Yey update!
Thanks for all the lovely reviews!
I didn't go into a lot of detail concerning the battle in this chapter, as that was

properly described in the Mark of Athena, and I didn't want to simply
write that down.
But don't get me wrong, this chapter is extremely important, especially for Penelope.
What will happen you ask? Well, read on and you'll find out ;)
I don't own PJO/HoO
Enjoy!

Chapter forty-five: Double Trouble
~Penelope's POV~

The glowing line pulled her as far the old Forum, where it stopped, just before a modern iron gate with a padlock that had been broken open. However, there was nothing else there.
Penelope looked around, confused. Neither Percy, Piper nor any of the others were here. Yet she was sure she was in the right place, almost as if she could feel Percy's presence in the air, a salty, ocean-like mist. It was extremely weird, but she had other things to focus upon.
Again, she looked around, and then to the line on the floor. Mhm, it seemed to glow brighter where
it stopped. Almost as if... as if it went underground. Holding her breath, Penelope crouched down and touched the floor. Sure enough, she sensed the presence of a room underneath, but it was shielded with Mist. Luckily, her mother controlled the Mist, so there might be a way through.
"Please, mother" Pen whispered, pressing her hand to the cold stone floor. "Please let me get through this barrier and follow Percy."
For a moment nothing happened, and Penelope's heart sank. But then, like a trapdoor, the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath her and she fell downwards, flailing wildly through the dank air until she hit the ground with a thump.
When the stars had cleared from her eyes, she looked back up and saw an odd little room between this level and the open hole through which she had fallen. A tunnel stretched ahead of her, and without further hesitation, she snuck along it, taking out her stylet as a precaution. It glowed faintly bronze, and offered some light, which made her feel better.
Slowly, she crawled along the tunnel, which was actually a drainage pipe, until it opened into a larger tunnel. And there, a maybe two hundred feet ahead of her were Piper, Percy and Jason, walking cautiously along.
Quickly, she caught up with them, the sound of her feet echoing in the dark space. When they heard the footsteps, the three whipped around, weapons at the ready.
Thankfully, they realised it was her before either Percy or Jason could skewer her with their swords.
"Pen!" Piper cried, hugging her. "How did you find us?"
But Penelope was busy looking at Percy, trying to spot a threat.
"What... happened?" she panted, out of breath after all her running. "I had... this feeling...danger"
Percy raised his eyebrows in surprise, but Jason answered first "We were almost drowned by some crazy old nymphs."
"What?!"
"Long story" Percy said, capping Riptide again. "How did you know we were in trouble though?"
Penelope hesitated. In retrospect, her premonition sounded pretty crazy. But then again, crazy was normal in a demigod's life, and these were her friends.
"I got this feeling, so I conjured up a search line and followed it to the old Forum, where my mum helped me fall through the floor and now I'm here."
She knew that wasn't really a good explanation, but they had other things to do.
"Where are Leo, Hazel and Frank?" she asked, looking around as if they might be hiding in the corner.
"No idea" Piper said gravely. "But we have to find Nico. He's...he doesn't have a lot of time."

Penelope nodded, and they all continued to creep along the passage.
What they found at the end was not a pretty sight.
A parking-garage-type area that was filled with machines, props, animals and monsters, a selection of weapons and, most importantly, the bronze jar where Nico di Angelo was being held prisoner.
"This is too easy" Piper whispered, but they all knew they had no choice.
So, carefully, they picked their way across the room, trying not to attract the monsters attention too much. Thankfully, the hellhounds and other monsters were kept in cages or hamster-type wheels, so they couldn't really have attacked them.
Suddenly, just before they reached the jar, two platforms started to sink down from the ceiling, and each one was occupied with an enormous giant. The twins.
What happened next was all a blur to Penelope: Percy and Jason started to fight Otis and Ephialtes, while Piper and herself tried to get to the bronze jar.
When they did, it took a while to tip it over and get Nico out.
Penelope sucked in a breath. She'd never met the son of Hades before, but he was limp and deathly pale, like a corpse.
He'll be okay, she tried to tell herself. He has to, for Hazel.
The girls managed to get Nico more or less out of the way, but when they turned around to help Jason and Percy, they saw that the boys were in trouble.
"You go!" Piper called "You're more powerful than me"
Penelope started to protest, but Piper just waved her off "Go!"
Reluctantly, Penelope dashed forward, calling for her flames in her right hand, her dagger clutched in the other.
"Jason, watch out!" she yelled, as a clump of stone suddenly dropped from the ceiling. Jason barely managed to jump out of the way.
Penelope turned to face the giants, which were now both battling Percy.
She aimed at the dumber one, Otis, and her fire caught him full in the chest.
"OW!" he roared, whirling around to her, his spear raised and aimed straight at her heart. "Who are you?!" he cried, blundering forwards.
"Your worst nightmare" she smiled, and turned on the spot. It was as if something was possessing her. She knew, instinctively, what to do, how to twist the air around her, so that one moment she was standing right in front of Otis, and the next she was on top of his shoulder, driving her dagger into his ear.
The giant roared in pain, and before she could dodge it, he caught her in one hand and slammed her onto the ground. Stars danced again in front of Penelope's eyes, but her new found strength was still there. Her dagger was now sticking in the giants head, so she held out her hand and made a claw with her fingers, willing a new weapon to appear. A second later, she was holding a short sword, which was perfectly balanced. With a grin, she charged at the giant, evading his spear, and jabbed his leg. "Ngaahr" Otis cried, hopping around on one foot. "You will pay!"
"Yeah, sure" Penelope said, stopping to sneer at Otis. This turned out to be a big mistake.
Suddenly something knocked into her from behind, making her fall face first onto the floor.
She must have blacked out for a second, because the next thing she knew, she was dangling from the fist of the other giant, Ephialtes, who leered at her, while he dodged Jason's sword strokes.
"A child of Hecate." Ephialtes laughed wickedly. He was much scarier than his brother. "Gaia did not know about you. But no matter, no matter, we will kill you for her!"
Both of the giants laughed, and Penelope knew she was done for. She tried twisting into thin air again, but this time it wouldn't work. Great time for her new skill to leave her, she barely had time to think, before suddenly, the whole situation changed.
There was a flash of light and there, in white socks and a broad-rimmed hat, stood the god Bacchus, smirking as he surveyed the giants.
Penelope was still a little dazed from her encounter with the floor, so she didn't really catch what the god said next, but suddenly, she felt the giants hand release her.
For a moment she thought she was going to fall, but the next thing she knew, the whole scenery had changed. She was sitting in the emperor's box in the Colosseum, staring down at the two giants and Percy and Jason, who were all standing in the arena, ready to fight.
"Impress me, heroes of Olympus!" the god Bacchus called.
Penelope was too stunned by it all to properly pay attention. A nymph in a nurse's uniform offered her some ambrosia, which she accepted gratefully, and then all she and Piper could do was watch in terror as the boys battled the giants.
It was a spectacular and terrifying fight. Percy and Jason worked together, and they radiated a power so immense, Penelope could almost feel herself being overwhelmed. The giants stood no chance.
While they were observing the spectacle, Nico, who had regained consciousness, suddenly turned to Penelope.
"You're..the lost one?" he croaked, his voice hoarse and pained.
"Yes." she told him, wondering why he was asking.
"There's something you should know" Nico said, his black eyes unreadable. "I...while I was in trance...I heard stuff...prophecy."
His voice was so strained, Penelope almost told him to lie back down, but what he was saying
caught her attention.
"What prophecy?" she whispered, glancing at Piper, who was too observed in watching the boys fight to listen.
"The second part of the prophecy of the seven..." Nico croaked, and Penelope's heart stopped.
That was the part of the prophecy which concerned her.
"What do you know?" she asked Nico, who closed his eyes for a second, maybe out of tiredness, maybe because he couldn't look her in the eye.
"Listen." he whispered, and Penelope leaned in.
When Nico had finished telling her the rest of the prophecy, she simply sat there, absolutely in shock. This was the missing puzzle piece, she realised. This was her fate.
Suddenly, everything made sense: What Aphrodite had told her, Circe's words and the curse, even what Mormo had said back in New York, and Ephialtes' words just now.
It all fitted together, her appearance at Camp Half-Blood, the amnesia and the strange colour of her claim mark. She couldn't believe it.
An odd calm settled onto her, even though she should have been terrified. But somehow, finally knowing her fate made it easier to accept.
"When?" she asked Nico, who was almost unconscious again. "Soon." he whispered, and a little jolt went through Penelope.
Leo, she realised. She had to tell Leo.
And, right on cue, just as the god Bacchus finally helped Percy and Jason kill the giants, the Argo II flew into the arena, glinting underneath the Roman Sun.
They all managed to get onto the ship, Jason flying Nico ahead.
When Penelope had finally clambered on, that strange calm still filling her limbs, the first thing she saw was Leo, looking slightly worse for wear, but grinning broadly as he spotted her.
Without hesitation, she flung herself into his arms, which he held open wide, and for that moment
nothing else mattered except that they were together.
She knew that she should tell him, and soon, if Nico's words were true. But right now she couldn't bring herself to ruin this moment, and so all she did was hold onto him tightly, as if her life depended on it.
And maybe it did.