TRIGGER WARNINGS: Attempted Sexual Assault & Implied/Reference Rape

Jason, Medea, and Drew climbed the hill that led towards the palace of Odysseús in Ithakē. Hērmês smiled at the sight of his great-grandson's palace. Whitewashed stucco walls lined with balconies rose three stories high and columned porticoes faced the central atrium, which had a huge fountain and bronze braziers. At a dozen banquet tables, ghouls laughed and ate and pushed one another around. It was like a spectral mirage of the palace as it appeared in its heyday. A quick glance over showed Kírkē also smiling softly; her hand brushing against her kháos-mark where Tēlemakhos' name was imprinted in her skin.

They were of course at bit irritated to know that the place was being infiltrated by the suitors of Pēnelópeia; at least their ghosts. Hundreds of spirits were milling about, chasing spectral serving girls, smashing plates and cups, and basically making a nuisance of themselves. Kírkē's fingers twitched as if she was a moment away from summoning her son and husband to avenge their Father's lands.

Percy and Octavian were listening to Annabeth as the girl helped them rebuild strength in their arms and legs after their trip through hell while she was simultaneously helping Leo with a few upgrades around the ship. It was actually a very intriguing thing as Octavian had shown her how the seiðmaðr in the viking age were able to weave prophecy through threads in similar light of the Moirai. The girl had no skill in prophecy, but when she and Octavian worked together, the tapestries moved with Fate. It was because of this skill though that the three had been chosen to infiltrate the place. No matter which way the thread was weaved, no matter how many times Octavian scry or utilize his prophetic vision; at least before Pū́thōn overtook Delphoí, and no matter how many times that Drew looked through the tarot cards... the result ended the same way.

Jason, Medea, and Drew would face the remnants of their past if they wanted answers to continue to Greece.

To where Hērmês could sense the boundaries surrounding reality slowly begin to thin.

His attention focused back on the screen when he took note of good ol' Antinous, still with the arrow in his throat, as he paraded around the centre of the atrium, holding a marble bust of Father over his head like a sports trophy.

'Our next offering!' Antinous shouted, his voice buzzing from the arrow in his throat. 'Let us feed the Earth Mother!'

The shades yelled and pounded their cups as the damnable ghoul made his way to the central fountain where a geyser of sand spewed upward, arcing into an umbrella-shaped curtain of white particles before spilling into the circular basin. Hērmês would see him thrown in Tártara for his actions. The crowd parted, and the ghoul heaved the marble bust into the fountain. As soon as Father's head passed through the shower of sand, the marble disintegrated like it was going through a woodchipper. The sand glittered gold, the colour of ichor. Then the entire mountain rumbled with a muffled BOOM, as if belching after a meal.

The dead partygoers roared with approval.

'Any more statues?' the ghoul shouted to the crowd. 'No? Then I guess we'll have to wait for some real gods to sacrifice!'

His comrades laughed and applauded as the ghoul plopped himself down at the nearest feast table.

Jason clenched his walking stick. 'That guy just disintegrated my dad. Who does he think he is?'

'I'm guessing that's Antinous,' said Drew, 'one of the suitors' leaders. If I remember right, it was Odysseus who shot him through the neck with that arrow.'

Medea winced. 'You'd think that would keep a guy down. And how do you know that? What about all the others? Why are there so many?'

'Lea hyperfixates a lot especially things about Hermes and Odysseus is his great-grandson,' Drew said. 'And these are newer recruits for Gaia, I guess. Some must've come back to life before we closed the Doors of Death. Some may just be spirits. The dead is your department. Not mine."

'Some are ghouls,' Jason said. 'The ones with the gaping wounds and the grey skin, like Antinous... I've fought their kind before. They can't be killed easily. They're strong and fast and intelligent. Also, they eat human flesh.'

"Something told me to change into my Forest and Mountain Survival with Semi-Unfortunate Cannibalism outfit," Drew murmured. "Still, I don't see any option except to stick to the plan. Split up, infiltrate, find out why they're here. If things go bad—'

'We use the backup plan,' Medea said while Jason grimaced before telling them to be careful.

Drew moved through the crowd with ease, radiating charm as she smiled and refilled wineglasses for the ghostly revellers. Her eyes; however, flared with power whenever one of them got a bit too touchy meanwhile on the other side, Medea collected empty plates and goblets, smiling just as beautifully as her friend; her magicka seeping into the ground bit by bit and pulling shades down to the Netherworld.

Jason passed through the palace's ghostly gateway, bypassing a ten-foot-deep excavation pit hidden beneath an illusion.

Antinous cried, "IROS!" the moment that Jason in his hidden disguise reached the edge of the crowd in the courtyard. 'Is that you, you old beggar?'

Medea's fingers twitched, and her magicka strengthen around Jason's face as his disguise held true. Not that it mattered much as Drew had a lot of fun with her makeup bag and special effects to transform him into an old man so even if the magicka somehow failed, he would still be disguised.

'That's me!' Jason said. 'Iros!'

A dozen more ghosts turned towards him. Some scowled and gripped the hilts of their glowing purple swords. Jason hobbled forward, putting on his best cranky old man expression. 'Guess I'm late to the party. I hope you saved me some food?'

One of the ghosts sneered in disgust. 'Ungrateful old panhandler. Should I kill him, Antinous?'

Jason's neck muscles tightened.

Antinous regarded him for three counts, then chuckled. 'I'm in a good mood today. Come, Iros, join me at my table.'

Jason sat across from Antinous while more ghosts crowded around, leering as if they expected to see a particularly vicious arm-wrestling contest. Antinous slid a golden goblet and a platter of food across the table. 'I didn't expect to see you here, Iros. But I suppose even a beggar can sue for retribution. Drink. Eat.'

Thick red liquid sloshed in the goblet and on the plate sat a steaming brown lump of mystery meat. Medea's fingers twitched again, and the food while keeping its disgusting appearance to the shades, turned into a much more pleasant lump of quail meat and the liquid turned into Kool-Aid. Jason's relief was palpable for those that knew him as he ripped off a chunk of meat with his fingers and stuffed it in his mouth then guzzled some of the Kool-aid.

Veritas grimaced. "I know Mother taught him some manners."

'Yum!' He wiped his mouth. 'Now tell me about this ... what did you call it? Retribution? Where do I sign up?'

The ghosts laughed, pushing at his shoulders.

Antinous leaned forward. 'Tell me, Iros, what do you have to offer? We don't need you to run messages for us like in the old days. Certainly you aren't a fighter. As I recall, Odysseús crushed your jaw and tossed you into the pigsty.'

Jason hesitated. 'You made me fight Odysseús," Jason sneered, those lessons with Octavian after the boy became praetor clearly did wonders. "You bet money on it. Even when Odysseús took off his shirt and you saw how muscular he was ... you still made me fight him. You didn't care if I lived or died!'

Antinous bared his pointed teeth. 'Of course I didn't care. I still don't! But you're here, so Gaía must have had a reason to allow you back into the mortal world. Tell me, why are you worthy of a share in our spoils?'

'What spoils?'

Antinous spread his hands. 'The entire world, my friend. The first time we met here, we were only after Odysseús' land, his money and his wife.'

'Especially his wife!' A bald ghost in ragged clothes elbowed Jason in the ribs. Wonderful. Eurúmakhos was there also. 'That Pēnelópeia was a hot little honey cake!'

Drew and Medea both rolled their eyes at his words. Antinous, however, sneered. 'Eurúmakhos, you whining coward. You never stood a chance with Pēnelópeia. I remember you blubbering and pleading for your life with Odysseús , blaming everything on me!'

'Lot of good it did me.' Eurymachus lifted his tattered shirt, revealing an inch-wide hole in the middle of his spectral chest. 'Odysseús shot me in the heart, just because I wanted to marry his wife! And here I thought our companionship in childhood wuold hold steady even over a woman.'

'At any rate ...' Antinous turned to Jason. 'We have gathered now for a much bigger prize. Once Gaía destroys the gods, we will divide up the remnants of the mortal world!'

'Dibs on London!' yelled a ghoul at the next table.

'Montreal!' shouted another.

'Duluth!' yelled a third, which momentarily stopped the conversation as the other ghosts gave him confused looks.

'What about the rest of these ... guests? I count at least two hundred. Half of them are new to me.'

Antinous's yellow eyes gleamed. 'All of them are suitors for Gaía's favour. All have claims and grievances against the gods or their pet heroes. That scoundrel over there is Hippías, former tyrant of Athênai. He got deposed and sided with the Persians to attack his own countrymen. No morals whatsoever. He'd do anything for power.'

'Thank you!' called Hippías.

'That rogue with the turkey leg in his mouth,' Antinous continued, 'that's Hasdrubal of Carthage. He has a grudge to settle with Roma.'

'Mhhmm,' said the Carthaginian."

"Turnus of the Rutuli who wants Prince Aineías and all his descendants' heads on a pike."

Turnus hummed, accepting a chalice of wine from Medea; not noticing that the girl slipped a bit of moly into it.

"And Michael Varus —"

Jason choked. 'Who?'

Over by the sand fountain, the dark-haired guy in the purple T-shirt and legionnaire armour turned to face them. His outline was blurred, smoky and indistinct, but the legion tattoo on his forearm was clear enough: the letters SPQR, the double-faced head of Ianvs and six score marks for years of service. On his breastplate hung the badge of praetorship and the emblem of the Fifth Cohort.

Antinous waved dismissively. 'He's a Roman demigod. Lost his legion's eagle in ... Alaska, was it? Doesn't matter. Gaía lets him hang around. He insists he has some insight into defeating Camp Iūpiter. But you, Iros – you still haven't answered my question. Why should you be welcome among us?'

Drew appeared at Antinous's shoulder. 'More wine, my lord? Oops!' She spilled the contents of a silver pitcher down the back of Antinous's neck.

'Gahh!' The ghoul arched his spine. 'Foolish girl! Who let you back from Tártaros?'

'A Titan, my lord.' Drew dipped her head apologetically; her brown eyes blinking innocently at the ghoul who was momentarily speechless in front of her. 'May I bring you some moist towelettes? Your arrow is dripping.'

'Begone!"

She disappeared as quickly as she appeared, drawing the eyes of the other ghouls while Antinous wiped himself off.

'Why should you welcome me?' Jason growled as he picked up the nearest steak knife and stabbed it into the table, making the ghosts around him jump. 'Because I'm still running messages, you stupid wretches! I've just come from the House of Háidēs to see what you're up to!'

Antinous glared at him, wine still dripping from the arrow shaft in his throat. 'You expect me to believe Gaía sent you – a beggar – to check up on us?'

'I was among the last to leave Epirus before the Doors of Death were closed!" Jason laughed, a raspy thing. "I saw the chamber where Klythios stood guard under a domed ceiling tiled with tombstones. I walked the jewel-and-bone floors of the Necromanteion!'

Around the table, ghosts shifted and muttered.

'So, Antinous ...' Jason jabbed a finger at the ghoul. 'Maybe you should explain to me why you're worthy of Gaía's favour. All I see is a crowd of lazy, dawdling dead folk enjoying themselves and not helping the war effort. What should I tell the Earth Mother?'

Antinous wrapped his hand around the steak knife Jason had impaled in the table. He pulled it free and studied the blade. 'If you come from Gaía, you must know we are here under orders. Porphuríōn decreed it.' Antinous ran the knife blade across his palm. Instead of blood, dry dirt spilled from the cut. 'You do know Porphuríōn... ?'

'The giant king – green skin, forty feet tall, white eyes, hair braided with weapons. Of course I know him. He's a lot more impressive than you.'

For once, Antinous looked speechless, but Eurúmakhos put an arm around Jason's shoulders.

'Now, now, friend!' Eurymachus soothed, just as charismatic in death as he had been in life. 'I'm sure we didn't mean to question your credentials! It's just, well, if you've spoken with Porphuríōn in Athênai, you know why we're here. I assure you; we're doing exactly as he ordered!'

'The Acropolis,' Jason said, and the deities grimaced. 'The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That's where Gaia will wake.'

'Of course!' Eurúmakhos laughed. The wound in his chest made a popping sound, like a porpoise's blowhole. 'And, to get there, those meddlesome demigods will have to travel by sea, eh? They know it's too dangerous to fly over land.'

'Which means they'll have to pass this island,' Jason said.

Eurúmakhos nodded eagerly, removing his arm from Jason's shoulders and dipped his finger in his wineglass. 'At that point, they'll have to make a choice, eh?'

On the tabletop, he traced a coastline, red wine glowing unnaturally against the wood. He drew Greece like a misshapen hourglass – a large dangly blob for the northern mainland, then another blob below it, almost as large – the big chunk of land known as the Pelopónnēsos. Cutting between them was a narrow line of sea – the Straits of Kórinthos.

'The most direct route,' Eurúmakhos said, 'would be due east from here, across the Straits of Kórinthos. But if they try to go that way –'

'Enough,' Antinous snapped. 'You have a loose tongue, Eurúmakhos.'

'I wasn't going to tell him everything! Just about the Kýklōpes armies massed on either shore," Eurúmakhos said as he had the gall to look offended. "And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Kētṓ sent to infest the waters. And of course, if the ship got as far as Delphoí–'

'Idiot!' Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost's wrist. A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul's hand, straight up Eurúmakhos's spectral arm.

'No!' Eurúmakhos yelped. 'Please! I – I only meant –'

The ghost screamed as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Eurúmakhos was gone and Medea looked reluctantly impressed.

Antinous sat back and brushed off his hands. The other suitors at the table watched him in wary silence.

'Apologies, Iros.' The ghoul smiled coldly. 'All you need to know is this – the ways to Athênai are well guarded, just as we promised. The demigods would either have to risk the straits, which are impossible, or sail around the entire Pelopónnēsos, which is hardly much safer. In any event, it's unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. Once they reach Ithakē, we will know. We will stop them here and Gaía will see how valuable we are. You can take that message back to Athênai.'

He pushed aside his plate of cold food. 'Sounds like everything is under control. For your sake, Antinous, I hope so. These demigods are resourceful. They closed the Doors of Death. We wouldn't want them sneaking past you, perhaps getting help from Delphoí.'

Antinous chuckled. 'No risk of that. Delphoí is no longer in Apóllōn's control.'

'I – I see. And if the demigods sail the long way around the Pelopónn ē sos?'

'You worry too much. That journey is never safe for demigods, and it's much too far. Besides, Victory runs rampant in Olumpí ā . As long as that's the case, there is no way the demigods can win this war.'

Jason nodded. 'Very well. I will report as much to King Porphuríōn. Thank you for the, er, meal.'

Over at the fountain, Michael Varus called, 'Wait. You must stay."

Antinous shot the ghost an irritated look. 'What's the problem, legionnaire? If Iros wants to leave, let him. He smells bad!'

The other ghosts laughed nervously. Across the courtyard, Drew shot Jason a worried glance casually palming a carving knife from the nearest platter of meat while Medea stiffened in horror and outrage.

Varus rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. Despite the heat, his breastplate was glazed with ice. 'I lost my cohort twice in Alaska – once in life, once in death to a Graecus named Percy Jackson. Still I have come here to answer Gaia's call. Do you know why?'

Jason swallowed. 'Stubbornness?'

'This is a place of longing,' Varus said. 'All of us are drawn here, sustained not only by Gaia's power but also by our strongest desires. Eurymachus's greed. Antinous's cruelty.'

'You flatter me,' the ghoul muttered.

'Hasdrubal's hatred,' Varus continued. 'Hippias's bitterness. My ambition. And you, Iros. What has drawn you here? What does a beggar most desire? Perhaps a home?'

'I should be going,' he said. 'Messages to carry.'

Michael Varus drew his sword. 'My father is Janus, the god of two faces. I am used to seeing through masks and deceptions. Do you know, Iros, why we are so sure the demigods will not pass our island undetected?'

He turned to Antinous. 'Look, are you in charge here or not? Maybe you should muzzle your Roman.'

The ghoul took a deep breath, the arrow rattled in his throat. 'Ah, but this might be entertaining. Go on, Varus.'

The dead praetor raised his sword. 'Our desires reveal us. They show us for who we really are. Someone has come for you, Jason Grace. For all of you, Medea Williams. Tanaka Aeri.'

Behind Varus, the crowd parted and three people appeared. The shimmering ghost of a woman drifted forward; dressed in a flowery green-and-red wraparound dress, colourful plastic bangles on her wrists and, an over-teased corona of dyed blonde curls. Her eyes were blue like Jason's, but they gleamed with fractured light, like she'd just come out of a bunker after a nuclear war – hungrily searching for familiar details in a changed world.

Iovis' face crumbled in despair.

'My dearest,' said the ghost of Beryl Grace. 'You have come home.'

Drew's eyes widened in horror, and she stumbled backwards as the man approached. And it was not hard to tell just who the man was with his Asian features, stylish, glittering, expensive clothes, and jewelry. He looked almost exactly like his daughter if only just a bit more elegant and old-fashioned than her. The girl looked as if she was one moment away from having a panic attack and Aphrodítē was grumbling at the sight of him; all of her children and even Árēs snarled when they looked at him. And when Hērmês looked towards the other side, Huákinthos and Dáphnē and Diónusos all sneered. Not that he could blame them, knowing what he did about the mortal.

Tanaka Asahi continued towards his daughter, moving in absolute surety; the kind of way of someone who knows themselves, knows they can take on anything thrown their way. All fluid grace and absolute self-assurance and oh so similar to Drew who stumbled over her feet to get away.

And they all could see how the girl; this beautiful so self-assured girl, who was so sun-coded in the sense that she burned so brightly and love just as fiercely as she shone; she was raging fury of fire and passion, and so utterly powerful, and yet in the face of this man... this monster... she was just a child; a small child that sat huddled away in the dark hoping to escape the hands that wandered her skin.

"Little sister," came the soothing voice of Trenton Williams, looking just as roguishly handsome in death as he did in life.

Medea's facial features crumbled in grief and her magicka faltered in the face of her beloved older brother. Their disguises only held still because of the makeup that Drew placed on them.

'Mom?' Jason breathed.

'Yes, dearest.' Her image flickered. 'Come, embrace me.'

'You're – you're not real.'

'Of course she is real. All of them are.' Michael Varus said. 'Did you think Gaia would let such an important spirit languish in the Underworld? She is your mother, Beryl Grace, star of television, sweetheart to the king of Olympus, who rejected her not once but twice, in both his Greek and Roman aspects. She deserves justice as much as any of us. Tanaka Asahi who took a dirty little peddle and turned her into a beautiful gem. Trenton Williams, son of Trivia, that wanted nothing more than to make sure his baby sister never felt abandoned and wondering if their Mother ever loved them."

"No," Medea choked; the sound almost garbled as tears began to stream down her face. "No, you're not. You're not Trent. You're not his Mom, and you better be glad you're not her Dad. Jason, don't listen to her. Her voice is working magicka on you. They're shades. Nothing more than bitter remnants."

'A remnant!' Beryrl's ghost sobbed. 'Yes, look what I have been reduced to. It's Jupiter's fault. He abandoned us. He wouldn't help me! I didn't want to leave you in Sonoma, my dear, but Juno and Jupiter gave me no choice. They wouldn't allow us to stay together. Why fight for them now? Join these suitors. Lead them. We can be a family again!'

'You left me,' Jason told his mother. 'That wasn't Jupiter or Juno. That was you.'

'Dearest, I told you I would come back." Beryl said as she stepped forward. "Those were my last words to you. Don't you remember?'

Jason shivered.

"Yūrei," Drew breathed, finding herself trapped between a circle of suitors and her Father that loomed over her. "Japanese counterparts to the Western concept of ghosts. Spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife."

"How can I rest peacefully knowing I left you all alone, my Drewberry," Asahi stated, reaching out for her and the girl flinched. Hard.

"Don't touch me," she murmured, her voice shaky with age-old grief and long-lasting tears.

Across the table, Antinous raised his goblet. 'So pleased to meet you, son of Jupiter. Listen to your mother. You have many grievances against the gods. Why not join us? We will spare you all. You wish to have your mother remain in the world? We can do that. You wish to be a king –"

"No. No, I don't belong with you.'

Michael Varus regarded him with cold eyes. 'Are you so sure, my fellow praetor? Even if you defeat the giants and Gaia, would you return home like Odysseus did? Where is your home now? With the Greeks? With the Romans? No one will accept you. And, if you get back, who's to say you won't find ruins like this?'

'You were a legion officer,' Jason told Varus. 'A leader of Roma.'

"So were you,' Varus said. 'Loyalties change.'

"You think I belong with this crowd?' Jason asked. 'A bunch of dead losers waiting for a free handout from Gaia, whining that the world owes them something?'

Drew was crying fiercely as Asahi trailed his finger against her cheek, his thumb brushing against her lip.

Around the courtyard, ghosts and ghouls rose to their feet and drew weapons.

Jason's mother stepped towards him.

'Dearest, be sensible. Give up your quest. Your Argo II could never make the trip to Athens. Even if it did, there's the matter of the Trojan Pallidum."

"What do you mean?'

'Don't feign ignorance, my dearest. Gaia knows about your friends Reyna and Pranjal and Nico the son of Hades and the satyr Hedge. To kill them, the Earth Mother has sent her most dangerous son – the hunter who never rests. But you don't have to die.'

The ghouls and ghosts closed in – two hundred of them facing Jason in anticipation, as if he might lead them in the national anthem.

The spirit of Beryl Grace literally glowed with need. Her eyes demanded Jason's attention. Her arms reached out, desperate to possess him.

'What do you want?' Jason asked. 'What brought you here?'

'I want life!' she cried and Iovis flinched. "Youth! Beauty! Your father could have made me immortal. He could have taken me to Olympus, but he abandoned me. You can set things right, Jason. You are my proud warrior!"

'You're a mania,' Jason declared. 'A spirit of insanity. That's what you've been reduced to.'

'I am all that remains,' Beryl Grace agreed. Her image flickered through a spectrum of colours. 'Embrace me, son. I am all you have left.'

"No," Jason croaked before he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "No. I am a Child of Roma and I have a new family. A new brother and more sisters. And I know my Mother. I know who raised me. You? I'm no child of yours." Raising his hand, he curled his fingers into the fig sign-ward off the evil spirits of the dead. "I see you now and I no longer wish to see you again and with that, Beryl Grace, I disavow you. My mother you have never been and my mother you shall never be. As I speak it, so it is."

The ghost of Beryl Grace disappeared with a soft hiss.

'Well, then,' Antinous said as he tossed aside his goblet. He studied Jason with a look of lazy disgust. 'I suppose we'll just kill you.'

The shadows spread from beneath Medea's feet, and her magicka unfurled from around her.

"I don't want to get in trouble for going overboard and ruining another tourist attraction," Medea smirked darkly; promises of death shining through her eyes. Drew curled into herself as Asahi mouthed around her neck, a trail of dirt in its wake. "So, if you cry and apologize, I'll go easy on you."

"So, you want to play with magicka, little sister," Trenton smiled. "Let us decide who truly commands the crossroads."

All around them, the enemies closed in.

Jason slashed his gladius in a wide arc, vaporizing the nearest suitors, then he vaulted onto the table and jumped right over Antinous's head. In midair he willed his blade to extend into a javelin, landing on his feet holding a six-foot-long pilum. As Antinous turned to face him, Jason thrust the Imperial gold point through the ghoul's chest.

Antinous looked down incredulously. 'You—"

'Enjoy the Fields of Punishment.' Jason yanked out his pilum and Antinous crumbled to dirt. Jason kept fighting, spinning his javelin – slicing through ghosts, knocking ghouls off their feet.

Meanwhile, Medea and Trenton met each other in an explosion of magicka. Illusions poured from him, filled with the power to craft false memories.

"You could never beat me, Dea! The difference between us is you project illusions... sure, good convincing illusions! I project reality! Your darkest fears! The real you!"

"Yeah, you're sure right. I never knew until it was too late that the real you was a cowardly piece of shit!"

She used her magicka to pull forth crumbled stone and throw it towards him, exploding them as they neared.

"I'm not that same little girl anymore, Trent," she snarled. "I had to grow up quickly after your betrayal. I had to fight my way back to being someone trustworthy. The Legion almost kicked me out. Our family just about disavowed me in all but named. Lea didn't even want to be in the same hemisphere as me. I learned and I grow. And now...These crossroads belong to me, brother. These ghosts are mine to lead! Not you. Not Mother. Not even Gaia."

She continued moving forward, batting away his magicka with ease as her anger leaked out beneath her feet. Some of the spirits yelped as her magicka pull at them, swirling about her feet like a whirlwind.

"And this day, I have worked magic. Die well, in this place you chose over me and mine. Die well. ... You are no longer my brother, and I care nothing for the death of strangers."

Trenton flinched harshly, magicka dissipating at her words and in turn taking a full blast to the chest. Shock and remorse filled his gaze as he looked at his baby sister. The one that he betrayed the gods for.

Across the courtyard by the sand fountain, Drew was hyperventilating as the shades grabbed her and ripped at her clothes, dragging her away from her friends. Asahi straddled her as she struggled, and her legs kicked out as her panic grew more and more.

"Let me go. Get off me. No. No. Please. Gods, no."

An arrow whistled towards Jason's face though he blew it aside with a gust of wind, then cut through a line of sword-wielding ghouls and noticed a dozen suitors regrouping by the fountain to charge Drew as her words began to subconsciously fill with charm. Jason lifted his javelin to the sky and a bolt of lightning ricocheted off the point and blasted the ghosts to ions, leaving a smoking crater where the sand fountain had been and giving the girl a bit of breathing room as she scrambled away, face pale though her Father kept towards her.

He summoned the winds and flung three ghouls off the side of the hill like rag dolls. He skewered a fourth, then willed his javelin to shrink back to a sword and hacked through another group of spirits.

Soon no more enemies faced him. The remaining ghosts began to disappear on their own. Medea's magicka dragged Hasdrubal the Carthaginian into her control kicking and screaming, and Jason made the mistake of sheathing his sword.

Next to his ear, Michael Varus snarled, 'Born a Roman, die a Roman.'

The tip of a golden sword jutted through the front of Jason's shirt, just below his ribcage. Veritas screamed.

Jason fell to his knees while Hippías lunged at Drew and her Father, his dagger raised, but something different happened.

Trenton disappeared from fighting Medea, appearing abruptly in front of Drew and her Father. The dagger stabbed him right in the belly, but he didn't flinch, throwing the spirit away before he blasted Asahi away as the man ripped at Drew's bra while his magicka curled around Jason and ripped Michael Varus into pieces as small as the sand around them.

"Trent," Medea cried, appearing at their side. Drew curled into a ball, shaking and heaving. "Why would you..."

"Because I am the big brother," he smiled at her, reaching out as if he was going to touch her. "You've grown up, Medea. I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother until now."

"Hey, no. No, you were... you made mistakes, but you were a good brother," she murmured. "Despite everything that you did, you were still good to me. And... whatever you do, you'll always be it."

"I am glad," he told her. His eyes slipped closed, and a sleepy sort of smile appeared. "Thank you. I must... See Katelynn. Be careful, sister. I don't want to see you for many years."

"I—I promise."

Trenton's smile widened before he faded away. Medea grab ahold of Drew as they rushed over to Jason.

'Jason!' Medea said worriedly, lowering him to the ground and removing the sword from his back. Drew didn't even seem to notice, eyes locked onto the only remaining spirit within palace as Asahi watched her with dark eyes.

She was the only one that did not face her past, and the darkness that lingered in her soul.

Medea's magicka poured into Jason's body, steading his breathing and stabilizing him. The wound in the boy's chest stopped smoking.

"I've healed as much as I can,' she said after a while. 'We'd need to get you to the ship. Pranjal left some things behind. You'll be alright though. We've just got to get you back to the ship.'

"I don't feel that bad,' Jason said. 'Maybe I could fly ...' Jason sat up. 'Or maybe not ...'

"You will go nowhere," Tanaka Asahi commented. "I will not be without my little dove again. Come now, Drew. Let's go."

"Go to hell with gasoline drawls on," Medea snarled as she turned to the stubborn spirit. "I won't let you touch her."

"I already have," the spirit stated with a sleazy grin. Drew covered her head with her arms while Jason; pale from his own injury, glared darkly at the spirit. "In all the ways that matter and then to come. She's my baby girl. I love her so much. Come on, Drew. Let's go."

"Fuck off," Medea warned but the man paid her no attention. "Tanaka Eri, onaji koto o nan-do mo iwasenaide."

"Urusai na, hottoite!"

"I can't do that, sweetheart." He stepped closer. Jason and Medea stood in front of her protectively. "Not when you're so close. Not when I get to have another taste."

"Go away." Drew cried rocking into herself. "Go away."

"I love you. Isn't that what you want to hear? I've always loved you. The best gift that your Mother could ever give me."

"Tu es un putain de menteur."

"Such a filthy mouth," Asahi grinned. "It needs to be cleaned."

"You get any closer and they're gonna invent an entirely new part of the underworld just find every piece of you."

"You should stay out of family business."

"And you should go to hell," Jason snarled.

"Tanaka Eri, kore ga saigo no keikoku da," the man growled. "Get over here now."

Medea switched gears, turning to her friend. "Don't listen to him, Drew. He's not real. He can't hurt you anymore. He's dead. You don't have to listen to him."

"He's my dad."

"No, Magnus is your dad. And didn't you say that for a while you were a ward of your camp? Dionysos' your Father figure. Ares is your stepfather. Apollon and Hyakinthos have helped raised you. That man is not your Father. He's nothing more than a sperm donor."

"I... I don't know what to do."

Jason took her hand in his own. "Lord Notos told me that you can't choose your parentage, but you can choose your legacy. Since I've met you, you overcame a lot of stuff in your past and forging your own destiny. Why let him hold you back?"

Drew shuddered.

"You know, Lilith once said, that there is an obsession with wanting to humble confident women. Someone is always out to break their spirit because they hate to see confidence exuded. That's what she brought him back for. She took Ethan and hurt Alabaster and got rid of Lea and dragged Percy to hell. She turned you into gold. Your confidence scares her, Drew. Don't let her win. Don't let him win either. He's a sick bastard. And nothing that you've been through has dimmed your light. You can face him, and you move on. Let him suffer by himself. You don't have to carry this alone."

Jason kept his eyes on the shade, but he spoke to her next. "I won't pretend to know what you've been through, Drew. But aside from Octavian, I have never met anyone stronger in my life. You once told Piper that beauty was a weapon in itself. You make the world bow to you. You look your enemies in the eyes and make them your bitch."

Drew was silent for another moment, sniffing lightly as she gathered herself.

She stood to her feet shakily before looking at her biological father.

"You taught me without a doubt what it meant to hate someone," she murmured. "I thought I grew past what you did to me but I guess healing isn't linear. I don't resent you and I don't wish you dead. That requires me to you have some type of control over me and I can't... I won't let that happen. Not anymore. That's your desire. To control me and weaponize my powers. You mean nothing to me Tanaka Asahi."

Taking ahold the rags of her shirt, she charmed a Fudepen into existence. She wrote an invocation to the household gods of the Tanaka family, invoking her paternal ancestors on one. And on the others, she invoked Ártemis and Apóllōn, protectors of youth, invoked Árēs as he stood against rapists especially those of his daughters, invoked Dēmḗtēr for her maternal rage, and to add it all together, she invoked Odysseús as he knew what it meant to be forcibly taken.

Medea solemnly handed her an incense burner that she conjured, and they all watched as Tanaka Asahi went kicking and screaming to the Underworld where Dēmḗtēr was strolling out of her throne to greet him. Personally.

Drew may have spoken big game, but it was clear that her past still haunted her and to face him again after so many years was going to be nightmare inducing, but...

She stood proud and strong as she turned to her friends.

Drew pulled out a flask of nectar and gave Jason a sip. 'Hang in there. We'll get you healed a bit more before we move you. You are not dying from a stupid body piercing.'

Jason managed a weak smile. 'At least it wasn't a head injury this time. I stayed conscious the entire fight.'

'You defeated, like, two hundred enemies,' Drew said. 'You were scary amazing.'

'You guys helped.'

'I literally didn't do anything but cry... Hey, stay with us.'

'Little dizzy,' he muttered as Medea murmured healing couplets to Vēiovis and Apollō.

'More nectar,' Medea ordered. 'There. Taste okay?'

'Yeah. Yeah, fine. Reyna, Pranjal, Nico and Coach Hedge,' he said. 'They're in danger. We need to warn them.'

'We'll take care of it when we get back to the ship,' Drew promised him and Medea. 'Those four are a tough group. They'll be fine. Once the war is over ... everything will work out for Nico and Reyna. For all of us."

"Lea too," Medea asked.

"Yeah," Drew laughed softly. "She's gonna be so mad that she didn't get to punch a giant."

"Probably be more pissed that Gaea brought that asshole around you."

"Yeah, she's gonna have to deal with me crawling into her bed for months because of the nightmares that's gonna bring."

"You'll be sharing it with Percy. He had already called first dibs."

'Wait. A bed,' Jason said and the girls looked back at him abruptly. 'There was a special bed in this palace.'

Drew looked worried. 'Jason, you've lost a lot of blood."

"I'm not hallucinating,' he insisted. 'The marriage bed was sacred. If there was any place you could talk to Iuno...' He took a deep breath and called, 'Iuno!'

About sixty feet away, the stone floor cracked and Father sat straight in his throne. Branches muscled through the earth, growing in fast motion until a full-sized olive tree shaded the courtyard. Under a canopy of grey-green leaves stood a dark-haired woman in a white dress, a goat-skin cape draped over her shoulders. Her staff was topped with a white lotus flower wearing a cool and regal expression.

'My heroes,' said the goddess.

'Hera,' Drew said.

'Juno,' Medea corrected.

'Mi'Lady,' Jason said, inclining his head. "Mother, we need your help. We –' Jason tried to sit up and immediately went pale.

'First things first,' Drew said even as Medea fell back to his side pouring healing magicka into him. 'Jason is hurt. Heal him!'

The goddess knitted her eyebrows. Her form shimmered unsteadily. Father was summoning his eagles and a few of his harpies to bring his Wife back to him.

'Some things even the gods cannot heal,' she said. 'This wound touches your soul as well as your body alongside the damage that you did to it yourself. You must fight it, my child ... you must survive.'

'Yeah, thanks,' he said dryly. 'I'm trying.'

'What do you mean, the wound touches his soul?' Medea demanded, turning back to inspect Jason closely.

'My heroes, our time together is short,' Iūnō said. 'I am grateful that you called upon me. I have spent weeks in a state of pain and confusion ... my Greek and Roman natures warring against each other without a common denominator. Worsened as I've been forced to hide from Iūpiter, who searches for me in his misguided wrath, believing that I caused this war with Gaía.'

"Oh my," Drew said with such obvious sarcasm in her voice. "I can't imagine why."

"I cannot cause a war that has been years in the making," Iūnō scoffed, rolling her eyes. "She would have attacked with or without me. Fortunately, this place is sacred to me. By clearing away those ghosts, you have purified it and given me a moment of clarity. I will be able to speak with you – if only briefly.'

'Why is it sacred ... ?' Drew's eyes widened. 'Oh. The bed of Penelope and Odysseus. One of its bedposts was a living olive tree, so it could never be moved. It's how she figured out that he was the real Odysseus on his return.'

'Indeed.' Iūnō ran her hand along the olive tree's trunk. 'An immovable marriage bed. Such a beautiful symbol! Like Penelope, the most faithful wife, standing her ground, fending off a hundred arrogant suitors for years because she knew her husband would return. Odysseús and Pēnelópeia– the epitome of a perfect marriage!'

"Didn't he cheat on her with Circe? Like Calypso raped him, but he willingly slept with Circe. Then he married Callidice, queen of Thesprotia and stayed there until she died before going back to Penelope and he had a kid with another one. I can't think of her name."

"Drew," her friends groaned before Jason looked at his matron.

'Can you advise us, at least?' he asked. 'Tell us what to do?'

'Sail around the Peloponnese,' said the goddess. 'As you suspect, that is the only possible route. On your way, seek out the goddess of victory in Olympia. She is out of control. Unless you can subdue her, the rift between Greek and Roman can never be healed.'

'You mean Nike?' Drew asked. 'How is she out of control?'

Thunder boomed overhead, shaking the hill.

'Explaining would take too long,' Iūnō said. 'I must flee before Iūpiter finds me. Once I leave, I will not be able to help you again.'

'What else should we know?' he asked.

'As you heard, the giants have gathered in Athens. Few gods will be able to help you on your journey, but I am not the only Olympian who is not on the Mountain. The twins have also hidden away.'

'Artemis and Apóllōn?' Drew asked. 'Why?'

Iūnō's image began to fade. 'If you reach the island of Delos, they might be prepared to help you. This is a battle of kháos-blessed as much as it is a war. Go now. Perhaps we will meet again in Athens, if you succeed. If you do not ...'

The screen went dark as Bellōna screeched in fear; her daughter and her companions were dive bombing a volcano.

WORD COUNT: 7554

TRANSLATIONS:

1) onaji koto o nan-do mo iwasenaide. - Don't make me say it again. (japanese/romanized)

2) Urusai na, hottoite! - "Shut up, leave me alone!" (japanese/romanized)

3) Tu es un putain de menteur. - you're a fucking liar (french)

4) kore ga saigo no keikoku da - This is my last warning. (japanese/romanized)

THINGS TO KNOW:

1) In one version of Odysseús' end, he is turned into a horse by Athḗnē whereas the supposed last poem in the Epic Cycle is called the Telegony & is thought to tell the story of Odysseús' last voyage, & of his death at the hands of Tēlégonos, his son with Kírkē.

1A) Kírkē apparently sent Tēlégonos out into the world to search for Odysseús. When Tēlégonos arrived in Ithakē, Odysseús was away in Thesprotia, fighting the Brygi. Tēlégonos began to ravage the island; Odysseús came to defend his land. With the weapon Kírkē gave him, Tēlégonos killed his father unknowingly. Tēlégonos then brought back his father's corpse to Aeaea, together with Pēnelópeia & Tēlemakhos. After burying Odysseús, Kírkē made the other three immortal in which Kírkē & Pēnelópeia married each other's sons.

2) Kallidikē, queen of Thesprōtíā & wife of Odysseús. She and Odysseús had a son, Polupoitēs. According to the Telegony, Odysseús was sent on another voyage by the gods after killing all of Pēnelópeia's suitors. He journeyed through Epirus & came upon the nation of Thesprōtíā. Kallidikē urged him to stay & offered him the kingdom of Thesprōtíā. There he remained for a number of years, marrying Kallidikē. The Thesprōtíāns, led by Odysseús and Kallidikē, went to war with their neighbors the Brygi & defeated in battle the neighboring peoples who attacked him. Árēs was on the Brygi side but Athḗnē went to support Odysseús & Kallidikē by engaging the war god in another confrontation until Apóllōn separates them. When Kallidikē died, Odysseús returned home to Ithakē, leaving their son, Polupoitēs, to rule Thesprōtíā.

2A) Might I add, that Ares & the Brygi were winning against Athḗnē & Odysseús until Apóllōn came & snatched his siblings up.

3) Euíppē, daughter of Tyrimmas, King of Dodona, She bore Odysseús a son, Eurýalos, who was later mistakenly slain by his father.

COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR:

1) I say this a lot but oh em gee. I cannot believe how far BFK has come. It's almost completed! I want to say that we have about at least 12 chapters left. Maybe more; maybe less. We'll see.

2) We don't anything about Drew's backstory in canon. Like at first it was mentioned that she was a year-round character implying a lot about her mortal family then she ends up attending BAG. But one thing I know for certain; her daddy ain't shit. aint gonna ever be shit. never was shit. Anytime I write him... he will be a piece of shit and we dont even know this man fr. Hell, Drew probably has two moms in canon. Idc idc idc. The mortal parent aint shit I know that.

3) Beryl wants life, beauty, and youth. Trent wants love and respect. Asahi wants control and power. The difference is that Trent is a child of the netherworld so he has a bit more control over himself than the others.

4) How crazy is it that Ōríōn was born to oppose Ártemis and then it turns out that he's her blessed from kháos. I know Gaía pulled up on Kháos and Phanes like WHAT THE FUCK?!

5) In canon, BoO starts with Jason's pov and the line goes: Poor child. Her voice resonated across the landscape, shaking the bedrock under Jason's feet. Your father is first among the gods, yet you are always second best – to your Roman comrades, to your Greek friends, even to your family. How will you prove yourself?

5A) That actually tells a lot about Jason and his thoughts during the entirety of Hoo because yk, Rick obviously didnt like him.

5B) Anyway, this doesn't work here. Jason has proved himself to the only person that mattered: Himself.

5C) He is the Son of Iovis, he is the Champion of Iūnō, the blessing of Veritas and Alabaster, the brother of Thalia Grace, the (unofficial adopted) brother of Octavian Verus. He was born a Roman and He will die a Roman, but he won't let Roma kill him.

5D) He is nothing more than what he wants to be (so its none of that He's greek and roman bs. you cant change your race.)