Hello! So infrequent updates are my thing now. This would have been up about two weeks ago if my computer had not decided to screw over the hard drive and kill all my writing. I had to get to fixed, but hopefully everything is good now, and I can try to update more often (let's face it, not even my optimistic side believes me... :(...).

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.

But I do hope you guys enjoy the 50th chapter of the Roman series! WHOO! PARTY! :D

A soft melody carried over Hylla, and though she felt it would lure her further into her slumber, it instead rejuvenated her being.

The calming tune danced whimsically through the air while she slept, giving her comfort, calling her back to the land of the living. It had been quite a while since Hylla had heard the slightest hint of music, but she only knew this because she couldn't remember the last time it had graced her ears. She was slowly being drawn from her sleep, feeling the soft bed sheets beneath her body and the throbbing pain across her head, and the first thing she realizes is that she lies on her stomach. Her head and upper body are propped up by multiple pillows and wadded blankets, arching her back upwards. Though she can only imagine what soreness this will bring her lower back, she also knows it will keep the blood from rushing towards her head wound and she will also not worsen the injury by sleeping on it or resting it against a headboard or wall.

She could sense the quiet song to her left and her primary instinct believes it is a lute playing, but she does not quite feel right about that assumption. Hylla pried her eyelids open, feeling the large amount of crustiness in the corner of her tired eyes. She listens to the music for a moment longer, deciding that finding out the true instrument and its player should be her motivating factor for rising from the bed. Her arms feels like stones as she tried to move them to help push her weight up, but she finds this to be no easy feat to accomplish.

At the sight of her movement, she hears shuffling footsteps though the music does not stop playing, telling her that there are at least two people here with her. While this should have worried her, having two possible enemies to face, it instead gives her comfort that these stranger were kind enough to help her. She feels a soft hand reach the underside of her right bicep, and it tugs her gently up. Hylla does not fight the assistance, instead accepting it and using it to flip her body over and sit up. Her vision had not yet adjusted to the lit cabin and likewise, her eyesight was fuzzy and inconclusive. She could feel a pair of hands, busy at work behind her, setting the pillows and blankets to support her as she sat up. The music played on.

The hands disappear and the feet shuffle away as Hylla blinks her way back into reality. The first thing she sees since her near death experience is a man with curly red hair sitting at her bedside. He pays her little mind as his fingers work over not a lute, but a set of pipes. As the song continues, she can feel the pain at the back of her head dulling away and she involuntarily breathes a sigh of relief. She smiles weakly at the man as she leans back comfortably in the man and he raises an eyebrow to acknowledge her presence as he plays on.

She looks over at him once more, noticing for the first time, that he was wearing a strange pair of pants. While she had never been to Sicyon and knew nothing of their fashions, she did not expect any sane person to wear fur pants in the late summer. But as her pupils traveled lower, she saw not feet but a pair of goat hooves and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her first instinct was to scream, but her unused vocal chords only offered a whispering bit of forced air. The man stopped playing at this odd sound and her pain immediately started returning

A young woman rushed in from the next room at the faint sound and the cease of pipes with a concerned look upon her face. Much like the mutated man before her, she was not a normal human by any means. Her skin was as bright a green as the fresh spring forests in bloom, and was similar to such in more ways than merely color. Bits of branches protruded from her skin with bright blue colored berries and she looks at Hylla with pure sincerity and sympathy. She rushed to her, pushing the man away from her and breaks a batch of berries from her body, shoving it into Hylla's mouth before she could protest. Hylla chewed the sweet, juicy fruit and swallowed, her throat clearing up a bit.

"Hello?" The woman's voice was fairly distant, but Hylla could hear her clearly. "Can you understand me?"

Hylla managed a weak nod.

"My name is Juniper." The woman informed her. "And this is Grover. I'm sorry if he scared you."

Grover scrunched his eyebrows at the accusation and sticks his tongue out at the back of her head.

"How are you feeling?" Juniper grabbed a water glass from the side table and dribbled it into Hylla's mouth.

With moisture in her throat, Hylla managed to croak out, "music."

Grover nodded and began playing once more, the soft notes surrounding her with comfort once more.

Juniper picked off another berry and this time offered it to Hylla, saying, "Juniper berries help with nausea and dehydration." And with this she breaks off a twig that held only leaves. "And I should be able to brew a healing tea and make a paste for your wounds."

Hylla weakly raised her hand and touched her head, noticing that it was an actual bandage that now covered her injury rather than her ripped tunic, which she still wore. She wasn't quite as dizzy as she'd been in days past as she rested against the pillows. The music strengthened her well enough to thank Juniper as she applied removed the bandage, applied the paste, and replaced the bandage. The tea tasted of lemon and sweet Juniper berries, warming her center and easing her pain. The entire day, Grover did not leave her side, continuously playing the soothing melodies.

After they had all eaten a substantial dinner of tree roots and Juniper berries, Hylla felt strong enough to stand and did so with Grover and Juniper at her sides. They supported her until she found her balance, but she knew that the first few steps would take her down and she decided to sit back down. She'd rest until morning and then try again. She drank another portion of tea and leaned back into bed, promising herself she'd been gone by the next day. Even though she hadn't known them long, she had a feeling that her two new friends wouldn't be so inclined as to let her leave their care not in full health. Grover would play his pipes louder while Juniper would insist she'd wait a little longer. But that was just it.

Hylla didn't have a little while longer. Queen Katherine didn't have a little while longer

That evening, there was an eruption in the distance.

It wasn't of Greek fire for it did not burn eternally, rather, Piper assumed it to be of Chinese explosives. And therefore, she assumed Jupiter, who had connections to China via the Silk Road, was attacking a rather rebellious village but she also knew not of one in that direction. The same as before when she'd spoken to Nyssa earlier, where the overwhelming bit of fire and smoke had been. Piper couldn't help but stare at the mass amount of destruction that surely resided there along with everyone else. She noticed Nyssa with a strained look upon her face, her arms tightly wrapped around her and Piper walked to her.

"Are you feeling alright, Nyssa?" Piper was more than concerned at this point.

"No Piper, I'm not." The woman before her appeared as nothing more than a little girl rather than the queen she was meant to be. "I have this feeling that something awful has happened."

Piper chuckled bitter-sweetly. "Something awful happens everyday in this war."

Nyssa looked at her. "I know. It's just, this is different."

Piper didn't quite understand, so she led Nyssa away from the sight. "If you truly feel this upset, we'll will go to the battleground in this morning to see what happened. For all we know, Jupiter could merely be setting fires to scare us." But with those words, Piper felt like she was lying to Nyssa.

The flames were abandoned with the setting sun of the West and gone by morning. As the entire group walked through the forest, Percy attempted to calm everyone's nerves by saying it was merely another village attack or a Roman training routine. However, the charred forest that crunched beneath their feet as they drew closer to a clearing with no buildings crushed those hopes. Nyssa led the way into the battleground, which had been abandoned by all living souls. Bodies of Roman soldiers with glistening golden arrows sprouting from their chests were numerous, but nowhere near as numerous at the golden uniforms that littered the ground in abundance.

Nyssa froze. Delphians. Delphian soldiers wore golden uniforms with golden armor, and it was obvious that her fears had been correct. It was Michael's army that had been attack the past few days and they had done nothing to help. Piper reached to place a comforting hand against Nyssa's shoulder, but Nyssa merely walked into the masses as though she were searching for someone. Nyssa's stature grew slumped as her steps were short and slow. Her hands and bottom lip were quivering, though she wasn't sure if in rage or despair. As she walked, she prayed to Apollo above that she would not find who she was searching for.

But Apollo's damned ears did not hear or did not care for her cries. There he laid. Silenced. Amongst his ranks, the war badges pinned nobly to his breast. Blood still seeped from the wound on his chest despite the fact that his heart had long since gone still. Nyssa could not move. Her breath was stuck in her throat and she longed for death to join the two of them. He had been her only true friend through her entire life and perhaps could have been her lover had this war seen them both through.

She knelt beside his warm corpse, taking him into her arms. She could feel the presence of the others growing near to her and she didn't wish for them to see the tears she knew were coming. His sky blue eyes were open and looking up into the heavens (or up into the eyes of his killer as the sword took his soul from his body). She brushed a few locks of blonde away from his face. His hair was as soft as she remembered. She gripped him by the shoulders unable to hold back the angry tears from her eyes anymore.

Piper grabbed Jason's hand at the sight of Michael's body. She had only met the boy once and knew not the extremity of Nyssa's pain, but she also knew that it was her fault he was dead. She had dragged him into this war and she had gone along with the assumption that this was merely another village attack. The entire Delphian army had been slaughtered and the archers they so desperately needed were gone. With thousands of crucial men dead and Michael gone, Piper could see the victory of this war slowly fade from her grasp.

But this was removed from her mind as Jason wrapped her into his arms and gently kissed the top of her head. He said nothing, but merely held her in his warm embrace. Percy had turned Annabeth away from the sight, wiping her tears away with his fingers; he said something to her that made Annabeth chuckle through her tears and lightly slap his arm before he took her hand and held it tightly. Nico, as Piper knew, didn't do well with emotion; he stood back from everyone and sat down in the dirt and hid his face. Piper could only watch as Nyssa shakily gripped Michael's body tightly in her arms and screamed in anger to the sky, as if it were to blame. Piper had always thought that if it came to it, she'd be the one to kill Jupiter for what he'd done to her.

But now it seemed that Nyssa wanted to make him suffer more than Piper did.

Katie was in an excellent mood.

She had not heard of any troubles on the battlefront, only that her resources were easily supplying the rebel army with everything they needed to defeat Jupiter. This was good news. While she had little defenses of her own, she knew that she need not worry, for she had received notice today that her personal guard would be arriving just as Percy had promised. He had sent her a message of their names and that they would protect her against all odds, though she needn't worry about any sort of attack at all. Jupiter's entire army was fighting the rebels on the front and he had not other masses to send her wall.

Even so, Katie had heard the legend that even a single Amazon could destroy an entire legion of men in a single day, and if she were to have three, any worry she had would immediately be expelled. As she walked, her long jade green gown flowed behind her as any silk should. Her crown was placed delicately upon her head, and though she disliked wearing it, she felt it was necessary to make an impression that she was important enough to require protection. She sat upon her throne with her chin held high, as she had been taught to do and waited for her chosen three to enter.

The pounding of a drum sounded more like judgment than it did welcoming as the grand throne room doors were eased open and in walked three girls. They were armored beyond belief and yet moved with ease; each carried a bag over their shoulder from their travels. Swords were sheathed and spears rested across their backs, but none of the three seemed at ease. Katie took this to be odd. They were safe within the bounds of the palace and had no reason to be on guard; they were not enemies in her house, but she tossed this aside as a warrior's instinct.

The three bowed lowly to her and Katie returned it curtly before motioning for them to rise. One of them, who radiated power and strength, removed her helmet and the others did so in suit.

"Greetings." Katie offered a smile. "I am Queen Katharine of Sicyon and I am pleased to have been given such protectors as you." She paused, wondering if they had some sort of input on this, but they remained silent. "Perseus has written to me and given your names. I am told that the one called Otrera is an excellent cavalryman. Which is she?"

A small girl with curly brown hair and skin to match stepped forward. "I am Otrera." Katie thought she notice the girl swallow nervously, but it must have been her imagination.

"And Kinzie? It is said she has bested a thousand men with her spear and blade."

"I am Kinzie." The tallest of the three stepped forward and bowed once more to Katie.

"And the leader of your clan, Hylla?" Katie looked to the last one. "I assumed this must be you."

The girl nodded without speaking, but made solid eye contact with Katie; something her companions had been less than eager to do. Her stature was tall, with short black hair framing her face; Katie thought that look did not quite suit her very well—perhaps a long braid would look better on her. But nevertheless, Katie shook hands with her, feeling rather glad to have an ally that Percy trusted to ensure her to. This war had put stress on her and though she had a limited number of Annabeth's guard patrolling the city for safekeeping, it was even more relaxing to have three people to cater specifically to her safety.

"Milady," Hylla bowed before her, "we will do everything in our power to keep you alive and well." Katie smiled at this, nodding her approval.

But Katie had never been good at knowing when someone was lying.

If there was one thing Jupiter was not, it would be a liar.

He had killed more girls for Rachel's incompetence just as he had promised. Of all the captives he had, it was now just a game of numbers (number of which, she'd stopped counting). She didn't want to know. With each one, he'd hiss blame at her as he sliced their throats open. Was it sad that Rachel had started to believe him? She needed Octavian to come for her; to bring her home to Delphi. She'd be able to bow before her king as a living martyr of this war and accept highest honors before returning to her simple life of solitude and kindness.

That, however, was too perfect of a world. It did not exist. She could barely even sleep, but when she did, she thought of Octavian, her savior and close friend. She hoped he had escaped Jupiter as he'd promised he would do. Rachel knew he could formulate some spectacular plan to rescue her, but if that was so, why had he let her rot here for a week's time? Did he even know she had been taken from the small house where he'd left her? He had never visited before and she had assumed it was smarter to keep separated to make it easier to evade Jupiter's wrath.

When Jupiter left her alone that night, he stopped in the doorway and at first, Rachel thought he was considering to kill another hostage, but instead he turned to her and spoke sternly.

"You know, Oracle, if you provide me with the information that I want, I can tell you what you want."

Rachel gritted her teeth, gripping the chains around her wrist. "You know what I want, don't you?"

"If it is tall, has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is stupendously annoying, then yes, I know exactly what you want."

Rachel remained silent at this, fuming at such insults to a good man.

"You inquire for Octavian, yes?" Jupiter pushed further, and his expression turned bitter. "I am no stranger to two young souls, blindly falling in love."

And though she did not want to admit it, for it could never happen, it was true. Rachel, in her own way, loved Octavian. But she also knew that Jupiter spoke of his son and the beautiful kaleidoscope eyes that lovingly stared at him and said nothing.

"Oh, there is no need for an answer." Jupiter continued when she did not respond. "I know you favor him."

Rachel's voice was quiet when she finally spoke. "Where is he?"

"Oh, my dear," Jupiter shook his head, disapprovingly, "do you not realize it is a sin to love an Oracle when she is forever to remain chaste?"

A dark cloud came over Rachel and her breath was momentarily stolen. "Did you kill him?" She asked in a soft voice.

There was that smirk again. "Apollo does not favor sinners, my dear."

She could feel the cruel laughter about to escape from his lips. That bloody bastard. Damned demon. Accursed—

"Monster."

A glint of silver caught Jason's eye in the rising sunlight.

Curiously, he placed one last kiss atop Piper's head and peeled her shaking body from his. Though she looked confused, he walked towards the sparkle. It was an arrow that had settled itself in the back of a Roman warrior, and without even flipping the man over, Jason could tell by the long horse hairs that sprouted from his helmet and the style of his uniform, that he was a high-ranking officer—perhaps one of the highest here. But his body was not three yards from the forest line and what's more, was that the arrow had been a dead shot to his heart, but through his back. He had been shot from behind.

Judging by the arrows that were in the bodies that laid about, Delphians used gold paint to distinguish their fight for the sun god, Apollo; and Jason knew that the Roman army used simple wooden arrows with deadly sharp tips. This arrow was silver and deeply sunk into the man's back. It had clearly broken through bone and though he was not fond of archery, Jason had seen enough battle wounds to know that in order to do this, the archer would've had to been very close. And using the arrow's trajectory as measurement, the archer had been sitting very high in the treetop of a tall oak about ten yards away.

Jason looked up at the tree to find something glistening in a lower branch as well, and yet it was not silver. It was a large slab of metal; this much was obvious. Jason moved towards the tree and shook the branch, rustling the leaves, but freeing what turned out to be a simple golden shield—that is, until he turned it over. Jason nearly jumped out of his skin, staring at the ugly mold of Medusa's face. The gorgon stared at him, her snake hair baring it's fangs as though it was trying to turn him to stone. Jason felt discomforted merely looking at the shield's depiction.

"Drop the shield." A female voice that Jason first thought to be Piper spoke, but when Jason looked up into the sharpened tip of a silver arrow, he knew it was not her.

Jason did as told and placed it at her feet and noticed something resembling about something he'd seen before, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen such a hooded figure. The girl lowered her bow and grabbed her shield, placing it on her back. She turned to walk away, but Jason's instincts kicked in and told him that he did not know this girl. She could be some renegade working for Jupiter, feeding him information and could tell him that none of the major leaders were at their camp. She could make it faster back to the Romans than they could back to their camp, which was over half the distance. Jupiter could be on the march in minutes and attack their camp without any sort of leadership there.

So he did the first thing that came to mind. He tackled her to the ground, drawing his small knife in the process. He placed the blade at her neck and pinned her arms to the ground. She landed with a surprised huff and groan with a metal shield and arrow quiver to dig into her spine. In the chaos, her hood had fallen back revealing choppy black hair and diadem resting upon her head. He glared menacingly at her, hoping to intimidate her into fear but once he looked at her eyes, he fell silent. Blue. Deep crystal blue. Like his father's eyes.

Like his eyes.

Okay. So we obviously all know that's Thalia. The prophecy foretold her and here she is. I'll get into it; where she's been and what separated them (after all, the prophecy did say she was the forgotten one...). Anyways, June 23rd, came and went and another year of life for me. I hope everyone is doing well and continues to read my story :)

Sorry for all the slow updates... :(

But since it was my birthday, for a present, can you please READ AND REVIEW?

Lots of love to all my Awesome Possums! :oD