Oh. Em. Gee.

100 REVIEWS! AAAHHH! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! ASDFLA;SDFLGKAHS;DFLAJSLDKGJ

As a reward for your awesomeness, I have a bonus chapter for yoouuu!

Also (I realize that this is not PJO related), a very very happy birthday to Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling! (yesterday. I made them a cake that looked like the one Harry got in the first movie, green icing and all! It was delicious. I think I'm going to eat more.) Without you guys, I wouldn't have had a childhood. Also, I believe Harry is now 32…? Gah, that's insane.

Moving on.

The reason why I didn't post yesterday (I was planning to!) was because, first I was making the cake. It took FOREVER. I didn't just do a cake mix guys, it was the real deal. Chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate everything. Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate glaze. But so worth it.

Also, I was chillin' with my friends yesterday. I kinda needed it, too. During this entire summer, I've basically been sitting on my butt on the couch melting in front of the TV, either watching the Olympics or staring at nothing. I've done no socializing pretty much at all the entire summer. I needed to get out of the house big time. I'm glad I did, or I would've gone insane.

Just to freak myself out, school starts in 20 days! Agh!

Let it commence.

Octavian

Everything was going perfectly. Annabeth Chase was knocked out as the effects of the Lethe worked on her brain, and Percy Jackson had finally consumed the Lethe himself, after a slight scuffle. He was also unconscious, and lying next to the girl.

Octavian strutted out of the cell, snapping his fingers so the guard would follow him.

"I'll be looking over the guards in the city. Follow me. We don't know if any of the civilians will fight back, so I'll need protection," he said as he strode down the corridor.

The guard nodded in response and hefted his spear.

The two of them mounted the steps to leave the dungeon and entered into the sunlight. Octavian could not help but smile to himself. He'd managed to get to Jackson, the city was his, and he was finally getting the recognition he deserved. The patron was right. He was underappreciated, and no one saw him as a threat. They're all biting their tongues, now. Because he was underestimated, Octavian managed to come out of the shadows. No one expected him to do something like this. He was finally powerful.

And a good thing, too. He was slightly grateful for the underestimation. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish this.

Octavian and the guard went to inspect the First Cohort. Most of them were on his side, and those who weren't were sent immediately to the dungeon.

The look on Reyna's face…she never even saw it coming. Octavian's soldiers had quickly incapacitated her and her followers, and quickly shut up Leo, too. They were now currently underneath the city in the sewage system, chained to the walls. They'd never get out.

Just as Octavian was shouting at a soldier because he wasn't wearing his helmet, another soldier burst through a door and sprinted over.

"They've…they've escaped. Frank…"

"What?" Octavian shrieked.

"I—"

"Must I do everything here myself?" he yelled, pushing over the guard. He rounded on the line he was inspecting. "Double the guards, double the security! They cannot escape! If they do…" he let the threat hang. The Romans jumped and ran off, shouting orders and pushing over each other.

Octavian rubbed his temples. And today was such a good day…

Octavian walked down the tunnel to the cave, but this time, he wasn't strutting. He was practically hugging the wall for support. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good.

The only thing that made him feel better is that he wasn't summoned to report. That would've turned out disastrous. He was coming down to tell her straight away. Better to ask forgiveness—he hoped.

He didn't run into any sentries like the first time, but he still held his dagger tightly, checking around every corner.

The two guards standing by the door didn't say anything when Octavian approached. All they did was turn their heads when he opened the door. He shivered.

Octavian entered the empty room and stood as closest to the door as he could without his back touching it. The dirt suddenly bubbled and churned, and the image of a sleeping woman formed.

Why are you here? she hissed in his mind.

"I-I have some bad news," he said, cursing himself for stuttering.

Gaea didn't answer.

"Things didn't turn out the way I'd—we'd—hoped." He took a deep breath. "Percy Jackson escaped."

A wordless scream erupted in his mind. Octavian clapped his hands to his ears and fell to the ground, writhing.

HE WHAT?

Octavian shakily stood up, using the wall for support. He didn't get to stand up for very long.

The ground sucked him in. It became the consistency of water, and he fell into the muddy mess until he was up to his chin. It hardened instantly.

"Gaea, Lady Gaea—" he began, lifting his head up so he could breathe.

ENOUGH! You've failed me!

"Please…please, I've sent out guards to find them. And they'll return. We'll be ready for them."

She seemed to think about this.

This is your last chance, boy. If you fail me again, it'll be your whole body in the ground.

He was catapulted out of the ground and fell to a heap on the stone floor.

Leave me. Get out of my sight.

After giving her a jerk of a bow, he backed out of the room. Once the door was closed and he was out of sight of the guards, he ran as fast as he could out of the cave.