They ran across the street and into the lobby.

As they jogged through the lobby, Percy suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes wide open, as if he had almost grasped an old memory, but couldn't keep holding on to it.

"Percy?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"

"This place probably triggered a memory for him." Valen said ."In fact, it reminds me of an old friend too."

Percy suddenly slammed his fist into the side of a bookshelf.

Valen put a hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

Percy nodded, "I'm—I'm all right,"

"We'll get our memories back, I promise," he patted his back.

Percy nodded, thankful, "For now, let's find a way to the roof."

It took them a while, but they finally found a stairwell with roof access. At the top was a door with a handle alarm, but someone had propped it open with a copy of War and Peace.

Outside, Ella the harpy huddled in a nest of books under a makeshift cardboard shelter.

They advanced slowly, trying not to scare her. Ela didn't pay them any attention. She picked at her feathers and muttered under her breath, like she was practicing lines for a play.

Percy got within five feet and knelt down. "Hi. Sorry, we scared you. Look, I don't have much food, but…"

He took some of the macrobiotic jerky out of his pocket. Ela lunged and snatched it immediately. She huddled back in her nest, sniffing the jerky, but sighed and tossed it away.

"N-not from his table. Ella cannot eat. Sad. Jerky would be good for harpies."

"Not from…oh, right." Percy said. "That's part of the curse. You can only eat his food."

"There has to be a way," Hazel said.

"'Photosynthesis,'" Ella muttered. "'Noun. Biology. The synthesis of complex organic materials.' 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... '"

"What is she saying?" Frank whispered.

Percy stared at the mound of books around her. They all looked old and mildewed. Some had prices written in marker on the covers, like the library had gotten rid of them in a clearance sale.

"She's quoting books," Percy guessed.

"Farmer's Almanac 1965," Ela said. "'Start breeding animals, January twenty-sixth.'"

"Ella," he said, "have you read all of these?"

She blinked. "More. More downstairs. Words. Words calm Ela down. Words, words, words."

Percy picked up a book at random—a tattered copy of A History of Horseracing. "Ela, do you remember the, um, third paragraph on page sixty-two—"

"'Secretariat,'" Ella said instantly, "'favored three to two-in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty-nine and two fifths.'"

Percy closed the book. His hands were shaking. "Word for word."

"That's amazing," Hazel said.

"She's a genius chicken," Frank agreed.

"I can see why Phineas wants her." Valen muttered.

Ella," Percy said, "we're going to find a way to break the curse. Would you like that?"

"'It's Impossible.'" she said. "'Recorded in English by Perry Como, 1970.'"

"Nothing's impossible". Percy said. "Now, look, I'm going to say his name. You don't have to run away. We're going to save you from the curse. We just need to figure out a way to beat ... Phineas."

"N-n-no! No Phineas. Ella is quick. Too quick for him. B-but he wants to ch-chain Ella. He hurts Ella." She tried to reach the gash on her back.

"Frank," Percy said, "you have first-aid supplies?"

"On it." Frank brought out a thermos full of nectar and explained its healing properties to Ella. When he scooted closer, she recoiled and started to shriek. Then Hazel tried, and Ella let her pour some nectar on her back. The wound began to close.

Hazel smiled. "See? That's better."

"Phineas is bad," Ella insisted. "And weed whackers. And cheese."

"Absolutely," Percy agreed. "We won't let him hurt you again. We need to figure out how to trick him, though. You harpies must know him better than anybody. Is there any way we can trick him?"

"N-no," Ella said. "Tricks are for kids. 50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog, by Sophie Collins, cal number six-three-six—"

"Okay, Ella." Hazel spoke in a soothing voice, like she was trying to calm a horse. "But does Phineas have any weaknesses?"

"Blind. He's blind."

Frank rolled his eyes, but Hazel continued patiently, "Right. Besides that?"

"Chance," she said. "Games of chance. Two to one. Bad odds. Call or fold."

Percy's spirits rose. "You mean he's a gambler?"

"Phineas s-sees big things. Prophecies. Fates. God stuff. Not small stuff. Random. Exciting. And he is blind."

Frank rubbed his chin. "Any idea what she means?"

"He can see the future, but only the important bits, things that will affect the gods. But something like a minor gamble is beyond his abilities." Valen explained. "Every ability comes with a catch. Achilles' invincibility didn't extend to his ankle, and it eventually got him killed."

Percy furrowed his brows, his hand instinctively going to the small of his back.

Hazel nodded slowly. "You mean if he loses, he has to tell us where Thanatos is. But what do we have to wager? What kind of game do we play?"

"Something simple, with high stakes," Percy said. "Like two choices. One you live, one you die. And the prize has to be something Phineas wants…I mean, besides Ella. That's off the table."

"Sight," Ella muttered. "Sight is good for blind men. Healing…nope, nope. Gaea won't do that for Phineas. Gaea keeps Phineas b-blind, dependent on Gaea. Yep."

"But how do we offer him sight?" Frank asked.

Valen narrowed his eyes, he remembered snatching two vials from the gorgons he killed.

He snapped his fingers and the two vials came out of his ring. "Gorgon's blood," he said. "It can heal near anything, or kill you gruesomely. Depending on what side you get it from."

Their eyes widened. "That's perfect," Percy said.

"When did you get them?" Hazel asked.

"When I killed the gorgons chasing Percy," he answered. "In all honesty, I had forgotten I had them until now."

"How do we know which is which?" she asked.

"You don't," he said, "it's a gamble."

"Wha-"

"I have a plan," Percy interrupted, "Let's go."

Phineas was right where they'd left him, in the middle of the food truck parking lot. He sat on his picnic bench with his bunny slippers propped up, eating a plate of greasy shish kebab. His weed whacker was at his side. His bathrobe was smeared with barbecue sauce.

"Welcome back!" he called cheerfully. "I hear the flutter of nervous little wings. You've brought me my harpy?"

"She's here," Percy said. "But she's not yours."

Phineas sucked the grease off his fingers. His milky eyes seemed fixed on a point just above Percy's head. "I see…well, actually, I'm blind, so I don't see. Have you come to kill me, then? If so, good luck completing your quest."

"I've come to gamble."

The old man's mouth twitched. He put down his shishkebab and leaned toward Percy. "A gamble…how interesting. Information in exchange for the harpy? Winner takes all?"

"No," Percy said. "The harpy isn't part of the deal."

Phineas laughed. "Really? Perhaps you don't understand her value."

"She's a person," Percy said. "She isn't for sale."

"Oh, please! You're from the Roman camp, aren't you? Rome was built on slavery. Don't get all high and mighty with me. Besides, she isn't even human. She's a monster. A wind spirit. A minion of Jupiter."

"Most kingdoms were built with slavery at some point," Valen said, "That doesn't mean that we have to resort to such barbaric measures as well. Of cours,e I wouldn't expect you to know that, shade."

Phineas laughed, "Oh the irony of you saying that. Didn't you willingly become a slave for the darkness?"

He narrowed his eyes, taking out the two vials of gorgon blood. "We have a different wager. Two vials of gorgon's blood, taken from different sides. Virtually indistinguishable."

Phineas held out his hands eagerly. "Let me feel them. Let me smell them."

"Not so fast," Percy said. "First, you agree to the terms."

"Terms…" Phineas was breathing shallowly. "Prophecy and sight ... I'd be unstoppable. I could own this city. I'd build my palace here, surrounded by food trucks. I could capture that harpy myself!"

"N-noo," Ella said nervously. "Nope, nope, nope."

A villainous laugh is hard to pull off when you're wearing pink bunny slippers, but Phineas gave it his best shot. "Very well, demigod. What are your terms?"

"You get to choose a vial," Percy said. "No uncorking, no sniffing before you decide."

"That's not fair! I'm blind."

"And I don't have your sense of smell," Percy countered. "You can hold the vials. And I'll swear on the River Styx that they look identical. They're exactly what I told you: Gorgon's blood, one vial from the left side of the monster, one from the right. And I swear that none of us knows which is which."

Percy looked back at the two Pluto kids, "Uh, you're the underworld experts here. With all this weird stuff going on with Death, is an oath on the River Styx still binding?"

"Oh yeah."

"Yes," Hazel said. "To break such a vow…well, just don't do it. There are worse things than death."

Valen nodded, "You do not want to piss off Styx. She'll ruin your life."

Phineas stroked his beard. "So I choose which vial to drink. You have to drink the other one. We swear to drink at the same time."

"Right," Percy said.

"The loser dies, obviously," Phineas said. "That kind of poison would probably keep me from coming back to life…for a long time, at least. My essence would be scattered and degraded. So I'm risking quite a lot."

"But if you win, you get everything," Percy said. "If I die, my friends will swear to leave you in peace and not take revenge. You'd have your sight back, which even Gaea won't give you."

"If I lose," the old man said, "I'll be dead, unable to give you information. How does that help you?"

"Write it down," Valen said, "Keep it with you, once you're dead we'll just retrieve it from your remains."

"But swear on the River Styx it's specific and accurate." Percy said, "You also have to swear that if you lose and die, the harpies will be released from their curse."

"Those are high stakes," Phineas grumbled. "You face death, Percy Jackson. Wouldn't it be simpler just to hand over the harpy?"

"Not an option."

Phineas smiled slowly. "So you are starting to understand her worth. Once I have my sight, I'll capture her myself, you know. Whoever controls that harpy…well, I was a king once. This gamble could make me a king again."

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Percy said. "Do we have a deal?"

Phineas tapped his nose thoughtfully. "I can't foresee the outcome. Annoying how that works. A completely unexpected gamble…it makes the future cloudy. But I can tell you this, Percy Jackson—a bit of free advice. If you survive today, you're not going to like your future. A big sacrifice is coming, and you won't have the courage to make it. That will cost you dearly. It will cost the world dearly. It might be easier if you just choose the poison."

"'Sacrifices are necessary in a war,'" he recited. "Someone told me that once, and he was right. We are at war with nature itself now, big sacrifices are a given."

"Oh, but you have a record of subverting fate don't you?" Phineas said, and Valen's head began hurting with memories once again.

The top of a mountain, a girl laying motionless on the ground, and a goddess kneeling next to her.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of those memories. When was that?

In the trees around the parking lot, the harpies gathered to watch as if they sensed what was at stake.

"Do we have a deal?" Percy asked again.

Phineas grinned. "I swear on the River Styx to abide by the terms, just as you have described them. Frank Zhang, you're the descendant of an Argonaut. I trust your word. If I win, do you three swear to leave me in peace and not seek revenge?"

"I swear it on the River Styx." Percy grumbled.

"I also swear," Hazel said.

"I swear I will not seek you out for revenge for Percy's sake." Valen said, making sure to word his oath very carefully.

"Swear," Ella muttered. "'Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.'"

Phineas laughed. "In that case, find me something to write with. Let's get started."

Frank borrowed a napkin and a pen from a food truck vendor. Phineas scribbled something on the napkin and put it in his bathrobe pocket. "I swear this is the location of Alcyoneus's lair. Not that you'll live long enough to read it."

Percy drew his sword and swept all the food off the picnic table. Phineas sat on one side. Percy sat on the other.

Phineas held out his hands. "Let me feel the vials."

Percy gazed at the hills in the distance.

Valen inhaled deeply, looking up, You know, it would be really useful if you tipped the scales ever in our favor.

There was no response. He sighed, turning his gaze back at the gamble.

Phineas curled his fingers in a grasping motion. "Losing your nerve, Percy Jackson? Let me have them."

Percy passed him the vials. The old man compared their weight. He ran his fingers along the ceramic surfaces. Then he set them both on the table and rested one hand lightly on each. A tremor passed through the ground—a mild earthquake. Ella cawed nervously. The vial on the left seemed to shake slightly more than the one on the right.

Phineas grinned wickedly. He closed his fingers around the left-hand vial. "You were a fool, Percy Jackson. I choose this one. Now we drink."

Percy took the vial on the right. His teeth were chattering.

The old man raised his vial. "A toast to the sons of Neptune."

They both uncorked their vials and drank. Immediately, Percy doubled over, his throat burning. His mouth tasted like gasoline.

"Oh, gods," Hazel said behind him.

"Nope!" Ella said. "Nope, nope, nope."

Valen's vision switched, he gazed at their souls. Percy's seemed to be straining, a bit more and it'd be torn to shreds. But Phineas' soul was regenerating, his eyes were glowing.

With the sound of buzzing electricity, Stormguard materialized in his arm.

"Ah ah," Phineas wiggled his finger. "You swore to leave me alone."

"They swore to leave you alone, I just swore not to take revenge for Percy's sake." he said, advancing towards him. "I never swore that I wouldn't take revenge for the harpies or any of the other souls you have tormented in your life and death."

"No wait-"

Stormguard sliced through the air, lodging itself deep inside Phineas' chest. At the same time Percy gasped, his vision clearing.

Phineas hunched over, both from the sword and the poison.

"You—you can't!" the old man wailed. "Gaea, you—you—"

Steam came out of his mouth. A sickly yellow vapor rose from his ears, his beard, his blind eyes.

"Unfair!" he screamed. "You tricked me!"

"Oh cry me a river why don't you," Valen snarked at him. "Life's not fair, get over it."

With that, he did something he had rarely done before. Storm Guards blade darkened even further, and a black mist began seeping out of it.

"No afterlife for you," he pulled Stormguard out, and with it came Phineas' soul, fragmented as it was. It lingered for a moment, before being absorbed by the blade.

His body disintegrated, until there was nothing left but an old, stained bathrobe and a pair of bunny slippers.

"Those," Frank said, "are the most disgusting spoils of war ever."

Hazel prodded the robe with her sword. There was nothing underneath—no sign that Phineas was trying to re-form. She looked at Percy in awe. "That was either the bravest thing I've ever seen, or the stupidest."

Frank shook his head in disbelief. "Percy, how did you know? You were so confident he'd choose the poison."

"Gaea," Percy said. "She wants me to make it to Alaska. She thinks…I'm not sure. She thinks she can use me as part of her plan. She influenced Phineas to choose the wrong vial."

Valens face darkened, "Bad idea Percy. Gaea cannot be bargained with."

He sighed, "I know."

Frank stared in horror at the remains of the old man. "Gaea would kill her own servant rather than you? That's what you were betting on?"

"Plans," Ella muttered. "Plans and plots. The lady in the ground. Big plans for Percy. Macrobiotic jerky for Ella."

Percy handed her the whole bag of jerky and she squeaked with joy.

"Nope, nope, nope," she muttered, half-singing. "Phineas, nope. Food and words for Ella, yep."

Percy crouched over the bathrobe and pulled the old man's note out of the pocket. It read: HUBBARD GLACIER.

All that risk for two words. He handed the note to Hazel.

"I know where that is," she said. "It's pretty famous. But we've got a long, long way to go."

In the trees around the parking lot, the other harpies finally overcame their shock. They squawked with excitement and flew at the nearest food trucks, diving through the service windows and raiding the kitchens. Cooks shouted in many languages. Trucks shook back and forth. Feathers and food boxes flew everywhere.

"We'd better get back to the boat," Percy said. "We're running out of time."

The boat sped down the Columbia river. Percy sat behind the steering, while Valen sat shotgun. Hazel and Frank sat in the back with Ella.

They hadn't really planned on taking the harpy with them, but Ella acted like the matter was decided.

"Friends," she muttered. "'Ten seasons. 1994 to 2004.' Friends melt Phineas and give Ella jerky. Ella will go with her friends."

"Well," Valen had said after listening to her, "you can't argue against that logic."

And so they had brought her along.

The river widened into the ocean. The boat turned north. As Frank and Hazel talked, the others merely listened.

"I'm an escapee." she said. "I shouldn't be alive."

She described the Voice, and how Gaea had slowly taken over her mother's mind. She explained how they had moved to Alaska, how Hazel had helped to raise the giant Alcyoneus, and how she had died, sinking the island into Resurrection Bay.

Frank took her hand, "You sacrificed yourself to stop the giant from waking. I could never be that brave."

"That's what matters the most." Valen said, "You made some mistakes, but you more than atoned for them."

Percy nodded, "You stood up to a goddess all by yourself. You did the right…" His voice trailed off, as if he'd had an unpleasant thought. "What happened in the Underworld…I mean, after you died? You should've gone to Elysium. But if Nico brought you back—"

"I didn't go to Elysium." Her mouth felt dry as sand. "Please don't ask…"

But it was too late. She remembered her descent into the darkness, her arrival on the banks of the River Styx, and her consciousness began to slip.

"Hazel?" Frank asked. "'Slip Sliding Away,'" Ella muttered. "Number five U.S. single. Paul Simon. Frank, go with her. Simon says, Frank, go with her."

As Hazel blacked out, Frank went down with her, slumping on the back seats.

"What just happened?" Percy asked.

"Sharing," Ella said.

"Sharing?"

"Sharing," she repeated.

Percy and Valen glanced at each other, before Valen shrugged.

"They should be fine. Besides, they deserve to rest for a while."

"Yeah," Percy nodded and returned his focus to navigating the boat.

"So, where to now?" Valen asked.

"Seattle," he said, "Remember? Reyna said her sister is supposed to be there."

"Oh yeah, the one who wants to murder you."

"Yep."

By the time they arrived in Seattle the next morning, Hazel and Frank still hadn't woken up. They had to shake them awake.

Hazel sat up groggily, "Frank?"

Frank groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Did we just…was I just—?"

"Passed out cold?" Valen finished. "Yes, yes you were."

"Ella told us not to worry about it." Percy said, "She said you were…sharing?"

"Sharing," Ella agreed. She crouched in the stern, preening her wing feathers with her teeth, which didn't look like a very effective form of personal hygiene. She spit out some red fluff. "Sharing is good. No more blackouts. Biggest American blackout, August 14, 2003. Hazel shared. No more blackouts."

Percy scratched his head. "Yeah…we've been having conversations like that all night. I still don't know what she's talking about."

"I zoned out halfway through your first conversation to be honest," Valen admitted.

"I don't blame you," Percy muttered.

Hazel pressed her hand against her coat pocket. She could feel the piece of firewood, wrapped in cloth.

She looked at Frank. "You were there."

"Wait," Percy said. "You mean you guys shared a blackout? Are you guys both going to pass out from now on?"

"Nope," Ella said. "Nope, nope, nope. No more blackouts. More books for Ella. Books in Seattle."

Hazel gazed over the water. They were sailing through a large bay, making their way toward a cluster of downtown buildings. Neighborhoods rolled across a series of hills. From the tallest one rose an odd white tower with a saucer on the top.

Percy steered the boat toward the downtown docks. As they got closer, Ella scratched nervously at her nest of books.

"Um…why are we stopping here?" Hazel asked.

Percy showed them the silver ring on his necklace. "Reyna has a sister here. She asked me to find her and show her this."

"Reyna has a sister?" Frank asked, like the idea terrified him.

"Apparently so," Valen said. "Reyna seemed to think she has an army of some sort, one she could send to help camp."

"Amazons," Ella muttered. "Amazon country. Hmm. Ella will find libraries instead. Don't like Amazons. Fierce. Shields. Swords. Pointy. Ouch."

Frank reached for his spear. "Amazons? Like…female warriors?"

"That would make sense," Hazel said. "If Reyna's sister is also a daughter of Bellona, I can see why she'd join the Amazons. But…is it safe for us to be here?"

"Nope, nope, nope," Ella said. "Get books instead. No Amazons."

"We have to try," Percy said. "I promised Reyna that I would."

He turned to the harpy, "Ella, do you have any idea where we can find the Amazons?"

"And, um," Frank said nervously, "they don't, like, kill men on sight, do they?"

Ella glanced at the downtown docks, only a few hundred yards away. "Ella will find friends later. Ella will fly away now."

And she did.

"Well…" Frank picked a single red feather out of the air. "That's encouraging."

"Relax," Valen said. "We can make a quick getaway if things get sour."

They docked at the wharf and departed the boat, with all their supplies in hand. They explored for hours. They found some great salty caramel chocolate at a candy store. They bought some decently strong coffee, at least for Valen. They stopped at a sidewalk café and had some excellent grilled salmon sandwiches. Once they saw Ella zooming between high-rise towers, a large book clutched in each foot. But they found no Amazons.

Finally they wandered south of downtown, into a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings. Hazel's nerves started tingling. She looked around, sure she was being watched.

"There," she said. The office building on their left had a single word etched on the glass doors: AMAZON.

"Eh, I'd say it's worth a try." Valen said.

"Oh," Frank said. "Uh, no, Hazel. That's a modern thing. They're a company, right? They sell stuff on the Internet. They're not actually Amazons."

"Unless…" Percy walked through the doors, and the rest followed.

The lobby was like an empty fish tank—glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said Kinzie.

Kinzie nodded at Hazel, ignoring the boys. "May I help you?"

"Um…I hope so," Hazel said. "We're looking for Amazons."

Kinzie glanced at Hazel's sword, then Frank's spear, though neither should have been visible through the Mist.

"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or—"

"Hylla," Percy interrupted. "We're looking for a girl named—"

Kinzie moved fast, kicking Frank across the lobby, before an electro-charged blade pressed at her throat.

"Not another move," Valen growled, "Unless you prefer being shocked to death of course."

She jumped back and a bolt of lightning exploded out of Stormguard, destroying a potted plant.

She glared at the boys, "First rule: Males don't speak without permission-"

"Bitch, I identify as a fucking threat," Valen interrupted, swinging his sword like a claymore. An arc of thunder shot out of it, almost skewering Kinzie, and cutting a deep gash in the back wall.

The crackling of lightning died down as his blade burst out in hellfire, he glared at the Amazons that surrounded him. "Come any closer and I'll send you to a one way trip to my father."

"Uh, Valen?" Percy called out, his voice strained.

He glanced towards him, and his glare deepened. Some of the Amazons had taken Percy and Frank hostage. The one holding Percy pressed her sword to his throat, drawing blood, "Surrender or your friend dies."

He grit his teeth, raising his hands and sheathing his sword. Kinzie approached him, her arm held out. "Your sword." she demanded.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow, "No?"

"Take me prisoner, cuff me if you want. But I will not surrender my sword." he said, clenching his fists.

Suddenly, Percy grunted in pain as the blade dug deeper in his throat. Valen snapped his neck towards Percy, opening his mouth to protest, but a throbbing headache decided to hit him right at that moment. He grunted, grabbing his head with both hands. It felt as if his mind was being torn apart.

But then, something struck at the nape of his neck, rendering him unconscious.

.

.

.

"How poetic," Kronos' dagger-like voice dripped with condescension. "The children of my sons, offered as tribute for my ascension."

"Bold of you to assume any of us will die here," he heard his own voice say, his shadow stretching from under him to cover the entire throne room. A mass of iron dust floated around him like a shield. It burst into hellfire, taking a reddish black glow.

"You cannot hope to beat me! I am the ruler of time itself!" He raised his dual toned sword at the three demigods. Dark clouds swirled overhead, and the roar of thunder could be heard even down on Manhattan.

The foundations of Olympus trembled as their waterways shattered under pressure and a tidal wave crashed into the throne room. Coming to a stop behind them.

"Hahaha," Kronos laughed. "Is this petty display supposed to intimidate me? Your fathers conjured up far larger, far more monstrous feats of power than you can ever hope to reach!"

"You're not at full power either," Percy pointed out, a film of water covering his body.

"We're more than enough to defeat you." Thalia declared, raising her spear as the heavens opened up, pouring lightning into it.

"Besides," he felt himself say, before a weirdly cool sensation passed over his body. "We only need to hold you long enough for the gods to arrive."

And the tidal wave crashed into the titan lord, encompassing his side of the throne room, and Valen's dream washed away.

He lurched awake, disoriented from the dream. He shook his head and looked around. He was in a chain link cage with Percy and Frank.

"Sup," Percy said, the wound on his neck had stopped bleeding.

"You were out for a while," Frank said, "Er, sorry I couldn't do anything to help."

"It's alright, they had the advantage in numbers." he sighed, massaging the back of his neck. But something felt off, wrong even. Something was missing.

"They took Hazel with the-"

"Where's my sword?" he interrupted in a deadly calm voice, staring down at his hands, Stormguard's ring missing from his finger.

"They took all our weapons," Percy said, "Including your sword."

Valen stared down at his bare fingers. It was the first time since his twelfth birthday that he did not have Stormguard with him. The one thing his mother left to him, before dying. The one thing that had been with him every moment since that day. It was like a connection between them, even in death. And now it was taken from him.

Without another word, he stood up, staring at the metal mesh in front of him. Something began trickling down from his left arm, something cold and rough. It formed the shape of a shaft in his palm.

Percy raised an arm, to try and placate him, "Valen-"

SCREECH!

The cage was torn apart like wet paper, and the three Amazons on the catwalk got up instantly, weapons in hand.

"Hey-!" The first one fell to the bident piercing her throat. Valen pushed her off the catwalk. The other two attacked together, driven by rage for their fallen comrade.

A mix of hellfire and lightning stopped them, Valen turned to stare at them, before their weapons lurched backwards, pulling them off the catwalk.

He walked forward, ignoring Hazel and Kinzie as he passed them like a ghost, uninterested in anything but the sword, and all that might stand between them.

He could see it at the end of the catwalk, feel its presence from where he was. He raised his arm, and the ring flew out of the stash, fitting snugly back into his finger.

He clenched his fist, the metal ring cold on his skin. But he had it back, his mother's sword. He spun the ring, and Stormguard materialized in his hand. He gripped the sword tighter than before, he would never let it go again.