Welcome back.

So to those of you reading this, I am deeply sorry for the wait. It's my fault, and I will do my best to assure it doesn't happen again. I'll explain a bit of my reasoning in the closing note as to why I took so long to update. But as of now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

On with the sixth chapter. Who's on who's side?

6. Harper Makes A Life Altering Decision

Percy

Okay guys, these past couple of days have been really weird, so I just want to make sure I have everything straight.

First, I get in a fight with a demigod made of lava. Nothing unusual.

Then, I visit my father's palace, and come to find out there's an underwater war brewing. My father's weakened, my half-brother is wounded, and the one responsible is a powerful titan I thought to be dead.

Now...one of our greatest enemies shows up at our doorstep and shows us how he basically redeemed himself. Or tried to redeem himself. He's not fully forgiven in my book.

But...I had to admit, after seeing that memory, I felt sorry for the guy. He looked like a completely different person, refusing to kill his mom and clearly realizing Ouranos didn't care about him.

So now I'm left with chaos from all sides. I have to help decide on what to do with Levi, all the while thinking about what's going on down below with Oceanus. I'm not going to pretend it hasn't been eating away at me.

Do I have everything straight? Good, glad we got that out of the way.

Coming back to the present, Levi was standing in front of us, waiting for an answer. We all were trying to process what we had just saw. I kept relaying it through my mind. Ouranos as a kid, some weird guy holding Sera captive, Levi cutting Atlas's eye.

Atlas...

The fact that another titan was involved now, didn't make me feel better in the slightest. I'd personally fought him before and got tossed around like a rag doll. Even in the height of my power, I stood no chance against him. Dude was the right hand of Kronos, and now we had to go toe to toe with him. This crap fest just gets better and better.

Harper was the first to speak. She sort of threw a hand up and shook her head vigorously. "I...I can't deal with this right now."

She strode to the door, and Matt immediately reacted. He reached out with a hand, "Harper..."

She didn't even turn around, "I need to be alone. I can't even..." She stopped for a split moment, but her body decided against it, and she kept moving. "I can't right now."

The sound of her hopping down the ladder became distant as she walked down the hall. The three of us were left with no idea what to do.

Matt started the direction she went, tightening his lips and looking like he'd aged ten years in ten minutes. "I should go check on her..."

I grabbed his shoulder before he could, lowering my voice. "Hey man, I gotta know first. What the heck happened to you guys yesterday?"

Annabeth became intrigued, and we all turned away from Levi to discuss it. I don't know why, since he knew more than we did probably, but I guess it was a trust thing, in the fact that we didn't trust him yet.

Matt sighed, "It's a lot, man."

"We got time." Annabeth persisted, "We all...need to talk about this. I mean, there's a potential quest here."

Matt looked like he was afraid she'd say that. He looked down the attic door, like he was thinking of making a run for it, but I could tell a part of him wanted to get whatever happened off his chest. So he stayed.

"After school, Harper and I went on this date." He said, "Things were...going well, until we got attacked, by Atlas."

Our eyes widened. With that one sentence, all of it made sense. Why they didn't come back yesterday, why Kyros is wounded, why they were out of breath and scared. One of the most powerful beings in existence tried to kill them."

"How in Hades did you get out alive?" Annabeth whispered incredulously.

Matt shook his head, "We almost didn't, and we shouldn't have. We tried to fight him, but we were no match. His power was so overwhelming, I couldn't do a thing. I was so...helpless."

His face sunk at that last part, and I could tell his spirit had been utterly broken. I knew the feeling, and I felt sorry for him. Matt hates seeming weak, since all he wants to do is protect everybody, or at least everybody that he can. But it's the can part that he hates. I know it, because that's me. That's literally me, and I went through the same thing a lot of times. The one that stands out the most is Chrysoar. I hadn't been beaten at my most powerful, and with my water, maybe I could've taken him. But that wasn't the fight, it was a match of swordsmanship, and he beat me senseless. I remembered the following days, all I could think about was how at one of the things I love, one of the things I thought myself genuinely good at, wasn't true. There was someone way better.

"I'm sorry, man." I said.

He looked at me, "It was your dad, actually. He helped us escape. That's the only reason why we're alive right now."

My eyebrows furrowed, "My dad? But that doesn't..."

I cut myself off, trying to upstart the rusty gears in my head. If he was fighting Oceanus, then how-

He had his own problems son, and I helped him with that too.

So that's what he meant. He helped them with Atlas.

Annabeth finished my sentence, "Make sense? Why?"

I realized I said too much, especially around Annabeth. She can deduce anything. Honestly, I don't see why she doesn't pursue a freaking FBI career instead of architecture.

These were my friends though. I could tell them.

"I had an interesting day myself." I muttered, "I uh, fought Axel, so that's a big event on it's own."

Matt reared his head back, "Axel? Like the Big Four Axel?"

I had to be sarcastic, "No, the Axel from my biology class in New Rome. Yes, it's Big Four Axel!"

"Okay I get it. What happened?"

This part was hard to tell. I mean...I've never admitted to this type of thing before. It was a lot more nerve-wracking than I thought.

Just start with the easy stuff...

"Well, Annabeth and I were doing morning announcements, when I felt this...calling, from the ocean." My eyebrows furrowed at the memory, and oddly I could remember it very well, like down to the exact detail. I could feel the wind in my hair and smell the sea salt even. Though I'm pretty sure I smell like that all the time. Annabeth assures me it's a good smell, but I'm pretty sure she just tells me that to make me feel better sometimes.

I continued, "I can't really describe it, but I felt so connected to the water in that moment. Like nothing else inhabited the world. And when I got to the edge of the sand, I saw a letter written to me. It was from my dad."

Everybody's eyes went wide, except for Levi's. He wasn't in listening distance, so he just sort of stood there awkwardly, watching us talk behind his back.

"Did he need your help?" Annabeth asked, guessing it on the first try.

I nodded, "Yeah, but I'm getting to that. Anyway, the letter says that he needs me right away, and the hippocampi will guide me to his palace."

"The hippocampi?" Matt interrupted, "Isn't that a monster? Half...fish half horse or something?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't call it a monster. It's more of a sea creature."

"I didn't mean it offensively. Kyros is technically a monster too."

I waved a hand to drop the subject, "Okay, whatever. Now can I finish the story?"

He motioned for me to go ahead.

I cleared my throat, "Anyway, as I was about to jump in the water, Axel attacked me. How he got here, I don't know. But he was outside of Camp borders, so really, he could've just dropped in from a plane if he wanted to, but that's not important. Long story short, I fought him, and..."

I paused there, on my own accord this time. Something kept me from finishing the rest of the sentence. What was it? My innocence?

Annabeth knew what I was trying to say. She was there. I could see her silently telling me it was okay to say it. To admit what I had done, and that it wasn't the wrong thing. But for some reason, I hesitated.

"Did you beat him?" Matt said, "Or did he get away?"

My tone was careful, "I beat him, don't worry about that. It's just...I beat him."

Matt looked confused, and he turned to Annabeth questioningly. She just nodded grimly at him.

He still didn't get the memo. "I'm sorry, I'm not getting it."

"He's dead, man." I said, a bit too quickly. The words came rolling off my tongue in a snap, almost angrily. Why did I have to say it? Why didn't he just get the hint?

What, hiding now? I asked myself.

Am I?

It's not like it's anything new. This is war, and I've been in those before. Freaking two of them actually, so why am I getting so squeamish and guilty all of a sudden? It was Axel, the guy was a psycho.

But thinking back on it, all of my battles...most of them were monsters. And the ones that were demigod, I just knocked them out instead of killing them, or in the case of Jason Grace, stalemated them while being possessed by an eidolon. I'd never actually killed one, up close and personal.

Matt was shocked and studied me. I knew what he was doing, he was using that weird ability he has to sense a person's emotions. He was trying to see if I was lying.

When he discovered I wasn't, he gasped.

"You...killed him?"

I nodded, ever so slightly.

"He- he had to do it." Annabeth said, "Axel was going to stop at nothing to finish what he started one year ago in burning the camp down. Percy saved us."

Matt got over his shock and agreed, "Totally. Those guys are evil, Percy. They're too far gone, and I know it sucks but...what you did, it was the only way to go in that situation. I've had to do it too."

I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but it fell on deaf ears. I couldn't shake the feeling in me right now. The fact that Matt, a guy younger than me has had to kill too, isn't exactly reassuring.

Annabeth decided to change the subject for my sake, "Um, what happened after you jumped in the ocean?"

I nodded, glad to move on to something else. "Right. Well, when I dived down, the hippocampi was still there, and it took me to my father's palace. Or well, what was left of it."

I trailed off at the last part, but they heard. I don't think Matt even knew Poseidon had a palace, so he was confused, but Annabeth knew all about it. I'd told her several times how amazing it was, and how it would be cool to take her there sometime.

"Someone destroyed it?" She asked, in a whisper.

"All of it." I confirmed, "Killed most of his forces, and even weakened my dad. Somehow killing parts of the ocean can do that to him. Something about a god's symbol."

She nodded, "It's tied to them. Like a lifeline, or an extension of themselves. It might as well be a part of them, and if...if someone destroys it, well no wonder your dad's weakened. But who? Who could do all of this?"

I took a breath before I said it, and when it came out, it came out with anger and hatred. "Oceanus."

Of course at that, the room became silent again. I hated when that happened. I also hated when something happened every time you said a powerful name. Like the wind blowing a bit harder, or in this situation, the smell of sea salt returning to my nostrils, but this time rotten and unpleasant. We get it Titans, you're strong, but do you really have to affect my sense of smell every time I say one of your names?

Matt put his hands on his hips and looked off to the side, "Great, that's two titans on our back now."

Annabeth looked like she was trying to solve an impossible math problem, "But that doesn't make sense" she said. "I thought your dad defeated him in the second war."

"He did. But now...he's back. Dad thinks it has something to do with Ouranos speeding up his reforming process."

Matt huffed, "What is it with these people coming back from the dead? I mean really! How does Ouranos just decide to resurrect these titans?!"

"You know how." Annabeth said, "Like he did with the Sons of Thor, he gave them his energy to make them stronger. And now that he has a physical form...well, there's no guessing how much energy he has now."

I raised a hand, "Regardless, this is the situation now. Ouranos has new recruits, among them, Atlas and Oceanus. That...sucks, pretty bad, but we do have a positive out of all this."

Annabeth nodded, reading my mind. "We know where they are."

"And that means..."

"We can rescue Malachi and Sera..." Matt whispered hopefully.

I nodded, feeling a smile come across my face. Through all of this chaos, we found a diamond in the rough. We could get them back; we could actually get those two back from his clutches. We knew where they were now. San Francisco. It was clear Ouranos was using this as his new base, and he wasn't going anywhere. With the protection of Atlas, he figured he was untouchable. And well, he's not wrong, but that doesn't matter. We'll find a way, we always do.

"Guys, we've got a freaking quest here." I said, "We can get a team together, and rescue them! It's foolproof!"

Matt looked like he wanted to comment his excitement, but Annabeth had to rain on our parade.

"Not so fast. It's not foolproof. We can't just gather up our usual squad and go waltzing in Mount Othrys. First..." She motioned her head to Levi, "We need to figure out what to do with him. Second, we need to come up with a plan. Not just on how to rescue Malachi and Sera, but how to deal with near impossible to defeat threats, including this Oceanus situation. Third, we tell the Camp about the plan, whatever we come up with. After all of that...we take action."

She broke it down in to three steps, but those three steps involved a LOT. My excitement shrunk in my gut, and realization dawned on me. I'd forgotten about Levi for a moment, when he was the biggest problem right now. What were we going to do with him? Keep him here while we go on the quest? Or...take him with us?

No. No, we couldn't do that.

The Oceanus situation was another thing. I needed to help with that, and it would probably take a while. I needed to learn how to control my aura, help my dad find his surviving forces, and take down Oceanus. That could take weeks! Heck, I might not even be able to go on this quest.

Alright, calm down. Just calm down, and handle one thing at a time.

I turned to Matt, "You guys got away from Atlas, right?"

"Yeah, but he's still out there, hunting us. He could show up here any minute for all I know."

I winced, "Okay, that's not good. But we got a little time." I turned to Annabeth, "We need to start multitasking if we want to get this show on the road. Can you watch Levi? I'm gonna go tell Talon that we might have something here."

She didn't look very enthused about guarding Levi, but she nodded.

Matt walked past us to the attic door, "I'm gonna check on Harper. Let me know if you guys need anything."

"Alright man. I'm right behind you."

I followed Matt's footsteps, and together we climbed down the ladder. Exiting the Big House, we walked in separate directions. He to the Nemesis cabin, and me to the Zeus cabin. Where...a lot of lights were flickering and- wait, was that country music?

A few campers surrounded the cabin, trying to peek inside and see what was going on. I saw a lot of lights swirling and strobing around. Purple, yellow, red, and all sort of colors. There was also this loud country music playing, and excuse me southern people, but I know nothing about country music. So don't ask me who was singing, but it sounded like a guy, his accent was thick, and the background instruments were loud. Kind of like something you'd hear at one of those barn dances.

I walked up to the Zeus cabin and told the kids peering in it to scram. I opened up the door and discretely entered, only to find exactly what I had heard outside. A blowout party.

The lights were even brighter and more erratic indoors, the music was clearer and louder. There were girls everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There had to be like twenty of them, all dressed in revealing cowgirl outfits. I couldn't find Talon anywhere.

I walked up to a dancing girl and cupped my hands so she could hear me.

"Have you seen my friend?!"

She turned and gave me a confused expression.

"TALON!" I yelled, "HAVE YOU SEEN TALON?!"

She just shrugged and kept dancing.

I groaned and peered around the mob, not seeing him anywhere. What I did on my left, however, was a familiar face.

I got closer and squinted at the figure, since it was kind of hard to see in here. "Mr. D?"

The pudgy figure was in fact Mr. D, sitting on one of the couches. He had on a pair of shades and his usual Hawaiian getup. He held a glass of wine and looked up at me lazily.

"Ah, Johnson. Didn't take you for the party type!"

I shook my head at him incredulously, "What are you doing here?! Where's Talon?!"

He waved a dismissive, hairy hand. "Ah, Talon shmalon. I'm the god of parties! Where there is a party, I shall be floating in the midst!"

I caught a couple of the girls waving at Mr. D and motioning him to come over to them with suggestive smiles on their faces.

My face wrinkled, "Looks like you've been doing more than floating."

He glanced at them, then back at me. "Don't get the wrong idea, they're all over twenty-one! Demigoddesses of Aphrodite, from Aphrodite's Oasis."

"Aphrodite's Oasis?"

"It's a strip club for our world, Johnson. Come now, you're twenty! I figured you would know more by now!"

I tightened my lips. Of course he'd be useless, and in the middle of something like this. What the heck had Talon done? Calling all of these...strippers here to Camp. I didn't even know there was a demigod strip club, filled with daughters of Aphrodite. I'm not one to judge, but something about that seemed kind of wrong. The Aphrodite kids I knew were great. Most of them cared about their looks and could be a bit obnoxious, sure, but when it came down to it, they would give their life for this Camp. Silena and Piper were two of the best people I've known, and probably the bravest. It just rubbed me the wrong way that there existed such a place. Did they feel unloved? Is that why they chose this path?

Or maybe not. Maybe they just...like it. I mean, it's not my life after all, so I can't say anything. Their choice, and I respect that.

"I gotta find Talon." I told Mr. D and weaved through the mob of women.

Thankfully this was just a cabin, so there weren't many other places he could hide. I eventually found him dead center, holding a girl with one arm around her back, while she straddled his waist. They both had beer bottles in their hands, and I think she was wearing his cowboy hat.

I sighed and walked up to him, thankful that he was in his usual getup, and not well...you know.

"Talon!"

He turned to me and smiled. "Ah, Percy! Where the hell ya been? Come on, join the party!"

I shook my head, "Can't. I actually need to talk with you for a second. Can you turn the music off?"

His smile fell, "Turn it off? Why?"

"Cause I need to talk to you. And you can't be doing this anyway."

At that, he set the girl down and glared at me.

"Why the hell not?"

"Why? Dude, they're strippers! And that's fine, but bringing them here to Camp, where kids are running around isn't cool! If you were doing this some other place, we wouldn't have a problem."

He held the glare for a moment, and was maybe trying to think of an argument, but the alcohol wouldn't let him. He just grumbled and shut the music off, "Whaddya want?"

I sighed, glad that I could finally hear myself think. "Okay. Don't freak out, but I think we've got a way to-"

I was interrupted by a scream, and several shouts of people following. It sounded like a riot had broken out behind me.

All of us turned to the door, Talon muttered behind me, "What the hell is that?"

I shook my head and started with a jog, "I don't know."

I flung the cabin door open and took a look outside. When I saw it, my heart sunk. It was Levi. He had been found.

By Nico.

Matt

Mentally, I wasn't prepared for this.

I was standing outside of the Nemesis cabin, trying to think of the words I'd say.

But what? Everything's going to be okay? No, that's way overused. Besides, nothing was okay about this situation. She had to be going through so much turmoil right now. Her brother shows up randomly a year later, tells us he wants to help, and basically proves that he's changed. It's not exactly easy to take in.

It was a lot for me. Imagine how hard it is for her.

I let out a breath and told myself to just wing it. The words will come to me, they always do.

I opened the cabin door and found her sitting on her bed, looking down at the floor.

"I told you I wanted to be alone."

I stepped in and closed it behind me, not even taking my eyes off her.

"You know you're never alone if I'm around." I said, knowing it sounded cheesy. But I meant it.

When she didn't say anything, I pressed. "You didn't leave me when Atlas attacked. Hell, you refused. So I'm not leaving you for this, got it?"

She kept quiet. I couldn't read her good eye, and I couldn't get anything from her emotions. She was good at hiding them.

I closed the distance and sunk in the mattress next to her. Not too close, to give her space, but close enough to where I could hear her.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" She asked rhetorically. "What I just saw, and everything he said. What do I do?"

I shrugged, "Well...what do you want to do?"

She thought about it for a second, then answered, "Honestly, I want to forgive him. But I know it shouldn't be that easy. I haven't forgotten all he's done, killing our Dad, Chiron, Will, and nearly me twice." She let out a humorless laugh, "It sounds batshit crazy when I put it like that. Listing all of the things he's done under Ouranos's cause, it sounds stupid to even think about forgiving him."

"But you want to."

She nodded and closed her eyes shamefully. "I do. I do and that's the part that I hate the most. Even after all this time, I still want to believe in him. A little display of his old self and I get my hopes up, it happens every time." She looked like she wanted to spit on the floor at her thoughts, "It's pathetic."

I shook my head, "It's not pathetic. He's your brother, and you knew him at a time when he was different, and good. That...that memory was real, you know that. Atlas's scar and the knife prove it."

"So we just forget it?" She said, "Just let bygones be bygones? What are we even supposed to do with him? Set him free, or let him join us?" She scoffed, "You know they'll kill him in an instant."

"We're not going to forget what he's done, that's for sure. But...I don't know, maybe with time we can forgive him."

Even as I said it, I wanted to wince. I knew it was far-fetched and sounded unreal. But after hearing his story and seeing that memory...it was hard to think otherwise. I could feel his emotions, and he was sincere.

I looked at her questioningly, "Do you think you'll ever actually forgive him? You said you want to, but...will you?"

A long pause. She kept her eyes glued to the ground, her shoulders slumped and her forearms on her knees. She looked completely done with everything. Even after all of the talk about wanting another chance, wanting to save him, In the end, she knew it would've been easier if this never happened.

But it had to. We got a lot of information in that memory. We wouldn't have known that Ouranos stayed in San Francisco, and we wouldn't have known about that magician guy. Easier or not, it was crucial.

Harper finally responded. Saying, "I need to show you something." She reached over her shoulder and lightly touched the spot between her shoulder blades, almost delicately. "I've never showed anyone this, not Sera, not anybody. But...It might help you understand."

"Okay. Show me."

She nodded and turned her back to me. Her arm retracted itself, and she switched her grip to the bottom of her shirt, with both hands. I raised an eyebrow, and felt my cheeks heat up. What was she doing?

Slowly, she pulled her shirt over her head, revealing smooth pale skin and a bra strap. I found myself darting my eyes anywhere but at her, getting pretty embarrassed.

"Uh, Harper...what are you-"

"Relax." She said, probably rolling her eyes. "And look."

She pulled her braid over her shoulder, revealing something on her back. I got over my embarrassment and looked at it, closer, and saw that it was a...tattoo.

No, it wasn't a tattoo. It was more of a mark.

I leaned in an inch and studied its design. It was a moon, a crescent moon. It appeared to be ink, from a tattoo drill, or whatever they're called. It was outlined in black and lightly shaded in the middle to represent the brightness of the moon. It was impressive, almost perfect, and I didn't really have a hard time believing that Harper would get a tattoo. It was rebellious, and she's just the type of person to do it. But the seriousness of her tone, and this being some kind of big reveal, told me that this happened supernaturally, without her consent.

"What is that?" I whispered. "A tattoo?"

She shook her head, "No. It's a mark, and it wasn't given to me by choice."

I reached out and traced the shape, "It's a moon. That's your mother's symbol, isn't it?"

"Yeah. After Levi killed our dad, that's when it formed. It didn't even hurt, and I didn't find out I had it until a week later, when I saw it in the mirror. I just...knew what it was off the bat, and that it had something to do with, at the time, the unknown man who murdered my father."

I took my fingers off her skin and set them on my lap. "Okay, so it's a mark. But...what of?"

She sighed, and pulled her shirt back on, covering up the moon mark. She shifted her weight and turned to face me. Her expression was dark, and this time, she actually looked me in the eye.

"Vengeance." Was all she said.

The word was simple, but I knew it held so much weight. I don't have much knowledge on Nemesis children, which sounds stupid since I literally date one, but I do know that sometimes, when someone wrongs them, or does something horrible to them, they mark that person as their target of revenge. They'll do whatever it takes to kill them, at any costs, no matter if it hurts others or even themselves. I knew Harper had that, and her target was Levi.

She continued to explain, "You already know that sometimes children of Nemesis acquire a target of revenge. Well...that's true, but not the full extent of it."

"What do you mean?"

"When it happens, you don't just hate the person. No, that's not enough to describe it. All of a sudden, it's like something in your mind shifts, and your very purpose on this planet becomes killing the one you hate. My emotions were amped ten fold, my need to get revenge overtook my mind, and I would do anything, anything to achieve it."

The way she talked about it, it sounded like she'd held it in for years, the full spectrum of how gripping this thirst for revenge was. I was a little taken back, I gotta admit. I never knew it was this strong.

A realization hit me, "When I saw your memories in that hotel, and the times where you attacked people to find Levi...that wasn't just for him was it? That was to find the killer too."

She nodded, "Yeah. Now imagine how crazy it was when I found out they were the same person."

I couldn't imagine it. It had to have been devastating. Suddenly I felt self aware, and a bit guilty. I should've been there for her more, I should've understood what she was going through at the time and stayed, instead of leaving to go train with my dad. She needed me, and I left without even saying goodbye.

No. No, I can't blame myself for that. I had to get stronger to stand a chance against the Sons of Thor. She forgave me, so I need to forgive myself. Move past the regrets.

She let out a stressed exhale from her nose, "The reason I'm telling you all this, is because I want you to understand that this won't change. This thing between Levi and I...it only ends when one of us dies. No matter how much I want to forgive him, no matter how many good deeds he does, that forced instinct will always be there. The mark doesn't go away until you've enacted your revenge."

"But what about this past year?" I said, "You weren't obsessed at all, and you seemed to be moving past the whole thing. Why would it flare up now?"

"Because he's back." She said in a near growl, "So much time had passed, and I got nothing. Not a single damn thing telling me if he was alive, if the wounds I had dealt up north had healed, and he was okay. I got no sign, so I assumed he'd died. I was over it, and I even started to accept it, that in his last moments, he protected me, and betrayed Ouranos."

So a part of her had been...hopeful that he wouldn't return. Deep down, she wanted that to be her last memory of him.

"He has to go." She muttered, "I have to kill him. The Camp wants him dead anyway, and...when I do, this urge will be gone."

I thought about what she said, and to be honest, it sounded kind of ridiculous.

"Harper, don't take this the wrong way, but you shouldn't base your choice off some marking on your back."

She definitely wasn't expecting that response. She sort of jerked her head in my direction and looked at me incredulously.

"Did you not hear anything I just said? It's a literal force of nature inside my head. The minute I marked Levi as my target, every time I think of him, or see him, a chunk of my brain screams at me to kill him, constantly. I can't fight it anymore."

"Not true."

She frowned, "What do you mean not true? Are you taking in anything I'm saying?"

"I am, and I understand it more than you think. Remember when I used to have problems with my anger?" I let out a humorless breath, recalling several events from my past. "Hell, I'd get so enraged, my blood would heat up and steam would come off my body! To be honest, I still don't understand how that even happened, but that's not the point. If your will is strong enough, and you have the right things to mold you...you can fight inner nature. Look at me, I had the right things to mold me. My friends, you, and my dad."

"Matt, no offense, but I don't see how the two things are the same."

"They aren't the same, no, but they are similar. With me, there was another way to control my anger rather than just release it. I had to learn to let it work for me, not against me. With you...maybe forgiveness is the answer. If you're ready, then that might just be the key to ending whatever inner turmoil you're going through."

"Why are you pushing forgiveness for him? I thought you hated him."

Whatever words I had ready to retort with paused at my tongue for a moment. A hesitation. Did I hate him?

"I don't...hate him. I hate a lot of the decisions he's made, and I hate Ouranos. That monster made him what he was. He was the one who sent the storm spirits to capture him, because he knew he was angry, and could be molded into a puppet. Blaming him would be like blaming a plant seed, when you should be blaming the farmer who put it in the ground."

She furrowed her eyebrows a bit at my strange comparison, and I sighed. "I just want to make sure that whatever you decide, it's based on what you want. Not what you think you have to do."

"Maybe what I want doesn't matter. If I don't kill him, or get him out of here, the campers will kill him themselves. I have to think about everybody before I think about myself, you know."

She got me again. It was her brother, and her conflict, but at the same time...it wasn't. Levi's actions brought in everybody. By attacking Camp, and killing innocents, he included the emotions of others. If Harper decided to let him go, or forgive him, it wouldn't sit well with others. Like Nico Di Angelo for example.

I wasn't sure what I was about to say, if anything at all. But as usual, we'd never find out. I always get interrupted, and sometimes I welcome it, but this time, that wasn't the case. Not at all.

"GET OVER HERE YOU BASTARD!"

The yell broke out in Camp, and I recognized it immediately. It was Nico himself. Soon after, dozens of war like cries followed, shouts of anger and hate roared in my ears. I heard the Big House door being slammed, and the sound of footsteps on the porch.

Harper looked to the cabin door, "What the hell is that?"

My eyes widened. "Oh shit. Harper, they found him."

She returned my expression, and we both darted out the door. Before us, a riot was breaking out. The Big House door had been kicked down, Annabeth stood in its frame, half-heartedly trying to stop the mob from taking Levi, but it was clear that a big part of her wanted it to happen. Levi himself was being dragged into the grass by dozens of angry campers. The direction they were taking him, was Nico.

The Son of Hades stood in the clearing, his sword in hand, and an expression of pure hatred on his face. He yelled at the crowd to bring Levi to him.

"Oh crap." I said, "This is so not good."

Harper didn't respond, she just stood next to me, watching on with confliction and saucer eyes.

I decided to take action, and stepped closer to the scene.

"Nico, what's going on?"

He glanced at me, "Matt, stay out of this! He's mine!"

"What the hell is going on out here!" I heard to my left. I turned and saw Talon coming from the Zeus cabin, along with a stunned Percy and...cowgirls? Okay, not even going to question that part.

Percy looked at Annabeth, "I thought you were keeping an eye on him! What happened?!"

She threw her hands up, "I was! Until a freaking mob kicked the door down and drug him from the house!"

The crowd ignored our yelling, and threw Levi on his face in the ground, in front of Nico.

"Nico, wait!" Annabeth shouted, "We can explain!"

"What?!" He yelled, glaring at her. "That you were hiding a psychopath?! No, I don't need an explanation. This is the best thing to happen to me all year."

He motioned for the campers to part for him, and they did. Nico circled Levi, who had now pushed himself off the ground, and sat on his knees and palms, looking up at Nico in fear.

"Harper, we need to do something about this." I muttered urgently. But Harper didn't make a move, she just kept watching on.

"Harper."

Nothing.

"Harper, come on!"

Nothing again, not even the flicker of an eye.

I tightened my lips and started to move in myself. If this was too overwhelming for her, then I'll take care of it. Or at least...try.

I closed the distance and faced Nico. At my movement, I noticed Percy and Talon following suit.

"Matt, you better tell me what's going on right now!" Talon shouted, trying to push his way through the mob of campers.

The only person Percy was trying to get to was Nico. He leaned his head over some guy's shoulder, "Nico, stop!"

"Shut up, Percy! Don't defend him! He killed Chiron!"

The campers shouted agreement with Nico, and many of them looked at Percy with confusion, and something similar to betrayal. They couldn't believe he would actually tell Nico to stop, since he has just as much reason to hate him.

Nico raised his sword in the direction of Levi, "That's right, you piece of shit. You killed Chiron, and you killed my boyfriend, Will Solace. You remember his name?"

Levi stayed on the ground, panting breathily. At his lack of immediate response, Nico roared and grabbed him by the collar.

"Do you remember what he looked like?! How about when you killed him?! WHEN YOU KILLED HIM IN FRONT OF ME!"

Levi didn't dare try to get free, he just let everything happen. "I know I made some horrible choices, and I'm sorry. You have every right to hate me."

He sounded sincere about it, but Nico didn't care. He was enraged at the moment, and I knew the feeling. There was next to nothing that would stop him right now. If this escalated...I might have to force him off.

But how does that make me look? Denying Nico revenge on his boyfriends killer. I'd go from a decent guy to a prick in about five seconds.

Didn't matter.

Nico exploded in Levi's face. "Sorry? SORRY?! You're sorry now? Why weren't you sorry then, huh? Why didn't you spare him?"

"Nico!" Percy said, trying once again to stop his friend. "Just calm down. We can talk about this!"

Nico ignored him, and simply tossed Levi on his backside. The Stygian Iron sword not missing a beat as Nico leveled it to his nose.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" He said, talking to Levi and no one else. "You ruined lives, you son of a bitch. All of those campers you killed had families! Jorge, Trevor, Mikayla, all of them!"

It kind of took me by surprise that he knew several of their names. Nico, the guy that barely interacts with anyone...knew the victim's names. He was more involved than I thought.

He continued, seething. "You took my boyfriend, the one I love, away from me. And I don't know how you got them under your palm." He said "them" referring to me, Percy, and Annabeth. "Or why they seem to be defending you. But I don't give a shit. This ends here and now."

He gave a swift, yet powerful kick to Levi's chin, knocking the son of Nemesis in recoil and causing his head to hit the ground. A look of tiny satisfaction made it's way across Nico's face.

Talon heard the impact and tried his best to see what was going on. "Matt, what the fuck is happening?! Why's Harper's brother here?!"

The cheers of the mob, Percy and Annabeth's halfhearted attempts to calm Nico down, and Talon shouting in my ear didn't help. Too much was happening, and it was driving me crazy. For a second, everything seemed to slow down, and I nearly lost my mind. I got overwhelmed, and I basically stared off into space, like Harper.

What was I going to do? What the hell was I going to do to fix this? I can't solve this problem with fighting. I can't punch this problem really hard in the face.

Nico continued beating on Levi, like a kid thrashing his bully. Years of anger and hatred pouring into his fists. He'd even dropped his sword.

"I'm going to make your death the most painful imaginable!" He yelled, his voice nearly breaking. "And then I'll pray to my father, asking him to just send you straight to Tartarus!"

Levi couldn't respond now. He was under nothing short of an onslaught. Justice was being served under the eyes of all these campers, and they loved it. I'd read Lord of the Flies in school, and this kind of reminded me of that. A circle had formed around the two, with Nico and Levi in the middle. It was a death ring, and Levi was close to the brink. Nico was a child of the big three after all, and each punch from him probably felt like getting run over by an eighteen wheeler.

I looked around at my friends, seeing that this was a lost cause. Annabeth had stopped altogether, and simply watched on with her fists clenched. Not out of defense for Levi, but satisfaction at Nico's display. I read her emotions and felt that she was indeed feeling a sense of justice. She wanted to do what Nico was doing, she wanted to beat Levi to a pulp for killing Chiron. Percy was no different, as he had stopped too. Chiron was like a father to both of them, and they wanted to see his killer get throttled. I couldn't blame them.

But this was chaos. We were better than this.

Harper wasn't going to act. She was overwhelmed, tranced out, lost in space, or whatever you want to call it. I looked back at her, and saw her eyes glued to the fight, looking on in a small crack of the mob, where someone's legs were parted, she could see it all. The two clashing on the ground, one getting his face beaten in. Her emotions were unreadable, there was no telling what she was thinking. Part of her wanted to stop it, and another part wanted to join in.

It would have to be me. Screw it.

I put on a serious face and forced myself through the crowd with ease. Breaking through the ranks, I emerged in the middle of the ring, closing the distance and grabbing Nico by the hand, stopping his next punch.

"Enough." I said, not demanding, but more in a soft manner.

Nico turned on me, his eyes enraged. Hate burned in them, and his cheeks were fiery. He decked me in the jaw, but my face didn't move an inch. I put enough durability in it to be unharmed, but not enough to cause harm to him. It canceled out.

At my lack of pain, he growled. "Let me go, Matt. I'm not finished with him."

I didn't let go. "Nico, stop. This isn't you. You're better than this."

He tried to jerk it away, but I held firm. "How do you know? This is me, idiot. I've wanted this for over a year. Every night I would think about ways to kill him, if I ever got the chance. Well now I do, and I'm enacting it. You don't know how it feels, so stay out of it!"

Not even a flash of annoyance crossed my mind. It didn't matter how he talked to me, because he was angry, and it was justifiable. He could call me every name under the sun and I wouldn't think twice about it. We all say things when we're angry, because we want to release it.

I was about to say something else, when another voice called from the crowd. "Bullshit."

All of us turned to the source, and saw Aiden Walker slowly coming towards us, his face somber.

I hadn't even noticed Aiden watching any of this, or if he was even here. I couldn't imagine what he was thinking, since Nico was his boyfriend now. He probably hated seeing him this way...or maybe he wanted it to happen. I couldn't tell.

"Nico, of course Matt knows how it feels. He lost his dad to Ouranos last year. You think he doesn't want revenge?"

Nico looked to Aiden, then back at me. "If Ouranos were here, you had the chance to kill him, and someone stopped you from doing so...how would you act? Any different from me right now?"

I couldn't say I wouldn't. I did hate Ouranos, with a passion. He killed my dad and took away potentially years of time we could have shared together. He took him away from not only me, but my mom too. Not to mention several millennia of horrible deeds. Throwing his own children to Tartarus because they didn't fit his image, killing innocent mortals, manipulating teenagers to do his bidding, and using his own son as his personal killing machine, to name a few things.

"No." I said, but quickly added, "But I know that it won't change anything, Nico. When the day comes that I kill him, and it will, I know it won't fill the void inside of me. My dad's dead, for good, and killing Ouranos won't bring him back."

"So then why kill him? Why not look for another way?"

"There is no other way. If I don't...he'll keep trying to take over the world."

Nico laughed humorlessly, "And If I don't kill him, he'll keep doing the same thing."

I knew what I was about to say was ridiculous in his ears, but I said it anyway. "No, Nico. He's changed, or well, he's trying to change. He saved Harper's life in Scandinavia and gave us the location of Ouranos's new base."

I nearly winced after I said it, knowing it sounded stupid. Nothing that I could say would change how he felt.

"Well whoop de doo. A couple of decent deeds doesn't change anything."

I sighed and glanced at the ground. "Maybe not. Maybe...nothing will change the past. I don't know anymore."

There was a pause, and for a moment, no one spoke. The mob was completely quiet.

Nico broke the silence and looked towards Harper. "What do you have to say? He's your brother."

Everyone turned their attention to her. It took her a second to realize what Nico had said, and when she did, she looked like a deer in headlights.

"Me?"

"Yeah you." He said, "You've dealt with him your whole life. Are you with me?"

I couldn't believe he was putting Harper on the spot like that. I mean, I said it should ultimately be her choice, but I didn't mean like this, in front of the entire camp.

"Harper, you don't have to do this." I said.

"His fate has to be decided one way or the other!" Nico yelled, "He's answering for his crimes here, whether that be death or otherwise, he's not walking free!"

The crowd shouted in agreement, several chanting for the death option, and urging Harper to come closer and decide her brother's fate.

This was madness...right? We were standing here, trying to determine what to do with our enemy. It was a surprise Nico had even given the option and hadn't stabbed Levi already.

Was that the right thing to do? Make it quick and get it over with. Why...am I defending him? Does he really deserve the chance to prove that he's changed before our eyes? Should we allow that?

Apparently, it wasn't up to me. As Harper's legs started to move slowly, it was clear she was ready to make her decision. Conviction in her good eye, she entered the ring of people, and stared at her brother.

Levi didn't even silently plead with her. He just sat on the ground and waited for her verdict. Whatever we decided, or whatever she decided, he would go along with it. He was confused, and clearly hated himself. That might've been the reason why I had a shred of sympathy for the guy, because I could sense past his exterior. I had the privilege of being able to look inside.

Harper and Levi were locked in a staring contest it seemed, and everyone sort of held their breath. I looked to Percy, and he looked back at me. If someone could shrug helplessly with their eyes, then it would look something like what he just did.

Talon had a clear view now and was clearly a part of the mob. He wanted Levi dead. I knew he was there when the Big Four attacked Camp, so that made sense.

Annabeth was the same way as Percy. A part of her wanted this to happen, and she was taking a step back, seeing where it goes. I couldn't blame her; this had gotten way out of hand.

Harper's face hardened, and her good eye steeled. "I'm with you, Nico. He doesn't get the walk away from this."

My eyes widened, Nico nodded with satisfaction, and the mob freaked out. I actually wasn't expecting that. But then again, I should've, because she said that no matter what she wanted, she would decide based on what she thought best for the camp.

Harper held her hand up to get the crowd to shut up, and they did. Percy, Aiden, and Annabeth didn't know what to think, while Talon had a fist clenched in excitement.

"Trial by combat." She said to Levi, "A fight to the death. One of us dies, and this finally ends."

A...what? What was she talking about? Fight to the death?

Levi started, "No. Harper, I won't fight you-"

"And if you win, everyone lets you walk out of here, unharmed."

At that the crowd murmured in slight disagreement, but they took another look at Levi's state, and decided he was in no condition to put up a decent fight. I was about to say this was crazy, that I wouldn't allow her to do this. But I had to take a step back and remember that I was the one pushing this to be her decision in the first place. Way to go, idiot.

Aiden stepped forward and tried to stop her, "Come on sis, this is kinda crazy. Don't you think there's another way? I mean, weren't you the one that told me to never think about revenge? That it eats away at your soul?"

Harper hesitated, but cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. "In this case, this is the only way. I've tried the other route before, and it always ends badly." She looked at Levi out of the corner of her eye. "The training arena, ten minutes. You'll get the weapon of your choice, armor, whatever you need. And some ambrosia...because I'm not fighting you when you're basically a scarecrow." At that, she walked off back to her cabin, and slammed the door shut.

Talon smiled, and shouted, "Alright everyone, you heard her! Arena in ten minutes!"

Everyone milled about and talked excitedly, all the while shooting hateful glares and satisfied grins at Levi, who was on the ground looking like someone had just electrocuted him, or told him the world was flat. Nico yanked him up and put his hands behind his back forcibly.

"I'll keep an eye on you, bastard."

I intervened, "No need. I got him."

Nico glared at me, "What, so you can release him? I don't think so."

I frowned and started to get annoyed. I understood he was angry, and like before, I wasn't going to get mad. But this was really not going the way it should. Even though...I'm not sure the direction it should go either. But the last thing we need is Nico handling Levi right now.

"Nico, cool off. You got your shots in, now wait for the fight."

He didn't like the way I said it, and on paper, it would've sounded demanding. To his ears, it probably was. That's what he wanted to hear, he wanted to be instigated, he wanted to start a battle right now.

"I don't give a shit if you're the most powerful demigod in the world." He said, "I'm not taking orders from you. I'm not taking orders from anybody, got it?"

I closed my eyes, and sighed. How to approach this? What the hell could I say to convince him that I'm on his side, and I understand his anger.

I started by putting my hands up, "I'm not telling you what to do, okay. I'm sorry if it came off like that. I promise you that I won't let him go, we're just...worried about you, man. After what happened, you need to calm down for a minute."

He hesitated, and his grip on Levi loosened. I saw Aiden out of my peripheral, looking at his boyfriend sadly.

"If not for us, then for Aiden, man. He doesn't need to see you like this."

At that, Nico softened a bit, and looked to Aiden. It was clear they had a strong bond, and maybe they even loved each other. I couldn't really tell. But it was deep enough that my words caused him to let Levi go.

"Fine." He said, "Fine, I'll calm down." He glared at Levi once more, and got close to his face, "You're about to get what you deserve."

After that declaration, he walked off, and I was left with Levi, who's eye bags had darkened a couple of shades.

"Can't say that I totally disagree." I said, "Your actions brought this on yourself."

He took in my words and swallowed hard. "I know. I completely deserve this. I just...wish I had the chance to prove my loyalty, and that I've changed."

My eyebrows furrowed, and a sudden idea came into my head.

"Maybe you can..."

I walked over with Levi in tow to now where Percy, Annabeth, and Talon stood. The latter smiling with delight at the change of events.

Talon directed his gaze to Levi, "Ah, there's the sorry son of a bitch himself. Pissing your pants yet? Well you should." He chuckled, "Gotta say, I'm proud of her."

"Why?" I said, "She's about to fight him to the death, Talon. And I know you like that kind of thing, but this has gotten way out of hand." I noticed Percy and Annabeth both trying to avoid my gaze, so I looked at them. "What about you two? What do you think?"

Percy scratched his neck, "Look, I know it seemed like an insane mosh pit there for a second, but...I don't know, man, maybe this is the only way."

"What?"

"Come on, Matt." Annabeth said, crossing her arms. "What do you suggest, then? That he go on the quest with us? You know that'll only complicate things."

"I...yeah, I mean yes, I would suggest that." I fumbled, "At least that gives him a chance to prove himself. And if he doesn't, then so be it. It's not like we can't handle him in a fight."

"He was smart enough to swipe Heavenly Diamond and wound Atlas, a titan. I'd say he shouldn't be underestimated."

This whole conversation was happening right in front of the guy, but he didn't interject, or do anything. He just listened on, and it was starting to get to me. He wasn't defending at all. He had truly given up on himself.

"I'll keep an eye on him, then. Whatever it takes."

Talon cocked his head to the side, "Why are you defending this prick? I know you're a good guy and everything, but I figured this would be the damn exception, kid. What gives?"

I was about to retort with a comment on how sober he sounded, but I decided to hold it back. Instead I said, "I'm doing this for Harper. Think about it, if she kills her own brother, where do you think that's going to take her? I just said it a few minutes ago. Revenge won't fix anything; it'll only make it worse."

Percy threw his hands up, "Well then what should we do? If we can't kill him now, and we can't let him go on the quest with us, then what? We banish him from Camp and hope he turns out good in the real world? No, man. I think...I think we just need to let this one play out, and respect Harper's choice."

Talon nodded, "Damn straight."

Annabeth didn't comment, but it was clear she agreed. I didn't argue any further to them, even though I didn't want this to happen, for Harper's sake, and maybe a tiny bit for Levi, I would go along with it.

I tightened my lips and let Levi go from my grip. At this point we were playing toss the potato with him. I gave him to Percy.

"Fine. You know the armory better than I do, so get him set up for the fight. I don't agree with this, but it seems I'm outnumbered."

I started to walk away, but Levi's voice stopped me.

"Thanks for trying, Matt." He said, "But it's okay. If this is what Harper wants, and...what everyone thinks should happen. Then I accept. I deserve this."

I tightened my lips, and kept walking. I didn't look back once.

I went straight to my cabin and laid on my bed. I wouldn't go to the fight. I couldn't bear to see her like that again, in rage, in pain, fighting her own family.

As I stared up at my ceiling, with both arms behind my head, I thought about all the times she talked about Levi, and the good things they used to do together. How they trained, had fun, fished, and bonded. She was so happy when talking about those times.

I couldn't help but think, would they ever return? Could they ever return?

If he got another chance. Then maybe.

I pondered this for several minutes, thinking and thinking. Her relationship with Levi was the highlight of her childhood, and the light at the end of the dark tunnel that was the cards she'd been dealt. Abusive father, being a demigod, having monsters and dangerous creatures come after you simply because you smell good. Levi was her comfort, for a long time.

Here's a chance to get that back. I knew he wanted to change. I saw it in his emotions that he was sincere, but nobody would believe me. There's no physical proof, and besides Percy, Annabeth, Harper, and myself, they didn't see his memory.

I had to do something.

I shot up and walked out of my cabin. It had been about ten minutes, so I didn't have much time.

As I made a bee line to the Nemesis cabin, I noticed that the camp was basically a ghost town. Every camper was either at the arena or standing outside of it. It was unreal how quickly word traveled. Either that or the entire camp was watching the whole thing a few minutes ago.

I ignored this and worried about catching Harper in time. As soon as I reached her cabin, I didn't even knock and opened the door.

When I did, I sighed in relief. She was still here.

Getting ready for the fight, that is. She had her raven black hair tied in its usual singular braid, only tighter and straighter, saving any potential distraction. She had also ditched the leather jacket and went with a black tank top, showing off her rather defined arms and leather gloves. The same ones that magnetically allow her to summon her knives to her hands, even if they've been thrown. Speaking of the knives, they sat sheathed in a strap around her waist, running through the belt loops of her tight jeans.

She was definitely ready to fight. Her choice of clothing allowed a lot of room for movement and speed. Two of her best combat traits.

I spoke up, "Here we are again."

She turned around, knowing it was me before I even said anything. She didn't smile or frown, she just kept a neutral face as she tightened her glove.

"If you're here to talk me out of it, then save it." She said, "You told me this was my choice, and I've made it."

I nodded, "Okay. I understand, and I'm not going to stop you."

She seemed a bit surprised by that, but gave a little nod, "Alright then."

"But I need to tell you something. Not to change your mind, but...just to suggest what you could do."

She put a hand on her hip and sighed, "Matt, stop. This is hard enough, okay."

I stepped closer, "Just hear me out. You said yourself that you want to forgive him, right? That there's room for improvement?"

She averted her gaze to the bed next to her, "I said that, but it doesn't matter. The Camp-"

"Forget that." I interrupted, not worried about being rude right now. "Forget what the camp thinks for just a moment. We can offer Levi a chance. A chance to show that he's changed, and maybe change the image of him as well. I know it won't bring forgiveness, but maybe it'll at least...calm things down effectively."

She didn't want to hear it, I knew, but she listened anyway. "And what do you suggest?"

"Ouranos is in San Francisco, right? Malachi and Sera are there too. If we want to rescue our friends, and stop Ouranos while he's in a weak state, then we have to take up a quest. I'm thinking...well, what if he went with us?"

She immediately scoffed, "That's crazy."

"Is it? Think about it. He could prove himself in fighting by our side, and he could show us firsthand that he's not with Ouranos anymore. You two could talk things out, maybe, and we could all heal together. I know it may sound crazy, but really...it's the best way to deal with this. If you kill him in that arena, you'll never know what could've been."

It piqued her interest, I could tell. And it seemed that she wanted to do that. That was exactly what she wanted to do, was get more time with him, and see for herself if he's changed. Maybe the road would lead to a broken relationship mending. But she was holding back, and hesitating.

Any hope and curiosity left the moment it came, and she hardened her gaze. "It doesn't matter what could've been. What matters is the past, and he's beyond forgiveness."

"You don't believe that. You know I can tell."

She shook her head and walked past me, stopping at the door.

She looked back at me, and her eyebrows lowered, a soft expression lined her features.

"I'm sorry, Matt. But this is my choice."

Saying that, she walked out of the cabin, and to the arena, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I was an idiot. I couldn't convince her or anybody, so why bother?

Why the hell do I bother in the things that I do?

No, Matt, don't fall down that pit again. Olympus knows you spent enough time there after Scandinavia.

I rubbed my eyes with one hand and let out a long, stressed sigh. Might as well see this through, if this is how it's going to be.

I followed the trail to the arena, noting that Harper had just gone inside, via the campers splitting out front and allowing her to enter, then regenerating their tight hold on the entrance.

I decided to go through the side door Percy told me about. I walked over to the left of the building and thrust my hand inside of a circular hole in the brick. Nobody else knew it was there, even though they really should. It's really just another path that leads to the second floor.

I pressed the button on the inside, and it opened for me. I shut it and walked up the stairs to my immediate right. When I did, I heard the screaming of the crowd, cheering Harper on as she stared down Levi, I guessed.

When I got to the second floor, I was surprised to find nobody on it. Everyone was down below. That must've been why people were crowding the entrance. But who blocked them off?

"Alright everybody! Our contestants are here!"

The southern accent and the cowboy hat were a dead giveaway. Sitting in a roller chair overlooking the entire arena, was Talon. He had set up some sort of desk and microphone, like a commentator.

I jogged over to him and tapped him on the shoulder, "What are you doing?!"

"What's it look like? I'm commentating the fight!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Two siblings are about to try and kill each other, while a bunch of teenagers cheer for blood. And you're commentating?"

He shrugged, "I know it ain't nothing nice, but someone's gotta lighten the mood a little."

I sniffed the air, noting the smell of alchohol.

"Are you drunk?"

"Of course." He said simply, as if I'd asked him if he breathed. "And I told the strippers to go home. Shit was about to go down, couldn't have em' getting involved."

I raised an eyebrow, "Strippers?"

He shushed me, "Shut up. Alright folks! Let's get this show on the road! In this corner, we have Harper...uh..." He turned to me and put his hand over the mic. It was clear he was drunk, as his words were slurring, and his eyes were rolling a bit. "What's her last name again?"

"Pierce, dude. You know that."

"Pierce! The daughter of Nemesis and a decent damn fighter too. She's got the speed and the stuff to take this asshole down!"

The crowd cheered, not giving a crap about the stupidity they were hearing but eating it up anyway. If it involved Levi getting killed, they wanted to see it. It was in this moment that I truly realized the animosity everyone had towards him. Even Percy and Annabeth were in the crowd.

Cue Harper standing there, waiting for the signal to get this going. She didn't even roll her eyes at Talon's commentary, she just kept them forward, focused on Levi.

Levi was there. He didn't really have much choice in the matter, but I was surprised he had actually picked out a weapon. No armor, but he did have a long sword, kind of like the one he used to have. If "I don't want to do this" had a face, it would belong to this guy. I wasn't even sure he was the same person anymore. Before, if given this chance, he would be dead eyed, intimidating, and set with an arsenal of weapons. But now he looked almost shy, and very depressed.

I kind of felt bad for him. Looking between him and Harper, it was like looking between a fighting Pitbull and a domestic Beagle.

"And in the other corner!" Talon said, "We have the bastard Levi Pierce! Harper's brother, and as many of you know, the one who killed Chiron, and a whole bunch of campers last year! Heh, I say we let this piece of shit know what we think of him!"

Campers started booing, howling in anger, and even throwing things at Levi, who just stood there and took it all.

This was getting ridiculous. "Let's get it over with, man. Enough beating around the bush."

Talon nodded at me, "Alright alright, cut it out everybody. Let's quit delaying the inevitable. Are both of you ready?!"

Neither responded, but they both got into fighting positions.

Talon took that as a yes, "Fight!"

Harper started off with a steady run towards Levi. She closed the distance, thirty feet, twenty feet, then at the ten foot mark, she disappeared from view.

Not my view, but I imagine most of the arena's. I was fast enough to see her just fine, but she had really improved. She shifted her weight and pushed off the ground to her left, allowing her to maneuver around Levi like some kind of wild cat. There were two steps, one to his right, and one behind him. It launched her to his backside, a strike open.

Levi was ready for it though, and despite what I'm guessing a bit of ambrosia, because he did look a lot better than he did. His muscular frame had returned slightly, and he at least didn't look like he was about to pass out on the spot. He was able to see her attack coming, but barely. He turned and brought his sword up just enough to deflect her blow. The power knocked him back several feet, and caused him to stumble.

The crowd cheered at the action, and simple display of Harper's new strength. She struck first, and sometimes, the first strike can determine an entire fight. She had this in the bag, I could tell. Even if Levi had his entire soul in this, with his old, murderous resolve, he still wouldn't win. It was clear she had surpassed even his older self.

In other circumstances, I would be impressed and proud of her. But now...I could only think that Levi was going to die.

She decided to sheath the knives and go for a hand-to-hand strike. She put them away and turned her upper body, delivering a roundhouse kick to Levi. He stepped back and avoided the strike, following up with a decent stab attempt. Harper dodged easily.

Annoyance crossed her face at his attempt, probably expecting him to do better. Thinking about all he had been through, there was no way he had a chance. He had clearly been starving for a long time, probably dehydrated at several points, wounded by the monsters on the ship he talked about, and not to mention his hanging attempt. Being suspended two hours by the neck was no joke.

Levi went on the offensive and swung his sword around with a great level of skill. Each strike was precise and calculated, all of them aimed at a certain vital part of the body. The way he handled it, and the way his wrist moved on the hilt, he had years of experience, and more skill than probably everyone here, besides Percy and Annabeth, maybe.

But Harper was too fast, and Levi was too weak. She dodged and weaved, in between delivering several blows to his torso. Side kicks, jabs, hooks, you name it she did it. Her form was almost perfect, similar to a MMA champion I'd imagine. I don't watch mortal sports that much.

Levi succumbed to the blows, and fell back, sliding on his rear. The sword fell from his grip and he started coughing on the ground, blood leaked from his lips.

The crowd loved it, and Talon was ecstatic on the mic.

"Look at that! Exactly as I said, Harper's too quick for him! His strikes are nothing compared to her speed! This fight's decided!"

I saw Harper walk up to him, disappointed. It looked like she was going to say something to him.

I concentrated and decided to try out something I'd been training for the past year. My hearing. Not exactly a core component, but something I felt necessary. If I concentrated, and focused on a sole conversation, I could basically drown out the sound of an entire stadium. And given what I'm surrounded by, it wasn't too short of that.

It took a moment, but I caught on, just as her lips started to move.

"-Up. I know you're better than this, Levi. I'm not killing you while you're pathetic and helpless."

Levi wiped his mouth with his wrist, "I don't want to fight you. Kill me, and end it."

Her face scrunched in anger, and her cheeks went red. She wanted a better fight. She didn't want it to be so easy.

The crowd murmured in confusion, and some people even started to boo, urging Harper to keep fighting and beat the crap out of him.

Talon commented on the pause. "Uh, it seems a talk is going on between the two contestants. Maybe some...trash talking? Hell, I don't know. Will you get on with the fight down there?!"

Harper shot a deathly glare at him, and Talon shut up. She turned back to Levi, furious. Her hands were shaking.

"You don't get to do that. You don't get to roll over and die like a dog. Give me a fight! Resist! I want to kill you at your best!"

Her voice nearly broke at the "kill you" part. I could tell she didn't want to, but her facade was good. This was tearing her heart to shreds, just like every other time they had fought. But she wanted this to end, badly.

Levi lazily pushed himself up, "Even if I were at my best, you would beat me with ease." He gave a half smile, "You've gotten so strong, kiddo. I'm proud."

At that, she visibly gritted her teeth, and her eyes started to glass over. She wiped them quickly and shouted at him, "Don't call me that! Don't fucking call me that! You don't get to play big brother after all you've done! I'm finishing what I started! I'm-"

The crowd got to be so loud with the urges and boos, that Harper just closed her eyes and shook with rage. Everyone was blinded by their anger towards Levi. They all wanted to fight him, but Harper was the only one that could right now, so when she stopped, they went nuts. It was understandable, but frustrating to witness. I wanted to tell them to be quiet.

But Harper beat me to the spot. She raised her head and yelled at the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP!"

I felt her aura flare for a moment, and it might've been me, but a flash of grey formed around her body, for a split second. She had used some of her energy in that projection, making it extra loud and extra threatening. It sounded like a goddess demanding an order. Powerful and demanding. Like I'll blow you up if you don't shut your mouth, this instant powerful.

And everyone obeyed. They got quiet very quick, and just stared at her, slightly in fear. I could hear myself think again, and I didn't even have to use much of my new hearing ability to listen in on what they had to say.

"Kill me, Harper. You know I deserve it." Levi said, nodding with affirmation.

Harper seethed, and her eyes got glassy again. She roared and attacked him relentlessly after that. First their was an up kick to the chin, sending Levi eight feet in the air. She jumped and met him, rearing her fist back to deliver a devastating blow.

It connected, and a shockwave formed at the impact. BOOM! It sent Levi soaring into the arena wall, cracking it and causing rubble to fly everywhere. The crowd reacted audibly, now back to cheering her on.

Levi tried to get up, but the damage was too much. He coughed a few times and slumped back down. His eyes darted to Harper stalking toward him.

She stopped a few feet in front of him, and slowly pulled out both knives from her belt. They each glowed bronze in the dim light, not one bigger than the other, more scratched than the other, anything. They were like twins.

This was the moment, and the crowd knew it. I knew it. She was about to kill him. After all of the chances, the fights, the arguments and debates, it was going to happen. It was pretty much too late to turn back.

She raised one of the knives, "This is it. Say-" She started, then stopped as quick as it came. Something on the ground had caught her attention.

Everyone was puzzled by the second stoppage, and even more puzzled when she knelt to the ground and stabbed something with the knife.

Talon put a hand over the mic and turned to me, "What's she doing?"

I shrugged, trying to get a better view myself, "I don't know."

She stood back up, and held the knife in front of her face, looking at whatever she had stabbed. I focused my vision to the object. It looked like...a flower?

No, it was a leaf. A red leaf.

Everyone was confused but didn't dare voice their annoyance. For some reason, the leaf she picked up had some kind of meaning, because she started tearing up, and looked at the ground with anger.

"What the hell is this doing here?" She asked Levi, holding the leaf up on the knife.

Levi didn't say anything.

"You went home, didn't you? When you came back from Scandinavia."

That was when it hit me. A red leaf, a red leafed tree. The tree near their childhood home. Harper told me about it several times, how she and Levi used to train under there. It was where she learned most of the things she utilized today. That leaf was from the tree. Levi went back to their old house.

She demanded an answer and shook the leaf at Levi. "Well?! Answer me! Did you go back home?!"

It took him a second to respond, but when he did, it came out as a croak. "Yes. I did."

"Why?"

He started to say something, but bit his tongue.

Harper grunted in frustration and lunged forward on her knee. She grabbed his shoulder roughly and made him look at her.

"Why?! Tell me!"

"Because...I knew I'd never leave here alive. I knew this would happen. I want you to have it."

Harper's eyes widened, and she let go of Levi's shoulder. He hung his head in acceptance and waited for her reaction, as I did. I wasn't expecting this? Levi didn't throw that thing on the floor, so when was he expecting to give it to her? Unless she found it on his dead body, maybe that was it.

Confliction raged on her face, and her mind had to be a warzone right now. She was hesitating. A few moments ago she was going to kill him, but now...it stopped. That tree, those memories were flooding back, and it was hitting her hard.

She tried her best to hide the emotions, but it wasn't working. She looked on the brink of tears.

"We need to stop this." I said, "Now."

Talon held out a hand, "Wait a sec. What's she doing now?"

I turned my attention back to the floor, and saw Harper stand up, her face now cleared and held tight. She raised both her arms a few inches and let go of her knives. They fell to the ground with a simultaneous thud.

Levi, and everybody else looked at her in shock. The crowd didn't boo or make any noise. Harper studied Levi for what seemed like forever, but her good eye wasn't angry this time, instead it shined in sympathy. After a few moments, she turned and looked directly at me. How she knew I was up here, I didn't know. She doesn't have aura sense, and she didn't expect me to come here. Maybe it was...instinct or something.

But she looked at me, and I saw right through her, I could tell what she was thinking.

I want to try the other way.

I smiled at her and gave her an encouraging nod.

She reached out to Talon's direction and motioned with her finger, asking for the microphone.

"Talon, give her the mic."

"But it's my mic!"

"I don't care, just give it to her!"

He grumbled but did what I said. He took it out of its holder and tossed it down to Harper, who caught it in her palm. The crowd was definitely flabbergasted now if they weren't before. Several campers murmured about the turn of events.

Even Levi was shocked, "What are you doing?"

She didn't respond, instead she addressed the Camp, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Alright everyone, listen up. I know what you want me to do, but the truth is...I can't do it. No, not that I can't do it, I don't want to."

Everyone was silent, but insanely confused at this turn of events. I could a see a hundred what the hell? faces in the crowd. I didn't know where Nico was sitting, but I'd imagine he wasn't happy with this turnout.

"Look, I know this is going to sound out of nowhere, but...we know where Ouranos, Malachi, and Sera are. San Francisco, and it's thanks to Levi. He confirmed it."

She gestured to him as she said it, bringing attention to Levi, who still seemed to be processing the fact that he hadn't been killed yet.

Harper spread her hands out to her side, "Guys, we know where he is! And he's weak! If we go on a quest, we can stop him, and bring those two home. Levi...I know what he did, believe me. He was a horrible person, but he's trying to change. I know you all don't believe it, but maybe if we give him a chance, he can prove himself-"

"This is bullshit!" Someone yelled.

Harper stopped talking, and looked to the direction of the shout. But as soon as she did, more followed, and soon it became impossible to identify one voice.

"What are you doing?! Kill him!"

"We were promised a fight!"

"What's this bullshit about Ouranos?!"

"I can't see! Move, dammit!"

Harper stopped talking, and her face fell. She looked around at the roaring crowd with a fallen face, realization hit that they weren't going to take this kindly. It was chaos, and the price of this kind of decision. The camp would be against her. Against us.

I felt a firm grip on my forearm. Crushing, even. I turned to see Talon staring up at me from his chair, seriousness in his eyes.

"What's she talking about?" He said, cutting and crucial. "Malachi and Sera? Matt, is she serious?"

In that moment, I didn't imagine what must've been running through his head. Finding out in a split second that we know where his two best friends are must've been mind-blowing. But in this moment, I was only worried about Harper.

"Yeah. I'll explain later, man."

He gripped harder. Hard enough that I could feel it pinching my nerves, my muscle fibers started to scream in pain.

I winced, and looked down at his hand. It was glowing...gold.

"Talon-"

"Is she fucking serious?" He said again, "Malachi and Sera? Answer me!"

"Come on!" I heard from the crowd. Some random guy had unsheathed his sword from his waist, and raised it in the air, screaming at the top of his lungs. "If she won't finish it off, then we will! LET'S GO!"

Everyone that had weapons drew them, and those that didn't clenched their fists and prepared them. They were hungry for Levi's blood, and they were about to feast. Like animals, they all yelled and started to climb over the short walls blocking the ring from the seats.

I tightened my lips. This wasn't good.

I pulled my arm away from Talon, "Come on, man. Follow me."

He didn't have much time to process, because I was already in action. I used full speed to disappear and reappear next to Harper in the ring, who still held the mic and stared at the oncoming mob of campers.

I took the mic from her and threw it on the ground. She flinched at my sudden appearance.

"We need to get out of here, now." I looked to Levi, who probably looked the most shellshocked out of all of us. "And you come with us, too."

"Percy! Annabeth! Let's go!"

They shot up from their seats and locked eyes with me. I gave them a demanding shrug, telling them now was the time to make the decision. Are they with us, or not?

They exchanged a quick series of concerned looks. Now I don't understand sign language, but I got the general gist of it.

Percy: Mob bad. We go with them, the mob comes after us.

Annabeth: They're our friends, what are we supposed to do?

Percy: (with a shrug) Pinch ourselves and wake up?

Annabeth: (with an eye roll) Be practical, stupid.

They didn't have much time to ponder, as things were starting to get downright crazy. I guess they decided we were worth it, because they jumped past the crowd and landed in the ring with Harper, Talon, Levi and I.

Alright, we've got everybody. Now it's time for our escape.

"Get behind me!" I shouted, and thank Olympus they listened. I was about to hold off the mob for a minute. These campers weren't going to stop until they saw Levi's head on a pike. I'd never seen these people so erratic and ferocious. They mostly just do normal activities and help out wherever they can. Now, they were akin to a horde of zombies, as much as I hate to say it, they were against us now.

I cocked my head in guilt at what I was about to do. "I'm really sorry about this." I opened my palm and with a quick swipe, I slashed my hand in the air, creating a wind surge powerful enough to send everybody flying back, save for my little group. Dozens of campers went tumbling back from the wind, a few soared the air ten feet, and some just crashed in the wall. All of them unharmed, and maybe a bruise at most.

I felt two auras coming at Levi. Two swords drawn and stabbing straight for his head. I reappeared in front of him, my momentum forcing me backwards into him, knocking him out of the way. I caught the two swords in between my index and middle fingers. The wielders' eyes widened at who had really caught them, and I didn't give them any more time than that. I twisted my fingers swiftly and the blades snapped, holding on to the tips, I threw them at the ground with enough strength to send them to the floor and crack the ground.

"Guys stop!" I heard a familiar voice shout. We all turned to see Aiden trying his best to wave down the mob and attempt to calm the situation, but it wasn't working. They had already regained their footing, and were now charging at either Levi, or all of us at this point. I couldn't really tell.

A powerful rumble in the floor put a stop to that though. Cracks broke through the stone and gashes opened up, creating tiny abysses everywhere. Most of us stumbled, but I remained firm, and looked for the source of the mini earthquake.

I followed the line of the massive crack to Nico, who had his hand outstretched, and his sword drawn. He glared right at Levi.

"Prepare to die." Was all he said, but the simple words held plenty of malice to be threatening. He was strong enough to kill him too. I'd have to step in.

Percy tried first, with surrendering hands and a calm voice, "Nico, please, just let us explain-"

"Out of the way!" He yelled, and pushed Percy aside, not even looking back once. He raised his sword and with extreme speed, swung it at Levi's head. The latter just put his arms up in defense, as his sword had been lost in the chaos. I jumped in the way and with a small amount of strength, I did what you could call a palm tap to Nico's wrist. With minimal force, I pushed it against his, and knocked the sword out of his hand.

He growled at me, and tried to make another move, but I was too quick. I used this advantage to place my hand level to his stomach. I made a flicking motion, and another surge of wind erupted, forcing him back several feet, skidding on his shoes.

"Alright, this isn't going to work!" Talon said, stating the obvious.

"We can't stay here!" Annabeth cried, also stating the obvious.

"No, we can't." I said and looked to the exit. "So, we need to get out of here." I clenched my fists and broke out into a run, trying desperately to think of some kind of sequence in which this works out. And...there were none.

So I broke out into a run.

"ON ME!"

They followed suit, and together, the six of us sprinted to the door. We didn't even glance back, because we knew if we did, we'd see the angry faces of our own allies, our friends chasing after us, thinking that we're the enemy.

(000)

And there it is, the sixth installment of book three, finally. Again, I apologize for the long wait. I had a major writer's block, and for some reason, I kept second guessing myself, rewriting scenes, or just thinking that they were trash and kind of repetitively written, or even poorly written. I don't know, but I'm insecure about this chapter. I'm just not sure if it makes sense, if it's well constructed, and if it seems in character.

For instance, having Nico act the way he does, I tried to make it as realistic as I could, and having Percy and Annabeth be conflicted on keeping Levi alive, but ultimately decide to spare him. Would they? The guy that killed Chiron, even though he seems to have changed, would they have decided to spare him? I just wasn't sure about all these things this chapter, so i'm not sure how to feel about it. Let me know in the reviews if it was okay or not, I'd really like to know. Anyway, I'm sure in the next chapters i'll be at peace of mind, and they'll be better! It also won't be as long of a wait, I promise!

Until Next Time.