Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any related characters! Please, please, PLEASE review if you read; all feedback is greatly appreciated. You all are awesome, and thank you for reading my story!

Percy and Thalia met up with Grover and headed back to their rooms. The night sky was littered with stars, and it reminded Percy of Camp Half-Blood in its beauty. He prayed to whatever gods were listening that Cyrene and Annabeth were safe, and prayed that Grover and Thalia were okay. They got back to the beautiful hotel-style room, but once they opened the door, they froze. Sitting in the middle of the room was an eight-year old girl. She was standing next to the fireplace, warming her hands. Percy wasn't even sure they had a fireplace in the first place. Simultaneously, Percy, Thalia, and Grover backed up out of the room, checked the room number, then walked back in. The girl was still there, as if this was her home. The girl had caramel-colored skin and big, curly hair. Percy uncapped Riptide, Thalia took out her arrow, and Grover took out his knives immediately. The girl turned to regard them and her glowing red eyes warmed Percy to the core. He capped Riptide and bowed to the girl.

"Hestia."

Thalia and Grover looked at each other and bowed as well. Hestia smiled at them. "Please, sit, make yourself comfortable in your temporary home."

The three of them put their bags down and sat in their respective beds. Percy noticed the lights in the room were off, but they were replaced with red flames that gave the room a cozier feel. Candles that weren't there before were sprinkled on the desks and on the windowsills, giving off different scents of fall. There were small brown plates on the dresser of each bed, and each plate had a perfectly cooked and proportioned S'more on it. Percy felt relaxed almost immediately, and he could practically see the tension flow from Thalia and Grover's body as they relaxed on their beds and dug in to their treats. Hestia waited patiently as they all got comfortable and started eating, then she trained her eyes on Percy.

"How has your mission been so far?" Hestia seemed like one of those people who never has a question she doesn't know the answer to, but asks it just so she can listen to someone else answer it.

Percy nodded. "Pretty good. We have an address, we have coordinates as to where Cyrene and Annabeth are. The goddess Iris and her assistant Fleecy were found dead in their shop, though, so that was a low point."

Grover bleated mournfully. The flames in place of the lights roared for a split second, then went back to their controlled height. Hestia looked back at the flames. "We heard about Iris. But it is scaring the gods because even we do not know who took Iris and Fleecy's life. We are usually all-seeing, but this adversary was intelligent. We believe that this is the same person who kidnapped Annabeth and Cyrene, since both individuals are hidden from us."

Percy thought for a second. "How is Cyrene or Annabeth hidden from you though? Wasn't only the attacker hidden from you? I thought people like Apollo, Hermes, and Zeus are all-knowing and all-seeing."

Thalia shook her head. "Though they see a lot that we don't, the gods can only see so much. That's why the Oracle exists; to give prophecies that is beyond the gods' knowledge. And Nereus is someone who has knowledge that is even hidden from the Oracle."

Hestia nodded glumly. She turned her hand and the fire erupted from the fireplace. Grover flinched, but Percy was used to this trick before. However, Hestia curved her hand and small people started to form from the fire until there were about a hundred of them. She took a breath. "Usually, this is the world. A lot of people. To a god, the demigods-"

She curved her hand some more and about five of the hundred began to glow a fiery white. "-stand out from the rest. They have an aura, even a smell, that attracts those of this world. An immortal, however-"

She flicked her fingers and two of the fire people turned green. "-is very easy to spot. Iris and Fleecy were like this. However, out of nowhere-"

She snapped her fingers and the two green fire people disappeared. "-they died. They were wiped from the face of the earth. We tried to find whoever did it, but it's like their aura is invisible. We've watched over Annabeth for so long that her aura became familiar to us, but it's like her demigod aura has disappeared."

Hestia flicked her finger and every one of the fire people were the same red-orange color. "So, as a result, we have had trouble finding both Annabeth and Cyrene, since their auras have been hidden from us. As a result, we have to guess, and meticulously go from place to place to find them. And whoever is doing this is intelligent. They're outsmarting us, moving around from place to place so we can't get close. They're knowledgeable about how the gods see mortals and immortals, and they're merciless. Ares will probably want them working for us, once they're caught."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Once? Don't you mean if they're caught."

Hestia's eyes had flames in them. "No, I mean when. No individual has wronged Olympus and has escaped the wrath of Olympus." Percy may have been imagining it, but he swore that he saw someone writhing and being burned alive in the flames. It made his blood go cold as he looked at the fire.

Grover made a strangled sound in his throat; he probably saw the same thing Percy did. Percy gulped. "We will find whoever did this, Lady Hestia. I will save my sister and Annabeth."

Hestia nodded. "I have faith in you all; you all are capable heroes and are favored by Olympus. But I came down to warn you though, this being seems to have power. If they were able to reap Iris and Fleecy's soul, you all are in more danger than you believe. If you still plan on continuing this mission, time will be of the essence. I bring you three gifts from Hades himself."

Hestia opened her palm and three obsidian-black and silver rings swirled around. They had a spherical jewel on them that was also black. Hestia pushed her hand towards us and one ring flowed to each of us. "Hades has provided you all your own personal Shadow Rings. These rings will allow you to instantly shadow travel wherever you need to go, as long as your destination has shadows to employ. Just clench your fist and imagine where you want to go."

Percy felt uneasy taking a gift from Hades, but he trusted Hestia with his life. Plus, this allowed them to leave the Pegasi at Hazel's Horse Hotel as things started to get heated. Percy nodded and put the ring on. It was deathly cold and a shiver went through his body, but it fit perfectly. Grover and Thalia followed suit. Hestia nodded. "Save your sister and your comrade, Perseus. And don't forget your fatal flaw. Personal loyalty can be as deadly as an axe if utilized the wrong way."

Percy stared into space as Hestia erupted into flames. The flames around the room turned back to their original lightbulbs, and the candles disappeared with them. The fireplace disappeared into a television, confirming Percy's original suspicions. The room dropped a few degrees, but Percy wasn't sure if it was because the fire disappeared or because of the rings. Grover and Thalia looked at Percy who looked down at the ring. Grover asked, "Did Hestia seem a bit off to you? It seemed like she was almost angry."

Percy nodded. "This whole thing has made her uneasy. And she was calm during the Battle of Manhattan. She didn't even consider giving up Hope when I had given her Prometheus' gift."

Thalia nodded. "So if this is making her feel nervous, it's making me nervous as well. However, these can now leave the Pegasi here so we can keep them out of harm's way. Everyone agree?" Grover nodded and Percy fought the urge to smile; he was just thinking that a few minutes ago.

Percy nodded and swung out of bed. "Good. I'll be right back, you all."

He jogged down the hall, weaving between campers in and out. He passed the Praetorian Gate and reached the Baths. He remembered that Hazel mentioned that one has not lived unless they had a Roman bath. Percy reached the steam room and grabbed some of the spare towels. The steam room was spraying mist everywhere as Percy dropped his dirty clothes in the Roman wash-tub (a hot-tub that uses magic to clean and dry clothes, even in water) and traded them for a towel. He sprinted through the steam room and reached his favorite section of the Roman baths; the crystalline pools.

The crystalline pools were underground, but they looked like they were in a cave with several large holes made to hold water. Each of the holes went from three feet to ten feet deep, so people could get the most extensive Roman experience bathing in them. The water was almost like a hot spring, so steam was emanating off each pool. The water temperature was a comfortable warm-hot, but not too scalding. The water would pull all the dirt, blood, sweat, and other grimy details off an individual's body and would pull it down into a small hole at the bottom of the hole. Once anybody came into contact with the water, the area that they were touching would glow a golden yellow. It smelled like sweet fragrances mixed with a bit of chlorine. Around each of the holes were multi-colored crystals that shined all different colors. It gave the place an otherworldly feel. Percy found himself marveling again at the pools. He focused his hearing and heard that it was refreshingly empty. He tore off his towel and jumped into one of the baths.

He submerged completely. Underwater was arguably prettier than above water; the crystals glowed strong colors like red, green, blue, and orange. Light and golden magic swirled through the water. The dirt and grime on Percy's body was pulled off and down into a golden whirpool-like funnel at the bottom of the hole. Percy's injuries and soreness disappeared, and his senses whirred and were dialed to twenty. He smiled and stretched his body in the water. He swam to the surface and when his head came up, he saw a girl stripping next to the water with her back to him. In the split second that he hesitated, Percy made a few observations; her body was perfectly shaped and muscled, and her long black hair was wet and flowed down to the middle of her back. She had curves that would've made Aphrodite jealous enough to turn her into a koala or something. Her posture was confident and tough, like that of a true Roman. When Percy realized what he was doing, a scream escaped from his throat and he covered his eyes. The girl turned around just as Percy's hands covered his eyes.

Percy thought, Oh. My. Gods. Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me.

He heard her scream. He smelled the familiar scent of an arrow, and Percy knew that she had taken out a bow and a set of arrows. Percy dove down into the pool, narrowly avoiding the stream of arrows. Once they pierced the water though, they lost their momentum about three feet down, and began to float. Percy took a risk and burst out the water with his hands up.

He had his eyes closed as shut as he could and prayed that he wouldn't get shot in the neck. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Thalia Grace standing there. She had managed to cover herself with a towel and shoot arrows at the same time. She still had her bow and arrow notched towards Percy's face. Her arms relaxed only slightly when she recognized Percy. Her blue eyes were wide and her mouth was shaped in a perfect o. Her expression shifted into fury. "PERCY JACKSON! WHAT ARE YOU-"

The string of curse words she put together was so creative that Percy was sure that it was another language. Percy was cursing to himself silently, not believing that he didn't hear her come in. Percy kept his hands up. "I'm sorry! I was in here, under the water, and I came up, and you were…you were just…"

"WHY would you…gods, this is so embarrassing…Percy, how could you be so-" Thalia sighed and lowered the bow and arrow, opening her hand and having it disappear in thin air. "So this is where you went to?"

Percy swam over to the edge of the ten feet area. "Yeah, I came here to clear my head."

She looked at him as if he was a child who had run out into the street and almost got hit. "You understand that Artemis turned the last guy to see her naked into a girl, right? How does Percia sound as a name?"

Percy cracked a smile. "Can you even do that?"

Thalia maintained steely eye contact. Anger crackled in her eyes. "Leave."

Percy thought she was joking for a second until he saw her face. She turned and let Percy get out of the bath and wrap his towel around. He was so embarrassed that he dropped the towel three successive times trying to put it on. He finally got it on the fourth try and apologized to Thalia as he walked out of the crystalline pools and into the steam room. The steam room did nothing to help the embarrassment that he was feeling.

When the door to the crystalline pools closed behind him, he put his head on the adjacent walls and exhaled. He heard sobbing from the pools and heard a muffled Thalia mutter, "Why does this always happen to me? Damn you, Aphrodite. Damn you."

Percy felt miserable. He had embarrassed her and frankly, he probably has crossed boundaries more than once with her. Annabeth always pushed him to think about the worst case scenario. Percy wouldn't be surprised it Artemis teleported to the pools and rescinded Thalia's identity as her personal Lieutenant. That would ruin her life and take away her primary identity. Feeling dejected, he walked to his room and crashed on his bed. At least he was clean. Within a few seconds, he knocked out and had the worst dream he has ever had.

They were in the Parthenon replica in Nashville. Percy knew this because inside was a huge, golden statue of Athena. It made the 150 foot long room glow with a red-golden light. The statue had striking gray eyes, a jewel in the front of her chest, and she was holding a being with wings in her right hand. In her left, she was holding a shield-looking object that had a snake behind it. A large golden spear that was almost the statue's height sprouted from the ground by the statue's left foot. It was the replica of the Athena Parthenos, something Annabeth had set out on a personal quest to get. At the foot of the statue, Percy saw someone lying on the ground, tied up. It was Nico Di Angelo. His hair had grown to be almost shaggy, but he looked terrible. The rings that Hestia gave Percy, Thalia, and Grover made more sense to him in that moment.

Nico looked pale (paler than usual), exhausted, and wounded. His breathing was staggered and he struggled to sit up. He looked straight ahead at Percy as if he saw him in the dream. However, he tore his gaze from Percy and looked past him, nodding ever so slightly. Once he nodded, the angle of the dream changed and Percy was seeing what Nico was seeing; Cyrene Jackson, wrapped in a light blue swaddle, and she was crying. Percy's heart leapt out towards his baby sister and wished he could hold her and tell her everything's going to be okay. A figure began to approach from the shadows. Percy's dream insides twisted. This was the being that he needed to find. The being scooped up Cyrene and she stopped crying. The angle of the dream went up like a camera, and Percy saw blonde hair. Gray eyes. A face contorted with concern. It was Annabeth Chase. Percy's girlfriend. And she was holding Cyrene.

She was wearing a plain brown shirt with black battle pants and black boots. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulder. She looked just as beautiful as she usually does, but Percy wasn't sure what to think of her. Her knife was tucked in on her side, and she looked unscathed. Percy at first wanted to believe that Annabeth had somehow escaped her captor and had freed Cyrene. However, Annabeth put Cyrene down and took out a four foot long Stygian Iron sword; Nico's sword. She put on gloves, then took out a bag with frosty blue crystals. She picked out the crystals one at a time and put them on the black sword. Every time the crystals touched the black material, it seemed to freeze the Stygian iron, frost spreading out in tendrils for a few inches. She did this until the entire edge perimeter of the sword was covered in the weird frost, and she held it up.

Nico breathed. "Annabeth, what is that? Why are you doing this? What about Percy?"

Annabeth looked pained and turned her attention to the sword. "This sword is Stygian iron, and the crystals are Stygian ice. You put them together, and you create a combination that has not existed since the old times. And you know that I can't tell you the answers to those questions."

Nico shook his head, then winced as if every effort to speak hurt. "Where did you even get Stygian ice?"

Annabeth turned towards him. Cyrene's eyes trailed the sword as it passed over her. "Percy had a Stygian ice whistle used to call his hellhound. Neither of us knew what it was at the time, but when Percy blew it some years ago, it shattered into many pieces. I spent a good amount of time collecting the pieces at her request."

"Her? Is it Gaea? Hecate?" Nico leaned forward, trying to press an answer out of her. Percy knew better; Annabeth could not be coaxed into saying something she didn't want to.

She shook her head, and sheathed the dangerous sword. "I've said too much already. You know your part in all this, just focus on that."

It was Nico's turn to shake his head furiously. "No. You're a good person. Yet, you betrayed Percy. You betrayed all of us!"

Annabeth turned away and picked up Cyrene. A tear flowed down Annabeth's cheek and fell on Cyrene's swaddle. Cyrene gave her a small smile and then yawned. Annabeth tried for a small, teary smile herself, but it morphed into a face of despair, like Briares' many faces.

"I did betray him. And all of you. And one day, I will freeze in the River Cocytus for it. But this is something beyond your understanding. I almost hope Percy stops me. I hope he kills me. He deserves much better than me. If anyone can understand why I'm doing this, it's him. But I have a mission to carry out, and I will complete it. No matter what it takes."