Merry Christmas!

Reyna and the redhead, who introduced herself as Rachel, put Drew on the couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to fetch a medical kit. Drew was breathing, but she wouldn't wake up. She looked like she was in a coma.

Reyna frowned and turned to Chiron. She didn't know the girl. She hadn't even met her. Yet she felt oddly concerned, as if she were responsible for every camper who was ever injured. "Do you know what's wrong?"

Chiron put a hand to Drew's forehead and grimaced. "Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?"

"I wish I knew," Rachel said, staring down at Drew. "When I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Drew came in while I was there. We talked for a bit, and I – I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."

"A prophecy?" Chiron asked. Rachel shook her head.

"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know what that feels like. This wasn't the same." Rachel paused, trying to find the words. "This was like someone was speaking through me, from a long distance."

Annabeth ran in, holding a leather pouch. She knelt next to Drew. "Chiron, what happened back there – I've never seen anything like it. It wasn't just that it wasn't a prophecy – her voice sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Drew by the shoulders, and told her – "

"To free her from a prison," Reyna completed. She sighed softly, massaging her temples. Her head throbbed.

Annabeth stared at her through narrowed eyes. "How did you know that?"

Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart. "Reyna, tell them. Annabeth, my medicine bag, please."

Chiron uncorked a vial and trickled drops down Drew's mouth while Reyna gave a brief explanation of what had happened when the room had frozen, the ghostly figure that had claimed to be her guardian.

When she finished speaking, no one spoke for a moment. Reyna breathed slowly, trying to slow her racing heart.

"Does this happen often?" she asked carefully. "Contact from prisoners, demanding you free them?"

Annabeth shook her head slightly. "No. Never. She called herself your guardian? Not your parent?"

"She said guardian," Reyna confirmed.

"I've never heard of anything like that before." Annabeth frowned, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear. "The storm spirit at the Grand Canyon – you said he claimed to be working for some mistress, right? Could this be her?"

"I don't think so," Reyna said. "If she's my enemy, why would she be asking for help? She's imprisoned somewhere. She mentioned an enemy getting more powerful and a king rising from the earth on the solstice."

Annabeth turned to Chiron. "Not Kronos. Please tell me it's not Kronos."

Chiron looked miserable. "No. That threat has ended."

"But..." Annabeth prompted. Chiron didn't answer. He closed his medicine bag.

"Oh." Rachel's voice was very small. "Oh, dear. I see. It was Hera. Of course. Her voice, her cabin. She appeared to Reyna at the same moment. She's imprisoned somewhere."

"Hera?" Annabeth's snarl was even fiercer than Seymour's. The leopard was mounted to a wall. Annabeth was perfectly capable of attacking someone. "She took you over? She did this to Drew?"

"Rachel is right," Reyna cut in, suddenly certain. "She was wearing a goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"

"It is?" Annabeth scowled. "I've never heard that."

Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"But how?" Rachel pressed. "Better question – who? Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"

Annabeth's scowl grew more pronounced. She crossed her arms. "Whoever it is, maybe we should thank them. Whoever can shut up Hera – "

"Annabeth," Chiron warned. Annabeth stopped talking. "Hera is the queen of the gods. She is the eldest Olympian, and far more powerful than you know. She holds the Council together. If she has been imprisoned, this could shake the foundations of the world. The stability of Olympus could be unravelled. And if she has relinquished her pride enough to ask Reyna, a half blood hero, for help...things could be dire indeed."

"Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "But who did it? We know Titans can capture gods, and gods used to trap each other all the time in the old stories. But the Titan War is over, and Hera wouldn't call on a half blood to help her if a god had captured her. Who else could capture a god? Someone more powerful than a Titan?"

Reyna's eyes moved from Annabeth to the leopard's head, mounted on the wall. She stared at it without seeing, considering, calculating.

She didn't understand Annabeth's vendetta against Juno. It seemed personal, as if Juno had struck out against Annabeth alone. Reyna had nothing against the goddess, but she had no reason to be loyal to her either.

Then why did she feel obliged to find the answer?

Oh, Reyna, she imagined someone saying, in a tone that somehow blended sweet fondness, light teasing, and a lazy confidence. You know the answer, darling. History repeats itself.

Fantastic. Now she was imagining voices in her head.

Reyna pushed aside the worries about her sanity and focused. What had happened after the Titan War in the myths? There had been another threat...

She nearly cursed. Her memories were gone, but her knowledge was still there – except in the one area she needed it.

Don't bemoan what you can't prevent, the voice in her head berated her. Focus on what you can affect.

Great. Not only did she have a voice in her head, the voice was giving her advice that sounded like it had come from a fortune cookie.

Reyna was pretty certain she hated fortune cookies.

"Hera said she has been trying to break through her bonds enough to make contact for a month," she said slowly. Annabeth nodded, lips tightening into a thin line.

"That's how long Olympus has been closed," she said. "The gods know something bad is going on."

"What I don't understand is why Hera would send me here," Reyna admitted, frowning. "She took my memories, placed me in the middle of a school trip, and told you to come find me. Why? If she has found the strength to make contact, why through me?"

"The gods need demigods to perform their will," Rachel said. "Right?"

Annabeth's frown deepened. She nodded, troubled. "Yes, but that doesn't really answer Reyna's question. I can understand Hera needing a demigod to free her. But why Reyna, and why take her memory?"

"Drew has to be involved somehow," Rachel added. "Hera sent her the same message."

Reyna blinked in surprise as Rachel straightened up, green eyes brightening as if she had just received the first piece of good news in years. The red haired girl smiled hopefully. "Annabeth, Drew was right. This is connected to Percy's disappearance."

Annabeth's expression softened for a moment before hardening again as she turned to Chiron. "What's going on, Chiron? What are you not telling me?"

Chiron looked anguished, as if he had aged decades in the past few minutes. The lines around his eyes were etched deeply. Reyna felt an unexpected surge of sympathy rise in her chest. She felt like she should be able to relate, know what it felt like to bear the burden of responsibility.

"My dear..." The old centaur swallowed. "In this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry, child."

Annabeth blinked. "You've never...you've never kept information from me. Even – "

"I will be in my office," Chiron interrupted. His voice was heavy. "I need time to think. Rachel, would you watch over Drew? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Reyna. Tell her...tell her about the Greek and Roman gods."

"But …"

The centaur turned his wheelchair around and rolled down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy. She muttered something in Greek. Reyna wasn't quite sure what it was, but she had the distinct impression that it wasn't particularly complimentary.

Reyna's first instinct was to apologize. She swallowed it. She had nothing to apologize for – especially, she somehow knew, to Annabeth. But she felt obligated to voice her feelings.

"I shouldn't be here," she said. "I don't know why, but something has been set in motion by my coming here. Chiron told me he'd sworn an oath and couldn't talk about it."

"What oath?" Annabeth demanded. "I've never seen him act like this before. And I don't know why he would tell me to tell you about the gods, either."

Annabeth stopped talking abruptly, eyes falling on the dagger Reyna had placed on the coffee table. She reached out to touch the blade, gingerly, like it might be hot. Reyna cleared her throat and picked up the knife.

"Is that gold?" Annabeth asked. "Do you remember where you got it?"

Reyna shook her head. She ran a finger down the length of the blade, turning it in her hand.

Annabeth nodded, setting her jaw resolutely, as if she'd come up with a rather desperate plan. "If Chiron's not going to help, we're going to have to figure things out ourselves. The only way I can think to do that is...Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, can you keep an eye on Drew?"

"Definitely," Rachel promised. "Good luck, Reyna."

"What's in Cabin Fifteen?" Reyna asked. Annabeth stood up and stretched.

"Maybe a way to get your memories back," the girl said. "Come on."

They headed toward a wing of cabins in the southwest corner of the green. Some were dramatic, with glowing torches, others elegant, with graceful pillars. Cabin Fifteen wasn't particularly fancy. It had mud walls and a rush roof, with a wreath of red poppies hanging from the door.

"What is this place?" Reyna asked. Annabeth smiled tightly.

"Cabin for Hypnos," she answered promptly. "God of sleep. If there's a god who can figure out memory loss, it's him."

Reyna followed Annabeth across the threshold.

The lighting inside the cabin was dim, mainly from a fire that danced merrily in the hearth. A tree branch hung above the mantle, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls. Three kids were asleep in bunks, under piles of covers.

Soft violin music played from somewhere. The cabin smelt like lavender and fresh laundry. The cabin was still and peaceful, cozy. Reyna's shoulders slumped with exhaustion. Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy. Crawling into one of the spare beds and sleeping sounded like a great idea.

She forced her eyes open. She didn't have the time to sleep.

Annabeth glanced at her. "You holding up okay?"

Reyna nodded, pinching her arm hard.

"Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone," Annabeth warned. "This place is even more dangerous than the Ares cabin. With Ares, you can learn where the landmines are. Here, there's nothing to avoid, nothing you can fight."

She strode over to the nearest snoring boy and shook his shoulder. "Clovis."

The boy was stocky, with a blond tuft of hair, thick features, and a thick neck. He didn't respond to Annabeth's voice, instead hugging his pillow closer to him.

"Clovis!" Annabeth shook him harder, then knocked on his forehead several times.

"Wh-what?" Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting. He yawned. Annabeth and Reyna did the same.

"Stop that!" Annabeth said. "We need your help."

"Later," the boy mumbled. "I'm sleeping. Good night."

Annabeth yanked his pillow from his arms before he could pass out again.

"That's not fair," Clovis complained meekly. "Give it back."

"Clovis," Reyna enunciated, unable to keep silent any longer. She grabbed his arm and hauled him into an upright position. "Enough. You can sleep once you help us."

Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk, which made Reyna feel a little sick. The nausea her keep alert. "Fine. What do you want?"

Annabeth explained. Every once in a while, she'd snap her fingers to keep Clovis's attention. When she finished, Clovis stood up and stretched. He stumbled forward, nearly collapsing. Reyna caught him, holding him upright. He blinked at her. "So you don't remember anything?"

Reyna nodded. "I get impressions, but that's all."

"Like what?" he prompted.

"I shouldn't be here," Reyna said. "Not at this camp. I don't belong here."

"Hmm. Close your eyes."

Annabeth nodded reassuringly, which really didn't do much to assuage Reyna's anxiety. Reyna glanced around the room, at the crackling fire, the beds. She took in the sound of the music and the scent of the laundry.

She was afraid.

The cozy cabin frightened her more than the storm spirits, or the people she had seen duelling in the arena. Here, there was nothing she could defend herself again.

She was afraid that she'd fall asleep, end up sleeping her life away in one of the bunks. She closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, her eyes snapped open. She was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis ad Annabeth knelt beside her.

"What happened?" she asked. "How long was – "

"Just a few minutes," Annabeth said. "Clovis was trying to recover your memories. You almost dissolved."

"Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink beneath the surface like dreams, lost with time. Usually, I can bring them back with a good sleep. But this..."

"Lethe?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Clovis said. "Not even Lethe."

He pointed to the tree branch dripping milky drops above the fireplace. "That's a symbol of my father, Hypnos. It's a branch of a tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. The River Lethe, in the Underworld, dissolves your memories, wipes your memory clean. Not a place you want to go swimming."

Annabeth nodded as if to confirm it. "Percy went there once. He told me it was powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan."

"Lethe..." Reyna mused. "So if that isn't why I can't remember anything, what is?"

"Your mind wasn't wiped and your memories weren't buried," Clovis said. "They've been stolen."s

Reyna stared into the crackling fire, listening to the sound of Lethe water hitting the bottoms of the tin cups.

"Stolen," she repeated.

"By a god," Clovis added. "Only a god would have that kind of power."

"We already knew it was Juno," Reyna said. "The question is, why would she?"

Clovis scratched his neck. "Juno?"

"Hera," Annabeth clarified. "Reyna likes the Roman names."

"Hmm," Clovis said. Reyna realized his eyes had shut.

"Clovis," she snapped at him.

"What? What?" His eyes fluttered open. "We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember now. Roman and Greek. Sure, it could be important."

"But they're the same gods," Annabeth said before Reyna could snap at Clovis. "Just different names."

"Not exactly," Clovis said.

Reyna straightened up. Suddenly she was very awake. "What do you mean, not exactly?"

"Well..." Clovis yawned. "Some gods are only Roman, like Janus or Pompona. But even with the major Greek gods – more than just their names changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had different personalities."

"But..." Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn't change who they are."

"Sure it does." Clovis began to nod off, so Reyna snapped her fingers under his nose.

"Coming, Mother!" he yelped. "I mean...Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know, in these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-eighth Street, right? Same thing back in Roman times, and the gods were Roman for almost as long as they were Greek. Their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."

Annabeth shook her head, bewildered. "But how do you know all this?"

"Oh, I spend a lot of my time dreaming. I see the gods all the time, shifting forms. In a dream, you can be different people, in different places. It's a lot like being a god, actually. You can do anything in a dream. Your subconscious controls it completely."

"Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Focus."

"Right. Rome," Clovis said. "We call the gods by their Greek names because those are their original forms. But it's not right to say their Roman aspects are the same. The Roman gods were more warlike. Harsher, more powerful and distant."

"The dark side of the gods?"Annabeth asked. Clovis shook his head, but Reyna spoke first.

"They stood for discipline, honour, strength," she said. "All good things. Discipline is what made the Roman empire last."

Clovis looked at her curiously. "True. But at the first sight of weakness, the Roman gods would go for blood. Rome was the perfect example of Darwinism – only the strong survived."

"What does that have to do with Reyna, though?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know," Clovis said. "But if Hera took her memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was in a Hera mood, rather than a Juno mood."

Annabeth stared at the branch above the fireplace, dripping Lethe water into the tin bowls. Her forehead was creased. Her frown was so worried, Reyna was curious as to just what she was thinking.

Then Annabeth stood, tossing Clovis his pillow. "Thanks. We'll see you at dinner."

Clovis collapsed onto the ground, hugging his pillow. Annabeth returned her gaze to Reyna. Her gaze was stormy.

"Come on, Reyna. Let's go. I don't like people toying with me, and I'm starting to think you might be in serious trouble."

Happy holidays, and have a wonderful new year!