Reyna was ninety-eight percent sure they were about to die. The remaining two percent of her brain was still trying to figure out how she was going to keep fighting with what felt like a marble paperweight attached to her arm.

"This way!" she shouted to Percy, who was ten steps behind her, his silver sword drawn and ready for the next wave of monsters. He looked tired, but Reyna had to admit, he was running a lot faster than she'd thought.

They'd been running for what felt like hours since escaping the beach. The werewolves' howls echoed across the morning air, drawing closer by the second, which meant she and Percy had maybe five minutes before they were surrounded again.

Reyna's lungs burned with each breath. Her left hand hung heavily at her side, the stone patch that had started at her wrist now extended halfway up her forearm. The weight threw off her balance when she ran, making her movements sloppy.

Every time she glanced at the gray stone surface replacing her flesh, panic fluttered beneath her ribs, like a trapped bird beating against the walls of her chest. But panic was a luxury she couldn't afford right now. Victory always favors the calm, her mom used to say. She forced herself to look around, scanning the area for anything useful in case of a fight.

She noticed a large grove of trees on her right, beyond which the island simply collapsed into a steep cliff. Out of all the areas she'd passed so far, that seemed the most defensible.
"We can make a stand there," she said, pointing to it with her good arm.
Percy nodded. "If we have to."

She thought he was going to crack a stupid joke. Maybe something about whether Reyna wanted a lemonade stand or a cookie stand. The fact that he was too tired to annoy her was worrying.

Fighting the monsters couldn't be the answer though, Reyna figured. Juno had sent them here because somewhere on this island was the solution to her curse. She just hoped she could reach it before the monsters reached her.

Finally, she scaled up a set of broken marble stairs along the side of a small hall. The stairs were dusty and overrun with small plants and scurrying rats, but they still looked like they were sturdy, without any cracks or breaks. On the top, the temple entrance yawned before her, dark and uninviting, like a mouth ready to swallow her whole. Broken columns flanked the doorway like jagged teeth.

"What do you think you're doing?"
Reyna froze.

That voice. She knew that voice.

A slender figure emerged from the shadows of a few trees to the right of the entrance. It was draped in a simple white chiton that seemed to capture and amplify the sunlight. Dark hair pulled back in a loose braid, and its eyes—cold and calculating—were fixed on them.

The years hadn't changed her at all, not a single line on her face, not a single silver strand in her hair.
Magic.

"Circe," Reyna whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant howling.

A flood of emotions crashed through her. Why was she here? What had she been doing all this time? Did she know about the monsters?

Then a white-hot rage.

Reyna remembered that Circe was the one who had cast the curse in the first place. The same curse that was turning her arm to stone inch by inch. The same curse that had claimed Jason. The same curse that threatened to transform her entire body into lifeless marble. It was all her fault.

Percy frowned. "Wait, Circe? As in—"

"As in the sorceress who turned you into an adorable little guinea pig?" Circe's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The very same, Percy Jackson. How… unexpected to find you here. And in the company of my former apprentice, no less."

Percy's threw away his silver sword and quickly drew out Riptide, the celestial bronze casting a faint glow that illuminated the hard lines of his face. "I don't regret setting the pirates on you."

"Pirates who kept me captive for months," Circe added coldly, her fingers brushing an invisible speck of dust from her chiton. "I suppose I should thank you for that delightful experience, Percy Jackson."

Percy shifted his stance, the sword in his hand catching the sun. "You turned me into a guinea pig! A bloody rodent!"

"A guinea pig is not technically a rodent," Circe corrected with a sniff. "It's a cavy."

The howls were getting closer. Reyna could even hear the giants' heavy footsteps too, making the ground tremble beneath them. Somehow, they'd found a way up the steep hillside. Each vibration sent a jolt of pain through her arm.

"Please," Reyna said, stepping forward. The words burnt in her throat like acid. "Let us into the temple. Those monsters—"

"Are a few minutes away," Circe yawned, checking her nails. "And why should I help either of you? Especially him?" She jabbed a manicured finger in Percy's direction.

Percy raised Riptide, moving to stand in front of Reyna defensively. "We don't have time for this."

"Well, isn't this interesting," Circe said, stepping back as Percy waved his sword. "A Greek defending a Roman. How… progressive."

The ground trembled more violently. The monsters were getting closer.

"They're going to be on us any minute," Reyna said urgently. "Whatever grudge you hold, can it wait?"

Something flickered across Circe's face. She stepped closer to Reyna, studying her intently. Her gaze dropped to Reyna's left arm, and her eyes widened. She glanced quickly at Percy, then back at her. "Very well," she said abruptly. "Inside, quickly. I cannot keep them at bay for long."

"Wait," Percy said, not moving. "Those monsters should follow your command, right? You're the sorceress here."
Circe's laugh was sharp. "Those creatures are not mine, nor do they follow my commands. Now get inside before I change my mind."
Percy looked like he wanted to argue further. "Then who sent—"

"Percy, stop arguing and let's go!" Reyna cut him off, grabbing his arm with her good hand. After a moment's hesitation, Percy followed her past Circe and into the temple. The sorceress remained at the entrance, muttering something under her breath—a spell, Reyna guessed, from the way the air around her seemed to shimmer with power. She didn't stay to check.

The interior of the temple was surprisingly well-preserved, with intricate mosaics lining the walls and a high, domed ceiling. Sunlight filtered through cracks in the ancient structure, casting elongated shadows across the floor. At the far end stood an altar, cracked but still standing, and beyond it, a set of stairs leading downward into darkness.

"This way," Circe said, brushing past them. She must have completed her spell. The hem of her chiton scraped against the stone floor. "The fountain chamber is below."

"Fountain chamber?" Percy asked.

"Did Juno tell you nothing when she sent you here?" Circe asked, her voice echoing as they descended the steps.

Reyna exchanged a look with Percy. "She simply gave us a boat and a direction. Said we needed to find the cure for… this." She lifted her arm slightly, the effort making her wince.

"Of course she did," Circe muttered. "The gods and their games." Reyna chose not to remind Circe that she too was, technically, a god.

As they descended deeper, the air grew cooler and damper. The stairway spiraled downward, each turn showing more and more steps until Reyna lost count. The only sound was their footsteps and the occasional distant rumble from above.

Finally, the stairway opened into a huge underground chamber. The ceiling arched high above her, supported by columns carved with symbols that seemed to shift and change in the dim light. But it was what stood in the center of the chamber that caught Reyna's attention.

"Damn," Percy whistled. "Now that's big."

An enormous fountain dominated the space. It was huge— easily the size of a small swimming pool. Water still flowed within it, after what must have been centuries, cascading from the outstretched hands of a statue at its center. It seemed to glow with an strange blue light, illuminating the entire chamber and casting weird, dancing shadows on the walls.

Percy approached the fountain cautiously. "I can't control the water here," he remarked. Circe scoffed and said she'd be surprised if he could. They started to argue, but Reyna didn't really pay attention. She was drawn to the murals that lined the chamber's perimeter, their colors still vibrant.

On one side were depictions of Greek gods and demigods, easily identifiable by their clothing and symbols—Zeus with his lightning bolt, Poseidon with his trident, Athena with her owl. On the opposite wall were Roman figures—Jupiter, Mars, Bellona—togas, eagles, and the the legion.

"This place," Reyna said slowly, the realization dawning on her as she took in the symmetry of the chamber, "it's some kind of meeting ground, isn't it? Between Greeks and Romans."

Circe nodded, shooting Percy a withering glare. "Very astute, my former apprentice. This sanctuary was created as a neutral ground, long before the gods decided to keep their two aspects separate."

Percy had gone back to staring at the fountain, looking troubled. "If Juno didn't want us to come here, we never would have made it," he said. "Why did the gods hide this place if it holds the cure to the curse?"

"Why indeed?" Circe echoed, her voice betraying nothing.

"We can think about that later," Reyna said, approaching the fountain. Her arm felt heavier every minute. "Right now, we need to focus on breaking this curse."

The fountain was circular, with intricate carvings around its rim. In the center of the pool stood a statue—a woman with her arms outstretched, water flowing from her palms into the basin below.

"Juno," Percy said, recognizing the figure. "Or Hera, I guess."
"Both and neither," Circe corrected. "This is older than their division."

Reyna moved closer to the fountain, studying the inscriptions carved into its stone rim. The words were etched in ancient scripts, half in Greek, half in Latin, but surrounding the entire fountain was a single phrase that appeared in both languages:

Blood of enemies, freely given, breaks chains the gods have woven.

"Blood," Reyna murmured, her eyes narrowing as she examined the fountain more carefully.

On opposite sides of the fountain stood two shallow stone bowls—one on the Greek side and one on the Roman side. They were small but ornate, with symbols etched into their surfaces like a kid had marked them out with a sharp pencil.

Percy noticed them too, his expression darkening. "Those look like…"

"Blood bowls," Reyna finished.

Blood of enemies…

Another rumble shook the chamber, sending dust filtering down from the ceiling like gray snow. The monsters were still searching for them. Time was running out.