"Who is that woman?" Hannibal asked. Thalia offered a shrug and studied the woman. Was this really the same person who had created the Sibylline Books? Did she remember what she wrote on them? Oh, and why in Zeus' name did she want Thalia to kill her?

"A crazy lady," Thalia finally answered. "That somehow made it past all of the rebels and into the room where I was interrogating the Roman. I'm going to guess that she is probably connected to the more mythological part of the world."

"The Roman disappeared. We can't find her anywhere," Hannibal muttered. He started to pace. "The Roman is going back to Scipio and will tell him all about this. I will be thrown into prison, and the rebel cause will be crushed."

"I think you're being a little dramatic," Thalia said. "If the Roman escaped, there is no way that she knows this area. It will take her time to get back to Carthage, if she can find it. Even if she tells Scipio, he won't immediately go to your leaders, and how do you know they will side with the Romans over you?"

"They are cowards," Hannibal said. He started to pace back and forth. "We have to figure this out."

"Get the book. Simple as that. We need it for leverage," Thalia said. Hannibal looked at her and finally nodded. "You plan how we are going to do that. I'll talk to this weirdo and see if I can figure anything out."

"You know that you are in a base of rebels, correct?" Hannibal asked. Thalia studied him for a moment, and her eyes narrowed. She finally nodded. "Good. Just keep that in mind."

Thalia watched Hannibal walk away. Who was he to threaten her? Who was he to think that Thalia would allow herself to be threatened? If it wasn't for the fact that she had more pressing matters, Thalia would grab Hannibal and give him a piece of her mind.

Thalia walked back into the room. The weird Sibylline Book oracle? Lady? Whatever she was, she was staring ahead. There was a jug of water on the table in front of her. Thalia spoke, "We don't have much time. What is your name?"

The woman shrugged, and Thalia almost let out a deep sigh. This was going to be like trying to get a conversation out of Reyna. Thalia spoke, "Just tell me what your name is before I dub you crazy old lady."

"I don't know my name," the woman admitted. Thalia sighed. Alright, that was more words than Reyna gave her at first. This might go smoother.

"But, you made the Sibylline Books, right?" Thalia asked. The woman nodded. "I'm calling you Sibyl. I don't have a lot of time, so start explaining what is going on. How did you know where I was? How do you know who I am?"

"I have been wandering the world for so long," Sibyl answered, and a dreamy look came to her eyes. "I have watched empires rise and fall in the same breath. People have been born, fell in love, and buried right before my very eyes. The sea and sky never meet but is always near."

"Stop," Thalia interrupted. "If you are going to make a sentence, it has to make sense. Please don't try to be all mysterious with me. First question, how are you not dead?"

Sibyl shrugged. Thalia nodded and then rubbed her face. She was going to strangle the woman. After a moment, Sibyl spoke, "Those books were my life's work, and I believe the gods have punished me for it. I believe my life is tied to the books."

"You want me to kill you, which I can do by destroying the books?" Thalia asked. Sibyl nodded. "How do I destroy a book?"

"I have been soaking the words in my blood," Sibyl answered. She moved closer to Thalia. "I have destroyed three of the books that way. The words were washed away by my blood, and I felt weaker."

"This isn't even the last book then, is it? Do you remember what you wrote?" Thalia questioned. Sibyl nodded. "Can you rewrite it then?"

"No," Sibyl answered. She crossed her arms and seemed to hug herself. "It hurts to much. Burns in agony. Writing down those words almost killed me once before, and the pain was so terrible. I was possessed, but I cannot go through it again."

"Can you speak it?" Thalia asked. Sibyl thought about it and nodded. "Alright. If you speak it, I can write it down, right?"

"If the Fates let you," Sibyl answered.

"Of course," Thalia said. She let out a frustrated sigh. "That makes total sense. Let's try something easier. Who is the monster that you want me to protect you from?"

"The wolf of Rome," Sibyl whispered. She looked down and made a noise like a whimper. Thalia frowned. She had a very bad feeling about who the wolf of Rome was. "If the wolf finds me, all of the words will be taken from me. I can't go through that pain, Thalia Grace. Please do not make me."

"I will do my best to protect you," Thalia promised. She knelt in front of Sibyl. "But, you have to help me too. Does the wolf of Rome know you are here?"

"I don't think so. Not yet. My scent is strong though. It will not be hidden by the book for long," Sibyl said. Thalia looked down and thought through her options. If Sibyl was handed over to the Romans here, they would definitely force her to write down her prophecies, and while Thalia could steal those writings, she would still feel terrible about the pain that Sibyl would go through.

Thalia could also leave with Sibyl, but if she took the woman to Camp Jupiter, Lupa would know. If they went to Artemis, Thalia could probably talk her lady into keeping Lupa away. There was still the matter of the book. Could Thalia just leave it? What if someone else found it?

Reyna was another factor. She wouldn't leave without the book, and if she learned about Sibyl, she would want to take the woman to Camp Jupiter. Thalia could try to talk her out of it, but Reyna wouldn't think bad of Lupa. No one at Camp Jupiter did, and Thalia still remembered how fondly Jason talked of that stupid wolf.

The same wolf that took Jason away from Thalia. The same one that taught him how to be a Roman and leave his old life behind. Thalia knew it wasn't technically Lupa's fault, but she could only hate Hera so much before she had to turn her anger over to someone else, and the wolf goddess was an easy target.

Thalia let out a frustrated breath. She wasn't sure what to do. None of the options in front of her seemed viable. Sibyl suddenly spoke, "Beware the rebirth without baptism."

"What?" Thalia asked. Before she could get a proper answer, Sibyl suddenly howled in pain. She jumped to her feet. Thalia rushed forward, and Sibyl collapsed.

Thalia caught the woman and gently laid her on the ground. She studied Sibyl. The woman looked perfectly fine, so why had she passed out? This was becoming too much for Thalia. All she could do was rub her forehead. There was the sound of rushing footsteps.

"What happened?" Hannibal questioned. He hurried into the room and crouched down by them.

"Don't know," Thalia muttered. She moved her fingers to her temples and started to rub them, hopefully fighting off her forming headache. "We were talking, and she just screamed. Then passed out. Nothing she said was helpful."

"This must be a trick," Hannibal muttered. He looked up. "Or a test. They are testing me."

"Your gods?" Thalia asked. She stood. "I thought you said they didn't answer."

"Not the gods," Hannibal muttered. He started to pace. "A woman came to me and said that she had answers. She showed me where the Roman with black eyes was."

"What kind of woman was it?" Thalia questioned. Hannibal studied her. Thalia frowned. Why was he now being hostile to her? What had changed? "Anything special about her?"

"She seemed to be able to tell the future," Hannibal finally answered. He sighed and looked down. "We must move quickly if we are to get the book before the Butcher can sell it. And, we must beat the Romans to it."

"Hey, we can beat the Romans," Thalia said. "You handle Scipio, and I will handle the woman. She won't get away again."

This was actually perfect. If Thalia and Reyna could separate from the two generals, they could take the book and just leave. As for Sibyl, Thalia wasn't sure. She didn't even know what would happen if she brought the book out of this place. Would anything even happen?

Thalia shook her head. She couldn't focus on all of these questions. All she could do was focus on the facts in front of her. The book was within her grasp, which meant she needed to get it. Then, she would take Reyna and get the hell out of this place.

"What's the plan?" Thalia asked as she looked up at Hannibal. He studied her for a long moment and then stepped out of the room. Thalia cautiously stood and placed a hand to her weapons. When Hannibal returned, it was with two men. He directed them to help Sibyl. Then, he turned towards Thalia.

"We beat the Romans to the book," Hannibal said. He met her eyes. "And if they try to stop us, we will kill them."

"How do you plan on beating them?" Thalia asked. Hannibal studied her for a very long moment. He finally looked down and sighed tiredly. His shoulders drooped.

"We must take some of the rebels and assault the Butcher's base. I feel this is our last chance to get the book. I feel that something terrible is going to happen soon, and I fear what it may be. If we have the book, we can prevent whatever it is."

"Hey. We're on the same team," Thalia said. She wanted to add that she wanted to work with Hannibal, despite his threats, but she bit her tongue. "We both want the book. So, let's get it together."

"Together," Hannibal agreed. Thalia nodded and looked back at Sibyl. While she wouldn't say it out loud, she had a bad feeling too. Something terrible was going to happen, and it probably involved the Romans. Thalia just needed to get the book, find Reyna, and get out. From there, she could worry about saving Sibyl, even though the woman wanted Thalia to kill her. A sigh left the daughter of Zeus. It was going to be a long day.