Hello everybody! :) Ok, so I took a closer look at my chapter outline- you actually don't find out the big secret in the next chapter… sorry 'bout that. The truth will come out in Chapter 9. Ok, moving on! Shout out time:

8EternallyMortal8- Hm, I could get used to being called "Awesome One" ;) Haha, just kidding.

Wisdoms daughter- DHIs for life! :) And there will be answers… eventually…

FlourenceBradbury- Well, there's a first for everything! :)

Myusernameisorigional- No problem :)

Disclaimer: Books are written by authors, like RR. Unfortunately, I am neither RR or a published author… how depressing is that?

Chiron's POV

"Bad" no longer described the situation, and no doubt the gods would not be pleased. Especially Percy's father, who I was meeting with now.

"Chiron," boomed the familiar voice from the doorway. "Come in."

"Sir," I greeted with a brief bow. He waved off my bow, motioning me inside.

"No need to bow, old friend."

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't bring good news," I warned.

"My son escaped the MIST Academy!" He retorted, as if nothing bad could ever happen due to that. I rolled my wheelchair in to the white columned room with slopping roofs and golden thrones for the gods, all that were currently empty.

"The earth-bounds are after them," I broke in, shifting nervously. "They attacked both Percy and his girlfriend. Both are fine, because they weren't trying to kill them. They wanted to take them to their leader… Sir, you do realize what this means?" Judging by the worried look on Poseidon's face, he did realize what this meant.

"You don't think-"

"I do, sir. She knows he's the only one who could open the-"

"Don't say it!" Poseidon interrupted. "Names have power." I sighed, but didn't argue. He was right, after all.

"They were in the city, Poseidon. Off their island!"

Poseidon rubbed his temple with one hand, his eyes closed like he had a headache coming on. "In the city…" he repeated. "So she has found it."

"It was very well hidden," I said trying to convince myself as well as him. "The Crescens Stone-"

"Chiron," Poseidon broke in. "We don't speak of it by name."

"Yes, lord. But-"

"How much have you told them?"

"Not much, sir. Percy knows you are, in fact, alive, but besides that, not much else." I explained.

"They don't know about the Unions?"

"No, sir."

"Tell them. Tell them everything."

"Everything, sir?" I asked dubiously, my mind flashing back to the Crescens Stone. "They're only teenagers, and that's…well, that's a lot of responsibility. You weren't nearly as young when you joined the Union."

"I don't expect them to join the Union," Poseidon told me, pacing on the stone steps, deep in thought. "The Ancient Laws don't allow such a thing- our own children, in the same Union? No… the same Law that demanded I leave my son and wife behind forbids that."

"But, when they know the truth… living without a Union…" I protested.

"Who said anything about living without a Union?"

I hesitated for a moment before I realized what he meant.

"Poseidon, you can't expect them to-"

"Create their own Union?" He finished. "Yes, I do." He said it with finality, but his green eyes betrayed his worry. "I didn't want to involve Percy in this," Poseidon told me softly, sitting down on his throne heavily. "This isn't his war. But if she knows… if she's after him… he needs to be prepared."

"Once he's a Defender though, he can't back out. He'll be in it for good, Poseidon."

"You think I don't know that?" Asked the god, running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "It's too late, anyway. He's been involved ever since he got sent to that gods forsaken school."

"And his friends?"

"Tell them too, I suppose. He'll need all the help he can get."

"A new Union, and a new group of Defenders? You want them all trained in such a way?"

"Yes," Poseidon nodded firmly. "The old training grounds should make a good Base, don't you think? And you'll train them, of course."

"They don't have much time to train if you want them to retrieve the Stone," I commented. Poseidon's expression immediately darkened.

"No- don't tell them about that. Let us gods handle that one," he said quickly. "They'll have enough on their hands with the earth-bounds if they're in the city."

"True," I agreed. "Very well, I'll train them. They're very brave- they'll make good Defenders, especially in a time like now," I informed the god, although a small part of me wondered if I was trying to convince myself as much as him.

It was no secret that Defenders had the most dangerous job in our world, out of any Union. Asking them to train for a job like that so suddenly, to help people who had abandoned them as children- it was suicide.

Yet recent events had also showed that it was our only choice.

So, I know what most of you are thinking right now- Qwerty, that chapter made absolutely no sense. What on earth are you thinking?! Things clear up eventually, I promise! Just trust me for a few more chapters, and then I'll explain everything, and the conversation in this chapter will make much more sense. Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark for so long, just hang on a little longer! Reviewer's question: Who do you think will have to close the Doors of Death in the House of Hades? (I know this is kind of a weird question to throw in there, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately and wanted to hear what you guys think.) I have a really bad feeling that somehow it'll be Nico. RR is a major troll, but he doesn't kill off his big main characters (like the seven) as easily as he might kill off a less major charter. Nico is the only one on the quest who isn't officially a part of the seven. I really don't want it to be Nico, because he's just too amazing a character to die, but I have a bad feeling it might be. Hopefully I'm wrong (and I probably am.) Until next time!