Hey guysssss, sorry it's been a while, my life has been very very busy as of late, and I needed a break from this fic to write some other things. Which has in turn cleared most of my writer's block. I thank you all for your patience.

Reviews:

ThFourthFate4Ever:

I actually don't mind the long comments at all, if I remember correctly I was uploading this late at night so that was probably why I said 'speed round' lol.

1. OOC yeah, not much I could really do about that, but I feel like having an internal struggle is better than the 'hate all men thing', and I would LOVE to say more but I really don't want to spoil. Maybe I'll discuss it when everything is said and done, a Q&A would be fun.

2. Thank you ^-^ it was a lot of fun to write. Gotta give dem girls some screentime~

3. Omen, yesssssss, my boy Omen, I have been waiting forever to introduce this dude. I have a lot planned with him, and Armani obviously by extension. I feel I might not be giving enough of Armani's past lol, but I feel building Armani will help better understand why her story is important. With re-writes and such, I do agree, I don't necessarily hate fics like that, but I'm also the kind of person who likes to use extremely outlandish ideas that most people dismiss. So that's why this fic may be a bit... out there to say the least.

Last note, I also didn't change the dream sequence in this chapter too much from the original canon, mostly because it doesn't need to be, and can't really be changed unless I wanna scrap the whole thing. Which I almost did, but this fic has been un-updated for too long and I wanted to get a chapter out.

Sorry for the delay.

Percy P.O.V.

I stood outside of the Lamborghini me and Zoe had been in earlier, Zoe was still inside, trying to get some sleep while we still had the time.

As I watched the sun go down, I thought of my friends. Armani. I was afraid to go to sleep. I was worried about what I might dream.

"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to me.

I looked over. Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find the homeless guy from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. He looked kind of like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck.

"If it weren't for dreams," he said, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:

"Dreams like a podcast,

Downloading truth in my ears.

They tell me cool stuff"

Apollo?" I guessed because I figured nobody else could make a haiku that bad.

He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."

"A god named Fred?"

"Eh, well… Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody."

"Can you help us, then?"

"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"

"The train. How fast are we moving?"

Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."

"But where is Artemis?"

His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's… clouded from me. I don't like it."

"And Luke?"

He frowned. "Oh, the other demi-god you're trying to defeat? Hmm. Not sure."

I tried not to feel mad. The gods didn't know everything, but I wished they did.

"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" I asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

"But it's your Oracle," I protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"

Apollo sighed. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."

"In other words, you don't know."

Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, before I go, I should warn you about your 'sister'."

I blinked, "This again?"

"I don't think you understand how dangerous Armani actually is," Apollo said, crossing his arms.

"What is your guy's obsession with my sister? You act like she killed your dog or something."

Apollo stepped towards me, his frame towering over my own as he put his hand on my shoulder, "Let me ask you something Perseus, do you understand what Nature Energy is?"

I tried to answer, but Apollo interrupted before I could say anything, "No, you don't, I'm assuming she doesn't either. Percy, the energy she utilizes is the very foundation of our entire world." Apollo emphasized the last word.

"What do you think nature is, Percy? It's a naturally occurring event, photosynthesis, growth, air, lightning, even space and time."

I gaped at the man, I had never really thought of it in that way before, for one person to possibly command so much…

"She already has the space aspect figured out, what with her little 'leap' trick, who knows what she'll figure out next?" He laughed bitterly, shaking his head, "That's not even the worst part, the worst part is that she can actually store it in her own body, and infuse it into whatever she likes. The amount of it rolling off her is something even Artemis can't get anywhere close to exuding."

The thought made me pause, above the capabilities of a god? That sounded so… so… absurd, and yet with Armani, it wasn't the most surprising thing to hear. She was powerful no doubt about it, scary when she wanted to be. But she didn't just go around hurting people, hells, she didn't even want to fight for years.

"But she's on our side," I countered, "that's just better for us."

The sun god shook his head, "And what about the museum? Eviscerating two regular humans? If she can't control herself, she could cause immense damage to the world around her."

"She's a ticking time bomb, Percy. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. And if she doesn't get it under control, someone else will step in to make sure she does, and they may not be as nice as me."

The thought of Armani turning made my stomach flip, I didn't think she was capable of betraying her friends, her family, but that berserk state had been something I wouldn't have expected either.

The amount of rage and malicious intent coming off of her was even more intense than the feeling I got when fighting Ares, and yet she still fought to protect us, and even pulled herself back. Even still, it did put me on edge a bit.

"Well, it's about time for me to leave now Percy, don't forget what I said, and sweet dreams," Apollo said, tapping my forehead before he turned to leave.

"I… don't need… sleep…"

I didn't get to say anything else to the back of the retreating god as I slowly fell into the abyss of sleep and nightmares.

—

In my dream, I was somebody else. I was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, which

was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around my back like a cape, and I was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping my hand.

"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but I could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"

It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. We were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading me through it as if we were about to die.

"I'm not afraid," I tried to tell her.

"You should be!" she said, pulling me along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.

We raced up the side of the hill. She pulled me behind a thorn bush and we collapsed, both breathing heavily. I didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And I felt strong. Stronger than I'd ever felt before.

"There is no need to run," I told her. My voice sounded deeper, much more confident. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."

"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."

The hurt in her voice surprised me. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about me.

"I don't trust your father," I said.

"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die.'"

I chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"

"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it." I stood up, rubbing my hands together.

"Wait.'" the girl said.

She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My Immortal power."

The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.

"Take it," she told me. "And make of it a weapon."

I laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"

"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."

The girl's voice softened my heart. I reached down and took the hairpin, and as I did, it grew longer and heavier in my hand, until I held a familiar bronze sword.

"Well balanced," I said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."

Before I could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"

I shot upright in the Lamborghini's driver's seat. Zoe was shaking my arm.

"Percy," she said. "The train has stopped, and we need to move. Come on!"

I tried to shake off my drowsiness. Stepping outside of the car, I took in the landscape surrounding us, there were snowy mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.

I fished my pen out of my pocket and stared at it. Anaklusmos, the Ancient Greek name for Riptide. A different form, but I was sure it was the same blade I'd seen in my dream.

And I was sure of something else, too. The girl I had seen, and the girl I was now standing next to were one and the same.

Zoe Nightshade.

Author's Notes:

I know this is a lot shorter than my other chapters, I've been a lot busier recently and had trouble getting this out, plus a little bit of a setback when it came to this story.

I honestly don't want to make any more promises on my update schedule, at this point it's pretty much 'whenever I can upload', Sorry if that's a bit disappointing.

However, it should NOT take me another month to upload, if it starts taking too long, I'll upload another short chapter, sadly with midterms coming up and such, it's a bit out of my hands at the moment.

Regarding any other fics, the Sharingan one is on the same type of status, 'Will be updated when I have time'. I'm focusing on two fics right now, and hopefully, things will be back under control after midterms.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this smaller chapter. ^-^

Until Next Time,

Dredgen