Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Percy Jackson is the property of Rick Riordan, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki. All other references to any other works are property of their respective owners, I don't own this in any way please don't sue me.

Chapter 2: The End of Peace

A few minutes after that bomb drop Jason, Leo, Piper, Butch, and Annabeth were flying through the air the tension was so thick that it could be used as battle armor. Piper was watching everyone else, Butch was driving while Annabeth was gripping the side as she breathed in and out clearly trying to calm her temper, Leo was a bit out of it. The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Piper wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was. All semester she'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally, she'd gotten the big dope to kiss her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason. Now she didn't even have him. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst 'do-over' of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.

"This is so cool!" Leo spits a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper asked and she was immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times half Cherokee, half white and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half-god, half-mortal." Annabeth looked back and it was clear that she was starting to calm down but her anger wasn't completely gone.

"You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

"Your mom is a rainbow goddess?" Leo choked out.

"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.

"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're … you think we're—" Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered.

"Left wheel's on fire!" Jason Yelled Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot. The wind roared. Piper glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot except these looked more like horses than angels.

"Why are they—" She started to say,

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough." Butch flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Piper's stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place. A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire. But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky. Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much. "The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!" Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement, and then—BOOM. The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn't know which way was up.

"This would be a stupid way to die." Piper thought then faces appeared in the green murk girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up. They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stood on top of the lake, Piper was very confused as humans cant walk on water, so she passed it off as he was standing on a bit of the wreckage, he was cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere. Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were already onshore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Piper by the arms and helped her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot because a detail of campers ran up with a big bronze leaf blower looking things and blasted Piper with hot air, and in about two seconds her clothes were dry. There were at least twenty campers milling around the youngest, maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen, and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annabeth's. Piper's attention was soon turned to the two strangest, the first was a head taller than most his pitch-black hair was draped over his right eye and extended down to his mid-back, his shirt had no sleeves, his eyes were coal-black and he radiated an aura of power which for some reason felt familiar to Piper. The second was standing next to him was a very beautiful woman, she was dark-skinned and had a long face with a cleft chin, a small nose, and very thin lips. Her hazel eyes are heavy-lidded and she has trimmed eyebrows. She has medium-length, dirty, blonde hair that reaches down to her upper back. She wears pinkish lipstick, dark eyeliner, complimentary blush, and pale eyeshadow. She has short arms and slender hands, a wide torso, an impressive chest size, and strong toned legs. She was wearing the same outfit as the others but her shirt also read 'Counselor' as did the black-haired man. Piper looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, toodle-oo, and disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch, which threw Piper's theory that Butch was standing on it out of the water.

"Ugh, bad pun." Piper groaned as the thought crossed her mind.

"Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise." Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason.

"These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked.

"Any sign of Percy?" Will asked before Annabeth could explain.

"No," Annabeth turned away and Piper could tell she was crying, the tall black-haired man walked over to Annabeth and hugged her.

"It's alright Annabeth." He said his voice was soft but there was still strength in his voice.

"It's the Second fucking Titan War all over again!" Annabeth started shaking, "He's lost and I can't get to him." Then the black-haired man did something Piper didn't expect, he turned Annabeth's head so she could see him, then he slapped her.

"Pull yourself together!" the man's voice was harder this time. "Drowning in despair is not going to make anything better." Annabeth looked a little shocked then she glared at the man.

"Did you just fucking slap me?".

"Yes," the man raised his hand in a threatening position "and I'll do it again." Annabeth's face hardened.

"Try it and I'll beat you to the point where not even Hashirama's healing power will save you!" Annabeth grabbed the man's collar and glared at him. "You got that Madara?!" Piper's eyes widened in horror at the name, she had no idea why she was afraid of that name but she was.

"There's the Annabeth Jackson Percy fell in love with." Annabeth's face turned red.

"HE HASN'T PROPOSED TO ME!"

"Yet." the woman spoke,

"Exactly not ye-" Annabeth's face turned an even darker shade of red as she turned to the woman. "RIKA!" the red energy flared to life again. "YOU ARE THE WORST!"

"Calm down, Annabeth." Rika replied, "I was only teasing." Rika laughed, then Madara joined in, after a few seconds Annabeth joined in and Piper saw everyone relax.

"Feel better now, Annabeth?" Madara asked, his voice was kind again.

"Yes, I do." Annabeth replied, then she looked at the surrounding campers. "Alright, we need to make our new arrivals feel welcome, We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked. Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first, Piper thought she'd done something wrong. Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe. Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image of a fiery hammer.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—"

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"

"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?" All eyes turned to him.

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire." The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him.

"The god of what? Who?" Annabeth turned to a large guy he was well-muscled but he had a large number of scars on his body, he wore a ring on his ring finger and standing next to him was a girl with black hair and blue eyes, a combination that Piper found odd, she was holding hands with the taller guy and had a matching ring on her finger. "Beckendorf, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."

"Sure, Annabeth." Beckendorf replied he kissed the girl next to him on the cheek. "See you later, dear."

"You'd better or you're sleeping on the couch." She replied in a joking tone, everyone but Annabeth chuckled and she wiped a tear from her eye.

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"

"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Beckendorf put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins. Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason. Usually, Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but Annabeth didn't seem to care that he was a good-looking guy. She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally, she said,

"Hold out your arm." Piper saw what she was looking at, and her eyes widened. Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. How had Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a barcode, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR. "I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?" Jason shook his head.

"I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know." The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot almost like a declaration of war.

"They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean … I think so. I don't remember." No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.

"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided then she turned to Madara. "Madara, will you?"

"Of course." Madara replied, as he looked at Jason and motioned him to follow, which Jason did. Piper felt the oddest sense of nostalgia when looking at Madara and Jason walk away but the thought soon vanished as Annabeth tapped her on the shoulder.

"They'll be fine, Madara may be a sadist when it comes to training but he's a nice guy when you get to know him." Piper snorted involuntarily.

"Never thought I'd hear anyone say that again." Piper chuckled under her breath.

"What do you mean 'again' Piper?" Piper looked at Annabeth,

"I don't know why I said that, but it felt right." Annabeth stared at Piper as if she was analyzing everything about her.

"Piper, come with me, I'll give you a tour. We need to talk." Piper soon realized Annabeth's heart wasn't in the tour. She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters but she showed no excitement as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound.

"How did we get from the grand canyon to New York that quickly?!" Piper demanded.

"Rainbow bridge."

"What?"

"It's a power of Iris, she carries messages for the gods and some of her kids can open a rainbow bridge to travel distances quickly, but it's hard to control."

"So that's why we crashed into the lake."

"Yes, of all the children of Iris, Butch is the best at it. It's a massive risk when you're calm, forget panicking. I'm kinda surprised we made it here in one piece."

"What happens when it goes wrong?" Piper asked slightly afraid.

"They are never seen again." Annabeth replied ominously. "On that note." Annabeth's tone shifted 180 degrees. "Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and we've added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter."

"Who runs the camp, and how did they know my friends and I belong here?" She wondered, "Will I have to stay full-time? Will I be any good at the activities? Could you flunk out of monster fighting?" A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth's first answer to her question, she decided to keep quiet. As they climbed a hill at the edge of the camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front. All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god, a place for that god's children to live." She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news.

"You're saying my mom was a goddess." Annabeth nodded.

"You're taking this awfully calmly." Piper couldn't tell her why. She couldn't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming.

"Soon they will find you, demigod," that voice had rumbled. "When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live." Piper took a shaky breath.

"I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."

"The deal?"

"They made a promise last summer … well, long story… but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign." Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe. Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.

"Why thirteen?"

"The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."

"Like Coach Hedge?" Annabeth nodded.

"He's—he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right." Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat. She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.

"What happened to him?" she asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he … is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits … difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise, or if you're like me you set them on fire and watch as they burn, screaming in agony." she smiled but the smile was psychotic.

"What the fuck is wrong with this girl?" Piper backed up a bit in fear. "Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.

"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something." Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse. She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she'd have to betray.

'Do what we tell you," the voice had said. "Or the consequences will be painful." She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."

"I doubt that," Piper thought. "I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—"

"Leo's ADHD," Piper said.

"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—" Her face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?" Usually, when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth.

"I steal stuff," she said. "Well, not really steal …"

"Is your family poor?" Piper laughed bitterly.

"Not even. I did it … I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble." Annabeth nodded.

"I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"

"Well … nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers, even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me." Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Annabeth just nodded.

"Interesting. If your dad were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, God of thieves. He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal…"

"Very," Piper agreed. Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified.

"I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight." Piper almost hoped it wouldn't happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld. Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If anyone could figure out Piper's secret … "Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check." They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.

"What's in there?" Piper asked. Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains.

"Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."

"Your friend lives in a cave?" Annabeth almost managed a smile.

"Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"

"Find Percy," Piper guessed, all energy left Annabeth and sat down on a rock, she placed her hand on her hip and a scroll made of pure bronze appeared in a poof of smoke. "Why do you have that in a storage seal?" Annabeth's head snapped up and she looked at Piper, her face hardening.

"How do you know it's a storage seal?"

"I don't know, the name just popped into my head." Annabeth's face didn't change but her eyes turned blue again as the veins around her eyes bulged again. Piper held her breath as Annabeth glared at her then the veins died down and Annabeth's eyes returned to normal and Piper let loose a sigh of relief. "What's with those eyes?"

"They are called the Tenseigan, supposedly they are the Rinnegan's equal, it's the final form of the Byakugan." Piper looked at the scroll and Annabeth followed her gaze. "Wondering why I have the scroll, right?" Piper gasped a bit.

"How-?"

"Everyone asks me that when I use it, and I'll show you." Annabeth laid the scroll on a nearby rock then took a deep breath and placed her hands on both ends of the scroll. "Guns and roses." (A/N: I've changed Stand names back to how they would be called out in English as it just fits better in my mind, plus this is a fanfiction I don't make money off this anyway so I don't need to stress as much as Hirohiko Araki so I won't) she whispered images flashed on the scroll Piper walked over to observe closer.

"Why did you say 'Guns and Roses'? What does that band have to do with anything?"

"That's what it's called," Annabeth didn't take her eyes off the scroll, "I'm curious, can you see what's on my hands?" Piper looked at Annabeth's hands, they hadn't changed at all but the air shimmered a bit.

"No, I can't."

"Then you don't possess this power, it's called a stand and only a stand user can see another stand. My stand is called Guns and Roses, I named it after my father's favorite band and it's power allows me to view objects across space and time, with the scroll I can view objects in real-time, no matter the physical distance between us."

"You've been using it to search for Percy?"

"Yes, but no matter how much power I pour into my stand I only see darkness, so I've been trying to connect to Kurama using this power and the link between him and Percy to find him." Annabeth took her hands off the scroll and slammed her fist against a rock which shattered. "But no matter how hard I try, the image flickers between things completely unconnected to the Biju." Annabeth's face was so full of pain, Piper looked away and her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch like a fuzzy gold bath mat, no … not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.

"Okay," Piper thought. "Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece." Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first, she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils. "That's a dragon," she stammered. "That's the actual Golden Fleece?" Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn't really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath.

"Sorry. A little tired."

"You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have you been searching for your boyfriend?"

"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."

"And you've got no idea what happened to him?" Annabeth shook her head miserably.

"We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday and figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he," Annabeth choked up a bit. "he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, I went to mine as I normally sleep with him." Piper's face turned red.

"Y-you two are-" Piper stammered then thought about her and Jason in the same arrangement, and steam poured out of her ears.

"Not like that," Annabeth turned to face Piper. "He's just a lot more comfortable than my cabin cot, plus in order to adhere to the terms of my deal with Chiron I have to spend the first 3 days in my cabin." Annabeth's face turned a bit mischievous. "But after day 3, well let's just say if it weren't the silencing seals on Percy's door and walls no one would get any sleep." Piper's face turned even darker red, then Annabeth's face returned to her sad look. "Then in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared." Piper was thinking:

"Three days ago. The same night I had my dream." Piper sat down next to Annabeth, "How long were you guys together?"

"It's our 3-year anniversary on the 21st, we've known each other since we were both 12." Piper's eyes widened.

"Wow, I wish I had known Jason that long, but I met him on August 18th and we've only been together a few weeks." Annabeth winced.

"Piper … about that. Maybe you should sit down." Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her like her lungs were filling with water.

"Look, I know Jason thought he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."

"Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."

"Missed … what?"

"M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds, they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables." Piper swallowed.

"No. You said yourself I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."

"Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate someplace like a school, pass themselves off as humans, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"

"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..." She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually, finally, holding hands. All that couldn't be fake. Annabeth pursed her lips.

"Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—"

"I do!"

"Then where is he from?" Piper felt like she'd been hit between the eyes.

"He must have told me, but—"

"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?"

"I-I don't know, but-"

"What's his last name?" Annabeth asked and Piper's mind went blank.

"I don't know Jason's last name. How could that be?" She started to cry. She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. "Did everything that was good in my stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?

"Yes," the dream had told her. "Yes, unless you do exactly what we say."

"Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."

"Not likely," Piper thought. "Not if the dream had told me the truth, but I can't say that." She brushed a tear from her cheek. "You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?" Annabeth shrugged.

"I figured it would be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."

"But I still can't believe … I know we had something. And now it's just gone like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"

"Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?" Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her but soon they'd be just another bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of.

"You'll betray them for us," the voice had warned. "Or you'll lose everything." She didn't have a choice.

"Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready." On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.

"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons, arrows, basketballs." They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.

"Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"That's sort of the point," Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon displays, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram. "Speaking of blades," Annabeth said, "come here." She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools. Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were not gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants. The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's.

"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see …" Piper didn't feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but she knew Annabeth was trying to do something nice for her. Annabeth handed her a massive sword, which Piper could hardly lift.

"No," they both said at once. Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.

"A shotgun?" Piper asked.

"Mossberg 500." Annabeth checked the pump-action like it was no big deal. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters."

"Um, I don't think that's my style," Piper said.

"Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy." She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper's eye.

"What is that?" she said. "A Katana?" Annabeth grabbed it.

"Yeah, it's not traditionally a Demigod weapon, but Madara insisted we have this option available." Piper grabbed the hilt of the blade and her body started flowing through stances, Piper was panicking as her muscles moved against her will.

"A fine blade." A voice echoed in Piper's head, the voice wasn't the one from her dreams, this one was kinder but held authority. "This will suit you well Piper Mclean."

"Wow," Annabeth commented clearly impressed. "You wield that blade like a master."

"T-that wasn't me." Piper stuttered, "I don't know how I did that but I know it wasn't me." Annabeth looked at Piper, her analytical look on her face again, Piper dropped the sword as she felt all her strength fade and her face was covered in sweat.

"MEDIC!" Annabeth flared her chakra.

"No," Piper managed out, "I'm okay."

"No, you're not." Annabeth protested, her eyes were bulging again. "You're suffering extreme chakra exhaustion, come with me." The Apollo cabin members ran over.

"I will help you, Piper Mclean," The kind voice spoke again, "I know your heart trembles and you don't know what to do, but know this, you have more strength than you realize." Power surged through Piper and her energy returned, Annabeth's eyes widened a bit.

"Who are you?!" Piper shouted and Annabeth looked at her, and to Piper's surprise, she had a look of understanding on her face. Annabeth looked at the Apollo cabin members.

"Go get Madara," Annabeth's voice was commanding, "tell him I need to speak to him right away."

"Yes ma'am." one of the Apollo kids replied then ran off, Annabeth turned back to Piper.

"Can you get up?" her voice was kind again as she held out her hand.

"I-I think so." Piper got back to her feet and grabbed the blade and the sheath off the wall then strapped it to her back.

"You know I have things I'd like to do today, right?" Madara's voice spoke and Piper turned around to see him standing there.

"I know Madara." Annabeth replied, "but I need your help."

"With what?" Madara asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Percy once told me the Rinnegan can tell if someone is a reincarnation by seeing the chakra that clings to them."

"It can, where is this going?"

"I need you to look at Piper here and if she is a reincarnated shinobi we need to know." Madara looked at Piper who had the urge to grab her sword.

"Peace Piper, I mean you no harm." Madara's eyes expanded as they turned purple encompassing his whole eye, he looked at Piper for a whole 30 seconds before his eyes returned to the black they were before.

"Well?" Annabeth tapped her foot and Madara shook his head.

"She's definitely a reincarnated shinobi but the figure who's chakra clings to her, I can not put a name to this face." Madara looked at Annabeth, "Jason is also a reincarnated shinobi," Piper and Annabeth's heads snapped as they looked at Madara.

"Who?" Madara shrugged.

"Don't know." Madara turned on his heel, "if that's all you want from me, I'm going to start planning for the tortu- I mean training that our new campers are going to experience." Madara walked out leaving Piper's face quite pale.

"He doesn't mean that?" Piper asked apprehensively, "does he?"

"No." Annabeth replied with a smile on her face and Piper let loose a sigh of relief, "He was underplaying it." Piper's face went from relieved to horrified. "For now rest easy as when Madara's done with you you'll wish you were never born." Piper gulped a bit. "Now enough standing around we've got more to explore."

"Before we go can I ask you something."

"You just did but sure."

"Is there um a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?" Annabeth looked at her with a small smile on her face but Piper was a bit unnerved as Annabeth seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, trying to read Piper's thoughts.

"We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are. But … I've got one." She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret …" Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area. She called her dad's private line, even though she knew what would happen. Voice mail. She'd been trying for three days, ever since the dream. Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but she'd called every evening, and gotten nowhere. Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad's personal assistant answered immediately.

"Mr. McLean's office."

"Jane," Piper said, gritting her teeth. "Where's my dad?" Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up.

"Piper, I thought you weren't supposed to call from school."

"Maybe I'm not at school," Piper said. "Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures."

"Mmm." Jane didn't sound concerned. "Well, I'll tell him you called."

"Where is he?"

"Out."

"You don't know, do you?" Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop. "When are you going to call the police, Jane? He could be in trouble."

"Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."

"So it's true. You don't know—"

"I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school." The line went dead. Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.

"No luck?" Annabeth asked. Piper didn't answer. She didn't trust herself not to start crying again. Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."

"Common name."

"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"

"He's got a degree in the arts," Piper said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist." Her standard response. Not a lie, just not the whole truth. Most people, when they heard that, figured her dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation. Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets that kind of thing.

"Oh." Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she put the phone away. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"

"I'm fine, I want to see everything." All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck Piper as hers. No burning signs, wombats or otherwise, appeared over her head. Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.

"Artemis?" Piper guessed.

"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth said.

"I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year."

"I thought he did Cherokee art." Piper bit back a curse.

"Oh, right. But, you know, he does other stuff too." Piper thought she'd blown it: McLean, Greek mythology. Thankfully, Annabeth didn't seem to make the connection.

"Anyway," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is Goddess of the moon, Goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."

"So then why does she have a cabin?"

"So the Hunters of Artemis have a place to stay when they visit."

"Do they visit often?"

"Not really, about two weeks before Percy and I started dating he sent about a good 2/3rds of them to the hospital and after that, they started avoiding the place like the plague."

"Who are the Hunters of Artemis?"

"They're her handmaidens, this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff." Piper perked up.

"That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"

"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating ever, for eternity."

"Oh," Piper said. "Never mind." Annabeth laughed a bit.

"You'd never guess this, but they tried to recruit me."

"You turned them down."

"The first time I was seriously tempted, but I was only 7 back then and who would want to be stuck as a 7-year-old for eternity?"

"And the second time?" Annabeth sighed a bit, but it wasn't an unhappy one.

"Percy finally fessed up and we started dating."

"You gave up immortality for Percy."

"Well not really, but Percy, he did." They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows. They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost made Piper gag.

"Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?" Annabeth smirked.

"Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love, Silena's the head counselor, but not for much longer as she'll be moving in with Beckendorf soon." They looked at the other cabins, but Piper just got more depressed. She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess. Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched. Athena was cool. Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess. But it didn't really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid. She was not looking forward to the campfire tonight. "We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus, Hecate, Hades, Iris—"

"What are the two big ones on the end?" Piper asked. Annabeth frowned.

"Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods." Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited. The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts. Hera's cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors. Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.

"Are they empty?" Piper asked. Annabeth nodded.

"Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods, they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children."

"Tried to avoid it?"

"Sometimes they … um, cheated. I've got a friend, Thalia Grace, who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. My boyfriend, Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. And there's a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico and his sister both children of Hades. Except for them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."

"And Hera?" Piper looked at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn't sure why.

"Goddess of being a bit- I mean marriage." Annabeth had to stop herself. "She doesn't have any kids with anyone but Zeus, so the cabin is honorary."

"You don't like her."

"We have a history when Percy disappeared … I got this weird dream vision from her."

"Telling you to come to get us," Piper said. "But you thought Percy would be there."

"It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now." Piper looked down the base of the doors.

"So who goes in here?"

"No one. The cabin is just honorary like I said. No one goes in."

"Someone does." Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily. Annabeth stepped back.

"Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"

"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?" And Piper walked inside. Hera's cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live. It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. Piper had always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human except huge. Hera's piercing eyes seemed to follow Piper. At the goddess's feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier. Piper wondered who tended it if the cabin was always empty. A stone hawk sat on Hera's shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess's hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating as if she were saying: Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you. There was nothing else in the cabin, no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded Piper of a tomb. No, this wasn't her mom. At least Piper was sure of that. She hadn't come in here because she felt a good connection, but because her sense of dread was stronger here. Her dream, that horrible ultimatum she'd been handed, had something to do with this cabin. She froze. They weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.

"Rachel?"Annabeth gasped. The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn't go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at all. She looked about seventeen, a totally normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles. Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.

"Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could." They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera until finally, Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."

"The friend who lives in the cave," Piper guessed.

"That's me." Rachel replied with a grin.

"So you're an oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"

"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."

"Oh." Piper shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool." Rachel laughed.

"Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually, I'm harmless."

"I don't." Annabeth piped in and Rachel looked at her.

"Well yeah you're the Jinchuriki of Matatabi, there is nothing normal about you even by demigod standards."

"I never told you her name,"

"No, you didn't." Rachel smiled and Annabeth muttered something that sounds suspiciously like 'Fucking damnit.'

"You're a demigod?" Piper asked Rachel who turned to face her.

"Nope," Rachel said. "Just mortal."

"Then what are you …" Piper waved her hand around the room. Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper.

"Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month since the gods went silent."

"Went silent?" Piper asked. Rachel frowned at Annabeth.

"You haven't told her yet?"

"I was getting to that," Annabeth said. "Piper, for the last month … well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually, we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."

"Excuse me?"

"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."

"Oh," Piper said. "Sure, why not?"

"Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—"

"Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."

"Your camp director was the god of … wine?"

"Yeah, it's a—"

"Long story," Piper guessed. "Right. Go on."

"That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It's like something has happened, something really bad. Then Percy disappeared."

"And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."

"Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.

"My—" Piper stopped herself before she could say 'boyfriend,' but the effort made her chest hurt. "My friend. But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision."

"Right," Annabeth said. "The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."

"Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that she knew what was happening, at least part of the story. And the bad stuff was only beginning.

"Guys," she said. "I—I need to—" Before she could continue, Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders. Piper tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.

"Free me," she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe. "Free me, Piper McLean or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice." The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped them, and Piper was no longer sure if she was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over Piper, its eyes boring into her. The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: "Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!" Piper's knees buckled, and everything went black.