Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, much like the placement of the cabins at the camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations, every constellation mankind had ever witnessed were laid bare for all to see.

All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall,All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall, perhaps it was to assert a feeling of superiority, perhaps something else, they did not know.

"Welcome, heroes," Artemis said.

"Mooo!"

Percy Jackson snapped his neck towards the second voice, his gaze falling over a sphere of water hovering in the center of the room. The Ophiotaurus was swimming happily around, swishing his serpent tail and poking his head out the sides and bottom of the sphere. He seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble. Grover Underwod was kneeling at Zeus's throne, as if he'd just been giving a report, but when he saw them, he cried, "You made it!"

He started to run toward them, then remembered he was turning his back on Zeus, and looked for permission.

"Go on," Zeus said. But he wasn't really paying attention to Grover. The lord of the sky was staring intently at Thalia Grace.

Grover trotted over. None of the gods spoke. Every clop of Grover's hooves echoed on the marble floor. The Ophiotauris splashed in his bubble of water and the hearth fire crackled.

Grover gave Annabeth Chase and Thalia big hugs. Then he grasped Percys arms. "Percy, Bessie and I made it! But you have to convince them! They can't do it!"

"Do what?" I asked.

"Heroes," Artemis called.

The goddess slid down from her throne and turned to human size, a young auburnhaired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. Zoe Nightshade stood beside her. She walked toward them, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion in her face. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight.

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Artemis told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas's attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act."

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods, as if they weren't all happy with this plan, but nobody protested.

"At my Lord Zeus's command," Artemis said, "my brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes…"

She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?"

She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually. Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparking with energy. Next to him sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colors like peacock feathers. The Lady Hera.

On Zeus's right, sat Poseidon, dressed in beach shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and sandals. Next to him, a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, Hephaestus.

Hermes was wearing a business suit, checking messages on his caduceus mobile phone. Apollo leaned back in his golden throne with his shades on. He had iPod headphones on, so it was uncertain whether he was even listening, but he gave Percy a thumbs-up. Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grape vine between his fingers. And Ares, well, he sat on his chrome-and-leather throne, he did not seem too interested in the conversation.

On the ladies' side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat next to Hera on a throne woven of apple-tree branches. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. Next to her sat a beautiful gray-eyed woman in an elegant white dress. She could only be Annabeth's mother, Athena. Then there was Aphrodite, who smiled at Percy knowingly, making him blush involuntarily.

All the Olympians in one place. So much power in this room it was a miracle the whole palace didn't blow apart. "

I gotta say"—Apollo broke the silence—"these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: "Heroes win laurels—"

"Um, yes, first class," Hermes interrupted, like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry. "All in favor of not disintegrating them?"

A lot of hands went up— Ares, Demeter, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis.

The goddess Athena cleared her throat and sat forward. "I am proud of my daughter as well. But there is a security risk here with the other two, and the third in Apollos temple."

"Mother!" Annabeth said. "How can you—"

Athena cut her off with a calm but firm look. "It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncles, Poseidon, and Hades chose to break their oath not to have more children As we know from the Great Prophecy, children of the three elder gods… such as Thalia, Percy, and Valen… are dangerous."

Ares shrugged, "All I see are strong assets for a war, a war we know is coming."

"Ares, this war decides the fate of Olympus." Athena chided, "We cannot afford to be so casual with it."

Ares scoffed, "The war is coming, whether we like it or not, I for one would rather get it over with than live in fear of the inevitable."

"Do not be foolish Ares, that will only get you killed, or do you not remember the time the giants had you trapped in a bronze jar?"

"Why you-!"

He started to get up, but a grape vine grew around his waist like a seat belt and pulled him back down.

"Oh, please, Ares," Dionysus sighed. "Save the fighting for later."

Ares cursed and ripped away the vine. "You're one to talk, you old drunk. You haven't even decided what you want to do with them."

Dionysus gazed down at them wearily. "I have no love for them. Athena, do you truly think it safest to destroy them?"

"I do not pass judgement," Athena said. "I only point out the risk. What we do, the Council must decide."

"I will not have them punished," Artemis said. "I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it."

"Calm down, sis," Apollo said. "Jeez, you need to lighten up."

"Don't call me sis! I will reward them."

"Well," Zeus grumbled. "Perhaps. But what about the son of Hades? He is sixteen already, his mere presence is a risk to us all."

Apollo frowned, "Now wait just a minute-"

Athena cut him off, "I too believe he is too much of a risk."

"Really? After all I went through, for Olympus mind you, you decide killing me is the best choice?"

All eyes in the room snapped to him, even Zoe Nightshade who stood beside Artemis.

"You dare interrupt the solstice meeting?!" Zeus stated, a hint of rage in his tone.

Valen stared at him indifferently, "Can I not even attend my own hearing?"

"Valen!" Percy cried out, "You're okay?"

A few feet away, both Artemis and Zoe sighed in relief.

His wound had been healed, courtesy of Apollo, but he still had much to recover from. He gazed at every deity in the room, even the nigh invisible one near the hearth.

The boy glanced at him, giving him a subtle nod before returning his gaze to the king of the gods. He sighed, "I apologize for interrupting if that's what you wanted to hear, but I believe my own input should be heard, preferably before you disintegrate me into bits."

"Ah," Zeus cleared his throat awkwardly, "It is…unfortunate that you were born so soon, but you must realize how much of a danger your existence here means."

Valen nodded, "Yes, the whole 'Olympus to preserve or raze' bit. Just one thing, I'm not a half-blood."

"You lie." Hera spoke for the first time in the meeting, "You have shown to possess abilities only children of my brother have. You can consume Nectar and Ambrosia and remain alive. No mortal could do that."

"Respectfully, Lady Hera," Valen began, "When I said I wasn't a Half-Blood, it didn't mean I'm a mortal."

"What then?" Zeus demanded, looking at the boy in curiosity.

Valen shared a glance with Apollo, silently asking a question. Apollo sighed inaudibly, and nodded subtly.

Valen exhaled, "My lord, while it is true that my father is Hades, but my mother was no mere mortal either."

"Are you implying your mother is a goddess?" Athena asked, her interest piqued.

Valen shook his head, "She was a demigod, of whom, I have no idea. That makes me slightly more godly than the average demigod."

Ares furrowed his brows, "So, you're saying you're something akin to a...tri-blood?"

He nodded, "Essentially."

"So, as a child of a god and a demigod, a 'tri-blood' as Ares coined, you do not meet the qualifications of the great prophecy, is that right?" Athena asked, her eyes glinted as if she had figured out something.

"Apollo?" Zeus asked, turning to the aforementioned god.

"He's telling the truth." Apollo said, "The prophecy hasn't begun, trust me I'd be the first to know if it did."

Zeus sighed, sitting a lot straighter now as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He muttered something like 'I never liked unnecessarily killing heroes.'

"There is still the matter of the Ophiotaurus," Athena warned, "And the other two candidates."

Percy looked at her, confused for a second, before the reality of the situation took hold. "Bessie? You want to destroy Bessie?"

"Mooooooo!" Bessie protested.

Poseidon frowned. "You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?"

"Dad," he said, "he's just a sea creature. A really nice sea creature. You can't destroy him."

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. "Percy, the monster's power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or—"

"You can't," he insisted, looking at Zeus. "Controlling the prophecies never works. Isn't that true? Besides, Bess—the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It's just as wrong as… as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they might do. It's wrong!"

Zeus seemed to consider this. His eyes drifted to his daughter Thalia. "And what of the risk? Kronos knows full well, if one of you were to sacrifice the beast's entrails, you would have the power to destroy us. Do you think we can let that possibility remain? You, my daughter, will turn sixteen on the morrow, just as the prophecy says."

"You have to trust them," Annabeth spoke up. "Sir, you have to trust them."

"Annabeth is right," Artemis said. "Which is why I must first make a reward. But before that, Father, I must speak to you privately."

Zeus beckoned Artemis forward. He leaned down and listened as she spoke in his ear.

Valen walked over to the other heroes, "So, what'd I miss?"

Percy smiled, "Nothing much, just Athena suggesting to disintegrate Thalia and me, and Ares almost getting into a fight with her."

He sighed, "I swear, the gods are more paranoid than most medieval kings."

"I shall have a new huntress, someone I believe to be fit for the position." Artemis suddenly announced, and Percy looked panicked.

"Annabeth," He said under his breath, "Don't."

Annabeth looked confused, but before she could ask for an explanation, Artemis spoke again.

"Thalia," Artemis said. "Daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?"

Stunned silence filled the room, as the gods waited for Thalias answer.

"I will," Thalia said firmly.

Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern. "My daughter, consider well—"

"Father," she said. "I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won't let this prophecy be mine. I stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will never tempt me again." She knelt before the goddess and began the words, "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men…"

After finishing her pledge, she proceeded to hug Percy, the two exchanged a few words before she moved on to the others. Then Thalia went to stand by Artemis's side.

"Now for the Ophiotaurus," Artemis said.

"This boy is still dangerous," Dionysus warned. "The beast is a temptation to great power. Even if we spare the boy—"

"No." Percy looked around at all the gods. "Please. Keep the Ophiotaurus safe. My dad can hide him under the sea somewhere, or keep him in an aquarium here in Olympus. But you have to protect him."

"And why should we trust you?" rumbled Hephaestus.

"I'm only fourteen," he said. "If this prophecy is about me, that's two more years."

"Two years for Kronos to deceive you," Athena said. "Much can change in two years, my young hero."

"Mother!" Annabeth said, exasperated.

"It is only the truth, child. It is bad strategy to keep the animal alive. Or the boy."

Valen rolled his eyes, "There's a difference between strategy and straight up paranoia."

Athena turned to glare at the boy, who shrugged in reply. "What? I'm not wrong, and you know it. I'm fairly certain the council has watched over this entire quest, and if you did that then it's possible you watched his other quests. I think three quests are enough to get to know a person, even if you are only watching. Perseus will not betray the gods, not unless the gods betray him. Even then, he will do all in his power to keep his friends safe, considering otherwise is simply idiotic."

Not waiting for a response, he continued, "I realize he could be a security risk, but killing him should not be your first option. Give him no reason to betray Olympus, heck keep an eye on him at all times if need be, but to kill him makes you Olympians not very trustworthy." He glanced at Athena, "If you're thinking of this from a strategic standpoint, think of his uses as well as his risks, he could be what turns the tides in our favor during the war, but not if he's dead."

Silence reigned for a moment, and Percy feared the gods were about to destroy his friend, even if they had decided not to earlier.

But then, Poseidon laughed, a rich deep laughter which soon carried on to some of the other gods. "You have to admit niece, he has a point."

Athena turned her glare to Posiedon, who ceased his laughter. Coughing into his fist, he stood up, "I will not have a sea creature destroyed, if I can help it. And I can help it."

He held out his hand, and a trident appeared in it: a twenty foot long bronze shaft with three spear tips that shimmered with blue, watery light. "I will vouch for the boy and the safety of the Ophiotaurus."

"You won't take it under the sea!" Zeus stood suddenly. "I won't have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession."

"Brother, please, trust me this once." Poseidon sighed.

Zeus's lightning bolt appeared in his hand, a shaft of electricity that filled the whole room with the smell of ozone. "I would have, had you not been a major part of the rebellion a couple millenia ago."

"Fine," Poseidon said. "I will build an aquarium for the creature here. Hephaestus can help me. The creature will be safe. We shall protect it with all our powers. The boy will not betray us. I vouch for this on my honor."

Zeus thought about this. "All in favor?"

Surprisingly, a lot of hands went up. Dionysus abstained, so did Athena. But everybody else…

"We have a majority," Zeus decreed. "And so, since we will not be destroying these heroes… I imagine we should honor them. Let the triumph celebration begin!"

.

.

.

Valen POV:

I feel like I shouldn't have said that. I thought as I walked around Olympus. The Nine Muses themselves were responsible for the music, and nobody complained, nobody would dare to.

Dionysus himself went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautiful woman walked with him arm in arm—his wife, Ariadne. Dionysus looked happy for the first time. Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of mortal snack food crowded the banquet tables. Golden goblets filled with whatever drink you wanted.

Pissing off a god, or goddess, is never a good idea. Heck, just look at what happened to Ariadne, or Minos! Granted they deserved it, but still!

I sighed, deciding I should apologize to the goddess of wisdom.

It was as if she had read my thoughts, for when I turned back Io and behold, there she was. I sucked in a crisp breath, "Lady Athena, I apologize if I offended you back there. That was not my intention, I merely wished to not see my friend get vaporized in front of me."

Athena looked at me with narrowed eyes, "Be at ease, son of Hades. You brought up fair points, as disrespectful as they were. It seems even in my infinite wisdom, I had become narrow minded."

I did not know what to say to that, so I remained quiet. Athena studied me some more, "The fates are not pleased with you Valen Steensen."

"What?"

"You prevented Zoe Nightshade's death." She stated, as if that explained everything.

"I just found a loophole and used it." I answered truthfully, if the fates didn't see that as a possibility it's their problem, not mine.

"I'm not berating you, in fact most of us find it…amusing how you defied fate without breaking any rules."

I nodded, thankful for that fact.

"Now, it seems someone else desires your attention more than me." Athena looked pointedly behind me, and when I turned back, there stood Apollo, grinning like a doofus.

I turned back to bid Athena goodbye, but she had already left, and so I turned to Apollo. "So, Fred, I suppose I must thank you for healing me."

Apollo shrugged, "Not much I can do to refuse when Artemis and Zoe demand that I heal you, not to mention your other friends."

I raised an eyebrow, "Zoe? That's…strange."

Apollo placed his hands on my shoulders, "Congratulations, you managed to seduce the Lieutenant of the hunt."

"I did nothing of the sort." I said, appalled.

"Yes, yes, saving peoples lives usually has that effect."

"Apollo, shes a huntress-"

"Even more impressive!" He cut me off, laughing good naturedly.

"And I don't date," I said, Apollo's grin melted off.

"What?"

"Yeah, I think love is an emotion that only exists to coerce people to mate, to continue their lineage. The life of a demigod is, more often than not, shorter than most mortals. Heck, the oldest camper I've ever seen is barely twenty-one. We die too fast to mate and raise an offspring."

Apollo blinked in surprise, as if my words didn't make any sense. Maybe they didn't, immortals didn't really have a need to continue their lineage with them being, well, immortal.

"Oh." He said, "So, you're asexual?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm pretty sure I'm attracted to girls, but I'm simply not interested in love as of now."

"Ah," he said awkwardly. "Well, if you ever need archery lessons…" He trailed off.

I nodded, "I'll let you know."

As Apollo left, I heaved a sigh of relief. Talking with gods was always stressful, and I knew more would likely come, so I enjoyed the few moments of solitude I had.

Standing at the edge of the mountain, I sipped at my nectar, watching the city of New York.

I was not wrong about my earlier assumption. I felt him before I saw him, the distinct brightness of an immortal soul.

"Breathtaking view isn't it?"

I tilted my head downwards, "Lord Zeus."

"You have done Olympus a great service, nephew." Zeus said, still looking at the city. "You were right in saying we would not be very trustworthy if we killed heroes who served us well."

"That would be counterproductive, yes."

He sighed, "I have made many harsh decisions over the years, some more impulsive than the rest, and I fear there are more to come."

I had a feeling he wasn't asking for consolation. An unomfortable silence descended upon us.

Zeus cleared his throat, "So, how has my brother been treating you?"

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden question but answered nonetheless, "I've only met him once, but he has been keeping me hidden for years so, I suppose he's been courteous."

Zeus nodded, "I see." He glanced at me, patting my back, "May Tyche favour you, nephew."

Well that was awkward. I thought as he walked away.

Sighing, I moved from the edge of Olympus. It was not long before I came across someone I knew.

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but noticing who he was dancing with, I chose to remain quiet. I was not one to interrupt budding romance anyway, so I walked away.

"What are you doing all alone?" I heard the unmistakable voice of Thalia speak.

I greeted as I turned back. "Look around, Thalia. Grover's socialising with other satyrs and nymphs. Percy, well see for yourself."

She turned around, noticing the two lovebirds dancing, "So they finally went for it."

"Yep," I said, dragging out the p.

"You could have come to us." She retorted, turning back to face me.

I deadpanned at her, "I don't know why but something tells me the hunt wouldn't appreciate a guy interrupting their enjoyment."

"That's not true!"

"It is," I said, "You knew me before you joined and I guess Zoe tolerates me now. The rest? They have no reason to see me as anything other than their definition of men."

Thalia found that hard to argue against.

I smiled, "It's fine, I'm used to solitude, in fact I think I prefer it now."

"That's not…" Thalia struggled to come up with a response.

"I never was one for parties anyway." I said, reassuring her. She remained quiet, so I decided to switch the topic "How's immortality feel? Do you feel stronger, faster? Wait, hold on being here talking to me isn't breaking your vow is it?"

She laughed, "No, of course not. You're my friend, did you see Artemis stop me when I hugged you guys?"

I cracked a grin, "Fair enough. Now that you have immortality ahead of you, what's your plan?"

Thalia lowered her eyes, "I don't know, follow Artemis' orders I suppose? Get stronger? You know, it's unfair how we're all children of the big three yet you're the most powerful."

I shook my head, "I do not have power, I use tricks most of the time, no one expects those. In terms of pure firepower, I'd say we're equal."

She arched an eyebrow, "Didn't you say your mom was a demigod?"

"I haven't delved into her side of the family yet." I said. "Which reminds me, I still need to ask Zoe what she knows of her."

"You won't need to look far for that."

I swivelled around, "Motherf- You guys seriously need to stop sneaking up on me from behind."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "We were not trying to, cousin."

"It's still creepy how you guys make no noise, even without using magic."

"We wouldn't be very good hunters if we couldn't do that much." Zoe said.

I nodded, "Makes sense."

"You wish to know about your mother, yes?"

"Yes, I barely know anything about her."

Artemis nodded, "Emily Steensen was a fine huntress, her loss affected the entire hunt. She was kind, yet stern, affectionate, yet strict. It was only a few decades ago that she chose to leave the hunt."

"She chose to leave?" I repeated, "But why?"

"She had grown weary and tired of the life of a huntress, she wished to live on as a mortal and greet death by her own terms." Artemis explained, "Yet, she kept contact with us even after retiring. Whenever we were in the area, we would try and visit her at least once."

"We even met you a few times." Zoe said. I did not like that grin on her face.

Artemis smiled, "Yes, when was it again, 1995?"

"I believe it was 1994 my lady."

"Ah, yes, that was the last time we visited her."

I furrowed my brows, had three year old me done something to offend them?

"It is not what you think," Artemis said, as if reading my thoughts. Which she probably did. "We merely did not pass by that area again, and when we did a few years ago, we could not find her house."

My eyes widened in realization, "Hades."

She nodded, looking at the ground as if peering into the underworld itself, "Yes, it seems my uncle had you two hidden."

She turned back to me, "She had asked us to keep you safe and guide you to Camp Half-Blood if she was unable to. When the news of her death reached us, we wasted no time in returning to her house, now visible without Hades' protection. But all we found there was her mauled half eaten corpse and calf deep golden dust."

I winced remembering my dream about her a few days back. How she had faced an army of monsters all on her own.

"We did not know whether she would end up in the Underworld, but nonetheless burnt her body in a funeral shroud, salvaged what we could and left to look for you." She looked at me guiltily. "After two years of searching, we gave up. Assuming you were eaten by some monster."

I shrugged, "It's understandable, heck two years is too long to waste on looking for me, I'm sure you had better duties."

She shook her head, "Honouring a dead sister's wishes takes priority over our usual duties."

I only nodded solemnly before something struck me, "Wait, what do you mean you didn't know where she would end up in?"

Artemis looked around uncomfortably, "I'm not supposed to reveal this, but your mother was from a different pantheon."

"What?!" I nearly yelled. "What do you mean different pantheon?"

"I'm afraid that's all I can say." Artemis refused to budge. Then, she switched the topic, as if the conversation never happened in the first place.

"The best thing we got from her home, however," She snapped her fingers, and a green album appeared in her hands.

My eyes widened once more, this time in dread.

"Is that what I think it is?" Thalia grinned, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Have mercy Lady Artemis." I pleaded, dread filling my chest.

The grin she had on her face said otherwise.

So I did the most reasonable thing I could.

I shadow travelled away, but I could swear I heard their laughter behind me. Near instantly I regretted it, it felt like my stomach did a somersault and landed upside down. Yeah, I needed to lay down on the magic for a while.

It was Aphrodite who visited me next, asking me if my view on love had changed.

Of course it hadn't.

She attempted to pair me with people again, this time including goddesses in the list.

"Lady Aphrodite, I am content to find love on my own, if I ever do." I said, trying to persuade her.

She frowned, "But you might never do if I don't help you."

"Uh," I couldn't argue against that, "How about this, you give me a few years to try and get a significant other, and if I'm unable to in the time given, you're free to do your voodoo magic on me."

Aphrodite pouted, "But what's the fun in that!"

"I'm sure there are many demigods, and mortals, you can entertain yourself with in the meantime."

"Hmm, fine!" She accepted, faster than I expected, "But if you don't find love in three years, I don't want any complaints with who I choose."

I furrowed my brows, "Now wait just a mo- Aaaand she's gone."

I heard a god laugh as he walked up to me, "Haha, Aphrodite can be a handful, no?"

I bowed slightly, "Lord Posiedon."

"Oh don't bother with the formalities," he pushed me upright.

"I wanted to thank you," he said, "For standing up for my son."

"It was the least I could do." I said, "I wasn't going to watch silently as they disintegrated my friend."

"Neither would I," He admitted, "Still, you have my gratitude."

"There he is," I heard Percy's voice getting closer.

"Well," Posiedon, "I'd best leave you to your friends."

I nodded courteously, and he walked away. Soon Percy came to me, Annabeth in tow.

"I don't suppose I've had the pleasure," I greeted them, "Valen Steensen."

"Annabeth Chase," She said, accepting my outstretched arm, "Percy told me a lot about you."

I glanced at him, "Good things I hope?"

"Yes," Annabeth said, "I'm surprised you agreed to go on a quest so soon after being claimed."

I shrugged, "Eh, someone had to keep the buffoon alive."

"Hey!" He protested.

Annabeth smiled, "True."

"Annabeth?!"

We shared a chuckle at his expense. He joined in soon after.

"Thank you," Annabeth said when the laughter died down, "For keeping an eye on him, and saving me and Lady Artemis."

I smiled, "Of course, what are friends for?"

.

.

.

Compared to Mount Olympus, Manhattan was quiet. Friday before Christmas, but it was early in the morning, and hardly anyone was on Fifth Avenue. Argus, the many-eyed security chief, picked us up at the Empire State Building and ferried us back to camp through a light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was almost deserted.

The hunters had left, on their way to their next adventure. So it was just me, Percy, Grover and Annabeth in the van.

Chiron greeted us at the Big House with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Grover went off with his satyr friends to spread the word about our strange encounter with the magic of Pan. Within an hour, the satyrs were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was.

The three of us sat with Chiron and some of the other counsellors, although I didn't know if I counted as one. A muscular girl, with a sneer that reminded me of the war god, spoke first, "I got news, bad news."

"I'll fill you in later," Chiron said with forced cheerfulness. "The important thing is you have prevailed. And you saved Annabeth!"

"And Artemis." I added, "And managed to come back without a single casualty."

"How did you achieve that?" Chiron asked, "The prophecy mentioned two facing their deaths."

"Not necessarily, the line One shall be lost in the land without rain, didn't refer to death. The line was intended towards me. I was lost during the quest, separated from the main group in the junkyard of the gods." I began explaining, "I saw…something that tempted me away."

"So, you got lost in the literal sense?"

I nodded, "As for the second line, And one shall perish by a parent's hand. Well, it never said she had to stay dead. And considering she died only cause her heart stopped, it was pretty easy reviving her with Thalia's powers."

"Ingenious." Beckendorf whispered.

"The fates will not be happy about this." Chiron warned grimly.

I shrugged, "All I did was find a loophole and capitalize on it."

"The fates will not see it like that."

Of course, I knew that. I just had to hope they wouldn't be too nasty with their punishment. Oh who am I kidding, they will be extra cruel with it.

"Luke is alive," Percy suddenly said, "Annabeth was right."

Annabeth sat up. "How do you know?"

And so Percy explained what his father had said, how Luke had survived and was sailing on the Princess Andromeda.

"Well." Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "If the final battle does come when Percy is sixteen, at least we have two more years to figure something out."

I narrowed my eyes, "Does 'figure something out' involve trying to get Luke on our side?"

Annabeth didn't answer, and even Percy had an annoyed look on his face.

In the end, Chiron decided to end the silence. "Two years may seem like a long time," he said. "But it is the blink of an eye. I still hope you are not the child of the prophecy, Percy. But if you are, then the second Titan war is almost upon us. Kronos's first strike will be here."

"How do you know?" Percy asked. "Why would he care about camp?"

"Because the gods use heroes as their tools," Chiron said simply. "Destroy the tools, and the gods will be crippled. Luke's forces will come here. Mortal, demigod, monstrous… We must be prepared. Clarisse's news may give us a clue as to how they will attack, but we cannot be certain."

"What news?" He asked.

"Clarisse shall explain later, for now get some rest. You have had a hectic few days."

"You got that right." I nodded, I felt like I could sleep for days.

Soon, we were out of there and I made a beeline straight to the Hermes cabin, and immediately collapsed in my sleeping bag. For once, I had no dreams

.

.

.

I spent most of the day answering curious campers (read : Nico) and practicing on improving my swordsmanship. My outfit had returned back to it's casual state, I reckoned it only did that when I slept peacefully.

Percy and Annabeth had already left for the rest of winter and spring, they'd be back during the summer.

It wasn't until a few months later that Hades contacted me.

"You want me to what?!"

Hades winced at the volume, "You have to, we cannot loose much time. Besides, you will be trained much better here in the underworld than there."

I went silent, he had a point and I knew it. The underworld had way better mentors than anyone on Camp Half-Blood, bar Chiron, and I needed that training. My abilities had more or less carried me throughout the quest, most enemies didn't expect a demigod to use such cheaphanded tricks, even Atlas didn't expect me to teleport him off the mountain.

I sighed, "Can I atleast bid the other's goodbye before leaving?"

Hades nodded, "I shall call for you tomorrow night."

"I suppose that'll have to do." I muttered under my breath.

"I talked with my brothers," Hades suddenly changed the topic, "We've come to an agreement."

I narrowed my eyes, I had a bad feeling about this, "What agreement?"

"You shall see tonight," He said cryptically, and if I didn't know any better I could swear I saw amusement on his face.

Before I could speak any further, my dream abruptly ended. It was barely sunrise when I awoke, and aside from the Apollo cabin, everyone else was sleeping. Glancing at my half siblings sleeping peacefully beside me, I headed off.

The big house wasn't much far from the cabins, and it took me merely a few minutes to reach it. Mr. D was already on the porch, a magazine held in hand. He raised a lone eyebrow when he saw me, "Well, consider me impressed, a child of the underworld awake at first light?"

"Ironic, I know." I said, "Is Chiron awake yet?"

"That old Centaur? I'd reckon he's mere moments from walking out of that door."

As if on cue, Chiron exited the big house, currently in his wheelchair form. When he saw me, he furrowed his brows in thought, "Did you wan't something, child?"

I nodded, "I, uh will be leaving for a bit, my father has called for me in the Underworld."

Chiron nodded, almost as if anticipating this, "How long will you be gone for?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, it might be months, weeks, or years. Although I doubt he'd keep me there for years."

"I see," Chiron said, "Well, you'd better get going then. Please, do try to come back before the war starts."

I smiled reassuringly at him, "Of course, Chiron."

I sighed as I exited the building, now for the hard part. I winced, imagining how my siblings reactions would be.

They did not react how I expected them to. In fact, they seemed rather accepting of the news. I narrowed my eyes, "What is it?"

"Father visited us!" Nico blurted out, "He explained everything!"

"He appeared in our dreams," Bianca explained, "we spoke a bit, and…" She trailed off, seemingly hesitant of speaking any further.

"You don't need to force yoursel-"

"We were born in the 1920s." She blurted out, cutting me off.

"What?"

She nodded, "There's this hotel that we stayed at for a while, apparently it stopped our aging for a while. It's weird, it didn't feel like we stayed that long."

"Time dilation," I whispered, "And there's only one place that comes to mind."

"It was called the Lotus Casino if I remember correctly." She said, confirming my suspicions. The island of the lotus eaters, where Odysseus had been trapped for a while.

It was no coincidence the names were so similar.

"I guess then you're like, I dunno eighty years old?"

Bianca scrunched her nose in displeasure, "I would like to think I'm still fourteen."

"Sure, granny." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey!"

.

.

.

It was at the campfire that it happened, Nico and Bianca's claiming. It was similar to mine, just that their robes were black and purple/silver instead of my red. They didn't get the bident either.

Chiron sighed, as if expecting this. In fact, most campers weren't surprised either. Was it really that obvious?

"Hail Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, children of the death god." Chirons voice boomed. Mr. D was as uninterested as ever, no doubt been informed about this earlier.

"It's about time." I heard Travis say, "Seriously, what was he waiting for?"

"He was concerned they would be mistreated by the camp." I said, answering his question.

"That's stupid." Connor frowned, "Why would we do that?"

"Hades is pretty prejudiced against. I mean just look at his portrayal by modern media." I said, glancing at the younger twin, "It stands to reason he'd think that would extend to his children too. Sad thing is, he's not exactly wrong."

"I can see where you're coming from." Travis said, "I can't speak for others, but I'll make sure no one mistreats them in our cabin."

I smiled, "Thanks for the offer Travis, but it won't be necessary."

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"You'll see."

Chiron's hodd thundered on the pavilion floor, as if on cue, "Heroes, it has been decreed by Lord Hades that his children shall be living in the underworld until they are trained sufficiently enough. They shall be leaving shortly."

As expected, the ampitheatre broke out in mutterings, something like this had never happened before, at least to my knowledge, so it is understandable they would react like this.

Nevertheless, I shadow travelled to the pedestal, slamming my now summoned spear to the floor.

Instantly, the mutterings stopped.

"As you heard from Chiron, the three of us will be leaving soon." I said looking around, "We'll try to come back before the war starts, but I make no promises."

"Why are you guys leaving?" Someone asked from the back.

"Better training," I answered, "The underworld has more resources and better trainers, bar Chiron, than the camp."

"Why is it that you guys get special privilege?" I heard an unclaimed ask from the Hermes cabin.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "Maybe it's just Hades being a somewhat decent father, maybe he simply wants to compensate for being absent from our lives so damn long."

"I believe I have already answered that question," I nearly jumped when my father materialized right beside me, a dark helm held in hand.

"Lord Hades." Chiron took to a knee, the other campers following his lead.

"Uncle." Mr. D acknowledged.

"Father?" I asked, startled, "Were you listening this whole time?"

Hades nodded, turning to the crowd, "To answer your question child, some of us simply care more about our children than the rest."

When no one responded, Hades turned back, glancing towards Nico and Bianca in the process, "I believe you have had the time to bid your farewells?"

I nodded, "Yeah, we're ready."

Hades turned to my half siblings, "Nico, Bianca, come."

I sighed, taking a final look at the camp. It had grown on me. I did not know when I would return, so I burned the view to my eyes.

"Chiron," Hades said once Nico and Bianca were on the pedestal, "I trust that you will notify me if either of my children are needed?"

Chiron nodded, "Of course, Lord Hades."

"Come now, old centaur, we're past formalities." He said in good faith, placing an arm over Chirons shoulder.

Chiron smiled tentatively, standing up to full height, "I bid you farewell then, Valen, Nico, Bainca."

"Goodbye Mr. Chiron." Nico waved excitedly, while Bianca just nodded.

"See you soon Chiron." I said, bowing my head downwards. A moment later, all I could see was darkness.