Andy could feel Orpheus's fingers tightening around her own. It was an odd feeling, since the touch of a ghost was extremely light it just felt like the mildest of pressures on her hand. She would have looked at Orpheus, but right now she was too preoccupied by Nasim's magic.

The snakes were working their way through the earthen fingers and as they did light began shoot out from the cracks in the fingers, filling the area with a blinding light. From the corner of her eye, Andy could see Persephone shielding her eyes from the glare. Odysseus looked directly at it, but Andy supposed ghost's eyes couldn't be burned.

Slowly, as though they were being forced to unclench, Gaia's fingers loosened. As soon as Andy could see the first glimpse of Robin's boots, the earth crumbled away. The muddy tendrils that had wrapped themselves around his chest writhed like snakes, hissing and coming to life. Nasim's serpents rose, cobra-like, and struck back once... twice... on the third time the earth snakes disintegrated.

Without anything to hold him up, Robin fell forward. Andy let go of Nasim and Orpheus's hands to catch him, but he hadn't fallen all the way out of the chair.

"Here," Persephone said. She place one cool white hand under Robin's elbow and pulled. Then Robin really fell from the chair. His eyelids were still closed by his eyes moved beneath them feverishly.

Odysseus hovered nearby, looking like he wanted to help and was frustrated he couldn't.

"Is he going to be okay?" Andy asked as Nasim ducked under Robin's arm and helped support him.

"He still has no memory," Persephone shook her head.

"By the gods, I wish I could go with him. Protect him!" Odysseus said.

"There is a way," Persephone said slowly. When everyone turned to look at her with surprise, she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"I am the queen down here," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I think I know how things work. And I say there is a way Odysseus can go with him. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Robin would know," Andy said.

"No," Odysseus said, shaking his head and moving forward. "There's no time."

"Very well," Persephone nodded. "Orpheus, what about you?"

"He's your half-brother," Nasim noted. The poet looked nervous and shook his head.

"Why not?" Andy asked. Orpheus turned to her and took her by the shoulder.

"Andy, when you touched me, I felt alive," he told her. "I don't want to feel alive."

"Why not?" Andy asked. She just didn't understand.

"Because then I'll feel pain," the ghost told her, eyes wide and sad. "I don't want to be alive."

"So... how do we do this?" Odysseus asked Persephone.

"The Gates of Dreams," she told him.

Nasim and Andy carried Robin, who was still unconscious and very weak. Luckily, it was not a long trip to the Dream Gates. Andy, who'd been to the underworld before and had traveled for days across Tartarus, was extremely grateful. The two gates were right outside the Hypnos's Palace and the cloying scent of poppies filled the air.

The gates were tall, at least thirty feet each, and resembled archways more than anything. One was made of something that was grey and highly polished, almost like the horn of an animal. The other was made entirely of ivory, creamy and smooth.

Bat-like shadows clung upside-down to the poplar trees outside the gates. The air was filled with the sound of their flitting wings as groups of them flew out through one gate or the other.

"False dreams," Persephone said, pointing to the ivory gate. "True dreams," she indicated the horn gate. "First mentioned in your book, I believe, Odysseus."

"Which one do I go through?" the ghost asked.

"If you only want to exist in the imagination of Robin," Persephone frowned. "The Horn Gate. But I think you'd prefer the Gate of True Dreams, if you want full use of your hands, speech, and other faculties."

"Right," Odysseus squared his shoulders and followed the flock of dreams heading through the ivory gate.

"Not many dreams right now," Orpheus commented. "Morning must be near. I'll take my leave now." He bowed to Persephone and to Andy. "Eurydice is waiting for me."

"Who?" Andy asked.

"Oh, I supposed you could call her my Oenone," Orpheus smiled slightly. Andy smiled back, realizing that Orpheus smiled as little as Robin frowned. But when he smiled, they were nearly identical.

Orpheus vanished like smoke on the wind, leaving the three of them watching as Odysseus approached the ivory gate and stepped through it. For a moment, he shimmered, nearly winking out, but then he began to solidify. Andy watched as he was colored in, his cloak flaring bright crimson, his armor seeped with rich golden-brown, his hair dark red, and his grey eyes sparkling.

"I just had a thought," Andy said slowly as Odysseus, fully alive and laughing, strode back toward them, taking care to go around the Gates of Dreams and not through them. "Can Mnemosyne restore Robin's memory?"

"Mnemosyne?" Persephone asked, arching one eyebrow. "She preserves, not restores. If you want to help him with that, ask the naiad of Ida."

"Nasim, can you take us all to Adriondack?" Andy asked.

"I don't know, I wouldn't know what to aim for," Nasim said uncomfortable, shifting Robin's weight. But then Andy realized that Robin's weight was lessened. When she looked down, she saw his boots, which had been dragging the ground, plant itself firmly. His other boot did likewise and Robin straightened.

"Robin?" Andy asked slowly. Odysseus slowed his pace and approached as one might a wild animal. Robin turned towards Andy, but his eyes were strangely blank.

He did not recognized her.

"Robin, we're going to take you to Oenone, okay?" Andy said gently, rubbing his back. There was not even a flicker of recognition at the nymph's name.

"Witch - " Odysseus addressed Nasim, who stiffened.

"Don't call him that!" Andy snarled. "He has a name, King of Ithaca!"

"Son of Hecate," Odysseus said instead. "Can you take us to the nymph, or not?"

"Yes, give Andy your hand," Nasim told him.

"I don't want to take his hand," Andy fumed.

"Andromache Tiber," Persephone warned in an angry grandmother voice. Andy rolled her eyes and snatched Odysseus's hand, digging her nails into it in a way she hoped hurt. Robin looked straight ahead, not acknowledging any of them.

The violet arches of fire began to flare into existence, leaving Persephone, the smell of poppies, the poplar trees, the fluttering of dreams, and the Gates of Dreams outside. Grey mist spread through the gaps in the fiery veins, cutting off those images and sounds.

"You can stop trying to claw my hand off," Odysseus told Andy as the mist began to clear. "It isn't working."

"Damn," Andy growled, letting go of the man's head as soon as the purple fire vanished as well.

"Wait a second," Nasim frowned. "We're at camp!"

"Nasim? Andy?" a light voice asked. They were by the stream and Oenone was standing up. Her sky blue dress had been cleaned and mended, its hems were lost in white, frothy cloth. The naiad's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Odysseus.

"You," she spat. "Murderer. Child killer."

"Well, at least Robin liked me," Odysseus grumbled.

Oenone, who had been storming towards them - almost literally - froze, her eyes wide as they caught sight of Robin.

"Careful," Nasim warned. "His memory was taken. He can't - "

"Remember me," the naiad finished, looking sad but not surprised.

"Do you think you can help him?" Andy asked. Robin abruptly let his arm fall from Andy's shoulder. He could now stand perfectly well with just Nasim's help. "Persephone said..."

"I know how," Oenone nodded. She bent down and picked up Star-shooter, which must had been laying at her feet the whole time. She moved forward and gently touched Robin's face. His eyes didn't even focus.

"I need a bowstring for a longbow," Oenone said. "Andy?"

She nodded and ran off to find Will.

A/N: Footnotes:

Eurydice: Orpheus's wife, she died on their wedding day.