"Understand this, if nothing else: it is a powerful thing to be seen."

—Akwaeke Emezi, "Freshwater"

The sun beat down on the dirt road ahead, and Annabeth wondered, not for the first time that hour, if it would ever end.

Horseriding was tedious, and though the roads were well paved every step still felt uneven, jolting Annabeth's spine. It was hot and humid, the sun beating down on them with a ferocity reserved for summer days, and bugs rose from the grass on either side to torment their sweaty faces.

If the weather weren't so miserable, Annabeth may have been able to admire the view. Lush green fields lined either side of the road, mountains spiking off in the cloudy distance. As they passed, people looked up from their work, shielding their eyes from the sun to watch the procession go by.

It was probably an impressive sight. Annabeth herself was nothing to look at; she was covered in sweat from the hot ride and dressed down in simple grey cloth, a cloak protecting her shoulders from the sun. Jason, on the other hand, looked regal as ever. His golden hair shone bright in the sun, and his horse was as white as his garments, save his purple cloak fluttering in the breeze behind him. Guards flanked them on either side, though it was mostly for show. Jason could easily take any threat that came their way.

Still, with what they were investigating, one could not be too careful.

They mounted the crest of a small hill, and Annabeth sighed with relief when she saw a collection of soldiers at the bottom of it. That must be their destination.

She glanced sideways at Jason, whose relieved expression confirmed her suspicion. Being the son of Jupiter did not relieve Jason of mortal discomfort, and he must be even more hot than she in his formal clothing.

Annabeth was less glad to reach their destination when the hill sloped down and the wind blew upwards, bringing with it a smell so vile Annabeth nearly vomited on the spot. She gagged, covering her nose and mouth with her cloak. Jason grimaced, swallowed hard.

The source of the smell was easily found when they approached the group at the bottom, who were crowded around two dead bodies. By the look and smell of them, they had been sitting in the hot sun all day. It was as they had requested, but the closer they got the more the smell intensified, and Annabeth found herself wishing they had asked for the bodies to be disposed of.

The soldiers kneeled when they approached, only standing when Jason dismounted his horse. Annabeth reluctantly followed suit. She did not look forward to lingering in this scent.

"Lord governor," a man who seemed to be the leader of the soldiers approached. He was tall and burly, with close-cropped black hair and Asian features. There was a gladius strapped to his belt, but he had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder as well. His short red cape marked him as a centurion.

"Fai. I'm sorry to leave you with this all morning," Jason said. Annabeth examined Fai again. He must be a friend of Jason's, if he was comfortable referring to him by his name rather than his rank. She herself did not recognize him, but that did not mean much. Jason had made many friends during his time in the military, before he had met Annabeth.

Fai just shrugged.

"The smell fades, after a while."

That sounded like a lie to Annabeth, but she said nothing.

"The messenger seemed to think it was worth our attention. We came as fast as we could."

Fai glanced backwards towards the bodies, which were still partially concealed by the rest of his men.

"They are certainly unusual. In truth, I still don't know what to make of them."

"My advisor and I will examine them," Jason said, nodding towards Annabeth. If Fai found it unusual that Jason had a female advisor, he did not say so.

"As you wish," He said, gesturing for them to follow him.

As they approached the bodies and Annabeth saw the true state of them, she drew a sharp breath. She felt foolish in the next moment, when the smell became so overwhelming she almost had to turn away, but she had not been able to help it.

The bodies were mangled beyond anything she had ever seen. Three deep gashes drew through the chest of the first victim, exposing the bone and every other thing that had once been inside the man. The second was missing an arm, which looked as though it had been pulled clean off by something with tremendous strength. Worst of all were their faces; their expressions frozen in wide eyed terror.

Annabeth looked over at Jason, who himself looked deeply disturbed. Fai stood just behind them, face grim.

"This was no human," Annabeth said. It was an obvious statement, but she still felt it needed to be said.

"No," Jason agreed.

"What animal, then?" Fai asked. He clearly had come to this conclusion hours ago. "There isn't one for a hundred miles who could do something like this."

"Not an animal," Jason said, expression stormy as a humid summer afternoon, "No natural one, in any case."

Annabeth grimaced. They had known it might be a possibility when they had set out this morning, but the prospect still scared her. She was no stranger to Jason's suggestion. It was why he had brought her along.

Of course, Jason did not know why she had so much expertise in the subject. But he did not ask either, and that was all that was important to Annabeth. It was her secret and burden to bear.

She looked over the bodies again, forcing herself to ignore the stench and forcing down her nausea at the gruesome sight. Something on the first one's chest caught her eye.

She unsheathed her bronze dagger, dragging her cloak over her nose as she approached. It was still repulsive enough to make her eyes water, but she got close enough to scrape the object of her interest on her knife. She flinched as the flies swarming the body buzzed around her face, but they found better food in the dead flesh than herself, and did not land on her.

Mixed in with the blood was a powdery yellow substance. Annabeth would gamble that if the smell of the bodies were not so intense and intolerable, there might be a hint of sulphur in the air.

She wielded the knife carefully, bringing it back to their small group. Jason took one look at it and sighed.

"Damn it all."

"They might be destroyed," Annabeth said, though she knew this was a wishful thought and nothing more. Jason was already shaking his head.

"No. Not without a hero's blade."

Fai was frowning, confused probably, but he did not ask for clarification.

"What are we to do? They must be miles away now," Annabeth said, putting her hand over her eyes to reduce the glare from the sun, looking out into the hilly distance.

"Wait," Jason said, though he did not sound happy about it, "They will turn up again eventually. If we're lucky they might follow us home."

This might have sounded like a joke to an onlooker, but Annabeth knew Jason meant it completely seriously. In irony, it would be the easiest solution to their problem, though Annabeth suspected Jason's wife Piper would not approve.

"Perhaps the guardians of the road should be better armed," Annabeth said. She glanced at Fai, who still did not seem to be fully following their conversation.

"Perhaps. But without knowing their enemy, it would be useless," Jason said. His own golden sword gleamed at his side. Most would assume that at Jason's rank, it was simply ceremonial. It was not. Annabeth had seen him wield it with deadly accuracy.

"And what is this enemy?" Fai asked, curiosity clearly getting the better of him. Jason and Annabeth exchanged a look, but neither said anything.

"Forgive my forwardness, but my soldiers are guarding this section of the road. I would prefer to know what we are up against," Fai continued.

"A monster," Jason said, "Though which one, I do not know. Something ancient I think."

"A monster?" Fai repeated.

The empire worshipped the gods, they told their stories about heroes and monsters. But to many, looking at evidence of such things in the face was a bit more difficult than leaving offerings, or celebrating festivals. Most mortals never crossed paths with the other side of things, and preferred it that way.

Clearly, these particular monsters had no such qualms.

"A hellhound, maybe. Perhaps a harpy," Annabeth said, looking again at the rotting corpses.

"I see," Fai said, frowning deeply.

"Only certain metals will kill it. Your blades and arrows would do no good," Jason said.

"I take it these certain metals are rare?"

"Exceedingly."

"Of course they are," Fai sighed, "Properly arming the road guards is a fantasy, then."

"In the sense that it is unattainable, yes." Jason said.

Fai eyed Jason's golden sword.

"I suppose we will have to hope they follow you home," he said.

The monsters did not follow them home. Annabeth watched Jason scan the horizon everytime they overtook a hill, hoping for the opportunity to rid the countryside of the threat. But none appeared.

She could tell he was irritated by the time they reached the township, and even more so when she reminded him that the house was open in the afternoon. He groaned loudly.

"Could it be cancelled?" Jason asked her, a little too much hope in his eyes.

"It is your invention, my lord," Annabeth said, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

He glared at her, but Annabeth knew he was reacting to her teasing more than anything.

"If you call me that again, I may actually vomit," he warned.

"If you insist, Jason," Annabeth said, with a smirk. They'd been friends long enough to drop most formalities, especially when it came to rank, and especially when they were alone like this. Annabeth only pulled out his formal title when he was being particular. He made a face at her, but let her continue anyway.

"It really is your idea, though," she finished.

"And I stand by it," Jason insisted, "Only you and I stink of dead flesh, and I don't want to scare the populace away."

Once a month, Jason opened his doors to the general public, to hear their qualms and provide solutions where he could. Mostly it was small squabbles, things not properly rectified in court, or complaints about things outside their control: droughts and too much sun, or else too much rain and little of anything else. Jason would resolve what he could, and promise to make the proper sacrifices for what he couldn't.

In all honesty, it probably didn't do much in the grand scheme of things. But it kept the people happy, and Jason felt more in control when he heard firsthand what the issues were. So they kept doing it.

Annabeth knew the high-ups in the government did not like that Jason interacted so freely with the people. It made him too popular, and removed some of the godlike sense of authority that shadowed the governors. But Jason could get away with more than most, being a son of Jupiter.

"We were supposed to start in the morning," Annabeth reminded him, "But we can reschedule, if you wish."

Jason sighed in defeat.

"No. People have already set out with this in their day. I'll not waste another."

"They will expect you in an hour, then," Annabeth said. She was Jason's advisor first and foremost, but she also kept a running calendar in her head, with the details of his day. He was forgetful when it came to timing, and Annabeth was both precise and constantly at his side. It made for a good combination.

"I will see you there," Jason said.

An hour later, most of which Annabeth spent at the bathhouse trying to scrub the sweat and lingering smell of death off her skin, she found herself in the main room of the governor's house. Jason sat at the head of the room, in a simple golden chair. Piper sat on his right, Annabeth to his left, slightly farther away. There were others around too, other advisors, a priest to keep track of sacrifices, servants and guards who ran the household. Before long, the room crowded with people.

Though the day was cut in half, it still felt particularly long. An old man's oration about a cow trampling his crops lasted nearly an hour, and even Jason's eyes were glazed over by the end of it. Finally the room started to clear as the day drew to a close.

"Is that all?" Jason asked the servant who was leading citizens in and out of the doors. Jason was young, the youngest provincial governor Rome had yet seen at barely 25, but in that moment he looked as aged as any of his counterparts.

The servant hesitated. They bit their lip, as if they were unsure whether it would cause them more trouble to speak or to lie.

"There is… one more, my lord," the servant said.

"Well? Bring them in," Jason said. He did not seem to notice the servant's hesitation, or else he did not care.

"As you wish, my lord."

The servant scurried away, and Annabeth risked a glance at Piper. The daughter of Venus had perfected a look of performed disinterest that she was wearing now, but Annabeth knew she was paying attention to every detail. People often ignored her, assuming her striking beauty must also mean that her head was empty of thought. They could not have been more wrong. Annabeth had never met someone with sharper wits or a cleverer tongue.

Piper caught Annabeth's eye and raised her brow slightly, as if to say "This ought to be interesting."

The wide doors opened and the servant returned, a man at his side. The court immediately broke into quiet mutters, and Annabeth could not blame them. She felt her own breath escape her lungs in a soft gasp.

Constantly being near Jason, Annabeth was used to auras of power. She hardly even noticed the charge around Jason anymore, how static seemed to cling to his skin, how the air bent to his will. But this man reminded Annabeth of the first time she had met Jason, the shivering ache of electricity that had raced up her spine when he had stepped near her.

Even if he hadn't been practically radiating energy, his appearance was still striking. His hair was dark as the night, his eyes green as the sea. He wore strange clothes; a white cloth that was not quite a toga, a cloak overtop. In his right hand he held a short, bronze sword. If Annabeth was not mistaken, it was glowing softly, throwing his tan skin into a golden relief.

In other words, he was beautiful.

She shot a glance at Jason, who was examining their visitor with a frown. Annabeth wondered if Jason was thinking the same thing as her— that perhaps this strange man was a god, sent to test them.

"Name yourself," Jason said, loudly, cutting off the commotion. His own power seemed to be flaring, as if this other man was drawing it from under his skin. The new man stepped forward.

"I am Perseus," He said, his voice clear and strong, "Slayer of the serpent Cetus, protector of Greece, son of Poseidon, lord of the sea. I seek an audience with the son of Jupiter."

The court broke into another wave of mutters, twice as loud as before. Annabeth's own heart was pounding in her chest. If this man was truly who he said to be…

Greece was dead. It had been for years, since before they all were born, conquered and replaced. And yet Annabeth found herself believing every part of his story, as if he had raised the old empire with just his words.

"Quiet," Jason said, standing from his seat of honor. Even this was not enough to completely quell the whispers, but Jason ignored them.

"I am Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, former praetor of Rome and now the governor of this providence. What is your purpose here?"

Perseus nodded respectfully, but did not kneel. Had he been anyone else Annabeth might've held concern. Jason was a fair ruler, kinder than most, but he had respect for rules and decorum. But it did not seem as if Persues meant to challenge Jason's authority, or maybe he was so self-assured it did not matter to him.

"I was sent by Apollo, god of prophecies. I was told to find the son of Jupiter, and deliver a message."

Jason's expression hardened. He knew he was trapped. He could not throw this man out, not without accepting the risk of offending his patron. Even if the man was lying, Jason had to hear him out.

"I will hear your message," he conceded, though he didn't sound pleased.

Perseus nodded again.

"It would be best with a smaller audience," he said, his eyes sweeping along the still-whispering court.

Jason sighed, but sat back down in a sort of defeat.

"Fine. Leave us." he said. The court let out a collective sigh of disappointment, but began to scatter.

Annabeth made to stand up, but Jason looked over at her and shook his head. She sat back down. Piper did not move; she knew Jason always welcomed her presence.

Soon the room was empty, save the three of them and Perseus. Even the guards had left, which did not bother Annabeth as much as it should have. She doubted they could have done anything, not against these two sons of the eldest gods.

The energy of the room felt charged, like the air before a thunderstorm.

"I leave my wife, and my most trusted advisor," Jason said, gesturing to Piper and Annabeth in turn, "Is this an audience small enough to your liking?"

There was a note of sarcasm in Jason's tone, but Perseus ignored it.

"It is," he said, looking straight at Annabeth. For a split second, Annabeth would have sworn there was nothing else in the world beyond the sea-green of his eyes. They looked at her, into her, like they had latched onto something dormant in her soul, and insisted on waking it.

"Deliver your message then," Jason said impatiently, and Annabeth was jolted back into reality. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

Perseus drew his eyes away from hers, looking back at Jason.

"The gods have ordered a quest."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"A quest? I have heard nothing of this. Are you sure they are our gods, and not simply your own?"

This was the first reference Jason had made to Perseus's strange insistence on the Greek form, and his declaration that he was a child of the old empire. Perseus scoffed, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"I know you do not believe my claim, but it is true. There are still pockets of us who resist Rome's imperialism, who follow the ancient ways. My gods are yours in their oldest forms."

Jason still looked skeptical, but Annabeth instantly believed him. There was something undeniably different about him, something that went deeper than his clothes and his name. The energy he radiated, his very being felt wrong in this room. At the very least, they could all agree that he was not Roman.

"If you hate Rome, why do you seek us out?" Jason asked.

Annabeth was surprised to find that he did not sound angry, more curious, despite the fact that Perseus had dishonored the empire.

"It is necessary. The quest will fail without you."

"Tell us of this quest, then," Piper said, speaking for the first time that day. Her voice was silky smooth, and though Annabeth herself knew nothing of the quest, she felt the familiar pull from Piper's command anyways; the desire to sit in front of her and tell her anything, everything. Annabeth bit her tongue. Perseus frowned.

"Your wife has magic in her words," he said, looking at Piper with suspicion in his eyes. Annabeth tried to hide her surprise. There were not many people who could resist Piper's charmspeak, and less men.

"Answer her question," Jason said, ignoring Perseus's statement, though Annabeth could tell it had unsettled him as it had her.

Perseus's gaze shifted back to Jason, but his suspicion of Piper clearly had not been sated, given the way his eyes flickered in her direction.

"One of the Olympians has been captured."

The sky outside rumbled, like a thunderstorm was brewing right above the building. One glance at Jason told Annabeth it was not his doing.

"Captured? By whom?" Jason frowned. Annabeth saw a small spark fly from his finger to the metal arm of the chair under his hand.

"I cannot speak its name," Perseus said, simply.

Piper frowned, leaned forward like she was going to speak, but Jason put his hand gently over hers. Annabeth had no doubt Piper could force this information out of their guest with her words, but like Jason she realized it might not be wise to. Names held tremendous power. To invoke one so seemingly dangerous when the energy was already so charged would be a poor idea.

"Why is this… our task?" Jason asked instead. Annabeth could feel the calculation in his words. The real question was why can't the gods handle this themselves?, but the suggestion that the gods weren't capable of doing something would be a dangerous thing to voice aloud.

Perseus seemed to understand the underlying query.

"Certain magic is at play. The gods are hesitant to approach, lest they meet the same fate. Heroes should not have the same issue."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but Annabeth thought she detected a touch of bitterness in the last part of his statement. The gods seemed to think that whoever had captured one of their own wouldn't be interested in mere humans, but apparently Perseus did not agree.

Annabeth wasn't the only one who noticed. Jason's frown deepened. A little flicker of displeasure ran over Piper's features.

"Approach where, exactly?" she asked.

"The exact location is being hidden, even from Apollo." Perseus said, "But as far as he knows, the missing god is being held somewhere in Athens."

"Athens is hundreds of miles away," Jason said, incredulously, "It would take months or more."

"Not by boat." Perseus countered.

Jason looked at him for a second, then laughed.

"So you are not a Roman after all." he said, "We prefer our roads."

"But they have been dangerous lately, have they not? Plagued by more than mortal robbers."

Annabeth and Jason exchanged a look. If this man knew about the monsters attacking the roads in the countryside, what else could he know?

Perseus's eyes seemed to swirl in the soft light of the ceremonial room. He had knowledge beyond what he should, and Annabeth got the feeling that this was only a taste.

"You know much," Jason admitted, "But so far there are only a few isolated incidents. Nothing that won't be handled."

Perseus was already shaking his head.

"Don't you see? It is all connected. Olympus is weakened. Things have been stirring, taking advantage of the imbalance. If the missing god isn't returned by the Summer Solstice—"

"The Summer Solstice? That's barely a week away," Jason cut in, "We can't possibly get there in time."

"We have to try," Perseus insisted, "If we don't, or we fail, the natural order of things will start to deteriorate. Once the solstice passes, it will be too late to stop it."

Silence followed that statement, thick and deafening. Annabeth felt dread pooling in her stomach, the implications of Perseus's statement starting to settle in. She knew intrinsically that he was right. Monsters had been acting strangely, more boldly— that was clear enough from the bodies they'd seen this morning. And those were the result of only one of several similar reports they'd had in the last few weeks. If this was just the beginning, what would it look like with a permanently weakened Olympus?

And there was still the other threat, the one Perseus could not name. If they were responsible for kidnapping a god, that meant they were powerful, antagonistic, and almost certainly very willing and capable of taking advantage of the disorder they'd caused. In fact, they were probably counting on it. The solstice was a time when the mortal and non-mortal worlds were closest. If the gods could not set forward a united front on that day, it would be the perfect time for a usurper to redistribute power— create imbalance, or in this case, solidify it.

Annabeth knew Jason was coming to the same conclusions as her, or close to them. Piper too, though she hid it better.

"Why did you seek me out?" Jason asked, finally.

Perseus looked at him, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, or maybe surprise.

"I already told you. Apollo told me to find the son of Jupiter."

"There are many sons of Jupiter." Annabeth said, the words slipping out without her thinking. She immediately wished she had kept her mouth shut. Perseus had been ignoring her up to this point, but now trained his eyes on her again. His gaze seemed to burn through her skin, and yet Annabeth found she could not look away.

"Many claim to be descended from the Lord of the Sky," he said, "But Jason Grace is the only true son of Jupiter alive today."

"Surely that is false." Piper frowned.

"It is true." Perseus insisted, "But you already knew this, did you not?"

He had directed his question at Jason, but he did not take his eyes off Annabeth. Jason sighed.

"I suspected. But there was no use challenging it."

"They grow jealous of you. They know you to be genuine, and that you could expose their lies. You are rising too far, too fast."

"Is he in danger?" Piper asked, voice wavering slightly. Her and Jason's hands were still overlapped, and Annabeth saw Piper's fingers intertwine with her husband's.

Perseus finally looked away from Annabeth, training his eyes on the couple instead.

"Perhaps. But we are all in danger regardless. We must go to Athens, or all will be lost."

Jason leaned back in his chair, and Annabeth knew he was considering. Weighing the possibilities of his story being true or false, and the implications of each.

"I should consult the augurs," Jason said, finally. Piper sighed, but it came out sounding closer to a growl. She held no love for their augur. Neither did Annabeth, or Jason, for that matter, but Piper had the freedom to be slightly more open with her distaste.

Perseus nodded.

"If you must. But I know this to be right. Your wife and advisor only confirm it. Other godlings are drawn to you, and we will need them."

He was looking at Annabeth again, and Annabeth felt a wave of unshakable dread.

He knew her secret. She did not know how, but she was absolutely certain. He had as good as said it.

This man could ruin her.

"Annabeth is a mortal," Jason said, frowning. Annabeth's heart was in her stomach, and she knew the panic must have reached her eyes— which Perseus was still looking into. He studied her carefully for a second, then looked away.

"As you say," Perseus said simply, and Annabeth bit back a sigh of relief, "But your wife is not. Her magic could be essential."

Jason studied him carefully.

"I will consult the augurs. If they view this quest favorably, I may consider it. You are welcome to stay here in the meantime. Annabeth can show you your rooms."

Annabeth stood, meeting Jason's eyes. She knew he wanted her to question him, to determine if he was telling the truth or not. Help him scope out the correct path. She did not want to be alone with Perseus, but she could not refuse Jason, not like this.

"Come with me, son of Poseidon. I will show you to your quarters."