DISCLAIMER: We do not own PJatO or HoO. Rick Riordan does. Obviously.

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Annabeth Chase: Yay! Glad you like it. I am sorry to report that there are no major fight scenes this week. There are small pockets of life-and-death situations, but not a fight. However, know this; the last half of this book is going to consist mainly of the Princess Andromeda and the Battle of Manhattan. There will be plenty of action, we promise. We are not one to censor those fight scenes, either.

Karode: Very helpful, don't worry! Glad to know we're portraying Kronos the right way. He has a bad habit of falling into American slang (through Luke) when he's upset. I've really worked on his dialogue and actions to make it look right. Now I know I've succeeded. Thanks!

Assassin427: Oh, don't apologize! We weren't mad or anything! We were honored that, even when you had nothing else to say, you answered when we asked. (Nyx: YES! MY HUMOR DOES NOT FAIL!)

If you cannot tell, most jokes Nyx usually tell end up with awkward silences. :p

oOo

Halloween rolled around at the end of the month. At school, they'd always discouraged dressing up. Or trick-or-treating. We were considered 'too old' for such immaturity.

By contrast, Halloween was my favorite holiday.

It's like when they ask you to dress up for school pride week – there's spirit to it. It's a day of fun, thrills, and friends. A time when you can get so scared you pee your pants and not have people harass you for it, because in reality so did they. And a competition for some – you have to have a good costume, of course. It teaches planning and time management, too. Ha! Take that, Mr. Kazit!

But I had asked Kronos back in August if there was to be any celebration for Halloween. He'd given me a strange look and asked, "What is Halloween?"

"A holiday."

He scowled. "We don't officially celebrate holidays here, though if you want to participate, I think the demigods have small little things they do to pass the time on such days. Little things. Not many people do."

So when I woke up Halloween morning to find that someone had strung cobwebs all over the walls, I was pretty surprised.

"Hunter?" I breathed as I gawked. Other demigods were stepping out of dorms and staring in awe. "…Did you do this?"

She had that classic don't-trust-a-thing-I-say-if-you-want-to-live smile on her face. "Well, I helped out, but Kronos did most of it."

What the…?

"Why?" Brook asked, stepping out into the hall and spinning around. Spider webs clung to her hair and clothes.

"For the Halloween party," Hunter said simply.

Brook did what was best in these situations – pretend everything was normal. "Did we get costumes? I don't think we did."

"I got some, but we'll put them on later. There's still training today. The party is after dinner. I convinced him to let us stay up all night."

I stared at her. "And how did you do that?"

"I might've sent him a strongly worded letter from anonymous telling him that Halloween was a magical night that shouldn't be messed with, and that holding tradition was the best way to prevent tragedy. I think he knew I wrote it, but he believed it anyway. Come on! Wait 'till you see the dining hall!"

As it turns out, only the demigod side of the cafeteria was decorated. The monsters' side was still bare. Probably necessary. And unnecessary, given their usual meals.

Breakfast consisted of colored foods. Green eggs, black ham, hot pink toast. As the last of the demigods were trickling in, Ethan sat across from us with a very wide eye. "…Holy Styx. What's going on here?"

"Halloween," Hunter said simply, chewing on her eggs.

He gave her a strange look. "Halloween?"

"Yes," Brook said. "You know, when kids dress up as monsters and demand candy from people's houses? And make a point to scare the heck out of one another?"

"I've never heard of it."

I was busy choking on my ham, but Hunter said, "Well, this is a great time to learn. You got a costume for the party tonight?"

He scowled. "If I've never heard of it, would I be prepared?"

"No. I'll get you something before dinner, 'kay?"

A skeptical look crossed his face, debating on whether or not to trust Hunter with anything, much less responsibility. Yet he also knew it wasn't wise to protest. "…Alright. Thanks, I guess…." And he began to play with his eggs.

Hunter smirked. "Just watch, you guys. This is going to be the best party ever."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Brook muttered.

Me, I was still stuck at I've never heard of it.

oOo

"Here's yours! Think fast!"

I jumped back and raised my hands, catching the small blue glass orb Hunter had tossed my way. It felt warm. The colors and mist swirled inside, pulsing, lighting up at strange places and intervals. Like it was an egg, and there was a living creature inside.

"This is a costume?" I asked, examining it carefully.

"Not exactly. You break it, and it casts an illusion spell on you. The spell gives you the costume."

I frowned at the little orb, just a tad doubtful. "Will they be realistic at all? That kind of magic would require an in-depth description."

"It'll look real enough. Just don't put it on until I say, okay? Now let's head down there before everyone else does. Dad only managed to get five bags of Twix, and I'm not waiting for them to disappear!"

"Wait!" I called as she bolted out the dorm door and down the hall, weaving her way between other demigods. "What is the costume for?!"

"You'll see! We match!" she called, turning around and running backwards, holding her own pulsing blue orb in the air.

I cast a sideways glance at Brook. "Should we trust her?"

"Should we, or do we have to?"

"I'd laugh if that didn't scare me." I slipped the small orb into my jacket and hurried down the hall after Hunter. Brook locked and closed the door, then followed on my heels.

We heard the dining hall before we saw it. Music was pumping through some serious speakers. I recognized the song from a familiar animated Christmas/Halloween musical. Orange, purple, and green lights swirled and flashed even out into the hallway. The crowd was spread thin – we were early – save around the buffet table, where the demigods usually sat, picking around the candy set out. I dimly wondered if it was poisoned. Some of the people and monsters gathered were in their usual clothes and armor, but a few had tried some last-minute fixes – a pair of bunny ears here, some realistic-looking fangs there, and a familiar amber-eyed cat with his fur died dead black.

We found Hunter raiding the cupcakes.

"Thanks for waiting up," Brook muttered, but her attention was focused on the spread of sugary sweets. "How did…?"

"I think we've already had that conversation," Hunter said, swaying to the music and wiping frosting off her fingers.

My eyes landed on a bowl of candy corn. I hadn't had candy since… Since well before I came here to Mount Othrys. The taste of sugar I had almost forgotten.

The music was another great thing. So nice to hear it again. Maybe, in those things, I could lose my worries and my struggles and my responsibilities. Pretend I was human again. Just for a few precious hours….

And that's what we did.

We talked, we ate, we even danced a bit. Random movements that were coordinated but not all that in time and rather ungraceful. But fun nonetheless. My heart was a slave to the drumbeat. And I liked it.

Ethan showed up thirty minutes in. He was wearing all brown with a large, baggy shirt and a round, darker brown cap with a strange stick sticking out of the top. I frowned. Brook giggled and said, "You look ridiculous."

"Yes. This is what happens when you let Hunter pick your costume," Ethan muttered, sliding into his now-usual place beside us. His fingers trailed along behind his back slowly, reaching for the candy, as if he'd be in trouble if someone saw. "Tell me you guys made better decisions, little students I'm so proud of?"

I wished I could give in to his sarcasm and tell him no, of course I'd been smarter than to let Hunter pick what I wore, but instead I gave a sheepish smile and looked away. "Well, I'm sure we're not going to look more ridiculous than an acorn."

He scowled and took off the acorn cap, turning to the table and glowering at the brownies. "Stupid parties. Why create social pressure in a dog-eat-dog environment…?"

Hunter caught sight of him then. "Yo, Ethan! Like the costume?"

"No!"

"Aw, don't be so ungrateful. It was the best I could do at last minute!"

"And what you three?" Ethan muttered, flicking his hand at us. "Holly leaves?"

She smiled wickedly. "Nope. I've been planning our part for months."

He paled. "Does it involve explosives?" I could see the math in his eyes – explosives plus Hunter equals nuclear war.

"No," she said, eyes glinting hungrily. Then, much to my frustration, she leaned in close and whispered something in his ear.

He paled further. "Are you freaking crazy-"

She laughed, cutting him off. "No, no! Not at all! Just chill! It's cool!"

"It is not! You can't get away with something like this!"

"I've been pranking for years," she said, leaning against the table and casually sipping root beer from a plastic red cup. "And he won't kill us over it."

Ethan's face twisted in a painful way. "Even if he doesn't, you're still risking your lives."

"Sorry, it's hard to take that seriously from a guy dressed as an acorn."

He scowled at her. "You are incredibly stupid. The kind of stupid that gets you killed ages before you see a real fight."

"Why thank you."

I can't say that conversation made it easy for me to relax, but I did my best. This was my night to forget all that, remember? Yet something tingled in the back of my mind, refusing to let me fade away entirely. It caused me to frown at myself more than once.

It faded, thankfully, as the night wore on. Maybe two hours after we arrived, when the place was packed and the music was blaring and the lights had been turned off (save the strobes, of course,) someone announced Kronos approaching.

oOo

Five minutes later, we were in our dorm, panting and pressing our backs to the door, praying that Kronos wouldn't get mad and bust it down.

"What… was that?!" I gasped, my shoulder shoved painfully into the doorframe.

The boy next to me – Hunter in disguise – smiled wickedly. I flinched. "The best prank ever."

Ethan, who looked rather ridiculous in his acorn suit, looked ready to smack her. "It was not! Are you suicidal?!"

Percy – sorry, Hunter, hidden under the orb's illusion spell – gave him a wicked smile. Mischievous thoughts danced in his bright, sea-green eyes. "And would you like to top that wonderful piece of artwork we just committed, Nakamura?"

"No, thanks. The nearest cliff is quite a ways away, and I don't want to be caught in the halls when he's angry."

"Fair point," said a girl I knew was really Brook. She had blonde hair and grey eyes, a leather string filled with clay beads and a college ring strung around her neck. Both she and Percy wore orange t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. Annabeth Chase, I recalled.

Despite the fact that I knew it was really just my sisters, I was jumpy. As was Ethan. My heart pounded at the thought of standing so close. Like standing next to a demon in the dining hall. When you're ready to fight and/or run like Hades just to get out alive.

I sighed and slid down the doorframe, knowing that if Kronos wanted revenge on us, he'd have gotten it by now. "So, what now?"

"I guess now," Percy – ach, Hunter! – said, drawing pictures from her pocket, "we laugh at these."

"You got pictures?" Annabeth inquired, stealing one. "How did…?"

Percy smiled and fingered a small phone, the same one Hunter had used to pull the Ricola prank on Kronos months ago. "Ta-da."

I was still trying to catch my breath and didn't really care to see, but even Ethan was interested, leaning forward to see what the pictures had captured. He even laughed, a sound we didn't hear often but felt warm somewhere inside my chest.

"I can't believe you pulled this off," Annabeth muttered. "'Guess Ethan's acorn costume makes sense now."

Percy smiled hugely. "Sure does!"

"Was Kronos a chipmunk, or a squirrel?" Ethan inquired, staring at a photo. "I can't tell."

"A squirrel. I convinced him that they're terrifying. Oh, look! This one's from where we jumped out an surprised him!"

When Annabeth, Percy, and whoever I was dressed as – I had no clue – jumped out at him. When we'd screamed and made to charge and almost died of a heart attack when we saw – low and behold – he was dressed as a fluffy-tailed mammal. Then when he tried to scare us with it. Then Hunter laughed and said, "Nice outfit, Dad!"

We had promptly been chased down the halls by a furious Titan and his scythe. He let us escape – Hunter time-warped us here and he ran off to change out of the suit and nurse his wounded pride. Which was, after all, the most common thing about Hunter and her friends.

Ethan had kinda been dragged along with us.

He sighed and sank to the floor, shaking his head. "That was, at least, the most fun anybody's ever had here. Is training for a war not enough action for you?"

"Never," Percy smiled.

"Don't ask what is," I advised. Ethan's eyes flitted to mine, then darted to the floor quickly. I frowned, confused, before remembering I didn't look like myself.

I stared down at myself. My t-shirt hadn't changed – a black one with dancing skeletons to celebrate Halloween – and neither had my black jeans or combat boots. My jacket had grown five sizes too big, and instead of its usual light, black form, it was a heavy aviator's coat. A silver skull ring glinted on my right ring finger.

"Who," I asked, "did you dress me as?"

"I forget the name," Hunter said, and to my shock, her voice was hers again. I snapped my head up to look. Sure enough, the Percy Jackson illusion was starting to fade. The hair had turned it usual brown/blonde, and he was taller than he'd been before. "He's the inane one people talk about. The creepy dude."

"The son of Hades," Ethan provided. "I saw him the day we arrived here, when he made the Black Wall."

I glanced back at Hunter. "My brother?"

"That jerk isn't related to you, Bree," Brook said. "He's not your anything. Just another traitor, like all the others."

Ethan frowned at that, but I'm not sure why. Something nervous fluttered inside my stomach. I stared down at my hands, watching as the calluses disappeared and the ring faded and my fingers turned back into my own. The jacket shrunk and returned to its usual form. My sword vanished, along with the chain it hung from around my waist, and reappeared in my pocket. I reached up a hand to touch my hair and, sure enough, it was its normal length.

"Well," I muttered. "That's that, I guess."

"Don't worry about it," Hunter said, slapping me on the shoulder so hard I almost choked on air. "Kronos ain't gonna kill us. Neither is the insane kid. We're good."

I let out a sigh of relief and, for both our sakes, tried to believe it.

"I ought to see if the coast is clear," Ethan said, waving me aside as he got to his feet. I scooted to one side as he cracked the door open.

"Going back to your dorm?" Hunter asked.

He shook his head, and a strange fire lit in his eyes. "No. Back to the party. I can't remember the last time I had sugar. My blood is fizzing like a soda."

She chuckled. "Give us an hour or so to let Dad cool down, then we'll join you."

"Alright," he said, opening the door wider. "See you then." Then he vanished, closing it silently behind him.

I sighed, moving over to my box of glyph designs. I hadn't found another one that meant something yet, but it was still fun to draw. I had also collected a raven feather from Atlas's courtyard, just for the heck of it, hoping my raven would visit me in my dreams. It hadn't worked so far. I pushed those aside and got out a fresh piece of paper.

When I turned around, Hunter's grin was about as wide as the Grand Canyon, eyes focused on something miles away.

I groaned. "What are you thinking about?"

Her bright gaze met mine. "Christmas."

oOo

Christmas was interesting for a different reason, though.

The rest of Halloween night was more eventful. Hunter had gotten Brook to sneak vodka bottles from someone – don't ask me who – and had entertained herself by slipping it into her father's drink. Which resulted in some very interesting dance moves.

The next day, a heavy snow fell, more than the usual inches we had (we were, after all, on top of a mountain.) The chill was just as thick. Though between hacking and moving and working magic, we stayed pretty warm.

November and most of December passed without much of a hitch. I ran out of foundation, which was strange, because I didn't ever use it. When I asked Hunter – it had to be her, as next to Brook I looked like a freaking pillowcase and her a tree – she only said, "Trying something new. You know, to see if Dad likes it. I think he does. He doesn't want me to be girly, but he expects certain… manners, I guess you could call it. He likes it when I'm presentable. And vanity is a very addictive sin." She gave me a wicked smile and flipped her hair back, winking, which caused us both to laugh.

The day before Christmas Eve, Ethan gave us some interesting news.

"I have another quest to go on. I'll be gone tomorrow and over Christmas."

"What?!" Hunter gasped, dropping her fork. "You can't be gone for the holidays! We were gonna go to your dorm with you and Kyle to watch Nightmare Before Christmas!"

Interfering with Hunter's movie night was not a good idea.

Ethan just shrugged. "Kronos's orders."

"What is this quest?" Brook asked. "At least tell us it's safe. You can't die on Christmas."

He stared at his shoes.

I felt like I'd swallowed a rock. "Ethan. Tell us."

He shook his head and flicked his wrist in dismissal. "The Underworld. Persephone is having a special sword and key made for Hades, one that can open all the doors to the Underworld and its parts. Kronos wants to resurrect more Titans with it. But for that, he needs to steal it first."

Brook had paled, something that was rare for her. "You're going to Hades? The Underworld? Across the Styx and everything?"

"Well, the ghosts won't bite."

"Do you know how many demons are down there?" I demanded. "Demons Kronos wouldn't dare bring here! Servants to Pluto! You can't… You can't be eaten on Christmas."

"Kronos said I could take a Titan with me. One of the ones here. I'll be fine."

"Fine, marching into an enemy fortress?" Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tell me, are you naturally this stupid, or did you get thwacked with a sword too many times?"

"I don't have a choice. With luck, I'll be back before midnight, and we can still watch the movie. Okay?"

"We could go with you," I said. "We'd stand a better chance."

A growl rose in his throat, alarm blossoming across his eye. "Absolutely not. A smaller party is less likely to be noticed at all. Besides, what Kronos says goes, and he says it's just me and a Titan. Deal with it. I taught you not to whine."

That ended that conversation. And killed all others that might've occurred otherwise.

Christmas Eve, not much happened. I trained with Kronos. Alone – he had dismissed Hunter again, as he now did every other week. The lessons I spent alone with him were more specialized to fit my powers, abilities, weapon, and fighting style. Or, to shape my fighting style, really. Mold it into what he thought would keep me alive, he said. In other words, into something that made sure my opponent wouldn't survive.

Christmas Day, with Ethan still gone, was equally as boring at first. Hunter, Brook and I exchanged gifts. That was the highlight. I had gotten Hunter a new bottle of foundation, one just two shades darker to match her skin better, and for Brook I had gotten catnip. She had been asking for it lately. I received a new fitted black shirt with a beautiful design of skulls and white roses, and my own personal pencil-like Stygian iron and Celestial bronze tool for engraving glyphs. Brook and Hunter exchanged a bottle of prank potion for a small, plastic Siberian tiger toy. Then we headed off for breakfast and training, talking about anything we could to keep our minds off Ethan. But unfortunately, with both Hunter and Brook working with Kronos, I was alone for the rest of the day.

Two hours before dinner, I couldn't take it anymore. I left my training post and ventured towards the back of the palace, searching for Hecate's magic portals and scrying bowls, planning just to take a quick peek to see if he was okay and open a portal if he wasn't. Not that I knew how to do those things, but I could learn, surely. It couldn't be that hard. I had the humorous idea of instructions posted on the wall…

Shk.

I heard it. But I didn't stop. I kept walking as if I'd heard nothing, but inside, my heart began to race. It came from around that corner ahead of me. Maybe I could ambush whoever was hiding… Crap, but I didn't recognize the sound, running in like that could be a bad idea, but I didn't stand a chance unless I could surprise them so I kept going….

As I came to the corner, I drew my sword and leapt forward, shadows gathered at my palms and swirling up my legs, their cool shock like frozen adrenaline. "Show yourself, bas…"

I trailed off, staring at the empty space. Huh. No one. I must be hearing things…

Then, of course, the explosion went off.

oOo

Nyx: EXPLOSION! YES!

Nic: Still no major fights. Our fans are asking for them.

Nyx: They're coming soon! Very soon! Do not fear, we are hardly halfway done! There is plenty of room for gore! I know how you guys feel, waiting for something exciting. Don't worry.

Nic: Yay for whoever voted on our poll! Just one person so far. We're going to leave it up another week and see if we can get a bigger data pool. Now, ON WITH THE STORY! *Still love you, Ethan!*