Taking off down the alley, I racked my brain for what we should do next. I had half a mind to let the police apprehend us-but that would be pointless, and only make my father more angry with me than he already was. No-there was no easy way out of my situation-now, or in any situation I had ever been in.

I'd grown accustom to having no way out, unlike everyone else in the world, who had death as an ultimatum. Odd thing, it was-I was trying to avoid life, while at the same time trying to steering away from death. My life, at this point, had become nothing but a paradox. I felt as if I was the twilight, in which it's not quite yet the night, and at the same time, it's not daylight. And that I was trapped in a box that was shrinking, growing smaller and smaller each and every moment, and in the end, the only true way out would be to become the exact thing I hate the most.

There was one thing, at this particular moment, I could praise. The rain had silenced, and a wall of fog separated us from the police, and Alexandria and Carter.

I could hear them, shouting orders in perfect German-a language I had grown to despise. To me, it sounded like they were all trying to cough up loogies. But somehow, over all the shouting, I could hear a distinct shout.

"Gregy!"

It was so faint, I wasn't sure I was even hearing it. I stopped running. The fog around me consumed everything-I looked down, only to find my shoes were barely visable in the mist.

"Gregy, where are you?" I head it for sure this time, followed by a flirtatious giggle. I resisted to call out "Here! I'm here, Lexi!" I had to keep reminding myself that Alexandria was a siren, and that she'd kill me the first chance she got.

I didn't have time to wonder how they'd gotten past the undead-warriors I had left with them so quickly, because I looked around me; there was no sign of Estelle or Achilles. My mind raced at a thousand times faster than it had been racing previously. Which, was a lot for someone who'd dropped out of school when nap-time was a required course.

I took a second glimpse around me. I had no clue where I was-I could barely see the road under me. Or was it grass? I was encased in a block of atmospheric nothingness, and I could hear Alexandria's sweet, wonderful voice getting closer. As the total effects of panic started to take over, the more I was tempted to call back to her-to see a familiar face in this maze I had lost myself in.

"Gregy! Come and play!" Alexandria sang seductively. She was so close to me…I could hear her voice directly behind me. "Please, help me, Greg! I can't see through all this fog!"

I tightened my grip on the stygian sword in my hand, and clamped my eyes shut as tight as they would allow, plunging me into total darkness. I knew I should move, but I couldn't risk getting even more lost-or worse, running into Alexandria in the mist.

As she called again, her voice had become the most appealing it had ever been. I knew she was at her most beautiful when she was in her mermaid form, but she was still very good-looking in her human state. All I could do was imagine her luscious smile, and the way her eyes lit up when she saw me.

But then, by some miracle, I snapped out of it. I no longer thought of her beauty-I could only see the look of determination on her face whenever we fought each other…the look she got when she was desperate for the kill. I'd seen it on her face many times before, when she'd been determined to end my life-and when she actually did end Cynthia's.

Overcome with a sudden rage that did anything but satisfy my greatest judgment, I took my sword and slashed in the direction I'd last heard her voice come from. I could hear her dodge it through the fog.

"Careful! You almost hit me!" She shrieked. Slowly, I could see her figure materializing in the fog. I couldn't see all of her yet, but I could see some of the most important parts. Like the dagger in her hands…and her legs-but that part was just the virgin in me surfacing itself.

"Good. Stand still next time." I snarled. I kept my sword on the defensive stance. I couldn't take any chances with the siren daughter of Poseidon.

The figure image of her in the fog crossed her arms. "Ouch, what's with the hostility, babe? Just a few minutes ago, you told me you liked me better than you like your own father."

"That's not a compliment." I responded, with more aggressiveness in my voice. "And don't call me babe. I'm not anything to you but a cousin, and an enemy."

Ignoring the last part of my statement, Alexandria proceeded to start a conversation with me. Stepping closer, revealing most of her body except for parts of the upper-half, she asked, "Not a big fan of daddy, are we?"

"No. I'm not particularly thrilled with most of my family." I started praying to every god on my side of this filthy war for an escape out of here. I knew she was planning something more than casual small-talk after I'd just left her for dead.

"Me either," she continued, shrugging her shoulders and sighing. "I despise my father, and Carter's father isn't exactly on my A-list right now either. Greggy, can I tell you a little secret of mine?"

"No, but you're going to anyway, most likely."

"You know me so well, this is why we're such a good couple!" She squealed.

"We're not a couple." I reminded her, my voice remaining low and monotone, as one would expect a son of Hades to sound. "In fact we're cousins. I may have last lived in North Carolina, but I wasn't in the south long enough to be comfortable with dating cousins…"

"All in good time." Alexandria assured me. "Anywho, Carter's dad, you know Zeus…he has this reputation of being a sort of ladies man…"

"Uh….huh…." I said, while at the same time thinking, why the hell am I sitting her listening to this?

"Well, he sort of…we're having an affair." She said it as if she were embarrassed.

That, was no doubt, the most disgusting mental image that had ever seared my brain. I felt as if I were close to vomiting.

"It was his idea…" She defended, but then completed her statement with, "the first couple times."

"I'm…grossed out, yet at the same time not surprised at all." I responded, still trying to recover from the puke-tastic mental images.

"But shh…" she reached through the wall of fog, catching me off guard, pressing one finger to my lips and giggling flirtatiously. "Don't tell daddy, he'll be very angry his daughter…umm.."

I smacked her hand from my face. "Is a slut?" I offered. I could see her face more clearly now, as the fog was clearing, I could tell she had been offended by my comment. Not that I cared, or that I had said anything that everyone didn't already know.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but…yeah. Pretty much." She laughed awkwardly. And when I say awkwardly, I mean for me.

"I'm sorry to dump all this…girl talk on you like this, Greggy-boo-boo, but I had to tell someone all this. Someone I that I knew wouldn't tell anyone. And I'm sure that you won't say anything, because, well, you'll be dead." She said matter-of-factly, as if she were telling me the square-root of sixteen.

Before I even had time to react, she came at me, knife at the ready.

Her dagger appeared out of the fog in just enough time for me to dodge it's deadly blade. Using my ever-increasing battle-smarts, I leapt from Alexandria's range, tucking and rolling on the concrete below, instantly feeling the sting of the pavement penetrating my skin, and feeling the before-effects of the painful bruise that would soon inhabit my shoulder.

I pounced to my feet, wobbling a bit as I regained control over my body, and another blow from Alexandria's knife came rushing towards me. I could barely see her, but I could surely see her blade. This time, I was able to dodge and strike back. My sword clanged against something metallic, most likely her dagger.

But suddenly, two red orbs appeared through the wall of fog. I stopped in mid-blow, and squinted my eyes at the mysterious figures.

"What the…?" I asked out loud. But before I was able to finish my sentence, an ear-splitting cry in the mist-and it was as close to me as Alexandria had been not ten seconds ago. I closed off my ears with the palms of my hands, as the deafening call of the creature wailed on, echoing through the streets of Berlin.

Though my ears were covered, I could hear the creature very clearly as it spoke, voice high pitched and raspy-almost like a really loud and obnoxious parrot. "Bad son of Hades! Zeus punish! Zeus punish!"

I slowly lowered my hands from my ears, and stared into the orbs of floating majesty. "You're…not Alex." I mumbled.

"Gregy!" Whined Alex's voice from somewhere around me. It sounded like it was coming from every direction; even the impossible ones, like below and above me. "It insults me that you'd think I was that…thing even for a second! I'm much prettier!"

"In my defense, you're both equally as annoying." I called back, not able to see where my voice was traveling in this thick atmospheric wasteland.

"Rude!" She cried out, and that was immediately followed by a thud. Next thing I knew, I was on the concrete road again, face down, and my back was killing me. The she-devil had got me from behind. At least I'd been wary enough to keep from landing on my sword-that would have been the most embarrassing way to die. "Toodles, Gregy!"

Before I even had the chance to wonder why she was saying toodles to me, I felt a sharp pain subdue my shoulders. I cried aloud and my who body cringed, it was as if someone had taken three or four small daggers to each of my shoulders and were slowly letting them slide in.

Tears rushed to my eyes as I realized that the source of the pain was the creature whom the red orbs belonged to…and that they weren't orbs at all, they were eyes.

The monster jolted upward, dragging me into the air after it. It went straight up with amazing speed, tearing my flesh with each stroke of it's wing. I yelled out again. I tried to lash out at the terrible thing with my sword, but it's talons were ripping at my muscles, rendering both my arms useless.

I stopped struggling, hoping that it would ease the pain. I looked down gently, so that only my neck would move and not the rest of my body. Biting down on my cheeks in attempt to numb the pain, I began to taste the warm sensation of fresh blood. However, I also noticed that the fog was clearing-and…I could just barely make out two figures on the ground, far below me. It was Achilles and Estelle, searching for me through the fog.

"Estelle!" I cried, my voice was raspy and limp with pain and agony. I tried again, this time, attempting louder. "Achilles! I'm up here!"

They still didn't seem to notice me, and so, thinking on my feet, I did something that is common sense for every hero not to do. I disarmed myself-letting go of the sword that was in my hand, and letting it fall to the ground. That was my last shot at getting them to notice me, and hopefully it worked…and didn't kill either of them.

As for me, at this point, the sword was deadweight. Even if I had it, I wouldn't be able to use it. And-on the chance that I died, Estelle would have something to defend herself with that you couldn't find at your everyday fruit-stand.

They's commin', baby, don't you worry none, I recognized the voice in my head instantly. It was Elana.

And for the first time in a while, even through the searing pain that was all over my body, I smiled.

The monster slowed it's flying, and literally threw me onto a nearby rooftop, and perched itself nearby at the ledge. The fog was close to nonexistent now, and I could see the beast clearly. Sharp, long, talons drenched in blood-my blood-a skeletal, almost zombie-like leathery body, with long, barely feathered wings.

"Bad son of Hades!" The beast repeated. "I kill and bring Zeus your scraps for dinner!"

"I think they have more appetizing things on Olympus than a demi-god dragged in by an old-lady-bird hybrid, okay, Elvira?" I snapped at her weakly, coughing up blood.

"Skanky daughter of Poseidon was right, you're very rude!"

"So let me get this straight , you dig your filthy claws into me, yank me up here, throw me down, tell me you're going to kill me, call my uncle a cannibal, and I'm the rude one?" I reminded myself that I needed to stop being such a smart-ass in situations like this one.

For an instant, I looked into the eyes of the harpy. They glowed like burning charcoal, and then she lunged at me, mounted me as I lay still on the roof, and pinned down my useless arms with her talons. Without hesitation, I kicked my legs, and she cried out as she was pushed off my body, and rolled across the rooftop, coming very close to edge.

I stood up, nothing that my suspenders were torn and my shirt was soaked in blood, and the harpy had opened new slits on my arms when she attempted to pin me down.

"Caaaw!" She cried in frustration, as she readied herself for a second attempt to attack. I racked my brain for some form of defense. As she began her charge, I thought back. Memories flashed before my eyes faster than lightning in a thunderstorm.

All the times I'd fought in the past, I'd used my sword. But-one memory seemed to stand out. Back on the train in what seemed to be forever ago, I'd cursed Alexandria…or so it had seemed. I woke up in an infirmary a few days later. It… was worth a shot. Certainly better than dying if it worked. But-if it had had any effect, why was Alexandria still here today? Maybe she had gotten sick when I did? I had no chance to think about it.

"I place upon you, the curse of the dead!" I yelled at the loudest my voice would allow at the moment. In mid charge, a look of horror crossed the monster's face.

"You can't…!" She began in a screech, but suddenly, her whole body began to morph. She seemed to look older, more wrinkly…less leathery, and she was getting smaller and smaller. I looked in her eyes, and saw that same fear that had been in my eyes several moments before. She began to shrink, almost shrivel, if you will, or wilt as would a flower.

Before my eyes, bleeding and half dead, the creature dissolved into an ash. But it wasn't the usual gold ash that followed a monster's death. It was black, almost like the night. Or, in essence, almost like death. An ambiguous and eerie mystery that you never truly solve.

And with that thought, I blacked out.

-1-

"Greg, wake up," a voice stirred me from my sleep. "Greg, please. Your dad wants to talk to you. He says it's an emergency."

That got my attention. I shot up so fast I got dizzy. I looked around….I was still on the roof, the black ash on the next to me, my slowly-scabbing wounds still bleeding, but most of my blood was on my shirt, or I was laying in it. I was close to death myself.

At second glance, I could see the Iris Message, that showed my father's loving face giving me his famous take your time dying, 'cause I don't want to have to put up with you for the rest of eternity look.

"Are you taking a nap?" He barked, his sharp eyes narrowing in displeasure.

"Yeah," I responded. "You should try it sometime. Maybe you wouldn't be so damn crabby."

"Don't test me, you indolent shrew." Hades snapped. "I'm only doing the honor of checking up on you because I need to know of the situation with Commander Achilles."

"He didn't want to be on your side, surprise, surprise," I began, "but I convinced him. I used the whole crush thing against him. The things people do for love, I'll tell you, it's funny."

"Whatever." He said impatiently. "Where are you? It looks like there's going to be a bigger battle than we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"My gods, son, are you incompetent?" Hades snarled. "We've been tricked. Zeus and Poseidon sent all their forces to the camp, and if you were paying any attention last night when we were going over our plan of attack, we weren't expecting that sort of number. We may lose this battle, and I will blame you if we do."

Shocker. The dumb shit is going to blame me for something that I didn't do. Anything to torture me, I suppose. "Why?"

"Do I have my commander yet?"

"No…"

"Now you know why."

Well I'm soooo sorry that I almost bled to death, and had that not killed me, I probably would have drowned in my own pool of blood. "How did they know we were going to the camp?" Just thinking of the place gave me chills. Sons and daughters of Hades weren't usually welcomed there. Especially now, considering the circumstances.

"I'm to assume we have a spy among us." Hades explained. From behind him, I could hear the hustle of our army, scrambling to find a solution, and to prepare for battle.

There was a pause. I bit my lip as I thought about this. "One of the half-bloods?"

"Better one of them than one of the gods." Hades replied. "I am not exactly sure. Right now everyone looks suspicious to me. Then again, I'm suspicious of everyone all the time."

"No kidding…." I bit back the rest of that statement. "So what do you want me to do? I'm not exactly there. I'm not even in America."

"Yet." Said Hades. "But you will be. Apollo is on his way to pick you, Achilles, and the little fruit girl up." I shot a glance over to Estelle. She looked pissed by his comment, but she said nothing. Achilles sat next to her, looking a bit sick from seeing me still sitting in a pool of my own blood. "There's council meeting for the officers of each side coming up very soon. I expect all three of you here, and in full battle armor."

I looked down at myself. I was wet from the rain earlier, and my clothes had taken on a bright red color in most places. "Do I look like I'm in any condition to fight?"

"You have the god of healing coming for you, Gregory," he said, annoyed. "Will you think for once on your life? Besides, maybe your little girlfriend has something in her backpack-a pineapple that turns into a band-aid or something."

I heard her breathe a heavy sigh, but I did not look at her. "Whatever. We'll be there."

"I know you will. You know the consequences of disobedience." He said, with a smirk on his face, which, a sly smirk or a grim spread of the lips were his way of smiling, and he dissolved the connection.

And again, it was the three of us. All we had to do, was wait for Apollo.

A/N So, my readers, you have a decision. I'd first like to apologize for my absence. But, after reading this latest chapter, do you think that I should continue this story? If not, I'll probably leave, but I myself do believe I've lost my touch. If you don't, and would like me to see the story to the end, I will do so. Thank you all.