"Doesn't sound like a fun one." Poseidon muttered

We could see the white flag from half a mile away…You do not want to get into a snowball fight with those guys."

Everybody chuckled.

"Not fun." Zoe agreed

As the giant got closer, I could see three human-size envoys…except for her flaming hair and fangs.

"Oh gods. The mental images." Travis and Connor held their heads.

The demigods were pale.

The group walked leisurely toward the Heckscher Playground…. Always stealing celery from defenseless satyrs!"

The demigods burst out laughing while Grover turned red.

"Poor satyrs and celery." Travis joked

Grover pouted.

Thalia coughed. "What?" Grover demanded…"Here they come."

"The fear of rabbits is called Leporiphobia." Annabeth said

"Thanks." Grover said

Annabeth grinned.

The man in the tux stepped forward…I'd destroyed two of her sisters last summer.

"Yes, enjoy hissing at me." Percy said warily

The demigods snickered and the sea gang cracked smiles.

"My dear," Tux Dude said to her…"Hey, Ethan," I said. "You're looking good."

Everybody laughed.

"Good one Perce." Beckendorf chuckled. Percy grinned.

Ethan glared at me. "To business." Tux Dude extended his hand. "I am Prometheus."

"Whoa." Frank said

"It's not good that even he was siding with the titans." Reyna said grimly

The gods nodded.

I was too surprised to shake. "The fire-stealer guy? ... Zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity."

"Titan sarcasm." Connor sighed

"He has a point though." Travis said. Zeus grimaced.

I was looking at Ethan, but Prometheus apparently thought…He just frowned and said, "Uh-oh."

The demigods' eyes widened and they burst into laughter.

Then he stepped in the fountain…the idea of fighting him made me sad.

The sea gang sighed.

Prometheus sat forward and laced his fingers…"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Grover put in. "Emphasis on crafty."

"Good one, Grover." Hermes nodded. Grover grinned.

Prometheus shrugged. "True enough, satyr…"Your spy has been keeping you posted," I guessed.

Silena winced.

Prometheus smiled apologetically…. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."

"You wish, honey." Connor said

Percy groaned.

"It would have been a great line but just please don't add the 'honey.' It gives me Mrs. Dodds vibes." He said

Connor smirked. Nico snickered.

I thought about the picture Rachel had drawn in my dream…"I won't let it happen," I said.

The sea gang smiled at Percy.

Prometheus brushed a speck off his tux lapel… elevator at the Empire State Building?" I asked. "Good luck."

Everybody laughed.

"Percy, I-" Reyna started.

Percy grinned sheepishly.

Prometheus smiled. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy…"The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power.

Everybody scoffed and snorted.

"We'd be dead in a blink of an eye." Pollux said

"No, he'd torture before killing some of us and the others, he would kill at once. We wouldn't have had a proper trial in the Underworld and it'd be a barren place." Chris said

The demigods' jaws tightened and the gods grimaced and winced. Then they saw their children. They looked like warriors. The gods knew that their children were brave but now they saw the strength they possessed, mental and physical.

You saw what happened to Poseidon…old and decrepit my father looked.

The sea gang winced.

"Yes," Prometheus said sadly. "I know that was hard for you…Much easier. Fewer lives lost.

"We wouldn't have let the already lost lives to be for vain." Will scoffed.

The demigods nodded.

But make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down…The Hunters will fight to our last breath.

Artemis smiled at her hunters who were nodding.

Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?"

"Slimeball." Tyson snickered

I figured Prometheus was going to blast her…"That's my mother's surname. I don't use it."

Jason grimaced.

"As you wish," Prometheus said casually…not because you cared about us."

"You tell him, Thalia!" The demigods cheered

Thalia grinned. Artemis looked proud.

Prometheus shook his head. "You don't understand…He made a fist and smashed the clay man into a pancake.

The demigods jumped.

"That was sudden." Castor said

The demigods nodded.

The blue giant rumbled, "Uh-oh."… My face felt hot. "That's different."

Leo growled.

"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas's daughter.

The demigods scowled.

We are not your enemies. Don't let the worst happen," he pleaded…Not even recognized?"

The gods winced.

"Yeah, they didn't feel important because they didn't have cabins." Percy said

The gods grimaced again.

He sounded just like Luke when he'd tried to kill me…An eye was a small price to pay."

"He did make a difference." Annabeth said

Percy and Grover nodded.

"Great mom." "At least she keeps her word, unlike the Olympians…Now, now," the Titan said. "We're on a diplomatic mission."

"Percy had a good point to Ethan." Piper said

Prometheus studied me as if trying to understand my anger…Prometheus's index finger touched my forehead.

Thalia, Percy and Annabeth grimaced.

Suddenly I was back in May Castellan's living room…Ms. Castellan bandaged her wounded leg.

Zeus grimaced and rubbed his leg.

Seven-year-old Annabeth sat next to her, playing with a Medusa beanbag toy.

Everybody chuckled.

The god's face looked liquid in the candlelight…His shoulders were tense, as if he expected a fight.

Hermes winced.

"All these years I've been calling to you…Growing up on the streets, fending for myself, fighting monsters."

"You just made him hate his life and situation and parentage even more." Chris winced.

Hermes flinched.

"You're my son," Hermes said. "I knew you had the ability. When I was only a baby, I crawled from my cradle and set out for—"

"That's not the time for stories!" Lee said

"And he's not a god. You can't compare him to yourself!" Clarisse said.

Hermes flinched again.

The Stolls and Chris would've glared at the others for talking to their dad like that but they knew that what their dad was doing was bound to hurt Luke and Hermes shouldn't have compared Luke to himself. Normally the gods would kill them for trying to compare any demigod to them and then they were comparing themselves on their own. Luke wasn't a god. No demigod was.

"I'm not a god! Just once, you could've said something…Did you even know when I finally ran away?"

The demigods actually felt bad for Luke but they knew somewhere that Hermes did love Luke. They knew it would've been very scary for such a young kid with May as she was kind of cursed.

Hermes glared at Hades who winced.

In the kitchen, Ms. Castellan chattered aimlessly…She mouthed, Can we go now?

Annabeth grimaced.

"Luke, I care very much," Hermes said slowly…He stared at the candles as if remembering something unpleasant.

"That would make him even more upset, dad." Chris said gently. Hermes nodded and grimaced.

"What?" Luke asked. "What about my destiny?"… "Now, what were you saying about my destiny?"

"He does need help very badly." Pollux shook his head.

"Dude, he just got another thing to worry about. That's kind of an exception for feeling like that." Dakota said.

Pollux sighed

The wings on Hermes's Reeboks fluttered restlessly…what would happen to Luke someday, how he would turn evil.

Hermes shuddered.

"My son," he said, "I'm the god of travelers…"You don't love me."

This made The Stolls and Chris angry.

"If he wouldn't have loved you then he wouldn't have visited you. Luke should know he's lucky." They said angrily. The demigods grimaced as they head emotion in the three brother's voices.

Hermes noticed it too and flinched.

"I promise I…I do love you. Go to camp..."Then you don't care!" Luke yelled

Hermes grimaced.

"He can't tell." Apollo said sadly

In the kitchen, the talking died abruptly…Thalia, Annabeth, come on! We're leaving!"

The demigods winced for their own reasons while the gods winced for their own. The gods winced because of the feeling of abandonment that their children might have felt.

The demigods winced because they felt a little bad for Luke but they understood why Hermes couldn't do anything though they knew that Hermes had not handled the situation well. They winced at the understanding that Luke interpreted

"My boy, don't go!" May Castellan called after him…"I know, my love," Hermes said sadly. "Believe me, I know."

The demigods grimaced in sympathy for May. A few of the demigods had watery eyes.

The image faded. Prometheus pulled his hand away…I was too stunned to answer.

Poseidon flinched.

"Perrrcy," Grover warned, "he's playing with your mind…so he probably knew Prometheus was succeeding.

The gods and demigods flinched. The demigods, because they understood what Percy meant and the gods because of Percy.

Athena, Hera and Zeus eyed Percy warily.

"Do you really blame your friend Luke?" the Titan asked me…Then maybe I won't have to destroy him."

"Percy, my man. How can you say all this without cracking?" Travis asked

"I don't know." Percy sighed.

The empousa snarled. Her hair erupted in fresh flames…Grover whimpered when he saw it.

"No." Poseidon breathed

Hestia and Percy shared a knowing glance. Hestia gave a gentle smile to Percy, remembering what he did.

Thalia gasped. "That's not—" "Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognize it."… They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

Zeus scowled.

I thought about my dream of Hades and Maria di Angelo…probably hadn't lost any sleep over it.

The demigods scowled at Zeus.

Hades was no better…or tried to raise him better so he wouldn't turn evil?

Hermes and Hades flinched. Their children grimaced because Percy had a point there.

Maybe Prometheus was toying with my mind. But what if he's right? part of me wondered. How are the gods any better than the Titans?

The demigods grimaced. Percy was the most loyal demigod ever and even he thought that even though it was just for a few seconds or minutes.

The gods stared at Percy, a few of them were slightly open-mouthed. Some gods looked guilty. Percy stared determinedly at the wall and refused to look at anybody.

Prometheus tapped the lid of Pandora's jar. "…He will spare the survivors."

"Kronos will do no such thing." Chris gritted his teeth.

I stared at the jar and got a very bad feeling…It cannot be taken back."

Percy gave a small growl.

He stood. The empousa came forward…like it was just a regular sunny Sunday afternoon.

"Done." Persephone said

"I'll read." Apollo said. Persephone gave him the book.