Okay, wow. It's been one month. One whole month. (Okay, technically 28 days, but still) I kinda want you guys to be honest, did any of you expect me to have given up? I wouldn't. I'm not one to give up, especially on stories when I'm the author. It just takes a while to write it all down. I'm not like any other authors who can write down one chapter in one day. This chapter took like 3 days. Not to mention, I decided to publish this story at the wrong time. I had like all my weighted assignments in February. Ugh. That is so annoying. Anyone hates art? I do. So, back to the story. (I like to talk so bear with me) I look through like a couple times and I change things before deeming it good. Some call it being cautious, I call it being too indecisive. Well, I won't waste your time, and I'll stop here. Also because I know people would just skip this and go straight to the story. (Like me)

How to react when a horse with wings lands on your rooftop

It was hard enough after she and Persephone completely lost contact. Not to mention it was impossible to talk to Persephone as she was always surrounded by her parents or was out visiting countries, making it all the more harder for her to just slip in and talk to Persephone privately. Manhattan rained non-stop for days, but it only started to thunder a few hours ago. She was completely alone after her father had to go work extra shifts at the police station. It got worse when she heard a sound on the rooftop and decided to investigate. Now, she was in trouble. All she wanted was to see what was going on. She stumbled backwards, lost her footing and fell hard to the ground.

'It's not real!' she told herself. Rising to her hands and knees, she reached for the flashlight. 'You didn't see what you just saw. It's just the storm playing tricks on you. That's all!'

Shining the light once again in the direction of the rose bushes, her heart was pounding so badly she thought she might pass out. Climbing unsteadily to her feet, she crept forward.

'It's not real, Em, it's not real,' she repeated over and over again as she drew near. 'You didn't see anything!'

But when the light found its mark, she couldn't deny the truth.

It was very real.

A huge white horse was lying on its side in the middle of the rose garden. What had glinted in the beam of the flashlight was one of the horse's hooves. As Emily looked, she sucked in her breath. It was gold. Raising the flashlight, she received an even greater shock. A wing! Massive in size, it was covered in mud, leaves and rose petals, but unmistakable with its long white feathers.

'No!' Emily cried. 'This is impossible!'

More lightning lit the rooftop, confirming what Emily was trying so hard to deny. She trembled, hard. "Impossible."

Persephone POV

Lightning struck as I leapt up from bed, screaming at the top of my lungs. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I just stayed there, sobbing. The door flew open as Hazel barged in with just a shirt and loose pants. "Oh, Sephie." She gently moved me so my head was resting on her shoulder. "I- it's been months, Hazel." I whisper as I finally calmed down. "I wish I could stop looking at their dead bodies."

3 months ago, Emily and her father disappeared

because of the gods. I saw Pegasus, my brother, and I knew. They had something to do with her disappearing from the face of Earth. I couldn't help myself. I tracked down the government that had something to do with it. Before Hazel and Frank found me and dragged me away, I destroyed half of that branch. It was so satisfying but also dangerous. The Mist had been failing, and I just knew they saw me for me.

6 months ago, both camps died. Dying doesn't mean being destroyed. The camps still stand tall and proud. Tall, proud, and deserted. That's why Frank and Hazel are staying with me. There was no one at both camps besides us. The gods killed and destroyed every single last demigod, fearing more demigods will betray them. Frank and Hazel and I were in Alaska, retrieving the last of the imperial gold weapons at Hubbard Glacier. That was the time when I was supposed to be in college. I had to lie to Emily. It was tempting to tell the truth as she just pleaded with me not to go. However, the trade was just so irresistible—Apollo had talked to me. He foresaw that if I did it, the Gods wouldn't bother me anymore. Meaning: this would be the last quest I did in the name of the Gods. Who wouldn't want this? I returned as soon as Hazel told me Mrs Jacobs died, just knowing how Emily would react. We first went to Camp Jupiter since it was closer to drop off the weapons, but imagine our shock as we found the decaying bodies at Camp Jupiter.

"No." Frank's mouth dropped open. Hazel cried out as her legs failed her and she dropped to the ground, hands covering her face. Her entire body racked with cries. I lost my grip over the imperial gold weapons and they fell to the ground with a thud that ricocheted the whole valley. The whole place was empty, and there was no movement at all. The smell of burnt skin wafted through the air. I pushed down the vomit that threatened to escape me. Why were we so shocked? The whole entrance to camp was destroyed, some pieces of rubble still falling. There were three bodies lying there—one crushed to death so we could only see the legs, the other two charred. "C'mon. We need to see if there's survivors." I urged the two. Frank helped pull Hazel up and we ran down. "Oh my gods." Hazel leaned over, and puked. She would've fallen down again if it weren't for Frank's quick reaction time. I was too shocked to move, too caught up with grief to even speak. Lavinia's completely burnt body was the first we saw. Her eyes were wide open with pain and shock. Lightning still ran down her still body. "Zeus." I hissed.

"How did this happen?" Hazel folded her legs as she crumpled again, a hand over her mouth as she sobbed. Frank let her this time, looking ready to join her. "How could the gods allow this?" The answer came to Frank and I at the same time. We shared a grim look. He grimaced, crouching down next to Hazel and pulling her into a hug. "They didn't allow this to happen." I said in the same tone I did with Akhlys as I drowned her. I wish I could do it to the gods now. "They were the ones who executed this."

"Why?" Hazel sobbed. "They were all innocent!" Frank met my eyes.

"Octavian." He and I said in unison. He picked up the story. "Luke Castellan. Ethan Nakamura. Silena Beauregard. Octavian Simmons. The gods thought other demigods might betray them, that this time they would actually succeed. They were too in love with their thrones to let that happen, but were also too lazy to check one by one."

"So they did the cowardly thing and killed them all. All of them, even the newest ones. The ones who didn't know." I finished, with a dark glower. The air became dryer as I released my power with a scream. Torrents of water rose, obeying my command. It was exactly when I summoned the water from inside me to create an earthquake that broke Typhon free. The earth shook as I raised my arms. The water transformed into whips which dispersed, going to collect all the bodies.

"S- Sephie. Please. Don't. You're going to overexert yourself. Please. Don't. I don't want another dead friend. Sephie please." Hazel sobbed, reaching for me. "I don't want to mourn for my cousin as well. Sephie, stop." Her vulnerable voice touched me, as I crouched down on her other side, joining their hug. The betrayal stung all of us. We just sat there and cried, uncaring of the gods. I wanted to join my friends, but not by the gods. Never by the gods.

The next few hours were a blur. I was too numb to even think of the dead bodies at Camp Half-Blood which my whips collected and brought here. I screamed myself hoarse, finding the bodies of Calypso and the rest of the Seven. Hazel had to manipulate the earth to stop shaking and Frank had turned into an elephant to help arrange the bodies for the funeral. I stood on shaking legs, watching as they helped burn the bodies seeing I couldn't bear to. "Nico, Will, Julia, Annabeth, Leo, Jason Piper…" I said all their names. They deserved to be recognised—every one last of them. "Your deaths were unnecessary, and I promise the gods will pay. But for now, I wish all of you to rest in peace in the Underworld." I finished, the loyalties to the gods in my heart beginning to crumble, with something new growing from the ashes of the broken bond. Anger. Vengeance.

I turned to Hazel and Frank who were holding on to each other, crying. They shouldn't be having to do this. It wasn't fair. But who were we to decide what fair is? No, fair should be decided by the gods, for they know everything, isn't it? (It's sarcasm by the way) "It's time to stop playing by the gods' rule." I declared, fire burning inside me, like the fire burning the bodies. They turned to me in confusion as I continued. "This is what happens when we follow the gods. We completely overlooked their past. Zeus literally destroyed all of humanity once, and we didn't care. It's time to stop. Time to create our own rules. Play our own game. Forsake the gods."

"But how? They are always here." Hazel waved her hand, her beautiful face streaming with tears. "If they always were, we wouldn't be standing. Hazel, my amazing, talented cousin, time to put your skills to the test. Create an illusion so powerful, the gods would never find us. Hecate would never endanger her favourite. We will live our own lives now. The gods cannot stop us."

"Percy, you need to calm down and think." Frank said soothingly. I hated how tall he was. 195 cm. I was only 183. I refused to calm down. If I did, I would just make another excuse for the gods. It's in our blood—to think the gods are the saints, that they can't do anything wrong. That was how the demigods still fought for the gods. You can't hate the gods—that would mean you hate a part of yourself, right? Fuck that. I do hate myself. For trusting the gods, thinking a simple swear on the Styx could change everything. I thought some gods were good, but seeing how there weren't any survivors? None stepped in to help. Poseidon, my father, Apollo and Hermes, those I thought actually cared for their children, Athena, who loved Annabeth, Hephaestus who, despite his looks, cared for all his children. None cared, none helped. Those I thought loved us demigods. They were now the ones I hated the most. At least the other Gods didn't hide behind a mask, pretending to be on our side. This was worse than any betrayal. I thought my father actually cared! Looks like he didn't.

"I am, Frank. I am thinking. It's time for us to live the lives we want. Forsake the gods. They don't deserve our loyalties after what they did. These demigods fought their entire freaking war, and they killed them." I was crying but I had to ignore that. I was born to be a leader, I will act like it. The Hunters were gone. Artemis abandoned them. The Amazon was taken over. We were the only demigods left in the whole world. 3 people out of 7 billion. The gods ruined our lives. I will gladly do the same to them.

Before anyone else said something, someone else did. "Son of Mars, descendant of Neptune." One said. "Daughter of Pluto, legacy of Demeter." Another said. An older voice. We whirled around, weapons in our hands. We did not expect them. "Child of Poseidon, legacy of Jupiter." (just go with it. There's a reason) The Moirai chanted simultaneously. We didn't ease up.

"The future has changed." Clotho started, the one who announced Frank's parentage.

"The Gods have gone out of control." Lachesis continued, holding up a string that Clotho was still weaving.

Atropos held up her shears. "They will destroy this timeline, this world, if not stopped." I laughed incredulously.

"So? What do you want us to do?" I pointed to the three of us with my left hand. "We are just three demigods."

"Praetors of Camp Jupiter. Unofficial leader of Camp Half-Blood, princess of the seas. You are more than just three demigods." Clotho passed the end of the string to Lachesis who started to measure it.

"We can give you a choice." Lachesis murmured. "Stay here, or go back to where the problems started." That was enticing, but no such thing as a free lunch.

"I don't believe you. You are The Fates. You never do things for free." They shared a secretive smile.

"You may be right, Persephone Adira Alessia Jackson," I flinched at my full name. Mum chose it for me. Adira means strong. Alessia means defending warrior. I forgot their origin. "And we aren't doing it for free. Merely interested in the conflict that will happen. You will get a choice. You can choose to let us send you to a place that will test you in the hardest way possible, or stay here, where your friends are dead." Atropos finished.

"We give you half a year to decide." Clotho started weaving again.

"Rest assured you will live." Lachesis said. We shared glances. None of us were comforted. "We will give you the necessity to live, and the power to live."

"But you will do a favour for us in return." Atropos said.

"You are the Fates." Hazel said. "What favour could we do for you?" She sheathed her sword. I capped Riptide. It returned to be my hairpin which I put in my hair.

"We'll tell you when you decide to accept." Clotho passed the string to Lachesis who passed hers to Atropos. I winced as she snapped at least half of the string. The part she snipped fell to the ground, dissolving into black dust.

"But we thought you might need some convincing." Lachesis said at last.

"Choose well." With Atropos getting the last word, they left.

"Anyone else think it's a trap?" Frank asked warily. Hazel and I raised our hands.

Hazel lowered her hand, going over to where they stood. "What do you guys think she meant by convincing?"

A new, familiar, ancient voice said, "I believe Lachesis meant me." I groaned. I recognised that voice. "Hello, grandfather."

Kronos was nowhere to be seen, but I could feel his presence. I threw a hand out, blocking my friends. "What do you want?"

"Thanks to you, Persephone, I don't have a physical form, so you do not have to worry about me attacking the Romans." Kronos said, annoyed. "The Fates woke a bit of my consciousness so I can talk to you. My time is scarce so I must hurry."

"Why? I killed you. You hate me." I narrowed my eyes, my hand reaching up.

"Well, yes I do hate you. But I must say, I do like the Fates' plans so I will for now help."

"And that just removed any kind of consideration I had for their plans." I declared, ill-tempered. Excuse me for not being courteous after all my friends just died.

"Oh shut up and listen." He snapped, patience frayed. "Listen. They plan on giving the three of you power enhancing pendants and necklaces, to spruce up your powers. You will have the power of primordials, that makes titans power look babyish compared to yours."

"And you tell us this, why?"

"Oh for goodness sake, I'm dead! You can't kill me again, okay? Really not going to repeat this again." I imagined him throwing up his hands. "They gave it to me to give it to you. If I don't, they will torture me brutally until I beg. I don't want to test them. Persephone, stop interrupting me!"

"I didn't even say anything!" I scowled.

"The son of Mars will be able to use any weapons expertly and teach others how in barely an hour. His span of animals has also increased to anything he pictures besides humans, Titans and gods. He will have the power of Bellona and can enhance your strength, or even share his. His physical strengths will improve to be stronger than any of yours. With the necklace, he will have the power of my second son. Not as powerful as Persephone's, not even half, but still. Daughter of my eldest son, you will be able to manipulate the shadows at your whim, better than your siblings ever could. The Mist follows you. You will never struggle to control it. It obeys you, and only you. The earth is yours to command, and nature follows you like you are my second daughter. Persephone, your water powers will exceed even my brother and Pontus and Thalassa. You can control any liquid, better than in Tartarus, and even control people's bodies to do what you want since 60 something percent of the human body is water. Plants will shrivel up and dry up in seconds. Ichor will obey you, water will forever be loyal to you first. The earth rises and falls at your command. Not only earthquakes, you can call upon it to swallow the world. You will never be afraid of your elements, never."

"I like the sound of that." My eyes were probably glittering.

"As the legacy of my youngest son, you will control lightning. It is a power you need to train but you can improve. Maybe with enough training, you can exceed my son. The winds are yours to command. They will do what you ask, no matter what."

"Show us these jewelleries." Frank said hungrily. He, too, wanted the gods gone. To have so much power, no one could tell us what to do. To live a life we choose. The air around us shimmered and six jewelleries fell. I sent a stream of water to catch them.

"Look at that, my time is up." I could hear the smile in his tone. "The red one represents the battle. Of Ares. The white is Mist, for Ms Levesque. I think you know what the blue one is." They were stunning. Let's take mine as an example. It reminded me of those big, oval shaped mirrors. Like from Snow White, the one that told the Evil Queen who the 'fairest of them all' was. There was a little hock thingy at the top, and tiny shards of the gem surrounded the outline of the pendant. The most obvious shards would be the ones that were shaped like diamonds, with their tip pointing west, east and south, embedded on the left, right and bottom sides respectively. The middle was as smooth as a mirror would be, except it wasn't as flat, if that made sense. I could see my reflection in it, and a faint likeness of a map. It looked like a map, not so sure about where the map showed. With a quick glance, I could confirm the others looked exactly the same besides the colour. Hazel's map was the clearest, which made sense since hers was white.

"And the necklaces?" They were small, maybe half as big as the first ones which needed my entire hand to hold just one. There was a chain, and dangling from it, was a teardrop that sat in a somewhat cage, with floral designs. Really, it just reminded me of my house door. "The lighter blue represents the sky." He said, tinged with annoyance. "The darker blue is the ocean. The green is of nature, for my daughter." I gave Frank his and Hazel's hers, feeling mine as it glowed with power.

"I never felt so much power." Hazel murmured, holding her white one in the air. "It's just bursting out!"

"I'm calling my pendant Hali." I started thinking of names. "And this one Azure." I slung the necklace over my neck, watching the two lovebirds do the same in a tender way.

"If you're going to name yours, I'll do the same. Omichli and Gi." She flipped her pendant, Omichli as she calls it, like it was some knife, catching it. Frank blushed a little under the scrutiny of our glances. "Allagi and Hydro." He said at last. Just like this, that topic was over.

It was only the three of us left. The Gods had struck when we didn't expect it. They thought I would visit my parents first. I think you know what happened after that. I barely talked to Emily, not after the way she simply exploded at me. Hazel convinced me that it wasn't my fault. Many times, I wanted to go over and apologise, but they were firm about it, how it wasn't my fault. If Emily had wanted to talk, she would come over. They stayed with me, after I learned how to use Azure. Hazel used Omichli to make a barrier and shield us. I figured out how to summon several lightning bolts at once and bend lightning so it would form a shield. If Zeus were to ever find us, his lightning would be absorbed by the shield. Hazel also covered my powers using the mist. The three of us were like some kind of a dream team. Hazel acted as the one who covered up our tracks. Frank was our archer and the brute force, also like some power source for us. When we needed more power, he would lend us. As for me? I was power. Not physical like Frank's, (I mean, not to brag, but Riptide and I would always win against Frank when he only uses one weapon during a no power fight. We often trained both with and without our pendants and necklaces. Without them, our skills still need work. You need to train for the worst possible scenario after all) but of the gods' power. I learned what Kronos meant by plants drying up. Nature literally couldn't touch me. I could draw all the water from them, and they would immediately die. Unfortunately, it was a one-way thing. Believe me, I've experimented.

Tomorrow was the day. Honestly, we already came to a silent agreement on what we'll do. We never discussed it, but over time, all three of us chose. I made my choice when they murdered my parents. Little Estelle who didn't even get to say her first word. Hazel had to pretend to be a dead woman when people came over, and it impacted her. Bad. The three of us shared a room and Hazel and I shared a bed. Every night, she would cry herself to sleep as Frank and I sang to her. I discovered a new power, not from Hali. A siren-like voice that could convince anyone of anything as long as I was singing. Frank taught me how to control it, since he has some experience with it on how to light his fire stick by command. Hazel, I think, chose when she saw Pegasus again. Watching how the majestic stallion just decided to save Emily but not Reyna, the horse friend, made her heart shrivel up. I couldn't call her innocent anymore, but out of the three of us, she had still held on to some hope towards the gods. That was completely shattered that day. As for Frank? He was the earliest. As soon as he saw the dead bodies of our friends.

The Fates came at the same time they came exactly 6 months ago, in the same appearance, in the same order. They shared a small smile, knowing our answers. I stood in front, as an unofficial leader. "We've made the choice." I declared. "But, I need some answers."

"Ask." Clotho said, weaving again.

"Where? And what's the catch?"

"The better question is when." Lachesis said. "We're sending you to ancient greece."

"To the battle between gods and titans." Atropos said. "The catch is simple. You won't ever be allowed to return to this timeline. After you leave, it will be destroyed. You will have to create a new one. You will be able to do anything, to interfere. Once we send you, we won't have the power to control you anymore." Never return?

"But what about Emily?"

Clotho's face twisted, like she was making a face. "Emily Jacobs has her own path. She won't be affected, and you will learn why." That wasn't the answer I wanted but I accepted it. Hazel stepped up to be in line with me. "Before, you said something about a favour. What favour can we do for you?"

"There, Kronos will create a powerful weapon, and the gods will stop at anything to destroy it. Do not stop them." Odd favour.

"That's simple enough. Anything else we need to know?" Frank decided.

"The timeline we are sending you to, is not the same as this one. You will learn why. For now though, the only difference we can tell you is the gods are known in their Roman forms." The three of us shared dubious looks. We all know gods were Greek before Romans. "Since we all have some kind of roman blood, I suppose it doesn't matter much." I shrugged. "Ok."

"Where we are sending you, it will be Greece. It would be best to fit in."

"Give us a minute to talk." Frank interceded. We huddled in a tight circle. "I honestly want to know what happens if the titans win." I mutter.

"Saturn himself said we have primordial powers. If he betrays us, we'll overthrow him." Frank offers. I think…I think this is when we finally are in agreement. No more gods. We are overthrowing them. Siding with the maniacal titans.

"The world is different, demigods. Which means many things will be different, you might not be familiar with some things." Lachesis pitched in.

"Fine. Send us." Hazel declared.

"Wait." I had a plan forming in my head. "How long will it take for this timeline to be destroyed? Could you send me somewhere first?"

Emily POV

I blinked away the bright spots dancing in my eyes. It always took a few moments to adjust from the brilliance of the Solar Stream. The whole shock of watching Jupiter caused a tear in my heart, and I sniffled, gulping back tears. When I was no longer blind, I took a step back. I expected to see Joel, yes, but not a random girl in a wheelchair. In her hand was a flashlight, and her mouth was hanging open in shock.

"I think we've got trouble," Joel muttered.

The sound of Joel's voice seemed to startle the poor girl. She dropped the flashlight and turned the wheelchair to roll away. But the wheelchair caught on some larger rocks and tipped to the side. The girl fell and cried out as she hit the rocky ground. I winced, sympathetic to her pain.

"We cannot let her tell anyone." Joel cried. "Come one, Em!" The urgency in his voice shook me out of my wondering and I ran down with him just a few steps in front. We caught up to the girl in seconds. Her eyes were filled with terror. She was speaking quickly, but not in a language we could understand. It sounded so familiar though. I… I might've heard it from somewhere, but where? The answer came to me. Persephone. I hadn't seen her in months, but the last words that I heard from her were in this language. Hers was more ancient though, like this girl spoke in the modernised language. Oh great. The only translator I could ever have was all the way in New York and is most likely still angry. "It's all right," I soothed. "Don't be afraid. We're not going to hurt you."

"Can you understand us? Do you speak English?" Joel asked.

The girl looked from Emily to Joel and her eyes landed on his silver arm. "Are you . . . g-gods?" she stammered. I bit my lip to stop laughing. Gods. Stop it, Em! I scolded myself. Not the time!

"You do speak English!" I exclaimed instead.

"I learn it at school," she said with a thick Greek accent.

"Are you hurt?" Joel asked. He squinted and tried to see the girl's cut knee. "Em, we could use some light here."

I held up my hand, the familiar sensation filling me as I summoned the Flame. It burst out from my palm—like my palm was a lighter—startling the girl even more.

"I swear we're not going to harm you," I promised. "My name's Emily, that's Joel. Can you tell us your name?"

"St . . . Stella." Stella wasn't much older than me, maybe a year older. Her cropped dark hair and eyes, dark as night, reminded me of those photos Persephone once sent me. She was able to move her upper body, but her legs remained still. I saw that the girl's knee was bleeding, but she didn't show signs of feeling it. Like she was numb.

Said girl's eyes were locked on my flaming hand. "You are gods!"

"No, we're not," Joel said. "It's a long story, but we don't have time to explain. Are you hurt?"

Stella shook her head. "I am paralyzed from the waist down. I don't feel anything."

I felt bad about startling her, so I righted her wheelchair as Joel easily lifted Stella and placed her gently back on the seat. "Could you tell us if this is the Temple of Poseidon?" he asked.

"That is the temple." Stella raised a shaking finger at the ancient monument behind them. "You just came from it."

Joel turned back and looked up at the columns of the temple. "Good. It's got to be somewhere around here."

My hope blossomed. I raised my hand higher, summoning more so the place illuminated. Then, I frowned, realising our problem. "Great, Jupiter didn't tell us where to look. It could be anywhere." It was a big temple.

"Jupiter?" Stella repeated softly. "Do—do you mean . . . ?" she stuttered, and paused. "Are you saying Zeus—he is the one who sent you here?"

I nodded impatiently.

"He is real?" Stella asked, her voice barely audible. I had to strain my ear to hear. "Does he truly live on Mount Olympus with all the other gods?"

"No, not Mount Olympus, but another world called Olympus," I explained. "When the Olympians first visited Earth long ago, they came to Greece. They told the ancient people of their world, and because of that the Greek people named their tallest mountain after them, but it's not the same place."

I paused, thinking. "I know this may be impossible to believe, but I promise you, they are very real. Only they're in trouble. We've come here to find something that is hurting them."

Stella's eyes kept passing from my burning hand to Joel's arm. "They are real," she kept repeating. "They are real. . . ."

"Yes, and they're dying," Joel said.

I gazed around and saw the glow of the tents farther down the hill. "Joel, look, people are camping here." He followed my hand. "Ah, shit!" Joel cursed. He focused on Stella. "What are you doing here? Are you really camping at a temple?"

Stella shook her head. "No, my parents are archaeologists. Part of the cliff broke away over there and an artifact was discovered embedded in the rock."

"A golden box?" I asked sceptically, not believing our luck.

Stella's eyes grew big. "Yes, you know of Zeus's Treasure Chest?"

"Are you the one who opened it?" If she was, I would…I would… I don't know what I'll do but I will make her regret it.

"Me? No. It was heavy and it fell. The box opened by itself and there was a flash of light. Then there was nothing inside but a big rock."

"You saw the rock?" I cried. "Where is it?"

"Gone."

"What do you mean, gone? Gone where?" I itched to scratch out my hair.

"The others took it and the box to the Acropolis Museum in Athens."

"Damn it!" My fury rose. I ran to the cliff edge, raised my hands in the air, and released two powerful blasts of Flame at the sea far below. "Why?" I screamed to the dark sky. "Why couldn't it be here?"

"Em, calm down!" Joel cried. "Don't lose control; you know what can happen if you do! We'll just go to Athens and destroy it there. This is only a small delay." I turned on Joel, desperate. "But we're losing precious time. You saw how bad Paelen was. And Pegs. As long as that box is open, it's killing them." My Pegs. I couldn't lose him!

Stella rolled up to me and bowed her head reverently. "You are a god!"

"No, I'm not," I said angrily. "I'm just upset! And stop that—I don't want you or anyone ever bowing to me." Not only was it weird, I was younger than her. It made me flustered when gods did it, I don't want her to do that!

"But you must be gods. I have seen your pictures."

"Pictures? Where? Who are you?" Joel caught hold of Stella's arm with a silver hand.

"You're hurting me," Stella cried. "Please, let me go."

"Joel, let her go," I commanded, turning to Stella.

"How do you know us?"

"From the pottery in the Acropolis Museum," Stella explained. "There is an amphora with paintings of you with Zeus and the other gods."

"What's an amphora?" I asked, confused and annoyed.

"It is a two-handled pot," Stella explained. "There are many at the museum. I know of at least two from more than 500 BC with pictures of a girl who shoots fire from her hands. The color is faded, but there were traces of blue in her eyes." She peered closer at me. "Your eyes are blue." She gestured to Joel. "There is a boy with her. He has a strong arm made of metal, just like yours."

"If it's on ancient pots, it can't be us," I scoffed. "We were never here in the past."

"But it is," Stella insisted. "The girl looks just like you and is dressed the same."

I looked down at her Olympian tunic. "No, Stella, it wasn't us." I gazed around, a frown on my face. "Tell me, how far is it to Athens? We must go there and destroy that rock."

You cannot," Stella said. "It is in the museum. There is too much security. You will not get in."

"Oh yes, we will," I said, determinedly. "Trust me, nothing can stop us."

"Except maybe transport," Joel added. "I've never been

to Greece before. I have no idea where Athens is from here."

"Athens is easy," Stella said, pointing down the hill. "You just follow that road."

"You know how to get to Athens?" When Stella nodded, I continued. "Good. You are going to take us there."

"What? But my parents are here. I will get into trouble. And I have to be back at school on Monday."

"I'm sorry, but this is too important. The lives of the Olympians are at stake. You're going to take us to the Acropolis Museum and show us that rock."

"But I can't." She shook her head so quickly, I feared it would fall.

"Oh yes, you can," I said firmly. "You can and you will. You don't have a choice."

"Em," Joel said softly, crooking a finger at me, "can I speak with you for a moment, please?"

"Stella, stay here," I ordered as I followed Joel.

After a few paces Joel stopped. "Emily Jacobs, have you lost your mind? You're talking about kidnapping that girl!"

"Not kidnapping, just borrowing," I said.

"But she's in a wheelchair," Joel argued.

"So?" I raised my eyebrow. "Just because she's in a wheelchair doesn't mean she can't help. We'll just take it with us."

"But—"

"Joel, listen to me," I implored. "Pegasus is dying. So are Paelen, Diana, and all the others. They are dying because of that rock. We don't have time to waste getting lost in Greece. Stella knows the way to Athens. We need to get there. She knows the museum. That's where the rock is. We don't have any choice."

As Joel and I argued, Stella started to wheel away.

Seeing her out of the corner of my eye, I raised my hand in Stella's direction. Stella squealed as her wheelchair was lifted off the ground and delivered back to my and Joel's side.

"I'm really sorry, Stella," I said, turning to the girl. "But people I love are dying because of that rock at the museum. All we're asking is that you help us get there so we can destroy it. I promise we'll let you go afterward and you'll never see us again."

"And if I refuse?" Stella said fearfully.

I leaned closer, smiling softly. Stella flinched. "You've seen my powers; you can't refuse. Nothing, not even you, is going to stop me from saving Pegasus!"

Time skip cuz I lazy. Go read Origin of Olympus if you're interested

"We'll find your rock later. First I need to show you something." Stella told us. She led us to the general public area of the main level of the closed museum. The primary lights were off, but each display cabinet was lit to show the contents. We walked past some of the museum's older exhibits.

"Here." Stella stopped her wheelchair before one of the lighted cabinets. "I told you I had seen your picture before."

I and Joel peered at the terra-cotta amphora with the ancient black, cream, and orange artwork. Despite the cracks and seams where breaks had been mended, there was no mistaking the image on the front. It was the profile of a girl in an Olympian tunic. She was holding up her hands and shooting flames at tentacled monsters. Standing directly behind her were two men. One was a tall, muscular young man holding a spear. My eyes landed on his right arm. It was torn open, the mechanical insides on display.

"Joel, look!" I cried out. "That really does look like your arm."

It can't be!" Joel said. "But look at the fire from the girl's hands. That really could be you. How is this possible?"

"I don't know." A chill ran through me as I studied the ancient pot. Then my eyes landed on something else, and I stopped breathing completely. Beside the girl figure on the pot was a large dog. It was snarling and baring its teeth at one of the monsters. The dog was chocolate brown, apart from its right front leg, which was white.

"Joel, look." I shakily pointed from the pot down to the dog. "Look at his front leg. You don't think . . ."

"No, it's impossible. There's got to be some mistake."

"There is no mistake. It is you," Stella insisted. "I knew it the moment I saw you. I can take you to the other amphora to show you with Zeus and Poseidon."

I shook her head. "No, I don't want to see any more. I just want to destroy that rock and go home."

"Wait, what's this?" Joel crouched behind the amphora, and removed a folded piece of paper. I paled. For written at the top of the paper, was my name, in curly, familiar letters.

Emily, you must read this

"I have never seen this before." Stella declared. "Where did it come from?"

"I think I know." There was only one person who wrote so neatly. I unfolded the paper with shaking hands. My suspicion was confirmed as I saw the name written below. Persephone. Joel glanced over my shoulder. "Isn't she the girl you talked about? Your best friend until 6 months ago?"

"I- I don't know

how she did this." I trembled, scanning the paper. Joel read it silently, as Stella waited patiently.

Dear Emily,

Are you wondering how I knew you were here? Or, I suppose, how you would be here? it's a secret, one I cannot share with you. By the time you read this, I will be gone, gone from New York. I will not ever be back, but I promise you, life is going to get better. At least, your's will. I cannot tell you what happened, I've been sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you, I will right all wrongs. I will protect you, cutie. I won't fail you again. I will go to where all my problems started, and change our fates. I will change our future. And I will do it for all those who died to those dictators, and for me and you. Wait for me, my sweet gem, and I will prove the impossible. I know we haven't talked for months, and I want to tell you why, but we'll probably never meet again, unless in death. I'm sorry I wasn't there for your mum's funeral. The truth is, our friends died on that day. Betrayed by someone we thought we could trust. It was all a lie. I was so distraught, I forgot about you. I'm so sorry that I did. It will never, ever happen again

You may hate me, but I will never feel anything but love for you. I will avenge those who died. I promise you. I love you, always and forever.

Persephone Jackson, daughter of the sea

Joel looked at me, questioning. "Daughter of the sea?"

"She was fascinated by water as we grew up, and I jokingly called her daughter of water. She said it sounded so childish, and said daughter of the sea instead. She always signs off like that." I answered him, eyes glued to the letter. It was written hastily, like she was in a rush. You may hate me, but I will never feel anything but love for you. If that was the case, then why did we never talk things out? Were we just waiting for the other to make a move? It was stupid for both of us.

"W- we should go. Olympus is waiting. Pegasus is waiting." I gripped the paper tightly. "Stella, lead the way."

You know something? I hate summary writing.