Plapper: Ok here it goes! The adventure begins! We're on our way! ( almost) Yes I do enjoy to leave you hanging. Muahahahahaha… no seriously… but you must understand… these things take time! Rome wasn't built in a day after all ; )

I awoke screaming and thrashing.

Flames in the sky, flames in the streets, the world was on fire. Burning, burning, burning to the ground. Bodies on the ground, bodies running, running, running. None of them escaped. They all burned, they all fell. Pieces of stone were falling down as lighting came from the sky. The windows shattered. Blood and mayhem everywhere. My city, my beautiful city was burning to the ground and there was nothing I could do.

I hugged a pillow to my chest and sobbed desperately. My entire body was shaking, I couldn't breathe. The pain in my chest seemed to grow, grow endlessly, I felt like I was losing it and then… a pair of strong warm arms around me. Nico pulled me close, his hand stroking my hair, his voice gentle. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but slowly his voice, his words, lifted the pain from my heart. I started to breathe normally again and fell asleep against his shoulder.

"Good morning beautiful."

I smiled down at Nico and he squeezed my hand.

"Good morning. What are you doing down there?", I asked.

He was lying on the floor next to the bed with only a pillow and a soft blanket.

"Admiring the view", he said and winked. I rolled my eyes at him.

"No seriously, what are you doing on the floor?" The bed would have been more than big enough for both of us.

I actually felt a little embarrassed as I remembered last night's events. I'd had a nightmare and shadow travelled myself into Nico's cabin. Scratch that, into Nico's bed.

"You kick a lot in your sleep.", he said and grinned. I did what? I felt so embarrassed. I must have kicked him right out of bed!

"Oh…"

He gave me an odd look and sighed.

"I couldn't stay there with you… you're just too …. Tempting."

He turned his face away and I could've sworn that he was blushing. I smiled to myself and kissed his hand.

"How bout now?"

I didn't need to say that twice. He immediately rolled onto the bed, nearly squishing me in the process. I laughed and shoved him off.

"Gods you're heavy!"

He kissed me.

"And you need to go brush your teeth."

He looked at me in mock outrage and disappeared into the bathroom. I quickly shadow travelled myself into mine as well, or at least I'd planned to. Instead I ended up in my closet. I sighed and stepped out of it to go brush my teeth. I was getting better at this whole shadow traveling thing, but I was far from being an expert.

When I came out of the bathroom, Nico was there, sitting on my bed, still in his PJ's (Not Percy Jackson, but Sleeping clothes. Just in case some of you were confused. Hey it happens.)

He looked hot.

I was suddenly super aware of the fact that I was wearing a giant T-shirt and baggy pants. Not exactly sexy material… He didn't look like he minded though.

I walked over to him and sat on his lap, giving him, what I had intended to be a quick kiss. He wasn't having any of that though. He pulled me closer, his hands in my hair. A part of me wondered how he could be such a good kisser, but I quickly shoved that part out of my brain. Who cared? I was the one profiting now wasn't I. After a while I pulled away. A girls gotta breathe, you know?

"Now that's a proper good morning kiss", he said and grinned. I couldn't have agreed more.

"Nico… I need to find that city."

I hadn't meant for the words to come out like that, but they had, and I knew it was true. I'd spent time putting it out of my mind. Nico made me happy, he really did, but there was a hole inside of me that wouldn't be complete until I found that city, even if I found it in ruins.

His face turned serious at once and I got of his lap to sit next to him.

"Why?"

It wasn't the question I'd expected, but it made sense. How could I describe it to him? The longing in my chest?

"It's not just a city Nico, it's home. My home. I don't know how I know this, or why I feel this way, but I do. I just know that I'm supposed to find it. Maybe it will be in ruins, maybe it doesn't even exist, I don't know. But until I try, I will always feel incomplete, unhappy. I'm happy with you here Nico, I really am. These last couple of months can easily be counted as the happiest of my life so far, but… I feel restless. I feel like there's something out there for me, something I need to do. I need to find it because it's a part of me. A part of me that's missing."

Could he understand that? Could he understand it even though I didn't understand it myself? I couldn't read his expression. His hands were folded in his lap, his eyes on the ground and then he finally spoke.

"What of the prophecy Kyra? I spoke to Chiron about this, the time you saw me there, the time I lied to you… He's afraid of this prophecy Kyra. He's afraid of what it might mean, and so am I. I do not like the gods, believe me, but… one of them is my father. What of him?

Chiron spoke of Atlantis", my heart clenched at the name, "and the way he described it… Kyra… I don't know.. It sounds a lot like this city of yours. But it also sounded like a horrible place and not a place that should be found. What if those dreams you're having, what if they are lies?"

I was quiet for a while.

"Maybe they are", I finally said, "But then I need to know. I can't keep living like this Nico. I don't want to hurt the gods, my father is one too remember? I have no reason to hurt them, but I need to find this city. I just can't believe that these were bad people. You'd understand if you'd seen them. They were beautiful and kind."

He didn't say anything and I got up. My decision was made. I was going to find this city, it just hoped I wouldn't have to do so alone.

"I'm taking a shower."

"Ok."

When I came back he was gone. I wasn't sure what this meant, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. It was time to pack. I threw together a couple of practical clothes. Jeans, boots, shirts, anything that might be useful. Then I realized that I didn't know where I was going yet.

"Rats."

I ran out the door as soon as I was dressed. Black jeans and a blue shirt, in case you cared. Yes I do wear colour every once in a while. "Hey Jason! Have you seen Percy?"

The blonde guy gave me an odd look, I didn't think he really liked me, but he put up with me because we were both Percy's friends.

"I think he's with Annabeth… at the lake."

"Thanks", I called as I ran towards the lake.

"Hey guys!"

They were obviously not too happy about being interrupted from their intense make out session, but they looked up anyways.

"Busy", Percy said and tried to return to his previous activity, but Annabeth blocked him with her hand, grinning. I had to grin too.

"What's up Kyra?"

"Do you have a second?"

"yes" from Annabeth

"No" from Percy.

I decided to go with Annabeth's answer. It suited me a lot more.

"Ok… so what do you guys know about Atlantis?"

They obviously hadn't expected the question.

"It's where my father's palace is. Why?"

I shouldn't have expected more from Percy, and so I turned and gave Annabeth an expectant look. She shrugged.

"Honestly? I don't know much more than that either. I mean in Plato's records he mentions them, but there isn't much there. The island sunk about 9'000 years ago and the city with it. What remains of it now is part of Poseidons kingdom. I've never been there, but Percy has."

I glanced at him and then looked back at Annabeth. "Anything else? It doesn't matter what."

"Ok let me see…Atlantis was named after the Titan Atlas, they called him their first father I think. The island was located near the Pillars of Hercules and they conquered many parts of Europe and Africa.P Plato describes the island as having been bigger than Libya and Asia together, although I very much doubt that. I think the Atlantians were the main enemies of the Greeks, their biggest threat. After they attacked Athens they were sunken into the ocean in a single day and night. They've never been heard of again."

Disappointment flooded through me. This information was useless! I was about to leave when Annabeth spoke again.

"I have the book in my room if you want to have a look?"

"For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty host, which, starting from a distant point in the Atlantic ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the whole of Europe, and Asia to boot. For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together; and it was possible for the travellers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the mouth of which we speak, is evidently a haven having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean, and the land surrounding it may most rightly be called, in the fullest and truest sense, a continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and marvellous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent…

But at a later time there occurred portentous earthquakes and floods, and one grievous day and night befell them, when the whole body of your warriors was swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner was swallowed up by the sea and vanished; wherefore also the ocean at that spot has now become impassable and unsearchable, being blocked up by the shoal mud which the island created as it settled down" – Plato

Still this did me no good! I was frustrated… Well not everyone could be a treasure finder until… I stumbled across another line in the book

"Yet there are those of whom it is believed that they fled the island, at great peril, into the sacred lands of the foreign gods."

So now I knew where I needed to go.

My bags were packed and I was ready to go. The land of the foreign gods, as Plato had called it. It sounded all poetic, but I thought I knew where he meant although... I wasn't a philosopher. I didn't understand their weird language.

I hadn't heard from Nico all day and quickly shadow travelled into his cabin. He wasn't there. A part of me wanted to go look for him, I missed him already, but the other part, the more rational part, knew that that would be a bad idea. If anyone could talk me out of this then it would've been Nico. And I didn't want to be talked out of this. I wanted to go! I needed to go.

I wrote him a quick note and put it on his bed.

"Dear Nico,

I'm leaving, tonight at nine. If you want to come with me pack some summer clothes, it's gonna be warm.

Kyra"

Yeah I know. Kinda lame, but I didn't know what else to write! Come or we're through? How dramatic would that be? No this was better. If he didn't come it would suck, but at least I hadn't gotten in too deep… I'd get over him. Plus I couldn't blame him… this trip was crazy, not very though through, and most of all dangerous… Would I have gone for him? That question was probably left unanswered.

It was five past nine and I was sitting on my bed. He wasn't coming… Five more minutes! But I knew better… Five more minutes wouldn't matter. I'd said nine. It was time to go. I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed out the door.

I bumped into Nico.

"Hi", I said, as eloquent as ever.

"So where are we going?" he asked, a sheepsish grin on his face. I grinned back and kissed him.

"Egypt."