I caught up with the Argo II en route to Atlanta.

I'd stayed at May's until after dinner seeing as she refused to let me leave until she stuffed me like a Thanksgiving turkey. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised when she produced a whole tiramisu from the fridge in her garage in a white box with her shop's logo on it and handed it to me, telling me that I wasn't allowed to leave her house without enough dessert to feed my friends. She'd then walked me out to her front yard, where she met Star for the first time, and ran back to her kitchen to give my pegasus some apples and sugar cubes.

I'll let you guess which Star went for first.

A teary-eyed hug and a promise to do everything in my power to come back to her later, I hopped onto Star's back and began the three-hour-long flight south.

Star gushed on and on about May and how she was the best non-demigod human she'd ever met, causing me to laugh.

"You only say that because of the sugar cubes," I said, petting her mane.

May-be, Star said, drawing out the first syllable.

I groaned. "That was a horrible pun."

An unintentional one, yet still brilliant.

"If you say so."

Rude! My puns are so punny!

I groaned again.

We arrived on the Argo II at two in the morning. Dew droplets coated most of the surface of the deck. Humidity hung so thick in the air that it threatened to suffocate me. Thankfully, we were too high up for mosquitos to make a snack out of us, or I would've had problems. Those nasty bloodsuckers loved to bite me, more now that I was a goddess than before which I still didn't understand. You'd think ichor would be lethal to mosquitos, but no.

Anyway, I said my goodbyes to Star, who sensed Blackjack nearby and wanted to go after him.

Gotta do my job as his sister and annoy him the whole way back to New York, Star said, obviously proud of her intentions. Stay safe, Mistress! Don't let them turn you into horse meat!

"I will."

The quiet of the night consumed everything. Even the aerial oars remained perfectly quiet despite their elliptical rowing patterns thanks to Leo's engineering. The sails remained fastened to the rigging, unneeded while the ship was in the air. Festus' ruby eyes glowed in the darkness, and while I was sure he'd noticed my arrival, he didn't make any attempt to talk to me.

Yes, like Leo, I too understood Creak and Squeak as languages. It was a useful skill when learning to deal with sophisticated mechanical devices.

If my memory serves correctly, Percy and Annabeth were sitting on the glass bay doors about now. Wanting to save them from Coach Hedge's wrath but still wanting to give them their privacy, I made a mental note to teleport them back to their rooms before the sun rose.

In the meantime, I needed to do something other than think or grieve for at least five minutes. I knew where I'd be heading by the end of the week and deserved some me time. God only knew how I'd get out of this mess the second time around.

I softly sighed to myself as a golden violin with its matching bow materialized in my hands. Though this wasn't my preferred instrument, I've had a song stuck in my head for the past few days that needed an outlet.

I rested my chin against the chin rest and started playing, a sweet, calming melody filling the air. Despite the song's lack of a name, I couldn't deny the peace settling into my bones as my fingers danced along the strings while I dragged my bow back and forth. Apollo had taught me this song ages ago. According to him, he wrote it for me after the first nightmare I'd had while under his care. According to Artemis, this was the first lullaby Leto sang to the twins on the day of their births, which only made it that much more precious.

While Apollo and I were still trying to fix things between us, moments like those made me realize how much I cherished our friendship and how badly I wanted this weird rough patch we were going through to end.

I shoved other thoughts of the sun god aside and kept playing. As the song neared its end, I easily transitioned to another piece and kept going. This time, I played a hymn sacred to Hypnos and Morpheus, hoping that it would protect my friends from the worst of any potential nightmares tonight.

I would've played until the sunrise if not for the searing burst of pain exploding behind my eyes. I dropped my violin and bow and fell to the deck, clutching my head. I breathed as slowly and deeply as I could, remembering Rachel's advice to relax as green light tinged my periphery.

Rather than speaking lines from prophecy, this time, visions of wailing souls consumed me. They huddled together en masse in a gray river. The water rushed by at a brutal pace, slamming souls against one another as they cried out. Their faces looked like formless lumps of clay with slight indentations where their eyes should be. Those closest to the shore clawed at the black, glassy sand in an attempt to pull free from the river of lamentation only to be washed downstream by the forceful current.

In the middle of this massive group of people, I saw Luke, his features still somewhat discernable. His facial expression was one of devastating heartbreak: eyes bloodshot red, tracks of wetness staining his cheeks, rivers of snot flowing over his mouth, his lips' violent trembling only ceasing when he parted them to scream bloody murder. The wound along his throat continuously streamed downward, staining the otherwise monochromatic image a vibrant red.

"This will be his fate," whispered the River Cocytus' nymph, her presence swift and freezing in my head. "He will join me for eternity should you fail, daughter of Kronos."

I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat. It seemed like this whole spirit of Delphi thing only worked one way, much to my chagrin. How annoying. Not being able to get straight answers drove me crazy.

The scenery shifted to Nico di Angelo, curled in the fetal position while inside a massive golden jar. Three eaten pomegranate seeds were near his feet; the other five remained intact in his left hand. Despite his near-death trance thanks to Persephone's seeds, his body seemed to have a mind of its own, twitching and spasming every so often. His mouth moved on its own accord, mouthing words that I couldn't make out.

I cursed the Fates for not letting me bust him out of that stupid jar here and now. I'd love nothing more than to smack those twin giants upside the head for kidnapping Nico and for getting Bob hurt when they decided to show their ugly faces in the Underworld.

Slowly, but surely, the vision dissipated. I managed to get onto my knees without too much hassle. Few traces of the lingering pain remained near my temples, though I was sure ibuprofen would handle the problem.

Judging from the rapidly lightening sky, I knew I didn't have much time before the sun rose and Coach Hedge would sound the alarm to wake everyone.

I rushed down to the bay, where I found Percy and Annabeth snuggling together in their sleep. I had to bite my lip to suppress my fangirl squeal at the sight of their intertwined hands laying across Annabeth's abdomen as Percy hugged her from behind as the big spoon.

Snapping out of it, I slid down the glass doors and sent the couple to their respective rooms. And not a moment too soon.

As my internal clock chimed with the sunrise, so did Coach Hedge's bullhorn announcement of, "RISE AND SHINE, CUPCAKES! WE'VE GOT THINGS TO DO AND PEOPLE TO SEE. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! THE COW GOES MOO!"

I busted out laughing at that. Apparently, Coach Hedge hadn't been able to undo Leo's prank on his bullhorn since his time at the Wilderness School.

It was nice to see that some things didn't change.

Seeing that sleep for demigods usually brought along nightmares that conveniently contained important information, we met in the mess hall for breakfast. Coach Hedge made a passing comment about how pleased he was to see that no one broke his curfew rule – "Glad to see you cupcakes have some sense of self-preservation" – completely missing Annabeth's pink ears and the sheepish smile on Percy's face as he took a seat.

The meeting reminded me of a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood, we have our most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz. The only thing missing was the senior councilors and the shenanigans they'd pull while Chiron informed us of new intel and gave us our orders.

Percy recounted his dream – the twin giants planning a reception for us in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico…Oh, gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step…oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. I could tell she was nervous because all the silverware on the table gravitated towards her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned-"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. It wasn't hard to see why, judging from the reserved expressions on most of my friends' faces. I grit my teeth. Sometimes, I forgot that the others didn't know Nico like I did, otherwise, they would've been raring to go for his rescue. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before…uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," I explained, tracing the edges of the skull charm on my wrist. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It's not," I mumbled, frowning. I'd undergone training to go into a death trance once while under Hades's guidance without a pomegranate seed. It wasn't an experience I wanted to repeat anytime soon, especially since it left me in a weeklong coma.

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome-"

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean. 'Twins snuff out the thieving angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"

"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico…"

"We'll rescue him," Percy promised her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"We did," I said. "At separate times, yeah, but we know where the Doors are."

"Then why are they still open?" Jason asked.

"They need to be for a little bit longer."

"Why's that?"

I clenched my hands into fists. The thought of going back to that place filled me with dread, but I knew I had to do it. I refused to let anyone else I cared about to go into a living, breathing nightmare.

"Believe me, if I could have shut the Doors the first time around, I would have. It would've saved us a whole lot of grief." I squeezed my eyes shut. The sight of blood red skies with noxious purple clouds burned behind my eyelids. The scent of sulfur and ash burned my nostrils. "The Doors are the easiest way out. Close them and escaping becomes much harder."

"Sounds like a good thing to me," Leo said. "We don't want the dead to keep coming back."

"Freeing Thanatos delayed their immediate return," Frank added. "Closing the Doors would've given us more time before reformations."

"Please, please don't ask me why I didn't close the Doors the first time around," I begged. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Okay," Leo said, shifting in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico…he knew about both camps, right?"

"Well, yes," Hazel said.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and didn't tell either side."

Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Hazel and I shot to our feet.

The boys seemed to realize the mistake they'd made at my smoldering glare. Smoke curled off my fingers. I had to take a deep breath to prevent myself from setting the table on fire.

"I knew about both camps," I said coldly. "I've befriended most of you before you made it to either of the camps. You've trusted me for years. Would you leave me to suffocate in a jar for withholding a secret I was ordered to keep?"

Silence filled the room.

I turned to Hazel. "I will do everything in my power to free Nico. I have to keep my promise to you and Bianca."

Sensing my emotions running high, I excused myself and let my friends continue the meeting without me. We'd be in Atlanta soon enough, anyway.

I walked into my room and slammed the door shut before sinking to the floor, burying my hands into my hair. I gave my curls a harsh tug, messing up my otherwise neat ponytail. I needed to get a better grip on my emotions. I'd never acted out like this before. Whether this was a result of Luke's death or the Oracle's grip on my soul, I had no idea.

When some of the anger had subsided, I looked around my room, taking a moment to appreciate how nice it had turned out. Leo and I had spent a lot of time planning out how we'd decorate everyone's room for maximum comfort. Homey and comfortable were our goals since this would be our home for the next six to eight weeks.

Unlike the other rooms, which tried to emulate our godly parents, mine ditched that motif. It's not like I wanted reminders of my father or that the others knew enough about my mom to accomplish that feat. Instead, I modeled my room to resemble the one I'd had while living with Salina. My bed was tucked in the far corner of the room with a dresser opposite it. A large, tan teddy bear with a purple bow tie rested against my pillow, a gift from Sally for my sixteenth birthday. A trunk sat at the foot of my bed. I didn't have a desk in my room, opting for a laptop lap desk, which sat on top of my nightstand. In the other corner of my room, I had a small, blue plush rug and my tie-dye beanbag chair from my room in the Underworld.

Underneath the window, I had a bookshelf holding some of the novels that I'd finished reading. A lamp was positioned near the beanbag for nighttime reading. A vase full of blooming hyacinths rested on the other end of the bookshelf. The one personal touch I'd allowed Leo to add was the bronze lantern that hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness I wanted. The lantern's sides were perforated with pinholes, so at night glimmering constellations drifted across the walls.

Right now, the lantern was off, allowing for natural light to stream in. I got up from behind the door only to unceremoniously flop into my beanbag chair.

If there's one thing that I've learned over the past decade it's that reading about something doesn't prepare you for living it. I've read the Mark of Athena more times than I can remember and knew how this conversation would play out word for word. I knew Nico would eventually be saved. Still, hearing my friends call Nico untrustworthy when I'd done the same thing rubbed me the wrong way.

The only difference between Nico and I was that people weren't as outwardly afraid of me as they were of the son of Hades.

I found myself reaching into my bag, my hand closing around an all too familiar tome. I hugged the small, sky blue diary with its matching fuzzy pen to my chest. Each and every word on these pages had been stored in my memory. I knew the dates of each entry. By looking at her handwriting, I knew how she felt when she sat down to fill in the blanks.

I opened to the first page, resting my hand against her signature.

Property of Cleo Russo, it read. Return immediately if found!

God, I missed my best friend.

I grabbed the pen and began leaving tally marks on my palm.

Cleo, Luke, James, Lucy, Lee, Michael, Castor…

"Damn you, Fates," I swore, mindlessly drawing tally marks across un-inked skin for those whose names I didn't know. "I was supposed to keep them safe. I failed at doing the one thing I'm supposed to do!"

A sudden flash of light filled the room. When the light died out, there sat my mother, giving me a gentle smile.

I leaped out of my seat to hug her, mindful of the myriad of injuries she sported. Though we've recently conversed in my mind and through my dreams, it had been months since I'd seen her in person.

I hadn't realized I'd been shaking until Salina rocked me back and forth like a newborn. She reached around me to free my curls from their ponytail and softly carded her fingers through the unruly mess. Her mere presence seemed to soothe my soul, whisking away all previous feelings of anger, grief, and despair.

"My strong, beautiful girl," she said, pressing her forehead against mine. "I'm so incredibly proud of you."

"But I-"

She quickly shushed me. "Now, I raised you better than to doubt yourself like this. You've done everything in your power to accomplish your job with minimal casualties to those you care about."

"Luke wasn't supposed to die, though," I said, acutely aware of how hysterical I sounded. "I spoke with the Fates. They said his string snapped without their interference. How is that even possible?"

Salina frowned. "What do you mean?"

I yanked a loose thread from the hem of my shirt. Then, I pulled it taut as hard as I could, watching as the thread snapped in half from the middle, leaving me with a piece in each hand.

I knew we were in deep trouble when my mom said, "That's not good."

"Plus, his soul's gone missing, and I haven't the slightest idea where to start solving that problem. Then there's the little detail that in less than a week I'll be back in that hellhole with him hunting me. How the hell did everything go so wrong so quickly?!"

Salina's eyes flew wide. "That bastard! How dare they!"

Whatever I'd been feeling immediately morphed into fear. Salina rarely, if ever, swore. The fact that she was this pissed off didn't indicate anything good coming our way. With my luck, she was probably going to tell me that I had to go deal with some other pantheon's temper tantrum, or the world would implode.

"You still have the book I gave you?" she asked, grabbing me by my shoulders.

"Of course."

"I need you to read it, all of it. When you're done, start preparing for the worst."

Dozens of questions filled my head. I barely sensed her bruising grip, more concerned with the pressing issue of: "There's just one problem, Mom. I can't read the language of Chaos. That goes beyond my linguistic powers."

She smiled wryly. "That's an easy fix."

She pressed our foreheads together again and mumbled something in a language I didn't initially recognize. Honestly, I would've been better off not understanding if the connotation of what was being said was anything to go by. I gasped as I felt her presence in my mind. A few seconds, and a chill down my spine later, I sensed that a part of my brain had been unlocked.

Salina picked up the discarded pen and wrote something on a blank page towards the back of Cleo's diary. At first, the symbols appeared like mindless squiggles until they morphed into letters of the Modern English alphabet.

"What does this say?" Salina asked.

"'I love you.'"

"I love you, too." She set the diary and pen aside. "Listen closely, Andromeda, for I fear something worse than the Earth Mother and the Triumvirate is at play."

My blood turned to ice as Salina explained her theory. If what she thought was true, no one was safe. Nothing I did would matter should her prediction come to pass.

"Well, then," I muttered. "How kind of them."

Salina's reply was interrupted by a sharp wince. She pressed her hand to her side, scowling as her hand came back slick with ichor.

"They've found us," she whispered. "I need to go."

"Wait, at least let me give you some provisions!"

"There's no time."

"I can give us-"

"No." Salina's tone was final. "You will not use your powers on me. Save them for someone more important, darling."

She gently caressed my face and then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. She pressed a kiss to my forehead and took a step back. "Remember that I love you with all my heart."

The light filled my room again, but this time when it faded, my mother was gone, leaving me with my mind reeling and splotches of ichor to clean.

Hi everyone, thanks for reading!

Quick update about this book: My plan is to go all the way through The Tower of Nero and maybe do some one-shots later that could address The Sun and The Star. Some Trial of Apollo stuff has started within the context of Heroes of Olympus, but there's still much to elaborate on in the future.

Hold onto your seats, folks, because the rollercoaster of emotions is just getting started!

Lots of love to you all!