0A/N: I'm so so sorry I was not able to update yesterday! I plan on making it up to you by posting twice today!

-Percy-

I was dreaming. It was like the visions I had in my head before, a glimpse of the past. I lifted my head and stared at the figure in front of me. Addie stood there, gazing out at the city around her.

She was in Rome, and when I say Rome, I mean the real thing. Like thousands of years ago Rome. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen next to Olympus. It made me miss New Rome and Camp for just a moment. It was like the humans were trying to copy what the gods had created, to have their own piece of heaven. Large, white marble buildings were crowded at the foot of the hill, stretching into a large metropolis. The same buildings I had seen on my visit still stood, except they were pristine in their years of glory. I could see the Coliseum in the distance in perfect condition. You could hear the sounds of the city from here. Shouts and laughter mixed in with the neighing of horses, and the rattle of chariot wheels traveled up to us. We were on a hill that overlooked most of the city.

Addie stood at the front of a large and beautiful estate, leaning against a white marble column. Flowers were blooming everywhere, and a fountain splashed nearby, a few nymphs playing in its spray. She looked happy, her expression a lot more warm than I had ever seen it before. She wore a dark blue and gold toga, ribbons holding the fabric to her in a very attractive way. It made her look like a warrior princess. Gold bands ran across her biceps, and a gold circlet sat on her head. Addie stared out at the setting sun, a fierce smile on her face. A figure appeared behind her, and I wanted to snatch out my sword.

I recognized him instantly, because either Roman or Greek, I hated his godly guts.

Mars walked up behind her, wearing the traditional Roman military gear. She tensed, and her expression melted into one of fear. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, carefully covering her expression. She turned towards Mars, her face now completely blank.

"Euadne," he murmured, standing close to Addie. She held her ground, and I hated the way he looked at her. A lustful look, hungry and feral, swallowed his gaze, and Addie met his eyes, a look of calm determination on her face. He noticed, and the heat in his gaze grew worse. It was like Addie was a mouse in a trap, and he was a cat, simply going to take his sweet, precious time killing her.

"Lord Mars," she said calmly, her voice not betraying any type of emotion.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, pushing her closer against the column. Addie's hands held on to the pillar, her knuckles turning white with the pressure she put on them.

"No, I was simply waiting to greet my brother and Tiberius as they came back from the front. They are arriving any moment from the Senate."

His hand ghosted towards her, grazing her cheek. It was not a loving or tender gesture. It was possessive and domineering.

"Is your father still intending on marrying you off to that stupid farm boy?" His hand settled on her shoulder, gripping it painfully. I could see her skin turn ghostly white at his fingertips, the pressure removing blood from the area. Not a single sound escaped her mouth. She just looked back at him, the shadow of her anger briefly touching her eyes.

"Tiberius is a wonderful soldier who has served Rome faithfully. I would be honored to serve him as his wife," she whispered, a note of defensiveness in her voice. Mars raised his eyebrows, the look becoming cruel. He leaned forward, but I could hear the measured words he whispered into her ear. He pressed himself against her, a head taller than Addie. I saw her cringe, but he held her arms, holding her in an inescapable vice.

"You should be honored to accept my offer. I like this game, Euadne, but I will not play it much longer. Soon, no will not be an option," he warned. He pushed back away from her, and she looked away. Mars vanished in his immortal form, searing the scene with a bright light. Her eyes were closed, and she leaned against the column, her breath coming in small gasps. She placed her hand on her chest, gripping it as if her life depended on it. The sounds of horses pounded towards her, and she opened her eyes, looking in their direction.

Two guys rode in, both on solid black stallions. One had the same color hair and eyes as Addie, a smile on his face. He hopped off the horse, running in her direction. Addie carefully rearranged ger features, and a smile lit up her face. The boy picked her up in his arms, laughter exploding from the pair of them.

"Addie, I missed you!"

He pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapping around her. I saw her expression lose its fakeness, and it melted into a genuine smile of contentment.

"I missed you, Ry," she whispered back to him. He pulled back, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. The other guy walked up to them as they broke apart. He took Addie's hand in his own, and softly placed his lips on the back of it.

"It's good to see you, Euadne."

She blushed, just slightly, before dipping her head towards him. "It's been a while since I have seen you, Tiberius."

"Far too long, for my taste," he said charmingly back to her. Tiberius had sandy-colored hair and light grey eyes. Both him and the boy named Ry were dressed in battle gear, looking fresh from the front. Addie turned towards the other boy, and Tiberius gazed darkened. Jealousy clouded his vision for a moment before fading.

"Mother has prepared a feast, and Father will be home shortly. I'm sure you are both famished," she said, smiling. The boy she called Ry grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house, and Tiberius followed, muttering something to himself….

I woke up, covered in sweat. It had to have been the incessant heat that always seemed to linger in Tartarus, but I realized it was from Annabeth's sleeping form on top of me. I did not see Addie anywhere in our cave, and my stomach sank. Had all of this been just a dream? I touched my arm, confirming that the cut was still healed. It was, and I sat up, gently sliding Annabeth off of me. I used her backpack to keep her head propped up, and watched her sleep. What in the world had that dream meant? Was it Addie's past or just my imagination? I never had the dreams unless the cosmos or whatever was trying to tell me something. As I thought about it, I could not figure out how it tied to the situation I was having currently. Before I could think further, Addie walked back into the cave, a worried look on her face. She looked towards me and surprise flashed across her face.

"Oh, you're awake."

I nodded my head, and she leaned against the cave wall and slid down. She pulled an apple out of her bag, cutting bite-sized pieces off with a knife she pulled out of her sleeve. She offered me a slice, and I gratefully accepted.

"I found the way to the Stone. Once we get there, I know someone who should be able to tell us how to get us to the Doors of Death. Gaia's forces are all around, but I feel confident we can avoid them," she assured me. I could not help but stare at her. How did the girl from my dream turn into the woman before me? I brushed Annabeth's shoulder, feeling protective over her. I wanted to protect her, and something in me wanted to protect Addie, too. The strange thing was, I knew that she did not need protection. She could handle it all by herself.

"You love her, don't you?"

I nodded my head, smiling in spite of myself. I looked up, and that same look of happiness was reflected in her eyes. She did not look jealous or judgmental. She looked genuinely happy to see that I had something that made me happy. I realized that Addie was very compassionate, and it made me like her even more.

"Love is a delicate thing, it is not something to treat lightly. Especially as a demigod, life can be so fickle and short for us. If you have something that precious, you make sure to protect it and make the most of it every day." I smiled at her, and she shook her head, laughing at herself. "Sorry, I sound so old-fashioned!"

"No, you just sound like you know," I replied thoughtfully. "I think it's like that no matter what, with your friends and family as well as your girlfriend. No time like the present." It was silent for a few moments, and she gazed at me like she was trying to read my soul.

"It was very brave, what you did for her."

I ducked my head, a blush creeping on my cheeks. I did it because I had been away from Annabeth long enough. I could not stand another minute where I was not beside her. Leaving her to let her face Arachne alone was the hardest thing I had ever done, and that includes handing that knife to Luke. I wanted us to make it; I wanted more time for us to be together.

"I want as much time with her as possible," I said earnestly.

"Well, be glad that you have a love goddess on your side. She will make it difficult, as you already know, but she wants an eventual happy ending. Aphrodite can't stop talking and raving about you two. I bet she is highly disappointed she can't watch you anymore. Hephaestus TV does not cover down here. She was driving Ares and Hera crazy," she said as she handed me another bite.

"She said she finds us interesting," I laughed.

"That she does! A good love story always attracts the attention of the gods. Nothing about that has changed in the past two thousand years," she replied knowingly. I immediately thought back to the dream, and I was burning with questions. However, I bit my tongue. Now was not the time or place to ask them.

"I know she needs the sleep, but we have to wake Annabeth up. I can't feel them moving, so we need to gain some ground before they start again."

"Can't feel them?"

"I'll explain later," she assured me. "I'm going to step out and make sure everything is clear."

Addie walked out of the cave, and I looked down beside me at Annabeth. She was still sound asleep, with a little dribble of drool coming out of her mouth. If I ever said anything to her about it, I was sure she would knock me out. I tenderly wiped it from her mouth, using the edge of my t-shirt. I touched her cheek with my hand and shook her gently to wake her.

"Annabeth?" She sleepily blinked her eyes, their storm-cloud grey expanse meeting my own. She looked frightened for just a minute like we were still running for our lives, but her hands relaxed on me. "It's okay. Right now, we are okay." I reached for her hand, and she took it in her own. She gazed up at me, her eyes boring into my own.

"All of that really happened?" she whispered to me. "Addie? My mom sending her to help? I didn't dream it, right?"

I nodded my head, smoothing her blonde curls back out of her face. "No, it wasn't a dream. It really happened. How does your ankle feel?"

She sat up and pulled her ankle to her, not even wincing.

"It feels a lot better, actually. Still sore, but I think I will be fine walking on it."

Annabeth leaned into me, and I wrapped my arm around her. I had a feeling there was not going to be many quiet moments before we stopped Gaia, so as Addie said, I was making the best of it. We sat there for a while, no sound in the cave except our quiet breathing.

"I'm scared, Percy," she said into my chest.

"Why are you scared?" I rubbed my hand on her back, trying to soothe her. I was honestly curious. I mean, I was still worried and scared, but having Addie here had given me hope. Hope that maybe we could actually do this, we could both make it out, defeat Gaia, and have the life we wanted.

"Because I have hope, and whenever I get that, something in the universe tends to always knock us down."

I wanted to say that it was not true.

So, what did ya'll think Mars wanted from her? Please tell me what you are thinking, I'd love to hear some feedback, even if you are a guest! Thanks for taking the time to read my work! :) I will have one more update later on tonight!