Octavian was never more thankful that he had the gift of prophecy instead of healing. Pranjal and Will were evil!

Demons from the depths of hell!

Yan, Nicole, and Gracie were no better being the demonic assistants in training.

And Pranjal's resemblance to Octavian's own mother was terrifying.

At least, Yan reminded him of Uncle Evander to even it out but still!

He wasn't even able to get any information out of Livia either. She had stuck to Pranjal using his body as a jungle gym before moving towards the training rooms where Lilith and Malysia were coaching Piper through some reps and how to utilize her charmspeak with her weapon. He tried to get some meditation done but was unfortunately reminded of the fact that he sucked at it. Going above deck gave him a little surprise to see Drew on the back of a pegasus with a group of unconscious demigods. While Frank and Rue tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay.

"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he carried them down to the med bay so that Will and Pranjal could tend to them. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

Octavian sat at Jason's side, ignoring the fact that Drew was doing the same thing. She seemed fine after a swig of nectar and some water.

"Leo," Drew said, "are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later."

"But...okay." He hurried off.

Livia was standing over Perseus, tracing moving her fingers over horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Perseus's head.

"Hit him?" she asked.

"Blackjack," Drew said.

"What?"

Drew tried to explain while the medics applied some healing paste to the boys' heads, but Octavian concerned himself moreso with Jason as Pranjal worked around him. Soon enough, they both groaned and opened their eyes. Within a few minutes, Jason and Perseus were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened.

When Drew described their duel on the highway, Jason winced. He glanced sheepishly at Perseus. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."

Perseus's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than normal. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."

"Yeah, but...I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you," Perseus said.

Jason shrugged. Octavian had seen him summon an actual gate made of interlocking lightning before and he had gotten particularly good at making faces in lightning so he didn't really doubt his skill at all especially since he had his memories back. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."

"I don't need an ocean—"

"Boys," Drew interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."

"Food first," Perseus said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Līber said some things that don't—"

"Līber?" Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy...change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

Octavian was really confused on why she somehow thought she could tell him what to do. She wasn't even an official member on the quest.

Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base "for fun." Octavian didn't see an issue with that. He remembered the time that he, Augustus, and this one traitor named Archie had broken into an FBI building. They also blew it up once they realize they were cryogenically freezing people and trying to clone them while also trying to achieve immortality. It was a lot going on that didn't make much sense, but Octavian got to blow things up, so he was fine with in the end.

They gathered around the dining table, and Drew explained what had happened at TOPEKA 32—their conversation with Līber, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys while karpoi had tore into the others. Dakota and Pollox describe how their Father had assisted with the karpoi and a giant named Oranion showing up while all of that was happening.

"Of course!" Rue slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."

"So, it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"

"But the Romans don't know that" Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."

Octavian fought the scowl on his face. He couldn't deny that she would, but it was the principle of the thing. He wished she would take the very obvious hint that Jason wasn't interested, but since he came back with Drew, and reestablish the fact that he was bisexual, some hope came back to her. What Jason needed to do was reject her plain and simple.

Jason turned to Drew with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Drew. I know you could."

"I could try," she shrugged. Octavian had the feeling that she didn't care about Reyna all that much. "But Dodie is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

Jason's expression darkened. Octavian winced even as the other legionnaires nodded in agreement.

"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Arce fought a couple of them. Dodie is on the warpath." That explained why the eagle had allowed Coach Hedge to help her preen her feathers.

Octavian grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Dodie has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. He's been fighting against me since I assumed the position as head auger and the brat wasn't all that good at it to begin with. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles...They could smell us."

"What," Cecil, Octavian think his name was, asked.

"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."

Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."

Livia popped up beside him. "Chicken nugget!"

Octavian and Lina bit back laughs at the way he jumped.

"We'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the legionnaires," Daniele said. "Even if they believe us—"

"You're right." Esra leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion." She sounded as depressed as the rest of the legionnaires felt except probably Frank and Percy. They didn't understand really. Camp Jupiter—New Roma was their home. It was probably worst for Esra and Jason also since they had been praetors. This went against their oaths.

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"

Bobby shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Dodie couldn't get around that rule."

Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if we go there..."

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Octavian confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."

Perseus pointed his pizza slice at Octavian. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine." Ironic considering, he was a legacy of the sun.

Octavian didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Perseus, who continued to enjoy his pizza. Where he put all that food, Octavian didn't know but it was something else that he had in common with Livia. The girl could eat like a faun, and he had once seen her clear the dessert table for Saturnalia all by herself for every day of the festival.

"None of us are making this easier," Octavian admitted, looking at the other legionnaires. "We... well you, I was kidnapped. None of you are making concessions. Don't you get it, Grace? You're not their praetor. Not anymore. You're a fugitive of Roma. They do not have to listen to you even if wasn't Leo's fault, we're still at war. Your people are grieving you all throughout their city and you chase after their eternal enemies. Burying your head in the sand and saying that you can fix it later means jackshit. And you, Perseus, you swore on your life that their arrival was not a trick. That you would have fought on our side as you did then and yet you raised your arms against Roman soldiers. Your words mean nothing to them. Every single life that ends here? This is on your heads." He makes sure to look at each of the seven and the legionnaires that didn't put up much of fight on this. "Inaction is a choice. None of you get to point out how clean your hands are compared to everyone else's when you're hogging all the soap and water."

"So let's plan ahead," Perseus suggested after a moment of silence, "and make sure we don't die. We make the concessions for those of New Rome so that they can see we are listening to them and their complaints. And Mr. D—Līber—Bacchus— Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"

"Ephialtes," Jason said.

"Twin giants, like Drew saw in her blade..." Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that," Perseus said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."

Silence fell around the table. Octavian could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum."

"She wants two of us," Drew murmured. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Today on the highway," she said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She—she asked me to choose which boy would die."

Jason squeezed her hand. Octavian glared at it. "But neither of us died. You saved us."

"I know. It's just...Why would she want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh..." Perseus set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered.

"Percy?" Jake gripped his arm.

"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Rue and the other legionnaires. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Rue said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."

"I had a dream," Perseus said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said—he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"

"You think the giants would use our blood...the blood of two of us—"

"I don't know," Perseus said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."

Jason grunted. "That I agree with."

"It makes sense though," Terrel said. "There is power in blood. It strengthens potions and spells. It's not that hard to believe that it'd be good enough to awaken the earth."

"But why us? Why not just some random demigods? She could have grabbed anyone and awakened before anybody actually knew."

"Probably the parameters around the awakening," Lou Ellen stated. "She's the actual earth. She's already somewhat awake, but if she gets the special kind of blood then nothing short of the actual apocalypses would make her go back to sleep."

Octavian's eyes slipped closed because even though Malysia was the daughter of Indiges... Octavian was born a legacy of Aineías, from when he was still mortal. Maybe Frank would be worth the effort since he was a legacy of Greece and now a child of Rome but... Octavian was the son of Troy. He descended from the founding family of Rome and the founding family of Troy. His line kick started the Julio-Claudian dynasty. With the way that Esra, Pranjal, Rue, and Jason turned to stare at him, he kissed his peace goodbye.

"Tav," Jason started.

Octavian sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll stick to a buddy system until we get to Roma where you know death awaits me. I won't leave the, um, relative safety of the ship."

"What do you mean until you get to Roma?"

"And why is he being singled out?"

Octavian rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "The Son of Troy is not some fancy title. My Family lineage goes all the way back the Julio-Claudian dynasty and then all the way back to Roman Kingdom further back to the kings of Alba Longa and back to classical antiquity. If this was ancient times, I could inherit the throne to Latium, Troy, or Dardania."

"Ariadnê of Urbs Aeterna," Drew started. "She was also Ariadnê of Dardania."

"I never heard of her," Lavina said. "I meant to comment on that earlier. Who is she?"

Octavian sighed once more. "She is the foremother of the Verus lineage. Ariadnê was considered the second most beautiful woman in the world in Ancient Greece. Second only to Helénē of Sparta, but before Laodice of Troy, who was her second cousin. Ariadnê was the daughter of Ankhísēs and Kymopoleia. Her only demidivine child. She was much protected in antiquity that even then she was a mere myth because King Ankhísēs was afraid that someone would carry her off."

"That makes her Aineías' half sister," Lilith noted.

Octavian nodded. "His elder sister. She adored her brother and followed him around as if he was the older one though apparently, she hadn't been afraid to get her hands dirty if she felt as if someone was treating him horribly. She was close to Hektōr also, in fact she was betrothed to him before he married Andromákhē. But more importantly, she was the lover of Apóllōn." Octavian took note of the flash of jealousy that appeared in Perseus' eyes at that before he schooled his expression.

"She was one of his priestesses," Drew recalled. "She had a gift for prophecy and was the oracle for Dardania."

Octavian nodded, not even bothering to wonder how she knew that and just figured that Ariadnê told her. "Yeah, and near the end of the war, she became pregnant with twins. She escaped to Latium with her brother and the other Trojans and Dardanii that were escaping the sacking. She was very bitter about being driven from her home and how if she had stayed then there was a chance she would have became a slave to Achaean. She held a lot of anger towards them. Her line and Aineíās' line ended up becoming one, and she had passed down all her anger and bitterness to her children and grandchildren. She tried to keep her family informed of their homeland and the kingdom of their birthright."

"She said she stoked anger that she didn't even know that they had," Drew murmured. "In the descendants that followed, they committed a crime against the gods and stole away an important artifact that they claimed as their heritage."

"And as the children of Troy, it was!"

"Let's not argue about that," Perseus stated as Livia jumped onto the table and snarled in Drew's face, shaking her tiny fist. "Let's double it back to how you think we're suppose to abandon you when you get to Rome?"

"The Son of Troy walks alone," Octavian quoted.

"That doesn't mean we have to abandon you. Besides Annabeth's prophecy starts the same and..." Jake argued before he slowed to a stop to turn to his girlfriend. "And you have to go by yourself too..."

"This is a test from my Mother," Annabeth said as she looked at the table. "This is... I have to do this." She looked upwards towards Octavian and Livia who had assumed a teenage form and was leaning against him. "We both have to." The siblings stared back at her before turning away.

"But how do we figure it out?" Rue asked. "The Mark and Curse of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy...how does it all fit together?"

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Drew, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Right," Drew said. "Līber told us we should seek out...what was his name?"

"Phorcys," Perseus said.

Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to him having the answers. "You know him?"

Perseus shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper said.

Everyone looked at her.

"There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."

"What do you mean," Drew asked. Piper started explaining something about Cherokee legends — which sounded really interesting, Octavian wondered if he could get a book on them — and stories of phantoms and tortured souls. Apparently, cherokee spirits were always restless. They often lost their way to the Land of the Dead, or stayed behind with the living out of sheer stubbornness. Sometimes they didn't even realize they were dead.

When she was done explaining, the others looked at her uncomfortably. Up on deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.

Finally Rue exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I've met eidolons," Rue said. "In the Underworld, when I was down there visiting."

Lilith nodded. "I can sort of sense them anyhow. Mother may be more of a fertile and war goddess, but she was born from death. That power flares up every now and then. It's different than with Livia. I get cold flashes from her, but this is more like walking into a freezer."

"So..." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Perseus asked.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen."

Piper met their eyes, one person at a time.

"Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak. Octavian's necklace flared, repelling the power, "raise your hands."

There was tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"

His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.

Jason and Perseus did the same alongside Jake, Sherman, Bobby and Chelsea. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Rue caught ast breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall. Drew and Lilith turned to their sister, impressed and in worry.

"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

"Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked.

"No," Leo said in a hollow voice. "The Earth Mother sent seven. One was suppose to be for each of you. The strongest, the best. We will live again."

"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All seven of you, listen carefully."

All of them turned toward her. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all of them like that really pissed Octavian off. No one on this ship should have gold eyes except him and he would burn it all down if they didn't leave Jason right that instant.

"You will leave those bodies," Piper commanded.

"No," Chelsea said.

Sherman let out a soft hiss. "We must live."

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned toward him. "You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."

Octavian wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't." Rue rose.

Next to him, Jason drew his sword and Chelsea drew — Octavian caught sight of the blue bracelet — his gladius.

"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. Her sisters moved to flank her, settling calming hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to Piper." Rue pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair. Octavian was impressed.

Perseus growled in a very un-Perseus-like way. "Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead."

Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrain him, but Rue waved her off.

"Listen, eidolons," Rue said sternly, "you do not belong here. I am the Prinxe of Death and I do command you, but right now, Piper does. Secondly, I am not his daughter. I am his child, you enbyphobic assholes and I can control whatever I damn well please. Now, obey her."

Ast turned toward Piper, her expression clear: Try again. You can do this.

Piper looked straight at Jason—straight into the eyes of the thing that was controlling him (and Octavian inwardly growled at the slight blush on her cheeks. She had better not have a crush on him too or he was making Doves la Mancha with her body). "You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.

Sherman's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. "We—we will leave these bodies."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."

The others hissed in protest.

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.

A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers. Then all seven eidolons spoke in unison: "We promise on the River Styx."

Lilith whispered something to her in what seemed to be french. Piper nodded her head. "Per Iovem lapidem..."

"Per Iovem lapidem," Jason growled.

"You will not follow us or use other bodies to attack us," Piper stated firmly.

"We will not follow you or use other bodies to attack you," Leo sneered.

"You are dead," Piper said.

"We are dead," they agreed.

"Now, leave."

All seven boys slumped forward. Perseus and Jake fell face-first into his pizza.

"Jake! Percy!" Annabeth didn't know what to do so she sort of grabbed them both. Katie helped her with Perseus who Livia was awkwardly shuffling around.

Octavian and Rue caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair. Lina grabbed ahold of Leo as he was falling towards Frank while Daniele grabbed ahold of Chelsea. Sherman crashed to the floor and Pranjal immediately turned to him to make sure that he was okay.

Bobby wasn't so lucky. He hit the floor.

"Ow!" he groaned.

"Are you alright?" Rue asked.

Bobby pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper said. "I don't think they'll be back."

Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

Drew laughed. "Come on, Live Wire. Let's get you some fresh air."

Drew and Jason walked back and forth along the deck. Jason was still wobbly, so Drew encouraged him to wrap his arm around her for support.

Leo stood at the helm, conferring with Festus through the intercom. Lina hovering around him, speaking to him in rapid spanish to make sure that he was really okay. Since the satellite TV was up again, Coach Hedge was in his cabin happily catching up on his mixed martial arts cage matches. Perseus's pegasus Blackjack had flown off somewhere. The other demigods were settling in for the night.

And Octavian found himself cornered by Perseus.

Livia took one look at him and faded away until she reappeared by Lina.

"So," Perseus drawled. "A twin, huh? She's who I remind you of."

Octavian shrugged, eyes watching the way Drew and Jason leaned into each other and how the two of them were slowly drifting closer to Leo. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it," Perseus repeated.

"Well, normally I'd say it's none of your business," Octavian shrugged, wry little curve to his mouth, "but I don't think that really serves this time."

His lips twitched up in acknowledgment of the joke.

"Can you tell me about her," Perseus asked.

Octavian bit his lip. "What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with telling me."

It was silent for a moment before Octavian finally sighed. "Livia was brought to us by Neptūnus on the day that she or well, you two were born. August 18th?"

Perseus nodded his head, a small frown on his face.

"She was adopted immediately by my Mother. Neptūnus had already named her Livia. Mother and Father just added on to it. Livia Julia Atia Lycaea Jackson Verus. She only got Jackson because Neptūnus had wanted her to have something from her birth mother."

"Our last name," Perseus murmured.

"And then her middle name," Octavian shrugged. His eyes went a little distant. "Mother said that Neptūnus had arrived at the estates cradling her in his arms. He said that Livia was the jewel of the sea. He told Mother to raise her and protect her with her life. To treat her as if she were her own child and our families' curse will stave for as long as she breathes."

"Right, the curse," Perseus said. "What is it? Why didn't you want to talk about it?"

Octavian snorted softly. "Why would I want to talk about the curse that's been killing my family for generations? It's why my ancestors tried to have big families by their spouses or their children from affairs. They had a lot and they had them young just to stretch it out. And then we learned that if you marry into the family, you become a part of the curse. If you get adopted into the family, you become a part of the curse. At one point, it was just easier to bury our heads in the sand to forget about. I mean, we were all victims to a curse through no fault of our own. It was just easier to ignore it."

"But you can't do that anymore," Perseus pointed out.

"No, I can't." Octavian felt the world settle on his shoulders. "And the legend... if it's what I think it is... or well, what I know it is... it could be really dangerous."

"For who?"

"All of us," he said grimly. "The story goes that my ancestors stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks' cities."

"What did they steal?" Perseus asked.

"Don't worry about it for now. I need to be absolutely sure," he said, turning his eyes to Livia who was playing with Lina. A very strange version of hide and seek. Jason and Drew were crowded around Leo and Octavian wasn't blind to her kissing his cheek. A throuple, woohoo. "But it's not the Parthenos. That was just a lie our ancestors... the ones who didn't see any fault in their actions had spread to keep the attention away from the truth. But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Roma and hidden there. The children of Athênê, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They've always stirred up their brethren against the Romans. If the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Roma, once and for all."

"But why not just tell Annabeth?" Perseus asked. "She's not going to suddenly hate you."

Octavian didn't care about that. Her feelings didn't matter much to Octavian, but Jason and his strange connection to them did. "I really don't care. But anyway, the legend says that the children of Athênê have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Rome by some sign...the Mark of Athênê."

"And what about you and your Family?"

"The same thing," Octavian shrugged. "We go through the same thing except we're led to our deaths and help narrow down the path that would be taken for her children to get to it."

"I'm sorry."

Octavian shrugged once more. "We didn't have to worry about it as long as Livia was alive and well, once she died... everyone else started dropping one after the other. Our parents and baby sister died in the house fire with her. Then it was my aunt Valorie after her my grandparents died one after the other. Then my aunt Prudence and Uncle Evander right after her. Annia, my younger cousin, died when I was sixteen. Augustus died during the Titan War. And now it's just me."

"You really love her," Perseus whispered, a little jealousy in his tone. Octavian turned to him, noting how he had his own eyes on Livia as did cartwheels around Lina.

"Yeah. She really was the best of us."

Octavian found himself in Ancient Roma, he recognized it easily from when he first awakened his power in prophecy and scoured through the past, present, and future like he was watching television.

But this… this was something different.

It was a cold winter day and Octavian knew something terrible was to happen.

A bitter wind swept through the palace halls. Fires guttered in the braziers. The faces of the praetorian guards betrayed no sign of discomfort, but as Octavian passed them at every doorway, Octavian could hear their armor clattering as they shivered.

No one challenged him as Octavian strode toward the emperor's private chambers. He wondered why. From the way, this person's stomach churned and sweat trickling down their back Octavian was sure that they were suspicious looking.

Octavian pushed open the bronze doors of the emperor's chambers.

From the shadows, someone bellowed, "GO AWAY!"

A bronze pitcher sailed past his head, slamming into the wall with such force it cracked the mosaic tiles.

"Hello to you, too," Octavian's not voice said. "I never did like that fresco."

The emperor blinked, trying to focus. "Ah…it's you, Narcissus. Come in, then. Hurry! Bar the doors!"

Octavian did as he asked. Narcissus? Octavian really hoped he wasn't in the zombie boy's body though he was sure that the boy had died long before the empire.

The emperor knelt on the floor, clinging to the side of a sofa for support. In the opulence of the bedchamber with its silk curtains, gilded furniture, and colorfully frescoed walls, the emperor looked out of place—like a beggar pulled from some Suburra alley.

Octavian felt his breath catch in his throat. He was beautiful. Curly brown hair with a beard, perfect teeth and brilliant blue eyes that he could get lost in forever. His body was bulked up with six-pack, golden abs. He was the picture of manly Roman perfection. Octavian would have thought him to be a god if it weren't for the wild look in his eyes or the way that his beard glistened with spittle. Vomit and blood—mortal blood, red as ripe strawberries—spattered his plain white tunic.

"They tried to kill me," he snarled. "I know it was them! I won't die. I'll show them all!"

Octavian approached cautiously, as if he were a wounded animal. "You won't die from the poison. You're much too strong for that."

"Exactly!" He pulled himself up on the couch, his knuckles white with effort. "I'll feel better tomorrow, as soon as I behead those traitors!" "Perhaps it would be better to rest for a few days," Octavian suggested. "Take some time to recuperate and reflect."

"REFLECT?" He winced from the pain. "I don't need to reflect, Narcissus. I will kill them and hire new advisors. You, perhaps? You want the job?"

That name was familiar even aside from the son of Luna. "I'm just a personal trainer," Octavian's not voice said. "Who cares? I will make you a nobleman! You will rule Commodiana!"

The body flinched at the name and recognition washed over Octavian. Commodus. One of his other ancestors. A part of him sort of forgot that the lineage of Augustus—the emperor, not his cousin—endured into the era of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty, the house that succeeded the Flavians. He knew, but he repressed it also. Some of his ancestors had been idiots, especially those that were emperors.

"Please, Caesar," Octavian's not voice implored him. "A rest from the executions and the games. Time to heal. Time to consider the consequences."

And Narcissus was the trainer that had been sent to kill him after his enemies had tried to poison him and the emperor threw it all back up.

He bared his teeth, his lips specked with blood. "Don't you start too! You sound like my father. I'm done thinking about consequences!"

Octavian inclined his head in submission. "Of course, Caesar. May I draw you a bath?"

Commodus grunted assent. "I should get out of these filthy clothes."

Narcissus filled the great marble bath with steaming rose-scented water and then helped Commodus out of his soiled tunic and eased him into the tub. For a moment, he relaxed and closed his eyes.

Octavian sponged away the spittle and blood from his beard and gently washed his face. Octavian wished that he could see past the soap suds, but he figured that was crossing the lines into non consensual and he knew how it felt to be assaulted such. Then he closed his hands around the emperor's neck and Octavian jerked. He had never been a fan of asphyxiophilia and this reminded him a little too much of how he killed Nate. "I'm sorry."

He pushed his head underwater and began to squeeze. Commodus was strong. Even in his weakened state, he thrashed and fought. Octavian felt a rush of power flow through him—something he had only felt a few times... when he was in the presence of a god as rare as it was.

Commodus went still, his blue eyes wide with surprise and betrayal. He could not speak, but he mouthed the words: You. Blessed. Me.

The accusation forced a sob from Octavian's throat. His last breath bubbled through the whiskers of his beard. The body hunched over him, crying, his hands around his throat, until the bathwater cooled.

And the last thing Octavian had seen was coils of beautiful blond hair.

When he woke, there was a lot of panicking going on.

He only barely caught snatches about Drew, Jason, and Leo going missing alongside Jake and Annabeth. The others were scouring the ship, but once Octavian saw that Lina was calm and Livia blushing furiously—which how did a ghost blush?—he let it go even when jealousy threaten to drown him from within.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it was much worse. Most of them were relieved. Travis and Janice couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Only Livia seemed scandalized honestly, refusing to look their way which prompted Octavian, Percy, and Lina to glare at three of them. Honestly, did they forget that a child was on the boat also?

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic; but Octavian found it hard to take the faun seriously since he was the same height as Livia in her child form.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Drew said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Jason said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Grace? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Leo was obviously biting back a laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Valdez. And you two, Drew Tanaka and Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Octavian cleared his throat, turning away from Jason and stepping away from him. "So, grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

The meeting was like a war council with donuts. It reminded him of the few that he attended when he needed to shake some hands and cozy up to some senators to push a couple of plans through. It was different from the ones he attended for New Roma's city council and the city council back in his hometown when he was making sure that the Verus Estates weren't taken away from his family after the deaths of his aunts and then the death of Augustus. It was a little uncomfortable to think of such instances, but he could shrug it off.

Perseus told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them 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.

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

"You know what they are?" Drew asked.

Rue nodded. "They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step... oh," Perseus said. "You mean Persephone."

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Rue said. "Only children of Hades can eat them, and I mean Hades, not Pluto. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

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

"Well, they're right!" Rue looked around the table. "Don't tell me you're scared?"

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

"Rue, 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," Rue said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance. And oh, that's what Nemesis meant. She had said that he either gets rescued in the next few days or he does that nifty little ritual that gives us a couple more months who knows. That's what the death trance is, but it'd cut his life expectancy down by a lot and that's different for every person."

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

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Rue said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely. The last day he would have to conjure all the energy that he can, and it'd knock him completely into it. It'd be closer to a medical induced coma that would be killing him instead of preserving him literally, his body would start to decay until he's knocked out of it by either a god of the Underworld or a child of the Underworld like me and Lou Ellen and Terrel. The seeds give him a better chance."

"And he has five seeds left," Jason said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July sixth. Gods, and that's the anniversary of the Temple of Fortuna—"

"What's up with them bullying Lady Fortuna," Claudia grumbled.

"Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—" Jason continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

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

"Oh, gods," Rue muttered. "Nico..."

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

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

"He can tell us where the doors are," Perseus said, "and how to close them."

Rue took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

"Uh..." Thomas shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

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

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

"Well, yes," Rue said.

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

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

Rue shot to their feet; expression stormy. "I get it. I'll admit that I didn't trust him either, but he's my brother. My Father told me once that I could trust Nico more than anyone else in my life even my Father himself. He's just as much as a bridge between our camps that Jason and Percy are. Heck, probably more! And you don't want to help him?"

Frank put his hand on ast shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Thomas. "Nobody had better be saying that."

Thomas blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"

"Rue," Marcus said. "Thomas is raising a fair point. You're a high-ranking legionnaire. In fact, you're a member of the Collegium Pontificum. One of the highest-ranking priests of the state religion right behind Octavian. As much as you hate to admit it, it does sound a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful. Jason said that Khione was whispering in Zeus' ear. Who is to say that someone else wasn't doing the same for your Father?"

Rue's arms shook. A silver platter zoomed toward ast and hit the wall to ast left, splattering scrambled eggs. "Gods, it makes sense. Neither of us had ever fit in anywhere, stuck between life and death. And here I thought I found a place to belong." They stormed out of the mess hall.

"Rue!" Marcus called after ast. "Ah, jeez. I should—"

"You've done enough," Pranjal growled. He got up to follow ast, but Octavian gestured for him to wait.

"Give them time," he advised. Then he frowned at Marcus and Thomas. "You guys, that was pretty cold."

Marcus looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"

"Ast brother is dying," Pranjal said.

"I'll go talk to them," Frank insisted.

"No," Octavian said. "Let them cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on them in a few minutes."

"But..." Frank huffed like an irritated bear. "Fine. I'll wait."

From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill.

"That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to land."

Everyone turned to Perseus.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"

Was that resentment in his voice? Octavian wondered if Jason was secretly miffed about the duel in Kansas. Jason had joked about it, but Octavian figured that they both harbored a little grudge. You couldn't put two demigods in a fight and not have them wonder who was stronger.

Octavian thought that they were both idiots. It was obvious that Drew was stronger. Daughter of Aphrodítē and the granddaughter of Ouranos, a primordial that already was a step above the third-generation gods (The Olympians). Trained by Érōs if he remembered the bits of information that he collected while he was in the cell correctly. Her patron was Apóllōn and apparently favored by the primordial Eros also.

Actually, now that he thought about it. She was a little too powerful. She had enough alliances to recreate the entire Olympian council adding Hestia and Háidēs to it. Heck, even Persephonê and Amphitritê. Him as a representative for Apollō, then there was Jason for Iūpiter, herself for her mother, Frank for Mārs, Rue for Lībera while Nico could be for Háidēs, Leo for Hḗphaistos, Dakota for Līber, Annabeth for Athênê, Perseus for Poseidón, Livia somewhat for Salacia, Jason's mysterious sister Thalia for Artemis, Katie for Dēmḗtēr, Travis for Hermês, Lina could be Hestia as she was Leo's cousin and she considered herself related to Octavian also... all that was missing was someone for Hḗrē.

"I'm not sure," Perseus admitted. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."

Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs.

"When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta," Perseus said. "Frank, I could use your help."

"You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."

"No," Perseus said. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."

That seemed to make Frank feel a little better. "Sure. I guess."

"Great," Perseus said. "We should take one more. Annabeth—"

"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge barked. "Young lady, you are grounded."

Annabeth stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Excuse me?"

"You and Mason are not staying anywhere near each other! And neither are you Tanaka!" Hedge insisted. He glared at Jake, daring him to mouth off. "I'll go with Frank, Jackson, and Mr. Sneaky Mason will come with us. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn't break any more rules! If I could drag Grace or Valdez off too, I would!"

"This," Perseus said, "is going to be so much fun."

Octavian was doing an admirable job of ignoring Jason though it may have helped that he was hiding in Rue's cabin and Livia was scaring everyone else away. Some of the others had ventured into the city to do some shopping or in the case of the children and legacies of the Herald, to do some stealing. He had been messing around with Rue's tarot cards, the ones Annia made, and then his own gift of prophecy once he realized that he couldn't read anything from that when Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into ast cabin and threw the whole mood off.

"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

All of them shot to their feet.

"Where's Perseus?" Octavian demanded. Livia would never forgive him if her twin got "her" face damaged. "And the goat?"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"

Octavian pushed past him and took the stairs three at a time, Rue right behind him and Frank trailing, still gasping for air. Perseus, Drew, and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome." Drew was struggling to sit up as her hair fanned around her, eyes locked onto the sky and breathing heavily. Perseus was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window. He didn't say anything, but he smiled at Livia when she appeared at his side and brushed the hair from his face as if to say, Be right with you, as soon as the world stops spinning.

Everyone else, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.

"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?"

"Followed!" Frank yelled again.

"Followed by what?" Jason asked.

"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"

Livia perked up. Rue scowled, "That makes absolutely no sense. Leo, you'd better get us out of here."

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm. Soon the Argo II was rising into the sky. Annabeth and Piper manned the crossbows. Lina had done a partial shift, enhanced eyesight doing wonders as she reported that she saw no sign of pursuit by whales or otherwise, but Perseus, Drew, Frank, and Hedge didn't start to recover until the Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance.

"Charleston," Perseus said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories. Octavian huffed. He had a good idea what he was thinking about and if the way the legionnaires glance at him, then they did too. Hmp. That harlot. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank unzipped his backpack and started bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

Octavian forced himself to stay calm. "How about you start from the top—of the story, not the backpack."

They gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Perseus and Drew took turns relating what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium, with Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

At least the coach seemed to have forgotten about Jason and his partners late night rendevous. But judging from Perseus's story, they all had worse problems to worry about than being grounded. When Perseus explained about the captive sea creatures in the aquarium, he understood why he seemed so upset. Livia had jumped to her feet, snarling and Rue had to hold her back as she mimed going back to Atlanta to give them a piece of her mind.

"That's terrible," Octavian said. "We need to help them."

"We will," Perseus promised. "In time. But I have to figure out how. I wish..."

He shook his head. "Never mind. First, we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his round-house kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. "A bounty on our heads...as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Rue wrinkled ast nose. "What are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe...but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

"Knock it off," Drew ordered with a raised eyebrow at the boy. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."

"A map," Piper said. "But a map to what?"

"The Mark of Athena or the Curse of Athena," Perseus looked cautiously at Annabeth and Octavian, like he was afraid he'd overstepped. "Whatever that is. They just said that the person it's meant for will know," he continued. "We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

"The giants' bane," Rue added.

Perseus nodded. "And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."

"Um..." Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what is it?"

Everyone looked at Annabeth. Octavian was just thankful it wasn't him that they were looking at. He knew exactly what they were looking for. The answer was just too big, too important, and much too scary.

He noticed Annabeth studying him, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and didn't like it any more than he did. Again, he couldn't help but wonder: Why does she make me so nervous? Is she really on my side? Or maybe that was the curse talking...

"I—I'm close to an answer," Annabeth said. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston...have you been there before?"

Jason glanced uneasily at Octavian, and he schooled his face into a blank mask.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"Whoa!" Leo said. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes—until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Terrell crossed her arms. "So, the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose great-grandparents were slaves, can I just say...not cool?"

Octavian rolled his eyes. "It wasn't just Romans and Greeks on one side. More of this platoon on the Confederates side was Greek and that platoon over there was Roman. Slavery existed in both Ancient Greece and Ancient Roma. And literally, the bible has an instruction manual on slavery. It's bad all around and if you want, then I can talk to the Senate after all of this is over to talk about getting all of you reparations since America in general doesn't seem incline to do so."

Jason put his hands in front of him, palms up. "But yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He gave a pointed look to Thomas and Marcus.

"Like sometimes we're too suspicious," Thomas said sheepishly. "And we speak without thinking."

Rue stared at him. Slowly it seemed to dawn on ast that he was apologizing.

Pranjal pulled out his senbons as Chelsea and Daniele elbowed Marcus.

"Ow!" Marcus yelped. "I mean, yeah...bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

Rue pursed their lips. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

Jason shrugged. "Well...I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley—that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo said. "That sounds cool."

Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."

"You did fine," Perseus assured him. "It took all of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line. Actually, we may need Sherman, Carmen, and Evette too as children of Ares."

Frank gulped. Octavian remembered Perseus's comment about Frank turning into a giant goldfish, and then he remembered Livia's comments about how they used to eat the sea creatures for dinner when she was there. Octavian would never be able to look at the big guy again without seeing him as a fried fish, probably covered in hot sauce and served with spaghetti.

"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tugged again with no luck. He grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everybody busted out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway," Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?"

Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Octavian could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there...with Reyna..." He glanced at Octavian, then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

Everyone waited.

"What did it say?" Annabeth asked.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed...shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

Octavian scowled. It told her that she would never be worthy of love and to stay the fuck away from Jason — not that the hussy took heed of it.

"A girls' adventure, then. I mean a female-presenting... I mean, ugh," Annabeth said. Rue laughed under aster's breath knowing that the issue came from ast, Daniele, and Chelsea. "Drew and Rue can come with me."

Both nodded.

"So that's settled." Rue turned to Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."

Drew leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Drew-drop. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course, they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Or I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"

Rue started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's July second," Rue said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies or speed runs his death."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Rue scowled. "When you say should have enough..."

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about barely enough?"

Rue put their face in their hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."

Drew decided to take that as a green light. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" He punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast. He called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please."

Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck. A three-legged table with a mahogany top. His bronze base had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. Buford was toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.

"This is Buford," Leo announced.

"You name your furniture?" Lina asked with a small smile.

Leo snorted. "Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool. Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.

"A helicopter table," Perseus muttered. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"

"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."

Frank choked. "What?"

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants!"

Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will or you can go throw the closet Drew and her siblings insisted that I add. One size fit all and all that jazz." He rubbed his hands and grinned. "Well! I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"

Octavian slept without nightmares, which just made him uneasy when he woke up—like the calm before a storm.

Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. By the time Octavian came up on deck, Jason, Frank, and Leo had already left for the museum. According to Coach Hedge, they'd promised to be back by sunset. Livia stood beside him with a makeshift pirate hat that was halfway on her head and the other half sinking through her.

Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

Drew and Rue were ready to go, but first Annabeth turned to Perseus, who was leaning on the starboard rail, gazing over the bay.

Annabeth took his hand. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"

"Jump into the harbor," he said casually, like another kid might say, I'm going to get a snack. "I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel...unclean."

"Good luck, Seaweed Brain. Just come back to us, okay? Apollo might not have been able to talk to us, but he left incredibly disturbing poems that told me much more than I needed to know about your relationship."

"I will," he promised with a small smile. "You do the same."

She nodded at him then kissed her boyfriend whispering words of assurance to him before turning to Drew and Rue "Okay, let's find the ghost of the Battery."

The new civil war begun.

Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a flying chariot pulled by pegasi. Apparently, Leo's diversion with Buford the end table hadn't worked—at least not for long. Octavian ducked back to the lower decks at Livia's behest. It made him sick to his stomach to know that he was betraying Roma like this, but he figured that Livia would disappear and leave him again if he left with them.

Roma or his sister? The answer was easy.

Still, he peeked as much as he could and wasn't surprised when Lina appeared at his side. Though Butch made it all easier by conjuring a rainbow so that they could all watch through a demigod skype stream.

Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of the trio of girls. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the right side, who was scrawnier than the others, raised her visor. Octavian scowled because that looked a lot like his armor.

"Surrender to Rome!" Lynda shrieked.

Rue drew their staffs and grumbled, "Go to hell Florida Evans."

Drew raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Dodie, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" Dodie yelled, from the middle of the three. "Wax in our ears—standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"You one of the dumbest people MLK died for," Rue sneered. Ast turned to the others, "Let me skewer him," Rue muttered. "Please."

The ship was only fifty feet away, but there was no way to get around those three Romans. The eagles circled overhead, crying out as if to alert their brethren: Hey, some tasty Greek demigods over here!

"We need to help them," Dakota hissed.

"How," Bobby hissed back.

"Well?" Dodie demanded. His two friends brandished their swords.

Very slowly, using only two fingers, Annabeth drew her dagger. Instead of dropping it, she tossed it as far as she could into the water.

Dodie made a squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

Annabeth tried for a dumb-blonde smile, like: Oh, silly me. Octavian huffed in exasperation. He practically invented the dumb-blond appearance at Camp Jupiter until people realize that he was more a schemer and stopped falling for it. Though there were still a handful of people that he fooled, and it looked like Dodie was one of them.

"You other two..." He pointed his blade at Rue and Drew. "Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus—"

All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. Livia squealed. When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Perseus stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger.

"You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced.

Annabeth threw her arms around him cheering.

"Guys," Rue interrupted. Ast had a little smile on ast face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Dodie yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Tempting," Perseus called down.

"What?" Dodie shouted. He was holding on to one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.

"Nothing!" Perseus shouted back. "Let's go, guys."

Rue frowned. "We can't let them drown, can we?"

"They won't," Perseus promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

Drew grinned. "Nice."

They climbed aboard the Argo II, and the others rushed up the stairs. Drew ran to the helm. "Butch, can you warn Jason to get back here!"

Butch nodded and raced off.

"Rue, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"Right!"

"And Percy—you and I need to get this ship to Fort Sumter."

Perseus nodded and ran to the mast. Drew took the helm. Her hands flew across the controls. Octavian had seen Livia control boats before. She was always getting revenge on the few family trips they went on and people were assholes using only her willpower. This was different. A bit awe-inspiring. Ropes flew on their own—releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind. He wondered if Livia would have been this skilled.

Meanwhile, Drew fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the Argo II turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance. The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter—at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod...that was a lot of enemies.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Rue at his hooves.

"Where are they?" he demanded. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"

Butch emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be—oh! There!"

Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Nicole said.

Leo and Sherman were holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, Octavian could hear Leo screaming and cursing.

Behind them flew Jason, holding onto Carmen and Evette, riding the wind.

"Never seen Jason fly before," Perseus grumbled. "He looks like a blond Superman."

"This isn't the time!" Drew scolded him. "Look, they're in trouble!"

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo and Sherman's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter.

"I'll get 'em!" yelled Coach Hedge.

He spun the port ballista. Before Octavian could yell, "Don't be stupid!" Hedge fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot. It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately it also singed Frank's wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo and Sherman slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason. Evette and Carmen went down.

Octavian watched in horror as Jason—obviously dazed and in pain—lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering CRACK! One broken wheel spun into the air.

"Coach!" Drew and Octavian screamed.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"

Drew gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed.

The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.

The Argo II's crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water, so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."

"But—Jason!" Octavian said.

"Frank and Leo!" Esra added.

"I'll find them," Annabeth promised. "I've got to figure out where the map is. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Octavian warned, eyes narrowed in judgment. Of course the goddess would leave clues for her brats. "You'll have to fight your way through, find our friends—assuming they're okay—find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day." Annabeth said evenly. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship!"

Octavian was pulled back downstairs by Esra, facing a few of the legionnaires. She quickly explained the frankly insane plan of hers, but he knew that it was their only chance. Butch had brought up another rainbow. Leo had somehow escaped his fall unharmed. He was ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles. Sherman, Carmen, and Evette were holding most of them back as they fought their way towards the ship. A sort of complicated thing to do when Marge stepped up. Her prosthetic arm immediately switched into a cannon reminding Octavian greatly of Arsenal and Mercy Graves from DC Comics.

Tour guides kept yelling, "It's just a reenactment!" Though they didn't sound sure. The Mist could only do so much to change what mortals saw.

In the middle of the courtyard, a full-grown elephant—it had to be Frank. Hannibal was much more graceful.—rampaged around the flagpoles, scattering Roman warriors. Jason stood about fifty yards away, sword-fighting with who looked to be Larry.

As Octavian watched, Jason yelled, "Sorry about this, Larry!" He vaulted straight over the centurion's head like an acrobat and slammed the hilt of his gladius into the back of the Roman's head. Larry crumpled. Octavian scoffed and Larry thought he was a better fighter than Octavian? Please.

"Jason!" Annabeth called. He scanned the battlefield until he saw her. She pointed to where the Argo II was docked. "Get the others aboard! Retreat!"

"What about you?" he called.

"Don't wait for me!"

Annabeth bolted off before he could protest. And then Esra disappeared with the others. Butch squeezed his shoulder before he too disappeared, and Octavian was left with the legionnaires that would be staying back.

Over by the docks, a familiar voice shrieked over the wind: "Kill them! Kill them all!"

Dodie had survived his swim in the harbor. He crouched behind his guards, screaming encouragement at the other Roman demigods as they struggled toward the ship, holding up their shields as if that would deflect the storm raging all around them.

On the deck of the Argo II, Perseus and Jason stood together, their swords crossed. Octavian got a tingle down his spine as he realized the boys were working as one, summoning the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Water and wind churned together. Waves heaved against the ramparts and lightning flashed. Giant eagles were knocked out of the sky. Wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge swung a mounted crossbow, taking potshots at the Roman birds as they flew overhead.

Livia stood beside him, back in her teenage form with a wide malicious smile on her face. "Avenge your Family. Kill the children of the Athênê."

The winds that battered the Romans didn't seem to affect her.

Annabeth sprinted through their lines. Dodie yelled, "Stop her!" A spear flew past her ear. The Argo II was already pulling away from the dock.

Drew was at the gangplank, her hand outstretched. Annabeth leaped and grabbed her hand. The gangplank fell into the sea, and the two girls tumbled onto the deck while Nicole, Dakota, Butch, Bobby and Pollox "tumbled" off it.

"Go!" Esra screamed, ducking away from the view of the eagles. "Go, go, go!"

The engines rumbled beneath them. The oars churned. Jason changed the course of the wind, and Perseus called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea. By the time the Argo II reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and they were racing across the waves toward the ancient lands.

Jason's squad hadn't found anything in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the museum; just a few elderly tourists, a dozing security guard, and—when they tried to inspect the artifacts—a whole battalion of glowing zombie dudes in gray uniforms.

The idea that Frank should be able to control the spirits? Yeah...that pretty much failed. Sherman and Carmen had a better chance, but despite being dead, the Confederates were still just as racists. Sherman realized this after he decked one in the face for calling him a slur. Livia approved if the way she and Arce were seated on his head and lap was an indication.

Now, as the Argo II raced across the waves, Leo had to use all his skill just to keep the ship in one piece while Jake and Blaise did emergency repairs. Perseus and Jason were a little too good at cooking up massive storms.

Lina was next to him, yelling against the roar of the wind with her hands covering her ears: "Percy says he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor! And the Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers." Lou Ellen had conjured her up some ear plugs after a while and the girl went hid further below deck to get away from the storm.

It seemed like forever, but finally the sea calmed, and the winds died.

Everybody gathered at the mast. Lina looking as if she could kill Jason and Perseus, not that Jason looked any better mind you. That enhanced hearing had drawbacks when it came to thunderstorms. Octavian was used to it, but even he could admit that it was a bit much and Pranjal may have had the right idea about investing in some hearing aids.

He had turned his all the way down and put in some ear plugs also.

Frank scowled like he was trying hard to turn into a bulldog. "No sign of pursuit," he said.

"Or land," Rue added.

Octavian scanned the horizon. Nothing but ocean in every direction. Livia appeared at his side before jumping off the ship as if she was diving in. If it weren't for Lina suddenly grabbing him, he was sure that he would have followed her since he temporarily forgot that she was a ghost and a daughter of Neptūnus at that.

Still, he knew that this was different. They were in the middle of the open sea, completely on their own, sailing to the Mare Nostrum, where all the scary monsters and nasty giants had come from and where Livia wasn't even allowed to go with her Father and Stepmother back when she was alive.

Leo turned to Annabeth. "Did you find the map you wanted?"

She nodded, though she looked pale. Octavian inwardly scowled that she was the one to get it.

"I'll have to study it," she said, as if that was the end of the subject. "How far are we from those coordinates?"

"At top rowing speed, about an hour," Leo said. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

"No," she admitted. "Percy?"

Perseus raised his head. His green eyes were bloodshot and droopy. "The Nereid said Chiron's brothers were there, and they'd want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta. I don't know what she meant, but..." He paused, like he'd used up all his energy saying that much. "She also warned me to be careful. Keto, the goddess at the aquarium: she's the mother of sea monsters. She might be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after us. The Nereid said we should expect an attack."

"Wonderful," Frank muttered.

Jason tried to stand, which wasn't a good idea. Octavian grabbed him to keep him from falling over, and he slid back down the mast.

"Can we get the ship aloft?" he asked. "If we could fly—"

"That'd be great," Leo said. "Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter."

"We were in a hurry," Annabeth said. "Trying to save you."

"And saving me is a very noble cause," Leo agreed. "I'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. Until then, we're not flying anywhere."

Perseus flexed his shoulders and winced. "Fine with me. The sea is good."

"We need to go fast." Rue glanced at the evening sun, which was almost to the horizon. "We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."

"We can do it," Leo promised. "We can make it to Rome in three days—assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens."

Frank grunted. He looked like he was still working on that bulldog transformation. "Is there any good news?"

"Actually, yes," Leo said. "According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"Dang it!" Frank barked.

No doubt Frank would've cursed some more—busting out the golly gees and the gosh darns—but Perseus interrupted by doubling over and groaning.

"Did the world just turn upside down?" he asked.

Jason pressed his hands to his head. "Yeah, and it's spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"

Pranjal and Will exchanged concerned looks.

"Summoning that storm really sapped your strength," Pranjal told the boys. "You've got to rest."

Will nodded agreement. "Frank, can you help us get the guys below-decks? Straight to the med bay."

Frank glanced at Leo; no doubt reluctant to leave him alone with Rue who didn't seem to pay attention to any of them.

"It's fine, man," Leo said. "Just try not to drop them on the way down the stairs."

Octavian followed the others downstairs, but he disappeared to his cabin while Lina continued onwards to the cells that she overtaken as her room. He closed his eyes hoping to catch some rest and try not to feel so bad about betraying Roma.

For a person that could see the future, Octavian did not see this coming.

He had a horrible time trying to nap. Any moment that he closed his eyes, an eerie feeling settled in his bones and stole away his breath. He felt unnaturally warm as if he was standing in front of a forge. It didn't really help that any time he opened his eyes, Livia was playing some deranged version of peek-a-boo where half her body was hanging through the walls. She giggled and fell away whenever he looked at her.

The next time he opened his eyes was because his door was opening reminding him of the fact that he didn't lock it. He didn't turn to look considering only Pranjal and Lina would break in, maybe Leila and Rue or even Esra. But the scent of rose, cedar wood, and saffron made it clear that it was none of them; something that he was thankful for. Gods above, he did not need another moment where Esra cornered him to talk about feelings.

Turning around, he was somewhat surprised to see that it was Drew that broke into his room.

"Can we talk," the girl asked. He raised a brow. She had already let herself in and she was still blocking the door so realistically, what other option was there than to tell her to leave just for her to disturb him once more? "Right."

She closed the door and silently crossed the room. She took in the sparsely decorated area with a furrowed brow. Octavian had seen hers. A sewing machine in one corner, beakers in the other, makeup pallets all around. It looked like a stereotypical room for the child of beauty until he saw the anti-scarring creams, quivers sorted by color and arrows by function. There were perfume bottles shaped like grenades and Lilith had pointed out the hair supplies that were gifts from their Mother that were created by Drew and her siblings at Camp. "Would you like help decorating?" She had a beautiful persian white rug on her floor that she gifted to Lina; the young werewolf like to roll around on it.

It was strange to Octavian. He didn't know these people even the ones from New Roma. It was hard to get so close to them. It was hard to find a family in them. Octavian didn't need a family. His first one got killed. Why would he open himself to the pain of finding another?

But he could see it somewhat. The way that each side orbited around each other, pushing and pulling and becoming friends. Those from Camp Half-Blood with Jason right alongside them had bonds already in place. They were a family or the fledging of one after spending an entire year preparing for this. And with Jason and Percy both being a part of the Fifth and close to Rue made it easier for those from the other cohorts to get closer. Lina helped it along being Leo's cousin. It was really just Octavian fighting against it. He couldn't afford that kind of pain.

He couldn't lose anyone else.

Octavian didn't reply to her, and she didn't push.

"You do not like me," she said eventually. Octavian still did not respond. "We have the gift of emotional reading, us children of Dove. It makes us good empaths. Some of my elder siblings—those that are grown and lived to adulthood—for a long while, many only saw us as vain and vapid only caring for our appearances and relationships and what's in season, but those older siblings... they've gone on to becoming therapists and psychologists. Yeah, we have a lot that are actors and models and influencers, but a good amount of them also went other routes."

That wasn't surprising. A lot of children and legacies of Venus did the same thing in New Roma.

"As you can probably guess, it's not the main gift that Mother blessed me with. It churns within me as the one of the few recessive gifts I have. The others being beauty related curses and blessings, minor appearance alteration like giving myself freckles or dimples. I can ignite madness within a person, literally making them crazy in love or lust or even hatred. With Mother being a war goddess, I have a little talent with war manipulation, something that was exacerbated through Apollo as he also has wartime functions. But most importantly, I have romance omniscience. I can read it all very well though Leo says that I can never see it pertaining to myself."

"Is there a point to this?"

"I'm not trying to get in between you and Jason," she stated. "I do not like him that way. Have I slept with him? Yes. I've slept with Leo also. If it weren't for Apollo, I'd sleep with Percy too. I'm thinking of how to seduce Rue and Lina. Heck, I kind of want a threesome with Leo and Lina. Pranjal, Daniele, Esra, Leila, and Lavinia are all attractive and I'm attracted to them too. What I'm saying is... I am not in a relationship. At all. I don't think I'm emotionally ready for one." She laughed, a little broken. "Me. A child of Love and I don't even think I'm capable of it. Not the kind of Love that a relationship entails."

"We're all broken inside," he murmured.

"Yeah. Yeah, we are." Drew nodded her head. "It probably doesn't help that most people have only seen me as something to lust over."

"You're what? Seventeen?"

She shrugged. "Yes, I turn eighteen this year on the Winter Solstice."

Octavian let that line of conversation fade away. What could he say anyway? He faced the same thoughts even now he could the phantom touches trailing the inside of his thighs and steady breathing against the shell of his ear.

"I do not want to date Jason," she said. "He loves you, I believe. The memories that he has regain and the year apart has given him trouble, but at the core of it... he adores you truly."

"I cannot afford to have a relationship," Octavian said.

"Cannot or do not," she countered. "The world has stolen away your happiness. It took your soul and unstitched bit by bit. You flow aimlessly around even on this ship filled with people you are more of a ghost than the actual ghost that we have. You deserve the chance to be happy. Lina and now Livia keep your head out of the clouds, but it's when you look at Jason that you seem grounded."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to heal from the things that no one ever apologized for," she stated, voice soft and airy. Octavian ached. And when he looked at her, he saw that same pain reflected in her eyes. "I want to heal from the things that no one ever apologized for."

Octavian reached out to her, and she grasped his hand, placing it upon her face and allowing him to cradle her cheek. Tears dotted her eyes, glistening like pearls and it reminded him that the gemstones were considered the tears of her Mother.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

Sorry for hating you for no reason. Sorry for being jealous of the light you put in Jason's eyes. I'm sorry for the hurt you endured. I'm sorry for the broken and dark part of me that relished in your pain. I'm sorry for whatever made you feel as if you were not worthy of love. I'm sorry for all the things that no one ever apologized for.

Her smile was watery as taking his hand from her face to press a kiss onto the palm. "I'm sorry," she repeated to him. She moved closer into space. Her fingers brush his cheeks, wiping away the tears that streamed down his face. She placed her forehead against his and he could honestly say that he did not know which of them leaned in first, but as their lips met in a gentle touch, they could taste the apology that lingered.

He pulled her completely into his lap, and she settled as if it were her throne. Her dark eyes were as rich as chocolate, framed by glimmers of gold and rose. One of his hands pulled the scrunchie that she used to tie her hair watching as strands fell like a curtain, covering her like silk. He looked back into her eyes.

"You are loved," he told her, and her face softened. Slipping his fingers through her hair, he brought her back in for another kiss. "You are adored," he murmured. She shuddered, breathing airily. "You are cherished."

Her own fingers slipped into his hair and tightened. "I...I'm sorry." Octavian swallowed down the words, slipping his tongue into her mouth as she pulled her in even closer. They weren't for him anyhow. "Yeah, me too."

They were for their younger selves that had no one to protect them from the world that just used and abused them and stole away their innocence before they even knew it was something to lose.

He hoped Livia was nowhere around. Unlike some people, he did not forget that there was a child on the ship.

And yet...

When she pulled away, he let her. When she pulled at his shirt to remove it, he let her. When she trailed kisses against his neck leaving a myriad of bruises, he let her. When she moved from his lap and taking his pants and boxers with her, he let her. And when she took him in her mouth, he let her and let his head fall back. The only touch that he gave her was moving her hair out of her face. He had a feeling anything more would make her tense, uncomfortable, and fill her with a hatred of a thousand suns.

More importantly, it was the best blowjob he ever had topping even Professor Redmond.

The jealous part of him wondered if she did this for Jason. The dark part of him wondered how she learned that trick she just did with her tongue.

The rest of him settled back as she pulled away—right as his orgasm built up—, a look of chastisement in her eyes.

Octavian gave a small breath of laughter, flipping the two over until she was lying on her back. Her hair fanned around her, and her darkened impossibly more. He crawled atop of Drew, hands tracing her sides. The girl smiled at him, pressing her breasts against his chest. He laughed lightly, removing her clothes just as easily as she did him. He tugged at the lace panties, a pretty red color that complimented her skin before dipping his finger under the fabric and slipping in. His other hand cup her left breast, thumb playing with her nipple until it grew hard and stiff. He slipped another finger in, leaning forward to kiss her once more, nibbling on her bottom lip, and swallowing every moan that she gave as he tasted himself on her tongue. Pulling away from this kiss slowly, he trails kisses across her neck using his tongue so that she could hear the words he couldn't say. You are—loved...cherished... treasured...adored...favored...worshipped—Drew.

She was Drew and like him, she needed someone to keep grounded.

It could almost sense her upcoming orgasm and pulled his fingers out, laughing at the sound of frustration she gave. See how she liked it. When her gaze connected to his, he brought his fingers to his mouth and licked them clean. This time it was she who tasted herself as she leaned in to kiss her.

When they pulled away, she placed her hand on his dick, stroking it to fullness and using her thumb to smear the precum around.

"Birth control and fertility manipulation," she whispered, guiding him between her folds. He kept his eyes on hers as he pushed in slowly, delight overcoming him at the way the moan that left her. She bit her lip, eyes never leaving his own as he pressed deeper and deeper and deeper. She was warm as she was wrapped tightly around him. He could have stayed there forever.

He smiled at her because he knew that she would let him.

One of her hands traced his chest, fingers dancing over the ridges. The breath in his lungs felt heavy as she looked at him. "Use me," she told him; he shook his head. After everything he had learned about her, he figured that enough people had used her for their own pleasure. No, he would make her remember that she was not just a being of lust, but a child of love.

He grabbed her other hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before slowly pulling out of her. She gasped lightly at the pull before a soft breath left her when he thrust back into her. He held her hand tightly into his own, folding over her body with care. Words unspoken and unheard traveled between the two, a tale that only they could hear as they moved as one.

And right as they both came to a finish, him before her as he drawn hers out until pleasure was the only thing that fogged her mind... the ship tilted to starboard. They didn't even have to speak for them to know that they were both cursing at the horrible timing. He pulled out of her gently, pausing for just a moment to watch as their cum slipped out of her before using the shirt he took off to clean her thighs a bit. Usually, he made sure all his partners were taken care of in a show of after care that was better than the sex — anything to keep the old croons attention for the services that he needed them to provide — but they were pressed for time as the ship tilted even more.

They slipped on some of the clothing he stole away from the closet that the ship provided and rushed up the stairs as best as they could.

"Come on, Valdez!" Hedge yelled. "Take the wheel so I can get my baseball bat!"

"A bat's not going to help," Leo was saying, but he made his way toward the helm. Everyone was stumbling up the stairs.

Perseus yelled, "What's going— Gah! Shrimpzilla!"

And when Octavian turned to look, he was confused. The thing was the length of their ship. In the moonlight, it looked like a cross between a giant shrimp and a cockroach, with a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-type legs undulating hypnotically as the monster scraped against the hull of the Argo II.

Its head surfaced last—the slimy pink face of an enormous catfish with glassy dead eyes, a gaping toothless maw, and a forest of tentacles sprouting from each nostril, making the bushiest nose beard Octavian had ever had the displeasure to behold.

"Seally," Octavian questioned. He had never seen the animal at full size and sure, they knew that Seally was supposed to be a giant phantom jelly, but things were usually different at sea.

There was a roar before Livia rushed forward and threw herself onto it. Octavian just about had a heart attack. "Not Seally," she cheered.

The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned. Annabeth, Jake, and Piper tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard.

Leo reached the helm. His hands flew across the controls. Over the intercom, Festus clacked and clicked about leaks below decks, but the ship didn't seem to be in danger of sinking—at least not yet.

Leo toggled the oars. They could convert into spears, which should be enough to drive the creature away. Unfortunately, they were jammed. Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn't use the ballistae without setting the Argo II on fire as well.

"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields. Jake ran to his brother's side with Blaise stumbling up behind him.

"I don't know!" Hedge snarled. He looked around for his bat, which had rolled across the quarterdeck.

"I'm stupid!" Leo yelled. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!"

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give them a hug, or it was about to capsize them.

"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Rue's eyes, holding hands for so long—"

"What?" Frank yelped.

"It wasn't like that!" Rue protested.

"It doesn't matter!" Drew said, pulling at her necklace to summon her bow and arrows. "Jason, can you call some lightning?"

Jason struggled to his feet. "I—" He only managed to shake his head. Summoning the storm earlier had taken too much out of him.

"Percy!" Annabeth said. "Can you talk to that thing? Do you know what it is?"

The son of the sea god shook his head, clearly mystified. "Maybe it's just curious about the ship. Maybe—"

The monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, Octavian didn't even have time to yell, Look out!

One slammed Perseus in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps. Livia giggled as she clapped. "Go Seally's mama! Go!" Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail. Dozens more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging.

"Nose-hair attack!" Hedge snatched up his bat and leaped into action; but his hits just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils.

Jason drew his sword. He tried to free Piper, but he was still weak. His gold blade cut through the tendrils with no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place. Drew shot a least a dozen arrows into the tendril bush with tips that began to spin like mini chainsaws. Annabeth unsheathed her dagger. She ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find. Evette, Carmen, and Sherman followed right behind her. Lou Ellen and Terrell were bouncing spells off one another, weaving them together and making its limbs tie up. Katie, Billye, and Leila were using the wooden floorboard as weapons, turning them into long blades of wheat that were sharpened like knives and aimed at its face. Frank pulled out his bow. He fired over the side at the creature's body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell; but that only seemed to annoy the monster. It bellowed, and rocked the ship.

The mast creaked like it might snap off.

They needed more firepower, but they couldn't use ballistae. They needed to deliver a blast that wouldn't destroy the ship.

Rue summoned their waist beads, changing them into whips and smacking at the tentacles that came too close to any of them.

But how... ?

Leo's eyes fixed on a supply crate next to Rue's feet.

"Rue!" he yelled. "That box! Open it!"

Ast hesitated, then saw the box he meant. The label read WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.

"Open it!" Leo yelled again. "Coach, take the wheel! Turn us toward the monster, or we'll capsize."

Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves, smashing away with gusto. He bounded toward the helm and took the controls.

"Hope you got a plan!" he shouted.

"A bad one." Leo raced toward the mast.

The monster pushed against the Argo II. The deck lurched to forty-five degrees. Despite everyone's efforts, the tentacles were just too numerous to fight. They seemed able to elongate as much as they wanted. Soon they'd have the Argo II completely entangled. Perseus hadn't appeared from below. The others were fighting for their lives against nose hair. Livia was clutching to its head like she was cuddling it. Octavian watched as sea food turned Evette and Thomas, wrapped in one of the tentacles, into sea food before anyone could get to them.

"Frank!" Leo called as he ran toward Rue. "Buy us some time! Can you turn into a shark or something?"

Frank glanced over, scowling; and in that moment a tentacle slammed into the big guy, knocking him overboard. Fuck! Octavian rushed forward, sliding past Rue as they swung their whip towards Shrimpzella, changing its shape at the last minute into a very pointy spear.

He'd opened the supply box and almost dropped the two glass vials he was holding.

Leo caught them. Each was the size of an apple, and the liquid inside glowed poisonous green. The glass was warm to the touch.

"Come on!" He handed Rue one of the vials. "We can kill the monster—and save Frank!"

"What is this stuff?" Rue gasped, cradling ast glass vial.

"Greek fire!"

Her eyes widened. "Are you crazy? If these break, we'll burn the whole ship!"

"Its mouth!" Leo said. "Just chuck it down its—"

Suddenly Leo was crushed against Rue, and Octavian jumped out of the way. As they were lifted into the air, he realized they'd been wrapped together in a tentacle.

Leo's arms were free, but it was all he could do to keep hold of his Greek fire vial. Rue struggled. Ast arms were pinned, which meant at any moment the vial trapped between them might break...and that would be extremely bad for their health.

They rose ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet above the monster. Octavian growled, one that was echoed as Lina shifted and launched herself at the beast quickly. She was trying to climb up its tentacles to get to her cousin.

Livia appeared at his side. "If you don't end him now," She smiled at him, sharply. "You'll have no one left to save."

"Livia, please. Help us... help me."

She stared at him silently, body flickering through the ages until she was in a teenage form. The blues of her eyes turned red. She was dressed in purple algae with pearls and precious stones crowning her hair. She sighed. "Killing ain't fair, but somebody got to do it."

She moved closer, swinging her hand and throwing all his shipmates but Hedge away to the ground. She was a powerful little ghost. It was better than before as they were doing nothing but fighting a losing battle, yelling and slashing at the monster's nose hairs. Hedge was struggling to keep the ship from capsizing. The sea was dark, but in the moonlight he thought he saw a glistening object floating near the monster—maybe the unconscious body of Frank Zhang.

Livia rushed forward, every step that she took made the arms of the monster start cracking as if she was leaving craters in its tentacles. Suddenly, the beast started trembling. Livia kept going as the monster raised its maw, bellowing in pain. Limbs started to fall off one by one and then Octavian saw Leo throw Greek fire straight down its throat.

The tentacle released them. They fell. He heard a muffled explosion and saw a green flash of light inside the giant pink lampshade of the monster's body. Livia paused, abruptly changing back to her toddler form, glancing down into the water as Rue and Leo fell in, shaking her little fist at them before turning to slam it against the beast. It cracked open and exploded leaving shrimp guts all over the main deck.

Livia looked at him once more and then disappeared.

It seemed like no time at all had passed before Frank, Leo, and Rue reappeared. He had been in the medbay with Pranjal as he looked over Perseus for signs of a concussion. The medic had been a little skeptical when he told him that sea water would help the boy, but the people of Camp Half-Blood vouched for him and then he dragged the healer off to the labs so he could walk him through making the pearl cream that his Mother created for Livia. The Phantom had disappeared but not before making her displeasure known by kicking at his legs, never mind that they were phasing right through him, to disappear to parts unknown. Well, not unknown. She disappeared down to the cells where Lina had to be knocked out and dragged as they only barely kept her from leaping into the sea. She had spent the next few hours howling and whining pitifully.

The fact that Evette and Thomas were dead, turned into fish snacks didn't help the mood either.

It tore at Octavian's heart, and he kept himself away, knowing that he would break if he were to see that same pain in him reflected in her eyes. He had finally mustered the courage to go see when the vision overcame him and he rushed down the stairs with a bright smile on his face. "They're on their way back," he told her, gold peering through his pupils. She rushed at the doors, and it was only his quick thinking to open them that kept her from running right into them.

When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Rue, and Leo—Piper went a little crazy. She cried out with relief and dove straight into the water.

She paddled over to Leo and kissed him on the cheek.

"Miss me?" Leo laughed.

Piper was suddenly furious. "Where were you? How are you guys alive?"

Octavian blinked.

"Long story," he said. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"

Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes and after Lina tackled her cousin to the ground and scented him aggressively, the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Rue and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason said. "These are really good brownies."

"That's your only comment?" Piper demanded.

He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That," Rue said, "is incredibly disgusting."

"Pass me the jar, man," Paolo said.

"That reminds me," Drew said, turning to look at Octavian. "Ariadnê of Urbs Aeterna told me to tell you to 'speak with the guardians of the fire and Indiges will find he'."

"Father," Malysia blinked while Octavian absently nodded his head. Guardians of the Fire?

Perseus, for his part, wanted to hear every detail about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to one point: "They didn't want to meet me?"

"It wasn't that," Rue said. "Just...undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."

Perseus nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"

Livia stuck her tongue out. They adored her after all. Octavian snickered, "It's not that. It's more of... you have to prove yourself to them. And not by the things above surface. Livia was trained by them since she learned to crawl basically, and she participated in the sea equivalent to the junior olympics. They're not a part of Neptūnus' court. They don't have to meet you if they don't want to."

"What are you the ghost of jealousy," Rue asked Livia, swirling their finger around like they were going to turn his sister into a matching flower on their headband. Livia tilted her head, form flickering into some Michael Jackson costume and she started to dance.

Annabeth swatted Perseus' arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

"She's right," Rue said, turning back to the discussion at hand while Livia started moonwalking across the table. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish- centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

Ast looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue. No one did.

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Drew said. "We'll save him, Rue. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome or flying as soon as we finish the stabilizer..."

Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."

Perseus crossed his legs. "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Cursed Mark of Athena, too."

Annabeth didn't seem happy with the change of topic and neither did Octavian. She rested her hand on her backpack, which, since they'd left Charleston, she always seemed to have with her. She opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut while Livia appeared to sit in Octavian's lap.

"This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's..." She stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth bronze surface. "It's blank!"

Perseus took it and examined both sides. "It wasn't like this earlier?"

"No! I was looking at it in my cabin and..." Annabeth muttered under her breath. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."

Frank scooted back like the disk might explode. He had an orange-juice mustache and a brownie-crumb beard that made Piper want to hand him a napkin.

"What did it have on it?" Frank asked nervously. "And what is the Cursed Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

Annabeth took the disk from Perseus. She turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts...the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," Piper said. "But what is the Mark?"

"The coin," Annabeth murmured.

Perseus frowned. "What coin?"

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."

She passed it around.

"An owl," Leo noted. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, ΑΘΕ—Area Of Effect?"

"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Annabeth said. "In Greek it stands for Of The Athenians...or you could read it as the children of Athena. It's sort of the Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper guessed.

Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter."

She described what had happened at the fort—the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison, the Mark burning them away.

Jake took Annabeth's hand. "I should have been there for you."

"But that's the point," Annabeth said. "No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to...to the source."

Frank took the coin from Leo. He stared at the owl. "The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail." He looked up at Annabeth. "What is it...this thing at the source?"

Before Annabeth could answer, Jason spoke up. "A statue," he said. "A statue of Athena. At least...that's my guess."

Piper frowned. "You said you didn't know."

"I don't. But the more I think about it...there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"

"I know," Annabeth said. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together...Don't you see? It could heal the rift."

"Hold on." Jake made a time-out gesture. "What statue?"

Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket, but it was Octavian that spoke up.

"The Trojan Pallidum," he said. "The most important artifact to Troy. The statue was made in the image of Pallas, the daughter of Triton and Athênê's best friend after she was accidentally killed during a training session. The arrival at Troy of the Palladium, fashioned by Athênê in remorse for the death of Pallas, as part of the city's founding myth and it was the most ancient talismanic sculpture of Athênê. The Libyans have a saying that Athênê was the daughter of Poseidón . . . and for this reason has blue eyes like Poseidón, but it was actually Pallas that they were speaking of since the two were raised together on Libya. Pallas had blueish green eyes that were so light in color that they looked ivory."

The ship went silent, except for the waves lapping against the hull.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo said at last. "What happened to it?"

"It was stolen," Octavian said.

Leo frowned. "What? By who?"

"At the end of the Trojan War, my Father...Diomēdēs and Odyseús learned from Helenus, the prophetic son of Priam and Paris' brother as he was trying to escape the city, that the city would not fall while the Palladium remained within its walls," Annabeth started. Octavian and Livia stared her down in hatred. "So, they stole it and Odyseús tried to kill Father and claim the Palladium for himself. Father realized it, disarmed Odyseús, tied his hands, and drove him along in front, beating his back with the flat of his sword. Because Odyseús was essential for the destruction of Troy, Diomēdēs refrained from injuring him. Diomēdēs took the Palladium with him when he left Troy. According to some stories, he brought it to Italy; others say that it was stolen from him on the way."

"It was," Octavian said dryly. "Stolen from him that is. The gods were very angry over the destruction of their temples and other sacrilegious acts by the Achaeans and decided that most would not return home. A storm fell on the returning fleet off Tenos Island. Diomedes was first thrown by a storm on the coast of Lycia, where he was to be sacrificed to Árēs by King Lycus, but Callirrhoe, the king's daughter, took pity upon him, and assisted him in escaping. He then accidentally landed in Attica, in Phaleron. The Athenians, unaware that they were allies, attacked them. Many were killed, and Demophon took the Palladium. He finally landed in Argos, where he found his wife Aegialeia committing adultery. In disgust, he left for Aetolia. The Palladium was taken to Athens where it was housed in the east-facing wing of the Erechtheum temple. It was the holiest image of the goddess and was accorded the highest respect. It was placed under a bronze likeness of a palm tree and a gold lamp burned in front of it. A fake was left in its place while it was carted off."

"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Poliás when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power or the protectress of the city. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."

"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena...a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue...hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

"Or they get a nifty little guide like me," Octavian said. "My Family follows the Curse of Athênê to find its resting place and keep it hidden since we descend from Dardanos, the Father of the Trojan people and Ancient Ancestor of Roma. The Statue is our inheritance and it's up to us to keep it from being stolen away again since a fake was transferred from Rome to Constantinople by Constantine the Great and buried under the Column of Constantine in his forum."

There was slight tension to each of them, drawing on the fears and resentment born from both sides. But there was also this underlying understanding from them both. The statue meant something to both of them for Annabeth, it held sentimental value for her Mother and for Octavian, it was the pride of his lineage. And if...if they could discuss such a huge problem so calmly—the ultimate source of Greek/Roman hatred—maybe there was hope for the two camps, after all.

Perseus seemed be having similar thoughts, judging from his surprised expression. "So if we—I mean you—find the statue...what would we do with it? Could we even move it?"

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe...maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."

"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..." She didn't finish, but the question seemed to hang in the air: Was saving the statue even possible?

Annabeth squared her shoulders. She must be terrified inside, but she did a good job hiding it.

"I have to succeed," Annabeth said simply. "The risk is worth it. Isn't it, Octavian?"

He kept silent, looking down at his sister as she shrunk into the size of a babe, kicking her feet in the air. "Yeah," he sighed. "Breaking the curse would make all this pain worth it."

Leila twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

Rue frowned. "That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."

"Except..." Jake took Annabeth's hand again. "No child of Athena has ever found it. Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"

"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"

Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper. Octavian suspected that Annabeth knew what awaited her...or at least that she had a very good idea. He wasn't surprised at all. His Family was good at defenses.

"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested, putting a little charmspeak in her voice. His Mother's necklace flared, blocking the power from him. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."

"Yeah," Perseus said. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth."

Annabeth looked at them both gratefully.

Judging from their half-eaten breakfasts, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.

"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your super fun list of chores!"

The next morning, Octavian awakened to a different ship's horn. It sounded like it was coming from several hundred yards away—from another vessel.

He rushed upwards to the deck, the others following behind him. Some of them had already gathered pulling the night watch alongside Hedge. The others, not so much, all hastily dressed as they stood on deck though somehow Drew and Lilith looked as if they had stepped out of a magazine.

About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. Drew did a few poses. Octavian squinted because... was that Livia on the other ship waving her hands around in excitement?

None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on. Octavian grabbed the telescope from Terrell—Livia was doing the robot with a bunch of old ladies.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.

"No," Leo said through a forced smile.

Gracie rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are—oh...Wow."

Octavian followed her gaze and gasped. Without the cruise ship blocking their view, he saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north.

He had seen impressive cliffs before. Aunt Prudence used to take them rock climbing all the time for endurance training when they were younger. There was even the one connected to a waterfall. But nothing compared to this massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as Piper could figure. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded Octavian of a colossal sphinx, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" She pointed south to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

Livia whimpered, appearing beside Octavian, yanking on the bottom of his shirt. "Papa says I can't go there. Bad. Mean monsters. Smelly gods."

The morning was warm, but Octavian shivered. He wanted to reach down to pick her up in his arms, but he couldn't. It also didn't help that her image kept flickering back to the day she died, bloody face and charred skin. He turned to look back out at the wide stretch of sea in front of them. Once in the Mare Nostrum, they would be in the ancient lands. Their quest would become ten times more dangerous.

"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Hercules, huh?" Perseus frowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn—there he is."

A thunderous boom shook the Argo II, Octavian looked at Jason, but it wasn't him. He looked around, but the skies were clear though there was a flicker of something red sailing around them. He figured it was his imagination if Leo's activated radars weren't picking up anything.

"So...these Pillars of Hercules," Piper asked dryly. "Are they dangerous?" Drew gave her sister a worried look.

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"

"Non plus ultra," Perseus said.

Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"

Perseus pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the Argo's masts. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater—maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."

No one answered—maybe because, like Octavian, they had noticed the figure standing on the beach. As the ship approached the columns, he saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them. Octavian couldn't tell much else about him from this distance, but judging from his posture, he wasn't happy.

Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"

"Hercules," Jason said. "The most powerful demigod of all time."

"And my stepfather," Paolo murmured nervously. He was probably remembering this was the same demigod that killed a giant crab by stepping on it.

The Argo II was only a few hundred yards from the columns now.

"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

"Won't Hercules be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean...he's one of us, right?"

Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."

"Great," Perseus said. "Thirty-nine of us against Hercules whose fought giants before and killed almost every monster in history and is much stronger as a god than he was as a human."

"And a satyr!" Hedge added. "We can take him."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group—one or two at most. Maybe three. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Perseus suggested. "Half-brothers don't always get along." He had a point. Octavian kind of also wanted to point out that Jason and his stepmother got along. Hera still disliked Hercules even after he was turned into a god and married her daughter.

Jason scowled. "Thank you, Mr. Optimism."

"It's worth a shot," Rue said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."

All eyes turned to Drew.

"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes. I need him to sign my Herakles Bust Heads jacket anyway."

WORD COUNT: 21,600

Words to Know:

1) Per Iovem lapidem - by Iūpiter and this stone ... an unbreakable oath

Things to Know:

1) Ariadnê of Urbs Aeterna - Ariadnê of the Eternal City

2) Belua Ponti - sea monster

3) The Twin Giants were actually defeated by Artemis. They stacked mountains to reach Olympos where they planned to kidnap Hḗrē and Artemis after they had previously kidnapped Árēs. During their ascent to Olympos, Artemis changed into the form of a deer and ran between them causing them to kill each other.

4) Doves la Mancha - Grilled Doves