Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I cut this chapter off before the party, because I've always felt that it ended better at Percy, or in this case, Ana, being allowed to live. The party may or may not be in the next chapter, I haven't decided yet.

Chapter Eighteen

To Kill or Not to Kill, the Greek Edition

Flying was bad enough for when you're travelling with the daughter of Poseidon, but flying straight up to Zeus' palace, with thunder and lightning swirling around it, was even worse.

We circled over midtown Manhattan, making one complete orbit around Mount Olympus. I'd been there several times before, but not since Annabeth had stolen the Master Bolt. As far as I knew, Zeus had put a stop to any visits by half-bloods after the whole incident.

This time, maybe because of the angle I was approaching from, Olympus amazed me even more than it did the other times.

In the early-morning darkness, torches and fires made the mountainside palaces glow twenty different colours, from bloodred to indigo. Apparently no one ever slept on Olympus. The twisting streets were full of nature spirits and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by Cyclopes. Winter didn't seem to exist here. I caught the scent of the gardens in full bloom, jasmine and roses and even sweeter things I couldn't name. Music drifted up from many windows, the soft sounds of lyres and reed pipes.

Ana glanced briefly around, her expression blank in a way I associated with her preparing to go into a vicious battle, then turned her attention to the main attraction. I copied her actions, and spotted Thalia doing the same as we approached the glowing white hall of the gods.

Our pegasi set us down in the outer courtyard, in front of huge silver gates. Before any of us could even think to knock, the gates opened by themselves. Blackjack whined and Ana gave a dry laugh at whatever he said to her.

"We'll need it," she sighed, patting Blackjack's neck as she clambered off him with uncharacteristic awkwardness. She needed to get her ribs fixed, by the look of it.

"Need what?" Thalia asked, fiddling with her mace canister. Ana shot her a grim smile, resignation and resentment shining in her currently-forest green eyes.

"Luck," she elaborated. "The gods have good reason to want both of us dead."

Thalia and I both grimaced in unhappy agreement while Blackjack and his friends flew off, leaving Thalia, Ana, and I alone. For a minute we stood there regarding the palace, the way we'd stood together in front of Westover Hall, what seemed like a million years ago.

And then, side by side in silence, we walked into the throne room.

Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations—even the newest one, Zoe the Huntress, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn.

All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall, and I'm telling you, if you've ever had a dozen all-powerful super-huge beings turn their eyes on you at once… Well, suddenly, facing the hydra seemed like a picnic.

Of course, the girls both grew haughtier and defiant looking at the stares. Unlike me. I tried to turn invisible from the power of my thoughts. My father shooting me a grin only made me more uncomfortable. Still, I faked it as best I could.

"Welcome, heroes," Artemis finally greeted us, breaking the silence.

"Mooo!"

That's when I noticed Bessie and Grover.

A sphere of water was hovering in the centre of the room, next to the hearth fire. Bessie was swimming happily around, swishing his serpent tail and poking his head out the sides and bottom of the sphere. He seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble. Grover was kneeling at Zeus' throne, as if he'd just been giving a report, but when he saw us, he jumped up in delight.

"You made it!" he cried. "Ana, you're okay!"

He started to run toward her, then remembered he was turning his back on Zeus, and looked for permission.

"Go on," Zeus nodded. But he wasn't really paying attention to Grover. The lord of the sky was staring intently at Thalia. What did he want with her? Holy Fates, I hated meeting up with the gods. I never knew what they wanted from us, but I did know that it was always ended up being bad for us.

Grover trotted over to us quickly, beaming brightly. Ana gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, pointedly not looking towards her father, who was studying her with narrow green eyes. None of the gods spoke. Every clop of Grover's hooves echoed on the marble floor. Bessie splashed in his bubble of water. The hearth fire crackled.

Grover gave all of us big hugs. Then he grasped Ana's arms.

"Ana, you have to convince them! They can't do it!"

I felt a jab of annoyance at Grover. Couldn't he see how exhausted Ana was? She needed the camp medical bay, not to get stressed out trying to solve the latest disaster threatening the West.

"Can't do what?" Ana asked, her brow crinkling.

"Heroes," Artemis called before he could answer her.

The goddess slid down from her throne and turned to human size, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. She walked toward us, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion in her face. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight.

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Artemis told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas' attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act."

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods, as if they weren't all happy with this plan, but nobody protested. Ana's shoulders relaxed an inch for half-a-second before she tensed up again.

"At my Lord Zeus' command," Artemis said, "my brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes…"

She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?"

She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually. Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparking with energy. Next to him sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colours like peacock feathers. Queen Hera.

On Zeus' right was Ana's father Poseidon. On Poseidon's other side sat a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, Hephaestus.

My father, Hermes winked at me when he saw me looking around. He was wearing a business suit today, checking messages on his caduceus mobile phone. I looked away, uncomfortable at acknowledging him.

Beside him, Apollo leaned back in his golden throne with his shades on. He had iPod headphones on, so I wasn't sure he was even listening, but he gave me a thumbs-up. Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grape vine between his fingers. And Ares, well, he sat on his chrome-and-leather throne, glowering at Ana and I while he sharpened a knife.

On the ladies' side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat next to Hera on a throne woven of apple-tree branches. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. Next to her sat a beautiful grey-eyed woman in an elegant white dress. Athena. Thank the gods, the only thing she shared with my estranged friend was her eye colour. Then there was Aphrodite, who smiled at me knowingly and made me blush in spite of myself.

All the Olympians in one place. So much power in this room it was a miracle the whole palace didn't blow apart.

"I gotta say"—Apollo broke the silence—"these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: "Heroes win laurels—"

"Um, yes, first class," Hermes interrupted, like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry. "All in favour of not disintegrating them?" His hand went straight up.

A few seconds later, several tentative hands went up—Demeter, Aphrodite.

"Wait just a minute," Ares growled. He pointed at Thalia and Ana. "These two are dangerous. It'd be much safer, while we've got them here—"

I opened my mouth to snap back in my girls' defence on instinct, but was cut off by Ana standing on my foot and Lord Poseidon's voice cutting across the war god.

"Ares," Poseidon snapped in a decisive voice, "they are worthy heroes. We will not blast my daughter to bits."

"Nor mine," Zeus grumbled. "She has done well."

Thalia blushed. She studied the floor. I knew how she felt. I'd hardly ever talked to my father, much less gotten a compliment. Ana eyed her father like he was offering her a poisonous snake (and Ana hates snakes. Believe me. She can keep her head around them in a fight, but once our lives are no longer in danger? Major meltdown time.)

The goddess Athena cleared her throat and sat forward. "I acknowledge their deeds, but I feel that I must point out that there is a security risk here with the other two."

"Cause any of this is our fault," Ana grumbled under her breath. "Not like it's her daughter trying to resurrect the Titans or anything."

Athena gave her a venomous look as she went on, Ana meeting her eyes fearlessly. Or recklessly, which is a bit different.

"It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncle, Poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. Only Hades kept his word, a fact that I find ironic. As we know from history and from the Great Prophecy, children of the three elder gods… such as Thalia and Ana… are dangerous. As thickheaded as he is, Ares does have a point."

"Right!" Ares said. "Hey, wait a minute. Who you callin'—"

"Well, then, my lady," Ana cut across him coolly. "I'm sure you'll be very relieved to learn that, during my time in the Titans' hands, I made a vow on the Styx not to aid them willingly, or knowingly. I am loyal to Olympus and the West."

I carefully ignored her lack of mention of the gods themselves, instead squeezing her hand gently as another ripple went through the gods. We would definitely be talking about that later, but I couldn't say much. I had sworn on the Styx to do everything I could to protect her, after all.

"The risk remains," Athena huffed, scowling. "You could be tricked into helping them. Not to mention the raw power contained by children of the Big Three. And anyway, Thalia is older."

"I have no love for them," Dionysus huffed. "Athena, do you truly think it safest to destroy them?"

"I do not pass judgment," Athena said. I bit back a scoff. It was obvious that she wanted the girls killed.

"I only point out the risk. What we do, the Council must decide."

"I will not have them punished," Artemis insisted. "I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us a great favour, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it."

"Calm down, sis," Apollo said. "Jeez, you need to lighten up."

"Don't call me sis! I will reward them."

"Well," Zeus grumbled. "Perhaps. But the monster at least must be destroyed. We have agreement on that?"

A lot of nodding heads.

It took me a second to realize what they were saying. Then my heart turned to lead. I opened my mouth to speak, but Ana got there ahead of me.

"Bessie?" she gasped, looking horrified. "You want to kill Bessie?"

"Mooooooo!" Bessie protested.

Poseidon frowned. "You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?"

"Father," she pleaded. "he's just an innocent sea creature. A really nice, baby sea creature at that. You can't destroy him. Please, I'm supposed to protect him."

Briefly, I wondered how she knew about that, but I pushed the thought away. There were more important things to worry about.

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. "Ana, the monster's power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or—"

"You can't," she insisted. She looked at Zeus, staring him right in the eye. "Controlling the prophecies never works," she declared. "Isn't that true? Besides, Bess—the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It's just as wrong as… as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they might do. It's wrong!"

Zeus seemed to consider this. His eyes drifted to his daughter Thalia. "And what of the risk? Kronos knows full well, if one of you were to sacrifice the beast's entrails, you would have the power to destroy us. Do you really think that we can let that possibility remain? You, my daughter, will turn sixteen on the morrow, just as the prophecy says."

"You have to trust them," I finally managed to find my voice and speak up. "Sir, you have to trust them."

Zeus scowled. "Trust a hero?"

"The boy is right," Artemis said. "Which is why I must first make a reward. My faithful companion, Zoe Nightshade, has passed into the stars. I must have a new lieutenant. And I intend to choose one. But first, Father Zeus, I must speak to you privately."

Zeus beckoned Artemis forward. He leaned down and listened as she spoke in his ear. Dread filled me. I knew, in my bones, that I was about to lose one of my girls.

They had figured out what was going to happen as well. They looked at each other, and I saw a silent apology pass from Thalia to Ana. Ana nodded in acceptance, a weary smile on her face as she accepted the burden of the Great Prophecy back from Thalia, after a few short months without it. At the same time as Ana's shoulders slumped in exhaustion, Thalia's straightened as a heavy pressure disappeared. She then gave me a smile, and a dozen things flowed silently between us.

I sighed and nodded, forcing myself to smile at her. After all, she deserved to be happy. If this made her happy, then who was I to intervene?

Artemis stepped away from Zeus and turned in our direction.

"I shall have a new lieutenant," she announced. "If she will accept it."

I bit back the instinctive protest that formed as she went on. "Thalia," Artemis said. "Daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?"

Stunned silence filled the room. Apparently the three of us were the only ones to expect this, though it was an obvious solution to Thalia's problem. As Thalia replied, Ana squeezed her hand once and let it go.

"I will," Thalia said firmly.

Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern. "My daughter, consider well—"

"Father," she said. "I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won't let this prophecy be mine. I stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will never tempt me again."

She knelt before the goddess and began the words I remembered from Bianca's oath, what seemed like a lifetime ago, instead of days. So much had changed, so quickly.

"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men…"

Afterward, Thalia did something that surprised me almost as much as the pledge. She came over to me, smiled, and in front of the whole assembly, she gave me a big hug. I stiffened before returning it. Neither Thalia nor I were hugging people. Most demigods weren't, actually.

"I love you, Thalia," I whispered into her ear. "You're my favourite sister. Always have been. Thank you."

"You'll always be my best friend, Luke," she muttered. "I must join the Hunt, Luke. I haven't known peace since… since Half-Blood Hill. I finally feel like I have a home now. But you'll always be the best friend I could have ever asked for. Thank you."

I sniffed as she turned to Ana and gave a smile.

"Ana," she murmured, pulling her into her own hug. "I'm sorry to put this on your shoulders, but I know you can do it. You're a better hero than anyone else I've ever met. You will be the one of the prophecy."

"Great," Ana scoffed, sky-blue eyes shimmering.

"I'm proud to be your friend."

She even hugged Grover, who looked ready to pass out, like somebody had just given him an all-you-can-eat enchilada coupon.

Then she went to stand by Artemis' side.

"Now for the Ophiotaurus," Artemis said.

"The beast is a temptation to great power," Dionysus warned. "Even if we spare the girl—"

"No." Ana looked around at all the gods imploringly. "Please. Keep the Ophiotaurus safe. Lord Poseidon can hide him under the sea somewhere, or keep him in an aquarium here in Olympus. But you have to protect him."

"And why should we trust you?" rumbled Hephaestus.

She raised an eyebrow, giving an 'are you a moron look?' "Other than the oath I made?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm only fourteen. If the prophecy is about me, that's two more years. Way my luck is going, I'll be dead before then." I flinched.

"Two years for Kronos to deceive you," Athena pointed out, ignoring the last part of the comment. "Much can change in two years, my young hero."

"She made an oath of loyalty, what more can she do?" I growled, glaring bitterly at Annabeth's mother. Gods, how I hated her. It was her fault that Chase had turned against us.

"It is only the truth, child," Athena sniffed. "It is bad strategy to keep the animal alive. Or the girl."

Poseidon stood. "I will not have a sea creature destroyed, if I can help it. And I can help it."

He held out his hand, and a trident appeared in it: a twenty-foot-long bronze shaft with three spear tips that shimmered with blue, watery light. "I will vouch for the girl and the safety of the Ophiotaurus."

"You won't take it under the sea!" Zeus stood suddenly. "I won't have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession."

"Brother, please," Poseidon sighed.

Zeus' lightning bolt appeared in his hand, a shaft of electricity that filled the whole room with the smell of ozone. I subtly shifted to prepare myself to knock Ana to the ground and shield her with my body, just in case.

"Fine," Poseidon huffed. "I will build an aquarium for the creature here. Hephaestus can help me. The creature will be safe. We shall protect it with all our powers. The girl will not betray us. I vouch for this on my honour."

"We're better off having her then somebody else, given that she's made a loyalty oath," Apollo pointed out lazily, looking more like he was commenting on the weather than deciding whether or not Ana got to live past fourteen.

Zeus thought about this. "All in favour?"

To my (and obviously Ana's) relieved surprise, a lot of hands went up. Dionysus abstained. So did Ares and Athena. But everybody else…

"We have a majority," Zeus decreed. "And so, since we will not be destroying these heroes… I imagine we should honour them. Let the triumph celebration begin!"