The uproar was instantaneous.

Nearby Romans turned to the Greeks with murder in their eyes. They reached for weapons that weren't there. It was Hank, one of Octavian's most faithful goons, who shouted for the Romans to use their plates as weapons.

It would've been a massacre if not for Reyna's sharp, "Halt! Any Roman who advances on our guests will be severely punished! It will make cleaning the unicorn stables seem like a privilege!"

"Eidolons?" Leo asked.

"Possessing spirits," Piper explained. "They turn people into their puppets."

"There are no strings on me," Leo badly sang, stopping at the glares Annabeth, Jason, and Frank shot his way. He raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, not the time, I get it."

As for me, the world listed under my feet. I would've fallen flat on my face had Percy not been there to catch me. Though it had never been my intention to become an Oracle/conduit for prophecies, I started thinking of why this had happened. All my ideas got progressively darker, and for the sake of my sanity, I stopped.

Instead, I focused on the fact that my hand stung. The world continued spinning, but after probing my palm with my fingers, I knew I'd cut myself. It was probably that cup I'd dropped when I first fell.

Why was it that things had gotten significantly worse for me when I became a goddess?

Note to self, smack Zeus upside the head with the Master Bolt as payback.

Better yet, zap him with it.

Slowly, but surely, my vision fixed itself. I ignored any of my friends' worried faces in favor of bandaging my hand with gauze from my bag. Sure, I could've healed the cut with the snap of my fingers, but something told me that I'd need this physical reminder to ground me for the time being.

"Right, so, the eidolons," I said, getting to my feet.

"There are more pressing issues than some stupid eidolons," Percy said. He continued to keep an arm draped over my shoulders, his eyes scanning my face for any indication of the Oracle's presence. "We have no idea what happened to you."

"You keep doing that, and you'll put Rachel out of her job," Leo joked.

"Oh, God, I hope not," I said, rubbing my temples. "That was awful."

"It's probably worse for you since you didn't go through the process of accepting the Oracle of Delphi's spirit," Annabeth said. One look at her and I knew her mind was going at a million miles per hour. "Piper, maybe you should call Rachel and check on her."

"No, I need Piper." I waved the daughter of Aphrodite to my side. "I also need Jason, Percy, and Leo."

"What for?" Jason asked.

"I need to get the eidolons out of you. I would've done it myself, but I'm not in any state to be messing around with my powers at the moment. That's where Piper comes in."

Frank frowned. "How do you know they're housing eidolons?"

"They feel…cold. It's kinda hard to explain."

"Ah, Hades no! I'm the ultimate McShizzle! I can't be cold," Leo said. To prove his point, he lit his hands on fire. Frank jumped back, as did some of the nearby Romans. "Exorcise the demon from my soul!"

Piper rolled her eyes.

Jason face-palmed.

I chuckled.

"Um, we're gonna want to do this somewhere private, Reyna. It's not something I want everyone to see."

Reyna nodded. "Very well. We can move this to your villa."

"I was thinking more along the lines of the Argo II. It's a more neutral location and doesn't expose other parts of the camp should things go horribly wrong."

"Spoken like a true strategist. Alright, I'll allow it."

Leo raised his hand. "Can we go back to the part about something going horribly wrong?"

"So long as we're not interrupted, we'll be fine," I explained.

I wanted to elaborate more when a sudden explosion of heat and blinding light erupted behind me. I fought the urge to sigh and turned around.

"Apollo, not now."

"Yes, now," the sun god stated. Unlike his Greek form, Apollo's Roman form didn't mess around. He was sterner, fiercer. Though he was still pretty laid back compared to the other Roman gods, it was nowhere compared to what I was used to most of the time. "You are in no condition to be here, Andromeda."

That was another difference between Greek and Roman Apollo. Greek Apollo only called me Andromeda when we fought or I did something stupid. Roman Apollo refused to call me anything other than my full name. Hearing him call me Andy meant I'd royally screwed up.

"Could you at least tell the Romans to rise? It's rude to keep them kneeling when you're not addressing them."

"It befits them as children of Rome."

I scowled. "Rise, Romans. Please ignore everything that comes out of Apollo's mouth. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"You dare talk to my-!" Octavian started, appearing out of thin air.

Some of the legionnaires had him pinned to the ground and gagged with an apple within seconds. He thrashed against the hands holding him down, but something told me that Dakota wouldn't be getting off Octavian's chest for quite some time.

"You are coming back to Olympus with me right this instant," Apollo said, grabbing my wrist.

"On whose orders?"

"Mine."

I scowled and freed my wrist from Apollo's grasp. "We've already had this conversation. There is no need to rehash it." I turned to my friends. "Come on, guys, let's get on board. I'll walk you through the process, Piper."

"I forbid you from taking another step, Andromeda Collins."

"Okay."

Reyna knew what I had planned before the others did. She lunged for my arm. "Andy, don't-"

But I'd already vanished into the shadows.

Apollo arrived before the others did.

Go figure.

He was not amused.

I drowned out the rapid fire Latin in favor of tightly gripping the railing. We were wasting precious time that we needed to get to Rome within a week. We needed to save Nico, find Luke's soul, and secure the Athena Parthenos.

This meant my second trip to Tartarus rapidly approached. My insides turned to jelly at the mere thought of doing that again. Except this time, I'd be alone. There was no one in the pit to be rescued.

Well, maybe Damasen.

I decided that I wouldn't call Bob unless things got desperate. If Percy and Annabeth had had a hard time leaving him behind when barely knowing him, it would hurt tenfold for me. I'd hung out with the silvery Titan many times since he joined Hades's janitorial staff. Sometimes, when I could sweet talk my brother into letting Bob leave the palace, we would walk through the Underworld and gaze at the sparkling stones and minerals embedded into the cavernous ceiling. I knew of Bob's love of the stars, and since he wasn't allowed to return to the mortal world yet, that was the best I could do.

He'd always thank me for taking him "stone gazing" as he called it.

"Andromeda has a good heart," Bob would say, poking my sternum with his finger. Then, he'd say goodbye and get back to work.

I refused to let Tartarus have a go at him if I could avoid it.

An ear-splitting whistle broke me out of my reverie. Ignoring the lingering tinnitus, I slowly blinked at Apollo, refocusing my eyes on him. He paced with such intensity that I was certain that I'd have to repair whatever scorch marks he left behind on the deck.

It was weird seeing Apollo in his Roman form.

His features were sharper, more defined. His sky blue eyes lacked the warmth his Greek aspect had. His blond hair was long enough to be pulled into a neat man-bun. He traded in his tank top and khaki shorts for a navy suit jacket and crisp white button-down. He had a gold lyre lapel pinned to his jacket's pocket, drawing attention to the light blue handkerchief at his breast. His dark dress shoes shone bright enough to reflect his surroundings as he walked.

The only thing out of place was the bundle of white wire I saw peeking from his pocket. It was for his headphones. Roman or Greek, Apollo wouldn't be caught dead without his iPod.

"You're not listening!" Apollo exclaimed.

I blinked twice.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are you so adamant about this? You need my help, Andromeda."

"Not for this," I said.

"The Oracle of Delphi has latched onto your soul. Goddess or not, it is extremely dangerous."

"I've been through worse. We can deal with this after we put queen dirt face back to sleep."

"Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

"Not really, no."

Apollo buried his face in his hands and screamed.

Of course, this is when the eight demigods made their appearance.

"Um, we can come back later…" Frank trailed off, watching Apollo scream into his hands with utmost concern.

"Ignore the drama king," I said, turning around. I waved my friends onto the boat. "He's been spending too much time around his father."

"Take that back!"

"My case in point."

I summoned three sofas onto the Argo II and took a seat. I scooched over and patted the spot beside me for Piper. I had Percy, Leo, and Jason sit opposite us. Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and Reyna sat wherever they could. It was quite comical, actually, watching them shift uncomfortably as Apollo stormed down towards the kitchen, muttering obscenities as he went.

I walked Piper through the process of curing the boys from there. It wasn't fun seeing their irises turn gold or hearing the raspy voices of the eidolons speak on their behalf. It reminded me too much of my father controlling Kyle for my liking. After eliciting many promises on the River Styx – to not possess any member of the Argo II crew or anybody or monster within a hundred kilometers of the seven demigods and their respective allies – Piper dispelled the eidolons.

The boys pitched forward, landing on the large array of pillows I'd assembled beforehand. There was no need for Jason to suffer more head damage than was heading his way. Leo and Percy didn't need concussions either, especially not now.

"I think it's high time we go to the Senate House to approve this quest," Reyna said. "We are burning daylight as we speak."

"Was that a crack at me?" Apollo said, reappearing from the kitchen with a bottle of vodka in his hand.

I don't even know where that vodka came from. That hadn't been anywhere in the kitchen, last I checked. Leo wasn't the type to pack any alcohol other than the isopropyl kind, and if Coach Hedge had found out, he would've made it everyone's problem.

"Of course not, Lord Apollo."

I could see the twitch in Reyna's jaw. Percy didn't appear too thrilled about Apollo drinking in front of them either.

"Ignore him," I said. "Come on. Let's get this quest approved so we can get out of here."

As I turned my back on Apollo and towards the rope ladder, a gold shackle leaped from the ground and latched onto my left ankle. I would've fallen flat on my face (almost the second time today, dear gods) if not for Piper. I tugged on the chain, scowling as I recognized the material as Imperial gold.

"Must we resort to this?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "What happened to civilized conversations?"

"Like what you're about to witness in the Senate?" Apollo scoffed. "Please, this is more civilized than any petty squabbling you'll have to suffer through for the Romans to approve of this quest."

"We're wasting precious time! Let me go, and we can further discuss this en route."

"No."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned to my friends. "Reyna, Jason, and Percy: as praetors, so long as two of you allow this quest to proceed, the Senate's vote merely becomes a formality due to my position on the matter. I highly you recommend you take this course of action while I deal with Apollo."

The three praetors nodded and began the descent to the forum. Annabeth and Piper followed after their boyfriends. That left Leo, Frank, and Hazel, awkwardly standing to the side while Apollo continued to glare daggers at me for my defiance.

Thankfully, Leo got the hint to get out of here and offered Hazel and Frank a tour of the Argo II, which they quickly accepted.

"Keep Coach Hedge distracted," I said.

"Will do, hermana," Leo promised. "Now, to the dining hall!"

With the last of my friends gone, Apollo and I stood face to face, that stupid gold shackle still chained around my ankle. The tension was so thick not even my father's scythe could cut through it.

I knew I hadn't left things with Apollo on good terms the last time we spoke, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect him to regard me with such animosity. He knew my stance on this quest and what I'd be willing to do to ensure its success. So what if Delphi wanted to play mind tricks with me? I'd take it in stride and move on like everything else I've done since being brought to this world.

No drunken god – despite being one of my closest friends – would get in the way of my mission.

"I wish you would come with me peacefully," Apollo sighed, shaking his head. "If I have to do it by force, believe me, I will."

"You'd take a girl away without giving her a fair fight? Where's the chivalry you've always preached?"

"This is different. Right now, the spirit of Delphi resides in you and Rachel. There's no telling what will happen to either of you, so, you're coming back to Olympus with me."

"If you're so worried about Rachel, let's check in on her."

I produced a bobby pin from my hair and bent over, deftly picking the lock around my ankle in a matter of seconds (Thank you, Hermes!). Before Apollo could react, I created a rainbow and chucked a drachma into the mist.

The conversation with Rachel lasted fewer than three minutes, revealing that while I'd had my horrible migraine episode, she'd been perfectly fine. If we hadn't let her know what had happened, she would've been none the wiser.

"Well, now that that's settled, you can be on your way," I said. Peering over Apollo's shoulder, I saw the tell-tale signs of people climbing the rope ladder. The others would be here soon. "We have a quest to start."

I crossed the deck to look down at my friends. Annabeth led the group, followed by Percy, Piper, and Jason. Reyna stood at the foot of the ladder, a solemn expression on her face. Despite the distance between the Argo II and the ground, I could hear Octavian's indignant screams about the quest, calling Reyna all sorts of horrible names in a mixture of English and Latin.

I began pulling on the rope ladder in the hopes of speeding up the boarding process but got interrupted by a searing flash of pain in my left shoulder. After making sure my sudden jerk hadn't sent anyone tumbling to their death, I spun on my heels, anger burning within my chest.

"How dare you!" I yelled.

Apollo had the audacity to shrug. Wisps of smoke curled off his fingertips. He'd known about the multitude of injuries my shoulders had endured courtesy of my time in Tartarus but targeted them anyway.

Greek Apollo wouldn't have done this. Roman Apollo, on the other hand, acted like he had the last time I'd interacted with this aspect – a petty, spoiled brat who did what he wanted to achieve his goals, indifferent to whom he hurt along the way. His being drunk didn't help matters, either.

"The way to get to you is to hurt your friends." Apollo tsked me like I was a child. "I thought Mars, Diana, and I warned you about clinging too tightly to friends. They're a weakness, Andromeda, one I will exploit if you don't listen to me."

He summoned a softball sized ball of white light to his hand.

Pure sunlight.

Utterly devastating when only a mere ray touched a surface. I didn't want to know what that much pure sunlight would do to the incredibly flammable Argo II and its volatile cargo. The last thing we needed was for the ship to explode in a ball of Greek fire while in the air above the forum. That definitely wouldn't go over well with the Romans.

I scowled. Taking a deep breath, I allowed tendrils of gold ribbons to wrap around my hands, crawling up my wrists until they reached my elbows. Power befitting my status as a goddess surged through my veins. For as many domains as Apollo had and as long as he's lived, I had one thing he didn't: control over time.

"Look, you're drunk, and I'm grieving. Neither of us are in the proper state of mind for this conversation. Maybe we should settle this somewhere else, some other time," I said, trying to de-escalate this situation one more time. I didn't want to hurt him if I could avoid it.

Apollo scoffed. "Not a chance."

"Final warning, Apollo. Back. Off."

He gave a wry smile that turned my blood to ice. Though I'd never been that smile's recipient until now, I'd heard about what had happened to the last person who witnessed Apollo in this state from Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysus. I had no intention of ending up in Tartarus at his hands.

A split second before he moved, I unleashed the full force of my power, the pure sunlight reabsorbing into his hand. I looked away as I held the ribbons for a few seconds longer, attempting to drown out the horrid screams tearing through his body.

Pure sunlight, once summoned, could only harm. No amount of time reversal could prevent the pain caused by the light touching his skin.

I ended the reabsorption process with a flick of my wrists. My heart painfully hammered in my chest, and for a moment, I could ignore the fact that Apollo had debated hurting my friends and me. He lay crumpled in a heap, clutching his hand as silent tears streamed down his face. I hadn't seen him like this since the end of the Titan War, when he learned of the casualties suffered in his cabin.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked, making it onto the deck.

"I fought Apollo."

"And won, from the looks of it," Piper said.

Apollo flickered for a moment. Eventually, he settled on his Greek aspect, which hurt to see. It's one thing to fight with a drunk, belligerent thirty-something-year-old in business attire and another to see a crying twenty-four-year-old, who was normally pretty sweet to me, in beachwear on the floor.

I kneeled beside him and took his injured hand in my own, inspecting the severity of the injury. At the sight of the burns, I shook my head and fished through my bag for some healing salve.

"I didn't win anything. I hurt my friend."

Jason had barely stepped foot on the deck when the Argo II tilted sideways, flames bubbling over the bronze-plated hull. As my friends scrambled to keep their footing, I blasted the fire with a sudden stream of water, preventing any further damage.

"Why are they firing on us?" Percy asked, extracting himself from the railing he'd slammed against. "I thought we left things peacefully."

My stomach sank to my feet. I'm pretty sure I knew what had compromised our tentative peace, but I needed to see to make sure. I snapped my fingers and shadow-traveled Apollo to our sick bay for the time being. I'd deal with him later.

Another explosion rocked the boat, this time knocking the aerial oars out of alignment.

Leo scrambled onto the deck, yelling out orders to prepare for an emergency takeoff. Annabeth ran to aid Leo at the helm, while Jason and Percy charged to the bow, silently agreeing to blast any other projectiles out of the air. Piper grabbed Coach Hedge's megaphone and screamed orders for the Romans to stop, her powerful charmspeak palpable in the air.

Percy swore. "They've released the eagles!"

"We'll take care of it," Frank said.

He transformed into a huge dragon, carefully carrying Hazel in his front claws before leaping over the side of the boat.

A sharp wolf-whistle from yours truly snapped my friends out of their stupor at Frank's abilities, giving Jason enough of a heads up to blow a flaming boulder off-course.

I sprinted over to the helm and took control of the navigation system.

"Is now really the best time to put in coordinates?" Leo asked, desperately waving his Wii remotes around like a madman, trying to undo the mooring lines.

"It is since this is our rendezvous point." I quickly punched in the coordinates for the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

"What's in Utah?"

Alarms started blaring as the Argo II swayed once more.

"No time," I mumbled, aware of the irony in that statement. I turned to Annabeth. "Get us out of here! I'll meet up with you when I can."

Annabeth grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.

Taking advantage of the increase of water in the air, I turned into mist, planning on confirming and smacking the person I was ninety-nine percent sure had begun this civil war.