"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed and Draco chuckled at that. "No," Grover said. "I'm serious." Zoë listened. "I hear nothing." Thalia was looking at Percy with concern, "Percy, are you okay?" Percy nodded and said he just wanted to talk a small walk and check something out. They nodded and walked up to the dam snack bar, hopefully everything gets better...

3rd Person P.O.V.

Everything did not get better, in fact it got worst. They had to flee from the mall as the tyrannosaurus surrounded them, they were able to get away but they've encountered a manticore on their way, a very annoying manticore. Thalia and Zoë distracted it for a while and Percy was in charge of contacting Chiron. "You could ask for help," Draco heard Mr. D murmure, "You could say please." To say Draco was annoyed was an understatement they were about to die and the god of wine couldn't leave his high bourse for a second and help them? Zoë readied her arrows, Grover lifted his pipes, Thalia raised her shield, and Draco raised his sword if he was going to die now he'll do it with honor. "Please, Mr. D," Percy muttered behind them. "Help." Nothing happened at first but then the sunlight tinged with purple and Draco could smell grapes and something more sour—wine.

SNAP!

It was the sound of many minds breaking at the same time. The sound of madness. One guard put his pistol between his teeth like it was a bone and ran around on all fours. Two others dropped their guns and started waltzing with each other. The fourth began doing what looked like an Irish clogging dance. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so terrifying. "No!" screamed the manticore. "I will deal with you myself!" His tail bristled, but the planks under his paws erupted into grape vines, which immediately began wrapping around the monster's body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a huge mass of vines, leaves, and full clusters of purple grapes. Finally the grapes stopped shivering, and Draco had a feeling that somewhere inside there, the manticore was no more. "Well," said Dionysus, closing his refrigerator. "That was fun." Percy stared at him, horrified. "How could you... How did you—"

"Such gratitude," he muttered. "The mortals will come out of it. Too much explaining to do if I made their condition permanent. I hate writing reports to Father." He stared resentfully at Thalia. "I hope you learned your lesson, girl. It isn't easy to resist power, is it?" Thalia blushed as if she were ashamed. "Mr. D," Grover said in amazement. "You... you saved us," Grover muttered. "Mmm. Don't make me regret it, satyr. Now get going, Percy Jackson. I've bought you a few hours at most." "The Ophiotaurus," Percy said. "Can you get it to camp?" Mr. D sniffed. "I do not transport livestock. That's your problem," Mr. D said waving his Diet Coke around. "But where do we go?" Dionysus looked at Zoë. "Oh, I think the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. Now good-bye. My pizza is waiting." He waved his hand, and his image disappeared in the mist. The words of Mr. D lingered in the air Draco looked at Zoë, "What did he mean... 'You know where to go'?" He asked uncertainly once he saw Zoe's face pale, she pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer. "The garden of my sisters," she said. "I must go home."

oOo

After visiting Annabeth's dad for a car to take them to the mountain it stayed quiet for most of the time before Percy asked, "Why does everything smell like cough drops?" "Eucalyptus." Zoë pointed to the huge trees all around us. "The stuff koala bears eat?" Percy asked. "And monsters," she said. "They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons."

"Dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?" Percy asked once again. "Believe me," Zoë said, "if you had dragon breath, you would chew eucalyptus too." They stayed quiet after that Percy sometimes asking Zoë more questions about things. "We have to concentrate, the Mist is really strong here" Thalia said. "The magical kind or the natural kind?" Percy asked. "Both," Draco said, it was the first time he had spoken at all this entire car ride. The gray clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and they kept driving straight toward them. They were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog. Draco was looking over Percy's window when he saw something in the ocean, "Look!" But they turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills. "What?" Thalia asked. "A big white ship, it was docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship," Draco said. Her eyes widened. "Luke's ship?" Draco stayed quiet he didn't know if that was Luke's ship but with how things were going now it might be his. "We will have company, then. Kronos army is with us," Zoë said grimly. The hairs on Draco's neck stood up when Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!" Zoë must've sensed something was wrong, because she slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff. "Out!" Thalia opened the door and pushed me hard. We both rolled onto the pavement. The next second: BOOOM! Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase's Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade. Draco probably would've been killed by shrapnel if it weren't for Thalia's shield, which appeared over him. Draco heard a sound like metal ram, and when he opened his eyes, they were surrounded by wreckage. Part of the VW's fender had impaled itself in the street. The smoking hood was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road.

Draco swallowed the taste of smoke out of his mouth, and looked at Thalia. "What happened?" He asked. "One shall perish by a parent's hand" she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me? Me?" Draco stayed quiet, "I don't think that was your father, he wouldn't have transformed you into a pine tree if he wanted to kill you." Thalia shook her head and looked around, "Where's Zoë? Zoë!" They both got up and ran around the blasted VW. Nothing inside. Nothing either direction down the road. Draco looked down the cliff. No sign of her. "Zoë!" Draco shouted. Then she was standing right next to him, pulling Draco by his arm. "Silence, fool! Do you want to wake Ladon?" She hissed in a hushed whisper. "You mean we're here?" Draco whispered back. "Very close," she said. "Follow me." Sheets of fog were drifting right across the road. Zoë stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there. Thalia and Draco looked at each other, the at Percy who was behind them, unharmed thankfully. "Concentrate on Zoe," Thalia advised. They stepped into the fog, into the mist, and after a bit the fog cleared. They were still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a bloodred slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. And it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight, the view was beautiful but it was disturbing that such a beautiful place was flocked with monsters. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples. "The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus." The dragon guarding the tree looked like one of the rare kind of dragons Draco had seen one time when Lucius and Narcissa had to take him over to Romania for a business trip that required them to take their child with them. The shadows in front of them began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. Four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoë. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders. Zoë and her siblings, the Hesperides, could be twins for how much they looked alike. "Sisters," Zoë said. "We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see three half-bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die," The one on the right said giving them a glare. "You've got it wrong, nobody is going to die," Percy said stepping up.

"Perseus Jackson," one of them said. "Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat," the one on the right said. "Who said I was a threat?" Percy asked. The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee," She pointed at Thalia. "Tempting sometimes, but no, thanks. He's my friend," Thalia said. "There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus," the girl said. "Only enemies. Go back." "Not without Annabeth," Thalia said. "And Artemis," Zoë said. "We must approach the mountain." "You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him." "Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted. "Let us pass." The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake." "He will not hurt me," Zoë said. "No? And what about thy so-called friends?" Zoë looked at Ladon and she shouted, "Ladon! Wake!" The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. The lead girl said to Zoë, "Are you mad?" "You never had any courage, sister. That is thy problem," Zoë said. The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoë took a step forward, her arms raised. "Zoë, don't," Thalia said. "You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you." "Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoe said. "Skirt around the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee." That was not reassuring to Draco, but he trusted Zoë and he went right Percy following behind him while Thalia went to the left. "It's me, my little dragon," Zoë said. "Zoë has come back." Ladon shifted forward, then back. Some of the mouths closed. Some kept hissing. Dragon confusion. Meanwhile, the Hesperides shimmered and turned into shadows. The voice of the eldest whispered, "Fool." "I used to feed thee by hand," Zoë continued, speaking in a soothing voice as she stepped toward the golden tree. "Do you still like lamb's meat?" The dragon's eyes glinted. They were about halfway around the garden. Ahead, Draco could see a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. The storm swirled above it, spinning on the summit like it was the axis for the whole world. They ran upwards making sure not to slip and fall, when Zoë got injured by Ladon they helped her and all of them climbed upwards.

oOo

On top they had encountered Atlas, who was revealed to be Zoë's father. "Let Artemis go," Zoë demanded. Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest." Zoë opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoë! I forbid you." Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers. "Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility." Draco glanced at Annabeth something about her had changed, he looked towards an saw it; a single match of grey hair that stood out with her blonde hair.

"From holding the sky," Thalia muttered, "The weight should've killed her." Percy looked at Thalia with confusion, "I don't understand, why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?" Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you." He approached them, studying the trio. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."

Draco looked at his friends they nodded and he did as well. "Now!" Thalia yelled and with that they all ran towards Atlas, Percy went to the side of the titan while everyone else went forwards of to the left, Draco however had another idea. He ran towards the goddess of the moon, "The sky give it to me, you know that without your help we might not win against him." He kneeled before her, "No, boy," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!" She yelled face full of concentration. "It won't matter if all of us die! Please let me take the weight of the sky," he pleaded and started slashing at the chains around her before she could answer. He stepped next to her and braved himself, for a moment they both held the sky together but then Artemis slipped away and Draco was left with the burden alone.

Pain hit Draco immediately the weight of the whole sky was relying on his shoulders, he hunched a bit, but he didn't stop holding the sky. He already got Bianca killed the least he could do is be there for Nico, if Nico even wanted to talk to him for being a lier. Draco pushed upwards even harder he could do this he had to do this. Draco caught glimpses of the battle, Thalia fighting Luke, Artemis fighting alongside Percy and Zoë, and Draco had no idea where Grover was but he hoped he was safe. Sweat drifted down Draco's face, hands and shoulders screaming in agony, but he forced himself to get his mind off of that and look at the battle before him. Atlas advanced, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him back toward Draco. 'Get ready,' the goddess said to Draco. "You fight well for a girl," Atlas said laughing, "But you are no match for me." He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. I saw the trick coming. Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill. "No!" Zoë screamed. She leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks. Atlas turned on Artemis with a look of triumph in his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn't get up. "The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated. And he stabbed downward. As fast as thought, Artemis grabbed his javelin shaft. It hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backward, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her, Draco saw him coming down on top of him and he realized what would happen. Draco loosened his grip on the sky, and as Atlas slammed into him he didn't try to hold on. He let himself be pushed out of the way and rolled for all he was worth. The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late. "Noooooo!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!" Atlas was trapped under his old burden.

Draco stood up in a daze he blanked out for most of the time before the urgency in Thalia's voice shook him out of his mind. He glanced at her as she was kneeling on the ground with Artemis at her side. "Can't you heal her with magic? I mean... you're a goddess." Percy asked Artemis. Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try." She tried to set her hand on Zoë's side, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them. "Have I... served thee well?" Zoë whispered. "With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants." Zoë's face relaxed, "Rest. At last." Artemis looked conflicted, "I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

Zoë looked over at Thalia, "I am sorry we argued," Zoë said. "We could have been sisters." "It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything." "Perhaps not all men," Zoë murmured looking at Percy. "Not all men are like Hercules," she said looking at the night sky. "Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady." A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight." "Stars," Zoë repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again. Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. Draco watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared.

Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished. Draco glanced at the sky and spotted the new pattern, a new constellation with gleaming stars. A constellation that had the figure of a girl holding a bow. "Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."

oOo

After that Thalia decided to join the hunters of Artemis to make sure the prophecy of the child of the big three didn't occur as soon as she turned fifteen*. And now it was the hardest moment of Draco's life, tell Nico that his sister is gone. He sighed and went over to Nico, "Hey Nico can I talk to you for a minute?" Nico looked at him with big wide eyes full of innocence and nodded. Draco took Nico to the forest outside of the strawberry field, he sat down on a rock and asked Nico to do the same. "As you know I'm back from the quest.." Draco trailed off. "Yes..," Nico said hesitantly.

Draco took a deep breath, "Before the quest you know how we had a prophecy and how it mentioned that two of the people in the quest would die..." Nico looked at him with pure horror, "No..." he whispered. Draco pulled out the tiny statue out of his pocket and placed it on Nico's hand, "Bianca... Bianca wanted me to give you this as a last gift from her..." Nico looked at the statue and then back at Draco, "You promised you would protect her!" Draco looked at Nico he held onto his shoulders even when Nico tried to shake them off, "Nico please listen to me!" He yelled voice horse with emotions he couldn't identify at the moment. "I'm sorry I broke our promise, I'm sorry I failed to protect Bianca it's something that I'll always regret till my grave but please! Don't take this out on others! Take— take it out on me, I failed her and I failed you. I deserve whatever you think about me," Draco said looking at Nico with eyes full of tears, Nico opened his mouth before Draco heard a hissing, clattering noise he recognized all too well. Draco drew his sword and stood defensively between Nico and the skeletons, "Nico get somewhere safe I'll get these skeletons away!" Draco glanced back at Nico and saw that he didn't move, he noticed the expression on Nico's face, full of shock and panic. Draco slashed at the first skeleton that charged, "Nico! Get out of here it's not safe!" Draco yelled and continued to slash away at the skeletons. He miss counted the amount of skeletons until one slashed at his stomach, immediately Draco started to bleed. He placed his unoccupied hand on the wound but it wasn't enough, he was losing blood quickly.

Draco slashed at the swords and hands that tried to get to him, the skeletons slowly made him take a few steps back when tripped and fell. When he glanced up he saw a skeleton with their sword right over them and before it could slash down, Draco heard a loud yell. "No, go away get away from him!" The ground rumbled beneath Draco and started crack beneath him, he rolled away just in time once the ground ripped apart and the earth swallowed the whole army of skeletons. Draco carefully got up, and he glanced at Nico who had his hand stretched at his direction. "Are you okay?" He asked Nico slowly heading towards him and looking for any injuries. "Why..why did you protect me even after I accused you of killing my..." Nico whispered looking at Draco with tearful eyes. "Because I wanted to, and I just felt the urge to do it. I may had failed you once, but I'm not failing you twice," Draco whispered and hugged Nico hesitantly. "I know that you probably won't forgive me for... that but can we... still be friends..?" Nico hesitated before nodding a little. They stayed in each others arm for a long time before a strong silver glow lighted up the area, Draco looked upwards and gasped. On top of Nico's head there was what looked like the female gender sign with out the top of its circle with a smaller circle in the middle. "A child of Hades," he whispered. "Like the one you have on you?" Nico asked pointing up to Draco's own head. Draco looked up and there he saw it, the same sign that Nico had. That meant-

"We're siblings...?"

Aaaaannnnddd done! I deeply apologize if the update was alter than usual. I actually thought that it did upload but it didn't and now that I was planning to write the beginning of my next chapter I realized this chapter didn't upload. Again my apologies for that, and I hoped you liked the whole Draco being a child of Hades thing. (I kinda spoiled it with the Tom Riddle chapter didn't I?) Anyways I hoped you liked this chapter and see you in the next one!

(P.s. the * means that the age of the big prophecy might be changed to fifteen to fit the timeline I'm working on. I still don't know the exact year and age the characters will be so just bare with me.)

-D.