"Why are we doing this?" Leo grumbles, pouting criss cross on his mat.

Julie puts her hands on her hips. "Because yoga and meditation have been proven to boost serotonin levels, and almost all of you are depressed. Now, warrior pose, Leo Valdez. Don't make me tell you again."

He groans like she just asked him for 10,000 pushups, but settles into a half-assed lunge. Julie smirks and shakes her head. Good enough.

Hazel and Annabeth both seem to be enjoying her little mandatory yoga session. Frank is actually astonishingly flexible. He'd make a good cheerleader. Watching Percy fall down whenever she has him stand on one foot has been exhausting, but it at least makes him laugh every time. Leo has been a pain in her polka dots since they started. Gods, she finally gets why all their teachers hate demigods so much.

Jason is absolutely terrible at everything she teaches them.

"Jason. Love. Light of my life. If you keep bending your foot like that, you're going to sprain your ankle," She sighs.

He looks down at his wonkily positioned duck feet like he's going to cry. "I'm so confused."

Julie giggles and pulls him out of his pose. "Why don't you go give Piper a break from watch?" She suggests.

Jason frowns at her. "You're just sending me away cause I'm bad at this, aren't you?"

"I'm gonna be honest, I'm a little terrified you'll break a bone."

Dramatically, Jason huffs a sigh and pecks her on the lips. "Fine. I'm just not zen enough, apparently."

"Well, you can't be everything," She says with a shrug. "Go let my grumpy sister off duty."

"No need," Piper's voice says from out in the hall. The door to the lounge slides open, and she slumps in, hands shoved into the pockets of her ripped jeans. All the heads in the room turn to her, the chatter slowing to a stop. She flourishes at the door.

"We're in Delos."

"No."

"But, Artemis likes you-"

"I don't care. I am not going to shore."

Percy looks absolutely panicked. "Well, I'm not going!"

"So, just let Frank, Leo, and Hazel handle it. They'll be fine." Julie insists. "I am absolutely not going to reason with Apollo."

"What do you even hate him for? You've never met him!"

Julie scoffs. "Please. Once you've met one playboy, you've met them all. I'm not interested in going to comfort an actual heartbreaker."

Percy tilts his head like 'fair enough.' Julie waves a hand in his direction.

"Why don't you go? Apollo likes you!"

He backs away frantically and crosses his arms in an X in front of him. "No. No way. I think I've been through enough in the last month, don't you?!"

"What is so scary about Apollo?" Piper asks in annoyance. "Isn't he the god of, like, healing? And the sun? And preppy pop music?"

"And haiku," Percy adds with a shudder.

Julie turns her back stubbornly. "Nothing's scary about him. I'm sure the three of them will enjoy a lovely excursion."

"Yeah, see, the tone of your voice isn't making me feel any better," Piper calls after her as Julie leads them out onto the deck. The landing party is already assembled by the gangway. Julie slides right into her usual spot under Jason's arm as he finishes talking Leo through his plan.

"Yeah, so, I'll get the flower-"

"How?"

"I'll ask for it!"

"What if he says no?"

"I'll...make him something?"

"What?"

"...I'm a crafty guy! I'll come up with something," Leo says, smiling widely. Jason looks like a stressed out babysitter.

"This Physician's Cure thing sounds like something that's gonna piss off Hades," Julie grumbles. "Are we sure it's a good idea?"

"The alternative is risking one of us dying," Jason reasons. "It would be good to have on hand just in case."

Julie isn't happy about it, but she sighs and nods. A revival potion would be a great addition to any medic's backpack.

"Alright, time to get going," Leo chirps, snapping the strap of his goggles. "Frank, pookie! It's time to leave!"

Said boy looks exasperated at the fact that he has to respond to that name. He does oblige and turn into a giant eagle, though. Hazel and Leo both grab onto his legs and wave.

"Bye, guys!" "Later, losers!"

"Be careful!" "Don't set anything on fire!" "Keep your weapons handy!" "Remember the plan!" "Don't mention haikus!"

Frank's wings disappear into the forcefield surrounding the island, and the team is out of sight. Julie drops her hands to swing at her sides.

"Well. We've got probably until sunset before they're back. Who's down for some nice, mental health regenerating face masks?"

Percy groans. "Jules, I appreciate the thought, but I really am fine. You don't need to torture the whole crew for my sake."

"So, I can just torture you then?"

"Well, that's not what I sai-"

"Umm, guys?" Annabeth interrupts. Julie and Percy stop squabbling and turn to her. Annabeth is standing by the railing of the ship. She's staring down at where her hand is resting...and being slowly covered by creeping vines growing straight out of the ship's wood.

The blonde yanks her hand away, and the vines continue spreading. They cover that section of the railing entirely and spill onto the deck. Every six inches or so, a little bulb on them blossoms into a flower the color of moonlight.

"What in Hades?" Piper yelps, backing towards the others with Annabeth as they all draw their weapons.

"What could be attacking us this close to Delos?" Jason questions.

Annabeth grips her knife and grits her teeth. "I don't know! Not even the Olympians are supposed to be able to find this place!"

"Well, I am no Olympian, Ms. Chase."

Julie pulls her arrow and stares in horror as the vines detach themselves from the ship. They wind together like wriggling eels, folding and knotting themselves until the vague outline of a woman takes form. The white blossoms bunch together at the top. Then, one by one, their petals fall delicately, leaving strands of ebony hair in their wake. Juliette blinks, and when her eyes reopen, a woman is before them, tanned and almond eyed as she towers over them.

"Hello, demigods," She greets.

Juliette gasps and immediately drops her bow. "Lady Persephone?!"

"What are you doing here?" Percy asks in bewilderment.

The goddess quirks at dark eyebrow at them. "Proserpina, actually. And, I am not here for you, Mr. Jackson. Although, my husband did request I give you this, if I saw you."

"Give me what?" asks Percy, lowering his sword.

A vine grows behind him so quickly that none of them have time to react. Luckily, it just swats him sharply on the back of the head. As he yelps and turns to yell at the animated plant, the rest of them look to Proserpina with wide eyes.

"Why are you here, my lady?" Jason questions respectfully.

The goddess tilts her head to survey him. "Jason Grace, yes?"

He straightens. "Um. Yes. Yes, ma'am."

"So polite," She chuckles.

Proserpina approaches him. Once she's directly in front of Jason, she reaches out to pinch at his cheek. Jason jolts at the contact, and Julie can't decide how much trouble she'd get into for running the risk of death by plant to step in. Weirdly enough, the goddess just pulls his cheek aside so that his teeth are on display.

"Healthy molars," She muses. Proserpina releases his cheek and pulls back Jason's eyelid. She grimaces. "Ugh. Father's eyes. Unfortunate, but you wear them well, I suppose. How tall are you, child?"

Julie has never seen Jason look so confused.

"Six-three?" He squeaks.

The goddess nods in approval. "Well grown. You must have eaten plenty of vegetables when you were young."

Jason looks to Julie. Probably for help, but she's just as lost as he is. Her bow is held loosely at her side while her other hand rests on her head in bewilderment.

"Yes, ma'am," He nods.

Proserpina releases him and sighs dramatically as she glides across the deck to rest her arms on the railing behind her. "Alright, little brother, that's enough of that. The more you call me ma'am, the more I feel like my mother."

Julie has no idea what is going on.

"Um," She raises her hand like she's in school. "Sorry for interrupting, but...I'm very confused."

Piper and Percy both nod in agreement. Annabeth is squinting at the goddess like she's putting together a puzzle in her brain.

"It is good to see you again, Juliette Aster," Proserpina smiles.

Julie blinks in surprise. "It is?"

"It is." The goddess gestures at Jason with a smirk. "I see you have found the other end of that tether of yours. A son of Jupiter and a cordolium. What a story."

Juliette and Jason glance at each other, both of them flushing a bit. Annabeth suddenly steps forward, and everybody's attention shifts to her.

"Lady Proserpina," The blonde starts. "You've come to warn us about something, haven't you?"

Warn them?

"Right to the chase, Ms. Chase?" The goddess laughs at her own joke and tosses her black hair. Little flowers pop up between the boards of the deck at the sound. "Very well. Yes, I come with a warning. But, it is not for all of you."

Proserpina levels her eyes back onto Juliette, and the demigod gulps.

"Imperial Gold," She says, face turning serious. "You know of it?"

Julie's eyes flick to Jason's sword. She shrugs. "Like, do I know what it is?"

"Do you know what it can do?" The goddess amends. "Specifically, what it can do to you?"

Julie frowns in confusion. She looks to her friends. Piper shrugs, arms crossed. Percy looks like he normally does five minutes into essay-writing. Jason is still rubbing at the spot on his cheek that Proserpina was just pinching.

Annabeth is pale, though. Paleness and surprise are never good things to see on Annabeth's face at one time.

"Well, I assume kill me," Julie guesses. "But that doesn't seem worth a trip from your summer home to say. Usually, swords kill you."

"Not swords," Proserpina tells her. "Cuffs."

"Cuffs?" Julie echoes.

Annabeth's hand slaps to her mouth. "Oh gods..."

"What?" Percy asks, looking between her and Julie nervously. "What cuffs? Like handcuffs?"

"Cuffs like these," The goddess says gravely. She holds out her hand, and an image of a gleaming set of gold bangles appears in her palm. They're simple bands about as big around as a coffee cup. The only adornment on them is a carving of an axe wrapped in a bundle of rods.

"Bracelets?" Julie mumbles.

Proserpina shakes her head. "Irremovable shackles. To be forced onto the limbs of cordolia when they are young enough to overpower."

"Why would they be irremovable?" Piper asks, shaking her head in confusion. "What's the point of that?"

"Enslavement, Ms. McLean."

Julie's ears start ringing. She looks to Jason. He's looking back at her fearfully.

"Tiberii donum," Annabeth breathes. When Julie makes eye contact with her, the older girl is looking at her like she's on Charon's doorstep. "During the time of the Roman Empire, Heartbreaks were considered weapons of mass destruction. You were common back then. Venus got around more. All of the worst emperors had one at their side. It became a sort of coronation tradition to hunt a Heartbreak down to make it serve you."

"Even the Mother Hydra was once just a hatchling," says Proserpina. "It was her capture by Emperor Tiberius that lead to the first cuff's construction."

"Tiberius' gift," Jason mutters. His eyes flash dangerously. "He called them his Gift? The things he used to control people?"

"Monsters, technically," Annabeth corrects. She glances apologetically at Julie when the younger girl flinches. "Venus kept most of her demigod children safe in her palace. There was only one humanoid cordolium that was ever caught by the Romans."

"Achillea."

They all turn to Percy. His face has gone from comical confusion to as blank as stone. He looks at Proserpina. "Achillea, right? There's a statue of her in Seattle. Frank, Hazel, and I saw it when we were on our way to Alaska."

"So, she was cool then?" Julie asks hopefully. "Cool enough to get a statue?"

Percy winces. "I wouldn't...It wasn't exactly a glowing portrayal."

"Achillea was known as the Siren of the South," explains Annabeth. "The allure that you and Piper have? Hers was about a hundred times stronger and could make a man forget everything but the sound of her voice. She could order them to do anything. Most of Parthia's occupation by Rome was only possible because of the effect she had on enemy soldiers."

"So, not cool then," Julie mumbles.

Jason takes her hand. Unfortunately, he's also buzzing with anxiety, so it doesn't do much other than amp up her already overfilled reserves.

"More so that Emperor Lucius wasn't very cool," Annabeth corrects. "As soon as he put those shackles on her, Achillea became nothing but a puppet. They completely restricted her free will. Who knows what she was really like."

"Which is why I come to you now," Proserpina summarizes.

Julie chews on her lip nervously as the goddess looks down at her, seeming a little bit bored with the conversation and ready to move on. She closes her hand, and the cuffs' image disappears.

"With Achillea's death, Venus became enraged by her children's treatment. She unleashed her wrath upon Rome, driving Lucius' advisors mad enough to turn on their own leader. The Emperor was thrown from a balcony for his crimes, and all of the sets of Tiberii donum in his possession were destroyed."

Julie sees where this is going. "Except one, right?"

"Except one," Proserpina nods.

Of course. Julie rubs at her eyes, making little stars pop up in her vision.

It's not enough to need to save the world. Now, she gets to worry about millennia old magical roofies.

"I don't suppose you, like, know where it is?" She sighs.

"I do not."

"Awesome."

"However," The goddess says. "Recently, a soul entered Elysium that requested an audience with my husband to inform him of the Gift's rediscovery. It is from Pluto that this warning originates. He wishes to reward you for your completion of his quest."

Proserpina's nose wrinkles, probably at the mention of Nico still being alive. Julie's head is spinning. It's a little too full of information right now.

"Okay," She says, a little more high pitched than intended. "That's cool. Thanks for the warning. I'll, uh...keep my eyes peeled."

"See that you do," orders Proserpina. "It is a rare mortal that I find interesting. It would be a shame to see your story cut so short."

"Thanks." Julie says.

The goddess begins to glow, her skin taking on a golden sheen as the flowers around them start waving back and forth like the wind is picking up. "Good luck, heroes of Olympus. I expect I will see you again when it comes time for battle."

They all shield their eyes as Proserpina erupts into divine light, leaving behind a scorch mark that Julie's sure Leo will have a hissy fit about later. Once she's gone, the five of them stand in complete silence. You could hear a sword-pen drop.

"Well," Julie laughs nervously after a bit. "Guess I won't be adding those to my jewelry rotation anytime soon."

She winces when everyone else just glares at her.

"Tough crowd."

"We need to talk about this, Rosa."

"We really don't!" Julie insists, continuing to pace around the infirmary, making a list of all the things they've run low on. If they're making a stop at Asclepius' palace, they may as well stock back up on bandaids.

Jason sighs in frustration and snags her wrist, pulling her back to look at him. Julie rolls her eyes as he looks down at her pleadingly. "This is serious, Juliette. This is bigger than just having another monster on your tail."

"We're in the middle of the Mediterranean, Jason," Julie reminds him irritably. "What, do you want me to go scuba diving and hope the cuffs are just hanging out on the bottom of the ocean?"

"That's obviously not what I'm saying," snips Jason. He takes a deep breath. "Look, I just want to make sure you aren't just brushing this off."

"I am though," Julie shrugs. He groans, and she flourishes her clipboard defensively. "What?! I mean, it's not like I can do anything about it! My plate is a little full, in case you haven't noticed. I don't really have time for treasure hunting at the moment."

"Okay, okay, I hear you," Jason sighs, scrubbing at his forehead in frustration. "But, is there anything you can think of that might give us a clue on where to start? Anything at all? Any dreams? Anything Purple Aster may have said when she told you about your birth?"

Julie's face goes thoughtful. He leans in eagerly, and she pushes him back with a palm to the face. "Don't get excited. I just realized she never really told me about any of this stuff."

Jason tilts his head curiously, finally letting go of her wrist so she can go back to taking inventory. She does so while he leans against a cot and watches her flit around the room like a hummingbird. "What did she tell you?"

"I dunno," Julie shrugs. "Just that I was a demigod, really. And that Aphrodite was my mom, but she cursed me, and that's why my blood's purple. That was basically the extent of my childhood curiosity. I didn't really ask anything else."

"You've never wondered who your father is?"

Julie pauses halfway through returning a box of gauze to a shelf. She turns around slowly and blinks at her boyfriend. "Did I never tell you about Phil?"

Jason straightens in surprise. "Phil?"

"Yeah, Phil. My dad. I sort of met him while we were in California."

"I-You-When-What?!" Jason exclaims. He accidentally leans too much of his weight on the cot, and it rolls away, causing him to stumble. "How could you not mention that?!"

Julie throws her hands up. "I don't know! It just slipped my mind! To be fair, I've been very busy."

"We were at camp for eight months!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I have ADHD."

"And, what, you got distracted for eight months straight?"

"I'm going to go with yes," Julie says, batting her eyelashes at him. He pinches the bridge of his nose, and Juliette shrugs. "It doesn't really matter, anyway. He's dead now."

"What?"

"Yeah, he died. Like, a month and a half ago."

"Juliette!"

"It's fine!" She insists, going about tallying off the amount of servings of nectar they still have, "I barely even knew him. I feel worse for his other daughter, honestly."

"He has another-" Jason looks like he's going to have a seizure if she drops one more bombshell. He closes his eyes and runs both hands through his hair like he's rebooting. "Okay. Alright. You know what, we're going to have to have a talk about good communication."

She smiles innocently. He sighs and shakes his head.

"How did he die?"

Julie crosses her arms and frowns. "You know, I'm still not very clear on that. He was killed, I know that much."

"By a monster?" Jason asks.

Julie traces the seam of two floor tiles with her eyes. "No. That's the weird thing. It was a guy."

That makes Jason's face drop. He pulls the clipboard from her grasp gently and tosses it onto the counter so he can take her hand. "A guy?" He prompts.

Julie sighs heavily. "Yeah, just...some guy," She repeats helplessly. She has no idea who that dude was. "He was, like, mid forties, kinda chunky, and just covered in purple from head to toe. A real monochromatic look. But..." She scrunches her face up.

Jason raises his eyebrows. "But, what?"

She remembers the gleam of the knife. The color of it between the bloodstains.

"He had...an Imperial Gold dagger. So, I guess he was Roman."

"A demigod?" guesses Jason.

Julie just frowns deeper. "I don't know."

There's a stretch of melancholy silence between them, during which Julie recalls the details of her father's face. He had looked so scared, but also just desperate to get his child out of there. And, he had failed. Whatever was going on, whoever that man in purple was...Julie is certain that Meg is not safe with him.

"I think I need to track him down," Julie says softly. When she looks back up at Jason, he's listening attentively, extremely focused on her words. It makes her smile a little. "He took my...I guess half sister. I don't think he had good intentions. Once we get home, I need to find her."

Her Soldier Boy nods and squeezes her hand. "Then, we will."

The steadiness of his voice makes Julie's heart melt. She steps forward to hug him and feels the tension of the topic slide off of her shoulders with the first inhale of summer rainstorms. "I love you," She says into his neck.

Jason's lips press into the crown of her head. "I love you too. Even though you never tell me anything."

"I seriously just forgot."

"You're one of a kind, puella rosae," He snorts.

Julie pulls back and reaches up to honk his nose. "Now, help me finish this list. You're going shopping for me later."

Crazy gods of music and medicine aside, their last couple days aboard the Argo II are fairly uneventful. Julie says 'last days' because it seems to be the general understanding amongst the crew that, one way or another, this war ends once they get to the Acropolis.

That fact hasn't really been outwardly acknowledged. Everyone is acting pretty much the same. They spend the mornings joking around the breakfast table and the afternoons losing to Annabeth at boardgames on the deck. Julie paints everyone's nails and Hazel makes jewelry.

But, the couples all hug a little longer when it's time for lights out. Julie catches Leo staring off at the ocean more often than usual, and Jason and Percy go a little harder on everyone during training sessions.

They all know that the end is in sight. Saying it out loud just isn't necessary.

When they dock their ship for the last time, nobody is speaking. There's a tension in the air. A sadness. Jason's hand has never gripped hers tighter.

Splitting up never seems to work out, and yet that's what they find themselves doing. Percy, Annabeth, and Piper are going to approach Gaea's forces from underground. Hazel and Frank from the surface. Jason, Juliette, and Leo from the air. They'll surround them and stop the resurrection ritual. It's a good plan. If they're going to do this, they may as well do it right.

Julie hasn't worn armor in a long time. Most of the trip, she's been in shorts and camp shirts or tank tops. Being so covered now and heavy with Celestial Bronze is strange.

She feels fourteen again, heading off to battle with a titan in her own neighborhood.

"Man, this armor doesn't even fit me."

Julie turns from surveying the city to see Percy stomping up to stand with her, face grouchy. He's right. That breastplate is completely swallowing him. It looks uncomfortable. She smirks. "Hey, Annabeth and I tried looking for yours. Maybe if your cabin wasn't such a mess, you could be wearing your own."

"Yeah, yeah," He grumbles. He leans his back against the railing and crosses his arms, watching Leo fight with Piper as she tries forcing him into a set of bronze armor as well. Percy smirks. "So."

"So." Julie echoes, balancing her bow on the deck beside her. She shrugs. "Nice day for a battle, I guess. It's nice and sunny out."

"Speak for yourself. I have to go underground again," Percy complains.

Juliette snickers.

The cabin doors open and Annabeth steps out, buckling the last strap of her bracers as she does. Percy's gaze immediately finds her. Julie doesn't blame him. In that armor, especially carrying around a drakon bone sword, Annabeth looks like a fearsome warrior queen ready to mow down all her enemies.

Julie searches the ship for her own blonde bombshell and finds her hunk of a boyfriend with Frank over by the arrow inventory. That's weird. Jason has terrible aim, what's he doing with a quiver? Oh, wait, that's Julie's spare quiver.

AWWWW, is he filling an extra up for her?! Gods, she loves that boy. Ladies, if he wanted to, he would. Chivalry is not dead.

"I'm thinking enchiladas when we get back," Percy muses.

Julie grins at him. "And cookies."

"Blue ones."

"Of course. That was implied."

"I'm game, then," Percy nods, a wide smile on his face. Something flickers across his eyes, though, and the smile dims. "Do you think...How was mom when you left?"

Julie smiles at him sympathetically. "I mean, she wasn't great. I think that voicemail you left gave her hope, though."

He sighs and twirls Riptide across his fingers in pen form. "I hate how much I've put her through. Hopefully..." He uncaps the pen, and the bronze of his sword reflects sunlight right into Julie's eyes. She grunts in annoyance, and he snorts. "Hopefully, I can get home to her after this. I want this to be the last time I ever have to make her worry."

"That would be stellar. I'm getting a little tired of making up mysterious illnesses when your teachers ask me where you are," says Julie. "By the way, you had mono in December and then got chicken pox from being in the hospital. Then, you got a cough while you were recovering that turned into severe pneumonia."

"I'm really going through it, aren't I?"

"It's a medical mystery. The doctors are just flabbergasted."

Percy throws his head back and laughs. Julie grins.

It's nice to be back to their regular old normal. Gods, she's missed her brother.

With a dramatic sigh, Percy repockets Riptide and pushes off the railing to stand up straight. He looks at her. His focus is flitting across Julie's face long enough that she quirks an eyebrow at him. "Dude, what?"

Percy just grins. "I'm proud of you, kid. You've come a long way."

Warmth blooms through Juliette's chest. She stands up straight as well and punches him gently in the arm. "Shut up."

He gets about halfway through a dramatic reaction to such an act of violence. Then, he freezes in horror and straightens his back to stare at her. Julie gets yanked forward by him. He presses their shoulders together, standing with her side to side. She looks at him in annoyance and confusion.

"What are you doing, you nutjob?" She complains.

"SSHH!" Percy hisses. He keeps their sides pressed together, standing as straight as his spine will go. The look of panic hasn't fallen off his face. "Oh my gods, I can't tell. ANNABETH!"

"Percy, what is the matter with you?"

"ANNABETH! ANNA-Oh thank gods, you're here."

Annabeth looks even more alarmed than Julie is. She stares at Percy urgently. "What?! What happened?"

Percy looks at his girlfriend. Then, he spins Juliette around and presses their backs together instead.

"Is she taller than me?!"

Julie watches Annabeth's face change from concern to irritation faster than she can blink. "That is what you're screaming about?"

"Just answer the question, Chase."

Juliette tries not to laugh as the daughter of Athena rolls her eyes and squints at the top of their heads. She straightens her spine, and Annabeth smirks.

"Sorry, Seaweed Brain."

Laughter erupts from Juliette's lungs as Percy's face contorts in horror.

"How is this possible?!" He chokes.

Annabeth grins and pats him on his armored shoulder. "Well, Percy, the genes for height usually come from the male sex cell-"

"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me," He wails as he falls to his knees.

Julie just keeps smiling smugly as she watches Percy throw a tantrum at her feet.

"Get up, Jackson," Piper groans, joining their little gathering with a scowling, but fully armored Leo under her arm.

"Welcome to the short kings club!" adds Leo. That comment sends Percy into another round of toddler-like kicking and screaming while Annabeth watches in exasperation.

Jason, Frank, and Hazel circle up too, and they all ignore Percy's meltdown to look around at their fellow crew members.

"So," Jason says. "We made it."

They all get variations of the same half smile as Leo lets out a little "yay!" in sarcastic celebration.

Jason sighs with a smile and nods. "Yeah. Not how I was hoping to spend my summer either, but..." His eyes find Julie's and he nods. "But, we made it."

Julie offers Percy a hand. He still looks grumpy, but he accepts it and lets her haul him to his feet. Once he's standing, they don't let go. Julie reaches over to lace her other hand with Frank's. Like a the cheesy end to a coming of age Disney series, the gesture spreads around the circle until they're all linked at the hands.

"We're about to face our final test," Annabeth announces, sounding stern and strong like the warrior she is. Julie feels affection for the girl grip her as she watches the group all look to her for guidance. "This may be our last battle. This may be the last time we all stand together like this. But, I want each and every one of you to know that no part of this journey could have been successful without every person standing here."

They glance around at each other. All of them look a little more worse for wear than they did when they set off in June. A little thinner, maybe. A little more scarred. More haunted. But, they're stronger too.

Julie is not the same person she was two months ago. And these people here with her today are the reason why.

"We came here because Hera called on us. But, when we enter this city, we aren't fighting in her name.

We're going to win this war. Not for the gods. Not for Hera. Not because we're the world's only hope."

She lets go of Percy and Piper to draw her drakon bone sword, raising it high for Olympus to see.

"We'll win it for each other. We'll win because every one of us deserves to make it home from this. Because we all have a future," She looks to Percy. "And I want to see you all on the other side of today."

Julie cheers, letting go of Frank and Percy to raise her weapon high as well. The others follow suit, swords, daggers, bows, and fists striking at the sky as they cheer for their freedom.

Going to battle is never easy. It'll never be anything less than terrifying. But, Julie thinks she can fight with these people today.

They mean everything to her. She's ready to face anything in the world for their sake.