aProcrastinatingOrange: Hi! Thanks so much! I'm not blaming anyone, but I do enjoy a good bout of validation for this. Hope you have a great time reading this!

Listening: On and On by The Score

Her visions were generally rare. But when they struck, it was always with the force of god.

Lily was looking at a desolate, dark cave.

A river of white ooze bubbled as it flowed recklessly. It was treacherous and unimaginably horrifying. Yet, there was a woman standing far too close to it.

Lily had seen her before. Clad in a shimmering black and blue-dyed peplos, the woman gauged the river like it was a mere obstacle and not a one-way ticket to death.

The gold bands in her brown hair enchanted Lily so much that the witch didn't realise when the woman began to inch nearer to the river.

Wait! She wanted to yell. It's dangerous, don't go near it!

But the woman hiked up her ankle-length robes in both hands and strode forwards. She plunged into the river and Lily almost shrieked.

The water, if the white liquid could be called that, splashed around her. The woman gasped, writhing in it and struggling to wade through. Lily watched, terrified that she was witnessing a drowning from the past.

As she stared, the woman's body turned transparent, her clothes burning away. She disappeared beneath the river and her soul ascended.

Lily gawked at it. The unburdened soul was a soft, wispy thing. The soft translucent shape rose through the air gracefully. Like a cloud, the blue and black tinted essence of the woman drifted upwards. The rocky ceiling vanished and Lily watched as the soul flew up, slow at first before gaining speed and fluttering away into the distant sky.

Lily looked down at the river. It bubbled and continued flowing, never having been disturbed. There was no trace of the ancient woman's body, jewellery, or clothes.

She'd been reborn as someone else.

Sally was searching for the toothpaste.

She'd woken up drowsy, but raring to go. They needed to find Kimberly and Percy. She was not leaving Egypt without her family.

The little hotel they were staying in wasn't some rundown building as Sally had assumed. Perhaps, in the darkness of last night, she had thought the hotel was a small place where illegitimate businesses could be conducted away from the city of Cairo.

In clear daylight, Sally could tell that this was more of a vacation get-away for millionaires.

There were several buildings in the area. Everything was part of the hotel named Tailorbird. In the central grounds stood a beautiful fountain that held a statue of a baby cherub, its arrow pointed up. The fountain was surrounded by several flower gardens, each holding many colorful, sweet-smelling carnations, tulips, roses, and several more varieties between the green, trimmed hedges.

Sally looked out the window of their little room and found the sprawling backyard that really indicated how large the area of the entire grounds was.

She was still walking around with a brand new toothbrush, feeling very out-of-sorts.

Lily was standing in the bathroom, holding her own toothbrush, and staring into the mirror, entranced.

"Hey, did you find a too—" Sally began but was yanked back suddenly.

"Shush!" Cassandra warned her.

"What?"

"She's Seeing something," Cass said, nodding towards the witch.

Sally frowned and observed Lily closely.

Oh.

Lily was standing like stone, not even twitching. Her eyes were fixed on the mirror as if her reflection had petrified her. Was she even breathing?

"A vision?" Sally asked, stepping back. She'd never seen anything like this. It looked like the poor woman was dissociating.

"A strong one, if she can't react fully," Cass sighed. "Let her come back on her time. Are you ready?"

"Need to brush."

"Right," Cass looked over to her bag before shaking her head. "There's a kitchen staff at the end of the corridor, they might keep supplies there."

Sally immediately left the odd sight. Witches were just as scary demigods.

The door at the end of the corridor was locked and Sally was sure no amount of knocking would get anyone to answer. It was six in the morning, they were probably already up and working.

She took the narrow stairs down and reached the side room of the lobby. Running her fingers through her hair, Sally hoped looked presentable enough to step out.

The lobby was a large hall. But it had an old-world charm, possibly on purpose. The walls were artistically made from red stone, cut rough around a mural depicting a gorgeous, six feet tall image of a tailorbird. Green gemstones glinted in its eyes and Sally looked away, searching for the proprietor's desk.

It was a corner desk close to the entrance. A woman stood behind it, counting bills before packing them away and bidding a guest goodbye. She had her short dark hair that curled so much they practically stood up, outlining the shape of her head almost like a halo. It looked professionally styled.

Unlike the woman who'd arrested Sally, Lily, and James, this one didn't wear any kind of headdress. She was in a smart pressed, white shirt and grey pants. The badge on her shirt read, B. Taylor.

As Sally watched, a blond man walked up and dropped a black gym bag on the shiny desk top. His sleek hair was gelled and combed back neatly.

But it was his wide smile that caught Sally off guard, an old memory stirring deep in her subconscious mind.

"I'll be with you in a moment, sir," the proprietor said, her attention focused on the computer monitor to the side.

"Take your time, ma chérie," the blond man drawled, grinning widely. The woman spun around, her mouth falling open.

"Pat!"

"My bag is packed," Pat said, flicking at his case. "But it seems like my fiancée is too busy?"

The proprietor was still smiling. "I told you, I'll meet you at the airport in the evening. I'm working all day!"

"No problem, darling Bea," Pat replied, smiling easily.

Sally didn't want to interrupt the couple, but she was getting hungry. She'd never eaten anything before brushing before.

"Um… hello?"

The owner, Bea, looked up, a customer service smile replacing her genuine one. "Yes?"

"Hi," Sally said, turning red. "Do you have toothpaste? Like, a new tube?"

Bea ahhed, "Yes, I'll get one for you. I'm so sorry if there was a tube missing in your room, Miss."

"Oh, no, it was there, but my roommate's in the shower and we need an early start," Sally mumbled.

The blond man, Pat, was staring at her curiously. Bea nodded. "I'll get one sent to your room right away."

She left the desk and opened the door behind her where a bunch of people could be seen working on hotel uniforms. While she called out an order, Pat finally spoke, "Have we met before?"

Sally was startled. "Huh? Have we?"

"I'm not sure," he muttered. "We may have. I have a thing with faces, can never forget them… You don't sound familiar, though."

"This is my first time in Egypt," Sally shrugged. "So, probably not."

She turned to look back at the tailorbird mural. It really was pretty.

"Huh," Pat said, nodding slowly. "Have you ever been to Paris?"

"No… America, all my life."

"I sometimes go for business there," Pat said. "Maybe we…"

"Maybe," Sally mumbled.

Pat was silent for another moment before saying "Do you have a sister?"

Sally's head snapped up, eyes widening. How in the world…

Pat looked just as stunned. His jaw dropped and he stammered, "Sally! That's your name, innit?"

"How do you know that?" Sally demanded, armed with a hotel gifted toothbrush.

"It's Patrick!" he said, pointing to himself. "I was on the plane!"

"What plane?"

"We were kids," he tried to prompt. "I was six. We were flying from Puerto Rico to New Jersey. Lightning brought the plane down."

The plane crash that had killed her parents.

Sally backed away, shaking. How could he know… how could he remember that so clearly? Her own memories of that accident had been muddled over the years, weighed down by heavy pain and trauma.

She couldn't remember the exact scene, but Sally recalled the feeling of terror. From what the papers and her uncle had told her, a bunch of teenagers had saved Sally and Kimberly while practically everyone else on board had perished.

Lightning strike, engine fire, plane damage, crash landing on the runway.

And the boy she'd befriended on the plane out of restlessness.

Her mother's lost voice echoed in Sally's head, "You see that boy there? He looks bored too. Talk to him."

Sally swallowed. "Patrick."

He gave a hollow laugh. "Hey. Yikes, was not expecting this…"

Bea Taylor was back. She had a brand new box of toothpaste tubes. Sally scrambled to get one out of the box. She ran to the elevator and rushed back to the room, eager to get away.

It was hard to shake the shivering. What were the odds of running into someone from such a horrific time? Sally tried to think back. Had Patrick's parents been on the flight? They'd have perished as well, along with the rest of the passengers and crew.

Cass was busy opening small tubs of packed food - their breakfast. The bathroom was vacant as Lily was laying on her conjured bed, rubbing the sides of her head.

"Hey," Sally mumbled. "You okay?"

Lily and Cass looked up, surprised.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked instead. "You're pale."

Sally was still shaking. She screwed up her face. "Um… yeah, I'm… give me a minute."

She locked herself in the bathroom.

The little jail cell was hot in the morning. While Kimberly sweltered, Percy thrived.

The baby had had his milk and was rattling his toys for all they were worth. Percy was utterly delighted by the lumpy sheets that served as Kim's bed. He kept dropping his toys on it, as though expecting them to do something fantastic. When they didn't, he threw them across the cell.

For the sixth time, Kim leaned forwards and plucked the rattler that had sailed an incredible two feet for his pudgy hands and handed it back to him.

"You're gonna be a pitcher, I can tell," she said, dropping a kiss to his soft head. His hair was dry and not as smooth as it was just a few days ago. But it didn't bother Percy. He gave her a beautiful grin, showing off the edge of his top incisor. He'd begun teething early, already showing signs of a faster development than regular mortals.

Kim watched him distractedly, listening to the soft monologue of the nightly news on the old television. The anchorman spoke in a lyrical language (Arabic?), but the time and temperatures were displayed in English as well.

Kimberly's worry hadn't decreased, but seeing as how the demigod who guarded them was moderately polite, she decided to not push the limits.

It was 8 a.m. in Egypt. If she had to count the timezones, what would be the time in New York? Midnight?

Would Sally know they were missing? Kimberly had made sure to turn over the lava lamp as a sign of distress. But what could her sister do? Call Poseidon? Call camp? Could they send demigods to get Kim and Percy?

There was a beep from outside the cell.

Sciron walked into the outer room, locking the door behind him. The door clicked with another beep. It didn't seem like magic or godly spells to Kimberly, just regular mortal locking systems.

"Can I tell you my dream?" Kimberly spoke.

Sciron dropped to his usual chair beside her cell. He said in a gruff voice, "Can I have a moment's reprieve?"

"Sure," she said, trying not to smile.

Percy looked up, hearing Sciron's voice. He gave the older demigod an open-mouthed grin and shrieked in delight. Sciron nearly dropped his pen.

"I think he likes you," Kimberly said mildly.

"Why?" Sciron groaned.

"You entertained him when I had to go to the bathroom," she reminds him. "I didn't hear him cry at all. You're good with babies."

"No," he complained. "I'm not, I just did some water tricks to shut him up."

"He likes the water."

"I wonder why."

Kimberly shook her head. Sciron's grumpy exterior was starting to crack. Percy raised his hands towards him, opening and closing them insistently.

"He's gonna start fussing," she warned him.

Sciron dropped his head to the table. Without looking, he waved his hand.

Water from a side tap flowed out, forming a large bubble of the liquid that hovered in the air. It flew towards Percy who stopped and stared at it, utterly entranced.

Kimberly had a hard time trying to focus on it. She knew he was using his water powers, knew that this was demigodly magic. She knew this was the truth, but the Mist was cruel, shielding it to make it look like a stray patch of light from the window.

Sciron frowned. "What's with your face?"

"Hold on," she said, rubbing the corners of her eyes. "It's not easy watching direct magic like this."

He kept his thinking face up. "Oh. You aren't Clear-Sighted?"

"My sister is," Kimberly sighed. "Sally can See all kinds of things. I just have the dreams. Speaking of which, you wanna know what I dreamt last night?"

"Same woman in the blue peplos?"

"Nope."

Sciron scowled. "It better not have been me."

"No, actually," Kimberly reassured him. "It was two other men this time. But they were in dresses. Older than you and Silas."

"Dresses?" Sciron raised his eyebrows. "Tunics, you mean."

"Colourful, decorated with gold," Kimberly hummed. "Pretty sure they were on a date. Do adults date?"

"Yes."

"What d'you do on dates?"

"Who were the men?"

Kimberly frowned. "It was hard to focus. It felt important not to be seen. I think one of them was a king. He had a crown with a cape and all. Super regal."

Sciron sat up in his chair. "Descriptions?"

"Both had beards, but the king had it down to an art, like damn! He had these really blue eyes that you could totally get lost in. Dark hair, muscles for life, I bet he had abs. The other guy was cute too, but not my type. Brown hair, pretty ripped. Maybe they went from gym bros to date dudes."

Kimberly tried to recall the setting of the dream. Sciron just levelled a look at her.

"A king with bright blue eyes," he repeated.

"Yeah… I think he had a staff or something."

"Made of lightning?"

She gawked at him. "What?"

Sciron rolled his eyes. "Jupiter's playboy days never really stopped."

She stared. Then she discreetly pointed up at the ceiling.

"The big guy," he answered her silent question.

"But… isn't he married?" Kimberly asked. "To a lady?"

"You haven't read much of the myths, have you?"

"Percy's dad said to be careful of what we read," Kimberly murmured, turning pink. "Now that he's starting to show powers, his scent's gonna get stronger."

Sciron looked at the baby with curiosity. Percy was eagerly batting his little hands at the globe of water hovering in front of him.

"He already has his powers?" Sciron whistled. "You're gonna have a job ahead of you keeping him in line."

"I guess, but Sally has a plan for that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. She says if we raise him with lots of love, he'll keep himself in line."

Sciron narrowed his eyes. "Right… good luck with that."

Kimberly huffed. "Watch and see non-believer. Percy's gonna be a good little kiddo. Aren't you, baby?"

She poked his belly. Percy dissolved into giggles, his face lighting up. In front of him, the water globe shuddered, melding out of shape before bursting out.

Water sprayed all over the room. It was hard to believe that the small globe had held so much liquid. Both Kimberly and Sciron were soaked and silent.

Percy stared at them with wide eyes before letting out a peal of laughter. He pointed a finger at Sciron like it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

"Like I said," Sciron drawled, unable to keep the smile off his face now. "Good luck with that."

Iphigenia's daughter was a sixty-eight year old woman. She wore a white shirt and a worn pair of slacks, her grey hair in box braids.

It was so odd to think of Iphigenia (a woman who barely seemed forty) mother-hen a woman who looked several years her senior.

"Mari," Iphigenia said with a hint of warning. "You need your cane. How many times have I asked—"

"Yes, Ma!" the old woman griped. She reached for a walking cane that had been tucked in the corner. It had a pretty design carved on the wooden handle, probably a gift.

"Good morning," James said carefully, walking into the dining room.

Mari looked up at him, her dark brown eyes narrowing. She looked quite a bit like Iphigenia, it was disconcerting.

"Hello, there," Mari finally said. "English, ye?"

"Yes. Are you from…?"

"Born in Wales, travelled all over. Settled here," Mari answered. She walked over to the table in the middle of the long room and sat on a chair heavily.

Iphigenia had spread a map over the table and was busy marking some points on it. James leaned in to take a peek.

"We're here," she explained, tapping on a small dot she'd made with a marker. "Just off the forest in the North East. It's a couple of hours walk to the National Highway, but that's the closest point on the road. Cass will be with Lily and Sally in Sheikh Zayed City outside of Cairo. We need to get to the Regional Ring Road in An Nubariyah where they'll pick us up and we can all head to Alexandria."

"That's where the Jacksons are?" James confirmed.

"Yes. It's the safest place for them now. There are others hunting for Seers and dreamers all over the world right now," Iphigenia said with a frown.

"Ajax will get involved," Mari said, her face grave.

Iphigenia grimaced. "Then we need to finish this as soon as possible."

"No, what I meant is," Mari reiterated. "Is that Ajax will get involved. It's not just a warning, he's already on his way here."

James stared at her. "Are you a Seer too?"

"Dreamer," Mari said. "For the past few nights, I've seen him and the son of Neptune fighting."

James frowned. "Neptune? Is that Greek?"

"Mari, where was this fight?" Iphigenia asked, urgently. "Was it by the sea? Was it Alexandria?"

"No… it was in Olympus. It looked like the marble halls up there," Mari murmured, thinking hard. "Very different."

Iphigenia shook her head. "We have no plans to go there. That's too far in the future, Mari."

Mari didn't look placated though. "They will fight soon. He had the bracelet in my dream. The Earth Goddess won't relinquish him unless he loses to Sciron."

Most of this was flying over James's head like a particularly troublesome snitch. Luckily, he wasn't the Seeker, he was a Chaser. He needed the Quaffle.

"How 'bout we leave the future where it will be," he asked the two women. "So we can focus on the present?"

"Yes, please," Iphy agreed, still worried. "Mari, anything else?"

"I saw the woman in the peplos, but it was very blurry," Mari sighed. "My dreams aren't as clear as they once were."

"That's alright," Iphy answered, folding up the map. "James's wife is an untrained Seer. Maybe she's Seen more."

"Ah, is that why you've brought them here?"

Iphy slapped the map roll against her palm, exasperated. "They brought themselves here."

Mari grunted. "What would you expect from the Saeson?"

Was she calling him a season? James knew next to nothing about the Welsh language, but they didn't know that.

"My wife's family has Welsh ancestry," he said mildly.

"Indeed," Mari said, her eyes gleaming. "Then you may be familiar with oatmeal and blood sausage?"

James blanched. He tried to recover as Iphy chuckled. "No, but I will be after today!"

Blood sausage was just a fancy term for sausage cooked with some authentic blood. James had heard of this being served in the Leaky Cauldron, but had never gone for it.

Next time he went there, he was definitely ordering it. It was delicious, not to mention, the name alone would terrify Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail.

Iphy had gone upstairs to shower quickly. James looked around the room, observing the various old photographs pinned up on the wall. Like all muggle ones, they were stationary.

Mari was in a few of them, but a majority of the photographs were of young children and teenagers all crowded together in cheers.

"My students," Mari explained, after taking a second smaller helping of the oatmeal. "I'd just retired from being the school's headmistress."

"Lovely children," James smiled. "Is this a small town?"

"Small enough. Nearly everyone knows each other," Mari responded. "I've been here for almost fourteen years."

James whistled. "You've done very well for yourself, Miss…"

"You can call me Mari," she acknowledged. "If my Ma trusts you to bring you here, I can allow it."

James nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. "So… Iphy… I mean, Iphigenia is your mother."

Mari smiled into her bowl. "Most of my friends and neighbours think she's my niece. But yes, truth be told, she is my mother."

"She's… really immortal, then."

Mari looked up. "You're not fully human, yourself."

This made him stare. "I beg your pardon?"

"You have some abilities that most mortals do not," she pointed out.

"Oh!" he nods. "Yes, my magic. I'm… I'm a wizard."

She's housing him, the least he could do was tell her some truths. James just wished he had his wand with him. He felt very out of sorts without it by his side.

"Magic," Mari said, so sardonically, he smiled.

"Afraid so."

"I should stop being so surprised by the world of ours," Mari hummed. "And yet…"

James grinned. "That makes two of us. I'm still trying to wrap my head around immortality… and gods."

She nodded before growing serious. "Why are you really here, James?"

"I," James said, quickly finishing his sausage. "Am helping a woman find her family. They were abducted and brought here. But then we found out that Iphy—I mean—your parents were behind this."

Mari didn't look so alarmed. "They do that… it's safer to deal with my parents than anyone else of the Earth Goddess's force."

Iphy had mentioned this elusive goddess. James couldn't recall the deity's name though. She wasn't one of the Olympians, was she?

"I guess you're talking about the third immortal?"

Mari's eyes flashed something dangerous. "Ajax. Yes. I'd tell you to steer clear of him, but…"

"But?"

"There's no avoiding him," she said sadly. "If he's after you, your days are numbered. It's only a matter of time. And he has an infinite amount of that on his side."

James's voice died a bit. He cleared his throat. "I don't think he knows about us yet… but he knows Iphy and Cass are in Egypt."

"Yes, Ma said. Hopefully, you can get this business done and be back with your people before he can reach you."

James slouched on his chair. "What do you know of him?"

Mari pressed her lips together until they turned pale from the pressure. Then she said, "He killed my husband."

James dropped his spoon. It clattered noisily on the bowl.

"Bloody he— That's terrible!" he gasped.

Mari gripped her cane hard. She probably didn't even realise it.

"It was a long time ago," she finally said. "I slipped up, got myself on the news for something… I don't know how Ajax found out, but he did. He thinks I'm dead now, so there's that. It's safer to live quietly and do some small good."

James swallowed. "But… why? Why did he…?"

Mari shrugged. "Mum says he's detached from the world. He heard about a child of Cassandra and Iphigenia, and that puts on his list."

A shadow crosses her face. "It's not worth contemplating how he operates. All we can do is stay away and stay safe."

James sat back, feeling his hands shake. An immortal who had no conscience? What chaos does Ajax wreck?

"That's why you stay here?" he asked. "Because you can't go back home?"

Mari didn't answer. She said nothing, funneling her oatmeal slowly. James winced as he realised that was a tactless question.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Mari scoffed. "Of course not. Are you done?"

He nodded quickly, getting up to wash the dishes. Mari slapped his arm and snatched the dirty dish away.

"You need to leave soon," Mari said, turning towards the sink. "Go on."

Not finding the right words, he left the kitchen.

He was in over his head. Gods and immortals. Demigods? That baby, Percy, was a bloody demigod. James recalled little of mythology, he was aware enough to know that most heroes of the past had perilous lives, what with monsters and prophecies and wars… and people like Ajax.

The blame was this little adventure squarely fell on Lily, James decided. Not that she was to blame… he just wanted to snark on the words I told you so stamped across her forehead.

James stood by a window, looking out the small house and at a playground some way away in the distance. A few children have already begun climbing over the jungle gyms and parallel bars, their high squeals of delight reaching his ears.

He missed Rosie and Harry. He wanted to go home.

After we find the Jacksons, James reminded himself.

He leaned against a door which fell open from his weight. James stumbled, catching the frame and leaving cracks in the wall from his furious grip.

Ah, Merlin.

James looked around, hoping Mari or Iphy hadn't seen his near fall. The room was clear. Mari was still in the kitchen and Iphy was out of sight.

He was about to reach into the room to close the door when the side wall caught his eye.

It was a tall and long surface that spanned the length of the rest of the house. The paint was old and yellowing near the corners.

Crayon and sketch pen marks covered half the wall.

James stepped in to look at the colourful scribbles all over it. Many of them reached the height of his waist, the obvious work of young children. But there were plenty of sentences written by taller people, maybe teenagers or even adults.

Most of it was in Arabic and Welsh, but some lines had English words.

An umbrella has one handle for a hand but enough cover for two people. We share safety as we share love.

Pretty, James thought, searching for another one.

I was lost in the wild and stayed happy. They dragged me back and the sunlight hurt me. Whose fault is it?

They were poetic lines all written by people over several years. Maybe Mari's students from her school. James felt the demons cower against the brightness of the words.

Where do we get cat gut from?
Ans: Sheep and horses. Go figure.

Oh, this one was good. James grinned.

I wish I could make the leap. But I keep waiting for another to do it first.

"Don't I know it, mate," he whispered.

There were a few crayons scattered on a table near the door. He had the urge to pick one up and write something of his own.

Some need a swimming lesson. Some need a life jacket.

James stared at this. This one hit the hardest. It was written in brown crayon in very neat letters, almost like cursive. Most probably an adult. The colouring seemed at least several years old.

"That one's my second favourite," Iphy whispered.

He didn't even jump. Half his mind was still engrossed in it.

"Huh?" he asked.

Iphy stepped into the room. She was wearing fresh clothes, smelling of soap. She nodded towards the lines he'd found. "The life jacket line. That's my second favourite."

Only second? He wondered.

Instead he asked, "What does it mean?"

She smiled. "If someone's drowning, a swimming lesson won't save their life in that exact moment. In fact, if you get prepped to teach them, they'll have drowned by then."

"A life jacket won't give them the skills to learn," James mumbled. "But it'll keep them alive."

"Which is the whole point," Iphy sighs deeply. "Many forget the point of living and teaching. This line reminds me of what's important in the moment."

James swallowed roughly. "How… how old are you?"

If Iphy was insulted by the question, she didn't show it. Maybe she heard the genuine awe and terror in his voice.

"Thirty one hundred," she said. "Closer to thirty two."

It was strange. The number itself didn't surprise him, but the greatness of it made him hold his breath.

"How do you live?" he whispered, unable to look at her. His eyes roamed the wall.

Iphy was quiet for a moment. Her silent demeanour was very much pronounced in Mari. James instantly recognized that similarity and it overwhelmed him.

"With Cass," she finally said. "I'd never have made it this far without my wife."

It was such a grounding answer. James could instantly relate to that.

But they were worlds apart.

"Why do you care?" he finally broached.

Iphy tilted her head, gauging the question. Or perhaps the wall. She reached towards the crayons and picked up a green one.

She wrote, "The difference between hell and home is requited hope."

James exhaled. "I meant to ask why do you care about the world? You're immortal. Nothing can kill you. But you're running directly against a goddess's orders. You're having kids. You're worried for the Jacksons. Why bother with any of it?"

Iphy tossed him the crayon. She had a smile that must have taken centuries to craft. "Maybe Cass and I are selfish? Maybe we're just making a better world for our children. Maybe we're trying to right our wrongs."

"I don't think you're selfish."

"No?"

"No," James said, firmly. "I… I can't explain it. But you're not selfish."

"I see you're not quibbling hope?" she pointed out.

"Hope is good," he nodded. "But it's nothing without finding what to put your faith in. Hope without stability is just wishful thinking."

Iphy looked interested. "And how would you make one's hope strong?"

James thought of Mari living her final years in a small town in Egypt, just to hide from Ajax. He thought of young Kimberly and baby Percy Jackson in trouble because of things beyond their control.

He thought of the prophecy on Harry's head.

How do you bring a strong cause for hope?

"You have to put in the effort," James muttered. "You have to put yourself out there and work. And be brave."

"And be loved," Iphy added, in a very unyielding attitude.

James's head drooped. "Even if it never seems enough?'

"If you can slow down the inevitable and give yourself more time, I'd say it's worth it," Iphy said with a sad smile.

Time, James thought, was limited to him. To most of them.

"We need to leave," Iphy whispered. "Once we get the Jacksons, you and Lily and be on your way."

Back to England where Voldemort and the Death Eaters were waiting to hunt and kill them.

The whole reason for Lily and James to travel away from Godric's Hollow was to take a break from the entire war. They were running ragged, taking care of the twins, listening to horrifying news, joining Order meetings…

Lily's vision of the woman in the peplos had almost been a blessing.

Running away isn't going to solve it, James thought grimly. But maybe it cleared their heads.

They had to go back. If anything, they had to go back for the kids. James looked at the green crayon in his hand and searched the wall for some clear space.

Right by the life-jacket line, James slowly wrote his fear.

How do you make this world safer for your babies? I don't know.
But pillow forts work for a while.

Maybe one day, he can come back and write a more long term answer.

Lily's headache had mostly vanished. It was nearly seven in the morning and Cass was hurriedly packing their stuff. They needed to leave before anyone could trace them to the hotel.

Sally was eating her bowl of ice cream quietly by the window. She hadn't spoken much since coming up from the lobby. Whatever had happened there had prompted Cass to scope the place out to check for any hints of danger.

Everything seemed quiet for now.

"Lily?" Cass called quietly. She was holding out the wireless hand-held telephone. Lily sat up, looking at it curiously.

"Magic doesn't really work well with these kinds of technology," she admitted.

"Make it quick then," Cass hinted, "Someone wants to talk to you."

Lily took the phone, her heart palpitating. There was light static on the line, but she strained her ears and said, "Hello."

"Hello? Lily?"

She exhaled, so close to bursting into tears.

"What was Harry's first word?" she asked, just then remembering the agreed question code.

"It was not 'mum'," James said pointedly. "He was just coughing. What was Rosie's first word?"

"It was not 'da'," Lily choked, unable to wipe her smile. "She was just two months old at the time."

James chuckled, a low throaty sound and Lily wanted to flop back onto the bed in relief.

"My mirror broke," he said. "I just have one bit of it."

Lily grimaced. Did they leave behind a communication device at the Cairo Auror station? She sighed, "We'll have to get that disconnected."

"That's okay, they can't trace it back to us… I tried calling you, but it wasn't working. You alright?"

"Yes, mostly fine. Had an information dump last night, but other than that, sure. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. In a bit of shock… Iphy's immortal, did you know?"

"Iphy?"

"Yeah. Officer Santos is actually a woman named Iphigenia," James said, excited. He recounted the tale in a quick minute. Lily listened carefully, recognizing all his little quirks and beats in the way he spoke. It was him. Her partner, her husband, her love.

She told him her side of the story and then talked about her latest vision.

"Another one?" James said, surprised. "You just had one a week ago."

"This one was short," Lily sighed, explaining what she Saw about the woman in the peplos, dissolving in the river, her soul inbound for reincarnation.

"I know this myth!" he perked up. "That river you mentioned. I think it was the Lethe!"

Lily frowned. She didn't like that name. It sounded too close to 'Lethifold'.

"Is it another strange river like the… the other one with the sticks name?" she asked, immediately looking out the window. There was no thunder in the sky. Maybe she didn't say it right.

"There are five major rivers in the Underworld," James recalled. "One of them is the Lethe, it's about memories and everything. The strongest one is the Styx."

This time, there was a great crackle of noise bursting through the line. Lily jerked the phone away from her throbbing ear.

"... sorry, sorry!" James was saying distantly. His voice came on louder and Lily listened in.

"... not supposed to say that name just like that, got it!" James said, clearly responding to somebody on his side.

"Five rivers, Jamie," Lily nudged him.

"I don't remember the others much," he relented. "One was fire, another was pain… fun things like that."

"The Lethe's about memories?" Lily hummed. "But the way I saw it, the woman's entire body just… vapourized. Her soul was the only thing it let go."

"Right, right!" James said, excited again. "I think you just saw someone being reborn! That's what the Lethe does. Deceased people go for judgement, and if they're ruled as good people, they can either go to heaven (or whatever it is for the Ancient Greeks) or they can opt for rebirth."

Lily nodded slowly, "So the body is gone, but the soul is free to be reincarnated in our world. Okay… but that's a completely different person, innit? They couldn't be that big of a connection with their past lives, could they?"

"Dunno," James mumbled. "Maybe… for this woman that you keep seeing… it is a big deal. That's why everyone's worried. That's why the Jacksons got taken. If Kimberly's dreaming about this woman… or anything else…"

She frowned to herself. Who was this woman that had the entire Ancient and Immortal Greek worlds up in arms?

"Oh, right," James said, his voice slightly distant again. He became louder now- "Lils, Iphy and I will meet you on National Highway 75 in a few hours. The Aurors are expanding their search outside city borders. Have you used any magic wherever you are?"

"Damn… " Lily muttered, thinking of the beds she'd conjured. "I did."

"Alright, keep it to a minimum. Stick to wandless incantations. That's harder to track."

"Got it," Lily rubbed her eyes, realising why they could apparate or portkey to Alexandria directly. Road trip it is. "I love you, James."

"I love you too," he whispered. "So much. We're gonna finish this job and get back home and rip You-Know-Who's sodding head off. I've been wanting to get a pint and just relax at the Leaky for Merlin-knows how long."

Lily chuckled.

The call ended and a beeping noise issued over the line. Lily looked at the rough keypad, trying to discern the markings on the buttons. Finally, she pressed the red one which stopped the beeps.

Trust James to make her dare to think so far beyond their infamous little lives. With his voice in her head. Lily really felt like she could do anything.

"Ready to leave?" Cass asked, tossing her satchel over her shoulders.

"Yes," Lily said, getting to her feet. Her soles were a little sore but she was mostly ready to face the day. Sally quickly gobbled up the last of her melting strawberry swirl before dumping the cup and spoon into the waste bin.

"Iphy and James are on their way to An Nubariyah. We'll pick them up on our way to Alexandria, get to the Jacksons and then go our separate ways," Cass said. "With any luck, we'll never have to see each other again."

Sally glared at her. "You're the one who kidnapped them in the first place!"

Cass grimaced. "Sally, I swear on the Styx that what I say now is the truth. Taking Kimberly and Percy from New York and bringing them to Egypt was the safest way to get them away from the gods and other enemies. There are many, many people searching for anyone who can dream about very specific times of the past. Demigod dreams would be shielded by their immortal parents. Kimberly does not have a patron looking out for her. We had no choice but to get her away before the dreams alerted higher powers."

The day was bright with the sun raging down on the desert. And yet, Lily could hear the thunderous bolt of energy from the skies above them.

Sally looked downright dismayed. "What's the dream that you're all looking for?"

Cass shrugged. "I'm guessing it's an Olympian secret. But they have so many of those, it's hard to isolate them."

Lily blinked. "I thought there were only twelve Olympians?"

"Yes, but never underestimate the number of their private matters," Cass warned her. "I'm afraid Kimberly has stumbled upon a goldmine of dreams and has basically been sending up flare signals to the deities and monsters. There's only so much Percy's presence can do, but combining them—"

"It was safer to get them away from Olympian territory," Sally finished, her shoulders dropping.

"I'm sorry, dear," Cass said, looking truly apologetic. "But once I extract the dreams away from her, Kimberly's mind will be safe."

"Extract?"

"There's a god who owes me a favour," Cass said, unlocking the door to their room. "I've asked him to meet up with us at the port in a few hours."

"A god?" Lily blurted. "A real Greek God?"

Sally was already shaking her head. "No, we can't let people know who Percy is! If this god finds out—"

"This one already knows," Cass placated her. "He's loyal to Percy's father, seeing as how Poseidon's also his father."

Poseidon?

"Crickey," Lily whispered.

Sally was dumbstruck. Cass waved a hand at the two extra bunks. Lily looked over to them before remembering. She flicked her wand and cleared the beds out, retaining the original singlet by the corner.

"It's not a coincidence then," Sally realised. "That you took Kimberly and Percy to Alexandria."

"There are no such things as coincidences," Cass said, sagely. "We can't invite a Greek god to Egypt. But Alexandria is a meeting place for multiple civilizations. It's perfect for a sea god."

Lily gave a hollow laugh. The three women filed out of the room and headed for the lobby to turn in their key.

"Your van's ready," Bea said.

Cass smiled, picking up the van keys. "Thanks. You leaving soon, Dare?"

Beatrice Taylor, soon to be Beatrice Dare, grinned. "This evening. Patrick's already here badgering me."

"Enjoy the wedding," Cass bid her goodbye. "Our gift'll reach you when you're back from the honeymoon. Iphy picked it out."

Bea looked delighted.

Lily spied a bowl of boiled sweets. She eagerly plucked a few for the trip. Sally instead just watched Bea thoughtfully.

"You okay?" Lily whispered.

Sally shook her head. "Not really, but we're on our way to Percy and Kim, so… "

Lily patted her shoulder. Cass lead the trio out the back door, walking down the steps. There was barely anyone waiting here. The yard was empty save for some waste bins racked up to the side and a couple of cars parked under a shed.

The van wasn't here.

Cass frowned. "Did Bea say if the van—"

A horn blew from the side. Lily, taking up the group's rear, stopped in her tracks. Sally slowly joined Cass, the latter having frozen on the last step.

A bright green van pulled into the yard from the back gate of the hotel. It was freshly washed with a palm tree placard dangling from the rear view mirror.

The driver hit the brakes and stopped right in front of the woman. He leaned an arm out the window, suave and cheery. "Cass, baby! Long time no see!"

For some reason, Lily's blood ran cold.

Maybe it was because Cass stood unresponsive. Or maybe it was because the man was delaying them.

Nuh uh. It was mostly because the man was Ajax Furor.

I loathe Ajax. He's one of the worst villains in Ancient Greek history. Adding him to my series lends it far more gravitas than what I'd begin writing years ago, but that's alright. The stakes are rising, readers. Stay tuned!

PS. Adding Beatrice and Patrick was tricky but I managed it, somewhat. What d'you think?

PSS. Check out this fic on my Ao3 account author name: CabbaK for a visual of Cassandra, Iphigenia, and Ajax. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out: Story Characters, Ch 6.

Cabba K.