Gohan was indeed having… sweet dreams, in a sense. He was sitting on the edge of Kami's Lookout, his feet dangling over the edge. In his hands was a giant ice-cream sundae, heaped with bananas, sprinkles and was a beautiful day, with the sky clear, the sun shining in the sky, and a light breeze ticking across his face

"Mmmmmm…" Gohan grinned, shoving another spoonful in his mouth.

"This place is weird." Gohan, strangely, was not surprised see that Annabeth had suddenly appeared next to him, also holding a giant sundae. Her face scrunched up in annoyance as she tasted a small piece of the sundae.

"There's no way I can eat this." Gohan chuckled at the annoyed look on Annabeth's face, before literally punging his face in and eating it by the mouthful.

"Mmmmmm!"

"Moron." Gohan laughed as he wiped his face. However, his delight was soon interrupted by the sound of someone shouting his name,

"Gohan!" he blinked in confusion. He could have sworn that he had just heard someone shout his name. But, it was really faint.

"You say something?" he asked Annabeth. She shook her head. Gohan was even more baffled when he heard the voice again. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it sounded oddly familiar.

"So… when are you finally gonna say it?" Annabeth asked. Gohan frowned.

"Say what?"

"You know what." Annabeth teased, a smile forming on her face.

"Ummmmm…" she rolled her eyes, letting her legs swing over the abyss. Her hair blew softly, dancing in the wind.

"Gohan… sometimes you need to be blunt. You can't bottle your feelings up forever. That doesn't really tend to end well." Gohan rolled his eyes.

"I wish you could see this. Like, really see it. You'd love it." She nodded.

"I'd probably spend an hour alone asking about all the designs of this place." Just then, the Lookout seemed to shake, rumbling under them.

"That was weird." Gohan muttered, before taking another bite.

"Gohan… you know you have to wake up soon."

"I know." The sky seemed to darken above them, the blue sky dissolving into black mist, casting a shadow over them.

"But…" Annabeth pressed.

"But… maybe I just want to enjoy all this for a minute longer, Annabeth. I just hate… being so confused."

"Confused about what?"

"Everything. What my role in all this is. I mean… all of this, me being here, going on that first adventure with you and Percy. Honestly? I shouldn't be here. Never should have been. This isn't my world, and everyone knows it. That's why they call me Otherworlder. When it comes down to it, this whole thing was one big accident." Annabeth looked at Gohan for seconds, or perhaps an eternity, before she finally answered.

"Was it?" Before Gohan could answer, a loud CRACK revenated beneath him, as the entire platform rumbled.

"I couldn't agree more." A familiar voice called out, making Gohan's blood go cold as he whirled to see no other than Cell, standing several feet away with a large smile on his face. Gohan's blood ran cold.

"This is a dream, it's not real. This is a dream, it's not real." Cell sneered as he raised a hand and aimed it right at Annabeth.

"Is it?" Cell grinned. Then, he fired a bright purple ki blast at Annabeth.

"NO!" Without thinking, Gohan dove towards Annabeth, wrapping his arms around her as Cell's blast struck. The ground fell beneath them, plunging them into a black abyss. A second later, Gohan blinked in confusion. Annabeth had vanished, and he was falling, falling, falling. A black void that seemed to stretch on forever. Then, out of the void, a deep, deep voice chuckled, washing waves of fear over him.

"The great Otherworlder… so powerful, yet so weak… I'm disappointed."

"Who are you? Kronos?" Gohan yelled. His voice seemed to echo back at him from a thousand different direction. The voice chuckled.

"Ohhhh… that's tricky to answer. But why spoil the fun, when there's so much more to do! You'll see soon, boy. You can't save them all… not even her.

"NO!" Gohan screamed as he sat up, gasping as sweat rolled down his face. He winched, feeling a dull pain on his back.

"Don't move, boy!" a girl's voice spat from

"Whoa! Calm down, buddy!" Percy's voice rang out, causing Gohan to freeze, blinding until his vision came back into focus, revealing Percy, sitting right in front of him. A smile broke on his battered face.

"Welcome back. You were kinda out of it for awhile." Gohan cocked his confusion.

"What happened?"

"Do… you remember anything?"

"Ummm… I remember getting dropped off at that school by your mom. I still hate cars, I remember that. And… I was dancing with Annabeth? That's the last thing I remember." that put a bit of a frown on Percy's face. Strange. Now that he thought about it, Percy had that expression on his face a lot. Before Gohan could think on that more, he let out a yell as a shot of pain exploded in the middle of his back. He turned his head to see Phoebe, scowling as she held an arrow, its tip glistening red.

"Stay still, boy, or I might cause more pain then necessary." Then, she pressed her lips together as she pondered that thought.

"Actually… move all you want, I don't mind." Gohan stared at her in confusion before looking back at Percy.

"What… exactly is going on? Where's Annabeth?" That caused a pained expression on Percy's face. Gohan's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered one of the things that that… thing in his dream had taunted him with: "Not even her…"

It took about ten minutes for Percy to summarize the evening's events, as Phoebe finished binding up his wounds. Gohan was silent the entire time, unmoving, focused on Percy. Frankly, Percy wasn't sure how Gohan would react.

"So… yeah. Annabeth's gone, though I don't think she's dead." No response.

"It wasn't your fault." Percy added. Nothing. Before Percy could say anymore, Grover and Nico came through the tent's flaps, back from their walk. Grover let out a nervous bleat at the sight of Gohan. Nico simply stared at him with a wide eyed expression.

"I'm fine, guys." Gohan spoke. Grover still gave him a way look while Nico brightened up immediately and stuck out his hand.

"Hi! I'm Nico!" Gohan blinked in surprise at the young man.

"Hi, Nico. I'm Gohan." Gohan awkwardly reached out and shook Nico's hand, causing him to beam.

"You were super cool out there, with all the smashing and blasting and…" Nico continued to pester Gohan as Grover helped Percy fix up his wounded arm.

"It's green!" Nico said with delight. "Hold still," Grover told him. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."

"Grover… thanks for saving me. That was pretty brave, taking on Gohan." Grover nodded. Percy winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. It tasted like homemade brownie, dissolving in his mouth and sending a warm feeling through his whole body. Between that and the magic salve Grover used, Percy's shoulder and stomach felt better within a couple of minutes. Percy had a feeling that the ambrosia was purging the effects of the poison from his stomach.

"Can you fly? How can you shoot those beams out of your hands? And how'd you pull that tree out of the ground? Are you a superhero?" Gohan's face flustered.

"W-well, Nico, it's a bit complicated. No, I'm not a superhero. I can do all these things due to my ki." Nico frowned.

"Your what?"

"My energy. In my world, there are certain beings who can utilize this energy to improve their physical abilities. " Gohan held his hand up palmside. A second later, a bright yellow orb appeared in it, causing Nico's eyes to widen.

"Cool! Are you an alien?" Gohan smirked.

"No. But my dad was. And I'm from a parallel Earth." By cue, his tail unwrapped from his waist Nico's eyes were as wide as sacuers.

"COOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL!" Gohan chuckled in amusement. Well, before Nico bombarded him with more questions.

"What's a parallel Earth?" "Well, a Parallel Earth is another Earth." "I don't get it." Gohan pressed his lips together, trying to come up with a good explanation.

"All right, so, Imagine there are multiple versions of Earth." Nico gave Gohan a puzzled look. Gohan sighed, holding his hand up, and using his ki to create an illustration.

"Okay… think of it like this. Essentially, there are inifitie possibilities out there. And, there are Earths for all of them. So all of these Earths occupy the same place in space, but they vibrate at a different frequency so they can't see or interact with one another. Some are very smiliar to each other, but others would look so different and have different things on it that it would be like an alien world. So, maybe there's an Earth where the Nazis won World War II. Or one filled with superheroes, like you thought I was. Or one that's centuries ahead of this one and super advanced. Or, one where Percy was born a girl."

"Hey!" Gohan grinned at the expression on Percy's face.

"Oh come on, I bet that version of you is super attractive." Percy hurled his bag at Gohan, which he dodged by simply moving his head with a grin.

"So… are you, like, an explorer? Have you come to study our planet?! Do you have a big spaceship? Can I see it? And, ummm… are u gonna probe me?" Gohan stared at Nico with a baffled expression before looking at Percy.

"Ummmm… I don't have a spaceship, I came here by accident. And…probe?" Percy leaned into Gohan's ear and whispered the definition, causing Gohan's eyes to widen.

"Wha! Ew! That's gross!" Nico frowned.

"Oh, ok. So… you came here by accident? Are you gonna go back?" Percy gave Gohan a nervous look, knowing full well whata testy subject that was, but Gohan simply chuckled.

"Yes, Nico, it was an accident. I was fighting someone, someone bad, and I ended up here. Apparently if you release enough power, make an explosion, then it's possible to open, like, a breach, - and then travel between worlds. Or, rather in my case, get sucked in. Unfortunately… I'm stuck here. For now. I can't seem to find my way back home." Nico cocked his head.

"So… you're lost? I know that feeling, believe me." Gohan smiled.

"Fortunately for me, I crash-landed in just the right place. The Camp. And then… I met Percy. And Annabeth. And… Grover. And we have been through a lot together." Grover shifted nervously.

"Really?

"Yep. Tell you what. When we get back to camp, I'll tell you all about my adventures."

"That's cool!" Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. Gohan recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.

"Big collection," Gohan said.

Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

"You've been playing this game a long time?"

"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.

"What?" Percy asked.

"I forget. That's weird."

He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using, Percy?" Percy rolled his eyes before showing Nico Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.

"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?" "Um, well, I don't actually write with it." "Are you really the son of Poseidon?" "Well, yeah." "Can you surf really well, then?" Percy looked at Grover and Gohan, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Jeez, Nico," Percy said. "I've never really tried."

He went on asking questions. Did Percy fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (Percy didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? Both Gohan and Percy suddenly got urges to strangle him. Was Annabeth Percy's girlfriend?

"No!" Percy snapped with a red face. Nico looked at Gohan curiously.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Gohan flustered as he sputtered.

"Wh-no-no! No! She's not my girlfriend!" Nico cocked his head in confusion.

"Why were you dancing with her then?" Gohan was starting to get a desire to throw Nico off the cliff. But then, Zoe Nightshade came through the tent flaps, her gaze settling on the boys.

"Percy Jackson. You." She glared at Gohan, who simply gave her a baffled look.

She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her proud expression, she looked so much like royalty. She studied Gohan distastefully, like I was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch.

"Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee. Put a shirt on first." She ordered, hurling what looked like a robe at Gohan. The two followed her out of the tent, though Gohan did pause for a minute at the sight of something sparkling in the snow. Acension.

"There you are!" He picked up the sword, which sparked in his hand before shrinking back to an armband.

"Huh." Percy observed.

Zoe led them to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved them inside. Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, who Gohan still had trouble thinking of as Artemis. After metting gods like Hades, Zeus, Poseidon and Ares, he was still surprised by the thought that a little girl was the goddess Artemis. True, Athena had also taken the form of a little girl when he had first met her, but that had just been a trick to get him alone.

The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others Gohan didn't recognize. Percy thought she had another animal pelt lying next to her, and then he realized it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting contentedly in Artemis's lap. Then, to Percy's surprise, Gohan bowed.

"Lady Artemis, it's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for my earlier state. That's not my… normal state." The goddess nodded.

"I accept your apology. Please understand the wariness of my Hunters. It has been a very long time since we crossed paths with an Otherworlder, and it was not a pleseant encounter them. Furthermore, it is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp..." She looked at Zoe. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado," Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope." Artemis chuckled at that before looking back at the boys, focusing on Gohan.

"So, you are the one who helped recover Zeus' Master Bolt a year ago and defeated Ares?" Gohan nodded.

"I am. Actually, it was a team effort." Gohan explained, gesturing at Percy. Artemis looked intrigued.

With a curious expression, Artemis made a gesture at Gohan, causing his wristband to fly off of his wrist and into her hand, where it hovered. Then, Ascension morphed back into its sword form, where it sparked and shimmered, blue sparks dancing over the blade.

"So, it's true then. The Master Bolt allowed you to wield it in battle against Ares, and awarded you a fragment of itself. It has been a long, long time since I have seen a warrior with a pure heart. Otherwise, the bolt would have turned you to ash the moment you touched it…" Artemis spoke softly, turning the blade over.

"He is still a boy." Zoe muttered under her breath, though she stopped when Artemis looked at her. Then, she made a pushing gesture, and the blade flew back to Gohan, settling back on his hand.

"Join us." the goddess said.

The two boys sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied them. She had such old eyes for a young girl.

"Are either of you surprised by my age?" she asked.

"Uh... a little." Percy was the one to answer. Gohan shrugged.

"You're a goddess. You can make yourself look however you want. Through, you're not really a little girl. You're thousands of years old." Artemis smiled.

"You're quite observant, Otherworlder. I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?" Percy asked.

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

"Oh. Okay then." Gohan looked a bit intrigued at that. Zoe snorted as she sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at them as if all the stuff Artemis had just said was their fault, like either of them had invented the idea of being a guy.

"Look at him, he looks down on us. I bet on his world, men treat women as their inferiors, just like so many here." Gohan looked offended.

"That's not true! My mom was a martial artist, and my friend Bulma owns a huge corporation!" Zoe rolled her eyes.

"And…" Gohan's mouth went dry. Now that he thought about it… who else did he know. Well, there was that one girl, Lime… she was brave. Though, he didn't know much about her besides that.

"Uhhhhhh…" Zoe smirked.

"I thought so."

"I didn't have a lot of friends back home, okay! Most of my friends were my dad's friends, our fellow fighting comrades!"

"Who were all male, I assume." Gohan turned red in frustration.

"Enough, Zoe. It is not our place to judge the cultures of other worlds. Remember." Artemis spoke, an expression of annoyance on her face. Zoe pressed her lips together, but was silent.

Artemis then looked at Gohan.

"You seem to be a brave warrior, pure of heart. The Master Bolt proved that much. However, I wish to know more about you. Your power is impressive. I suspect what I witnessed was but a small fraction of it. I wish to know more." Gohan glanced at Percy, who subtly nodded.

"It's a bit of a long story." Still, Gohan told his story anyway, from his first fight when he was four to his final battle with the psychotic android Cell. Personally, Percy never got tired of hearing it, often pressing Gohan for more details about one specific adventure or the other. There were times he wished he could have gone on adventures in outer space or explored alien planets.

"And then the last thing I remembered was crashing into Camp Half-Blood." Gohan finished. It took everything Percy had not to snigger at the look of amazement on Bianca's face. Amazingly, though, Artemis seemed unfazed.

"So, that's how you arrived here…" she muttered softly, along with some other things that Gohan couldn't understand. Then, without asking any other questions, she continued.

"At any rate, I've asked you both here so that you might tell me more of the manticore and those other creatures. Bianca has reported some of the... mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you, Percy. And, Gohan, I'd like to know exactly what occurred with that other creature, the one that had you under its control."

"Hang on. You called those people creatures. The ones that attacked us. But, they looked completely human. Weren't they rogue demigods? They certainly acted like the kids at camp." Artemis shook her head, her expression grim.

"No. Those things were not demigods. The power they possessed was not… natural. They were mere imitations of Apollo and Aphrodite. Far more powerful than normal demigods, but still a pale shadow."

"That abomination will pay." Phoebe hissed.

And so, Percy told her, once again repeating the evening's events.

When he was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

"What scent?"

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten. Creatures I have never seen before. Ancient foes are reawakening."

"But why now?" Gohan asked.

"You." Zoe spoke bitterly, causing all eyes to fall on her. Artemis sighed deeply.

"I am afraid she is correct. When you came from your world to ours, you broke the barrier that has held the worlds apart for millennia. It still stands for now, but it remains cracked. And those cracks will grow given time, until they can be mended. Making things worse, it seems that things are seeping through those cracks." Artemis paused as she closed her eyes.

"I have sensed for several years now that the balance of the world has been disrupted. One with the vision can see it. In the wind, the water, the grass… in the very air. It all feels… different than before. Unfortunately, our enemies appear to have felt it as well, and have taken it as an sign that their time is now."

She stared at them intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"

"No, no. After that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."

Zoe's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand.

"Go on, Percy," the goddess said.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus. And that there were other horrors even worse. The entire world, consumed in darkness."

The goddess was so still she could've been a statue. "Maybe he was lying," Gohan said.

Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster. History must not be allowed to repeat itself."

Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoe. I must do this alone."

"But, Artemis—"

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."

"As... as you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

"You know what the monster is?" Percy asked.

Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong. Hopefully, about everything."

"Can goddesses pray?" Gohan asked, because that seemed like a strange concept to him.

A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips. "Before I go, I have a small task for you."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"

"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" Zoe' blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there—"

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.

"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it." "Wait," Percy said. "Thinking about what?" "They... they've invited me to join the Hunt."

"What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."

"It is not the only way for a girl," Zoe said.

"Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and... I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?" "To begin with," Zoe said, "immortality." Percy stared at her, then at Artemis. Gohan's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" he asked, intrigued.

"Ummmm… not to be rude, but… what about that girl earlier? The one who's lying dead outside with the arrow in her chest?" Percy pressed, causing Bianca to pale slightly. Zoe shot to her feet, her eyes blazing.

"Nice, you idiot!" Gohan hissed.

"Zoe! He meant no disrespect, merely making an inquiry. Still, Percy Jackson, that was… disrespectful to Aldrina's name. She served me well for many years." Percy bowed his head, mumbling an apology.

"My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal... unless they fall in battle, which is what happened to Aldrina. But, that doesn't happen often. Or break their oath." Gohan whistled softly.

"Man. And to think in my world, people blew up entire planets and cities to try and acquire immortality. But, there's always a catch, isn't there?" Gohan asked. Artemis chuckled.

"Our method of immortality is far easier than exploring an entire world to collect seven magical orbs in order to summon a magical dragon that can grant any wish that you desire, I assure you." Zoe chuckled.

"What a stupid method."

"What oath?" Percy interrupted, not eager to start a fight between Gohan and Zoe.

"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"And there it is." Gohan sighed

"Like you?"

The goddess nodded.

Gohan tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middle- school girls forever. Personally, he had always wondered about immortality himself, especially given the extremes he had seen others go through to get it, like Vegeta and Frieza.

"Doesn't it get… boring? Living forever?" he asked. Artemis looked a bit amused by the question.

"I am a goddess, boy. My existence is never boring."

Percy couldn't get his mind around it. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"

"Not just half-bloods," Zoe interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"

"Which are you, then?"

Anger flashed in Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy," Percy said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" Percy protested. Gohan frowned.

"That's a little rude. You should judge someone based on what they do, not what about what they are. I have a friend here that's pretty smart and brave, yet people judge him differently than his sister because his skin's much darker than hers. You keep talking about how our worlds keep women down, but you're doing the exact same thing by judging boys. There seems to be a bit of hypocrisy there." Percy bit his tongue to stop himself from cheering "Damn!" given how right Gohan was. Zoe snarled, clearly insulted. The silver aura briefly intensified around Artemis, though she didn't say anything. Gohan snarled, winching as a sudden burst of rage shot through him. He willed it to stop. Artemis cocked her head, almost in curiosity.

"Watch your tongue, boy. You are my guest. Please respect our views. You may see them as flawed, but they are still ours all the same." She turned to Bianca.

"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured her. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility." Gohan frowned.

"You'd abandon your brother, just like that? Make a life-changing decision without thinking about it. Seems a little… rash." He said.

"Bianca, you can't do this," Percy chimed in. "It's nuts." She looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?" Zoe nodded. "It is." "What do I have to do?"

"Say this," Zoe told her, " 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"

"I... I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"

Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"

Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," Artemis said.

The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel... stronger."

"Welcome, sister," Zoe said.

"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."

Percy couldn't speak. He felt like a complete failure. After everything they had just gone through, it had just been flushed down the toilet. Though Gohan didn't speak, a few bright sparks flashed across his chest, clearly indicating his frustration as well.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," Percy said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there? We all can't fly like Gohan here."

Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, make sure the final preparations are done for Aldrina's ceremony so we can break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."

Zoe didn't look real happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her. As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front of them. "I'm sorry, guys. But I want this. I really, really do. And, ummm… I hope you find a way back to your home, Gohan."

Then she was gone, and both boys were left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.

"So," Percy said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"

Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."