A/N: Same drill (about not owning much of anything), and I smirk at the ironic numbering! ^_^

Chapter 13

Jay stared at the ceiling. It was three in the morning, and he'd been wide awake for an hour. For some reason, having to drag Harper out of her nightmares—as well as having his own—made his mind race to life. It wasn't as thought anything important was going on in his head, but he just couldn't go back to sleep because of it.

The scene of the younger girl thrashing against her sheets was replaying behind his eyes. It was strange. He'd have been the first to think that Harper had next to no fears, yet there she'd been screaming in her bed.

As the clock changed to a quarter after, he rolled onto his stomach and crumpled the pillow as a prop beneath his chin, staring at his headboard.

Something was clearly wrong here. But why wouldn't Harper let them help?

He glanced at the clock again. 3:22.

With a groan he pressed his face into the pillow. This was getting him nowhere. And with Hera wanting to see him in the morning, he couldn't afford to be tired. But there was only one way he knew of to settle his mind, and it involved talking to Harper. And that would definitely not get him back to sleep.

"Oh well," he sighed and swung himself out of bed. He tiptoed into the hall and over to Harper's door, glancing briefly back towards Teresa's room.

Then he knocked quietly. "Harper?"

No answer, but he could hear music when he pressed his ear against the door. Not that it wasn't surprising, there was barely any light in the sky yet and any sane person would be sleeping. Even if the sleeping person was the reason he was awake.

Or what if she was awake? And just hadn't heard him knock?

He tried the door knob only to find it locked again. He stared at the knob for a moment or two, then decided against his better judgement and leaned towards the keyhole.

"Jay!"

A small yelp of pain escaped him as his head collided with the doorknob and he pushed himself away from the door to find Teresa giving him reprimanding frown, her arms folded across the front of her pink nightgown.

"What are you doing?" she demanded in a whisper, though she helped him back to his feet.

"I was just–just checking if she was awake," he stammered, feeling his whole head burn with embarrassment.

Teresa raised an eyebrow at him. "By peeking through her lock?" she asked. "What is it with you guys? You and Archie are so entirely unglued—and Herry's completely ga-ga over her."

"She's trying to hide something," Jay said.

"Not again," Teresa groaned and plodded back to her room.

Jay quickly followed. "Doesn't it make you at least a little curious?"

"Yes. Enough to spy through key holes? No," Teresa said, dropping back onto her bed. "Hasn't your mother ever told you that curiosity kills the cat?"

"I know," he said, sitting on the end of her bed as she curled up inside her blankets again. He glanced at her bedside clock. 3:45. "But she might need help-and who better to help her than a group of heroes?"

Teresa rolled her eyes and tried to hold in a yawn. "She's one too, you know."

Jay nodded as a yawn of his own cut him off. "I know..."

"Go to sleep, Jay," Teresa said from her pillow where her eyes were already closed. "Deal with it in the morning."

And just like that, he felt like a sack of dream sand had been dumped over his head. He nodded again, but he could barely keep his eyes open. There was no way he was going to get to his feet again.

But then... he was pretty comfortable right here...

...

For being one of the most wanted mythological beings of all time, Cronus really wasn't that hard to locate. All anyone had to do was look for the ritziest yachts in New Olympia's harbor, then follow the smell. But then, most people couldn't pick out the smell of ogre unless they'd been tightly squeezed by one for an hour's travel.

Luckily or not, Harper had been. And now she found her self staring at the second largest yacht, trying not to gag. It was an easy set up. One of his minions was at the top of the ramp to the boat, another at the bottom. There could have been another one somewhere, but there was really no threat.

In all honesty she could have gotten onboard unnoticed. But she was really looking for something to pummel.

By the time the titan god of time finally showed himself, Harper had already knocked his two ogres into the bay.

"You've regained some of your skills, I see," Cronus chided.

Harper glared at him, flipping her braid over her shoulder as she walked up the gang plank. "Your defenses are low enough for a twelve year old to get past," she shot back at him. "Never mind a sixteen year old in pajamas."

"I see that," Cronus mumbled to himself.

"What are your terms?" Harper demanded and the god looked up to find the girl waiting for him with folded arms.

"Straight to business?" Cronus asked, a mocking glint to his eye as he strode around her to a plush bench that lined the yacht's deck.

"I don't have time for this," Harper snapped. "Well me what I need to do, or I'll tell Jay exactly how to find you."

His reaction, a flicker of fear followed by controlled hatred, renewed her confidence and made her smirk. This god was the greatest threat and he was scared of a couple teens? Right. She was sure she'd be trembling in her slippers... if she were five years old.

"I want the blue chalcedony," Cronus announced, staring out at the water.

For a split second she stared at him in surprise, but scowled as he turned to face her again. "As if," she said. "Hera's got that thing under lock and key in her storage shelves. There's no way I can get it unless she entrusts it to a mortal."

"Exactly."

Harper blinked. "Come again?"

"I'm sure you've heard by now, about a certain deity going missing," Cronus said airily, examining his nails in a way that almost looked like an evil version of Neil. Harper probably would have laughed at the connection if certain variables couldn't be called into play.

"You kidnaped Iris," Harper acknowledged.

Cronus gave her a sly grin, but the girl was already deep in thought as she leaned against the boat's rail. He was right. If Hera was worried about the stone, she'd definitely move it—even though Harper really couldn't think of a safer place than Hera's room. And if Iris stays missing, the only ones who the chief goddess would trust enough to take care of it would probably be the new heroes.

Putting the stone practically into Harper's hands.

"I'll do it."

"Really?" He eyed her suspiciously.

Harper shrugged. "Your offer's very appealing. I'll let you know my plans once I've thought everything through."

"What?" Cronus asked, sounding a little disappointed. "No questions? No asking where I've hidden Iris? or how to find me after? or what I plan on using the stone for?"

"Nope," Harper said, turning on heel and heading back to the ramp.

"Really? And how's your grandfather?" Cronus asked.

Harper hesitated for a split second, before meeting his purely evil grin with her own temper ablaze in her eyes. Then she squared her shoulders and started walking again with her head held high and her mind racing.