The elevator in question was on the side of the building, made of glass, and gave a great view of the coast. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a pleasant experience. But Zoe was anything but normal. She clung to Liam with an iron grip causing the boy to flinch hard. Her skin seemed to turn a pale green as she stared wide eyed at the horizon.

"Come on Zo," Liam pleaded. "It's not that bad. It's only eight stories."

Zoe scowled at the son of Zeus. "You know I'm terrified of heights. Just like you're scared of the water." Liam noticed the greenness of her skin fading.

"You didn't have a problem on Blackjack."

"That's different," Zoe countered, her skin returning to normal. "He's my Dad's sacred animal, of course I'm going to feel safe with him."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know," Liam distracted her. "Met my father's sacred animal once. Turns out it's the eagle that ate Prometheus' intestines back in Ancient Greece." He shivered and adjusted Zoe on his shoulder. "He kept eyeing me. I think he was wondering what my guts tasted like."

Zoe actually managed to laugh on that one, looking her normal self again. The elevator stopped smoothly before a ding sounded their arrival. The doors opened and the three filed out quickly heading for their room.

"So," Liam began. "How does that elevator work again? Didn't they used to use, like, pulleys and stuff?"

Karina groaned, leading them down the halls. "I told you, they swapped out the cables and counterweights decades ago in favor of electro magnets which allow for smoother starts and stops."

Liam scratched the back of his head. "Yeah but, what if the power goes out?"

"Emergency brakes," Karina answered immediately.

A smirk appeared on his face. "And what if the brakes fail?"

Karina looked back at him with an unamused expression. "Then you'll die. And I won't have to hear anymore stupid questions," she deadpanned causing Zoe to snort.

Liam's smirk grew into a grin. "How will you manage that?" he asked, his lightning blue eyes alight with amusement. "Zoe will still be here."

Zoe gawked at her friend as Karina exploded into a fit of laughter. When Liam turned his head to face her, Zoe noticed how close they were and turned away scowling. "You're lucky I need you for support."

"I know," Liam confirmed. "And while you may get me back later, it was so worth it."

"You little-," she was interrupted by the sound of a click and a lock being rescinded.

The two looked ahead and spotted Karina opening the door to their supposed room. The younger girl turned towards her friends before gesturing for the two to head inside. Once inside they found a comfortably sized room, with a bathroom to their immediate left as they entered, two queen sized beds, a desk, and a couch. The far wall had glass doors that lead to a small balcony. Their bags were sitting at the foot of one of the beds. Liam gently deposited Zoe on the couch before running to the bathroom.

Karina examined the room. "You think we can get away with using the technology here?" she asked, looking at the module between the beds. "I mean we are here at the invitation of a goddess."

Zoe shrugged. "We will probably be okay. If mine and Liam's scent doesn't attract monsters I doubt you turning on the TV will do it." She laid back on the couch, the drain from the day's events taking their toll on her body.

The rest of the evening went as normal as it could for three demigods on a quest. Karina had figured out the controls and ordered a pizza, Liam was laid out on the balcony, and Zoe had showered and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. The water from the shower reenergized her enough to support her own weight. Grabbing two plates of pizza, Zoe joined Liam on the balcony. It was just large enough for him to move both chairs to the side and still be able to lay one of the blankets down to form a mat. Past the metal bars rimming the balcony, Zoe could make out the Miami skyline. Huge skyscrapers piercing the clouds separated by smaller office buildings and clubs. She could see the ocean bordering the city leading north and south.

"Here," she said, handing the plate to Liam. She then sat down next to him, staring up at the night sky.

"Thanks," Liam said, setting the plate down between his legs. "What are you doing out here? Doesn't the height bother you?"

Zoe glanced nervously at the railing. "As long as I don't look over the railing I should be fine. Besides, anything to get away from the barbarian in there," she threw a thumb back into the room. Liam glanced back, noticing Karina stuffing her face with pizza.

"Yeah," he responded slowly. "I guess that's fair," he took a bite of his pizza. He took a moment to chew before swallowing. "How is she still so skinny when she eats like a cyclops?"

A chuckle escaped Zoe's lips. "No idea," she answered. "Maybe she cast a spell to keep herself forever in shape? That or it's all of the training that we have to go through."

Liam shrugged his shoulders before nodding. He then gave Zoe an empathetic look. "How are you feeling anyways?" he asked, when Zoe looked at him questioning he clarified. "She threw a lot of heat at you back there. And that was before you had your whole 'divine' moment," he illustrated with air quotes.

The daughter of Perseus sighed, flipping her black hair over her shoulder. "I'm fine," she said though Liam was clearly unconvinced. Zoe then gave him an irritated look. "It's not like I can do anything about it. Just got to live with the fact I'm apparently the reason Percy and Reyna won't get together."

"That's not true," Liam claimed, he scooted over and put an arm around her shoulders. "They both made their choices. If it's anyone's fault it's Percy's, but it will never be your fault."

"How can you say that?" she asked him, tears stinging her eyes. "If I had never been born then they would be together. It's that simple." She hung her head, hair falling around her head. "Maybe if Dad hadn't been with another woman, Reyna could actually be my mother."

Liam felt his heart ache at her defeated tone. He tried to think of something to say, something to help her get through this but couldn't come up with anything.

"So," the girl began, dark emerald eyes meeting electric blue. Liam could see her eyes were puffy, and she had tear streaks. "Have you told your mom where you are?" she asked as she wiped her tears away.

Liam shook his head in answer, deciding to humor her. "I don't want her to worry. She's got enough on her plate. Have you?" the boy asked, strawberry blonde hair shifting in the breeze.

"No," she answered, gazing up into the night sky. She always felt comfort in searching the sky at night. Like the night and stars were enveloping her in a warm embrace, and at this moment she needed that more than anything. "Can you imagine what she would do if I told her?"

"Probably miraculously reach through the Iris Message and try to throttle you," Liam answered, a smile clear across his face.

Zoe laughed. "You're probably not wrong," she took a bit of her pizza. "Wo-r how s-doin-."

Liam raised an eyebrow, his smile widening as he watched her. "Do what?"

The teenager swallowed her food and turned to her friend, her own smile appearing. "I said, I wonder how she is doing," she examined the Orion constellation. Her father told her the stories he had learned from Artemis about the giant. Sometimes she could understand why Artemis and her followers chose the path of eternal maidens. "I mean, I know she's safe. She has the Praetorian Guard with her and I know she can handle herself. But I also know that Percy being missing has been keeping her worried. And that she is now searching and likely not finding anything is probably driving her insane."

"She'll be fine," he reassured her. He watched her shoulders slump. "So, how's school?" he asked.

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" The boy simply shrugged at her. Rolling her eyes, Zoe decided to humor him. "Aside from the usual combat training and war philosophy. I just finished pre-cal, which was the single most annoying class I have ever taken. There was also world history and, my favorite, I learned Russian."

"Russian?" Liam asked, his eyebrows scrunched together. "How many languages do you know now?"

Zoe gained a thoughtful look. "Well...English, Greek, and Latin are obvious. I also learned Spanish, both Mexican and Spaniard dialects, German, Arabic, French, Mandarin, Japanese, and now Russian."

The son of Zeus scoffed, a smile gracing his face. "Is that all? I'm still trying to learn regular old Spanish." The two shared a laugh before Liam gave her a confused look. "Wait, I thought you didn't know Arabic?"

The smile faded from Zoe's rounded features. "What?" she asked nervously.

Liam pointed a figure at her. "Capture the flag. Malik called you, what was it, Amir'ta Asaterra? You told him you didn't know Arabic."

Zoe scowled at her friend. "It's Amir'te Asaheera. And I don't know what you're talking about." She stood to leave and Liam stood with her.

"I call crap, you know exactly what it means. Why is it such an issue anyways?" he asked, confused as to what his friend was getting upset about.

The girl rolled her eyes at him. "None of your business," she said, anger creeping into her voice, before entering the room again and sitting on the bed, fiddling with her pen. Karina caught Liam's eye and he held his arms up, begging for help. Karina shook her head at him, her eyes telling him to drop it. Liam dropped his arms in defeat before returning to his blanket on the balcony. Leaving the two girls alone in the room.

Zoe once again found herself in darkness. Turning around she spotted her father, again separated by a chasm of darkness. The same light illuminating him from above. He was still chained in the same position as last time, sweat dripping from his face as the chains around him pulsed. The crack beneath him had grown, now a foot and a half long and several inches wide at its widest. A few more inches and it would be past his knees. Zoe noticed the cloaked woman entering the ring of light once more. Still the woman's back was to Zoe, hiding her appearance from the girl.

"Soon, my young godling," the woman spoke, her tone low and almost, heartfelt. "Soon you will be home and your family will be renewed."

Percy scowled at the woman. "That place is not my home, and she will never be my family," he growled before shifting, seemingly in an attempt to relieve discomfort.

"Aw," the woman cooed. "But what about your dear princess? Does she not deserve a family?" Zoe could almost hear the smirk straining the woman's face. "She has taken up the quest to find you, did you know that? Dear Zoe Chase Jackson has received a prophecy and is on a journey to rescue dear old dad. How sweet. Almost like how you defied the wishes of everyone to save your precious Wise Girl. Though, at least this time she won't have to carry the weight of the sky."

Percy seemingly locked eyes with the woman, and for the first time Zoe noted real fear in his eyes. "How do you know her name?"

Zoe heard a chuckle escape the woman. "Did you really think you could hide her from us?" She began circling the chained god, the shadows concealing her features from Zoe. "Those wards may conceal her from you pathetic Olympians, but to my patron it is little more than a parlor trick. Oh, how good it will be for her to be in the fold. Like a dream come true really."

"You stay away from her. You hear me?" Percy growled through clenched teeth.

This time the woman laughed. "And what exactly are you going to do to stop us? You're not exactly going anywhere," she kneeled down and flicked the bronze chains. She leaned in towards the god's face. "I wonder what your precious Zoe would think if she found out about who she is? Who her mother is? How she came to be? How would her friends react?"

Percy turned toward her to the best he could. "If you hurt her, I swear-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," the woman interrupted. "Besides, I am still responsible for keeping you company. So unless she magically found this place I will be unable to harm her." Percy almost slumped in relief. "However," Percy tensed. "There is an old friend of yours who is itching to get his hands on her. Apparently your princess wasted no time in making new friends," the woman laughed. "Like father like daughter I suppose."

A large shape stood just at the edge of the darkness in Percy's view. Zoe could not make out the details of the behemoth. Percy, however, apparently could. "No," he yelled and began pulling at his chains. "Don't you dare touch her. I will unleash a thousand hells upon you if you touch so much as a hair upon her head." He pulled and pushed against his restraints, his sea green eyes glowing with absolute power. Even the pulsing of the chains did not stop his outburst.

"Oooohh," the woman drawled. "Keep that up and we may not even need the girl," she said pointing towards the crack beneath him. Percy looked down, noticing the crack had grown several inches during his outburst. He looked back at the woman, breathing in great lumps of air. The power in his eyes was gone, but the hatred and anger was still present.

"I will kill you," he told her between heavy breaths. "Not today. Probably not tomorrow. But one day, before all of this is over, I will stick your blade into your heart and watch the life drain from your eyes."

A maniacal laugh escaped the woman's lips as she stood. "Don't promise me with a good time Perseus. I might be more than you could handle." She turned and walked away. The large form retreated into the darkness, leaving Zoe's father alone in his island of light. Zoe watched her father slump down, his head hanging low, defeat encompassing his body.

Zoe stood there speechless, head down with her hair falling around her head. Her mind nearly shut down trying to process what she had witnessed. She wanted to try to reassure her father, even though he couldn't hear her, but she couldn't. What had he done? Who was behind all of this? What did all of this have to do with her? Her questioning thoughts were interrupted by sniffling. Looking back up, Zoe spotted what looked like tears, dripping from her father's face.

"I'm sorry Zoe, Reyna," he breathed out through his light sniffling. "I'm so, so sorry."

Zoe awoke in her bed with a cold sweat yet again, her shirt stuck to her skin and breathing erratically. She threw the covers off of her, making her way to the bathroom. She passed Karina in the second bed and Liam on the couch sprawled out. The child of Perseus closed the door as silently as possible, flipping the light switch and staring into the mirror. Her hair was frayed around the edges of her braid, her deep tanned skin now a sickly white and her eyes were rounded with dark bags. The cool tile floors displacing the rapid heat emanating from her body. Images of the dream flashed across her vision. Her father, exhausted, in pain, defeated. The woman, conniving and evil. Tears formed in her eyes as questions from the previous night bounced around her skull once again. What is going on? Who is she? How were they supposed to find him? She put the lid of the toilet down before sitting down.

A soft knock interrupted her thought. Zoe quickly wiped away her growing tears. "Zoe?" Karina's quiet voice filtered through the door. "Are you okay?" Zoe found herself unable to answer. The door opened revealing the roman girl in her shorts and camp shirt. She quickly closed the door behind her before kneeling down in front of her friend. "Is it that time of the month?" she asked with a small smile. A short laugh escaped Zoe's lips, she shook her head. "So what's wrong?"

Zoe bit her lip in thought. "Just a dream," she answered.

Karina raised an eyebrow. "You see your father?" she asked.

Zoe nodded her head. She glanced at the door. "Is Liam awake?"

"No. You know Liam, he sleeps the sleep of the dead." The two shared a smile.

"You ever wonder if we are in over our heads?" Zoe asked her friend.

"All the time," Karina responded. Noticing Zoe's raised eyebrow, she shrugged. "What? You think I'm dumb enough to blindly think it'll all work out? That's what Liam the Optimist is for," the daughter of Trivia said with a smile.

Zoe smirked at her friend. "How do you keep so positive then?"

Again Karina shrugged. "Fate is fate," she said. "All we can do is our best and hope it's enough. No use worrying about things you can't change."

Zoe's gaze fell to the floor. "Dad did something." Karina looked at her questioning. "I don't know what he did, but I think something in his past has lead to this moment."

"Maybe that's why Reyna didn't want you involved?" Karina pondered, standing and leaning on the counter. "Maybe she knows who is behind all of this and wanted to protect you from whoever Percy hurt?"

Zoe gave her a skeptical look. "Whoever it is they probably deserved it. Why wouldn't they tell me about something this serious?"

"That is just something that you are going to have to ask Percy or Reyna next time we see them," Karina told her friend.

"What time is it anyways?" asked Zoe.

"About seven o'clock."

Zoe rose from the toilet seat. "We should wake Liam up and head out of here. We still have a long way to go, and we don't even know where that is."

Pressing off the counter, Karina made for the door. "Well...we will just have to head north, seeing as how everything everyone has found points there."

Zoe rolled her eyes as they left the bathroom. "Yay, north. Such a specific destination. And how are we suppose to do that?"

Karina stopped by Liam's head. "Train? It will stop often and we can use the down time to check out the cities for any clues."

Zoe shrugged, stopping at the son of Zeus' feet. "Sounds like a plan. So how do you want to do this?" she asked gesturing to the sleeping boy.

Karina held her chin in thought. "Ball of water to the face? Mixed with throwing him to the floor?" Zoe grinned at her friend before holding her hand out. She felt a light tug in her gut as water flowed out of the bathroom forming a all within her hand. Zoe commanded the ball to float over Liam's sleeping form before releasing control of it. The ball lost it's cohesion and drenched the poor boy's face.

Liam awoke sputtering, his eyes fluttering as he tried to wipe at his face and felt hands grab him. The startled Liam suddenly found himself intimately familiar with the carpeted floor of the hotel room, laughter filling his ears. "Very funny guys," he groaned to the amusement of his abusive friends.

"Glad to see you're finally awake sleepy head." Zoe said through laughter. "Come on, we are going to pack up and leave soon."

"So we have a plan?" Liam asked as he picked himself up, his strawberry blonde locks matted to his forehead. "Uh, Zo?" The girl in question turned to him. "You think you can help?" Zoe cocked a hip with a look of contemplation before approaching Liam. She rested a hand on his shoulder, evaporating the water and his hair sticking out in weird places.

"You might want to go take care of that." Zoe told him, pointing at his hair. Liam promptly departed to the bathroom, shutting the door. The two girls shared another laugh at his expense before beginning to pack their things.