Zoe, Karina, and Liam sat around a small table in one of the larger Baltimore malls. Charon dumbed them off at the edge of the Patapsco River before leaving them on the bank without so much as a "You're welcome." The trio knew Reyna would find them regardless of where they went, so they thought it best to remain in a populated area where the odds of a monster attack were lower. Karina had manipulated the Mist to trick some vendors into giving them free food as well as keep anyone from really noticing them and asking questions. They considered using the Mist to steal some clothes too, their current attire being riddled with tears and caked with dirt and grime, but decided they didn't want to risk it. Diego rested underneath the table across Zoe's feet, trying to sleep in the bustling food court. Karina had also used the Mist to make him look like a dog so people had a less adverse reaction to him.

"So," Karina began, she looked between her friends as she swirled at her 'authentic' Moroccan b'ssara with her spoon. "How long are we going to wait?"

Zoe shrugged from next to Karina. She ate a couple fries before handing some to Diego. "Until the mall closes? Then go see if there are any Dryads willing to host us?" she offered, not really sure herself. "We don't really know how long it will take them to get here. No telling how much traffic they ran into."

Liam looked past Zoe's shoulder, scrunching his eyes together before they widened and he dropped his burrito. "Might not have to wait that long," he said and pointed past Zoe.

The girls turned, their own eyes widening in surprise. Entering the food court was Reyna and two of her Praetorian Guards, her silver and gold mechanical dogs, Argentum and Aurum close behind. Reyna was dressed casually, with jeans and a shirt, topped off with a leather jacket with dark purple lining and hood. Her two guards were dressed more functional, loose fitting shirts and shorts for more freedom of movement. Reyna's dark eyes found Zoe's. The Consul made straight for the daughter of Perseus as she rose to meet her part way. Zoe threw herself into Reyna's arms and tried to bury her face into Reyna's chest. Reyna cradled Zoe's head with a deep sigh of relief. A quiet sob startled Reyna as she glanced down at her ward. The girl's thick black hair obscured her face, though Reyna could feel her shaking slightly and one or two tears fall on her shirt. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Reyna said soothingly and ran her hand over the girl's hair. "You're safe. I'm here." Liam and Karina stood awkwardly several steps away, unsure of what to do. Diego, who still hid under the table, whined in concern. Reyna's guards stepped away, giving the duo the space they needed while close enough to protect them.

Zoe was just as surprised as everyone else. She felt relieved when she ran into Reyna's arms but when she finally held the woman who raised her, the dam broke. All of the stress from the past few days, the nightmares, the near death experiences, the terror she felt about the things she was doing. It was all to much for her once she was in Reyna's arms. She finally felt safe.

It was a couple minutes before Zoe managed to put herself back together and untangle herself from Reyna. She wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly.

Reyna gave her a small smile. "You have nothing to apologize for," she reassured her. Reyna looked past Zoe and at her friends. "Anyone else need to hug it out?" she asked with a smile. The two looked at each other before shrugging and joined the Consul in a hug. Though there was no crying involved, the relief was more than evident with their bodies. The two demigods removed themselves from Reyna's arms and joined their friend's side.

"How did you get here so fast?" Karina asked.

"Let's go sit down first," Reyna requested, extending her hand towards their table. The three teenagers and Reyna proceeded to the table, where Zoe sat beside the Consul and Karina and Liam sat across from them. Reyna's guards took a seat on a nearby table, far enough to give them privacy but close enough to defend them. Reyna eyed each of the three hero's up and down. "You three look terrible."

The three shared a glance with each other, even aside from the state of their clothes, they did look bad. Zoe and Karina's hair looked disheveled and they hadn't bothered to clean the grime from their faces nor tend to the small cuts they had. Meanwhile Liam's hair seemed perfect, somehow, though still covered in dirt along with his face. Zoe rubbed the back of her head. "Well spending several hours getting attacked and then traversing the Styx with a humorless ferryman will do that to you," Zoe drawled with a smirk. "We lost our bags in the attack, including our money."

Reyna ignored her ward's sarcasm and looked at them questioningly. "How did you get Charon to ferry you without payment?" she asked them.

"He just said not to worry about it," Liam answered. He glanced between his friends. "Said that he was told to take us to Baltimore and that that was what he was going to do."

"Told by who?" she again questioned.

"We don't know," Zoe answered as she reached under the table. "We suspect, this little guy's mistress. Whoever she is." Zoe pulled Diego out from under the table and displayed him for Reyna to see.

Reyna raised an eyebrow at the raccoon before looking to Zoe. "You have a raccoon? That has a mistress?" She examined the raccoon suspiciously.

"His name is Diego," Zoe continued, putting him back under the table. "He saved us from a group of cyclopes and led us to Charon. He said he was tasked with protecting us."

"Said?" Reyna again raised an eyebrow. "He talks to you?"

Zoe shrugged. "Not really talk talks but like Blackjack talks."

Reyna looked to the other teens. "Does he speak to all of you?"

"No," Karina said. She glanced between Zoe and Reyna. "Zoe seems to be the only one who can hear her."

Reyna's eyes seemed to widen slightly at that, but she said nothing. Her lack of silence did not go unnoticed. "Reyna?" Zoe got her attention. "You promised."

Reyna looked around them before she sighed heavily. "I can't tell you everything Zoe. I wish I could but the knowledge you are wanting is to dangerous to reveal right now."

"But why?" Zoe cried out in frustration and Reyna flinched lightly. "This is my life we are talking about. I have been able to do things I have never heard of before. I have felt more connected to Dad's domains than I ever have before. And the things I have heard in my dreams? I have a right to know so why won't you tell me?"

"Because you are unprotected," Reyna snapped, the three demigod's recoiled at her reaction. "You have lost your best protector and until we free your father, the knowledge of your mother is dangerous."

"Poseidon wouldn't let anyone hurt me," Zoe argued as tears stung her eyes. "And Hestia would protect me."

"Like so many heroes Zoe, you hear but you do not listen," Reyna scolded, shifting from caretaker to mentor smoothly. "Yes they would defend you, but only your father could prevent the war that would result."

"What?" the daughter of Perseus questioned.

"I will tell you what I can. As I promised," Reyna diverted the conversation. "The wards that were placed upon you were not simply to hide you from the notice of the gods, but also to suppress your natural abilities. It is part of the reason why I did not want you involved with all of this. Your father and I feared that you would overcome the wards and self-actualize more as you encountered more divine beings. A fear that appears to have been justified, but you are progressing even faster than we predicted. Your little episode with Aphrodite, the light you summoned, the raccoon, all of them are signs that the wards are failing," she took a deep breath and placed her head in her hands, elbows on the table. "We thought we would have more time. We hadn't planned for Percy to be captured. We hoped that by the time you overcame the wards you would be older and strong enough to protect yourself from most. And now, unless we manage this perfectly, we are on the brink of two wars. One from below and one from within." Zoe felt panic well up within her. Just how powerful did they think she was? Is this why the enemy wanted her? What did this mean for her?

"What do you mean from within?" Liam asked, baffled that she would suggest that.

Again, Reyna sighed. They were to young to have to worry about these things. "As I said, Percy is the only being that can protect Zoe from retaliation and curb Poseidon's own retaliation. So, as much as it pains me Zoe, we have to secure Percy before we can continue this conversation." Zoe nodded solemnly. Unsatisfied, but willing to put it aside for now.

"So it's true, Tartarus is the enemy?" Karina clarified. She eyed her friend carefully, ready to jump in if she needed her.

Reyna nodded. "Yes, but he is not alone," she answered quickly. "Not only does he have Titans, but Giants as well. Along with all manner of other monsters and deities."

Zoe trembled, the emotional stress was getting to her. "How do you know all of this? The woman in my dreams said that you and Dad had been preparing for this for over ten years."

Reyna smiled sadly. "There were clues, if one knew where to find them. There were moves and actions that hinted at the return of Saturn and Terra long before their rise. Percy and I had been on the look out for such signs since the end of the Giants War. After all, Tartarus is not one to let his prey escape so easily. So we prepared however we could. We made the training harder, we commissioned new equipment. We had planned to build defensive structures but couldn't come up with a good enough reason for the Council."

"Why would the Council be against building defensive stuff?" Liam asked, picking his burrito back up.

"Because if the second Titan and Giants Wars have taught us anything, it's that the King does not like to acknowledge a threat until he has no choice," she explained to them. "Now we will probably just ignore propriety and do it once we get back, but we tried to get it done the right way."

"How did you get here so fast anyways?" Karina asked again. "And where are the rest of the Guard?"

Reyna smirked at them. "Nico. Once his father told him that Charon left for Richmond, he came and told me. He was also generous enough to shadow travel the three of us to Baltimore near where the Ferryman dropped you off. From there is was just tracking you down. The rest of the Praetorians are on the buses making their way here."

"By generous, you mean you threatened him don't you?" Zoe asked with a small smile. Reyna winked at her and Zoe felt like she could get back to normal, that she could get back control of her own path. "So what's next?"

Reyna looked at Zoe reluctantly. "I have a theory, though I don't like it and neither would Percy," she prefixed her idea. "As you've hinted at, you are far more connected to your father's domains than any other demigod. It is possible that you could track Percy's location through his domains."

The three teenagers looked at her in bewilderment. "What does that even mean?" Liam complained, throwing his hands in the air.

Reyna again smiled at them. "Gods are the focal points of their domains. If you were to view the energies of the world, you would see them flowing through each god as a sort of regulator before they disperse throughout the world. Even captured and chained, those energies still have to go somewhere."

Zoe was still confused. "But if that's the case couldn't Blackjack have found him?" she threw out the question. "He is connected enough to actually influence the domains."

"Yes but the problem is that those who are holding him have shielded Percy from detection," she explained carefully. "So we were able to get a general area which confirmed Aphrodite's story that he came to this corner of the country, but nothing specific. You though have about a fifty-fifty shot of being able to bypass the shielding and finding him."

"Why would she be able to do so?" Karina interjected. She did not like where this was going.

Reyna looked pleadingly to Zoe. "You have to trust me. It's not a guarantee but it is worth a shot."

"What are the draw backs?" Liam raised a good question. "You said that neither you nor Percy would like this idea so there has to be a risk."

"She could destroy her wards," Reyna answered quietly. "Which would undermine every effort that Percy and I have made to ensure her safety against not only the enemy but against the King as well."

Zoe looked thoughtfully at Reyna. "Is there no other way?"

The Consul shook her head. "If there was, I would have taken it and we would have found him by now."

"What do I need to do?" she asked her mentor, her conviction returning in force.

Reyna smiled widely at her pupil. "You'll have to dig deep into yourself. Remember what it felt like with Aphrodite, with Pallas. Find your divinity in your blood and follow it to the source. You'll know it's him when you see it. It will most likely be uncomfortable for you," she explained to her.

Zoe nodded. "Alright. Here goes nothing," she quipped before she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She tuned out the food court. Her friends and family. Diego resting on her feet. She reached down within herself, like she was going to use her inherited abilities. She felt a pull in her gut. She dug deeper, remembering what had happened with Aphrodite. She could do this. She knew she was capable of it. She remembered how she felt at the hotel, exhausted, frustrated...angry. Angry that someone kidnapped her father. Angry that the goddess hadn't seemed to care she almost got them killed. Angry that she would berate her friend like that. The pulling in her gut became stronger. Golden light creeped around the edges of her sight. Zoe pushed harder. She thought about when she fought Pallas. Again she was exhausted, frustrated, angry, but above all, desperate. Frustrated that he treated her like a child to be taught. Angry that her best wasn't enough. Desperate to save a friend. She felt the same fear that ran through her as Pallas went for the killing blow. The same desire to protect. To save. The pull in her gut became painful. The golden light encroached further on her vision. She was almost there. She could feel her blood begin to heat up. Her senses expanded ten fold. Her senses were assaulted by the new influx of data. Her ears found the voices of those many yards away from her. Her body felt the vibrations of Liam's tapping foot. Of those that walked around them. She pushed it all aside and dug one final time. The feeling of being in Reyna's arms returned. The feeling of safety. Of love. The pain in her gut slingshotted inward striking the metaphorical wall and a crack of golden energy spewed forth. Her vision was flooded with golden light. Her blood turned to fire. Her senses expanded outward even further, though more focused. She couldn't see as much as feel the world around her. She could feel the tremors within the earth deep beneath the Pacific. A wave of water rising to unbelievable heights in Southeast Asia. A hurricane brewing in the middle of the Atlantic. A volcano erupting on a barren island. She felt the courage of a soldier, braving the battlefield to get to his comrades. Bullets flew past him as artillery detonated around him. His fellow soldiers unleashing a flurry of bullets towards the enemy. She felt the courage of their enemies as well. Both sides fighting for their ideals with a tenacity that surprised her. She felt...Thalia? She was running through a forest, snapping off shots of her bow and felling monsters. The daughter of Zeus looked barely inconvenienced by the encounter. She collected her arrows before she continued on her way. Then there was Jason Grace, battling a drakon with his wife, Piper, and Frank Zhang. She felt...a woman? She didn't know how she knew, but this was the woman in her dreams. The woman sat in front of her father. Neither seemed very interested in conversing. There was too much. Too much information was running through her head. She couldn't focus on any one domain. Every time she tried to calm the chaotic storm of energies a new scene would throw her off.

The sea can not be contained Zoe, merely directed.

The words shot through her mind, the male voice familiar and comforting. She slowed her thoughts down. She did not need to subjugate the energies, only follow them. Once ready, she reengaged the swarm of energies swirling within her. She avoided the noisiest and found the least active. What it was she knew not but the lack of activity meant that she could better follow the trail. She followed the energy and found what she was looking for. It was a beacon of energy, as bright as the sun, floating in the darkness. The light felt familial, like it recognized and welcomed her. Another pull drew her attention. Branching off from the trail was another line of energy, which lead to another beacon. This one hot and harsh. It pulsed and shot out at her. A beam of energy struck her. Everything faded to black.

Her eyes fluttered open, the light blinding to her. She was in the food court still, but laying down in a booth with Diego curled up on her lap, her feet propped up on a chair. She sat up with a groan, disturbing the raccoon's sleep in the process. Hands found her shoulders and she looked up to find Reyna staring at her in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked, care and concern dripping from her voice.

Zoe rubber at her head. "Yeah I think so," she assured her. She looked around the area to find most of the lights were off and no one was to be found other than their group. Oh, and the almost two dozen other legionaries lounging about. She spotted Liam and Karina, cleaned and in new clothes resting in another booth against each other. Her gaze found Reyna's again and determination filled her being. "I know where Dad is."