Yeah, they ended up jacking a car.

It was urgent, as all quests are, and catching another Greyhound didn't seem like a great idea seeing that the last time they did, surprise, surprise, they got attacked by a huge flock of freaking owls whose names rhymed with the river of damnation.

Plus. Percy was not ready to get on another to save his life.

They'd managed to somehow divine traces of magical activity in Olympia, using the crystal Cameron had given them for, well, divination purposes. As al communication systems were down, they had to rely on themselves to track the path of the kidnappers. Alex was thankful that Hecate had at least managed to put some kind of magic scent or something on the monsters before they restrained her magic.

Thank Athena for quick thinking gods.

Then she flinched. Despite her years of training with the goddess, Alex couldn't help but feel betrayed by her, being assigned to this quest. She could have easily assumed that Athena herself was in the dark about the Prophecy of Twins, which was what the campers were now calling the long ass prophecy the three of them had got.

But Athena was too smart and farsighted to not know about that. And Alex knew that. Despite her current negativity towards the goddess of wisdom, the daughter of Poseidon couldn't help but feel affectionate towards her son.

She glanced over at him from the passenger seat, to find his attention on the road in front of them. The muscles in his forearms flexed as he made a turn, and she found herself growing jealous over his complete concentration.

"Why are you driving again?" She popped out, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Malcolm resentfully.

He spared a 'duh' look in her direction before turning his attention back to the road. "Because I'm the most mature and responsible one in this entire group. And because you almost crashed us into one of the other cars, because you were distracted by arguing with your brother."

She scowled at him, her arm muscles now flexing by her crossing her arms even more tightly over her seat belt. "So why not just let Percy drive? He has a car back home and everything."

He looked at her in utter disbelief. "You wanna know why, Shark face? Just look in the backseat."

Alex rolled her eyes at his stupid nickname. "Sure, Gray Eyes. There a clown back there or something?"

But she turned slightly to peek over the side of her seat, and rolled her eyes at what she saw. No wonder he was being so unnaturally quiet.

Percy was sprawled across the less than comfortable seat, but you know what they say about demigods; they can sleep anywhere. His face was resting on his folded hands, and his chin was streaked with drool. Alex withdrew quickly. "Ew."

Then she laughed.

Malcolm looked over at her, suppressing a smile at seeing her open laugh. "Don't be so mocking, Shaw. You drool when you sleep too. It seems to be a dominant trait among children of Poseidon."

She tried to glare at him, but failed because of the atmosphere that seemed to be finally light after a tense few hours of trying to navigate to Olympia without running into anymore bloodsucking owls or just monsters in general. Yeah, the United States of America Olympia, not the Greece one.

She simply sighed and sank back into her seat, feeling the heaviness wash over her. Even a trainee of the Tritonian nymphs and the goddess of warfare herself could stay awake for so long. Thankfully none of them had been seriously injured, Percy only ending up with a bruise on his side and the others with a couple cuts and scratches.

Malcolm, however, noticed this. He looked over at her, his eyes gentle. "Hey," he said softly. "You should get some sleep. We're in constant motion so it will be harder for monsters to track us. We don't need two people on lookout."

She shook her head, nevertheless feeling her eyelids getting heavy. "We shouldn't take chances."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, if it concerns you that much, I'll wake up Percy. He's been sleeping for far too long anyway."

Her protests were now weaker. "We should let him sleep."

He sighed. "Fine, Alex. I'll let you drive once you wake up, if that's what you want. I'll even sleep then."

She looked at him pointedly. "And?"

He shook his head exasperatedly. "And I'll wake you up if I get too tired."

She grinned, trying to pass a smartass remark, but her eyes were already closing, and she drifted off the land of Hypnos.

They were in Chicago when she woke up.

She shot up in her seat and glared over at Malcolm, who simply grinned at her innocently.

"You said you'd wake me up. Earlier." She grumbled, and then shifted and looked at the back seat. Her eyes widened. "You didn't wake Percy either!" she shouted accusingly.

He simply shrugged. "Well, I didn't think it was necessary. We were already more than halfway when you fell asleep, and I did consider waking you up when we made a pit stop for gas, but you looked too peaceful while sleeping. Now for Percy, well…he kind of wasn't ready to wake up. I think he's forgotten that we're on a quest."

She sighed, still giving him an accusing look before turning back to look at Percy. Malcolm was right; he did seem to be deep in sleep. But Alex was merciless. And he'd slept long enough.

She reached over and shook him.

He didn't even stir.

Someone would think he's been knocked out by a Laistrygonian or something.

Malcolm glanced at her, and then chuckled. "He's not gonna wake up that easily. Slap him or something."

She smiled at him before smacking Percy upside the head. His eyes immediately snapped open, and he sat up in slow motion, muttering an 'Ow' and rubbing the back of his head. "Best idea you've given me all day."

He simply smiled at her softly. "Honestly, you did look better when you were asleep. So gentle, and, well, quiet."

She rolled her eyes before smacking him too.

"Hey!" He shouted. "No hitting the driver!"

"You won't be driving for long, Pace." She grumbled. "Pull over. We're hungry. The last thing we ate was granola bars from the supplies. I need some real food."

Percy spoke in a husky, sleepy voice. "Good idea. So do I. And we can clean ourselves up in the restrooms."

Malcolm raised a blond eyebrow. "Where monsters would be easily attracted? I don't know."

Alex shook her head. "Chicago? I think I can manage. Plus, monsters know that they should never attack a hungry demigod." She finished with a grin.

The son of Athena sighed before obliging and pulling into a McDonald's driveway.

Percy cheered.

They entered the shiny fast food restaurant, and immediately Alex's mouth started watering on viewing the pictures of burgers. "I'll have a Big Mac." She whispered over to Malcolm. "You guys order. I'll be right back."

She walked inside the washroom, first doing her business and then attempted to clean herself up to the best of her ability. About fifteen minutes later, when she walked out, the restaurant was in chaos.

"Great." She slipped out Kasfluctus and rushed into battle.

"Why are they trying to kill us anyway?" Percy yelled to Malcolm over his swordfight with what seemed like a demigod. "They're demigods right?"

Malcolm parried a knife strike, back flipping onto a table and sweeping off another kid with dyed green hair and a bow. "I don't know!" He yelled back. "Ask them!"

Words of wisdom from the son of Athena, Percy thought as he slashed a demigod's chest. "Where's Alex?" He groaned out as he flipped a table to use as a shield. "I just wanted to eat," he whined as another tried to stab him. He was trying not to kill anyone, simply because they were demigods and it felt wrong.

A girl with long brown hair and hunting knives tried to smash a chair into his head. Percy ducked and slashed at her leg. She simply parried, moving to aim a knife at his head. He dodged, but she simply snarled.

"You'll suffer for your friend's doing." She sneered at him, eyeing him like a snake ready to strike, knives brandished and ready. Percy blinked.

"What?"

Alex suddenly appeared, flying through the air and landing on the girl's back with a sickening snap. "Strike to kill," She snarled over to Percy and Malcolm, looking every bit like a tigress as she attacked the girl with her spiked knuckledusters, using Kasfluctus with her left hand to slice apart the table under which the girl had rolled.

Malcolm frowned. "They're demigods."

"Exactly," she said while stabbing a blond boy who was trying to conjure a spell. "Demigods from Luke's army."

"You!" The brown haired girl shouted. "Blade! Do you even know what happened because of you? My brother was killed!"

Percy's eyes widened as he looked over at the girl, weakly lying below a standing Alex, who had Shockwave raised high in the air.

"You betrayed us, spy." The girl said. "So many demigods suffered because of you."

Alex's face was cold as stone, her eyes reflecting no emotion.

At that moment, Percy felt what Annabeth must've felt when he had tried to kill Akhlys. Helplessness. Despair. Fear.

"Don't do it, Alex." Malcolm said weakly.

She glanced over at him, which wasn't great. Her eyes softened at his expression but turned hard again at noticing the cut across his cheekbone.

Before either of them could react, quick as a cobra's strike, Alex buried the sword in the girl's gut. Already having broken more than a few bones, blood slipped from the side of her lips before she stopped shuddering.

Percy fell silent, a slight pain growing in his chest as he stared at a side of his sister that he's never seen before.

Malcolm was crying quietly.

The remaining three demigods froze, looking over at the killer and killed with mourning but not surprise. The green haired demigod was grim as he turned his dull eyes to Percy. "You see what she is now? She's a monster, a mercenary. She still has no remorse over killing a demigod who had an entire life ahead of her."

Alex paid no attention to his blunt words, almost as if she was used to hearing them. She simply pulled Shockwave from the dead girl's gut and pointed the bloody blade in the direction of the green haired boy.

"Surrender now, and I'll let you live in peace." Alex spoke in an authoritative voice, cold and strong. "And it would be even more helpful if you tell us what lads you have on the kidnapping of Hecate."

"How do you know we're looking for Hecate?" The boy asked carefully.

"Because she is taken. And you need her to survive." Her words were calculated and cold in a way that Athena might've spoken. "Out with it, before I change my mind and slice your head off your neck."

The boy looked at her carefully for a moment before slowly nodding. "All right. But the only thing we know is that they're trying to take her to Alaska, away from the gods…and it's something more powerful than anything we've sensed in a while…we have our suspicions but…"

"That's enough." The daughter of Poseidon spoke calmly before slowly lowering her sword and gesturing to the traitor demigods to leave. "And if we get attacked by any of your brethren on our way there, they'll meet the same fate as the girl." She cast a careless glance at the brunette lying dead at her feet.

The boy trembled as he looked at the brunette's lifeless face again. "At least…" He shuddered once before somewhat composing himself. "At least let us take her. For…for a worthy shroud's flame."

Alex shrugged and moved away from her body, her eyes still hard and indifferent.

Two of the demigods slowly picked up the girl and backed away.

Just before the pack exited out the glass doors, a blond girl turned around and looked at Percy's twin with venomous eyes. "You're a killer worthy of the gods."She spat.

Alex still looked like she could care less.

Percy couldn't decide whether the girl was right or not.

"What…was that?" The sibling whipped their heads to the side to look at Malcolm, who still had tear tracks on his cheeks. His voice was broken, cracked with disbelief.

Alex's eyes softened just a fraction. "A necessity." She spoke simply before moving to jump over the counter and grab some food for them. "Let's eat."

Malcolm stared over at the girl as they ate, still shaken over the fact that she'd killed someone for necessity. And apparently, from the words of the other demigods, this wasn't her first time either. He didn't know how to react to the news. He'd always suspected some violent tendencies to her as well, so he couldn't decide whether to be repelled or just accept it.

Percy didn't look like he was very accepting of her cold blooded killing. He was staring down at his hands, his burger untouched. A first in that area, at least.

Alex was casually stuffing fries into her mouth as if it was no big deal. It probably wasn't for her…she'd probably killed dozens like that.

Malcolm shuddered at the thought.

Alex noticed.

She eyed his form carefully, before speaking. "Look, both of you. Don't dwell on that too much. I've always been that way, and am not changing anytime soon. I'd already told you that I was a trained killer from the very beginning. And anyway, to intimidate the group, I had to kill at least their tracker."

"She said her brother died because of you."

Alex glanced at Percy, her eyes softening marginally. Malcolm watched her, wondering whether she really stabbed her as a necessity or rather out of old habits.

"Percy…" She sighed. "I'd acted as a spy in Luke's army. When the war had reached its absolute, when Charles Beckendorf blew up the Princess Andromeda, Kronos began recognizing my scent, since I was practically Castellan's second in command at that point. I had to…leave."

Something about the way she said 'leave' didn't sit well with Malcolm. "Is that why she called you 'Blade'?"

She nodded. "Another fake identity, just like Shaw. The rogue demigods knew me as Alex Blade." She smiled thinly.

"Let's just focus on the quest for now." Percy said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

'I had to kill at least their tracker.'

'Another fake identity.'

'…trained killer from the very beginning.'

Malcolm stared across the table at Alex, happily munching away at a Big Mac as if she hadn't just killed someone.

How cold were the gods exactly?

"But I see it, Chiron," Liam insisted. "It's as clear as day."

"They left barely a few days ago, Raven." Celena spoke up, her mind still reeling from the sudden appearance of her moth-Artemis. She had apparently been developed from some snow leopard into a human. Well…at least it explained her eyes. "No one is going about attacking them now."

Chiron pursed his lips and folded his hands over his lap. "I don't know, Liam…"

Nico suddenly appeared out of the shadows, swiftly moving to join Will on the table. "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

Andronika eyed him carefully as he practically grabbed all the cookies off the tray. "Liam was just telling us how he had a vision about the quest three being attacked by some mercenaries…and something blurred."

Nico frowned. "What…" Then he glanced at the other two girls. "But why are you two here?"

"He saw us." Celena said uninterestedly as she yawned and traced the outline of her hunting knife. "He wants a six member quest."

Suddenly Will tensed. "A change of rules."

Nico's mouth fell open. "Rules of a quest? That's what it meant?"

Andy frowned. "I don't get what you mean."

"A quest usually is supposed to have three demigods as a rule. If the rules change, well, they can have six as well." Chiron explained.

"But there are just five demigods here." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"Who even said that?" A lyrical, sort of husky voice spoke up from the shadows, from near the walls. "You really didn't see me?"

Andy blinked, turning her attention back to the rest of the party. "You guys saw him or…?"

Nico shrugged before turning his tensed eyes to the spot from where the voice had come. "I sensed him, so…" He managed a thin smile in her direction. "I guess that's cheating here."

"Same here, I guess." Celena spoke up, looking away from her hunting knife. "I'm still not completely used to these 'special huntress senses', but I guess being a hero of Artemis has its perks." Her voice was bitter at the word hero. "I sensed movement there…and this might sound weird, but I smelled him, so, don't judge."

Nico judged her silently from the back. Will smacked his arm.

"I already knew he was there." Liam gave Andronika a sheepish smile. "I kind of called him."

"I didn't know he was there." Will shrugged. "So if that's helpful…"

"Ah, stop it." The voice spoke up again, and the figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal Adonis Lane. "It doesn't matter whether or not you saw me. I'm out here now."

"But…" Will licked his lips as his eyes shifted uncertainly to Andy. "She hasn't been claimed as of yet."

"You sure about that?" Nico smiled again, a slightly smug smile as he pointed at above the girl's head. Then the smugness faded. "What the-"

Andy looked up at the source of the violet light flooding her shoulders, to find herself staring at a chalice. Her thoughts reflected Nico's. "Wha-"

Chiron looked like he was tired of all these claiming. "All hail Andronika Cade, daughter of Dionysus, Lord of the satyrs, God of wine."

The party was still in shock.

Then Will spoke up.

"I really thought she was going to be a Demeter."

It was Nico's turn to smack his arm.

So sorry for the long wait guys! But at least shit is happening now...*smiles sheepishly*.