So, what happens next? Read on to find out.

No offense if you're albino. There are so many evil albino stereotypes out there.

(Cough, Silas, Cough.)

Like Dan Brown's book.

So what side is this albino on?

Chapter 15

Aurelias

"Lin…where are you going?" I panted out, following her. A stitch in my side ached, and wished the pain would just go away. I followed Lin through the busy streets of Rome, my feet hitting the cobbles with a painful smack. Every step hurt like hell, and I was so tired.

"We have to go – the agents of Kronos are after us." Lin jogged, her sword clutched so tightly in her hands that her knuckles were white. I noticed there were tiny, thin white scars on the knuckles. "That's why the Kraken's dead. And why we have to run. We have to get to Nepal; the Roof of the World is there. And we're running out of time."

We got to the Roman villa, with the terra cotta tiles reflecting the hot noonday sun. Lin pushed open the door, and ran to her room. She began to stuff clothing, weapons, anything into her duffel bag. I helped her, shoving messy piles of shirts and a few sheathed daggers into the side pockets.

"We need supplies. We'll be mountain climbing, and some stores here sell stuff that people use to climb the Alps; they shouldn't be much different from the stuff that we need to climb the Himalayas." Lin smiled, a thin smile that didn't reach her eyes. She zipped the bag and slung it over her back, and bolted downstairs, me following.

The afternoon passed as a blur. We were rushing from one shop to another, charging everything on my credit card. Lin bought packs of freeze dried food, heat trapping blankets and tents, climbing gear and heavy boots. We got to the airport just as the last plane to Nepal was about to leave, earning a glare from the stewardess.

Lin slept on the plane, and I kept watch. As the plane landed, I shook her shoulder, jolting her awake. We got off, carrying our few bags. Lin hadn't gotten too much, because we'd need the speed.

The airport was small and dingy, with broken fluorescent lights and cracked plastic seats I the waiting room. I was glad to leave it, because I was certain that I saw nest of cockroaches under the baggage claim table.

We didn't hire a guide; Lin didn't want mortals to know anything, afraid that they would tip Kronos off for money. Because a lot of people here were poor, with sunken eyes and gaunt bodies. They looked hungry, and would probably like to make a few bucks.

The first part of climbing was pretty easy. It wasn't a steep incline, but a gradual slope with a few rocks that needed to be maneuvered around. But as the day wore on, there were less plants, and more rocks. My feet were tired; the heavy rubber soled climbing boots weighing me down. The pack strap dug into my shoulder, unbalancing me as a climbed.

But Lin carried more weight than I. There were beads of sweat that dripped down her forehead, soaking the neckline of her shirt and where the strap of the bag hit her shoulder, a thick dark line.

We climbed till sunset, and the temperature began to drop, making my hands lose feeling and my breath frost the air. It was cold, and since I was sweating, I was freezing. I couldn't move my toes in my boots. Or could I? Because I couldn't feel it. The sweat beads froze, making me even colder, and my breath whistled through my lips.

One more step, one more step…

This was the steady beat of my feet, and I tried to tune out my coldness, but everything I thought of to distract me always got back to how cold it was. One more step. This phrase burned itself into my head, until the moon rose, the stars shone.

And what bright stars they were! There wasn't much light pollution here, and the few clouds in the sky couldn't obscure the brilliant white shine. Like snow! And this thought brought me back to how cold I was.

Lin tapped my shoulder. I turned, and I saw that she was as tired and cold as I was. She had bitten her chapped lips, cracking the skin, and drops of blood were on her chin. Her teeth chattered, her voice shook.

"We need to rest…I think there's a cave or something up there; it should take away some of the wind that's blowing our body heat away." She set off, barely lifting her feet. Her head was lowered and I followed.

The cave was pretty big, and there was a rough gravel floor that crunched under my feet. I sighed, and helped Lin unpack a few blankets and ground sheets. We built a small fire out of small, oily shrubs at the mouth of the cave, so the smoke could leave.

I wanted to sleep but I was hungry. There was a gnawing hunger in my stomach. Earlier, I had tried to quash this feeling, but now it was back, and stronger than ever. Lin brought me a square of fruit cake and some dried beef. The beef was tough, but it helped to assuage the hunger in my belly. I dropped to sleep, letting Lin keep watch.

The next day was even worse. It turned out that I had developed blisters on my feet and my shoulder, from the heavy boots and the strap of the back pack. The strap cut into my blisters, popping them and making them even more excruciatingly painful. And then blisters formed over blisters, making me grit my teeth and think of other things to distract me from my agony.

We walked for hours, eating dried fruit to keep up our energy, resting once in a while to drink from springs. At first as I was wary of drinking water straight from nature, but my thirst took over.

Lin looked at me, while I was splashing some of the ice cold water on my face, trying to wash away the sticky sweat that coated my face. "Some of our food is missing."

"So?" I cupped the water, bringing it over my head.

"Are you sure you're not…you know, indulging?" She had no expression.

"Wait, you think I'm stealing food?" I was indignant. "I'm eating the same amount you are!"

"Look, I'm not trying to be accusing or anything, but some of our food is missing. And since I'm not eating it, then who is?" She waited for me to say something, but I didn't. So she sighed and kept on walking.

As the sun set, the air grew colder, until both our legs trembled just with the effort of putting one step in front of another. So Lin managed to find another cave. It was a medium sized one, with a moderately high ceiling and a few bushes in the front that could be made into a campfire.

Lin took watch again, and I went to sleep with a meager meal of dried meat barely filling my rumbling stomach. I noticed that Lin watched me carefully, pretending not to. I knew that she was waiting for me to take food, and then she'd pounce, the essence of fury and righteous anger.

But what woke me was a roar of pain and jingle of metal – Catena, Lin's chain. My eyes flew open, and I scrambled to my feet. Throwing more wood into the fire, my eyes blurring in pain from the sudden light. And when my eyes adjusted, they opened wide in confusion.

Because there was Lin. She had the chain wrapped around the neck of a bear. And it wasn't just any bear. It was a white bear, with chestnut colored eyes, like a polar bear. But it was too small: It was about the size of a large black bear or a small grizzly.

Lin had the chain around the neck of the bear, and she jumped on its back, out of range of it heavy claws that could break a spine with a single smack, and the bared, sharp teeth. She was whispering to herself, words I couldn't hear over the growls over the beast.

"Definio!" she cried, and the bear roared, louder than I could have thought possible. The sound echoed around the cave, then outside, I heard echoes returning. It sounded like hundreds of bears, from all the parts of the mountain. But I knew that the sound echoed off all of the mountains of the Himalayas.

Lin jumped off the now quiet bear. But she didn't bring her chain back. It was still wrapped around the neck of the bear, and the ends fused together to make a chain collar. And the bear was now submissive. It followed Lin, but tossed its head when she ordered it to sit down and behave. I could feel its anger, and I myself was cautious of this beast.

"So, a granddaughter of Hades is looking for the Roof of the World…" The bear stepped into the light, its scornful voice echoing the cave.

This bear could speak! Sure, I wasn't as surprised as I would have been a month ago, before I met Lin, but now I was sort of getting into the hang of monsters around every corner. But this was surprising. Talking animals? They only came out of Narnia, not real life.

But that was when I noticed that the eyes of the bear weren't chestnut colored, as I had originally thought. In the dim light, its eyes looked reddish brown. But here, in the light of the fire, I saw that the bear's eyes were red, a darkish pink. This bear, with its white fur and pink nose, was an albino.

"Yeah, I am looking for the Roof," Lin retorted, standing over the bear. "And now who are you to steal my food and try to stop me?"

"You don't know me?" The bear grinned, pulling back black lips to reveal truly frightening set of milk white teeth. "I'll give you a clue.

"What side he chose he wouldn't say

The Twelve caught him and made him pay

His valued freedom the gods could take

And this was the decision the Twelve would make."

Lin stopped, her brow furrowing in concentration. "I think I've heard that poem before. About a man who wouldn't help the gods in the war against the Titans millennia ago. Wasn't he called the Traitor, the Betrayer, and the Liar?"

The bear chuckled, a low throaty sound that was almost a growl. "So is that what they call me these days? But always, there's always a piece of the truth, but distorted till it's almost lie. I didn't help the gods. But I never aided the Titans either. And it was the mistake of my life."

"I think I've heard of you. The gods took away your freedom and confined you, right?" Lin sat down, her back to the fire, the dancing flames throwing shadows on the bare rock walls of the cave.

"Yes, I was known as the Wanderer, the Traveler once. But I was confined millennia ago to these mountains. And I daren't show my face, for fear of more…creative punishments. But it seems that I've been bound again. Hm…the strength of silver multiplied with spells, an enchantment of blood. You must be very strong, for a quarter blood. But the element of surprise has helped you."

"Yeah." Lin nodded, the fire making shadows on her face so I couldn't see her expression. "You were the Traitor, weren't you? That means you must be-"

The bear cut her off. "Aye, Aurelias. I was once free, to roam the world and gather knowledge. But the gods started a war, and I refused to help. They asked me once, twice, thrice, to help, but I refused. I wanted to travel, not dedicate my life to combat. So the gods won, and I was imprisoned."

"Did you know that the gods are fighting the Titans again?"

"And you must be asking for my help." The bear turned its head, the fire making the pink eyes flash.

"Yes, I do. I've bound you." Lin seemed quite proud of this achievement.

"Then I say 'no'." The bear declared, grinning.

"You can't! I've bound you!" Lin cried, getting to her feet.

"Yes, that's true, but you haven't broken me. And your binding isn't the strongest. There are some loopholes to his spell." The bear prodded its collar, looking at it inquisitively. "Yes, I see one. I'm not confined to this shape." And with that, it transformed into a man garbed in a grey cloak.

The man was an albino, with fair white blond hair and piercing pink eyes. I would have laughed at him; he looked so much like rabbit. But now wasn't the time.

"Well, even if you aren't going to fight for us, I am still your master, and order you to obey!" Lin sounded angry, like a child that hadn't gotten what it wanted for Christmas. "And you've said it yourself. You've got no other choice."

Author's Note: This is an extra special edition, with thirty percent more text. Now, what exactly is Aurelias, and will the gods lose because he won't join them?

So just keep reviewing, and criticize me, but tell me why.

Because it doesn't really help me if you just say this is "crap" and not tell me why. Because I can't correct any mistakes, and you'll just be seeing more crap in the next chapter.

So if you really don't want to see "crap", just attempt to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Because it'd really help me, unlike some people.

So, I wonder if this "Honest" person can tell me what I've done wrong, and why this story is crap. I actually read your guide, even though it's not PJO fiction. And I seem to have the grammar and spelling and plot in order. And the descriptions. I've stayed with the point of view of the main character, like you said in your guide. But still, do tell me why this is "crap".

Wait a sec, I've been going over my reviews. And I found this by Honest101:

"a.nyways, you write pretty well. The sentences are nice, and grammar and vocabulary are good. I'm an atheist too, so high five0! but ya, this could be a bit offensive to christain.s i wouldn't want it if someone made fun of me being an atheist or something like that, ya... have a nice day! keep on writing that story with nico di angelo and min though be cause i like that a lot."

So, if you liked it, then why call it crap? Unless you just like to do that to people...