"Drew!" Malcolm shouted, still in too much pain to do anything but stumble as he lurched on over to where Drew had collapsed. Katie, who at this point had been extremely startled by Drew's transformation, had also rushed her way over the girl's side.

"What in Hades' name was that?" she inquired as she stepped in between Drew and Malcolm forcing the son of Athena to reduce his involvement.

"No idea." It wasn't technically a lie, but he did a have a few hunches that seemed to be confirming themselves more and more as of late regarding Drew's seemingly split personalities

Katie narrowed her eyes. "you're hiding something from me," she said kneeling next to Drew, "but I suppose we have no time for this, Drews lost a lot of blood, more than what's usual for an arrow wound on the lower thigh." Katie said to herself more than Malcolm; her eyes closed in concentration. "Her skin is cold and pale, and her breaths are shallow, not what you'd expect from someone who had just been dealing out significant damage.

"In other words, kick the crap out of the guards." the archer who had so far remained silent walked up to the three demigods. "I would give medical advice, but I don't know that much, and right now, we should probably be fleeing this place."

Malcolm nodded, "I can walk just fine, but that leaves Drew and your friends over there..." Malcolm's gaze shifted over to Katie, who he expected had news on the two unconscious strangers.

Katie just shrugged, "I doubt the lady will be making it out of her on her own; it's a small miracle in itself that she still seems able to breathe."

The man took a shaky breath, "and the other one?"

Katie looked over her shoulder to the person in question, "I think he's okay. Someone should be able to shake him awake."

"I'll see to Cecelia, you two plus Octavian over there can probably take care of your skinny little friend here." The man walked away from them towards the woman who was still kneeling by the throne.

"I guess I'll get him." Malcolm said, "you should prepare Drew for her, ah, journey.

"Katie nodded, "don't worry, hold on," she said before digging into her pocket, "take this," she said pulling out a square of ambrosia.

"Ah, thanks," Malcolm said stuffing the square into his mouth a warm feeling spread through his upper arms accompanying with the taste of his grandfathers Edinburgh rocks that he would make in place of the traditional Christmas Dundee cake as he hated almonds. Or that's at least what his grandfather told everyone.

Malcolm shook his head, tearing himself away from the memories of Christmas visiting his grandparents in Melbourne, that wasn't important now.

Eventually making it to the unconscious youth Malcolm kneeled gently shaking the boy's shoulder Malcolm felt a throbbing tug in the back of his head, this person looked familiar, blond hair, blue eyes, the same build. It was as if he was looking into the past. The only noticeable difference was the absence of a scar.

"What the..." Malcolm said, stumbling back.

The blonde groaned as he forced his eyes open, "where... what's going on?"

"Come on," Malcolm said, looking over to where the archer had already picked the woman up, slung around his shoulder, and was carrying her behind the throne partitioner.

"There's an exit this way. We can avoid another encounter this way."

"right." the blond said, standing up.

The three of them were able to pick Drew up without being forced to drag her, Katie standing in the back supporting the upper body while the blonde, who's name turned out to be Octavian ad Malcolm took turns between supporting Drew's legs, and guiding the other two.

"I'm just glad she's so light." Malcolm heard Katie mutter as the six of them carried, or were carried, out the back.

"I'm sorry about your wife," Katie said in a bed and breakfast that the five of them had been able to stumble too.

The archer, who had introduced himself as Mago, shook his head, holding up a hand, "We both knew the threats associated with this manner of work." he said, eyes crimson with grief.

The remaining five were unnaturally quiet, Drew was still resting on one of the two beds provided in the small cottage rest stop, and Octavian remained sitting on a wooden chair as far away from the rest of them as possible. Katie had stuffed a piece of gauze in Malcolm's mouth as she fished around for the head of the arrows in his shoulders as Malcolm laid in anguish on a couch facing the panel windows of the vast open prairie.

Katie shook her head as she pulled out the last fragment of the arrowhead from Malcolm's left shoulder before she knelt on the other side of the couch. "What were they after?" she asked Mago, not wanting to force Malcolm to move. "we still haven't even figured out what are quest was after in the first place."

"Mago shrugged, "It was a reconnaissance mission, we were expecting to find a minor player in the third Triumerite."

"the what?" Katie asked, turning around, finger still probing Malcolm's wound, causing him to admit a pained grunt.

"Sorry, sorry,"

"It's..." Mago paused, weighing his words carefully, "an organization." he finished refusing to elaborate any further.

"So did you get anything from this reconnaissance mission," Katie asked, guiding the broken shaft out of Malcolm's right arm.

Mago looked over to where Octavian was sitting before he quickly denied it, "No, these guys caught us before we could even make it to our destination."

Katie sensing the hesitance in Mago's voice refrained from pushing any further. Instead, she focused on cleansing Malcolm's wounds, "Hey, can you find some alcohol?" She asked Mago.

Mago nodded as he turned towards Octavian and the kitchenet, "We're in Texas, shouldn't be too hard."

What in Hades' name is going on?" Katie hissed quietly to Malcolm, "It appears like camp halfblood isnt alone, and neither you nor Drew seem surprised by this." she said, gripping Malcolm's arm a little harder than deliberated.

Malcolm stirred on the sofa, trying his best to avoid Katie's austere gaze. "It's a long story; you would probably be better off not knowing."

"Clearly not." Katie said, scowling, "You were shot twice protecting whatever secret it is you have Malcolm. I'm worried that whatever it is that you won't tell anyone will end up killing you."

"Katie I ... I promise..." Malcolm trailed off as Mago returned, "Here ya go." he said, handing Katie a flask of whiskey, "the rest is for drinking." he said, opening a second.

Katie checked the label before she poured some over a towel, "Whiskey, huh, was there nothing else?"

"Hey, you asked for alcohol, if you would prefer something else get it yourself," Mago said, taking a swig from the flask.

"It will do," Katie said, pressing the cloth to Malcolm's shoulder, which emitted a sharp breath from Malcolm. "It's better than a cocktail, I guess." the three of them remained quiet as Katie cleaned and bandaged Malcolm's wounds.

"There, that should do it. Just don't strain your arms for a while, alright, Malcolm, you know that would reopen the wounds." Katie said, standing up.

"I'm going to check on Drew now, why don't you make yourself useful some way or another," Katie said glaring at Mago who had taken it upon himself to turn on the small television and scroll through the channels.

As soon as Katie had left the room and closed the door to the small bedroom where Drew was recovering, Malcolm struggled to sit upright, "you're one of them, aren't you?" he asked Mago who had tossed the remote to the floor after settling on a local news station.

"You're going to have to be a bit more precise," Mago said, only now changing his tone to a more somber one, "I'm a lot of things."

"The three of you are..." he cringed, "two of you are Punic."

Mago gazed at the television, "I am." he said, refusing to elaborate.

The weatherman droned on despite the silence in the room as the two sat in polite intentness before Katie walked back into the room with a visibly pale Drew in her tow. "I think we should get going now," she said, looking at Mago, "Thank you for the help, but we should be returning home."

Mago nodded, "I'll handle Octavian. It was good to meet you two, and Drew, he said, walking over to the aforementioned daughter of Aphrodite, "It was good catching up." Mago said. "Octavian," he snapped his attention back to the blonde sitting by himself, "well be leaving as well, get everything packed, and meet me outside, I'll be checking us out."

Octavian glumly nodded as Mago shouldered past the group of three, leaving them with the inattentive blonde.

"Hold on," Malcolm said to Katie, who was already only a couple paces behind Mago, turning his gaze towards Octavian. "have you heard of a guy called Luke Castilian?"

Octavian looked up, obviously surprised at being addressed as hints of moisture appeared at the corners of his eyes, "no," he said, his gaze scanning over the three of them, "I don't believe I ever met a guy with such a name."

"No, well, sorry for the bother." Malcolm tried to muster a comforting smile, of course, it's not like there had to be some connection just because they looked similar, with that reassurance he took Octavians outstretched hand is his own and shook it.

As soon as his hand made contact with Octavians, however, Malcolm felt as if a sledgehammer hit his head. Almost as soon as the pain had subsided, he was bombarded by dueling thoughts, not his own, one was strangely familiar even though he was sure he had never heard it before, and the other almost sounded like Athena, his mother.

"Kill the sniveling Roman, drain his body of his lifeblood, do it now, my son." Athena's voice rang out harsh and full of rage, not at all like how he had remembered it from the few times they had met.

"Not yet, my kin, you must wait for the opportune moment; one dead Roman won't do anything." The other voice seemed to scold the other in a cold, disciplinary tone.

Malcolm pulled his hand away from Octavian's, desperately trying to quiet the voices in his head, as the more they bickered, the less control he felt over his own body.

"Are you alright?" Octavian asked Malcolm massaging his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry about that, my right arm seems not to be fully recovered."

"No, don't apologize, kill him."

Octavian nodded, "well, it was... Interesting meeting you guys, safe travels to you."

Katie nodded as she forcefully grabbed Malcolm by the side and ushered them out to her car that Mago had called to be towed to the parking lot.

"As soon as we get back, you're staying under strict surveillance. I'm sure your professors will understand with you not knowing how to take care of yourself," Katie said, looking in the car's rearview mirror, scolding Malcolm, who was lying down in the backseat area as Drew sat unmoving in the passenger seat.

Malcolm, knowing better than to argue with Katie about rest after injury, simply nodded in agreement.

Drew eventually decided to break the silence in the car a few hours into their car ride, "I suppose you'll be wanting to know just who Mago was and how I know him?"

Katie nodded.

"I was going to ask you about that later when you seemed recovered, that and that weird red aura thing that surrounded you back at the ranch."

Drew flinched in her seat under Katie's inquisitive gaze, "He was the principal of the school I went to back in Chicago."

Malcolm raised an eyebrow at this new information. He was starting to form another picture of the daughter of Aphrodite.

"And I don't know about the red aura thing. It was probably just Ares's favor or something." Drew said, turning her attention to the vast openness of the Texas plains that Katie was driving them through.

"Fine, if neither of you wants to tell me the truth, I'll just stay here in the dark, even though it was me who saved both of your lives today," Katie said, aggravated."

The ride home was long but otherwise uneventful. Drew was asleep for the majority of the drive, and Malcolm was to busy staring out the window.

After dropping Drew off at her father's apartment, Katie drove Malcolm back to his dorm. Who was your mortal friend that you brought back to camp that one day?" Katie asked, pulling her phone from the car's glove compartment.

Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows, "Why do you need to know?"

"So I can stalk her," she answered in a flat tone, "Why do you think, so I can tell her to keep an eye on you!" Katie almost yelled at the last part, "You're almost as good as Jackson as getting into trouble."

Malcolm remained quiet, knowing better than to argue with her, "all right all right, I'll introduce you two, Malcolm said as he navigated the way for Katie to the science center, where Lucia was at this time of the day.

As soon as the two of them had found a parking spot, they were almost immediately engulfed in a tour group witch herded them into the natural science center where an almost annoyingly energetic tour guide was telling a group of high schoolers why they should attend here by telling them all about the science program and how it had been revamped last year. Before becoming trapped inside the crowd, Malcolm pulled Katie out of the group and quickly ushered her up two flights of stairs to the neuroscience labs.

"You know," Malcolm said, turning to Katie at the top of the stairs, "It's not as bad as that tour guide made it out to be. You should consider applying."

Katie clicked her tongue, "Maybe, I've already applied to Michigan State and Purdue for botany."

"Oh," Malcolm said crestfallen, of course, she would go into botany. This is what he told himself he was more disappointed by, not the fact that she was planning to go to school in a different time zone. Still, he thought to himself, if Annabeth could... no, right now wasn't the time to think about such things.

Malcolm collected himself and brought Katie to the lab that Lucia was working in and opened the door for Katie to enter smiling to himself, for the first time in a while he felt optimistic about the future.

"Kill the Romans, my son."