This is a filler chapter, but it does cover some important topics to the characters. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Echo Five: Thank you. I took a look at their stories before deciding they weren't really my cup of tea. Thanks anyway.

Guest 1: Glad you can.

Guest 2: There might be at some point.

Kansas

Afternoon

"Thanks for your help Barry, but you need to head back to Central City," Oliver as they stood outside an alley way, a little away from Percy and Annabeth, as the two watched them curiously.

"I'm not going anywhere, not without you. What's going on?" Barry asked confused.

"Felicity didn't tell you what happened?" Oliver asked surprised and Barry shook his head.

"She just said you left with The Monitor. What's going on?" Barry said and Oliver was silent for a moment.

"The Crisis Mar Novu warned us about…it's coming, soon," Oliver said and Barry paled. "He sent me on a mission to prepare for it; I'm on that mission now. Go home Barry, enjoy the time you have left before Crisis with the people you love."

"If Crisis is coming, then I think I'm exactly where I should be," Barry said, to Oliver's frustration.

"Barry, this isn't like any mission we've had before. We're not dealing with Metas or aliens. This is gods and monsters and nothing we've ever faced before," Oliver reasoned but Barry was not deterred.

"Which is just more of a reason that I should stay," Barry said firmly.

"If you stay, your identity is at risk," Oliver tried one last effect to get Barry to leave.

"If we don't stop Crisis, I don't think it matters," Barry pointed out and Oliver sighed as he realized Barry wasn't backing down.

"The Flash might draw attention," Oliver started before Barry sped away, returning in his civilian clothing.

"Problem solved," Barry said with a shadow of his usual optimism.

What had happened to him, Oliver wondered. But now was not that the time to have this conversation, he knew.

"Barry, this is Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. Guys, this is Barry. He's gonna be joining us, it seems," Oliver said and the two demigods could tell this did not please Oliver.

"You know The Flash," Percy said in a little bit of awe as he stared at Barry.

"You know gods but a superhero is what leaves you star struck," Annabeth said torn between amusement and exasperation and Percy just shrugged.

"I'm sorry, gods?" Barry asked confused.

"It's a long story Barry. Are you okay?" Oliver asked as he noticed that Percy seemed exhausted, standing on dead feet.

"I'm fine," Percy lied but Annabeth looked at him worriedly.

"It's the curse isn't it?" Annabeth said sharply as she looked him up and down, noticing how tired he was. "We need to find him some place to sleep, now."

"What's going on, what curse?" Oliver demanded as Barry just looked more and more bewildered.

"It's complicated, okay? I'll explain everything but we need to find a hotel, so he can sleep. He's no good to us like this," Annabeth reasoned.

"I think I saw a hotel a block back," Barry said after a moment. "Hold on."

After a moment, the four of them disappeared in a blur of movement as Barry grabbed them and sped off.

Several miles away, The Triad was searching the rental car Oliver, Percy and Annabeth had been in, finding two duffle bags in the trunk. As they looked through the bags, a few feet away, White stood with her back to them, muttering to herself.

"No, I can do this...yes, I know the cost of failure…The Flash interfered. I won't let that happen again…it shall be done," White muttered, seemingly to herself.

White tuned on her heel and stalked over to where her men were looking through the duffle bags.

"Anything?" she demanded.

"Just some clothes, some toiletries, and this," one of them said, holding up a baseball cap.

White quickly snatched up the cap, staring down at it like it was a thousand dollar bill.

"This just might come in handy," she said, chuckling darkly as her eyes had a mad glint in them that unnerved her men.

At a motel a few towns over, Barry was paying for a room, as China White didn't know his identity, so the Triad was less likely to track them there.

"Okay," Barry said as he walked back to the others. "We have a room on the second floor. Come on."

Not long after, Barry used the key card and opened the room. It wasn't bad, just a small room with two beds, a small couch and television. Percy made his way over to one of the beds and practically collapsed on it, snoring within seconds.

"What is going on with him? What is this curse?" Oliver demanded of Annabeth once Percy was out and she sighed.

"What do you know of Achilles?" Annabeth asked as she turned to face him and Barry.

"Achilles, like from the Iliad?" Barry asked confused.

"I'll explain later," Oliver promised before turning back to Annabeth. "He was the guy with iron skin, right? The guy that got killed with the arrow in his ankle?"

"Yeah. His mom bathed him in the River Styx in The Underworld. It gave him defense, improved all his skill in battle. But it exhausted him. Whenever he wasn't fighting, he slept," Annabeth said as she glanced over at Percy.

"Percy has the same thing, doesn't he?" Oliver realized and she nodded.

"About three years ago, a friend of ours convinced him it was the only way to survive the war," Annabeth explained.

"War?" Oliver asked confused.

"Four years ago, the Titan Kronos rose and was trying to destroy Olympus. We went to war, there was a prophecy that said Percy would make a decision that would either save the world or doom it. Percy decided if he was going to live that long, he needed the same powers as Achilles," Annabeth explained and it was silent for a moment.

"And you didn't think to mention this before? That would have been nice to know when we were up against the Triad," Oliver said annoyed.

"We should have told you before, I'm sorry," Annabeth apologized before glancing at Barry, who looked completely lost. "I think you owe Barry some answers."

Annabeth walked away, sitting down on the bed next to Percy, watching her boyfriend with a tender expression that Oliver hadn't thought she was capable of. Feeling like an intruder, Oliver turned away and saw Barry looking at him with a look that said he wanted answers. Honestly, Oliver was surprised Barry had waited this long.

"What is going on Ollie? What is this about Titans and curses?" Barry asked completely lost as Oliver tried to figure out how to put this into words.

"What do you know about Greek mythology?" Oliver asked and Barry looked at him confused.

"A lot actually. I looked into it after my mom died. Figured if science couldn't explain what happened, maybe there was something else going on. You're not trying to tell me its real are you?" Barry joked before he saw Oliver's face. "…seriously?"

"It is real Barry. The gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, they're real. And they haven't exactly changed their habits in the last thousand years," Oliver said as he glanced over at Annabeth and Percy. "Percy's a son of Poseidon and Annabeth's a daughter of Athena. There's a whole camp of people just like them. That's where I've been for the last few days."

"I need to sit down," Barry muttered, all but collapsing into the couch. "I've always believed in the impossible but this is…"

"Insane? Tell me about it," Oliver said dryly. "But we've both seen things that defy explanation, defy science. After last year, does it seem so farfetched?"

"I guess you have a point," Barry muttered to himself but he still looked shell shocked.

"I had a hard time with it to at first," Oliver said as he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, knowing how hard this was to swallow.

"What finally convinced you?" Barry asked and Oliver grimaced.

"Artemis claimed me as her son," Oliver said bluntly and it was silent for a moment.

"Isn't Artemis a maiden goddess?" Barry asked carefully.

"Yes, yes she is," Oliver said blankly.

"Oh," Barry said lamely. "That's…that's…"

"Messed up beyond words?" Oliver suggested.

"I…would not have put it like that," Barry said, his lips twitching as the two fought off their snickers at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"What happened Barry?" Oliver asked once he gained control of himself and Barry tensed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Barry mumbled, looking away from Oliver.

"You're different, you carry around this weight that you didn't before. And I think I know why. You lost someone, didn't you?" Oliver asked and Barry as silent for a moment.

"My daughter," Barry asked, looking like the words brought him physical pain. "I lost my daughter."

Oliver was stunned into silence for a moment, not sure what to say.

"I…didn't know you had a daughter," Oliver said cautiously.

"I don't. She was from the future, about thirty years in the future. She was a speedster like me," Barry explained with a haunted look in his eyes. "She wanted to know me but…the future, it's changed. You know the newspaper article I showed you in the Time Vault?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Oliver asked wearily.

"The Crisis it was talking about, it's happening in a few months," Barry said and Oliver started.

"So the Crisis Novu warned us about-" Oliver started.

"It's the Crisis where I disappear," Barry said as he looked up at Oliver with that same haunted look in his eye. "Nora's gone because I won't be around to have her."

"No," Oliver said angrily as he looked around. "We need to talk, now. Right now!"

Barry, Annabeth, and Percy faded away along with the hotel room. Oliver stood on the platform again, surrounded by space as The Monitor stood facing him.

"You wished to speak?" Novu asked.

"We had an agreement. I die, Barry gets to live!" Oliver snarled angrily.

"And so he shall. But Barry Allen has his own path to follow," The Monitor said.

"Oh would you stop being so vague? He has Artie's patience, which isn't good."

Suddenly, they weren't alone. Oliver blinked as a blonde haired man with blue eyes appeared a few feet from him. As Novu looked at the man annoyed, the man looked at Oliver and smiled, his teeth flashing.

"What, no hug for your Uncle A?" the man asked jokingly and Oliver realized who this was.

"Apollo," Oliver said and Apollo grinned.

"You should not be here," Novu warned.

"You're yanking my nephew's chain a bit too much for my liking," Apollo waved his hand dismissively before turning to Oliver. "He likes to play all know cryptic, but he's an amateur compared to me. The truth is that there are millions of possible futures. One where you die and your city becomes a wasteland. One where your friend Barry disappears in this Crisis and is never seen again. That's the thing about the future, it's uncertain. Its determined by the decisions you make right now, just ask Percy Jackson."

"You say there are millions of possible futures," Oliver said, his mind racing. "How many do Barry, Kara and I all survive?"

"One," Apollo said after a few moments, losing his grin as he looked solemn.

"But there is one where we all get to live," Oliver said and Apollo nodded. "Then that's the future I'll aim for."

"I know you will," Apollo said, smiling as he saw his sister's determination in Oliver's eyes. "You may as well send him back. He got what he came for."

Oliver then found himself back in the hotel room, Barry and Annabeth looking at him oddly as Percy continued to snore.

"Who are you talking to?" Barry asked confused.

"How long was I gone?" Oliver asked.

"Gone? You just started yelling that you needed to talk to someone," Barry said as Annabeth looked at Oliver curiously.

"Forget about it," Oliver said, deciding that it was best not to burden Barry with this knowledge. "We should all get a little rest while we can. Once Percy gets up, we go after the lion."

I thought this would be a good time to bring up Percy having the Curse of Achilles, which coincided nicely with the huge information dump Barry got.

I wanted Oliver to meet Apollo early on in the quest and this timed nicely with it.