XV - Piper

We stared at Rhoda for a brief moment. She was so beautiful, but you would never find it unless you took the time to look at her. Her beauty was not like Aphrodite's, where it was stunning and immediately clear. It was much more subtle. Jason stepped closer. The young boy immediately got in front of his mother. "What is your business with my mother?"

"We just have a question. Something's happened on the surface and maybe she can help," Jason tried to explain, but the boy would have none of it.

"My mother is busy grieving. Can you not see how saddened she is?" He gestured to his mother who looked at him with worry, almost afraid of what he might do. I looked at her and she had slight stains on her cheeks. She had been crying.

"It may be about," Annabeth paused biting her lip, pausing for a brief moment, trying to see if she could say what she was about to say in a more sensitive manner, "y-your father."

The boy paused. He was shocked, his green eyes widening. His protectiveness of his mother melted away, "M-My father?" He took a tentative step towards us. "H-He's alive? H-He hasn't faded?" He came closer to Annabeth, his eyes on the verge of tears. He begged, "P-Please, you must tell him that mother and I miss him, that we-."

Frank cut him short. "I-I don't think we can."

The boy then turned angry, rearing on Frank, his fist clenched. His green eyes blazed and they reminded me of his father's when I saw his father angry. They held the same light, the same livid energy. He was just an inch shorter than the Son of Mars, but that didn't stop him from about to start a fistfight with the demigod. "How dare you come here and insult us on the anniversary day we lost him!" He was about to fight until Rhoda spoke up.

"Zeth, that is enough. Hear these children out. If something has happened, then we must know. If something has happened to your," she paused, trying to recompose herself, but her voice cracked, "father, then we must help him. You know what happened to him."

Zeth paused and stepped back, his fists still clenched, his teeth gritted. "What has happened to my father?"

"To make it short, he's gone totally bonkers," Leo explained, rubbing his head.

Zeth raised an eyebrow, "Bonkers? I am unfamiliar with this particular idiom. What does 'bonkers' mean?"

"Your father's gone insane," Annabeth explained. "He's driven one of our friends to madness and we're trying to help our friend. He's," Annabeth choked, "become a danger to himself and everyone around him.' Rhoda stood up. She walked over to Annabeth before pulling her into a hug. Annabeth gasped, but didn't reject Rhoda.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. T-This isn't like him. On the day Zeth and I died, he did battle with his one nemesis, the only monster who had ever opposed him." Rhoda sniffed, "In the end, he finally lost after besting such a beast for centuries and we died as a result. I lost my beloved. I will make sure you do not lose yours." Rhoda let go of Annabeth. "I cannot speak his name because of ancient magic," she began, "But please, give this to him." She produced a small letter with a red wax seal on it. "Please tell him that I miss him more than anything in the world. Even my own life on the surface."

I blinked as she handed it to Annabeth. "Why can't you tell us?" I asked. "We need to know. We have to find his name."

Hades shifted, "You have a few seconds left before we go back to the palace." Even though he was King Dread, he seemed uncomfortable around Rhoda, uncomfortable that this was probably her only chance at a proper goodbye to her immortal love, something that Hades probably understood all too well.

"Dear," she gave me a sad smile. She slowly started to cry, her voice trembling. "You already have what you need to find his name." With that cryptic message, Hades transported us back to the palace.

Annabeth took the letter and stared at the old paper. She flipped it over and blinked. "Rhoda said she couldn't speak his name," Annabeth gasped, "But that didn't stop her from writing his name." We all clamored around the letter and looked down at the Greek letters. Even Lord Hades towered over us to take a look. The silence was deafening. We all stared in shock at the neat Greek that made up only a single line on the letter.

Leo then broke the silence with a rather inappropriate comment, "That's his name? Google Translate could have told me that!"

I'm getting closer to revealing this Titan's name. So close, yet so far. You guys won't see it for a long while. So keep pondering. And Leo's comment, try Google Translate, it might work, but you're going to need a creative twist with it and keep in mind who his father is. Other than that, I bid you adieu.