The sun shown through the hotel room as the morning sun climbed over the City of Lights. Katie was the first to wake up, her eyes opening slightly to allow her time to adjust to the sunlight. Turning around she saw Danny still asleep, turned towards the wall. The way he slept was silent, calm, and more over relaxed. His breaths were long and slow, nothing rushed. When the sunlight reached Danny he slowly opened his eyes up and saw her looking at him.

"Let me guess, you want me to get Romeo and Juliet up?" he said. She nodded. Sighing, he got up and went to the door. He put his ear to it to see if there was any unnecessary noise coming from the room. There was none so he opened it up.

The room smelled like pure sweat. He saw Percy and Annabeth's naked bodies on the sheets, their clothes discarded all over the floor.

"Hey, Percy and Annabeth, wake up!" yelled Danny. The couple slowly got up, covering themselves with the sheets.

"We didn't disturb you did we?" said Annabeth.

"Oh no, besides the loud noises, floor rocking, and sexual comments, I'd say you were okay," said Danny. Annabeth and Percy blushed.

"Well come on and get your clothes back on, we have a busy day of searching to go on, and also you might want to shower," said Danny. Percy and Annabethshuffled to get out of bed while Danny closed the door behind him. When he got into his room he saw Katie in the bathroom, brushing her teeth in her tank-top and panties. Danny couldn't help himself but stare at her, her long slim legs seeming to call to him. He had to physically snap himself out of his trance.

"Just because you're friends doesn't mean you can like her like that. Remember who her dad is,"he thought to himself. He decided to wait until she was done, so he got out of his pajama bottoms and his shirt and began to put some jeans on. While he was putting his all-black shirt on Katie came out of the bathroom and saw his back. She saw a long, jagged scar coursing up it like a fragmented lightning bolt, starting at the end of his shoulder blade and ending at the lower center of his back.

"How did you get that?" she asked, startling him.

"Get what?"

"That scar." Danny sighed.

"I got it a long time ago," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"Let's say something bad happened on that day," said Danny.

"But what..."

"I don't want to talk about it!" he yelled. He saw that he had hurt her feelings a bit.

"'I'm, sorry. I, just don't want to discuss this with anyone," said Danny. He sat down on the bed and for the first time Katie saw he looked he was on the verge of tears.

"What's the matter?" she asked, coming closer to him. Danny wiped his eyes with his hands.

"I lost someone," was all he said. Katie sat on the bed next to him, her hand going onto his back, her fingernail tracing down his scar. she had the sudden urge to feel all over him, which she almost did if she hadn't snapped to reality and came up with something to say.

"Who could have done this to you?" she said.

"He never told you did he?" said Danny.

"Who?" said Katie. At that moment a grumbling noise came from Danny's stomach.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," said Katie.

"Well let's go. I hear the French have a reputation for good cooking," said Danny. "Let me go get the lovebirds." He got off the bed, putting his shirt on as he went into the other room, Katie went to her drawer to put a pair of jeans on and an ACDC shirt. When she was finished dressing Danny came back in.

"What did they say?" she asked.

"They're doing it in the shower," said Danny. Katie laughed a bit, thinking of all the lovin' she had seen Annabeth and Percy doing last night.

"They'll come down in a few minutes," said Danny. "They said we'll eat in the hotel restaurant, then we'll go and look around in Paris." Katie nodded and went to the door, followed closely by Danny.

"Wait, we might want to bring our weapons," she said.

"Good idea," said Danny. He got his belt from under his pillow along with his armband and put it on while Katie put her comb in her pocket and put on her bracelet.

"You don't want to take Pedos?" she asked, seeing he wasn't taking his jacket.

"Not today," said Danny. They both exited the room and went downstairs to the restaurant.

The Parisian restaurant was decked out with wooden chairs growing ivy around the legs, the French flag on the walls, vintage pictures of Parisian life on the walls as well, and a table with a vase full of lilacs on there. When they sat down the waiter came up to them.

"Bonjour messiuers," he said.

"Bonjour," said Katie and Danny.

"What will you be having today?" said the waiter.

"We'll have a basket of croissants, some pastries, and a large tankard of orange juice," said Katie, searching Danny's face to see if that's what he wanted. He nodded.

"Also, we have two more friends coming," she finished.

"Oui, I'll be out in a few minutes," said the waiter. He hurried off to the kitchen, leaving Danny and Katie alone. They sat in an awkward silence for awhile.

"Umm, so, what do you want to do when you get out of high school?" said Katie.

"College," said Danny.

"Where at?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," said Danny. "What about you?"

"I was thinking NYU," said Katie.

"Be close to home?" said Danny. Katie nodded. She couldn't help but keep looking at him. She had no doubt she had an attraction to him, but she tried to deny it to herself as much as possible. Yet the more she denied, the more she liked him. At that moment Annabeth and Percy came down, smiling a lot.

"It's about time you two came, we were worried you drowned in the shower," said Danny. Annabeth and Percy blushed and sat at the table.

"Sorry, couldn't help ourselves," said Percy.

"It's a newly-wed thing, it's not your fault," said Danny. The waiter came back with their food and set it down gently on the table.

"Here you are, enjoy," he said. The group chowed down on the croissants, pastries, and drank the orange juice. Once they were finished they paid the waiter and went outside to take a bus through the city. Boarding the bus, they thought through their plan.

"Okay, we'll split up at the Eiffel Tower. Danny, you inspect the Notre Dame and the catacombs. Katie, you check out the Louvre and the Seine. Percy, check the Arc and the downtown district. We'll meet back up at Napoleon's tomb at 1 o'clock," said Annabeth.

"Got it."


(1 o'clock)

Annabeth was waiting at the restaurant outside Les Invalides, sitting down on a chair on the outside tables. The others should be getting here at any minute, she thought. The question was, where were they? The first to arrive was Percy. His blank expression told her he hadn't found anything.

"There was not a thing where I checked," he said, sitting next to her on the chair. "Katie and Danny should be here in a minute." As fast as he said it Katie got back.

"Nope, nothing," she said, sitting down in the chair opposite them.

"Did you see Danny anywhere?" said Annabeth.

"No," said Katie. The minutes passed by until it was 1:30. The group was starting to get anxious, wondering what had happened to make him this late. they kept waiting until it was 2:00. Now they were getting frantic.

"We should go find him," said Katie. Just as they were about to leave they heard a rumbling sound come from under the table. First a head popped out, then a bdy spat itself out of the ground. Danny was standing in front of them, shaking some gravel off his shirt, looking shaken.

"What took you so long?" said Percy.

"I got lost in the catacombs. Do you know what it's like to pass thousands of grinning skeletons in the dark with no light?" said Danny, trying to sound like he wasn't very afraid.

"Actually, yes. Me and Annabeth visited the Underworld a few times, we know what you mean," said Percy.

"The French have a funny way of burying people. Did you find anything?" said Danny.

"No, we haven't found anything," said Annabeth. Danny sat down in the chair next to Katie.

I don't get it, we searched the entire city and we still can't find it," said Katie.

"The Oracle said the gem was in the tomb of Napoleon. We checked it out and still nothing," said Danny.

"Maybe it means that we weren't looking hard enough. I mean where else would a son of Hades hide something so precious," said Katie. At that moment Annabeth's eyes lit up.

"Because, when the Oracle said that it was hidden in his tomb, that would mean he actually HID it in his tomb. He's buried with the gem," said Annabeth.

"Annabeth, you're a genius," said Percy, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said. They all got off the table and headed inside. They came up to the entrance and saw that the place was closed.

"I can get us in. Everyone grab onto me," said Danny. Katie put her hand on his shoulder, Annabeth put hers on his other shoulder, and Percy put his on his arm.

"Take a deep breath," said Danny. The ground opened up under them and they were all sucked into. It was like a roller coaster, the darkness closing around them. They could hear sounds they never heard before: magma churining underground, the sound of feet from up above, plates sliding past each other. When they came out they were standing inside the building down the hall from the tomb.

The tomb of Napoleon, it's shining brown mahogany wood, gleamed at them, as if it were inviting them.

"I'll go," said Percy.

"No, I'll do it. You do remember you and Katie have a certain grudge from Hades?" said Danny. "Besides, me and Hades can relate to each other better."

"How, you like dead people?" said Katie.

"No, we know what it's like to isolate ourselves," said Danny. He took his belt buckle and Seismos appeared at his side. He drew him out of his sheath and advanced cautiously to the tomb, expecting something to pop or not catch the eye of any security guards. When he got there he tried with his hands first to open up the wood. As expected, the lid was sealed shut. Danny took Seismos, found a crack where the lid met the casket, and began to pry it open. At first, no success, but Danny kept going until the lid successfully slid off. Thinking that he could now reach into the casket, Danny was surprised to see that there was another lid.

"What the?" said Danny.

"Danny, Napoleon's body was sealed in six different caskets," said Annabeth.

"Why the hell would he seal himself in six, he only got one body!" said Danny. Frustrated he began to pry the other lid open. Once that was done he began prying the remeining four. The minutes dragged on, the group checking around to make sure the guards were occupied with something else. At one hallway Katie heard a sound she had never heard before. It sounded like a man and lion growling from a corner. She looked around, but saw nothing. Thinking that her nerves were playing tricks on her, she went back to scouting the hallways. After about forty-five minutes, the last lid was pried off. Danny looked in to see the body of one of the greatest men on earth.

"Damn, when they said he was short, they meant he was short," said Danny. Napoleon's corpse, still covered in his army uniform, was now just a skeleton with hair. On his right breast pocket, Danny saw a lump. He reached in to get it, making sure he was delicate enough to not crush the fragile bones in the tomb. From out the coat pocket came a fist-sized green gem. The gem glowed with an inner dark light that pulsed at random times.

"You got the gem," said Annabeth. They all rushed over to examine it.

"So this is it, it's amazing how all the things we look for are usually not bigger than us," said Percy.

"Give me the gem now," said a voice behind them in a French accent, pronouncing the 'g' in jem like a 'j'. A man in a tuxedo came into the room. Their first reaction was that it was a businessman, but Percy and Annabeth's breath caught in their throat when they saw who it was. His face was clean-shaven, but his eyes were two different colors: ice-blue and brown.

"Well, my two half-blood friends. It has been awhile," said the man. Percy took out Riptide while Annabeth took out her knife. Danny and Katie appeared with Jolt and Seismos, not activating their shields yet.

"Ahh, two more half-bloods I see. This will make a nice lunch for me," he said, flexing his fingers.

"Thorn, get out now! Kronos is done with and we have nothing else you want," said Percy, holding the gem in his hands.

"Oh, but you do Percy Jackson. You do. That gems gives the wearer the power to commmand great forces and give you the best kind of military judgement, along with increasing you're powers so far that you could overthrow Olympus. That is why Napoleon succeeded in conquering most of Europe. Now, I want it," he said.

"What kind of monster is he?" said Danny.

"He's a manticore," said Annabeth.

"Merde (shit)," said Danny. He and Katie took out their shields, Percy and Annabeth doing the same thing. Thorn changed until he was back in his monster form, his head with a mane lined around, his tail turning metal until he had what looked like spikes sticking from the end, and his body taking the form of a lion.

"Au revoir, half-bloods," he said. On that note, he pounced.