As the quest members left the confines of Camp Half-Blood the sky above them opened the clouds and it began to drizzle as they loaded in to the awaiting car with Argus. Thunder clapped above them and Aricia suppressed her natural instinct to flee and hide under whatever she could find nearby. She squeezed her eyes together tightly and clenched her fists on her lap, trying to block out the fear that Hera had drilled in to her since birth, a rightful fear of Zeus.

After the Lord of the Sky had established Aricia was no longer a threat, as if she had ever been to begin with, she had been safer outside the protective borders of the camp. She had spent that time with Silena living with her and her father, working part time in the chocolate shop Mr. Beauregard owned. Silena's father had simply assumed she was one of the numerous Aphrodite children and had welcomed Aricia with open arms.

On nights during the winter and especially in the spring when the thunder storms rolled in and shook the house it would only be a matter of time before Aricia scampered from the bed in the Beauregard's guest room to the other end of Silena's queen sized mattress.

Memories were all Aricia had left of Silena, and she clung to them because her life depended on them. She shut her eyes and chuckled at the thought of so many nights of running down the hallway and bursting in to wake her sister up during the heat of the storms.

"Silena? Are you awake?" Aricia crept in through Silena's doorway and waited for a response.

Silena groaned, looked at the digital clock beside her bed that read that it was barely four in the morning and groaned even louder. Aricia took that as the response she needed and when the next clap of lightning hit she squealed and leapt beneath the covers.

Giving an exhausted chuckle Silena reluctantly shifted to make more room for her terrified 'half-sibling' and gave a sigh. "He promised he wouldn't hurt you." Silena reached out and tucked stray hair behind Aricia's ears. "Not all rain falls with the purpose of drowning you."

"Sorry." Aricia snuggled her head closer to the pillow, which like the entire house smelt like chocolate covered strawberries. "Habit, that is all."

"I know." Silena yawned and rolled on to her back. "I'm here to protect you. Always."

They fell asleep like two lovely porcelain dolls side by side. Mr. Beauregard had taken a picture of them once in the peace of the morning and had given the girls a copy to take back to camp.

Now that same photograph from two years ago was ever present in Aricia's back pocket, the edges yellowed with constantly being folded and refolded again. She fought down the urge to take it out again now.

Once the quest mates were loaded in to Argus' car Britani immediately began to complain. "So how exactly do you plan on getting us in to the...the..." The daughter of Aphrodite could not bring herself to utter the name.

"The Underworld." Clarisse finished and looked at Aricia. "I've been wondering the same thing Calf, what's your plan?"

Aricia sat back against her seat and rocked a bit while she thought. "The entrance in Central Park has unfortunately been closed up ever since the Battle of Manhattan, and not that I wouldn't love to travel all the way to Los Angeles, I think we should seek an alternative."

There's another entrance in to the Underworld?" Rahl asked and scooted a bit closer to Aricia on the seat, earning a glare from Clarisse.

"There have been rumors among the Olympians for several years about a third entrance to the Underworld." Aricia traced a crude outline of North America on the material of the seat and pointed. "One in Los Angeles." She said and traced her index finger along her map. "Central Park." She pointed to another. "And here."

The other three campers leaned in and squinted. Clarisse let out a groan of frustration. "You suck at art." She said at last. "And geography. If this isn't totally out of proportions, this map means the third entrance is in Canada."

"Exactly." Aricia blushed. "Is my drawing really that bad?"

"I seriously don't know how on Earth you are a daughter of Aphrodite." Britani said and tossed her hair again. "You have no idea how to make anything look good, do you?"

Aricia shook her head and looked at Britani. "It's going to really sting you know, when Aphrodite admits she likes me more than you or Drew."

Britani threw her head back and let out a high pitched squeal of laughter. "Right! As if Aphrodite would ever care about a little train wreck like you, or like Dumpster Girl."

Before a fight could break out Clarisse rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up Britani, we'll see how much Aphrodite likes you when you end up being useless on this quest and no help at all to Olympus."

Harrumphing, Britani put her iPod ear buds in and drowned out the others with the latest Top 40 playlist blaring loud enough for everyone else to hear. Rahl snuck in a quick kiss when no one was looking before asking,

"So how do we get to..." He squinted at the fading map. "Uhh...Quebec?"

"We can't fly." Clarisse said quickly and shot Aricia a nervous glance. "Or can we?"

Unlike Percy, it was unclear whether or not Aricia was going to be blasted out of the sky if she took a plane. After all, Zeus had accepted her all those years ago, and even (although somewhat reluctantly) had acknowledged her as his child as well to Olympus.

"It will be...safer to find other means of transportation." Aricia admitted. "We'll take the Amtrax in to Montreal and then find a way up to Quebec City."

When Argus left them at the train station the monster was reluctant to let Aricia out of the sight of his multiple eyes. She was the daughter of his creator after all, and Hera herself was in danger.

"Don't worry Argus, I'll be back and so will Mother." Aricia promised. "Thanks for the ride!" She called over her shoulder as she began sprinting to catch up with the others.

The demigods purchased their tickets and boarded the train. Rahl besides Aricia who enjoyed any excuse to be close to him without revealing they were a couple to a snake like Britani.

Aricia felt her eyelids growing heavier suddenly, as if a force was trying to make her go under. It may have been the rhythmic rocking of the train, or something far more unnatural but Aricia couldn't help letting out numerous yawns until finally she fell asleep.

"Ariciiiiiiiiiiia." A voice seemed to be coaxing her to come closer, but to where and to whom, Aricia did not know. "Fey daughter of Hera, why do you stay among these half-blood heroes when your true place in a throne on Olympus."

The voice seemed to be very, very old and female. Aricia did not trust it for a single moment. "My place is here, my duty is here."

The voice turned in to a malicious laugh. "They do not even permit you your own mother's cabin."

"They offered!" Aricia argued. "I refused, I chose to hide the truth."

"For the 'good of Olympus'?" The voice taunted. "Olympus is corrupted by Zeus' ways of ruling. Besides, if you had chosen to lives as Hera's child what life would you'd have had? They would have rejected you because of the malicious lies Zeus spreads about Hera. Zeus harms you in every way."

"Lies." Aricia screamed at the phantom voice. "You lie! I will never turn against Olympus!"

"Zeus made sure Silena Beauregard was slaughtered. He will take from you all that you love."

Aricia felt fresh pain washed over her body. "N-no...you lie." But her voice lost all certainty.

"Aricia?"

Aricia felt Rahl shaking her awake. "Are you okay honey?"

The girl's eyes shot open and she jerked her head around the cabin of the train. Clarisse and Britani were both gone, at least for the moment.

"I'm fine." Aricia rubbed the thin layer of cold sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and shook her head a few times to clear it. "We're alone?"

"Yeah." Rahl answered and held her a bit closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. It was strong, muscled from years of archery. "Sure you're okay? Looked like you had a nightmare."

"No, I'm alright. Really." Aricia lied. She leaned in and kissed Rahl quickly.

He will take from you all that you love.