Demi-Titan

by Askinar-The-Dark

The new Oracle, Rachel Dare issues the second Great Prophecy, throwing seven demigods, and OC Fayden Thatch into a sequel adventure where he has to battle, talk and comedically reverse time out of many different situations. SEQUEL! Read 'Demigod' first for Fayden's adventures during PJO.

16. Chapter 15

Well. This'll be fun. I'm quite obviously swaying seriously from canon now. I'm hopefully going to try and make it more me than the following canon, but I'll follow the storyline a bit further.

Also, some of you may be wondering how, since I'm following the story, I've only just finished the first quest and I'm past 150k words. It's because that's the only one where Fayden takes a major role. He's obviously not going to do much in Son of Neptune, since he's busy at Camp Jupiter being an ambassador. I realised recently that he really doesn't spend much time with Thalia, so during Mark of Athena, he'll be doing something at camp. He'll be playing a major part in House of Hades, then he'll be back at Camp in Blood of Olympus to fend off the Roman army.

This is a long author's note. I'll just shut up and write.

Fayden's POV

Fayden walked forward slowly. He knew of course. He'd been told by Athena that for her insubordination and disobedience, Artemis had been stripped of her immortality by Zeus. But seeing it was different. Seeing Artemis, the great goddess of the Hunt, bleeding, was a shock.

Hera was staring at her stepdaughter in shock. The idea, Fayden supposed, that one of her family had been expelled from Olympus was alarming.

The other demigods seemed not to fully understand what was going on. Leo looked like he was waiting for someone to yell 'Pranked!'.

Artemis still stood; her posture slightly bent. She no longer looked like a goddess, despite nothing having changed physically. Her hair was still silky auburn. Her face held the same features. She was still the same height.

But the way she looked, Fayden felt like he could snap her in half if he tried. She looked so frail, like a frame of glass. She was hunched, her hands trembling, just hovering below her face. Tears steadily dripped down her face, and the neckline of her silver parka was already damp with the droplets.

Now that Fayden looked closer, he realised that some things had changed physically. Her clothes were worse for wears. Around the sleeves of her jacket were rip marks, and from the way her hands were red, it was obvious she'd been tearing at her clothing in anger.

Hera stepped forward, and, with more care than Fayden anticipated, said, "Artemis? What…what happened? How did this…"

Artemis eyes moved up to meet Hera's. With a voice so filled with venom that Fayden flinched, she hissed, "Zeus. Your husband did this to me."

Hera was taken aback. "Wha…Zeus did this? What for?"

Suddenly, Artemis was shouting, and even mortal, she was terrifying. "BECAUSE I TOLD A HALF-BLOOD A SECRET! An inconsequential secret. It had NOTHING to do with him! But because I didn't obey EVERY, LAST, RULE, that he places, I was made like this. A MORTAL!"

The other demigods behind Hera seemed to cower slightly, but Fayden stepped forward, and tentatively sat near Artemis as the former goddess threw herself to the floor, more tears escaping her.

Hera seemed to be in two minds. One part of her was feeling bad for Artemis. The other half of her wanted to strangle Zeus. She was glaring at the heavens and seemed to be about to teleport, before looking back at Artemis and Fayden.

She sighed, then knelt as well, again, surprising Fayden. She placed a hand on Artemis' shoulder, but the goddess…Fayden sighed internally – he really needed to find a different way to refer to her. Artemis snapped Hera's hand away. Hera looked over at Fayden, and he was surprised to see pity for him as well.

Finally, she rose and coughed. "I am…furious, that my husband would do such a thing, at a time like this especially. We finally have a full pantheon to fight the giants, and my idiotic husband does this…" she waved angrily at Artemis, before cursing, "Kathiki, skata, gamato!", which loosely translated to, 'Bad (nicely translated), shit, fuck!'.

Hera breathed in, then exhaled. Turning to Fayden, she said, "I don't suppose you know what happened the last time an Olympian became immortal?"

Fayden nodded. "Apollo became a shepherd? And Poseidon built Troy."

Hera nodded. "Right. More accurately, both had one thing in common. Apollo was sheep-hand. He helped a shepherd. And Poseidon was ordered to build Troy."

Fayden frowned. "So…they both had masters…or, rulers?"

Hera nodded, and Artemis suddenly joined the conversation. "No. That can't be…not as well…" she looked desperately at Hera, who just nodded sadly. Artemis sagged even further, then looked up at Fayden.

"Well," she said glumly, "I guess that's why she keeps pity-looking you."

Fayden frowned, then noticed Hera staring at him. He quickly pieced it together. "Wait, what?"

Hera nodded. "I can think of…well, actually, I can think of loads of people better suited, but Artemis seems to have taken a liking to you. At the very least, you aren't a misogynistic, chauvinistic, sexist, emotionally-stunted man-child, otherwise, your first meeting with Artemis would've involved more blood."

Fayden stared. "Thanks for that."

Hera shrugged. "It's technically your choice. Artemis is a demigod, being the daughter of…actually…Zeus disowned her…so she'd be a daughter of Leto." (Yep. I'm doing that)

Artemis' eyes snapped up, and Fayden saw her eye her bow like it was a treasure she'd lost forever. Hera continued, "so, technically, she's a Demi-demi-Titan, her mom being a second-generation Titan. But she doesn't have a say. Fayden, you must be her master, or someone else will. Would you leave the loyalty of that someone to chance? I guarantee that someone on Gaia's side would love to have Artemis on their side."

Artemis looked up again, and this time, she seemed to accept it. "Fayden, it's…well, it's not okay, but it'd better be you. Hera's right."

Fayden looked back and forth between them, then sighed. He breathed in, then nodded. Hera seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as well, and said, "Okay. Well then."

Fayden turned to Artemis and suddenly halted. "Um…Artemis…I will be your master? I have no idea how this works? Also, can I not be a master? That is just…"

But the moment he had said the first master, Artemis had gasped and shot upright. Fayden leaned away, surprised. Then Artemis seemed to relax, and Fayden noticed for the first time, she looked presentable. Her parka was fixed, and her eyes weren't puffy or red. Her face still gave away her sadness, but other than that, she looked like she always did in that form.

"Um, what exactly is happening?" Piper asked, and Fayden suddenly remembered they were there. Hera turned to look at the three very confused demigods and explained. Jason seemed to grasp the ridiculous turn of events the fastest. "So," he said, "Fayden is Artemis' master?"

"I prefer, temporary 'person in charge'," Fayden cut in.

Jason ignored him, and continued, "But…why? What did Artemis do?"

Fayden halted. "That's…personal. She…she told me something she wasn't allowed," he spotted their looks, and hurried on, "no, no, no. It wasn't like me not telling you about Gaia. It's personal for me."

They nodded, then looked at the former goddess. She noticed their staring, and snapped, "What? Come on! Don't we need to go somewhere?"

"No," Hera said. "First, these demigods deserve an explanation. I can gather that your situation is not the only thing that confuses them."

Piper and Leo nodded, and Jason looked apprehensive.

Hera waved her arms around. "Camp Half-Blood is not the only place where demigods are safe. This ruin is where a different kind of demigod starts their journey…Jason's kind."

"What does that mean?" Piper asked.

"Jason is not the son of Zeus," Hera said. "His mother saw Zeus in a different aspect – as Jupiter. Zeus's Roman form."

Leo frowned. "I'm still not following."

"Demigods are left here," Jason said. "We meet the she-wolf-goddess, Lupa, the same immortal that raised Romulus and Remus."

Hera nodded. "And, if you are strong enough, you live."

"But…" Leo looked mystified. "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp?"

"Not to Camp Half-Blood, no," Hera agreed.

Piper looked like she was getting dizzy. "You went somewhere else. That's where you've been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods – but where?"

Jason turned to the goddess. "The memories are coming back, but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," Hera said, ignoring Fayden's huff of annoyance. "That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do…you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly – against Gaia herself."

"You want us to help you," Jason said. "But you're holding back information."

Fayden couldn't help but smile slightly. Mildly hypocritical, yes, but Jason had hit the nail on the head.

"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid," Hera said. "That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you three have surprised me…"

"Uh, hello? Four, thank you very much," Fayden interrupted.

Hera looked over at him. "Fayden, you have not surprised me. You have annoyed me, but it was not surprising."

Fayden opened his mouth, bemused at the decent comeback. "Fair enough."

Hera shook her head in bemusement. "You must all return to Camp Half-Blood. Including…your new party member. But this only the beginning. You must begin planning for the next phase."

"Which you won't tell us about," Jason grumped. Fayden felt terrible, watching Jason struggle to remember something he never would without outside help, something Fayden could provide easily. In fact, Fayden had his mouth open when he caught Hera's eye, and she gave him a sharp shake of the head. Now, Fayden was all for disobeying immortals, but he could tell when they were being dicks for a good reason. It was rare, but it happened. He kept quiet, and listened as Jason continued stropping,

"I suppose you killed my nice storm spirit horse, so we'll have to walk home?"

Hera waved aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you'll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you – at least this once. Farewell, demigods, for now. And Artemis…"

She looked at the newly demoted half-blood. "I truly am sorry."

Artemis nodded meekly, then the world turned upside down and Fayden tried very hard not to throw up.

Thalia's POV

Thalia missed Fayden. She wasn't afraid to hide that fact. Everyone had noticed her moping about. It wasn't as if she couldn't function without him, because she wasn't some lame meek girlfriend, but she was seriously getting tired of Fayden being sent on quests, and being dragged away from her. She'd even be happy being on a quest together.

The bell for dinner sounded, and she trudged over there, trying desperately not to conjure up images of Fayden dead in multiple scenarios. Ever since Fayden had told her about Gaia, she kept dreaming of her boyfriend being slowly encased and suffocated in lumps of solid rock – it did not make sleeping easier.

But she knew the dangers of a quest on its own. One stray sword, one miss-timed parry, and she was single. The thoughts kept flooding in as she sat down at the table, and tried very hard to ignore them.

Fayden was fine. He was an absolute badass, with magical armour, a magical sword, various magical abilities, and a bunch of quest mates with superpowers. But fear didn't just switch on and off. She'd been telling herself Fayden was fine for nearly two days.

She didn't say anything as she sat down, so her plate remained empty. She'd fallen into a habit of listing various things that Fayden was, that would help him survive.

Fayden was the best swordsman in camp.

Fayden was probably the most powerfully magical person in camp.

Fayden could manipulate time.

Fayden was right there, standing on the Aphrodite table, perfectly alive.

Wait, what?!

Thalia shot from her bench. Fayden, Jason, Piper, Leo and a new girl were all standing on the Aphrodite table, looking like they were trying not to be sick.

Leo failed to hold it in, and jumped off the table, running to the nearest bronze brazier to throw up in it – Thalia couldn't help but imagine what kind of reaction the gods received to that offering.

"Jason?" Chiron trotted forward. The centaur looked utterly flabbergasted, but Thalia couldn't hear what he was saying. She had locked eyes with Fayden, and he'd jumped off the table, rushing at her.

She surged towards her boyfriend and didn't even hesitate.

Completely ignoring the catcalls from the other campers, she kissed him, long, and hard. He had the strange taste of smoke, and his lips were rather dry, but she didn't care. Gasping for breath as they released, she smiled sheepishly at his surprised smile.

"Missed you too," he grinned.

Thalia hugged him and then refused to let go as Piper looked around, still on the table with Jason.

"Hi," she said. "We're back."

---

Thalia and Fayden were almost entirely separate from the crowd for the rest of the night. He had told her the story privately, and answered a bazillion questions every second, so even after an hour, he'd only just got to the part where Aeolus betrayed them, and they had to flee his flying castle.

Suddenly, a random new girl plopped herself down next to Fayden by the campfire. Instinctively, Thalia drew up aggressively, ready to tell whatever Aphrodite harlot to piss off, but choked on her words.

Lady Artemis…she shook her head. Okay. Not her imagination. The goddess Artemis was sitting next to Fayden, trying very hard to not look noticeable.

Thalia gaped backwards and forwards between Fayden and Artemis. Fayden noticed her look and seemed to mentally slap himself.

"Crap! Yeah…um. Thalia. This is…well, you know."

Thalia stuttered, "Wha…what…what are you doing here, Milady?"

Artemis coughed, and said to Fayden, "You haven't told her?"

Fayden shook his head. "I didn't get to that part."

Thalia looked between them; the look of shock still suspended on her face.

Fayden proceeded to explain the rest of the story, from the lightning bolt that shook the ground, too Hera's freedom and Artemis's discovery. He glanced over at Artemis, and finishes the story, with a simple 'And then I had to be her 'master', which I still hate as a word'.

Artemis seemed to notice and nodded her appreciation at Fayden not describing in detail her breakdown. Thalia stared blankly for a few seconds, then relaxed against the steps around the campfire where they were sitting. She looked up at the sky and fiddled with her bracelet, the cleverly concealed Aegis.

Finally, she said, "I can't believe my dad would do that. Threaten it, sure. But to actually…" she waved her hands. Artemis still didn't smile but nodded grimly. Thalia looked at her, and said, "Is it really…I mean, if this is an elaborate prank…"

Artemis looked around, but finding nothing, she sighed, and stood, pulling a knife from around by her back. She ran it across her hand without flinching, and Thalia watched the red blood trickled down her hand. She seemed to be shocked all over again.

Fayden was still shocked, so he had no idea what Thalia was feeling. Thalia shifted closer, wrapping herself under Fayden's arm. He smiled, and moved his arm to be more comfortable. Artemis watched the two and found herself smiling for the first time in forever.

"I sometimes wonder if losing a Hunter as good as you was smart," she said. Thalia looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she continued, "But, I think…well…" she nodded pointedly at how Thalia was curled under Fayden's shoulder. Neither of them blushed, which seemed to make Artemis surprised, as if she expected partners to be embarrassed at cuddling.

"Yeah, well, I've crushed on this idiot since forever," Thalia said, then quickly eyed Fayden, who caught on immediately.

"Oh really?" he grinned. "How long? Purely out of interest."

Thalia laughed, and lightly slapped his arm. Then she lay there for a few seconds, just enjoying the peacefulness of having Fayden back, and neither of them were doing anything.

Of course, it didn't last.

She caught the gaze of Chiron from across the campfire, who nodded back. Then the centaurs' eyes flickered to Fayden, then Artemis – his tail flicked and his face slackened drastically. Trying not to look conspicuous, he trotted over and peered down at the group.

He started to bow at Artemis, which caused Fayden to start laughing. Artemis slapped him, looking annoyed. Chiron gazed at Fayden disapprovingly.

"I know you take interest in disrespecting Olympians, Fayden, but the proper response is to bow in the presence of one."

Fayden nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "Oh yes. I hundred percent agree, Chiron. When I see an Olympian, I'll be sure to bow."

Artemis punched his shoulder, growling, "Fayden. Not funny."

Chiron looked shocked. "You better watch out Fayden." He turned to Artemis. "I apologise for my camper's actions, Lady Artemis, but may I ask, what are you…"

Fayden and Thalia now had started snickering, watching Artemis' face blush, the now mortal blood rushing to her face as Chiron bowed again.

"I'm…um," she said.

Fayden helped her out. "As I said, Chiron, she's…" his face turned serious, and he beckoned for the centaur to lean down. Curious, Chiron did so.

"She's not immortal."

The centaur's head snapped back to full height in shock, and he stared at Artemis. "What?" he cried, drawing a few glances.

Artemis shrugged miserably and showed Chiron her bleeding hand. The blood rushed from the centaur's face, as he turned back to Fayden and Thalia. "How?" he asked.

It was Artemis who answered. "Zeus. He did this."

Chiron's face didn't seem capable of looking more shocked, which explains why he didn't react to this news. "But…why? With the new threat on the rise, and Hera only just re-joining the Pantheon, Zeus would never…"

"Well, he did…" Artemis snapped. "And now I'm a half-blood. A…demi-demi -Titan, daughter of Leto."

Chiron pondered this. "Zeus may seem cruel, but…"

"Yeah, yeah, he has reasons," Artemis interrupted. "And if I had my godly memory, which seems to have vanished, I would probably know what it was."

Chiron didn't seem to know what to do, so said, "I'll, um…do you want a room in the Big House? Or will you stay in your cabin? I assume you must stay here?"

Artemis nodded. Chiron suddenly jumped. "Hang on…if history follows true, Artemis…who's your master?"

Fayden groaned at the word, and Chiron looked at him. "No way."

Fayden looked up at the centaur. "What?" he said.

Chiron clopped his hooves. "There is no way Hera let you be Artemis' master."

Fayden faked a hurt expression. "O' ye of little faith, Chiron. I could be a good…forceful manager – I'm trying to find another word."

Chiron thought about it. "Superintendent?"

Fayden stared. "She's not a supermarket."

"I'm also right here," she glowered.

Thalia snapped her fingers. "Boss! Perfect."

Fayden looked at her. "Exactly," he said. "I'm Artemis' boss."

The demi-demi-Titan – okay, that has to stop. Artemis got up, shaking her head. "Okay, that's enough random gibberish. I'm going to bed and hoping my whole life is a bad dream."

Fayden nodded at her, and Thalia seemed to want to hug her, which she finally did, extending her arms. Artemis thought about it for a moment, then hugged Thalia quickly, before nodding at Chiron and heading off towards the cabins. Chiron stared at the two of them for a moment, before saying goodnight and walking off as well.

It didn't take long for Thalia to feel sleepy, and she started nodding off against Fayden's shoulder. He shook her awake twice, and finally said, "I think we should turn it in. I'm absolutely smashed as well."

Thalia blinked sleepily and nodded. He stood, and she watched vaguely as he picked her up bridal style. How romantic. Thalia was asleep before he even made it to the cabins. She woke up again as he stepped onto the green, and shrugged against her boyfriend's chest. She nodded tiredly towards Fayden's cabin, and he raised his eyebrows.

"I…ugh…I'm tired. I've been sleeping there."

Fayden looked down at her, but her eyes were already closed again. She felt his arm shrug slightly and pushed open the door to his cabin quietly.

She woke up slightly as he lay her down on one half of his bed, before sighing out loud at the feeling of the familiar mattress. She was asleep before she could feel Fayden climb in on the other side.

Piper's POV

Piper had crashed in her bunk at some point during the night – she had no idea when. When she woke, the sun was coming from through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. She felt reinvigorated after almost four days of sleep deprivation.

The weather showed a light spring, not winter. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion – bacon, pancakes and all sorts of wonderful things.

Drew and her gang were frowning down at her, their arms crossed.

"Morning." Piper sat up and smiled. "Beautiful day."

"You're going to make us late for breakfast," Drew said, "which means you get to clean the cabin for inspection."

A week ago, Piper would've either punched Drew in the face, or hidden back under her covers. Now she thought about the Cyclopes in Detroit, Medea in Chicago, Midas turning her to gold in Omaha. Looking at Drew, who used to bother her, she laughed.

Drew's smug expression crumbled. She backed up, then remembered she was supposed to be angry. "What are you…"

"Challenging you," Piper said. "How about noon in the arena? You can choose the weapons."

She got out of bed, stretched leisurely and beamed at her cabinmates. She spotted Mitchell and Lacy, who'd helped her pack for the quest. They were smiling tentatively, their eyes flitting from Piper to Drew like this might be a very interesting tennis game.

"I missed you guys!" Piper announced. "We're going to have a great time when I'm senior counsellor."

Drew turned bug-juice red. Even her closest lieutenant looked a little nervous. This wasn't in their script. "You…" Drew spluttered. "You ugly little witch! I've been here the longest. You can't just…"

"Challenge you?" Piper said. "Sure I can. Camp rules: I've been claimed by Aphrodite. I've completed a quest, which is one more than you've completed. If I feel I can do a better job, I can challenge you. Unless you just want to step down. Did I get all that right, Mitchell?"

"Just right, Piper." Mitchell was grinning. Lacy was bouncing up and down like she was trying to achieve lift-off. A few other kids started to grin, as if they were enjoying the different colours Drew's face was turning.

"Step down?" Drew shrieked. "You're crazy!"

Piper shrugged. Then fast as a viper, she pulled Katoptris from under her pillow, unsheathed the dagger and thrust the point under Drew's chin. Everybody else backed up fast. One guy crashed into a makeup table and sent up a plume of pink smoke.

"A duel, then," Piper said cheerfully. "If you don't want to wait until noon, now is fine. You've turned this cabin into a dictatorship, Drew. Silena Beauregard knew better than that. Aphrodite is about love and beauty. Being loving. Spreading beauty. Good friends. Good times. Good deeds. Not just looking good. Silena made mistakes, but in the end, she stood by her friends. That's why she was a hero. I'm going to set things right, and I've got a feeling Mom will be on my side. Want to find out?"

Drew went cross-eyed looking down at the blade of Piper's dagger.

A second passed. Then two. Piper didn't care. She was absolutely happy and confident. It must've shown in her smile.

"I…step down," Drew grumbled. "But if you think I'm ever going to forget this, McLean…"

"Oh, I hope you won't," Piper said. "Now run along to the dining pavilion and explain to Chiron why we're late. There's been a change of leadership."

Drew backed to the door. Her closest lieutenants didn't follow her. She was about to leave, when Piper said, "Oh, and, Drew, honey?"

The former counsellor looked back reluctantly.

"In case you think I'm not a true daughter of Aphrodite," Piper said, "don't even look at Jason Grace. He may not know it yet, but he's mine. If you even try and make a move, I will load you into a catapult and shoot you across Long Island Sound."

Drew turned around so fast; she ran into the doorframe. Then she was gone.

The cabin was silent. The other campers stared at Piper. This was the part she was unsure of. She didn't want to rule by fear. She wasn't like Drew, but she didn't know if they'd accept her.

Then, spontaneously, the Aphrodite campers cheered so loudly, they've must have been heard all across camp. They herded Piper out of the cabin, raised her on their shoulders and carried her all the to the dining pavilion – still in her pyjamas, her hair still a mess, but she didn't care. She never felt better.

By afternoon, Piper had changed into comfortable camp clothes and led the Aphrodite cabin through their morning activities. She was ready for free time.

Some of the buzz of her victory had faded because she had an appointment at the Big House.

As she walked over to the large farm building, she heard soft laughing ringing from nearby and saw Thalia laughing hard at something Fayden had just told her. The son of Kronos noticed her walk past, and nodded, grinning. The grin turned out to be infectious, and Piper was smiling as she met Chiron on the front porch -his legs firmly packed into his wheelchair.

"Come inside, my dear. The video conference is ready."

The only computer at camp was in Chiron's office, and the whole room was shielded in bronze plating.

"Demigods and technology don't mix," Chiron explained. "Phone calls, texting, even browsing the Internet – all these things can attract monsters."

"But," Piper began, before spotting Chiron's look. The centaur half-smiled, and said, "Do I even need to say it?" His tail swished, bemused.

"No. Oddball with a magic phone."

Chiron nodded. "While the room is protected, you will still only have a few minutes to talk."

"Got it," Piper said. "Thank you, Chiron."

He smiled and wheeled himself out of the office. Piper hesitated before clicking the call button. Chiron's office had a cluttered, cosy feel. One wall was covered with T-shirts from different conventions – PARTY PONIES '09 VEGAS, PARTY PONIES '10 HONOLULU, et cetera. Piper didn't know who the Party Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must've had some pretty wild meetings.

On the shelf over Chiron's desk sat an old-fashioned boom box with cassette tapes labelled 'Dean Martin' and 'Frank Sinatra' and 'Greatest Hits of the 40s'. Chiron was so old, Piper wondered if that meant the 1940s,1840s, or just A.D. 40.

But most of the office's wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. She recognised a few – the familiar cocky smirk of Fayden flashed at her from one photo, his arm around Thalia, and what looked like fireworks in the background.

One of the other newer-looking photos showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Piper assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson. In some of the older photos, she recognised famous people: businessmen, athletes, even some actors that her dad knew.

"Unbelievable, "she muttered.

Piper wondered if her photo would go on that wall someday. For the first time, she felt like she was part of something bigger than herself. Demigods had been around for centuries. Whatever she did, she did for all of them.

She took a deep breath and made a call. The video screen popped up.

Gleeson Hedge grinned at her from her dad's office. "Seen the news?"

"Kind of hard to miss," Piper said. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Chiron had shown her a newspaper at lunch. Her dad's mysterious return from nowhere had been the front page. His personal assistant Jane had been fired for covering up his disappearance and failing to notify the police. Any new staff had been hired and personally vetted by Tristan McLean's 'life coach', Gleeson Hedge.

According to the paper, Mr McLean claimed to have no memory of the last week, and the media was totally eating up the story. Some thought it was a clever marketing ploy for a movie – maybe McLean was going to play an amnesiac? Some thought he'd been kidnapped by terrorists or rabid fans or had heroically escaped from ransom seekers using his incredible King of Sparta fighting skills.

Whatever the truth, Tristan McLean was more famous than ever.

"It's going great," Hedge promised. "But don't worry. We're going to keep him out of the public eye for the next month or so until things cool down. Your dads got more important things to do – like resting and talking to his daughter."

"Don't get too comfortable out there in Hollywood, Gleeson," Piper said.

Hedge snorted. "You kidding? These people make Aeolus look sane. I'll be back as soon as I can, but your dad's gotta get back on his feet first. He's a good guy. Oh, and by the way, I took care of another little matter. The Park Service in the Bay Area just got an anonymous gift of a new helicopter. And that ranger pilot who helped us? She's got a very lucrative offer to fly for Mr McLean."

"Thanks, Gleeson," Piper said. "For everything."

"Yeah, well. I don't try to be awesome. It just comes naturally. Speaking of Aeolus' place, meet your dad's new assistant."

Hedge was nudged out of the way, and a pretty young lady grinned into the camera.

"Mellie?" Piper stared, but it was definitely her: the aura who'd helped them escape from Aeolus' fortress. "You're working for my dad now?"

"Isn't it great?"

"Does he know you're a – you know – wind spirit?"

"Oh, no. But I love this job. It's – um – a breeze."

Piper couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad. That's awesome, but where…"

"Just a sec." Mellie kissed Gleeson on the cheek. "Come on, you old goat. Stop hogging the screen."

"What?" Hedge demanded. But Mellie steered him away and called, "Mr McLean? She's on!"

A second later, Piper's dad appeared. He broke into a huge grin. "Pipes!"

He looked great – back to normal, with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile and his newly trimmed hair like he was ready to shoot a scene. Piper was relieved, but she also felt a little sad. Back to normal wasn't necessarily, what she wanted.

In her mind, she started the clock. On a normal call like this, on a workday, she hardly ever got her dad's attention for longer than thirty seconds.

"Hey," she said weakly. "You feeling okay?"

"Honey, I'm so sorry to worry you with this disappearance business. I don't know…" His smile wavered, and she could tell he was trying to remember – grasping for memories that should have been there, but weren't. "I'm not sure what happened, honestly. But I'm fine. Coach Hedge has been a godsend."

A muffled hacking noise sounded behind her, and she turned. Fayden stood there, looking like he was trying to get past Chiron's office without disturbing Piper's conversation, but after hearing those admittedly weird descriptions of Coach Hedge, he had muffled his hacking laughs in his sleeve.

'A godsend' he mouthed.

Piper grinned and shooed him away. He descended into the basement, and Piper briefly wondered what he was doing, before turning back to her dad.

"He told me about your new school," Dad said. "I'm sorry the Wilderness School didn't work out, but you were right. Jane was wrong. I was a fool to listen to her."

Ten seconds left, maybe. But at least her dad sounded sincere, like he really did feel remorseful.

"You don't remember anything?" she said, a bit wistfully.

"Of course I do," he said.

A chill went down her neck. "You do?"

"I remember that I love you," he said. "And I'm proud of you. Are you happy at your new school?"

Piper blinked. She wasn't going to cry now. After all she'd been through, that would be ridiculous. "Yeah, Dad. It's more of a camp, not a school, but…yeah, I think I'll be happy here."

"Call me as often as you can," he said. "And come home for Christmas. And, Pipes…"

"Yes?"

He touched the screen as if trying to reach through with his hand. "You're a wonderful young lady. I don't tell you that often enough. You remind me so much of your mother. She'd be proud. And Grandpa Tom…" he chuckled… "he always said you'd be the most powerful voice in our family. You're going to outshine me someday, you know. They're going to remember me as Piper McLean's father, and that's the best legacy I can imagine."

Piper tried to answer, but she was afraid she'd break down. She just touched his fingers on the screen and nodded.

Mellie said something in the background, and her dad sighed. "Studio calling. I'm sorry, honey." And he did sound genuinely annoyed to go.

"It's okay, Dad," she managed. "Love you."

He winked. Then the video call went blank.

Forty-five seconds? A full minute?

Piper smiled. A small improvement, but it was progress.

As she turned to leave, she heard rustling noises in the basement, before Fayden came up, cursing under his breath. She frowned and paused in the doorframe.

"What are you doing?"

Fayden froze, then gestured up at the rickety stairs. "It wasn't in the basement."

Piper grinned. She could see the corners of his mouth tightening – he was being vague deliberately. She punched his arm, laughing, "Idiot. Come on. What is it?"

"Wait here," he said, making for the stairs, "and I'll show you."

Piper's curiosity won an easy fight, and she waited at the bottom of the farmhouse stairs, as small hurried noises came from the higher levels. Then Fayden came back down, looking excited.

He was carrying a long, thin box – from her shoulder to elbow, with a deep green colour, and ornate pink patterns, which surprised her. What was in the box if it was pink? Around Camp, that usually meant Aphrodite, but the box looked like a sword case. Her dad had a scene once where he was given an old British rapier, and it was similar.

Fayden carefully prised the lid open, and when Piper peered inside, she gasped. Nestled in velvet green, lay two ornate daggers, curved from the handle with a characteristic flick at the end. They glittered in the dim light of the Big House, but Piper could see her reflection almost as well as in her other dagger. The handles were identical, both deep green as a primary colour, with swishing curls and medieval-esque line patterns in hot pink. The colours worked, and the pink didn't look fluorescent or dominate the shades.

She reached in to touch the blades, and Fayden said, "Oh, I wouldn't…"

But Piper was already drawing back, licking her fingertip. The daggers were razor sharp. And they were awesome.

Trying to hide her want for them, she casually asked, "So, what are you doing with them?"

Fayden saw through it immediately and grinned, holding out the box. "What do you think? It's for you. Anyone who knows anything about the dagger you have isn't very comfortable with it, but, keep it. Just because it isn't a good dagger doesn't make Katoptris useless."

Piper nodded, almost extending onto her toes in excitement. Fayden reached into the box and pulled out the two knives. He held them up and scraped the edges against each other. To Piper's astonishment, they shrank into a small charm, wrapped on a silver chain – the pattern was miniature, still 3D versions of the daggers, crossed over in an 'X'. Fayden handed the necklace to Piper.

She held it carefully, then slipped into round her neck. The metal was chillingly cold against her skin, but she barely felt it. She looked up at Fayden and glanced at his sword's keychain. He nodded, "Yep. Pull it."

She tugged, and was suddenly holding the daggers by the handles – her hands fit disturbingly well into the grips, and she twirled them a few times.

"These are amazing," she exclaimed, then frowned. "But…why were they just sitting in the attic?"

Fayden turned morose. "They, uh…" he began. "They belonged to a friend – one of your sisters, actually – Silena Beauregard."

Piper by now knew the name and was suddenly so much more touched that Fayden had given them to her. She knew of Silena, and praised her for how she ran Piper's mom's cabin, and also of her tales of bravery in battle – another Aphrodite kid who didn't spend all day moisturising, Piper had to respect.

"Okay, wow. That's…why are you giving them to me? Why are you allowed to give them to me?"

He grinned sadly. "Why would I not? I would bet a lot of Drachmae that if Silena was alive, she'd want you to have them more than her. I doubt Drew would be a suitable candidate, hmm?"

Piper grinned, and felt emotional at the thought – she was holding the weapons of the last Aphrodite senior camper, someone who died in the last Titan War – a hero. She had a 10,000-year-old dagger on her belt, yet history wasn't always that old.

"As to why I'm allowed," Fayden continued, and Piper instantly filled in the rest – Fayden's cheeky smirk said volumes.

"You weren't?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

He shrugged, but it wasn't humble, or embarrassed – the shrug said, 'Yep. I wasn't even remotely allowed.'

He leaned in and tapped her nose. "Don't tell anyone it was me. Well, actually, you're the one with the sharp daggers, so, have fun."

"I don't think it works like that Fayden."

He laughed. "Sorry, how long have you been at Camp?"

She had to say fair enough.

He reached in and hugged her, which was returned, and she said out loud, "Thank you. These are amazing."

Fayden pulled away slightly but kept her under his arm as they walked out of the Big House, like a very dysfunctional but still sane (just) sibling pair.

"I always have the best gifts," he said. "Keep that as a note."

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned forward to try and trip him up. In one fluid motion, however, he had twisted, and suddenly she was falling over his leg. He grabbed her collar, laughing as he lowered her slowly to the ground. She lay there, mock glaring at him.

He kicked her leg and she huffed. "Next time, Pipes. Next time."

She hid a grin as he turned, and snapped her legs out. Unfortunately, Fayden cleared the sweep in a simple jump. Laughing at her disappointed expression, he offered a hand. She let him pull her up, and they kept walking around camp. Piper found talking with Fayden pleasant – he was so different to everyone else. He was like a black dot on a white background.

However, Piper's attention was quickly diverted as she saw Jason walk across the green, pulling on a shirt. For a brief three seconds, his chiselled abs and chest muscles gleaming from sweat. He seemed to have just stopped working out.

Piper hummed appreciatively; unaware she'd even made the noise. Fayden followed her gaze and snorted, a noise that dragged her attention back.

"What?" she demanded. "His abs, Fayden."

Fayden raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you just ask him out?"

Piper faltered, then said, "I will, but…I want to give him time…he just got his memories, disoriented…"

Fayden grinned. "Uh-huh. Disoriented? Yeah. I see that. Of course, he isn't swaying back and forth looking at your abs."

Piper hit him, and he laughed. "Why am I even talking with you about this?" she said exasperatedly.

"Because," Fayden said, wrapping his arms around her, "I'm a surrogate older brother, and you're the little sister I never wanted."

Piper frowned. "I think it's 'sister I never had'," but she caught his cheeky wink and grinned. "Ass," she chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Fayden said, pushing her towards the cabins, "Go get 'em for once."

"Excuse me? For once?" Piper said indignantly.

"Well, for a catch, you're pretty socially inactive," Fayden grinned. "But I can fix that. Now, try not to stare too hard at his pecs."

Piper slapped his shoulder as he pushed her over to the commons area. She walked over to Jason, who was now resting on a bench, breathing deeply, as if getting his breath back.

Fayden's POV

"Ten drachmae say they kiss."

Fayden looked at the small clump coins. He didn't need them – in fact, he was so damn rich he could give drachmae away for free – and did. But that wasn't fun.

He watched Piper and Jason interact. He could easily look into the future and see what happened, but where's the fun there?

He turned to Mitchell, an Aphrodite camper. "Done. I bet no kiss."

Mitchell grinned as if he had the upper hand, and placed the coins on a small table outside on the lawn. Fayden reached into his pocket and pulled another ten.

Now the pool of coins sat there heating up, and Fayden was watching Piper talk. Jason was spinning a basketball, and looking rather nervous. Piper said something, and Jason blinked, shocked. Then he slowly smiled, and got up, brushing his shorts.

Fayden smirked at Mitchell, who was still watching, as if desperate for a last-minute score.

Piper took his hand and was about to walk off when she turned back and pulled something out of her pocket. Fayden eyed it, and saw, with a grin, it was the card for the temporary Hunters of Athena, that Zoe had given her. Piper dropped it into a nearby brazier and watched it burn.

Then the pair walked off. Fayden suddenly remembered where they were going, and started. Leo had asked him to be there too, being the only other person who had found it.

As Mitchell dejectedly handed the 20 drachmae over, Fayden shook his head. Jogging off, he called, "Keep it."

He soon caught up with the sort-of-couple-but-not-yet and fell in step. Jason looked over and nodded,

"What's up? Do you know where we're going?"

Fayden put a finger to his nose. "It's Leo's surprise."

Jason nodded, and they kept walking, until Piper brought something up.

"Hey, Fayden, why were you exchanging money with Mitchell?" Fayden looked at her and instantly knew that she knew. Little minx.

However, quick as ever, Fayden replied, "He owed me money." Before Piper could ask what for, Fayden explained, "He took some off me to buy some weird man perfume thing…"

"Man perfume thing?" Piper asked, grinning.

"Piper, shut up," Fayden said. "But yeah. He paid me back."

Jason seemed to believe him, but he wasn't exactly particularly interested. Piper mouthed at Fayden, eyebrows raised, 'Nice one. Smooth. You lost didn't you.'

Fayden stuck his tongue out and mouthed back, 'Nope. Of course I won. You guys were never gonna kiss.'

Piper put a hand on her chest and Fayden gave her an ironic sorry smile and walked ahead. He could see the group gathering in the woods and left Piper and Jason to chat about not-yet-boyfriend-and-girlfriend-stuff.

Leo's POV

Leo hadn't felt this jumpy since he'd offered tofu burgers to werewolves. When he got to the limestone cliff in the forest, he turned to the group and smiled nervously. "Here we go."

He willed his hand to catch fire and set it against the door.

His cabinmates gasped. "Leo!" Nyssa cried. "You're a fire user!"

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "I know."

Jake Mason, who was out of his body cast but on crutches, said, "Holy Hephaestus. That means – it's so rare that…"

The massive stone door swung open, and almost everyone's mouths dropped. Leo's flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Piper and Jason looked stunned, and they'd seen enough amazing things lately.

Only Chiron and Fayden weren't surprised. Fayden, obviously, had been here before, but the centaur had knitted his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard as if the group were about to walk through a minefield.

That made Leo even more nervous, but he couldn't change his mind now. His instincts told him he was meant to show this place – at least with the Hephaestus cabin – and he couldn't hide it from Chiron or his two best friends.

"Welcome to Bunker Nine," he said as confidently as he could. "C'mon in."

The group was silent as they toured the facility. Everything was just as Leo had left it – giant machines, worktables, old maps and schematics. Only one thing had changed. Festus' head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.

Leo went over to it, a bitter taste in his mouth, and stroked the dragon's forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."

Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Hephaestus brought it here for you?"

Leo nodded.

"But you can't repair him," Jason guessed.

"No way," Leo said. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus is going to be coming with us."

Piper came over and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before Leo could answer, Fayden's voice sounded out. "I wouldn't touch that."

Leo turned, to see Nyssa pause, her hand on a small white dagger, with ornate patterns on the handle. "Why not?" she asked.

"Cause it is not a nice dagger. Magic. Get too friendly and it's a trip to stabby town."

Nyssa carefully replaced the dagger and looked at the other stuff. Leo recognised all the tools – the one's Fayden had examined when he was first here.

"What about this lot?" Nyssa asked, waving her hands at the table.

Fayden shrugged. "It's old, all of it. You guys could repair them, but as of right now," he dropped an orange wire, that was sputtering with a glowing orange like a dying LED.

Nyssa suddenly spotted something and made a beeline. It was a wand, or long stick looking thing, that was attached to a sort of backpack with various machinery, but Nyssa had ignored that and started rifling through what Fayden assumed was the description.

"Wow," she said, humming to herself. "Energy-based capture device? Particle accelerator? How do you even begin making this?"

She flicked through some pages and paused. "Don't cross the streams?" she said aloud, looking at the gun. Fayden looked at it and shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it shoots beams of something."

But the daughter of Hephaestus had already moved on. She eyed some papers on the table and seemed even more excited about them than the weapons. "I've never seen anything like all this," she said. "There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus' workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all."

"Who built this place?" Jake Mason asked. "And why?"

Chiron stayed silent, but Leo focused on the war map he'd seen during his first visit. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound, catapults mounted in the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches and ambush sites.

"It's a wartime command centre," Leo said. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"

"In the Titan War?" Piper asked.

"Nah," Fayden said. "This wasn't known about then."

Nyssa agreed, "The maps look too old. The date…does that say 1864?"

The centaur's tail swished fretfully. "This camp has been attacked many times," he admitted. "That map is from the last Civil War."

Apparently, Leo wasn't the only one confused. The other Hephaestus campers looked at each other and frowned.

"Civil War…" Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"Yes and no," Chiron said. "The two conflicts – mortal and demigod – mirrored each other, as they usually do in western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time – worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."

"Both sides," Leo said. "You mean the camp split apart?" But Leo saw Fayden's face, and instantly knew he was wrong. Jason also spoke up,

"No. He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side of the war."

Leo wasn't sure he wanted an answer, but he asked, "Who was the other?"

Chiron glanced up at the tattered BUNKER 9 banner, as if remembering the day it was raised.

"The answer is dangerous," he warned. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were horrified by the toll it took on their children that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another civil war – at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command centre for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."

Suddenly Leo's sense of triumph turned to guilt. "Hey, look, this place found me. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing."

"I hope you're right," Chiron said.

"I am!" Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see. "There," he said proudly. "Aeolus returned this to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny."

Nyssa frowned. "Leo, that's a crayon drawing of a boat."

"Look." He pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board – the blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly, his cabinmates' eyes widened as they compared the two designs. The number of masts and oars, even the decorations on the shields and sails were the same as on Leo's drawing.

"That's impossible," Nyssa said. "That blueprint has to be a century-old at least."

"Prophecy – Unclear – Flight," Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry – Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"

"Not yet," Leo said. "Look at the masthead."

There was no doubt – the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a dragon. A very particular dragon.

"Festus," Piper said. Everyone turned and looked at the dragon's head sitting on the table.

"He's meant to be out masthead," Leo said. "Our good-luck charm, our eyes at sea. I'm supposed to build this ship. I'm gonna call it the Argo II. And guys, I'll need your help."

"The Argo II," Piper smiled. "After Jason's ship."

Fayden shrugged. "I'd prefer The Thatch, but…"

Piper grinned and smacked his head. Jason looked a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey."

"What journey?" Nyssa said. "You just got back!"

Fayden snorted. "Since when have the gods cared about that? Kill that demigod's free time! Send him on a quest!"

The silence showed how people agreed. "But where?" Nyssa said, exasperated.

Piper ran her fingers over the old crayon drawing. "We've got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots."

"Indeed," Chiron said. "Much of Rachel's Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You three – Jason, Piper and Leo – are among the seven demigods who must take that quest."

"What about Fayden?" Nyssa pointed at the son of Kronos. "He's been at the forefront of all this as well."

Fayden stepped forward. "I've been given another mission by Hera, and I'm not part of the seven. My job's slightly different."

"What mission?" Nyssa asked.

"It revolves around…" Leo saw Chiron glance at Fayden, and the guy swiftly said, "the group of people that fought on the other side of the Civil War. But that's all I'm saying."

This caused a few mutters, but Chiron quickly continued, "Jason, Leo and Piper must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaia fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."

"Wait…" Nyssa looked at Chiron. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you."

"No," Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."

It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus campers started asking questions all at once. Who were the other four demigods? How long would it take to build the boat? Why didn't everyone go to Greece?

"Heroes!" Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. "All the details are not yet clear, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

"It'll take a year, at least," Nyssa guessed. "Do we have that much time?"

"You have six months at most," Chiron said. "You should sail by the summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not to sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god…"

His voice trailed off, but Leo figured Chiron was thinking about his missing student, Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. He would've been good on this voyage as well.

Jake Mason turned to Leo. "Well, one thing's for sure. You are now senior counsellor. This is the biggest honour the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?"

Nobody did. All his cabinmates smiled at him, and Leo could almost feel their cabin's curse breaking, their sense of hopelessness melting away.

"It's official then," Jake said. "You're the man."

For once, Leo was speechless. Ever since his mom died, he'd spent his life on the run. Now he'd found a home and a family. He'd found a job to do. And, as scary as it was, Leo wasn't tempted to run – not even a little.

"Well," he said at last, "if you guys elect me leader, you must be crazier than I am. O let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"

Jason's POV

Jason waited alone in Cabin One.

Annabeth and Rachel were due any minute for the head councillors' meeting, since Thalia didn't want the job – she spent most of her time in Fayden's cabin anyway. Jason wasn't sure that was allowed, but he didn't mind.

His dreams the night before had been worse than he'd want to share – even with Piper. His memory was still foggy, but bits and pieces were coming back.

The night Lupa had tested him at the Wolf House, to decided if he would be a pup or food. Then the long trip south to…he couldn't remember, but he had flashes of his old life. The day he got his tattoo. The day he'd been raised on a shield and proclaimed praetor. His friend's faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Hazel, Bobby. And Reyna. Definitely, they'd been a girl named Reyna. He wasn't sure what she meant to him, but the memory made him question what he felt about Piper – and wonder if he was doing something wrong.

The problem was he liked Piper. A lot.

Jason moved his stuff to the alcove corner where his sister had once slept. His picture of her, he put in a drawer, seeing as the real thing was less than a hundred yards from outside. He stared up at the frowning statue of Zeus, mighty and proud, but the statue didn't scare him anymore. It just made him feel sad.

"I know you can hear me," Jason said to the statue.

The statue said nothing. Its painted eyes seemed to stare at him.

"I wish I could talk to you in person," Jason continued, "but I understand you can't do that. The Roman gods don't like to interact with mortals so much, and – well, you're the king. You've got to set an example."

More silence. Jason hoped for something – a bigger than usual rumble, a bright light, a smile. No, never mind. A smile would've been creepy.

"I remember some things," he said. The more he talked, the less self-conscious he thought. "I remember that it's hard being a son of Jupiter. Everyone is always looking at me to be a leader, but I always feel alone. I guess you feel the same way up on Olympus. The other gods challenge your decisions. Sometimes you've got to make hard choices, and others criticise you. And you can't come to my aid like other gods might. You've got to keep me at a distance so it doesn't look like you're playing favourites. I guess I just wanted to say…"

Jason took a deep breath. "I understand all that. It's okay. I'm going to try and do my best. I'll try and make you proud. But I could really use your guidance, Dad. If there's anything you can do – help do I can help my friends. I'm afraid I'll get them killed. I don't know how to protect them."

The back of his neck tingled. He realised someone was standing behind him. He turned and found a woman in a black hooded robe, with a goatskin cloak over her shoulders and sheathed Roman sword – a gladius – in her hands.

"Hera," he said.

She pushed back her hood. "To you, I have always been Juno. And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper and Leo. He gave you Fayden. They're not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you do well."

"Even Fayden?" Jason asked.

Juno scrunched her nose. "Listen to him when only necessary."

"Did Jupiter send you here to tell me this?"

"No one sends me anywhere, hero," she said. "I am not a messenger."

"But you got me into this. Why did you send me to this camp?"

"I think you know," Juno said. "An exchange of leaders was necessary. It was the only way to bridge the gap."

"I didn't agree to it."

"No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfil your destiny."

Jason tried to control his anger. He looked down at his orange camp shirt and the tattoos on his arm, and he knew these things should not go together. He had become a contradiction – a mixture as dangerous as anything Medea could cook up.

"You're not giving me all of my memories," he said. "Even though you promised."

"Most will return with time," Juno said. "But you must find your own way back. You need these next months with your new friends, your new home. You're gaining their trust. By the time you sail in your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great powers."

"What if you're not telling the truth?" he asked. "What if you're doing this to cause another civil war?"

Juno's expression was impossible to read – amusement? Disdain? Affection? Possibly all three. As much as she appeared human, Jason knew she was not. He could still see that blinding light – the true form of the goddess had seared itself into his brain. She was Juno and Hera. She existed in many places at once. Her reasons for doing something were never simple.

"I am the goddess of family," she said. "My family has been divided for too long."

"They divided us so we don't kill each other," Jason said. "That seems like a pretty good reason."

"The prophecy demands we change. The giants will rise. Each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. Those demigods must be the seven greatest of the age…"

"Then where is Fayden? As an example," Jason snapped. "You explain everything, and yet you always have so many things you do without reason. Then you explain those. Then you do some more inexplicable things. Take Fayden. He is far more powerful than me. He should be the leader. Why not?"

Juno bristled. "Fayden has…"

"Another task," Jason waved it aside. "You've said.

Juno glared shortly. "Fayden has not got the right mindset. Look at him. He prefers joking to serious action."

"I think you're prejudiced."

"Perhaps," Juno said, "but I am also right. And he does have a task. Do not think that being part of the seven means you act alone. Fayden's job is as important, and he would prefer it – he is not bound by the words of Delphi."

Jason tried to think of a response to that. He had found gods had an annoying ability to leave you speechless.

"We are divided," Juno urged. "Gaia relies on this. You must unite the heroes of Olympus and sail together to meet the giants on the ancient battlegrounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest, the most important voyage, ever attempted by the children of the gods."

Jason looked up at the glowering statue of his father. "It's not fair," Jason said. "I could ruin everything."

"You could," Juno agreed. "But gods need heroes. We always have."

"Even you? I thought you hated heroes."

The goddess gave him a dry smile. "I have that reputation. But, if you want to truth, Jason, I often envy other gods their mortal children. You demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents – even Jupiter, curse him – to understand the mortal world better than I."

Juno sighed so unhappily that despite his anger, Jason almost felt sorry for her.

"I am the goddess of marriage," she said. "It is not my nature to be faithless. I have only two godly children – Ares and Hephaestus – both of whom are disappointments. I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter towards demigods – Heracles, Aeneas, all of them. But it is also why I favoured the first Jason, a pure mortal, who had no godly parent to guide him. And why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my champion, Jason. You will be the greatest of heroes and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus."

"I bet you tell that to all the heroes," Jason said.

Juno gave him a bemused sigh. "Amusing, Jason. But this is serious."

"I am right, though," Jason said. "An exchange of leaders. Percy Jackson has the same job. Become a leader at my camp, gain their trust."

Juno nodded. "Yes."

"And if we fail?"

"Great victory requires great risk," she admitted. "Fail and there will be bloodshed like we have never seen. Demigods will destroy one another. The giants will overrun Olympus. Gaia will wake, and the earth will shake off everything we have built over five millennia. It will be the end of us all."

"Great. Just great."

Someone pounded on the cabin doors.

Juno pulled her hood back over her face. Then she handed Jason the sheathed gladius. "Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again. Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor and your link to Olympus. We need each other."

The goddess vanished as the doors creaked open, and Piper walked in.

"Annabeth and Rachel are here," she said. "Chiron has summoned the council."

The council was nothing like Jason imagined. For one thing, it was in the Big House rec room, around a ping-pong table, and one of the satyrs was serving nachos and sodas. Somebody had brought Seymour the leopard head in from the living room and hung him on the wall. Every once in a while, a counsellor would toss him a Snausage.

Jason looked around the room and tried to remember everyone's name. Thankfully, Leo and Piper were sitting next to him – it was their first meeting as senior counsellors. Clarisse, leader of the Ares cabin, had her boots on the table, but nobody seemed to care. Clovis from Hypnos cabin was snoring in the corner while Butch from Iris cabin was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis' nostrils.

Travis Stoll from Hermes was holding a lighter under a ping-pong ball to see if it would burn, and Will Solace from Apollo was absently wrapping and unwrapping a bandage around his wrist. The counsellor from Hecate cabin, Lou Ellen something-or-other, was playing 'got-your-nose' with Miranda Gardiner from Demeter, except Lou Ellen really had magically disconnected Miranda's nose and Miranda was trying to get it back.

Rachel Dare, the Oracle, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress, which seemed a bit odd, but she smiled at Jason.

Annabeth didn't look so relaxed. She wore armour over her camp clothes, with her knife by her side and her magical sword sheathed on her waist. Her blonde was pulled back in a ponytail. As soon as Jason walked in, she fixed him with an expectant look, as if she were trying to extract information out of him by sheer willpower.

"There appears to be a vacancy," Chiron frowned at the 13th chair, and as Jason looked around, he saw that Fayden was absent. And Jason knew the 14th was for Thalia – she wasn't senior counsellor, having let Jason take the spot, but being probably the eldest and most senior in time spent at camp, she was allowed in the meetings anyway.

People looked around at the empty chairs, before the door opened and one was filled. Thalia walked in, giving an apologetic grin, before saying, "Fayden's going to be late."

Chiron raised an eyebrow, but the absent drone continued for a few minutes. Piper caught Jason's eye and winked. She mouthed, 'You good?'. Jason wasn't sure what to reply to that, and so shrugged. Piper frowned.

Then the door opened again and – what was he wearing?

He was wearing normal camp clothes. But Fayden never wore camp clothes. It was his armoured clothing, till that broke and now he'd been wearing the silver parka for a while. But now, he was dressed in a creased orange shirt, with the words CAMP HALF-BLOOF emblazoned on the front and basic joggers. What was more curious, was that he was wearing sandals that Jason instantly recognised as caligae, a pair of roman sandals. Why was Fayden wearing Roman shoes?

What's more, all of it looked hastily placed. The T-shirt was rolled up on the back. The trousers were folded at the ankles and he didn't notice. Fayden had definitely been wearing something else, then hastily changed when he remembered the meeting.

Chiron raised an eyebrow as a question, to which Fayden said, "Sorry. I was busy doing something else."

Not wanting to delay further, the centaur waved it aside and proceeded to start the meeting.

"Let's come to order," he said. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'll kindly extinguish the flaming ping-pong ball and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason, Piper, Fayden and Leo have returned successfully…more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."

Everyone turned to Jason. He cleared his throat and began the story. Piper and Leo chimed in from time to time, filling in the details he forgot. Jason kept looking at Fayden expectantly – the Demi-Titan understood some moments better, but he was completely distracted, tapping the table, looking around, staring at his watch ticking.

It only took a few minutes, but it seemed longer with everyone watching him. The silence was heavy, and for so many ADHD demigods to sit still listening for that long, Jason knew the story must have sounded pretty wild. He ended with Hera's visit right before the meeting.

"So, Hera was here Annabeth said. "Talking to you."]

Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her…"

"That's smart," Annabeth said.

"…but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from."

Fayden seemed suddenly interested, and Jason was piecing it together. He was wearing Roman clothes before having to change, but forgot his shoes. Fayden was planning on going to wherever Jason's home was – why, he didn't know. That's why he kept looking at the time – to see when he could leave.

"Romans." Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we've never heard of them."

"They've never heard of us either," Fayden said. "Clarisse, it's true. The god kept us apart for a reason – every time we meet, we try and kill each other."

At this, Clarisse leaned forward. "Now that, I can respect. Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests."

"Oh yes," Chiron said sadly. "You have, many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more powerful, worshipping the same gods under different names and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Jason said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis put in.

Several others looked equally uncomfortable, though Clarisse shrugged like it sounded okay to her.

Annabeth twirled her knife on the table. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles and made them part of the Roman empire."

"Not exactly hated them," Jason said. "The Romans admired Greek culture and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Roman were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So, during Roman times demigods started to divide – either Greek or Roman."

"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth guessed. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"

Chiron tugged at his beard. "They did help, Annabeth. While you, Percy and Fayden were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titan's base in California?"

"Hold on," Travis said. "You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos."

"No," Jason said. He remembered flashes of the battle – a giant in starry armour and a helm mounted with ram's horns. He remembered his army of demigods scaling Mount Tam, fighting hordes of snake monsters. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."

Annabeth's eyes were as stormy as a ventus. Jason could almost see her thoughts moving, putting the pieces together.

"The Bay Area. We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp – it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco."

"Bingo," Fayden said, leaning forward. "It's in the Bay Area. Jason, do you remember exactly?"

Jason could picture a tunnel, and a hidden passage to a river, but not the location. "Not exact. But glimpses."

"The Caldecott Tunnel," Fayden said for him.

Annabeth turned, "Hold on. You know about this?"

Fayden nodded, leaning back.

"For how long?" Annabeth's face had turned dark. Fayden's casual expression faltered when he said,

"Um…a while."

"And you thought that this isn't something you should share?"

Chiron saved him. "He was forbidden from doing so, Annabeth. But yes, Fayden has known this whole time. I suppose it's a relief to finally talk openly?"

Fayden sighed. "You have no idea."

"As for how to get there," Chiron said. "My counterpart, Lupa, has bever been the sharing type."

"The camp's heavily guarded with magic," Jason said. "And heavily guarded. I have no idea how to find it once you reach that area in the Bay Area."

Rachel Dare laced her fingers. Of all people in the room, only she didn't seem nervous about the conversation.

"But we'll have to sail there. In Leo's ship, the Argo II."

"Bad plan," Clarisse said. "If the Romans see a Greek warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

"You're probably right," Jason agreed. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try and convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel said. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giant. Seven heroes of Olympus – some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy – what's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Gaia has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth said. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas – there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greeks demigods will unite and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the Doors of Death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

There was a silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.

"I'm going," Annabeth said. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."

"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason said. "You of all people – we'll need you."

"Wait." Leo frowned. "I mean that's cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?"

Annabeth and Jason studied each other, and Jason knew she had put it together. She saw the dangerous truth. In fact, the only other person not expectant was Fayden, who seemed to be waiting with an expression bordering on that of a soccer fan waiting for their team to score a goal.

"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders," Jason said. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."

"Yeah?" Leo said. "So?"

"An exchange goes two ways," Jason said. "When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not the enemy. The Roman camp – they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him?" Leo said. "Who are you talking about?"

"My boyfriend," Annabeth said grimly. "He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood…"

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

Fayden's POV

"And you thought that was the bombshell of the evening, huh?"

A minute had passed after Jason spoke, and Fayden, being Fayden, a drama queen, decided to add his part of the tale. All eyes turned on him.

"How can you possibly top that?" Clarisse asked, eyes wide.

Fayden grinned. "Um…how about if, entirely theoretically, an Olympian was no longer immortal?"

They stared at him. Chiron and Thalia had looks of apprehension on their faces, and everyone else was stuck between confusion and disbelief.

"Why would you need to ask a theoretical question like that?" Annabeth asked nervously. "Because it can't happen."

Fayden shrugged and raised his arms. "Eh, technically, you know, it could happen. Zeus strips a goddess of her immortality using his master bolt, the effects are shown when a giant lightning bolt hits San Francisco, you know, as an example, and then said former immortal decided to chill at Camp Half-Blood and hide out in the empty cabins. Also-not-exactly-theoretical-almost-kind-of-not," he rushed through the final sentence and the senior campers were on their feet in an instant, shouting questions.

"What?" Annabeth yelled. "Who? What the hell, Fayden!"

Fayden quickly got up, but watched the door open before he could reach it. Apparently, Artemis had been wondering whether to enter, and having been brought up, decided to. Everyone went quiet as the new Half-Blood approached the table.

"Artemis?" Miranda gasped. "But…"

Artemis held up her hand miserably. The cut had healed over, but the bright red colour was still clearly visible. She lowered her hand and stared determinedly above everyone's head. Her goddess poise hadn't vanished yet.

Chiron coughed, and everyone looked at him. "Well," the centaur seemed unsure of how to explain. "Fayden?"

The Demi-Titan suddenly had all eyes on him, and he burst into an explanation. After maybe five minutes, Artemis had decided to sit down next to Thalia, who had drawn up a chair. She was still not keeping eye contact with anyone, especially any males.

"So…Fayden said. Like with Apollo and Poseidon in the old myths, I'm now Artemis'…we've gone with the words boss."

"But…but…" Annabeth stuttered, and for the first time in a long while, Fayden saw her speechless. "How…what do we do about this? We can't defeat the Titans with only 11 Olympians! Especially since one of the giants is supposed to oppose Artemis!"

As if on cue with the plea, Rachel doubled over. Her red hair draped over the table as green smoke billowed out her eyes and around her dress. The entire table fell silent – they knew what was about to happen.

In her raspy, earth-scraping voice, the Oracle of Delphi spoke through Rachel's body:

Statue of lightning can answer the plead,

The fallen one and her master shall lead.

Before you can journey, the boundary god you must find,

Help will be received in kind,

And to return to power, one must lose,

But sacrifice is costly…choose!

Silence.

Annabeth was already in thinking mode. "I think…"

"That wasn't like a normal prophecy," Rachel gasped. Her eyes had returned to normal and she was leaning back, clutching her chest. "It felt personal, as if the Oracle was talking to Artemis. Even the words, asking her to choose…"

Everyone held their tongues. Annabeth tutted, trying to figure out the first lines. Fayden was doing the same, but couldn't think what Statue of Lightning meant. Obviously, Zeus, but the egotistical moron had hundreds.

"Okay…I think I got it." Everyone looked at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena locked eyes with Artemis as she said, "I think, well, a Statue of lightning must be Zeus, but with so many, I think it links with the next lines – the Oracle is saying you must go to the boundary god? Who? And then the last lines…"

"Well, they're the ones that get deciphered after the quest is over, right?" Fayden said. "I'm Artemis' boss, so it's obviously us…but it's a quest…we're allowed one more person, right?"

Chiron nodded. "Yes, but it mustn't be someone linked to the seven, as they can't help in both prophecies."

Fayden nodded, and locked eyes with his chosen companion. Knowing each other like you know yourselves is a useful tactic in the field, and Thalia smiled back, gripping his hand.

"I choose Thalia, then," Fayden said.

"Wait a minute," Jason said. Thalia rolled her eyes and was about to start arguing when Jason held up his hand. "No, no, no, I couldn't stop you if I wanted. The boundary god. I think I might know who that is. At my old camp. Just after that prophecy, some memories came back – there's a God of Boundaries at the Roman camp – I think his name's Terminus?"

Chiron nodded his head. "I know of him. It would make sense, bringing you to the Roman camp."

Even as he said this, Fayden saw that Chiron looked defeated – he was about to ordain yet another quest that could have fatal consequences. Nothing had gone wrong so far, but Fayden knew that if you kept tempting Fate, they'd bite you in the ass, hard.

"Very well," the centaur said. "Artemis, Fayden and Thalia, you have been tasked with the quest to return Artemis' immortality. As you have not been given a strict time limit, I suggest waiting for the completion of the Argo II, and going with the Seven to Rome."

Fayden shook his head. "That'll take too long, Chiron. Although, I'm not sure. Artemis needs to train in her new body. I'm sure things will have changed about her powers. And I will need to go to the Camp earlier as by Hera's behest. So, it'll be later in the year, but not as late as the summer solstice."

"But how will you make it without the Argo II?" Piper asked.

"Hera said she'd take me there. Judging from her response to Artemis' situation, I think she'd be okay with transporting more of us."

"But…" Leo frowned. "If you can have a goddess teleport you, why not go now?"

"He said that already, boy," Artemis said. "I have lost my archery skills. Right now, I am almost as weak as you. I must train."

Leo raised his eyebrows and held his hands up defensively. Fayden leaned forward, and continued talking, "Okay. So we three need to train, then we head for Camp Jupiter – and another quest is happening at the same time. How can all this be coordinated?"

"It can't, Fayden," Chiron said. "This Camp is entirely at the mercy of your results. It has to be up to you…we can't stretch our resources over two ventures."

Fayden paused, then nodded, leaning back. He was particularly aware of Artemis watching him curiously – as if expecting him to dick around. But given the circumstances, a serious approach may be just what was needed right now. Plenty of time for crappy jokes when the world wasn't on the verge of collapse…well actually, the earth was on the verge of killing them all.

That's about as close as you're going to get.

After Chiron dismissed the council, the campers all dispersed and seemed torn between which questers to talk to, so decided to talk to neither. Jason, Leo, Piper and Annabeth settled around the lake to talk, while Fayden led Artemis straight to the arena, Thalia in tow.

They needed to train – hard.

Boom. I'm sorry I took so long writing this – blame the Euros (It's coming home!) and my terrible attention span. I've just been getting bored of writing. But, I've taken a break and refreshed my Spotify playlist, so I should be fine (I swear to God, any KSI fans out there, if you don't love Holiday and aren't extremely proud that our Fatneek managed to make such a banger, then you suck).

Any non-KSI fans will have no idea what I'm rambling about, LOL.

About the story:

Yep. The Lost Hero officially covered. And as you can tell, I'm getting more original. I managed to solve the 'Fayden isn't one of the Seven what will he be doing and the 'Thalia barely interacts with her boyfriend' problems in one stroke. They were problems for me.

And trust me, this quest with Artemis is going to toy with you emotionally connected readers like a wind-up toy. Be warned – the later chapters are Rated 15 for Emotional Manipulation. :).

I do need to work on my prophecy telling though – that original one sucked.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Peace.