Lea was dealing with the headache to end all headaches (and truly, she could sympathize with Zeus if this was how he felt with Athena was born). There were a bunch of shades lingering around her all trying to touch her and led her somewhere.

As if.

Lea wasn't one of those dumb white bitches from the movies.

She was under close "watch" by the Pleiades after her "earth quaking wail" and fainting like a damsel in distress. It was easy to see just how Hermes gained his title as the god of crafty wiles as his Mother spun some tale about her lifeforce fading from holding the whole wide world in her hands and the effects of her khaos-mark pulling at her since Hermes was an underworld god. Lea quickly realized that she had been kidnapped by idiots because that was legit bullshit, but they ate it right on up.

But even she couldn't deny there was some truth to her words. Lea did feel like she was fading away, the longer that fuckass binding stayed kept her from accessing the rest of her mageia. And she was really hoping that those shades were not the freaky ass oneiri from Dreamland trying to get her.

Atlas had come by to visit her as Maia and Kelainô were helping regain strength in her legs. She was able to walk longer distances without help now. The general stared at her silently and she met his gaze evenly. Never let it be said that Leaneira was a coward. The titan turned away from her to look back at his daughters. "Your sister," he sneered. "Lipara... Zoë as she calls herself now will be returning home soon. Gather our forces. We must gift her quite the welcoming party."

Lea snorted.

She could feel the weight of his gaze on her as she focused on walking past her record distance. She had been doing really good. The small amount of nectar and unicorn shavings (Which of course, unicorns were real, why not) had been doing wonders, but that damn binding.

"Do not worry, Poseidón thygater, you'll see your brother soon enough." She could hear the mocking smile in his voice.

And well, no one ever said that Lea was matured because she mimicked his tone, adding a bit more dramatic flair as she said: "Shut yo old refrigerator meat smelling, biscuit built body, turnip breath ass up. Go deadlift lift another cloud."

"Why, you little—"

"Father!" Maia stated sharply. Her lovely eyes moved between them both with the maternal air disapproval ringing through them. Lea turned away. "Both of you. Please. Have some decorum. We are family."

No, they ain't.

Atlas growled. "I never understood why you defended them so much in the past. He gave you a lovely son, naí. But he did not marry you. You were not a bride of Ζεύς."

"I need no man to know my worth, Father." Maia sniffed, turning her nose in the air. "I take more pleasure out of being the Mother of my Ermis and the adoring words from my grandchildren. Besides, I am a goddess who promotes growth, and my worship stands in equal form to Hḗrē, Rheia, and Mother Gaia."

"I know, my child." Atlas sighed. "But much honor should have been rewarded upon you."

Well, Lea didn't disagree with that. She did birth one of the Twelve Olympioi Majors.

Lea looked away as at the sound of pattering seat walked into the room. Ha! Speaking of her grandchildren, Luke entered the room, standing by the door. "Thorn has been vanquished and we're down a few men as Dionysos got involved."

"And our guests," the Titan asked.

"Still on schedule," Luke conceded. "They should be here before night falls."

"Good," Atlas stated, dusting himself off and knocking wrinkles out of his suit. "I cannot wait to see their faces when they realize that they are too late." He moved to leave but stopped beside Luke. "Do hope your plan with the daughter of Zeus works. If not, I am sure the punishment will be... exciting."

The titan left and Luke turned to look at her. "I don't suppose you've gained some sense."

"Look at you. You look twenty-eight. Sound like you're twelve," Lea sneered. "Have the views of a 60-year-old catholic man in ancient Rome. With the intelligence of a fetus. You really shouldn't think by yourself."

He stared at her blankly. "A simple no would have been good."

Lea rolled her eyes before biting back a shout as her energy snapped and she fell to her knees. Maia and Kelainô grabbed her immediately. The latter picked her up easily as if she was nothing more than a piece of paper and carried her back over to the bed.

She'd be offended if she wasn't so tired.

(She'd be embarrassed if she started up the birds and bees talk again and "what to expect for your first time with a god". Lea wasn't sure how they came to that conclusion or how they even ended up on the topic of her going through puberty, but she never wants to experience it again. She was going to become a nun!)

"I hear Drew's coming too," Luke stated casually. "I'll admit. I'm surprised. Didn't think any kid of Aphrodite had what it took to go on a quest like this. It's a shame that it's all for nothing."

"If you think that, then you're underestimating her," Lea warned. "That's a mistake that everyone makes."

"We'll see," Luke shrugged. "We might need her fighting spirit anyway. Some of our mortal employees have extricate tastes."

Lea stared at him for just a moment. "I am going to skin you like a snake and gut you like a fish and use your eyeballs as friendship rings for me and Drew."

Luke gave a sharp laugh. "You can try, Leaneira. You can try, but this—this is all that's left for you. This is your new home until we bring all the gods down to their knees."

Yeah, right.

Please.

Kidnapping aside, she'd go mad, kill everyone, and escape.

It was a bit... quiet on this mountain. Too quiet. And well, she knew that someone would say that was the point, but like... it was also the problem. New York was never this quiet. It was a miracle that she could even sleep.

"You know," Luke murmured as he moved closer to her prone form. "It's a shame that this what it came down to. Ever since you came into his life, you really were making him into a better parent."

"And yet, you're still betraying him anyway."

A flash of anger flared in his eyes before he forced himself to relax. "Yeah, well, he betrayed me first and someone has to be the family's disappointment."

There was a mocking pout on her face as she looked up at him, "Your parents aren't disappointed in you. They know this is the best you could do." She knew that despite everything, Hermes couldn't find in himself to be disappointed in his son. Well, if he let himself think on it. From the small glimpse into his mind (and the stray thoughts she could hear even now) ... "A part of him is proud of you, you know," she said. And it was because she was looking at him, that she caught the startled jerk that he gave. "You managed to trick the Divine Trickster. You managed to steal the master bolt and the helm of darkness when they are guards around Zeus' throne to avoid that exact thing. You managed to stay off the radar even now building a league of contacts that no one knew that you had."

If it weren't for the fact that he was using it against them, she had a feeling the gods would have given him immortality to work at the side of his father for the rest of time.

Luke swallowed thickly before turning on his feet.

He left the room and Lea turned her gaze out the window.


It was kind of funny how things could go to hell so quickly.

One moment Lea was standing to the side as the people on the quest and her kidnappers faced off against each other. She listened to them argue for a few moments before Drew clearly at wits end, summoned one of her arrows-the silver ones that she named after Artemis, whispered a quick prayer to the Archer Twins, and let it fly to strike Atlas directly in the forehead like a unicorn.

And then they were fighting, Lea was thrown to the ground in the midst of the chaos. The snake-ladies were rushing away from Thalia's creepy ass shield and running away from Percy and Drew who were a little feral in their anger as he attacked Trent and she tried to turn Atlas into a pincushion. Lea wiggled across the floor, banging her shoulder against the stone so harshly that she wasn't surprised when a piping hot pain erupted from it. Did she dislocate it? Wiggling across the floor even more, she rolled until she pressed herself against a wall and looked up back at the fighting.

Drew had thrown herself at Trent getting one good punch in before he flung her back with mageia. Percy had managed to get the attention of Atlas and her heart almost dropped out of her ass when she saw the way that Riptide just about dropped out of his hands like a heavy stone.

There was a loud scream of fury. A blinding white of power.

And...

There was blood on Lea's face.

Thalia was facing off against Luke.

Zoë... Lipara... whatever... she was helping Artemis in her fight against Atlas while killing a few of the snake women that were still lingering around.

Percy... Percy was holding the sky, straining against it.

(He was doing much better than her.)

Drew was fighting against Trent, spinning and twirling through the air as she used an arrow like it was police baton.

(Nothing like the play fighting they did when they hung out. Nothing like him dropping an arm over their shoulder and digging his fist in their arm as he gave them a noogie. Nothing like him sticking his leg out to make them stumble so that he could catch them off-guard to tickle. Nothing like the boy that they thought he was.)

But...

There was blood on Lea's face.

And it didn't belong to her.

She stared at her hands in silence.

And then...

She giggled.

She laughed.

A sound that wouldn't be out of place coming from The Joker's mouth as she struggled to her feet. She leaned her weight against the cave wall, making her way over towards where Drew and Trent were fighting near Percy. It was a slow-going process and it took her a moment to realize that the shades were following at the nip of her heels, giving her strength when she needed to stop and breath.

"NO!" she screamed when Trent broke through Drew's defense and throat punched her to the ground. Her knees cracked against the floor as she crawled over to her. She was wheezing and thrashing on the ground for air. Lea's hands fluttered over her shakily.

Footsteps moved to her side. "I can save her," came the familiar voice of Trent. "One spell and she'd be able to breathe again. All you have to do is call the call the Ophiotaurus and you will be more powerful than the gods." His hand landed on her head. "You can save her and Percy, and you'll never have to worry about this again."

That same broken chuckled escaped her again. Her hand clutched at Drew who slowly turning blue in the face.

"Save her," she murmured. She laughed again and again, laying her ringed hand against Drew's throat. The diamond within her ring began to swirl as the sea water pulsed like a heartbeat. The girl looked her in the eyes, mocha eyes wide with panic and so much trust. "Reach down to my heart's desire." She could see her own eyes flare in the reflection of her pupils. "Heal this wound with the power of fire." Drew's brow furrowed before smoothing out. Lea's mageia flowed into her skin. "Remove the pain and suffering."

"Lea, how the hell are you—" Trent bent over with a high-pitched squeal as Drew's boots struck him right in between his legs.

Lea kept her eyes on her fri— she kept her eyes on Drew. "Healing is what I'm offering."

Drew took the chance to breathe, one hand clutching her chest as the oxygen circulated easily.

"How did you," Trent started, but Lea was done with this.

Her gaze turned to him slowly, taking in his own pale pallor. The anger and confusion in his eyes. And it was like she had been standing in the fog for so long and now everything was clear... like she had been straining her eyes to see and now found the perfect pair of glasses because... now...

Now, she could see the truth.

"You know," Lea murmured as she stared at him. "It's kind of sad that I didn't see you for the threat that you were before it was too late. Before you threatened my friends and my family. That was my mistake." Lea blew her bangs out of her face as she glared up at Trent. She bared her teeth, eyes illuminating a poisonous green, slipping from her pupil and spreading into her sclera as she channeled the mageia in her ring. She could hear Percy groaning from the weight pressing down on him. She could hear the grunts of pain from Thalia as she fought against Luke. "Yours was actually going through with it."

In the whispers of the wind, as a cluster of stars danced along the sky, she could hear a symphony of voices echo in the night. "This little witch that we love, bring back her powers from above. Bring back that which helps her fight, let her powers be set to right."

It was like her body was contorting as she stood her feet. Dust sprang up around her as chains of mist slammed into the ground. Her hair moved without wind, she glided forward without touching the ground, green mageia pooled around her fists. Trent stepped back in shock. "You think you know power," she hissed, and her voice sounded like a symphony. A mix of her own and something... something not quite human. Something other. Something divine. Beneath her dress, her khaos marked glowed through the fabric blood streaming down her body as she continued towards Trent. "You know nothing!"

A wave of green mageia exploded out of her, disintegrating all the monsters that lingered a top of the mountain and thinned the ranks of those that climb upward. Waves and waves of energy waft from around her, seeking into the land under her feet and the air around her.

Trent stared up at her. He stared at her as if she were the sun and he was the planets that orbited around her. He stared as if he was a moth, and she was a flame of light. The shades climbed over one another reaching out to her to resemble a sweeping cloak dotted with stars until... until it was obvious that it was not stars that they were seeing, but eyes. Eyes the same shade as green as Leaneira's own.

"You spent seconds thinking you could transverse the realm of metaphysic." Blood streamed from her right eye. She raised a hand in the air. Mageia swirled around it, glistening like greek fire. There was blood on Lea's face. Her voice deepened, echoing around the cave. "𝕴'𝖛𝖊 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖘."

Her hand swung out and Trent darted away as a blast of mageia crashed against the ground where he had just been standing. A scorch mark was left in its place.

"Oh, no," and her voice echoed and bounced against the walls. "You had your chance to run."

A wave of mageia few at her, the same color as Mist. Lea batted it away and threw out another hand towards Trent. He fell back, trying to put distance between them, but with another wave of her hand, the shades flew at him. He stumbled away only just barely dodging where Artemis was fighting Atlas with Zoë and now Drew assisting her.

"Lea..." Trent drawled, holding his hands out. The shades were attacking him from all sides. "Let's just talk about this."

"Explodere Centena Millia!"

He eeped, lunging away as the rock exploded where he stood. Neither of them paid any mind to the way that Zoë flew through the air and crumpled into a pile of rocks behind them.

"Lea, come on. We're friends remember," he pleaded. Lea's eyes burned brighter in response. "Shit. Evanescet!"

Leaneíras screeched as he disappeared from view.

Behind her, Atlas bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Noooooo! Not again!"

A blast of mageia escaped her once more that brought them all to their knees. "Secret window, secret door, open wide, and show me more. Stranger, reveal thyself or taste the cold lips of DEATH!"

The air shimmered in slightly to the left of her, near the cavern door that she had been led through. She swung up out once more with her mageia, landing so harshly that the ground cracked beneath her feet. Trent stared at her with wide eyes as she bawled her fist into his shirt. Her right hand came back up, still gleaming with that burning mageia.

The gates of the heavens flew open, pouring into Leaneíras like a roaring waterfall. Power sank into her body, ancient in a way that not even time could touch. A power born from death. Her voice, echoed with eons of power, seeping into his pores, "I believe it is time for you to—"

"—go to sleep," another voice murmured into the air, a smoky kind of fog wafting into her face. The voice was kind of familiar, pinging in the back of her mind.

Leaneíras yawned. The flames spluttering out. The spell battered against her psyche, pushing against the magical boundary that wove around her mind.

Lea's eyes slipped closed. That smoky spell flittered in and out and around the barrier seeping into cracks before being pushed brutally out of to linger around the edges. The sound of pattering feet rushed over to her, and Lea tiredly opens her eyes. Her own face—oh, no. That was Percy's face staring back at her. Drew at his side with a look of absolute worry on her face.

"Come on, Lea," Percy was saying. "It's time to go."

Drew nodded, brushing hair from her face. "Hermes and Apollo are out there with on a chariot and very scary machine guns and back italian accents." Lea gave a sort of watery and sleepy smile before the two of them were hoisting her up into the arms.

Lea gasped, the pain banishing the spell away completely. Her legs jerk under her, and she had an overwhelming need to throw up.

And then they're outside.

And then she's no longer in their arms.

"Leaneíras," came the familiar voice, bountiful curls teasing against her face. Beautiful eyes in a shade of green you couldn't find in a coloring box. This close she could feel the echoes of the spell that she had cast.

Lea burrowed her face into his neck and allowed the tension to seep away from her.

"It's okay, Leaneíras. I'm here."

A kiss was pressed to her forehead and Lea finally allowed herself to she fell to the demos oneiron, where the tribe of Oneiroi attended to her.


WORD COUNT: 3,234

THINGS TO KNOW:

1) Whereas Maia in ancient Greece was worshipped in connection to her son and being a Pleiade, the roman Maia was worshipped a bit more as she embodied the concept of growth.

1A) Before she was hellenized, she had existence outside of her sisters and son. She was worshipped alongside Vulcanus as one of his companions.

1B) She was identified with Terra and Bona Dea.

1C) She also has a connection to Fauna, Ops, Juno, and Carna. Each that hold a level of importance to Jove and Mercury and that if we want to go along with the idea that Jove had seven wives similar to Zeus, then Maia would have been one of them.

1D) Even the connection to Juno comes from Etruscan mythlogy where Uni (Juno's counterpart) has the epithet that goes Uni Mae.

1E) The month of May was named for her and on the first day of the Month which is sacred to Juno, the Lares were honored as protectors of the city and they were grandchildren through Mercury and the flamen of Vulcan sacrificed a pregnant sow to Maia, a customary offering to an earth goddess that reiterates the link between Vulcan and Maia in the archaic prayer formula.


COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR:

1) And there we have it people. The glimpse of Lea that made her the perfect match for a deity.

1A) Lea is not a reincarnated soul! Her mind is connected to Hermês and what's she's doing is channeling him. His rage added onto her rage. It's not a good mix.

1B) And it's only gonna get worse from here! :)

2) I mentioned before that the chapters are sort of prewritten. All of them outlined and everything. That's true, but some of them ... like this need just a bit more work. This was a sort of hard chapter to write because I wanted to emphasize that anger and that rage that Lea felt. Drafting this chapter had gone really dark, really fast. it led into a breakdown that would have set the stage for later chapters BUT when I looked at my notes for the later chapters, I realized that I couldn't go that route.

2A) I wanted to though. I really wanted to, but I think I'll leave the mental breaks for Ari and the psychotic breaks to Liv.

3) Drew. Let's talk about Drew. She's all about action. She doesn't sit around and waste time talking which is hilarious considering her powers revolve around talking. But she wastes no time. Any and everything is weapon to her.

3A) Ever liked the fanon version of somebody so much that their canon characterization is no longer considered canon to you? Lmfaoo. Me with Drew and Octavian.

4) In case, you're wondering how they got up the mountain since they had no need to visit the Chase Family. Do remember that Drew does have charmspeak. Yes, Bianca is dead. Five went west. Two of them died along the way. But Drew then Lea had a hand in the quest bringing it back to five. It makes more sense in my head, but they filled the prophecy, so yeah. I just couldn't see Percy and Drew staying back at camp when Lea means so much to them.


UPDATES ON OTHER FICS IN PJO:

The Sea Verse

1A) The rewrite of Surface Pressure is also coming along. Blue-Eye Crew is coming back.

1B) Ocean's Offspring and it's rewrite are also coming along. I really need to post the last chapters to Ocean's Offspring, but I need to find the notebook that I wrote them in, dust them off and do a bit of editing before I can do that.

1C) The Sea Kids has recently been updated and will receive another one soon!

1D) The sequels to BFK will probably come after the debut of MLNW. Probably. It really depends on if MLNW gets finished first.

The Ghost Realm

2A) I am literally one chapter away from completing the MOA arc in Make Love, Not War. I am almost finished with the second arc, and I'll be posting it all in one go as soon as it is done.

2B) The Poisonous Vine has been given me hell! Absolute hell! It might end up scrapped.

2C) Unnamed AU: I kind of want to change it and make the OC into something similar to Klaus from TUA. Idk yet.