For half the night, Chiron led us over rough terrain and rubble. HALF THE NIGHT! After what happened with the weird ninja turtles and everything, I was beyond exhausted. Chiron didn't seem to care. Still, as tired as I was, I was careful to keep my hand on Pegasus as we travelled. He was growing increasingly tired, and often we had to stop for him to catch his breath. He was starting to not see things, and stumble over the debris left in the demise of the war. When that happened, I would lift him off the ground and carry him. The amount of debris was concerning, but I would rather be here than back there. Almost immediately after we left, a female's screams filled the air. I couldn't understand what she said, but from how fierce and sad it was, it wasn't anything good.

The dawn arrived sooner than expected. There was nothing nice about it, the colours muted and dulled, as the sun rose only half way, like even it couldn't find the energy to be hyper. We encountered more Olympians as we travelled, most who knew Chiron. Most who I don't recognise or seen before. There were winged Olympians, snakelike Olympians, and many other war-weary and defeated creatures. I had to contain a cry as I watched two of them carry an Olympian, who had burn marks on the entire of her left side. Her clothes were charred and her face was badly burned, eyes closed.

As I passed them, the Olympians stood, or just stopped what they were doing just to look at me, like I was a new planet that just appeared in the Solar System and they were the scientists.

Those whose legs weren't injured started to follow, or just flew. I was gratified.

"Pegs, look." I whispered. "They don't know me, but they must have some kind of instinct telling them I'm special. They are drawn to me."

"That could be a good thing or a bad thing," Agent B said tightly.

A giant shoved the CRU agent in the back and grunted a few harsh words. "More likely a bad thing," he finished.

I would have loved to retort but right at the moment, Chiron held up his hand and we stopped. I glimpsed left and right. We were standing before the ruins of a building that looked very familiar. With a start, I realised this looks near identical to Jupiter's palace, but it seemed to be in the wrong area.

From above, a loud screech interrupted my thoughts. Standing high above the entrance were three winged women with living snakes woven in their hair, and their faces had a pale green pallor. They snarled and threatened anyone who came near the ruins. I flinched, reminded of the Gorgons. "Who are they?"

He shrugged, not seeing my fear. "I'd say by the looks of them they're the Furies."

Never heard of them. "The what?"

"The three furies, avengers of crime, levied cruel punishments on those who broke the law." Agent B explained. I scrunched up my nose. Broke the law? I had never experienced that before. Olympus was always so happy and harmonious. Literally, I didn't even know there were laws. I mean, I knew Paelen was a thief but to be honest, I never saw them in action. He was forgiven as I was reborn. "Never heard of them."

Agent B shook his head. "Honestly, Emily. If we somehow survive this, I am going to get you some books on mythology. For all your time with the Olympians, you know almost nothing of them!"

"How do you know so much?" I didn't understand how he knew more than me when I'm the one who lived with the Olympians. Not to mention… her. Percy… I miss her so much. If only I could talk to her again, find her and talk. I want to understand where we went wrong.

"Once the Olympians became known to the CRU, we were all ordered to study the mythology to familiarise ourselves with what we were up against." That made my awe vanish.

The first Fury flew down to the group and challenged Chiron. Chiron growled in Ancient Greek and they argued.

As they did so, I gently lowered Pegasus to the ground, stroking his muzzle. "How are you doing, Pegs?" I asked softly. "Are you okay?"

Pegasus neighed softly.

"He's exhausted," Agent B said, "and he hasn't eaten in hours. None of us have."

I pulled out the food pouch, waved my hand over the top to produce a large supply of ambrosia cakes, and handed them to Pegasus. "Go on and eat, Pegs." I handed an ambrosia cake to Agent B. "You might as well also. Since you've already been exposed to it, there's no point going hungry."

A familiar voice called strange words from behind the giants. The same language. When the giants parted, I was stunned to see a young man walking between their legs. He was no more than eighteen or nineteen with dark wavy hair, smooth clear skin, and bright eyes. He was well built, with a strong, muscled chest. In his hand he carried a tall trident. But it was his eyes that I recognized first—they were as sparkly sea-green as a tropical ocean. A homesick pang struck me. For so long, I pushed Persephone out of mind when truly, I miss her so much. I miss her calm words, miss her unmoving loyalty, miss the kindness and happiness she always showed when we were together.

And I never understood why she looked identical to Neptune, how they were so similar. Same black hair, same sea-green eyes that change depending on their mood. Right now, Neptune's eyes were of a greyish-blue, like a stormy sea, just like how Persephone's would when she was furious. That cold, seething anger. The calm before the storm. The last time I saw them like that was when I told Persephone I was being bullied. The next day, the bully didn't come to school, and Persephone's knuckles were slightly bruised. I didn't ask her what happened, but the message was clear. Don't mess with the people I care about.

"Neptune." I called out happily. "Is that you?" Only later I realised he couldn't possibly understand me.

Pegasus nickered excitedly as recognition struck him. Painfully, he climbed to his feet as his old wings fluttered and shed feathers on the ground. There was no mistaking his joy at seeing his father alive again.

But the feelings were not reciprocated. Neptune wore a dark, threatening expression. He pointed his trident at us and spoke the language of the Olympians. Though I couldn't understand his words, the message was clear. He had no clue who we were. That struck me harder than when Chiron threatened us. My smile faltered and I took a step back.

Pegasus whinnied and stepped forward, but Neptune wouldn't listen. He flicked the end of his trident. Pegasus was lifted off the ground and tossed several yards away. The ageing stallion crashed down into a broken pile of marble pillars, landing on his wings. He cried out in deep pain.

"Pegasus!" I turned on Neptune. My sadness and fear became a rage I never felt before. "He is your son, you idiot!" I shouted in a tone that I would never have dared use with the Neptune from my time. I fired a quick blast of fire that tossed Neptune backward violently. He struck a giant and knocked the legs out from under him. They both fell to the ground in a confused heap.

I advanced quickly, hands outstretched.

"Emily, no!" Agent B cried. "Don't kill him, or Pegasus will never exist!" Doesn't he know I know that?

"I'm not going to kill him," I shouted, "but no one hurts Pegasus, not even his father!"

Neptune quickly recovered, rising up and pointing his trident at me. It was well known that the weapon could shoot a lethal blast of water that was powerful enough to cut an opponent in half. Never had it been pointed at me. It fueled my rage even more. Neptune clearly wasn't playing or waiting for explanations.

As the first blast of water shot toward me, I raised my hands and easily deflected the water away. The force swept my hair back as I forcibly redirected the water. It struck the giants around me and knocked them to the ground.

I leapt off the ground, hoisting Neptune as well. "Stop it!" I screamed at him. "We're trying to help you!"

But Neptune wasn't giving up. Once again he pointed his trident at me. But I was faster. I wrenched the trident from his hands with a quick surge of wind. The weapon shot down to Agent B who caught it with ease.

"Hold this while Neptune and I have a little chat!" I rose in the air and met Neptune high above the heads of the giants.

"Emily, no!" Agent B shouted. "You could change the future!"

"Would you trust me, please?" I cried. Why would no one trust me for once? I'm not a child!

Suddenly, from the pile of rubble, Pegasus screamed.

A teenager stood before him with his hands pressed tightly on the stallion's head.

"No!" I yelled fearfully. "Leave him alone!"

I abandoned Neptune and flew directly to the boy, tackling him away from Pegasus. We tumbled together, falling into a deep, open pit of rubble.

Before we struck the bottom, the boy put his arms around me and hugged me tightly. He spun us both around so that only he took the impact of hitting the floor of the pit. "Emily, it is me!" he cried. "Jupiter!"

I grunted as we skidded to a stop. After a while, I got up slowly, observing the boy. His dark eyes were bright and filled with mischief, and he had a devastating smile that revealed deep dimples in each cheek. There was no mistaking that he was very handsome, but I could see no traces of the Olympian leader in his face. I would never guess they were the same if not for their eyes. The same, clear blue, electrical eyes.

"Jupiter?" I frowed, a little sceptical. "Is it truly you?"

"How many other Jupiters do you know?" he teased. "Of course it is me."

"And you speak English?" I continued to ask, baffled.

Jupiter rose and offered his hand to help me up. His grin broadened. "I do now. My nephew, Pegasus, just taught me."

I couldn't understand what was happening. Pegs was screaming, not teaching Jupiter a new language. "How?"

"When I touched him," Jupiter explained, "I saw who he was and where he came from. You have certainly come a long way. I am deeply grateful for your help. Pegasus is correct. We must stop my father's weapon before it destroys us all."

I was almost too stunned to speak. "You— you know everything?" Could my luck really be this good?

"Yes." He grinned. Then his teasing eyes sparkled. "I also know everything about you."

"Such as?"

"Well, let me see," he said lightly. "You started your life as a human and then became known as the Flame of Olympus. But the truth is, you are the last Xan, an ancient race of myth and legend. It is you who will help us end this brutal war with the Titans. Am I correct?"

I was still too shocked to move. The joy at seeing Jupiter alive again was too much. I had hoped to find him here in the past, but had never expected him to look like he did. The sparkle in his young, teasing eyes was making my heart flutter, and the way he spoke reminded me so much of Paelen. Oh dear Gods. I got crushes even faster than Persephone got kicked out of schools.

Jupiter put his arm around my waist and grinned as he levitated us both out of the pit to where Neptune was standing, once again holding his trident on Agent B and Pegasus. I tensed up. Jupiter released me and ran over to his brother. He placed his hands on Neptune's head.

As Jupiter transferred the information, Neptune staggered. When he recovered, he knelt down before me. The blue in his eyes softened to the colour of a calm, warm sea—the colour I knew and loved. The perfect bode of green and blue. Another pang struck my heart.

"Please forgive me. I did not know." Neptune apologised sincerely, but I couldn't care less right now.

"It's not me you should apologise to!" I dashed over to where Pegasus lay. Agent B was with him and struggling to help him to rise.

"I've got you now, Pegs," I said gently as I lifted him out of the rubble and healed his damaged wings. "This is happening to you too often. I wish everyone would just leave you alone."

"Pegasus, my son," Neptune cried, "please forgive me! I sincerely believed you were Titans here to destroy us." He put his arms around Pegasus's neck and embraced him tightly.

I sniffed slightly. Nothing was better than a father-son reunion. Pegasus whinnied happily.

Too bad Agent B didn't share the same sentimentals. "You told him! Are you insane? No one should know their own future, especially the Olympians!"

I shook my head. "It wasn't me; it was Jupiter. When he touched Pegasus, he read his mind. Now he knows everything about us and learned our language. He's just shown it all to Neptune."

"Jupiter? Where is he?" Agent B whirled around, looking for an old, powerful man.

"Here," Jupiter said. He approached Agent B and offered his hand. "After what Pegasus has shown me, I am surprised that a CRU agent would wish to help. But my nephew has faith in you."

"You're Jupiter?" Agent B said incredulously. "How? You're just a kid."

"A kid? I am much more than just a kid. I am Jupiter!"

"I don't understand any of this," Agent B said. "How could you learn our language so quickly?"

"We are Olympian," Jupiter said, as if that explained everything.

I watched Jupiter speaking with the CRU agent and was painfully conflicted. I had known him for ages. Her Jupiter—old Jupiter. He was powerful, but more like a sweet, elderly grandfather. But this Jupiter was an even more powerful young man of Joel's age. Cupid, who was considered the most beautiful Olympian, had nothing on him. Despite the grime of battle, Jupiter's skin was smooth and golden. His eyes were sparkling, and his muscled body was stronger than Joel's.

… why am I comparing him to all the boys I know?

Pegasus nudged me and nickered softly.

I could see the stallion was laughing at my sudden reaction to young Jupiter. "Stop it, Pegs." I blushed.

Jupiter stroked Pegasus's face and grinned at me. "What have I missed?"

My blush darkened and I shook my head. "Nothing important. But we do need to talk. Can we go somewhere quiet?"

Jupiter nodded and motioned to Neptune. "Call Pluto, Juno, Vesta, and Ceres; they must hear this too. Then we can make our plans." He returned to me and took my hand. "Come, there is not much left of the palace, but there is still a council chamber where we can speak privately."

Before we entered the damaged palace, Jupiter paused to address his people and gave a short speech. When he finished, he called one of the giants forward and gave him instructions. The others bowed to Jupiter and returned to their duties, and the Furies took their position at the entrance again.

"You didn't tell them everything, did you?" Agent B asked.

Jupiter tilted his head to the side. "I am young, Agent B, not stupid," he said. "You are correct. No one should know their own future. It is best if no one other than the first Olympians know who you really are. I just sent the giants to alert my people. Your friends are out there somewhere in the middle of this battle. They must be found and delivered here unharmed."

When Vesta arrived, with Juno and Ceres, my heart was thrilled to see my teacher so young and alive. I ached to throw her arms around her, but Vesta looked at me with deep suspicion. It was only after Jupiter shared his knowledge that the three women warmed to me and spoke English.

"You are the last Xan," Vesta said in shock, "and you are part of the Flame that arrived here a short while ago. It burned across our sky in a brilliant ball of light and crashed to the ground in a large crater."

"Riza is already here?" I cried. I looked around at the ragtag team of fighters and through a hole in the palace wall to the barren, burned lands outside. "But I thought the Flame gave you all more powers. It helped you win the war. You once told me the Flame was the source of your powers."

"It is true we have become much more powerful since it arrived," Jupiter explained. "But so have the Titans. They seek to steal the Flame from us and take it to Titus. This is the battle we fight and the cause of the war. If the Titans succeed in controlling it, they will enslave us and all the worlds around us."

"But Saturn is your father," Emily said. "Can't you talk to him and get him to stop?"

Neptune shook his head. "Our father is insane. He was once told that his children would overthrow him. He is so desperate to keep control that he had us imprisoned in Tartarus until Jupiter managed to escape and set us free."

Agent B shook his head. "The myths said that he ate all of you. But when Jupiter was born, your mother, Rhea, fed Saturn a rock instead of the baby. Jupiter was raised on Crete and finally freed his brothers and sisters by making Saturn throw them up."

Jupiter started to laugh. His laugh was soft and deep and made me blush.

"Do you always believe everything you read?" He laughed. "That story is madness. We were all born on Titus, a sister world to Olympus. Our father did not eat us. Nor did he disgorge us. What he did was imprison us until I was able to escape. I went back and freed my brothers and sisters. It is true that we have spent a great deal of time on Earth. But then we came to live permanently on Olympus. We hoped to remain here free from Titus and our father."

I frowned. "No, I have heard Greek tales, and what Agent B says is true. When Saturn overthrew his father, he was cursed that one day, his own children would overthrow him. That led to Saturn being so paranoid that when Rhea gave birth to Vesta, he swallowed her up and did the same to all his children besides Jupiter."

"How do you know that and not the three furies?" Agent B cried out in exasperation.

"Percy told me that." I remember her asking me if I really wanted to know because there were gruesome details, but I insisted. She didn't even need a book, she had memorised the story by heart. "She… told me many stories of Greek Mythology."

"Stories. Not facts." Jupiter said. "Humans do tend to twist what they hear until it becomes unbelievable. Do not believe what your friend says, they are not true."

"When we tried to stay here to hide away from our father," Neptune continued from where Jupiter left off, "it worked. Until the Flame arrived, that is. Everything changed. Our father and some of his brothers attacked us, trying to take it for themselves. To end the war we have considered extinguishing it."

Pegasus whinnied loudly as I cried, "No, you can't do that!"

I caught hold of Vesta's hands. "If you extinguish the Flame, everything in the future will change. I will not be here and I will never know Pegasus."

"I do not understand," Vesta said. "I was confused by what Jupiter has shown me."

"It's very simple," I began. "Not long from now you will take the heart of that Flame and hide it in a girl on Earth. It will live within her, unknown, for her whole life. Then when she dies, it will pass to another girl, and then another, for countless generations, until the time comes when I will be born with the heart of the Flame. I will live in a place called New York City, and it is there that Pegasus will find me. He will take me to Olympus to enter the Temple of the Flame, and it will be brought forth in me."

"But there is no temple built to the Flame," Vesta said. "It burns deep in a crater in the ground."

"If Emily says there is a temple built to the Flame—and as I have seen it in my nephew's mind—it must be made so," Jupiter insisted. "If we win the war, we will build the Temple of the Flame."

Agent B looked at me in confusion. "I never knew that was how you came to have all these powers."

"No one in the CRU knows," I revealed. "It was my destiny."

"And now that destiny is in grave danger," Agent B said. He looked at the Olympians. "Listen to me, all of you. It is critically important that you follow through on what you have learned from Pegasus. If anyone deviates from what was meant to happen, it will change the future. That could be devastating for Earth as well as Olympus."

"Of course," Vesta said. "We will act on what we have learned."

I approached Jupiter. "Have your people heard anything of Joel and Paelen yet? They've been out there alone with no weapons for too long."

"I have seen who they are in my nephew's mind. Joel is resourceful. I am sure they are fine. But I will order more giants to look for them."

"I am not so sure of that, brother." Juno said worriedly, crossing her fingers. "You never know when they might come. For all we know, the boys are dead."

"What?" I couldn't help my outburst as the Gods turned to Juno, annoyed.

"No, Emily." Jupiter knelt down in front of me, taking my hands. "Joel and Paelen aren't dead. I'm sure of it. They wouldn't dare attack. Not when they have other things to deal with."

"What do you mean? Who're they?" I asked worriedly.

The Gods looked at each other. Some whispered in Greek. It was like a debate before Vesta spoke up. "There's another reason why the war is going badly. About some time ago, our father managed to get some help."

"Three people to be exact." Ceres continued in her soft voice. "Prodosia, the masked princess. Góissa, the sorceress, and Ekdikó, the warrior."

"What?" I turned to Agent B in alarm. "Were those people ever in the myths?"

He shook his head. "This is the first time I'm hearing those names. Either they don't exist, or no one thought they were important enough to include them in the myths."

"Oh, but they do exist, and they are very crucial." Jupiter sighed. "Once, we had a chance of winning against the Titans. But they suddenly appeared. A long time ago, we cannot remember the exact date, they arrived in Greece. There was a powerful surge of energy that rejuvenated both sides, so powerful that it nearly crushed us. Before we could investigate it, they were gone. We do not know why, but they sided with Saturn. We have never seen them, but the humans spread tales of their victories. They plunder the cities and villages, and destroy our temples and shrines. They kill our supporters. Slowly, we lose power."

"Already, they have conquered twenty-seven towns." Neptune sighed, looking like he aged thirty years just by talking about them. "The latest conquest of theirs was our base for the survivors."

"You managed to help by killing the dragons." Jupiter added, expression pinched. "But unfortunately, they still live."

I shuddered, remembering the scream. "There was a girl's scream… you mean that was one of them?"

"Chiron and the giants were fighting against Prodosia and Góissa before you arrived. He had left with thirty giants. Only 18 remain. Prodosia and Góissa did not sustain any injury." Jupiter rubbed his face.

"How is that even possible? They're overpowered." I argued.

"We do not know. Some dare to say that they have glimpsed Prodosia's face, which may be a possibility. Those who said so all mysteriously die barely hours later, with a puddle of their own blood around them and the words, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET, written in Greek somewhere near the body." Neptune said grimly. "Their identities are kept a secret, even our spies on Titus do not know. Only the most inner group do."

"We have reasons to believe they do not belong in this world. Somewhat like you, Emily." Vesta finished.

That basically killed off the mood. We waited in awkward silence as Pluto arrived.

When he did, I wasn't that surprised how young and attractive he looked. Together with Jupiter and Neptune, they looked like a boy band. I would have smiled if I wasn't still troubled by the news.

Pluto took the news of our arrival with his usual calm. It was decided that one more Olympian should be invited in on the secret. Chiron was called to the meeting and introduced properly to me. The centaur bowed deeply and apologised for his rudeness earlier and thanked me for healing his wounds. I was finally able to speak to him normally as I always did.

"So what can we do to help find Saturn's weapon?" I asked anxiously. "If we don't destroy it now, there is no future for any of us."

"Of course," Jupiter said. "I am sickened to think that our father could create such a thing. Could he really hate us so much?"

"Father is insane. He breaks our power sources, and kills children for the fun of it." Vesta said mourningly. "Nothing he does surprises me anymore."

"But where would he build it?" Agent B asked. "Can we go there and stop him?"

Jupiter shook his head. "If this weapon is as powerful as that, he will keep it well hidden and protected while it is being developed. It could be anywhere: Titus, Tartarus, or any of a hundred worlds. We will send out our spies, but it will take time."

I couldn't help but stare as Jupiter combed his fingers through his thick, dark hair. As he flexed his arm muscles, my heart pounded until I had to look away. Even then, I sneaked a peek.

"As it is," Jupiter continued, "Saturn has used his new powers from the Flame to create an army of monsters and a fearsome race of fighters, the Shadow Titans. They are unlike anything we have ever encountered before. They have swarmed over parts of Earth and Olympus in a bid to defeat us and take the Flame."

"I think we might have just met them," Agent B said. "Some look like large blackbirds and some look like giant turtles."

"That is them," Jupiter said. "Though there are two more types out there as well."

"But you can beat them, right?" I asked. I looked at Pluto. "Can't you just wave your hand in the air and kill them?"

"You cannot kill that which is not alive," Pluto said. "Believe me, I have tried."

"What do you mean? I'm sure I killed a few."

"No, Emily, you destroyed them," Jupiter corrected. "The Shadow Titans are not living beings. That leathery armour of theirs is nothing more than an empty shell. They have eyes, but no body. They do not speak and do not feel pain. A Shadow Titan will not surrender when surrounded. They fight until there is nothing left to fight with."

Agent B rubbed his newly healed arms. "So I've learned."

"We know they can be controlled." Pluto continued, expression pained. "Góissa, Ekdikó and Prodosia can command them to do what they want."

I thought back to the shapeshifting man. No doubt he was Ekdikó. To think what he has done… to know that I had witnessed him taking over that village… it brought out more fear than determination.

"The Shadow Titans are aptly named. They are merely the walking shadows of four original warriors: Aronder, the Minotaur; Mertik, the Turtle Warrior; Dythram, the Blackbird Warrior; and finally, Quinux, the Dragon Warrior. It sounds as though you have met the Blackbird and Turtle Shadows only." Pluto explained.

"The Minotaur is fighting with the Titans?" I cried. "How is that possible? He lived peacefully on Olympus until the disaster struck. He could be mean-tempered, but he wasn't evil or bad."

"None of them are evil," Jupiter said. "The Four Warriors are prisoners, just as we once were. As long as they exist, Saturn can create a limitless supply of Shadow Titans that answer only to him. In time their numbers will swell to overthrow us. With or without father's weapon, if we do not stop the Shadow Titans, we will be defeated."

"Then it would seem logical to either free or destroy the originals before that happens," Agent B said.

"True," Jupiter agreed. "But they are kept locked away. We do not know where, though we have spies out searching for them."

"What about the Hundred-handers?" Agent B asked.

I brightened. "Yes! The Hecatoncheires! Surely they are real. Persephone always spoke of them and how they were the true heroes of the Titanomachy. Without them, you would not have won the Titans."

"That is madness!" Juno cried. "Saturn keeps them imprisoned deep in Tartarus. We could not free them when we escaped. They are trapped there forever."

"Well, you'd better try again," Agent B said, "because all the ancient myths say the same thing. They help you win the war."

"Exactly." I said, so relieved about all the times Persephone would tell me those stories. "They were incredible craftsmen, and they constructed your weapons. They were tall as mountains and could throw rocks." I frowned. Persephone loved talking about that, but I was never sure why.

Chiron paced the floor. "If this is so, how do we do it? How do we get into Tartarus to rescue them with all the Shadow Titans guarding the prison?"

"By destroying the Shadow Titans first," Joel called as he entered the chamber. He was followed by Paelen on Brue and Stella being pushed by a satyr. The goat boy nodded respectfully to Jupiter and the others and left the chamber.

"Joel!" I ran and hugged him tightly before going over to Paelen. "Are you all right?"

Nike, the Winged Victory, was standing beside Joel. She was tall and elegant as she spoke softly to Jupiter in their language.

Jupiter approached. "Yes, Nike, thank you," he answered in English. "These are the ones. You have done well."

Paelen reached a wizened hand to me, face filled with relief at seeing me. "How did you get away from the village? There were so many of those things coming at us. They are here in Olympus, too. We tried to fight them, but they were too strong. I might have defeated them if I could only have stretched myself out again."

I smiled at my old (literally) friend. "I'm sure you would have, Paelen. But those things are the Shadow Titans. We nearly didn't get away from them. A couple of Turtle Shadows thought Agent B was a wishbone. They broke both his arms."

"I'm fine," Agent B said gruffly. "But what happened in Greece was just a preview. It seems Saturn has a limitless supply of them."

"You were lucky." Jupiter said gravely before going back to discussing the plan. "Finding that weapon and stopping the Shadow Titans must be our first priority before we attempt to free the Hundred-handers from Tartarus. We must make our plans."

"Who are you?" Joel demanded. He looked around the room. "Where's Jupiter? We really need to speak with him."

"Joel, this is Jupiter," I said as I introduced the Olympians.

The shock on Joel's face was mirrored by Paelen and Stella. "But you're all so young!"

"So we have been told," Jupiter said. "But that does not alter the situation." He looked Joel up and down and pushed against his chest. "You look strong enough for a human, but can you fight? Have you been trained?"

Joel shrugged. "Not really."

Jupiter turned to Agent B, me, and then Stella. "What about you? Have any of you been trained in warfare?"

Agent B raised his hand, but Stella shook her head.

I said, "Until now I've just been using my powers."

"Powers are good," Pluto said. "But they are not enough. Not against the Titans. You will need more."

"Do not worry, Emily." Jupiter said as he guided us from the room. "I'm sure you will do wonderfully."

I was not doing wonderfully. Not that Jupiter seemed to care. "You have done well." He addressed us after days of intense weapons training. I was too tired to even lift up my head. This is why I have always hated physical education. "Better than we could have hoped. Now it is time for you to join your regiments."

"Regiments?" I repeated. "No, we've got to find that weapon. The whole future depends on it. We've got to go with the spies to try to find it."

"I agree," Agent B said. "These kids aren't equipped to deal with war. We came back here for the weapon, that's all. Winning the war is down to you and the Hundred-handers."

Jupiter looked at his brothers. Pluto nudged him. "Go on, Jupe, tell them."

"We are losing the war," Jupiter said flatly. "Each day sees more Olympians wounded or captured and taken away while the number of Shadow Titans and monsters grows. Our spies have said there are no signs of the weapon being developed."

"We believe," Chiron added, "that Saturn does not feel the need to create the weapon because we are being defeated without it."

"You can't lose the war," Joel said, panicky. "The myths said you won! You are the Big Three; you have amazing powers. All Olympians do. You can't lose."

"The myths were wrong," Jupiter said sadly. "Unless we can find a way to turn the tide, it is only a matter of time before we are forced to surrender."

"Surrender?" Joel cried. "You can't!"

"Joel, unless you can offer another solution, this is it." Neptune said. "As you have trained, we have gotten reports on how Ekdikó has successfully conquered two other cities. Their numbers have gone up to twenty nine. Góissa had led a raid and destroyed all of Athens' temples of us. Prodosia had just recently attacked one of our food bases, and set the entire place on fire. Thirty two Olympians died, and five managed to escape with fatal injuries. They told us Prodosia purposely left them alive, and that she sent us a message before they succumbed to their wounds. She wants the Flame to surrender and face the consequences of her actions. We cannot allow that. Our only option is to admit defeat."

"Brother, do not worry them." Jupiter reached for my hands. Unlike mine, his were steady and warm. "Prodosia is a matter we Olympians will deal with, but what Neptune says is true. There is only one way to change our fate. We need you to fight with us, Emily. You are Xan. You have the power to defeat the Shadow Titans with the wave of your hand. From what I have learned from Pegasus, you cannot be hurt, and you have the power to heal."

My blood ran cold, and not just because of what Neptune said. Jupiter was saying the exact same thing that Agent B had said to me. That I was the ultimate weapon.

"Jupiter, please," I begged. "Don't ask me to do this. I am not a weapon."

Jupiter shook his head. "I did not call you a weapon. But you are Xan. You can turn the tide. If we can show Saturn that you are with us, he may stop this insane war."

"Saturn can't know that Emily is Xan," Agent B said. "No one can know what she is."

Chiron joined Jupiter. "He will not know you are Xan, but unless you join us on the battlefield, we will lose this war without that weapon ever being created. When that happens, there will be no future for any of us."

"Emily, please believe us when I say we would have never asked you to consider this if we really don't have a choice." Jupiter said quietly as I exited the room. I ignored him as I stumbled out.

I just wanted to avoid these things. To avoid war. That word brought out a shudder. I've always known war is inevitable but never have I ever thought I would have to go through it.

Guess we learn things the hard way.