I do not own Percy Jackson nor Heroes of Olympus, they belong to Rick Riordan.

Chapter Twenty-One - Liam

He could feel the tension rolling off her in waves. She crossed her arms, glaring, her eyes turning even darker.

"Never heard the name." She said, trying to keeping her voice balanced. The woman frowned, and seemed to age a few years. She lowered her sword, the tip touching the asphalt.

"Y-You're not h-her…?" The guy with the super speed coughed out. His shoulders sagged as he noticed their faces for the first time. They all had looks of sadness, fear and tiredness. Even Alyx noticed it, her eyes slightly softening.

"No, I'm afraid not." She lunged at the woman, slamming her hand into her stomach, making her gasp, her eyes going wide. The woman collapsed on the ground, coughing, curling up and holding her stomach. Alyx looked down at her, before stepping over her and running back to the hotel. They looked at each other and climbed back onto the balcony, stepping in just as she came into the bedroom.

"Let's go."

They drove all night, Alyx staring out the window the whole time. She had pinned it back in a ponytail, strands falling in her face, a shadow over her eyes. She wouldn't make eye contact with him. Her eyes matched the rain clouds.

Was her real name Alyx Jackson? Like Percy Jackson or someone else? He glanced at her bandages, wondering about the SPQR thing.

"What are the other half-bloods like?" He remembered asking a few years ago. His mom thought for a moment.

"There's a half-blood named Percy Jackson. He's son of Poseidon." She tapped a picture on the wall. "He's pretty much the most powerful half-blood to exist."

"But you're Zeus's daughter." She laughed.

"Yeah, so? I'm powerful, but Percy…" She frowned deeply. "Percy is different. He uses his power for good, while I… I almost betrayed them."

"What do you mean?"

"It was years ago, baby." She patted his head, her hand warm and rough from years of working with the Hunt.

"But…" He looked down. "Does he have any kids?"

"One." She smiled. "A daughter."

"Hey, Liam!" He jumped. Carlos gave him a slight glare, now in the front seat.

"What? What?" He said. Carlos raised his eyebrow.

"You okay? You zoned out." He leaned back.

"S-Sorry…" He said. He glanced in the mirror, to see Alyx laying down, her eyes shut, her breathing soft.

"She fell asleep a few minutes ago." Liam nodded.

They drove for a few more hours, before he got tired and pulled into a motel with a gas station and convenience store. He turned to wake her up, only to see her asleep, drooling, in a rather questioning position.

"She drools?" He asked.

"Yup." Carlos replied. "When um…" He blushed, his tan cheeks erupting in red. "I would crawl into her bed to sleep with her for her warmth, and she would drool a lot."

"Hm." He reached over and patted her face. "Hey, Al, wake up." She moaned and swatted his hand.

"Few more minutes…"

"We're going into a hotel room, you weirdo. Come on." She opened her eyes, mumbling something before sitting up, running her hand through her hair. She blinked sleepily, in a groggy daze.

They checked in and got their room. It was rather nice for a motel in the middle of nowhere. Large beds, a big living room, a kitchenette and a bathroom big enough for a full size family.

He took a nap, and then got something to eat. He nibbled on a sandwich as he watched Alyx teach Carlos the way to hold his sword. He leaned back in his seat, watching carefully. She had taken off her gloves and jacket, her hair pinned up in a sloppy ponytail. Her bangs fell against the side of her face cutely and her face was gentle and patient. Her fingers were long, slender and thin, her nails nicely shaped and trimmed. She touched Carlos's body with gentleness and ease, like she has done this a million times. She slid her fingers up his arms to lift them, or down his sides to straighten his posture.

"I'm sure Camp Half-Blood has expert swordsmen's." She said, watching the sword shrink back into a ring. Carlos blushed and rubbed his neck.

"When you get your memory back, I only want you to teach me." He mumbled. She put her hand over her heart, her eyes teary.

"Oh, I'm so honored." He rolled his eyes.

"Never mind."

"No!" She grabbed his waist. "I'll teach you everything I know when I get my memory back! I promise!" He patted her hand.

"Okay, okay." Alyx happily nuzzled his neck.

"Mm… Did you get the apple soap…?" She murmured, rubbing his hips. He turned red and squirmed.

"Y-Yes."

"Smells good…" She mumbled.

"H-How can you smell it? It's scentless to demigods." She shrugged.

"I guess I have a strong nose." Carlos managed to break away, going over to him and grabbing a chip off his plate. Alyx pouted, grabbing her gloves and slipping them on. She pulled on her sweater.

"You want to come scout the area? I don't trust those people." They shrugged.

"Sure." They pulled on their jackets and walked with her out to the road. It was a nice day, at least to him. It was cloudy, the roads and dirt wet from the recent rain. Even now it was drizzling. He breathed in the air, sighing happily.

"So…" Carlos said, looking at him with a smirk. "Who is your dad?"

"My dad?"

"Yeah."

"Um… Who is your dad?" He crossed his arms.

"My dad is a son of Hephaestus and my mom is a daughter of Aphrodite."

"That's why you're feminine?"

"Shut up!" He raised his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry." He said. "My dad was a son of Hermes."

"Oh? So that's why you're really quiet?"

"Yeah." He blushed. "My mom always told me that I looked like him."

"How old was your dad when he died?" Alyx asked in the front as she looked around.

"Sixteen." Carlos looked horrified.

"What?"

"Yeah…" He looked down. "My mom was fifteen when she found out she was pregnant with me. A week after his death, she found out she was pregnant."

"Geez, dude. You've have a rough life, yeah?"

"Eh, not really. He was a good man, but…" He shrugged. "He just was in with the bad guys, you know? Felt betrayed by the gods and turned." Alyx turned, her eyebrow raised.

"Betrayed?" She asked.

"Yeah." He scratched his head. "Apparently, years before I was even born, the gods just popped out babies without a second thought. Fell in love with mortals for a brief second and popped out a kid, then left to go after another." He crossed his arms. She looked confused.

"But…" She frowned deeply, looking down.

"Al?" Carlos asked, gently taking her hand. "What's wrong-"

"Oh my, this is a treat…" She whipped around, keeping Carlos behind her.

What stood there sort of freaked him out. The… Creature was like a humanoid snake. Covered in red and white scales from head to toe, with a long tail connected to a human top, with piercing yellow eyes and long fangs.

"An empousai?" Carlos asked. The snake laughed.

"No, of course not." It was a male, with a voice like Dracula. "Those foolish women are only needed for their charmspeak. Master could care less about them." He slithered forward. "Taking your heads will be quiet the prize."

"Our heads?" Alyx stiffened. "Are you working for that guy like Andrew?" He sneered.

"Andrew was a fool to try and seduce that one." He flicked his tongue, eyeing Carlos closely. "Although his sayings were true."

"Creep!" Carlos yelled. The snake did not like being called creep. He hissed and lunged for Alyx's neck, but his claws bounced off harmlessly. He wailed and slithered back, holding his claws. He panted, glaring at Alyx.

"I forgot that he mentioned you bathed in the River Styx…" She stiffened more.

"So I did?" He cursed under his breath, the snake glaring. They pulled out their weapons, making him recoil.

"Celestial Bronze. Tch, I despise nothing more." Alyx grinned, lunging toward him and slicing upward, but the snake was usually fast. He dodged and made Alyx do a barrel roll.

"No, no." He said, waving his finger. "If you touch me, I will explode and make them go boom."

"Explode?" She asked.

"Oh, I love Master! He bred me for explosion purposes!"

"…Doesn't that mean you die?" Carlos asked, raising his eyebrow. The snake blinked.

"I reform."

"Yeah but that could be decades until you reform." Liam said. The snake blinked again before snarling.

"Fine! If that's what it takes, I'm sure Master will use his magic to make the process faster!" He raised his hands to the sky. "Oh, Master! Bestow me your strength!" He began to glow, like a bomb. Alyx's eyes widened.

"Run!" She shrieked, but it was too late. The snake exploded.

He lifted his head, panting, his ears ringing. His bow had returned to its cube size, and flesh laid around him. He slowly turned onto his back, his body aching. Alyx was laying feet away, not moving. And Carlos…

He stared in horror.

Laying about two feet away from his feet, was Carlos, face down, his sword knocked away. His shirt and sweater had a huge burn hole, but he couldn't see his back.

"C-Carlos…?" He barely heard his own voice. He managed to crawl over and nearly threw up at the sight of his back.

He was so going to pay back whoever this Master was, and he was sure he was not going to regret it.

To Be Continued...