Atalanta POV:

I was glad we were still in the Labyrinth for one main reason: it made distance sound like nothing. We could've been anywhere across the country, or under some forgotten mountain range, but with Rachel leading us forward, we got to Times Square in no less than a few minutes. It made no sense but I didn't think too hard on it. I was glad we had made it back, escaping near death again.

We climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

"Geez," Grover muttered. "That's what the sun looks like?"

I stifled a dry laugh. "Yeah, who knew?"

I led the group into an alley where I could get a nice echo. Then I whistled as loud as I could, three times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by four of his friends.

Yo boss! He spoke in my mind. You lived!

"Thanks for your confidence in me," I rolled my eyes and smiled. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need to get to camp ASAP."

That's my specialty! Oh man, you got that Cyclops with you? Yo, Guido! How's your back holding up?

The pegasus Guido groaned and complained, but eventually he agreed to carry Tyson. Everybody started saddling up – except Rachel.

"Well, I guess this is it." She said.

I nodded. "Thanks, Rachel. For you know, taking up my offer and saving my life."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I mean, except for..." She faltered. "Pan..."

"He said something about your father," I remembered. "What did he mean?"

Rachel twisted the strap on her backpack. "My dad... he was talking about my dad's job. He's kind of a famous businessman."

My eyes widened. "You mean... you're rich?"

"Well yeah."

"So that's how you got that chauffeur to help us? You–" I stopped. Something told me this was where the source of her dislike in the topic of family came from.

"Yes," Rachel nodded at the look of understanding on my face. "Atti, my dad's a land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land." She took a shaky breath. "The wild. He–he buys it up. I hate it, but he plows it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centers. And now, now that I've seen Pan's death..." She trailed off, wordless.

"Hey, Rachel." I stared at the girl, my eyes serious. "I won't judge you for what your father has done. And neither did Pan. I know that you're awesome. You helped me on my quest when you could've died, and led me through. You were so brave, and didn't waste a second smacking the Titan of Time in the face to save my life. That's the only thing I'll judge you on. I don't care what your dad does."

Rachel looked at me gratefully. "Well, if you ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again... you could call me or something. Which by the way, how did you get it in the first place?"

I blushed. "Well, I didn't. My brother gave it to me. He seemed to have known you before."

Rachel shook her head. "Nah I would remember if I gave my number to someone who looked so hot."

"Ew," I smiled. "Don't get your hopes up, he's taken."

Rachel shrugged. "You'll know how to find me then. Go save the world then and all that, Atti." She turned and walked off down Seventh Avenue and disappeared, swallowed by the sea of New Yorkers living their normal lives.

I turned back to my friends. "Y'all ready?"

Two nods later, we were shooting through the air, zooming at breakneck pace towards camp. I hope we weren't too late.

§§§§§

Thankfully we weren't. We landed in the middle of the cabin areas and were immediately met by Chiron, the potbellied satyr Silenus who looked like he was about to lose his shit, and someone I hadn't gotten to see in what felt like a whole year. Before I knew what I was doing, my legs had carried me into my waiting brother's arms, and I hugged him as tight as I could.

"Geez, Atti, didn't know you missed me so badly," Percy chuckled, ruffling my hair. "How's life?"

"I've missed you so much!" I exclaimed. "You won't believe the progress I've made on my skills."

Percy smirked. "Really now? So if you and Zoe were to spar, you have more than a 0.0001% chance of winning?"

I pouted. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You don't believe in me?"

Chiron cleared his throat as Percy simply laughed at me. I sighed and turned to the centaur, then began relaying the news I had discovered. Chiron wasn't very surprised, and catching the knowing glance from Percy, I figured Percy had already confirmed the centaur's suspicions.

"I feared as much," Chiron said, sounding like his age had caught up to him. "We must hurry. Hopefully you've slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Perseus and the Hunters have also arrived to aid us. Now come!"

"Now just wait a moment!" The saggy barnyard animal behind Chiron decided to speak. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's license is revoked!"

Grover took a deep breath and stood up straight. He stared Silenus in the eye and spoke. "Searcher's licenses don't matter anymore. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."

"WHAT?!" Silenus' face turned bright red, like a volcano had just blown up inside him. I glanced up to notice Percy displaying a deadpan face, though his eyes were dancing with laughter. I chuckled a bit, before recomposing myself.

"Sacrilege and lies!" The overweight goat continued. "Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"

"It's true," I managed to say with a straight face. "We were all there when he died. All of us."

"Liars! It's impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!"

I couldn't help it. This old goat was sat here complaining his ass off while Grover just underwent the most extreme choice in his life just to find the god he had been looking for since he was born.

"Don't believe us?" I asked snarkily. "How about instead of calling out the satyr who tried a liar, you get off your saggy butt and do something to prove us otherwise?"

Percy let out a snort and quickly disguised it as a cough while Chiron just shook his head in exasperation. Silenus looked about ready to explode again when the centaur raised his hand up and trotted between us, staring down at Silenus.

"We can speak of this later," Chiron said firmly. "Right now, my camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited for two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we're not dead by this evening."

On that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped towards the woods, leaving us to follow as best we could.

Sure, I had seen the camp preparing for war before the quest, but the amount of preparation I saw right now was the biggest military operation I had ever seen in camp. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time, we weren't capturing any flags. The Hephaestus cabin hadn't hesitated in bringing out the big guns and all the nastiest things they could create, setting up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth made of razor wire, Greek fire, and rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge like in the movies. Beckendorf himself was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus' Fist. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Apollo's and Hermes' cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark. Across on the other side, the Athena cabin had set up a command tent and were directing operations. Our security chief, Argus, stood guard at the entrance. The Hunters stood to the side, many of them sharpening their knives or simply watching the woods carefully.

It looked like a pretty good setup, but Chiron muttered next to me, "It isn't enough."

I nodded in agreement. Even with Percy and Zoe's help, since they didn't break the Ancient Laws, if Kronos showed up, the camp may as well be burnt alive. I didn't have any doubts with Percy keeping the Titan at bay, but I doubt their fight would consider the camp's safety, even if Percy tried his best. The revival of the Titan of Time had shaken me much more than I imagined, and it took all my pumping adrenaline to not feel defeated.

"Don't give up, my old friend," Percy clapped Chiron's back. "The monsters won't know what hit them." Despite his lighthearted tone, I noticed Percy's eyes had darkened slightly. He looks that way every time he's remembering something back in his old universe, and usually, it isn't a pleasant memory. "If I may," Percy said to Chiron. "I would like to take Atalanta for further preparations."

Chiron nodded and Percy led me towards the Poseidon cabin, whilst Grover and Tyson split up into camp. My brother turned to me and said, "Show me."

I nodded and summoned my dual blade constructs as well as a bubble shield around myself. I dispelled all and constructed a suit of armor around me, strong enough to take a wrecking ball into me without breaking anything. After Pan's energy boost, I felt like I could level an island.

Percy smirked. "You've improved. Your structural formation is much stronger. I suppose you used most of your abilities in the Labyrinth?"

"Yeh," I said, recalling all my fights. "You should've seen Luke's face when I didn't use Riptide to fight Antaeus."

"Bet that fucker was surprised," Percy laughed. "Anyhow, we can check on your progress later. Here," He pulled out what looked like a set of dual blades, though for some reason, neither weapon had visible blades.

"Uh, so I fight with just the handles?" I asked stupidly. "Surely this isn't it."

Percy chuckled. "I would never just give you half-finished armaments. Since Zoe already got hers, I figured its time I give you yours."

I smirked. "Oh yeah? What did you get her?"

Percy scratched the back of his head. "I used the rest of my Tiber metal nanopieces to craft her a bow."

I stared at my brother, whose cheeks were light pink. "Bro..."

He coughed to hide his embarrassment. "I mean, I love her you know?"

I shook my head and giggled. "You really love spoiling that girl, you know that?"

"Jealous?"

"You wish."

"Good, now, you wanna know how those work?"

"Yes please," I rolled my eyes. "Don't want to walk in looking like an idiot."

Percy took the handles from my hand and closed his eyes. I felt the water around us surround him and gasped as a bluish tinge wrapped around his body. Then, like gel, the water ran down his arms and into the handles in his hands, causing the previously unnoticed embedded diamonds to glow the color of the sea. I watched as the liquid shot out of where the blade usually connects with the handle and transformed before solidifying into the shape of a blade. Percy chuckled as he willed the blades to change in length, then smirked as my jaw dropped as he effortlessly transformed them into twin maces, hammers, whips, and then back to blades.

"No way," I gasped. "Those... those are mine?"

Percy nodded, then switched off the power, and handed me the two silver handles. They fit perfectly in my hands somehow, and I gave each an experimental swing, getting for the feel of my new weapons.

"Pretty amazing huh?" Percy observed. "Only someone with hydrokinetic abilities can use those weapons. Whoever uses them is limited only by their imagination and focus. These handles help you concentrate your formations into the weapons you want, but if you lose focus, they will disappear. There is a tiny bit of Tiber metal in the handles, enough so that the blades only recognize you and me. They will also return to your side if you focus on their presence returning to you."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Percy, thanks!"

The older demigod chuckled. "The future will bring many challenges. Thank me after you show the world what you're truly capable of, alright?"

"Of course," I nodded in understanding. "Zoe won't know what hit her." I added, snickering.

Percy shrugged. "I can't wait. She's been going on and on about beating your ass in training for days, so what I can say? I've got some high expectations for you then."

"Ye–" I was about to say something when I felt a gentle vibration beneath my foot. Judging by Percy's quick readying stance, he felt it too.

"Atti." He said firmly, his armor crawling over his body until he looked like the man I had met the first time at Westover Hall. Both his signature daggers were strapped to his sides, and his back began to glow green from the formation of his katana.

"Fight like your life depends on it." Percy said, his voice devoid of humor. "I'll see you after the battle."

The ground beneath us trembled more violently. I wrapped the water around me and concentrated, forming myself a suit of armor and my usual twin blades. A little ways away, I heard Clarisse's commanding voice bark a single order.

"LOCK SHIELDS!"

Then the Titan's army exploded out of the Labyrinth.

§§§§§

Percy leapt straight for the thickest of things, his katana drawn and hissing dangerously in the air. I followed close behind, focused on only one thing. Defending my home from the bastards who were coming to burn it to the ground.

The first wave was made of at least a dozen Laistrygonians, all of them erupting ferociously out the ground, yelling so loudly I thought my ears were going to burst. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club and threw the entire cabin to the side like ragdolls.

"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled. The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. The archers in the trees, a mix of the Hunters and the Apollo kids, fired a volley, dozens of metallic colored arrows that found chinks in the giant's armor that made him disintegrate. Percy was leaping from giant to giant, cleaving shields and the giants themselves in half, leaving a sharp green trail of light followed by bursts of yellow monster dust. The ones who didn't succumb to Percy's violent attacks were crippled by the campers rushing in groups at the giants.

Just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were going to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze. Thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armor slithered out, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps set by the Hephaestus cabin, exploding into green flames or getting stuck to become an easy target for the archers. They didn't stop, and continued to move forward. Argus and the Athena cabin moved forward to greet them. I saw Thalia wreathed in lightning as she absolutely destroyed the monsters around her. Seems like she got an upgrade of sorts too. Tyson was on top of a giant, smacking the giant's head with a bronze shield as hard as he could, killing brain cells by the millions.

I joined the fight, snarling as I willed my blades to extend into Riptide length blades. I weaved and dodged, sliced and slashed, but the waves just kept coming. I lost count of how many dracaenae exploded around me, or how many hellhounds I slashed apart. There were always a group of monsters who tried to escape from the main force and head towards camp, but I stopped them every time, transforming my new weapons into every armament I could imagine to fight with.

Even while I was fighting my hardest, it was clear that some of the camp could do nothing against the relentless onslaught. Demigods of both sides fell from bloody blades, and more than once I noticed the shreds of armor and clothes in the jaws or claws of fighting monsters. Bodies littered the campgrounds, surrounded by broken weapons and monster remains. As I was fighting another group of hellhounds, I found a familiar looking demigod covering my back, his black blade drinking in the souls of the beasts he sliced apart.

"Nico?" I asked, and was rewarded with a smirk.

"Sup," he said, and somersaulted to the side to avoid a spike shot from some unseen enemy.

"How did you...?" I didn't get to finish, as I was focused on reducing my targets into dust.

"Riptide gave me some tips," Nico said, wielding his sword skillfully. It emitted a terrifying aura, and I wondered what it was made of. Whatever it was, Nico had no problem absolutely destroying the hellhounds that attacked us. He was no master, but he was definitely stronger than when I first met him last year.

I chuckled, smashing a hellhound's head into the ground with a transformed mace construct. "Yeh, no wonder."

We kept fighting together until a new wave of these scorpion things charged out, and were separated in the chaos. I growled and sorta blanked out, creating a whirlwind of blades around me as I shredded my opponents back into Tartarus. I didn't really focus on anything until I heard Grover call my name.

"Atti!"

"Huh?" I asked, sweat dripping from my face. My face must've looked ferocious cause Grover cringed a bit before pointing up.

Apparently, a forest fire had started up. It wasn't green, so I assumed one of the scorpion tails had probably set the trees aflame. Grover and Juniper were going nuts, trying to stop the spread, with Grover trying to play a rain song from his pipes and Juniper swatting at the flames with her green shawl, which only made it worse.

I nodded to Grover. "I got this!" I focused and concentrated on the nearest body of water, then pulled. There was a roar in my ears and a tug in my gut, followed by a massive wall of water that slammed into the forest, dousing the fire, Juniper, Grover, and pretty much everything else.

Grover blew a spout of water. "Thanks, Atti!"

"No sweat!" I ran back towards the fight, and this time, Grover and Juniper were on my back. Grover had a cudgel in his hand and Juniper held a stick – like an old-fashioned whipping switch. She looked really angry, like she was going to tan somebody's backside.

And just when the battle seemed to turn in our favor again, an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth, followed by a deathly roar that made me want to kneel. I didn't need to see Grover's terrified expression to remind me exactly who the shriek belonged to, but that didn't tell me what made the horrifying sound afterwards.

Kampê shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended. Free of the dark confines of the prison where we met her in, she looked like a summoned demon from the deepest pits of hell as she observed the carnage beneath her. Her face of evil glee only became more maniacal when a tower of black scales erupted from behind her, shooting poison across the forest causing several demigods to flee in panic as their armor melted off at the same pace they ran.

"The fuck?!" I yelled as I decapitated a scorpion that got in my way.

"Di Immortales!" Chiron yelled, his brow creased as he gazed at the new enemy. He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense it without trying. The powerful beast darted around the shot with incredible speed, causing Chiron to miss his first shot in the battle.

Tyson untangled himself from another giant he'd gotten involved with and quickly pummeled said giant unconscious. He ran at our lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Fight!" But then a hellhound barreled into him, and Tyson went rolling away.

Clearly, nobody wanted to fight Kampê. Anyone looking the direction of her were most likely shitting their pants.

Kampê landed on the Athena command tent and smashed it flat. I vapor traveled past several monsters and fights until I reached the monster, and quickly materialized a ring of power infused daggers to fly at Kampê. Seconds later, Zoe was beside me, her bow transforming into a Tiber staff with aqua blades at the ends.

"Hey Zoe!" I nodded, ducking under one of Kampê sickly green blades.

"Not the time Atti!" Zoe planted her feet and thrust the end of her staff towards the monster, who once again dodged her strike.

Together, we did our best to distract the powerful monster. Now, I'd been in fights before. Yet, Kampê was absolutely able to take on me and an experienced huntress no problem, her two arms somehow able to work independently from each other. She parried my slashes and blocked Zoe's attempts, snarling as our attacks seemed to merely annoy her. It was difficult to get close, as the monster had a cloud of poison surrounding her, as well as the belt of ferocious animals that constantly bit and growled at us.

"Damn," I coughed, my eyes burning. I noticed that Zoe had conjured a bubble of water around her head and quickly did the same myself, relieving me of the poisonous gas temporarily. However, I'd already breathed in a certain amount, and it was costing me mistakes.

"Hey, anybody!" I yelled, exchanging my blades for maces. "We need help!"

No sooner had I said that, a bright white comet flew up to us and rammed into Kampê, throwing the monster off for a millisecond. I looked up and smiled.

"That's a nice outfit, Thals," I said.

Thalia chuckled. "Sure is. I'm about to run out though, so I wanted to make it count."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Alright, we'll appreciate your costume later. In case you forgot, we're kinda busy."

"Straight to the point as usual, Zoe." Thalia leveled her spear and raised her aegis. "Let's show this monster who's boss."

With that, and renewed vigor, the three of us charged Kampê, lightning and water working as one to wear down the monster's defenses. Thalia wasn't lying when she said she was almost out, as nearly four lightning blasts later, the lieutenant of the Hunters was back to using the lightning from her spear. Zoe's staff had reverted to its bow form, with said girl launching several dangerous and unidentifiable arrows at critical places. I had begun to switch between constructs more fluently, slashing with swords before darting in to deal cheeky damage with a set of daggers. Though Kampê had been able to hold off two unafraid fighters, she wasn't able to handle three. She growled in frustration and spun, throwing me and Thalia aside as her tail slammed into our sides.

"Umph..." Thalia skidded backwards, glaring at the monster. "What the hell is this thing?"

"A jailer for the Cyclops," I replied, panting. Zoe was holding Kampê at bay as best she could, but the poisoned scimitars were becoming difficult to avoid.

"..." Thalia observed the monster critically, holding her chest to catch her breath. "As in, the one that took my Dad's bolt to annihilate?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember Thals, history isn't the thing on my mind right now!" I leapt back towards the fight, parrying another poisonous slash away, spraying the grass with splotches of hissing patches.

"Fuck," Thalia cursed and returned to the fight as well, though it was clear we weren't any closer to winning. If anything, we were only able to fight the powerful monster to a stalemate. Kampê's belt of monsters prevented us from getting in close, and her taloned feet were no less dangerous than her armed hands. If that weren't already dangerous enough, her whip-like tail swung at us every now and then, forcing us to cancel our attacks and dodge away.

Finally, it seemed that the jailer had enough for our persistent attacks. She let out a mighty roar and spread her wings, taking off with a gust of wind that threw us across the grass. I swallowed my instinctual terror and focused on my water-bearers, feeling the water flow through and stretch, then curling as I swished them around. With a yell, I launched my newly formed chain whips into the sky and latched onto one of Kampê's scaly legs, and pulled.

I don't know if it was surprise, but Kampê hadn't seemed to expect a daughter of Poseidon would be capable of long-range attacks. Whatever the case, it seemed to have worked in unbalancing her and pulling her focus onto me. She snarled and dived, her scimitars glowing yellow-green, aimed to slice me in half. I made my whips dissapate before I got pulled along and conjured the toughest water shield I could, but Kampê never got there. Because in true Percy-esque style and bringing in a strong wave of deja vu, a massive fist construct slammed into the flying monster, hurtling her into the forest. My eyes widened as I glanced to my right, and noticed Zoe smirking back, sticking her tongue out before disappearing into the woods.

"Dammit," I chuckled, dropping my shield. "Guess she really was training then."

"She can do that too?" Thalia was in shock. "Since when?!"

"Since Percy," I laughed. "C'mon, Zoe's not gonna be able to finish her alone."

I suspected that pulling such a move must've drained Zoe pretty badly. It was a problem we found early on during our spars, when Percy made the two of us train using only our hydrokinetic abilities. Although Zoe was the better fighter at first, given her eons of experience, her use of powers drained her considerably fast. Percy hypothesized that it was because Zoe, though immortal, had not only just received her powers back, but also wasn't a direct descendant of Poseidon, and thus her connection with water was more secondhand. Because although Zoe would absolutely kick my ass for the first few minutes, once I learned how to avoid and run down her stamina using water constructs and shields, it became quickly apparent that Zoe couldn't pull the same amount of power for as long as I could.

When Thalia and I found Kampê, the jailor was in the middle of a crater connected to a deep trench. Zoe was dancing around the monster's attacks as best she could, but I could see the sheen of sweat that coated her skin.

Thalia didn't hesitate and hefted her shield and spear and charged, finally landing a hit on the tiring monster. I followed, twin swords in hand and went berserk, listening purely to my instincts to duck and weave, and when to swing and slash.

But, even after all that, we just weren't powerful enough. With Zoe on her last limbs, Thalia fresh out of bolts, and me having barely gotten used to the limits of my new weapons, Kampê looked only slightly ruffled even after Zoe's fist of glory. I'm not going to lie, I've never practiced slinging chains at a midair target before, and I'm sure I hurt some part of my arms doing it. Seconds later, a whip of her beastly tail slammed Zoe away, the huntress flying straight through a tree and blowing it to splinters. And just like before, the jailor had no problem thrashing two opponents, and soon, I found myself sprawled somewhere on the side of the crater, blinking stars out of my eyes. How anyone managed to beat this thing had to be a god or something.

"Kkhhh," Thalia coughed, her hands on her spear for support. "It's like fighting a goddamn wall."

I slammed my fists on the ground in frustration. Even after all the training I put my ass to whenever I had the time, it only amounted to this. A sense of defeat washed over me, taking away from adrenaline as it left. I could hardly move, and my weapon handles were responding to my loss of concentration, the constructs splashing into the dirt beneath. Zoe was nowhere to be seen, and Thalia needed her main weapon as a crutch. We were out of options.

Then, behind my immobile head, I heard a howl that reverberated through the woods. Kampê had three seconds to snarl before a black bullet streaked past and body slammed the monster, throwing her to the ground again. I gaped in shock as I recognized Ms. O'Leary, the hellhound that Daedalus owned. And if that was the case...

"Good girl!" A familiar voice called out, making me sigh in disbelief. With whatever muscles I had in my neck that still worked, I turned to see the inventor slashing his way through monsters to get to us, followed by something that looked like a golem. As the duo got closer, I realized that the "golem" was Briares, the Hundred-Handed One armed with a full magazine of rocks.

"Ha!" I cheered, never imagining that I'd see the ancient giant ever again after his commitment to just kill himself. I'm sure Tyson would be overjoyed.

"Stand firm, demigods!" Briares roared, his terrified face replaced with one emanating the strength he had in ancients times. And as Ms. O'Leary leapt away, Briares launched his volley of rocks all at once. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they left the giant's hands, making it seem like half the Earth learned to fly.

BOOOOM!

Where Kampê had stood a moment before was a mountain of boulders almost as tall as Zeus' fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were two green sword points poking out from the cracks.

"Dude, really?" I groaned, my body sore all over. "That's all it took? Some flying rocks?"

Thalia grunted beside me, kneeling down once it was apparent that the monster was taken care of. "Apparently."

The nearby campers cheered, though were cut off when the ground beneath them trembled. A monstrous roar bellowed from the opposite side of the woods, and I mentally facepalmed. How could we have forgotten that massive whatever-it-was that followed Kampê out?

I couldn't see what was happening, but didn't need to move as the rampaging monster stretched into the sky, blotting out the sun. A tsunami of terror spread through the woods like wildfire, and campers tripped over their own boots as fear vibrated through their bodies. Even Daedalus seemed at a loss, his age old eyes dimming at the sight of the hundred foot lizard that towered over the camp.

The beast roared again, shaking all over the place as a jagged green line zigzagged from the ground up and around the creature's black scales. It took my brain a few seconds to realize that said line could be no one other than Percy, the only person capable of moving that speed in the face of certain death. The monster howled when the tiny glowing figure of my brother flew up above its head, its body erupting in a spiraling column of explosive green flames. I couldn't see what he did, but the next thing I knew, I felt a massive shockwave shoot through the hair, blowing the leaves out of trees and even making small waves into the ocean. Whatever Percy did, the scaled beast crumpled and collapsed, causing another shuddering boom that caused the ground to shake.

The world seemed to pause at the moment, as if the monsters were just now realizing that their major forces of power were both defeated. It made me wonder whether or not Luke... I meant, Kronos, had appeared yet, but I felt that the course of the battle would run drastically different if the titan of time showed himself on the battlefield. Whatever the case, the defeat of Kampê and the scaly beast seemed to reinvigorate the campers, many of whom who took the monsters' moments of distraction to send them back to Tartarus.

"Ssssssslay them!" One of the surviving dracaenae yelled. "Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"

I didn't see how monsters could be flayed, but that threat was apparently more terrifying that death. With the heavy hitters gone, the giants left alive took up the mantle, and surged forward in one last attempt to break our ranks and enter the camp. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and the centaur stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.

"No!" I yelled, trying to will my hands to move. My body was too exhausted however, and I watched helplessly.

Then it happened. Grover, just a little ways from where I was, opened his mouth as if to yell and let out the most horrible sound my ears have ever had the honor of experiencing in my life. My eardrums wanted to shrivel and die as a hundred waves of brass dissonance crashed into me, and pure terror ravaged my mind.

As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaenae underfoot as they raced for the Labyrinth entrance. Frantic telkhines, hellhounds, and enemy demigods followed quickly, everything but their life forgotten on the battlefield. The tunnel rumbled close behind them, leaving the camp clearing quiet except for the fires burning in the woods and the groans and cries of wounded campers.

"Is it over?" Zoe asked, scaring the shit out of me. Somehow she'd managed to crawl over, despite the fact that there was a water construct cast over one leg and one arm.

I exhaled. "I hope so. I don't think I could even beat Juniper in a fight right now."

The huntress smirked, then winced. "That was harder than I imagined."

"No kidding," I struggled to push myself up into a sitting position, laying against a tree root. "Thals, is Chiron okay?"

"Yeh!" Thalia waved back, one arm helping Chiron balance. "He just needs a medic from Apollo cabin."

The centaur shook his head. "No, not me yet." He insisted, gazing at the rest of the camp. "There are more severe injuries... than mine. I'll be fine. But Grover," He smiled at my friend. Grover was beaming, with Juniper hugging him tightly from behind.

"We'll talk later," Chiron finished.

I laughed. "Yes please, my ears are still ringing."

Grover blushed. "Sorry, I don't know where it came from."

"Oi oi oi, what's this?" Percy's voice sounded from behind Thalia and Chiron. "An after-battle party without me?"

"Perce!" I smiled up at him. "That final move of yours was epic!"

He scratched his head, chuckling. "Was it now?"

"It was!" Another familiar voice joined us, and I whirled around to see Nico, looking just as battered as everyone else. "When am I gonna learn that, Big Bro?"

"Big Bro?" Thalia eyed Nico carefully.

Percy ruffled Nico's hair, his eyes proud. "We'll see. It's a rather difficult move to learn and pull off. Don't be so hasty, there's plenty to learn."

"So this is what you've been up to?" I asked. "Was Nico your secret mission?"

Percy shook his head. "Nah. He's... a side quest."

"Percy!"

"Sorry Neeks."

Soon, most of the camp had gathered themselves in the clearing. Whilst the dead put a damper on everyone's mood, the feeling of victory elated the campers, and many of them set to clearing the debris or helping their wounded camp mates. Me, Thalia, Nico, Percy, Zoe, Grover, and Juniper sat near the edge of the clearing, patching ourselves up and talking. Mostly about how relieved that the battle was over, though the thought of the looming Titan War was always in the back of our minds.

The sound of footsteps approaching ceased our conversations, and Percy was the one who identified the newcomer. "Daedalus."

"Riptide," The inventor greeted with a nod. Percy was still dressed in full armor, his mask showing only his mouth. His real identity was still hidden from most of the camp, mostly to avoid Kronos and his spies from finding Percy's heritage. So far, we seemed to have persuaded them that Percy was a god of some sort, which I couldn't really tell if that was a good or bad thing.

"Atalanta," Daedalus regarded me with a steely look that faded into one of guilt. "I've made a terrible mistake, and come to rectify it."

I nodded in understanding. Sure, I may have let him have it in his workshop, but it seemed to bring him out of believing that Kronos could offer anything of worthy value.

The inventor looked pretty okay, his body sporting only a few scratches here and there that bled golden fluid. He looked way less battered probably because his body was healing so fast, the magic bronze or whatever sealing his wounds with quick efficiency. Ms. O'Leary loomed behind the inventor, licking the wounds on her master's head so Daedalus' hair stood up funny. Briares was nearby, surrounded by awed campers and satyrs. He looked kind of bashful, but was eagerly signing autographs on armor, shields, and T-shirts while Tyson watched on happily.

"I found the Hundred-Handed One as I came through the maze," Daedalus explained, gazing at the giant. "It seems he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together, both deciding to make amends."

"I'm glad you came," Thalia said. "One more second, we'd have been mincemeat."

"Oh?" Percy cocked his head to the side, about to roast Zoe and I most likely for not winning. "Hmmm, Zoe, Atti, looks like we aren't training hard enough."

I huffed, pointing an indignant finger at him. "HUSH!"

"But, there's just one problem," Thalia said, glancing back at the tunnel entrance. "Is there anyway to relocate that thing? Our enemies aren't going to just leave us be after Grover's insane throat singing. With Kronos leading, they'll be back."

"Hey!" Grover bleated.

Daedalus thumbed his sheathe. "You're correct. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."

"How so?" I asked. "Is there an off switch or something?"

"In a way, there is." Daedalus said seriously. "The maze is tied to my life force after all. If I die, it will collapse."

"...wait," I said. "You're just going to kill yourself? That's...not right."

"You told me yourself that running into the Titan's waiting hands was no different from hiding from my sins," the inventor gazed at me. "I've been a runaway murderer from two thousand years. Genius doesn't excuse evil, no matter how much I persuade myself so. My time has come and I must face my punishment."

"Riptide," Daedalus slung the leather satchel on his back over his head and pulled out a sleek silver laptop marked with a blue symbol of ∆ in the center. Percy seemed surprised as he accepted the computer with both hands, gripping the sides tightly.

"My work is here. Everything that I've started, planned, or wished to make. Everything. Favorite designs, and works I wish to see. For someone with such a detailed mind, I wish to hand this over to your care."

"Uh... thanks," Percy nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"My final wish, Atalanta," Daedalus turned to me one last time. "I cannot leave Ms. O'Leary alone, and she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for her?"

I nodded. I already knew that Ms. O'Leary became one of my brother's longtime friends, and hoped I would be able to build the same strong relationship here in my world. The perks of shadow-traveling were definitely not the main reason why I said yes.

"Then I'm ready to see my son... and Perdix," Daedalus sighed. "I must tell them how sorry I am. Now if you would." He turned to Nico, who after a reassuring nod from Percy, stepped forward and drew his creepy black blade. I thought Nico was going to kill the old inventor, but he simply closed his eyes and said, "Your time has long come, Daedalus. Be released, and rest."

A smile of relief spread across Daedalus' face. He froze like a statue, and his skin turned transparent. The gears in his body spun one last time before they turned to gray ash and disintegrated, not unlike how Pan passed.

As Ms. O'Leary howled at the loss of her master and friend, we felt the earth tremble one final time beneath our feet. A small earthquake that everyone would feel as the ancient maze created by the greatest inventor in the world collapsed. And somewhere inside, I hoped that our enemies had been buried.

§§§§§

Percy POV:

It didn't matter which universe I lived in. Saying good-bye to the fallen never got easier, and even worse was that there were many I couldn't save even though I wish I had. There weren't as many fatalities this time round, however, many cabin shrouds were still being used. Lee Fletcher and Castor were among the fallen, and I gave them each a moment of silence before heading off towards the woods to help the nature spirits with all the rubble and dropped weapons.

The next day, once everyone had gotten a decent night's meal and rest, most campers focused on recovering. Once Zoe got her arm and leg set by Will from Apollo cabin, I told her and Atti to meet me in the Poseidon cabin in a few minutes. Then, I headed to the Big House where Nico had been staying temporarily, and searched for the son of Hades.

"Perce?" Nico asked when I knocked on the guestroom door. The boy opened the door and smiled when he saw me, so far different from the dark and miserable version that I knew back around the same time. Without Bianca's death looming over him and Minos manipulating his naivety, Nico was no longer the same Nico I knew from my world. During my time with Hades, the god had convinced me to train up his son. He knew since that I was comfortable with Nico's identity, Nico would be able to train with his Stygian blade in our spars, as well as use his powers over the dead without catching unwanted attention from the campers or Zeus himself. It was really well thought-out and I agreed to fit Nico's training time in with my already hectic schedule. However, I have yet to regret my decision.

"Hey Neeks, what did we say about my name in public?" I smirked cheekily, closing the door behind me and drawing the curtains before removing my helmet.

A look of guilt came over his face. "Oh, right, sorry."

I shook my hand. "Nah, don't beat yourself up over it. So, how was the battle?"

Nico glanced at his blade propped nest to his bed and palmed the handle, bringing it over his knees. "Better than any of the camp's swords for sure," Nico said. "I ended up fighting next to Atalanta at one point. And I felt a lot of buzzing in my ears."

"The sound of death," I said sympathetically. "You'll get used to it in battle."

"I bet," Nico said sarcastically. "When I said I wanted free music subscriptions, I didn't ask for this soundtrack."

I chuckled. "Well, too bad."

I talked to the son of Hades a little bit, and promised that next time I went to the Underworld for his lessons, I'd teach him something new. Not unlike Atalanta, Nico's eyes lit up in excitement, then focused. The boy and I exchanged farewells, then he twisted the skull ring on his finger once, before the shadows in the room enveloped him. The ring helped Nico focus on the location he wanted to shadow travel to, a little handicap Hades helped create so that his son wouldn't keep flying into walls in China.

When I returned to the Poseidon cabin, I found Zoe and Atti in the back. Both their heads jerked up from their quiet conversation when I stepped in, and Zoe gave me a loving smile from Atti's bed where she was resting.

"Hey, you two," I greeted. "How're you holding up?"

"Better than yesterday," Atti stretched, wincing as she did. "I didn't realize how bruised I was until they made me take my shirt off."

I grimaced. "Yeah, from what I've heard, you and Zoe got thrashed pretty hard. Kampê right?"

Atti nodded, almost as if she were expecting me to reprimand her for being unable to beat the jailor of the Hundred-Handed Ones and the Cyclops. I patted her head and smirked, chuckling. "Don't worry, I won't judge based on your opponent. The fact you were able to stand for so long against her means that you've already improved to far greater lengths than I ever got to at this age. For the record, Annabeth and I lasted maybe five minutes against that thing."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" I asked. "Every move, every skill, every trick?"

I listened intently as the girls relayed their experience, and nodded proudly when Atti described her ability to fluidly change from construct to construct without barely a second of concentration. And when Zoe reached the part where she could summon my fist of glory, I cheered loudly, making the huntress blush. For the amount of time they'd both began to learn their abilities, both girls were showing to be very proficient at the skills I was teaching them. I hypothesized that they may even begin to create their own methods in the future that are more compatible to their fighting styles.

"What about you?" Atti asked, miming a massive tower of something. "What was that thing you were fighting?"

My eyes darkened, causing the two girls to stare at me worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"The beast I fought was a drakon," I began. "Not a misspelled dragon, mind you, a drakon. They are monstrous serpents millennia of years old and are armed with eyes that can paralyze you at a glance, poison that can melt pretty much anything shot from their mouth, and their scales are magically and physically resistant to any demigod level amount of damage. You'd need to be absolutely cracked out of your mind, and wielding insane power to beat that thing."

"So you've beat if before then?" Zoe asked.

I shook my head. "No, in my universe, the only drakon I encountered could only be slain by a child of Ares. Clarisse did the honors obviously. But worries me is why the drakon appeared here."

I sighed, tapping the side of my thigh. "Ever since I've come here, little things have changed in the flow of time. Certain people appear where they shouldn't have, and some events don't happen at all. Now most of it has been because of my activities, but lately, the Titan's force has become more and more concerning."

"How so?" Atti asked.

"In my universe, there was no drakon that invaded camp." I said. "Even those this one could've been killed by anyone, Camp Half Blood would barely have stood a chance against Kampê and a fully matured drakon. Let's be honest, if not for your training, and Thalia's aid, would you have held off as long as you did?"

Nobody needed to say anything, because we already knew the answer. "I'm not saying you two haven't improved in cultivating your powers, but even after everything, one ancient monster was able to stand up to two children of the Big Three, and an immortal huntress with eons of experience. Given your current state, you'd have been in no shape to fight a drakon, let alone have enough time to figure out what that thing even is."

"Thankfully, I don't classify as a god yet," I grimaced at the thought for the Ancient Laws. "Otherwise I wouldn't even be able to help."

"You would have found a way anyways," Atti nudged my arm. "You would never let camp burn to the ground right?"

"Yeh," I agreed. "Though it looks like I have to start including drakon-hunting strats into our sessions. Cause if Kronos isn't afraid to pull two aces on our puny camp, then I'm not sure I want to find out what other surprises he has in store for the final battle against the gods."

Atti and Zoe both had steely glints in their eyes as they nodded in agreement. "We're not strong enough yet," Atti concluded, holding up her water-bearers. "I hope you still have a lot to teach me about these, bro."

I smirked. "I've got plenty. Same with your bow Zoe. No more complaining during training anymore. I'm not going to go easy on you just cause I'm dating you."

"Since when have I complained?"

"Whenever I confiscate your bow," I deadpanned. "You want more reasons?"

"..." Zoe huffed, crossing her arms as she looked away. "I've hunted and fought with a bow for my whole life, you can't blame me for feeling uncomfortable without it."

"I understand," I chuckled, resting my hand on hers. "But that also means that you're our best shooter amongst us three. And I'm not here to work on your strengths."

"For you, that means you hydrokinetic powers," I said to Zoe. "For Atti, well, besides your mastery over your water-bearers, I want you to start learning something else."

"Was it whatever you used to kill the drakon?" Atti asked. "And I know it wasn't the Greek fire slash you made. I felt that shockwave even from all the way in the woods."

I nodded. "Correct. Like I said before, drakons have extremely high magical damage resistance, and that includes Greek fire. What you saw were the final reserves of my Greek fire stash, just enough to burn through its scales and finally let my Tiber blade do the work. If the drakon didn't die after the final move I pulled, I dunno if I could've destroyed it without destroying a chunk of the camp alongside it."

"So... what did you do?" Zoe said. "I was barely conscious at the time, but I did also feel the shockwave."

"Our dad wasn't just the god of the sea." I explained. "One of his titles was also the Earthshaker, because the seas surrounded the land and could thus affect the land itself. Earthquakes, volcanoes, eruptions, tectonic plates. All that goes under dad's domain in some way or another. As his children, we sometimes get the rare ability of this." I raised my fist and concentrated, causing my hand to vibrate violently. "The ability to use shockwaves against the enemy. Hard to control, and difficult to handle. But in the right moments, you can easily one up your enemy."

"You showed me this by shattering a vase before," Atti said. "Do you have to touch the target to make this work, or can it be ranged?"

I gestured outside, and replied, "Well, as you saw, I wasn't touching the drakon when I let loose a quake blast so yes, it can be ranged. But ranged means that you have to concentrate the point of impact more, cause otherwise, you'd end up destroying things next to you and your target accidentally. And some of those accidents will end in fatalities. Monsters can respawn over and over again, but humans with shattered skeletons cannot."

"Whatever the case," I said firmly. "This war looks like it's gonna be way more difficult than my own. Kronos seems to be taking my presence seriously now, and isn't hesitating to show his big guns. I've worked on getting as many allies as I can, but I hope I'm not just increasing the number of casualties."

"Don't hesitate," Zoe squeezed my hand, her gaze understanding. "We both know that the separation of those groups is why we aren't stronger."

I nodded in agreement. "Atti, don't worry. I'll relay the details of my plan to you next time we meet. Seeing you handle yourself in battle today, I think you deserve to know what we've been up to... that's not in the bedroom." I added, smirking.

"Perseus!" Zoe reprimanded, slapping me on the shoulder. "What are you saying?"

My sister made a face, then pretended to barf. "Don't even go there."

"I'm kidding," I smiled.

A knock sounded at the door, and Atti got up to answer it. We were greeted with Thalia, who gestured out.

"Grover's about to have his trial with the petting zoo." Thalia said. "Thought you might want to come play witness."

"Definitely," Atti said. "I already know those old sots won't listen to a single thing Grover has to say. I'll back my friend up."

"Real original there, Atti," I drawled. "You called someone an old sot before?"

The girl chuckled. "Hey, it is original. I used it on this English teacher at Yancy. What about you?"

"Same." I smirked. "He deserved it." I turned to my recovering girlfriend. "You up to see some old goats get wrecked?"

Zoe frowned at the gleaming light in my eyes. "Something's going to happen huh? Well," She pushed herself up. "I can't miss it then. Everything interesting happens around you two."

"We have knack for attracting trouble," Atti giggled. "It's in our genes."

"C'mon, the trial isn't gonna wait any longer," Thalia said. "Anymore banter between y'all, we're gonna be here till dinner."

"Alright, let's go!"

§§§§§

The hearing was held in the same place, the sacred grove in the woods that somehow hadn't been poisoned or burned to the ground. The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who was in his wheelchair form. His broken horse leg was still mending, so he would be confined to the chair for a few months, until the recovering limb was strong enough again to take his weight. Besides us, the grove was filled with most of the nature spirits living in camp – satyrs, dryads, naiads, hundreds of them crowded round to hear what was going on. We joined Juniper next to Grover's side.

Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, which, of course he did, but Chiron managed to placate the old goat to hear Grover out first. Grover then proceeded to relay the familiar story of the underground cavern in New Mexico, as well as the experience and words of Pan before the god's passing. Then, several eyewitnesses from the battle described the awful sound Grover had made, which drove the Titan's army underground.

"It was panic," insisted Juniper. "Grover summoned the power of the wild god."

"He summoned panic?" Atti asked.

"Atti," Chiron explained. "During the first war of the gods and Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry not unlike what Grover did, and scared away the enemy armies. It was the god's greatest power, a massive wave of fear that helped the gods win that day. The word panic stems from Pan's name, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."

"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favored us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful that it scared the enemy away!"

Atti moved to talk but was held back by Grover, who merely shook his head before turning back to Silenus calmly. "That wasn't it, sir," Grover said without anger. "He let his spirit pass into all of us. We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, to protect what's left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. As he said, and I will say again, there is no one else but ourselves to make this change happen!" Grover's voice was confident and firm, no longer the satyr would had been running beneath the council's control.

"After two thousand years of searching, you expect us to believe this fairytale of yours?" Silenus laughed incredulously. "Never! Your lies merely serve to deter us from the truth. We will continue the search. Exile this blasphemous traitor!"

A few of the older satyrs muttered assent, while most of the other nature spirits shifted uncomfortably.

"A vote," Silenus continued, still denying the dead truth in front of him. "Who would even believe this ridiculous young satyr anyways?!"

"I would!" A familiar voice said.

And the man of the hour shows himself, I thought. Though the Wine God hadn't been one of my favorites when I first met him, Dionysus had gotten us out of some seriously annoying jams from time to time that I couldn't help but appreciate him. Yeah, he can be a dick about... pretty much anything to do with heroes, but eh, it was a part of his flair.

Dionysus must've just come after hearing about his son. He wore a formal black suit, and looked as if he took the time to look nice. The only signs of his usual dress style were in the deep purple shirt he wore underneath, but otherwise everything he wore pointed to one reason. The god was grieving his son, Castor, who'd died in battle, a string of Fate I wasn't able to interfere with.

The satyrs all stood respectfully and bowed as the god approached. Dionysus waved his hand, and a new chair made of grapevines sprung up next to Silenus'. He sat down and crossed his legs, gazing at the grove's attendants before snapping his fingers. A satyr hurried forward with a plate of cheese, crackers, and a Diet Coke.

"Miss me?" The god asked.

The satyrs fell over themselves nodding and bowing. "Oh, yes, very much, sire!"

"Well, I did not miss this place!" Dionysus snapped. "I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis as well. Zeus know how many more."

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Strike that," Dionysus said. "Even Zeus doesn't know. Now, I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top."

"But my lord," Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!"

Dionysus' eyes flared with purple fire. "I have just learned that my son Castor is dead. I am not in the best of moods, you see. You would do well to humor me."

Silenus gulped, and waved at Grover to start again.

When Grover was done, Mr. D nodded. "It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves." He turned to a satyr. "Bring me some peeled grapes, right away!"

"Yes, sire!" the satyr scampered off.

"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted.

"I say no," Dionysus countered. "That is my vote."

"I vote no as well," Chiron put in.

Silenus set his jaw stubbornly. "All in favor of exile?" He and the two other goats raised their hands.

"Ah yes," Dionysus said in a cause-I-can voice. "But unfortunately for you, a god's vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we're tied."

Silenus stood, indignant. "This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse."

"Then let it be dissolved!" Dionysus said irritably. "I don't care."

Silenus bowed stiffly, along with his two friends, and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs gave Grover side glances before following behind the elders like a herd of sheep. The rest continued to shift and murmur uncomfortably.

"Don't worry," Grover told them. "We don't need a council to tell us what to do anymore. It's a problem that each of us have to work together to solve ourselves." He continued to tell the nature spirits the words of Pan, reminding them about the idea to save the wild a little bit at a time. Then, Grover began to divide the satyrs into groups: which ones would go to national parks, which would search out the last wild places, and which would defend the parks in big cities.

I smiled at Grover. This had been one of the satyr's turning points in life, when he began to stand up and work for the better future of the world. And when Dionysus made him the New Lord of the Wild, well, that pretty much finalized Grover's position as the eternal protector of the Wild.

§§§§§

"So, where are you off to now? Back to your secret mission?" Atti asked during dinner.

"Yup," I nodded. "I've got a planned meeting with another potential group of allies that I think will come in handy in the future. But don't relax just cause I can't be here to nag you to go train."

Atti pouted. "After all this time, you really think I'm just gonna slack off? Especially with war on the horizon?"

I chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Just checking. Don't stress it. Relaxing from time to time is healthy for your mind and body, you don't want to overwork yourself till you pass out. Trust me, I've done it before, and it sucks the next day."

"When are you going to come back?" Atti asked. "Next summer again?"

I shrugged. "Hopefully, the terms of alliance don't screw me over and lose me a month or so. Plus, I promised Artemis a little favor, so I have to take care of that too."

Zoe frowned beside me, nudging me with a questionable look. "What favor?"

I sighed, not wanting to dive into relationship drama while I was enjoying my steak. "She enjoyed our time in the city, and wanted to go again sometime."

Atti simply nodded, not seeming to see the tension in Zoe's eyes as the huntress processed my statement. Said girl turned to me and asked, "It's not a date right?"

"No," I said firmly. "I've already discussed this with you, and you understand right?"

Zoe gave me a small smile, and nodded. "I do. I'm just..."

"Worried, I get it." I said, hugging the huntress close. "I would never leave you for another girl, even is she was a goddess."

"Is something wrong?" Atti spoke up, observing Zoe's posture. "Or am I just assuming things."

Zoe smiled, though it seemed slightly forced. "It's nothing I can't handle."

My sister's face turned serious. "I may not be Percy, but if you want to talk problems, and girl stuff, you can come to me."

Zoe gave Atti an appreciative nod, and went back to eating her venison pasta, seemingly more content. I eyed Atti and mouthed, Thanks, then went back to eating, my left hand still around Zoe's waist to hopefully calm the huntress' warring thoughts.

No problem, Atti mouthed back, eyeing Zoe. Everything okay?

I gave a light shake of my head. Girl problems.

Oh, Atti giggled behind her hand. LMAO

I rolled my eyes. Please help.

Atti gave a light laugh and a thumbs up, then thankfully decided to go off topic. "So, where's Nico? I haven't seen him anywhere."

I checked left and right, making sure people weren't in earshot before turning back to Atti. I could've just pulled out my Muffliato device, but with too many campers around, especially the presence of the Hermes cabin, I didn't want anyone finding out I had noise-cancelling devices on hand at all times.

"He's back in the Underworld," I leaned towards Atti. "Nico's a son of Hades. And Bianca is Hades' daughter."

Atti's eyes widened at the new information. She opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, and I answered, "Lotus Casino."

"What?" Atti asked, recognizing the name of the cursed hotel.

"They were born before the pact," I said, crunching on a carrot. "And then placed in the Lotus Casino. If we count the amount of time they skipped, the twins would be like... 70 years old or something?"

"Geez," Atti shuddered. "That long?"

"Mmhmm," I said. "His father took him away from camp during our quest, cause Nico was super lonely, kinda like us. And well, when I had my talk with Hades a little while ago, a few proposals and requests came up, and now, Nico is one of my students as well."

"What was that blade he had?" Atti asked, curious.

"Stygian iron," I said. "The aura feels kinda threatening right?"

A nod.

"It's a pretty powerful metal forged in the Underworld that can only be wielded by children of Hades. Nico's sword can absorb the essence of slain enemies, including mortals. Stygian iron works against pretty much anything, and it's an interesting metal to work with in weapon crafting." I explained.

"He's pretty good with that blade," Atti said. "You must've gone really hard on him."

I chuckled. "Nah, it was mostly him. Like a lot of lone unclaimed demigods, they feel like there's a need to prove themselves, prove their worth, you know? Nico had spent a lot of time in camp with similar problems to us, and finding a balanced sword was only a small part of it. When he got the chance to train under the one person he saw could stand toe to toe to a goddess with no effort, Nico jumped at it. He's been pushing himself really hard to get stronger, and with his powers, I'm lookin forward to see what kind of demigod he'll become."

"Don't you already know?" Atti said.

"No." I said. "The Nico I know already lost his sister during our third quest. He was manipulated by an evil ghost after he discovered his parentage and spent a lot of time making the wrong decisions and fighting with his own thoughts and feelings. Although Nico and I did mend our relationship in the end, he and I didn't see eye to eye for quite some time."

"Oh," Atti nodded in understanding. "I suppose this Nico is nothing like that then."

"Yeah," I smiled. While I will always miss the Nico in my universe, it was kinda nice seeing the son of Hades not have to suffer so much in the years after the discovery of his parentage.

When we finished dinner, Atti, Zoe and I met up in front of Cabin 3 one final time before Zoe and I were heading back to New Rome. My sister was assuring Zoe to come talk if any problems I wouldn't be able to understand came up, or if she was just simply tired of me. I chuckled and stared out towards the sea, where a beautiful sunset sat atop the glistening waves. In the back of my mind, I had all the problems I wanted to solve listed down: Artemis and Zoe, the Amazons, the union between the Greeks and Roman including the gods, the rise of the Giants...

I shook my head and took a deep breath. I had already steered this world on a much better course than it had in my universe. Sure, there were a couple of bumps here and there, and definite accidents. But I had changed to lives of many people, and hoped that peace for us demigods would be able to arrive sooner.

For now though, I'd rather enjoy this sunset. Work can start again tomorrow. But tonight, I decided to take my own advice.

"Hey, Atti, Zoe," I turned to the chatting girls, and threw an arm around each of their backs. "I've changed my mind. Let's relax together, shall we?"

Zoe and Atti glanced at each other and exchanged beaming smiles. We laughed and chilled the rest of the night, all the way till tomorrow came.

A/N: Another chapter you say? Wow, when's the last time I posted two chapters within a week's time of each other... oh yeah, a few months back or so?

Look, I've got finals week, and we just finished another book's worth of plot. I've got to study maths and chem (why...), as well as outline and plan the final book's plot, as many many things have changed and certain characters original to the plot have been removed or given a different storyline. Thus, I most likely will not be publishing anymore chapters from today till after Dec 12, because I'll be extremely busy.

Also, I know it's a lame chapter title, but the chapter was epic wasn't it?

Regarding the relationship situation:

I've said it many times, but some people still keep asking me. This fic specifically focuses on PerZoe. While I do plan on eventually making that ship into Percy/Zoe/Artemis, that ship is EVENTUAL. Percy and Artemis will share a lot of suggestive moments together, but I won't be announcing them as an official couple anytime soon. Just saying.

Most of what will happen next is probably going to go off the rails a bit. I'm working on both the di-Angelo twins' abilities, Thalia's gear upgrade, and all the rest of our favorite demigods' new abilities.

Yes, I took inspiration from DC Aqualad's water-bearers for Atti's new weapons. In case you were wondering. Although, the handles I'm imagining look way cooler.

Zoe's bow-staff is inspired by a weapon used by the main character in the manhua Player Reborn called Ninetails. It's essentially a weapon with one base form and nine alternative choices. Zoe's weapon has three: A bow, a staff with blades at each end, and another unknown I have yet to reveal.

I'm super pumped to begin writing the next arc of this story. A lot of drama, fighting, and adventures are coming your way.

For those of you with finals and such, good luck. And of course, if you don't, I'm sure you don't miss finals at all.

Peace out, you legends.

~ Zayden Shade