Look, I've already died once. Thing is, a nice, cushy life really doesn't prepare you for doing the one-two with Death more often than I passed Math.

The last time I died, I had the luxury of a slow death. I bled out amidst a carpet of red, waiting for the end, resigned and more scared than a skydiver with a malfunctioning parachute. As pain-filled as my mind had been, I still had the opportunity to rewind my life and think of all my regrets; everything I would've done differently, all I still wanted to do, how many people I should've said goodbye to that day… Heh. Now that I think about it, I'm almost grateful- it had made my rebirth all the more bittersweet. I had goals now, that same stuff I had been all but allergic to; all that was needed to kick my ass into gear was a narrowly missed appointment with the Grim Reaper. How fucking pathetic is that?

This time, as I fell down to the Mississippi River, there was no such thing as my life flashing before my eyes. No, if anything, life had somehow tapped into the Speed Force and was long gone before my little mortal brain could even begin to process it. I technically knew that I would survive this- water is my Pai's domain- and the logical voice in my brain was calmer than a cat on the last free couch space.

Of course, that didn't stop me from screaming my lungs out on the way down because-

"OH FUCK, OH SHITOHFUCK! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIEEEEEEEE!"

Needless to say, I did not die.

The river rose up to greet me like an old friend. I sank softly into the grip of the white bubbles, the murky gloom cushioning my fall, and any resulting impact didn't hurt a bit. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of a fridge lurched away into the gloom. Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage- beer bottles, old shoes, and plastic bags swirled up all around me.

I was unharmed. Any lingering agony from the Chimera's poison had dulled into a soft ache. With every second underwater, it seemed to ebb away into a phantom nothingness. I bubbled out a sigh of relief; what was it that they say? You can only have pleasure if you first experience pain? Well, I can assure you I'm on a fucking high from, 'Polluted River Painkillers.' That's right- 'PRP,' the newly discovered divine miracle!

Suitable for sea-spawn only. Attempt at your own risk. Terms and conditions apply. Thank you. Come again after you're fatally poisoned!

…

Okay, yeah, fine, I may be a bit loopy from my adrenaline high- sue me!

Looking around, the scene was almost familiar. Me, sitting in a heavily polluted river, completely dry and breathing underwater, with repulsive evidence of human incompetency swirling around in chunky pieces. Dancing currents rushed by with the occasional water-dweller curiously swimming pass, and despite it all, I've never felt more relaxed.

I am a part of the sea, the sea is a part of me; so it has been, and so it shall remain.

As I floated around, waiting for the poison to be completely neutralized, my mind drifted back to the early days; practising my power in the Hudson while hiding from Gabe. The god residing there was as bristly as they came, but I had worn him down eventually. Those days were so nice, and the water was nice, and the healing was nice…

Content with my memories, I closed my eyes and just…drifted.

Something hits my hand. I blink down slowly at the innocent-looking light before shaking my head. I slap my hands to my cheeks. Once. Twice.

Focus on the mission, Ophelia. No time for naps on a quest to save the fucking world- what would Luke and Annabeth think?

"Thanks, Papai!" I call out. Whether or not he actually helped me, I did inherit my powers from him. Can't lose anything by being grateful.

There was no response, but I wasn't really expecting one.

Fump-fump-fump. A riverboat's paddlewheel churned above me, swirling the silt around.

There, not five feet in front of me, was my sword. Its gleaming bronze hilt stuck up from the mud, a beacon that I hastily obeyed.

Swimming forward to grab it, I watched as it transformed from a sharp blade to a small, bronze and blue ring. "What the fuck?" I muttered, putting it on. "Make up your mind you stupid fucking weapon."

"Language," a woman's voice chided me, "A princess of the sea should not be so crude."

My head flew up to see her. A woman the colour of the water, a ghost in the current, floating just in front of me. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes- barely visible- were green like mine.

"Sorry Ma'am," I replied, ducking my head. She looks just like my Mãe- it was almost like she was here just to scold me for swearing.

"I am a messenger. Your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe. Go to the beach in Santa Monica."

"What?"

"It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Persephone, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence."

"I understand. But why? Can you tell me more?" I pleaded. I understand why Pai wants me to do so, that's how I get the pearls to escape the Underworld, but something else is going on.

"I cannot stay, brave one," the woman said. She reached out, and I felt the current brush my face like a caress. "You must go to Santa Monica! And, Persephone, do not trust the gifts..."

Her voice faded- no more material than her body.

"Gifts?" I asked. "What gifts? Wait!"

She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away.

"Fuck!" I scream out my frustrations. "Fucking damn it!"

How did she know to warn me about the gifts? How did she know Ares was going to gift me the Master Bolt? She said she was a messenger from Pai- does he know? Argh! What the fuck is actually going on? It's like the Chiron-Camp-Gods conspiracy theory all over again!

I let out a wordless yell, sending all the floating rubbish away from me in a strong wave. The water around me glowed a cleansing blue, my rage destroying all that didn't belong.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" I stamped my foot. The water swirled and rippled, all sharp edges and biting speed.

I want to cry. I want to drown. Why do I have to do this? Why can't I just rest?

I crumpled to my knees, salty tears immediately joining the river water. Why me?

The currents churned on.

oOo

Either a year or a second could have passed by the time I moved, but it was probably only a few minutes.

The police and news teams were already on the shore. Homeland Security or the FBI would show up soon enough. I have to move before they start combing the river for my body.

I came ashore next to a floating McDonald's.

A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve.

A little girl said, "Mama! That girl walked out of the river."

"That's nice, dear," her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.

"But she's dry!"

"That's nice, dear."

Cynically, I flashed the kid a peace sign before moving on and melding with the crowd.

A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."

Survivors. The family and park ranger made it out safely. Strangely enough, the relief at that thought didn't even move me.

I tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police line.

"... an adolescent girl," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent girl going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities ..."

I backed away, trying to keep my head down. I had to go a long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere.

I'd almost lost hope of ever finding Annabeth and Luke when a familiar voice yelled, "Percy!" I turned and got tackled by Luke who shoved me into a bearhug. He said, "Persephone Ophelia Jackson! You foolish child, you could've died!"

I returned his crushing grip, holding onto him like he's my only lifeline. Neither of us mentioned the growing wetness on his hoodie.

Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but her eyes were softer than they could've been. "We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?"

I tried a weak joke. "I sort of fell."

"Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?"

Behind us, a cop shouted, "Gangway!"

The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck.

She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua-"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This girl jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she saw me. "There she is! That's the girl!"

Luke quickly turned, hiding me with his body and pulling Annabeth after us. We disappeared into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

I told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, my high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message. There were a few tears as my tale went on, but Luke didn't stop hugging me and Annabeth rubbed my arm in sympathy.

"It seems that we have to get you to Santa Monica," Luke said almost bitterly. "You can't ignore a summons from your father."

Before Annabeth could respond, we passed another reporter doing a news break, and I almost froze in my tracks when he said, "Persephone Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the girl who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young woman wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the girl is believed to be travelling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Persephone Jackson."

We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"I really think we should get the hell out of dodge, right now," I told my friends. Annabeth nodded wordlessly, and Luke pulled out the scarf Drew gave me from my bag so I could wrap it around my head and obscure my face.

Somehow, we made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver.

The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind us.

A/N

Izzy: Hey guys, another update for y'all! I've been sick all week (not COVID!), but I've managed to get a short chapter out for you guys! I've also started to pre-write the next chapter (which is so long! Ugh, it's gonna end up being 5k) for Sunday.

Raven: Izzy doesn't understand the summary reference at all. I'll be the first to admit that it's pretty obscure and not even a good reference to boot, but gimme a break guys, I've been writing all the summaries, so they can't all be good!

Izzy: Yeah, if you follow my other stories you know that I'm shit at summaries. I actually failed (the only ever) English test in middle school because I couldn't summarize things well.

Raven: Eh, I'd say that the summarizing period of middle school was hell for pretty much everyone. At least teach us how to write essays instead of summaries so we can apply it in College! (P.S, I'm a New Zealander, and we call high-school 'College.' Uni is uni, okay?)