I am so sorry for not updating properly lately. I've tried to sit down and write, but the best I can do is a one-shot and I just felt like I couldn't write anything, but I am definitely going to try 'cos you guys are awesome and deserve something.

Crystal twisted under her duvet and buried her face in her pillow. She had heard snippets of news by eavesdropping on her parents' conversations. Alvie had been taken away and they had been close to rescuing him, but he had been snatched away again, taken to Antarctica, apparently.

Why?

That simple question stabbed at her brain like a white hot, razor sharp sword.

How had they found out about Alvie? Had somebody in their class blabbed? No, they couldn't have. Tobias and Max had rounded them up and had their aunt Mist the class. They wouldn't remember.

What about Francis? He hadn't been Misted on Percy's insistence and he had been told all about demigods. As far as Crystal knew, Francis was hidden in the guest room and giving himself time to process the news of divine beings.

She pushed the duvet away from her face and cool air washed over her. It got really stuffy really quickly under there.

Staring at the ceiling, tears brimmed in her eyes. She caught a sob in her hand and cursed herself, battling to get herself under control.

She was such an idiot.

If she hadn't stressed Alvie out, he wouldn't have freaked so much about whatever had been plaguing him. He wouldn't have been so horrified of her approach and probably would have looked to her for help or comfort- anything other than the nightmare torturing his mind.

A heavy, singular thump on the bedroom door startled her and she sat bolt upright.

Nico walked in and he didn't look happy.

"Looks like you got that quest you wanted." He grumbled. "We're leaving in half an hour."

"Quest?" Her voice was croaky after nearly a week in submissive and depressed silence. "Alvie-?"

"Definitely Antarctica. Half an hour." He left closing the door behind her. Crystal got the feeling he didn't want to talk to her and that was perfectly understandable. He had known Alvie longer than his own daughter- he had every right to take Alvie's side in this.

Joy saw them off. She wasn't happy with Nico taking her daughter to an assassins' fort, but it was necessary to Annabeth's plan.

Crystal felt excitement creeping in and she could almost forget her worries. Nico still looked annoyed- he would have to shadow travel to England and he had never gone across seas to another country, especially with somebody sitting shotgun. Hopefully, Poseidon could help him a bit there.

"You good?" Nico asked, rolling his head and working a cramp from his neck. Crystal nodded and he gripped her elbow, an icy chill creeping from his fingers and through her jacket. She saw a dark flash in his eyes and she managed a 'Bye Mom, love you' before shadows twisted around them.

It was cold and distorting and felt like knives shredding across her exposed skin.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it was over sooner than she thought it would be.

Nico staggered a few feet and sank to his knees, coughing and shuddering.

"Are you OK?" Crystal tottered forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Shadow travel… across countries… not good…" He managed between breaths. "Where-?" He was cut off by a sharp, gripping cough and Crystal was worried that he would suffocate through coughing or something. Crystal rummaged in her rucksack and retrieved a canteen of nectar, for which he was grateful.

"Nico! Crystal!" Crystal looked round and saw Percy, Louisa and Annabeth running towards them. Percy helped Nico to his feet, looping his cousin's arms about his shoulders. "What-? Did you shadow travel?"

"Yeah…" Nico spluttered. Percy called him something mildly insulting in Ancient Greek and Annabeth helped him support Nico inside the Keepers' compound.

The outside cover was a sparkling, brand-spanking-new petrol station. Crystal had been told that the actual fort stretched for miles below ground and in every direction.

"You OK?" Louisa asked her. Crystal nodded, a bit shaky on her feet, but otherwise OK.

"What happens now? Nico didn't say."

"You train. Demigod 'n' Assassin style, ya lucky cow."

"I take it you weren't allowed to have any Assassin training?" Louisa stuck her bottom lip out in emphasis of her sulk and Crystal laughed. "Poor Lou." She sympathised sarcastically. Louisa smacked her shoulder playfully and led her after the others.

The entrance to the fort itself was a concealed trap door behind the counter that only opened with a certain code tapped in to the cash register. Crystal wouldn't have known it was there if Joel hadn't popped out of the ground with a big, cheeky grin that could rival Leo's.

Lucy-Jo, Leo and the Jackson and Valdez children met them on the first floor. Tobias had changed his mind and didn't want to be a demigod anymore- he wanted to be an Assassin, which was even worse. Even Lucy-Jo was refraining from agreeing to that request.

"So… have ya done any trainin' whatsoever?" Lucy-Jo asked.

"I've done a bit of demigod training, but only for a few months."

"I can work with that."

"Of course you can." Joel grinned. "You make people insane in two days."

"Insane as in Louisa insane or insane insane?" Leo asked, gaining a punch in the arm from his wife.

"Insane insane." Joel smirked.

"Wow…"

"You were there!" Percy retorted, trying not to smile.

"No. I left 'cos she started beheading people and breaking necks," He pointed at Lucy-Jo, "and that wasn't nice." Lucy-Jo gave a sweet smile before directing them all to the training room.

Their destination was on the third floor down and was huge. Like, Olympus throne room huge. Weapons of all kinds and origins lined the walls on racks and hooks and Crystal wanted them. In the back corner, mats and punching bags were stacked in piles and hanging from the ceiling. There were some muscular men prowling about and barking at younger kids, obviously initiates. They looked terrified out of their wits.

"Oy, girly!" Lucy-Jo bristled angrily and bunched her fists, turning to glare murderously at some giant, muscle heap with blonde hair cut military style armed to the teeth with an array of knives, a sword, daggers and probably several concealed weapons. He looked like he could squash Lucy-Jo underfoot, but she wasn't the first female Assassin for nothing.

"What'd ya want, Mark?" She growled. His cold blue eyes slid to Crystal and around at the other girls and he sneered.

"Trying to get more pathetic girls to be Assassins? You've broken rules already, squirt. Wouldn't that be pushing the line a bit?"

"Go 'n' play with your toys before they go somewhere unpleasant." Lucy-Jo snarled, squaring up to him. Joel started then, jumping between the two and yelling 'Hey!', throwing his arms out. "Look, you've got that weird look like 'Ugh, kill girls. They small and weak' and she's got that look that says 'Run or lose somethin' very important'. Ow." Joel said at Lucy-Jo's punch to his shoulder. "No, seriously, ow. My arm's dead already."

"Oops." She grumbled, folding her arms.

"Oh!" Joel waved his hands excitedly. "Everybody, look at your leader! No, not him, me!" Laughs twisted in the air and everyone in the training room was watching Joel. "Roll up, roll up to see this troll- uh, Mark go up against our one and only Lucy-Jo! But I'm charging you five pounds entry fee, so form a queue!"

"Shut up, Joel!" Somebody shouted.

"If you can't make, I'm not gonna." Joel said childishly, hands on his hips.

"Drama queen!" Someone else called. Laughs went up.

"I'm insulted." Joel exaggerated, flouncing off, much to the amusement of the others.

"Idiot…" Lucy-Jo muttered, cracking her knuckles. Joel returned a minute later and ushered everyone to the sides of the room with great gusto and dragged Mark and Lucy-Jo, in turn, to stand ten metres apart. He made the point of holding Lucy-Jo's shoulders and moving her ever so slightly quite a few times to get her on the exact spot he wanted. She quickly got rid of him with a solid punch to the ribs.

"Ow, ow, ow… You're supposed to be beating him up, not me!" He protested. "I think you broke something…" He added quietly.

"You'll live."

"No sympathy?"

"No."

"Why am I not surprised?" Joel sighed sarcastically. He moved to the edge of the crowd, standing a metre from them. Lucy-Jo was bouncing on the balls of her feet, itching to attack Mark and have this over with, but Joel was the most annoying person to walk the earth and he would have it his way or they'd be 'back here after school.'

He cleared his throat importantly, regaining everyone's attention. He put on a bravado, a big grin and spread his arms, leaning to the side slightly. "Ladies and not-so-gentlemen!" He called, his voice ringing out clearly and happily around the hall. "In our blue corner, we have our two hundred or whatever pound, muscle bound Assassin of five years! He sends sumo-wrestlers running for their mamas and can flatten a grizzly- trust me, that's not a nice picture." He added seriously and then his grin returned. "And in our red corner, we have… do I dare do a description?" He hissed at his best friend. She just stared him out. "Yes. Yes I do." He decided. "We have Lucy-Jo, the rioting, pain in the ass, rule-breaking first female Assassin that won't leave sumo wrestlers with enough limbs to run for their mamas!" She folded her arms and glared at him. "Love you really, L.J." He beamed sweetly. "Anyway, FIGHT!"

Mark ran first, Lucy-Jo having been distracted by that friend-soon-to-be-dead-friend of hers. He drew a sword as he neared her and swung at her head. She had the advantage of a smaller and lighter build, ducked and… vanished. Mark didn't know where she was until she landed a firm kick to the back of his knees. Crystal was sure she heard something crack, but she really didn't want to ask.

On his knees, Mark looked round, his grip tightening on his sword. A blinding pain exploded in the left side of his face and he felt something break- his nose maybe- but there was blood everywhere. Joel gave a panicked yell- "Don't kill him! Boss will go mad!"- but his opponent clearly did not have the same worries.

His head pounding, he scrambled to his feet, lessening the force of her kick to his ribs. She was weaponless, in civvies and not her Assassin get-up, but she was probably better at close combat than anything else. "Oy, make this fair! Boss will have my head otherwise!" With great reluctance, Mark ditched the sword and his other weapons. He could beat a girl easy.

He lunged at her, but she dived forward, catching him around the middle and driving the air from his lungs. He staggered back, winded, while she rolled her shoulder, grimacing.

Unable to breathe or think straight, he did not expect her to sweep kick his knee. He cried out as the knee fired out of the joint and he toppled sideways. She delivered a hefty kick to his ribs, forcing him onto his back and then she crushed his hand underfoot.

"Lucy-Jo!" A deeper, sterner and angrier voice boomed about the training room and the crowd fell silent. Joel disappeared as a tall man of lean build, dark hair and deep green eyes stormed forward, navy blue cloak billowing behind him.

"Wut?" Lucy-Jo demanded, not looking around as she dragged Mark to his feet. The man pulled her away and ordered for medics to take him to the infirmary.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" He raged.

"My job!" Lucy-Jo shot back, meeting his glower easily and defiantly.

"You don't attack other Assassins! How many more times?!" Her eyes hardened. "Why? Why do you do this?!"

"You know why!" She countered. "That sexist, arrogant pig had it comin' 'n' there is no point in defendin' him. Now, if ya don't mind, I've got a class ta teach 'n' I ain't being waylaid by that dipstick any longer!" She stormed past the man and motioned for the Americans to follow.

"Who was that guy?"

"Boss." She grumbled. Joel popped up out of nowhere, grinning.

"Nice one, L.J! Did you see the look on Mark's face?" He put on a gruffer voice, obviously imitating Lucy-Jo's opponent. "Oh, skinny little girl. No problem for a manly handsome fella such as myself. Ha!" Joel switched back to his normal voice. "You kicked ass! And you're glaring at me, I'll shut up…" He pressed his lips together.

"You've got this little disappearing act going on." Leo pointed out.

"My specialty." Joel grinned, walking backwards so he could talk to Leo face-to-face. "I'm always vanishing and then sneaking up on people like roar!" He turned sharply to Charlie, who gave a startled cry and darted behind his mama's legs. Louisa glared at the techie. "Oh, I see. Everybody hate Joel. Fine." He turned to face the front. "L.J, you calmed down yet?"

"It'd be so much better if Boss just let me kill him."

"Yeah, I know, but things don't work like that. Besides, Boss is in a funny frame of mind, don't you think? Really jumpy and grouchy and- bleugh…"

"Bleugh? Really?"

"Yes. Shut up."

"You two are like an old married couple." Annabeth smiled.

"We are an old married couple."

"In your dreams." Lucy-Jo snorted.

"My dreams are weird. End of the world, like, a gazillion times and something about a tap dancing lion with a top hat and tail coats…" Joel trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"How the hell am I friends with you?"

"My awesome obviously attracted you."

"Shut it." Joel laughed and looped his arms around Lucy-Jo. She didn't return the hug, smacking him in the gut instead.

OK, OK, I'll do the training bit tomorrow. TIRED. And brain dead. I'M SORRY!