"You really love her."

Marcus raised an eyebrow at Aphrodite. It hadn't been a question, but her tone still made him feel she was surprised. "As the Goddess of Love, shouldn't you have known that already?"

Aphrodite shrugged, the motion causing her hair to shimmer in the light of the setting sun through the trees. "Yes, but even the Gods aren't omnipotent my Marcus, despite what my father would have you believe. I sensed you cared for her, cared deeply, but I must admit, even I hadn't thought you would fall head over heels for Ares' favorite daughter."

Marcus turned his gaze to the canopy, feeling odd to be speaking of his feelings for Maddie out loud. The last person he had admitted his feelings to had been Aaron… And we see what happened there…

"Marcus, Marcus, Marcus…" Aphrodite's voice had taken on her old teasing tone. "Why do you feel the need to follow the hardest path? I admit, your feelings for your Maddie are… stronger than I had anticipated…" Aphrodite's voice trailed off, and Marcus didn't need to see her face to figure out they were both thinking of his reaction to Athena's last training session.

"Believe me, they're stronger than I had thought they were as well." Marcus said softly, glad that Athena had left them to 'handle business elsewhere'.

"You saw how that story is likely to end." Aphrodite continued, stepping in front of Marcus so he was forced to look her in the eyes. "Her dearest wish is to go someplace you cannot follow. You know this."

"I've changed my fate before." Marcus set his jaw stubbornly. He had clung onto that spark of hope for so long, he couldn't bear to let it go.

"That you have. Many times, but not always for the better. Remember, I may be the Goddess of Love, but even I cannot control a human heart and will. She will follow her own path, and that path may end exactly where you've seen."

"I think I liked it better when your advice for my love life was to hurry up and get with Chastity."

Aphrodite giggled, causing Marcus to turn his face away to hide the flush that came to his cheeks despite himself. "Oh, don't think I've given up on that yet. The most interesting love stories are the ones where the heart can't decide who it truly wants."

Marcus sighed. "This isn't some shitty romance novel."

"Ooh, somebody's getting touchy. Could it be that I struck a nerve?" Aphrodite once again walked into Marcus' field of view so he had no choice but to return her teasing gaze. Maybe it was just Aphrodite's suggestion of it, or perhaps it was that she chose to look so much like her daughter whenever they interacted, but Marcus' mind started filling with thoughts of Chastity. Her teasing smile. The way she looked at him whenever she was feeling flirty. The stupid arguments they'd always get in. Marcus felt his face flush once again, despite fighting his hardest to fight it. What the hell!

Aphrodite's knowing smile didn't help matters.

"Stop that." Marcus shook his head to clear it. "I've had enough of Goddesses messing around in my brain for one day!"

"Oh, my sweet Marcus, I wasn't doing anything." Aphrodite's smile widened before it was replaced with a more serious gaze. "Lover or not, you know what I expect from you."

Marcus rolled his eyes, his rebellious nature sneaking through. "Let me guess. 'Stay by her side Marcus. Protect her'. Not like she already has a boyfriend to do that." Marcus stopped for a moment, hearing the slight aggravation in his own voice. Where did that come from…?

Aphrodite's gaze refused to let him get away with that as an answer. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But I did not choose the soldier. Artemis did. And I doubt that it was for the protection of my daughter."

"What are you saying?"

"Just repeating something you already know." Aphrodite turned and started to walk away from him. She stopped near a large tree before turning back to him. "You all have been chosen, and for a multitude of reasons. You may be rebellious, but you're a protector. You always have been, even when you refuse to admit it. So just do what comes naturally." Aphrodite threw Marcus one last teasing smile, her last words lingering on the air as she disappeared from his view. "Stay by Chastity's side, as close as you like. Protect her, Marcus."

—-

Marcus wearily climbed the steps of the Big House, the sun well and truly set. Marcus had trudged his way through the forest, slipping past the now nearly deserted fringe, only to find a hastily scrawled note stuck to the door of his cabin as he approached. "Big House. Immediately". Damn centaur has the worst timing… Marcus had dragged himself back across Camp, stretching to relieve some of the soreness from his muscles, his training that day with Athena still fresh in his mind.

I wonder if Maddie will be there… Marcus gazed up at the moon, slowly rising above the horizon to replace the sun. He didn't know how he'd react when he saw her, not so soon after Athena's toying with his mind. Would he finally admit his feelings? Would he force them down even harder than before, knowing where it would likely lead? And what about Chastity? A problem for another day.

Marcus pushed the main door of the meeting room open, not even caring to knock. He had been so wrapped up in his own mind that he hadn't even heard the low voices through the doorway, but as he stepped through he stopped. There, seated around the table, was his group. Phillip stood on Chiron's right, poured over a map of what Marcus saw was the Eastern United States. Jason and Joel were further down the table, talking together as Jason absent-mindedly created smaller illusions in his hands. Maddie was on Chiron's left, looking at the same map Phillip was, but seated, simply studying what was there. The only person missing was Chastity.

"Ah, Marcus." Chiron said, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands. "I was wondering if we'd see you this evening…"

"Why wouldn't you?" Marcus replied, walking around the table to take a seat next to Maddie, ignoring the glance Jason and Joel shared as he did so. Were they always that obvious…?

Chiron and Phillip shared a quick look, setting Marcus' teeth on edge, though he couldn't say why.

"We've been trying to find you." Maddie spoke up beside him. "All day we've been trying, but you were nowhere to be found… and nobody's really seen you since we've been back…" Marcus turned to look at her and realized Maddie's eyes were downcast, focused on the map in front of her. "We were worried…"

"Some of us more than others." Joel said pointedly. Marcus turned and raised an eyebrow at him. Yeah, moron. I don't need you to point out that Maddie was worried.

"Chastity spent the first two days checking half the camp." Jason said with a shrug. Marcus blinked, knowing his surprise was showing on his face.

"She was worried you'd done something stupid again." Phillip offered. Marcus tried to ignore it, but the fact that it was Phillip who had just said that somehow made it worse. Why do I care…?

"She wasn't the only one." Joel said, again putting that inclination in his voice. Gods Joel, I get it.

"There was no need." Marcus said simply, resting his hand on Maddie's head and messing with her hair reassuringly, though it didn't escape him that he only got the barest trace of a smile from it. "I was training. We can't afford any more mistakes."

"On that, we agree." Chiron said, his eyes boring into Marcus face, though he pointedly ignored it. "Though I'd be interested to find out how exactly you managed to avoid all of us looking for you…"

Marcus glanced around the table, finally speaking of the elephant in the room. Though more accurately, the beauty not in the room. "Speaking of looking, where is Chastity? I hope she's not burning the midnight oil waiting for her lost soldier to come home?" Marcus couldn't help the small twinge of satisfaction seeing Phillip's jaw clench slightly at his phrasing. Though as he looked at the others he saw similar expressions. Aggravation, sadness…

"That was one reason we called this meeting tonight." Phillip said, standing straight from where he had been bent over the map before. "Chastity was found this afternoon in…" he sighed. "Well, we don't know exactly. She seems to be asleep, but the healers insist it isn't sleep, or a coma…"

Marcus shot to his feet. "What?! Why haven't you tried-"

"We did." Maddie said quietly. "We tried speaking to the children of Hypno, those that are left anyway. No such luck. We tried to find a Hecate child, but their cabins on the Fringe are all empty…" Marcus turned and looked at Maddie, now seeing the reason behind her lack of expressions. Maddie… You're holding it all in aren't you..?

"Then we tried finding any other half bloods with the skills that could help." Jason said, his illusions in his hands illustrating his story. "We tried Apollo's children. We tried tracking down any child of Psyche, but we ran into the same issue as with Hecate…"

"The Fringe was empty." Marcus practically spat between clenched teeth. He turned his attention to Chiron. "I warned you… I told you the Fringe was emptying! Why didn't you do anything?!"

"Like what Marcus?" Chiron asked quietly. "What would you have had me do? Imprison them, so they could not join with the enemy? Would they have helped us then? Perhaps you wish I had reached out a hand to try and bring them closer to Camp, perhaps insist they all rejoin us near the main circle of cabins, bringing with them all their animosities, their grudges, whatever spies they may be hiding. We know there's a spy in camp Marcus. So shall I immediately change the way the Camp operates, thus causing that Spy to go on their guard, or simply operate the camp as I have been, allowing us more time to find them?"

"Oh well, I'm so glad you've been able to find all this time!" Marcus was out of line and he knew it. The Camp was at war, Chiron was the closest thing the Camp had to a leader right now, but at the moment he didn't care. "Have you found them Chiron? Or have you simply allowed more and more of your own charges to slip away from you and join the enemy until the moment when we need them, there's none to be found?!"

"Enough." Phillip said, not loudly, but his voice cutting between the two. "Marcus, I'm as upset as you are that this is happening, but blaming Chiron isn't going to do anything. Nobody can read the future."

Marcus glared across the table, all of his anger that he was struggling to regain control of finding another outlet. Control. Marcus, you have to control! It was almost as if Athena's voice was in his mind, reminding him of his own weakness. "If you're as upset as I am, you aren't expressing it very clearly." Marcus said, his voice deceptively quiet. "What is your plan to help her?"

It didn't help Marcus' mood when Chiron and Phillip shared another glance. "My plan is the same as it has always been." Phillip replied, gesturing to the map in front of them. "We find the Red Shirts, we find children of Minor Gods. We find those demigods, we find one that can help Chastity."

Marcus looked around the table, and each face wore the same determined expression. They all agreed that this was the best option. "That's your plan? Find the New Olympians, take one of their half bloods of Hypno, or Hecate, or Psyche alive, and make them help Chastity?"

Phillip's gaze met Marcus', and he saw what he was terrified he would have. Phillip knew it was a long shot, but it was the only shot he thought they had. And in all honesty, Marcus didn't have a much better plan.