Blake5000: You're right! Dudley wised up and left his house. We'll visit him in a couple of chapters because the next few updates will have some adventures!

EDIT: fixed typos and minor errors. Also, Happy 31st Birthday, Percy!

Chapter warnings in the end.

Listening to: Myself by NEFFEX

December 29th was Sally's birthday. She was turning—

"That information isn't necessary," Sally assured them.

Percy looked up from the batter he was stirring. "Come on, Mom. I wanna do the icing. If we're not getting numbered candles, I can put your age on the cake."

She grabbed his face and kissed his head with every word, "My. Sweet. Child!"

Rachel set up her station in the kitchen to make dinner for the family. She grinned at the display. "Aww, you guys are giving me cavities!"

"Well, I am very impressed with the both of you," Sally said, peeking at the vegetables Rachel had asked Harry to dice before he'd ducked out for an 'urgent errand'. "And what are you cooking?"

"It's a surprise!" she declared. "Nico's gonna be helping me. You'll have dinner and dessert ready by the time you're back."

Sally pinched Rachel's cheek. "Is it spaghetti?"

Rachel's smile disappeared. "Damn!"

"I love spaghetti, dear," Sally calmed her. "I can't wait to try it! Where's Harry?"

"He's ransacking Frost," Percy said, adding blue food dye to the batter. "He was supposed to RSVP to Camp Jupiter, but he can't find the invitation."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm telling you, Reyna gave the invitation to Annabeth and she forgot to pass it on to Harry. It's in Cabin Six in the laundry pile."

Percy and Sally shared a look.

"Did you tell Harry that?" Sally asked.

"He'll figure it out soon enough."

"Rachel."

The redhead sighed. "Yeah, I'll call him."

It was barely 10 in the morning and Sally had delayed long enough to leave for the office. She wished she could take the day off, but figured it was better in the long run to just power through.

"Okay, Kimmy's had her bottle and napping now. She'll be up in two hours, so check on her till then."

"We got it, Mom," Percy said. "Have a good day. You're coming back early, right?"

"Absolutely!" Sally promised and left the apartment. She was glad the kids were having the day off even if she wasn't. That was possibly the best birthday gift she could think of.

Harry's excuse to escape Manhattan hadn't been thought out.

He'd told them the truth that the invite to Camp Jupiter was missing, that he didn't even remember seeing it. What he didn't say was Harry wasn't searching for it now. He'd tried summoning it from every corner of the house but it was quickly clear that the invite was simply not in Frost. Or Gretna Green. Or in Scotland.

Besides, Harry was off to Vehovis, the newly built hospital outside London.

He was going to heal Sirius. It would be the best birthday present for Sally. She had been waiting for him to wake up for nearly a year now. Harry would never want her to have to go through the same thing with Percy having to raise a baby on her own. He could tell she did not appreciate having to be a single mother all over again.

But she never complained. So he would fix the problem. Harry was an immortal after all. Why should anything stop him from addressing the coma and waking up his godfather?

It was always busy as any hospital was. Harry dodged his primary healer Sierra Calles and sneaked up to the private ward. Sirius was being treated in a large room dimly lit with the curtains drawn he approached. On the bed, the man looked pale and quiet, withdrawn from the world. It was easy to fear that he would never wake up but Harry was the healer champion of Nyx, a primordial goddess.

So he reached down and kissed Sirius on the forehead (nobody could ever know that he did that) and then placed both palms on his chest as though Harry was about to perform CPR.

Instantly Harry sensed Sirius's dwindling life force.

He'd felt this once before. When Harry had driven away hundreds of dementors from attacking his godfather and himself. He'd nearly lost his godfather had his future self not done. But the past was in the past and Harry was about to commit a little illegal magic for Sally's birthday gift.

Harry's hands lit up. His eyes glowed green. Light burst from underneath his skin, illuminating the room and spilling his power into Sirius's veins. The man's heart jolted and woke up his slumbering organs almost instantly. Brain activity boosted and Harry nearly choked at the robust response!

Sirius's fingers twitched from the onslaught of energy. Harry sucked in a gulp of air. He yanked his hands away terrified and panting!

Sirius was breathing stronger now. His skin was already looking pinker. Blood rushed through his veins more oxygenated and fresher and yet he did not wake.

Harry collapsed into the chair. He tried to be patient. Any moment now, he's going to wake up.

His godfather would not just leave them all waiting he would not dare do that to the woman he loved, to the friends he left behind, to the children still waiting to see him. Harry never known the love of a father till Sirius. He had missed what James had offered so freely so powerfully what Sirius had tried to do.

The door behind them burst open several nurses rushed in startled by the amount of activity emerging from the room they took one look at Harry another look at serious a third look at all his vitals pulsing strongly know with hope and with energy the determination that had not been seen for months one of the nurses excelled and said well now either really good or really bad.

Sierra was not happy. She ripped him a new one. "This was so dangerous! Harry, you could have killed him!"

"No," Harry insisted, confident. "I know how powerful I am. I can wake him up and he just needed the right kind of energy."

"You're not trained for this, Harry," she reminded him sternly. "We've been monitoring Sirius for months. He has to be stable in order to receive that kind of unprocessed healing."

"I already know it. I checked, I swear! He was ready."

She tried to explain again and again that perhaps some things needed time and while Harry was patient (he could wait hours for Percy to get to the point; He could wait days for Rachel to draw something sustainable) but he could not wait anymore for Sirius to wake up. None of them could.

"You'll have to wait outside," Sierra said firmly. She did not entertain him any longer about it. Sirius had been her patient and she hadn't authorised this form of treatment for him. But Harry did not regret his efforts. Any moment now Sirius would wake up.

He waited outside the door when Sierra went ahead and called Dumbledore. He was sure she even tried to send an owl to Sally.

Harry sneaked back into the room when the nurses stepped out to get their reports out. He heard them whispering and side-eying him. Sirius's vitals had improved and everyone knew it.

Harry sat beside him, staring at Sirius's still gaunt, but recovering face.

"Come on, Sirius," Harry whispered. "I want you back there. I miss you. I want you back. I hate that you weren't there for me when DJ was gone. I hate that I'm scared to go see him. I don't know if I ever tell anyone else. Rach knows of course. But… I'm just tired of being scared."

Sirius stirred.

Harry froze, limbs stiffening. He observed Sirius's eyes fluttering open. Harry stopped breathing.

Sirius coughed and rasped out, "Hi, tired. I'm Sirius."

Harry's jaw dropped open.

Wait… was this real? Was this actually happening? I did it right, so this was… this was real!

A ridiculous burst of laughter erupted from the boy's lungs. He laughed, tears streamed down his face.

The baby woke up just as Nico finished draining the water from the spaghetti. Rachel smiled at the chatty and delicious atmosphere they were carving up.

"I got her," Percy said, quickly washing his hands and rubbed them over the apron to get rid of the flour. Rachel was tending to the spaghetti sauce. Despite them cooking and baking at the same time in the tiny kitchen, the smells were absolutely worth it.

"Hi, baby," Percy's cooing could be heard over the sizzling sauce. Kimmy let out a delighted scream.

Rachel sniffed happily at the pan, glad to have helped cook a full meal. She'd never made anything in the kitchen before when she lived with her parents, but since Harry liked cooking, Percy liked baking, and Nico liked food in general, she was drawn to the kitchen as well. And it wasn't so bad.

Percy's mobile phone rang, buzzing along the top of the table. Rachel switched the flame to a simmer and reached over for the phone, keeping a distance from the stove.

"Hey, Annabeth," she said, after chuckling at the ridiculous display photo Percy must have taken of Annabeth sticking her tongue out at him.

"Hey! Wow, Percy, you sound so much better than usual," Annabeth said. She sounded like she was in a hurry (when was she not) and there was a lot of disturbance in the background. Rachel heard people talking over each other.

"Thanks, I changed my voice box," Rachel snarked. "Are you gonna be late? Dinner's almost done. I mixed the sauce myself!"

"Yikes, I might have to skip."

"Funny," Rachel muttered.

"No, no, Rach. I might actually have to skip," Annabeth explained. "I… shoot, I have a deadline right about now, actually."

Rachel sighed. "Dude, come on. I haven't seen you in a while. And Percy misses you. He keeps talking to himself. He's getting worse than Harry now."

"Harry talks to himself when he doesn't see me?"

"Oh, please don't say that to his face, he'll never let me hear the end of it," Rachel pleaded. "But seriously, why can't you come?"

"I'm finally getting around to Lady Hestia's abode. I had plans to bring up a larger pedestal for her, so the hearth is raised. I've been thinking of objects of power. It isn't fair that she doesn't have a throne, so I figured something else would help. But I should have started this a week ago and now we're running behind," Annabeth explained in a rush.

Rachel scratched her cheek. "But she's one of the nicer goddesses, right? Maybe she wouldn't mind postponing it to tomorrow?"

"It's tempting," Annabeth admitted. "But that feels like taking advantage or something. It isn't her fault that I'm late to work on her part."

"It's not yours either."

"I know… look, just tell Sally I'll make it up to her. I gotta go now."

Annabeth cut the call and Rachel sighed.

"Is she a no-show?" Nico asked.

"Yeah…"

Percy walked into the room holding up a babbling Kimmy and waving a stuffed tiger in front of her. Rachel smiled. She was glad someone could enjoy the toy. Despite it being a goodwill gift from the Romans, Rachel couldn't find it herself to have it around all the time. Kimmy was good to it, strangling the toy and drooling over it as any good baby ought to.

Percy took one look at Rachel's face and his mood immediately soured.

"She's not coming, is she?"

Rachel winced. "Sorry."

He frowned, suddenly looking resolute. "You know what… take Kimmy."

The baby jostled into her arms and Rachel balanced the tiger toy as well, watching as Percy took off the apron and tossed it over the back of a kitchen chair.

"Percy!" Nico complained. "We need to get everything ready for Sally! Harry's not back yet."

"I'll check on Annabeth quickly," Percy said, taking an empty travel bowl out of a shelf. He scooped up some of the spaghetti into the bowl. "Don't wait up."

"What are we going to tell your mom?" Rachel protested, watching Percy head right to the bathroom, no doubt planning to water-travel to Olympus.

"That I'll be late," Percy said easily, mind already made up. He struggled to pull on a blue hoodie over his ratty old t-shirt before closing the door to the bathroom. Rachel threw a hand up and bounced the baby who began to fuss at Percy's disappearance.

"Tell Chase to bring his invitation!" she shouted.

Annabeth was at one of the grand palaces in the city of Olympus, speaking to a child the age of Nico. She had pigtails and a heart-shaped face that would have been quite seemly if it wasn't for the scowl on her face.

Percy jogged towards them till he could hear their conversation.

"So I'm second fiddle, huh?" the child was scolding Annabeth. "You're going to spend another ten years on the Olympians before any of us get our recognition?"

Annabeth exhaled, just as annoyed. "My lady, I assure you, I have a list set up for this. I'm afraid it should follow the Theoi priority established by your father."

"HMMPH!" the child grunted. "My father will not be retaking the throne any time soon. Can't you just skip him and deal with my statues? Or at least my husband's? He's been growing unbearable."

Percy stared. "You have a husband?"

Annabeth jumped. "Percy! What're you doing here?"

He held up the spaghetti container. "Brought you dinner. Why is this infant married?"

The little girl glared up at him. "Excuse you!"

"This is Lady Hebe, Percy," Annabeth quickly explained. "She's the goddess of this dwelling."

Percy nodded. "Nice to meet ya."

"Ya?" Hebe glowered at him. "Nice to meet ya?"

"Percy," Annabeth muttered.

"Sorry, do you not like politeness?" Percy asked, hiding a smile.

"You call that being polite!" Hebe shrieked. She stomped her little foot and Percy swore she grew even smaller.

No. Not smaller. She grew younger.

He idly wondered this was how Sciron transformed back in 1997, falling into the Lethe and aging backwards. He was 25 one moment and in the next, he was a two-month-old.

"Do you know who I am, demigod?!" Hebe warned.

"Huh?" Percy said. "Yeah, I wasn't listening. Annabeth, Mom was really looking forwards to seeing you. You haven't had a break in like forever."

"You stand in my house and you dismiss me!" Hebe screamed. She was a five-year-old now. Percy had seen more terrifying five-year-olds before. Case in point, Harry.

"I'm not even on the porch," Percy said, exasperated.

Hebe opened her mouth and screeched in her child-like voice, "CLEESE!"

Annabeth's eyes widened. Percy frowned. "Your husband is John Cleese?"

A shadow fell over both him and Annabeth.

"No," a deep and furious voice rumbled. "I am her husband."

Annabeth winced, holding her laptop close. Percy spun around and craned his neck up at the enraged god towering over them.

Heracles stood in a traditional chiton with gold and metal lining on the fabric. A golden lion skin was draped over him like the grandest cloak, its head and teeth framing his forehead like a crown. He folded his arms, letting the bulging muscles speak for himself. Percy had never seen anyone resemble Zeus so closely in physical looks. No wonder Hera had done her utmost to kill him.

"Yo," Percy said, pointing up at him. "I dreamed I was you once."

Heracles's expression was like thunder. "It's too late for flattery, hero!"

"I wasn't flattering you," Percy assured him. "I remember the time when you tricked Zoe Nightshade and left her behind to go off on your jolly little quest."

Annabeth sighed.

"You…" Heracles growled down at him. "How dare you…"

"So what do you think of your dad disappearing?" Percy switched topics immediately.

Heracles spluttered. Hebe screamed, "Don't say anything!"

Annabeth and Percy watched her, surprised. "Wait, do you know something?"

"We know nothing!" Heracles snapped.

Aw, don't be so hard on yourself, was what Percy wanted to say but Annabeth grabbed his arm with a warning glance.

"Just put him on the waiting list and bump me up a few slots," Hebe said snappily.

"Lord Zeus?" Annabeth asked, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want me to put your father on the waiting list?"

"Yes!" Hebe said impatiently. "Cleese, get inside."

Heracles pouted, "But I want to kill the mouthy one."

"Not now!" she hissed, pushing the giant god through the palace entrance. She slammed the doors in Annabeth's face.

Percy frowned in the silence. "Wait a sec… do they have the same father?"

Annabeth ignored his question, staring off into space. "Percy, you remember what Piper said after her quest?"

"About…?"

"She said Aphrodite was pretty sure that we'd never find Zeus," Annabeth hissed. "And Jason said Juno mentioned something similar. Now Hebe and Heracles also seem to believe it."

Percy stepped towards her. "You're saying all the gods think he's never coming back?"

"It's not just what they think," she said. "It's what they believe. If the gods start believing the same thing, it'll filter down to all their kids. And if everyone's on the same page about it—"

"Then Zeus really won't be back," Percy whispered. "What if this is what Gaia wants?"

Annabeth flinched. "You think she could be making them believe it?"

"Is that possible? She'd have to trick all eleven Olympians, not to mention Hades and Hestia, and all the minor gods. That's way too much power for one deity, even a primordial," Annabeth figured.

Percy exhaled. "Well, dam. It's either that, or the gods just know that Zeus isn't coming back."

Annabeth's shoulders slumped. "Great. If the gods start losing hope, how the hell are we supposed to manage?"

Percy dropped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "We'll manage because we aren't giving up. And look, it's not all the gods. I'll ask my Dad, you can ask your Mom, we can get the others to check what their parents think."

"And what if they all believe it?" Annabeth asked.

Percy watched her expression. She was more upset than she was letting on.

"You know what horror vacui is?" Annabeth mumbled.

He held her hand and they wandered slowly back to Annabeth's workspace. She held her closed laptop to her side. He swung her packed dinner around them.

"Is that a Halloween movie about a vacuum machine?" Percy asked. "A Roomba discovered knives and is on a rampage?"

She grinned. "I wish. It's Latin, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh. Like, just the vacuum?"

"Horror of the vacuum," Annabeth explained. "Aristotle's work would say how nature doesn't like a state of vacuum. When something's missing, there's a gap in the natural state of things. And things will rush to fill in the gap."

Percy understood that. Often, undersea movements caused air pockets from the ground and water would flow violently to refill the space.

"So with Zeusy missing," he guessed, "Something will try to replace him?"

"Someone," Annabeth mumbled. "Cassandra said so, didn't she? That's what Gaia planned. She wanted her champions to replace the Olympians."

"Yeah, she said that in chapter seventeen," Percy deadpanned.

Annabeth shot him a sharp look. "I'm talking about belief, Jackson. Gods depend on the belief. If everyone starts believing that Zeus is not coming back, then that will become the truth."

Percy nodded, trying to not giggle or cry. "Could the dirt lady be making them believe it?"

She looked troubled. "I don't think so. Not even a primordial could pierce the consciousness of so many gods."

"She spoke to Hera," Percy pointed out. "She pretended to be Zeus and convinced the queen to wander out into a trap."

Annabeth squeezed his hand. "Then she must be accomplishing it some other way. This was a plan in the making for centuries. I'm sure she has contingencies ready. She took out Zeus, Percy. Not even the Titans managed it."

"That had something to do with us, I think," Percy reminded her.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, still worried.

He leaned down and pressed his nose into her cheek.

"Whatever she tries, we'll keep going," Percy promised. "Because we're so much more than a single king."

Annabeth wrapped her arms around him and they stood there, reveling in each other's warmth.

"I got you dinner," Percy said, "Unless… you wanna eat with us? Mom's missed you."

Annabeth hid her face in his shoulder and nodded.

Rachel's phone rang and Nico picked it up.

"Hello, this is Rachel's phone," he said. He watched Rachel try to soothe an increasingly fussy Kimmy. Harry wasn't back yet and neither was Percy. Sally was due to reach home any moment.

"Mr. di Angelo," a strict voice echoed over the phone. "Please hand the cell over to my daughter."

Nico stood stock still in the living room. It was Beatrice Dare. He was talking to Beatrice freakin' Dare.

"Rachel!" he hissed, waving his ladle and splattering the walls with spaghetti sauce.

She blinked at his wide-eyed face. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Or is it your Dad?"

"No! It's your Mom!"

Rachel went pale. "Please tell me that's a 'your mom' joke."

"I wish," Nico whispered, waving both the phone and the sauce ladle around.

Rachel exchanged Kimmy for the phone, took a few deep breaths (which did absolutely nothing for her) and spoke, "Hello?"

"Rachel, darling. How are you?"

She gawked. Beatrice sounded like she was just calling her from a short work visit, and not like she'd abandoned her daughter and flown away to plan a war against the gods.

"What the hell, Mom?" Rachel snapped.

"Language, please," Beatrice warned. "We need to talk. There's a limo waiting outside the apartment for you."

Rachel had to repeat the words to herself. "What?!"

"You'll be safe," Beatrice promised. "You have my word. And if you wish, I'll drop you back at the Jacksons after our chat."

Nico was facing her, frowning as he heard Beatrice's offer. He shook his head when Rachel looked to him for advice. She ran up to the window and sure enough, there was a long, black limousine stretch parked outside the apartment building.

Rachel recognised it as one of the Lincoln Town Cars her parents loved to rent. A white flag was perched at the front of the luxury vehicle. It fluttered in the breeze.

"No," Nico whispered. "There's no saying what she'll do!"

Rachel swallowed. It had been months since she'd seen her parents. Ever since she had become the oracle, and hosted the Spirit of Delphi, her parents had disappeared off the face of the planet.

"Swear it," Rachel spoke into her cellphone. "Swear on the Styx."

Beatrice waited for a beat. Her voice burst out, "I swear on the River Styx that my daughter, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, will not be harmed tonight and will return to her temporary abode safely."

Thunder vaguely crackled in the distance. Even Kimmy went quiet, shuddering in Nico's arms. He rubbed the baby's back while Rachel said, "Better make it quick then."

She cut the call and leaped out the window.

Wind whistled in her ears as she fell five floors. Rachel landed solidly on both feet. She cracked the road beneath her. Her feat didn't draw anyone's attention. Rachel craned her neck and waved at Nico to remain in the apartment. He nodded, unhappily.

The passenger door opened and there she was, Beatrice Taylor Dare. Her mother in all but blood, the woman who'd adopted her years ago, had even saved her life, had loved her with all her heart. Beatrice sat in the limo...

Facing Ajax.

Rachel paused, horrified. "What's he doing here?!"

Ajax reclined with his back to the driver's partition. His legs stretched out in front of him while he held a glass of wine which was half-empty. He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Manners, Dare."

"This is an amnesty," Beatrice announced. "I am merely taking an inventory."

Rachel still stood on the sidewalk, holding onto the door. "Where are we going?"

"We need to pick up someone from the Empire State," Beatrice said. "And then I will explain the rules to all three of you."

Ajax huffed. "You know you can make do with just me."

Beatrice scowled at him. "You have made your point clear. I'm aware you told the goddess that. But I'm making sure she has optimal options."

Ajax pouted and sipped his wine. Beatrice faced Rachel and nodded. "Please sit, dear. You're letting the cold in."

Rachel desperately hoped Nico had gotten her message and called Harry and Percy. Nevermind the white flag on the limo. She did not trust her mother right now, and she certainly didn't trust Ajax.

But curiosity was overwhelming. She got in the car. The limo smoothly curved onto the road, making other vehicles part way for it.

"This isn't a social visit," Rachel said, putting as much space as she could between herself and Ajax.

"I'm afraid not," Beatrice admitted as she brought out her Macbook. "But we can talk about other things after this conversation. For now, I need to get you three registered."

"For what?" Rachel asked. Her heart thudded in her chest.

"For the throne replacement of course," Beatrice said, tapping on her Mac with her pen. She scribbled notes which Rachel couldn't see.

"I'm sure Cassandra will have explained it all," her mother continued.

"Traitor," Ajax coughed.

Rachel shot him a glare. He smirked.

"Explained what?" Rachel asked as the limo slowed down.

She peeked out the darkened windows and was surprised how quickly they'd reached the Empire State Building.

The door opened and Rachel saw the brightly lit entrance to the Empire State Building. The skyscraper glowed in the rising darkness of night, brighter than the surrounding buildings and the traffic.

Then she registered the woman walking towards the car. For a moment, Rachel swore it was Annabeth.

But it wasn't her. It was Athena.

Rachel's jaw dropped. The goddess entered the limo and folded herself neatly in the space beside Rachel. The Mist had converged into the small space, extending everything and doubling proportions so much that the interior was suddenly as wide as a large couch in a mansion.

Ajax, Rachel, and Athena faced Beatrice like they were contestants in a game show.

"Good evening, Mrs. Dare," Athena spoke formally. Then she nodded at Rachel, "Ms. Dare."

Rachel stammered, "L… Lady Athena?"

Beatrice acknowledged her, "My Lady. Thank you for being on time."

Ajax raised his hand. "Forgetting me?"

Athena said nothing. She made no indication that Ajax even existed.

"That's okay," Ajax shrugged. "I haven't forgotten you."

The quiet bite in his voice made her shudder. Rachel turned back to Beatrice. "What's going on?"

Beatrice frowned. "I told you, honey. I'm registering Zeus's replacement for the next life cycle. There's a void in Olympus, plus the world in general. And the three of you are the top candidates."

Athena folded her legs and rested her palms on her top knee, already portraying the model of a regal queen. "May I ask why you wish to consider these two beings? They are not gods."

Beatrice remained stoic. "They fit the bill. They are immortals."

"They bleed red," Athena said coldly.

"For now," Beatrice agreed.

Ajax smirked into his wine.

A tremor rippled down Rachel's spine. Her bracelet tingled as though the world knew what was happening in this limo and was holding its breath.

"Your companions," Beatrice asked.

Athena raised her chin. "Triton and Annabeth Chase."

Rachel's hands twitched. Nothing about this sounded right. Why was she even here?

"Noted," Beatrice acknowledged. "Ajax?"

"I gave you the names," he sighed.

"Kindly repeat for the benefit of your competitors."

Ajax shrugged. "Fine. Sun Furor and Harry Potter."

Rachel scowled. "What the hell?"

He eyed her lazily. "Jealous? Chill, you aren't my type."

The Apple pencil snapped in Beatrice's hand. She glowered at Ajax who raised a hand to placate her.

"She really isn't, I swear," he insisted.

Rachel had to swallow down the bile in her mouth. She had a faint understanding of what was going on.

Beatrice exhaled, doing her best to remain calm. She ignored Ajax now and spoke to her daughter. "When the war is over, the three of you will fight to the death. The winner will take over the next cycle of life with their companions. Ideally, a partner and an heir. Who do you choose, Rachel?"

Rachel stared. She turned to watch Athena's expression, and then Ajax's. Everyone waited for her to speak. The limo slowed down as they went over a speed bump and then picked up its pace again.

"What the fuck?!" Rachel hissed. "What makes you think we'll lose?!"

Beatrice frowned. "Language, please."

"Are you serious?" Rachel yelled. "You're already planning this? You can't just say Zeus isn't coming back!"

Ajax mumbled something into his wine. Athena tapped her fingers over her knee.

"Oh my gods, you actually believe it," Rachel whispered, horrified.

This was it then? Was Zeus forever gone? But he was the freakin' king of everything! If Typhon and the Titans couldn't beat him, how could a half-asleep Gaia manage it?

"You needn't fight now," Beatrice said, as though that was what Rachel was panicking about.

"I'm not going to fight them at all," Rachel retorted. "We will not lose!"

Ajax drained his wine. "And yet, you dream of the wasteland."

Rachel snapped her neck towards him. "How did you know?"

He batted his eyelashes at her. "I have my seers too."

My seers? It chilled her to the bone.

This man had killed her Bolt. He had hunted Harry and shot Percy in Rome, shot Annabeth just weeks ago and nearly killed Piper… had actually murdered Kimberly Jackson… and was now hitting on Harry.

Suddenly, Rachel wasn't afraid of him at all. Her fingers itched to strangle him.

"If you need a moment to think it over," Athena interrupted her murderous thoughts. "Perhaps I will speak to your mother about a private matter."

Beatrice frowned. "Now?"

"It will take but a few minutes," Athena said. "I expect the limo is soundproof?"

Beatrice stayed quiet for a long moment. Both women sat stoic and emotionless. It made Rachel want to add some action, in the form of her kicking Ajax out of the moving car.

Her mother nodded to her, "You have a few minutes to decide your companions, Rachel. Will you step out of the car, please?"

She turned to Ajax. "Both of you."

He huffed but obliged. Ajax pressed a button on the ceiling which opened the moon roof. He stood up and climbed out of the moving car. Rachel heard him toss the empty wine glass on the road, letting it shatter at the speed.

"I'm not sitting with him," she declared.

The limo rolled to a stop. She exited the car and half expected it to drive away but it stayed put.

The door shut, keeping Athena and Beatrice Dare's conversation locked away from the world. Rachel stood in the cold, blistering with even colder rage.

Ajax yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He lay back on the limo roof, facing the cloudy sky. It had not snowed in New York despite the frigid weather. They had stopped beside an empty alley way, with no civilians or witnesses.

"Who's Sun Furor?" Rachel asked.

He turned to her, surprised. "The Oracle is questioning me? I'm pretty sure it should be the other way around."

"Only heroes ask questions," Rachel said. "Is Sun your daughter? Is she Korean?"

"The only reason I'm not turning your insides into outsides is because Mommy dearest would protest," Ajax chimed. "So don't yap."

Rachel pretended she was facing a dozen of Lupa's wolves. Her body tensed, ready for a fight. If Ajax made a move, she would be the one spilling his insides.

"I thought you hate demigods," Rachel mused. "Why would you have a kid with a god?"

Ajax sighed. "You can't shut up, can you?"

"I can," Rachel said. "But I have questions."

"I have questions too. You don't see me running my mouth."

Rachel hit upon an idea. "Wanna play twenty questions?"

He stared at her, completely thrown.

"You're supposed to be picking your companions," he reminded her.

"Unlike you, I have the brainpower to do both."

A surprised laugh erupted from deep within his chest. "You do have some spunk! I guess it runs in the family."

He sat up on the roof of the limo and peered down at her. "I'll go first. How did you convince Apollo to make you the Oracle?"

Rachel shrugged. "Wasn't that hard. He didn't like have a mummy for a host, go figure. And I was clear-sighted enough."

Ajax narrowed his eyes. "You didn't trick the Crooked One into capturing you?"

What a ridiculous question? Rachel sidestepped it though. "It's my turn. Is Sun Furor your demigod daughter?"

"Yes," he heaved. "She's my demi-god-daughter."

"And you can't find her?"

"Did you trick the Titans and Apollo?"

"No. I came to New York during the battle because my Mom was in the city."

Ajax grinned. "Oh. So she tricked the Titans into capturing you."

Rachel faltered. "What, no! She was knocked unconscious like the rest of the city."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't be an idiot, Dare. Your mom's the host of Gaia. No insignificant sleep god can knock her out."

Blood drained away from Rachel's face. No, that couldn't be. Harry had been injured and Rachel had just found out from her dad that her mom was in Manhattan… Rachel had teleported to the office with Bolt and… her mom was out cold.

And then Ethan and a lion hybrid monster caught Rachel.

What were the chances that they'd be searching there? Surely Kronos had not sent his army to check every building?

Her Mom had tricked her into becoming the Titan's prisoner. That was how Apollo found her.

Ajax whistled, his grin growing wider. "I guess we're all learning something new today."

Rachel glared. "Who is Pandora?"

If Ajax was thrown by the question, he didn't show it. He lifted his shoulders and dropped them. "No clue. If you weren't immortal and didn't have any powers, would you still be in contact with Harry?"

He was trying to get under her skin. Rachel wasn't going to fall for it. "Yes, I would."

"Seriously?" Ajax laughed. "You'd be a squib with literally no magic."

Rachel cocked her head. "The alternate would be to live with my parents and hear you pontificate all day. What do you know about Destin?"

Now, Ajax's smile disappeared. "Only this. He's no god."

Rachel blinked. "He fought you."

"He caught me off guard—"

"Pretty easily."

"Watch it," he warned her. His eyes glowed golden, and Rachel caught little flares of light emanating from his face and neck like translucent vapour. She kinda wanted to paint him.

"That's cute," Rachel said, hands curving inwards to get her dagger out if she needed to. "Why d'you think he's not a god?"

"Because he interfered in the quest, you moron!" Ajax shouted. "Gods aren't supposed to do that! It's bad enough those heroes have all the magic toys they can use and ambrosia and unbelievable powers! Allowing deities to interfere with be the cherry on top of that cake!"

Uh huh… he was jealous. Rachel hid a smile. Ajax hated demigods because he was jealous of them. Because no matter how much of an immortal Ajax could be, he could not handle ambrosia and nectar. He could not use celestial bronze and imperial gold. He was an immortal-human, through and through.

Just like Rachel.

"You cheated," Ajax said, annoyed. "You got two in a row."

"Oops," Rachel droned.

The limo door opened. Beatrice and Athena were in the same positions they were. Rachel figured they had had a statue-sitting contest on 'who could be the most emotionless while discussing the end of the world.'

"Rachel," Beatrice asked. "Your companions?"

"Harry Potter and Percy Jackson," Rachel recited. They were not surprised.

Ajax slid off the top of the limo and landed a few feet from Rachel. She stepped closer to the car. They may have been playing a game, but she had no illusions he could lunge at her at any moment.

"Alright then," Beatrice said pocketing the Macbook. "Honey, we can talk now—"

"Did you trick me into getting caught by the Titans?" Rachel blurted.

Beatrice stared at her wide-eyed. Then she turned to Ajax.

"I wanted to know if she'd figured it out," he shrugged. "I guess she had too much faith in you."

"Don't you have a job to do?" Beatrice hissed at him.

He grinned and gave a two-finger salute to Rachel and Athena. "I'll see you ladies on the battlefield."

Athena watched him skip away like she was already planning her fourth back-up strategy. "I shall take my leave as well."

Rachel barely blinked when the goddess had disappeared. It was just Beatrice and Rachel now.

"Get in the car, Rachel," Beatrice suggested. "We can get some dinner."

Rachel gritted her teeth. "Actually, I made dinner at the Jacksons'. It's Sally's birthday. And no, you're not invited."

She slammed the limo door and walked away.

Funny thing about a gap in nature. Other elements do rush to fill it up.

With Sirius Black in a coma for months, Harry had gone and revitalized him to the point that he was actually strong enough to stand, talk, and even eat. Two nurses at the hospital had fainted and so did Sally when Harry apparated to the apartment later that night with a disoriented Sirius.

With Zeus though… no one seemed to be searching for him. Octavian had no auguries or dreams. Rachel had no prophecies or visions. Instead, Athena was already making plans to take his throne.

The power vacuum was a horror show.

Warnings:
1. Ajax being verbally pedophilic.
2. Conversations about the world ending.
3. One 'F' word.

How are you detectives doing? Figured out who Pandora is? I've got the poll up on my bio, looks like the majority is skewing towards Luna Lovegood... Stay tuned everyone!

Cabba K.