Waking from that dream I had lain in bed a long time just thinking things over. I hadn't let on to Nico about any prophecy because he seemed at present to be totally unaware of it. I'd warned Nico before we'd both woken up that he needed to keep this dream a secret and not to tell anyone, because frankly I didn't know where he was or who he might meet, any number of them could take advantage of a vulnerable boy like him. I'd said that he should stay hidden for as long as he could, but if he was found and caught by Luke's men, not to fight them because then he'd be brought directly to me, where I could then hope to protect him. Nico seemed cool with that, saying that he believed me more than he believed my brother, but I think maybe that's because he saw me as similar to Bianca in some ways, and he naturally trusted his big sister. I hoped I didn't let him down. He'd asked if we'd meet again like this, but I didn't know so I just told him I hoped so before giving him a final hug as the dream melted away and I rose from it like bubbles rising from underwater. There was a lot to think about. In the room I could hear Luke was already up so I pulled back the curtains of the canopy bed, which he'd chivalrously given to me whilst he slept on the sofa like a gentleman. He no longer trusted me to be alone even when sleeping, but not because he thought I'd do something. He didn't trust anyone else with my safety, so he took it upon himself to keep me near and thereby safe. "Awake? You were out for ages. It's almost midday."

"I feel like I haven't slept at all." I yawned as I got up and felt around for the chair next to the bed before picking up the complimentary dressing gown that came with each cabin in order to pull it on and tie it up. "What are you doing?" I asked as I heard Luke shuffling some papers around, going over to the table which I knew to always be stocked with food in order to find myself some toast.

"Just looking over some maps."

"For the Labyrinth." I guessed easily. Everyone brave enough to enter and lucky enough to come back alive and sane enough to speak had tried to map out the routes of the Labyrinth as far as they could go, but so far it seemed Luke couldn't get them to make sense. It appeared that the Labyrinth had no fixed shape, shifting day by day, possibly even constantly, in order to confuse and trap anyone who went in. As I walked over to his desk where he sat, the ship suddenly lurched and I lost my footing, wavering as the ship was thrown with enough force to make it tilt precariously as everything in the room rattled and shook, some things falling off their places as I squeaked but thankfully fell into a chair that the ship moved for me so that I didn't go sprawling on the floor. When she settled again as I flicked my eyes up towards the helm, I made a motion with my hand that turned the wheel and the rudder in order to counteract the sudden squall, settling us once more and mutely increasing the speed from cruising at around twenty knots to twenty five and climbing, turning us to try and outrun the storm. "Phew. Thanks Andromeda." I said to her and the ship gave a great sigh as if to say 'you're welcome'.

"You alright?" Luke asked from where he continued to work, completely used to the random tilting of the ship so that not even a single paper fell out of place.

"Yeah, Andromeda has my back. Don't you girl?" She juddered slightly, making me giggle before I decided to just sit tight and eat my toast. "Another storm? He's really not letting up is he?" He being my dear old dad, god of the sea, Poseidon.

"It should let up soon. I've arranged for him to have too much on his plate to be worrying about one ship. Soon the entire Atlantic will be a battleground." I paused then, lifting my eyes in order to consider how I felt about that. I didn't care one whit about Poseidon or his underwater palaces, but wars in the sea could be detrimental to the sea life and also affect the land. Despite everything, I couldn't help but be mildly concerned. Mildly. "Do you not agree?"

"I was just wondering how a giant underwater battle might affect other things like the land. Piss of Poseidon enough he might just decide to flood the world." I pointed out before finishing my toast and licking the crumbs off my fingers. "So what's on the agenda for today boss? Anything exciting or just the usual?" Sensing him crack a grin at me, Luke continued organising his maps and papers at his desk.

"We're meeting some new demons that just spawned from Tartarus. They should be here any minute."

"So…the usual then. Bummer." He chuckled but the moment there was a knock on the door and he immediately fell silent, growing stern and terse as he told the knocker to come inside. A couple of monsters entered, though Luke had specifically called them demons which meant they were a higher class than ordinary monsters, older and far more dangerous. I smelled a metallic scent on the air as well as a hint of animal fur as they walked in, sometimes able to hear a dull thud of mismatched footsteps which only confused me all the more. I scowled, because they smelled awful. They were both women of some kind, I could tell that much from the impression of their shapes, though the leader of the two seemed to notice my expression and demanded to know why I was looking at them like that. "Because you smell awful, donkey-foot." She hissed and I then smelled fire, feeling her turn towards me but Luke growled in warning, making her immediately settle. I felt a dark glare being tossed my way before she then turned to Luke, almost purring as she spoke.

"My you're a handsome one. I didn't expect our Lord's second in command to be so tasty looking. I could just eat you up." I shuddered, but that wasn't all. My gut twisted horribly and my scowl deepened as I heard the clear flirtatious tone of this demon thing, a spark of annoyance flaring inside as she giggled. Also, when a monster says to a half-blood that they could just eat you up because you looked delicious, they meant it literally. What made me feel all the more annoyed, however, was how Luke seemed to smile and flirt back. I mean, what gives?! That's a demon, he is literally courting death.

"And you're not so bad yourself. It's refreshing to see someone of your type who doesn't smell like a sewer and look just as bad." I snorted to myself, thinking that clearly Luke didn't smell the metal and animal hair. The Mist was clearly working on him, but it had a harder time with me because I was blind, I wasn't so easily fooled. My senses were sharp and my hearing excellent, meaning that monsters couldn't hide their true forms so effortlessly with me around. The demon giggled and I could hear her leaning over the desk whilst the other one sniggered, shooting me smug looks. I itched to grab Amaryllis and just cut them in half, but I doubted I could make up an excuse to get away with it. Luke probably wouldn't accept 'they were annoying me' as a viable reason to turn them to dust and send them back to Tartarus.

"We should introduce ourselves. You can call me Kelli, and this is my trainee, Tammi. We are empousai, made from bronze, animal and ghost though we tend to prefer to look like this, and we are servants of Hecate. It is our honour to join the cause of the Lord of Time, especially if it means I'll be seeing more of you, handsome." My blood felt like it was boiling in my veins so I got up and went to the balcony in order to cool off and take a few deep breaths. After becoming rational again, I turned my face into the wind as it streaked through my hair, opening my mouth in order to taste the salt even as the strong winds battered against our ship. For a brief moment, I could have sworn I felt something brush against my face, a touch of some kind, but then I shook it off and reasoned it was probably just a bit of my hair. I could sense a pod of whales nearby, singing beautifully and harmoniously so I smiled and walked closer to the left side of the balcony in order to hear them more clearly, getting the strange feeling that I wanted to sing with them too. When thunder rumbled I figured Zeus must be throwing around some lightning, the storm picking up however just as I was about to turn and go back inside, I heard a voice on the air.

It cried out and echoed, distant but familiar. I turned back, and under the constant howl of the wind I heard something beating like giant wings. My heart leaped and I was suddenly clinging to the side with simultaneous hope and dread, until all at once a voice exploded in my head. 'MISTRESS!' My jaw went slack as Snowstorm herself fought to reach the boat, however her approach caused everyone on deck to shout and begin to arm themselves, thinking that we were under attack so I screamed at the top of my lungs for them not to shoot. My desperation must have confused them because they hesitated and I immediately threw myself over the balcony, causing Luke to shout my name in shock as I laid my hand flat against the smooth surface of the ship and slid down the slope that would have planted me directly in the ocean had I fallen completely. However I knew this ship as clearly as I knew the Queen, and at the right moment I snagged the railing that allowed me to swing myself back onto the aft deck whereby I started to sprint forwards.

Snowstorm dodged and swerved in the air clearly avoiding projectiles that had been launched at her before she landed with a clatter of her hooves and ploughed forwards, sending people and even a few monsters flying as she fearlessly charged ahead. I heard someone shout to get the ropes, and next thing I knew Snow was squealing, caught and trapped as they tried to pin her down. "No! No let her go! Let her GO!" Thundering in outrage I pushed my way forwards until I burst through the last layer and dove forwards in order to fling my arms around Snowstorm's neck. "She's mine! Don't hurt her! Get away from her or I'll send you all to Hades!" Having developed a rather forceful and commanding air and tone, everyone started to back up and once I was certain they weren't going to do anything, I hastily pulled off the ropes that were wrapped around Snow's neck and legs as she wept in my head.

'Mistress! I finally found you! You have no idea how long I have been searching for you, I thought you were lost forever! I am so angry with you, you should have come back already, everybody is so worried…your poor mother, and your brother! Why have you not escaped yet? Hurry, climb onto my back and I shall fly you to safety!' I was so glad that I could transfer my own thoughts directly to Snowstorm, otherwise I was sure she'd just sweep me up onto her neck and carry me away if I couldn't provide a suitable explanation. I managed to calm her down and tell her that I couldn't leave yet because I had made a promise to a god, and if I left I would break that promise which would bring a terrible fate upon me. Snow didn't understand what kind of promise would force me to stay amongst enemies and dirty, foul smelling monsters, but she did not argue. She went still and stopped dancing around, hanging her head over my shoulder as we embraced one another and I almost started crying because of how dearly I had missed her, glad to have her back beside me though she too was now in danger. 'I do not know what keeps you here, but I shall not leave you, my lady. Please do not send me away.'

'It is dangerous here, too dangerous for you. I don't know if I can protect you.'

'I shall still refuse to go!' I'd forgotten how stubborn Snowstorm was, hearing her stamp a hoof against the deck. By that point Luke had caught up to me with the two new demons Kelli and Tammi behind him. I sensed an initial flash of fear in him, an innate worry that I would take off and try to escape, but I turned around and smiled at him calmly and he soon settled. "Hey Luke, you remember Snowstorm my pegasus friend, right? Sorry she just dropped in, but she's rather wild and untameable so I can't exactly tell her what to do." I explained to him as I remained anchored at Snow's side, some of the crowds beginning to disperse though I could hear some of the monsters licking their lips and their stomachs growling hungrily as they eyed Snow. She tossed her head and gave a harsh snort the way she did whenever she was nervous so I patted her neck again. "Can she stay? Please? She just wants to be with me, I promise she won't be any trouble."

"You realise that if someone tries to eat her, there isn't much I can do about it?" Luke reasoned though I could hear that he was just teasing me so I didn't get huffy with him. Sending him a look I placed my hand on Snow's face, feeling her velvety nose before whispering to her that the balcony on the tenth floor was the room I was staying in. It would be a little cramped, but there was enough room for her to land as well as take-off, and at least she would be near to me so I could keep an eye on her. Agreeing that this would be best, Snowstorm flapped her wings in order to fly up so I stepped back from her and felt the rush of wind wrap around me as she flew away. Luke turned to me once again. "If I find she is flying messages back and forth, or spying on us, or that you intend to escape here on that pegasus, then she will be the first to be executed." He warned me darkly and I nodded my head in understanding. I think this warning was more for the sake of the others who were rudely listening in, as Luke needed to assert his authority and I acted the part of a meek and chastised hostage for his sake. Any challenge to his authority would make him appear weak, and there were enough egos around here that would snatch up an opportunity to take charge themselves. "Come on, we're done here."

"But Luke," Kelli whined like a spoiled brat, making me flicker in irritation once again. "We've barely had a chance to get to know each other! How about we find somewhere cosy to chat? Somewhere away from certain unnecessary ears." I had a feeling this was a dig at me, but although Luke responded warmly and, yes, flirtatiously, he politely declined and instead took me by the hand in order to lead me back to his suite where we lived. The moment we were back I snatched my hand away from him and raced forwards, calling out for Snowstorm and she whinnied back at me as I dashed out onto the balcony and flung my arms around her once again, feeling her wings stretch forwards to cover me as she turned her neck into my back.

"I've missed you so much, I'm so glad you're alright! How long have you been looking for me? What's happening out there?" The questions just rattled themselves off one after another as Snow started to nibble on my hair.

'I have looked for you ever since you were left behind. Those stupid centaurs losing and forgetting my mistress, and allowing you to be hurt as well! Utterly unforgivable, I gave as many of them as I could get a good thrashing with my hooves.' This made me laugh because I knew Snow was not joking. The centaurs that had attacked when Luke and I were duelling had been a rather bizarre experience, Luke having told me about it sometime after I'd woken up once I'd been healed. 'But you look well and appear to have a great deal of freedom. The traitor does not keep you in chains?'

"Who Luke? No of course not, we've had a few spats but we've reached an understanding. At the moment we have an agreement of a ceasefire." I explained to her as I stroked her face and buried my face into her mane in order to breathe in her crisp, clear scent of freshly groomed and washed horses as well as the scent of snow and fresh air.

'Then it is true, you have chosen to fight against Olympus?'

'Not exactly.' I spoke internally this time so that we were not overheard. Behind me I could sense Luke still inside, probably working at his desk, but also listening to our conversation. 'I want to try and save Luke if I can. He's not acting on his own will anymore, it's that bastard upstairs in the casket. I'm getting excellent information as well, I'm hoping that I can get messages to Chiron somehow to warn him of what's coming but I haven't thought of anything yet. Before you ask, no. I'm not using you to carry the messages. Kronos will order Luke to kill you, and he'll do it even if I beg him not to. We're in deep, Snow. We have to play this game carefully because our lives depend on it.'

'Then you can depend on me to help you, however I am needed, my lady. I am just glad to see you again, I do not feel the same without you near me. I do not ever want to be parted from you again.' Smiling into her, I promised that I wouldn't let that happen before then settling down with her. She lay on the deck and rested against her, a wing tucked over me to keep me warm as we talked about everything I had missed and Snowstorm filled in the gaps of my knowledge so that I was up to speed. She even told me that the Queen Anne's Revenge had made it safely to camp which is how Percy first realised that I was still alive in the first place. She is still moored there, waiting for me, so I smiled happily and continued to stroke her coat. Having Snowstorm with me again brought me a great deal of happiness, seemingly filling a large empty space within and I didn't feel so alone anymore. Of course I had Luke, but it was different with him though I couldn't explain why. Maybe it was just reassuring to know that someone else had my back, someone else in my corner. With Snowstorm beside me, I felt a whole lot braver than before.