For how long he fell, Marcus would never be certain, but when he did land it wasn't the smooth, catlike landing he was used to. He landed in a heap, crumpled on the dark stone floor that had blended in almost perfectly to the darkness he had been falling through, his breath knocked out of him. He lay still for a moment, waiting to see if his fall was truly over before he reached up and pulled down the scarf that had somehow kept its place to uncover his face and took a deep breath, forcing himself to his feet.

"Oh my gods… Marcus?!"

Marcus spun, on reflex, reaching for his pocket watch before his brain caught up with his body. There, standing in the corner of the room, dressed in an attire shockingly close to what Athena had appeared to him in and still slightly outlined in a pink aura, was Chastity.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

Marcus scoffed, pushing the hood back from where it had fallen over his head. "Really? I come all this way, and that's the first thing you have to say to me?"

Chastity's eyes narrowed, her shocked expression turning to one of anger. "You're right. How could I forget the obvious?"

But whatever the obvious was, Marcus wasn't about to find out. Marcus had a moment to look around the room that he had landed in and realized that, while on the surface it seemed to simply be a dark stone box, there was one slight exception. The wall behind him had a single opening, though that opening had been covered by a latticework of iron bars. And through those bars came the sound that had caused him to turn. Footsteps. Heavy and measured. Marcus slowly pulled his watch out of his pocket, ready at a moment's notice to swing it into whatever form he needed. He had been expecting a skeleton, or perhaps even Hades himself. Hell, maybe even Persephone.

What he hadn't expected was Hunter's face to appear behind the bars, wearing the jacket that Marcus knew were truly Annabeth's Wings.

"Well, well. Aaron assumed we'd captured a rat. Who would have guessed it would be a pair of love birds instead?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow, keeping his watch hidden in the sleeve of his hoodie. "Truly original Hunter. You're sure you're a child of Hermes and not Apollo?"

Hunter sneered in response. "Marcus, Marcus, Marcus. Even with your back against the wall, you can't drop the tough guy act huh? Who are you trying to impress? Your girlfriend there? Between friends, she doesn't seem too into it."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Chastity's voice dripped with venom. "I'd love to see him tear you a new one."

Marcus didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that she hadn't shot down the girlfriend comment, or the fact that it had given him a small burst of satisfaction.

Marcus chuckled and threw a wink Chastity's way. "As if you'd need me too. You're more than capable of doing that yourself."

Hunter always had a quick temper. Make him angry. Anger leads to mistakes. Mistakes lead to opportunities.

Hunter forced Marcus' attention back to him by banging the haft of his ax against the cell door. "Oh don't you worry Marcus, there'll be plenty of time for us to pick up where we left off before this war is over." Hunter's glare burned into Marcus' eyes, and he saw that he had made Hunter more than angry. Hunter was livid. "And for Isaac, I'm going to fry you alive with these wings of mine."

Marcus met Hunter's gaze unflinchingly, though his stomach twisted at how far they'd been driven apart. He and Hunter had never been as close as the rest of his group but he still, even to this moment, had considered him family. To see the pure hatred in his eyes as Hunter gazed upon him hurt more than he would ever admit.

"For Isaac, I'll make it quick." Marcus said softly.

Hunter opened his mouth, probably to throw another insult, before seemingly thinking better of it and changing his attention to Chastity.

"As for you, I'm amazed. Truly. Who would have thought that little Aphrodite girl all the boys chased for nothing more than her looks would have the power to pull off a Feign Death…"

Chastity tossed her hair with a sarcastic roll of her eyes, though Marcus could still see a glimmer of pride in her eyes. "Please. This 'little Aphrodite girl' could cast circles around you, Small Dick. You're just lucky my lyre is still upstairs or I'd be doing something really impressive. Like getting you a date. Or a good looking haircut at least."

Hunter let the comment hang in the air for a moment before leaning closer, his forehead almost against the bars of the cell door. "Consider yourself lucky I'm the one here at the moment instead of our resident Crazy Queen. She would just hate to see you two trapped in a cell together. Who knows? Maybe I'll fill her in next chance I get. Let her send Roxie down here for some quality time."

Marcus stepped to the cell door, keeping the hand with his watch slightly behind his back. "Pretty brave of you, walking around Hades' Palace like you own the place. Better be careful there Hunt."

Hunter scoffed, his arrogance showing clearly. "Please. With both Angelos and Nyx on our side, we can hide whatever we like down here, even from your precious Olympians." Hunter's sneer was clear, even as he stepped away from the bars, turning back down the corridor. "Besides, he's a little too preoccupied with the war on the surface to be keeping too close an eye around here. We walk in shadow, Marcus. And this land is nothing but. Gotta hand it to you though. Taking yourself out of the war just as it's really about to kick off? It's almost like you're on our side already, Nyx messages and all."

Hunter's laugh echoed against the walls around him as he turned and walked away, casting back over his shoulder. "Enjoy your quality time in there, Love Birds. I'll make sure to send somebody to collect you eventually. I'm sure Alicia would love that opportunity."

Marcus waited until Hunter's footsteps had faded away before pulling out his watch, switching it to sword form and starting to lash out at the cell doors in front of him.

"What was he talking about?" Chastity's voice came from behind him.

"Which part?" He said between breaths, striking the same middle bar again and again. He couldn't see that it was having any sort of effect, but he had to try all the same.

Thank the Gods my weapons never dull…

"The war starting. What's happening up there?"

"Chiron and Phil… Are leading the Camp… to raid known… N.O. encampments." Marcus swung with all his might, so much so even he was afraid his sword would snap. "Our little skirmishes are about to look like kids' training sessions." Marcus stopped for a moment, examining the bars in front of him.

Still not even a dent...

"Then what the hell are you doing here?!" Chastity stormed over to him, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. "Our friends are about to walk face first into a war, and you thought now was the perfect time to head to the Underworld for a stroll?!"

Marcus raised an eyebrow at her outburst, doing his best to keep a level head. Gods, she knows how to get to me.

"I could ask you the same thing you know."

Chastity looked at him for a moment, before huffing and crossing her arms, looking past him out of the cell door. "You know, when I left there was no talk of war."

"That would be because you 'left' that Phillip and the rest decided we had no other choice to help you." Marcus regretted the words almost as soon as they left his mouth.

"Phil's going to war… for me…?" Chastity's voice came out soft, and she turned away and began to pace one of the walls of their shared cell. For some reason, the fact that Phil was the only one she mentioned got under his skin.

"Yup. In a total 'Helen of Troy' moment. And just like that story, that plan is going to end in disaster." Marcus hated the annoyance that slipped through in his words. He was supposed to be better at this. Get a hold of your emotions. Like Athena spent all that time teaching you.

"So what? You didn't like Helen of Troy, so you decided to emulate Theseus? Sneak into the Underworld for a woman?!"

"... More like Orpheus…" Marcus said. "At least he made it back out."

"Yeah. Without the girl. Wow, I feel so much better!"

"Look, at least I'm here! And not-"

"And not helping our friends on the surface? I couldn't agree more!" Chastity spun on her heel and marched back to Marcus, getting in his face. "And why are you here? In case my memory is failing me, I believe I said something along the lines of 'don't you dare come after me Marcus'."

Marcus' eyes narrowed, his temper rising. "What was I supposed to do? Just let you suffer through who knows what in the Underworld on your own? I had to do something!"

"Something like help our friends?"

"Something like save you!"

"And there it is!" Chastity poked her finger into Marcus' chest. "Always. With. The. Saving. Why can't you, for once, just let me handle something myself? Why do you always have to play the hero!"

Her words mirroring Phil's didn't exactly help his mood. "From where I'm standing, it's a good thing I did come for you!"

"Oh yeah. A on the rescue, Marcus. Now we're both trapped here, because you couldn't just trust me to handle this myself!"

"And how exactly was that whole 'handling this on your own' going? From where I'm standing, you were trapped here before I came around!"

"I could have ended the spell at any time! I'm just here in spirit! But you, dumbass, came here with your whole being! Gods, how could you not think that through!"

"Oh you can?" Marcus spat back. "Fine. Do it. End the spell."

"And how exactly would that get you out of this mess?!"

"It wouldn't." Marcus said simply. "But it would get you out. And that's what matters."

"Oh my Gods! Will you let that hero complex rest for five fucking minutes?!" Chastity practically screamed. Marcus could see from her eyes that her anger had as much a hold of her at that moment that his had on him. They were both over the edge. "You're so ready, every fucking time, to sacrifice yourself, but you don't for one second think of the rest of us!"

"That's rich!" Marcus yelled back with equal volume, nose to nose with the woman that he had come to the Underworld to save. "Coming from the girl who ran to the Underworld without so much as a note! I came here for you!"

"This wasn't a sacrifice you idiot!" Chastity's eyes flashed, her pink aura seemingly growing steadily brighter with each word that flew from her mouth. "I came here for a reason! A purpose! A way to help all of us! But you, you self-sacrificing, brooding, painfully altruistic-"

Before he knew it, Marcus had his lips against hers. He hadn't meant to. Hadn't planned to. It was a single extended moment, but that moment was all it took to quiet them both. For Marcus to never forget the softness of her lips, the sweetness of her breath, angry as it was. Quickly stepping back, Marcus and Chastity stared at each other for a long moment before Marcus broke the silence finally.

"Are you finished?" He said softly, his voice seemingly even quieter after their outbursts.

"... Selfless jerk." Chastity finished, though the sting had been taken from her words.

After another long moment, the two turned away from each other, with Chastity retreating to the far end of the room, muttering words Marcus chose not to hear. Marcus, for his part, continued his work to try and get the cell door open, more to keep himself from looking in Chastity's direction than anything else.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.