Authors' Notes: Same as last time, two chapters went up today to close out the final book in Kleonauts. We just want to thank you all for making 2021 somewhat bearable for us, and we hope you've enjoyed this project half as much as we have.

Since this is the end of the volume, there will be no interlude between Accord and the next book. So we've decided to announce the name of the next installment (the volume, not Book Four) here. We're going to take some time to go through Kleonauts with a fine-tooth comb and then get ahead on writing before we post—so we don't have a definitive date just yet—but keep your ears to the ground next year for Apostomachy.

And finally, a very special thank you to Pincoat's soundboard, PrizeofAthens, and our dedicated reviewer/commenters, SentinalSlice, Anonymously96, Emiliano, FoxTamer113 & Dethcat.

—Parsek

ιδ

ANNABETH
Lvl. 53 Saboteur

The priest was dead. The bloodless corpse of Jude, Cleric, had been left uncovered in a small room adjacent to the sacrificial stone. The seam of the door was practically invisible to even the searching eye. They only knew it was there because of Rachel—who sketched out the gruesome vision of a bloody pool and an open door before Annabeth retrieved the Taster's skin of wine and emptied it into the stained furrow at the base of the stone. The liquid was dark. Torchlight flickered off the surface in a sinister gleam.

A part of the wall slid down and away. It revealed the remaining evidence of slaughter: Dozens of bodies piled high alongside the walls. The combined stench of the decomposing flesh was nauseating. It took another sketch from Rachel to find the body, and at that point, with only the description from the quest receipt, it was difficult to even confirm the identity. The short, wavy hair, and the dour lines of her face were the only reason why Annabeth was relatively sure they had even found the right person.

Annabeth put a hand over the former Cleric's sightless eyes. On them, she placed two golden drachmae. In death, even the powerful and the wealthy needed to pay Kharon's fare.

Percy helped her carry the body out into the central chamber. Rachel hadn't made it two steps into the threshold before backing out. She now accompanied Grover, holding Jason's hand as the Shepherd prepared a cup of medicinal tea.

"We've found her," Annabeth announced quietly, as she and Percy returned to the others. "Dead, like the others… Athens will still want to know."

"What I want to know is when we're planning to move on," the Raider was still moving gingerly. His ribs were still tender despite Grover's hurried treatment. "I don't think we're ready to fight off any monsters right now. Better to set up camp somewhere close by…"

Annabeth looked around, and at the carnage that surrounded them. Fallen rubble littered the floor, alongside the skeletal remains of yet more unfortunate victims. The bodies of the Hunter and Taster were still laid out under the now exposed sky. Nothing was even left of Percy's kopis; it had been utterly obliterated in the final class with Jason.

She agreed with his reluctance in settling down in the same sacrificial chamber where so many had died. Instead, she caught Percy's attention and pointed up to the gaping hole in the ceiling. The clouds from earlier had evened out into a formless grey. It was darkened further, by the oncoming night. The beginnings of rain speckled down onto Annabeth's face. The air coming down from the surface was cold, but at least fresh. She licked her lips, and tasted salt.

"Let's head up," she suggested. "We'll be near enough to escape into the Labyrinth if anything happens." With the past few days spent in cramped, subterranean spaces, she was surprised to find herself wanting something new.

"And the fresh air will be good for us anyway," reasoned Grover.

Rachel and Percy nodded. Everyone at that point was a bit tired of the Labyrinth.

Annabeth made a makeshift shroud of the Hunter's chiton and secured the body of the Cleric, while Percy lit one of their candles to recover a new store of rope. Together, they fashioned a ladder: Annabeth gathered an armful of splintered spear shafts; Percy knotted them together. Grover continued his ministrations over Jason. Rachel banked the fire and collected a few embers so that they could relight another without difficulty on the surface.

Finally, Obelix was given the loose end of the ladder. The ewe's newfound speed carried her up the walls in a blur of cloven motion. She returned, and the ladder was left to dangle down into the chamber.

Annabeth, Rachel, and Percy climbed up first, and then helped to lift up the others. Grover, Jason, and then the body of the Cleric emerged from the hole. Annabeth scrutinised their surroundings. They were atop a rocky bluff that overlooked the sea. The ground beneath them was rough to the touch, and chalky white upon close inspection. Ascending further along the cliff led to a strip of thick green oak and woody cypress. Peering over the edge revealed only a pale stretch of shore, and the strippd down remains of a shipwreck.

Annabeth sucked in a breath. The suddenness of it renewed the ache in her still-healing shoulder.

"I know where we are."

They emerged from the Labyrinth into Ithaka, and spent the night aboard Kleo. Annabeth traded places with Rachel—urging the other girl to get some sleep—and sat alongside Grover for a long, quiet stretch of time. The light drizzle from earlier that night had gently eased into a more persistent patter. It was audible even from belowdecks and served as a backdrop to the breaths of her sleeping companions.

"He's level one," she said softly. "All Aspects zero. Whatever the gorgon's blood did, it really did bring him back as a Child."

Grover winced, and drew back the cup of tea that he'd been nursing into the former Lancer. He poured out half its contents, and refilled the rest with water.

"He's alive. And he wasn't the only one hurt in that fight." The Shepherd looked at Annabeth with concern. "Is your shoulder alright? I have something for the pain… now that we're back on Kleo, anyway."

"Save it for Percy." Annabeth was very astutely ignoring her own injuries—and the person who had dealt them. "If he's up for it, I think we should sail back to Athens instead of taking the Labyrinth. Jason will be too weak for anything else, and the body will keep better in the hold than on Goliath's back."

"Wait, Annabeth." The Shepherd tried to say something else, but lost his nerve at the answering scowl. "Just—take care of yourself. And get some sleep, alright?"

"So long as you do too," she replied shortly.

Annabeth made herself comfortable on a stretch of tanned goatskin, yet another of the small luxuries purchased by Percy and Grover at the start of their quest, and slept.

She had nightmares of a spear striking three daktylos to the right, and woke with the chilling knowledge that without Deliberate Feint, Thalia's attack would have killed her as surely as each and every one of the other demigods they had found in that room: The bodies upon bodies with their throats slit open and bled out to dry.

It was still dark. Annabeth turned over, and tried to fall asleep again.

The cool whispering of rain was a gentle presence into the next day.

Jason woke the next morning. His voice was hoarse as he muttered to himself, "It wasn't a dream." From that point onwards, the son of Zeus was withdrawn and despondent. He drank the tea that Grover prescribed him, and ate the portions of honeyed pork and salted olives that were brought belowdecks, but made no effort to talk or move about.

Rachel made an attempt to finish the painting she'd sold him in Delphi. Even without paints, she made use of charcoal and sketched out the bold forms of a hippopotamus and The Set Animal, which Annabeth recognized from their brief stay in Aígyptos. On the ground, amongst a scatter of spears, was Jason (again), and in the back, the shadow of Piper, Soothsayer. In sum, it was Jason, victorious as he defeated himself.

The now-Child turned away from the sight.

Nothing seemed able to rouse him.

Annabeth came in the evening to clear out the plates, and announced her intention to give Jason a fair share of the reward awaiting them in Athens. It was a formality more than anything else—she didn't expect a response—but it was impossible to miss the question that Grover asked him afterwards.

"So… you never said you had a sister."

Metrokoites. Annabeth was a fool for thinking that the Shepherd possessed tact.

"She killed our mother when I was eight and ran away."

"But she was also fathered by…"

"Zeus." Jason's disrespectful tone was accompanied by a distant rumble of thunder.

"Grover!" Annabeth shouted from the ladder. "Shut up!"

Grover stopped talking. She stalked over and shoved the plates into his arms. The Shepherd seemed to realize at last the danger that he was in, and made himself scarce.

Annabeth sat against the mast and fixed her eyes on a rough plank of wood. This was something that he deserved to know, and if she waited now, then there wouldn't ever be a right time to tell it.

"I know what happened to her after she left Thebes," she began. "Not all of it, in any case. She never told me what she'd done to be exiled from her home, but the Thalia I knew wasn't the one that killed you."

There was a very quiet inhale from the direction that Annabeth wasn't looking. Disbelief? Shock? She didn't want to know. Finally, Annabeth admitted the piece of truth that she'd always known—the reason why Thalia's uncaring savagery in the Labyrinth had frightened her so much.

"There was some good in her back then, even after what she must have done to your mother. Thalia wasn't a monster, because she killed them. She didn't hold back in a fight, and never ran away from a challenge, but she also cared enough to save a twelve year old girl from a cyklops in the woods." Shakily, she took a breath. "She took me in. I knew she wasn't perfect, and she never told me that she'd orphaned you, or herself. I don't know why she'd… kill you, or all those other demigods. What I know is that three years ago, we were attacked by a giant with a hundred eyes."

"Argos," Annabeth whispered. It was a name that haunted her. She hadn't even told it to Percy, in the fear that naming the monster would make it real. When Hera's favorite servant failed to appear, she continued—heart rabbiting in her chest in an echo of remembered fear. "That was when she told me to run." When she died, Annabeth wanted to say, but that wasn't true. She had learned that only a year ago, on that fateful quest into the Underworld with Percy. "I thought she was dead."

"She lived," corrected Jason. The tone was flat, but his next words were spoken with feeling. "The love of my life is a murderer and my sister killed me. I'm level one. I'm nothing, anymore. Why do you care?"

"You've been a good friend to me," Annabeth said frankly. "I wouldn't have ever learned spellcasting on my own. You saved me in Aígyptos. Your help has been invaluable, and if the only thing I can do for you now is give a little closure on what's happened to your sister, then I will."

She nodded upwards, towards the rest of their ragtag party. "I know that you're used to being on your own, but the rest of us care about you. Grover's an idiot sometimes, but he doesn't have anything to go off of—and he'd rather you say something than nothing at all."

"Rachel feels terrible for selling you that unfinished painting." Annabeth wheedled. "Percy didn't want to hurt you either. He wants to apologize, if you'll let him."

"We're going to Athens to collect on the quest. You know that already. When we're finished, the reward will be split evenly. You'll get your fair share. Rachel will have to go back to Delphi, as well. If you want to go anywhere after that, or do anything… Percy, Grover, and I—" Annabeth didn't think twice about promising the help of the others, despite the looming dread of their inevitable departure. The two had only joined her on this quest because she'd asked. Once everything was settled, they would return to Montauk, more than wealthy enough for a happily ever after. "We'll help you."

Her words were followed by silence, but that was alright. Jason had heard them out—and that was enough. Annabeth could wait for an answer. She patted him on the shoulder and ascended the ladder to the deck. There was a Shepherd that needed a good tongue lashing, after all.

Annabeth, Percy, and Grover, returned to the agora where Annabeth had first signed their party onto the quest.

This time, Rachel didn't accompany them. She handled matters with the Harbourmaster once again, and stayed behind to watch over Jason. The… Child had shown a little renewed interest in human interaction after Annabeth's admittedly one-sided conversation with him the night prior. Annabeth had the feeling that the two were going to finally discuss the matter of the unfinished prophecy—but she made a note to buy Rachel some more paints on the way back to Kleo, just in case.

Either way, their small party of three wasn't exactly subtle. Goliath was large enough to carry everyone, even the covered corpse of the Cleric once Percy secured it to the end of a makeshift rope harness. Annabeth's range with Mistwalk wasn't enough to let all of them go unnoticed, and Deliberate Feint could only hide herself—but she was glad, nonetheless, that it was Goliath's bulk that drew the majority of the attention. Annabeth was too high up for most people to get a good look at her class.

The agora was no longer as crowded as it had been during the mad rush of initial questing. Annabeth found Ellen—Archivist—at the far end of the square. The line was short. Not even an hour had passed when Annabeth finally leapt down from Goliath and presented the Archivist with her proof of receipt. One square of papyrus, folded over itself once, but still clearly legible. It was a description of the quest, and its rewards, redeemable to the Kleonauts, with each of their names and classes written out just to be sure.

"Kleonauts?" mouthed Grover.

Annabeth nodded, a little aggressively.

Ellen's eyes flicked up to Annabeth's class. They drifted upwards a little more, taking in the enormous Goliath and her two companions atop the massive sheepdog's back. With only a faint air of disdain, the Archivist scrutinized the papyrus. Her eyes glowed faintly as she ascertained the validity of the writing with a Skill.

"Well… your papers are in order, at least. And what of the Cleric, Jude?"

Annabeth shook her head soberly. She ushered Goliath into a crouch, and pulled back the shroud to reveal the face of the corpse to Ellen. Bloodless as it was, decomposition hadn't set in too badly. The smell wasn't any less stomach turning, however.

"Dead. We recovered the body in the Labyrinth."

The Archivist peered over stifled a gag. Her eyes returned to Annabeth's label once again. "I'll have to call an Investigator, to ensure the identity of this individual. Once he is finished, we will settle the matter of your… payment."

"One hundred minae." Annabeth reminded her.

"For a corpse." Ellen's tone was carefully neutral, but the implied judgement was obvious.

"For the return of the foremost priest of the Athena Polias. The Cleric, Jude." This was directly recited from the proof of receipt. "When your Investigator confirms her identity, you can know for certain that my friends and I have returned the Cleric, Jude, to Athens."

Percy was giving her a puzzled look from over Grover's shoulder. Annabeth simply shook her head at him. They would be waiting here a little longer to get their just reward.

It took nearly two hours for the Investigator—Antiphon—to show up. The man had clearly taken his time. The sun had turned to noon by the time he finally arrived, red faced and looking a little drunk, with a contingent of slaves to carry him in. He smelled very strongly of perfume and drink, with a proud and haughty expression to match.

Annabeth half expected him to accuse them all of murder, but when the Investigator decsended to look upon the face of the deceased, his face crumpled, and he he fell to his knees in shock.

"No, no, no…" he was saying. "Jude."

At that point, the two hours of waiting had drawn a sizable crowd. No one had been able to sign onto any new quests in the meantime. The muttering had started curious, and grown into impatience by the end of the first hour. Now, there was only silence.

Antiphon withdrew a dainty looking cloth square from one of his slaves and wiped a tear from his cheek. The light in his grey eyes intensified in a flash of steel.

"It's her," he finally said to the Archivist. "Ellen, these… heroes have the right of it. Whoever murdered Jude is not present among them." He glanced at Annabeth and Percy's labels as he spoke the words. Not a hint of outwards judgement was immediately apparent in his face, but the tone of his voice was reserved.

The crowd resumed its muttering. Annabeth looked at Ellen. Her face was a warring mask of shock and disdain—but eventually, the Archivist's professionalism won.

"Well then," she said, "I will need a written statement to record your judgment, and then we shall see about the reward. Unless you would rather provide your witness in person?"

The Investigator nodded, all earlier traces of drunkenness gone. "For this, I had better come directly." He motioned for his contingent to collect the body.

Annabeth shook her head at Percy to refuse the offered help. "We'll also come with you to present our witness," she said. "There are others, dead. I can tell you who is to blame."

The whole process, all said and done, dragged on for two days. First they went to the Tholos—the Round House—and presented their case to what was first one, then sixteen of the presidents of the Council of Five Hundred. There were fifty such presidents, but only a third of the ruling body were required to be on hand at any given time. The case was then repeated to the chairman of the presidents, who was asleep—but quickly woken—as the chairman of the presidents was supposed to make himself available at any given hour of the day.

The chairman of the presidents held the keys to the treasury, but would not release the promised reward until all testimonies were faithfully recorded, and inscribed in terms that "seemed best to the Council." The matter could be added to the agenda by the assembled presidents, but the next full Council meeting wouldn't take place until the next day. Even though the process was conducted with all possible speed, Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and their gathered witnesses (this included the Archivist, Ellen and the Investigator, Antiphon) had to sleep and reconvene with all possible haste for the second day of proceedings. The Council of Five Hundred moved through the Agenda at a snail's pace. It was past noon by the time they finished ruling on the quest, and all this without requiring a second convening of the general Assembly.

Annabeth was tired of repeating herself by the end of the first day, and ready to kill someone by the end of the second. Then there was the matter of Rachel's inclusion under the Kleonauts, and the poorly timed kidnapping of a guild leader's daughter in Delphi, whose name bore a suspicious resemblance. The communications had been unclear, however. The class of the daughter was unknown—so Annabeth misled the Council into believing that Rachel, Surrealist, was a coincidentally different Rachel, in addition to being a fourth member of the Kleonauts that was unable to join them in Athens. Both Percy and Grover had fallen asleep by this time, so Annabeth needed to stand trial alone.

All the while, news of the Kleonauts' successful quest spread through Athens, and from there, all channels of communication. At one point, Annabeth recognized among the throng of gathered heroes (the Round House had gathered an impressive crowd) a Hunter of Artemis. Phoebe noticed Annabeth—and glared fiercely. Her companions, Zoë and Dianne were nowhere to be seen.

Percy and Grover were both rather bewildered by the process. Annabeth was simply glad that their quest hadn't required review by the Nine Archons, or the ten generals, or the Council of the Areopagus, which was completely distinct from the Council of Five Hundred. Indeed, the two were entirely different branches of government.

At the end of the second day, they were finally presented with their just reward. A gilded wooden chest, filled to the brim with silver decadrachm—a thousand to be exact, and equivalent to a sum of ten thousand drachma. It was enough to buy Kleo ten times over. Split five ways, it was more than enough to guarantee comfort and leisure for the rest of Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Jason, and Rachel's lives.

It was also enough money to guarantee violent jealousy, so the chest was transported in the dead of night, Annabeth struggling with Mistwalk and the weight of the money—only a little less than her own weight soaking wet.

Percy and Grover arrived not long after. Annabeth found Rachel and put a satchel of expensive paints in her arms.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said. "Jason?"

Rachel shrugged. "Better than before. He's sleeping now."

Annabeth nodded, and announced to Percy. "We leave for Delphi tomorrow."

To Rachel, she warned. "You've been missed."

And finally, to herself, Annabeth treated with a full night of sleep. She was Athenian by birth, but the whims of its democracy were… testing even to those knowledgeable of its structure. She comforted herself with the knowledge that come morning, they would be gone from Athens for a good long while yet.

Even as they departed, news of their quest continued to spread. The accusations made against Thalia and Piper of Thebes were a less public matter, but nevertheless written into the public record. Neither would find safe harbor from their crimes any time soon.

In Delphi, they docked under the purview of the highly unpleasant Stavros (may the crows eat his eyes) once more. Jason showed no interest in showing his change of label to the public, but had finally confided in others a desire to visit Khiron. Annabeth wrangled an assent from Percy and Grover, though in truth, neither were stingy in withholding their aid.

Rachel presented Jason with the finalized painting as a farewell. She had worked earnestly on the remaining details with the paints Annabeth purchased from Athens, and the fully colored piece was a stunning piece of artwork in its own right. Jason accepted it soberly, and gave the Surrealist a brief hug.

Jason stayed on Kleo with the rest of Grover's herd—for additional security—while Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Rachel, left on the long walk to Delphi.

No less than three adventuring parties stared openly at the Surrealist as they returned, furious and awestruck. The newly won fame of the Kleonauts had spread very far and very wide in the days since they'd arrived in Athens. Annabeth, Percy, and Grover more so than their fourth elusive member, since all three had been physically present in the agora, and then the Tholos, to authenticate their quest to retrieve the priest. If one believed the poorly disguised muttering, the Kleonauts had arrived to follow up on yet another high profile quest: To retrieve the missing daughter of Darius—leader of the largest questing guild in Hellas.

Jealousy ran thick and unabated as the four made their way to the city proper. One disbelieving Rogue had simply dropped their quest voucher on the ground. Annabeth picked it up and whistled. Two thousand drachma. Only a fifth of the reward offered by Athens, but an incredibly impressive sum nonetheless.

For once, the private questing enterprise of Delphi worked in favor of the heroes acting upon it. Athens maintained a rigorous and public system that logged questing parties and the undertaken quests with methods to authenticate success and payment. In Delphi, the system was more general. Annabeth pocketed the voucher, and sharing it with Rachel, offered a teasing smile.

More and more people recognized Rachel as they entered the agora. Finally, they were ushered along to Scribe, who only squinted at Annabeth's voucher the once before sending word for Darius.

The Investor moved through the throng of gathered observers impatiently.

"Yes, that is my daughter!" he announced, to loud and immediate cheer.

He then moved to sequester all four of them the grand antechamber of the family home. All of the servants were promptly dismissed. They had left behind the last of the lingering crowd while crossing into the threshold.

"There are twenty seven questing houses in Delphi. Fifty six mages who provide inventory service. More butchers, bakers, shopkeeps, than you'll ever see in your life. Not a single one will even think of serving you when I give the word."

The bottom dropped out from Annabeth's stomach. Somehow, Darius was more threatening at the present moment than Thalia or Piper combined. She glanced towards Percy and Grover, who seemed equally shaken. If they returned to Montauk, it was unlikely that they would face the brunt of the punishment, but for Annabeth…

"Father, please."

The Investor spared only a passing glance at his daughter.

"If any temple hosts you, they'll find themselves missing a very significant donor. Any Harbourmaster that lets you dock will lose a quarter of their trade. Any entrances into the Labyrinth will be watched at all hours. And if you ever approach my daughter again, I'll have you arrested."

"You're making a mistake."

"You're lucky there isn't a bounty on their heads."

"Shut up! My friends just cleared the most lucrative quest of our generation."

"Rache—"

"No, you listen to me! They all have an important role to play in the future. And more importantly, they're my friends. I won't let you threaten them."

"Threats?" The Investor's thunderous face communicated very clearly his intention to follow through on each and every word. He turned his back to Rachel and made to leave.

"I'll accept my role as Pythia!"

Silence, thick and heavy as a noose, descended upon the room. Darius stopped, and turned around to regard his daughter. Rachel had her father's attention, now. She didn't let a second of it go to waste.

"Leave them be, and I'll reveal myself to the temple and accept my role as Pythia. I'll become the Oracle."

Rachel glanced at Annabeth, apologetic or conflicted—it was impossible to tell—and removed one of the golden bangles from her arm. It wasn't different from any of the others, appearance-wise, but when she took it off, her label changed. The color shifted from blue to purple.

Rachel had a Hero's Label. Her title remained the same. Surrealist. Annabeth realized now that it wasn't just an obscure class—not like a Saboteur—but rather, a mark of godly intervention. If what she said was true, it was the act of one god in particular.

Darius unreadable for a long and ponderous moment. Finally, he turned to the Kleonauts.

"I want you gone before I get back."

Then he left. Annabeth wasn't sure whether to take that as a sign of encouragement, but Rachel's face fell slack with relief.

"Yes," she said. "Go! I'll call you later. Do you still have the Iridescence?"

Annabeth's thoughts returned to Kleo. She nodded. Then without hesitation, she gathered the dimwitted brothers—both were still in shock from the abrupt reveal—and herded them out through the back.

As they started their journey back to the harbour, Grover crowed out, "I knew it!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "You did not."

Annabeth, Percy, and Grover returned to Kleo and prepared to sail for Makronisos.

"And then Montauk?" suggested Annabeth. She wasn't ready for their adventure to end just yet.

Grover and Percy exchanged a look.

"Can I make a call?" asked Percy. "—And borrow some of your rainbow sand?"

"Me too," piped up Grover.

"Sure," Annabeth agreed. She gave way more easily than she should have, but if the two were already homesick, she wouldn't begrudge Sally the joy of speaking to them ahead of schedule. "I'll… give you some privacy." She joined Jason below deck. He was asleep, the miniature of Goliath was curled up in his arms.

When Percy and Grover descended, they were both grinning ear to ear.

"There's been a slight change of plans," Grover declared.

Percy followed this with: "Montauk first."

Annabeth's spirits fell.

"Just a quick stop," the Raider explained. "I want to drop off some money for my mom."

"And then we'll go to Makronisos." The Shepherd thumped down his staff in emphasis.

"We?" she asked, just to be sure.

"Of course 'we,'" Percy shifted his hand, as if to rest it on the hilt of his kopis. "A good questing party comes in threes, and we can't break DPS. Khiron would have our heads, and we want those beads."

"We're the Kleonauts," affirmed Grover.

Annabeth glared half heartedly at Grover. Kleonauts was a perfectly reasonable name. "We sail a ship. Her name is Kleo."

Percy nodded. At least he was convinced.

"Kleonauts, it is."

Annabeth

Lvl. 53 Saboteur

Aspects

Mnd: 237

Bdy: 232

Brh: 116

Sol: 126

Rkn: 183

Passive: The Mind-Body Paradigm

A keen Strategist does not neglect to train her body along with her mind.

Skills

Probability of Success: Foresight honed over years is what separates the clever from the great.

Deliberate Feint: The art of warfare is a practice in deception.

Structural Assessment: Everything has a weakness. If one can find it, they hold the key to countless battles.

Puppetry: All the world's a stage. Some creatures require a guiding hand.

Superliminal Score: There is a setting for each theme; a theme for each setting.

Insight: Know the enemy as you know yourself.

Glossary

Argus — Watchful, the many-eyed, giant servant of Hera. Famed for slaying the monster Ekhidna.

Artemis — Goddess of the Hunt, Vegetation, Wild Animals, Childbirth & Chastity: Daughter of Zeus and Leto; Patron to the Hunters (typical third-wave feminist).

Chiton — A long cut of fabric pinned as unisex clothing in Ancient Greece.

Cyklops — Singular form of Cyklopes: One-eyed giants whose strength was matched only by their ugliness.

Decadrachma — Ten drachma.

Drachma — Round silver coins; Currency of mortals.

Gorgon — Cursed women with metallic wings, claws and syballine hair; Sisters of Medusa.

Hellas — The Greek peninsula, and nearby archipelago; What the Ancient Greeks (Hellenes) called the Balkans.

Khiron — Master: Son of the Titan Kronos and nymph Philyra; the Immortal trainer of heroes.

Metrokoites — A derogatory exclamation; One who has relations with their mother.

Minae — One hundred drachmae.

Pythia — A maiden hand-picked by Apollo to inherit the mantle of Oracle of Delphi.

Zeus — King of the Gods, Zeus is the youngest male Olympian and the god of the sky and thunder.

A/N: We celebrate the start of the new year with the official end of the first book—Kleonauts—and the beginning of Annabeth, Percy, and Grover's adventures together as the eponymous Kleonauts. A hearty thank you to everyone that's stayed with us so far, as well as any new readers. We head into revision now, but hope to continue the next book soon. Here's to hoping that 2022 will be a more productive year than either of its two predecessors!

P.S. All due credit to 2021, since the entirety of this story and its world was formulated in its duration.

—Bibleo