***Hi all, here's Chapter 10—woohoo, into double digits! Chapter 11, featuring Annabeth's POV, will be up by Thursday, April 17. And speaking of Annabeth's POV, I recently read "Staff of Serapis," which I really enjoyed—it's a good story. Only problem now is waiting until the next Kane/PJO crossover story comes out to find out what happens next. Also, I'm not Rick Riordan, or I would already know where he's going with this whole Greek/Egyptian crossover thing.***

X. PIPER

They decided to fly part of the way to Santorini, to save time, so Piper took second watch with Jason. After a couple of venti attacks, though, the night got quiet. Piper was standing at the forward rail, leaning against Festus and thinking about what Frank, Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel had told them about their trip to Pylos. She was glad they had dispatched one of the giants, but it sounded like Periclymenus was sending them on a wild goose chase. Piper spun her knife around on the railing. It pointed like a compass toward the southeast, the direction they were headed, but she figured that was just a coincidence. The horizon ahead of them was turning pale with the first hint of sunrise. In the distance, Piper could see the twinkling, faraway lights of Greek islands and the occasional light from a fishing boat. But mostly, there was only the dark ocean below and the star-sprinkled sky above.

"Pretty peaceful out here," Jason said, joining her at the railing.

"Mmhm." Piper patted Festus's neck, then shifted so that she could lean against Jason instead of the dragon. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Are you okay with this 'girls only' quest today?" he asked.

"I guess so. Why, don't you think we can handle it?" she asked him, teasing.

"Oh, I know you can handle it. I've seen the three of you in battle," Jason said. "I just think it's weird, for Periclymenus to suggest that."

Piper was quiet for a moment. "You think it's a trap."

"Maybe," Jason said. "Just be careful, Pipes. Keep your eyes open."

Piper looked up at him. The wind was ruffling his blonde hair. In the faint moonlight, she could just make out his bright blue eyes and the little scar over his upper lip, her favorite feature. She kissed him. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right," he said. They were quiet for a few minutes. Piper was simply enjoying the peaceful moment and the warmth of Jason's arm around her. Then, Jason said, "By the way, I've been thinking about after the war and about, you know, us."

"Oh yeah?" Piper said, her heart suddenly racing.

"Well, I've been thinking that maybe, I might not go back to Camp Jupiter." Jason suddenly looked bashful. "I really like Camp Half-Blood. I was hoping that, after the war, maybe I could just stay there. With, um, you. And Leo and everyone else," he added hastily. "Does—does that sound like something you might want?"

Piper's heart leapt. Her secret fear had been that Jason would go back to Camp Jupiter, leaving her on Long Island. To hear him say that he wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood—impulsively, Piper flung her arms around Jason's neck and kissed him, hard.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jason said when she pulled away.

Piper laughed. "Yes. You sticking around at Camp Half-Blood is definitely something that I want."

Jason grinned, which Piper thought he needed to do more often; his whole face lit up when he smiled. "Awesome."

He bent down to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by Festus, who suddenly began creaking in alarm.

"More venti?" Jason asked the dragon, scanning the sky.

But Piper looked straight ahead and her stomach did a slow roll. Rising from the island in front of them was a pure black funnel cloud, its silhouette sharp against the sunrise. If she didn't know better, Piper would have thought the ancient volcano was erupting. But they were close enough to the island now to see mortals in the town were going about their business looking calm and happy. Clearly, the funnel cloud was a magical disturbance. Which didn't make Piper feel any better. She didn't want to go anywhere near that thing, which led her to believe it was exactly where they needed to go.

"We need to wake up the others," she told Jason. "

"It looks like the Mist on that hilltop where I met Hecate," Hazel said.

She, Annabeth, and Piper were standing at the edge of the funnel cloud, craning their necks to look up to where the top of the cloud disappeared into the clear blue sky. It had been a short hike from where the ship was floating beside a pier. All four boys had seemed reluctant to let them go.

"If you're not back by midafternoon, we're coming after you. I don't care what Periclymenus said," Percy told Annabeth.

She kissed him. "Relax, Seaweed Brain. We'll come back. Promise."

Jason kissed Piper's cheek. "Keep your eyes open. It could be a trap."

"Will do," she replied.

"Just be careful," Frank said as he hugged Hazel.

"And if you stop for souvenirs, I want a t-shirt," Leo had added, which at least made everyone smile or roll their eyes as the girls climbed down the rope ladder to the pier and set off.

Now, standing at the edge of the darkness, Piper had to wonder if Jason had a point about a trap. "So you're saying we should just walk straight into this thing?" Piper asked.

Hazel shrugged. "That's what I did when I met Hecate. It was calm at the eye of the storm. Maybe this is the same way."

Annabeth was studying the storm. She looked a little pale, but determined. "We need the key," she said simply. "If this is the way we need to go, we'll just have to figure it out."

Piper nodded. "Let's do this."

Piper expected to be hit by winds as she, Hazel, and Annabeth walked into the funnel cloud, but instead it felt like walking through cool mist.

Or the Mist, Piper thought.

For a few moments, everything was dark. She could barely make out the shapes of Hazel and Annabeth on either side of her. Then, the darkness thinned, and they stepped out into blazing sunlight.

The three of them were standing on the edge of a clearing. It looked like a forest glade from a Disney movie, like the place Snow White ended up when she met the dwarves. There were fruit trees, wildflowers, birds, rabbits, and deer. A stream ran right through the middle of the clearing, bubbling cheerily as it tumbled over the stones. All that was missing was a cute little cottage.

"What is this place?" Hazel whispered.

Piper and Annabeth both shook their heads. As idyllic as the place seemed, Piper couldn't relax. It seemed too perfect to be real. And as she looked around, taking in the scene, Piper realized they weren't alone.

A woman with long, flowing golden hair knelt beside the stream, trailing her fingers absentmindedly through the water. She was dressed in a simple, white silk dress, with a braided gold belt. The air shimmered with magical intensity and Piper's senses were on high alert. The woman didn't seem to notice them coming into her clearing. Piper exchanged looks with Annabeth and Hazel. The woman didn't seem dangerous, but they all knew that didn't mean anything.

Piper summoned her courage. "Hello?"

The woman looked up at the sound of Piper's voice, but her face was still hidden by her hair. She rose to her feet, her movements elegant and graceful, then turned fully around to face them.

Piper's breath caught in her throat. Beside her, she heard Annabeth and Hazel gasp.

The woman was stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful. Her large, almond-shaped eyes were a color halfway between a warm brown and Hazel's gold, and framed by long, thick lashes. She had high cheekbones, a nose supermodels would have spent millions to achieve, and full, pink lips. Her golden hair flowed down over her shoulders like a waterfall that spilled almost to her waist. Piper had often been complimented for her beauty, but compared to this woman she was nothing. Even Piper's mom Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, would have to work hard to compete with this woman.

The woman slowly approached them. She held out her hands in a welcoming gesture, but she didn't smile. Her almond-shaped eyes held a deep sadness, as if her heart were breaking.

"Welcome," the woman said. Her voice was melodious, soft and sweet. Her sad eyes fixed on the weapon at Piper's hip. "My name is Helen. And I believe that is my dagger."

Piper instinctively put her hand on the hilt of Katoptris. "Your dagger? Wait, are you—are you the Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Helen gave her a gentle smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I am. Although before that I was Helen of Sparta and I prefer that name. Or just Helen. Troy brought me nothing but misery." A bitter note entered her sweet voice.

Hazel swallowed. "But aren't you—aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Helen took her golden-brown eyes off Katoptris to look at Hazel. "I could say the same about you, my dear."

Hazel looked taken aback, but Annabeth jumped in. "What are you doing here?" she asked Helen. "Who brought you back?"

"Gaea, of course." Helen sighed, a tiny, heartbreaking sound, but Piper kept her hand clenched around Katoptris. "But she didn't want me. She only wanted him." She spat the final word like a curse.

"Him who?" Piper asked, though she had a guess. Helen, after all, was only half of the most famous couple in history.

Helen's eyes were mournful as they met Piper's. "You know his name. He is the doom of Troy, the slayer of Achilles, the mortal chosen to judge the beauty of goddesses. I was the prize your mother offered him. And I have been cursed to spend eternity bound to him, the blood of thousands of Greek soldiers and Trojan citizens on our hands."

Helen held up her hands and Piper almost threw up. Her hands were covered in fresh, bright red blood. Bending down, Helen dipped her hands in the stream. The water turned pink as the blood was washed away. But by the time she stood up, her hands were covered in blood again.

"It never goes away," she said sadly, looking at her palms.

"That's—that's horrible," Annabeth choked.

"'The face that launched a thousand ships.' Isn't that what they say about me?" Helen faced them again. "But do they ever tell how few men sailed those ships home?"

Piper found her voice. "Please," she said, putting just a hint of charmspeak into her words, "we need the key to Demeter's temple in Eleusis. Do you have it?"

"I have half of the key," Helen said, "which I will gladly give up. But it will do you no good. He will never give you the half he holds. This is why Gaea brought us back. To keep you from harnessing the power of the Eleusinian Mysteries."

Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel exchanged looks.

"Demeter was telling the truth," Annabeth whispered. "If Gaea is afraid, it means the weapon must work."

Hazel turned back to Helen. "Please, can you at least take us to him? We have to get the other half of the key."

Helen closed her eyes. Blood from her hands dripped onto the hem of her white dress, but it left no stain. Finally, she opened her eyes. In them, Piper saw an endless well of pain, but also a flicker of defiance. "Very well. I will take you to," she shuddered, "Paris."