I suppose I lost track of time, and direction for that matter. Wandering aimlessly, I found myself opposite a small clothes store on the outskirts of town, with no idea where Percy, Annabeth, Grover or even Sasha were. Immortal wolf or not, she daren't defy a goddess's wishes. So I was on my own, tired, sore and dirty. Honestly, I was just relieved Hera hadn't killed me.

I hated the thought of steeling anything, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Pursing my lips tightly, I inched around the store, trying to stop myself fidgeting nervously. Peering around the wall, I made sure no one was watching while I bolted for the supply truck. My heart leapt into my throat as I heard men striding back to the van. Reacting purely on instinct, I leapt into the van and slumped behind one of the large crates.

Both guys had booming laughs that made me cringe every time I heard it. I heard the crates closest to the door being dragged toward them and a grunt from each man as he took on the weight and started back of the shop. Without hesitating anymore, I pulled out the knife from my boot and prized open the nearest crate. I snatched out a shirt, a pair of jeans and a hoodie, before closing it gently again and racing for the fresh air.

I was back in the forest before either of the men even left the shop. Maybe no one at the clothes store would even realise three pieces missing. Maybe they would put it down to someone miscounting the order. Either way, I didn't really care. I had just escaped with my life and refused to be caught again. Moving further into the forest, I hurriedly changed my clothes and shoved the old ones behind a bush.

I had no idea where to start looking for the others, but I found myself wandering in the town centre. My hood was pulled around my face, my dark hair shielding what little you could see through the hood. Still, I kept my head down and didn't make eye contact with anyone as I made my way around. I was surprised that I still knew this place so well. I even recognised people, like the old woman who used to babysit Thalia and me when we were really little, or the lad that Thalia beat up once for calling me a freak. He was seventeen now, and I could still see the scar she had given him down his neck. For a while, I didn't think clearly. But then it dawned on me... if I could recognise them, could they recognise me?

My chest instantly tightened and my stomach panicked, twisting and turning uncomfortably. I lowered my head further and sped up, weaving in and out of the crowds. I knew I couldn't hide from Hera for long, but I would like to think it could last a day at least. Then again, if the gods were watching me as closely as they said, wouldn't that include Hera? The thoughts didn't do me any good, but a passerby suddenly walked into my shoulder, pushing me straight at a fountain.

I stumbled into the wall, catching myself before my face made contact with the water. I got a brief glimpse of coins that had been tossed in for good luck, before I hauled myself back up. The statue in the middle shuffled awkwardly as I realised the coins had actually been drachmas.

Wait... the statue shuffled?

My head jerked upright, my eyes narrowed as I stared at the stone statue. It seemed to be a warrior, his head tilted up with narrowed eyes and his hands tight around a spear. His stone torso was bear, apart from the straps that held the bow and quiver in place. He had short hair and a beard, reminding me oddly of Poseidon. For a moment, I simply stood and frowned at the statue. It had moved when I neared the water. Did that mean it was protecting the drachma? Sure, everyone regarded it as a symbol of hope, tossing a coin into a fountain. It's why people did it, right? Chuck one in and wish for something good to happen. But I was also coming to the conclusion that I was hiding in a town where people could recognise me, with no money or someone to help out. If I created an Iris message, wouldn't I be able to contact Percy, Annabeth and Grover?

Slowly, I lowered a hand toward the water. The statue shuffled again, the tip of the spear lowering toward me slightly. I straightened out instantly and it returned to its frozen, solid state. None of the mortals seemed to realise that anything was wrong. They hurried past me, all rushing to go somewhere. Some spoke hurriedly into their phones, others chatting to the person next to them. None of them gave me a second glance.

I took a deep breath, a plan forming in my mind. If I moved toward the water, the spear would come at me. I didn't want to been impaled any more than I wanted to jump into the water. So, maybe I could use the spear. Risky, but not impossible.

Before I could change my mind, I clamped one hand around the stone wall and plunged the other into the water. The second I did so, the statue snapped its gaze toward me and pulled his spear back. My hand tightened around a small pile of drachma and I hauled myself back as fast as I could, my hood falling down to my shoulders. The sharp, stone spear was jabbed at me, the statue taking a threatening step to the edge of his stone platform. I just managed to dodge the jab, tightening a hand around the shaft.

"You?!"

Fear flooded my entire body as I turned to meet Hera's gaze. The goddess stood at the side of the fountain, her eyes narrowed and shocked. Mortals still walked past as though nothing was happening, as though they couldn't see the statue or the goddess. Thunder rumbled.

"Hey! I know you!" a passerby suddenly exclaimed, pointing at me. "You're that Grace kid, right?" Damn, I had forgotten about that.

"Oh no," I mumbled, as Hera held out an empty palm. The air seemed to shimmer just above it and in a second, she held another bomb with a peacock feather, just like on the bus all those days go.

"You dare deceive me?" Hera snarled at me. Gods, it was good I was impulsive.

"Hey, I just stole drachma here!" I yelled at the statue. It's eyes narrowed further and it yanked at its spear. Jumping onto the low wall, I held on for dear life and leapt toward the statue's platform. "Sorry!" I ducked beneath the guys arm and threw myself to the other side, the peacock feathered bomb flying straight at the statue. It blew up with a deafening bang, shards of stone flying everywhere. But I had hit the ground running, the wind stirring behind me as I bolted back for the forest.

I didn't stop for ages. When I did, I stumbled to the ground beside a small lake, gasping for breath. My back hit the ground, my eyes closing as a cool breeze swept calmly across my face. The sun had parted the dull clouds, shining softly down on the small clearing I was in. The lake ran straight through the middle, a small water fall at one end. There was a grass bank at either side, each one surrounded by more trees. It seemed strangely welcoming to me.

Groaning, I pushed myself up to my knees beside the lake. I cupped my hands in the cool water, splashing my face and taking a deep breath. Again, I wondered how I would ever find Sasha. There would have to be a way. I mean, she was an immortal wolf blessed by the goddess Artemis. Maybe she would find me.

"Congratulations Acacia Grace," a man's amused voice came. I didn't bolt up. I didn't even straighten out. I just stared into the water's depth, trying to see past my broken reflection. I didn't care which god it was this time, I was already failing. My father had told me to watch over Percy and help him retrieve the bolt. If I didn't find him soon, my own father would have to announce that I was unworthy.

The man took a deep breath and sat down beside me, watching me carefully. For a second, I thought it was Luke. But this guy was older. He wore jogging pants and a loose shirt. He was slim and fit, with a sly smile and salt and pepper hair. He watched me for another few minutes, apparently debating what to say next. I continued to stare at the water, trying to ignore the fact he was even there.

"A hero's journey is never an easy one Acacia," he said wisely.

"And it's not supposed to be this hard either," I contradicted sourly.

He sighed heavily, patting my shoulder pitifully. "Everyone's path is different, Miss Grace," he continued. "Yours is, without a doubt, harder than most. But are you going to let Hera win?" I snorted.

"Before I left Camp, Luke Castellan told me that every hero had a fatal flaw. He told me that everyone would take advantage of that." The man fell silent, flicking his gaze to the water I was still staring at. We stayed like that for a few seconds.

"It won't always be like this Acacia," he said quietly.

"I know," I agreed, finally tearing my eyes from the water and turning to the god. It finally hit me that I was talking to Luke's father, Hermes. They looked so much alike, I ended up cursing myself mentally for not noticing sooner. "But I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

"The hard part is still to come," Hermes warned. "I am sure Ares's task will be... erm, difficult to say the least. He has very high expectations of heroes, sometimes unreasonable expectations."

"I don't really care anymore," I admitted with a sigh. "I just want it finished. I don't even know why I am doing this!"

Hermes grimaced at me. "A lot of good can come of this," he told me. I snorted again, chuckling to myself. Hermes raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly.

"I once told Luke that I didn't care what I had to do, if it would help even one person. At the time, I had actually meant Annabeth, but I suppose you could include Percy and Grover too."

Hermes hesitated for a second, his smile growing a little. "You could help a lot more than just two heroes and a satyr," he laughed. "Starting with this quest! Don't you have a war to stop?" I scoffed, glancing behind me awkwardly. Hermes sighed. "You managed to steal a handful of drachma from a guarded fountain, whilst escaping Hera for the... fourth time, is it now?"

"Sounds about right," I grumbled.

Hermes smiled, standing up and pointing at the waterfall. "Perhaps you sound find young Perseus," he suggested. "After all, completing this quest could help more than you know. You have made a start proving yourself, young Acacia Grace. I shall be watching you closely." He smiled down at me, then turned around and strode into the forest, whistling to himself. I watched him for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned to the waterfall.

"Well, here goes," I muttered to myself, pushing to my feet and heading for the water. After another breath, I dug out a drachma and held it above my head. "O goddess, accept my offering." I threw the drachma into the waterfall and it disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Percy Jackson."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the water shimmered again and I was suddenly looking at a small diner. Inside, everyone seemed to be in a trance like state. I frowned, flicking my gaze over everything. Outside the door, there was a large motorbike the size of a baby elephant. The headlight glowed red and its tank had flames painted on it. There were shotgun holsters at either side, complete with actual shotguns. The seat was leather, but it looked like... human skin.

The only booth inside that wasn't in a trance was Percy's. He sat up a straight back frowning at the big huge guy across from him. Annabeth sat beside him, shaking and pale. Grover was cowering into the wall beside the huge guy, probably bleating. Sasha was sat at Percy's feet, just as protectively as she would have been with me. I couldn't help smiling slightly. The guy was... well, huge. Possibly about six foot six, six seven maybe. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt, black jeans and a black leather jacket, with combat boots and a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. His face was brutal, scars from past fights on his cheeks. It was Ares, the god of war.

"Oh no," I muttered to myself, biting my bottom lip hard.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy," Ares was saying, shrugging and leaning back casually in his seat. "Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your little friends." Percy's eyes narrowed.

"We're doing fine on our own," he retorted.

"Yeah, right," Ares snorted, smirking slightly. "No money, no wheels and no clue what you are up against. And poor little Acacia! Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mum." My stomach must have dropped a hundred feet. I could almost ignore the fact he thought I was dead.

I remembered exactly what had happened to Percy's mother. I remembered her and Percy hauling Grover up the hill, running from a Minotaur and straight into me and four hellhounds. I also remembered the slash against my stomach, my hand raising and rubbing my stomach uncomfortably. But... Mrs Jackson was dead, we all knew that. Then again, weren't we headed for the Underworld?

"No way," I gulped quietly. "He wouldn't be that stupid, would he?"

"My mum?" Percy repeated, frowning again.

Ares grinned wickedly. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride." I swiped out at the message before I could hear anymore. I didn't really want to. I finally knew where I was going. That was all I needed.