Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson characters at all. This chapter may include some moments in the Percy Jackson books as well. Also a reference to Harry Potter in here.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Since I've seen your face?" Khione smirked, "But... I've sensed something has happened in my absence." I remained quiet. I wasn't going to let her get me angry no matter what. No matter how much I really wanted to. "A little birdy told me that you weren't... acting yourself lately. Am I wrong?" A guard nudged me forward, and I stumbled a little closer to her. A pain shot through my back, vibrating down to my toes. Khione seemed to notice that and her smirk only grew wider. "Ah, yes. The Pit Scorpion's venom. It's very dangerous you know. You could have been killed. It's a good thing I saved you from it."

This time I did speak, but not because I was angry. But because, no memories or not, I wasn't going to let Khione have the pleasure of thinking it was because of her the scorpion didn't really kill me. "You didn't do anything. Reyna is the one who saved me. Not you."

Khione's eyes glittered dangerously. "Yes. Very true." Then she turned to Reyna. "Why did you save her, Reyna?" A wave of terror ran through me. I clearly didn't think this true before I said it. Damn my big mouth.

Thank the Gods Reyna knew what to say. "It wouldn't be fair of me to kill her without your permission, Khione. And besides, I know it is only your job to do so. After all, you were the one who took her memories." Khione still glared at Reyna, but Reyna glared straight back, as if she didn't care what Khione would think after she had said that. "And the feather I had sent you, it was a reminder that she still is alive, and a warning for you to come prepared."

"Prepared? Prepared for what exactly?" Khione sneered. "She is a daughter of Aphrodite. Preparing is the least of my worries."

"Have you forgotten that she is the one who killed you in the first place?"

"But I'm here now, aren't I? So she clearly didn't do a good job in it."

"Then why bother taking my memories if you didn't believe I was worth it? Why am I here?" I spoke out loud. This was starting to become really frustrating. I needed to get Reyna alone so she could Iris-Message the rest of the camp. We really needed all the help we could get. We needed something... warm. We needed something hot. Gah- why exactly did Annabeth choose Leo to go with Hazel and Frank? With him, it would be so much easier to blow this palace to pieces. I shook my head. I shouldn't be doubting Annabeth's judgement. It got us this far-even throughout the war- and I couldn't back down on it now. Besides, what good will complaining to myself do? I needed to figure out a way out of this situation.

"Oh you mean this little thing?" Khione took out her hand and waved something in the air. It looked like some type of string. A very watery string. (A/N: If you've read Harry Potter then you'd get the kind of thing I'm describing) It was wrapped tightly inside a small bottle. I knew what it was immediately-even if she hadn't shown what it looked like. There was only one thing she could possibly be bargaining with me right now. And it was my hidden memories. "I think I'll keep hold of it for a while. It's very... sentimental to me."

"Give me my memories. Give it," I tried charmspeaking. The guards around me looked around in a daze for a while, but Khione barely even winced.

"Ha! Even you're charmspeak is weaker than it was before," she exclaimed.

"If you really want to fight? Why don't you just go ahead and do it then, huh? Why wait and torture yourself," I said while still trying to charmspeak. Honestly, I wasn't ready for a fight with her especially without my memories, but really, when will I ever be? I might as well get this thing over with.

Khione frowned. "Do you not want your memories?" I paused for a second which brought back her sneer. "I'll make a deal with you since I'm feeling generous today. Fine, I'll fight you, since you're practically begging for it. But when you die, I'll continue making my precious collection of ice sculptures and you have to swear on the River Styx that none of your little camp buddies will try and stop me. Not that it really matters, really. They're more like pesky mosquitoes than real threats, anyway."

I glared at her. Even though I wasn't feeling really confident in myself, I had to try my best to make it look like I was. "And what about when I win? What do I get out of this?"

"Why, you get your memories of course. But you don't need to worry about that. This will be over before you know it. Trust me."

I caught Reyna's eye in the corner of mine. She shook her head as if to say, that wasn't part of the plan.

I glared at her back and gave her a look that I hoped had said, Too late now. Now go already!

Reyna looked back at Khione. "Madam, may I be excused?"

Khione looked at Reyna and the rest of the guards as well. "Yes you may. And the rest may be excused as well." When everyone had shuffled out of the room, Khione turned back to me and noticed my confused expression. "I want this to be a fair fight."

I almost snorted. Fair fight? This wouldn't be fair if my life depended on it. Well, actually it did. I gulped. How the hell was I so confident enough to say what I had said about this fight? How would I be able to pull this off? The entire freaking camp is counting on me. The pressure was almost unbearably. I swallowed one last time before I finally accepted that I had to go through with this. Winning and gaining my memories. The only thing you have trouble with, is having faith in yourself, Jason's words replayed in my mind. Why don't I just accept it?

Before I could do anything, Khione pushed her hands out and gusts of cold winds knocked me off my feet, making me land hard on my back. I tried getting up, but Khione sent another and another and I kept ending exactly where I started. "Get up," she ordered. I looked back up to see her cold brown eyes staring straight back at me. She was literally right in front of me. I did exactly what I had done to Annabeth when she had sparred with me. I took out Katoptris and I banged its hilt into Khione's ankle. It didn't do much. It only unbalanced her a little, but she remained her posture. She laughed. "Is that the best you can do? I guess I overestimated even you."

This time I got back on my feet and scraped her face with my dagger and her hand went up to reach her gash on her left cheek, but I jammed my elbow into her jaw. She stumbled a bit, but looked at me again, this time glaring at me. She clenched her hands together and brought them out again, forming a solid ice boulder between her hands. She threw the boulder at me and tumbled to the ground again. Great. When will this be over?

"This was way too easy, little girl. Didn't you learn anything while I was gone?"

A familiar flash hit me again. Something that's been happening for a while now. I thought about the times when Jason, Leo, and I went on our quest. When I nearly died from hypothermia, and Jason had to awkwardly hold me. And the time when we brought Hera out of her cage. Then when we reached Camp Jupiter and how Annabeth got so excited about seeing Percy, that she had kissed him in front of so many people. And when Annabeth and Percy fell in Tartarus... that was one of the most painful ones. All of these memories hit me like Khione's boulder, until I reached one specific memory.

"Besides, Reyna will do what she can to slow things down. She's still on our side. I know she is."

"You trust her." Piper's voice sounded hollow, even to herself.

"Look Pipes. I told you, you've got nothing to be jealous about."

"She's beautiful. She's powerful. She's so...Roman."

Jason put down his hammer. He took her hand, which sent a tingle up her arm. Piper's dad had once taken her to the Aquarium of the Pacific and shown her an electric eel. He told her that the eel sent out pulses that shocked and paralyzed its prey. Each time Jason looked at her or touched her hand, Piper felt like that.

"You're beautiful and powerful," he said. "And I don't want you to be Roman. I want you to be Piper. Besides, we're a team, you and me."

Yeah, well one of the 'team' happened to be unconscious and almost dead. But that's not what struck me the most. Jason and I... we were acting weird in that memory. Weirder than normal, anyways.

"I don't deserve you."

"You're not allowed to say that."

"Why not?"

"It's a breakup line. Unless you're breaking up-"

Jason leaned over and kissed her. The colors of the Roman afternoon suddenly seemed sharper, as it the world had switched to high definition.

"No breakups," he promised. "I may have busted my head a few times, but I'm not that stupid."

I gripped my head as that particular memory jammed into my head. So Jason was my boyfriend? I didn't know why that brought a small smile to my face. That also explained Reyna and Jason's weird behavior around me. And why Jason refused to look me straight in the eye since he kissed me on the cheek. I looked down again. I felt horrible about doing this to him... doing it to all of them. And now, I might possibly disappoint all of them if I lose to Khione. Khione. Gods, how could I have been so stupid?!

Love is powerful. It can bring the gods to their knees. It's about time I started believing it. I hoisted my almost limp body off the ground and pushed Khione once again. This time, instead of stumbling like I sort of expected her to, she fell to the ground. I took a look around me as I noticed I was glowing pink again. Khione attempted to get back up, but I wasn't going to let her. Not like last time. I put my foot on her chest and climbed on top of her with my dagger hoisted beneath her chin. Khione growled and reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial that holded my memories. And she threw it. There was a light crash that followed and I could see the watery string come out of it. I looked back down at Khione to see her smirking. "It's destroyed girl," but it quickly went away when she noticed the string come towards me and enter my ear. It was a weird tickling feeling, but my mind now felt refreshed. I could think clearly again. My name was Piper Mclean. I am a daughter of Aphrodite. And I'm about to kill Khione once and for all.

I pushed Katoptris closer to her neck so that now it was lightly grazing her chin, and I quoted something. Something I had said right before I had killed her the first time. "Still underestimating me. You should really work on that." And I drove Katoptris through her neck, and she was gone. I dropped my dagger and reached for my head that was now pounding loudly-at least, to me it was.

And for the first time since I had entered the palace, I finally allowed myself to become unconscious.

DONE! Finally. Now all there is left will be the epilogue which will be coming soon!

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: I will not be updating next week like I usually do. I will be updating the following week because I have family coming over next week (so sorry!). Same thing for my other story Masks and Cops, but I'll be updating that one tomorrow**

Review please!

Till next time,

Penguin