Open Hearts (Hector POV)

The sun was dipping below the horizon when Diego finally awoke from his nap. Hector leaned back while Serenity immediately jumped in with the questions: "How did you survive the fire? Did you know you could survive fire? Why didn't you tell us you could survive fire? How did you summon light from your hand? Is it some type of radiation? Do you know who your parent is now?"

Hector let Serenity go on for a minute while Diego stammered and attempted to formulate a response. Eventually, Hector tapped Serenity's shoulder and when she turned to face him, he said, "Breathe."

She sighed and impatiently bounced in her seat while Diego nodded in thanks. He shifted in his seat and then stopped abruptly, a confused expression on his face. Reaching underneath his seat he pulled out a small cylinder made of gold and bronze. Hector gently asked, "You didn't know that was there, did you?"

Diego shook his head slowly and stood up in the cabin. Hector and Serenity shifted to allow him room while Diego examined the cylinder. It was a beautiful work. Intricate patterns of flames had been molded into the cylinder. When Diego wrapped his hand around it, it expanded into a spear about a meter and a half in length. When Diego stood it beside him, the tip hovered just below his head. Once Hector had gotten over his initial shock he asked, "How did you get that?"

Diego quickly explained what he saw in the dream. Serenity had a smile on her face though her eyes glinted slightly with jealousy. Hector, on the other hand, was more thoughtful. "You sure that wasn't Apollo?"

"Positive. I can't say how I know, but that definitively wasn't Apollo."

Hector frowned and thought it over. It couldn't have been Hyperion? No. More likely it was Helios. But Dionysius said that Helios had faded.

Hector listened for any input from Kronos, but his mind was silent. Figures when I want his input he is nowhere to be found. Serenity spoke up, "I don't think you should trust it."

At Hector and Diego's incredulous looks she defended, "You said the world seemed young, and that the chill around the throne felt familiar. Was it the same chill as when we say 'Kronos'?"

As if in answer the air plummeted in temperature and the cabin grew darker. Hector grumbled, "Seriously, is that gonna happen every time we say a name?"

"Yes. Especially when you say mine."

Hector held up a hand and when the other two turned to him he tapped two fingers against his temple. They nodded while he addressed Kronos, "Ah, finally decided to speak up?"

"You said my name. That is enough to garner my attention."

Kronos's voice took on a deeper chill. "I hope you have a good reason for disturbing me."

Hector shot back. "Like you have anything better to do in Tartarus."

Before he could retort Hector pressed, "Is Hyperion free?"

The faintest flicker of surprise came back across the bond followed by a tinge of annoyance. "No."

As the connection was closed from Kronos's end, Hector sighed and turned to Diego, "Big K knows but is not in a talkative mood right now. Even so, you need a weapon. If it really means trouble, we can always give it to Chiron when we get back. Maybe he knows about old magic items."

Diego nodded and stowed away the spear while Serenity resigned herself to quiet disapproval. The day passed much as the last one had before the train finally pulled into St. Louis. Disembarking Serenity curtly told them, "Our next train leaves in a few hours. May as well burn time. Maybe you'll get another monster to test your toy on Diego. I'll be around."

She slipped into the crowd and disappeared off the platform. "Serenity wait!"

She was gone before they could catch her. Hector turned to Diego who sighed, "I don't get it. All this fuss over a weapon?"

Hector patted his shoulder. "I'll talk to her. What do you want to do?"

Diego sighed and jerked his thumb at the nearby St. Louis arch. "Take a tour hopefully. I think Serenity wants to stay away from me for awhile and that seems close enough that I can get back quickly. Come running if y'all end up in trouble."

Hector nodded. "Be careful."

He turned and ran off deeper into the station while Diego made his way towards the Arch. For a while Hector found himself wandering empty corridors until he recognized certain signs marking the tunnels Serenity hid in. Slipping into one, he quietly searched the underground for where Serenity was hiding. He was unopposed for most of it, though on occasion he had to duck aside to avoid patrols.

It would be an hour later when Hector finally found Serenity where she was lounging in a comfortable alcove. Room to sit but shadowed to keep the casual passerby from noticing her. She saw Hector but didn't say a word as she turned back to stare at the wall. Hector ducked down and sat across from her, casually reclining but with a leg over the exit. He kept his gaze on the corridor to watch for any more patrols. The minutes slipped by before Serenity finally spoke up. "Do you think I matter?"

Hector looked back at her. Her gaze was trained at the ground, her hair falling in front of her eyes. "It's just…you have had Artemis's attention all your life. And now Diego has his father's attention, at least I assume so. Me? I never had any idea of what or who I am. My father, my mortal father, never paid attention to me unless it was to drag me along another train. Just…another piece of luggage. I tried to be good, and he ignored me. I tried to be bad, and he ignored me. Same as my mother, whoever she is. Do my parents just…not care?"

Hector considered his words carefully. "I can't speak for them, but I know your father cares."

She huffed and he reached out and took a hand, bringing her eyes up to him. "He never abandoned you. He kept you by his side. When you were lost, he dropped everything else to find you. When he thought you were being influenced by bad kids, he stepped in. He may not have been there, but he made sure you would never be in need of food or shelter. I can't speak for your mother, but it's clear to me he cared for you. He just didn't know how to show it."

Serenity's eyes watered and blinking she smiled. "Do you…think he's thinking of me now?"

"I have no doubt. Maybe you should send him a letter, let him know that you are on a quest and traveling. Let him know you are still ok."

"Alright." She rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Hector thought for a moment and then continued. "You should probably tell Diego too."

She got a curious look and he continued, "It's not my story to tell but Diego would understand better than almost anyone else. It's how he and I became friends, but I can't reveal his secrets. I keep them in confidence, as I'll keep yours."

Serenity tilted her head. "Speaking of, where is the Lightbulb?"

Badly concealing a snort, Hector said, "He went to check out the Arch. Should be back by now."

A concussive boom echoed across the station, a slight tremor passing through the walls.

Wide eyes met and they darted out of the alcove. Running through the tunnels they appeared out of the underground and into the station. All around crowds were gathering near any screen they could find. They couldn't make out the words, but the sight of the Arch on fire was enough to make a pit settle in their stomachs. An exchange of glances and they immediately ran out of the station.

"Diego!"

"Diego where are you!"

They sprinted towards the Arch, where ambulances were pulling away. Hector and Serenity quickly dashed into the crowd, asking everyone where their friend was. Their panic reached a peak when they finally caught each other. Their worrying was interrupted by a calm shout from behind, "Hey guys!"

Spinning around they saw Diego calmly sitting at a floating McDonalds. "Where you been?"

His eyes shot open when Serenity slammed into him with a hug, stammering how worried she was. Hector followed sighing in relief. "You better explain while she's still in a forgiving mood."

Diego disengaged from Serenity and calmed her. "It's ok. I was down here when that happened. Looked like a gout of flame and then someone fell out of the Arch. The news is talking about some terrorist attacks."

Serenity crossed her arms. "So why are you here sitting calmly?"

Diego sheepishly answered, "I knew you guys would be worried when you saw the news and I could never find you in that huge station. Figured I'd wait here till you showed up so you knew I was ok. Didn't want you to panic just because we missed each other."

Serenity glared at him before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. I'll let it go this time. But from now on we stick together, okay? And I'm…sorry I walked off. I was being immature."

Diego patted her shoulder as he stood. "Nah, I get it. Ready to go?"

The three exchanged smiles when they heard the sound of dripping water. Turning they saw none other than Percy Jackson walking out of the river. He raised his eyes and met Hector's. Looks of surprise were exchanged before the news came back on. Turning slightly Hector caught 'Percy Jackson' being dropped as the name of the terrorist. Putting two and two together, he turned back to Percy. "Monster?"

Percy gave a wry grin. Hector, Diego, and Serenity stood in a line giving him cover from the cameras. He nodded to them and whispered, "Thanks" to them. They moved with him for a bit, breaking off when they heard Annabeth's voice. Hector and Percy exchanged one last look before heading their separate ways. Diego tapped Hector's shoulder once they were away. "Why not tag along with them. I mean, what are the odds we would catch up?"

Hector shook his head. "Cause Percy's on a time limit. Six people would probably move too slow for his deadline. Plus, he's a Big Three kid." Jerking a thumb back at the Arch he continued, "Probably attracting monsters like honey attracts bees. Best we remain on separate paths."

Serenity nodded in agreement and Diego conceded the point but had a thoughtful look while observing Hector. The three slipped through the station and made it to their train. Again, they saw the other trio in the distance, but this time did not stop to interact with them. Percy and his friends boarded a train destined for Denver while Hector and the others found one destined for Washington. As the two trains pulled out of the station, they began to peel away from each other, their destinies, and those of their passengers, on different paths. As the sun set below the horizon, Hector drifted off to sleep once again.

The smell of the forest awakening in spring greeted Hector's nostrils, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the glimmering canopy of the forest he had never seen before yet seemed intimately familiar to him.

"This is where we found you."

Hector rose to a sitting position and turned to face the speaker. His eyes were greeted with the gentle smile, auburn hair and silvery eyes of his Aunt Luna. She sighed as she took in the wood. "Zoë insisted that we drop you off at the nearest town, but Naomi would not hear it. She wanted to keep you, and I could not dissuade her."

Hector kept his gaze on her, before slowly asking, "You're not Aunt Luna, are you? You're Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt."

Artemis gave him a soft smile. "Many know me as Artemis, few know me as Aunt Luna. For you, I tried to be both."

Her smile descended into a frown. "I have heard your prayers, Hector. You remain respectful but I have heard something else. You are angry with me? What have I done to hurt you? Have I not done everything to help you?"

Hector bit back the retort in his throat. The confirmation that the woman he loved as Aunt Luna and the goddess he had grown to resent were the same was taking an emotional toll. Struggling to keep his voice even, he answered, "I'm not angry with you Lad-"

"Aunt Luna," she corrected him.

"Aunt Luna," he continued, "I'm upset that you withheld the truth and that you have been keeping secrets. I understand that you have your reasons and your ways. It is difficult as a mortal to comprehend but I have faith in you, as my Aunt and my goddess. There is…something else."

"Tell me. I'll listen." She seemed so understanding, so much like the Aunt he knew.

"It's about…your grandfather. He's been speaking to me."

Artemis kept her face calm but there was no mistaking the alarm in her eyes. "And have you listened to him?"

Hector bowed his head. "I resisted at first. But he has been wearing me down, hour by hour, day by day. Eventually, I listened. I have not acted upon his advice, but he would only relent when I listened. He…wanted me to go to Mt. Tam."

"Hector." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "He is a trickster and a liar. He is a parasite, eating away at your spirit. I kept the truth from you, and I wish I could tell you all. But not yet, not until you have completed your quest. Trust me, Hector."

Hector looked into her silver eyes. He saw compassion and care, perhaps the love he was familiar with. But there was also alarm, worry, and the faintest hint of hostility as if she expected him to…what? He wouldn't hurt her, she knew that. But what could it be?

"I trust you, Aunt Luna. I trust you Artemis."

The cloud passed from her face and her gentle smile returned. "You are near your trials. There are three: each one will test a different aspect of your abilities. You will need your friends, as you are coming early to the trial and cannot pass alone."

She fixed him with a stern gaze. "When you have broken the seal, remain in my temple. Do not flee. Do not leave. No matter what you see, it is important you remain there. Do you understand?"

Hector nodded, wondering how he could complete Hecate's and her tasks together. "I will. I promise."

She smiled at him and to his shock planted a kiss on his head. "When you are there, when you are done with the trials and have the blade in hand, I will introduce you to my Hunters. They have also looked forward to this day, though some wondered if it would ever come. Then, I promise, I will tell you the whole truth."

The dream began to fade, her words echoing.

"Be careful, my Hector. Do not leave my temple."