Chapter 21

A Fun Day of Lava and Blackmail

My new bedroom had a great view for a room with no windows.

The bed was one of those fancy curtained ones, the kind Cinderella would sleep on during her happily ever after, except the cloth was jet black. It was also long. Fully stretched, I didn't even make it halfway to the footboard. Aside from the bed, the room didn't have a speck of furniture.

What it did have was a transparent wall. It had looked a little like the building's hazy exterior until Luke poked it a few times, muttered something I didn't catch in Ancient Greek, and the wall went as clear as mountain air. I asked how he did it, and Luke said "Magic."

I chucked a pillow at him, and he ducked out of the room.

It took ages to comfortable in the bed, despite slipping under the covers as soon as I was alone. It was soft don't get me wrong, but the proportions were totally off. I felt like a child sleeping in his parents' bed.

I tossed and turned and must've eventually dozed off, because the sound of knocking woke me up. I sat rubbing my eyes. The sun was rising through the transparent wall. Way down on the bay bobbed white dots, a few early-rising sailboats.

The knocking came again, more insistent, and I stumbled out of bed and pulled a glove over my left hand.

"Who is it?" I said, fighting a yawn as I pulled the door open.

On the other side, looking a lot more put together than I was, was Victoria.

"Ready to go?" Her eyes drifted from my bedhead to my rumpled shirt, and she pursed her lips.

"Go? Sorry, go where?"

"The tour," she said, like I was talking nonsense. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

I tried not to get too irritated. It would've been easier even half an hour later, though. "I didn't forget. See, forget implies I was told in the first place. I'm telling you now, I wasn't."

"You definitely were. There's no way he would've forgotten. He isn't like that."

She looked strangely defensive, her hands on her hips. I was tempted to shut the door in her face and head back to bed. It wouldn't have been the best impression to make my first day as a Kronos crony… but then neither was barging over to my room being prissy.

Then Luke's words from the night before filtered back to me. After I went to the trouble of getting you the best tour guide I could. Together with his ribbing about my supposed crush, things suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

I groaned, thumping my head into the doorframe. "Oh, he didn't."

"Didn't? Didn't what?"

I sighed. "He totally did. Give me five minutes."

The last thing I saw before shutting the door was a confused face.

Five minutes later, with my hair (sort of) brushed, my teeth clean, and my clothes on properly, I stepped into the hallway.

"Alright. Let's do this."

Victoria was waiting against the wall, looking torn between curiosity and annoyance. She started down the hallway, and I figured I was meant to follow.

We passed all types of monsters- some familiar, some I'd never seen in my life. Two ants scuttled past at knee height, both furry like dogs. Even weirder was a man in a speedo with earlobes that hung all the way to his ankles. He nodded to us, and the motion sent ripples through the floppy skin. I nodded back.

"Hey, so…" I started once the strange man was gone. "About what you saw in the Labyrinth-"

"What?"

"With the kallikantzaroi, how they were-"

"What?" She repeated more firmly, and I took the hint. Not here. There were too many – and overly impressive – ears around. I stuck to small talk.

"Aren't you supposed to, like, talk me through what we're passing?

Victoria glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "Why?"

"Isn't that what a tour guide does?" I pointed to a door, complete and of course, shut. "What's on the other side of that?"

"No idea."

"What about that one?" I pointed at another down the hall.

"Beats me."

"Wow," I said, "You're not very good at this guide thing, are you?"

"Of course not!" She scowled. "I wouldn't even have to be except-"

"Except what?"

"Except he asked," she grumbled. "Anyway, I'm taking you to the forges. That's the closest place that actually matters. Just sit tight until we get there."

"Great." We walked a minute in silence. "Just out of curiosity, is there any reason I would ever need the forges?"

"You're with that inventor, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. But I don't actually do any making. Mostly stabbing. Some slashing, too."

"Good for you," she said. "We'll go by the training room later. But Luke told me to show you around, and I mean to do it. Every place I've got access to."

I blinked at the pride in her voice. "Luke asked you personally, huh?"

"Of course," she said challengingly. We reached a flight of double stairs branching off left, and turned onto them heading down. "He's the one who convinced me to join up. We're acquaintances."

I got the feeling she was trying to convince herself as much as me.

"This isn't your usual job?" I guessed.

"No." She puffed up. "But he told me the job was important, and that only I could do it. I wasn't going to shy away. I heard… I heard that you knew him before."

We'd already gone down four flights of stairs, and as we turned onto the fifth I saw the exit- double doors made of smelted iron, thick enough to stop a car.

"Yeah," I said. "I traveled with him years ago. Us, and two others. Before he ever made it to camp."

"What was that like?"

"Dirty," I said. "Lots of sleeping on the ground and eating questionable canned food."

"No, no, I mean what was he like," Victoria turned to me. "When did he like to go to bed? What color were his clothes? What time of day did he shower? Do you think he would shower with me-"

Thunk! I winced as she rebounded off the door, her head bouncing back hard enough to roll her eyes in their sockets.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and tapped her attacker with a fingernail. "This is a door."

"Got it," I said.

A truly dedicated guide.

The stairwell, like every other room I'd been to, was a cool fifty-five degrees. Chilly, but not enough to get really uncomfortable. Because I'd grown used to that, I was caught completely off-guard when Victoria opened the door.

Heat blasted my skin. The hairs on my arms stood up straight, and sweat immediately beaded down my back. I was so surprised I forgot to walk, until Victoria grabbed my wrist and pulled me quickly inside, shutting the doors behind us.

"If you let the heat escape they get horribly whiny," she explained. "Which is silly, because I'm pretty sure the forge is magic anyway."

We were in a hallway that wouldn't have been narrow, except it was lined with wracks all across walls and the ceiling. Swords, axes, spears, garden hoes, even a metal mask in the shape of a frowning monkey… if you could make it from metal it was there.

"And who is 'they'?" I asked, reaching out to touch a shield painted the colors of the Hungarian flag.

"The creatures that are about to pop out and yell at you if you touch their toy," Victoria said. "Telekhines."

My fingertips brushed the paint, and something barked.

"The bloody hell are you doing to my coat, runt?" a voice said in a thick Scottish accent.

I pulled back, facing the end of the corridor. A figure was framed there, the orange glow from the next room leaving him a silhouette.

He looked like a beginner's attempt at a shadow puppet. His feet were flat-topped and half-flipper. His torso was shaped like a barrel. Sprouting from his sides were meaty arms, human hands clenched into fists at his hips. Dog ears stood up straight on his muzzled head.

"Uh, hi." I pointed to the shield. "Sorry about that. I was just checking it out."

"Just checking it out, he says. Oh, sorry then, I should really let you go and RUIN MY WORK, THEN!" He jerked his head to the side and spat. The saliva sizzled on impact.

"Calm down, Chief," Victoria said softly. "He didn't mean anything by it. He's new."

The Telekhine pointed his button nose to the ceiling. "So that makes it all better, doesn't it? Bah, just hurry in. My forge is going cold while I waste around yapping at you."

He spun and padded into the room beyond. Victoria leaned over and whispered, "He's the one in charge. All the important projects run through him, and he's a bit touchy. Everyone calls him Chief."

"What's his actual name?"

She shrugged. "That's it, far as I know. Just try not to piss him off. You will, knowing his temper, but at least try not to."

The hallway had been hot, but the workroom was on another level. Stepping inside was like being suspended over an active volcano… which was a pretty literal comparison, considering a third of the room was covered in lava.

In the center a massive contraption recycled the molten rock through a series of basins, letting it pool before piping it into a spout that started the whole process over again. Telekhines of assorted sizes worked away, shoving their hands into the pools without even gloves for protection. Deeper into the room, pressed against the soot-stained walls, stood an array of anvils with yet more Telekhines hammering on bits of glowing metal, sending sparks into the air. There were no windows, underground as we were, and a layer of smoke stuck around the ceiling, making every breath feel heavy. All in all, I was ready to turn and walk straight back out, but Victoria led me toward Chief and I was forced to follow.

"Rare to see you down here, Victoria," Chief said. As he talked he shoved his hand into a pool and pulled a hunk of molten metal out, beginning to mold it absently. "Last time would've been when you came looking for a deal. Still sorry about that, lass. I like you, but Boss's orders and all…"

"I know," Victoria said quickly. "It's not your fault, no hard feelings. All in the past. I'm just here to show the new guy around."

"New guy, eh?"

Chief gave me a once over. His face reminded me of a Doberman, the mean kind that barks murder at you from behind a cast iron fence as you walk by. "They sure are letting just anybody join up these days."

"Is this cause I touched your shield?" I asked.

"Maybe it's your stupid questions."

"Can't be, since that was the first question I've asked-"

"Then maybe it's your ugly face, then," he growled. His fingers squished the metal into a shape that looked suspiciously like a middle finger.

Victoria winced and shot me a look that said cool it. I would've listened – honestly! – but just then something about the Telekhine's appearance clicked for me.

"You're part seal!" I blurted out.

"I'm as old as seals as a species," he said. "Might as well say they are part me."

"But, like, shouldn't you love me or something then?" My interactions with sea creatures were pretty limited, but even as a kid all the fish I'd met treated me like a rockstar. Dedalus said it would be the same with Hippocampi, and other aquatic monsters along with them.

Chief's eyes narrowed. "I think I'm missing a step here. That, or you're missing a screw up there."

"Well, Poseidon's my dad."

"Poseidon!" Chief's hands clenched, crushing his sculpture flat. "That upstart! Oh, I can believe you're his son. You've got that same presumptuous attitude, assuming he's all that just cause he does a bit of ruling the sea with his fancy trident. Who do you made that trident for him?"

"Actually, I really don't like him much either-"

"Good then!" He stepped so close that his snout rubbed the tips of my hair. "You've got plenty of company. Not everything beneath the waves bows to that young'un. Some of us remember the days when he was nothing more than his daddy's horderve, and you'd best be remembering that."

I swallowed. I hadn't realized just how tall the Telekhine was until he was right in my face, angry. His breath was terrible, too. I knew canned dog food when I smelled it.

"Got it," I told him. "So if you want to step back and take a breath or something, feel free. I'm sure we could find something in here for you to use as a bone. That always helps my dog calm down."

"I could always use one of yours," he muttered, but he did back off. He tossed his metal back into the basin, where it landed with a splash. A few drops spilled out, and Victoria scrambled to stand further away.

"Right then," Chief said. "If you're Poseidon's brat, let's get to this. Hold out your arms."

"How about no? Whatever form of torture you're about to propose, I'm good."

"Just do it," Victoria said.

"He won't kill me?"

"No."

"Maiming?"

"No," she said again, but she hesitated.

"See?" I pointed at Chief. "You're planning something horrible for me. I know it."

He had reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a tape measure. It looked straight from the shelf at Home Depot, but when he pulled the tape out the markings were in Ancient Greek. "Don't be a baby now. I'm just measuring your wingspan."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

He grinned. "Orders from Kronos himself. So get those arms out, Backup Plan."

Unfortunately, I doubted he was joking about the orders. Using Kronos's name and lying right under his nose was a good way of signing your own death warrant. I held out my arms.

While Chief noted the dimensions of my forearm, he asked questions:

"Sword fighting hand?"

"My right."

"Any double joints?"

"I hope not."

"How far can your wrist turn?"

"…Until it breaks?"

Chief slapped a flipper-foot against the floor. "Be serious lad."

"I don't know," I said. "A broken wrist sounds pretty serious to me."

"We could always test that," he growled, pulling away from my triceps and scribbling whatever he'd found in a leather book. "Right then." He looked up. "Off with the glove then."

I sighed and pulled off my glove. Chief didn't react at all, but Victoria jumped at the sight of the bronze hand.

Chief felt first at my wrist, then the elbow. "Such seamless joints. And the movement range… so natural! The flexibility is fantastic." He paused to look at me. "And you can move it like nothing, correct? No awkwardness?"

"Like a normal arm," I confirmed.

Chief, I kid you not, squealed. If he hadn't been holding my arm in place I would've covered my ears. "To be able to distribute the animus like this- no, to even think of using bronze as the conduit… How exciting."

I coughed, the smokey air starting to get to me. "Is there anything else, or are we free to leave? Because I'm not too hot on being, well, hot."

"Too bad such lovely work is stuck on a brat like you," Chief said grouchily. "Go on! Make yourself scarce. You're just distracting the workers at this point."

That was a lie, since not one of them had looked up. If they'd had tails to match their faces, those tails would've been wagging as they shaped their metal like it was the most valuable substance on earth. Still, I wasn't going to pass up a chance to escape.

"Nice meeting you, kind of," I told Chief.

He'd already turned to the lava pools. "Get out of my forge."

I shrugged and did as asked. Victoria said, "Bye Chief," then stuck to my heels.

"Well," she said once we were back out on the stairwell. "That went well."

"Is that sarcasm?"

She smiled and rubbed a hand against the banister. "The last demigod that visited got his head shoved into a lava pool. Son of Hephaestus, luckily, so his face didn't end up melted, but I hear the sore throat was brutal."

She looked so satisfied I couldn't help asking, "Not a big fan of the guy, huh?"

"He should've known better than to march up to the Telekhines and 'inform' them of everything they were doing wrong. Plus he joined the Gold Regiment, so he had it coming."

"Gold Regiment?"

Her smile disappeared, replaced by a sour look. "You'll find out soon enough. They're all anyone wants to talk about, after all."

For the next few hours we stuck our heads into every major room around Mt. Orthrys. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised me so much, but the fortress was practically an entire town.

There was lounge with the most structurally reinforced couches I had ever seen, two Dracaena playing a game of 2K on an X-Box in the corner. Outdoors was a stable stocked with Pegasi, though from what I heard they didn't sound so happy to be there. I knew from Dedalus's lessons that I could understand horses, I just didn't expect the first words I'd hear to be so… colorful. The poor demigod tending them nearly had his nose kicked in when he tried to greet us. We left him to his job before our distraction got him seriously hurt.

Lookout towers, a small medical station, a gift shop selling Titan Army t-shirts and Zeus Stinks key chains. Public restrooms large enough for a giant, private guest quarters, even a fully stocked bowling alley with its own snack bar. At times I couldn't tell if I was in a military stronghold or a cruise ship. The number of rooms and corridors had my head spinning like a merry-go-round, and eventually Victoria must've noticed.

"Let's go by the training room," she said. "If you're the type I think you are, that should help you relax. Your element or whatever."

I wasn't going to argue. Hacking through a training dummy or two sounded like a fantastic distraction from all the details I'd been trying to cram into my brain.

We went down some stairs, through a room where half of a humanoid statue was under construction, and down a lengthy hallway before reaching a door guarded on each side by a giant. Victoria led me inside without the sentries so much as glancing at us.

Inside curved walls formed a large, spherical room. Grunts and the sounds of chopping kept it from being quiet, the noise of about fifteen demigods working away on straw practice dummies. Sitting unoccupied at the room's center were four circles of sand, making the room smell not only like sweat but also like dust. A few of the kids looked up as we entered, but quickly returned to what they'd been doing.

"Here we are," Victoria said. She glanced around uneasily. "Pick any dummies you want, just try not to get in anyone's way. And keep it to one or two- I don't want to be here all day."

There was a rack of weapons next to the door, but glancing over it either nobody cared much about them or there wasn't anybody that knew basic weapon maintenance. The blades were dull, and the handles worn. I gave one a few swings. Even the balance was off. "Can I use my own?"

"There's no rule against it. But I'm not waiting for you to run back to your room and grab it."

I drew Aelia. "Don't worry about that."

Anfisa formed with the telltale whirring of gears. I flicked it left and right, ignoring Victoria's start at the weapon's appearance, and homed in on a trio of dummies in an unused corner.

There were three of them, two side-by-side and another just behind. Their wooden arms held grey pool noodles positioned like swords. I stepped to the right one and sliced into its midsection.

My blade made it halfway to a clean bisection, but I didn't stop. Spinning, I brought Anfisa against the left one's neck. The blade passed clean through, the head bouncing away with a puff of hay, and I finished the motion by slicing into the other first dummy's side, completing the first cut from the opposite side. Before the bisected dummy had settled on the ground, I leveled the point of my blade at the final dummy and stabbed smoothly through its chest.

Breathing slightly heavily, I couldn't keep a smile off my face. In that moment it didn't matter one bit that I couldn't remember what floor my room was on, or whether it was a right or left turn at the game room to get there. All that mattered was the sword in my hand, and I knew exactly what to do with that.

The clapping wasn't something I expected.

I turned and found a boy in front of the door, grinning at me. He had a pinched face, not bad looking but sort of like a giant had grabbed his cheeks and squeezed. His nose was pointy and his eyes gleamed. He was definitely older than me, but the top of his head only came to about my nose. Despite that, he stood like he was the biggest in the room, which may've had something to do with the two huge demigods flanking him in matching gold shirts, one male and one female.

"You're good," he said. "Really good! I especially liked the last bit. Right in the throat."

"Thanks," I said. Something about the guy was familiar, but I couldn't put a finger on what.

"Of course, it's to be expected," he carried on. "You're with Luke Castellan, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he invited you himself. You guys looked close enough for it on the trip here."

He approached and held out his hand. "Justin Petty. Great to meet you for real."

"Percy," I said, taking the hand. "Hey have we met?"

For a second his smile wavered. Then it was back as firm as ever. "That was a good one man. You really had me going, for a second. Remember in the Labyrinth?"

I wracked my brain, thinking back to every demigod from the moving group. He hadn't been one of the ones fighting, so which … "Oh! Torch guy!"

Somewhere behind me Victoria snickered. Justin's smile got a little bit tighter.

"Yep, you got it," he said. "Can't say I've been called that one before, though. Usually it's sir, or at least Justin." He looked again at the dummy remnants, his eyes flitting down the length of my sword. "I'll look past that though. You know, with your skills you could really make something of yourself. Given any thought on which regiment to join?"

Victoria had used that word, too, as we were leaving the forge. "What's a regiment?"

Justin's head shifted in a way that had blond curls dusting over his eyes. "Gods, I thought you would've been told that much at least! What on earth are we doing as an organization?" He looked past me at Victoria. "I mean, I know you got saddled with a useless guide, but I thought Luke at least would've told you."

"Luke doesn't make decisions off what you think," Victoria snapped. "Lucky for us all."

"And you base all your decisions because of him," Justin said. "Look where that's gotten you, relegated to a docent. Your mother must be so proud to see her daughter stuck as a loser."

"At least she sees me," Victoria shot back. "I doubt your dad even knows you exist."

Justin didn't lose his cool. Instead he turned to me as if Victoria didn't exist. "Ignore that idiot. If she's not going to do her job, I'll do it for her. The regiments, my dear man, are how us demigods in the Titan Army are organized. There's three of them- The Gold Regiment, that houses elite warriors-" Victoria snorted "-who carry out the most difficult and crucial tasks. Then here's the Iron Regiment. Hardy, and competent enough, but how should I say… lacking that x-factor, if you understand. And finally, you have the Bronze Regiment. Home of weirdos, oddballs, and dregs that no one else would willingly put up with." He laid a hand over his chest and bowed. "I count myself lucky enough to lead the Gold Regiment, and that girl glaring murder at me over your shoulder, commands the Bronze."

That explained the bad blood. Justin being a leader didn't surprise me, not with the way he carried himself. Whenever he looked at you, it was hard to shake the feeling he was doing it down his nose. But Victoria's position was a surprise… And not one she seemed happy about being shared. That, or it was the jibes woven into Justin's explanation that had her looking like she smelled spoiled milk.

"So the leader of this Gold Regiment is meeting me personally." I tilted my head. "Seems lucky. I imagine you're pretty busy."

He laughed. "I always have enough time to check in with a recruit of your caliber. This was just a coincidence, though. I was coming to train, and the fates must have been looking out for me, because who do I see slicing away when I arrive?" He leaned in, and I got a whiff of citrus cologne. "I've got to say, I'm not one to swim against fate. Best to go with the flow, I say, and see where it takes you. So what do you say? One word, and I'll see you straight into the Gold Regiment. With your skills, your lineage… you would be wasted anywhere else."

"Hold on!" Victoria stepped in and shoved us apart, glaring at Justin. Justin's bodyguards stepped forward, but he shot them a look. "No recruiting until dinner, Justin. You know the rules just as well as I do."

Justin smirked. "What difference are a few hours going to make? Might as well get it over with now. Right, Percy?"

I held up my hands. "Look, I'm not trying to break any rules here. When I do, people tend to throw me out on my butt. Seeing as I just got here …"

Besides, there was something else bothering me. He had used the word lineage. As far as I knew, my father's identity wasn't common knowledge. Chief hadn't been aware. Victoria didn't seem like she knew. So why did this kid? It could've been nothing, but I didn't feel like taking the chance.

"Alright," Justin smiled indulgently. "We'll play by the rules. Enjoy the brief window of hope, Victoria. Good to meet you, Percy."

He strolled out the door, waving his hand over his shoulder. The two he'd brought followed obediently. For a guy who said we'd met by coincidence, he sure didn't stick around to train like he said he came to.

"He seemed pleasant," I said.

"Come on." Victoria grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door. She was still glaring, but without a target she'd fixed it on the ground. "We're leaving."

"To go where?"

"Just follow me."

That wasn't hard, seeing as she was still dragging me along. We left the training room, followed a long hallway, then took a stairwell up. Even ten minutes later as we emerged onto a narrow balcony, Victoria's mood seemed just as foul.

"What," I said, "is this our next tour destination?" A stone bench looked out over a beautiful view of the Bay Area. White roses grew from twin ceramic pots in the corners, a small fountain burbling between them. It was pretty and peaceful… but that was it. "Doesn't seem like much."

Victoria was standing stiffly, her arms crossed. A thin line of blood had dribbled down her chin, and when she opened her mouth I could see she'd been biting her lip. "I know you let the Kallikantzaroi go."

"Well, yeah, I kind of got that from the part where you were standing there watching. I even tried to bring it up earlier-"

She cut me off. "It would be real bad if that got out. Even for you. Going against orders is a big deal around here, especially when those orders come straight from Luke's mouth."

"So are you going to tell on me?"

She didn't immediately say no. My hand drifted for the pocket holding Aelia, before stopping. No, Percy. Bad thoughts. She still caught the motion, and made an effort to get on with it.

"I won't tell a soul," she said. "But on one condition. You join the Bronze Regiment."

Silence. A breeze swept over us, carrying away a loose rose petal. Somewhere far below I heard a tourist yelling "Say cheese!" and then I couldn't hold it anymore- I burst out laughing.

Victoria took a step back. "What? What!? Is joining Bronze so ridiculous to you that-"

"No, no!" I tried to get my laughter under control with mixed success. "It's just, blackmail is your first resort? You didn't think to just ask?"

"Please," she said, "like that would work. I've been turned down twenty-five times. In a row! Everybody's too good for us, let alone someone Justin showed up to meet personally. Don't act like you would've said yes."

"Huh? I was planning on joining yours, though?"

"See? Of course you-" She blinked, her brain catching up. A school of fish could've swum into her mouth, it was open so wide. "You were? Why?"

I walked to the balcony railing to get a better view down. Being so high up reminded me of Dedalus's workshop, which was putting me in pretty a good mood. "I don't know anything about the Iron Regiment, so I guess I could've gone with them. But I didn't like Justin much. He seemed like kind of a dick."

"He's a total dick," she said, coming to stand beside me. "But what made you think that? I could practically hear the smooching noises with how hard he was kissing your ass."

I crinkled my nose. "It's just that. He acted all nice to me, but only because he could get something out of it. He did the same thing before, just to try and impress Luke. I don't like guys like that." I remembered kids like him even back in elementary school, ones who would try to get on the teacher's good side just to get away with picking on others. "They always make me wonder, well, what happens when they don't think I'm worth it anymore?"

"Then they pick fights." Victoria drummed her fingers on the guard rail. "Make fun of your mom in front of you. Demean your friends."

"See?" I smiled. "What's putting up with a few oddballs to avoid that? Besides, I'll probably fit right in."

Victoria smiled too, tentatively, before getting serious again. "Justin might be a dick, but he wasn't lying. The Bronze Regiment is… behind the others. Temporarily." She had to dig her nails into her palms just to get the words out. "I can't promise you that we'll be all that successful, or ever lead troops on the frontlines or anything."

"That's fine," I said. "I'm not into that stuff."

"And what are you into?" She faced me. "Everyone here is fighting for something. The kids of minor gods, most of them want to win respect for their parents. The ones that never got claimed are looking for a target to dump their frustration on."

"What's your reason?"

"To win," she said firmly.

I got the feeling she wasn't talking about the war, but something more general. "I'm not sure I have a reason."

"You do. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here. Think for a second. It'll come."

I did as instructed. Following Dedalus had brought me to Mt. Orthrys, but when Kronos demanded an oath, that wasn't what had made my decision for me. It was Kronos's promise of rewards, and 'leaky' Underworld security.

"I need to impress the boss," I said. "He promised me something if I help him get what he wants. Something I want more than anything, but had given up hope on for a while."

Victoria didn't press for specifics. "The best way to do that, is to stand out. Show that you're better than the rest and more important because of it. The best way to that is to knock off the guy who's on top now."

I smirked. "In other words, kick Justin in his smug backside, right?"

"Something like that. Just remember-"

"No promises."

Victoria nodded. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Of course, that doesn't mean we won't try. Anything less than a hundred percent is unacceptable if we want a real chance."

"Sounds like my type of plan."

I held out my hand. Victoria stared at it a moment, wavering.

"You're really joining, right? This isn't some prank someone put you up to or-"

"I'm doing it."

She took a deep breath. Her foot was tapping excitedly, and I realized just how much this meant to her. After twenty-five consecutive refusals, she'd finally banged her head into the wall enough times to form a hole.

She took my hand.

"Oh, one other thing," I said off-handedly as we shook.

She tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Don't - ever - try blackmailing me again." Just because it turned out fine, didn't mean I was about to drop it completely. "I'm telling you now, it won't work. Or end well for you."

I glared, hammering in my point. It wasn't until I saw her eyes drift over my shoulder that I realized the fountain had stopped flowing, its contents rising into the air on standby. Victoria gulped.

"Got it," she said.

"Awesome!" I grinned. The water splashed down, spraying every direction but the one we were standing in. "Let's get working then. The other regiments won't know what hit them."

(-)

Slight delay with this chapter for two reasons. One, is that it's long. The first draft was massive, and even this edited product is over the average. The other reason is that Tuesday kind of sucks as an update day. It's just inconvenient, both for posting and, I assume, for reading. So from now on baring a slip-up on my schedule, new chapters will release Friday afternoon/evenings, which I figure is better all around.