"What the Hades did you do to her?!" I heard someone scream, causing me to cringe. My head throbbed painfully, like someone had brought a sledge hammer against my temples and tried to split my skull open.

"Oh, stop your complaints. I didn't do anything to harm her."

"You just shot the Master Bolt at Andy! I seriously doubt that's not harming her!" someone else shouted.

I don't know how, but I managed to open my eyes, flinching away from the brightness of the throne room. Although my arms were felt as solid as Jell-O, I pushed myself upright, ignoring my body's protests from the minimal movement. Was it just me, or was time suddenly moving much slower?

And before you ask, no, I wasn't doing anything. It's not like I could've manipulated time at the moment, anyways, not unless I wanted to pass out again.

"Ugh, my head," I groaned, screwing my eyes shut and keeping my head tucked against my chest. "What happened?"

"I told you I didn't hurt her!" Zeus said, though the relief in his voice was completely palpable. Had he zapped me with his symbol of power without knowing what would happen? My gods, I knew my request would anger him, but a near murder seems a little too much, don't you think?

And that made me wonder if the gods had ever gotten to Percy's request. If my request had earned me a near death experience, I was terrified to see how they were going to react to Percy's. Even though the world was still spinning and there was no way I could stand up without falling back down, I fiddled with one of my charms, prepared to leap in front of Percy the way Athena had done for me if it came to that.

Then I felt someone throw their arms over my shoulders, burying their face into the crook of my neck. I began patting their back awkwardly, unsure of how to react to the, "Thank Olympus that you're safe."

Wasn't it just because of Olympus that I just became a human lightning rod?

"Get off of her, brother," I heard Artemis say, and despite my eyes still being closed, I could still see the scowl she was wearing. "This is extremely unbecoming of you."

"I don't care," he pouted like a petulant child, tightening his grip on me so that I could feel his fingers digging into my flesh. Not the most pleasant feeling. Apollo pulled away, and I felt him brush some of my mangled curls, which were probably sticking up around me like a lion's mane, out of my face, his touch impossibly delicate.

"Hey, you," Apollo said softly, barely above a whisper. "I'm glad you're alive. For a moment…well, I don't mean to be a Debby downer, but…"

"I should be dead," I said bluntly, finally opening my eyes, keeping them open this time. I suddenly realized that it had been Apollo's eyes I'd seen right before I passed out. Speaking of which, my friends were probably worried, but to my surprise, when I looked around, the throne room was empty except for me and the rest of the Olympians. "Where is everyone?"

"The party ended ages ago," Mr. D said with a grunt, haphazardly turning the page of his wine catalog. "Those brats should be back at camp by now."

"Dionysus," Athena said in an annoyed voice, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her Aegis.

"Yeah, yeah." Mr. D waved off the goddess of wisdom's warning, enthralled about this month's featured wine: Pinot Noir.

"Anyhow," Apollo said, clearing his throat and grabbing my attention. "After Father tried to kill you-"

"That was not my intention!"

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Father. Anyways, the Fates stopped us from sending you with Hades to the Underworld, of course, as a resident this time, not a servant. We'd thought that all the life had been drained from you, courtesy of one Master Bolt, but the Fates assured us that you were asleep and that we were to keep an eye on you until you woke up."

I nodded, suddenly grateful for the three ladies preventing the gods from trying to bury me alive. But I knew I must've been near dead from the fact that neither Hades nor Apollo could sense life within me while I was out.

So that brought up the question: what exactly had Zeus's plan been if not to kill me? And how was this supposed to be a punishment? Because if there's anything I know about the Lord of the Skies, he enjoys setting up his punishments to torment his prisoners as much as possible – like what he did to Prometheus.

"So then what was your intention, brother?" Hades spat, glaring daggers at Zeus, the shadows in the room swirling around him in agitation. Even the damned souls of the god's clothes were restless, incessantly moving across the fabric, rippling like waves in a pond.

"Whatever it was that you did was meant to be a punishment," Poseidon pointed out, sounding just as furious as Hades. "And clearly the punishment wasn't death, so go on, out with it. Or did you just want to see what your glorified shock stick could do to someone with the Curse of Achilles?"

Zeus swallowed thickly, like someone had just forced the world's largest pill down his throat. Even Hera seemed downright murderous towards her husband, giving him such a severe scowl that Kronos himself would be proud. Not to mention that Hestia, who could probably have been a goddess of peace from how adamant she was to stay out of conflicts, looked like she wanted to throttle her youngest brother with her bare hands, while they were on fire.

"Your punishment, er, it is to…" Zeus cut himself off, scanning the room only to realize that the only god in his favor was Ares, who was licking his lips with anticipation and cleaning his nails with a razor sharp knife. But even then, Ares and I respected each other, so I don't know how much Ares really wanted me punished or if he just wanted another fight to break out.

"Well?" I asked, hating the feebleness of my own voice. It sounded like the electricity had fried my voice box, much to my disgust.

Zeus hung his head in defeat. "I was never going to punish you, Andromeda. What I did is force a gift upon you, one I knew you would turn down if given the option."

Uh oh, I heard George and Martha mutter, slithering around Hermes's caduceus, while the god was gripping his throne's armrest so tightly it was a miracle he hadn't ripped the leather off yet. Apollo was just as ticked, his body shining with excess light to reflect his anger, which made him nearly impossible to look at.

Thankfully, I'd learned my lesson ages ago and fished out my pair of Apollo-grade sunglasses, strong enough to stare at a blazing sun god without permanent damage to my eyes.

"What…did…you…do?" Hera said through gritted teeth, about to tear out Zeus's throat.

"Oh, heh, funny story…"

"ZEUS!"

"All right, all right; calm down, woman!" Zeus threw up his hands in surrender. "I made Andromeda a goddess – there, the big secret has been revealed!"

All the strength drained out of my body again, and I wanted nothing more than to have Hera wipe my mind, wanting to forget that this conversation had ever happened. Me, a goddess? When had that ever been part of the plan? I didn't want to be a goddess, restricted by the Ancient Laws, unable to do the one thing I'd been brought here to do.

"Take it back," I growled, staggering to my feet, suppressing any feeling of vertigo that I was starting to develop. "I don't want to be a goddess. Take it back!"

"It is already too late, I'm afraid-"

"That's a load of Minotaur dung!" I shouted, anger bubbling up in my chest. "Why would you do this to me? I didn't ask to become a goddess! You forbade me from becoming a goddess!"

Shockingly, no one could give me an answer, varying looks of sadness, pity, and annoyance on everyone's face. I felt my scowl deepen.

"Fine," I muttered, angrily pushing aside my matted curls, pulling my hair back so aggressively that I broke my hair tie. I just pulled out another one from my pocket and was more careful this time. "So I'm a goddess. Where are the Fates?"

"Why do you ask?" Athena inquired, her gray eyes burning with sympathy as well as fury. Whenever she turned her steely glare towards her father, she smirked at the way he'd flinch away.

"We are going to have a talk, those ladies and I."

Zeus set his mouth into a thin line, but from the way his eyes kept scanning the room, I knew he was still nervous about how the others were going to react. "Well, don't you want to what your domains are?"

"Not really, no."

"Might as well find out now," Hades said with a shrug. "It's better than finding out from the Fates."

A collective shudder passed through the room – except for me, that is. I'd spent way too much time with the Fates to be afraid of them like other people were. But, to please the gods, I relented, praying that I didn't get something that would prohibit me from going into the mortal world. If that was the case, I made a promise myself right then and there to find a way to rid oneself of immortality.

And while I knew Zeus could strip away someone's godhood, like the few times he'd done it to Poseidon and Apollo, I seriously doubted he'd do the same for me, seeing that he was the one that gave me my immortality in the first place.

"Andromeda Collins," Zeus began in a way too ceremonious way. "You are now the goddess of time."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

Zeus faltered. "Uh, no…?"

"Brother," Poseidon threatened, the spearheads around his trident glowing with a faint greenish light. "Tell her the whole truth, or so help me gods…"

"So mutinous today, aren't we?" Zeus grumbled, shaking his head in disappointment. "Your full titles are the goddess of time, language, wolves, snakes," – I suppressed a shudder – "friendship, and…" He mumbled something so quietly that I wasn't able to make it out.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"And the future. There, happy?" Zeus asked, casting a look to the rest of the council. Those who'd been glaring the most – Apollo, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis, Hades, and Hermes – relaxed a little. Aphrodite clapped her hands in delight, causing for rose petals to start falling from a cloud that'd appeared over her head.

"Does that mean I can go down to the mortal world?"

"Err, that is a question best saved for the Fates. Speaking of which, here they come right now!"

The Fates set down their basket and tools, walking forward towards the gods, casually swinging wooden clubs in their hands, which caused most of the gods to pale considerably. As for me, I smiled, knowing that those clubs were only used for intimidation. Their real clubs, the ones they used if it became absolutely necessary for them to fight, were covered with spikes from a Manticore, venom from a basilisk, and coated in barbed wire.

Who knew wood could be such a terrifying weapon.

"Hello, Andy," Lachesis greeted. "We're glad to see that you're awake."

"How long have you had this planned out?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest in annoyance.

"Ever since you stepped foot on this planet," Clotho answered.

I felt all the blood drain from my face. "What are you doing?" I hissed, keeping my voice as low as possible. "I thought I was supposed to keep quiet until after you-know-when."

"That was the original plan," Atropos agreed. "But things have changed since then. We have other things in store for you, Andy, once your work is done here."

"Oh, joy." I rolled my eyes. "So what am I supposed to do now, tell them?"

"We'll leave that up to you, dear." Clotho reached into the folds of her weathered robes and produced a black box with a little gold lock keeping it shut. "Your mother told us to bring this to you. Right now, you won't need it, but in the future, you will."

"What is it?" I turned the box over in my hand, frowning when I didn't find any markings. "Where's the key?"

"That'll be revealed in time. Now, as for your previous question about your mission, even as a goddess, you are allowed to do your job. We have made sure that the Ancient Laws don't apply to you."

"Oh, thank the gods." I pocketed the box into my bag, setting it right on top of my books, just so I wouldn't forget that I had it.

"Uh, Andy?" Hermes said, lifting his hand like we were in a classroom, and he was waiting to be called on by the teacher. "One question: what the Hades are you all talking about?"

"Go on," Lachesis goaded, giving me a gentle shove forward. "It is time that they learnt the truth."

I sighed deeply, biting my lip before I started to speak. "I am Andromeda Lilliana Collins, and I was brought here from another planet to change the future."

When I arrived back at Camp Half-Blood, many of the campers stared at me like they were looking at a ghost. At one point, an Iris girl ran up to me and pressed her hands against my shirt, watching the black fabric ripple to a neon green before squealing and running away.

I didn't ask any questions and instead headed for the Big House.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Patrick on the outer porch of the Big House, playing a game of Pinochle with Chiron and two other satyrs. I almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. But what shocked me even more was the fact that running from the volleyball courts, with another satyr chasing after them, were my other friends: Leah, Pete, Joe, and Andy.

"Hey, wait up!" their satyr cried, shrieking when he tripped over the sand pit, face planting into the dirt.

"ANDROMEDA LILLIANA COLLINS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Leah screamed loud enough for all of camp to hear, running into me with enough force to send us both tumbling to the ground. Then I felt her body shaking as she cried, hugging me tighter.

Of course, instead of helping us up, Andy, Pete, and Joe sat down and hugged Leah and me like we were in a doggy pile in football. It didn't take long for Patrick, who had jumped over the side of the railing and landed in a bush, to race over to the rest of us, settling in right between Pete and Leah.

"Hey, I'm fine," I said softly, rubbing circles into Leah's back as she sniffled, trying to regain her composure.

"Thank God for that," Joe said with a nod. "All we'd heard was that you'd been blasted by Zeus."

"And from the way those two boys spoke, we thought you'd died," Pete added.

"Which two boys?"

"You know, the blond ones," Andy said. I turned toward Patrick, raising my eyebrows quizzically. "No, not Patrick. There was one who had a scar on the left side of his face, and the other had a bow slung over his shoulder. There was another boy with them, too, one who was dressed in all black and had a skull on his shirt. I like that kid."

I grinned. "Yeah, that was Luke, Will, and Nico. Have you met them?"

Leah shook her head. "Chiron's told us that we should be careful about talking to other…demigods." She said the word as if it were taboo. "According to him, we're not even supposed to be here, but since we were with that Rachel girl, he let us through. We woke up as soon as we passed through the border."

I felt the smile melt off my face. "Is Rachel still here?"

Pete frowned. "I think so." He turned to Patrick. "Where did Chiron say she was going after she nearly died?"

Patrick choked on air from how nonchalantly Pete had talked about death. While near death situations were a part of my everyday life, I knew that that wasn't the case for most mortals, including my friends. "She ran off with some other blond kid into the Big House. Chiron said that the guy was Apollo, but I don't know…he just seemed so human."

"Yeah, that's Apollo for you. If you ever run into him again, he's usually in his teenage form. A word of advice: if he asks you to listen to his poetry, politely decline and run in the other direction."

"Isn't Apollo the god of poetry, though?" Joe asked.

"It doesn't mean he's good at it." I got to my feet, and the rest of my friends followed suit. "So, how much of the camp did you get to see?"

"We got as far as the stables," Pete said, his eyes glazed over with delight. "Those pegasi are amazing, Andy! Especially the one that's pure white!"

I chuckled softly. "Yeah, that's Star. She's under my care." I then slung my arms over Leah and Joe's shoulders, slowly dragging them back towards the thick of things. "Come on. I want to introduce you to my other friends."

Although my mortal friends hadn't been allowed to stay for the remainder of camp, Chiron extended their welcome if they ever needed anything at all. That made them all very happy, and we all promised to come back to camp during school vacations, which Chiron responded to by smiling.

As for camp, well, the new cabins were already underway, what with various groups of Cyclopes having come from Poseidon's forges to help bring Annabeth's sketches to life. I smiled as I saw Nico sitting on the grass in front of the obsidian blocks that were the foundation of what would soon become the Hades cabin, Will sitting next to him, filling the silence as he prattled on about gods knows what.

And I know you're all dying to know about what happened to Percy and Annabeth. Well, as written by Rick Riordan, the two were officially dating now after having been thrown into the canoe lake by a bunch of campers a few days ago. And now that Annabeth was in charge of designing both the new cabins and how to rebuild Olympus, you would always find Percy trailing behind her, a stupid smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend work.

I ended the summer session by spending more time with Luke, who seemed kinda bummed that Thalia hadn't left the Hunters after the war had ended like he initially thought. But he seemed to be more at peace with her decision now, even able to talk about her with a kind of fondness that I hadn't heard ever since she joined the Hunt.

"What about you?" Luke asked on the second to last day of camp, the both of us sitting at the end of the dock. My head was resting in his lap, and he was absentmindedly playing with my hair, highly amused with watching how my curls sprung back into place whenever he attempted to straighten them. "What are you going to do now?"

"Finish college, I think," I said, focusing on the lovely colors in the sky as the sun quickly raced to meet the horizon. "After that, I'm not sure. And you? Do you plan on going back to school?"

Luke was silent for a bit. Then he said, "I think I'm going to go visit my mother. Maybe now that the spirit of Delphi has moved into Rachel, she's better. At least, that's what I'm wishing for."

I smiled softly, hoping that Salina had heard Luke's wish.

The two of us just stayed at the docks until the sun set before we finally got up, wanting to return to our cabins before having to deal with the cleaning harpies. And Luke, being a gentleman, decided to walk me back to cabin three, where I could already hear Percy's snores from outside of the door.

"Goodnight, Luke," I said, only pausing when I felt him grab my wrist.

Luke's face was a bright red, clearly visible even though it was a moonless night, and he wasn't facing Hestia's hearth. "Uh, this is going to be a weird question, but can you change your age, Andy?"

I felt my own face burn. "Um, yes, I can. Why?" Then realization hit me like a brick to the face. "Oh, oh, got it." Within seconds, I was standing in front of Luke as a twenty-year-old, the same age that he was.

Then I felt his lips against my own, soft and sweet and compassionate. And as much as I'd said I never wanted to date, I couldn't deny the butterflies in my stomach, making me feel like a giddy school girl and like I was going to throw up at the same time.

A few moments later, Luke pulled away, breathing heavily, his pupils dilated much wider than I'd ever seen them before. "Goodnight, Andy," he said, giving me a final lopsided smile before he ran off to the Hermes cabin.

I then slipped into cabin three, unable to wipe away the smile on my face. After checking that Percy hadn't seen or heard anything, I changed into my pajamas and got into bed, the smile never melting away even as I pulled out my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and spent the rest of the night reading.

The next day, we said goodbye to all the summer campers, including Percy and Annabeth. I'd managed to talk to the both of them before they left, ruffling their hair, and smiling stupidly at the way their hands were intertwined.

"Stay safe, you two," I said, pulling them both into a tight hug. "And if you ever need anything during the school year…"

"You're always there," Percy and Annabeth said in a chorus, smiles resting on their faces. "We know."

"Ah, go on," I said, joy bubbling in my chest at the sight of them so happy together. Forgive me for the way I was acting, but come on, I'd been watching over these two for almost ten years now, so sorry for being so ecstatic that my OTP was now canon. "You make me feel like a proud mother."

Annabeth beamed with pride while Percy ducked his head, his face a bright shade of red before Annabeth began suggesting that they should be heading out before the harpies decided to eat their things or Argus left them behind.

I waved goodbye to them, watching as they raced down Half-Blood Hill towards the tallest pine tree, sighing contentedly. I really hope those two enjoy themselves while they can, because all hell was going to break loose within the next four months, when Hera would see it as a grand idea to do a forced exchange between the two camps with Jason and Percy.

I was broken out of my reverie when I felt someone's hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. It didn't take me long to figure out who it was, leaning into Luke's chest as we watched the rest of the summer campers hop into one of the three vans that would take them back into the city to go home.

"I can't believe the summer's already over," Luke said, drawing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "So many things have happened; it's crazy, isn't it?"

"Agreed," I said, my gaze never leaving the vans until they were nothing more than mere specks in the distance. Then I sighed, pushing my frizzy curls out of my face. "Where's Will?"

Luke frowned slightly. "Last I saw him, he was at the volleyball court with Kayla, but…" We turned to look at the volleyball court, which was completely deserted, other than the single volleyball that was resting by the base of net's poles. "Oh, there he is," Luke said, jabbing a finger in the direction of the newly built Hades cabin.

Will stood out like a sore thumb in front of all the black, obsidian stone, his blond hair like a beacon of light compared to all the shadows. Not to mention the fact that on either side of the door leading into the cabin were torches burning with Greek fire, further creating an air of darkness around the building. But Will didn't seem to mind, standing on the doorstep to cabin thirteen, his hand poised to knock on the door but never moving.

"What's he doing?" Luke asked, beginning to walk towards Will. "Do you think he's in trouble with Nico?"

I scoffed. "If anything, Nico's in trouble with Will. Nico got caught using his Underworld magic, and Will went all mama-bear, super overprotective mode on him. He just about strapped Nico to a bed in the infirmary."

Luke winced, probably remembering the time that Will had strapped him to a bed in the infirmary after Luke had broken a few ribs and refused to rest. This had been when I'd been out of the country – thanks to the gods – so I couldn't have helped expedite the healing process.

"Wait, wait, wait." Luke tugged on my arm gently, pulling the both of us behind a bunch of trees so that we still had a perfect view of the Hades cabin, but no one from the cabin could see us. "I think he's going to do it."

Will then finally knocked on the door, his hands hanging limply by his side as he waited for a response. I'm not gonna lie, I was holding my breath in surprise, wanting to see how this turned out. I mean, I knew the two would end up dating by the end of next year, but still. Rick never wrote about all the times leading up to their relationship, so to say I was curious was an understatement.

It didn't take long before the door to the cabin opened, revealing an extremely haggard looking Nico. His clothes hung limply off his skeletal frame, and even from this distance, I could clearly see the dark circles under his eyes. Or maybe it was my sight was due to my newfound godhood, I'm not really sure.

"Come on," I told Luke, nudging him out from behind the trees, in the direction of the dining pavilion. "Let's give them their privacy. Plus, it's almost lunch, and I'm absolutely starving."

"Fine," Luke said with a sigh, clearly wanting to continue his spying on our friend. "But only because today is chicken patty day, and you know how much I love chicken patties."

I pressed a kiss to his cheek before I took off running, yelling, "You can't catch me!" as I went, earning a laugh from Luke as he tried to catch up.

Needless to say, I had the perfect rest of my summer.

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