It was hard that night, attending the campfire and pretending I wasn't up to anything. I sat beside Percy toward the back in complete silence, watching from a distance. On the far side, Thalia was sat between Grover and Zoe Nightshade somewhat reluctantly, a small frown on her face as they discussed their plans for the morning.

"You think they'll make it?" Percy asked me under his breath as we watched them argue.

My stomach squirmed nervously. "I hope so," I replied weakly. The scar on my throat was tingling in low, dull pain again and something told me it wasn't going to go away any more.

He shot me a concerned look. "And you?"

I met his gaze. "I'm going to do this, Percy, but no. We both know it'll be the last quest for me." A scowl settled over his eyes, but he said nothing, turning his attention back to the fire, where the kids from the Apollo cabin were taking the opportunity to torment the Hunters with their music. Chiron watched with a wry, resigned expression, whilst Apollo stood beside him, actually managing something close to a smile of amusement.

Looking at him made me want to go now while he and the rest of camp was distracted. But that would only make it more likely he'd come looking for me sooner. Percy and I were supposed to be here. If he couldn't see us, he might suspect something was wrong.

He's going to be furious, Sasha warned me. She'd curled up at my feet, her eyes glistening in the firelight and her ears stood on end, like she was searching for trouble.

I let one hand fall to her head, my fingers playing with her ears as my eyes continued to watch Apollo laugh at Chiron's expense. I know, I replied guiltily.

You have nothing to feel guilty about, my lady, Sasha scolded. Lord Apollo has brought this upon himself. He should not have interfered.

Hearing her accusation aloud made me shiver. I'd been so angry with him for so long, all because he'd interfered and forced me to participate in the twelve tests that almost got myself and my friends killed on more than one occasion. But now, my over-riding emotion was fear. I was running out of time – there was none left to waste on anger, and I had to fix the mess he and I had made, one way or another.

But what if that means I have to forgive him? I thought to myself. Could I even do that?

Staring at him, I thought forgive might have been the wrong word for it.

The dilemma was still playing on my mind by the time the fire was dwindling and the Apollo kids were getting too tired to continue. At just after eleven o'clock, Chiron finally clapped his hands loudly and told us it was time for bed. Immediately, everyone struggled to climb to their feet, stretching and yawning widely. I, on the other hand, tried my best to wake myself up, blinking furiously.

"Everything ready?" Percy asked me under his voice as we turned back for the common area, walking amongst the large crowd of campers and keeping our heads down.

I thought about the bag stuff beneath my bunk at Cabin One, full of necessities for our trip. "Yeah," I replied. "You?" He nodded his agreement.

"We should leave it an hour, wait for everyone to get settled and out of the way before we do anything."

"Right, but how are we going to get out in the first place? There's still a guard duty around the camp's borders after last summer and the harpies monitor the creek after you snuck out that way too."

"The air," Percy shrugged. "Meet me by the stables at midnight."

"Pegasi?" I blinked. He stared as though waiting for me to point out a fault in his plan. "That's … risky."

He snorted. "Acacia, this whole plan is risky. Apollo might not kill you, but Mr D definitely will. We're really pushing our luck this time."

"It's going to get worse before it gets better," I grimaced.

"Reassuring. Thanks."

Percy and I bid each other goodnight at the end of the common area, and suppressing a yawn, I let myself into Cabin One. Thalia wasn't back yet, I noticed. She was probably still arguing with Zoe over the last few details of their departure in the morning. Still, it gave me a quick minute to double check that I had everything prepared and ready for my own trip. I checked that my hunting knife was sheathed and in my bag, and that the brand new sword the Hephaestus guys had given me for my birthday over the summer was ready and hidden in the belts Zeus had provided for my first ever quest, where the sword could disappear from sight with a slight twist of one of the lightning shaped buttons.

My hand hesitated over the locket lay on the table by my bed. Over the last year and a half, I'd grown incredibly attached to my locket, a magical item that had once belonged to the Apollo cabin but had been gifted to me shortly after my arrival at Camp Half-Blood. Apollo himself had allowed me to keep it, though in hindsight, it wasn't exactly a shock. Still, I'd worn it knowing there was a connection to the Sun God. Last summer, I'd even grown more attached to it for that very reason.

Now though …

The cabin door opened behind me, and I hastily stuffed my bag beneath my bed as Thalia dragged herself inside. "I swear, I might actually tear my ears off if I have to listen to that Hunter much longer," she grumbled, throwing herself onto the bed moodily.

"Brilliant start, Tal," I sighed. "Optimistic as ever."

She glanced sideways at me as I pulled the sheets back on my bed, making a point of at least appearing to get ready for sleep. "You will be okay while I'm gone, won't you?"

I paused uncomfortably. "I'll be fine, Tal," I told her softly.

"They said Christmas. New Year at the latest."

A lump formed in my throat. "I know what they said."

"Acacia, you look exhausted," she gulped. "And I can see the pain in your eyes, I know you too well."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're terrible at pep talks?"

"I just … I don't want to lose you again, Acey." Her voice broke slightly, and my heart clenched so hard I choked. Without a thought, I turned to her bed and threw my arms around her, squeezing tightly as hot tears burned my eyes. She was shaking furiously, but she held me back just as tightly.

"I'm sorry, Tal," I whispered, the lump in my throat searing awkwardly. Worse still, I thought I could feel blood trickling from my scar again.

Thalia took a shaky breath, still not letting go. "If I see Luke, I'm going to kill him for this," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Him, this war, those tests …"

A shot of fear made my lips purse as I leant back. "This was Luke," I told her. "No one else."

She nodded, but her eyes had dropped and a frown was settling over her face. "Night, Acacia."

Shivering, I sniffed and wiped my tears away. "Goodnight Thalia." Without another word, I climbed off her bed and into mine, flicking the lights out and waiting for my sister to fall asleep.

The wait felt far too long and much too painful. Thalia's fear had rattled me more than anything else had, and for the first time since I'd turned away from the gods, I couldn't help wondering if I'd made the right decision.

At ten to midnight, I took a ragged breath and carefully climbed out of bed, watching to make sure I didn't wake Thalia up. Creeping to the end of my bed, I shoved my feet into my boots and shrugged my favourite leather jacket over my shoulders. I snatched up my bag, turning to make my way to the door when I paused and glanced back to the table at my bedside. After a moment of internal arguing, I groaned irritably and moved to grab the locket before I could change my mind again.

Outside, the entire camp seemed to be sleeping. In the distance, I could see the Big House, thankfully in total darkness. I'd just breathed a sigh of relief when a shot of pain shot straight through my left side, making me gasp and stagger forward in shock.

This is a bad idea, my lady, Sasha called from her spot at the far left of the porch.

I glanced at her, steadying my breath carefully. "We're flying, Sasha, you can't come with us. Stay with Thalia. Keep her safe?"

She stared at me patiently. Of course, my lady. I lingered long enough to mutter a thank you and ruffling her fur, before turning toward the stables.

It had just turned midnight by the time I reached the door to the stables, but as I stepped inside, I came to a dead halt at the sight of Percy with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "What have you done?"

He shot me a look. "Why do you always assume the worst?"

"Because I'm usually right," I sighed. "What's going on?"

"I took a swim to save an underwater cow and somehow managed to promise Nico I'd keep Bianca safe."

I blinked. "You … a cow? Underwater? What … right, you've lost me."

He shook himself with an irritated groan. "Never mind, I'll explain later. We really need to leave, before someone realises we've gone. If Thalia wakes up-"

"She won't," I interrupted, lips pursing at the thought of my somewhat shaken, distraught sister.

"You do realise that if she doesn't kill me for helping you sneak out of here, Apollo will, and I reckon I've annoyed plenty of gods on my own without adding more to the list."

I scowled at him. "Then stay here, Percy. Do whatever you want, but the point is, Apollo is going to lose it the moment I die anyway, and the only one who has a hope of stopping him doing anything stupid is Artemis, and in case you didn't notice, she's been kidnapped!"

He stared at me, shocked. My words had come out desperate, angry and in one long jumble. "I get it," he said quietly. "Honestly, I do, but this … you've gotta be sure this is going to work, because we won't get a second shot."

"When do we ever know anything for sure?" I groaned. "Besides, you're a fine one to talk! Promising to keep Bianca safe?"

He shifted awkwardly. "I promised I'd try," he corrected.

"Nico is ten years old, Percy! He isn't going to make that distinction!"

"He's ten, not stupid. You'd have known the difference back then."

I shot him a wry look. "Don't try that. Nico is just a kid, he's naïve and innocent. He plays with cards and still thinks of wars and fighting as a game. My childhood had long since been taken from me by the time I was his age, if I ever had one at all. You can't compare us."

He stared at me. "I have to try and keep it that way."

I managed a sad smile. "I know. Just … don't promise that again, alright?"

"Deal. Now come on, we should get moving."

We picked out the strongest two pegasi in the stables. One, according to Percy, had escaped from Luke's ship. He was jet black, strong-headed and impatient, and aptly named Blackjack. The other was a pale grey, verging on white, with a sturdy and patient stance. Percy told me her name was Ghost.

"They fly fast?" I asked as we led them out of the stables.

"Faster than the others," he shrugged. "Hopefully that's enough."

"I hope you're right."

The two of us climbed onto the pegasi, with Percy muttering under his breath. It took me awhile to remember that, as the pegasi were all technically descendants of his father Poseidon, he could hear their thoughts just as easily as I could Sasha's. I felt a twinge in the back of my chest at the thought. This was the first time I was leaving camp without her by my side, and for the first time, I began to feel nervous.

"Ready?" Percy called.

I shook myself and took a deep breath, trying not to think about what Apollo was going to do when he realised I'd ran away. "Ready."

With one long beat of their wings, the two pegasi leapt into the air, fighting against the wind until we were climbing straight over the trees where the air grew colder. My eyes dropped over Ghost's side, and I watched as camp became smaller and smaller beneath us. No turning back now, I thought. I have to help Artemis.

The problem was, I wasn't even sure where to start. Find the Archer, she'd said. But where was he, and how was I supposed to find him?

"Which way are we supposed to be going?" Percy yelled over the sound of the wind.

My lips pursed in thought for a moment. "Head west until we're far enough out of camp to stop." He nodded at me, steering Blackjack off into the distance, and with a growing sense of impending doom, I followed, lifting a hand to scoop back my hair and let the cold air cascade over my scar.

We'd been flying for at least a few hours before we finally took a chance and stopped to collect our thoughts. The pegasi landed with a thump on the roof of one of the many towering skyscrapers in New York, and just the sight of the city made the muscles in my shoulders ease a fraction. It was harder to feel so crowded by everyone up here, away from the gods and campers.

"Do you know where we're actually going?" Percy sighed as the two of us swung out of our saddles.

I grimaced. "I'm supposed to be looking for a group of demigods," I told him. "Artemis asked me to do it before she left on the Hunt. She said they were … special. Gifted. I don't really know what she meant by that, but obviously she thought they could help us."

"Alright, so where do we find them?" he asked.

"That … that's the hard part. I don't really know."

He stared like he was waiting for the punch line of the joke. "You're kidding me?" he finally snorted. "We broke out of camp, and we don't even know where we're going?"

"Well there has to be a way to find out!" I protested. "The gods might always be vague, but there's always something to go on. We just have to think."

Percy shook his head in exasperation, but dutifully perched himself on the edge of the roof to think. "What about the gods themselves?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"If these demigods are so special, then maybe you could pray to their parent and they could help you find them. It wouldn't be the first time they'd done it. Do you know who these demigod kids are?"

My lips pursed and I thought about what Artemis told me about them. She'd told me to find the archer first, that he could help me track down the others. A sinking feeling settled in my chest, and I groaned loudly, running my hands over my face. "What?" Percy asked.

"I think I might know who the first guy's father is," I admitted sourly. "But I don't think he's going to help us."

"What? Why not?"

"Because it's Apollo."

Percy's face fell. "Ah. That's … awkward." I rolled my eyes at him. "Acacia, we have to try something. Did Artemis not tell you anything else?"

"No, because that would have been too easy," I replied shortly. "Gods, why would she make me go to him for help?"

"Maybe she's trying to make the two of you sort it all out," Percy shrugged.

I shook my head. "She's a maiden goddess, Percy. I don't think her brother's love life is top of her list of priorities."

"Look, maybe we should split up," he suggested. "When you're gone, I'll ask him then come to find you."

"He'd kill you if he found out," I dismissed easily.

"Then what else do we do?"

I groaned again, running my hands through my hair anxiously. I had to ask Apollo to help, but he was convinced that doing this would kill me. Nothing I said would change that, which meant I was already out of options. He might help if he thought Artemis's life depended on it, but then they'd already sent out one quest to sort that, something he was very quick to refuse to let me volunteer for.

"He's never going to let you do this, is he?" Percy frowned.

I snorted. "Not unless by some miracle I don't die at the end of it." He muttered something darkly about me being too blunt, but I'd come to a halt, staring at Ghost shift impatiently in front of me.

Godhood, I realised. The tests. My stomach twisted. No, I couldn't. There was a reason I turned away from all of that. My eyes slid back to Percy at the thought, and my lips twisted. "Percy, can I ask you something?"

"If this is another favour," he sighed with a knowing, wry smile.

I managed a light laugh. "It's not a favour. I just … okay, this is going to sound a little weird, but I need to ask you a question and you have to answer honestly, alright?"

He gave me an uneasy look. "Okay," he nodded slowly.

Nervously, I moved to sit beside him and twirled my fingers together for something to do. "If, for … some reason, you had to make a choice between saving my life and doing what you thought was right for everyone else, which would you choose?"

He gawped at me. "What? Why would I-"

"Just answer," I interrupted. "Please?"

"Acacia," he sighed, shifting anxiously. "I don't know, I'm kidding of hoping that never comes up." I just stared at him pointedly. After another second of avoiding my gaze, finally, he sighed. "You know what I'd do."

A fraction of relief swept through me, and I nodded. "Good. Then I might have an idea."

He frowned. "How?"

"I'm going to give the gods what they want."

He opened his mouth to protest, but as he turned to face me properly, his face drained of colour. Muscles tensing in anticipation, I twisted.

"You." Mr D didn't look happy. In fact, he looked furious, his narrowed eyes flicking between the two of us like he was struggling to decide which of us to kill first. His eyes settled on Percy, and I found myself shifting sideways to block him from view.

"Mr D, please don't be mad at him, it was-"

"You," he interrupted through his teeth. "I can figure that much out for myself, girl. Didn't think an immortal, all-powerful god would notice the two of you leaving without permission?" I gulped hard, unable to think of an answering, and he took a threatening step forward. "You're causing far too much trouble, girl, and I'm growing tired of it. You will return to camp." He lifted a hand, and out of a nowhere, what looked like a grape vine shot toward me. On instinct, I flinched back, my eyes closing in fear.

Behind me, Percy cursed, and my eyes snapped open again. The vine had been knocked out of the air by a slim arrow with golden feathers.

Oh crap.

Mr D's face was bright red in fury. "Kid-"

"Save your breath, Dionysus," Apollo's sour reply came as he stepped out from behind Percy and I. "You're the kid here, remember? Stay out of it." Glowering at him, he grabbed my arm and yanked me to the far side of the roof.

"Hey!" Percy scowled and Apollo shot him a look so venomous I was surprised he didn't set him on fire.

"Stop it," I complained, trying and failing to haul myself out of the god's hold. His grip just tightened, and Mr D took the opportunity to advance on Percy to vent his frustration. "Apollo, would you calm down?"

"Calm?" he spat, wheeling me around to face him as we reached the far side. "You're going to get yourself killed! That's it, I'm taking you back."

"No, you're not," I scowled, and his expression hardened.

"You do realise you're talking to an immortal god?" he warned through his teeth, shaking in anger.

"Really? And here I was, so confused for all these years," I snapped back sarcastically. "I'm still not going back to Camp."

His jaw locked. I could tell he was struggling to contain his fury. His grip on my arm was still a fraction too tight, and his eyes were so bright, it was getting hard to meet his gaze. But I forced myself to take a deep breath and steel myself for what was coming next. "Artemis asked me for help, okay? I have to do this."

"She had no right," Apollo glowered at me. "You don't have to-"

"I want to," I rushed. "She's in trouble, Apollo, she's your sister! Doesn't it bother you that she's in trouble?"

His eyes flashed dangerously. "Of course it does. That doesn't mean I'm going to let you get yourself killed."
"Well it's a little late for that!" I exclaimed impatiently, snatching my arm out of his hold. His face fell. My stomach twisted. "Look, she asked me to find a group of demigods. She said once I'd found the first, he'd be able to locate the others, but I need help finding him."

He scoffed, running a hand over his face. "You're kidding."

"No. I think he's your son."

Once again, his eyes narrowed. "She asked you to find Nicholas?"

I blinked. "You know who she meant?"

His lips twisted. "There's a reason those kids aren't at camp," he said under his breath. "It's the same reason they don't want to be there. They aren't going to help you, Ace."

"Are you going to tell me where he is, or not?"

"Why would I do that?" he sighed irritably. "It's only going to kill you. Faster."

"Apollo-"

"There is nothing you can say that is going to make me put you in that sort of danger again. Ever. It's not happening Ace, so stop arguing!"

My fists clenched in anger, but I took another steadying breath and forced myself to promise the only thing that could possibly change his mind. "Tell me where I can find him, and I'll finish the tests."

He froze, staring at me in shock. My heart thudded awkwardly, and regret coursed through me. But what else could I do? Hera was already testing me anyway, and if I didn't do something quickly, I'd never find those demigods. Artemis obviously thought they were important, whether they were at camp or not.

"You don't want to finish those tests." It looked painful for Apollo to admit, his eyes scrunching and his voice low and short, but he stared at me for an answer all the same.

"I will," I gulped. "I'll tell Zeus myself, just let me go."

"You're only agreeing to this so that I don't take you back to camp."

I let out a frustrated yell. "Would you make your mind up? Either you want me to finish them or you don't."

"My mind?" he glowered. "You're the only who decided not to go through with them, right up until it suited you!"

"This never suited me, Apollo, that was the point!" I shouted back.

"And now?" he snarled.

"Now I know Percy isn't going to base his choices on mine, and I can't trust you not to blame my death on everyone else, so I'm going to finish those tests and find those demigods, with or without your help."

For a moment, he continued to scowl at me, still holding onto his anger, only now it was mixed with a large amount of hurt. Predictably, he hadn't taken my lack of trust in him very well. But what did he expect? He'd been lying to me for as long as I'd known him.

"Detroit," Apollo muttered sourly. "His name is Nicholas Hunt. He's part of the Detroit Archers club. Get there by midday and he'll be there. He'll help you."

I scanned his expression wryly. "How'd you know that?"

"Because he knows you're coming," he shrugged simply.

"What?"

"You'll see." He turned, somewhat dejectedly, and made his way to the edge of the roof. "Oh, and Acacia? The other half of your test. Get the five demigods to help you, and you've passed." He gave me half a smile when he noticed me scowling. "If anyone can do it, it's you. Good luck, Ace."

And with that, his frame started to glow.