police to demand that the men be arrested.

The nearby lights of the town close by was a beacon of hope. I began to stumble toward it blindly, tripping over roots and the muddy grass. I was too miserable to even care that I was soaked to the bone and that I had no money, but that was the first thing that I thought about when I stood in front of a gleaming hotel.

I was rooted in place, too tired and miserable to move another feet. My throat moved without a sound as a light tear hit my nose. It had began to rain. The rain was so continous, it appeared to fall in one stream instead of indivisual drops. I began to shiver and reached a hand toward the door, trembling.

I hesitated, fingers reaching toward the glass door. Maybe I shouldn't go...

There was a clap of thunder outside, making me jump violantly and I opened the door hastily. Warm hair greeted me, brushing against my skin and making me shudder again. I wrapped my hands around my shoulders for support, not wanting to fall onto the ground in a heap or else I may never get up again. I stiffened a shuddering sob. This was no time to break down.

I looked up to see that people were beginning to look at me funny, half suspicious, half..pity. That was too much..for strangers to pity me, I must've looked like hell. Two burly security guards came toward me and I scrambled back to the door when a cold hand fixed on my shoulder. I froze and felt a deep trembling in my chest. I was either ready to start fighting dirty or crying like a baby.

My breath came out in huffs as the guy looked at me with a slimy intent clear in his eyes. I cringed back when he jerked back, a white light spreading through his eyes until he looked absoloutely zombie like. Then, he glared at me.

" And just where do you think you're going? Your father will have our heads if he finds out that we let his daughter outside in all this coldness." I stared at him, astonished. The second guard knelt gently, taking my bag,

" We are sorry, miss...you won't hold charges, will you?" The other one asked and I blink again, nonplussed. One of them took my hand like I was a rich lady and I self consciously brushed away my soggy hair.

" Uh...thanks," I muttered. Any second now, they would snap back to their senses and throw me from the hotel. However, they guided me to the elevator and stayed with me.

" Well, your father paid an awful lot of money to keep his little princess happy while he's in Spain. The least we can do is make sure that his daughter is happy." One of them said absently and I froze.

" What?" I asked.

" Oh, Mr. Stone told us you were coming. He'll be shocked to know that we let you out of the hotel, Jenny."

" Jamie," I corrected but it didn't look like he heard me. In fact, it didn't look like he could hear anything. I wondered just what Kronos had done to him. Then, I shuddered. Whatever he did, I would worrry about later.

They led me to a small room near the middle of the hotel, away from the sky. There was only one window, which I was thankful for. I hated heights. The bedsheets were a faded grey color and the walls were gold. I sighed and sat down as the two guys backed out of the room. I took a deep breath and flopped back on the bed, curling into a small ball.

If I was going to cry, now was the time to do it. I made a half choking sob but I couldn't get anything else out. My eyes remained dry. Finally, I got up and stumbled to the showers, turning on the water without really watching what I was doing and ended up being assaulted by a steaming jet of hot water. I gave an involuntarily yell and quickly turned it off.

Then, I turned the water to warm and just stood there with my clothes still on until the water began to dwindle and turned icy cold before I stumbled out. A new pair of fresh cltohes, my size, was waiting for me at the edge of my bed, which I eyed like it might bite me. I didn't trust Kronos, even if he was my father.

I prodded it and decided that it was safe, unfolding it and then laughing out loud. There was no way that Kronos had gotten these for me because there was also underwear in there. I imagined that he would be as embarrassed at handling girly things as a mortal. Shaking my head, I shook out the tight black jeans and replaced my mud incrusted own pair of jeans.

The shirt was practical, a dark button down shirt with a small lace ribbon hanging off the side of one shoulder. I changed, not really caring if the clothes were pink and frilly as long as I had clothes to my name again.

For the longest time, I just stared off into nothingness, watching as the sky went from a beautiful sunset to a dark, storming grey. The rain was still pouring, like it was crying for me.

I fought back my fatigue as long as I could, not wanting to get sucked into my nightmares again but it couldn't be avoided. I could fell myself sinking into another version of the underworld, where candles flickered and the walls were a sickening red.

There was a lot of animals, which comfused me. What happened to my old nightmares? But once I got a good look at this one, I felt like I should die then and there. Two armies of animials stood facing each other. It was hard to tell but it looked like they were ready to kill each other.

One one side was about a dozen different animals; a peacock, an eagle, a horse, a hog, an owl, a stag, and much more. They looked angry and bristling and definately had an advantage in numbers.

But the other side consisted of only a large shadow, yet so gruesome, I felt like spiders were crawling up my leg. The...thing had no limbs as much as I could see, only glowing red eyes where I assumed his face was. The shadows flexed around him and suddenly, I could see the faces in the folds of the shadow, the other titans, their faces freedy,

And another tucked right at the heart of the cold shadow.

At first, I thought that it was me, in a weird future when I get seriously beautiful but then, the girl opened her eyes and my heart leapt down my throat.

The woman was soft and delicate and, in my opinion, as beautiful as Aphrodite.( If I ever said that out loud, I had no doubt that said goddess would flay me alive.) But it was the truth.

Her hair was long and tumbled back in soft ringlets, a vivid color of auburn that seemed to add color to her rather pale cheeks and sculped face. Her eyelashes were thick and curly, cresents on her cheeks when she blinked and her eyes were green, a bright shade of green.

Mom.

My throat got thick and I had to swallow. Even if it was only a dream, it was so real that my thorat clogged up with emotion. Was the really her?

The two armies approached each other, ready to ter each other apart. I opened my mouth to scream at them but nothing came out. They couldn't hear me. I was more or less a ghost.

The sight that ame to frightened me more than anything. One of th eagle's wings cut into the woman's shoulders, even though she was enveloped in the black shadows and she cried out in pain, dropping like a puppet. Both sides reacted like she was important to them. The eagle helped her up.

She was right in the middle.

I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs. I was sweaty and my blankets were wrapping me up like a burrito. I was shaking and I blinked back tears, The potion Aphrodite had given me had worked after all. I saw my mom. But now I had about a thousand unanswered questions.

Since I knew that a miricle wouldn't occur tonight, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. So...Kronos had been telling the truth after all. My mom had died. I didn't know how but I knew that he didn't kill her. In some ways, that shadow in my dream had been protective of the girl. Of my mother. So now, my questions had muliplied into a million.

Needing to shake myself up, I went to the sink and splashed water in my face. When Nico found out...

My world tumbled around me. That's right. Nico didn't trust me. He thought that I was as evil as Kronos. He hated me. Somehow, I'd forgotten that, or maybe I had deliberately made myself forget because I didn't want to deal with it. Now, I clutched the sink in an effort not to cry,.

I went t the only window and opened it, glancing down to see if there was a balcony outside. There was. A few feet lower, there was a balcony but I oculd tell that it was only there for appearance because it was set right in the middle of two apartments. Also, it looked slightly unstable. I didn't even pause as I lowered myself down on it.

The balcony creaked under my weight then quieted, except for the sounds of the night owls and the small drops of rain, all was quiet. I really didn't get it! The thought came out of no where. But there was one thing in the world that baffled me as much as Kronos did. And that would be boys.

And why the heck couldn't I get Nico out of my brain? I'd admit that he was actually pretty cute and he was really nice and always..almost always..there for me. So what did that mean? The answer came quickly, thanks to Aphrodite.

I must l...

I blushed as I thought about that. But it didn't matter. He hated me right now. I looked down sadly and looked at the sky, at the perfect cresent in the sky.

3rd Person P.O.V

"Leave, Jamie! Before you make things even more difficult,"

The phrased bounced around his head head,

Leave Jamie!

Leave Jamie!

What the hell was he thinking? He sat up, the ground suddenly uncomfortable against his shoulders. The fire was flickering dimly and the grim look on everybody's face was evidant. Percy looked like the world had suddenly been yanked out from under his feet. Thalia's face was as grim as ever and even Clarisse was showing emotion; hissing angry words at Annabeth under her breath.

And Annabeth...well, she had looked better. Her face was pale and drawn out but she remained convinced that she had acted for the best. She placed her hands to her legs and stared moorsely at the flames.

" So...what now?' Thalia asked as an icebreaker. Annabeth looked up,

" We should go towards California because we have a little over a week left or something like that. We have to find Artemis and prevent Kronos from rising," Annabeth said bluntly and shivered slightly. There was a pause.

" You know...I don't really know why you guys kicked her out," Grover said after a hesitant pause.

" Bye bye, pretty lady," Tyson said sadly. His hands twisted with some wire coils on the ground and he smashed them flat." Oh, no," He rumbled. Annabeth's eyes flashed.

" What are you guys still talking about? She's evil!" She said.

" Oh, I dunno," Clarisse snapped," She's been more help to us than you have, Wise Girl. Would it be too much of a pain for you to admit that you were wrong for once about Jamie? And shut the hell up. I have a headache because of you."

Annabeth's mouth gaped open and everybody backed up in fear of being caught in a cat fight.

" Don't you blame me!" Annabeth hissed." Don't you think that I know what I did? I saved us! Why aren't I hearing a thank you?"

" Maybe because you don't deserve it!" Clarisse clarified.' And I dare you to tell me one thing that Jamie had done wrong...besides who her father is because who cares?"

Annabeth looked down, trying not to cry." It was for the best,' She said, as though trying to convince herself." I had to do it. I had to." Clarisse sat down, scoffing. Nico stepped forward, wanting to give the place a chance to cool down.

" Um..shouldn't we call Chiron to let him know what happened here?" Percy asked first, saving Nico. Annabeth nodded. wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She withdrew one golden Drachma and Percy conjured up a waterfall of sorts.

" O Isis, accept my offering," Annabeth threw the Drachma into the mist," Chiron. Camp Half Blood, please." The mist shimmered and then they were staring at a horse's behind before Percy cleared his throat loudly and Chiron spun around.

"Yes? Annabeth-what's going on?" He asked, his eyes skimming the group." Wheres Jamie?" Annabeth bit her bottom lip.

" She's..uh, not here," She turned fairly pink." We..uh, kicked her out of the group. Okay, okay! I kicked her out of the group!" Annabeth said as she meet Clarisse's withering glare.

" Why? Actually..yes, tell me the whole story. I have time." Dionysus sighed impaitently behind him.

" Okay...well, Jamie's father turned out to be Kronos," Annabeth blurted out.

" WHAT?"

" What?"

" That can't be!" Several cries came from behind Chrion and then they saw the students eating lunch. Annabeth put a hand to her throat.

" It is, I'm sorry guys. But she couldn't be trusted. Anyway...have you heard any news about Artemis? Or from the gods?" Annabeth pressed. Chrion scrathed at his chin.

" Nope, not a single word. I think that Olympus had gone into lockdown. Anyway," He said, ignoring the burst of questions,' Concentrate on your mission. And Annabeth...it would be in your best interest to know that making rash decisions based only on your personal feelings is very deadly for a child of Athena."

" But I-," She prtoested.

" Also know that placing your hurt pride above the group's chance of survival is foolish, Annabeth." Annabeth hung her head, sighing.

" Yeah, okay, Chiron. I guess that I screwed up. But we do have to keep moving, or else we might not be able to rescue Artemis in time," Chiron nodded and the mist disappeared.

" Well, should we rest for the night or keep moving?" Annabeth asked.

" We should rest for the night and go in the morning. I don't like the look of this weather." Thalia said. Nico frowned silently, wondering how quickly they had forgoten Jamie and if they were zombies or not.

" Guys, what about Jamie?' He asked, impaitence thickening in his voice.

" What about her? Look, I'm sorry that she had to go but we can't wste anytime trying to find her, okay, Nico?" nnabeth's voice was so false, Nico half expected her nose to grow in size. But nobody else pickked up on it.

" Nico, just let it go. We can yalk about it in the morning," Thalia said, picked up her bow and walked away without another word to him or Annabeth. Nico stuffed his hands in his pockets and then walked toward them.

When they fell asleep, Tyson snoring so loudly Percy had to move away, Nico sat alone, staring at the clouds in dispair. What had made him say the things that he had said? He didn't hate Jamie.

She was a friend.

Maybe there was more to her than everybody thought. She had cried in the afternoon, running away after she had hurt Percy. She had been crying...for them.

That's it!

He stood up, eyes narrowed with determination. Whatever happened, he had to find her. He had to make things right. He packed quickly and left, leaving a note in Percy's pillow. With any luck, he'd be able to find her within a few hours.

Hades narrowed his eyes at the picture he was seeing, growling deeply under his breath and caushing some ghosts to back up in fear.

" That girl will be the death of him," He grumbled under his breath. Persephone sighed at his side, absentmindedly touching the flowers and turnintg them into daisies and sunflowers and roses.

" Really, Hades, this is becoming of you. Let him live his own life," She said. He stared in boredom at the bowl of wheat in front of her, curtesy of her mother.

" But really, I never wouldn've expected him to get into girls in thsi young age,' Hades shifted in annoyance. Persephone raised her eyebros.

" Hades, you forget that humans, even demigods, have relatively short lives compared to us. By his age, Nico should be into girls right now. Just leave him be. Let him grow and mature by himself. If he wants to ritk everything for this one girl...,' She shrugged.

' And if she gets him killed?' Hades demanded. Persephone didn't answer.

Wouldn't that be something if he did die? That would be a wonderful day, She thought.

" He won't die," She lied easily and went back tohe wheat. There was a fiendish delight in her eyes.

Thank you to everyone who had reviewed. I have gotten so may reviews for the last chapter! Anyway, I guess I have to clarify a few things. I know that I'm making Annabeth kind of the bad guy in this but she' just ..being Annabeth. She's just thinking logically.

Also, I guess that I'm putting this right before the last book of the Percy Jackson series because I wanted to use Kronos in this story.

Too confusing? I'll update as soon as I can!