If you want to be popular at Camp Half-Blood, don't return from a mission with bad news. God knows I've learned that fact over the years, but I could tell from Percy's face as we walked out of the water, he was just now learning the veracity in that statement.

That afternoon, Connor Stoll had been on guard duty, and apparently he got so excited that he fell out of his tree. Then, without missing a beat, he blew the conch shell, signaling to the rest of the camp that we'd come back. While the sound of running campers filled the air, Connor was the first to approach us, his infamous smile resting easily on his face.

I kept my hand against my bracelet, no longer trusting either of the Stoll brothers after the time they'd somehow pried my most prized possession off my body. Needless to say, I got them back for stealing my bracelet and have an oath on the Styx from the two of them that they would never take my bracelet again.

Still, both Connor and Travis were so jovial and shared a crooked sense of humor that usually had people laughing that it was hard to believe that their brother was Kyle.

"Percy! Andy!" he yelled. "What happened? Where's James?"

Our faces told the whole story. Connor no longer seemed so happy to see us, his smile melting. "Oh, no. Poor Lucy. Holy Zeus, when she finds out…"

As we walked over the sand dunes and toward the dining pavilion, where we were supposed to debrief in front of the entire camp, I felt a sharp pressure behind my eyes, causing me to stumble.

"Andy, are you okay?" Percy asked, helping keep me upright. "Did you get hurt?"

The pressure got so intense that I couldn't respond. I fell to the ground, clutching at my head and writhing in pain. It felt as if someone had set my head in a vice covered in spikes.

"Go get Will!" I heard Percy tell Connor.

"What do you want?" I asked, watching as the three Fates stepped out from behind a few trees.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Tell me!" I shouted at the Fates, ignoring Percy's question. "I can't be doing this every time you need to talk to me. So I'll ask you this one more time. What do you want with me?"

The three sisters held a silent conversation with their eyes before Clotho stepped forward, a piece of parchment in her hand. She set the parchment onto the ground beside me, saying, "Here are the instructions about how you are to proceed until further notice. Oh, and I think now would be a good time to tell everyone the truth about your father before you're thought to be a traitor by your fellow demigods."

"You couldn't have told me this in a dream?" I asked bitterly.

Atropos and Lachesis shrugged. "This was more convenient."

"For you guys." I sighed, wincing as I pressed my palms against my temples. "Could you please leave? I feel like my head is going to explode."

"The girl is right, sisters," Clotho said. "We have stayed for too long. Goodbye, Andromeda, and heed our warnings."

The second that the Fates disappeared, the intense pressure vanished as well, eliciting a sigh of relief from me. Though I still had a dull ache behind my temples, it was nothing like the pain I felt whenever immortals thought it was okay for them to hijack my mind as a location to talk.

That's why dreams existed!

Oh well, sometimes they never learn.

I realized that Will was shining a light in my eyes as I blinked, pushing the flashlight away. "I'm fine," I muttered, getting onto my feet while brushing off the sand from my clothes.

"Then what just happened?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips. "Why did it appear to Connor and Percy that you were having a seizure?"

"A seizure?" I turned to Connor and Percy. "Remind me to take you both to a basic first aid class one day. Will, the Fates just hijacked my mind again. You know that I'm fine the moment that they disappear."

Will narrowed his eyes at me. "You promise that's what happened?"

I rolled my eyes. "Have I ever lied to you about when the Fates showed up?"

"…No."

"And the streak continues," I said, ruffling his hair, much to his annoyance. "But I have to run an errand for them right now, so I won't be able to join you guys at the debriefing."

"I can't tell Lucy what happened," Percy said, his voice full of panic, "not by myself."

"We'll help," Connor promised, throwing an arm over Percy's shoulders. "Isn't that right, Will?"

"Of course. Gods knows the amount of times I've had to break the news that someone's died."

Percy flinched.

"I'll meet up with you guys in the Big House in five minutes," I said before jogging towards the cabins, away from the incoming demigods.

Once I was sure that I was by myself, and that included staying away from satyrs and nymphs, I unfurled the parchment that the Fates had given me. Their handwriting was as elegant as I expected it to be, but if I had dyslexia, this writing would've been murder on my eyes.

Andromeda, the time has come for you to face your father (which we still don't fully understand how that came to be). As you know, many critical battles are in your future, and like in years past, there will be moments where you absolutely cannot interfere.

You must not be a part of the following events: Percy bathing in the River Styx (meaning that you cannot be in the Underworld when he bathes; anything before then is acceptable), the fight at the Williamsburg Bridge (by that we mean you must not interfere when Annabeth gets stabbed or when Michael dies), and most important of all, DO NOT BE IN THE THRONE ROOM WHEN KRONOS IS ULTIMATELY DEFEATED.

Yes, we've revealed to you that you will be victorious against your father, but only under the circumstances that you not be there. If not, well, we've seen some rather unpleasant possibilities.

Best of luck, girl. We'll be in contact periodically.

Sincerely,

The Fates.

The second that I finished reading the note, the paper spontaneously combusted, crumbling into ash in my hand. I guess they didn't want to risk anyone finding out the future.

I then began my journey to the Big House, mentally preparing myself for all the accusations that I was going to face for telling the truth. Not to mention that everyone was going to believe that I'm the spy that we still have to deal with.

Seriously, this was going to be like my first few days of camp all over again.

When I walked into the Big House, things were already chaotic around the Ping-Pong table. Clarisse, who was wearing blood red battle armor and had her electric spear strapped to her back, was screaming at Michael Yew, whose fingers were aggressively plucking at his bow's string.

"We were the ones that got the chariot!" Michael screamed. "Without us, Kyle would still have possession of it!"

"Listen here, punk," Clarisse snarled, clearly debating about whether she was going to wring Michael's neck or not. "Without the Ares cabin, there wouldn't have been a raid. We've had this information for days, and it wasn't until I ordered us to act on it that we moved. The Ares cabin deserves the chariot!"

Beckendorf and Silena sat by Lucy's side, who was staring blankly at the cup of hot chocolate Clarisse had made her. Last summer, Silena and Lucy had given Clarisse dating advice, and ever since then, the daughter of Ares became both girls' personal body guard. Katie Gardener of Demeter was here as well, probably since Lucy was still in shock and wouldn't be fully aware of what was going on. I understood completely.

"It's our loot!" Michael yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"

Around the table, people were trying not to laugh – the Stoll brothers, Katie Gardener, Pollux. However, Silena, Beckendorf, and Lucy were ignoring the argument, the couple trying to soothe their friend.

"STOP IT!" Percy yelled, his eyes full of anger once he saw the fight between Michael and Clarisse. "What are you guys doing?"

Clarisse glowered at Percy. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk."

"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said.

"The only reason I'm here is to support Lucy!" Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin."

"What are you talking about?" Percy demanded.

Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse has refused to speak to any of us, until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days."

"It's been wonderful," Travis Stoll said wistfully.

"What issue?" Percy asked.

Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"

Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters-"

"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and fight when you need us, and not complain!"

"That would be nice," Connor Stoll muttered.

Clarisse gripped her knife. "Maybe I should as Mr. D-"

"As you know," Chiron interrupted, his tone slightly angry now, "our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this."

"I see," Clarisse said. "And the senior counselors? Are any of you going to side with me?"

"Chiron, how long had you known about the whereabouts of Kyle's men before the raid began?" I asked, shocking most of the senior counselors. I always sided with Chiron, so for me to question must've been blasphemy in their eyes.

"Three days, Andy. Why do you ask?"

"I ask, because why didn't anyone act on this information the moment it was discovered? I can understand waiting a few hours or a day, but three whole days for a raid?" I turned to Clarisse. "You said that you were the one to organize the raid?"

Clarisse seemed to be in shock as well. "Yes. I was the one pushing for the raid until Chiron finally approved. But he said that we had to bring the Apollo cabin along as well."

I nodded my head. "And that makes sense that he did that. But you were willing to go with just your siblings on this raid, correct?"

"Yes. We didn't ask or want the Apollo cabin to come."

"You're lucky that we did," Michael snarled, "or else we wouldn't have the chariot."

"Oh, my gods," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Hear me out before anyone tries to kill me. I can get another flying chariot easily, just choose which cabin gets the one from the raid. Would that be okay?"

"Of course not!"

"Hades no!"

That was enough senseless fighting for me. "Listen to me, both of you," I hissed, glaring at the disputants. "We're in a war time right now, meaning we don't have time to fight over pride. So, I'll say this one more time. Pick who gets a new flying chariot, or I will burn the one from the raid and no one gets it. Am I clear?"

Michael scowled. "Crystal."

"Fine." Clarisse turned to Lucy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost…Anyway, I apologize. To you. Nobody else."

Lucy didn't seem to register her words.

Clarisse threw her knife on the Ping-Pong table. "All of you can fight in this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."

The rest of the counselors were far too stunned to say anything as Clarisse stormed out of the room.

Finally Michael Yew said, "Good riddance."

"Are you kidding?" Katie Gardner protested. "This is a disaster!"

"She can't be serious," Travis said. "Can she?"

Chiron sighed. "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down eventually." But he didn't sound convinced.

"Clarisse knows how to hold her grudges," I muttered, plopping myself into a seat next to Pollux, who was probably the least annoying person in the room right now. "I wouldn't count too much on her support right now."

"Now," Chiron continued, brushing off my negative comments, "if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy – the Great Prophecy."

Annabeth handed Percy the parchment. He unfurled the paper, trying not to rip it, and began to read:

"A half-blood of the eldest dogs…"

"Err, Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs."

"Oh, right." Although I didn't have dyslexia, I knew that strong emotions made it worse, fear especially. "A half-blood of the eldest gods…shall reach sixteen against all odds…"

Percy hesitated, staring at the next lines. I watched as he clenched his jaw, rereading the next lines a few times before continuing. "And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap." He stopped again, glancing down at his pocket, where Riptide was hidden.

"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest."

He swallowed a lump in his throat before reading the last two lines. "A single choice shall…shall end his days. Olympus to per – pursue-"

"Preserve," Annabeth said gently. "It means to save."

"I know what it means," he grumbled. "Olympus to preserve or raze."

The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?"

"Not raise," Lucy said, startling us all. "R-a-z-e means destroy."

"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble."

"Got it," Percy said, his face extremely pale. "Thanks."

Everybody was staring at Percy – with concern, or pity, or maybe a little fear.

Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. In his horse form, his head almost brushed the lights in the rec room. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders-"

"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" Percy said. "Yeah, I get it."

I stood up so abruptly that my chair fell. "Don't you dare think like that, Percy," I said, feeling myself getting riled up that he was so complacent about his death. "I made a promise to you and your mother years ago to keep you safe, and I will do so to my dying breath."

"Andromeda," Chiron admonished. "We can't promise anything-"

"I don't care! I've been training my entire life for this entire moment, so forgive me if this upsets me. I've studied this prophecy ever since I was fourteen, Chiron. I know more than I should know. But gods be damned if I fail my duty to protect Olympus or Percy."

"You were sent to protect me?" Percy asked. "You didn't come on your own free will?"

"What?" I said, taken aback by his question. "No, no, that's not what happened at all, Percy. The first time I met you, you were seven. Poseidon had been having the same dream for a few weeks that something bad was going to happen to you, so I began dropping by to check in on you. That's why I was there the night of the shooting."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "You were in a shooting?" she exclaimed, waiting for Percy to explain.

He ignored the question. "That was you that night?"

I nodded. "I'd made plans with your mother to come visit you, and it happened to be the night of the shooting. Ever since then, I've watched out for you, Percy." I bit my lip and turned to the rest of the senior counselors. "I try to watch over all the gods' children to the best of my ability, but I can't be everywhere at once, and some gods prefer that I stay away from their children."

Travis and Connor gasped. "Is that how you knew about what Kyle was doing in our cabin?"

"Yes. And I would've interfered sooner if Zeus hadn't sent me on a mission." I sighed. "If you want to interrogate me later about what your parents had me do in your lives, fine, but right now we have more pressing matters. We've got a spy."

Michael Yew scowled. "A spy?"

Percy told them what had happened on the Princess Andromeda – how Kronos had known we were coming, how he'd shown him the silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp.

Lucy began to cry again, and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders.

"Well," Connor Stoll said uncomfortably, "we've suspected there might be a spy for years, right? Somebody kept passing information to Kyle – like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well. Um, I mean, it could be anybody."

Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out who the spy could be. As far as I knew, his only true friend had been Holly, and she had left camp with him. Who could be the spy? I'd have to ask Silena later. Not that she was the spy, I already dealt with her a few years ago, but I really hoped it wasn't Lucy.

"Yes." Katie Gardener frowned at the Stoll brothers. She'd disliked them ever since they'd decorated the grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies. "Like one of Kyle's siblings."

Travis and Connor both began arguing with her.

"Stop!" Lucy banged the table so hard that her hot chocolate spilled. "James is dead and…and you're all arguing like little kids!" She put her head down and began to sob.

Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everyone looked ashamed.

"She's right," Pollux said at last. "Accusing each other doesn't help. We need to keep our eyes open for a silver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too."

Instantly, I felt multiple gazes settle on my bracelet. I frowned. "What did Pollux just say about accusing each other? Do you guys really think I'm the spy?"

"Well," Travis began, "you're always gone. That's kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

My frown morphed into a scowl. "During the year, I go to school. During the summer, I'm Olympus's messenger girl, so I'm barely at camp."

"Then why are you so secretive about your bracelet?" Connor continued for his brother. "Don't think that we've forgotten what you made us do after we took your bracelet."

"You want to doubt me?" I asked. "Fine. I'll show you what every single charm on this bracelet is and what it does. Happy?"

Everyone nodded.

I sighed and began going through my many charms, showing everyone my arsenal of concealed weapons that I carried with me at all times. I also showed them the charms that I used for communication, armor, and storage (aka my bag). And, to their surprise, they never found a single scythe dangling from my wrist.

Michael Yew grunted. "Since Andy's not the spy, we need to find him before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the Princess Andromeda won't stop Kronos forever."

I groaned. "And for the love of Olympus, don't say his name! It only makes him more powerful." I ran a hand through my hair and flopped back into my seat. "This has been your PSA of the day."

"Michael is right," Chiron said. "In fact, his next assault is already on the way."

Percy scowled. "You mean the 'bigger threat' Poseidon mentioned?"

He and Annabeth looked at each other like, It's time. Seeing that I'd been the one to inform them of Typhon's escape, I knew they were finally going to tell Percy what he'd missed on those days he was out with Rachel.

"Percy," Chiron said, "we didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your…mortal friends." Annabeth started to blush.

"Tell me what's happened," he said.

Chiron picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate where we usually melted nacho cheese. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights. Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat."

The mist shimmered, revealing Mount St. Helens. As I watched, the side of the mountain exploded. Fire, ash, and lava rolled out. A newscaster's voice was saying – "even larger than last year's eruption, and geologists warn that the mountain may not be done."

Percy and I shared a look. We both knew about last year's eruption. We'd caused it. But this explosion was much worse. The mountain tore itself apart, collapsing inward, and an enormous form rose out of the smoke and lava like it was emerging from a manhole. Having seen Typhon for myself, I was glad that the Mist hid him from the mortals or else there would've been massive hysteria all over the country.

"It's him," Percy said. "Typhon."

Chiron simply nodded. "The most horrible monster of all, the single biggest threat the gods ever faced. He has been freed from under the mountain at last. But this scene is from two days ago. Here is what is happening today."

Chiron waved his hand and the image changed. Instead of an exploding volcano, we saw dark storm clouds rolling across the Midwest plains. Lightning flickered. Lines of tornadoes destroyed everything in their path – ripping up houses and trailers, tossing cars around like Matchbox toys.

"Monumental flood," an announcer was saying. "Five states declared disaster areas as the freak storm system sweeps east, continuing its path of destruction." The cameras zoomed out, giving us enough of a view to see the gods diving into the dark mass of clouds, trying to slow down Typhon.

"Are those…the gods?" Percy asked.

"Yes, Percy," Chiron said. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhon is marching forward – toward New York. Toward Olympus."

"How long until he gets here?"

"Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there…except your father, who has a war of his own to fight."

"But then who's guarding Olympus?"

Connor Stoll shook his head. "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."

"It's a trick," Percy said. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen."

Chiron looked at him gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not."

"We have to defend Olympus," Percy insisted. "The Titan King has another attack planned."

"He did," Travis Stoll reminded him. "But you sunk his ship."

I just realized how everyone missed the opportunity to say, "You sunk his battle ship!" but I guess it's not the time or place. Bummer.

Everyone was looking at Percy, hoping for good news. But I knew how my father worked. He wanted us to blow up that ship, thinking that it would trick us into letting our guard down. That sneaky bastard.

"Maybe you're right," Percy said, but I could tell he didn't believe it.

"Before we adjourn," I said, stopping Chiron from dismissing the rest of the counselors. "I was told by the Fates that I am to reveal something about myself that only few know."

Chiron inhaled sharply. Percy and Annabeth looked panicked as well, the both of them making slash marks across their throats, practically begging me to shut up. But it was the Fates' will, so I couldn't defy them, not even for my friends.

"As you all know, I've been at Camp Half-Blood for nine years. Well, this is my ninth year, but same thing." I began fiddling with my beaded necklace. "I know most of you are aware of most of my powers and how radically different they are from each other. I also know that many of you believe that I'm unclaimed, but technically, that's not true either."

"Then when were you claimed?" Pollux asked. "Why didn't we know about it?"

I sighed. "Remember the year I blew up the forest during capture the flag?" Everyone nodded except Percy. "Well, when Mr. D took me to Olympus for the gods to decide my fate, my father claimed me as his daughter. I kid you not, once the gods saw who my father was, they almost killed me right then and there. Athena's judgement is the only reason I'm not dead right now."

Annabeth seemed extremely proud of that fact.

"Then who's your father?" Silena asked. "Are you a daughter of the Big Three?"

"Nah, or else this prophecy would've come to pass seven years ago. No, my father is much, much worse than being a child of the Big Three." I bit my lip. "My father is – and as much as I hate saying his name out loud, I have to this time – Kronos."

Immediately, the room was filled with gasps. Shock was evident on everyone's faces, but there were also looks of betrayal, like I'd personally back stabbed them for Kronos being my father.

"The gods let you into Camp Half-Blood?!" Michael exclaimed. "This is a haven for demigods, not demititans! How dare you come here and claim to be one of us!"

"Michael," Chiron admonished.

"No, he's right, Chiron," Katie agreed. "How do we know we can trust Andy if all she's done is lie to us for nine years?"

"She has done no such thing!" Annabeth yelled. "So what if her father is Kronos? Andy has done nothing but try to protect us from the moment she stepped foot into camp! If you're willing to forget everything nice she's ever done for you just because of who her father is, shame on you!"

That was enough to end the conversation pretty quickly.

"Well," Chiron said. "I think that's enough for one night."

"That's an understatement," Percy muttered.

And the war council adjourned.