AN: Heeey! So *ahem* NOT dead! (⌒_⌒;) A lot of shit went down for me between the last update and now. There was the panny-d, of course, but also my harddrive with ALL my life's digital work got hijacked by ransomware and then wiped (destroying everything I had pre-wrote for this fic at that point and my ability to think about this fic without wanting to yeet myself off a cliff), I was in between jobs for a minute so I had to really grind my IG account for money, and then just . . . got evicted and so had to focus on moving and resettling. I will not pretend that I couldn't have worked harder and updated sooner, but . . . I'm sort of burnt out on grinding, y'know? I want to write this story because I love it.

Anyway, I'm actively writing this fic again! More info and shit at the bottom.

Chapter Twenty-One: Interlude III

Waking up the day after the winter solstice, after all that went down before . . . there was a strange mood hanging over the camp. Beyond the upset brought on with Luke back at camp. There was triumph, there was relief, there was resentment, fury, distrust — everything that could and should be expected. But there was also . . . ah, how to put it into words?

It was like embarrassment — second-hand embarrassment maybe — but it was also coated in awe and an off-balance feeling. Like, think how a kid would feel when they see Santa Claus, but it's when Mommy's kissing Santa Claus. However, they know it's not actually Santa Claus because their best friend Adam from next door told them his Uncle Stephan was dressing up as Santa Claus that year for the Christmas party, so, holy shit, Mommy's kissing Adam's Uncle Stephan?! Isn't Adam's Uncle Stephan dating a man, though? But then it happens that Mommy and Santa Claus turn a bit, so the kid sees that Santa is actually their dad — their dad that Mommy divorced two years ago because of domestic abuse, who's supposed to be staying at least twenty feet away because of a restraining order, so. . . .

Anyways, yeah — that feeling. That was the feeling that sat in many hearts alongside their resentment and ridicule as they witnessed Luke Castellan — the big bad traitor and enemy leader turned captured prisoner literally-shackled by the Gods — glued to the side of one of the newest recruits, literally holding hands with her.

The former head counselor of Hermes Cabin had arrived in the morning bedraggled, bemused, and in such a bleary-eyed daze that his former comrades almost didn't recognize him. Around his neck, he had a dangerous-looking collar with no visible opening, that was nearly as thick as a neck-brace. As if in a trance, he shadowed the Heri girl — the one who had given the camp their first win against the Hunters of Artemis before she'd disappeared with Percy and the other new recruit; she was his official warden.

None of the campers knew what to think. The news had come the night before from Mount Olympus, so the campers knew what had happened, but seeing with their own eyes. . . .

That had been that morning. Now it was lunch, and the situation was so bizarre that even the most aggressive of them still didn't know how to react, never mind how to approach.

Campers trotted in and out of the dining hall from and to their activities — despite all calamities, things were still business as usual as much as it could be. Among the general din of cutlery hitting plates and glasses clinking, there were also lively discussions. Percy who was sitting alone at the Poseidon table was deep in thought by himself, but the Apollo, Athena, and Ares tables were particularly loud that day.

The children of Hermes adamantly refused to allow Luke anywhere near their cabin or their table — that was a given. They didn't want Luke anywhere near the newer, less-informed recruits, and they certainly didn't want to take him into their home after how he'd paid them back for their respect and trust. They felt a bit bad that this meant Heri was out of luck, too — Heri was already well-liked despite only being in a camp a couple of days total so far — but they weren't going to allow Luke any slack.

Hostile, wary eyes looked on from every seat of the dining hall to the ones not among the rest of them. No table would accept him, so Luke and consequently Heri could only eat on the steps that led up to the hall. Well, Heri could technically sit at the Hermes table if she wanted to, but that would mean Luke would have to sit on the floor behind her, and no party involved was thrilled about that possibility.

Luke sat with his back to a pillar. He was slumped, half sprawled with his arms crossed in front of him. There was a harsh, hard to define look on his face. Heri sat next to him, back straight, hands folded on her lap, ankles crossed and legs tilted to the side to accommodate for the incline of the stairs as she faced him. The two made a contrasting picture of a hooligan and well-bred young lady. They might have looked at odds with each other if Luke didn't lock engrossed eyes on Heri's face, and if Heri wasn't taking him in with a soft, considering expression.

Nico then came bounding up, a plate of food in either hand. Behind him came Ollie, who was similarly laden.

"Here you go, Heri!" said Nico, and he plopped down to sit cross-legged between Heri and Luke. He pointedly ignored Luke. "I got you the last of the olive and mushroom pizza, too!"

Heri blinked out of her contemplation and smiled at Nico.

"That's sweet of you, thank you, dear."

On top of the two plates in her hands, Ollie also balanced another on top of her head, which she masterfully kept in place as she gave Luke the other two.

"Ollie brought salad!" she said, hoisting the plate up proudly over her head. "Yummy, yummy, good for you! Here you go, Lost-Boy Luke!" Ollie began forking over greens. "Eat lots of veggies and grow up big and strong like Miss Heri!"

A loud "PFFT!" erupted from Nico.

"I don't know what eyes you're using to see," Nico began, "but he is obviously fully grown, and Heri is, like, half his size. No more vegetables needed."

"Ehh?" Ollie replied, tilting her head and giving Luke an assessing look. Her vegetable bestowal slowed for a moment before picking up again in earnest. "Nope, nope — Lost-Boy Luke is still little! Nowhere near as big as Master Marcus was! Still has lots more growing to do!"

Heri let a pained sound.

"Oh!" Ollie gasped, turning wide, repentant eyes to Heri. "Sorry, Miss! Ollie is—!"

"I-it's fine, dear," said Heri, smiling as best as she could. "Never mind that, just . . . well, you're not quite correct in your thinking. either. Humans don't all grow to the same size before they're done growing, you know. So Luke is very unlikely to be getting any taller at this age."

"Who's Marcus?" Luke asked sharply before anything else was said. He'd not touched his food beyond holding the plates Ollie had given him. There was a keen look in his eyes. "I remember that name being mentioned last night as well."

Heri frowned, her eyes lowering.

"A friend of mine that died," she said blandly. "Knew him since I was Nico's age. I'd rather not talk about him right now, thank you."

"Did he die with you?" Luke pressed, a strange light in his eyes.

Nico growled.

"Back off of her!" he snapped, bristling up in offense. His voice was loud enough that even those farther from where they were sitting heard him. Necks craned. "What kind of question is that, you jerk?! Haven't you given her enough grief?!"

Luke's eyes moved to Nico, a strange, violent look therein.

Nico tensed defensively but did not back down.

"It's okay, Nico," Heri said soothingly, hand patting his arm as if smoothing down the feathers of a puffed up bird. "We've all had a rough few days. You probably know Luke has as well. Let's just settle down and eat, okay?"

"I've really missed you, you know?" said Luke, ignoring the gentle command. His gaze was fixed, stabbing like needles. "When y-you died. . . ."

"I really don't remember dying," Heri said contritely. "The last thing I remember clearly before waking up to that social worker months ago is helping some younger students with their homework."

"You told me you killed yourself."

Nico made a distressed sound at that. He grabbed Heri's arm and scooted himself closer.

"I . . . I don't remember that either," Heri murmured, looking down.

"Miss Heri had to stop the bad man," said Ollie, nibbling morosely on a slice of pizza held in both hands. "Hedwig didn't let Ollie go in the Great Hall to see the last battle, but everyone told Ollie 'Miss Heri saved us! Miss Heri died so we could live!' Ollie didn't feel any better, though."

There was nothing said to that for a long moment. A sullen silence washed over them as they ate.

Eventually, though, Luke murmured, "He said he would bring you back to life."

Heri dropped her fork with a clatter.

"Excuse me?"

Luke was startled by the fierce look on her face.

"He said . . ." he began haltingly. "He said that he would bring you back to life."

"That's what I thought you said," Heri exhaled, aghast disbelief evident. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth, brows knitted. "Okay. So. I know there was some sense in that head of yours when you were little — what happened to it?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Luke, sounding annoyed.

"You were given such a. . . . You were given an offer like that, and you just thought, 'oh, yeah, sure, of course, that makes sense!'?"

"He's the titans of time. He said—!"

"And you believed him?!" Heri demanded, grabbing Luke by the shoulders She gave him a sharp shake. "Are you out of your mind?!"

The muted conversations of the campers dimmed again. Those that had gone back to their own food after Heri had calmed Nico were once again looking over. Hell, everyone was looking over.

"He said he could bring you back!" Luke cried. "He said he knew where you were in the Underworld and he'd bring you back to life after we overthrew Olympus!"

"AND YOU BELIEVED HIM?!" Heri bellowed, getting to her feet and yanking Luke up with her. She shoved him against the pillar. "Outrageous lies aside, what in the world made you believe he would follow through with any promise he made you?! When has he ever shown that he was trustworthy? So what if he made you piles on piles of tempting offers?! He's a monster that ate his own children for power! Where in all his history has he ever been trustworthy?!

"He said—!"

"KRONOS CARES FOR NOTHING AND NO ONE BUT HIMSELF. HIS PROMISES AMOUNT TO NOTHING." Heri thundered. She stood with her hands on her hips, utter disgust on her face.

"What kind of rubbish are you trying to sell me here?" she scorned. "You . . . you . . . ! Ugh! I can't believe this! Of all things you could say, you say this? You're telling me you bought into him saying he can revive the dead as well?! So, he just dumped a load of empty, obvious lies on you, and you sell your soul to him like that? Humanity and morals are so cheap to you?!

"You know, I heard the pile of dung you were shoveling last night when you were trying to convince Thalia! What righting wrongs? What better world? You've been so eager for your own selfish revenge, you tied yourself to the first shady bastard that came along and said he could make your dreams come true! He whispered some sweet nothings in your ear, and you're hooked just like that? That is some obvious-as-fuck, primary school, stranger-danger bullshite, you idiot! What improving have you done?! All you've achieved at this point is killing innocent people and creatures and spitting in the faces of the very same demigods you say you want to improve things for! Great job, Luke! You're really on top of things!"

"So, we should just sit complacently with how things are?!" Luke shouted back, looming over her. "Let the Olympians continue ruling as terribly as they have been?!"

To his credit, despite his anger, he didn't lay a hand on Heri.

Heri glared up at him, crossing her arms.

"You do not get to go around killing and destroying as you see fit and then say someone else has been terrible! Newsflash, genius — you yourself have been awful beyond words!"

There were cheers to that, but they died a quick death when Heri shot them a Look.

"And who said anything about sitting complacently?" she went on. "Do you see anyone here that's particularly happy with the way they handle the acknowledging of their children?" — Heri swung an arm out and gestured at the overflowing hall — "No one here thinks things are ideal. I've been here for less than a week total so far and I can see that! That doesn't mean I'm going to jump on the bandwagon of someone who wants to take over the world and kill everyone who stands in his way! An unsatisfactory ruling does not mean we should usher in an even worse way of ruling!

"Luke Castellan, you think about what you've been doing! Have you had a single rational thought that hasn't been slathered in rage this entire time? Who have you actually been hurting here? I know it's not the Olympians! It hasn't been any of the gods! Name a single god you've done more than inconvenience! Name one! Go ahead, I'll wait. And while you do that, I'm sure everyone here can come up with essays on people you claim you want to improve things for that you actually harmed!"

Heri was well and truly on a spiel. She paced and gesticulated furiously, her footsteps heavy enough to be stomps.

"This whole raging at the gods thing you've been doing is a whole lot of insanity! Utter nonsense! Complete madness! What in the world . . . what in the world do you think is going to be achieved doing this? You seem to think they're some . . . some corporation to be overturned and re-managed! Where did you ever get such a stupid idea? They're not human, Luke — they're not even really another sapient species, they only just barely qualify as real people!"

"I take offense to that, you little brat," Mr. D interjected, looking irritated.

"Oh, butt out, you bloody anthropomorphic thought-construct!" Heri snapped, turning to glare at the god. "I'm trying to have a bloody intervention over here!"

Heri swung back around and pointed a finger in Luke's face.

"You listen here, Luke Castellan: the gods are not people. You seem to think they're like some human monarchy or mafia, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's more than just them being invulnerable and long-lived; they are forces of nature and man-made ideals. They are concepts pressed upon the fabric of the universe until they became something we can loosely call flesh — but they're not. They never were. And they never will be. We call them certain names and treat them as individuals — with personality and wills of their own — but, at their core, they're just lightening, or water, or whatever concept they're embodying.

"They're. Not. People," she reiterated, stamping her feet for emphasis.

"Would you scream at a cloud for raining on you even though you know that's just what clouds do? Would you blame anger for existing when it doesn't get a choice? When you get a sunburn, you don't send fucking missiles into the sun, you put on some damned sunblock the next time you go out! Do we try to blow up the earth when an earthquake destroys our homes? Do we? Do we?" she repeated, jabbing Luke in the shoulder "Answer me!"

"No!" Luke answered mulishly. "We don't. . . ."

"That's right," said Heri. "We don't. Of course we don't!"

"So just allow them to keep doing whatever they want?!"

"Remember what I just said about trying to overturn nature and protesting crimes with even worse crimes? I'm not saying to bow your head and get stepped on when they act of their own independent will, but there's a difference between standing up to someone being an asshole, and trying to remove the existence of fire because it burned you by being fire. And trying to remove it by stupidly attempting to replace it with toxic, flammable gas."

Luke had nothing to say to that, he only scowled at the floor in frustration.

"Why in the world do you think Kronos would be a better option?" Heri asked, jabbing him in the cheek. "The records have proven that he's literally even worse. There are still living witnesses as well."

She sighed and flicked her bangs out of her eyes.

"Are you starting to get my meaning yet?" she asked, frown lightening. "Empty promises he gave you aside, you've been laboring under the assumption that dethroning the Olympians and putting Kronos back in power is a matter that won't literally throw the nature of reality into disorder. Completely off-base right there, by the way. And you've also been assuming that everything inhumane that they've done is something they should be dethroned for; that what you don't personally like is a failing.

"The Olympians as we know them were formed from the thoughts of their original worshipers; all that they are — faults, virtues, and quirks of personality — that all exists because that's how they were written to be. I won't try to kid you by saying they have no say at all in how they behave, but they are still characters that were made to fill a mold, not humans who decided for themselves.

"And you seem to think the gods don't care. But your father loves you, Luke. No, no!" — she reached up and pinched his mouth shut when he started protesting — "Don't you even try to argue with me on this! Anyone with eyes can see that! I've met him once only, yesterday, and I could see that. And I'm sure many people are jealous that he loves you as much as he does.

"Now — being your father is just a very small part of what he is," she continued, releasing Luke's lips. "It's not what he was created to be, what he's meant for. But it's what he chose for himself out of the semblance of humanity he acquired. However, he can't be a father in the same way a human would be — how can cunning, innovation, and whatever concept else he's an amalgamation of . . . how can that concentrate itself into a physical being and become human? They will never be human! Expecting humanity from them is setting yourself up for disappointment. It's self-defeating.

"We can meet them 'in person' so to speak, but they're never just here — intelligence, and death, and love don't exist in just one place in the world at a time. You think Lord Dionysus being here means people aren't getting wasted on the other side of the country? Existing in a singular instance isn't part of their nature! They can't do it. They can't. And it isn't fair of us to ask it of them.

"More than half of what you've been trying to peddle on this dangerous crusade of yours is completely illogical and self-contradictory! I don't know how you convinced yourself that what you've been doing is the way to go, but it stops now. It stops right now, young man! Do you understand me?! And you will be helping to fix this mess you've helped to create, and I better not hear a word of complaint out of you about it!"

At the end of this, Heri was lightly panting, looking like she'd gone out for a jog. Or, perhaps more accurately, like she'd just gone through a few round in the ring with an opponent. The suppressed, thoroughly browbeaten look Luke wore added to this impression.

No one said anything for a moment. Then the Hermes table broke into clapping and cheers; this prompted the others to follow.

Heri blinked rapidly, turning to the applauding hall, a chagrined look on her face. She'd forgotten there was literally an audience.

"Enough of all that!" she called out, embarrassed, annoyed.

"Miss Heri is the best at scolding," said Ollie, also clapping.

"That's not a compliment!"

"You can really chew an ear off," Nico added, munching on a carrot stick, sounding impressed.

Heri scowled.

"Hey!" As she said this, her eyes returned to Luke. She sighed seeing him so miserable. "Ollie, Nico, wrap up some food to go," she said before gently grabbing Luke by the arm and leading him away from the rowdy hall.

Luke didn't resist, just followed along without a word.

Heri led him out of earshot and line-of-sight, to the logs around the pit where the bonfire would be in the evening. She dropped down to sit, bringing him with her.

"Didn't mean for that to be a scene," she said quietly, holding his hands in hers. "But I guess they've dealt with some serious matters because of you, so I suppose. . . ."

Luke didn't respond. He only looked down at their joined hands.

"I've been informed, you know. About what you've been doing recently," said Heri, displeasure reentering her tone. "Don't think I don't know the story. But I honestly can't understand it. How could the little boy who ran away from home to save his mother from monsters team up with the cruelest, wickedest sort of monster out there? How could he lie, and betray his friends, and h-hurt in-nnocent peo-ple . . ."

Her voice trailed off as tears budded at her eyes. She shuddered and they overflowed.

"Oh, L-Luke, h-how could yo-ou?" Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

Luke looked up, panic on his face.

"H-Heri, don't . . . d-don't cry!"

Heri squeezed his hand until the bones were all but grinding together. Luke winced at the pain but didn't try to pull away.

"How can I do anything but cry?" Heri demanded, glaring up at him with red, teary eyes. "You were such a good boy! So kind and considerate and caring about others! I turn around and what? This is what you've been doing?! I left Allie in your care and—!

"Where's Allie?" Heri stilled, tears seeming to freeze. Her face was like stone as she stared unblinkingly at Luke. She saw him wince. "Luke. Where is Allie?"

"Who's Allie?" This question came from behind the two.

From the direction of the dining hall came Ollie and Nico as well as Percy and Annabeth. The lunch crowd was properly dispersing, and campers were returning to their activities in earnest. It was Percy who had asked the question; a confused frown on his face.

"You know Alabaster, too?" asked Annabeth, looking guarded, her arms crossed. She pointedly didn't look at Luke. "Jeez, you really are. . . ."

"Wait — Alabaster?" Percy asked.

"Alabaster, another half-blood around our age," Annabeth explained, mouth hooked down. "Lived near Bramblewood Hall, the really nice safehouse in Massachusetts we used to crash at. Thalia and I met him there — Luke introduced us — but he wasn't really that friendly so we were never particularly close. He used to bounce between there and camp, but I haven't seen him in a while—"

"Luke Castellan, where is he?!" Heri demanded, agitated getting to her feet. "You tell me where he is right now!"

Luke grimaced. His shoulders were hunched and his fists were clenched.

"Heri . . ." he said slowly, lifting his hands in a placating motion.

"I am already utterly furious with you," Heri warned lowly. "If you dare try to lie to me right now—!"

"He's on the Princess Andromeda!" Luke cried, lifted hands now looking like a gesture of surrender.

"Where?"

"That's the cruise ship where the forces of Kronos' army stay," said Annabeth, a dawning look on her face. "Alabaster turned traitor, too?!"

"What?!" Heri gasped. "Allie is—? LUKE. CASTELLAN."

Heri's voice rang out like church bells. The ground seem to shake. She grabbed the cringing young man by his ear and twisted it as she pulled his head towards her.

"I asked you to keep an eye on him!" she snarled, face a rictus of fury. "I asked you to keep him safe! This is how you keep him safe?! This is safe to you?! I wouldn't have blamed you if you left him at camp, but instead you make him a child-soldier to fight under a monster that will sooner kill you all than actually keep any empty promises he makes you? You left my little Allie on a boat full of monsters?!"

Heri stomped her feet in rage, and it was not an understatement to say that the ground cracked and indented underfoot. Deeper did the crater go and further did the cracks reach as she stamped and stamped. She inhaled and exhaled like a dragon about to breath a lick of flame.

"MOVE YOUR FEET," she thundered, letting go of Luke's ear and giving him a shove. "WE ARE GOING TO GO GET HIM RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE GOING TO BRING ME MY CHILD RIGHT THIS MOMENT, SON OF HERMES."

Heri marched Luke toward the Big House like a prison guard frogmarching an inmate. Her footsteps landed like meteorites crashing into the earth. Ollie skipped just behind her, jumping from crater to crater like she was playing hopscotch.

Nico, Percy, and Annabeth were perfectly gobsmacked at the destruction. What the hell kind of divine parent did she have? They gaped with unblinking eyes before coming back to their senses and rushing forward to catch up.

Nico was still only newly-introduced to the matters of half-bloods, monsters, and gods, but he was pretty certain that no normal person, half-blood or otherwise was supposed to be as . . . as competent in getting matters done as Heri. The entire time on the quest to watch over Bianca, he'd had an inkling that it was odd that he felt so secure in the thought that Heri would keep him safe, that nothing would get the best of them with her around — but it was a special kind of superhuman that could get them where they were now without so much as breaking a sweat.

Nico didn't really know how he arrived in the belly of a massive cruise-liner, confused and agitated potential enemies in front of him, monsters of sorts he'd never encountered scattered through the ship, but here he was.

After Heri had stormed the Big House the other day, it took heavy convincing to get her to agree that tracking down a supernatural cruise ship wasn't a task that could be done at the drop of a hat. Nico had seen glimpses of her temper before — when she had been barely lucid, apparently — but the rage she was in when demanding they go raid an enemy compound made Nico feel that their side was really freaking lucky Heri sided with them. Nico didn't know what god produced a child like Heri, but he thought they were real stupid for not claiming her yet despite . . . despite all that.

Anyway, Heri eventually simmered down enough that the counselors could be called to discuss battle-plans. One thing led to another, and within three days they were riding out on hippocampi to hunt down the Princess Andromeda, which Percy's dad Poseidon had located for them.

Nico didn't really know how he managed to be amongst the numbers sent to confront the rogue half-bloods from the Princess Andromeda, but he suspected it was almost one hundred percent because Heri was seriously touchy at the moment and refused to let him be outside of her immediate vicinity.

Heri had Nico's hand in hers as soon as they infiltrated the ship, not loosening her grip even once. Nico didn't mind, he held on just as tightly — he was the smallest one of their group, and the least trained. Hand in hand, they trailed at the back of the group as Luke led them covertly to the part of the ship that housed the demigod forces.

The interior was uncomfortably normal and cheery for a boat filled with an army of monsters. Well, maybe 'cheery' wasn't the right word for it since they were sneaking through staff areas and storage places, but nothing about it screamed 'vehicle of apocalyptic war,' so that had to count for something.

The good part of being basically an accessory was that Nico was in the least amount of danger and didn't have to do any of the heavy-lifting the older guys at the front were doing; he was basically on a stroll, albeit through a place scarier than a haunted cornfield filled with evil clowns. The not so great part was that this meant Nico hadn't a single clue what was going on at any point — he didn't know how they stayed undetected, he didn't know what the guys that scouted ahead reported, and he certainly didn't know how they managed to get all the rogue half-bloods in once place without suspicion.

Did Luke trigger some hidden signal? Was there a scheduled gathering they were crashing? Did those guys just happen to be all in the same, conveniently remote location when Nico's group showed up? Who knows? Certainly not Nico.

There were maybe . . . maybe three dozen or so enemy half-bloods standing around the staff lounge-y room they were in. The counselors of the Hephaestus, Ares, and Athena cabins as well as their second-in-commands stood at the forefront between those of Camp Half-Blood and those of Kronos' demigod forces, their weapons out and ready, in stark contrast to the unarmed and blind-sided other side. This was not at all an armory. Those of Camp Half-Blood were out-numbered — only sixteen of them came, including Nico — but they had the upper hand.

The expressions of the other side when Luke stepped forward was as bad as could be expected. The shouts of outrage and betrayal were similarly as to be expected.

Nico tried to follow along with the accusations and all that, but it was hard to concentrate on that when he was distracted with taking in the sight of the opposition in front of them.

The members of Kronos' demigod forces were not as old as Nico had been expected. He'd been imagining Luke's age and up, but there was actually a significant number that didn't look much older than Nico himself. The majority actually looked like they'd be in high school at the oldest. Two or three were definitely younger than Nico — they were cowering in the back like he was. Nico's gut clenched uncomfortably at the realization that they really were all just kids.

"—been collared, as you can see," Luke was saying, no doubt with that scary blank look on his face that he wore when using that bland tone. Nico craned his neck ineffectively to see around the Ares cabin guy in front of him. "With me goes the possibility to resurrect Kronos the way that was planned. I was bound to be used as his vessel — at the same time, that means Kronos is bound to use me as his vessel. But collared as I am now, he can't use me.

"The main plan of attack and every subplot that spawned from it have effectively been thrown out the window. As of right now, the only way for Kronos to cultivate a new vessel is if I'm killed first, and — as you can guess — the Olympians are not keen on letting that happen now that they've got a muzzle on me."

"So, just like that and you've turned traitor?!" shouted a tall guy that had similar looks to Luke but with darker skin and black hair. "You get captured and you turn right around and sell us all out on the spot?! They had you less than a week, and you help them invade the ship?! What happened to all your conviction to the cause?!"

Luke scoffed, "Who says I've given up on the cause—?"

"You'd better have given up on this idiotic cause!" Heri snapped, shouldering her way forward, pulling Nico along with her. "Or we'll be having even more words later! If you're going to cling to this stupid plan like an insensible child that refuses to behave, I'm perfectly fine to turn you over my knee and whoop your arse like one!"

Nico looked in askance at Luke in time to see him wince and his jaw tense.

"Who the hell are you?" growled a skinny Asian guy with his arms crossed. He wore an eye-patch over his left eye. His gaze narrowed aggressively, warily.

"The voice of reason, apparently," Heri responded, catty. "I've heard nothing but threats and arguments and insults since we got here — what exactly do you think you're going to do? The only door is blocked, you're all unarmed, and most of your numbers are half-trained. Ooh, please tell me more about how you'll deal with us! I'm sure it'll be as well thought out as this farce of a 'cause' of yours!"

Heri's words were flung out like a backhand to the face.

"Heri . . ." Percy said awkwardly from where he stood on the other side of Luke. He couldn't think of anything else to say, though.

"Hold that thought," Heri said, holding up a finger. "Before this goes anywhere else, I want to see my Allie right now. Luke, where is he?"

The intimidating aura Luke had been projecting drained, and now Nico could only blink as Luke stood there with hunched shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pockets like a teenager that got in trouble with his parents. Remembering that Heri had taken care of Luke when he was even younger than Nico was right now, Nico figured it made some sense.

Luke nodded vaguely to his left at the same time a voice asked, "What the hell—?"

It was another boy, this time one of the ones that looked Percy's age. While Percy looked nice like a baby seal, though, this one gave off the impression of a fox or maybe a coyote. He was pointy in the chin and cheek bones, and he was lanky in a way that felt cagey. Freckles covered his face, and his green eyes stood out in contrast to dark brown hair.

Heri took one look at his face, cried, "Allie!" and immediately pounced.

Nico worried that Heri would accidentally use him to knock the older boy off his feet because of their grip on each other's hands, but she released Nico's at the last moment as she wrapped her arms around the guy's neck, pulling him down to meet her.

"W-what?" the guy sputtered, struggling some against Heri's Herculean strength.

"You guys didn't get any news beyond me getting captured," said Luke, a weird half-smile on his face. "Alabaster, she . . . it's Heri. Our Heri came back."

The Alabaster guy froze as if struck by lightning.

". . . what?"

"My little Allie's grown so big," Heri warbled in a watery voice. "Oh, look at you — you've gotten so tall!" She let go of him for a second only to cradle his face in her palms. "You look a little thin, though. How are you lot getting food on this ship? Have you been eating properly?"

Her fussing was so out of place that the tense, angry atmosphere lightened out of pure awkwardness. Their side snorted and snickered while the less battle-hardened of the other side peeked around curiously.

"Heri?" Alabaster said weakly, his eyes wide.

"Yes, it's me— Hang on, how do you know me?" Heri asked, letting go of Alabaster's face and grabbing onto his hand. "The last time I saw you in person was when you were two or three."

"Luke was worried I'd forget what you look like," said Alabaster, taking in Heri's face was an awed expression. "He would read your letters to me. He got a picture of you from Fisken — it was a picture of you at . . . at some school competition? I have it . . ." He patted at his collar and pulled out a locket. "I have it here. How are you—? Did Lord Kronos already—?"

"Alabaster Torrington!" Heri cried, appalled. "You, too?!" She turned and gave Luke a glare. "Damnation, Luke! You really. . . !"

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Alabaster. "How are you here?"

"No clue how I'm here," Heri sighed. "Everyone's saying I died, but, well, as you can see, I'm clearly not. And . . . well . . . apparently a lot of things have happened that I don't remember at all."

"So, Lord Kronos—" Alabaster began again, delighted.

"NO." Heri shot that down immediately. "I don't know what bullocks you've been fed, but me being alive has nothing to do with Kronos! If that is why you signed up for this lunacy—!"

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" snarled that first guy that looked like Luke.

Oh, he shouldn't have done that, Nico thought, watching Heri turn her head slowly.

"It should be very clear by now what we want," Heri said flatly. She gripped Alabaster's hand tightly and drew him away from the rest of the Kronos-aligned half-bloods. As she moved, she caught Nico's hand again as well, and Nico couldn't hold back the sigh of relief at the contact.

"May I assume that all you wanted to say has been said?" Heri asked the cluster of counselors standing still at the ready.

They looked at each other before basically all shrugging. This entire venture was instigated by Heri after all. Beyond delivering the news of the plans to resurrect Kronos being effectively kneecapped in hopes of swaying some rogue half-bloods to abandon ship, they really didn't have any other intentions other than trashing what they could of the ship on their way out.

The counselor of Ares cabin, Clarisse, gave an ugly, mean laugh.

"Go off, bitch," she said, baring her teeth.

Heri smiled sweetly in a way that made Nico want to duck for cover.

"Don't mind if I do," she said. She looked over the ragtag collective that were the opposite forces with a critical eye. "Some of you are defectors; that self-righteousness chip on your shoulders is very apparent. Some of you were plucked from the wilds without any previous interaction with Camp Half-Blood and the resources provided to demigods discovered by satyrs; the lost, uncertain expressions are equally telling. All of you are siding with Kronos either because you want revenge or you've only ever been told about how awful the Olympians are."

"Are you calling us liars?!" shouted an angry blonde girl, raising her fist.

Heri gave her a disdainful glance.

"I'm sure you told your uninformed recruits the truth as you know it to be, but that doesn't mean it isn't liberally colored with your own biases. For fairness' sake, shouldn't they hear the truth coated in the opposite bias as well? So that they can decide for themselves which suits them better? Oh, and the actual unbiased truth as well, of course."

A dark-skinned girl with the look of the Ares campers lurched like she wanted to throttle Heri.

"We don't need any of your boot-licking—!"

The swords and spears were readied and pointed in a blink.

"Back the fuck off unless you want a blade down your throat, Nadia!" snarled Clarisse, any shred of a friendliness she'd show while addressing Heri gone. "Don't think I won't, you turncoat bastard!"

"If you can't handle the simple facts being stated," said Heri, disdainful look intensifying, "do you really get to call others boot-lickers? The only one pandering to abusive authority around here is you.

"Now. I will lay the facts out as I know them. If after all I say you all still want to commit to this 'cause' you've got going on, then we'll just take Alabaster and go—"

"Go?!" cried Alabaster.

"You shut your mouth this instant, young man!" Heri hissed, tugging him down to her level. "I don't know what's been going on over here while I was away, but I'm not accepting any fanboying over an evil deity out of you! You understand me? I don't care who you're rebelling against — you've got another think coming if you think I'm gonna stand by while you play Kool-Aid-drinking cultist!"

She turned back to the rebels and said, "Listen up! The unvarnished facts: Kronos and the rest of the Titans came before the Gods and ruled Olympus and humanity accordingly. His children, the elder Gods, joined hands with Rhea, their mother and Kronos' wife, to overthrow the Titans and usurp the position as rulers of Olympus. Upon doing so, they jailed the Titans that refused to submit to their authority, and locked Kronos up in the deepest depths of Tartarus.

"Here is where the biases come in. The forces of Kronos here claim that it was wrong for the elder Gods to have done that, that Kronos is the rightful ruler, that the Council of Twelve neglect their half-bloods and abuse the minor gods, disrespecting others and generally being huge arseholes. However, those not aligned with Kronos assert that that is a gross exaggeration of the Olympians' faults, and that it would be even worse under Kronos, who was dethroned for all the things said about the Olympians but, like, times three. And also, he's a baby-eater that abused his family, so, like, obviously the worse of two evils here.

"All of this can be investigated for yourselves at any public library or in school if your school offers lessons in Latin or Greek mythology."

"Why the hell should we settle for just the lesser of two evils?!" scorned that Luke-lookalike.

"As opposed to going with the greater of two evils?" Heri retorted. "Suppose if there was a choice between eating food you don't care for and eating broken glass that you'd just go for the glass, huh? Real genius, you are. Literally Mensa worthy! Get this man a PhD and a teaching position at a university!"

The guy bristled like a hedgehog.

"You bitch—!"

Heri matched him rage for rage.

"Try me, cunt." It was a good thing she had the foresight to let go of Alabaster's and Nico's hands, because her clenched fists crackled with pale pink sparks. "I will be the last person to ask you to fight for gods you don't respect, but you're out of your mind if this is going to be left unchallenged! You truly believe in someone who—? Ugh. Okay. Hm. . . .

"You realize that even the gods that you think to be too heartless and uncaring consider this madman you're siding with to be too monstrous to remain in power even though he's their father as well, right?" said Heri, looking over the crowd. "Like, the reason you want to overthrow the gods is literally the same reason they overthrew him. And literally everyone but the others of his all-creatures-are-ants-to-be-crushed-underfoot-and-worship-us crowd agreed that was the right thing to do for the humanity. I guess it's understandable that the primary school kids you got back there wouldn't know any of this — yeah, I see them, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for involving them in this! They can be excused not to know this common knowledge! You older lot don't get that benefit of the doubt!

"You should know exactly why dealing with Kronos is a terrible idea! You truly believe a being like that is going to care if you die for him? That he'll make the world a place you'll be happy to live in? Kronos and his underlings care nothing about your well-being — he won't preserve you even if you live through the battles!

"To side with Kronos is active suicide. What you're doing is not creating a new world for demigods or whatever, it's terrorism — like, you guys are straight-up terrorists right now. Do you realize that? The other demigods you cut down do you no wrong beyond fighting against the threat you brought down against them.

"You think the ones that didn't defect are satisfied with the way things are? They also had to go through what you do. They also suffer the same grievances. How many in the exact same situation — unfavored or unclaimed — are still back at camp? More than the number here! It just so happens, though, that they're not going out of their way to make sure as many people as possible suffer along with them. You are attacking your fellow half-bloods for no other crime than just not agreeing with you on how to protest the current system. It's not their fault whatever gods did you wrong.

"You can be as angry and unworshipful against the Olympians as you like — I'm pretty damn sure everyone here including the most Olympian-yay would agree to that. But you are not freeing Kronos and unleashing hell upon the face of the earth! For obvious reasons! And if you think being effectively a suicide-bomber is acceptable, line up right here — right now — and I will personally smack the shite out of you and some sense into you!"

Heri truly had overpowered reprimanding skills, Nico thought. It was like if every parent in the country joined forces and collectively turned their Disappointment™ up to eleven. Even the oldest ones that were old enough to not need parents looked like they'd just been given seven years of grounding.

"I seriously do not understand the rationale you lot have going on here," Heri said, crossing her arms. "You act like the Olympians actually care if you don't revere them, that they want anything out of you beyond the mindfulness you would pay to any higher power. They don't exactly do much ruling, do they? Not exactly government officials; they don't even really count as a monarchy either. They're fucking sentient forces of nature — treat them as such! You're expecting far too much humanity out of them.

"When have you been obligated to literally worship them? The closest thing to worship that goes down in Camp Half-Blood is offering up a bit of your dinner to your own parent. It's casual as hell! It's not exactly singing hymns and sacrificing live goats over there, is it?

"Why does estranging yourself from Olympus mean you have to raze a city? Like, even if they were actually comparable to humans in the way you think them to be, thinking your parents and aunts and uncles are neglectful and play favorites does not mean you burn the house down. And then torch the neighbors' houses as well. And fight your siblings and cousins to the death. And then gift the property deed to your cannibal grandpa that you broke out from prison, who was serving several life-time sentences for general crimes against humanity. Like, what? This is not an equitable response!"

The Asian guy with the eye-patch tried some feeble, sneering argument about how the Major Gods were keeping the minor gods underfoot and not giving equal treatment and thus deserved retribution, but all that did was make Heri swell with even greater outrage.

"What's your name?" she said in a pointedly level tone.

The guy answered hesitantly, ". . . Ethan Nakamura. . . ."

"And you're a son of Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, yes?"

". . . yes."

"The goddess of retribution, as well as vengeance and balance," Heri said, nodding. "You mother and the other minor gods should have thrones amongst the Council of Twelve, and that's why you've thrown your lot in with Kronos. That's what you're saying, yes?"

Nico didn't need to be a genius to tell that there wasn't a right answer to that question. The Ethan guy seemed to know this as well and didn't say anything, he only looked at her cautiously.

"You thought helping an evil overlord to take over the world would convince the Council of Twelve that your mother deserves a throne?" said Heri. "This is the balance you're seeking to achieve? Destruction of a civilization so that certain gods will have even higher status amongst other gods. For that, you would release Kronos onto the world.

"Is that really all what humanity is worth to you, Nakamura? You would toss mankind to the wolves . . . for a cushier place to sit?" The word was all but spat on the floor.

"I don't know how balance and justice works in your eyes, Son of Nemesis, but you certainly don't have the right to decide that the innocent mundane humans that suffer because of your revenge mean less than a shiny chair for your immortal goddess of a mother to place her precious behind in!" Heri's voice raised to a screech, her face twisted like she was about to transform into a harpy. "Lives can be lost, property can be destroyed, and unaware bystanders can suffer all because your undying deity of a mother currently doesn't sit at the cool kids' table?! That is your balance?! Suffering unto the innocent for a throne?!

"What equality for the less powerful?! You complete and utter hypocrite! Here you are not giving a passing thought to the mundane humans who did nothing to deserve you lot throwing your destructive temper tantrums without a care to those not strong enough to survive them, and you want to cry that things aren't fair?! While you twist facts for your ignorant recruits and disregard the ones weaker than you?! WHO ARE YOU TO DEMAND VENGEANCE AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

There was little to no arguments after that; the rebel half-bloods were too cowed by their leaders being torn into like fresh steak before their eyes. Not even the most contrary among them said anything when Heri elbowed her way in among them and dragged out the youngest of them to take back with her — three girls and two boys, all fifth grade or younger.

"All that can be said has been said," said Heri, back in the calm version of her anger, tucking the little kids safely in the middle of their group. "If you intend to continue with this farce, that's on you, but I hope you can accept your actions as what they actually are instead of the rubbish you've been telling yourselves to justify it."

With that, their group rolled out, taking their new acquisitions with them. (Of course, they bolted the door behind them to give themselves a head start on escaping.)

As they retreated the way they came, Nico thought to himself that he seriously hoped when they eventually got claimed that he and Heri had the same godly parent; no one would even think about giving him a hard time after going up against Heri in a temper just once.

AN: I'm loosely planning on updating this fic once every two months until my backlog of written chapters hits the final chapter, and then I'll update bi-monthly until it's complete on AO3. My pace before was just TOO MUCH for me; it contributed to my burnout. I'm hoping at this new pace, I'll be able to handle writing and updating for my other posted fics as well. And also my fics I haven't posted yet.

If you want to know more about the specifics of my entire planned schedule or want to find out how to get chapters faster, go to schedule. I'm backlogged up to chapter 24 as of me writing this.