Hey there! Welcome back!

I know, it's been a shit ton of time. Again. I don't know man, writing has just been... off for me. But anyway, I will try harder to update and finish this story at decent timings. I promise.

Life finds a way, buds. That's all I can say. Might take time, blood, a lot of tears, and effort, but everything works out in the end. But one thing I can assure you. You will not exit the same person you were when you first raised your fists.

For all of you who have followed and favorited this story, thank you so much!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own PJO, HOO, or any other amazing creations from Uncle Rick. He does. If I ever get to meet him will I shake his hand and punch him in the jaw? Yes. Yes, I will.

ON THE FIC!

"I have no idea what the Old Bane can mean though," Annabeth whispered as she and Percy worked side by side.

"Wise Girl, me either." He declared, passing her a plate "But we need to figure out."

"Hey, was it just me, or were you slightly impressed when Cassandra stood up to Chiron like that?"

"Oh, I was all up in there! I loved it! She's my hero right now." Percy grinned.

"Oh, is that so?" Annabeth raised a playful eyebrow.

"That is until you do something incredibly heroic, which is basically all the time." he chuckled nervously "Clear?"

"Hum… clear." She smiled and kissed him softly.

"Hey, no fraternization between coworkers!"

"Sorry!" Percy shouted back "He does realize we don't work here, though?"

"Let him." She rolled her eyes "Hey Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of this situation between Piper, Leo, and Cassandra?"

"It's… complicated. I mean, Piper and Leo have been friends since forever, right? But Cassandra is his girlfriend, and she knows him the longest. It's a tricky question, but you wanna know what I think?"

"Yes."

"You know I really like Piper, but I think she should mind her dam business and let Leo and Cassandra work their issues out. If we look at it right, she's the one keeping them away with this ridiculous thing against her!"

"But you agree with her." Annabeth pointed out "With Piper, I mean."

"No, I don't. But I don't disagree either. I think we should leave the matter alone. If Cassie says she doesn't know anything, it's our job to believe her until proven otherwise. Piper is making her life hell for no reason! She's… bullying her because she believes in something that isn't right."

"You're right." Annabeth gulped "Piper isn't being fair. And to be fair, Jason isn't liking the whole deal either. It isn't the first time Jason takes Cassandra's side, and something tells me it won't be the last time. And Piper is going to ruin her own relationship trying to protect Leo from something he doesn't need protection from."

"What can we do?" Percy asked.

"Nothing for now. But support Cassandra in anything she needs." She declared "Where is she anyway?"

"Hey, guys!" Jason smiled "You have the burger ready?"

"Almost, two minutes!" Percy exclaimed, "Hey, Jason, have you seen Cassie?"

"No, why? Isn't she in the kitchen?" he frowned.

"No! We thought she was at the tables!" Annabeth cocked her head to see him.

"Where is she then? Piper, Frank, and I are waitressing, you two and Nico are here. Hazel is upstairs with Leo doing room service. Where is Cassandra?"

"That is a good question." Annabeth frowned "And I don't feel any monsters."

"Nope." Percy confirmed "We'll find her when the shift is done, okay? For now, let's just focus."

The rest of the evening went smoothly. The word got across fast between the demigods about the whereabouts of Cassandra. With the help of Hazel and Leo, they quickly ran the entire inn and didn't find her. That was when reports from Hazel started coming in, claiming that Leo was getting her worried. He was snapping and constantly talking to himself.

Midnight came, and they were relieved of their duties. They agreed to meet in the back of the restaurant to sort off the gameplay to find Cassandra. Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Nico were waiting for Hazel and Leo to arrive. When they did, Hazel was holding Leo's arm, and the male looked distressed.

"Hey, buddy." Jason smiled carefully.

"Where is she?"

But as he spoke, a figure arrived in a red Yamaha Fazer 25. It was a girl, dressed in high-waisted tight leather pants, a leather jacket, and knee-high boots. She parked and leaned back, removing the helmet and throwing her hair back. It fell in loose gingerbread waves down her back and danced slowly as she shook her head.

"Cassandra," Hazel called.

"Hey, guys." She smiled and dismounted the bike, putting the keys off the ignition "I got here just in time!"

"Of what?" Jason frowned.

"The meeting, apparently. Why would you all be here then?" she raised an eyebrow.

"We're here because we didn't know where you were." Annabeth noted, "We were going to find you."

"Thanks, guys, but I'm okay." She walked to them "I was just working, like you guys."

"Where were you?" Leo asked.

"Working, Leo. Mrs. Naris asked me if I could drive, and when I said yes, she asked me if I could be her delivery girl. She told me hers was sick. She even let me borrow the clothes, as you can see." She pointed at the pants.

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Piper smirked "Oh, I so want to be in the same team as someone who just wanders off without telling anyone."

"I was working, and so were all of you. If I didn't have time, how would I warn you?" Cassandra fought back "You know what? I'm tired. We can continue this petty fight tomorrow, if you so desire, o lady of immortales. Goodnight."

She pushed past them and walked inside the kitchens. Annabeth, Percy, and Jason followed her, and soon everyone had gone back to their rooms. When Leo entered, Nico was sitting in a bed and someone had covered the couch with sheets. Cassandra left the bathroom wearing her pajama and sat down on the couch, asking Nico if he could turn off the light in a soft voice. He did so, but Leo's eyes never left her.

She looked sad. Hell, he was broken, and could only imagine how she must feel. Her back was to him – intentionally, he guessed – and he saw the soft intakes of breath she drew. He didn't understand why she would lie to him. Why she had a secret and couldn't tell him. That was what hurt him the most. They were in it together, why couldn't she count on him.

It was 1 am when Leo finally fell asleep.

It was 3 am when Nico woke up.

His fingers wrapped around his sword when he didn't recognize the room. But the memories came back to him and he sighed, placing the sword back in its place. He looked around, to see what had woken him up and gasped. Cassandra was still asleep on the couch, but with the way she was gasping and turning, she wouldn't be that way for long. But what surprised Nico was what he saw near her.

He saw a shadow at her feet, sitting on the armrest and looking at her. The shadow was likewise. No face, just a silhouette of a woman. But there was another presence. A presence very similar to the one Nico felt back in Utah when they left her house. And that presence, Nico could see clearly.

It was a woman. She was tall, and her skin was dark. Like Hazel's. Her big heavy-lashed eyes were light brown, almost... hazel. Her hair was short, mahogany brown, reaching her jaw, and it was messy and curly. She was pretty, extremely pretty, but she didn't seem related to Cassandra. She wore a long short-sleeved cream-colored dress that dragged a bit, a black corset, and a long black cape with the hoodie down.

She noticed she was being observed and looked back to the demigod. "Who are you," he asked, "and why are you attached to Cassandra?"

"You can see me?" she asked, seeming surprised "She can see everything except me…"

"She can see through the Mist, but she's not a child of Hades like I am. And I ask, who are you, and why are you attached to Cassandra?"

"My name is Tamiya." She declared "I'm a maid, a servant of her parents, and now, a servant of hers."

"You mean a slave."

"No! I get paid. I have a job. I have a life outside of Lady Cassandra and her parents." She smiled "I mean, I had."

"Why are you attached to Cassandra?"

"I don't know if I can tell you…" she bit her lip.

"If you don't, I will send you to Tartarus and you shall never be able to come back to visit Cassandra." Nico frowned, and Tamiya gulped.

"Okay, okay! Just let me stay with her." She caressed her hair and Cassandra shuddered "I am her maid. She was given to me by her parents. I was supposed to take care of her! My little princess…"

"What happened to her parents?"

"Nidhal and Mara… they perished. The Old Bane took them. It took them, and they were lost. Cassandra was entrusted to me, and I failed. I failed my princess; I failed my promise and I failed her parents. But at least in death, I can watch over her. But it will never be enough. I had so much to tell her. And now… now she'll never know."

"What is that?" Nico pointed at the shadow.

"I don't know. It has been with her since forever. When I first got to her in this form, it was already with her. It does not talk. It does not move. It just watches my baby."

"Tamiya, she… has demonstrated some abilities. She's human, yet she shows demigod traits. Do you know what a demigod is?"

"Of course, I know!" she seemed indignant "And yes, I am perfectly aware of her abilities."

"Why? I mean, why do such abilities exist?" he asked, "Because we begin to not believe her when she says she doesn't know."

"And she doesn't! And it's my fault!" she was crying "Because I was supposed to tell her! And now she'll never know. Child of Hades, she's not a demigod such as yourself. No, she's human. But she has abilities because…"

"What?"

"They were gifts. Everything she is, everything she has were gifts." And she spoke nothing else.

"Tamiya. You spoke of the Old Bane. What is that?" Nico tried, and her soft smile vanished.

"No. I mustn't. I mustn't speak of said evil!" she ran across the room "They will find her, and they will try to take her life. And that can't happen! Son of Hades, you mustn't let it happen!"

"If I'm to protect her, I need to know what I'm protecting her from!"

"There are three." She knelt in front of Nico and whispered "They are bad, very bad! Don't let them get you. Ask the jewel. The jewel will help you, yes? Good person, the jewel."

"Okay, I'll find the jewel." Nico nodded "What else can you tell me?"

"Help her." Tamiya pointed at Cassandra "The shadow… no good. It will attack her. I stay when I can, but I lose strength too. The fire. The fire helps keep the shadow away."

"Leo…" he looked at the sleeping male "How does the fire help? What does the shadow do to Cassandra?"

Tamiya came to Nico at lightspeed, and he gasped. Her face was twisted into an expression of agony, pain, and something terrifying. "It hurts her. I bear the scars, so she doesn't have to. It takes from her. Help my princess."

"What does the shadow take from her?" he tried, but Tamiya was fading away fast "Tamiya!"

"Life." She whispered, "It takes life."

Nico jumped from his bed and ran to Leo, shaking him awake. The male woke up with a start, frowning at the boy's distressed face. "What? Did I sleep through an attack? I'm tired, but not that tired…"

"You need to end your little lover spat if that is what is caused when the two of you are apart!" Nico pointed at Cassandra, whose lips were parted, her eyes squeezed shut and her back arched. She wasn't even breathing, and Leo shot up from the bed and ran to her. He took her in his arms and Nico saw the shadow fly away like it had been burnt. But still stood at the feet of the couch, looking at her.

"This is all my fault…" Leo gulped. He picked her up bridal style and took her to his bed, lying her down carefully "I'm sorry, Nico."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to her tomorrow, for letting this stupidity get between you. Better yet, apologize when I have a chance to talk to all of you."

"Okay." He nodded and got into bed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him, hiding his face in her hair.

.

The morning came, and Leo woke up. He opened his eyes and looked over to the young woman sleeping beside him, quietly breathing. He took a deep breath and pushed the hair away from her face, kissing her cheek. He let it happen again. He had promised that he would protect her, and yet, he let it happen again.

"Leo?" She called softly, opening her eyes.

"Cass." He smiled, running his hand up her arm.

"What happened? I thought I was sleeping on the couch." She yawned and licked her lips.

"You were, but... Nico woke me up in the middle of the night." He whispered, "I'm so sorry, Cassie."

"It's fine." She moved to get up.

"Where are you going?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"Away. Last time I checked, you had your head up Piper's ass." She glared, and Leo bit his lip.

"Stay. Please." He begged, "I have some things to say about that."

"I'm waiting." She sat up.

"Lay down, Cass. Please."

"Fine." She obeyed him, and she turned to face him "I'm waiting."

"I want to apologize." He began "but before you can say anything, please let me finish. I was a jerk, okay? This... staying mad at you was never an option when we were apart, we were forced to work out our issues. I guess some things change."

"Then the nature of this relationship also has to change?"

"In a way, but it's a good change. Cassie, I can hold you now, something I couldn't before." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer "And... it was stupid of me to stay mad at you when I knew you could do things. I started to remember things, like that bully you stood up to and broke his arm, or the suicidal guy from that bridge that you told me about."

"You knew."

"Deep down, yes." He confessed "And let's face it. It isn't everyone that has something trying to kill her every single night."

"About that, you really need to own it, Leo." She glared at him "You have known since forever that I have something trying to take me down every night. You know about my constant nightmares. And you still leave me?"

"I'm sorry, Cassie, I really am. I know that there's something about me that helps you sleep well. And... I think I know why I did that."

"Tell me."

"The time I wasn't spending with you or the guys, I was with Piper." He told her "I wasn't myself when I was mad at you. I... I think Piper was using charmspeak to get me away from you."

"What?!" She growled, and Leo covered her mouth.

"Shh, Nico is still asleep!" He warned "But it's just a theory, I can't confirm it. But how else would I explain it?"

"I am seriously going to kill her, Leo." Cassandra made a move to get up, but Leo wrapped his arms around her tighter and pulled her to his chest.

"Don't. We'll talk about this at breakfast. Nico already said that he wanted to speak to us all." He affirmed, "Can we make up?"

"And how do you suggest we do that, Mr. Valdez?" She smirked.

"Oh, I have a few ideas..." He wiggled his eyebrows.

He took her face in his hand and pulled her to him, pressing his lips against her own. Her lips were so soft, he had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss her. His own were chapped, but she didn't mind one bit as she swung one leg over his hips and straddled him. Cassandra took over the kiss, and Leo let her. He loved when she tried to dominate him, especially given her own shy persona.

She moaned softly when his hands found their way to her behind, and he smirked against her lips. The brunette began to trail kisses down his neck, nipping on his skin and sucking. She branded him with a hickey on his collarbone, one that he could easily hide, and another behind his ear. He pulled her face back to his and whispered before kissing her again "I'm in love with you."

"I know." She declared "You know I love you too."

Nico cleared his throat, and both turned in the direction of the boy's bed. "Good to see you two made up already."

"Sorry that you had to see that, Nico." Cassandra blushed and sat back, followed by Leo.

"I'm not." He commented, and Cassandra swatted him on the shoulder.

"I'm going to wake up the others." He rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom "Wrap that up and join us in the entrance."

"Give me 30 minutes!" Leo called back.

"As long as I don't have to listen to any of those 30 minutes, you're fine."

A/N: I know, but I'm a sucker for fights-and-make-up. I honestly wonder what all that means, and what's Cassandra's backstory.

If you do too, stick around and find out!

First to review gets a free block of cheese! Or a treat of your choosing.

PS: Love you guys!

LoneeWolf :)