Here we go!

(Forewarning- I made an itty bitty hiccup with the rewrite and completely forgot the thing the book is actually named after, but that's a later chapter, just go with it, I'm tired)

The break in the floor yawned wider, groaning and straining, splitting them from Jason. Waterfalls of ten feet and growing roared in through the damaged hull to port and starboard, slathering the mosaic floors with dark water and flotsam, flooding the expanding chasm in the middle of the room. Broken machinery steamed below, flames guttering as seawater overpowered them. Above, lining the shattered ceiling, pandai appeared, screaming and arming themselves. They were to rain down, fearsome unstoppable fighters. At least, they were. Until the sky lit up and tendrils of lightning reduced them to dust.

Jason stepped from the smoke on the opposite side of the throne room, gladius in hand. Caligula snarled.

"You're one of those Camp Jupiter brats, aren't you?"

"I'm Jason Grace, former praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Son of Jupiter. Child of Rome. But I belong to both camps."

"Good enough." Caligula shrugged. "I'll hold you responsible for Camp Jupiter's treason tonight! Incitatus!" The emperor retrieved a golden spear clattering across the floor, vaulting onto his steed's back. Together, they charged the chasm, leaping it in a single bound. Jason dived to the side to avoid a trampling.

Piper pushed herself up, howling with fury. Her lower face was garish- upper lip swollen and split across her teeth, her jaw askew, a trickle of blood falling from the corner of her mouth. She charged Medea, who turned in time to get smacked in the nose. The sorceress staggered, pinwheeling her arms desperately for balance. Piper shoulder-slammed her over the edge, spilling her into the chasm. Medea vanished under the churning soup of burning fuel and seawater.

Piper shouted to Jason. COME ON! She seemed to say, the injuries to her jaw reducing her words to a guttural cry. COME ON!

Jason could not respond. He dodged Incitatus's charge, parried Caligula's spear with his sword. He was moving too slowly. The control of the winds, the lightning… it had drained him.

"Get out of here!" He ordered. "Go!" An arrow sunk into his left thigh. He grunted, stumbling. Overhead, more pandai had formed up, unnerved by the skyward threat that had wiped out their predecessors. Piper yelled in warning as Caligula charged again. Jason managed to roll to one side, grabbing at the air. A gust of wind yanked him aloft, taking the shape of storm cloud, four funnel clouds for legs, a mane that snapped and bit with lightning. Tempest.

Jason rode against Caligula, sword against spear. Another arrow buried itself into his upper arm.

"I told you this isn't a game!" Caligula yelled. "You don't walk away from me alive!"

An explosion rocked the ship, rumbling beneath their feet with enough force to shake their bones. The room teetered, splitting further apart. Piper tumbled backwards, the trip sparing her from a trio of arrows. She scrambled for Apollo, hauling him to his feet. He clutched the Arrow of Dodona, pale and trembling. His eyes darted about the wreckage- there was no sign of Crest, of Meg, of Medea. He hardly noticed an arrow impaling the toe of his shoe, the pain in his chest too great to register anymore elsewhere.

Piper tugged on his arm. She pointed to Jason, unable to speak, but the demand clear. She wanted Apollo to help him.

But how? He had no powers. He had just stabbed himself in the chest, he could hardly breathe, let alone fight, god or not. More pandai gathered on the broken roof line.

They could only watch as Jason and Caligula fought, Jason bleeding from arrows in each limb now. Yet, despite the odds, he could still raise his sword. The space was too cramped for both men on their horses, but they continued to circle one another, trading blows. Incitatus kicked at Tempest with his golden-shod front hooves. The ventus retaliated with bursts of electricity that scorched the stallion's white flanks.

Former praetor and emperor charged past each other. Jason met Apollo's eyes across the buckling throne room. His plan was delivered with perfect clarity. Piper McLean would not die tonight.

"GO!" He bellowed. "Remember!"

Apollo moved too slowly. Jason held his gaze a fraction of a second too long, perhaps to sink that last word in- remember.

His back turned, Caligula wheeled about. He raised his arm, ready to throw.

And he did.

But Jason wasn't there. The spear sunk into the floor where he had been standing. Caligula screamed with rage.

Jason landed beside them, looking absolutely bewildered and soaked to his skin, flotsam on his hair. Tempest had vanished, pushed away by the wave that had whisked his rider away. Jason blinked. He looked to Piper, to Apollo, then back to her. She sobbed, slipping on the wet deck, to throw her arms about his neck.

Apollo looked back, seeing Incitatus rearing and whinnying, could hear Caligula swearing and ordering control.

A lone figure faced the emperor, a bronze-gold sword in hand. Thunder boomed, Piper clung to Jason as the wreckage creaked and tilted, shaking in the aftermath of the noise. Apollo blinked, rain splashing on his cheeks.

Louisa stood ready, shoulders squared. They could feel the waves of her fury in the air around them, the swelling of the sea, ravenous, the pounding of raindrops purpling their skin. She smiled, but there was no joy in it.

"'N' who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I am Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!" He dug his heels into Incitatus's side, quelling the bucking. The horse did not look too pleased, tottering nervously, determinedly keeping his distance from the new arrival. "I am Emperor Caligula and you will-!" He never finished his sentence.

Louisa was too busy laughing.

Head back, carefree, sword even lowered slightly, one hand over her eyes like she could not believe what stood before her. Her laughter rippled over them, an odd sense of warmth behind the mirth, but not one Caligula could appreciate.

"You're Booties?" She eventually managed, marvelling at him with sarcastic glee. "The dumbass that declared war on Dad 'n' his only way of doin' that was ta stab the fuckin' water?" She leaned on her sword, doubling over to cackle some more. "Holy shit, you ain't what I was expectin' at all!" She straightened, wiping at her eyes, letting her humour die down. She cleared her throat, rolled her left shoulder, held her sword ready. "Now." She gave one last laugh, somewhat forced. "Please tell me why you think ya can hurt my friends on my ocean?" The jovial nature was gone. Apollo felt his blood turn cold.

Incitatus skittered, trying to back away.

"Boss, she is Neptune's daughter. She-"

"She will die too." Caligula hefted his spear. Louisa snorted, standing straight. She clasped her free hand over the one gripping her sword, now resting on her shoulder, tipping her head to one side.

"Ooooh, look at me, I'm Caligula!" She mocked. "I want ta be the New Sun, but there ain't much left for me ta do! I'm already a giant ball of hot gas! Fear me, for I am the formidable Booties!" She brandished her sword over-exaggeratedly. Caligula ground his teeth; the Horse huffed indignantly, still tottering worriedly.

"And what makes you worthy to oppose me?"

"'Cos you've pissed off an already pissed off daughter of Neptune on a sinkin' boat surrounded by water, you absolute dipshit." Louisa rubbed at her face, sighing irritably. "Gaia couldn't kill me. What makes ya think you can? Booties." She added, giving a wave of her hand. There was an unholy screeching, metal scraping on metal, tearing away from the side under the sea's grasp. The water gushed in, but they could see the expanse of the ocean through this new break. "Plus, I may have already sunk some of ya boats. My bad." Caligula turned puce, his spear hurtling through the air towards her.

A flash of golden-bronze and a smug smirk, two halves of a spear disappearing into the cascade either side of her. "Maybe next time, Booties." Her sword vanished. She slammed her left fist into the palm of her right hand and the world was lost to sea and thunder.

Apollo thrashed and kicked, blinded in all directions by water dark as night. The cold of it burned, his already injured chest shrieking for oxygen. Where was Piper, where was Jason? What had Louisa done?

Then a hand grabbed his wrist. He was yanked forward and was pulled through some sort of resistance, gasping and dripping on the other side. Louisa grinned at him. "You stabbed yourself? I got attacked for stabbin' myself, that ain't fair!" Apollo sunk to his knees. Jason and Piper stared at him. Louisa pouted at the lack of response, turning her head to look over her shoulder. "Uh, hold on a sec." And she was gone.

They were in a bubble. The sea raged all around them, parts of ships flashing past them, bursts of fire as fuel burned and then sizzled out. Louisa returned quickly, the bubble expanding to accommodate Meg and Crest. "These are the right people, ain't they?"

"Y-Yes." Apollo stammered. "Thank you."

"Eh, no worries." Louisa shrugged, turning to Jason. He stared up at her, confusion knitting his brow. "If it weren't for the arrows in you, I'd be kickin' you in the dick 'n' tellin' you not to fuckin' breed, you complete 'n' utter dumbass! No, no, I'm sorry, 'dumbass' ain't gonna cover it. Meg, cover your ears." When Meg didn't move, Piper leaned over and did so for her. Louisa launched into the perhaps her most violent and disapproving, foulest string of insults and curses she had ever had to date. Jason did not look away while she berated him, pale and biting his lower lip, eyes widening behind his sea-stained glasses. She continued her tirade as she knelt to remove the arrows from his limbs, promising much worse than a kick in the crotch, summoning water to seal the wounds as she pondered how many of his bones she could break and shove up his nose and shred his dumbass brain. She did not pause when she moved on to heal Piper's jaw, leaving a scar on her upper lip. Meg's injuries were the easiest, a mere hand wave, a quick coating of water.

Then she rounded on Apollo, stopping for a moment to draw breath. "'N' you," she glowered, smiling thinly, "if you ever drag my friends into your shit ever again, I promise you now the emperors will be the least of your problems. Is that clear?"

"Cl-clear." Apollo nodded frantically, wincing at the movement. He put a hand to his chest and Louisa sighed.

"Half-tempted not ta heal ya."

"Louisa." Jason prompted. She glared over her shoulder and he flinched. "Heal him, please."

"Fuck you, Grace. You ain't in my good books either, thinkin' ya can just swan off 'n' die, what kind of bollocks is that? Wait, who are you again?" She had remembered Crest, thoughts spinning in her sea green eyes as she struggled to place him. "I don't know you, do I?" Crest shook his head, large ears flapping. She rubbed at her jaw, humming distractedly.

"Um, I am still in need of assistance." Apollo pointed out meekly. Her gaze cut to him, sidelong, jaw bunching.

"I am still in need of assistance," she mimicked, "you fuckin' will be, you-"

"Louisa." Jason said again. She swore forcefully in Latin. A flick of her hands and she drew more water to her, crouching to press her hands to Apollo's chest. Medea's red goop had temporarily sealed his stab wound. Her water removed that and left him with a jagged, puckered scar.

Once she was done, she fell backwards, squishing herself between Piper and Meg, heaving a tired sigh as she bowed her head.

"Fuckin' idiots." She grumbled.

"Are you done yelling at me now?" Jason inquired. She scoffed.

"Unlikely. Why?"

"Do you realise what you've done?"

"Um, saved ya from becomin' a shish kebab. Again."

"Heliophile told me-"

"Who?"

"The Oracle of Erythraea. You know, the next Oracle to save." Louisa looked at him blankly. Jason sighed. He recounted his and Piper's expedition to find the Burning Maze, spoke quietly of his conversation with the Oracle. How one of them was going to, three letters, starts with 'd'. Louisa continued to stare at him. Jason hesitated. "One of us was meant to die back there, Lou. You changed that."

"You're welcome."

"The Fates-"

"Oh, the Fates can suck a dick for all I care. I'm sick of their shit." She scowled. "I've lost too many friends 'cos of their meddlin', I ain't gonna lose another if I can do somethin' about it." Her expression tightened, pained. "It… it ain't good back at camp." She admitted quietly. Her bubble companions shared uneasy looks. Louisa ignored them, gathering her thoughts and holding out her hand. The edge of the bubble rippled, dispensing a clam shell into her palm. She tapped her thumb on the top and the shell cracked open. "Thanks." A soft green light emitted from the pearl inside, a gentle buzzing alongside it. "Pick up, pick up, pick up, you bas-"

"Finish that sentence, I dare you."

"-tard. Hey, Dad." Louisa smiled wearily. A miniature hologram of her father's head and shoulders flickered above the pearl, outlined with green light. "I made a mess."

"I saw. The Fates are not happy."

"They're never happy." Louisa sighed, rubbing at her ear and squeezing her eyes shut. "Now, could ya clean up those ships? Uh, please?" She added as Jason elbowed her. Neptune frowned. Louisa sighed. "I said ta you the ocean is polluted as fuck 'n' asked if ya could help 'n' you were all 'that sounds like a great idea, favourite child of mine, we'll do that' 'n'-"

"I don't sound like that." Neptune protested. "And I've never said that either."

"- ya still owe me." Louisa continued, picking at the knee of her trousers. Neptune glowered. Louisa part-smirked, part-grimaced. "Ya know, for the thing ya made me promise never to tell anyone ever, that thing."

"Alright, alright, keep your voice down! I will clear up your mess. Again."

"Thanks, Dad!"

"Be on your guard, Louisa. You have changed the Fates' design; they are not going to let this go again."

"Like they ever did in the first place." Louisa shrugged. "I'll worry about it later, I'm tired." She pushed the clam shut and Neptune's image disappeared. She looked around at the group, eyes bleary and becoming unfocused. "We'll be back at yours in a bit, Pipes. But if one of ya'll could, like, catch me or whatever… 'cos I'm just gonna pass out as soon as I leave the water, so yeah… that'd be appreciated, thanks." She reached across Piper, pinching Jason's cheek. "Stop frownin', you're alive 'n' ya can finish that pointy hat shit."

"Pontifex, Lou."

"Yeah, that shit. I think ya owe me money as well."

"Oh, please. You never have money of your own, you probably owe me hundreds."

"Bullshit."

"How did you even get to us?" Apollo questioned. "I thought you were defending Camp Jupiter?"

"I swam. 'N' I was. That was…" She pressed her hands over her ears. Jason narrowed his eyes at her.

"What did you do?"

"Somethin' stupid. But, anyway, I had a bad feelin' 'n' tracked you lot down. Good job 'n' all, can't do without Jason. He's, like, the only sane person I know."

"You like sane people?"

"Eh, he balances out the crazy."

"He must be remarkably sane if he has to balance out your crazy."

"I have zero problem drownin' you."