A/N (I recommend reading this): I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES or AND THE KANE CHRONICLES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Riordan. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

This is a The Tales of version of the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles crossover and takes place after 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Son of Sobek
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Staff of Serapis
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Crown of Ptolemy

Also if you haven't got the chance feel free to read:

The Tales of Classical Mythology

A crossover with The Tales of series with my dictionary on Greek/Roman Mythology where The Tales of Percy Jackson tells his version of stories behind famous names in Greek and Roman Mythology.

And if you are a fan of Stephen King:

The Tales of the Heroes of the Stand

Which is basically a crossover of The Tales of series with one of Stephen King's best novels The Stand.

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed as long as you inform me about it.

Alabaster Guide Me Through the Myrmekes Nest

"Wake," said a voice.

I opened my eyes and saw a ghost—his face just as precious to me as Daphne's. I knew his copper skin, his kind smile, the dark curls of his hair, and those eyes as purple as senatorial robes.

"Hyacinthus," I sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

He turned his face toward the sunlight, revealing the ugly dent above his left ear where the discus had struck him.

"Seek the caverns," he said. "Near the springs of blue. Oh, Apollo… your sanity will be taken away, but do not…"

His image faded and began to retreat. I rose from my sickbed. I rushed after him and grabbed his shoulders. "Do not what? Please don't leave me again!"

My vision cleared. I found myself by the window in Cabin Seven, holding a ceramic pot of purple and red hyacinths. Nearby, looking genuinely concerned, Will and Nico stood as if ready to catch me.

"He's talking to the flowers," Nico noted. "Is that normal?"

"Apollo," Will said, "you had a concussion. I healed you, but—"

"These hyacinths," I demanded. "Have they always been here?"

Will frowned. "Honestly, I don't know where they came from, but…" He took the flowerpot from my hands and set it back on the windowsill. "Let's worry about you, okay?"

Usually that would have been excellent advice, but now I could only stare at the hyacinths and wonder if they were some sort of message. How cruel to see them—the flowers that I had created to honor my fallen love, with their plumes stained red like his blood or hued violet like his eyes. They bloomed so cheerfully in the window, reminding me of the joy I had lost.

Nico rested his hand on Will's shoulder. "Apollo, we were worried. Will was especially. The concussion looked like it been healing before Will worked on you, but it was pretty bad."

Seeing them together, supporting each other, made my heart feel even heavier. During my delirium, both of my great loves had visited me. Now, once again, I was devastatingly alone.

Still, I had a task to complete. A friend needed my help. A former traitor to recruit.

Wow, I never thought I would ever say that last part.

"Meg is in trouble. I need Alabaster to save her and the grove," I said. "How long was I unconscious?"

Will and Nico glanced at each other.

"It's about noon now," Will said. "You showed up on the green around six this morning. When Meg did not return with you, we wanted to search the woods for her, but Chiron wouldn't let us."

"Chiron was absolutely correct," I said. "I can only let Alabaster come with me."

"You're talking about Alabaster Torrington, right?" Nico asked. "No offense Apollo, but you are among the last people he'll help, and that's if he wants to."

"He will when he hears Rhea herself requested him," I said. "She agrees with everything he thinks of the Olympians."

"Even her own kids?" Will asked in shock. It was no secret how Alabaster feel about the Olympians then.

"I know. I was shock too," I said. "She said it can't be helped. She loves us even when we're doing the things she hates and hope we change for the better." I skipped the part about the next generation be better. "Anyways, I have to hurry. Meg has until tonight at the latest."

"Then what happens?" Nico asked.

I could not say it. I could not even think about it without losing my nerve. It is bad enough I must confront Alabaster. I looked down. Aside from Paolo's Brazilian-flag bandana and my ukulele-string necklace, I was only wearing my boxer shorts. My offensive flabbiness was on display for everyone to see, but I do not care much about it anyway. "I have to get dressed."

I staggered back to my cot. I fumbled through my meager supplies and found the sea green t-shirt with blue trident I got from Percy Jackson. I hope that is a good sign for when the Beast attacks. I tugged it on.

Will hovered nearby. "Look, Apollo, I don't think you're back to a hundred percent."

"I'll be fine." I pulled on my jeans. I decided to leave Kopis behind. I do not need something shiny to attract Myrmekes to me when I am supposed to be blending into their den.

"Let us help you," Nico said. "Tell us where she is, and I can shadow-travel—"

"No!" I snapped. "No, you have to stay here and protect the camp."

Will's expression reminded me very much of his mother, Naomi—that look of trepidation she got just before she went onstage. "Protect the camp from what?"

"I—I'm not sure. You must tell Chiron the emperors have returned. Or rather, they never went away. They've been plotting, building their resources for centuries."

Nico's eyes glinted warily. "When you say emperors—"

"I mean the Roman ones."

Will stepped back. "You're saying the emperors of ancient Rome are live?"

"Not all of them. Just up until Diocletian," I said. "Apparently Constantine ended any future immortal emperors by being baptize."

"Oh, well that narrows it down," Will said sarcastically (great minds think alike). "How are they alive? The Doors of Death?"

"No." I could barely speak through taste of bile. "The emperors made themselves gods. They had their own temples and altars. They encouraged the people to worship them."

"But that was just propaganda," Nico said. "They weren't really divine."

I laughed mirthlessly. "Gods are sustained by worship, son of Hades. They continue to exist because oi the collective memories of a culture. It is true for the Olympians; it is also true for the emperors. Somehow, the most powerful of them have survived. All these centuries, they have clung to half-life, hiding, waiting to reclaim their power."

Will shook his head. "That's impossible. How—"

"I don't know!" I tried to steady my breathing. "Tell Rachel the men behind Triumvirate Holdings are former emperors of Rome. They have been plotting against us all this time, and we gods have been blind. Blind."

I pulled on my coat. What was left of the ambrosia Nico had given me yesterday was still in the left pocket along with the Myrmekes gunk. I hope Pete was right about this stuff help blending me in. In my right pocket, Rhea's wind chimes clanked, though I had no idea how they had gotten there.

"The Beast is planning some sort of attack on the camp," I said. "I don't know what, and I don't know when, but tell Chiron you must be prepared."

"But Apollo if you're right about the emperors, then we can't use Diocletian's scepter," Nico said.

"You have Diocletian's scepter?" I asked.

"In Hades cabin," Nico said. "But that scepter is only useful if I'm with Roman Rank. Any army it can summon the enemy could turn against us."

Dang, he was right. Even if we had a praetorian with us or high priest in Roman Ranks like Percy, no one outranks an emperor.

"You'll just have to hope I can keep the Beast from being part of the attack and neither of the other two are involved," I said. "I have to go."

"Wait!" Will said as I reached the door. "Who is the Beast? Which emperor are we dealing with?"

"The worst of my descendants." My fingers dug into the doorframe. "The Christians called him the Beast because he burned them alive. Our enemy is Emperor Nero."

…

They must have been too stunned to follow me.

I ran toward the armory. Several campers gave me strange looks. Some called after me, offering help, but I ignore them. I could only think about Meg alone in the myrmekes' lair, and the visions I'd had of Daphne, Rhea, and Hyacinthus—all of them urging me onward, telling me to do the impossible in this inadequate mortal form.

When I reached the armory, I scanned the rack of bows. My hand trembling, I picked out the weapon Meg had tried to give me the day before. It was carved from mountain laurel wood. The irony appealed me.

I had sworn not to use a bow until I was a god again. But I had also sworn not to play music, and I had already broken that part of the oath, even if it was unintentional.

The curse of the River Styx kills me in its slow cancerous way, or Zeus could strike me down. But my oath to save Meg McCaffrey had to come first.

I turned my face to the sky. "If you want to punish me, Father, be my guest, but have the courage to hurt me directly, not my mortal companion. BE A MAN!"

To my surprise, the skies stay silent. Lightning did not vaporize me. Zeus was too taken aback to react, but I knew he would never overlook such an insult.

"Doesn't feel good when you're the one looked down upon, does it?"

I turned to Alabaster hanging to the side.

"You got something to say, just say it. I got a job to do." I respond

"Hey! You're the one that asked for me," Alabaster said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother to come."

"Rhea recruited you to help me," I said. "She said I need your help to protect her grove."

"Why would Rhea request me?" Alabaster asked.

"Because for some reason she approves what you stand for—fighting against the man—or what the Olympians stand for or whatever," I said.

"Then where was she during the Titan War?" Alabaster asked.

"Up state making pottery," I said. "She disapproves how the Olympians turn out, but she hates Kronos more. Now are you going to help or not?"

Alabaster shrugged. "Might as well if the Titan Queen asked. She may have not rejoined Kronos, but she didn't fight for Olympus either in the Second Titan War, so I don't have any hatred toward her."

Honestly, I question if Rhea even paid attention to either the Second Titan War or Second Giant War to pick sides or was living like it was still the 1960s during both wars, but I was not going to point that out to Alabaster.

"Then gear up." I waved at the armory full of weapons to choose from.

Alabaster took out a card and there was golden shimmer. Ancient Greek style imperial gold armor appeared on his body with a sword strapped to his belt. Typical child of Hecate, showing off their magic as if to send a message to show how powerful they are before they try to strike you down or turn you into a pig (or as Circe prefers these days: guinea pigs).

The fact Alabaster had imperial gold weapons and armor was not as shocking as Meg having imperial gold scimitars either since he got it from Hecate. Hecate has no restrictions when it comes to Greeks and Roman weapons no more than she does when it comes to sky sea or underworld magic, and it always annoys us Olympians who are restricted.

Up till the second titan war we let it go if she did not use it against us and/or start a war between Greeks and Romans. Just if she knows who's boss.

We like to rank gods based on strengths generations etch from A, B, C, and D class. We do not like to admit it, but the Primordial Gods that been around since the beginning: Gaea, Ouranos, Chaos, Tartarus, are naturally A-Class because they have powers beyond even the big three. A class also included the first generation of Titans, but not as high as Primordial.

High B Class is the Olympians and of course Hades as one of the Big three, but we like to think we are higher up in the chain along with few other Titans who were around before the Olympians and some still around. But because we are their bosses, we have hierarchy over them. Oh, and there is also the Fates. They are top B class since they control fate.

Then you have C-class minor gods, which consist mostly of minor gods and goddesses born from Olympian parents, or at least one Olympian parent and nature gods like Pete and the wind gods.

Finally, D-class minors that mostly minor god/goddess children of another minor god/goddess or demigods turn immortal (except for Dionysus). There are few others that fall under certain categories based on power, but that is a different story.

But because the gods are ranked that way does not mean they have rule over us. We Olympians had earned our thrones, fought ichor, and sweat to keep it. We do not let class of those B take their class lightly. Although I will admit we mostly use C-Class and D-Class minor Gods/goddesses as an example, if we must, we will go all out on those in B Class if we feel necessary. As for the A-Class primordial—well, even Zeus will try everything in his power to avoid fighting them if possible.

But that is why most of the time we do not bother bringing up class ranks of B-Class and A-Class as it just reminded there are gods and goddesses stronger than us despite our position in hierarchy. We may call some of them minor gods/goddesses, but we do the same with the Fates and Hestia these days, but we never mention their class.

I grabbed a quiver and stuffed it with all extra arrows I could find.

"Let's go!" I told Alabaster as we set off for the woods. It was not until it was too late to turn back, I realized I forgot my combat Ukulele, but I hoped with Myrmekes gunk we do not need music. But if we do, I just hope my singing voice is enough.

I am not sure how we found the nest.

The forest simply allowed us to reach it, knowing that I was marching to my death. I found that when one is searching for danger, it is never hard to find.

Soon Alabaster and I were crouching behind a fallen tree, studying the myrmekes' lair in the clearing ahead. To call the place an anthill would be like calling Versailles Palace a single-family home. Earthen ramparts rose to the tops of the surrounding trees—a hundred feet at least. The circumference could have accommodated a Roman hippodrome. A steady stream of soldiers and drones swarmed in and out of the mound. Some carried fallen trees. One, inexplicably, was dragging a 1967 Chevy Impala.

How many ants would we be facing? I had no idea. After you reach the number impossible, there is no point in counting.

I took out the Myrmekes gunk. "Pete the Geyser God said this should help us blend in," I said. "If so, we should be able to go in, free Meg, and travel the rest of the tunnels to the Grove."

"One problem with your plan, Apollo. Once we free Meg, there is a good chance the ants will notice us since they be carrying food in there," Alabaster said.

Dang it. He is right. I did not think about that.

"We'll deal with it when we get there." I said opening the jar releasing the pungent odor. "I don't get why you risk going in the lair to get what you need to make this stuff? You can get carcasses and rotted meat anywhere."

"It's the slime from the Myrmekes," Alabaster said. "Something about the slime makes it powerful enough to detour most monsters instead of attracting them."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"How else would you explain why monsters leave demigods masked in this stuff alone?" Alabaster asked. "Most monsters don't care if the meat is dead or alive as long as its food. But something in the slime mixed into it diverts monster's attention. And myrmekes seem to always cover their food in slime—even if it's not acidic."

Huh, I never thought of that. Alchemy and chemistry were not exactly my specialty. I mostly leave that with Hermes since it was in his domain. If not Hermes then Hephaestus, but the point is, I never try something like that myself to see how it works.

We spread the gunk on our faces, armpits, and parts of our body before we headed into the nest.

Sure enough, as we entered, the myrmekes did not seem to notice us as they continue doing whatever they were doing.

Alabaster took out a map. "According to the map, the feeding chamber for the maggots should be this way," he pointed to a random tunnel.

"Where the heck you get a map of this place?" I asked.

"Malcolm Pace. Athena Cabin been making out hills around the area ever since the discovery of Myrmekes gunk, so we don't get lost," Alabaster said.

I should have guessed they did, but with everything going on, I did not think of asking for maps of a Myrmekes den.

Alabaster led us deeper into the hill, using a small imperial gold knife as a light source to attract less myrmekes. Some did take notice, but they thought we were just food being brought to their feeding area as they ignored us.

Then I spotted a geranium blooming from the tunnel floor.

Meg. She must have regained consciousness. She had dropped one of her emergency seeds to leave us a trail. The geranium purple flowers all faced a smaller tunnel where Alabaster was leading us.

I tapped Alabaster's shoulder getting his attention and pointed at the trail of flowers. "Meg."

Alabaster nodded as we turned the direction without checking the map.

We turned down the tunnel and continue down until we passed a cave filled with glittering treasure.

"We must be close. This is the treasure chamber." Alabaster said. "It's never far from the feeding chamber."

At the next intersection, another geranium sprouted from the floor, all its flowers facing right. We turned that direction. We found a third geranium, then a fourth, then…

"Meg!"

Meg was in a middle of a cavernous food larder. Around her were stacked the carcasses of animals—cows, deer, horses, all sheathed in harden goop and slowly decaying. The smell hit my nasal passages like an avalanche.

Meg was also enveloped, but she was fighting back with the power of geraniums. Patches of leaves sprouted from the thinnest parts of her cocoon. A frilly collar of flowers kept the goo away from her face. She had even managed to free one of her arms, thanks to an explosion of pink geranium at her left armpit.

"Thank gods you made it," Meg said loudly, which was the opposite of Alabaster and me as we been whispering on the way in. "What is he doing here?" She nodded to Alabaster."

"Turns out we were wrong leaving him behind," I said. "He was supposed to be our third comrade."

"Uh guys, this is a great reunion, but our host is here." Alabaster said.

I turned to see four ants entering the cavern checking out the sound going on.