Reyna was quick in forcing me into a seat, setting a mug of hot chocolate in front of me as she took a sip out of her mug, leaving behind a thin line of whipped cream over her upper lip, which she promptly wiped away with the back of her hand.

Not wanting to agitate Reyna even more, I carefully took a few sips of the hot chocolate, hiding the fact that it tasted like cardboard. I set my mug back down on the coffee table, watching as Reyna downed the rest of her mug, setting the mug down so harshly that it was a miracle it didn't break.

I took that moment to take a good look at Reyna. Her appearance was as flawless as ever, what with her long hair pulled back into a perfect braid, her armor gleaming as it had never seen battle, and her purple praetor cape in pristine condition, not a tear or smudge anywhere to be found.

But if one were to look past her impeccable clothing, you'd notice the dark half-circles under Reyna's eyes and the way she slumped in her chair, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. And, speaking from experience, she looked worse for wear.

"Five days, eighteen hours, and eleven minutes," Reyna mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "That's how long I've had the others searching for Jason."

"I'm going to take a guess here and say that you haven't slept in five days, eighteen hours, and twelve minutes then?" I asked, aware of the minute hand reaching the twelve on her clock.

"Exactly."

"Well, that can't be doing anyone any good," I said, chewing on my bottom lip. But before Reyna could start protesting, I said, "Don't try to argue with me, Reyna, you're practically dead on your feet. Go get some sleep. I can keep order for as long as you need."

"You mean keep Octavian quiet," Reyna said, slowly getting to her feet. She swayed slightly, gripping tightly onto the back of her chair to keep her upright. "But I think you're right, Andy. I've driven myself sick with worry over something I have no control in."

"I assure you that Jason is safe, wherever he may be."

"You know where he is?"

"Gods of Olympus, no," I lied, shaking my head, glad that neither Aurum nor Argentum were there at the moment. "However, Juno's been missing for as long as Jason's been gone, and a coincidence like that is next to impossible. She has something to do with his disappearance – I'm sure of it. And seeing that Juno favors Jason, I have every reason to believe that he is out of harm's way as long as she is with him."

This seemed to placate Reyna slightly, though I could still make out the unease in her dark brown eyes. She stared at me a moment longer before retreating to her room, the door slamming shut behind her, the subtle sound of a lock turning filling the otherwise silent house.

Eying the two dirty mugs in the living room, I grabbed both of them and headed for the kitchen, figuring that I might as well try to be helpful in any way I could be for the time being.

Before I left, I paused for a moment outside of Reyna's door, laughing softly to myself as I heard her snoring, turning out the rest of the lights in the house as I let myself out. The sun was still setting, the sky alight with hues of pink and orange and violet. And while most people would be enjoying this moment in some way shape or form, the legion was not.

Even from the porch of Reyna's villa, I saw the legionnaires whipped up into a frenzy, many of them still completely decked out in full battle armor as they walked in perfect lines towards one of the many armories around Camp Jupiter.

"It's like he's a ghost," I heard one of the legionnaires say, their knuckles white around their spear. "Here one minute, gone the next."

"Of course he's not a ghost," another one exclaimed in annoyance. "He's a demigod, same as you and me."

"A missing demigod," a third one added. "Poor Reyna. We all know she fancies Jason."

"Reyna and Jason?" the second one asked. "Are you crazy? They'd rip each other's head off first chance they got."

The conversation quickly died as they moved on, leaving me in complete silence once again.

It was December 20th, the night before the winter solstice deadline of Jason's quest. By the end of tomorrow, he would know the truth, and I didn't know how to feel about that. Thalia would most certainly want my head on a spike for knowing that her brother was alive for the past thirteen years without ever telling her, and Jason would probably lose all his faith in me. Not to mention that both camps would probably see me as a traitor for knowing about the other and keeping silent.

But what was I supposed to do? I don't think even Chiron's aware of the fact that I knew about the Romans, even though the Olympians had revealed that to me within the first two months of my training with them. I mean, I already knew about the Romans long before I stepped foot on this planet, but you all know what I mean.

I left Reyna's villa, not sure of where I was heading when someone slammed into me. I attempted to apologize, only to be cut off by a strong, "Watch where you're going," as the perpetrator stalked off.

Unfortunately for him, I knew his voice – very well, I may add.

"Nico di Angelo, what are you doing here?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips as I watched him freeze, slowly turning around like a child caught taking the last cookie from the cookie jar.

Even in the growing darkness, I could see Nico pretty well. He was wearing his beat-up aviator's jacket again, the buttons all closed except for the upmost one, allowing for his black shirt to peek through. But from the way it bulged around his chest, I could tell he still had his bandages on.

"I should ask you the same thing," Nico said, his voice holding a considerable amount of sass to it. "I thought you were searching the entire planet for a certain Perseus Jackson."

"And who's to say that I haven't found him?"

"Then where is he, and why haven't you told Annabeth?"

"That's not important," I bristled, my heart sinking slightly as I watched some of the hope that had been in Nico's eyes extinguish. "You haven't answered my question, Nico. Why are you here when you should be in the infirmary, resting?"

He shrugged. "I got bored. And Bob was starting to stare at me all the time, which is fine until you wake up and his face is like three centimeters away from your own."

"Okay, fair enough. But why didn't you IM me as I asked? I left the drachma and everything."

Nico suddenly found his scuffed up shoes a lot more interesting than me. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, jerking his head in the direction of the shrines further up the path.

I didn't press on, merely trailing Nico until he sat at the foot of Pluto's shrine, burying his face in his hands.

"Is everything okay, Nico?"

He gave a mirthless laugh. "You mean other than the fact that I almost killed myself because of my recklessness?"

My heart hammered to the point that I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. "Wait, so getting hit by that car…Nico, was that intentional?"

Nico shrugged.

I wasted no time in instantly pulling Nico into a hug, and he didn't argue, knowing that once you were in my embrace, you weren't going to be let go of anytime soon. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

"I know what you're going to say," Nico said eventually, his voice soft and quiet, barely louder than a whisper. "I don't want to hear it."

"Then what was I going to say?" I asked gently, genuinely curious.

"That I'm stupid for having a lapse in judgment so close to the mortal world. That I'm always reckless and need to do a better job at keeping myself safe. That I keep trying to do better to get into Dad's good graces but all I've done is cause pain and misery everywhere I go."

"Just wanted you to know," I said, "that's not what I was going to say at all."

"Then what were you going to tell me?"

"That I deeply care about you, Nico, and that I'm always here if you need me. Speaking of which…" I trailed off as I rummaged through my bag until I found some spare charms. I grabbed a spare piece of black string, the kind used for friendship bracelets, and threaded the charms onto it before tying it around Nico's wrist. "There you go. I've been meaning to give you those a while ago but never found the time."

"Charms?" Nico asked, prodding at the star with his little finger. "Aren't these a bit girlish?"

"Maybe, I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "I mean, Percy and Leo haven't given me any grief about them being too girly. You're only the third person that I've ever handed these out to."

"Thanks, I guess." Nico continued fiddling with the charms. "What do they do?"

"The star charm helps mask your demigod scent; the cloud lets you talk to me in my mind. So if you're ever in any danger, all you have to do is touch the cloud and start talking, and I'll be able to hear you from anywhere in the world."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Even if I make an accidental trip to China?"

"Even then."

"That's pretty amazing, I'm not gonna lie."

I gave Nico a small smile, allowing for him to settle back into my embrace, his head resting comfortably on my shoulder. "I've only ever wanted for you to be happy, Nico. Please, how can I help?"

He released a long sigh. "I don't know, Andy. I really don't know."

"Well, you know what, I'll be here until you know. I'll be here with you whenever you need me. I promise."

"Speaking of 'being here', why are you here?" Nico asked. "How did you find out about this place?"

"The gods told me years ago," I explained. "I've known Reyna ever since she stepped foot onto Camp Jupiter. Same goes with Jason, Hazel, and Frank."

Nico launched himself upright, his eyes wild with fear. "You know about Hazel? About who she is, how she got here?"

"Of course. I'm aware of almost everything that goes on in the Underworld. For example, I know a certain death god is missing, and Hades has been very hush-hush about the whole thing, using you to close up some of the patches in the meantime. Plus, I've known about Hazel since before I got you out of the Lotus Hotel. I just never let anyone else know until now."

Nico looked like he wasn't sure about whether he wanted to throw up or pretend like I'd never said anything. He quickly chose the latter, shaking his head in disbelief as he stood up, pushing some of his shaggy hair out of his eyes.

"You're dangerous, you know," Nico said, chuckling lowly as he offered me a hand up. "I'd be afraid of you if you weren't so nice to me."

"I get that a lot. Now, come help me placate a bunch of screaming Romans, will you? I'm sure Octavian will get a kick from seeing both of us show up on the same day."

"I'd love to help," Nico said, a diabolical grin on his face at the aspect of watching Octavian have a near aneurysm at the sight of us together. "Come on, I don't want to keep our friend waiting any longer."

I spent the rest of that night at Camp Jupiter, ensuring that no more campers left to search for Jason. The following morning, Reyna and the rest of the Senators had decided that it was becoming increasingly dangerous to continue sending out legion members in search of their missing praetor when it had been a goddess who'd snatched him away.

"He will not be found until Juno wishes for him to be found," Reyna had told the camp, ignoring the cries of outrage and disbelief. "As this is the case, if Jason has not returned by the Feast of Fortuna, we will hold an election for a new praetor then."

Of course, the entire Fifth Cohort was the most mutinous, calling Reyna so many swear words that it was a wonder that Ceres herself didn't come down from Olympus to wash all their mouths out with olive oil.

"QUIET!" I'd shouted, jumping down from my seat in the third row, landing in the middle of the Senate House, drawing all the attention onto myself. "I know that you're all upset about Jason's disappearance, but you WILL NOT take out your anger on Reyna! She has consulted with me, and we both agree that this is the best course of action to ensure your safety. I will continue the search for Jason, but until then, you may consult the augur for his whereabouts.

"Furthermore, I better not hear anyone utter a single word against Reyna for this decision. I am the one pushing for this – Reyna and the Senators just so happen to agree. Conduct yourselves as proper members of the Twelfth Legion by listening to Reyna, or I will not hesitate to return and punish the perpetrators. If you have any issues, deal with them civilly, not by screaming like petulant children so that only the loudest voices are heard. Do I make myself clear?"

There were mutters of assent.

"Lovely," I continued. I turned to Reyna and gave her a brief hug. "I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming months."

Then I gave Nico, Hazel, and Frank a slight wave goodbye as I faded into the shadows, traveling to the Wolf House.

"Well, you sure took your sweet time, Andromeda," a fading Hera said, her normally radiant glow dimmed to that of a dying lightbulb. Her pitch-black hair was covered in a shawl, the kind that Hestia typically wore. Her usually elegant dress was now a widow's dress, her face weathered and wrinkled, her brown eyes dark and downright scary.

"I had to keep my cover up, didn't I?" I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat as I noticed the pitch-black spires, the one above Hera significantly smaller compared to the one on the other side of the U that divided the Wolf House. "I still think we should've gone with my plan, though."

"And merely introduce the two camps?" Hera shook her head like she knew something that I didn't. "You may have been taught by the goddess of wisdom, but you clearly have much to learn about politics."

"This isn't politics – it's life and death. I'm trusted and respected at both camps. Surely that could've been enough rather than stealing their friends and memories."

"It isn't that simple."

"Of course it is!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "You've turned me into a liar, Hera, and have probably cost me some of my closest friends. Do you know what it's like to stare at one of your best friends in the face and lie to them about where their brother has been for the past fifteen years?"

"I have never been in such a situation, but-"

"That's not the point! You haven't had to lie to a girl you practically raised about where her boyfriend is being kept! You haven't had to lie to a girl who just wanted a home and now has to run an entire camp by herself, because her fellow praetor is missing! You haven't had to lie to two – not one, but two – entire camps about where their leaders are, all because you were too prideful to listen to me!"

"You're a mortal!" Hera seethed. "Am I supposed to trust a mortal girl in such painstaking plans when the fate of the entire world is at stake?"

"Unbelievable," I muttered, glaring up at the ceiling. "Here's the thing that annoys me the most about this entire plan – not that you turned me into a liar, not that I've had to deal with the aftermath of your so-called brilliant plan.

"The thing that annoys me the most is that you know that I came from the future, yet you try to stop me from doing my job. I'm trying to minimize the damage of grandmother's dearest temper tantrum, but by going along with this exchange, a certain sequence of actions has been cemented into the timeline now."

"If you're so upset by this, why did you help me hide young Perseus?"

I stopped my pacing and glared at Hera, my hands clutched tightly around the dark tendrils of her prison.

"Because after you kidnapped Jason, the Fates informed me that there was no other way. So despite my guilt and any other qualms I might have had, I did what was asked of me," I explained through gritted teeth. "There was another way, you know, one where this war could've been dealt with much faster and easier than what is coming before us."

"And what might that be?"

"I can't tell you that." I pressed my forehead against the cage, relishing in the coolness against my slightly feverish skin. "Honestly, no one was supposed to know the truth about me for another couple of years. I only revealed myself on the Fates' orders."

"For such a powerful person, I find it rather odd that you'd subject yourself to the Fates' mercy. No one likes those old hags, not even Hestia."

"I allow it because it is my mother's wish."

"Your mother…?" Hera said, tapping a crooked finger against her chin as she thought. "No, I do not remember her. Have we met before?"

"No, probably not." I sighed, remembering the defiant gleam in her eyes as she staved off that horrible intergalactic beast, giving the others time to get to safety, wherever that may be. "But my mother's identity isn't important on the moment, not when you're literally being used as fodder for a giant's rebirth."

"Don't remind me," Hera said, a shudder wracking her body as the faint glow around her died even more.

The spire that held the giant Porphyrion grew bigger. The entire house shuddered from the sudden growth, causing dirt and dust to fall from the roof, dusting the floor.

"He grows stronger," she commented, seemingly at peace for the time being. "Just as it happened last time. I warned Zeus that this would happen again."

"No offense, Hera, but you kinda married the biggest dunderhead in existence."

Hera's cracked lips twitched, clearly suppressing the urge to smile. "At last, something we both agree on."

My anger at Hera quickly faded and turned into pity. I was watching a woman – no, goddess – who had helped train me for five years, who had taught me in the ways of memory manipulation, be used as a source of energy for something far more sinister than any Titan. That was a fate that wasn't befitting for anyone, least of all the Queen of Olympus.

"They'll be here soon," I assured Hera, glancing outside through one of the overhead windows, the sun's rays still shining brilliantly overhead.

Seeing that it was around noon, I imagined that the quest was currently at Mount Diablo, facing off with the giant Enceladus, trying to save Tristan McLean from becoming Earthborn chow. I knew that the Hunters would arrive first, but I didn't know when. And Jason, Leo, and Piper wouldn't arrive until near sunset.

"You know," Hera mused, deciding to keep up a conversation while we waited for the next five hours to tick on, "for a demigod turned goddess, you aren't as strong as you should be."

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your powers," she continued, "they still exhaust you. Not to mention the fact that I can sense that you still rely on shadow-traveling rather than light-traveling like the rest of us."

"What's the difference? Plus, shadows are everywhere…light, not so much."

Hera scoffed and actually gave me a pitiful smile. "What's the difference? Other than not being constantly drained and passing out, light-traveling is much faster and more efficient than shadow-traveling. But I think that your weakness comes from something outside of your person, something that you cannot change about yourself."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You, my dear, need sacrifices, same as we do."

My stomach turned violently. I'd been dreading that answer, even though I'd made that conclusion a while ago. It didn't make me any happier, though, or any more inclined to act on it.

"Sounds a little pretentious, don't you think?" I asked, chuckling a bit at the end. "I can't ask my friends to do that for me."

"And why ever not? Andromeda, you've sacrificed much for your friends in the almost ten years that I've known you. For a friend, you would rip out your own heart and give it to them if it meant they survived instead of you. I sincerely doubt they'll think differently of you for asking them to think of you when they give their offerings."

"We'll see how that goes after this quest," I muttered, running an exasperated hand through my hair. "Assuming I still have any friends after this."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for not listening to you," Hera apologized. "You're right; I've forgotten that you came from the future. But from here on out, I'll do my best to aid this quest."

I cracked a small smile. "Apology accepted. And I…someone's coming."

Hera fell silent as I summoned Epithymia and a silver dagger, shoving the dagger into the sheath at my thigh as I glanced at the figures approaching the entrance of the Wolf House. Clearly, the people approaching thought that I was a threat as well if their arrows pointed at me were anything to go by.

Wait, arrows?

"Thalia?" I asked tentatively, loosening up my grip on Epithymia just a bit. "Are you here with your Hunters?"

To my surprise, the girl leading the Hunters this time was not the daughter of Zeus, but the daughter of Hades.

"Bianca?!"

"Stand down, girls," Bianca ordered, and the other girls lowered their bows, returning their arrows to their quivers. She then crossed the little space between us and gave me a quick hug before backing up. "Hi, Andy, long time, no see."

I blinked twice, making sure that this was real and that I wasn't hallucinating at the moment. "Uh, yeah. I haven't seen you in-"

"Two years, I know." Bianca wore a sheepish expression on her face, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I've been doing stuff for Artemis, recruitment and such, and I haven't been around as much, I know. So, uh, how's Nico been doing these past few years?"

"Ladies, ladies," Thalia said, walking into the Wolf House, brushing some of the excess snow off of her parka and bow. "I'm sure the three of us have a lot of catching up to do, but this isn't the time or place for that. We've got to secure this place before Lycaon and the rest of his feral mutts show up."

I cast one final glance at the growing spire, painfully aware of the fact that Hera no longer had any glow around her, making her appear as ordinary as any other mortal woman. "Jason better hurry up," I said, zipping up my jacket before I stepped outside, helping the Hunters prepare for the upcoming fight.

Hi, guys!

Long time no see, I know.

If you want to read my explanation, go ahead, but if you want to skip on to the next chapter, I won't mind (not like I'll know if you read this part or not lol). I'm a senior in high school, so the past few months have been kicking my butt like you wouldn't believe. There were some moments where I was lucky that I found time to breathe. And now with this whole coronavirus mess, I've switched to schooling online, which has been a blessing and a curse. The good thing is that I should have a little more free time, and this week I'm on spring break, so I'm hoping to update at least once more before the week's out - no promises though.

Stay safe in this chaotic time, and once again, thank you to everyone reading this! I love all of you!