Chapter 3

PIPER

Piper sat at her desk in the Aphrodite Cabin, flipping through a leather-bound notebook. It was a book of battle strategies Annabeth had been putting together over the last few years, and her siblings had allowed Piper to borrow it on the condition that she return it unharmed to them when she was finished using it. As she turned over the pages filled with Annabeth's handwriting and illustrations, Piper couldn't help but think about the person who'd made it, and how she'd probably never be able to finish what she'd started. She tightened her jaw. Now was not the time to be emotional; now was the time to prepare for what was ahead, and what was ahead would inevitably be a battle. That was why Piper was looking through this strategy notebook. She'd never been as big a fighter as Annabeth or some of the other girls at Camp, but that didn't matter: she would become that fighter. Her friends needed her right now, whether they were somewhere far away where nobody knew, or a young girl who'd just lost and gained a sister, or a boyfriend who had turned evil; they all needed her.

Louis walked into the cabin, and Piper couldn't keep a smile from edging onto her lips. Her half-brother's new haircut looked…interesting, to say the least, and, although he'd had it for a little while now, it never ceased to make her smile the way he tried to run his fingers through the stubbly remnants of his mousy brown hair—eventually giving up while cursing in ancient Greek.

"Piper!" The reprimanding tone made Piper grimace. Here it comes, she thought. "What are you doing out of bed! The doctor said you have to rest until you're completely healed, or else you could reinjure yourself! You should know better than this, Piper! Now, don't let me catch you doing this again! Back to bed, right this instant!"

Piper just rolled her eyes. "Well, mother hen, I have a few words for you. First off, you are younger than me, so I have no obligation to take orders from you. Second, I know better than anyone how well I'm recuperating, and no doctor is gonna make me stay in bed resting while someone with a lot of magic at his disposal is planning on destroying this camp, and I'm not gonna be caught sitting around waiting for him to strike first. Someone has to do something, Louis, and I don't see you being much of a help! I know what you're gonna say: Piper, we all know how much stress you've been through in these past few weeks, but you really need to stop thinking that you saw Jason. He's dead, and there's no way he's coming back. You were just hallucinating or something. But I wasn't, Louis! I know what I saw! Jason's alive, and he's coming back. I don't know how or why he was with Donovan's army, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the person I saw was Jason. Why would I lie and tell you guys that the person who tried to kill me was my own boyfriend? Oh, you people are so narrow-minded! We live in a world where the old Greek gods, who no one in this day and age except for us believe in, are real, for Pete's sake, and with all the things I've seen since I found out I was a demigod, I'm surprised that having someone supposedly come back from the dead is such a shock to you guys! Bigger things have happened! If gods exist who can offer immortality to a human, than why can't they also bring back the dead? Why are you being so blind? Ugh!" Piper exclaimed as Louis gave her a sympathetic look. "Why am I even trying to talk sense into you? It's a waste of my time! I'm going to see Chiron."

With that , she stood up, grabbed the strategy notebook, and stalked out of the cabin, leaving behind a very frightened Louis with an 'I was only trying to help' look on his face. Piper made her way up to the Big House, and marched right in the front door, slamming it shut behind her. The two people at the coffee table playing Pinnacle turned to face her.

"Chiron," she announced, "we need to talk."

Mr. D. had an annoyed look on his face as one of his opponents stepped away from the table. "But I was almost winning!"

Chiron just chuckled, and whispered to Piper as they headed farther into the house, "Almost."

Piper smiled, and continued walking down the long hall until she came to a room with a closed door. Chiron opened and held it for her as she stepped inside. She'd been in this room a couple of times before. It was where all the technology allowed on Camp was held, where campers could contact their families without having to use an Iris message or send up a flair to all the monsters in the area. Piper had talked and Skyped with her dad in this room more than once. The good thing about this room was that it was soundproof, so nobody could eavesdrop on what she would be talking to Chiron about.

"We really need to talk about Donovan and his next move, Chiron," she said as she sat down in a nearby chair. "I know nobody believes me when I say I saw Jason, and we're not gonna go into that now, but it's inevitable that Donovan will be coming back, and we won't be ready for a full-scale attack. We need to start training all the campers right now. And when I say all of them, I mean it. I saw a vision in Katoptris of Donovan raising up monsters from the ground, which means he can probably build as big an army as he wants. We need all the manpower we can get. Also, we need more weapons, a lot of them. I can talk to the Hephaestus cabin, but it would probably be better if you made a formal announcement to everyone about all this. We just need to start getting ready for anything at this point. We don't know when Donovan's going to strike next, and we need all the time we can get. Would you run all this by Mr. D? I have to find Rachel. Maybe she can help us out with this prophecy. Also, is Reyna still here?"

Chiron looked down at Piper, and nodded, looking thoughtful. "I don't want you to go too overboard on this, Piper," he said. "Remember, you're still recuperating, and if you push yourself too hard, you won't be much of a help to anybody. Keep in mind that not everything is on your shoulders. There are others who can help you. Just because the leaders of the Seven aren't here doesn't mean you have to take on their burden of leadership. Make sure you're making wise decisions, and don't act too hastily. Rachel should be in her cave, and Reyna is with Hazel and Frank visiting Leo in the bunker, the last time I checked. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish my game of Pinnacle and talk to Mr. D. about all this."

He headed towards the door, but was stopped by Piper's voice.

"Chiron, if we can get Camp Jupiter to help us, we would be far better off in this war, right? I mean, we'd have more troops, and with their experience of fighting as a combined force…well, they could help us a lot, couldn't they?"

"Indeed they could, Piper," was the reply. "You'd only have to get your idea past Reyna."

"No, absolutely not."

"Why not?" Piper stood next to Hazel and Frank, facing Reyna, in the middle of Bunker 9. She had found them there shortly after her conversation with Chiron, and was now trying to get Reyna to join forces with the Greek half-bloods. "Come on, Reyna, you have to help us! It's the only way we'll stand any chance against Donovan. I know you're not that cruel-hearted to just stand back and watch all the people in this camp get slaughtered.

"Well," Reyna said coolly, "it would be very tempting to let Donovan Pierce take care of all of you, then you would never get in my way again."

"Reyna!" Hazel's voice showed her shock. "That's no way for a leader of the Romans to talk to someone who's our ally and friend! They need us, and there's no way I'll ever abandon them."

"She's right, you know," Frank said. "Donovan is seeking to kill the Seven, Reyna, and that includes us two. He already killed Jason, our other praetor. Shouldn't justifying that give us initiative enough to join this war? Donovan won't stop with the Greeks, and you know it. Neither of our armies is big enough to face him alone, so our only hope of survival is to combine forces. There's nothing else you can do."

Piper smiled. She loved having people on her side, especially when the person she's fighting with is Reyna, and the people who are helping her are under Reyna's command. Reyna would have to give in eventually.

"Argh! Why are you two taking her side?"

"Reyna," came a voice from about three yards away and six yards in the air, "They're not ganging up on you. They're standing up for what they believe is right. This isn't about your little feud with Piper. This is about saving the lives of every demigod on earth. I don't think you want to be known as the person who could've saved everybody, but didn't. That is, if you even live through it."

Piper's heart soared. She now had Leo on her side. He was giving an outsider's opinion, and by showing Reyna that she was wrong, he was forcing her to make a decision.

"Fine, fine! I'll do it. But I'm not doing this for you, Piper McLean. This is for my people, and to avenge Jason's death."

With that, Reyna stalked out of the bunker, leaving a smiling Piper behind.

LYNN

Lynn could practically fly. In the past three days, she had gained a mother, a father, and sister of her dreams! Sure, Mr. Phillip Milan was not technically related to her, but she didn't care! The Staceys were never true parents. They cared for her and raised her, but they never felt real. She should have figured it out years ago that they were adoptive parents. And Hades, well, Hades was a god she didn't even know existed in reality until three years ago, and didn't know was her paternal relation prior to three weeks ago. And she had yet to meet His Godliness, so he still seemed like some fairytale.

But Sierra and Phillip Milan felt right. Lindsey, her kid sister, felt natural. She felt loved, valued, and important for something.

All this went on in her mind as she sat on the outskirts of the volleyball field with Lindsey. Between the two of them was a pair of earbuds, and an iPod blaring Josh Groban's "All'Improvviso Amore." Leave it to Josh Groban to bond long lost sisters and provoke deep, wonderful thoughts.

Lindsey pulled out her ear bud. "You know, for as long as I live I'm going to miss my sister Lizzie. I'll never understand why she'd sacrifice herself for Louis. But, honestly, I never really understood half the things she did."

Lynn shifted uncomfortably. "Lindsey, I'd never, ever try to replace Lizzie in your heart. You know that, don't you?"

"Let me finish, you goof." Lindsey smiled. "What I'm getting at is that I'm glad you're here. You won't replace Lizzie, but I think with you around, I'll be able to heal." She draped her arm around Lynn's neck. "Besides, s'about time I had an older sister to boss me around."

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Ookay, well, if you want me to be the bossy big sis, I'll start by making you get us some chips. Here, you can go ask Travis about getting some."

"Challenge accepted," Lindsey said with a smirk as she stood up. "But I get to keep the iPod!" And with that she strutted towards the Hermes Cabin.

Lynn smiled. All so right, so perfect.

"Lynn Stacey?" someone called. She stood up and spun around. A teenager in jeans and a camp T-shirt hurried towards her. "Are you Lynn?"

She nodded. "Yeep. That's me. What's up?"

"Nico sent me to get you. Can you follow me?" By the way the girl turned and started back the way she came, that was not a question, but a command. Lynn followed.

What does Nico want now? She couldn't hide her bitterness towards him. It is one thing to find out they couldn't be together, but the fact that he now was cold towards her, without offering any amendments towards friendship, just made her angry.

"I didn't catch your name," Lynn panted as she scrambled through the forest underbrush after the girl.

"That's 'cause I never told you it." She offered no more information on herself. "Just hurry up. He said it's urgent."

It occurred to her that they were beyond the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood. She stopped. "Where is he? Tell me where we're going. I won't move until you do."

The girl spun around, her eyes flashing with anger. Lynn finally got a good look at her. Her hair was straight, dark at the roots but fading into a bleached blonde. Her eyes were blue. Or green. Lynn couldn't tell.

The girl appeared around Lynn's age, fifteen or so. But Lynn couldn't recall ever meeting her.

"We're going to Nico. Come on."

Lynn didn't budge. "Tell me your name. Tell me where he-AH!"

A gloved hand clamped over her mouth. She writhed against it as an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She kicked and let out muffled screams. The girl stood there, totally emotionless.

"My name is Anika Levi. Don't struggle, Lynn Stacey. You're going to come with us to a large van, you are going to be bound, we are going to start driving, and you will hear us out. Once we know we can trust you, you'll be unbound. I hope you understand. We mean you no discomfort by our methods. You'll want to hear what we've got to say."

Lynn glared. She tried to hide the pure terror coursing through her. Whatever they wanted, this was clearly a kidnapping.

You've been through worse. It'll be okay.

She let her body fall limp. She wouldn't struggle, but she'd make it harder for them to bring her—carrying her, dead weight.

The man carrying her was strong, and in few long strides they dragged her to the van and tossed her in the back. Two other men grabbed her and bound her hands with duct tape. The younger one put a piece over her mouth.

Four against one. Anika and the youngest boy appeared around fifteen or so. The other two were men in their early twenties, she assumed. One was a bit beefy, large and muscular with a fierce scowl and a buzz cut. The other was thin and lanky, a mop of greasy ginger hair falling over his eyes. The fifteen-year-old boy was…gorgeous. Lynn hated that her captor made her heart do flips. But gosh, his hair was amazing, brown and beautiful and styled like a pro, with that slightly tousled look. And his eyes were practically dancing with mischief and youth, but with that edge that made her think he had seen many things in his lifetime, despite his youth.

Beefy Dude revved the engine of the van, and, with a jolt, the van started. All hopes of escaping deflated.

Anika sat on the floor across from Lynn, her back to the door. Lanky Guy slid into the shotgun seat, while Mr. Gorgeous sat cross-legged, about a foot away from Lynn, holding a gun loosely. Who were these people?

"Allow me to introduce you to my friends here." She motioned to Beefy. "That's Bradley."

Lynn would have laughed had her mouth not been sealed shut. Bradley hardly fit him. It sounded more like a name for a cute puppy.

"And," Anika nodded towards Lanky Guy, "That's Haydon."

"And I'm David Smith," Mr. Gorgeous said with a dazzling smile that made Lynn's heart do a somersault.

"Now, now, David. Don't flirt with our guest; you've got a girlfriend. I don't believe Miss Aimee Tyler would appreciate you flirting with the long lost daughter of Hades."

It all clicked. Aimee Tyler, the Apollo girl—she had mentioned a boyfriend, hadn't she? Oh Aimee, does she have any idea what kind of relationship she's gotten herself into? Could she even be tied to these people?

"Now," Anika continued. "To business, I'm sure you have questions, Lynn. So I'll just give my spiel, and we'll take it from there.

"You might think we're the bad guys, due to our unethical methods. I give you my deepest apologies for that. But we have a common enemy. I'm sure you've heard of Donovan Pierce? Somehow, he has coerced his mother Hecate to empower him with dark magic. He is more powerful than any demigod should be. His intentions are to defeat the demigods, defenders of the gods. His ideology is that without demigods, the gods will be weakened and defenseless and easily overthrown. That's about all we know. But Donovan is not only capable of raising an army of monsters and traitor demigods..."

She didn't offer more explanation to what she was getting at. Instead, she changed her train of thought. "We are demigods of Roman descent. My mother is Bellona, goddess of war. My goal is to aid the demigods in this war, but not directly. That's what Donovan expects—to attack them front on and overwhelm them. He doesn't expect us working on the inside, getting under his skin and destroying him at the core.

"So, I imagine you're wondering where you fit into all of this. As I mentioned, he is not only able to create an army of monsters, he can also bring dead back to life and control them. We don't know exactly how the process works, but we've seen the result. We believe there is a way to bring them back."

Lynn was totally lost and had yet to see her involvement in all of this.

Anika smoothed a strand of blonde hair back into her tight ponytail. After a long pause, she continued. "Lynn, the reason we tell you this at all is because he has revived someone you are connected with, and this person is now under his complete control. If you help us, there is a chance we could save this person and others, but we need to be able to trust you.

"With your help, we could revive a certain Lizzie Milan, your half-sister, if my intel is correct."

David reached over and pulled off the tape. They all seemed eager to hear her reaction, whether she was on their side or not.

But all Lynn could do was sit there, mouth agape. Lizzie's alive.