It was strange, walking around downtown Manhattan after three days at Camp Half-Blood. Everything seemed different now that Reese knew about the secret world of Greek gods and demigods. The people, the shops, the buildings, they all seemed so normal.

And now that he was part of this clandestine world, there was no going back to before.

"I remember my first time out of camp," Percy said, reading Reese's mind. "I kept staring at every McDonald's, every car, like it was something out of a dream. Annabeth made fun of me for it."

"Of course, I hadn't been out of camp in a long time either," Annabeth reminded him.

"Three days seems like forever," sighed Reese.

"That's about how long the Battle of Manhattan took." Annabeth's gray eyes clouded over.

"Speaking of which, there's Olympus. Did you remember the blueprints, Annabeth?"

She rummaged in her bag and resurfaced shaking a few small white scrolls. "Got 'em right here. I hope the minor gods are satisfied with their temples."

Reese felt awkward around these two, like a third wheel. It's similar, he thinks, to his two best friends back at school, who got together freshman year.

God – gods – his friends! What must they be thinking? He disappeared off the face of their planet three days ago. And his mom. All the homework piling up from teachers...

"Am I ever going to be allowed back to normal school?" Reese asked.

Percy shrugged. "Depends how dangerous you are, if you can survive in the mortal world."

"Probably, though. Percy does it, and he's one of the most powerful demigods there is."

"Didn't stop the gods from breaking their deal." He pushed open the door to let Reese and Annabeth through, like a real gentleman.

Reese sighed. He'd never even hold a candle to this guy. It wouldn't have even crossed his mind to open the door for a girl, and he was no good at sword-fighting. His dad wasn't Poseidon (or at least, he doesn't think so). He didn't have a beautiful girlfriend. Dammit, how did this guy end up with everything?

"Six-hundredth floor, please," Annabeth addressed the man behind the counter.

He looked up from his book. "Hello, Annabeth. Mr. Jackson." His eyes skimmed awkwardly over Reese, trying to come up with a name and finding none. "More temple designs?" He nodded to the scrolls in Annabeth's hands.

"Yeah, and some, um... demigod business."

The man raised an eyebrow, but handed her the key to the elevator anyway.

It was surprising, Reese realized, how he'd lived in New York City all his life and never been to the Empire State Building. Sure, he'd seen it, but his mom had never wanted to go on a tour. Maybe it was because of his dad.

The muzak in the elevator was terrible. Percy cringed several times at the singer's wail, probably something from the 80s.

"I hate this stuff," Percy muttered.

The elevator just kept moving, and Reese wondered if it would ever stop. They must be far beyond the top floor... But then he remembered Annabeth mentioning something about 600 floors. Maybe...

Finally the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

"Welcome to Olympus," Percy said.

Whoa.

This place was incredible! A marble path over the open sky led from the elevator to a large pavilion. The pavilion was filled with all sorts of creatures, humanoid and other, things Reese had never even imagined. Satyrs, those donkey-humans he'd seen around camp, and some centaurs like Chiron, but then taller men and women too, who glowed the color of sunlight. In the distance he could see a large crop of temples, and several more under construction, but the largest temple of all towered over the entire mountain.

In the midday light, the whole place looked grand. "You designed this?" he asked, turning to Annabeth.

"Just bits and pieces of it. The temples. Some of the other buildings, the layout."

"It's fantastic."

She smiled, and for some reason this made him blush. "Thanks."

"She's fantastic," corrected Percy, wrapping an arm around Annabeth's waist.

For a moment they just stood in the elevator, admiring the city, before Annabeth stepped out. "Right. We've got a job. Percy, I don't know if any of the gods will be here right now. They're pretty busy."

"If we can't find any now, we can come back later. Besides, your mom said she would be here to receive your blueprints, right?"

"Do you really want to talk to Athena?"

Percy pulled his arm away from Annabeth's waist, imagining the spectacle. "On second thought, let's hope Zeus is here."

"What's wrong with Athena?" Reese asked, following them out of the elevator. Naturally, the marble path is just wide enough for two people, leaving him tagging on behind.

Percy tossed a laugh over his shoulder. "Nothing. She's genius and all. We're just not especially... close."

"You could say that again," said Annabeth. "Poseidon and Athena hate each other, remember?"

"Right. Greek Mythology 101. So how on earth did you two ever become friends?"

"It's a long story."

"Everything is," Reese grumbled.

"Hey, to make matters short, Athena doesn't like me. And she really doesn't like me dating her daughter."

"Are there any gods that do like you? You talked about Dionysus, Ares, now Athena..."

Percy cocked his head to this side to think about this. "My dad. Artemis was cool. Apollo..."

"He got a lot more popular after he saved the world," Annabeth added.

"I did not! I barely did anything. Really it was you, Annabeth, you and Grover and-"

"The point is, they spared his life several times over again, despite how much of a Seaweed Brain he is. Some of them must be fond of him."

"Just not Athena," Reese said.

"Right."

They passed through the square, weaving by nature spirits and minor gods, even a few demigods by the looks of it. It took a few more minutes to reach the largest temple, but when they did, Reese's jaw dropped.

Gigantic marble columns shot straight from the ground, ornately decorated at the top with gold and several other precious metals Reese didn't recognize. The pediment depicted all twelve Olympian gods, plus a small Hestia poking a fire in the left corner. Zeus stood in the middle, lightning bolt and all, a bold expression on his carved face.

"Did you do this?" he asked Annabeth.

She promptly burst out laughing. "Me? Design something like this? No way. Olympus has been around for eons. I've just done some of the newer reconstruction work. I think this pediment was done some time around 450 B.C. by either Myron or Polykleitos, I can never remember which..."

"Here she goes again." Percy rolled his eyes, leading Reese deeper into the temple.

Twelve thrones formed a U shape in the center of the giant throne room, each about twenty feet tall. They were an odd mish-mash of thrones, from those woven of grass and flowers to one made of pure gold that shone like the sun. But even odder were the people sitting in the thrones.

In the very center of the U, one man relaxed in his throne. He had electric blue eyes and dark black hair with just a few grays, and his expression was far from pleased. Farther down the semicircle two women sat side by side, whispering in hushed tones. One, a blonde-haired, gray-eyed woman, Reese assumed was Athena. The other looked much younger, with auburn hair and a silvery ensemble. The color was something Reese couldn't quite place... It wasn't a tangy silver, but softer, lighter. The opposite of the sharp, sunny throne across the room. If that was the sun, then this goddess was the moon.

"Zeus," Percy addressed the god, bowing deeply. Annabeth did the same, gestured sharply for Reese to follow.

They then turned to the goddesses. "Lady Athena. Lady Artemis."

"Hello, Annabeth," Athena said, cold eyes still fixed on Percy. Wow, this woman really did hate him.

"What brings you here?" Zeus asked, leaning forward in his throne.

Annabeth held out her scrolls. "The designs for the temples of the minor gods. Sir."

Athena waved her hand the the scrolls disappeared. "We'll get the Cyclops working on them by nightfall."

"Thank you, Mother."

"You did not bring Percy Jackson and Reese Shapiro to Olympus to deliver some blueprints," Zeus said.

Percy stepped forward. "You're right, sir. Reese here is an unclaimed demigod."

The Lord of the Sky's eyebrows furrowed. "Impossible."

"Exactly. We were hoping you could... perhaps... explain?"

"I have not broken my promise, and neither have my sisters and brothers and children."

"We don't doubt that, Lord Zeus," Annabeth said. "But Reese is sixteen years old. Percy and I just discovered him a few days ago while we were chasing the Minotaur."

Athena raised a delicate eyebrow. "Is your mortal parent your father or mother, boy?"

"M- my mom," Reese stuttered out. Damn, he'd just been addressed by a goddess!

"What god could have possibly broken our promise? We swore on the Styx," Artemis says. "All the gods were present, excepting those siding with Kronos, and they were forced into swearing later. One would have had to been incapacitated for the last several months to avoid claiming this demigod."

Athena and Zeus exchanged a nervous glance. "Could it be-"

"He certainly looks like it."

"But one would think-"

Percy coughed loudly. "Sir, it's clear something is going on, but if you might just explain..."

Zeus shot an angry look Percy's way. "Quiet, hero. It is not your place to speak to me that way."

Percy nodded, not daring to open his mouth, not even to apologize.

Artemis leaned forward, squinting at Reese. He flinched under her critical gaze. "Definitely one of his."

"One of whose?" Reese ventured to ask.

"There is a reason your father never claimed you," Athena said coldly.

"My father?"

"Ares, god of war, is missing."