Lee had zoned out during the first half of the meeting.

He had been feeling… off ever since his dad left after dropping off the Hunters. At first, Lee thought the nausea was because of Percy bringing up that tragedy with Argus. But it only got worse as the day went on. It wasn't normal. Children of Apollo didn't get sick. They couldn't.

But then he saw Michael and Will.

They had the same exhaustion and lethargic movement as he did. As if they had been staying up for an entire week and not allowed to rest. It wasn't an average illness. It felt like a curse.

Lee needed to see Chiron.

The Hunters beat them there. They were hollering at the hundred-eyed man to bring out the centaur.

Lee didn't care what their deal was. His siblings came first. He needed to know what was going on and how they were going to fix it.

Before Chiron could help, a moth landed on Lee, and someone turned the lights off and put the Camp's AC setting on ice age.

Then that nightmarish husk of an Oracle decided that there was a little more suffering to inflict. It gave two prophecies. Which resulted in an emergency meeting that he really should have been paying attention to. He heard pieces, like something about the solstice and a deadline, but not any real details. Fortunately enough, the son of Poseidon tended to start trouble anytime he was involved in something. It snapped him out of his daze when the shouting started.

Percy was arguing with that Hunter girl, Zoë. They started with the quest for Artemis since that was the first prophecy given. Not that Lee minded, he needed a moment to calm down after the Oracle fixed its hollow sockets on him. The Camp and Hunter's managed to hash out an uneasy alliance between the two parties. Except, the son of Poseidon wasn't included, and he didn't like it one bit. He made his dissatisfaction very clear.

"Don't be ridiculous! I should be going!" Percy's glare reminded Lee of those nuclear reactors that were always in movies. Bright. Powerful. On the brink of a meltdown.

"No," Zoë stated. She didn't even bother to look at him. "Thou will have no part in this."

"I don't know what problem you have with me and I don't care! I need—"

"You need to calm down, Percy," Chiron said. His tone was gentle but firm. The trainer of Heroes turned to face the lieutenant of Artemis. "Time is of the essence. Miss Nightshade, you may go. Grover, Thalia, please be careful."

"Chiron!" Percy protested. His gaze wasn't as intense as before, but the hurt and betrayal were evident.

The centaur didn't acknowledge his outburst.

The Hunters left without turning back. Thalia gave Percy a passing glance, but just shook her head and followed behind. The satyr whispered something to Percy before giving him a tight hug and scurrying to catch up.

"Try to understand, my boy," Chiron uttered in a soft voice. "These are troubling times. Not one, but two Olympian gods have been captured. Darkness and cold have overtaken our world. Lord Dionysus has been called back to Olympus. You must put aside your feelings on the matter. I believe that you are fated to join Lee on his quest."

"I-I—fine."

The room turned towards him and his dizziness tripled. Right, it was Lee's turn now. The Oracle spoke to him.

"Um, right," He swallowed. "We're supposed to have six. And, uh, were headed north." His head was pounding. It was like someone was drilling into his eardrums.

"How far north and where?" Katie asked.

Good question. Lee had no idea.

"It could be anywhere. Even outside the U.S." Malcolm said. He was taking Annabeth's place as Athena counselor. "Canada would be my guess. Large swaths of land. You'd be running around for months looking and not find him."

"Are there any leads on what Apollo was doing before he got caught?" Beckendorf asked.

"Percy, you were talking with him earlier, right?" Lee asked the son of Poseidon. "Did he say anything?"

"He got turned into a goldfish once," Percy muttered. He seemed half-hearted about the meeting, not even looking up from the table.

"That's fantastic, anything else, dear?" Silena coaxed. Her voice had a slight hum to it. It captivated the room.

Percy's eyes glazed over a little at her words. "Um, he got really nervous halfway into his story. He said that something was wrong and then he just left."

"It appears that Lord Apollo sensed that Lady Artemis was in danger," Chiron pondered. "And in his haste, he fell into a trap."

"Westover," Percy said suddenly. "Where we just came from. That's where Artemis left us with him. If she was captured first, that would have been the place he started looking for her."

"Any fickle friends there?" Travis asked.

"Nope."

"Perhaps it would be better not to dwell on that line," Chiron suggested. "Often quests are… influenced by the gods. Lady Athena is quite notorious for her aid to heroes, but her patronage can quickly vanish. You may encounter an immortal seeking to gain something amidst the chaos. Be that as it may, prepare yourselves for a detour."

The meeting fell into a morbid silence after the centaur finished. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing with the next lines of the prophecy. They were thinking about the same person.

"Luke," Connor's voice broke the tension. Both of the Stolls had lost their friendly smiles. "I mean, 'wayward kin' and 'traitor's sin.' No one wants to bring it up, but you're all thinking it aren't you?"

"He's been involved in the other two quests one way or another," Travis added. "He's gonna be a pain in the ass for this one too. The key needs to be stolen off of him, probably."

Hermes cabin was never the same after Luke's betrayal. Some days, they hid it well, you could almost believe that nothing was wrong. Almost. The sense of camaraderie and trust between the other cabins and Hermes had shattered and never recovered. There was always the inkling of suspicion, trickery, and treachery.

Lee liked the Stolls, he really did. But he also liked Luke. Everyone liked Luke. But did the guy even think twice before betraying them? Poisoning the tree that kept his best friend alive? Trying to destroy the only place where demigods were safe? It was like everything about him was a lie.

Someone coughed. There was an awkward shifting of people in their seats. Eventually, Beckendorf chimed in.

"What about the 'Witch's spell' part? I'm not really an expert on magic unless you want to include card tricks."

"There are many sorceresses in our world," Chiron said. "Just last summer, Percy, you encountered Circe. Their magic is a thing of wonder, but they are far more dangerous than most monsters. They may help or they may hinder. It depends on what sin is spoken of and what the caster considers absolution."

"But the Witch can be anybody right?" Travis asked. The corners of his mouth twitched as if he was holding back a grin. He shared a look with his brother.

"There are many who can fulfill the title. However, some are more… preferable than others."

Lee's head ached. Witches and traitors. Why couldn't they just kill a stupid monster and be done with it?

He glanced across the room to Percy.

"Ocean's blood refers to you, right?"

Percy's expression was surprisingly unreadable. "Unless Tyson is involved, probably. Guess I'm going. I'm not sure about the whole 'Winter's bite' thing. Not too keen on enduring it, though. Just an FYI."

"A monster, maybe?" Lee suggested.

"I don't know of any snowmen who like their snacks Percy-flavored."

"Could it be a god? Not that many are associated with winter." Katie said. "Boreas is a candidate."

"It is a possibility," Chiron acknowledged. "Boreas is the North Wind, ice and snow are his realms. But even his power pales in comparison to Lady Demeter's."

Katie frowned. She seemed to take offense at the idea of her mother being responsible for the weather. Chiron continued anyway. "She once plunged the world into eternal winter over Persephone's abduction. Her authority over the seasons is near absolute."

"I'm getting a restraining order if she bites me," Percy muttered.

"What if it's not someone but something?" Malcolm asked. His eyes were stormy as he spoke. "Chilblains. Hypothermia. Frostbite. You're going out into that freak snowstorm, the cold might be the most dangerous thing out there."

"Guess I'll wear my mittens," Percy joked. "Extra layers for this guy. I'll keep a thermos of hot chocolate on me at all times."

Lee gave a little chuckle before speaking. "What about angels?"

Silena frowned. "Like the biblically accurate ones? Those have terrible fashion sense. Too many eyes."

"No," Chiron grimaced. "Those are based on unfortunate mortal missionaries who encountered Argus. He is still requesting royalties for the usage of his likeness."

"Wings," Travis said. "A lot of gods have them in myths."

"Eros. Thanatos. The Four Winds," Connor added. "It's where all the mortals get their depictions of non-nightmare angels from. The Mist doesn't always work so some people see angels when those guys go to town."

"Yeah, but why would any of them crying—" Percy stopped himself. His eyes widened as he shut his mouth.

"Percy?" Chiron turned to face him. "What is the matter?"

"It's just a coincidence. It's nothing."

The centaur frowned. "Please share it anyways. It could be vital."

"Chiron, I really don't think that it's—"

"Percy, I'm asking for your sake. Even if it sounds like nonsense, it could mean the difference between life and death. The more we can ascertain, the greater the likelihood of this quest succeeding."

There was a brief staredown between the two. Chiron's eyes shone with ancient sadness Percy's had gone that sinister nuclear green again.

The son of Poseidon sighed. "The two demigods that we brought back today, Nico and Bianca, their last name is di Angelo."

"That's convenient." Connor laughed. He winked at Lee. "A two for one deal. Take your pick."

"No," Percy growled. "It's just a coincidence."

Chiron frowned. "Few things are coincidences in our world. As unfortunate as it is, there is a chance that one of them could be a part of the quest."

"They're too young. They haven't even been here a full day." Percy insisted.

"You were twelve," Travis countered. "Both you and Annabeth were. You weren't even here for a week before your first quest, and believe me, I remember the scrawny runt that was in my cabin. Face it, Percy. It doesn't matter how old you are or how much experience you have. Sometimes we don't have a choice."

"Not just that," Connor added. "But didn't they come from Westover? Those two would know the area best."

Percy balled his hands into fists. Frustration radiated off of him in waves.

Lee sighed. They couldn't waste time arguing.

"Look, man. You can talk to them, give it to them straight, or I can. No one likes the idea of sending the new kids on a quest, but the fucking sun is gone!" His dad was gone. Captured. "We can't sit around twiddling our thumbs and throwing hissy fits. Our deadline is the same as the Hunters, the solstice, we can't waste time."

Percy fixed his eyes on Lee, he returned the gaze. He was used to people throwing tantrums, he lived with Michael, the loudest person at camp. Percy's anger was nothing in comparison. Eventually, those simmering sea green eyes lost their heat. "Alright, I'll talk to them. But only one of them goes. We're not having both of them risk their lives for this."

"They won't," Lee promised to no one in particular. He didn't want anyone to die on this quest. He paused before continuing, the next line was going to make that plan very difficult. "So, 'pain and loss' are in our near future."

That familiar uneasy silence returned.

"We've been through this already. Loss doesn't necessarily mean death," Travis said. "People can get lost. You can lose things. Campers lose their stuff all the time!"

"No, we don't!" Katie hissed. "Your cabin keeps just stealing everything!"

"Hey, if you didn't want it stolen, you shouldn't have left it without supervision," Connor protested. "You should really nail your stuff down."

"You stole the sod off of our roof!"

"Again, should've nailed it down." Travis agreed.

Katie let out a noise that resembled the rumble of a weed whacker.

"Did you steal my candy when I stayed at Hermes cabin?" Percy asked.

"No?" Both brothers said at the same time.

"That sounded like a question."

The Stolls looked genuinely confused. As if they couldn't remember stealing from Percy, but at the same time, they couldn't rule out the possibility that they did. Maybe it was Luke? Everyone knew that he had a rivalry with the son of Poseidon ever since they spared, but really? Theft of a candy bar, truly petty.

Lee decided it was best to end that train of thought and continue on with business.

"Salvation lies beyond the shore," He repeated. He turned to face Percy. "That you again? Water's kinda your specialty."

"Could be Hippocampi," Percy suggested. "They've saved me before. But I guess it means we look for a body of water if we're ever in trouble."

That just left them with the last line. It loomed over them like a guillotine. Nine return as all things burn.

Chiron's tail swished nervously as he spoke. "It is possible that you will reunite with the remainder of the first quest. Two of them are likely not to return."

It made sense. That would leave three from Artemis' quest. If all six members of their quest survived then nine would make it back. But those five were going west and Lee's group was headed north. How were they going to meet up? And that didn't answer the last part of the line.

"But the burning?" Beckendorf asked. "That ain't a good setting for a welcome home party."

"What if it's about Apollo?" Percy guessed. "He's the sun. What if freeing him melts away the snow?"

"Or what if he sets everything on fire in that prison?" Lee suggested. His father was associated with warmth and healing. But even he has his darker aspects. Sunlight was just as dangerous. "He could torch the place out of anger. Whatever place he's trapped in could be burnt to the ground as we escape."

"The rage of a god is destructive," Chiron admitted. "Please be cautious."

The centaur took a brief glance around the room.

"It appears our discussion has concluded. Lee, this is a quest for Lord Apollo, you will lead it. You have the final say on your companions. I must converse with Argus on transportation for you."

The centaur trotted out of the room after his announcement.

Lee took a deep breath. Hopefully, people would be more willing to join him than they were for the Hunters' quest. "Percy, you're going, right?"

"Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice." He muttered. "I'll go talk to the di Angelos after this."

"Sounds good, three to go. Does anybody want to volunteer?" Lee wasn't going to ask any of his siblings to come. They were in just as bad shape as he was. He trusted them, but he didn't know how much this… condition was going to affect them.

Surprisingly, only the Stolls raised their hands.

Lee narrowed his eyes. "You guys, why?"

"Don't worry, dude, we've got your back." Travis smiled. His eyes had that dangerous shine to them.

"Besides, you really think you're going to steal something from Luke without us?" Connor asked.

"Look, there's a lot of missing demigods, maybe it isn't him."

"Yeah? And how many people are missing from your cabin?" Travis raised an eyebrow.

Lee didn't say anything. All of his siblings were still there, a fact that he was grateful for.

"We're the only cabin that's had people leave," Connor added. "Even if it isn't Luke, it's someone we know. Besides, I've always wanted to do a prison break."

"Alright, I get it. You're coming along. That's only five," Lee frowned. "We need one more."

"We got you covered on that too," Travis said. "It's someone from our cabin."

"Who?"

Both the Stolls looked at each other and shrugged. Travis spoke first. "Lou Ellen Blackstone, daughter of Hecate. She's the closest thing we have to a witch at Camp."


The lava from the rock climbing wall was very warm.

Bianca didn't like the sight of it when she first saw it. She thought Nico wouldn't last a second on that deathtrap without getting third-degree burns. Her mind changed after the disappearance of the sun and the blizzard.

It was the only thing keeping the Camp from freezing completely.

That Travis guy that Percy left them had disappeared as soon as the war horn sounded. She dragged Nico, who was panicking, after the equally distressed campers towards the only source of light and warmth.

The buff kids wearing goggles and toolkits had set up a temporary shelter near the wall. Bianca overheard some of the other campers talking. As it turned out, there was supposed to be a magic barrier keeping the weather from going haywire and the temperature from veering too far off course. Now they were relying on magically generated lava to stay alive.

Nico shivered next to her, "What's going on?"

She didn't know. Nothing about this made sense. "Just be careful, don't sit too close to the wall, but be near enough that you'll be warm."

They waited for an hour. People started roasting marshmallows using the lava. Others were cooking meat and vegetables on a skewer. One of the campers had gone around passing the makeshift kebabs out.

At least they wouldn't go hungry.

"There you are," Percy pushed past a group and made his way over to them. "I've been looking all over for you."

Bianca frowned. "What happened? The sky. The snow."

Percy winced. "Yeah, that isn't normal. You remember, Apollo?"

She nodded. It was hard to forget a literal god.

"Well, he got kidnapped. I'm assuming that's why the sun isn't out."

Nico knit his eyebrows. "How does someone even catch a god?"

"That's what I'm wondering too, little man," Percy said.

"Stop that!"

Bianca tapped nervously against her thigh. "So what then? We're just supposed to wait out whatever this is?" She gestured around them. The snow wasn't piling up near the wall, but the Camp was starting to become obscured. In a day or two, they might be completely buried.

Percy winced. "No. There's a quest. Well, technically two, but the other group already left. My group is going to look for Apollo."

"So cool!" Nico was grinning from ear to ear.

"No it isn't," She said. "Look around us! What about any of this looks fun?"

His smile dropped and she felt a tinge of guilt.

Percy sighed before speaking. "You're not going like what I'm about to say next. Look, there was a prophecy. It sort of tells you what's going to happen. But it's tricky, most of the time you don't completely understand it until it happens. We've got five so far, but we need six. There's a line about an angel. It could be one of you, because of your last name. I don't really buy it."

Nico perked up after that. He sprung to his feet, bouncing up and down. "Me! I want to go!"

"No!" Bianca crossed her arms. "You aren't going anywhere."

"But they—"

"But we don't know," Percy said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it could anything or anyone. Los Angeles could've been it, but we aren't headed west. Maybe it's a lawn ornament or a bad costume? I don't know, it could be a coincidence. You guys shouldn't even be considered for this. You've just got here and you haven't even received training. But we've got until the solstice to find him or…" He trailed off into silence.

Bianca groaned into her hands. "What exactly do they want us to do?"

"Our group is going north," Percy said. "I think it's somewhere in Maine, probably Westover."

"Why?" She frowned. "We just left there."

"It's also where we split from Artemis. She was captured too, if she went missing first, Apollo probably would've searched around the area. Which is why they want one of you to come along. You went to school there, you know the location."

"I can be your tour guide!" Nico said. "They've got all these hidden passageways and—"

"Stop!" Bianca had enough. "This isn't a game!"

"They need one more!" Her brother protested. "And I want to go!"

"Just listen to me for once!" She shouted. "You remember Thorn, right? What are you going to do if a monster like him comes after you?"

"Percy will—"

"Percy got hurt trying to help us!" She screamed. "Don't you get it? Demigods, half-bloods, whatever you want to call us, we can die! You could die!" And then she would be all alone. Truly alone with no one to take care of and no one to care about her.

Bianca couldn't stop herself from crying.

Percy shuffled awkwardly trying to think of something to say. Nico stood dejectedly to the side, disappointment and hurt on his face. The shadows around the area seem to grow longer and darker. They crept forward like vines. It unsettled Bianca to her bones.

"It'll be dangerous," Percy said. "They'll be four others. At least three of them I know have experience fighting. But there's no guarantee you won't get hurt. It isn't a game. Look, I'll try and convince them that it isn't—"

"I'll go," Bianca muttered.

Percy looked shocked. "Listen, it doesn't have to be you guys, we'll take an Apollo kid or something. We'll make do."

"No, I'll go." She had to. Nico would insist on going if there was still an open spot. At least this would stop him from doing something stupid.

"Bianca, this isn't fair!" Her brother fumed. "You don't even want to be part of it!"

Nico stomped his feet and stormed off.

"I don't want you getting hurt even more," She whispered. Bianca towards Percy. "Where do we meet up?"

The son of Poseidon sighed. "By the entrance, where the big pine tree is. Hey, I'm sorry you're getting dragged into this. Tell the others I'll be there soon, I'll try and get you some supplies from my cabin, the least I can do for all the… trouble."

Bianca nodded and watched as he left.

She hoped Nico wouldn't hold it against her.


Lou Ellen was planning the monthly Hermes cabin Dungeons and Dragons campaign when the Stolls interrupted her.

It wasn't like she was making much progress. The commotion going on around the rock climbing wall was really distracting. Unfortunately, she couldn't go back to the cabin, she'd probably freeze to death with the weather. And truthfully, having thirty rogues to account for was driving her insane.

The brothers waved at her as they approached.

"Lou!" One of them greeted. "Care to lend us an ear?"

"Literally or figuratively?" Lou Ellen could do either but she much preferred the latter.

"Just figuratively… for now." Travis had that grin. It meant trouble. Usually for Katie, but she got the feeling that it was going to involve her in the mess. "We need your help."

"The herbicides won't be ready for three days," Lou dismissed. Demeter cabin had been pranking the Hermes cabin ever since the Stolls used garden gnomes as glitter bombs. It got her caught in the crossfire because of her current residence. Not that she minded, it was the most fun she's had at camp in a while. "No pig balls either."

"Shame," Connor sighed. "But that's not the issue. There's a quest. You might have noticed, but the sun is gone, we're going to fix that. Maybe the snow too, we don't know what's causing that."

"Oh, you guys need healing potions?" She perked up. How exciting! No one ever asked for her help for quests. "I've got sludge or lemon-lime. If you've got an hour or two before you leave, I can make cherry, grape, or orange. Don't tell the others that there are other flavors! They'll never drink sludge otherwise." The look on Annabeth's face after a sip was worth the effort brewing it.

"Not quite. We want you to go with us."

"What?" Lou Ellen squinted at them. This had to be a joke. Only the counselors ever got to go on one. And occasionally that weird satyr that hung around with Percy and Annabeth. "Why me?"

"Alabaster," Travis' smile dropped from his face.

She didn't respond right away. She hadn't seen her brother since he tried to convince her to run away with him. Lou Ellen couldn't, she liked Camp Half-Blood, and she didn't want to hurt any of the campers. It didn't matter how unfair the gods were, it wasn't worth killing their friends over. Why couldn't the rest of her siblings understand that? They followed Alabaster and she hasn't seen any of them since.

"What about him?"

"There's a line, something about wayward kin and traitors," Connor explained. "That's not important. What is that six people are leaving, we've got five already. That's where you come in, there's supposed to be a witch and spells, you're the magic expert."

"You want me to fight him?" She didn't like the idea. As much as she wanted to knock some sense into him, Alabaster was more powerful than she was. He wasn't Hecate's favorite for nothing.

"Nope," Travis shook his head. "Not at all. See, there's a little catch to the prophecy. Six leave but nine return. Chiron thinks we might meet up with the other group somewhere along the line. We've got a different hunch, you following?"

"If this is a prank, it really isn't funny," Lou Ellen didn't get angry often. But getting her hopes up for some sick joke was just cruel. She knew how the Stolls acted, they'd cover you in tar and feathers, but even some things were too far for them. She really wanted to believe they wouldn't mess with her like this.

Travis smiled sadly and sighed. "Do you remember how full our cabin used to be just two years ago?"

She did. It was cramped and overcrowded. It was closer to a shanty town than an actual home. But she had family and friends there, it was enough.

"We'd like it if maybe some of them could come back," Connor said. "Chris, Ethan, Alabaster, all of them. Maybe even Luke if he pulled his head out of his ass."

"You think they'll change their minds?" She whispered. She missed her brothers and sisters. The Hermes cabin was great, but there was something magic about her siblings, literally and figuratively.

"We have three spots," Travis admitted. "It isn't a lot, but we'll do what we can right?"

"There's no guarantee that any of them will be your siblings," Connor said. "And there's a chance it won't be a Hermes' kid either. No matter who they are, we'll bring them home."

Travis smiled. "What do you say? Want to rescue a god and some stupid brothers?"

Lou Ellen grinned. "I'd like that a lot."


I'm sorry, Percy. You should be on this quest too, but please believe in us. We'll find her. Grover's words repeated in Percy's mind as he trekked to his cabin. The wind howled and the cold nipped at his exposed skin. Snow pelted him from all directions.

He wanted to believe in them. Thalia, despite how infuriating she could be, loved Annabeth like a sister. She'd travel to the ends of the earth for her and back. Grover… they'd been in so many life-threatening situations with Annabeth. A part of him missed those times. Because despite how dangerous they were, at least the three of them were together.

But now Annabeth was gone.

Grover was on a quest for Artemis.

And Percy was going on a rescue mission for Apollo.

Everything about this was wrong. He felt so powerless and inconsequential. Like he was being strung along and played with. To make matters worst, he told Nico and Bianca that Camp would be safe. They didn't even make it to dinner before everything went sideways. Now Bianca was going on the quest with them and Nico might become a popsicle along with the rest of the campers if they failed.

Percy pushed the front door to his cabin open.

"Not even a hello, cousin?" A smooth voice came from his right. He swung towards it, ready to uncap his pen. He was so busy thinking that he'd miss the person right next to the door.

Hermes was leaning against the wall, dressed in a red snow rescuer uniform, packages laid at his feet. He had that same friendly grin that he saw last time the god paid a visit. George and Martha were in staff form beside him, they wore tiny knit hats and scarfs.

Hello! Martha greeted.

It's cold! George complained.

"Lord Hermes," Percy addressed the god. "Nice to see you guys again, George, Martha."

The messenger god chuckled. "A real mess isn't it? Thought the twins would be smarter than this." Hermes gestured vaguely around him.

What was he doing here? Actually, shouldn't he be on Olympus? Chiron said something about Dionysus being called back.

"Isn't there a council meeting on Olympus, right now? I heard even Mr. D was needed," Percy scoffed a bit at the mention of the wine dude. Despite being a god, you couldn't rely on him for anything but disappointment.

"Aw, don't be too hard on him. He's had it rough," Hermes said. "Anyways, it's surprisingly easy to trick everyone with a cardboard cutout and looping audio. Here, check out this backup!"

He snapped his finger.

A giant cutout of Hermes sitting on his throne faced Percy's cabin. There was a voice recorder taped to the front. Hermes' voice came out with a mix of background noise and audio static: "Sorry, I've got a message from Eris, you know how bad she is with tracking labels. What we're we talking about?"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" The god's eyes sparkled with pride.

"Uh, yeah, it's neat." Percy didn't believe that anyone was fooled for a second.

"But, enough about me, let's talk about you," Hermes grinned. "No one catches gossip quite like me. Got yourself quite the handful, huh? My brother and sister are missing, mortals are clearing out supermarkets in prep for doomsday, and you've got yourself another quest. And you didn't even have to sneak out this time!"

Percy furrowed his brow. He didn't even consider how the mortal world was reacting."How bad is it out there?"

"Oh, you know, they're hoarding things. Lots of canned food and blankets." Hermes waved his hand like all of this was a common occurrence. "News stations are going wild, though. The largest snowstorm in the history of the world is what they're saying. So big that it blots out the sun. The conspiracy theorists are much more fun, though. Aliens. Ancient Mayan calendar. Armageddon. Honestly, they'll believe whatever they want."

The caduceus vibrated next to the god and a little ding sounded.

New message! Martha said. Athena found out about the cardboard cutout. She says you owe her for not selling you out.

"Rats!" Hermes moaned. "I should have known that wouldn't get past her. Athena never lets me have any fun."

Feeding time? George asked. A low rumbling came from one of the snakes.

"Not now," Hermes shook his head. "Let's get back to the reason I came here. I need a favor, Percy."

An uneasiness settled into his stomach. He'd been in this position with the god before and his request wasn't easy. In fact, he thought it bordered on impossible.

"Look, if it's about Luke again, I don't know if anything is going to change his mind." The last time Percy met the son of Hermes was on the Princess Andromeda, a cruise ship full of traitors and monsters. Luke was both as far as he was concerned. There was just no talking sense to the guy.

The messenger smiled sadly. "Remember what I told you last time?"

Percy knit his eyebrows in confusion. "Rats are delicious?"

Yes! George shouted happily. Yes, they are!

"Not that," Hermes shook his head. "You can't give up on family, no matter what mistakes they've made. But Luke isn't why I'm here. Travis and Connor. They're going, I'd really appreciate it if they came back alive."

The god's eyes shone with expectation.

"I'd like for them to live too," Percy said nervously. "But I can't promise anything."

"Hmm, fair enough," Hermes sighed. But there was a hint of a smirk on the corners of his mouth. That mischievous and deceptive grin that he'd seen on the Stolls all too often. It meant that something was up. "But I came prepared. Can't just ask for your help and leave you empty-handed, can I?"

Hermes picked up one of the packages. He tapped his staff against it and the packaging disintegrated. The god was holding a box of Capri Sun juice pouches.

Percy stared at the item. "Seriously?"

"Oh, this is the wrong one," Hermes frowned when he saw what he was holding. He held it up to one of the snakes who unhinged their jaw and swallowed the box. It bulged in their throat and shrank until there was no indication that the thing existed. The other snake deposited a different payload from their mouth.

Percy was met with a jug of Sunny-D. This wasn't much better. Nor did it make any more sense.

"For Apollo's boy," The god said as if it explained everything. "Right, now for the next one."

This box was much larger. The cardboard peeled away under the touch of the caduceus, revealing a wooden crate. Hermes transformed his staff into a crowbar and pried the lid off. Packing peanuts spilled out of the box like a waterfall of Styrofoam as the god rummaged around.

"Here we go," Hermes pulled out six black backpacks. "Filled with supplies. You could last a month with one of these, plenty of room on the inside too."

He handed one to Percy and left the rest on the floor.

"Uh, I appreciate the generous gifts, but—"

Hermes interrupted him. "Here, one final present. You should at least say goodbye before going off on your adventure."

There was an unsealed envelope in his left hand. A blank sheet of golden paper stuck out of it. He held a pen out in the other hand.

Percy looked up at the god.

"A son should inform their mother before leaving," Hermes' eyes got misty. His voice was uneven as he spoke. It was like he was reliving a bad memory. "If you guys could use phones, your mom would have called you a thousand times by now. Give her some peace of mind. I'll personally deliver it."

Percy took the pen and paper and started writing. Then a thought occurred to him. He spoke as he wrote. "You wouldn't happen to consider yourself fickle, would you?"

"No, I much prefer amicable. Or affable. Perhaps even amiable?" Hermes gave him a wide grin. "Oh, and don't let Argus know that the RV is from me, okay? He's still not over the whole killing him thing, besides it's my dad's fault, I was just following orders."

Percy frowned. What RV? Before he could ask, Hermes was gone. All that was left were the backpacks, a jug of Sunny-D, and the cutout of the god that was still looping the line about Eris.

He finished his letter in solitude.

It sprouted wings the moment he sealed it and shimmered out of existence.


Preview:

"Guys! Think about what you're about to do!"

Travis paused. He holstered his weapon. "Shit. You're right. Sorry, Percy. We got a bit heated there, we almost made a huge mistake."

Percy breathed a sigh of relief. He just needed the goddess to drop him and maybe they could avoid murder. "It's alright, we just gotta use our heads and—"

"What's your order number, ma'am?" Travis asked. "We can't just break in without knowing what we're looking for."

Connor nodded along. "Yeah, is it fragile? We'll need to be extra careful if it is."