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Chapter Text

Act 1:The Lightning Thief

-o-

"Where are you going?"

"Away..."

"Come back."

"..."

-o-

The world tumbles around Kiara and she is left behind to pick up the pieces. 

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara woke up to frantic knocking on the cabin door. The moment the person on the other side banged on the door she was awake and untangling herself from her blankets. A look around the room showed the rest of her siblings stirring from their sleep, Will's hair messy from sleep, Alessandra reaching for her bow, Sofia peering down from her bunk. Kiara stumbled past Lee, bumping her hip against the frame. Her brother got up with her following behind at a sluggish pace.

"I'm coming. Just wait one second," Kiara called, opening the door.

A frazzled Annabeth leaned against the door frame, "There's—someone—at—big house."

Kiara froze. Her mind flashed through what could have happened. No one came to Cabin seven in the middle of the night unless there was an emergency. Everyone was in their cabins, unless someone had snuck out and gotten hurt in the forest or the lake. The forest was the worst option. No one knew the full extent of the monsters there. Kiara jolted back to the issue at hand. The others were leaning out of their bed trying to listen to what Annabeth had to say. They did not need to be a part of this. She pulled Annabeth in as she sent everyone back to sleep with a glare at her more protesting siblings.

"Annabeth, how urgent is this?" Kiara gave Lee a look before focusing on the girl. "Do you know anything about what happened?"

Lee caught her message and rushed over to the medicine cabinet pulling vials and ambrosia squares out.

"I don't know. Chiron just said to get you."

Kiara nodded and picked up their emergency bag. It was lighter than normal. She opened the fireproof fabric and winced at the bare holders lining the sides. Julia had gotten burns from the climbing wall and used up an unhealthy amount of their necessities. Lee took the bag from her and started refilling it.

"There was a new camper—and Grover was unconscious!"

At her worried voice Lee looked up, clanking two vials together as he placed them in the bag.

"Lee, be careful you might have broken them." Kiara checked the glass vials and plastic-wrapped ambrosia. Annabeth kept looking back at the big house as they got ready. Satisfied the potions in the vials wouldn't mix and burn a hole through the bag and her leg, Kiara turned to the jittery girl.

"I'm ready. Tell me what else you know on the way."

Kiara thanked Lee with a look and he guided them out of the cabin. Annabeth raced a few feet ahead of Kiara. The night was bright, the moon high in the clear sky. Around the edges of camp Kiara glimpsed one of the worst storms she had seen battling the protective barrier. It was competing with the moon's light, dark and rumbling. Kiara could see the rain hammering the earth from there. Something was very wrong. Kiara just hoped it did not have anything to do with her patients.

– o – ☀️ – o –

"Welcome Kiara." Chiron smiled up at them from his wheelchair. "Thank you Annabeth, but I do believe it is past curfew."

Annabeth opened her mouth to refute the dismissal but a look from Chiron sent her stomping away. Kiara watched her retreating back feeling bad for the girl.

The centaur chuckled before turning to Kiara, "I am sorry for bothering you at this late hour. Grover and our new camper seem to have met an issue on their way here. I am sure your expertise on the matter may surpass mine at this point." Chiron rolled through the hallway down to the infirmary.

"Chiron, do you know what got them into their state?" Kiara's tense shoulders relaxed minutely in his calming presence. If the situation were worse he would not slow her path. With years of experience working together on keeping the campers from falling to pieces they knew how to work alongside one another. His composed tone spoke more than words about her patients' well-being.

"Well, my dear, Grover seems to have hit his head sometime on the journey, there is a sizable lump on there, and, the boy, Percy...well, we aren't sure. No one saw the event, but we did find the Minotaur's horn on the hill... Anyway, I am sure we will get the rest of the story after the boys wake up." Chiron pushed the door open to show the two boys lying on the infirmary beds.

Kiara rushed over to them, her earlier calm fading at their worn appearance. She missed her magic; she could check them over with a spell within seconds. At the thought, her magic leaped out of her tightly wrapped core. It danced on the edge of her fingers pulling at her, begging her to use it. She shook out her hands trying to lose the feeling but it clung fast. Kiara glared at them, watching the tiny sparks no one else could see twinkling up at her.

A groan from Grover reminded her what got her into this predicament. Kiara pushed away the tugging and focused on the unconscious boy in front of her. With a quiet prayer to her father she settled her hands over his head. Chiron was right about the 'sizable lump' it made her wince just feeling it. Humming a hymn under her breath she scanned his body. She wished she could heal him but the other boy seemed worse off. The creak of the door shutting signaled Chiron's departure. Grover only had a minor concussion and a sprained ankle, probably from falling or getting hit with something fast. The other boy was in worse shape.

Quickly, Kiara set to work. Setting their injuries before she healed them was vital or else the healing would do more damage. Dealing with her more injured patient Kiara straightened his leg and shoulder before binding them to temporary stabilizers. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes plunging deep within her soul. Slowly she left her barrier of magic and soul. It clung to her every step harder than the last until she was free and searching the dark emptiness for the one she needed to help. She moved with a thought, drifting through until she found him. A ball of blue-green strands tangled around itself, protecting the fragile bits and pieces that made up this boy. Gently Kiara tapped on one of the strands stretching outwards. She pulled it close and with a little tweaking opened a channel.

She was in a different place now. The same darkness but also new. In front of her was the boy's body, to be specific his string, wound up to show her what she needed to heal him. The strand that held his life, the one that someday would be cut by the fates, seemed to reach for her. Kiara gave a small smile at the glowing soul. It was so small but so wonderful.

Kiara focused on his leg gently tapping her finger against it, connecting to his soul. It started pulling at her own string, pulling too much, too fast. His soul wanted to heal its body, fix itself, and become whole. With a jolt, Kiara pulled back panting deeply even though she had no physical lungs or a need to breathe. She had to remind herself not to heal him with her soul alone even with the comforting feeling pulling at her bones. She had to be wary or she could lose her soul—listless and without an anchor, never even making it to Hades. Moving closer once more she pulled at his energy along with her own, humming a hymn she had never learned but always knew. Before her eyes, the glowing strands tied back together under her hand.

With a weak bond in place, Kiara stepped back—heart pumping as if she had just raced around the canoe lake. She took a step back and focused on his other injuries. The initial engagement was always the hardest for her, the soul trying to reach out and save itself, like someone drowning. It would not be aware that it was pulling her down for its safety. She eased over to his shoulder not once stopping her hymn. The tone of her song shifted as she worked on his dislocated shoulder and let her gently maneuver his joint back into place.

Pulling her presence away and reversing her path, Kiara opened her eyes to the infirmary of the big house. Resting a moment Kiara let out a heavy breath. Her fingers reached up to fiddle with her necklace as she watched his face. The pained wrinkle faded from his brow and if Kiara did not know better she would have said he was sleeping. Kiara pulled her thermos of nectar out of her medicine bag and lifted him upright; she could only do so much for his concussion or exhaustion. Rest would get him up on his feet faster than if she tried to force it. She tilted his head back and poured a thimble's worth of nectar into his mouth. As the liquor of the gods flowed through his body Kiara could feel his injuries mend. It was tempting to give him more nectar but possibly burning her patient to death was not something Kiara wanted to do. She rested him back down before moving on to Grover.

Without nectar, Kiara had to rely more on her hymns and knowledge of woodland healing. Kiara could feel exhaustion setting in, dragging on her arms, pulling her down, whispering how nice that bed looked. Working on a new body took more energy than normal but she could not stop. With the boy's injuries dealt with enough to speed up his recovery process she had to help Grover. Even if it would be hard. Even if she was tired. Even if she had only gotten four hours of sleep.

After setting Grover's ankle Kiara rummaged through her bag. Pulling out a comfrey and hypericum paste, she knelt by his leg. Kiara spread the paste over his ankle, humming all the while. She sent a prayer to her father before working on his concussion. Without the food of the gods and her magic, she would have to rely on her hymns and potions. She could not do more than gently nudge his soul in the direction of healing. A satyr's soul was drastically different from a demigod's. She had to be careful with each influence of his soul. One wrong move and she would make everything worse.

It would be a long night.

– o – ☀️ – o –

Kiara woke back in her own bed, not entirely sure how she got there. She remembered the healing, and then talking to Chiron, but nothing after. Kiara abruptly sat up. The boys. She needed to check on them. Kiara wrenched herself out of bed, banging her head on the bunk above her then tripping onto Alessandra's bed.

"Hey!" Alessandra's voice was muffled under all the blankets piled on her.

"Stop being so loud," Sofia grumbled.

"Sorry." Kiara winced, peeling herself off the bed.

Kiara's younger sister swatted her hands away before settling back under the covers. Kiara apologized one last time only to get a pillow thrown in her face.

"Hey!"

"Give me back my pillow and be quiet. Some of us like to sleep past dawn."

Kiara ignored the insult, well partially. Alessandra's pillow may have ended up on the floor. She rushed around the room throwing on clothes and checking on her siblings. Everyone was there. Everyone was fine. One or two of them were already up and heading out the door. Kiara did not know exactly why she kept checking every morning but she had to. Something pulled on her conscience, whispering warnings into her ears. Kiara knew something was about to happen. She did not know when or how but she trusted herself.

The last time she felt something similar was when they had first found Will. He had fallen from Thalia's tree on the wrong side of the border. A massive ceraste watched him as if it was waiting to pounce. He held his broken arm to his chest. Lee had to lead it away as she brought him into camp. She had known he was going to come two days before. She kept waiting for someone who was not yet there.

This time the feeling was different, she was not waiting for someone new. It felt more like she was waiting for someone to be gone. Like she could already feel the grief choking her. Kiara knew there was no point in dwelling on it. She just needed to be prepared for no matter what happened. Worrying would do her no good.

Lee dazedly blinked at her as she told him where she was going and ran out the door. A smile spread across Kiara's face at her brother's messed-up hair. She regretted that she would miss his inevitable frantic dash to the bathroom once he realized. Kiara waved at the campers that were awake this early, most of whom glared half-heartedly at her cheery disposition. The big house was even brighter in the day, its baby blue paint competing with the morning sky.

Kiara rushed past Dionysus setting up a card game on the porch, "Good morning, Mr. D Hope you win today."

The camp director just harrumphed and went back to his cards.

Kiara slowed down as she neared the doors to the infirmary. She hoped last night was a dream. That Grover had not gotten into some kind of accident with a new half-blood. But she knew the truth. Steeling herself for what was to come she pushed the door open.

And there Grover was, trying to get up out of bed.

"No! Get back down! You aren't healed yet!" Kiara pushed him back down.

He was still paler than normal, his head wrapped in bandages she would need to check.

Grover let out a sheepish grin trying to hide the desperation in his eyes, "Sorry Kiki. I just need to check on him. I'm his protector and I..."

Kiara let out a semi-exasperated sigh and helped him rearrange his bed so he could see the boy. Grover's eyes scanned his charge, muscles relaxing once Grover knew he was in one piece. Kiara knew this was his last chance. This was not allowed to go wrong.

"He had a concussion, partially torn tendon in his knee, dislocated shoulder, and extreme exhaustion," Kiara listed as she moved over to check on him.

Grover gave a pained noise at that. What little color he had regained vanished as he took stock of the unconscious boy.

Kiara moved back to his side placing a hand on his shoulder."He's going to be out for at least the next few days but I am sure he will be fine then."

Grover gave a faint nod.

"I'm going to need someone to give him daily doses of nectar-"

"I can do that." Annabeth appeared whipping off her baseball cap. Grover jumped clutching his heart as he gaped at the girl. Kiara shook her head at Annabeth, she was strangely bright-eyed for someone who had woken Kiara up in the middle of the night.

"Annabeth are you supposed to be her-"

"No one said I shouldn't," Annabeth snarked.

Kiara rolled her eyes at the tween and continued checking over the boy. Annabeth was growing more and more desperate as time went by no matter what any of them told her. Waiting at the big house every new camper arrived only to be let down when Chiron refused her yet again.

"Grover," Kiara asked, looking back at him,"Chiron told me the boy's name last night but I forgot it with everything that happened."

"His name is Percy Jackson." At her questioning glance he continued. "You know how Chiron was out during the year? Well Percy's why. I met him at Yancy Academy and his scent was so strong. He's powerful. I...um...I lost him getting off a bus but then I tracked him down. The only problem was the Minotaur found us first. We were close to camp, down the road a few miles, so his mom drove us here but then-then I don't know." He dropped his face into his hands, "I'm such a bad protector. I keep ruining everything. Percy got here without me. You didn't need me. I'm useless."

"Grover!" Annabeth protested, "You kept him safe during the year. Who knows what could have happened to him if you weren't there."

Annabeth plopped down into the chair next to his bed. They both looked over at Percy like he was the answer to their problems. Kiara had a weird feeling that would not be the last time she saw that look.

"You'll be back on your feet by the end of the day but I need you to take it easy for the next week."

Kiara's words broke the spell. Grover looked back at her, grimacing at the forced rest.

"But there is so much I have to do-"

Kiara cut in before he could go on a ramble, "If Pan's waited thousands of years he can wait one more week."

– o – ☀️ – o –

After giving detailed directions to Annabeth, checking and then rechecking she could deal with anything that could go wrong until she returned, Kiara rushed to start her day. The sun, higher in the sky, beamed down on camp. Sleepy campers woken by equally tired councilors trudged towards the mess hall. She weaved around groups making her way over to her siblings. She squished in between Alessandra and Lee right before the nymphs came around with platefuls of bread, fruits, and some kind of meat. Every spot on the bench was filled. Not as much as Hermes of course, no one was falling off the bench, but Apollo did seem to be competing with his brother.

"Sorry, Alessandra for earlier."

"It's not that big a deal," Alessandra said as they rose to throw their food into the hearth, "but why did you leave last night?"

They were a few steps from the hearth. Kiara was not sure if Chiron wanted to keep Percy's strange appearance secret but telling one person would not do much. Everyone within earshot was in their own world anyway, either too tired to notice(Bryan and Ha-jun) or too excited for the day(Michael and Vera).

"In a second." Kiara stepped up to the hearth and scrapped the biggest strawberry off her plate. Please watch over Percy and Grover's healing.

Kiara waited for Alessandra to finish before walking back together. Kiara leaned over to whisper to Alessandra, "There's a new camper in the infirmary."

"Really?" She passed a plateful of berries to Michael. "What was chasing them?"

"How did you know he was being chased?"

"No new camper needs medical attention the second they arrive at camp without being attacked by a monster," she replied flippantly, more focused on eating than the conversation.

"Grover said it was a Minotaur."

Alessandra shot out of her seat. "A what!"

The eyes of a hundred confused campers locked on Alessandra. Kiara's eyes accidentally met Chiron's, the centaur giving her a questioning glance. Kiara tried to look innocent but she was sure the centuries old mentor saw right through her mask. Kiara grabbed her arm and yanked her sister back down.

"Nothing to see here," Kiara announced, cheeks warming.

She hid her face behind her hands as the chatter started back up.

"Are you sure it was a Minotaur?" Alessandra whispered.

"Well he had its horn..."

"Its horn!" Alessandra made an aborted move to stand up.

"Yes, now be quiet. I don't know if Chiron wants people to know there is a new camper."

At the mention of a new camper Will and Charlotte perked up. Kiara groaned. Of course that would be the part they listened to. Charlotte opened her mouth but Kiara cut her off with a look.

"He's asleep. You can check on Percy with me later."

The two of them loved to meet the new campers whether that meant messing or helping them Kiara never knew. They gave her identical grins and turned to whisper among themselves. Kiara felt like she should be more worried but her grumbling stomach took precedence over the future chaos the two would start.

– o – ☀️ – o –

The rest of breakfast passed fast other than the occasional argument at one of the tables. At the end of the meal Kiara grabbed hold of Will and Charlotte before the two could run off. She heard them scheming over a bowl of yogurt and knew someone would end up cursed in the next hour if she let them run free. Ignoring their grumbles she dragged them over to where Lee and Aelius were waiting for her. Her brothers were snickering watching her wrangle their youngest siblings.

Kiara let go of Will and Charlotte and they fell to the ground, "If you don't listen to me now I'm not taking you to the Big House. We need to go to the archery range."

Will perked up at the mention of the archery range. They scrambled to their feet, a faux-innocent smile and a genuine one shining up at her. Kiara knew it was just a matter of time until they escaped but she took this win. Kiara sighed and strode past the laughing boys.

"Hurry up. We are going to be late," Kiara called over her shoulder and her siblings.

They wandered through camp until they reached the archery range. Only half the campers that were signed up were waiting, the others were nowhere to be seen. Lee stepped up calling their attention and started splitting the crowd into groups. He took the beginners and Aelius took the advanced. Kiara waved her hand above her head and the remaining campers.

"The rest of you are with me." She waited until they made their way over to her before continuing, "Today we are going to fletch arrows. I'll go through an example one time and then you guys can try. If you have any problems, ask me, Will or Lottie."

A half hour after they started Kiara was glad she signed up for that day. Watching her brother struggle though teaching was hilarious. Lee eye kept twitching whenever a camper gripped their bow wrong or tried to collect their arrows before they were given the all-clear. He was not the best with the newbies. Kiara was still somewhat amazed he signed up for it that day. Kiara tried smothering a laugh, not feeling very guilty making fun of her brother. Every so often he would turn to her and give her a Do-these-idiots-not-hear-me? look. Aelius' group seemed to being doing better but that was expected.

Kiara's group were sitting at a table off to the side far enough that they were not in danger of being hit by a stray shot. There were six of them, most from Cabin ten. After Kiara's first example they worked on their own, gossiping about camp and the outside world all the while. It was hard for Kiara to overhear their conversations even while mediating Will and Charlotte. The eight-year-old messed up every arrow that got close to her hands, most of which came from Will. The little gremlin waited until the moment Will put the arrow down before snatching it and taking it apart. He looked close to tears after she broke one Will spent three minutes on. Will loved helping out with archery lessons and Kiara did not want Charlotte to ruin it for him even if she was enjoying herself. She dragged Charlotte over to the side and sat between them. Charlotte gave her a glare but a young child had nothing on the others who had glared at Kiara before. With the children's clamor out of the way the Aphrodite kids' gossip flowed to her.

"Did you see the sky last night? I almost thought it wouldn't pass around us," Christopher asked Drew, fiddling with a feather.

"I heard it too. Nothing has gotten that close in ages."

"What do you think is going on?"

The whispers continued through the lesson. It flowed into the rest of the day. The quiet mumble. The soft question. The storm was gone from the sky but not from the minds of the campers. The feeling Kiara had kept growing. It ran up her arms and down her back. It stole her breath and hollowed her chest. Something was going to happen, and she had a strange feeling the new boy would be part of it.

Chapter Text

June 2006

Charlotte and Will's visit to Percy was as uneventful as Kiara had hoped. The two children had hounded her the whole day until 'later' became now. Kiara took them to check on him after making them promise to behave. Will had raced back to their cabin to grab his personal medic bag. The three of them sent Annabeth off to dinner. The stubborn girl had stayed there the whole day, only leaving when they evicted her from the room. As she left, Kiara heard mumbles about quests and the gods. Kiara made a mental note to check up on the stressed girl when she had time.

"Kiki," Will called, pulling on her arm, "can I look at him now?"

Kiara reminded him that Percy was injured before letting him go. The nine-year-old raced over to the chair by the bed and looked at Kiara's patient.

"Are you sure he isn't dead?" Charlotte asked, poking his leg.

"Don't do that, Lottie." Will pushed her hand away. "Kiki told us he hit his head. That's why he's unconscious. He needs to recuperate before he wakes up." Will's face was serious as he pulled open his bag.

Kiara tried hiding her smile as Will pulled out rainbow bandages and stickers. Charlotte scrambled over next to Will and held out a hand. Will let out a put upon sigh and handed over a few to their sister. Will peeled off the backing of one of the stickers. Kiara felt a warm feeling fill her as she watched her younger siblings carefully work on Percy.

Kiara supervised them for a while, making sure their earnest efforts didn't do more harm. Percy's wrappings on his shoulder slowly became stained with color as Will and Charlotte pasted multitudes of stickers across every available space. Kiara left them alone as she worked on restocking the infirmary. They all worked in silence, diligently going about their predetermined jobs. The only noise was the shuffle of cloth and the exhalation of breath.

They worked for an hour, until Kiara finished up resupplying and the others were too bored to carry on. Kiara held back a laugh at the colorful bandages Percy was now sporting and the proud faces of her younger siblings. She urged them to clean up their mess before she released them. Then they were off, racing down the hall. Kiara watched them go, picking up any stray backings they had missed.

"You released the hellions?" Luke asked, entering the room.

Kiara shook her head at him. "They deserved a break. They'd been helping out for a while."

Luke gave a little laugh when she told him they were helping. Kiara could not blame him. Their earnest efforts sometimes caused more drama than necessary.

Luke walked over to Percy's bedside. "How is he?"

"Getting better. He'll be up soon." Kiara pulled a sticker out of his hair. "He got pretty banged up."

The two of them watched him. His breathing was even; at this point, he was just sleeping. Kiara felt some weight lift off her chest at his healing body. This boy would make it.

"Do you know who his parent is?" Luke crossed his arms, turning towards her.

"No." Kiara winced at Luke's pained sigh. "Grover doesn't know, and if Chiron does, he won't tell me."

"I'll clear out some space." He fell into a chair.

Kiara was reminded of how young he was. Nineteen and in charge of more than thirty kids. He should be out celebrating graduating from high school and looking for college, not living in a summer camp year-round. He was one of the oldest left at camp, the rest off to try to live in the real world. She did not know what he would do if Chiron told him he had to leave. They were all young. Too young. Kiara felt her hands shake at the unfairness of it all. The gods abandoned them to this life, and they had to make the best of it.

– o –

Two days after the mysterious boy stumbled into camp, people started growing antsy. The clouds, which had been threatening them since December, grew darker. They waited on the edge of camp like tigers, ready to pounce. The campfire barely toasted the marshmallows stuck right over the flame; not even Sofia's mocking songs brought up the crowd's spirit. They all knew something was coming. The volleyball court was empty, and the amphitheater was quiet. It was as if the whole camp was holding its breath. The dramatic appearance of Percy and the secrets surrounding him gave them something to focus on.

Someone talked to Grover, and the rumors spiraled. In the last few hours, Kiara heard that he was a god that was cast out like her father years ago, or that he was going to start a prophecy, or that he had beaten a whole horde of monsters before he made it to camp. She was vaguely amazed at their rumor mill. Give them a few days, and they could convince everyone that the world was flat and the sky was pink.

Kiara ran to the forge with a smile. She needed Beckendorf's help to fix her bow. Daniel, an eight-year-old son of Hermes, had stolen it during the last archery lesson and messed up something. She had no idea how the kid had done it. None of her siblings could figure out what he had done. You would think a bow would be easy to see how to fix it but the ever ingenious child of Hermes proved them wrong.

"Hi Beckendorf, Nyssa." Kiara waved meaninglessly at the busy teens.

Beckendorf let out a welcoming grunt, but otherwise her presence went unnoticed. The two of them were working on a new machine. Kiara could not say anything other than that it involved a lot of metal and trips to her cabin. Beckendorf had told her many times before what it was, but Kiara never truly understood what he was talking about. Deciding to wait until they had free time, she left her bow on one of their work tables. Kiara watched, fascinated, as Nyssa pulled a glowing piece of celestial bronze out of the furnace. She set it on one of their anvils and started hammering it. They would need some time until they were free to help her. Kiara moved out of the busy side of the forge to the free space they set aside as far from the furnace and tools.

The temperature of the room dropped rapidly a few feet away from the fire. A baby blanket was spread out on the floor, covered in toys and tools. A plastic guardrail stopped the current prisoner from escaping. Kiara climbed over, smirking at the offended noise at her easy conquer of his insurmountable wall.

"Harley!" Kiara scooped up the squealing baby. The little boy squirmed in her arms until he freed his hands. He started blabbing excitedly while waving his arms around. Kiara barely dodged a fist, making it into her eye as he talked to her.

"Hi Teenie. How was your day? I haven't seen you since yesterday." Kiara sat down in his area as she listened to his baby talk.

Harley grew distracted by a toy, his noises trailing off into mumbles, having seemingly forgotten Kiara's presence. Fine with being ignored by the toddler, she looked around his space.

It was not that she did not trust Beckendorf to make sure Harley was safe, but the focused fourteen-year-old sometimes forgot basic needs, like eating, drinking, and keeping rusty tools away from curious kids. Harley was especially mischievous, snatching and hiding different tools he was not supposed to be around. From what she could see, Harley had only succeeded in stealing a dull screwdriver. Kiara quietly picked it up and placed it on a counter high enough for Harley to struggle to get it back.

"Kiara?"

She looked up at the towering boy and stood to give him a hug. Even though she was two years older, she only met his shoulder.

"Beckendorf. How's that cut?" Kiara pulled away and tried to look at his arm.

"It's fine." He pulled it away from her prying hands. "You fixed me up. No problems."

"Just let me check it-"

Harley let out a loud and annoyed noise. Kiara and Beckendorf both froze. That noise was the precursor to a meltdown. Kiara swooped down and picked up the fussy baby.

Realizing Beckendorf would not give in, Kiara changed the subject. "I was wondering if you could take a look at my bow. Danny did something to it and none of us know how to fix it."

Beckendorf laughed. "What could the kid do that messed it up so bad?" He picked up her bow and looked at it. "I'll fix it up by tonight. I'll bring it to you at the campfire."

"Thank you," Kiara cried, throwing her free arm around him in some semblance of a hug.

"Could you take Harley to Bryan? He said he could watch him around noon."

Kiara nodded and showed her thanks one more time before leaving with a squirming child.

-o-

Kiara repositioned Harley against her hip; his wiggling had almost caused him to slip out of her grasp. She pushed open the door to Cabin Seven and was greeted with a series of welcomes from her siblings still inside. Most of the campers were out doing activities but some were hiding from the summer heat. Bryan Al Ameen was one of those campers. The tall Egyptian boy was lying on his bed reading a book in greek. As the son of Leto, he was the most naturally capable person to look after the children of camp. He was amazing at it, getting even the most difficult to listen to him when the rest of them were running around like headless chickens. He was almost always seen with a small child shadowing him, but it seemed right now he was by himself. Kiara felt guilty for disturbing his peace, and tried to leave but her movement caught his eye and the energetic boy sat up and beckoned her towards him.

"Bryan," Harley yelled into Kiara's ear loud enough that even Bryan winced.

"Hey, Harley." He reached out his arms for the child and Kiara conceded.

She sat on the bed opposite from them and watched as Harley lit up in the presence of his favorite person. There was no competition. The moment Harley saw Bryan there was no hope for anyone else. Bryan felt the same way. He loved all the kids but the two of them had stumbled through the borders together. Bryan had found Harley and they had been connected ever since. The little boy had to stay in his own cabin, the rules were being bent to even let Bryan stay much less a boy who was not related to Apollo in the cabin. The two of them were satisfied with seeing each other daily.

"He hasn't taken his nap yet," Bryan muttered, curling an arm around him and balancing Harley on his stomach.

Kiara stifled a laugh at the focused boy. "I'll leave you to it. I have to head over to the infirmary and check on Percy."

Bryan gave her a nod, eyes still trained on Harley. "Good luck."

-o-

Dionysus barely looked up from his magazine, "Clara-"

"Kiara, sir," she interrupted

"Yes, Cynthia. Tell me about the feeling you've had recently."

"I-" Kiara jolted, worried about how he knew. She had never told anyone. She smoothed her finger on the beads on her necklace. "I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Don't play coy. I know. I know you've had them again."

Kiara's heart stopped. There would be no way to hide it from him. She looked out over the camp, trying to stall.

"Your sons are doing very well in arche-"

"Now, Cloé." He did not look up from his page, but Kiara could feel the threat.

"It's nothing really; I'm just feeling kind of off. Not that bad, though. Probably nothing to worry about. I'm sure it will just blow over. Maybe it'll be like when Will got here?"

Dionysus twitched at that, and Kiara knew she said something wrong.

"What do you think of that half-blood in the infirmary?"

"I don't have that much to say about Percy. I haven't spoken to him yet, so there is no point for me to create an opinion on him." Mr. D was hiding something. He was flipping through his magazine, attentive to every word she said. "Is there a reason you are asking, Mr. D?"

For the first time in their conversation, he closed his magazine. He placed it on his lap with practiced movements. He raised his eyes to meet her own. Insanity and madness reached out to her, and she was reminded that even though he looked like someone's drunk uncle, it was all a facade. This puppet in front of her was not the full scope of a god who had existed for centuries. His energy existed before people knew to fear insanity. Before Dionysus. Before even the flicker of the gods. Before, there was anything.

It existed without a name before it solidified into Dionysus, like all the other gods. The god was just a small representation, the only one they would ever interact with. This god was able to reduce her to ash with a thought. He was the wielder of madness. He could appear as anything and anyone. This shell was just for their comfort, and the moment he stopped holding himself back for their sake, everything would change. The personification of the very thing people had feared since the beginning of time was not something to mess with. Dionysus would overlook snark and backtalk, but questioning him would not pass.

"A god does not need to explain himself to mortals. You would do well to learn that, Kiara Hope."

She let out a shaky breath, still unable to pull her eyes away. "Yes, sir."

"Run along. I have more important things to do than listen to a half-blood yap all day."

His eyes flicked back down to the magazine, and Kiara felt the hold they had on her slip away. Her legs trembled as she stood up. Dionysus went back to looking like some random uncle. The dangerous aura that froze her solid was neatly tucked behind the loud Hawaiian shirt, and the fiery glare dimmed. His flippant movements did not make Kiara forget. She knew there was nothing different about the god; she still felt the oppressive presence flowing out of him. His eyes flicked up at her one last time, like he was confused as to why she was still there. Kiara bowed, trying to hide her shaky hands. She stumbled into the hall without turning back.

-o-

Kiara slumped against the door, trying to slow her racing heart. She breathed deeply, pushing the disaster away. She clenched the strap of her bag in a white, knuckled grip. She had learned her lesson, and not for the first time either. It would not be the last time she challenged a god too far. Her spiraling thoughts were getting her nowhere, and she had a job to do. After another second, Kiara pulled herself together.

Her footsteps were soft on the carpet as she made her way through the Big House. Muffled music came from Chiron's room, and Kiara steered far away from that door. She just survived one god; she would not make it through Chiron's music. Her soul would up and leave her body if she subjected herself to that.

Voices reached Kiara's ears as she knocked on the door. No one was supposed to be conscious, much less speak there. She pulled the door open to see Annabeth shove a spoonful of ambrosia into Percy's mouth.

"What are you doing?" Kiara pulled the spoon away from her and checked over the boy. "What were you talking about, Annabeth?"

"Nothing-but he woke up for a bit. Isn't that good?" she redirected.

Kiara wanted to protest the change in subject, but with a look at the girl's guilty face, she let it slide. "It is. Hopefully, he will fully wake up later today. You should go to the amphitheater. Your cabin is starting training now. If you run now, you won't be late."

"Fine." Annabeth stood up but looked back at Percy. "Tell me if he wakes up?"

"Yes, hurry."

The younger girl dashed out of the room, narrowly dodging past Argus by the door. Kiara waved at the man as he waited over by the foot of the bed.

Argus' eyes scanned over Percy as he signed, "How is he doing?"

"Annabeth said he just woke up. I think he will fully wake up in a few hours." Kiara asked, her hands following along with her speech.

The two of them looked at the sleeping boy for a few minutes. He was not that interesting—at least not for Kiara to watch for the possible hours it took to have him wake up.

"Argus." Kiara waved her hand to catch his attention. "Have you checked him over? I'm pretty sure he's fine, but an extra look over wouldn't do any harm."

Argus shook his head, giving a rueful smile. "I checked this morning after I got back."

"How was it up there?"

"Something is going on. Hera was distraught; she would not sit down for more than a second before pacing again. Even with all of us there, she did not stop her pacing. Hebe looked close to tears. Enyo and Ares weren't helping at all. Nothing was working. She's keeping something from us." He let out a huff of air. "She cut our time short as well. I cannot remember the last time that happened."

"Surely things aren't too bad. Nothing has happened in the mortal world."

"You cannot say nothing—the storms. I am not sure who is controlling them, but they are not natural."

Kiara fiddled with her necklace, thinking back to the last few weeks. He was right. She just did not want to believe it. Compounding the unnerving feeling, she knew something was going to happen.

"Don't you have homework?" Argus motioned to the bag by her feet.

Kiara reluctantly agreed with him and settled onto one of the other beds. He sat in a chair by Percy, watching for any signs of consciousness. Kiara leaned her Herbology book against her bent legs. Might as well get the worst part out of the way.

-o-

Percy woke fitfully, an hour later. Argus decided they should bring him outside so someone could keep an eye on him as he got nearer to waking. Kiara needed to do one last healing hymn on the boy. That one had to be done in the sun's rays so Kiara was not against moving him. Carefully Kiara helped transfer Percy's small but lanky body into Argus' arms. They made their way to the deck, Kiara holding the doors for Argus and his sleeping passenger.

Argus reasoned that he should watch him while Kiara notified Mr. D and Chiron. Kiara glared at him as she walked away. She put no effort into hiding her displeasure, storming around the porch to where the leaders of the camp were waiting. Her earlier interaction with Mr. D was still in her mind and she would rather avoid the god until he forgot about her existence than update him on the status of a camper he was strangely angry at.

She had left Argus and Percy at the back porch overlooking the strawberry fields and made her way back to where she had last seen Mr. D Before he had been sitting on a throne like chair in the shade but at some point in the hour Chiron had joined him and a table appeared between them. Chiron was still in his wheelchair. Kiara had to hold herself back from lecturing the millenia old centaur about the necessity of blood circulation.

"Mr. D, Chiron," Kiara greeted. "The new camper, Percy, is going to wake up soon. His injuries have all healed up. I need to check on him one more time once he is awake before I can discharge him."

Mr. D did not even look up from his cards.

Chiron on the other hand gave her a slight nod. "That is wonderful news. Annabeth, can you collect Grover to watch over Percy?"

A slight shimmer came from the side of Kiara and a frustrated Annabeth appeared, holding her Yankees hat in clenched fingers. Without a word she stomped away towards the strawberry fields. Kiara watched, still recovering from Annabeth's sudden appearance, before turning to Chiron expectantly.

"Is this about the prophecy? The one Annabeth is a part of?"

Chiron looked away from her, over the camp. "One can never be sure of prophecies until they are completed."

Kiara knew more than anyone about that. The prophecies that governed their lives as half bloods were intertwined into her very being. Between herself and her siblings, their father's domains picked and chose who received a connection with them. Some of them were lucky and their connection was more of a gift, like Michael's healing and Eleni's archery. Kiara felt like hers was more of a curse. Her premonitions never brought anything good and her healing would never save everyone.

"Best not to worry about it now, Kiara," Chiron added, pulling Kiara from her spiral.

"Yes."

Kiara was not sure what to do with herself. Chiron seemed satisfied with sitting there but an incessant buzz filled her. She raised her hand to mess with her necklace before realizing what she was doing and slowly lowering it.

The action caught the attention of Mr. D "Don't just stand there. If you're going to wait, at least set up for our pinochle game."

"But-"

"Four players, Catherine."

-o-

They waited for Percy to wake in silence—mostly. Kiara leaned against the railing, fingers twitching by her neck. The notes of a song were sitting on her tongue and the longer it went the more insistent the music. She watched as Annabeth grew more and more bored before Kiara tuned out the tapping of her foot. Chiron shifted through a sheaf of paper, the rustling drawing Kiara's attention once more. She watched as he flicked through the pages occasionally humming at something he read. The hum dug into her brain filling the space until the next noise caught her. A sudden yell from the arena made her flinch to the knife at her side. She stopped herself before she pulled it out but the heads of those present turned to her questioningly. She sheepishly waved them off, not able to disrupt the tiny bit of quiet that had fallen at her movement. Kiara tipped her head back to look at the sky, the wind rustling in her ears. The sounds of camp filtered in and out as she focused on the breeze. It drew at the wisps that had fallen out of her bun and stroked her cheek.

The noise of uneven footsteps shook Kiara from her daze. She leaned out of the sun and back under the porch roof to see Grover, fake legs thudding unnaturally, and Percy clutching a shoebox close to his chest. Percy still looked a little too wobbly for Kiara's liking. Despite his efforts to hide his shaky hands, Kiara's eyes caught the motion. She relaxed her pose as much as possible to settle the nervous demigod. He might not have known where his instincts came from but Kiara could bet he felt like running for the hills, especially with Annabeth's scrutinizing gaze. She looked at Percy like a rather frustrating puzzle, maybe one of the mechanical puzzles the Hephestus cabin made.

Percy's call of "Mr. Brunner" caused Chiron to turn and beckon the two closer.

"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

Percy complied with the request, albeit hesitantly. He sat on the very edge of his seat, as far from Mr. D as possible.

"Welcome to Camp Half-blood," Mr. D said in a monotone, eyes skimming his cards. "Congrats, don't expect anything else. If I'm lucky you'll be gone before the end of the summer."

Percy's jaw went slack at the causal dismissal of his life. He turned to look at the others around him. Kiara gave him a sympathetic look. On a good day, Mr. D was too much for new campers. And that day was not a good one. Even Chiron winced at the remark.

"Thank you?" Percy's voice faltered.

Chiron looked back at Annabeth and beckoned her forward. "Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Kiara pursed her lips. There was no way this boy was going to get a bed in that cabin. A camping bag might be the best Luke could acquire for him.

Annabeth stared at Percy intently before blurting out, "You drool when you sleep."

Her face darkened before she darted off.

"Excuse me, Chiron." Kiara pushed herself off from the railing, towards the table. "I need to do one last check on Percy before heading off."

"Ah, right. I knew I was forgetting something."

Kiara stood by Percy's chair, looking him up and down for any obvious lingering pain. He seemed to be keeping pressure off his right leg.

"Hello, I am Kiara. I was the one who set your injuries and checked up on you during your stay at the infirmary. I just need to do a quick check to make sure you're all ready to be up and moving. Is that okay?"

Percy nodded, eyes warry as Kiara poked and prodded his leg for any pain. "How does it feel?"

"Tender." Percy's leg jolted at one particular spot.

"Your leg seems to have healed well but some bruises might still linger. After you finish up here I'll get you some bruise cream." She moved to his back. "Does your shoulder feel alright? Any stiffness or numbness?"

"No."

Kiara stepped back. "I'll get you that cream and meet you at cabin eleven. It's the-"

Mr. D interrupted. "Go Kylie. It sounded like someone fell off the wall."

Kiara stiffened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "As you command."

She gave one last smile to Percy. "It was nice to finally meet you."

"Um, yeah." Percy looked between Kiara and Mr. D. "See you later?"

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara sent a playful glare at Luke. "Did you really have to steal it?"

Cabin eleven was packed as ever. Kids were sitting on beds playing games or gossiping about the latest news. Luke was setting out a new sleeping bag next to some of the younger kids.

"Well how else were we going to get the new kid some clothes?" The ones who were listening in to their conversation laughed.

There was never any real privacy in Camp Half-Blood and nothing ever was kept secret for long.

Kiara sat on Daniel and Luke's bed. "Buying them? I'm sure you can spare some drachmas for a shirt."

Daniel crawled down to where she was sitting and climbed into her lap. Kiara draped her arm over him so he could mess with her bracelet.

"Where's the fun in that?"

Daniel let out a giggle at Luke's words. "Yeah, Kiki. Luke let me ride on his shoulders. And they didn't even see us. We were like ninjas!"

Kiara sighed, bringing one hand up to fix Daniel's hair. "I'm sure it was a lot of fun." She looked pointedly at Luke. "But try to keep from messing with the new kid. He's gone through a lot."

The smile on Luke's face dimmed. He got up from the floor and leaned against Ethan's bunk.. "I heard some of the rumors. Did Grover finally tell you what happened?"

Kiara shook her head. "He sleep talks. I heard enough to piece together what happened."

"And?"

"How about you wait for him to tell you himself?" Kiara tilted her head towards the door.

Chiron blocked out the light coming from the open door. By his side, Annabeth and a fidgeting Percy stood. Everyone gave a slight bow to their instructor.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."

Percy looks around the room like a warry cat. He eyed the Hermes cabin members with as much hesitancy as they did him. Kiara felt something in her relax. He would be fine at Camp.

That feeling was shook when Annabeth pushed Percy forward and he tripped on the door frame. Daniel snorted, his tiny body shaking with stifled laughter in her arms. Kiara shushed him with a slight squeeze.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" Lou yelled from the back.

"Undetermined."

Kiara held back a sigh as everyone in the cabin groaned. She had hoped he might have already known his parent or maybe been claimed but that had been overly optimistic. Percy looked even more confused than when he entered. Kiara looked over at Luke and jerked her head towards the boy.

"Now, now, campers." Luke pushed himself off the bunk bed. "That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

Kiara pulled her hand from Daniel's grasp and gave Percy a wave. "You made it. We were starting to worry you had gotten lost."

"No. Just had a talk with Mr. D." Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Chiron took me here. He said you and Annabeth were going to help me with the rest of it."

Kiara smiled. "Got it."

Annabeth snuck up behind Percy, making him jump when she spoke. "This is Luke. He's your counselor for now." Annabeth tried to hide her blush but no one was convinced.

"For now? What about the other cabins? They're empty, can't we go there?" Kiara hid her wince. Percy had just entered the cabin and had already poked at a touchy subject.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained, skirting the issue of the other cabins. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

"How long will I be here?" Percy's confused expression never went away.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

A few campers let out bitter laughs. Kiara felt her heart clench. She remembered the terror of waiting in the cabin. Waiting for something she was not even sure was going to come. She had been one of the lucky ones. More than half of the cabin was made up of undetermined and Kiara swore that at least one or two of them were her siblings. She knew their faces and held them close to her heart but there was nothing they could do against the rules. The gods made it that way. But still Kiara would sneak Rowan and Lilith into her cabin. She would teach them and love them even if their father neglected to remember their presence.

"Come on." Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm and tugged him away. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it."

"Come on."

Kiara helped Daniel off her lap and stood up. She turned to Luke. "I'll see you when I drop him off. Try not to steal anything else."

-o-

Kiara found Annabeth and Percy not far from the cabin. They were far enough that no one from the Hermes Cabin would hear them. Annabeth was in her lecturing mode and Percy looked close to exploding. Kiara rushed over before the two eleven-year-olds could strangle each other.

"Your father's not dead, Percy," Annabeth tried to explain, frustration seeping into her voice.

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say—"

Kiara stepped between the two. "How about we explain this a little kinder, Annie." She looked around the cabin area. A few campers were trying to listen in on Annabeth and Percy's argument. "Let's move this conversation to somewhere a little less out in the open."

Kiara did not wait for another argument to start between the two and walked off. Annabeth's frustrated grumbling and Percy's stomps followed her all the way to the sandy benches on the edge of the arena. A few campers were sparing but they were not going to try and listen in on their conversation.

"Percy, there are a lot of things that we need to explain to you. I need you to listen and try not to reject what I'm saying before I finish." Percy nodded. "I'm guessing they didn't show you the orientation film." He shook his head. "Great, I'll need to know what you've already been told."

Percy tensed up. "Well, Grover's a satyr, and gods exist and Mr. D is one and there's the whole western thingy, and Mr. Brunner is a horse and apparently things don't die anymore, and-"

"I think I got it. So I know there are a lot of new things you're learning but bear with me. Ok so lets start with what you know and branch from there. You know there are gods." Kiara looked to Percy for his confirmation. "And these gods can walk around us like Mr. D. Well, in the stories the great heroes were always the descendants of gods. And when the gods moved here they didn't change all that much. They still have children like in the old myths. Everyone here is a child of a god. You, me, Annabeth, even those kids fighting. My dad is Apollo. Annabeth's mom is Athena. Your parent is a god too."

"But how do you know? You're normal. You don't glow or shoot fire out of your hands. I'm just a kid."

"There are a lot of powers demigods can have. How do you think I fixed you up so fast? Normal dislocated shoulders take three months. You were asleep for just a few days. It's also impossible for a mortal to pass through the borders of camp. You did and you are still here even though you ate nectar and ambrosia which would cause you to implode if you were all human."

Annabeth butted in. "And Half-bloods have ADHD and Dyslexia because of how our brains are hardwired. It keeps you from getting killed by monsters."

"So let's say I believe you—which I'm still on the fence about—who's my dad?"

Kiara's shoulders slumped. "We don't know yet."

"Hey, newbie!" Clarisse yelled, entering the arena.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"Erre es korakas! You don't stand a chance."

"No maiming remember?"

Clarisse ignored Kaira and turned toward Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

He stared at her. "Like . . . the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy's words were stuffed with attitude. "It explains the bad smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"No, Clarisse." Kiara stood up and stepped between them. Kiara could feel the headache that Percy's presence would cause building. "Leave him alone. There's plenty of time to fight on friday."

"Like he's 'Big Three' material. Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

"Move along Clarisse," Kiara ordered.

"Why should I?" She squared her shoulders and stepped into Kiara's space. "He's asking for it. You can't do anything."

Kiara glared up at Clarisse. The younger girl used her height to try and overpower Kiara but she had been dealing with people who dismissed her for her whole life.

"What would Mark say if I told him I caught you fighting new campers? I'm sure your head counselor has ideas on a suitable punishment."

Clarisse sneered at Kiara before turning to Percy. "This isn't over. No one insults my father or me without retribution."

Kiara pressed her hands on her eyes and let out a loud breath.

"Well, that could have gone worse."

Kiara gave an exasperated look over her shoulder. "Really, Percy? It's your first day conscious, I'm trying to keep it that way."

-o-

The rest of the tour finished without much fanfare. Most of the campers kept away except for a few friendly waves. A few of them were sizing up Percy. They were probably wondering how he would hold up in his first Capture the Flag. Kiara already had a headache forming at the thought of the event. It was not the normal pounding in her head that came from stupid campers. There were tugs at her consciousness pulling from a distance farther than she could reach. The whispers hummed too quietly to understand but the thread of warning was cemented in her mind. Her nerves were on edge as they made their way to the canoe lake. She let Annabeth continue filling in Percy, more focused in trying to figure out where the tugs were trying to pull her away from.

Kiara sat on the edge of the dock. The sun was starting to sink in the sky painting the camp in a golden glow. Percy and Annabeth followed her lead taking a break on the pier. Percy toed the water splashing it this way and that. The Naiads waved up at them, well mostly Percy. Annabeth watched their exchange with narrowed eyes.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," Percy muttered. "That's it. I want to go home now."

Kiara wrapped her arms around herself. "There's only a few places where half-bloods are safe. When you're out in the open, everything tries to get you. Monsters. They don't care if you want to go home or if you are on a quest or just walking down the road. They will find you and try to kill you."

"We're safe here." Kiara tried to ignore Annabeth's worried look. "Sometimes, if you aren't that powerful they won't care about you. They might not find you. You'd be fine living a normal life over the school year and then training in the summer."

"And if I'm not?"

"Then you can't leave. Train year round and live at camp."

Percy frowned down at the water. "What are you?"

"I-I've lived at camp since I was seven." Annabeth pulled out her necklace to show Percy. "We choose a new bead every summer to celebrate the survivors and mourn the lost ones."

Kiara pulled out her slightly heavier leather cord. "I've gone to camp every school break since I was six. I lived with my mam until a hellhound found us. My and mam's family are followers of Hecate from centuries ago. She barely stopped it." Kiara tried to keep her hands from straying to the silver scars on her side. "I've only been able to stay with her for, at longest, two weeks before something catches my trail. Before I went to a school for the followers of Hecate I lived here all year."

"Oh." Percy opened and closed his mouth as he tried to figure out what else to say. Kiara's lips quirked into a weak smile at his attempts to help. "Um... So monsters. Those. They can't get in here, right?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes at his seemingly obvious question. "No. The border keeps them out. Well unless someone summons one in camp. No monster or mortal can get in without permission."

"Why would someone summon a monster here? Isn't it supposed to be safe?"

"Practice fights. Practical jokes."

"Practical jokes?" Percy grew pale.

"Very stupid ones. Ones that land campers on dish duty with the Harpies." Kiara placed her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down.

They sat for a minute as Percy processed all the information they gave him.

"There's nothing stopping me from leaving, though. I could go out and try my luck in the normal world. Forget this ever happened."

"It would be suicide. You know the truth now. The monsters will find you easier. The only way you could leave anyway would be with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission." Annabeth told him what had been drilled into her mind from the years of asking and being denied. "But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless . . ."

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time . . ."

Kiara could feel Annabeth's gaze but she ignored her, plastering on a smile for Percy.

"It doesn't happen anymore. Camp focuses on keeping campers safe and prepared instead of sending kids off to fight." She looked pointedly at Annabeth.

The younger girl glared at her not subtle insinuation. Kiara denied Annabeth her stare off and turned back to look at the water beneath their feet.

Percy coughed and looked at Annabeth. "Back in the sick room, when you were feeding me that stuff..."

Kiara answered his unspoken question, "The nectar. It helps heal demigods."

"That. You were talking about the summer solstice?"

"It's not something we should worry about right now. You need to adjust to camp and-"

"So you do know something?" Annabeth leaned forward, her mind already over-analyzing everything Percy had said.

"Well . . . no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time. What did that mean?"

"I wish I knew." Annabeth's brow furrowed like it always did when she had a problem she could not work out, yet. "Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."

"You've been to Olympus?"

"Not the real one." Kiara stopped trying to pretend she did not know what was going on. "The gods have different cities all around the world. The one that just happens to float above the Empire State Building, is the biggest meeting point right now. They call it Olympus so it's easy for the gods to remember. It used to be in Philadelphia and before that in England."

"Those of us that were here took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council. Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping . . . I mean— Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."

Kiara gritted her teeth as the feeling that had dimmed to a low hum started up again at Annabeth's words. A few notes clicked together and the noise grew clearer. Not softer but less like a middle school band.

Percy shook his head no and Annabeth mumbled under her breath. Kiara heard a few words but tried to ignore Annabeth's plotting. It would do Kiara no good listening to the unfinished running thoughts of an Athena camper.

Percy's stomach grumbled loud enough for the whole camp to hear. His cheeks flushed and he gave a sheepish smile.

"Let's get you back to Cabin Eleven." Kiara pushed herself up and held out a hand to pull Percy too. "It's almost time for dinner."

Percy looked back at the muttering daughter of Athena. "What about Annabeth?"

"She needs a second to sort through her thoughts."

Kiara and Percy followed the path back towards the cabins. The tree cover along with the sinking sun made the path more difficult to traverse than normal. Kiara held back a snicker as Percy stumbled on another rock.

"Um, Kiara, you know how Annabeth is head counselor for Athena's cabin?" Percy's eyes were focused on the ground as he tried to dodge tripping hazards. "Are you? I mean for your cabin?"

"No, my brother, Lee, is. He arrived at camp a few days before I did. He's older too."

"But don't you want to, I dunno, be in charge? You'd get to make all the rules..."

"And have all the responsibility. Anyway, in Cabin Seven, the head healer can't be the counselor. We need to be free to help anyone who needs us." Kiara paused trying to think of an example he would understand. "Let's say I'm off leading Seven and Annabeth gets injured. I can't just abandon my siblings and I can't leave her on her own. Our head healer can't be tied to one cabin."

"Oh."

"Yeah, there's a lot we need to teach you."

-o-

When rumors of a fight between a few of the younger campers reached Kiara's ears she gained a familiar headache. It had nothing to do with the itch at the top of her spine. The one that went away and then became her only sensation. This one was normal. No secret meaning behind it. Just an everyday headache. Kiara lovingly knew that specific one as, "Stupid kids trying to send me to my death early".

Every repetition of Percy and Clarisse's fight in the bathroom pounded in her mind. The two had somehow managed to avoid her since their fight but she knew it was just a matter of time. They would get a talking to once she found them. Kiara did not even know which version of the rumor was correct. The story had gotten outlandish by the time their senior campers had a meeting.

"So then Percy picked up Clarisse with a water hand and threw her away."

"No, I heard that the pipes burst and sprayed her." Katie corrected Lee.

"Well, Annabeth isn't going to tell us." Castor crossed his arms and frowned at her from across the room. "She's still embarrassed about the toilet water she got in her hair."

He let out an eep as he dodged the ping pong ball thrown at his head. Annabeth was deep in conversion with Beckendorf. They would not have suspected her if not for the box of ping pongs on the table.

"I think she heard you," Lee muttered, shifting in his chair.

Castor opened his mouth but Chiron stopped any complaints. "Could our head counselors give the weekly update?"

They looked around before Annabeth explained what happened with Cabin Six and issues they had. Beckendorf followed her and the rest of the head counselors continued. Kiara listened with half an ear until it was her turn.

"The infirmary is getting low on ambrosia and the bandages the Aurae brought had hail and dirt in the fibers. I think they went through a snowstorm on their way here. Until we get a new shipment we will have to eat into our emergency stash."

"Will we have to postpone Capture the Flag until-"

"No," Mark shouted.

"We've practiced all week."

"Our plans!"

The head counselors descended into chaos, trying to keep their game. The slight wrinkle in Chiron's forehead was the only response to the yelling of eight campers. Dionysus looked up once the yelling started but merely took another sip of his coke.

Kiara let out a piercing whistle. "No one is canceling anything. I have enough for this and the next week. We can continue with updates."

"New campers, Ben Pryor and Ellis Wakefield have been claimed by Athena and Ares." Luke's face hardened. "There are still twelve unclaimed in Cabin Eleven."

The noise from the rec room vanished. The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Kiara wrapped her arms around herself. Annabeth started biting his lips. Silena curled and pulled her hair, eyes partially glazed.

"They should be happy to have a roof over their heads." Mr. D flipped his magazine page. "In my day, we lived on the road running from angry stepmothers."

Luke argued, "These kids have been waiting for-"

"Barely anything. Those brats have food and entertainment. They just sit around all day complaining."

Luke's eyes glared daggers into the god. He looked, for a second, like he was about to challenge Mr. D and win. His lips curled into a snarl and the scar that forever haunted Kiara's dreams tightened.

"Father," Castor admonished, looking between the dangerous half-blood and bored god.

"Oops, did I say that? The poor babes, left to the cruel world. Whatever shall we do?"

Luke was no longer the only one trying to ignite Mr. D with their scowl.

Chiron coughed to grab the hostile attention of ten very mad half-bloods. "That concludes our meeting for today. Please collect your cabins and move on to their next activity."

Mr. D got up from his chair and left the room without a backwards glance.

Kiara exchanged a glance with Lee telling him, in a way only siblings would understand, to take the rest of the counselors outside. He gave her a sharp nod and ushered Castor and Katie to the door. Chiron looked sadly at Luke before he plodded past. Annabeth tried to pull away from Lee but one look from Kiara and she stomped away. The rest of them followed until the room was empty. Empty, except for Kiara and a still infuriated Luke.

He was standing straight as if his spine had turned to steel. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white and Kiara knew that if he released his grip small crescents would be pressed into his palm. His normally welcoming demeanor was thrown out the window. Here was a boy who lived through too much.

"Luke?" Kiara walked to him, her hands visible and posture unthreatening.

"They don't care." It was as if he was released from a spell. Luke took a sharp breath.

"They don't care," he seethed. "They don't, not about Clovis, or Blanche, or Butch. Vivian's been at camp since I got here. Her mom hasn't claimed her in nine years. She doesn't even know what the world is like outside the borders. Lou's got magic like you but she can't go. The stupid magicians don't even know she exists. Those kids wake up each day hoping to be claimed. There isn't enough space. Danny's getting too big and I don't have a bed for him. Amelia knew what to do. She would have made sure the kids were happy and healthy-"

"Ameila is proud of you." Kiara pulled his fists apart. She took a piece of ambrosia out of her pocket and held it up. Luke took it with trembling fingers. "She wanted you to be head counselor and she believed you would do great. She believed in you and I'm sure if she was here right now she would agree with me. You are doing your best. That's all you can do. It's enough."

"But the gods just sit there in their palaces ignoring their prayers." Luke glared at Kiara. "You aren't there when Ethan picks the best bit of food for his mom. He doesn't even know who she is but he's waiting. He's been waiting for too long. If they cared-"

Kiara cut off his yell. "If they don't care you can. And I can. And Chiron. And everyone else at camp."

"That's not enough. They deserve better."

Kiara's shoulders slumped. "There's nothing we can do to change the gods. If milenia hasn't done anything, what's a few kids yelling going to do."

"So you're going to just give up," Luke accused.

Kiara held back a yell. He was acting like it was with him or against him. She took a deep breath trying to push away the outrage growing in her. She could feel snakes of fire coursing through her veins and sparks dancing across her fingers.

"Amelia fought," Luke spat. "She didn't give up until the end."

"Don't you dare." Kiara tensed.

"You're just sitting there, with your perfect little cabin. You don't care."

"I do!" Kiara exploded. "I just don't complain without doing anything. You may be dealing with the kids in your cabin but I help every injured camper that walks into Cabin Seven. I work hard at what I can do."

Luke's eyes flashed with something she had never seen before, and for the first time she wondered if it was really safe inside the camp borders. He stepped closer, towering over her. Kiara held her ground but fear seeped into her. The fire in her veins was doused by the predator in front of her. Kiara's mind flashed to four years ago. Luke's scar was bleeding into his eyes, a torn claw in one hand. The memory only lasted for a second but the damage was there.

Luke flinched back at the fear in her eyes. He looked down at his hands and back at her, face paleing. He took a stumbling step back. The instinctive fear lingered in the back of Kiara's mind but the sight of her oldest friend terrified of himself pushed it back. Kiara reached forward but Luke pulled back, hitting his head on the wall behind him.

"Go." His voice was strained. "Please. I need—I need—I—just go, please."

Kiara opened her mouth to refuse but the words were missing. She gave a numb nod. She turned, everything in her screaming for her to stay and not leave the boy she knew better than her siblings but she kept walking. Every step felt like she was sinking into the flooring underneath her. Kiara gave into the temptation to look behind as she made it to the door.

Luke had slumped against the wall. He pressed his hands to his eyes and let out a ragged breath.

His whisper barely reached her.

"I'm sorry."

Kiara ran from the door. She sprinted up the stairs. She made it to the window at the end of the hall before her legs gave out beneath her. Her heart thundered in her chest the only noise she could hear over her heaving breaths. Kiara leaned her head against the window frame behind her. Her arms wrapped around her knees and Kiara set her pounding head against them. She closed her eyes from the light of the window.

She breathed out, her body shuddering, "I'm sorry."

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara was not sure who was avoiding who, but she had not seen Luke other than across the mess hall. Sadly the world did not stop for anyone. They had to keep moving. Kiara ignored Luke and focused on the people right in front of her. They would talk when they were ready.

Kiara held back a snort as Lee tried helping Percy with archery. The poor boy was so confused and Lee's lectures did little to help. He held his bow in a tense fist, elbow too low to have any pull on the string. His feet were so close together a light wind could knock him over.

No one was paying attention to their actual job at the moment. They were all watching the inevitable car crash that was Percy Jackson and a bow. Kiara made a mental note to try and find a way to keep him out of the activity. She was sure that he would do well with some more mythology practice.

Kiara threw herself over Charlotte before she even knew what was happening. Everyone around them had fallen to the ground, eyes wide and panicked. An arrow protruded out of the table. Kiara warrily followed the fletching to the sheepish boy standing on the shooting line.

"Um, hi?" Percy rubbed his neck. "Should I try again?"

Scratch that, Percy was never going to touch a bow again.

Lee seemed to hear her mental panic and pulled the bow out of his hands with a resounding, "No."

"But-"

Kiara leapt off the bench. "How about you try racing?" She took his arm and dragged him away from the archery range. "I'm sure Lu—your cabin has a few pointers. "

"If you say so..." Percy looked back at his disastrous attempt, which now had Ethel, Lee and Micheal scratching their heads at how he managed to shoot backwards.

"Of course," Kiara agreed.

She pulled him over to the canoe lake. A group of younger kids listened intently to a dryad who was calmly explaining the rules of their game. Her graceful poise was reminiscent of her chestnut tree. A few leaves were still in her hair. Moss grew up her arm to her face. Kiara noticed Camille and Mason fighting over who was closest to Carya. Kiara winced as she saw their messy fingers digging into her leg smearing glitter against everything they touched.

"Carya," Kiara called her attention. "Do you think you have enough space for one more?"

The dryad beckoned Percy forward and Kiara left him to the race.

-o-

The next few days passed the same. The senior campers watched Percy. None of them could figure out the camp's newest member. He did not have a specialized skill with any specific weaponry as so many of them did nor did he have a tendency to any particular activity. Other than his fight with the minotaur, tussle with Clarrise and weird luck to keep his canoe from flipping he seemed like a normal kid. Their one consultation was that Percy seemed to fit in with camp. He had no disastrous midnight escapes like some of the younger campers and he seemed to be improving with his greek at a steady pace. Hidden in some secret part of Kiara she hoped that maybe he would be claimed quietly and the foreboding feeling would pass over camp without much fuss. Kiara could feel the other campers start to lose interest but something forbid her from looking away.

The excitement of camp was tangible. As they cleared tables of the Mess Hall, the flags were presented. Annabeth stood under her flag and threw a taunting smirk at Mark. She said something to him that was lost in the crowd but his responding cackle was visible. The gray flag of Athena raised high to the cheers of their allies. Kiara whistled and stomped her feet. Annabeth took a step back and mockingly waved Mark forward. The head counselor of Ares took her attitude in stride, sweeping his hand out and bowing low to the applause and yells of his team. They looked like mini gods basking in the cheers and viciousness of the campers. The two children of war gods seemed to glow in the tension of the upcoming fight. Annabeth's hair shifted in an nonexistent breeze and Mark's eyes faintly glowed. Chiron walked between the opposing leaders and called out the cabins in each team.

The rustling of weapons and whispers of excitement followed the cabins as they split up to prepare for the game. Kiara picked up her bracers and slipped on her plastron. She needed the protection as field medic for the game. The monsters did not care if she was part of the game or not. She checked over her quiver and bow before turning to Will and Lottie.

"Helmets?"

"Yep!"

"Chest plate?"

"I can't get the strap," Lottie said, reaching for the strap but missing by a few inches.

Kiara handed her bow to Will and pulled Lottie's shoulder strap tight. "Remember-"

"Stay with Bryan or one of the head counselors if we lose him," Will and Lottie recited dutifully. "Don't separate if you can help it. If a monster comes and it's just us, whistle."

"Do it." Kiara checked over their armor once more.

Lottie put her fingers to her lips and let out an ear piercing whistle. The campers around them gave them a dirty look rubbing their ears. Will let out a mischievous smile before letting out a louder two note whistle.

"Shut up!" Chris yelled, slamming his helmet down on his head.

Kiara smirked. "Hey, Danny! Emergency whistle."

The eight year old looked tiny in his armor but gave her a blinding grin. He put fingers against his lips and blew out a squeaky uneven whistle.

"Good job, Danny." Kiara laughed at Chris' glare. "Remember if you lose Chris do that whistle really loud ok?"

"Got it." Chris rolled his eyes and pushed a helmet onto Daniel's head.

"I'm not going to lose him," Chris muttered, ushering Daniel over to the other Hermes kids.

They clumped around Annabeth, Luke and Lee getting last minute alterations to their plan. Percy was outfitted with a chest plate that was too big and Kiara mentally set aside a tub of bruise cream for the boy. Kiara watched as the group let out a cheer and ran into the forest. She kept an eye out for the younger children and ignored the foreboding feeling growing at an alarming rate.

Kiara went over the plans of both sides of the games. As the head healer, she was told all plans and details to prepare for any injuries and possible issues that would happen during the game. She waved a salute at Chiron as he walked into the forest after the campers.

Kiara shouldered her small bag and bow. She looked up to the moon and sent a small prayer to Lady Artemis. The moonlight seemed to glow brighter for a second and Kiara felt a cool breeze swing around her like a hug. She was thankful for the attention to their games but the feeling of the unease grew.

-o-

The forest was quiet except for the occasional rustle of a bush. Kiara had waited in the dark moving through the forest for any lost campers. She noted the tread of larger monsters and steered clear off any known territories. If all went well she would not be needed. But that did not make the wait any less boring.

A pained yell.

Kiara tucked her bag against her back and ran to the still echoing scream. She jumped over fallen branches and puddles of mud. Kiara could hear nothing over the pounding of her heart. It thumped hard in a warning. The blood in her veins seemed to pull her faster. Faster. Faster.

She stopped by the edge of the tree cover by the creek to survey the scene when her arm brushed against something she could not see. Kiara pressed her hand against the invisible being. The faintest glimmer caught her periphery. She glared at where she hoped Annabeth was as she placed a concealed arm in front of Kiara.

"What are you doing?" Kiara hissed.

"Wait."

Kiara got the distinct feeling that Annabeth was not even looking at her. The scream came from the clearing. She was close enough to help and was able to disable Annabeth if she needed to. Hopefully whoever yelled would be able to hold out for her. With a sigh, she let up and looked at what could possibly be holding Annabeth's attention.

She would have stepped forward if Annabeth had not grabbed her shoulder in a death grip. Percy had fallen into the creek, half drenched with a sluggishly bleeding wound on his arm, fighting Clarisse and her younger siblings. He seemed to be holding his own against three trained fighters but Kiara knew that would not last long.

"Annabeth-"

"Just, wait. He can do it."

Kiara felt bad for bringing it up but nothing was getting to her. "Annabeth, I know you've been looking forever but you can't let a kid get killed for-"

"He isn't. Watch."

Kiara clenched her jaw. She mentally went over her supplies in her bag and brought her hand down to one of her blunt tipped arrows.

Percy pulled himself up. Instead of looking exhausted and drained he looked invigorated. Like the Demeter kids after working in the strawberry fields or the kids from Cabin Nine after creating a new invention. He was in his element. Kiara's breath stuttered in her chest. She tried to turn away from that track of thinking but the feeling that had plagued her for weeks refused.

All Kiara could do was watch, frozen by the opposing forces pulling at her. Every slam of a sword against armor screamed at her to heal, to fix, but she could only stare, hands limp against her sides.

Ellis and Sherman ran at Percy, swords out. Percy dodged their first attack, before slamming his shield into Sherman's face and hacking off Ellis' feather. Clarisse glared at Percy and hefted her spear. She tried to thrust it at his ribs, pulling a strangled gasp out of Kiara. Percy grabbed the shaft and twisted it.

The spear snapped into pieces.

Clarisse screamed and launched herself towards Percy. She looked murderous. The spear she had prayed for years for was broken into shards on the ground.

"You imbecile! I'll get you for that." Clarisse reached out her arms to wrestle Percy to the ground but he hit her helmet with the side of his blade and she fell into the mud.

Kiara had seen enough. Whatever Annabeth was trying to analyze was not worth this. She ran out of the bushes to the kids. Before she could get to them cheers came from Ares' territory.

A crowd of campers ran towards them, Luke in the lead with their opponent's banner raised high. Louisa scrambled to help Clarisse up as they tried to stop them. Some of Kiara's siblings were covering his back as he leapt across the river.

"A trick!" Clarisse shouted. "It was a trick."

It was too late. The banner in Luke's hand shimmered turning silver with their symbol in the center. The winning side burst into cheers. The blue team surrounded Luke and lifted him high. The Hermes cabins yelled louder than any of the others.

Kiara knelt down and picked up the broken pieces of Clarisse's spear. A few of the shards sparked her but it was nothing like the power it had before. She moved the pieces together. Most of them were there. Beckendorf could fix it. The small shocks in her fingers traveled up her arms. They were too strong. It was not like electricity anymore but something else.

Chiron blew the conch shell.

Kiara stood up on shaky legs. Percy's arms were crossed over his chest as he argued with Annabeth in the river. He released his arm when Annabeth motioned to it and touched a healing scar on his arm. Kiara moved closer, she needed to check on him. A newbie fighting off four experienced campers was sure to have strained something. He stepped out of the water and crumpled.

Kiara leaped forward and with the help of Annabeth steadied him. The glow around him dissipated and he was left looking pale and worn. The aftershocks of the electrical spear caused a tremble in his hands. The mark on his arm that seemed to be a fading scar suddenly looked irritated and sore.

"Oh, Styx," Annabeth cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want... I assumed it would be Zeus..."

"What-"

A growl came from behind them. A familiar howl followed. Every muscle in Kiara's body tensed.

The cheers were silenced. Chiron yelled for his bow. Annabeth drew her dagger. Kiara's hand inched towards her weapons.

A large shape climbed on top of the rocks opposite of the river. It was larger than a bear, with shaggier dark fur. Its eyes strained on Percy, and only on him but the blood red stopped Kiara's breath.

Kiara was smaller. Tiny in the face of this beast. She could smell its breath. The sharp teeth were close to her face waiting for a bite. Its large paw on her chest kept her from doing much more than gasp. Her arm grew cold, her heart beating fast, too fast. Even if the beast did not rip out her throat she would have bled out before anyone would think to look for them. She would die there.

Annabeth yelled, "Percy, run!" and Kiara was thrust into the present.

Kiara was not a little child. And she would not be cowed by nightmares. She strung an arrow and raised her bow but the beast was faster.

It sailed over her head and landed right on Percy.

Kiara released her bowstring.

Her arrow and forty others stuck the hound's back. It fell to the side in a pile of glittering gold.

Kiara threw her bow over her shoulder and kneeled at Percy's side. His armor was ripped to shreds, celestial bronze and hellhound claws sliced through his shirt and chest. Kiara started pulling at the leather straps.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't... they're not supposed to..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

"You're wounded." Annabeth held out a hand to pull Percy up. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"Annabeth, I need to treat his wounds. Save your experiment for later." Kiara pushed her out of the way and finished removing his armor.

"Please." Annabeth grabbed Kiara's hands and forced her to look into her eyes. "I promise it will help."

"No." Kiara pulled away. "The bacteria alone from the monster could cause an infection much less river water."

Annabeth ignored her, grabbing Percy's arm and pulling him up.

"Annabeth, please I need to heal him."

"Just wait," Annabeth begged. "It'll just take a second."

Kiara grit her teeth. She pushed her shoulder under Percy's arm and helped him wade into the water.

The moment the river soaked his jeans something changed. His weight fell away from Kiara's shoulder. His face regained its color and his wounds seemed to close on their own.

A glowing trident appeared above his head, bathing him in its green light.

"Look, I—I don't know why," Percy apologized. "I'm sorry. . . ."

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um . . . Your father." The sign started to fade but the image was burned into Kiara's brain. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

Kiara fell to a knee along with Annabeth and the other campers.

"My father?" Kiara had never heard Percy not sounding confused but this time it was like someone told him the sky was red.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

Kiara could not stay kneeling for long. She stood up before it was proper and grabbed Percy's arm. The scar from before was gone, faded, like the injury never happened. Kiara pulled at his shirt and gasped at the sight. The lacerations across his chest were sealed, a few raised lines remained. She pressed lightly on his ribs for the possible cracks or breaks but they held solid. The bruises left were disappearing before her eyes.

"Lee, Sofia, be ready to catch him when he steps out of the water." Kiara's oldest siblings came up next to her. "Percy, I need you to step out of the water. Slowly. I need to get you to the infirmary."

Kiara was distantly aware of Chiron ordering the other campers to bed as Percy hesitantly stepped out of the water. The moment his feet were on dry land he collapsed into Kiara's older siblings' arms. Kiara had them lower him to the ground to make sure he really was healed. Her mind had a hard time wrapping around how mended his wounds were when she had seen the damage done to his armor. In a normal scenario he would be fighting for his life but all Kiara could sense was exhaustion.

Chiron walked over to them. "If I may be of assistance getting Percy back to the infirmary?"

"Please." Kiara helped them lift Percy onto his back.

Lee and Sofia asked if there was anything else she needed but Kiara just shooed them away. They protested but really there was nothing they could do, healers were outside the chain of command.

Kiara and Chiron walked at a sedate pace back through the forest. The stars shone above them as they exited the tree cover. Kiara kept a hand on Percy's arm to make sure he was not falling off.

"He just needs rest, but I want him to be in the infirmary so someone can watch him."

"And to think he was a guest there only a few days ago." Chiron let out a light chuckle. "The boy seems to be accident prone."

Kiara just sighed. "Chiron, please try not to tip him onto the ground."

"My apologies."

-o-

"I'm okay. I promise." Percy tried getting out of the infirmary once more.

Kiara braced her arms against the door frame. "You fainted last night."

"Last night. See I'm fine now." He held out his healed arm and waved it in front of her face.

Kiara refused to budge. She was not going to let a patient out of her care until she was sure they were fine. Percy had almost fallen over from a dizzy spell when he tried to get out of bed half an hour ago. He had been trying to assure her that he was fine but Kiara could still see the bags under his eyes. If she had her way he would not leave the infirmary until the next day but from experience campers could not be held down for long.

"Just rest for a few more hours." Kiara grabbed his arms and started pulling him towards the bed.

Percy tried to wiggle free but all he did was get his hair messy. "I've been resting."

"You've been unconscious. That's not the same-"

"Knock knock?" Luke tapped his knuckle on the door frame. "Chiron asked me to pick up Percy."

"Yes!" Percy cheered, slipping out of Kiara's hold and running past Luke.

Kiara frowned at his retreating back. Her eyes flicked over to Luke, questions dancing on her tongue. But she bit them back.

"Um."

"Chiron said you've been here since last night. You need breakfast," Luke ordered.

"Luke-"

"Come on, Bean." He grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. "I helped Chiron get Cabin Three ready for Percy but we need to check on him often. I don't feel right letting a twelve year old live on his own. Can you make sure the cabin's emergency bag is stocked? I need to reorganize the schedules. Do you think-"

Kiara dug her heels into the grassy hill. "Luke, I'm sorry about before-"

"Doesn't matter. Water under the bridge. We have more important things to worry about."

Kiara ducked her head. Of course, Luke would avoid her apology. She had no idea what Luke was going through. At least she had her cabin and siblings. There were no unknowns in their little family. Everyone knew where they were supposed to be.

"Hey." Luke squeezed her shoulder and kneeled in front of her. "It's fine. You're my sister through everything. No stupid argument will change that."

Kiara looked at the scar over his eye. She remembered how much her hands were shaking when they got back to their little camp. She had been so worried she would poke his eye with the needle, but he just held still and told her that he believed in her.

"You promise?" Kiara's finger traced that very same scar.

His smile pulled at the pale line. "Are you five?"

"Please."

He looked into her eyes. "Alright. I promise. You'll always be my little sister and I'll always be your brother." His serious expression held for two heartbeats before he broke out a joke. "You are little. Are you sure you aren't shrinking? You're almost pocket sized."

"I'm not small." Kiara walked past him and his stupid face.

Luke laughed before jogging to catch up with her. "Fine, fine. But just so you know, I wouldn't be here without you."

"Then make sure you don't leave."

Luke tugged at her hair. "Sorry, Bean but the adult world is calling. I just get such a rush when thinking about taxes."

"Shut up." Kiara shoved him away. 

Chapter Text

June 2006

Walking over to Cabin three felt strange. For years the cabin sat empty, only dares bringing young campers to the door. The blue paint was faded and worn. The foreboding feeling that chased anyone who neared the cabin was gone. The wind chimes by the door sang with joy. It was as if the walls had been waiting for their occupant. Kiara knocked on the door hefting her bag higher.

"Come in," Percy's voice sounded strangely muffled.

The inside looked less empty than the aged exterior. Empty beds lined the room. Except for the one at the end. A duffle was dumped at the foot of the bed and a teen was trying to smother himself in pillows and blankets. Fine dust swayed in the air, pulling a sneeze out of Kiara.

"Bless you."

"Percy?" A grunt was his only answer. "Chiron asked me to check on you." A similar noise came from the blankets.

A piece of crumpled paper sat across from the bed. Kiara smoothed out paper and skimmed it. Kiara glared at the circled number. Whoever sent this would be having a very difficult time soon.

Kiara sat by the lump on the bed. "Is something wrong?"

The blankets shifted to reveal a frustrated Percy. He kept the blankets wrapped around his body leaving his face the only thing exposed to the air.

"I'm fine," he grumbled. His hair was messed up from the static under the blankets and his eyes looked red.

"Are you sure?"

"It doesn't matter."

"If you're-"

"It's fine." Percy glared at her then burrowed back into his cave.

Kiara let out a breath. And sneezed. Once, twice. Three times.

The huddle beneath the blankets let out a snort.

"Sure, laugh at my misery." Kiara rolled her eyes. "Maybe clean the room while you're at it." She sneezed again.

"What's wrong with you?" Percy asked with the tact of a twelve year old.

The bed shook as he shifted around. Kiara turned back to him. The blankets were pooled around his knees. His blotchy cheeks dimpled as he laughed at her.

"Not everyone can magically heal with water. Some of us get annoying side effects instead of cool powers."

Percy sent a wary glance at her. "Why are you here?"

"I heard you had a tiring training. I thought some bruise cream wouldn't be unwanted." Kiara held the little tub out to him.

"Um, thanks?" He picked it up like it was an offering from a cat.

Kiara scooted closer. "Like this, Duckie."

She scooped out a dollop of the arnica paste and reached out a hand for his reddish arm.

"It's cold!" Percy tried to pull away.

"It's supposed to be."

He squinted at her but let her continue. Kiara winced at the mark on his forearm. Luke had hit him with the flat of his blade, probably knocking him to the ground as well. She carefully smoothed out the cream against the skin but Percy still flinched at touch.

"Couldn't you just use the weird magic thing?" Percy's other hand fiddled with a loose thread from his blanket.

"We have a limited supply of ambrosia and nectar. Hebe only sends down a batch every few weeks. Fortunately your bruises are not life threatening enough to need them."

Percy seemed satisfied with that answer. Kiara moved on to the next one peaking out of his sleeve. She hummed a slight hymn under her breath. It would not fix broken bones or mend torn tissue but speeding up the healing of a bruise was easy. The sun through the window grew warm on her skin as it fed off her song. The edges of the red bruises receded.

"I saw the news clipping, Percy." Kiara kept her eyes on her task even when he tensed. "It's not your fault-"

Percy interrupted, "You don't know that-"

"There was nothing anyone could do. Your mom knew that. She made sure you could make it to camp."

"You don't know that!" He pulled away.

"I do, Percy. How many of us here do you think lost someone on the way? It's not safe out there. Not for us. Will only gets to see his mom once or twice a year. Annabeth hasn't seen her parents since she was six. Clarisse showed up at camp alone. Richard, a satyr, had been protecting her and another. I can't live with my mom. I can't see her for more than a day without something coming after us. We lose people, Percy. It's a part of life. We have to live for the ones who gave theirs for us. Your mom brought you here to keep you safe. Don't waste that. You aren't alone. We are here for you and your mom would want you to keep trying." Kiara stood up and placed the cream on his bedside table. "Dinner's at six. Don't be late."

-o-

She floated in nothingness. It was not dark, nor light. She could not tell the difference when her eyes were open or closed. Her chest heaved but no air entered her lungs. She opened her mouth but no scream came out. No sound reached her ears. Her fingers could not touch her palm for it was not there—she couldn't feel anything of herself at all.

Her blood did not pulse to the beat of a heart. There was none. There was no cold or heat. The hollowness inside her was as silent as the void outside. Her toes reached for the ground beneath her and she was hit with the realization that up and down had no meaning. There was no meaning in this strange inbetween world.

Nothing.

She could do nothing but wait. Wait and hope she would be freed from this prison.

The wait was almost as bad as the endlessness. She had no idea if it was mere seconds or years that passed. There were no breaths to count. No sign on the nothingness that anything was happening. Time was meaningless in this world. Was it seconds or years passing? She felt each heartbeat that should have been, her body cried out in an agony of absence, but there was no rhythm, no anchor. She was adrift, sinking deeper, until her own mind was the only tether left.

Then something changed.

Not sight or touch but a buzz in her ears. It grew louder and louder until the static shifted into words, bringing with it a taste of something bitter, metallic, and unfamiliar.

"They're on their way," a familiar voice said. "You've lost."

"I haven't even started." This one was different—older, harsh, ready to rip the world to shreds for their goals.

Then, light, faint and flickering, pushed its way into her senses. She stumbled forward, her legs suddenly finding purchase on smooth, cold marble beneath her. The disfigured mosaic of the gods stared at her, their faces frozen in terror, screaming with lungs that would never work. Smoke smothered the sky, fires twisting and jumping in the chaos around her.

And over the crumbling hearth stood a man. His skin glowed from within, golden light spilling from every pore and reaching towards the sky

"I understand now. You have to trust me."

A girl struggled under the weight of a heavy sword, blood trickling down her face—a face Kiara knew but could no longer place.

"She saw your fate."

"This is my fate."

Kiara's heart ached with the certainty that she had to reach them. Her body felt bound by invisible chains, a weight pressing on her chest as though to suffocate her. Kiara strained against unseen chains, desperation clawing at her. Something would happen if she didn't. The man pressed the sword down harder. Tears streamed from Kiara's eyes. She needed to stop this.

"You promised. You're holding him back even now."

With one final pull, the chains broke. The sound shattered the silence like a scream, reverberating through the hall. Her legs shook as she stumbled forward, the shards of celestial bronze digging into her skin, blood running down her legs. She ran, but the distance never seemed to lessen. Always out of reach. Never close enough.

Her breath grew ragged as her outstretched hand brushed his arm—only for something to stop her cold.

"Cease this useless fighting, child," one whispered.

"Fate can not be stopped," warned the other, hand pressing Kiara's away

"The strings have already been cut," the last finished.

The Moirai stood before her: Clotho cradling flax, Lachesis holding a basket of threads, Atropos wielding her shears. Behind them, the hall faded. Kiara was back in the nothingness.

The man turned to them. Molten tears of gold rolled down his face. His hair was drenched with color, his skin glowing from the inside. Everything about him was too much, unnaturally flawless. Only a familiar scar, running jagged down the side of his face, marred the perfection.

"Luke?"

The man fell to his knees, steam rising from his body in thick coils. The glow inside him brightened, pushing against his skin, straining until it began to split. He writhed, reaching out, desperate.

"Luke!"

Kiara ran to him but with each step her feet sunk down into the earth beneath them. It felt like wading through molten lava; every movement brought fire and pain, shocks sparking up her body as she sank lower. The ground reached her chest by the time she made it to his side. Her hands shook as she tried to help him.

"Luke. Luke! Stop!"

He froze, just for a moment, his eyes clearing. Blue stared back at her, pleading.

"Help me," he whispered, "please."

And then she fell.

Back into the endless void, alone once more. The burns vanished like they'd never been, and Kiara was left trembling.

"Girl."

The voice tore at Kiara's mind, tearing past her thoughts, battering against every barrier she'd ever built. It was like a blade cutting through her defenses, prying into every hidden corner of her consciousness. She felt the words pressing in, so loud and invasive that she could barely breathe.

"Do not fear me." The voice softened, but its command lingered, weaving itself through her senses like a venom. "You'd do well serving in my army. A Fate's Keeper is always welcome in my home."

Something–definitely something–was close. It was not human. She could feel it tower over her. She knelt, frozen, every instinct screaming at her not to look. The air thrummed with a resonant hum as it circled her, a predator waiting for any sign of weakness.

"Oh, my child." It crooned, the voice wrapping around her like smoke, thick and cloying. "The world has been harsh to you. They have let you behind." It came to a stop in front of her. "Your work would be better appreciated with us."

Kiara kept her eyes clenched tight, her hands tight around her head. Some part of her warned that if she looked, if she dared meet the gaze of this thing, she would never open her eyes again. It's not-eyes burned down on her daring her to look, just a peak, just a glance to satisfy her curiosity.

"Ah." It chuckled, low and knowing. "A smart one, I see..."

Its voice sank to a whisper, each word slithering through her mind, leaving an oily residue behind. "What will it take to open your eyes to the truth?" It paused, full of unheard promises. "I will wait."

The presence leaned closer, and she could feel its not-breath, hot as the desert's sand, stirring the air around her. The words came soft and conspiratorial, yet unyielding.

"Remember to watch over the champion. He must meet me."

"No..." Kiara's voice was barely a whisper, a small ember in the vast darkness.

"Child, you are mistaken," the voice responded smoothly, almost amused. "This is your only option." It lingered, pooling around her. "I willwait."

"No."

There was a long, chilling silence. The figure seemed to relish it, as if savoring her resistance. Finally, it spoke, the words woven with cold certainty.

"I have time." Its voice lowered, resonating with a quiet, terrible promise. "You will bend. I will wait."

-o-

Kiara woke before dawn, before the sky thickened with dark clouds. Only a faint trickle of moonlight guided her as she approached the door of the big house, leaning against the frame to steady her pounding heart. Thunder rumbled in the distance, an echo to the relentless thud in her chest. Fragments of the nightmare flickered through her mind. Each one was colder than the last. A chill ran down her spine despite her brother's oversized sweatshirt that hung to her knees. The whispering voice from the dream lingered in her thoughts. Its words clinging like shadows. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she tried to shake the feeling, as if the presence might still be lurking just beyond the edges of the waking world.

"Who's there?" Chiron opened the door and with one look at her wide eyes and shaking frame ushered her inside.

With a warm cup of tea in her hands and a blanket around her shoulders, Kiara finally relaxed on the couch. Across from her, Chiron sat in his wheelchair. His glasses low on his nose, hair curlers perched somewhat precariously in his mane. Next to him, Mr. D was sprawled in an armchair, bleary-eyed and half-asleep.

Kiara traced the ripples in her mug as she explained what she remembered from her nightmare. The warmth from the tea chased away the chill that lingered from the dream. She could feel her magic tingling in her fingers on watch for the presence's return. The morning came as she explained but the sky remained as dark as night. As her story unfolded, Chiron's face grew more tense, each detail drawing his brows a bit lower.

She took a breath clutching the cold tea tighter around herself.

Chiron said, "Kiara..."

"Tell no one of this." Mr. D's eyes were hard as he leaned forward in his seat forgoing his facade. "Not one word will pass your lips, by order of Zeus." Thunder rumbled in warning. "Understand, girl?" His voice dropped to a fierce whisper. "You will not start a panic over your half-forgotten nightmare. Until this dream proves itself, it means nothing."

Chiron gave the god a cautious look. "Mr. D-"

"No, Chiron, this is not up for debate. Answer me, Kiara Diana Hope," he ordered.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus." Kiare pulled her blanket tighter against his glare. "I won't tell a soul, I swear on the Styx." Thunder rang out once more, sealing her fate. "What about the man? He was familiar. I knew him."

"If the Fates did not let you remember there is a reason you forgot," Chiron cautioned.

"Go collect, Parker Jensen." And with that Mr. D settled back into his chair, a magazine popping into his hands. "That brat is wrapped up in this and I need to know how."

"Parker-Oh Percy." Kiara gave him a small nod and picked herself up from the couch. "Is there anything or anyone else you would like?"

"Grover Underwood. This is his last chance."

-o-

The clouds rolled overhead as Kiara made her way to the edge of the border. The shield protected the half-bloods. It also had the plus of keeping the stocked monsters away from the satyrs' camp. The shield was almost invisible except for the occasional ripple on the border. Pushing through the border always felt strange like stepping out into the snow without a coat on. The safety and warmth of camp waited at her back and the world out in front of her.

Kiara stepped over tangling roots and small shrubs. This close to the satyrs' home one could never be more careful of what was just an ordinary plant or a sensitive dryad.

"Hello? Who's there?" a tentative voice asked off the trail.

Kiara spun, her heartbeat quickening. "Juniper?"

"Kiara! What are you doing out here?" Juniper melted out of the forest, her feet silent against the ground.

"Chiron and Mr. D want to talk with Grover about the camper he guided."

"Oh no!" Juniper's cheeks turned a darker green at Grover's name as she kept up with Kiara. "He hasn't done anything. He just wants his searcher's license."

The forest reacted to the dryad's distress leaning towards her. A few flowers seemed to try and glare at Kiara for Juniper's distraught.

"I know that and so do they," Kiara tried to calm Juniper before the forest decided to strangle her. "This is something else."

"Like a quest?" Juniper perked up. "If he goes on a quest he can get his license!"

Kiara pulled her arms tighter around herself. "Hopefully there won't be a need for a quest."

Juniper looked sheepish. "I mean of course. They're dangerous and scary. Who would want to go on one of those?" She hesitated, then added brightly, "They probably just want to congratulate him for getting that boy here in one piece. I'm sure of it. Give him a medal and everything for finding one of the Big Three's kids. No one has done that in decades. He found two of them at that."

Kiara shook her head at Juniper's attempt to distract her. "Thanks, Juni."

Pale light streamed down from the canopy as the forest opened up to a natural clearing. Houses tucked into branches and cabins grown from trees greeted them. As the closest homes to camp these were filled with the Guides and their families. Juniper waved at the satyrs wandering around in the strange light. Kiara walked the familiar path to Grover's home tucked into the base of a birch.

She knocked on the door. No answer. Juniper shrugged as Kiara knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing.

"Grover? Are you in there?" She called into the house.

"Oh honey, Grover stayed up late last night planning something again," an aurae apologized, passing them with a baby satyr against her hip.

"Thanks, Cleo."

Kiara turned back and pounded on the door. "Grover Underwood! Don't make me come in there."

A loud thump and a string of curses followed. Kiara smirked as Juniper giggled. Moments later, the door opened to reveal a very disheveled Grover.

"Good morning, Grover," Kiara chirped.

"Kiara! It's six!" Grover bemoaned leaning on his door like it was the one thing that was holding him together. His hair stuck in every which way and his eyes kept drooping shut.

Juniper greeted, her voice soft, "Hi, Grover."

And it was like his whole existence lit up. "Oh-um-hi-hello-I mean-Good morning, Juniper, how are you? You-your hair is very beautiful today."

"Thank you," Juniper's cheeks flushed and they both averted their eyes. "I'm well and you?"

"Perfect-" Grover smiled. "-now that you're here-I mean-um–"

Kiara cleared her throat. "Grover."

He jumped, startled out of their moment. "What?"

"Mr. D and Chiron need to talk to you and Percy. Now."

"Oh..." Grover's face went pale. "I guess we'd better head over."

"You aren't in trouble," Kiara assured him.

He didn't look convinced, his nervous sway disappearing as his posture stiffened. "Sure. Of course. Not in trouble. Just a formal trip before they send me to strawberry duty for life."

"They aren't. Trust me, please."

Grover managed a weak smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "If you're sure..."

-o-

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."

Kiara looked away from her losing hand. A green Grover had told her he would retrieve Percy himself and it did not look like he was panicking any less. Percy, on the other hand, just looked bewildered, his expression one of perpetual confusion. He had worn that same lost-puppy look since arriving at camp.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. Kiara warily looked up at the dark clouds, threatening a storm.

"Blah, blah, blah," Mr. D said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Mr. D said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm," Chiron put in.

"It's on the restricted list," Kiara added.

"Nonsense," Mr. D said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Mr. D relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Mr. D rose, and the invisible player next to Kiara ceased to exist. Kiara looked over at the cards wincing at her horrible luck. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus picked up an ace of diamonds, twisted it, and it became a security pass. He snapped his fingers and rippled away.

Chiron stared at the spot where Mr. D had vanished like he was trying to puzzle out the mysteries of the universe. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. "Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Kiara tucked her leg against her chest as she tried to suppress a shudder at the memory of red eyes and heavy fur.

"It scared me," Percy said, looking down at his chest like he could see the fading scars through his shirt. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done . . . with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" Kiara felt sick to her stomach.

How could Chiron want to send a new half-blood on a quest? Percy had barely any training. The monsters he would meet would be twice as strong as any beast locked in the forest.

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details." Thunder rumbled across the valley.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable . . . something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

Percy's face flushed. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she overheard something about a theft. And . . . I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"Dreams are important for demigods, Percy," Kiara warned. "Our souls aren't great at sticking to our bodies when we sleep. They like to wander, and they can get into some really dangerous places."

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"Quests aren't field trips, Grover," snapped Kiara. "They're dangerous. There's a reason so many heroes never made it back home after their quests."

"Only the Oracle can determine a quest. No matter the danger or the need, the Oracle decides." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously, looking at Chiron like he was joking. "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron said. "By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected. "By you."

"At least"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't—"

Kiara stopped him. "We know you didn't, Percy. But the gods are different. Their pride can change the fate of wars. Zeus has accused Poseidon, who now conveniently claimed his son, born of a broken oath. Neither Zeus or Posiden can't back down. Zeus has demanded his lightning bolt back by the twenty first and he thinks you have it."

"I'm just a kid! Poseidon didn't steal it right?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" Percy guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad," Percy repeated.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

A droplet hit the roof of the patio, followed by another and another until rain pounded against the Big House. Kiara's gaze followed Lee as he scooped up Charlotte. His steady voice was edged with urgency as he called the other kids indoors.

Stepping closer to the railing, Kiara extended her hand into the rain. The cold shocked her—it wasn't the crisp relief of summer rain but something sharper, unnerving. Kiara pulled her damp hand back as the campers fled inside. Everyone's eyes lingered on the impossible storm raging through the border.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt." Percy stood up from the table glaring at the sky. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago . . . well, some of the lines make sense to me now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Percy lost some of his steam. "Good reason."

"You agree then?"

"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle." Chiron beckoned Kiara back. "Kiara please take Percy to the attic. And Percy when you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

Chapter Text

June 2003

"What did Chiron mean by 'still sane'? You aren't going to torture me or anything..." Percy took a breath. "Right?

"Of course not. You're just going to talk to the Pythia," Kiara said, reaching for the rope attached to the green trapdoor. "She was a mortal woman who held the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi. The spirit can only be held by a mortal and has been since my father fought Python."

Kiara pulled the ladder down, coughing as dust rained from the attic hatch. The ladder creaked ominously, but she knew it would hold until Camp Half-Blood itself fell. She climbed carefully into the dark space, the air heavy with mildew, rotting wood, and the faint, suffocating presence of Delphi's spirit.

The attic was the same as when she entered years ago. The scent of mildew, rotten wood, and Dephi's spirit suffocated the room. The old armor of past heroes and mementos from quests rusted away in silence. Kiara read the inscription of the glittering branch next to her, Branch from the Tree of the Golden Apples - 2003.

"Are those eyes?" Percy asked, poking a jar.

Kiara turned from her thoughts, catching his disgusted expression. "Hydra. 1947."

"Ew." His reaction drew a laugh from her, a brief reminder of how young he really was.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kiara asked, her voice softer now.

Percy's hands clenched into fists. "What choice do I have? If I don't, Zeus might vaporize me, or Dionysus could turn me into a dolphin. You heard Chiron—'nature at war with itself.' I can't just stand by."

"You could. You're twelve. We could figure something out—"

"Before June twenty-first?" Percy interrupted.

Kiara had no answer. They both knew that he had to do this. If he did not the camp and world would be torn apart on sides of a war that would never end.

"Let's just get this over with." Percy stepped up to the Pythia's mummy.

She stood up. Percy jumped back bumping into Kiara as he tried to get away from the mummy, but she just pushed him forward.

"Kiara, what's happening-" The green mist seeped from the mummy's mouth, curling toward Percy. The moment it touched his hand, his voice cut off.

Percy froze, his glazed eyes fixed on the mist. Less than a heartbeat later, it retreated, sliding back into the mummy's lifeless form. Percy stumbled forward, gasping.

"Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?" he demanded, his voice shaking.

His hands trembled as he turned to Kiara. The lingering spirit sapped his energy, leaving him pale and shaken.

"Come on. You head down first. I need to do something," Kiara ushered him towards the trapdoor.

Percy, too exhausted to argue with her, stumbled down the ladder.

The mummy leaned against the wall, her poor body arranged to keep her from falling. Kiara tapped her hand with a finger and the faint outline of a young woman shimmered before her, the memory of a life once vibrant. A bittersweet smile crossed the spectral face, faint as a breath.

Kiara felt the buzzing beneath her skin surge through her arm and into the spirit. It wasn't much—just a flicker of energy—but enough to let the lost spirit taste the world again.

"Hello," the woman said, her voice carrying a wistful echo.

"I'm sorry this is all I can offer," Kiara whi spered, guilt threading through her words.

The spirit shook her head, her hair floating in an invisible breeze. "To see the sky, even in a memory, is enough. Do not overburden yourself, child. You are not meant to bear spirits as a daughter of prophecy. My rest will come, in time. I will wait for her."

Kiara forced a smile through the heaviness settling in her chest. "You can feel it too, can't you? The change?"

"It is coming for us all." The woman looked out the tiny attic window. "Sooner than expected." Her voice softened, a thread of pity weaving through it. "Perhaps a prophecy will find you."

Kiara stiffened. "I don't want to know about the future."

The woman's expression turned sad but kind. "It's not a choice. The moment the Fates twisted your thread with theirs, the burden was sealed. But do not despair. The future is not so dark." She glanced toward the tiny attic window, her gaze distant. "They will be with you. Always."

Kiara followed her eyes to the camp below, where a few half-bloods braved the rain.

The woman's ethereal fingers curled lightly over the coins, her touch as insubstantial as fog. "Dorothy Halloway," she murmured. "Remember me, when I have passed."

"I will," Kiara promised, drawing her hand back as the connection flickered, leaving the attic dim and still once more.

-o-

"Well?" Chiron asked Percy after he finished one of the emergency cookies on hand at the big house.

Percy flicked at the crumbs at the porch table avoiding Chiron's eyes. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

Percy hesitated, a shiver running through him. "She . . . she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover said.

The Oracle rarely delivered prophecies that brief.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," Percy said. "That's about it."

He studied Percy like he was puzzling out a frustrating crossword. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

Kiara startled at Chiron's declaration. "The gods don't like being accused without-"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron continued. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon. . . ."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

Percy grumbled to himself at the mention of the hellhound. Kiara still had the wounds on his chest burned into her eyes. Those claws should have killed him. If not the deep gashes, then the poison in the monster dust should have finished the job.

He shouldn't have survived, not without enough ambrosia and nectar to push him dangerously close to burning alive from the inside. But he did. Kiara had seen the river flow up his body covering the weeping wounds before receding leaving month old scars.

"But a quest to . . ." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"We can't accuse anyone of the gods without proof," Kiara warned. "A prophecy and deductive reasoning won't hold up against an angry god."

Chiron said, "Even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used."

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

Percy looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh . . ." He shifted his hooves. "No . . . it's just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . ." He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If . . . if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"All the way, G-man." Percy turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Oh," Percy said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two half bloods may accompany you. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"

"I'll think about it," Percy joked.

"You need to choose an experienced quester," Chiron added.

Percy frowned. "We don't need a babysitter."

"What would you do if you came across an Empousa?" Kiara asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell him, Annabeth."

"I'd stab it?" Percy mimed swinging a sword.

"Do you know what they look like?"

"A monster?"

"You wouldn't make it past Pennsylvania."

"Hey!" Percy protested. "Well then who? Luke-"

"No," Kiara cut him off. "Me."

"You? When did you go on a quest?"

Kiara avoided his gaze. "I have, and that's all that matters."

"Excellent," Chiron interrupted, clapping his hands together before Percy could press further. The sharp noise made Percy flinch, but he reluctantly let the matter drop. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."

-o-

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, stepping into her cabin.

"Packing," Kiara answered absently, tossing clothes into her bag.

The campers of Cabin Seven stopped what they were doing, their eyes flicking between Luke and Kiara. A look from her sent them turning back to their tasks, though Kiara could feel their stolen glances and the prickling weight of their curiosity.

"Don't make a scene," she muttered, pulling Luke out of the doorway. "I am going on that quest."

Luke shook her off but followed over to her bed. "No."

Kiara didn't miss a beat. "I am."

"You aren't." His voice was low but firm.

"I am," Kiara repeated. "What, you want me to leave Percy and Annabeth on their own to journey to Hades?"

"You can't."

"I can. And you can't stop me," Kiara said, not meeting his eyes. She rifled through the medicine cabinet, not sure what she was even looking for. "You're not my counselor. You aren't incharge of me."

Luke's gaze followed her every move, and Kiara could feel the unspoken tension between them. He was scared. She could feel it, but she couldn't look at him right now. Not with this decision hanging over her.

"You're my family," Luke said quietly.

"I know that, but I can't leave them on their own."

"They're not your responsibility," Luke shot back, his voice rising.

"No," Kiara agreed, her voice quieter now. "But I want them to make it back. Because no one was there for us. And if they don't—"

The door swung open, and Percy stepped inside, a little wet from the rain. He glanced between them, awkward but determined. "Annabeth sent me to get you. She's not happy. Something about the prophecy and wasting time..."

"She's not wrong," Kiara muttered, grabbing her bag.

"Really?" Luke exhaled sharply, muttering so Percy couldn't hear, "You know this is useless. The gods are going to war. This is just an excuse. You're going to go there for a stupid lighting bolt and they won't even care."

Kiara grabbed her bag, nodding at Percy. "I'll be right there."

Luke opened his mouth, but Kiara was already moving. She didn't want to argue anymore.

Percy gave them a long, careful look, then nodded. "Okay. If you're sure..."

"Kiara, you can't do this."

"If I don't they'll be on their own and we don't know if they'll make it back."

Luke's shoulders slumped in defeat. "None of us should play errand boy for the gods."

"It's the way our world works," she said softly, her voice steady. "They're not going to change anytime soon. So we do what we can."

"Promise me you'll be careful," he whispered.

"I'll come back."

"You better."

-o-

Kiara and the kids met Chiron and Argus at the base of Thalia's tree.

"This is Argus," Chiron introduced. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

Kiara smacked the back of Percy's head when he gaped at Argus' hundred watchful eyes. Before she could say anything, a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Hey!" Luke panted as he ran up the hill. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy his winged sneakers. Kiara had not seen the faded red shoes in years.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, Percy jumped back, dropping them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days. . . ." His expression turned sad.

"Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy . . ." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just . . . kill some monsters for me, okay?"

Percy nodded. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who grew red.

Luke hesitated, glancing at Kiara. Finally, he hugged her. "I don't like this, but... bring them back. Be safe."

Kiara returned the hug briefly but firmly. "I will."

Luke pressed a hand to Thalia's tree and with one last look ran back down the hill.

"You're hyperventilating," Percy teased Annabeth.

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

Annabeth groaned, shoving him away. "Oh . . . why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

Kiara looked at Chiron who waved her on. She followed Annabeth and Argus down to the van.

The van was a little worse for wear, seats scuffed bearing the marks of misplaced weapons and snack stained floor. The windows were scratched from taking questers out of camp over the years. Annabeth threw her bag into the middle row grumbling something about idiotic boys under her breath. Kiara laughed, settling into the passenger's seat. The van rumbled to life under Argus' steady hands, and the faint hum of the radio filled the cabin.

"Where to?" Argus signed.

Kiara thought for a moment before replying, "The Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side."

"It will take a few hours."

"Perfect."

-o-

The age gap between a twelve year old and fifteen year old never felt larger. Kiara was going to stop the car if Percy or Annabeth asked one more time when they would get there. The others found amusement in her pain. Well at least Argus seemed to enjoy her frustration. Grover had fallen asleep a few minutes into the ride.

Percy leaned over the center console. "Um, Kiara-"

"No. We are not there. We are stuck in traffic. It's going to be one more hour. And if either of you ask again, so help me I'll-"

"Something's following the van."

Kiara's eyes flicked to the rear view mirror, a flash of scales caught by the light. Percy was right. Something was coming and coming fast, weaving between cars and bikes. Kiara turned around but all she was met with was frantic glances. Percy would lead the quest but Kiara would keep them alive.

"Grover, wake up," Kiara called desperately but all she got was a snore. "One of you wake him up."

"Argus-"

He waved a hand, the eyes on his arm looking at her knowingly. His eyes scanned the road, watching the monster near them and the traffic flow around them. A red light gave him a moment to sign, "Go. Take them. It won't care about me."

She hesitated.

"Kiara," Annabeth whispered. "It's getting closer."

"Wake up!" Percy shoved Grover, sending him tumbling to the floor with a yelp.

"What?"

"Something's following us," Kiara informed. "We're going the rest of the way on foot. The traffic's too bad to stay."

"We won't make it to the Greyhound," Grover worried.

"I know somewhere else we can stay." Kiara jumped out of the van and slid open their door. "We have to run. Now."

They scrambled out, the monster now only a block away. As they hit the pavement, Kiara caught her first real glimpse of it: a woman with glowing green eyes, her lower body twisting into a massive, scaled snake tail. Her smile was impossibly wide, her teeth too sharp to be human.

"Run, little demigodsss," the creature hissed, her voice slithering into their ears like poison. "You'll taste all the better if you struggle."

Kiara took off at a run, dodging bikes and annoyed taxi drivers. Three pairs of footsteps followed close behind her.

"Where are we going?" Grover wheezed.

"My mother's house," Kiara shouted over her shoulder.

"What?"

A familiar signpost caught her eye. "Just follow me."

They turned a corner, leaving the busy road for one of the back alleyways of Bushwick.

The monster grew nearer. A sound like the snakes that slithered in the zoo waiting to strike followed them, only this time there wasn't a wall between them. Kiara looked over her shoulder to make sure the others were behind her.

"Kiara?"

"We're almost there."

The street led them past bustling restaurants and cafes. Kiara's heart pounded in her chest as they dodged past mortals, who stumbled away, muttering about a rogue snake. They weren't wrong.

"Hurry," Kiara gasped, her heart hammering as she spotted the familiar outline of her mother's apartment building up ahead.

The snake-woman seemed to realize where they were headed by the angry hiss that came from behind them. "You won't get away from me that easily."

Kiara watched the worn metal gate grow nearer and nearer.

"Come on. Come on," she begged. "Just a few more seconds."

"I'll let you all go, if you give me the boy," the woman offered.

Kiara's heart dropped. She wants Percy. But the gate was right there. Just one more—

She wrenched the gate open with every ounce of strength she had. A burst of magic slammed into her chest, squeezing tight before releasing her, the sharp metal digging into her hands. She flung it wide.

Grover stumbled past her, nearly tripping over the stairs. Annabeth followed, pushing through with a look of fierce determination. But Percy—Percy was still too far behind.

A growl of frustration from the creature echoed through the street as she stretched out a hand, her claws tearing through Percy's jacket sleeve.

"Percy!" Kiara's desperate shout was cut off by a soft, almost delicate hand on her shoulder.

A calm voice broke through the chaos. "Lamia, I am sure you know that Lady Hecate's blessing protects those under her care."

Kiara froze and let out a quiet whisper, "Mum-"

Lamia's hiss was venomous, cutting through the air. "A witch. Stay out of this. This is between the gods and their progeny."

The distraction was just enough. Percy took the chance and bolted past the gate, the sound of his sneakers on concrete fading as the heavy gate slammed shut behind him.

Kiara's pulse hammered in her ears.

"It seems Mother has decided," Kiara's mother said, stepping forward with quiet authority, her gaze sharp.

Lamia slithered up to the gate, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You interfere with more than you comprehend." Her claws scraped against the iron gate, sending a shrill screech through the air.

Kiara's heart attempted to beat out of her chest as Lamia recoiled, clutching her burned hand. "Think about who you side with, mortal."

Kiara's mother stood her ground, unflinching. "Do not challenge her authority. Mother does not like her children fighting."

Lamia's face twisted into a grin, filled with malice. "You would spare them their future if you just let me feast on them."

Kiara's breath caught in her throat, a cold rush of dread washing over her.

"Leave."

The snake-woman laughed, a sound that sent chills up Kiara's spine. "Be careful, little witch. One day, you will face someone less merciful than me. I can find my meal elsewhere. Your next foe will not be as satisfied." Lamia glanced over Kiara and the others. "After all you are surrounded by the children of monsters. When will they snap? When will you condemn them?"

Chapter Text

June 2006

“Would anyone like some tea?” Kiara’s mum asked halfway through the front door.

“Mum, we can't stay. We’re on a quest.”

“I know that Kiara. Just rest a moment. You will not get much after this.” Kiara’s mum said cryptically leaving the door open behind her. 

Kiara ran a shaky hand over her face and let out a breath. “Just fifteen minutes, okay everyone? Then we get back on track.”

“If you’re sure,” Percy muttered looking around like Lamia would pop out of the bushes at any second.

Kiara went last up the stairs. It was barely any cooler through the door but it felt like they had stepped into a whole other world. Bikes of all sizes leaned against the wall by the elevator no one dared to use. Kiara could hear piano from the floor above them and laughing children in the distance. If she just closed her eyes she could pretend she was just an ordinary mortal going home. But the dream was just that, a dream. Kiara could feel her dagger at her side and the scrapes on her palms. 

“Hurry along dear,” Kiara’s mum called down the staircase.

Kiara took the steps two at a time. “I’m here, mum. We can’t stay long.”

“I will not make you late,” Hope said as Kiara hesitated, her fingers tightening around her backpack strap. “Leave that, Kiara.” 

Reluctantly, She set it down. The weight of the bag—her weapons, her supplies, everything she needed to survive—left her feeling exposed. She shook off the thought, following her mother into the living room.

The apartment was exactly as she remembered it: orderly, filled with art, and buzzing with quiet energy. But the sight of Percy and Annabeth perched tensely on the sofa broke the illusion of normalcy.

“Thank you for helping with the monster,” Annabeth said over her cup of tea. 

“Lamia and I are not so different,” Hope murmured. “We’ve both lost much. But unlike her, I choose not to take.”

“Without you we would have been goners,” Grover added, taking a nibble out of a napkin. 

“I did not do much,” Hope replied, settling into a chair with practiced grace. “ Mother Hecate does not like her children to fight. That much, we both understand.”

“Does that mean you’re a half-blood too?” Percy’s eyes kept flicking between Kiara’s mum and away. 

Her mum caught him, a sad smile settled on her lips. “Hello, Percy. I am Hope, Kiara’s mum. I am not a half-blood but merely one lucky enough to have been blessed by Hecate.”

“But how do you know my name?” Percy leaned back slightly, his fingers brushing the edge of his pocket where Riptide rested.

“I know far too much, dear one. Knowing rarely solves problems,” she murmured, her finger tracing one of the scars fracturing her face. “Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way.”

Annabeth’s fingers tightened around the teacup, her knuckles whitening. “What do you mean by that?” she pressed, her voice edging on sharp.

“Mum-”

“Hush, I will say no more.” Hope blinked her cloudy blue eyes. 

If someone saw Kiara and her mother from a distance they might have been mistaken for sisters, but a second look would deny that. Their matching dark hair and stature was marred by the scars that ran over Hope’s face and Kiara’s arms. 

Annabeth’s fingers drummed against her cup, her jaw tightening. “I don’t understand,” she pressed. “What could possibly be wrong with knowledge? Knowing always helps.”

“It is rare that something is “always”,” Hope cautioned. 

Kiara could feel the others grow tense. Annabeth’s gaze darted between the exits. Percy’s knees stopped bobbing up and down ready to move at a moment's notice. Even Grover nervously fiddled with the pillow next to him. 

They watched her mother’s every move. Kiara knew that sometime along the line she had become less mortal but watching through another’s eyes she could not ignore the way her mum’s eyes followed their movements a little too fast. Like she could see what they were going to do before they even thought of it. 

“Watch out for the crossroads,” Hope warned without prompting. 

Hope sighed softly, her shoulders relaxing. A soft light seemed to emanate from her as she ran a hand over her face. The scars shimmered and faded, replaced by smooth, youthful skin. A warmth filled the room stroking their heads. 

Kiara’s heart ached. She was the only one who would ever see the shake in her mother’s hands or her eyes which never stilled. The magic was wonderful but the cost was heartbreaking.

Percy leaned back against the sofa, his posture loosening. “Thanks for the tea,” he said, his voice sheepish as he tried to stop staring at the scars that disappeared.

While Percy finally relaxed, Annabeth remained upright, her fingers tapping a quiet rhythm on her knee. She hesitated, then nodded. “It’s... nice here.”

Grover let out a contented sigh, nibbling the last corner of his napkin as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Mum, we’ve got to go.”

“I know.” Her mother sighed but a smile graced her face. “It was so lovely to meet you all. Please do not hesitate to call.”

The others thanked Hope and left the apartment, their voices fading down the hallway. For a moment, it was just Kiara and her mother.

“Thank you, mum.” Kiara knelt, wrapping her arms around her mother. For a moment, the weight of the quest, the monster, and the fear melted away.

“Of course, my darling,” Hope whispered, her voice soft and full of unspoken love. She drew back, her hands lingering on Kiara’s shoulders. “Wherever you walk, I will always feel the path beneath your feet.”

Kiara swallowed hard, her throat tightening. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

Hope smiled, her gaze steady despite the faint tremor in her hands. “I know you will.”

Kiara lingered for a moment longer before standing and heading to the door. 

-o-

The walk from her mother’s apartment to the Greyhound station was unnervingly calm. All of them were on lookout for any monster that might be lurking around the corner but there was nothing. Just busy New Yorkers rushing about their day and loud kids basking the summer sun. 

At the station, they split into pairs: Percy and Annabeth immediately started arguing over snacks, while Grover stuck close to Kiara as they approached the ticket counter. Grover kept frantically looking around as if any second Lamia or something else would snatch him up and carry him away. Needless to say they were all a little nervous. 

The two of them walked up to the counter.

Grover gave a little wave. “Hello, four tickets to Los Angeles, please.”

“Identification?” The man looked bored, barely glancing at them through the plastic divider. 

Grover hesitated, glancing at Kiara who froze. 

He coughed, “Identification?”

“Identification.” The man repeated sharply. “Look kid, you can’t buy a ticket without identification. Where’s your mom?”

Kiara focused on the thin Mist hanging around Grover and pulled. The Mist clung to him like smoke, twisting and swirling lazily but with some coaxing it floated towards the cashier. 

“You already took it,” Kiara insisted, snapping her fingers.

“I did?” The man blinked, a haze settling over his expression.

Kiara nodded, her heart pounding. “Yes. You did.

“I guess I did.” The man hesitated. “Cash or Card?” 

Kiara winced before snapping once more. “You take drachmas.”

“We take drachmas.” 

Grover handed over the coins, and the man slid four tickets across the counter. “Bus leaves in half an hour.”

Grover and Kiara suppressed their sighs of relief until they left the line. 

“That was close,” Grover muttered, his eyes still darting around the station. “I think I’ll check on Percy and Annabeth. Make sure they haven’t burned the place down yet.”

Kiara called after him, “Make sure they don’t cause a scene.”

Kiara watched him go, then turned toward the mailbox on the corner. A familiar flyer caught her eye: a grainy photo of Percy, the words “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?” typed in bold beneath it.

Her jaw tightened as she ripped the flyer down. She reached into her bag, pulling out a heavy envelope, and dropped it into the mailbox.

Behind her, the others regrouped. Percy stopped beside her, his gaze drifting down the street like he could see his mom’s apartment from here.

Grover approached, resting a hand on Percy’s shoulder. “You want to know why she married him, Percy?”

Percy stared at him. “Were you reading my mind or something?”

“Just your emotions.” He shrugged. “Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?”

“Your mom married Gabe for you. You call him ‘Smelly,’ but you’ve got no idea. The guy has this aura… Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven’t been near him for a week.”

“Thanks,” Percy grumbled. “Where’s the nearest shower?”

“You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn’t lived with him every summer, you probably would’ve been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you.” 

Percy’s expression froze.

“She was a smart lady,” Grover continued. “She must’ve loved you a lot to put up with that guy. If that makes you feel any better.”

For a moment, Percy did not respond. Then he took a deep breath and turned back to the street. 

“She deserves—deserved—better than him.”

Kiara searched for something to say but came up empty.

“The buses are arriving,” Annabeth offered, breaking the silence. Her fingers twisted the handles of the plastic bag, the crinkle of the material sharp against the quiet. 

Percy straightened and turned back to them. As the sunlight broke through the clouds, Kiara blinked—and for a fleeting second, she saw a different Percy. His hair streaked with gray, his eyes shadowed with the weight of countless battles, of losses and victories only he could understand.

“Let’s go,” he said, his voice steady in a way that didn’t quite match the boy she thought she knew.

He started toward the buses, his steps purposeful. But then, as if remembering something, he turned back to them with a familiar, easy smile. 

“You ready?” 

“Ready, “Grover answered. 

“Lead the way, O fearless leader,” Annabeth teased.

Kiara stepped forward. “Of course.”

-o-

The rain started up again as they made it to the bus. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air. 

“What is it?” Percy asked. 

“I don’t know,” he said tensely. “Maybe it’s nothing.”

The ticket checker looked at Kiara and her group when they went up to scan their tickets. “Where’s your parents?”

“Already got on the bus.” Kiara pointed at Percy. “This one wanted snacks.”

“What were their names?”

Grover’s head picked up again and he searched the crowd. He gave a worried glance to Kiara who smiled at the man. “Clara Lark and Julian Fenn.”

The man frowned but let them pass.

“How’d you know?” Percy asked. “Is it an Apollo thing?”

Kiara laughed. “At the ticket counter I heard a couple talking about hyphenating their last name when they get married. No powers involved.”

They worked their way towards the back of the bus. They sat in a row of empty chairs and stowed their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth shot up and whispered to Percy. 

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. 

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat.

Malice rolled off them, smothering the bus. Kiara did not need to look over at Grover for confirmation. The Erinyes blocked the front of the bus. 

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. “She didn’t stay dead long,” Percy said. “I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime.”

“I said if you’re lucky,” Annabeth said. “You’re obviously not.”

“All three of them,” Grover whimpered. “Di immortales!”

“It’s okay,” Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. “The Fur-”

Kiara cut her off. “Don’t say their name.”

“Ok, The Kindly Ones. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We’ll just slip out the windows.”

“They don’t open,” Grover moaned.

“A back exit?” she suggested.

It was not there anymore. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

“They won’t attack us with witnesses around,” Percy said. “Will they?”

“Mortals don’t have good eyes,” Annabeth reminded him. “Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist.”

“They’ll see three old ladies killing us, won’t they?”

She thought about it. “Hard to say. But we can’t count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?”

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she’d rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: “I need to use the rest-room.”

“So do I,” said the second sister.

“So do I,” said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

Kiara slipped her knife out of its sheath. A bow would be no use on the bus. 

“I’ve got it,” Annabeth said. “Percy, take my hat.”

“What?”

“You’re the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away.”

“But you guys—”

“There’s an outside chance they might not notice us,” Annabeth said. “You’re a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering.”

“I can’t just leave you.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Grover said. “Go!”

Percy hesitated but took the hat. The moment it touched his head he vanished. 

Kiara just hoped he went up to the front. 

Alecto stopped a few rows ahead of them and looked at the empty seat. Apparently she didn’t see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

As they walked down the aisle they shed their shells. Kiara shoved Grover down and motioned for Annabeth to do the same. 

But it was no use. 

The Kindly Ones had caught their scent. They screeched, lashing their whips over their heads, burning the inside of the bus.

Alecto screamed, reaching for them. “Where is it? Where?”

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something.

“He’s not here!” Annabeth yelled. “He’s gone!”

Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. Kiara braced herself against the chair and held out her dagger. 

“Give it!” The Fury screeched.

Kiara shoved the monster back with a kick. “We don’t have him.”

She pulled Grover out behind her and Annabeth slipped around them as well. 

The enclosed space was horrible for fighting with only enough space for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder. They were stuck at the back with nowhere to turn. Burning plastic filled the cabin, charred marks marring the seats they had been sitting in a second ago.

Then the whole bus swayed. Kiara’s feet were knocked out from under her and she lost her grip on the seat next to her. The Furies tumbled over, smashing into the window and fracturing the glass. 

And then it got worse. Kiara huddled down against a chair as the bus careened through Lincoln Tunnel. Annabeth pressed against her side as a burning whip barely missed their heads. Bags fell off the overhead compartments, tangling with the mess on the floor, tripping the Furies. It was absolute chaos.

The bus hit a tree. Kiara tasted blood in her mouth as she scrambled up, swinging out of the way of 

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

“Perseus Jackson,” Alecto’s voice sounded like she had been gargling fire. “You have offended the gods. You shall die.”

“I liked you better as a math teacher.” 

She growled.

Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. Kiara stepped on one of their whips. The sole of her shoe burned as she pulled it away. Tisiphone spun and glared at her reaching with clawed hands. 

Percy took out his sword. 

Alecto and Megaera hesitated.

“Submit now,” Megaera hissed. “And you will not suffer eternal torment.”

“Nice try,” Percy yelled, stepping forward. 

“Percy, look out!” Annabeth cried.

Alecto lashed her whip around his sword hand while Megaera lunged at Percy. Annabeth jumped on Alecto’s back pulling her away. Percy fought off Megaera. 

Kiara glared at Tisiphone, raising her dagger, “He hasn’t done anything.”

“He took it,” Tisiphone spat, swiping at Kiara’s head.

She ducked and swung her blade upwards hitting the grey flesh of the Fury’s arm.

She pulled it back, the wound oozing dark tar. “You’ll pay for that, half-blood.”

A dying screech filled the air. Percy stared at the pile of golden dust for a moment, gripping his sword tighter. Then Tisiphone’s screech snapped him back into the fight. He raised his sword as Tisiphone reached her sister’s killer. Kiara took the advantage and tore at her wings.

The Fury’s eyes burned as they glared into Kiara. “You will get your punishment in Hades !”

“Ow!” Grover yelled, ripping Alecto’s whip out of her hands. “Ow! Hot! Hot!”

“No,” Kiara grunted, stabbing her in the chest. The Fury clawed at her arm as she disintegrated into golden dust. 

Kiara winced at the pain shooting up her arm tucking it tight against her side. She didn’t have time to examine it—Alecto was still thrashing in the aisle.

Alecto was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Alecto’s legs tied up in her own whip. Kiara grabbed one of Alecto’s leathery wings, twisting it hard to keep her off balance. Annabeth leapt free as Kiara and Grover shoved the Fury backward. Alecto tried to get up, but her wings smacked uselessly against the seats. 

A strange chill ran up Kiara’s back, like a warning. She flinched but pushed Annabeth and Grover toward the exit.

“Zeus will destroy you!” Alecto promised. “Hades will have your soul!”

“Braccas meas vescimini!” Percy yelled.

Thunder shook the bus. Kiara flinched before jumping over a suitcase and pulling Percy over.

“Get out!” Annabeth yelled. “Now!” 

They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, “We’re going to die!” A Hawaiianshirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy’s photograph before he could recap his sword.

Kiara pulled them all back from the man. “Don’t take-”

“Our bags!” Grover realized. “We left our—”

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told Kiara Alecto did not go down as easily as her sisters.

“Run!” Annabeth said. “She’s calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!”

They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.

-o-

Kiara pulled a roll of bandage out of her bag. She winced as she pulled the fabric around her wrist. Gripping one side with her teeth she tied it tight above her elbow. The ache in her arm throbbed with every movement, but she shoved it aside. 

 Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. “Three Kindly Ones. All three at once.”

“Come on! The farther away we get, the better.” Annabeth pulled him forward. 

“Our money was back there,” Percy reminded Annabeth. “Our food and clothes. Everything.”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t decided to jump into the fight—”

“What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?”

“You didn’t need to protect me, Percy. We would’ve been fine.”

“Sliced like sandwich bread,” Grover put in, “but fine.”

“Shut up, goat boy,” said Annabeth.

Grover brayed mournfully. “Tin cans . . . a perfectly good bag of tin cans.”

“I still have my bag,” Kiara offered, trying to ease the tension. “It’s not much, but at least it’s something. I think I have some snacks in here.”

Her voice trailed off as the mud crept closer to her shoes. She could already imagine the stench if they got soaked. Lovely.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into step beside Percy. They whispered heatedly, their words swallowed by the storm, while Grover pulled out his reed pipes. He blew a note that was more squawk than melody.

“Hey, my reed pipes still work!” Grover cried. “If I could just remember a ‘find path’ song, we could get out of these woods!”

Instead of finding a path, Percy immediately slammed into a tree.

Grover blew another note, a flat squeak that made Kiara wince.

“Maybe put that away for now,” Annabeth muttered, rubbing her temples.

“I’m just trying to help!” Grover protested.

“Maybe, you could try again when there isn’t rain in the pipes,” Percy offered, dodging a low-hanging branch.

Kiara rolled her eyes and dug a flashlight out of her bag. Of course, it didn’t work. After a few hard smacks and a threat to drop it into the Hudson, the beam finally flickered to life, casting a dim glow.

The rain pounded around them, soaking through their clothes and plastering Kiara’s hair to her face. The cold wind bit at her skin as they pressed onward, the flashlight’s beam cutting weakly through the dark woods.

A few more miles in the rain and Kiara felt like laying down in the mud and let her body decompose. The snacks were all eaten, hours ago and the ground had started trying to suck them down. For each step she had to fight against the rain, and the wind and the mud, and the exhaustion. Kiara swore she had been sleepwalking at some point. 

“Do you smell that?” Percy asked, stopping mid-step and sniffing the air.

“The pollution?” Grover muttered, his nose wrinkling as he glanced at a shoe float by.

“No,” Percy said slowly, tilting his head. “It’s... cheeseburgers. Like, really fresh ones. Grilled onions and everything.”

Kiara straightened, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “Cheeseburgers? Percy, are you hallucinating?”

Percy frowned but kept looking. “No, I’m serious. Can’t you smell it?”

“Wait, I think I do.” Annabeth peered into the darkness. “It’s coming from that way.”

“Guys, I don’t know a random cheeseburger in the middle of the forest?” Grover sniffed the air. “That's not normal. Something is off.”

“There’s no harm in checking,” Percy insisted. He turned to Kiara. “Even if there isn't, at least we’re still walking in the right direction.”

“I guess. But Grover might be onto something. Finding food in the woods is strange.”

“Well so is being the child of a god and here we are,” Percy countered.

“Ok. But if it's nothing we should still try to make camp. It’s getting late.”

“Come on then. Cheeseburgers here we come!”

Chapter Text

In hindsight cheeseburgers in the middle of the woods should have been suspicious but after walking around for hours their mental capacity was severely decreased. The rundown gas station and store was right out of the horror movies Sofia watched. But the grumble in their bellies pushed them forwards. Kiara shielded her face from the glaring neon sign. The blinding letters burned her eyes leaving an after image of a blue blur.

"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked, squinting against the light.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Kiara hesitantly followed Percy as he rushed across the street. The scent of fried food was stronger, almost smothering like they were close enough to touch the grill. Creepy little statues lined the yard in front, posed and detailed with far greater care than Kiara thought people would put into garden gnomes. Then again some were taller than she was so they were stranger than anything she'd seen before.

"Hey . . ." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," she agreed.

"Are you crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

"We should at least check it out," Kiara muttered scrutinizing one of the statues.

"Bla-ha-ha!" Grover bleated, startling them all. He pointed at a statue of a satyr. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

We stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

Kiara felt like her mind was swimming through syrup. "Aluminum cans can't be good for you."

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are . . . looking at me."

The warehouse door rolled open.

A tall woman stood in the doorway, her silhouette framed by the warehouse light behind her. As she approached, her movements were smooth—too smooth. Each step was unnervingly poised, her grace almost unnatural.

She stopped near them tilting her head down in greeting. "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're...um..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," Percy blurted out.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

Percy rambled, "We got separated from our car-"

Kiara snapped her fingers behind her back, drawing a thin veil of Mist over them. Her pulse quickened as she felt Aunty Em's sharp gaze sweep over her, lingering just a moment too long.

"Car. Our car ran out of gas, ma'am," Kiara said smoothly, letting the Mist wrap around her words. "I was driving my brother and his friends home, but I missed the exit and got lost. I saw the gas station on the map and thought we'd make it before dark, but it was a farther walk than I expected."

The woman straightened, brushing invisible dust off her sleeves. "You must come in. It's far too dangerous to wander at night. Let me make you a hot meal. You'll feel so much better after a rest, and I'll call a tow truck for your car on my landline. No trouble at all."

We thanked her and went inside.

"Orphans?" Annabeth asked.

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"Your head is full of kelp." Kiara ignored Percy's yelp.

The inside was as strange as the outside. The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Kiara felt like there was something she was missing. Her snap didn't echo like it should have, muffled as if the Mist had already settled thick around them. But Auntie Em was kinder than what they would find out in the forest. Grover's tight grip on her arm felt distant, like it came from behind a veil of cotton. The eyes she felt on her back? Surely her imagination. When the lock clicked shut behind them, it was barely a whisper against the warm glow ahead. The light spilled over a cozy dining area, complete with shining diner furniture and more statues watching from the edges of the room.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," I said.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

"Of course we do," Kiara interrupted.

Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said, settling into a chair.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Kiara felt some part of her start at that but it was too small in the flood of warmth.

"Percy, could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?"

Grover pulled him back onto his seat. "Percy we should stick together-"

"Just for a moment. It's easier to do one trip with help than multiple on my own. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Sure..." Kiara felt a twinge at the base of her skull as the word was drawn out of her mouth. Her eyes blurred, struggling to focus on the scratched bar in front of her. Every moment felt like it was pulling her closer to something—something she couldn't quite define but that felt oddly... comforting. Easier than the relentless hours they'd already endured on this quest.

Grover cautiously reached for the napkin folded by a cup like he was waiting for it to come to life and bite him. "Do you notice anything strange about her?"

"What?" Annabeth blinked, resting her chin on her hand.

"It's just-there was something off about her."

"Really Grover? She's just being nice," Kiara scoffed. "There are plenty of people out there that are. We just never get to meet them."

"That's exactly what I mean." Grover tore the napkin into thin strips, wary eyes trained on the door Percy and Auntie Em disappeared through. "We don't meet the nice ones. Why now?"

"Why now what?" Kiara felt like she was missing something important Grover was trying to say but everytime she tried to reach for the thought it slipped out of her grasp.

Grover tore his eyes away from the door and turned back to the girls. "Nothing. I'll figure it out."

He pressed his hands against the table, stilling his trembling fingers.

-o-

A tense silence settled over the table until Percy and Auntie Em returned.

"So, you sell gnomes?" Percy asked, swaying slightly as he sat down.

"Oh, yes," Auntie Em said, her smile warm as she passed out plates of food. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders, too. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... Most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

The food in front of her was familiar: rice pressed into a cup and steamed vegetables, just like the meals her mother used to make when Kiara was little. But as soon as she took a bite, she froze. Something was wrong. The flavor was off—ash. It coated her tongue, bitter and clinging, like the remnants of a ceremonial fire reduced to cinders. Mist seemed to flicker at the edges of her vision.

All she could taste was ash.

Percy's gaze shifted uneasily to the rows of statues behind them. Kiara brushed at her hair, feeling a faint touch, but ignored it. The warehouse was drafty, she reasoned.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself ?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

She reached for a statue on a nearby table, tracing its face with a delicate hand. "Beauty is a dangerous thing, children. A curse disguised as a blessing. Do you know what it's like to be punished for something you cannot control?"

Kiara felt the touch again. Her eyes flicked over her shoulder and for a second she could see the blurry outline of a figure. It shimmered, pulling her from the warmth of the table.

"And some do not take well to 'No's. They made me into what I am now but that was long ago." Auntie Em touched her hat with a delicate hand.

"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking him. "Maybe we should go. I mean we're late as is."

The fear in Annabeth's eyes was the push that sent Kiara's heart thumping and eyes open. The murky Mist that had slowly smothered her in the warmth of coals and ash gave way and in its place was terror.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," The monster masquerading in front of them told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly. "We really should go."

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up.

Kiara slid off her seat, the gentle pressure pulling her away, warnings whispered in her ears. "I need to take them back now. I'm sure I can get service now to call the truck. I don't want to miss my guardian's curfew."

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.

Kiara's grip on her fork tightened. A faint memory tickled the back of her mind, something from one of her mother's old stories about statues and—

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy—"

"Sure we can," Percy said, brow furrowed. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

Kiara reached for her bag she did not remember setting down. Her dagger sat heavy against her back.

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

"We need to hurry," Kiara insisted.

"Just a moment, Kiara," Auntie Em called. "Come along, dears."

Aunty Em directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The girls in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," Percy remarked.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Kiara pulled her blade from its sheath and tucked it against her side. She felt the touches trying to pull her from her place.

"Run," The whispers shouted. "Hide."

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy—" Annabeth said.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well with this cursed hat"

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to pull the pins from her hat "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished.

Kiara jumped back, closing her eyes tight. Her feet tripped over a statue as the hissing of snakes grew louder. The ash she'd tasted, the strange shimmers in the air—it clicked. Medusa wasn't just lonely; she was a predator. She had been tricked in the stories and used the same tricks on her victims.

"No! Don't!" Annabeth shouted from her right.

"Run!" Grover bleated. Kiara heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," the monster beckoned Percy soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

"Παύσον," Kiara snapped and the Mist whipped around them. The last remnants of the spell Medusa cast on them vanished. Her mind ached from the sting of the Mist breaking.

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, her voice no longer soothing. Everything that kept her from looking like the monster she had become disappeared with her magic. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"

Kiara dodged a swing of Medusa's claws and ducked behind a statue. Medusa ignored her and her shifting steps moved back to Percy.

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

"No," Percy muttered.

Kiara risked opening her eyes for a moment. Medusa leaned over Percy, towering over his small form on the ground. Grover flew by the close wall of the warehouse. Annabeth was invisible but the impression of her steps in the ground and rustling bushes gave Kiara a hint at where she was.

Only a few hours onto the quest and they were already off schedule fighting for their lives. Kiara cursed trying to formulate a plan to get them out of the mess.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy!" Gover dived down at Medusa's bent head. He yelled, "Duck!"

Kiara clenched her eyes close as Medusa stood up.

"Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!"

Thwack!

"You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

Ker-whack!

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.

Kiara resheathed her dagger. She would never get close enough. The only thing she had left was her bow. Shooting blind would need a blessing from a god to work in the chaotic space but it was her only choice. Any one of her siblings would be able to make it without much effort but sadly blessings were not evenly shared.

In the darkness behind her eyes, the figures that pulled her from the trance wavered in the corners of her vision. Their golden light tempted her to open her eyes and see if they were really there but the hissing from Medusa rid her of any thoughts other than survival.

Kiara pulled a charm off her bracelet.

Her worn bow grew in her hand. Kiara ignored Percy and Annabeth talking behind her. She notched an arrow, back pressed against the statue.

Please Father let this work.

She spun around raising her bow up to where she guessed Medusa's head was. Letting the arrow fly she knew it would miss.

"Foolish girl. You cannot trust the favor of a god. They are fickle like that." Medusa snarled. "I can remedy that for you."

Grover tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a statue with a painful "Umphh!"

Kiara raised another arrow, Medusa's voice gave her a direction.

Then something pushed her bow to the side. Hands steadied her as she let out a breath.

Percy yelled, "Hey!"

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't."

From the cement statue, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!"

Medusa cackled. "Too late."

Kiara let the arrow fly.

Medusa let out a gasp was cut off by the swish of a sword and a sickening shlock!. Then the hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern—the sound of a monster disintegrating.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said.

"Don't move." Annabeth ordered everyone. "I have it."

The glowing figures in Kiara's vision had disappeared with Medusa. She carefully opened her eyes before wincing and raising a hand, the neon lights blinding. Blocking out the light Kiara made her way back to the kids.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked Percy, her voice trembling.

"Yeah," Percy said, looking nauseous. "Why didn't . . . why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

"The Red Baron," Percy said, trying to smile. "Good job, man."

He managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."

"Quick thinking, Annie," Kiara praised, slipping her bow back onto her bracelet.

Her arrow laid shattered on the ground dripping with Gorgon blood and golden dust. Kiara held her breath as she neared the smoking arrow. The shaft was stained green but the fletching gold. Perfect for what she needed.

"We need to deal with...the head," Grover gagged, poking the dripping fabric of Medusa's jacket that now held her head.

"We can't just take it with us or leave it here." Kiara stood up holding the arrow point away from herself. "Maybe you guys can find something to burn it with, and an offering."

Annabeth nodded and walked back into the warehouse, Grover at her heels. Percy lingered, staring at the pile of dust and blood on the floor. His sword hung limply at his side, his knuckles pale against the hilt.

"I didn't want to kill her," he whispered, his voice trembling.

Kiara took one of his shaky hands. "There was nothing else you could do. It was either her or us. There isn't an easy way out in our world."

"But it's wrong," Percy insisted. "I remember what my mom told me. That Medusa was turned into a monster for something that wasn't her fault. That she couldn't do anything to save herself."

"Percy, listen to me," Kiara urged, bending to meet his gaze. "That's true. But she chose to do this. Right now. And everytime she turned someone to stone. Medusa turned her pain into a weapon, making others suffer in her place."

Percy shook his head, his grip tightening on her hand. "But—"

"She didn't deserve her suffering," Kiara said firmly, her voice steady but soft. "but what made her a monster wasn't her fate. It was what she did with it. The Fates make the paths, Percy, but we choose which one to walk. Medusa chose to make others suffer. You chose to protect us."

Percy's breath hitched as he looked down at the sword in his hand.

Kiara squeezed his hand gently. "It's not fair. None of this is. Our world isn't fair, Percy. You did what you had to do to keep us safe."

Percy's shoulders slumped, the weight of the moment settling over him. "It still feels wrong."

"It is wrong," Kiara admitted. "But sometimes there's no right answer. Fairness doesn't matter. The gods make the rules, and we're the ones who bleed for their mistakes."

"We shouldn't have to," Percy said, his voice sharper now.

Kiara's expression darkened slightly. "It's been like that for centuries."

Percy frowned, his gaze lingering on the remnants of Medusa. "They're not the ones risking their lives," he muttered. "We are."

"I used to hate it too," Kiara said quietly. "The unfairness. I've been there, Percy. But anger won't change it."

Percy stared at the ashes one last time, his jaw clenched. "Maybe someone should," he muttered. Without another word, he turned toward the warehouse.

Kiara sighed as she watched him storm away with similar anger chasing after him. It was like looking in a mirror. No demigod made it back from a quest without the realities of their world hanging over their head. But there was no time.

Taking her bloodied arrow, still slick with Gorgon venom, Kiara approached the first statue. Her hands trembled as she carefully tapped the arrowhead against the stone. She held her breath, waiting. A faint tremble came from the statue. Kiara pressed her head to the statue and whispered a prayer of safe passage.

By the time she reached the last statue, her legs were shaking, and her heart thundered in her chest. But as the green blood dried on the stone, a sigh like a whispering wind echoed through the room.

One by one, faint golden shimmers formed and slipped free of their stone prisons. Kiara averted her gaze, knowing their forms would vanish if she looked at them directly. Still, she felt their presence, light and fleeting, as they drifted past her. A few touched her shoulders in thanks, pressing kisses to her cheeks with intangible warmth.

A weight lifted from the air as the spirits of those trapped by Medusa finally escaped to Hades. Kiara exhaled slowly, letting the stillness settle around her.

-o-

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked, tactfully as ever.

Kiara stifled a groan as she stuffed the head into the final layer of plastic bags, the sticky blood soaking through the first few. Grover shot her a sympathetic look but wisely stayed quiet.

Annabeth glared at Percy, crossing her arms. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? They meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple. They became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up and you probably reminded her of him."

My face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."

Annabeth straightened. "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'" She mocked.

"Forget it," I said. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're—"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines."

Kiara cut in, motioning to the dripping bag. "We have to do something with this. Ideally, burn it, but we don't want other monsters catching her scent and hunting us down."

Percy stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

He got up. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you—"

"Let him, Annie," Kiara said, stepping between them. "He's been through a lot." She nudged Annabeth toward Grover and gently pushed her to sit.

While Percy rummaged through Medusa's office, Kiara checked over Grover and Annabeth. She kept an ear out, glancing occasionally toward Percy's shadow flitting across the doorway.

A few minutes later, Percy returned to the picnic table with a cardboard box under his arm. "Found some drachmas and cash." He set the box down and eyed the bloody bag. Percy moved briskly, packing up the head, then filling out a delivery slip. Percy took a slip of paper out of his pocket and pushed it across the table.

Kiara picked it up and read aloud. "DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California."

"Here's where the entrance to Hades is," Percy said, stuffing the head into the box and sealing it shut. He scribbled something onto a delivery slip.

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

Percy poured some golden drachmas in the pouch.

Kiara looked warily at the bag. "Percy..."

He ignored her, taping the package shut. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"I am impertinent," Percy said. He looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize him.

She didn't. "Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara’s legs shook as she climbed the mountain. Every step felt like a thousand. They’d been climbing for so long, running for so long. But they were almost there.

Eucalyptus filled the air, smothering the faint breeze attempting to blow. Kiara paused, pressing a hand to her side, where a sharp ache pulsed. Something felt... off. She didn’t remember deserts. They had just escaped Medusa. How long had it been? Hours? Days?

Her foot caught on a rock, and she stumbled forward. A hand shot out, steadying her before she could face plant into the dirt.

“Be careful, Bean,” Luke cautioned, eyes focused on the setting sun, pace unwavering. “It's getting late. If we don’t make it soon we’ll have to wait a whole nother day.”

“It’ll be fine, Luke. If not today, then tomorrow.”

Kiara stopped in her tracks. She knew that voice.

“Hey, hey, Kira. What’s wrong?” Amelia knelt down.

Her hair was still in those mismatched braids she had let Luke and Kiara do that day, fly aways dancing in the wind. Her hands were so warm against Kiara’s cheek, rough fingers smoothing over the traces of silver on her chin. The smell of lavender drifted faintly from Amelia, cutting through the thick eucalyptus in the air.

“Kira? Kira, honey. Did the gryphon get you?” Amelia’s hand pressed against Kiara’s side.

Kiara flinched at the sting, but the pain felt... distant, almost muted. She blinked, trying to make sense of the sharp ache in her side and the sudden flood of warmth in her chest.
“Just a scratch,” Kiara whispered. Her voice felt small, far away.

“Is she okay?” Luke called from farther up the path, his tone sharp with worry.

Amelia reached for her bag, her movements steady. “Maybe we should take a break—”

“I’m fine.” Kiara cut her off, pulling away. Her heart pounded in her ears, louder than the words. “Come on, the garden’s going to close.”

Amelia frowned, but Kiara didn’t wait for her response. She took off running toward Luke, her legs burning, the ache in her side forgotten.

“Don’t go too far!” Amelia’s voice followed her.

But Kiara barely heard it. They were so close to finishing the quest, so close to heading home. Back to Lee and Bryan and Jessica. Her friends. Her family.

“Kiara, wait!”

The path twisted and turned, the trees blurring as she ran faster, the pounding of her feet steady and sure. Then, all at once, the world shifted. The bushes grew denser, the trees darker, and the mist that hovered over the mountain thickened, swallowing the air around her.

Kiara skidded to a stop, her chest heaving as she looked around. The path she had been following was gone, replaced by endless white fog. She turned in a slow circle, but every direction looked the same—featureless, cold, and silent.

Her heart hammered. “Luke? Amelia?”

The only response was the faint rustle of leaves, as if the mountain itself were breathing.

“Where’d you go?” Kiara’s steps grew hesitant as the ground sloped downwards. Weren’t mountains supposed to go up?

The dirt beneath her feet gave way to stones and then sandy gravel. The warmth of the sun faded away.

“The sunset,” Kiara gasped. She spun around looking for the others, reaching for the sun to guide her home, but they were gone.

“The little hero…” Kiara froze, her heart racing as the words crawled over her skin. She shied away, but a spot of blue caught her eye. In the cavern ahead, there was someone else. Someone lost, like her.

Amelia had always told her to stay put if she got lost, to wait for them to find her. But that boy... he needed help.

“Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do.”

Kiara startled at the strange echo. The speaker seemed to be talking to the blue speck, a boy, her age.

“They have misled you, boy. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.”

“Don’t listen!” Kiara shouted, her voice trembling. She scrambled forward, her boots skidding on the loose gravel.

Kiara squinted into the shadows, and her stomach twisted. The boy stood on the edge of a yawning chasm, the darkness pulling at him, tugging him farther in.

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm.

Kiara ran towards him. She couldn’t let him fall in.

“Help me rise, boy.” The voice became hungrier. “Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!”

Kiara grabbed the boy’s arm, but the gravel slipped beneath her feet.

“Good,” it murmured. “Good.”

The boy turned toward her, his eyes wide with confusion.

Kiara’s breath hitched. She knew those eyes.

“Percy?”

-o-

Kiara woke to the barking of a dog. Any traces of sleep vanished at the noise. Her dagger’s handle bit into her palm as she gathered her wits. The barking was loud, so loud she was alarmed she had not woken earlier to the noise.

The kids were standing away from where she had rested, probably trying to let her sleep. Kiara winced at their rumpled clothing. Barebones camping was not how she imagined them on their first night on the quest. Honestly she had never imagined any of this. A son of the Big Three complicated a quest more than three average half-bloods retrieving a golden apple—but that wasn’t today’s problem. No, today’s problem was the bright pink pile of fur sitting on the stump.

Kiara let out a breath, her muscles consciously relaxing—until she actually registered what she was looking at.

“Annabeth, what is going on?”

“Grover found our way west.”

She exhaled slowly, speaking carefully. “And what does that have to do with the dog?”

“Gladiola ran away but he’s willing to go back for us. His family offered $200 for whoever takes him back.” Grover said, waving at the dog, Gladiola.

Kiara pulled herself up, eyes trained on the pink poodle. “Are we sure-”

“I know we’ve got the stuff left in your bag,” Annabeth interrupted, “but it’s not enough for tickets on Amtrak and we need to save our Drachmas.”

“If you think so,” Kiara tucked her dagger away. “What do you think, Percy?”

“Me?”

“You’re the quest leader.”

“Oh…” He looked at the poodle. “I guess then we should.”

Annabeth pointed downhill, toward the train tracks. “There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon.”

Let’s just say the welcome Gladiola received explained his escape. Even Kiara could see why the dog ran away. The crushing hug the six year old gave her when Kiara all but shoved him into the little boy’s arms was enough for her. The others managed to evade the family’s gratitude and soon they were on their way west, $200 richer.

-o-

The Amtrak was horribly ordinary. The only thing of note were the newspapers plastered to the other passengers’ hands. Percy’s face stared at them from every page and right beneath it read:

“Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with three teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.”

Annabeth ordered Percy to sit by the window, even offering her cap in case someone recognized him. At least with the dirt on his face and Kiara’s hoodie pulled low over his head, he was less visible. Mortal police were useless most of the time, but they weren’t about to push their luck.

Grover fell asleep within the first few hours on the train, knocked out against the window. Kiara pulled the mist more tightly around them as he shifted, hooves almost slipping out of his fake feet. Their standard seats did not make for the best rest, but after a night of running and fighting Medusa, Kiara was grateful for anything.

Percy and Annabeth whispered for a while before settling into awkward silence. Annabeth flipped through a train map, deliberately angling herself away from him, her fingers tracing the same page over and over. Percy cast her an apologetic look, but she ignored it.

Kiara rested in fitful bursts, jolted awake every time someone walked past their seats. Her mind wandered back to her dream, replaying over and over again.

The mountain. Luke. Amelia. Running. Getting lost.

Luke. Amelia. Getting lost.

Luke. Amelia. Gone.

Luke.

Amelia.

Endlessly losing them every time she closed her eyes made sleep impossible.

-o-

Kiara winced as Annabeth shifted and opened her eyes. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”

“Don’t be long,” she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep, before rolling over.

Kiara made her way out of the silent cab, the rumble of the train and the whispers of breaths the only noises in their tiny world. The next car was nearly deserted—perfect for what she needed.

A sleeping couple leaned against each other at the front of the train car, their baby’s wide eyes catching Kiara’s as she passed. A chubby hand freed itself from his mother’s hair and waved at her.

Kiara waved back, the smallest smile tugging at her lips before she slipped into a window seat.

The light of the stars filled the little space as Kiara wrapped the Mist tightly around herself until she vanished from sight. Kiara angled the tiny prism on her bracelet to capture the light and a faint rainbow fell onto her hand. The sharp chill of the drachma in her palm disappeared the moment the rainbow touched it. “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering."

The dark countryside gave way to a familiar room. Early morning light was almost blinding after the train. Regulus’s bed was as neat as ever, covers tucked so tightly they barely wrinkled when he moved. A book lay open beside him, but the pages were untouched, his attention now fully on Kiara.

“Reg,” Kiara sighed.

His dark curls were just as unruly as ever, falling into sharp eyes that flicked over her. “What’s happening, Ara? You missed the last IM. Where are you?”

Kiara leaned back, pulling her knees up. There was no point beating around the bushes, he would find out eventually. “A quest.”

Regulus reached out instinctively, fingers curling in empty air before he caught himself and pulled back. “How? But—yours was supposed to be the last.”

“It was, but somethings have changed. We found one of the Big Three.” Kiara traced patterns onto the foggy glass as she spoke, “The king’s bolt has been stolen, we need to get it back before the solstice.”

“But that’s in nine days.” Regulus ran a hand through his hair, a habit Kiara knew meant he was trying not to panic. He closed his eyes. “Ara, what are they going to do if you can’t?”

Kiara pulled herself tighter. “That can’t happen. It isn’t going to happen.”

“Who’s with you?” Regulus asked, then hesitated. His gaze flickered, like he was choosing his next words carefully. “Luke?”

Kiara stiffened. “He wouldn’t. He can’t.”

“And you can?” Regulus snapped.

Kiara looked down the aisle. “There isn’t anyone else.”

“I didn’t-” he stopped himself. “What can I do?”

A small smile reached her lips. “It’s fine. I just didn’t want to miss another IM.”

Regulus frowned. “Just be careful. If something happens, I’ll steal Mum’s international portkey and find you.”

Kiara huffed a quiet laugh, but her chest ached. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

-o-

Toward the end of their second day on the train they passed over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch. All the presentations she had given to Luke and Kiara came flooding back and Kiara knew they were not leaving till Annabeth touched the monument.

“I want to do that,” she sighed.

“What?” Percy asked.

“Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?”

“Only in pictures.”

“Someday, I’m going to see it in person. I’m going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that’ll last a thousand years.”

Percy laughed. “You? An architect?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention.”

Percy watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

“Sorry,” Annabeth said. “That was mean.”

“Can’t we work together a little?” Percy pleaded. “I mean, didn’t Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?”

Annabeth had to think about it. “I guess . . . the chariot,” she said tentatively. “My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete.”

“Then we can cooperate, too. Right?”

They rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

“I suppose,” she said at last.

The train pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom announced a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, “Food.”

“Come on, goat boy,” Annabeth said. “Sightseeing.”

“Sightseeing?”

“The Gateway Arch,” she said. “This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?”

Grover and Percy exchanged looks.

Kiara ignored them. “Of course, we wouldn’t miss it.”

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. The line to the site was short and before they knew it they were sealed away from the sky. Kiara listened to Annabeth’s excited rambles as they made their way through the museum, the boys snacking on enough junk food to give her an aneurysm.

The line to the elevator would have been a nice rest if Kiara could ignore the strange disconnect she had with the sun.

“Guys,” Percy said. “You know the gods’ symbols of power?”

Kiara stopped reading aloud the information placard to Annabeth about the construction equipment used to build the Arch.

Annabeth turned away from the diagrams. “Yeah?”

“Well, Hade—”

Grover cleared his throat. “We’re in a public place. . . . You mean, our friend downstairs?”

“Um, right,” Percy said. “Our friend way downstairs. Doesn’t he have a hat like Annabeth’s?”

“You mean the Helm of Darkness,” Annabeth said. “Yeah, that’s his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting.”

“He was there?” Percy asked.

“All the gods gather during the darkest day of the year,” Kiara added. “Our friend’s cap is much stronger than Annabeth’s.”

“It allows him to become darkness,” Grover confirmed. “He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can’t be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?”

“But then . . . how do we know he’s not here right now, watching us?” Percy asked.

Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.

“We don’t,” Grover said.

“Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better.” Percy eloquently changed the topic, “Got any blue jelly beans left?”

When they finally reached the elevator Kiara tensed. It was barely larger than a closet and they were packing the visitors like sardines. Kiara gripped the kids’ shirts tight and motioned for Grover to stay close. Without adults it would be easy for them to be separated by some well meaning worker.

An elbow dug into Kiara’s side as they squeezed into the elevator, watching the doors slide shut. A woman stared down at them, her chihuahua held in her arms. The elevator shook as it started up, bumping her against the woman. The sharp glare sent at Kiara smoothed over as the woman petted her dog. Kiara wrapped her arms around herself pulling as far as she could from the tiny creature.

Once the elevator started moving more in an arc than upright, Percy leaned against her other side. His eyes were shut tight, and face swinging from pale to green.

“No parents?” the lady asked.

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

“They’re below,” Annabeth told her. “Scared of heights.”

“Maybe the boy should have stayed down with them,” she leaned down to look at Percy, her eyes flashing green in the elevator’s light. The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, “Now, now, sonny. Behave.”

Percy said, “Sonny. Is that his name?”

“No.”

She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

The observation deck wasn’t much different than the elevator, tiny, metallic and unsettling. Kiara could appreciate the view over the river if she hadn’t had to keep tabs on the kids roaming the small space.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would’ve made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could’ve stayed up there for hours, but luckily for them the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. Percy started to look a little greener than she felt comfortable with.

Kiara ushered the kids back into the elevator. Some stranger’s arm pressed against her back and a leg brushed her own as she tried to fit them all in. Even with shoving and pulling there was barely enough space for two of them.

“Percy, go down with Annabeth and Grover.”

He looked even queasier at the idea of being pressed in that tin can.

The park ranger took one look at Percy and winced, “Try the next car, sir.”

“We’ll get out,” Annabeth said. “We’ll wait with you.”

Percy frowned. “Naw, it’s okay. We’ll see you guys at the bottom.”

Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were Kiara, Percy, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

Percy smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Kiara blinked, pushing Percy behind herself. He felt clammy and Kiara was starting to feel similar staring into the slitted eyes of the woman.

“Dears, what’s wrong?” Her shadow flickered, shifting larger than possible.

“Nothing, ma’am.” Kiara took a step back. “My brother just isn’t feeling good. You were right. He should have rested with our parents.”

Her smile grew wide. “Well, I’m not sorry to say it's too late now.”

Her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at them.

“Now, now, sonny,” the lady said. “Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here.”

“Doggie!” said the little boy. “Look, a doggie!”

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at Kiara, foam dripping from his black lips. Its eyes trained on Percy, peeking from behind her.

“Well, son,” the fat lady sighed. “If you insist.”

Percy tugged on Kiara’s shirt. “Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?”

“Chimera, dear,” the fat lady corrected. “Not a Chihuahua. It’s an easy mistake to make.”

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, her cheeks split revealing sharp teeth. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile’s.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar that shook the floor.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

Percy’s sword shimmered in Kiara’s peripherals. Her heart froze staring into Chimera’s bloody maw. Her mind screeched at her to move or hide or pull Percy away but her feet stood frozen. She knew deep down that the moment she moved it would attack.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might’ve been laughter. “Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!”

“Isn’t that a kind of anteater?”

Kiara resisted the urge to close her eyes and sigh. On the plus side Percy’s remark jump started her mind. On the downside Echidna looked like she wanted to eat them herself.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. “I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me.”

“Echidna!” Kiara tried stalling. “We are on a quest for Lord Zeus."

“Oh, you poor little thing.” Echidna’s forked tongue flicked out between her fangs. “You think throwing around his name will protect you? You side with their thief? Who would think the daughter of all that represents Greece’s ideals would try to tear it down? You will die here, child, and Olympus will not mourn you.”

“We will retrieve the bolt for the King,” Kiara insisted, stepping back.

“Lies, another misgiving. Back in my day, children followed their parents’ word. Or have you strayed so far? Let’s see how well you last against a son who obeys.”

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. Percy managed to leap aside and dodge the bite. Kiara was a little slower. Her leg brushed against its fur leaving the burning scent of blood.

Percy and Kiara ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors. Kiara let the buzz in her skin free, pulling at the hinges with imaginary hands. They buckled and snapped revealing endless flights of stairs.

Kiara shoved the little boy at his parents and pushed them towards the door. “Run!”

Percy ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, “Hey, Chihuahua!”

The Chimera turned faster than Kiara would’ve thought possible.

Before Percy could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world’s largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at him.

A scream lodged inside of Kiara’s throat as Percy dove under the explosion. The carpet burst into flames filling the room with smoke.

Where he had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Kiara pulled out her dagger and ran at Echidna. Her serpentine legs snapped at her, keeping her from getting too close. “Silly little girl, no hero has ever bested me. Much less one as pitiful as you.”

Kiara ignored her words, splitting her focus on the monster in front of her and Percy’s attacker. Her dagger drew a line of oozing green from Echidna’s scales as Percy swung his blade at the Chimera’s neck. His blade glancing off the collar distracted Kiara just enough for Echidna to wrap a scaly limb around her waist, pinning her blade.

Kiara struggled away but the grip tightened, squeezing the air from her lungs.

“Per-” a hand covered her mouth.

Acidic breath filled the air as Echidna ducked her head to tut, “Don’t spoil the surprise, dear.”

Kiara pulled with all her might as she watched Percy dodge the flaming mouth only for the Chimera’s serpent tail whip around and sink its fangs into his calf.

He tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera’s mouth, but the serpent tail pulled him off balance, throwing his sword spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.

Percy staggered to his feet as the Chimera circled him savoring its victory.

He backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips.

Echidna cackled in her ear. “They don’t make heroes like they used to.”

The monster growled.

Percy’s foot slipped against the hole in the floor, almost tipping him out into the open air. Kiara ignored the pressure on her arm and twisted, aiming her dagger at Echidna’s unprotected side.

“If you are the son of Poseidon,” Echidna hissed, “you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline.”

The red glow reflected off his terrified face. The Chimera’s growl vibrated through Kiara’s ribcage, a sound so deep it felt like it was unraveling her bones. The air shimmered with heat as the beast inhaled, its blood-crusted mane sparking with embers. The scent of burning hair and sulfur turned her stomach. Hazy eyes tried to meet Kiara’s but Percy swayed too much to have been seeing anything more than fog.

“You have no faith,” Echidna told him. “You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart.”

Kiara shuddered. She was right: Percy was dying. His breaths barely left his lungs, poison oozing from his leg and blood running down his face.

“Kiara?” His voice was so small.

She ignored the pain in her arm or the crushing pressure on her chest. Biting down hard on the hand covering her mouth, she stabbed her dagger backwards.

Echidna let go, mostly out of shock and pain. Kiara stumbled forward but the Chimera stood between them. There were no options. Death in both directions. She would not make it out of this situation.

But he could. From the moment Percy stepped into camp every single body of water leaned towards him. If anything could save the brave boy in front of her it was the water reaching for him even now. Flickering droplets of water hung in the air reaching for their prince.

“It’s alright, Percy.” The words scraped her throat, half a lie, half a promise. A sad smile flitted across her face, and for a moment she could think past the pain. She would fight to her last breath but he would make it out. “Jump. You’ll be fine.”

He heaved a laboured breath. “But you-”

“Shhh.” Kiara raised her dagger, the slithering steps of Echidna coming closer. “Just jump. Live.”

“Die, faithless one,” Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward his face.

“I’m sorry.” Kiara read off Percy’s lips as he turned and jumped.

"Ah, how touching," Echidna purred, her breath curling hot against Kiara’s ear. "You sent him to his death like a good little soldier. You think the gods will reward you? That they’ll come save you, little girl?"

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara dropped low as Echidna ripped her claws over where her head had been. Her leg screamed at her as she rolled away from the monster before her.

"Your companion seems to have abandoned you," Echidna taunted from the smoke.

The room was filled with it, billowing from the burning carpet. The Chimera stepped away from its lost quarry, heads snapping impatiently. It scented the air but only growled whipping around.

Kiara stumbled back searching for a wall. She could barely see its glowing mouth as her eyes watered from the smoke.

The meager plus side was that they were struggling to see her too.

"Come out little girl," Echidna called, farther now.

Her lungs heaved as they tried to expel the ash coating every cell, but Kiara clapped a hand over her mouth and kept crawling. The monsters paced the small space blocking her only exit. The wreckage of the monument filled the room, metal sheets warped from the fight and glass shattered across the floor.

Kiara ducked behind a piece of rubble. Gritting her teeth she maneuvered her leg in front of her, eyes only catching the smear of red over her shin. She kept her breaths shallow as she unzipped her bag pulling out a roll of gauze.

"You're all alone now." Echidna sounded close, her slithering tail whipping past her hiding spot. "No one to help you."

Kiara held her breath, her thundering heart fighting against the woosh of the fire. Every muscle froze.

The scaly legs passed.

"I must say your conviction is incredible even if you are on the losing side." Echidna looked out the scorched hole. "The little boy will learn that soon too."

She bit back a cry as the gauze touched her seared leg. The cotton burned against her wound, sending sharp pain up her hip. Kiara closed her eyes, barely holding back her gasps as she wrapped it around. Her head grew fuzzy the longer she sat in the rubble, toxic smoke seeping into her lungs.

Kiara rested her shaky hands against her dagger, hazarding a glance outside her safe haven. Echidna was sitting on a pile of burning carpet and metal.

"Let's be frank now. No one can hear us here." She beckoned the Chimera to her feet where it curled up like a very dangerous cat. "Little Zeus isn't the one holding the cards, half-blood. We are. You would do so much better with us."

Echidna scanned the room like a queen surveying her people. "Your talents would be appreciated-" Her claws ran through the Chimera's lion head with care. "-and your family safe."

"Why fight for those that would throw you away like trash, when you could be known by thousands for changing the world for good?"

Kiara pressed back against the warm metal against her back. It shuddered behind her. The Chimera's head shot up.

"Now, now, Sonny." Echidna chided."The little half-blood just wants to come out and talk to us doesn't she?"

Kiara pulled her shirt up to her mouth, head spinning. She carefully crawled back out of the wreckage. "No."

"No?" Echidna's head tilted sharply. "Don't play coy, girl. You know you are either going to die of that nice little burn from Sonny or the very air around you. I'm your only chance. Not everyone is lucky to have daddy dearest care." Her eyes flicked over to the river below.

Kiara pulled her dagger up glaring at the monster. "No."

But Echidna smiled far too wide. "Don't worry about the boy. Or the others you traveled with. They will be well taken care of. Maybe if they chose right you can even see them soon."

Kiara shifted to the side. "So you're going to kill me?"

"No. Goodness what are they teaching you heroes these days." Echidna laughed. "I am recruiting. Drop that little knife and I promise you will not be harmed. I just want a conversation. You know what that is, right?"

Kiara stepped back. "How do I know you won't just sick 'Sonny' on me?"

Slitted green eyes rolled heavenward. "Does my word mean nothing to you?"

"Nothing," Kiara agreed.

She huffed. "Fine, I swear on the Styx that neither me, nor my son will harm you if you lay down your little weapon and listen to my words."

The rumble of thunder followed her oath. Kiara hesitated, hands shaking and let her blade hit the burnt carpet.

"There, see. A civilized conversation. I'm glad you realized the futility of standing against us. I knew you weren't completely useless," Echidna purred. "You just needed a little... persuasion."

Kiara hugged her arms against her chest as her lungs spasmed against the ash. Her head rested on her arms as she tried to stop the breaths of smoke into her body.

"Sit. The faster we get through this the faster you can heal that broken body-"

Kiara released the string of her bow. The lead shaft stuck out of the Chimera's mouth as it fell from its protective lunge over its mother.

"Sonny!" Echidna cried. She reached for the monster as it heaved its last breaths before glittering to dust. Venomous eyes glared into her heart. "You'll pay."

Kiara stumbled back, bow returned to her wrist. "I think not."

"You have just signed your trip to Hades," Echidna screeched, reaching for her. "I'll kill you slowly."

"You can't," Kiara gasped, a cough rocking through her body. "You swore."

"No!" Echidna reached a hand but her fingers were halted by some unseen force before they could touch her. Echidna let out an ear splitting shriek, and the ground beneath them trembled. The flames roared higher, licking at the wreckage as she slammed her tail into the floor.

Kiara ran down the fire escape. She did not want to wait and find out how Echidna would work around the oath.

-o-

Kiara was found by the paramedics. They carried her down the last few flights of stairs from where they found her crumpled against the railing.

Kiara escaped as soon as she could.

Swallowing some nectar, she ducked under the yellow tape, nearly tripping over her own feet. A paramedic shouted something behind her, but she didn't stop.

She searched the crowd, panic rising in her throat—where were they? Had Echidna lied? Then, through the haze, she heard Grover's voice. "Perrr-cy!"

Kiara's breath hitched.

She turned just in time to see Grover tackle Percy, and the wave of relief that hit her was so strong it nearly took her legs out. She pushed through the swarm of tourists, nearly colliding with an official. Her limbs felt like lead, her breath raw. Annabeth was yelling at Percy, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him,"We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"I sort of fell."

The crowd blurred into a haze of lights and movement.

"Six hundred and thirty feet?"

"Percy," Kiara called, slumping against the wall.

The three spun around. "Kiara!"

Kiara closed her eyes against the swirling world resting her head on her knees as they ran to her. Their familiar footsteps soothed the fear that had caught her the moment they stepped into the elevator.

A hand on her arm coaxed her eyes open.

"Hi Annie," she sighed.

Kiara's mind listed as their jumbled words fought for her attention. Grover started bleating, only to be shushed by Annabeth as Percy rambled. Kiara raised a shaky hand silencing the three. "We have to get out of here."

As if the universe was listening, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. Kiara craned her neck ignoring the drumming in her head. It was the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua —"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! A girl and she saved my son and the little boy with her jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she saw Percy. "There he is! That's the boy!"

Kiara pulled herself up and yanked the kids back into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

Percy told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, his fall, and a message from a Naiad. Kiara kept quiet about her conversation with the monster. Her throat still burned and it took most of her will to remain upright.

"Whoa," said Grover. "We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad."

Before Annabeth could respond, they passed another reporter doing a news break, and Percy almost froze in my tracks when he said, "Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson."

They ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"First things first," Percy told Grover. "We've got to get out of town!"

Somehow, Annabeth and Grover dragged the two exhausted adventurers back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. They got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them.

-o-

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver. They hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. Kiara ignored the pang in her stomach and the tiny voice in her head about the ambrosia in her bag.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?"

"I'm not talking about phones."

"Iris-Messaging, a way for gods and half-bloods to communicate," Kiara explained, voice rough. "Iris and Hermes share control over messages. Communicating with Iris is a bit easier than Hermes. No need for a package slip or animal sacrifice, just something of value and a rainbow."

They wandered through downtown. The air was dry and hot, a sharp contrast to the humidity of St. Louis. The sun beat down mercilessly—not even Kiara's glare could move her father's path.

"We're not going to find a rainbow in the middle of a sunny day," Percy pointed out.

Annabeth huffed. "We're not going to find one, we're going to make one."

"Don't be cryptic, Annabeth. He doesn't know." Kiara coughed, pressing a hand to her chest. "I'm sure you've learned about light in a science class before."

Percy nodded. "It's made up of all the colors and stuff."

"And stuff-" Annabeth scoffed. "By splitting the light Iris' domain is called. The light shifts from Aether's control to Iris'. All we need is something to split the light."

"Glass, crystals, prisms, water. Anything. I heard of a camper using a bubble to send an IM." Grover added.

"I've got a prism but it's too small for what we need." Kiara held up her bracelet. "We'd need the other to have a prism set up to receive us. A mist works best for any call."

Their wandering finally led them to an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street. Four rough-looking teens hanging around a car wash without a car? That would send them straight to Child Protective Services.

"It's seventy-five cents." Grover took out the spray gun. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out."

Percy fished out some change and passed Grover a quarter. Kiara rested by the machine and pulled a drachma from her bag.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. The late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out. "Drachma, please."

Kiara tossed it to her.

Annabeth raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering."

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer and faint chimes filled the air.

"Big House, Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth requested.

The mist filled with colors solidifying into strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. They viewed the camp from the porch. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Percy called, eyes wide.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded.

Kiara frowned at the exhaustion lining his face. His grip on his sword was not the easy hold of a well rested camper but one who was running off a few scant hours of sleep and adrenaline.

"We're having some issues with the campers." His voice was light, but there was tension beneath it. "What about you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hiphop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it!" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover said. "But—"

"Give Kiara the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Kiara pulled herself off the curb and took the hose from Grover. Kiara stifled a laugh at Grover's muttered complaints about girls being more confusing than the Oracle.

The music made conversation impossible, but Luke seemed to understand.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to me over the music. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus–Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

In the next stall, Kiara heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

Percy told him pretty much everything, including dreams he had missed in his retelling to the rest of them. Kiara let them talk until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and there was only one more minute before the water shut off.

"I wish I could be there," Luke fiddled with the hilt of his blade. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"They can't." Kiara wondered where Lukle was taking this.

"Still . . . Hades has the helm of darkness." Luke said, looking troubled. "How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

Kiara exhaled sharply. Percy's gaze flicked to the next stall.

Luke realized what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

"She was with Malcolm and Christopher the whole time," Kiara added, voice steady.

"I didn't—"

In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said.

"Percy, go," Kiara murmured, gaze fixed on Luke. "I'll be a moment."

Luke ignored her look, still focused on Percy. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better knowing they've helped."

"Oh... uh, yeah!" Percy sounded guilty. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Really?" Luke grinned. "They fit and everything?"

"Yep." Kiara cut in, feeding another quarter into the machine. Percy hesitated, eyeing her one last time before waving to Luke and rushing to the other stall.

Her smile fell as she sat back on the damp asphalt. "What's going on, Luke?"

"What do you mean, Bean?" Luke shifted. "I told you guys. Camp's been-"

"Don't lie to me. It's more than that," Kiara accused.

"I-I can't tell you. Yet," he added when he noticed her frown. "I'll tell you when you get back. I just need to deal with some things."

"I trust you, but you know I'm here." Kiara thought back to why he would be in the Big House. "I know Chiron has been talking with you about leaving camp."

Kiara avoided looking at him. The topic had caused enough arguments between their mentor and Luke but she knew she couldn't let him think he was on his own.

"I talked with my mum. We've got the space. You can stay with us for a little while." She heard him start to refuse. "Just until you're ready to live on your own."

Luke sighed, a rueful smile taking over his face. "When did you grow up?"

"Right next to you. You'd notice if your head wasn't so big," Kiara teased.

The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter.

Annabeth, Grover and Percy came around the corner, laughing.

Kiara watched them goof off together with a familiar ache thudding in her chest. "Let's find some dinner."

Chapter Text

June 2006

The diner was far nicer than the kind that usually let in four troublemaking teens, but Percy's puppy-dog eyes and Annabeth's signature pout earned them a table.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

Percy said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Grover's lower lip quivered. Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger. Percy was rattling the table with his shaking legs.

Kiara attempted a polite smile. "Ma'am—"

A rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

The man getting off the bike was dressed in a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked them again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into the booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Kiara and Annabeth against the window.

"Excuse me?" Kiara gasped, forgetting the rules Chiron had drilled into her skull. One of the buckle's from his ridiculous jacket dug into her side. Kiara glared up at him trying to make space for Annabeth without touching more of the disgusting man.

His eyes flashed over to her glowing beneath his sunglasses. "You got a problem sweetheart?" He paused looking her up and down. "Didn't think so."

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

Percy's shaking stopped. "What's it to you?"

He said, "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

"You're Clarisse's dad," Percy said. "Ares, god of war."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Kiara averted her gaze, she could feel the anger and wrath falling off him like sludge filling the booth. "I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food— cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas. Kiara frowned, she had done that just a few days earlier. Guilt tugged at her conscience.Her anger drained, leaving behind something worse. The situations had been different, but the outcome was the same—Ares and Kiara had both bent the rules, and neither had paid the price.

The waitress looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," Percy snapped at Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Kiara winced. "Percy, you can't-"

Ares laughed, taking up more of the bench. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?"

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself ?"

The room booth grew drier.

"Or I could just turn you into a prairie dog and flatten you under my Harley."

Kiara straightened, shooting him a glare. "Lord Ar—"

"Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"We're not interested." Percy sat back. "We've already got a quest."

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. In a way, you got me to thank you for your little quest."

"Thanks," Percy grumbled. Kiara barely kept herself from kicking him under the table. They should've ducked out the moment they heard that engine.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

Kiara interrupted. "We're doing fine on our own."

Ares scoffed, throwing his arm over the back of the booth, turning his disdainful gaze at her. "Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. You sure have been a waste of a guide."

Kiara leaned back, away from his sulfurous breath, forcing herself to ignore the tight knot forming in her chest.

Ares tilted his head in mock care. "Poor kid's got a failure for a protector and a guide—no wonder this quest is circling the drain. How about this? You two deadweights stay with me, and we see if the kiddies can swim without their floaties dragging them down?"

Percy gaped at him. "Hey! That's not what-"

"Didn't you lose your bags the first day? Nearly get them all killed, what—three times now? Some guide."

"No!"

"Sounds like a lie. Let's cut to the chase. You and blondie get my shield and dumb and dumber stay with me. And 'because I'm nice like that, I'll sweeten the deal. On top of the transport I'll tell you something about your mom."

Percy tensed. "My mom?"

He grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancey. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked. "Something scare you off?"

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."

Ares moved out of the booth waving a hand for Annabeth to follow. Kiara scooted out ducking under his arm to reach the others. But his hand dropped down to rest on her shoulder, freezing her in place. Kiara flicked a glance up at the god but his stare was on the two teens sharing a nervous glance hesitating by the table. Percy's hand wandered far too close to his sword to be ignored. If he fought Ares in the small diner they would not make it out.

Kiara pulled herself out of Ares' grip and gave them a weak smile. "We'll be ok. You guys can do it. Annabeth remember the myths, don't take them for granted. The gods are repetitive." She waited for Annabeth's shaky nod. "Percy, don't go running into danger but trust yourself."

"Enough of that. They're just going on a little jaunt. Hurry along, Seaweed Junior. I hate waiting and really who needs four questers?"

Annabeth pulled Percy out of the diner before he could do something ridiculous like challenge a god to a duel.

-o-

Kiara and Grover sat in silence. Their host did little more than insult them and eat through four people's meals. Kiara tried to keep herself from worrying but as the sun set and family's nervously rotated in and out of the diner the tension in her body grew.

"Witch. If you don't stop shaking the table I'm going to put you in a straight jacket," Ares growled around a mouthful of food.

Kiara pressed her legs against the sticky plastic and waited.

Just as the street lights turned on, the bell rang. Grover's head whipped around smelling the familiar scents of their friends. Kiara balled her hands under the table as she looked at the shimmering gold on Percy's face and Annabeth's drenched hair.

"Well, well," Ares said, clapping. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy accused.

Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids."

Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

"Get in line, little boy," Ares muttered leaving the booth. He walked out of the building without stopping for the waiters rushing around the diner. A few glasses crashed against the linoleum floor. "Hurry up."

Kiara pushed the leftover fries into a paper bag and dragged the kids after her.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it at Percy's head.

Percy unzipped it hesitantly. Inside were fresh clothes, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos. "I don't want your lousy—"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving him his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Kiara looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served them dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt them. She had passed by their table every few minutes trying to keep up with Ares' orders and keeping an eye on us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture.

"You owe me one more thing," Percy told Ares, bits of fury leaking into his voice. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

Kiara rested a hand against his back as Percy swayed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis." He let out a laugh. "You'd know. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

Percy tightened his hands around the backpack. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"I don't care."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but..."

He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

They ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind them. The air in the trailer was thick. The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals: a zebra, a male albino lion, and a scruffy impala.

All the animals were half starved, food they couldn't eat shoved into their crates with stale water spilled over. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns. Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and they would've helped him, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Kiara tried to compromise with them by trying to switch the animals' foods.

Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, but it would be too risky with the truck bumping around. They told Grover to promise the animals they'd help them more in the morning, then they settled in for the night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly. Kiara moved the hay around settling into the space. The week's exhaustion caught up to her and the last thing Kiara heard was the gentle rumble of the road and the quiet mumbles of conversation.

-o-

Kiara woke sometime after midday. Light streamed through the tiny cracks in the door, reaching for her. Grover was trying to talk with the animals without waking the others. But all that was useless when the truck came to a sudden stop. Kiara braced a hand against the wall next to her and over Annabeth's chest so they would not fly forward like the cages.

"Check the beasts," one of the men driving the truck shouted.

Grover shook Percy's shoulders. "The truck's stopped," he said.

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed, pulling on her magic cap and disappeared. Grover and Kiara pushed a groggy Percy behind feed sacks.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

Under the turnip sacks, Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous.

The trucker threw the impala a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at Percy.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside—Eddie's—shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot. A second later, Annabeth reappeared. She must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer. She said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"

"We've got to free them!" Grover said.

Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute. Percy grabbed Riptide and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage. Kiara worked on the impala's trying to not get skewered by the terrified creature's horns. Annabeth hacked at the lion's lock.

Grover held up his hands and said something to the animals in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. Kiara glanced up in time to see the zebra, impala and lion galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. They'd just released zoo animals into Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after them, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

Kiara jumped out of the truck and reached a hand to help the other's down.

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked, stumbling onto the asphalt .

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"Kidding," she said.

The high sun beat down on them as they left the scene of the crime. Kiara let out a huff. So much for all the way to LA. Ares knew this would happen, Kiara was sure of it. He was trying to stall them. They wandered the streets for anywhere to rest, but Las Vegas did not take kids without more than 20 bucks.

They must have taken a wrong turn, because they found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossoms.

The doorman leaned outside the door, feet planted firmly on the wooden floor. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

After the horrible days they had lived through, any glimpse of kindness was worth it. At least this man was fully mortal. Percy nodded and said they'd love to come in. Inside, they took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Percy stammered, "Um, but ..."

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed them each a green plastic credit card.

Kiara ran a finger over the engraved numbers. "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

Kiara dropped her stuff the moment she saw the bed. After living on the road the plush pillows and flowing blanket called to her like a siren. A quick search through the closet led her to clothes that fit her perfectly. The water in the shower was warm but not hot. The soaps smelled like lavender, just like the ones she used back home. Kiara resisted the bed with what little willpower she had to check on the others.

She found Annabeth, Grover and Percy having already showered and changed clothes draped over the large couch. Grover was eating veggie chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"All those stations," Percy told her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

Without even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and Percy looked at each other and grinned. They both held up our green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Play time," they said in synchrony.

Kiara watched them rush out of the room, a faint spark of worry quickly smothered by the soft music coming from her room. Kiara let herself become folded into the cloud of a bed ignoring the shakes in her arms. The ceiling seemed to swirl above her and for a second sickeningly sweet perfume pulled a cough from her chest. Kiara rubbed her face and forced herself to sit up. The softness of the bed threatened to swallow her whole, but something about this place felt too good to be true.

She stumbled out of the bed, mattress sinking under her weight and blankets wrapping tight around her limbs. Kiara wandered out of her room searching for the others. The downstairs was chaos, children of all ages running back and forth between games.

The flashing lights of thousands of arcade games and neon lights left after-images in her eyes. For a second she caught sight of Percy flying down a waterslide. When she looked again he was gone. Grover's curly hair peaked around a game until she turned the corner to find a blonde boy. Annabeth's laugh pulled her to the other side of the room but her face blurred away.

Kiara turned and turned but nothing looked the same as when she entered. But soft music called her away from the blaring arcade floor. She pushed through a door, missing the hiss of a seal as it slid behind her.

"Cookie?" one of the waitresses asked, pressing a tray of pink cookies into her face.

Kiara hesitated but what reason was there to refuse? The crumbly dessert melted in her mouth.

She rested against a pink cushion, tiny crumbs falling off her fingers and blending into the seat. She should find the others, but—what was she thinking about? The violinist played on, and the thought faded away like mist in the morning sun.

"Hello?" a girl asked, sitting by her.

"Hi," Kiara whispered, entranced by the melody filling the air.

"It's beautiful."

"It is. I'm... I can't remember." She pulled her eyes from the violinist to the young girl next to her.

The girl's brow wrinkled as she stared back. Her dark hair ran down her back except for the tips worried and twisted around each other.

"I can't either," the girl mumbled, and something inside her lurched. Her heart pounded, but she didn't know why. There was something—someone—important. A name. A reason. But when she reached for it, it slipped through her fingers like sand."

She smoothed a finger over the crease in the other girl's face. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll think of it."

The young girl gave her a hesitant smile. "Right...Bach?"

They huddled together whispering about music while the musicians played.

-o-

"Kiara?"

Someone was blocking her view of the pianist. She wished they would just move but the effort to pull herself off the couch that seemed to hold her close was too much. Her legs seemed melded to the fabric but that did not bother her.

"Kiara? Can you hear me?"

She sighed and tried to focus on the boy blocking her. His eyes looked worried but she couldn't recognize much else.

"Kiara?" He sounded hopeful when she looked at him. She wished to keep that sound. It was almost melodic. Maybe she could convince him to sing. The pianist would wonderfully accompany him.

"Yes?" her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

"Oh thank the gods"-that sounded familiar-"come on we have to go!"

She stared at him. "Go?"

"Hurry! It's the Lotus," he whisper-hissed.

"Lotus?"

Two others joined the boy.

"She can't understand us."

"Look." a hand pointed at the tray of cookies she had eaten with her company. "She ate them."

"Cookies?" she asked. "Would you like some?"

The three exchanged a glance. "Sure. Come along. Let's get some more."

She let them pull her upright, trailing strings tearing from the couch.

A bellhop hurried up to them. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," the little boy told him.

"Such a shame," he said. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

"Leaving?" she asked, pulling away.

"Just for a second." Their grips were tighter around her arms.

The four of them walked toward the door, and as she did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. Why were they leaving? They could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed....

Then they burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. Kiara blinked in the bright light. It felt different on her skin, worlds fresher than the artificial neon and LEDs filling the casino. Her legs buckled, and she gasped. It felt like waking up too fast from a dream, like falling from somewhere warm into freezing water. The neon glow still flickered behind her eyes, but it was fading, fading—

Something was off. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

"What-" Kiara's throat felt dry. An overly sweet taste coated her mouth. "Lotus." The word tasted too sweet in her mouth. It coated her tongue like syrup, clashing with the raw air of the outside world. Her stomach twisted. How close had she come to forgetting? She had lost her name, her purpose, she had almost been fused into the casino. She itched her arms, torn strings still clinging tightly.

The myth of the cave of the Lotus Eaters flashed through her head, lining up with the foggy memories of the last few hours. Days? Weeks? Years? None of that mattered. Percy had pulled them out.

Oh gods, she almost didn't leave.

Ares's backpack was slung over Percy's shoulder.

They ran to the nearest newspaper stand. The year glared at them: 2006. Then right next to it the date laughed at them: June twentieth.

They had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

They had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete the quest.

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara felt numb as they filled into the taxi and Annabeth paid for the ride to Santa Monica. Her legs stuck to the faux leather and garlic filled the tiny space. The quiet radio echoed the haunting melodies she had been almost captured by. Kiara sucked in shallow breaths trying to ignore the way the perfume from the casino still clung to her skin, too sweet, too heavy. The sticky seat flickered between leather and plush velvet, both sticking to her body. 

She hadn't noticed the lotus threads weaving her into the trap. Not until it was almost too late. If the others hadn’t found her, she would still be there—fused to the couch, lost in the music, waiting for another traveler to sit beside her.

And that girl—the one who had smiled at her, whispered about Bach—was still there. Kiara didn’t even know her name and there was no way to return. 

Kiara pulled a drachma out of her pocket and smoothed her finger over it. The girl would probably never make it out but Kiara had to hope. One day, be it years or millenia from now, the girl would break free of the dream. 

The coin slipped from her fingers.

A flash of light.

Kiara blinked hard. When the glare faded, the afterimage burned behind her eyes: a girl and a young boy stepping into the sunlight, hand in hand, leaving the casino behind.

 She didn’t say anything. Neither did the others. The cab rumbled on in silence, the quiet only broken by the occasional buzz of static from the radio.

Somewhere between the desert and the sea, Percy finally spoke.

“I had a dream,” he said quietly. “Back in the casino.”

They all turned to look at him.

He looked at his shorts, fiddling with the hem. It was from the casino, shimmering slightly when the light hit it right. His dream stumbled out of him in pieces, parts fading even as he spoke. His brow stayed furrowed, like he was trying to hold onto it before it slipped entirely. A pit. A voice. A golden coffin. A failure.

“The thing in the pit had some kind of title…”

“The Silent One?” Annabeth suggested. “The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Ha-”

“His uncle ,” Kiara cut in sharply.

“Maybe...” Percy said unconvinced.

“That throne room sounds like his,” Grover said. “That’s the way it’s usually described.”

Percy shook his head. “Something’s wrong. The throne room wasn’t the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit... I don’t know. It just didn’t feel like a god’s voice.”

Annabeth went still. Her eyes found Kiara’s, wide with dawning horror. Kiara’s stomach dropped. Her pulse stuttered, then pounded. No. It couldn’t be—if it was, then the implications were too massive, too devastating to even say aloud.

“What?” Percy asked. “What are you guys thinking?”

“Oh... nothing. I was just—No. No, it has to be his uncle ,” Kiara said, jaw tight. “Maybe he sent the thief—whoever took the bolt—and something went wrong.”

“Like what?”

“I—I don’t know,” she admitted. “But if he stole the king’s symbol of power and got caught, or failed, or had to ditch it—”

“That’s what the voice said, right?” Annabeth pressed. “That the thief failed.”

Kiara nodded slowly. “And if that’s true, then the Kindly Ones chasing us... maybe they thought we had it.”

Annabeth looked pale.

“But if I’d already retrieved the bolt,” Percy said, “why would I be traveling to the Underworld?”

“To threaten him,” Grover suggested. “To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back.”

Percy whistled. “You have evil thoughts for a goat.”

“Why, thank you.”

“But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items,” Percy said. “If the master bolt is one, what’s the other?”

Grover shook his head, clearly mystified.

Annabeth was looking at him as if she knew his next question, and was silently willing him not to ask it.

“You have an idea what might be in that pit, don’t you?” Percy asked her. “I mean, if it isn’t Ha-him?”

“Percy... let’s not talk about it. Because if it isn’t Hades...” Kiara’s voice tightened. “No. It has to be Hades.”

Kiara ignored the slight rumble from the car. Just a rock. Just worn asphalt. Nothing more. The king of the underworld was not listening.

Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

“The answer is in the Underworld,” Annabeth assured Percy. “You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There’s only one place that could be. We’re doing the right thing.” 

She tried to boost morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but none of them were up for it. 

At sunset, the taxi dropped them off at the beach in Santa Monica. By sunset, the taxi dropped them off at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly like the movies—carnival rides lining the pier, palm trees swaying lazily, surfer dudes chasing the next perfect wave. Only the smell was worse. And the shadows deeper.

The four of them walked down to the edge of the surf.

“What now?” Annabeth asked.

Percy stepped into the surf.

“Percy?” Grover said. “What are you doing?”

“Wait a second.” Kiara followed him, but the waves pushed against her ankles like a warning.

“We’ve got to plan before you just go in!” Annabeth said, exasperated. 

Percy kept walking, up to his waist, then his chest.

Kiara called after him, “You know how polluted that water is? There’re all kinds of toxic—”

His head disappeared under the surface.

“Great,” Kiara muttered watching the waves swell and fall. 

“What is he doing!” Annabeth exclaimed. “He can’t just go on without telling us. It’s like the bus all over again. And Ares. And…”

Grover sat down on the damp beach wrinkling his nose at sand sticking to his shoes. 

“Why are you just sitting?” Annabeth gasped. 

“Unless you can breathe underwater, we’re just gonna have to wait for him,” Grover said, taking off his cap and rubbing his head.

Kiara dropped her backpack by her feet and collapsed beside him. “Come on, Annie. Take a breath.”

Annabeth hesitated, guilt flickering across her face. “But—”

“We’ve been working hard this whole time.”

She grumbled, but finally settled down next to them, eyes scanning the waves for any sign of their friend.

-o-

Kiara felt herself drifting, the beach growing darker around her with no sign of Percy. Maybe she could close her eyes. Just for a moment.

“There!” Annabeth shouted.

Kiara jolted upright, following her pointing finger to the figure emerging from the surf—completely dry.

Grover sprang to his feet and grabbed the bag before she could. Kiara shot him a grateful look, then brushed the sand from her pants and walked toward the boy. 

Percy told them what had happened, and showed them four pearls.

Annabeth grimaced. “No gift comes without a price.”

“They were free.”

“No.” She shook her head. “‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’ That’s an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into English. There will be a price. You wait.”

With some spare change from Ares’s backpack, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he’d taken from Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium, but he’d never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

“You remind me of somebody I saw on TV,” he told Percy. “You a child actor or something?”

“Uh... I’m a stunt double... for a lot of child actors.”

“Oh! That explains it.”

Kiara pushed Percy behind her back and thanked him. They got off at the next stop.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn’t appear in the phone book.

Twice, they ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.

Percy froze in front of an appliance store window. A television blared from behind the glass—an interview with a heavyset man with slicked-back hair, clinging to a poker hand and a fake sob story. He sat beside a blonde woman patting his hand while Barbara Walters nodded solemnly.

“Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn’t for Sugar here—my grief counselor—I’d be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife... my Camaro... I—I’m sorry. I have trouble talking about it.”

“There you have it, America.” Barbara turned to the camera. “A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive.”

The screen flickered to a grainy shot of Percy, Annabeth, Kiara, and Grover, standing outside the Colorado diner. Talking to Ares.

“Who are the other children in this photo?” she continued. “Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we return: a leading child psychologist weighs in.”

“C’mon,” Grover muttered. Percy hadn’t moved, his expression dark. Like Ares was standing right there beside him.

As night crept in, the streets got worse. Hungry-looking people began to emerge from doorways and alleys, eyes tracking their worn clothes and single bag.

Kiara pulled Annabeth and Percy closer.

She caught Grover’s eye. He noticed the looks too and adjusted, shifting so his back never faced an alley. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes—and humans were often the worst.

Kiara’s fingers brushed the small switchblade hooked onto the side of the bag. As much as she hated admitting it, Ares hadn’t been wrong about everything. She was grateful for the tiny knife.

The odds of finding the Underworld before they ended up there for good were growing slimmer by the minute.

As they hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, “Hey, you.”

Percy stopped.

Before Kiara could react, they were surrounded. A gang of kids—six of them—stepped into the light, all white, dressed in designer brands and wearing the kind of smirks that meant trouble. The rich kind of reckless.

Kiara cursed under her breath, unclipping their only mortal weapon. These boys weren’t dangerous because of skill—they were dangerous because they believed nothing could touch them. The kind who would slice first, just to see what happened.

The fact that they didn’t ask for money or bags told her everything she needed to know.

This was just sport.

Percy uncapped Riptide.

So much for avoiding escalation. 

When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at Percy with a switchblade.

Percy swung.

The kid yelped. But the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest. He looked down. “What the...”

“Run!” Grover screamed, causing two of the kids to fall back..

They bolted down the street, not caring which direction they went—just away.

Percy took a sharp corner. The others followed close behind.

“There!” Annabeth shouted.

Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY’S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

“Crusty’s Water Bed Palace?” Grover translated.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

“I think we lost them,” Grover panted.

A voice behind us boomed, “Lost who?”

Kiara fell over.

Standing on the other side of the bed was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. 

His suit might’ve come from the Lotus Casino. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The silver chains around his neck—I couldn’t even count them.

“I’m Crusty,” he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

Kiara felt her body try to blend in with bed. 

“Sorry to barge in,” Percy told him. “We were just, um, browsing.”

“You mean hiding from those no-good kids,” he grumbled. “They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?”

 Before Kiara could recognize what was going on he put a huge paw on Percy and Annabeth’s shoulders and steered them deeper into the showroom.

Kiara grabbed Grover’s hand and hesitantly followed. 

There was every kind of water bed imaginable: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

“This is my most popular model.” Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil flavored Jell-O.

“Million-hand massage,” Crusty told them. “Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don’t care. No business today, anyway.”

Kiara stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Sir but-”

“Million-hand massage!” Grover cried, and dove in. “Oh, you guys! This is cool.”

“Hmm,” Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. “Almost, almost.”

“Almost what?” Percy asked, looking slightly nauseated.

Crusty looked at Annabeth. “Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit.”

Annabeth said, “But what—”

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn’t want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

“Hey!” she protested.

Crusty snapped his fingers. “Ergo!”

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.

Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down.

“N-not c-c-cool!” he yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. “N-not c-cool a-at all!”

The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward Kiara and grinned. “Almost, darn it.”

Kiara pushed Percy back, far away from the beds. 

“Don’t come closer,” Kiara threatened, reaching for her celestial blade. 

“Honey, you look tired.” Crusty moved faster than she expected. His sour breath fanning down on her. A tight grasp on her arm threw her down on a waterbed with glittering stars and clouds. “Take a rest. Ergo!”

The ropes wrapped tight around her waist, squeezing until she could hardly breathe. 

Crusty moved towards Percy. “Whoa, kid. Don’t worry. We’ll find you one in a sec.”

“Let my friends go.” 

Kiara tried turning her head to see where they were but the ropes held her still. 

“Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first.”

“What do you mean?”

“All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit.”

Kiara struggled. Six feet? What did he mean? 

“Can’t stand imperfect measurements,” Crusty muttered. “Ergo!”

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping arround her ankles, then around her armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling from both ends. Kiara let out a strangled scream. She would be torn apart to reach six feet. 

“Don’t worry,” Crusty told me. “These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Well maybe not shortie over there. Now why don’t we find a bed you like, huh?”

“Stretching job?” The words stuck in her ribs.

“Percy!” Grover yelled.

“Your real name’s not Crusty, is it?” Percy asked.

“Legally, it’s Procrustes,” he admitted.

“The Stretcher,” Percy whispered. 

“Yeah,” the salesman said. “But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now ‘Crusty,’ anybody can say that.”

“Percy!” Kiara gasped.

He ignored her. “You’re right. It’s got a good ring to it.”

 “You think so?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Percy said. “And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!”

He talked louder like he was trying to prove something. “I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?”

“Not too many.”

“That’s right!”

“Percy!” Annabeth yelled. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t mind her,” Percy told Procrustes. “She’s impossible.”

The giant laughed. “All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting.”

“What do you do if they’re longer than six feet?”

“Oh, that happens all the time. It’s a simple fix.”

A huge double-bladed brass axe swung into Kiara’s line of sight. He said, “I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end.”

“Ah. Sensible.”

“I’m so glad to come across an intelligent customer!”

Kiara’s eyes watered as she lost feeling in her feet. 

“So, Crusty...” Percy said. “Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?”

“Absolutely. Try it out.”

“Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?”

“Guaranteed.”

“No way.”

“Way.”

“Show me.”

He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. “No waves. See?”

Percy snapped. “Ergo.”

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

“Hey!” he yelled.

“Center him just right,” Percy said.

“No!” he said. “Wait! This is just a demo.”

Kiara vaguely heard the swish of riptide unsheathing. “A few simple adjustments...” 

“You drive a hard bargain,” Crusty negotiated. “I’ll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models!”

“I think I’ll start with the top.” 

“No money down! No interest for six months!”

The sword swung and something thumped against the ground.

Percy ran to Kiara’s bed first, slicing through the ropes with his dripping sword. They snapped with a hiss, and she spilled onto the ground, gasping, arms trembling from where the cords had dug into her skin.

“Kiara—” he started.

“I’m fine,” she wheezed, even as she tried to push herself up and staggered sideways. Percy caught her by the shoulder, steadying her.

He turned quickly, freeing Annabeth next. She flinched as the ropes fell away, rubbing at her wrists with a grimace. Grover groaned as Percy slashed through the last set, the satyr wincing as he sat up, his legs still half-numb from the million-hand massage.

“Grover?” Percy asked, crouching beside him.

Grover nodded, dazed. “I’m good.” He looked over at Kiara and Annabeth, his eyes scanning them carefully. “Are you guys...?”

Annabeth muttered a yes. Kiara didn’t respond, still catching her breath, but Grover was already pulling a smashed granola bar from his pocket and holding it out to her wordlessly.

“Thanks,” she said hoarsely, taking it.

Percy glanced around the showroom, then jogged off toward the back, scanning for Crusty’s office. Kiara brushed away the tears in the corners of her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. Her body felt strange and distant.

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

“I’m fine.” Kiara released her arms pretending not to feel the dull throb everywhere. 

“Come on,” Percy returned, holding up an orange flyer with DOA printed on it.

“Give us a minute,” Grover asked. “We were almost stretched to death.”

“We’re practically seasoned adventurers now,” Percy said, managing a half-smile. “The Underworld’s only a block away.”

Chapter Text

It was almost midnight, but the building across from them was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece. The black marble facade had DOA RECORDING STUDIOS engraved with silver.

Percy fiddled with the cap of riptide. “Okay. You remember the plan.”

“The plan,” Grover gulped. “Yeah. I love the plan.”

Annabeth said, “What happens if the plan doesn’t work?”

“Don’t think negative.”

“We’re going to do everything we can,” Kiara insisted. “Just breathe.”

Percy pulled the tiny pearls out of his pocket worrying about their smooth surface.

Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Percy. You’re right, we’ll make it. It’ll be fine.”

“Oh, right!” Grover chimed in. “We got this far. We’ll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem.”

Percy slipped the pearls back into his pocket. “Let’s whup some Underworld butt.”

They walked inside the DOA lobby.

Music played softly on hidden speakers. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. They shimmered less than most spirits Kiara had seen before. The ones she had freed in Medusa’s warehouse were gold and faint. These shimmered like dying embers—almost solid, almost human—but dimmer in the corners of her eyes, as though life had been leached out of them drop by drop.

The security guard’s desk was a raised podium, like the ones in temples for offerings.

He was tall and elegant, with dark skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

Percy looked at him in bewilderment. “Your name is Chiron?”

He leaned across the desk, his smile was sweet and cold, like a python’s, right before it eats you.

“What a precious young lad.”

“Our apologies Mr. Charon,” Kiara said, nodding slowly. “We’re hoping you might help us... if it’s not too much trouble.”

He sat back. “I hate being confused with that old horse-man. The trouble depends on what you’re asking for.”

“We want to go to the Underworld,” Annabeth said.

Charon’s mouth twitched. “Well, that’s refreshing.”

“It is?” she asked.

“Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No ‘There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.’” He looked us over. “How did you die, then?”

Percy nudged Grover.

“Oh,” he said. “Um... drowned…”

Kiara poked his back, cutting him off before he could fumble the lie. “We don’t really remember. One minute we were on the bus and the next there was water all around us.”

“Where’s the rest of the bus?”Charon looked them over again.

“Dunno. We were in the back.”

“First responders,” Charon sighed. “They never get all of you. So inconvenient. I don’t suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you’ll have to take a seat for a few centuries.”

“Oh, but we have coins.” Percy set four golden drachmas on the counter.

“Well, now...” Charon moistened his lips. “Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven’t seen these in...”

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. “You’re not dead. I should’ve known.”

“We have to get to the Underworld,” Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches. A few looked over at them, eyes greedy for life. A ghostly hand stuck out from the crowd reaching for their tiny huddle. Kiara swept hand out letting the sparks under her skin free for a heartbeat. The spirit pulled back, tucking their even duller hand away.

Chiron glared down at her. “Don’t mess with my spirits.”

“I would never.” Kiara peeled back the Mist she had wrapped around their goldy auras. There was no point in hiding from the psychopomp now.

“Leave while you can, godlings,” Charon told them. “I’ll just take these and forget I saw you.”

He started to go for the coins, but Percy snatched them back.

“No service, no tip.”

Charon growled again—a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

“It’s a shame, too,” Percy sighed. “We had more to offer.”

He held up the entire bag from Crusty’s stash. Percy took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through his fingers.

Charon’s growl changed into something more like a lion’s purr. “Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh... just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?”

“A lot,” I said. “I bet Hades doesn’t pay you well enough for such hard work.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always ‘Please don’t let me be dead’ or ‘Please let me across for free.’ I haven’t had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?”

“You deserve better,” Percy agreed. “A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay.”

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter.

"No one deserves to be stuck forever babysitting the dead for nothing. You’re smarter than that," Kiara added.

Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. “The boat’s almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three and be off.”

He stood, scooped up the money, and said, “Come along.”

They pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits. Their touch was cold as they pulled at their clothing. Kiara slipped a hand into her pocket and gently pressed her last few drachmas into reaching hands—thin, cold fingers that trembled at the gift. Regulus would have to wait for her to call him again. If they ever came back.

Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, “Freeloaders.”

He escorted them into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Kiara held tightly to the others. They would not split up like at the Arch.

“Grover, come on,” Kiara whispered to the terrified satyr.

He let out a startled bleet. “But it’s the underworld.”

“We came this far.” Kiara pulled him into the elevator. “You can’t abandon Percy.”

“Right.” He swallowed. “I’m his Protector.”

Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on and pushed them back into the lobby.

“Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I’m gone,” he announced to the waiting room. “And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I’ll make sure you’re here for another thousand years. Understand?”

He shut the doors. He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and we started to descend.

“What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?” Annabeth asked.

“Nothing,” Charon said.

“For how long?”

“Forever,” Charon said flatly. “Or until I forget why I wasn’t.”

“Oh,” she said. “That’s... fair.”

Charon raised an eyebrow. “Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it’s your turn. You’ll die soon enough, where you’re going.”

“We’ll get out alive,” Percy said.

“Ha.”

Kiara clenched her hand against the elevator wall. It wasn’t spinning, not exactly—it was unraveling. Up didn’t feel like up anymore. The air grew denser with every second, pressing in on her lungs.

They weren’t going down anymore, but forward. Spirits started changing shape. Their modern clothes flickered, turning into gray hooded robes. The floor of the elevator began swaying.

Kiara closed her eyes, breathing heavily as the air seemed to shift. It reminded her of drowning—too many things moving at once, no way to tell which direction was up. She kept her hand on the wall to steady herself.

When she opened her eyes, Charon’s creamy Italian suit had been replaced by a long black robe. His tortoiseshell glasses were gone. Where his eyes should’ve been were empty sockets— like Ares’s eyes, except Charon’s were totally dark, full of night and death and despair. They were strangely comforting like someone you remembered once but have since forgotten.

The floor kept swaying.

Grover said, “I think I’m getting seasick.”

The elevator wasn’t an elevator anymore. They were balanced on a wooden barge. Charon was poling across a dark, oily river. The River Styx churned sluggishly below, not just with bones and dead fish but remnants of human hope—plastic dolls clutched too tightly, crushed carnations from funerals long past, diplomas from lives that never got to live. A river carrying everything people clung to as they died.

“The River Styx,” Annabeth murmured. “It’s so...”

“Polluted,” Charon said. “For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me.”

Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the color of poison.

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones—the howl of a large animal. Kiara's stomach dropped at the sound of the howling beast, the growl of something that might want to tear them apart.

“Old Three-Face is hungry,” Charon murmured, almost fondly. His smile stretched into something skeletal. “Bad luck for you, godlings.”

Kiara swallowed hard, her hand tightening around the railing.

The bottom of the boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl’s hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along arm in arm. A boy no older than Annabeth and Percy shuffled silently along in his gray robe. Charon said, “I’d wish you luck, mate, but there isn’t any down here. Mind you, don’t forget to mention my pay raise.”

They were swept forward with the crowd. Kiara’s eyes darted toward the walls, toward the shadows, toward the sound—because the rumble in the distance had deepened into heavy, panting breaths.

But she saw no dog. Just gravel and gates and the shifting press of the dead.

The river forked in two—one fast as a stream, the other slow and thick, like molasses. The gates ahead gleamed like they were made of black sea glass—deceptively fragile, though Kiara could feel the weight of power in them. More black-robed guards checked spirits at each entrance.

“What do you figure?” Percy asked Annabeth.

Kiara barely heard them talking. She kept her focus fixed on the shadows ahead. Her hands curled at her sides.

“The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields,” she said. “No contest. They don’t want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them.”

“There’s a court for dead people?”

Kiara swallowed thickly, letting the familiar rhythm of their voices ground her.

“Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare— people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields.”

“And do what?”

Grover said, “Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever.”

“Harsh,” Percy said.

“Not as harsh as that,” Grover muttered. “Look.”

A couple of black-robbed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk. The face of the dead man looked vaguely familiar.

“He’s that preacher who made the news, remember?” Grover asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Percy said, “What’re they doing to him?”

“Special punishment from Hades,” Grover guessed. “The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him.”

“But if he’s a preacher,” Percy said, “and he believes in a different hell....”

Kiara answered, “Mortals will see anything they believe. The Mist is stronger here, can't you feel it?”

They got closer to the gates. The howling was deafening now, rattling the black sand beneath their feet. Kiara flinched as it vibrated through her ribs—deep, guttural, wrong. Her throat went dry. She scanned the shadows, fingers twitching toward her weapon.

Then, about fifty feet from the gate, the green mist shimmered.

Kiara’s stomach dropped.

He was almost invisible when still, only red eyes glowing in the Mist. His dark fur seemed to flicker, becoming shadows and solid every moment.

Percy’s voice was quiet, “He’s a Rottweiler.”

The dead walked right up to him—no fear at all. The spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

“I’m starting to see him better,” Percy muttered. “Why is that?”

“I think...” Annabeth moistened her lips. “I’m afraid it’s because we’re getting closer to being dead.”

Kiara didn’t realize she’d moved until her back hit Grover’s arm. Her hand flew to her chest, fingers closing over the scar beneath her shirt. The raised welt buzzed with phantom pain. Her lungs fought for air.

The dog’s middle head turned toward them. Deliberately. It sniffed the air.

And growled.

“It can smell the living,” Percy said.

“But that’s okay,” Grover said, trembling. “Because we have a plan.”

“Right,” Annabeth said. “A plan.”

Kiara stared up at the shadowy dog. Her limbs screamed to run. But she didn’t. She wasn’t six anymore, bleeding and pinned to the dirt, watching red eyes close in. She was still scared—but this time, she could stand.

They moved toward the monster.

The middle head snarled at them, then barked loud enough to rattle the stalactites above them.

“Can you understand it?” Percy asked Grover.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “I can understand it.”

“What’s it saying?”

“I don’t think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly.”

Percy took the big stick out of the backpack—a bedpost he’d broken off Crusty’s Safari Deluxe floor model. He held it up, trying to muster a friendly smile but edging closer to terror.

“Hey, Big Fella,” He called up. “I bet they don’t play with you much.”

“GROWWWLLLL!”

“Good boy,” Percy said weakly.

He waved the stick. The dog’s middle head followed the movement. The other two heads trained their eyes on them, completely ignoring the spirits. Unfortunately, they had Cerberus’s undivided attention.

“Fetch!” Percy threw the stick into the gloom, a good solid throw. It sank into the River Styx.

Cerberus was now making a new kind of growl, deeper down in his three throats.

Kiara took a step back. She didn’t have to understand what he was saying to know they were in very deep trouble. Grover pulled Percy back towards their huddle.

“Um,” Grover said. “Percy?”

“Yeah?”

“I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Yeah?”

“Cerberus? He’s saying we’ve got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that...well... he’s hungry.”

“Wait!” Annabeth said. She started rifling through Percy’s bag.

“Five seconds,” Grover said. “Do we run now?”

Annabeth produced a red rubber ball the size of a grapefruit. She raised the ball and marched straight up to Cerberus.

Kiara lurched forward, “Annabeth-”

She shouted, “See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!”

Cerberus looked as stunned as Kiara felt.

All three of his heads cocked sideways. Six nostrils dilated.

“Sit!” Annabeth called again.

Cerberus licked his three sets of lips, shifted on his haunches, and sat, immediately crushing a dozen spirits who’d been passing underneath him.

Annabeth said, “Good boy!”

The ball sailed through the air. Kiara’s fingers twitched toward her blade before she caught herself.

He caught it in his middle mouth. It was barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads started snapping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

“Drop it!” Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus’s heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper, then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth’s feet.

“Good boy.” She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it.

She turned toward them. “Go now.”

Percy said, “But—”

“Now!” She ordered. Annabeth’s eyes never left the Cerberus carefully keeping its attention.

Kiara stared. It hit her suddenly—how much Annabeth looked like Amelia in that moment. Not in the face, not really. But the posture, the steel. The way she took command when things were falling apart. Kiara’s breath caught in her throat, and not just from fear.

Kiara let out a shaky breath. “She’s got this. We don’t have much time.”

Cerberus started to growl.

“Stay!” Annabeth ordered the monster. “If you want the ball, stay!”

Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

“What about you?” Percy asked Annabeth as they passed her.

“I know what I’m doing, Percy,” she muttered. “At least, I’m pretty sure....”

Kiara ignored the heavy breaths pressing down on them as they passed through Cerberus’ legs. Grover’s tight grip on her arm and Percy’s quiet mutterings pulled them through. The gates seemed to leach the warmth out of Kiara’s body as they grew closer.

The spirits gave no sign they were disturbed by their presence except for the occasional rogue spirit bumping into them and dissolving until they moved far enough to reform. Cerberus’ tail created gusts that brushed the lighter spirits up into the air only to float back down with an annoyed look.

Annabeth said, “Good dog!”

She threw the ball anyway. The monster’s left mouth immediately snatched it up, only to be attacked by the middle head, while the right head moaned in protest.

While the monster was distracted, Annabeth walked briskly under its belly.

“How did you do that?” Percy asked her, amazed.

“Obedience school,” she said breathlessly, with tears in her eyes. “When I was little, at my dad’s house, we had a Doberman....”

“Never mind that,” Grover said, tugging at Percy’s shirt. “Come on!”

They were about to bolt through the gates when Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Annabeth stopped.

She turned to face the dog, which had done one-eighty to look at them.

Kiara grimaced at the dog. “We’ve got to go…”

Cerberus panted expectantly, the tiny red ball in pieces in a puddle of drool at its feet.

“Good boy,” Annabeth said, but her voice sounded melancholy and uncertain.

The monster’s heads turned sideways.

“I’ll bring you another ball soon,” Annabeth promised faintly. “Would you like that?”

The monster whimpered.

“Good dog. I’ll come visit you soon. I—I promise.” Annabeth turned resolutely. “Let’s go.”

They passed through the chilled gates without much worry until one of the ghouls on duty spotted them.

A few minutes later, They were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past.

Kiara squeezed Annabeth’s hand as she wiped a tear from her cheek as she listened to the mournful keening of Cerberus in the distance.

The Fields of Asphodel. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Poplars grew in clumps here and there.

They tried to blend into the crowd but the living did not mix with the dead. The spirits shimmer. They came up to them and spoke, but their voices sounded like chatter, like bats twittering.

They crept along, following the spirit river that snaked from the main gates toward a black tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Spirits were being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. Kiara could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

She wondered how Amelia was, if she had met other heroes, if she missed them. Her soul yearned to just run down the hill, jump the fence and find her.

For a second, the image of Amelia on the lake's edge overwhelmed her. Laughing, sun-drenched, alive in all the ways that mattered. Kiara’s hands clenched at her sides. Did her sister see her now—angry, bitter, fighting with Luke? Would she really be proud of the legacy they were?

“That’s what it’s all about,” Annabeth said. “That’s the place for heroes.”

They left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from their clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, they began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark batlike creatures: the Furies.

“I suppose it’s too late to turn back,” Grover said wistfully.

“We’ll be okay.” Percy tried to sound confident.

“Maybe we should search some of the other places first,” Grover suggested. “Like, Elysium, for instance...”

“Come on, goat boy.” Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

“Grover,” Annabeth chided. “Stop messing around.”

“But I didn’t—”

He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

“Grover!” Kiara reached for him but Luke’s shoes pulled him away.

“Maia!” he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. “Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!”

Chapter Text

They ran after Grover.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

Kiara kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Kiara scrambled down, the gravel skidding under her feet. She was almost within arms reach but every time she tried the shoes pulled him faster. Annabeth and Percy had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side creating some kind of tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above. Kiara tried to ignore the sulfur growing in the air as she jumped over a large rock.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, his voice echoing from farther back. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down. The shoes seemed to have a mind of their own, somehow keeping him away from anything that could stop him.

The tunnel got darker and hotter. It smelled evil down here. And very very old.

Her hands glowed as she reached for Grover. Magic crackled at her fingertips, sharp and silvery, as if her body was trying to cast a ward without her permission.

She hissed and reeled it back.

Kiara vaguely noticed the tunnel widening but she focused on pushing her legs faster. The cave grew so dark she could barely see Grover a few feet in front of her. Percy and Annabeth's footsteps stopped for a moment where the tunnel widened.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

"But that's—"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him."

He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like she could possibly get to him in time.

What saved him were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Kiara leapt forward and grabbed his arms before the shoe could pick up speed. Kiara pushed away the sharp pain from the impact as she pulled Grover closer, the both of them slowly slipping down.

But it didn't stop.

Kiara didn't know Luke's shoes were this strong or if it was a curse Ares or some monster cast on them. She clung to Grover who's panicked breaths wheezed in her ears.

Grover peered into the darkness. "The hole-"

"I know." Kiara grabbed at the gravel, dragging her feet and praying to the gods they would make it out of this.

They were ten feet from the edge of the pit when the others caught them. The other winged shoe tugged itself off and flew off into the chasm to join its twin.

They all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel.

Kiara's legs were scratched and bruised. Her arms were trembling, still latched on to Grover.

Grover was banged up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

Annabeth and Percy were out of breath, huddled close, their eyes scanning the cavern at the bottom of the tunnel.

"I don't know how..." Gover panted. "I didn't..."

"Wait," Percy said. "Listen."

They heard something—a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place—"

"Shh." He stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. "Wh—what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus."

Percy uncapped Anaklusmos.

The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

As the chanting echoed up from the pit, ancient words, older even than Greek, Kiara's magic surged. It flared, filling her vision—a scream, the slam of a door, a drakon rising, fire, falling.

She blinked, and it was gone.

"Magic," Kiara whispered. "Put your sword away."

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said

Together, they dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. Kiara legs felt like lead. The voice got louder and angrier behind them, and they broke into a run.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, Percy lost ground, slipping in the gravel. Kiara tightened her grip on his hand and yanked him back, ignoring the flare of pain in her shoulder. Annabeth pulled on his other side and they kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel.

Something was not happy they'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when they'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove.

"One of Hades's pets?"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other. Kiara had a feeling she knew what they were thinking but the mere possibility was so terrifying she shoved it out of her mind.

"Let's keep going." Percy looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway."

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as the rest of them were.

"Luke will understand," Kiara tried to assure him.

"Yeah..." Grover pushed himself up.

Annabeth dusted off her pants. "Come on, the palace is waiting."

-o-

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as a fist, clumps of raw diamonds. The plants shied away from Kiara and the light that tried to follow her even in the underworld.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. Kiara ignored the hunger in her belly and the intoxicating smell of the fruits. One bite of Underworld food, and they would never be able to leave. Percy pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one.

They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the hall. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. Just like in the palace on Olympus. Kiara marveled at the duplication. She could close her eyes and imagine they were thousands of feet above ground instead of underneath it all. Somehow a light breeze ran through the palace like on Olympus. Kiara followed the same path as on Olympus dragging the rest of her bedraggled team along.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered them, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

Kiara turned back to the others. "Please don't do anything to make him smite you. As the guide, just let me do the introductions."

"Alright," Percy said. "I suppose we should... knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

Hades was at least ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

This Hades was very different from the one Kiara saw on the Winter Solstice. Even though the gods could change their forms at a whim, a thing her father was well known for, Hades looked worn. His eyes were tired. The empty throne, a black flower, gilded with gold, next to him spoke volumes. The vines tracing over the edges of his throne were closed, waiting for spring to return to the underworld.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

"Lord Hades," Kiara said, stepping forward and giving a low, steady bow. "We've come to your realm on a quest prophesied by the Oracle at Delphi. Please excuse the intrusion into your palace—we only ask a few minutes of your time to see it through."

Percy nervously followed. "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

"Only two requests?" Hades laughed. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded Percy in the back.

"Lord Hades," he said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"We were told you have the lighting bolt and we are to return it to Olympus by the solstice."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Percy glanced back confused. Kiara tried to puzzle out the god's words.

"Um... Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering high above them.

"Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"But..." Annabeth spoke. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You've all been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

This had gone from bad to worse. Kiara tried to salvage the conversation. "We aren't here to threaten-"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But—"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counter proposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson—your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

Kiara tensed, all pretenses of peace thrown out of the window. Annabeth and Grover fell into position, facing the skeletons to their back while Kiara retrieved her bow. She could feel her blood thrumming as they were surrounded.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then."

Percy slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it.

"What are you doing?" Kiara asked, not taking her eyes off their foes.

Percy pulled something out of the bag. A spark hit Kiara's arm, shocking her into turning. There in his hands was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy. The lighting bolt they had been looking for.

Kiara could feel it pulsing, pulling at every bit of energy around it. The spark on her arm throbbed like she had just been hit head on with Clarisse's spear.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How—"

"I—I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now... my helm. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of them, and there was a woman, frozen in a shower of gold.

Percy reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire. The woman looked so familiar. Kiara could see for as much as Percy resembled his father; it was his mother he was sculpted after.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and Kiara froze. He knew how they were planning to escape. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

Percy's hand trembled as it brought out the pearls.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

Kiara released her bow. There was no fighting their way out of this. One of them would stay. The other's faces were grim.

"We were tricked," Percy told them. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit—"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt."

"I know that."

"You have to take it back. Now." Kiara's stomach twisted. She felt stupid for turning her back on a god, but this whole quest had taught her one thing: the gods did whatever they wanted, ready or not. "The solstice is too close. There's no time to negotiate."

"Leave me here," Grover said. "Use the fourth pearl on your mom."

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."

"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.

"Never. You three are going to help Percy's mom get home and fix this mess with the gods. I'll stay. It's my job. I've guided you this far." Kiara took a shaky breath. Her voice was quieter, steadier. "I can invoke Xenia. We haven't broken the rule of hospitality yet. If Hades honors it, I'll survive."

"Stop it, all of you!" Percy yelled. "I know what to do. Take these."

He handed them each a pearl.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy..."

He looked over at his mom, biting his lip. Kiara rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tight.

"I'm sorry," He told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, "Godling...?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," Percy told him. "I'll return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise."

"Do not defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at Kiara's feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. She was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as they floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook.

"Look up!" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

They were racing right toward the stalactites.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

Kiara closed her eyes. "Trust them!"

The others screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling.

They were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water.

For a few moments, Kiara couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of her sphere, then the pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The three other milky spheres kept pace as they soared upward through the water.

They exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Kiara floundered in the water, her shoes dragging her down. She gasped and choked on a mouthful of water. Percy tugged her over to a buoy before jumping back in for the others. Kiara let out hacking coughs as a curious shark began circling them, a great white about eleven feet long.

Percy glared and with all the confidence of an exhausted New Yorker yelled, "Beat it."

The shark turned and raced away.

The sun's light danced through her drenched hair, the sunrise the earliest it would be this year. June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

Chapter Text

The Coast Guard dropped them at the Santa Monica Pier without asking how four soaked kids had ended up in the middle of the bay.

Percy had somehow willed the water off himself, while Grover had tied Percy's sneakers over his own hooves like it was the most normal thing in the world. One of the lifeguards wrapped towels around their shoulders and handed out water bottles, his forehead creased with concern.
"You have someone we can call?" he asked.

All four of them froze. The silence stretched, brittle and stiff.

Then the radio crackled to life — a wave of static and distress calls flooding in from all over the city.

The lifeguard could barely spare them another glance.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. Kiara walked behind them, eyes scanning the charred skyline. It was too bright back in the living world but it seemed Hades was doing good on his word. If they didn't fix things soon there would be no difference between the Underworld and the city around them. Somewhere far from the shore, fire trucks wailed.

Percy slumped against a sand dune and if Kiara strained her ears she could hear the tiniest crackling from the bolt. They huddled together stretching their aching muscles and drying their wet hair.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," Perry said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"

"Percy..." Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry...."

Kiara rested a hand on her shoulder. "Annabeth give him a moment."

Percy ignored them, running his hands through the sand. "The prophecy was right. 'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three."

Percy's voice had that edge again — not anger, exactly. Something worse. Conviction. Kiara felt it prickle under her skin. He wasn't guessing. He knew.

"Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it."

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Percy pushed himself up and looked down the beach. "Gee, let me think."

Ares lounged against his motorcycle rumbling beside him, its headlight turning the sand red. An aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, fiery eyes glowing through his shades. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," Percy said. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power —that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you trick?" Kiara glared at him, furious. Ancient rules be damned. "What did you promise them? A second of your attention before you tossed them away?"

"Was it Clarisse?" Percy asked.

The idea seemed to amuse him. "The kid? Doesn't matter. The point is you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this..."

From his pocket he took out a ski cap and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

Kiara's stomach turned. This wasn't just war. It was manufactured. Designed like a game board — with Percy as the pawn. The gods would not mourn their losses in the throws of their fury. Civilization would be razed.

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Kiara answered. "That's the problem, isn't it? Gods don't love their families — they use them."

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right? I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades.... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" Percy said. "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. His head tilted to the side as if someone was whispering in his ear. "Why didn't I... yeah... with that kind of firepower..."

His shadow danced over the sands and the world held its breath.

He held the trance for one second... two seconds....

Kiara stopped herself from taking a step back. The air thickened — not with heat, but with silence. Ancient. Smothering. Something far older than the gods was speaking, and she knew without a doubt that if she heard it, she would never hear anything else again.

Ares's face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red handed, holding the thing."

"You're lying," Percy said. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items."

Kiara tried to think of the campers that had gone with her to Olympus. It had been chaotic. From the moment they arrived something was off. Minor gods kept trying to drag them off. A few campers had gotten lost. The head campers were at their wits end. Kiara had to take Pollux away from a nymph who was trying to find a new patron. Michael had almost fallen off Olympus. Something had knocked their trip off balance.

Percy continued, "Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt them down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn them over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let them go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Percy hesitated. "Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hard headed idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you and your buddies. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy gave Kiara a look, one that she recognized from years ago. Luke had the same look in his eyes when he fought the Ladon.

Percy stepped away from them, into the surf. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

He laughed, but they could hear a little edge to his laughter... an uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes." He looked over at them. "Even Owlhead and Cursed Girl over there would do better."

"Scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

The giant boar charged.

As the boar rushed at him, Percy uncapped my pen and sidestepped. With a slash upwards with Riptide the boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

"Wave!" The ocean followed his command and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a constrictor. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

Percy turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" He taunted. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"

Ares's face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

"A cockroach," Percy said. Whatever exhaustion came from their trip to the underworld was buried under the ocean flowing around him. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you have to go away."

Ares sneered.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy readied his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward." Percy dropped the cursed backpack by their feet.

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around my neck. Her neck looked bare without it.

"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy blushed, avoiding her eyes but managed a smile. "Thanks."

"And take this," Grover said. He handed him a flat piece of metal. She didn't know if the Council of Cloven Elders handed him back the mark of the Protector after Thalia's death. Kiara had never seen it since. "The satyrs stand behind you."

"Grover... I don't know what to say." He patted him on the shoulder.

"Maybe it will give you better luck," Grover whispered.

Kiara tried to keep her breaths steady as he turned to her.
He looked so young. Too young. But his jaw was set, and his eyes — gods, his eyes were clear as the sea.

"Percy," she said, stepping closer, "don't let him get to you. He's a god, yeah — but that doesn't make him right. Or invincible."

She took his hands, rough with sand and trembling faintly.
"You're better than him," she said fiercely. "Stronger, because you still care."

Then, softer, like a secret between them:
"I'm supposed to keep you safe. But maybe it's time for me to step back."

She pressed her forehead briefly to his knuckles, then whispered a quester's blessing–the one Amelia had given her before she had left.
"Ἔρρωσο. μὴ φοβοῦ. Γένοιτο."

Be strong. Fear nothing. It shall be.

When she let go, her palms glowed faintly. Traces of gold flickered from her fingertips like sparks. They melted into his hands flashing blue-green before disappearing.

"You all done saying good-bye?" Ares stalked over. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

Percy looked over them one last time. Kiara held his gaze, trying to memorize every inch of his face. The little cut on his chin. The stray hairs that defied gravity. His smile — gods, his smile — like he knew he'd win.

Kiara hoped against Fate he was right.

Percy stepped into the surf and nodded at Ares.

The challenge was issued. Ares was free to attack.

The air cracked with heat every time Ares brought his blade down. Kiara could smell metal — not just the sword, but the bloodlust rolling off him. His aura reeked of carnage and war. But Percy moved like the sea itself — wild, unpredictable. He dodged before the blade had even committed, countered before Ares had landed.

The water made every movement stronger, faster. It pushed him into the air over Ares, Percy slashing as he came down. But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

He grinned. "Not bad, not bad."

He slashed again and Percy was forced to jump onto dry land. The god outmaneuvered him, his domain gave him leverage he embraced. He hacked at Percy, keeping him away from the surf.

Ares knocked Percy's blade out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. He crashed into the soft sand of a dune thirty feet away.

Kiara's hand hovered at her dagger. One step, one motion — she could be there, standing between them. She could distract Ares, buy Percy time. But she knew that would make her a target too. And two dead demigods wouldn't win this fight.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

Kiara blinked and tore her gaze from Percy's crumpled figure. She handed the bag to Annabeth and dragged them both back, watching the squad cars roll up, beachgoers swarming like spectators at a gladiator ring.

She sprinted — straight toward Percy's fallen sword. Grabbed it. Threw it, hard, until it sunk into the sand near his hand.

Ares glared. Kiara stared right back. I'm not fighting, her look said. But I won't let you take him.

His sword slashing into the sand where Percy had just been. Percy lept for his sword and swung at Ares only to be blocked again.

He stepped back toward the surf, forcing Ares to follow.

"Admit it, kid," Ares said. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

Kiara shuddered as another cop car pulled up. The crowd had grown. Among them, the trotting gait of disguised satyrs and shimmering forms of spirits witnessed the fight. The flap of leathery wings circled somewhere above. Kiara glanced up. The Furies were circling like vultures, waiting and watching to see who would fall.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns! Set them on the ground. Now!"

Kiara looked back at Ares's weapon, and it seemed to be flickering; sometimes it looked like a shotgun, sometimes a two-handed sword. Riptide morphed back and forth between the blade and a blur of black metal. The Mist clung to them, warping reality like a heat mirage.

Ares turned to glare at the spectators. "This is a private matter!" he bellowed. "Be gone!"

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled over the sands. Annabeth tackled Grover and Kiara to the ground, barely missing the fire. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Ares roared with laughter. "Now, little hero. Let's add you to the barbecue."

They continued wading deeper and deeper into the water. Then suddenly it grew shallow again.

Ares came toward, grinning confidently. Percy shakily lowered his sword, breathing heavily.

Ares raised his sword. Percy jumped launched by the sea, rocketing straight over Ares on a wave.

When Percy finally turned the tide — when the ocean lifted him like a weapon and he drove Riptide into Ares's heel — the sea exploded with fury.

The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. Kiara staggered as the wave blasted outwards. Sand coated her. Water filled her nose. She barely heard Grover shout.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot. The expression on his face was beyond hatred.

He limped toward Percy, muttering ancient Greek curses.

Something stopped him.

It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing. The warmth was stolen from Kiara's chest, her hand clenched tight in Annabeth's.

The darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Police cars were burning behind them. The crowd of spectators had fled. Kiara and the others watched in shock, as the water flooded back around Ares's feet. His glowing golden ichor dissipated in the tide steaming where it mixed.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling," he growled. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware."

His body began to glow.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

Kiara ducked down, head turned away. Her skin felt burnt as the light grew. Then with a flash bright enough to sear through her eyelids the light died.

Ares was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades's bronze helm of darkness. Percy picked it up and walked toward them.

The Furies dived down all around him, fanning out their wings mere seconds before they touched the ground.

The middle Fury stepped forward. Her sisters glared at them, keeping them from nearing Percy.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So... it truly was not you?"

Percy tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," he said. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again..."

She cackled, savoring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on their bats' wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

Percy stumbled up the sand dunes. He sagged into Kiara's arms as she reached him. Riptide fell to the sands by their feet and he let out a breathy laugh. Kiara squeezed him tight.

"Percy..." Grover said. "That was so incredibly..."

"Terrifying," said Annabeth, setting down the back pack.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

"Did you guys feel that... whatever it was?" Percy asked.

Kiara held her breath and nodded.

"Must've been the Furies overhead," Grover tried to reason.

Kiara knew they couldn't have been the cause. Three Furies would not stop the god of war. Something or someone bigger was pulling the strings. Kiara tried to ignore the familiarness to the clinging darkness.

"We have to get back to New York," Percy said.

"The solstice is today. We'll never make it in time." Kiara let out a breath. "We could try to IM camp..."

"What would make Zeus believe them?" Annabeth countered.

"We can't get back before the sun sets."

"It's impossible," Annabeth said, "unless we—"

"Fly," Percy finished.

She stared at him. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on."

-o-

Unsurprisingly, the news got it wrong.

They said a man with a shotgun caused the explosion on Santa Monica beach — hit a ruptured gas main after the earthquake.

They never mentioned the war god. Or the sword fight. Or the wave that could've leveled half the coast.

According to them, Percy wasn't a fugitive after all. Just a kidnapped kid who'd been dragged across the country by a violent man. Witnesses from the Greyhound now remembered seeing someone — a guy in biker leathers — shouting at Percy on the bus. The Arch explosion? Blamed on the same man. A waitress in Denver had snapped a blurry photo of him outside her diner, yelling at them. The police called it "a valuable lead."

By the time Kiara and the others got to L.A., the narrative was already in place: Percy Jackson, brave adolescent, stole a gun from his abductor and fought back on the beach. Just in time for the cops to arrive. The suspect fled. The kids survived.

They let them tell it. Nodded when they asked questions. Looked shaken for the cameras. Kiara didn't need to fake it. She was shaken. Just not for the reasons they thought.

They said they were safe now. Kiara wasn't so sure.

"All I want," Percy said, wedged between me and Annabeth on the steps, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I just knew... somehow... we'd be okay."

The cops and reporters ate it up. Especially when he added, deadpan, "And I'm sure he'll want to reward every single person in this beautiful city with a free appliance from his store. Here's the number."

Somehow a hat was passed around and enough money was gathered for four tickets to New York.

They didn't have a choice. The solstice was tonight. The only way to beat the clock was to fly — straight through Zeus's territory with a stolen god-weapon in their cursed backpack. Kiara was close to cursing it herself.

Kiara could feel how tightly Percy was holding himself together, like bracing for a hit he couldn't see coming. She sat beside him, eyes out the window for any hint of an attack. Takeoff was the worst part. The plane jolted, and Percy's grip on the seat went white-knuckled.

Thankfully they landed in one piece in La Guardia.

The press was waiting at the gate. Only Annabeth's quick thinking and cap kept them from being bogged down with more questions.

Percy slowed as they neared the taxi stand. Grover and Annabeth ran ahead, waving for the nearest cab.

"Percy?" Kiara fell into step beside him. "Come on. We've got to hurry."

He pulled Riptide from his pocket. The disposable pen looked almost ridiculous against the bruises and dried blood on his hands.

"I've got to go." He fiddled with the top like he was considering uncapping it.

Kiara opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "On my own."

"To Olympus?" Her voice came out sharper than she meant. "Percy—"

He caught her hand and stopped walking. His eyes met hers, and for a second, everything around them seemed to still.

These weren't the dazed, half-conscious eyes from the infirmary. The glow behind them had grown — from ember to fire. The sparkle she'd seen when he raced across the lake was harsher now, forged into something brighter and less innocent.

He wasn't the same kid anymore.

"I trust you," she whispered.

"Come on guys!" Grover called from by the cab.

Annabeth looked back — and paused. Her eyes locked on Percy, and whatever she saw in his face drained the tension from her shoulders. She leaned toward Grover and whispered something. When they got close enough, Grover's eyes were shining.

"You can do this, Percy," he said, like it was the only truth that mattered. "We'll wait for you. Camp's gonna be so excited to hear about the quest."

Percy pulled him into a hug. "Sure, G-man."

Then a nod to Annabeth. A small, tired smile to Kiara.

She didn't say be careful. He already knew.

She didn't say good luck. She didn't believe in it.

"Don't forget what happened on that beach," she said instead. "You're not just a pawn, Percy."

He squeezed her shoulder.

And then he was gone — swallowed by the cab, the city, the gods.

He squeezed her shoulder. Then he disappeared into the cab.

Chapter Text

June 2006

Kiara used her casino card to pay for the ride while Annabeth and Grover got out.

Dark clouds hid the evening sun from view. Kiara could see them covering the grounds too. Camp wouldn't see the solstice. Hopefully it will survive it.

"Come on," Annabeth called from the base of the hill.

Kiara watched the taxi speed away. He had been hesitant to leave them in the middle of nowhere but that card and her heaping tip eased his troubles.

Grover tapped against his reed pipes to the tune of hot cross buns, "Do you think they thought we'd come back?"

"Why else would we have left?" Annabeth answered. "We had a quest and now we're back." She forced some cheer into her voice.

"Yeah. Right." Grover looked at the clouds. "It's just my dad and Uncle Ferdinand and Uncle Oliver... there's so many satyrs missing and they were all searching for Pan. How can I think I'm going to be the one when everyone else is gone? No one has ever come back."

"But you will," Kiara assured. "Grover you are the bravest satyr I've ever met. If there is going to be anyone that finds Pan it's you."

"You found us. You saved me and Luke." Annabeth grabbed his hand. "Thalia believed in you. We all do. Now you just have to see what we all do."

Grover gave her a smile. "Sure. I hope you're right."

"They're waiting," Kiara called, walking up the hill.

The view was different from how they left camp. It was as if all the life and warmth of summer had been smothered. No one was outside. The trees were dull and the lights in the cabins were dim. It was like they were waiting for the final verdict: war between the gods or tense peace.

"What do we do if they ask about Percy?" Annabeth asked, pausing before the border.

Kiara rested her hand on Thalia's tree. Her presence seemed to reach back for her, welcoming them home. "We tell them he's coming and then we wait."

Annabeth looked back at her, eyes wide. "But if they ask-"

"We can't tell them anything. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know if they'll listen to Percy or if they've gotten so into their plans for war reason can't reach them." Kiara looked up at the sky for some thunder to roll or to be smited from where she stood.

When the sky remained dark and silent she stepped over the border and back on familiar soil. The door to the big house swung open with a bang that echoed across their small valley. Luke, with Argus following cautiously, ran towards the hill.

"Gods, you're here."

Luke reached Annabeth first, hands hovering like he didn't know whether to hug her or shake her.

"What happened? You were supposed to be back yesterday. I told Chiron you'd make it. That you'd all be okay."

He looked over their small party, cataloging every scratch and bruise. His voice had the strained edge of someone trying to convince himself of something that might no longer be true.

"Luke—"

"I mean, out of everyone, you would make it. There was no way you'd d—"

He shook his head, jaw tight.

"You had to come back. You had to."

"Luke, we're fine," Kiara stepped between him and the others. Something about him was different. He looked exhausted. Not like when he stayed up late or stressed about camp or the future. He looked like one wrong word might shatter him.

"We made it back."

His gaze flicked behind Kiara. "Where is Percy?"

"He's finishing the quest," Grover answered. "He's coming."

And just like that, the frantic look in his eyes vanished. His carefully crafted mask slid back into place.

He flashed them a smile. "Okay. Come on. Camp's been waiting for good news."

They headed down the hill toward the cabins, the sunset painting long shadows over Camp Half-Blood.

Luke talked as they walked—quietly, steadily—filling them in on what had changed at camp. Who'd left. Who'd arrived. Who'd started sword training and who'd set the strawberry fields on fire again. But Kiara could hear the questions he wasn't asking in every careful pause.

He knew what it was like coming back to a camp that was exactly the same when you were so very different.

When they'd come back all those years ago, Kiara wasn't the little girl who'd left. And Luke—he wasn't the carefree boy who'd promised everything would be okay.

They stopped at the hearth. Kiara could feel the sun dipping lower in the sky. Percy was either with the gods and explaining their quest or something had gone horribly wrong.

She hoped it wasn't the latter.

Grover kicked at the dirt. "I should...let the Council know I'm back."

No one replied right away.

Annabeth finally nodded. "Yeah. They'll want to know what happened."

Grover hesitated, looking at her, then Kiara. "You'll be at the bonfire, right?"

"We're not going anywhere," Kiara said.

Grover gave a tight nod and trotted off toward the trees.

It was strange to have him out of arm's reach. She was so used to looking over her shoulder at her three companions and now she was down to one.

Annabeth looked after him for a long time, then spoke without looking. "I don't want to go back to my cabin."

Luke glanced between them, his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to unpack," he said gently. "Just... go lie down. Close your eyes. Be somewhere you don't have to talk."

Annabeth exhaled and started walking. Not toward her cabin exactly, but in its general direction. The motion was enough. She didn't say goodbye.

Luke lingered beside Kiara, the last two standing.

"She'll be okay," he said.

Kiara didn't answer.

After a moment, he started to walk off too, toward the Hermes cabin.

Kiara looked up at the sky and wished she could just see the sun's light without fates on her shoulders. Sometimes she hated that light, of how easy it floated in the sky, how calm it watched over them. She wished she could just bask in the warmth without wondering if her connection was a curse. If the falling night stealing her energy or the comforting heat were something that would just be. If she was something else, would she still love the day?

She finally turned, heading toward her cabin. The sun dipped lower behind the trees, and she let its imaginary warmth settle on her back.

-o-

Kiara watched her siblings through the window. They were so bright—laughing and smiling even under the tension of a war.

Will was curled on his bed, flipping through an anatomy book while Michael gently pointed out diagrams with his finger. Alessandra spun circles across the cabin floor with Isabella clapping along. Lucien's flute trailed soft notes through the air, music seeping through the wood like warmth.

Everything was as she had left it.

And she felt like a ghost on the wrong side of the glass. Her hands too rough. Her heart too heavy. There was blood beneath her fingernails she still hadn't scrubbed out. Grief lodged behind her ribs. She didn't know how to step back into a world that had gone on without her.

Then Lee's eyes met hers.

Everything shattered.

The cabin door flew open.

"Kiara!"

"Oh gods—"

"She's back—"

And suddenly there were arms around her, anchoring her.

Lee pulled her into his chest, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other holding her like he could stitch her back together.

"Shh," he whispered. "You're home."

"Lee-"

"Let's go inside." He shepherded their cabin through the door.

Kiara curled up on two beds they'd pushed together. Will tucked himself against her side with Lee by her back. Michael passed her a bottle of water without a word.

No one asked questions. Not yet. They just were.

Alessandra stretched out across the bunk above, her hand dangling down until it found Kiara's. Isabella settled by her feet, warm and quiet.

For the first time in days, Kiara let herself close her eyes.

-o-

A faded rainbow shimmered in front of Kiara's bed, casting soft colors over the wall as a chiming voice announced, "Iris message for Kiara Hope, daughter of Apollo."

She sat up fast. Percy's exhausted face appeared in the misty shimmer, slumped against the edge of a fountain she vaguely recognized—Central Park? The fading light of the sunset made the rainbow waver, but his voice rang clear.

"Kiara?"

"Percy." Her voice cracked with relief. "You're okay."

He gave a crooked smile and shifted like it hurt. "Yeah. I am. Still in one piece."

"Where are you? Are you safe?"

"The Pulitzer Fountain. I was trying to figure out how to get back to camp, but I—" he glanced away. "Guess I didn't get that far."

"It's fine," she said quickly, already sliding off her bed. The cabin was quiet—the others had gone to dinner after she'd insisted. "Just wait there. I'll come get you, okay?"

The message flickered out.

Kiara sprinted to the Mess Hall before she realized what was happening.

The chatter faded as she made her way through the tables to Mr. D's table.

"Requesting permission to leave camp," she said, breath steady despite the adrenaline buzzing in her limbs.

The god barely glanced up from his soda. "For what purpose?"

Kiara raised her chin. "To finish my quest."

"Very well. The ancient laws do not deny you," he said, as if reciting the line from memory. He sipped his drink with disinterest. "Go, before I change my mind."

Argus tossed her the keys. They smacked into her palm. She bowed low, turned, and ran.

The ride into the city blurred past in headlights and silence. Kiara gripped the steering wheel, the radio off, windows cracked just enough to feel the wind on her face. She didn't try to calm her thoughts—they chased each other too fast to catch.

The city lights blinked to life around her as she pulled up to the fountain. Percy sat on the edge, head drooped, arms resting on his knees. When the car rolled to a stop, he looked up and smiled.

"Hurry up, Duckie," Kiara called.

He looked thankfully non-smited as he ran to the passenger seat. All she could see was bone weariness from their quest and a weight lifted from his shoulders.

-o-

Once the last member of their quest returned, the camp celebrated. Annabeth, Grover, Percy, and Kiara knelt by the head table and were crowned with laurel wreaths.

After a bountiful, noisy feast, they were led down to the bonfire. The fire blazed brighter and higher than Kiara had ever seen it — white and blue, roaring like a living thing. The light danced across the faces of the gathered campers and the shrouds they carried.

Four shrouds were laid beside the fire, each more beautiful than the last.
Annabeth's was first: a length of grey silk embroidered with owls that fluttered away as the flames touched them.

The second shroud, for Grover, was linen woven with magnolias and maple keys. He turned away as the seeds curled and sank into the soil, trying to hide his tears.

Percy's had been crafted by Cabin Eleven — three layers of fabric with seashells sewn into the borders, forming the shape of ocean waves.

Kiara could not believe the one her siblings had made for her. She could see Sofia's soft touch in the stitching, Argon's precision in the design. It shimmered like dawn itself, as if they'd pulled the first light of sunrise down from the sky and laid it gently on the earth. Beads lined the bottom edge — worn, blackened, already kissed by flame.

Kiara burned it, giving thanks to the Fates. Once more, she had made it home.

Slowly their party of four reintegrated into camp. Kiara leaned against Lee as her older brother led the sing-along. Her younger siblings eagerly passed out marshmallows sneaking a few here and there. Percy goofed off at the center of the Hermes Cabin. Annabeth eagerly explained their quest to her siblings as the Satyrs fawned over Grover's new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

The council had appeared at the bonfire to hear of their quest. By the end of the tale they called Grover's performance "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past." The rest of camp celebrated every triumph and held their breath at every danger. At the beginning Percy's eyes flicked to Kiara for support but by the time the journey had brought them to the train he led, voice strong and sure. Annabeth interrupted whenever he missed a point and Grover kept them from getting off track.

Dionysus's welcome-home speech was less than impressive but even that didn't wear down the grin on Percy's face. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...."

Percy wormed his way into the other cabins. The fear that had penetrated their camp disappeared and tore down the wall between the rest of the campers and Percy. He never slogged back to cabin three anymore but laughed and waved goodnight before popping right back up at the mess hall.

-o-

Luke flung a letter at Kiara's head as she passed by Cabin Eleven.

Kiara looked over the careful handwriting for: Perseus Jackson, Delphi Strawberry Service. "What was that for?"

"You're headed there already might as well save me the trip," Luke said carelessly, looking out over the lake.

"Sure," Kiara slipped it into her bag. "You could have just asked..."

"Maybe I'm just getting tired of being the mailman. Give someone else a chance to see how it feels," Luke said, though his eyes didn't leave the water. His fingers drummed against the railing.

"Doesn't matter," he added before she could answer.

Kiara held back her questions recognizing the stiffness in his posture if not the look in his eyes. "Alright."

Kiara tried to ignore his strange attitude on the way to Percy's cabin but couldn't forget the way he acted since they returned. Luke had been busier than ever — shuttling campers, disappearing for hours, sometimes skipping dinner entirely. She remembered how he'd looked the night they'd stumbled across the border together: like the weight of the world had landed on him. Now, that weight seemed heavier.

"Kiara? Why are you just standing there?" Percy asked, letting the creaky door to his cabin bang against the wall.

The letter was a little creased from her bag but otherwise unharmed until Percy ripped it open. He absentmindedly wandered back into his cabin carefully reading each word twice. Kiara sat on his bed partly to give him space but also because she knew how long it took to read something handwritten.

The quilt on the bed hadn't been there the last time she was there but the pattern looked similar to the one Annabeth had been working on during Arts and Crafts. Above it, the wall was alive with photos, newspaper clippings, and a strand of seaweed tied into intricate loops like the nymphs' lake baskets. Clothes and weapons lay in careless piles, but the space felt lived-in — nothing like the cold, dusty cabin she'd once ducked into years ago to escape the noise of camp.

Percy let out a bark of laughter that almost sounded wounded, and had to sit down on his own bed before he could speak. "He's gone."

"Hm?" Kiara asked, trailing her fingers over his bedspread.

"Smelly Gabe," Percy explained.

Kiara thought back to the start of their quest and wrinkled her nose. "The mortal smell mask?"

He cackled at that. "I wish you could have said that to his face." He looked back down at it. "She used Medusa's Head... Some art gallery liked his statue and took it."

"Mortals are so strange," Kiara mussed,"but honestly my mum would like a lifesize statue."

"She's got enough money for a new apartment. She said she's looking right now."

"My mum could set her up. The old lady above us moved out to be closer to her grandchildren."

Percy's mouth hung open. "Are you sure?"

"We can call them both." Kiara pulled the crystal off her bracelet and held it to the afternoon light. "Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering, Hope Estes."

Her mum was in the armchair by the window that she always received Kiara's IMs from. "Sunshine, of course they can stay."

"Mum, you can't just-"

Hope looked over Kiara's shoulder at the startled boy. "Hello, Percy. I'll handle your mother. Consider it... done."

"Thank you Ms. Estes but how'd-"

"Maybe it's just fate." Hope tapped the window beside her. "Do call Sally about her note. She's waiting for you."

Hope waved her hand, smile fading into light.

Percy stared at the spot she had disappeared from. "Alright." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Talking with Kiara's mum could be challenging to comprehend, she knew that well. "I guess we'll be neighbors."

"Wonderful." Kiara set the letter on his bedside table. "I'll need to get you up to speed on Andrea before you get caught in one of her schemes. She's... resourceful."

-o-

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine.

Jake Mason had run into a head camper's meeting to display this year's extravaganza to Chiron the week before. The kid had rambled on so long that Castor had fallen asleep. Needless to say they were sure that Jake would stop at no lengths to create his Spartan battle.

Kiara sat through the first few explosions with her siblings, oohing and ahhing over the carefully timed lights. Their spot was still warm from the sun, sand sneaking into Kiara's sneakers and into Lee's hair. A smile grew on her face as she watched Will whisper excitedly into Charlotte's ear. Between the booms of the fireworks camp was still: everyone's eyes to the sky.

Slowly Kiara peeled herself away from her cabinmates. The rest of the beach was scattered with half-bloods, on blankets and half buried in the sand. Kiara glimpsed Percy and Annabeth spread out on a hill laughing. It was jarring after so many days on the run to see them joking around like the twelve-year-olds they were. She let them have their fun, climbing away from the usual festivities to her tradition.

Back within the U of the cabins the fireworks sounded distant. Kiara passed by her cabin, glowing faintly in the night and turned to the faded siding that lined Cabin Eleven. The lack of light mattered little to her muscle memory pulling her handhold over handhold onto the roof. And right where Kiara had talked to Luke for the first time was her best friend.

Taller and more strained than the thirteen-year-old she had seen as a kid tucked among the shingles Luke waited for her. Unlike their first meeting he didn't try to push her back down once she sat by his side. This time he just sighed and looked at the stars. The frustrated look that had haunted his face since her return was hidden under the bone weary exhaustion sticking him to the roof. His legs dangled in the wind where they hadn't the year before.

Kiara pulled her knees to her chest and followed his gaze past constellation after constellation. The stories pulled at her tongue begging to spill into the night, to bring forth the sky and the beings immortalized on its expanse. But she held her words. The great tragedies of the stars did not belong to this night.

"I don't know what we're doing anymore, Bean," Luke whispered. His voice barely carried over the distant crack of fireworks. "We're stuck in this endless cycle, and nothing breaks it."

Kiara let out a breath. "You'll get out of here Luke. I know you will. You'll find your place."

He frowned. "How do you know? I've only left once and look where that got me. There's no place for demigods."

"Right here?" Kiara felt confused. "We're safe at camp."

"So we live in a summer camp for our whole lives? Is that all we get?" Luke clenched his fists but didn't move to sit up. "I never asked for this. I shouldn't have to-to just survive."

"You deserve more. We all do." Kiara closed her eyes. She couldn't look at him like this. It was like there was a different person in her best friend's body. Poisoning the air with every word. "We're not just surviving. We're living-"

"This isn't living. This is being the gods' pets." She felt the shingles shift. "Look around we're their playthings and the moment they get tired of us we'll end up just like Amelia."

Kiara's chest locked tight. Her eyes snapped open, stinging. For a heartbeat, she didn't recognize him — his face twisted, all fury and pain.

But when he looked down from the sky he softened. "Sorry. Amelia would..."

"She wouldn't want us to stop fighting." Kiara mumbled into her sweatshirt. "You're right. She'd be furious at camp for...our quest."

"Would she?" Luke wondered. "If we all came back would she be here sitting on this roof with us plotting?"

Kiara let out a shaky laugh. "Amelia was never one for plots. She'd probably walk right up to them and fix this whole mess."

"Yeah." Luke sat up straight like her words answered some unspoken question. "Would you?" She didn't notice the sharper edge in his tone.

Kiara frowned. "I don't know. I'd like to think I would. Lilith and Rowan don't deserve to be forgotten by our father. But change is slow." She tried to catch Luke's eyes but he still stubbornly glared at the sky. "We've got a home and each other. That's a long way from Greece. Knocking on their door wouldn't help. I'd rather spend the time I have with my family instead of trying to speed time along."

"Maybe there is an end," Luke mused, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon. "Everything changes eventually."

"We can watch it change together," Kiara agreed.

For the first time since she sat down Luke looked over at her. His usually rueful smile was settled now and he held out an arm. Kiara scooted closer and for the first time in a long while, she felt small beside him. Somewhere along the way Luke had grown into his lanky arms, and she didn't quite fit the same as the last year. Her head rested against his shoulder instead of side by side as they watched the last fireworks fill the night sky. The booms of the explosions filled the space between their breaths.

The strange distance Luke had held her since her return seemed to disintegrate in those moments. And under the starry sky they were thirteen and nine meeting for the first time, eighteen and fourteen returning together.

"You'll come back next year, right?" Kiara tried to make it sound casual, but the words caught in her throat. "After Mum helps you get an apartment, you'll still come back?"

"Yeah...next year."

But somewhere in her heart Kiara wondered if he was even listening. 

Chapter Text

August 2006

The rest of summer passed quietly. No monsters appeared in the forest. No demigods stumbling into camp. No desperate quests across the country. 

Life had returned to normal. For all the quest felt like forever they had only left for ten days. Ten days of terror and danger slipped away in the strawberry scented wind. 

They were safe once more. But still Kiara jumped at shadows and tensed at shrieks, no matter if it was the shade of a tree or the high ring of laughter. The others were in similar straits. Grover sat for hours in the trees, just to listen to them whisper, You’re home. Annabeth wandered into Cabin Seven daily with knicks on her fingers and bruises on her shins. Percy stuck tight to whichever quester was near until night sent them apart. 

Returning felt like coming home to a place you’d forgotten. They didn’t know who to be anymore. 

Kiara had felt that strange otherness before, when Luke and her had collapsed back over the border with grief in their hearts and silent screams in their heads. This time was different.

 No one was lost. 

At least not physically.  It changed them to fight–to kill, to almost die. To feel your thread stretch but snap another. Annabeth had been right all those years ago: the real world was where the monsters were, and sometimes there was little difference between the face at the end of your sword and your own. 

Now back with lives that had never lived through danger for the entertainment of another, all four questers felt alien. Kiara had always thought it was the stifling grief over Amelia that filled her life but it was the change. 

They weren’t kids anymore. They weren’t kids the moment they stepped out of the border. They were soldiers. And they were victorious, but at what cost?

Slowly oh so slowly they found their rhythm again. Left each others’ sides for more than a few moments. They joined in to the campfires without reminders of the things that hid in the dark. 

Before Kiara knew it she had fit herself back into the space she once took up, more jagged and torn but there. And when Echidna’s taunts echoed from the sea and Medusa’s sighs slipped into the shift of the leaves, Kiara returned to her cabin tucked into the warmth and light of home. 

But Kiara could not rest. That same electric hum she’d felt before Percy arrived lingered at the back of her mind 

The last night of the summer came all too quickly.

-o-

The campers gathered for one last meal around the crackling bonfire, the air rich with smoke and roasted fruit. Campers mixed together, telling stories and laughing. At the end of the meal the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

Kiara smoothed her ninth bead, feeling the tiny ridges of paint that formed a glimmering sea-green trident. She didn’t have to look to picture Percy’s embarrassed but quietly proud flush.

“The choice was unanimous,” Luke announced. “This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!”

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. 

And the bonfire burned brighter. 

“Rest up, for tomorrow some of you will leave,” Chiron called over the cheers. “We will see each other soon but be prepared for the year ahead. Know that whatever challenges you face you will overcome.”

With that the campers dispersed back to their cabins, farewells shouted into the night. 

Kiara picked up a slumbering Charlotte and rested the girl against her shoulder. Slowly Cabin Seven peeled away from the fire, warmth sinking into their skin for the year. For a moment, Kiara could almost imagine their father’s voice blessing them as they stepped into the cooler night. But she knew better than to believe in wishes. The light in their hair wasn’t a blessing, only another trait their father had passed down without thought.

Their cabin, blinding to most, welcomed them into its familiar, loving glow. Quiet, except for a few excited whispers between Michael and Alessandra, the siblings moved through their choreographed routine. Bryan tucked the younger ones in while Lee checked in with everyone that was going home. Sofia and Agron were hastily packing at the last minute as Ha-Jun fell straight into bed. Aelius, Ethel and Isabella tried to stay up but soon were caught by sleep. Eleni and Lucien snuck little pouches of Ambrosia and Nectar into bags. Vera and Marisol carried a sleeping Argon to his bunk before climbing to the top beds.

Kiara watched them move through the golden light, her eyes heavy but open until the last sibling drifted to sleep. Only then did the silence feel too deep-warnings growing louder in her dreams.

-o-

Kiara wandered through the empty camp in August's heat. The last day of summer always felt lonely since her first year at Hogwarts. It was as if parts of her broke off with the summer staying by the sun and sea. The rest of her would be carried away to the rainy months of Scotland surrounded by those who only saw half of her.  

Soon her mum would arrive at camp and then she’d be off. 

Back to a place she did not fit into. Like a borrowed glove letting the cold in. The gods had given her two homes and neither truly wanted her.

For now, she stayed in the sun and listened to the camp’s quiet rhythm — the sound of something sacred ending.

Her feet carried her past the hearth, past the cabins, toward the arena. She wasn’t sure why — only that something was pulling her there.

Luke was already waiting, a lone figure by the steps, a bag at his feet. She kicked a stone onto the stage, and it clattered through the stillness.

An easy smile stretched across his face. “Last minute training?”

“Waiting. For my mum,” Kiara said, circling around him to the stairs. “I’m not sure how much training you’ll get with those.”

He laughed sharply and pulled an unfamiliar blade from the bag by her feet. “I’ll need any training I can get now.”

“He kicked you out?” Kiara asked, alarmed. “But you’re not ready yet.”

He walked to the first dummy staring at it intently. “Mr. D doesn’t care. One more bed for the overflowing cabin.”

“Aren’t you tired of it?” He slashed through the straw dummy. “Waiting only to be let down again. I’d rather trust myself than the gods.”

Kiara’s eyes darted skyward, half-expecting thunder. None came. “You can’t say that.”

“Who’s going to stop me? Them?” He pointed his sword toward the clouds. “They don’t care, Kiara. They never have. They’d sit in their palaces content to see us bleed unless it's on their floors.”

“So that’s it? You just leave? No look back, no plan—just gone?”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m done waiting for the gods to fix what they broke.”

“So then we fix it. Come on Luke, don't just run away.”

“I’m not. They kicked me out so I’m leaving.”

“If you never come back you’re just running.” Kiara stood up, unwilling to take his fake arguments sitting down. “How’s that supposed to help Daniel and Travis and Conner?”

“The only way things will change is if one of us forces them to see.” He traced the edge of his strange new sword. “If blood is all they care about I’ll stain Olympus gold until they finally look at me.” 

Kiara finally saw it. The bronze tint to the sword. A blade to kill both. Mortal and Immortal. A dark chill filled the arena. 

“So you’re planning to fight them on your own?” Kiara said incredulously. “That’s insane. Just think for a moment. Did you even stop for one second and think, Luke.”

“I’m done just thinking. I have to act. I’m not the only one,” he tilted his head as if he could hear something she could not. “There are others. Our leader is strong.”

“What do you mean-” he glanced downwards. She met his eyes with horror. “What have you done?”

“What’s right. Don’t you see? We’ve been stuck in this cycle for centuries. How many more demigods need to die before you see what’s in front of your face?” His fist clenched around the unworn hilt of his blade. 

“Him?” Kiara wrapped her arms around her body. “You aren’t listening to yourself. You’re going to get yourself killed. We almost got killed. Luke, what did you do-”

“Listen to me.” He grabbed her shoulder. “You’ve always agreed we were worth more than this pitiful excuse of a life. This is our chance.”

“My-” her voice trembled “-father failed me and my siblings and so has the rest of our parents but we're just kids, Luke. "

He dropped the horrible sword as if its weight suddenly meant nothing, and caught her trembling form. She couldn’t resist him as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “They’re kids Kiara. They deserve more than a sleeping bag on the floor. We can fix that.” He paused. “You can come with me.”

Kiara let her head rest against his shoulder as she tried to keep her breathing calm. “This isn’t the way.”

He sighed. “There isn’t any other. Come on Kiara. I need you to fix all of this.”

She pulled away. “I can’t.” The soft look on his face hardened. “Not if you’re siding with them. The gods locked them away for a reason.”

“I’m sorry you see it that way.” He knelt down to grab his sword. Kiara shied back at the feeling of its cold power so close to her body. “You’ll understand.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Then you should go.” The chill relented for a moment as he looked down at her. “I’ll wait for you. Alright? No matter how long. You can trust me.”

Kiara stepped away. “I’m not sure about that anymore.”

Luke sighed and shook his head before giving her a sad smile. 

“Say goodbye?” he asked, holding out his free hand.

She let him grab hers but could barely feel it. “Goodbye, Luke.”

“I love you, Bean.”

Her throat burned. Kiara pulled herself away. His eyes were soft like they were memorizing her face before she left. 

He’d always known she wouldn’t follow.

She’d always known he’d still hope she would.

So she ran. From him. From the words she almost believed.

Ran as far as she could get from the boy that had been her best friend, her brother, since she was nine. She ran from the man she no longer knew and the truth that he spoke. She ran until the waves crashed over her knees and her shoes grew heavy with water. 

She couldn’t turn around because she knew if she did she’d run right back to him and his madness and truth. 

-o-

The waves crashed over her knees, soaked to the bone. Kiara crumpled into their embrace. Here, no one–not even her–could tell the difference between the salt from her tears and the sea. She rested her numb body against the sand, staring blankly at the endless horizon. 

Her eyes grew heavy with the waves and tears and soon she was in the dark emptiness. There was no more salt in the air nor waves brushing her skin. Her heart sped up this darkness was not her own. There was no light to follow and no warmth from the souls that visited the space between. She wandered endlessly until she found herself in the same patch of darkness. 

So here Kiara waited. For what else could she do in the nothingness. 

After what felt like heartbeats but what could be eons something came out of the darkness. 

A golden ball of yarn unspooled before her, rolling of its own power until it reached her shoes. Kiara knelt down to pick it up and when she stood once more three women stared back at her.

The first stepped forward, “Daughter without roots, hear our voices.” 

“Guide of the chosen, listen well,” the second warned. 

“Watcher of fate, mind your own,” the third beckoned. 

Lachesis pulled at the trailing thread hanging from Kiara’s hands and her basket of threads. It pulled and pulled until it fell from her hands. As it fell to the ground the world rippled. 

No longer were they surrounded by nothingness, grass hills rolling up to a familiar castle. 

Kiara gasped. “Hogwarts. What will…”

Clotho shook her head. “No, care not for what will happen but what you will do.” She let go of a handful of flax seeds into the wind. “You must keep the battles at bay but let the soldiers clash.”

Atropos swung her shears through the night. The scene rippled again—stone giving way to pine trees and banners—Camp Half-Blood, but changed. The cabins stretched taller, their doors snapping into the shapes of barracks. 

Kiara’s breath caught. “What is this?”

“You will protect the prophesied and teach them to see.”

All three sisters took a step closer, their feet landing on new soil. Kiara spun around, crumbling columns rebuilt themselves before her very eyes. A city rose in the valley bathed in light. The sand shifted below her feet until the temple was restored to its rightful state. 

The Acropolis. 

“Listen to our words,” Clotho said.

“Hold them to your heart,” Lachesis whispered.

“For you are our keeper,” Atropos finished.

The Fates’ forms began to dissolve into golden light.

“What will pass?” Kiara whispered.

The world itself breathed the answer.

“When snakes wind tight among the roots, the young awake,

The pack will howl, and the stars will quake.

A forgotten touch will curse the blood,

Before the hands are bound and visions flood.

Secrets shut tight shall be sprung,

By weary eyes and trembling lungs.

The choice that kills will save a life—

Too late, too torn by lies and strife.

Sleep will steal the fated death,

Till child of sorrow brings forth breath.

The puppeteer will loose the strings,

And temples shall fall as fire sings.

The hands must yield, the heart must rise,

Only then may the sun reprise.”

Kiara cried on the Acropolis. Her tears streamed down her arms until they ran gold. And when her hiccuping breaths were shushed by the wind the sun whispered in her ear. 

“Save them.”

-o-

Kiara woke up under a gentler sun, gold glistening on her cheeks. The waves washed all traces of ichor as it brushed her face. She raised her head from the water. Over the crash of the waves came shouts from beyond the dunes.. 

Her lungs burned as she stumbled from the sea. She didn’t stop when Annabeth cried out, or when Grover stuttered her name. Without slowing, Kiara ran straight for the Big House infirmary. 

She slammed through the door. “Chiron, where is he?”

The centaur looked like he’d aged a hundred years, stooped over one of the cots. “Hurry, he doesn’t have more than seconds.”

Kiara took his vacated spot and pressed her hand to Percy’s clammy forehead. Under her breath she whispered a hymn for life and protection. 

“I need honey, witch-hazel, sea water and four drops of pure Nectar,” Kiara ordered. 

Not caring to see if anyone heard her, Kiara pressed her hands against Percy’s chest. 

She could feel the venom flowing to his heart. She had to stop it. 

The sun warmed her face as she took one last look at Chiron’s worn face. “I’m taking him back.”

As she shut her eyes his voice called out to her. “Hurry.”

Kiara opened her eyes in another world. This darkness was familiar, her soul pulsing all around her. A sickly green filled the air but Kiara held her breath and kept moving. She followed the faint path of blue string stepping over puddles of poison and around clouds of sickness. 

Pulling her magic from her chest a string of gold trailed between her fingers. Her hands glowed more and more as she neared the source of the cloying scent. And soon laying in front of her was Percy. 

Swiftly she pressed her threads onto his hand, letting them seep under his skin, following the traces of venom. She felt them catch on something and pulled with all her might. Inch by inch her string uncoiled from under Percy’s skin. Her lungs screamed at her as she kept pulling, watching the blue grow stronger. Then with a hiss, her thread was free and the venom fell to the ground with a howl. 

Kiara lept back as it reached for her. It looked for a host, one too weak to put up a fight and at that moment Kiara was its prey. With one last push she sent her magic at Percy hoping to protect him from whatever lingered in the air and send her careening out of the in between. 

Kiara’s eyes snapped open. The room tilted as her chest seized struggling until she coughed and sucked in a few painful breaths. “Percy–”

“He lives,” Chiron said gently. “I’ve prepared all you’ve asked.”

Kiara watched the young boy she had been tasked with saving more than once. This would not be the last time her eyes cautiously watched his lungs struggle to breathe. 

Pushing away the strain in her eyes and the tremble in her arms Kiara pressed a seawater soaked compress onto Percy’s forehead. She pulled the remaining ingredients together and worked on creating a poultice for his wound.

“Please tell the others that he’s alive,” Kiara asked as she spread the mixture over Percy’s hand.

Chiron placed a hand on her shoulder. “He will be alright.”

Kiara let out a breath, thinking back to the sea tinted gold. “He has to.”

Chapter Text

August 2006

Kiara did not let anyone move her from Percy’s bed. She watched his every breath as the grey faded from his skin and the welt on his hand stopped swelling.

She waited, knowing when he woke up, her whole world would change.

Line after line of the prophecy swirled through her mind but one caught her in its grasp.

Snakes wind tight among the roots.

The Fates had known this would happen.

Luke.

How could he?

She had almost believed him: almost followed him to the end of the world. But he was a liar. What kind of person would preach for a better world before trying to kill a kid? She didn’t even know how he convinced himself he was right. How in his mind the only way to fix things was to tear the world apart and build on the ashes.

She’d never live in that world.

But Kiara could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she remembered his terrified eyes when he looked at the golden apple at his feet and Amelia’s lifeless hand, the one to roll it towards them.

Kiara cried for the boy that grew up too fast and too wrong, hidden behind sunshine smiles and sharp eyes. She mourned for the scared boy on the roof and the exhausted boy running over the border for the first time.

This man was none of that. And she mourned him even as her heart grew walls and her eyes grew hard.

Kiara looked down at the sleeping boy in the bed and swore to the Fates that she would ensure he would never follow the lost boy’s steps.

She held his bandaged hand in her own and whispered soft hymns and prayers.

Somewhere in her mind those were for the boy she lost too.

-o-

Percy was in the infirmary for three days before he showed any signs of waking up.

Kiara sat by the window as Annabeth took her turn as Percy’s nurse, carefully giving him nectar. Argus hadn’t left the room since Percy was brought in, watching over them all and shooing the girls away when night drew near. Chiron had ignored their fretting, merely sitting in his wheel chair by the foot of Percy’s bed with a book. Both Chiron and Argus tried to convince them to trust in Kiara’s healing and Percy’s ability to bounce back from impossible stakes.

Kiara hoped he would wake today. The ashy color had receded from his face and the swelling in his hand subsided. If she ignored the sweat on his brow and the bandages wrapped tight around his hand she could almost pretend he was sleeping.

“He moved,” Annabeth exclaimed leaning closer to Percy’s bed.

Pressing a gentle hand on Annabeth’s shoulder Kiara peeled her back. “Give him space. He needs to wake up on his own.”

But Kiara’s eyes were also trained on Percy’s face, looking for any twitch or movement that had suggested to Annabeth that he was waking. She was prepared to call it a false alarm, like the four other times Annabeth had thought Percy was waking. Percy proved her wrong when his eyes slowly opened, like a fairy tale princess waking up; however he ruined the image a bit with his next words.

“Here we are again.”

The two girls shared a sigh at his joke.

“You idiot,” Annabeth said. “You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren’t for Kiara’s healing...”

“Now, now,” Chiron said. “Percy’s constitution deserves some of the credit.”

Kiara ran through her examination, giving Percy time to fully wake up. “How do you feel?”

“Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved.”

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “That would be the poison and an antidote.”

Chiron set his book down and fixed his gaze onto Percy. “Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened.”

Between sips of nectar, he told them the story.

A fog filled Kiara’s head as the words failed to reach her ears. She could see the anger and terror in his eyes as he explained how they all had been tricked but with the light of day shining down upon them she couldn’t muster up the same feelings. The fury that had bubbled in her chest at Percy’s wound died at his words.

“I can’t believe that Luke...” Annabeth’s voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. “Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him.... He was never the same after his quest.”

A familiar grief hit Kiara at the mention of the failed quest but it quieted to a buzz as the fog to hold once more.

“This must be reported to Olympus,” Chiron murmured. “I will go at once.”

“Luke is out there right now,” Percy said. “I have to go after him.”

That shook her out of it. Eyes wide and mouth open Kiara stared at Percy. “You can’t.”

“He’s getting away,” Percy insisted.

“He’ll kill you,” Kiara whispered. “He’ll do it. He doesn’t care anymore.”

Percy struggled to sit up more. “He has to! Or else why would he tell me. He must have known you’d save me, he wasn’t trying to keep his betrayal a secret. Luke isn’t crazy.”

“He isn’t sane.” Kiara pushed Percy back down. “Not for long anyway. You have to rest.”

“Kiara’s right,” Annabeth added. “You were asleep for three days. You can’t just get up and fight the best swordsman in recent memory. You have to think smart, Percy.”

Chiron shook his head. “I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren’t ready.”

“Chiron... your prophecy from the Oracle... it was about Kronos, wasn’t it?” Percy tried to hide the interest in his voice but they could all hear it. “Was I in it? And Annabeth?”

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. “Percy, it isn’t my place—”

“You’ve been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven’t you?”

“Prophecies are only heard when they are meant to.” Kiara thought back to her own. “You can’t play with the Fates.”

His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. “You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I’m right about the path ahead of you...”

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.

“All right!” Chiron shouted. “Fine!”

He sighed in frustration. “The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing.”

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing,” Percy said.

“We will not sit back,” Chiron promised. “But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come.”

“Assuming I live that long.”

Chiron put his hand on Percy’s ankle. “You’ll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice.... But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Chiron promised.

He glanced at Annabeth. “Oh, and, my dear... whenever you’re ready, they’re here.”

“Who’s here?” Percy asked.

Nobody answered. Annabeth had been very avoidant when Kiara had asked about her decision to leave for the school year. She remembered when Annabeth had IMed her during Christmas break when she was ten and Kiara was thirteen. She had waited by the border for a whole day while Argus was sent to pick Annabeth up.

Kiara wasn’t sure what to think of Annabeth heading back to that house.

“Kiara if you could attend to our guests?” Chiron asked as he rolled out of the room.

“But Percy-”

Annabeth answered, “It’s ok I’ll watch him.”

“Are you sure?” Kiara couldn’t help but ask.

“Chiron thinks it will help if you talk to them,” Annabeth said, studying the ice in Percy’s drink.

“Alright.” Kiara squeezed her shoulder then walked to the door. “Come out whenever you’re ready ok? And make sure he doesn’t move.”

-o-

Kiara hefted Annabeth’s strangely light back pack onto her shoulder as she started her climb up Half-Blood Hill. She guessed that Annabeth had only packed the necessities, only used to pack for day trips and quests. Either way Kiara hoped the Chases would be willing to get the girl more worldly belongings.

It was a bit hard to do so when all year-rounders ever had were the camp store and whatever they could snag on the way to Olympus.

Mr. and Mrs. Chase waited anxiously by the border, unable to see the slight shift in light that signaled safety for every half-blood that crossed it. The two boys with them seemed to be entertaining themselves by pressing against it until they were pushed back competing to see who could get the farthest.

Mr. Chase noticed Kiara half way up the hill. “Hello?”

“Thank you for waiting,” Kiara answered, not able to muster up her normal welcome. “Annabeth will come soon, but there are a few things I have to go over with you first.”

“Anything,” Mrs. Chase said.

Her conviction surprised Kiara, pulling forth a smile. This was not the woman who dismissed Annabeth’s fears and shunned her for the dangers of a half-blood merely living, something had changed. Maybe she had woken up to an empty bedroom instead of a sullen child and realised her mistakes.

Or maybe she was just pretending for her husband.

Her smile faded. “Housing a half-blood is dangerous. One as strong as Annabeth even more so. You and your children will always be at risk, but with the choice of hunting you or her the monsters will always choose the half-blood. You’ll be collateral-”

“We understand,” Mr. Chase cut in. “That doesn’t matter. I failed Annie before and I’m not doing that again. We’ll make it work.”

His wife nodded but her gaze was over at her kids. “Annabeth was their age when she ran away. I let her. I knew she hated me and I could hardly stand her.” She met Kiara’s eyes. “She’s my daughter. Annabeth deserves a home.”

Kiara crossed her arms. “And if she leaves again?”

Mrs. Chase didn’t look put off for having a teenager interrogate her. “Then we’ll wait for her to come back.”

Kiara handed over Annabeth’s backpack. “She’ll struggle. It’s been too long since she’s left camp. You can’t abandon her again. Someone from camp will IM weekly and if we think she should come back you can’t stop us.”

“Of course.” Mr. Chase looked pained to agree but there was little control he had over the situation.

Kiara couldn’t stand fast against their sincerity. So few of them had homes to go back to–could Kiara begrudge them the chance to make one for Annabeth? No.

“Alright.” Kiara looked back down the hill where Annabeth was slowly climbing, no doubt giving Kiara time to make sure they were trustworthy. “Take care of her.”

“Thank you for giving us this chance,” Mr. Chase stuck out a hand.

Kiara shook hands and stepped back as Annabeth neared her family.

She watched as an outsider as the twins came barreling over and Annabeth’s father drew her into a horrible awkward hug. They eagerly waited for her to be free before pulling her by the arms towards the car parked at the base of the mortal side of the hill.

“Wait,” Annabeth called, pulling herself free.

She raced back up the hill passing her father and step-mother. Without slowing down she slammed into Kiara. The two of them barely managed to stay upright.

Annabeth seemed to shake in Kiara’s embrace. “I-I don’t know if-”

“I’ll IM you. Every day,” Kiara whispered into the younger girl’s hair.

“I know I just-”

Kiara squeezed her tighter. “Give them one more chance and know you’ll always have a home here.”

“Alright.” Annabeth pulled back. Her eyes were a little watery and her hair was frizzing in the humid air but she looked strong. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You will.”

Kiara let her go, watching her hand graze the tree that had once been the half-blood that had saved her all those years ago. Soon the top of her head disappeared into the Chases’ car and they peeled away.

-o-

Kiara returned to a resolute Percy and a feeling that the coming year would be fraught with change.

She settled into a patio chair next to him, politely ignoring the fact that he was supposed to be resting in bed and the nausea tint to his face.

“I made my decision.”

“I know.” Kiara pulled a knee up to rest her head against. “Just be careful.”

“I have to live. Not just fight,” Percy tried to explain. “I don’t-”

Kiara interrupted him. “I know. You don’t have to explain. I’ll take you home.” A smile grew across her face. “Remember we’re neighbors now.”

Percy sat up shocked. “Right.”

Kiara hummed at his expression. “My mum is never wrong.”

“I guess I’ll have to get used to that.” Percy let out a breath. “Then I guess let’s go home.”

Kiara peeled herself off the patio chair and held out a hand. “Come on, Duckie.”

“Alright, let's go.”

-o-

September 2006

“Mum, have you seen my-”

“Astronomy Textbook? You dropped it under your bed.”

“And-”

“You left your transfiguration work at the Jacksons, Darling,” Hope called from the living room. She paused humming before answering Kiara’s question before she could even pose it. “You can pop over now, Sally just woke up.”

Kiara raced through their apartment on socked feet, kissing the scar that traced over her mother’s cheek. “Thanks, mum.”

After getting Sally and Percy settled into the apartment below theirs Kiara had spent most of the last few weeks of summer clambering up and down the stairs and sometimes the fire escape.

Kiara listened to the quiet steps of her neighbors waking up, she really should have packed the night before. She knocked against the door and waited for the calm movements from the other side of the door.

“Kiara,” Sally whispered. “Good morning. What can I help you with? Percy’s still asleep.”

Kiara winced at the reminder of the early hour. “Sorry for bothering you, Mum said you were awake and I forgot my summer work in Percy’s room.”

Sally let out a laugh. “I thought the parchment on his desk wasn’t his. Come on in. You can get it now. He should be getting up soon anyway, we’ve got an interview with a school soon.”

Silently following Sally into the familiar house, Kiara smiled, but it was tinged with remorse. “That’s great. Percy deserves some normality.”

“And you too,” Sally said. “All you kids are dealing with so much. Make sure you take time at school to be a kid. No fighting monsters and running on quests.”

“I’m not sure what that looks like in a magic school,” Kiara shook her head trying to imagine her classmates in a US public school.

With one last laugh Sally waved her off to rouse Percy and retrieve her homework.

The creak of his bedroom door didn’t wake Percy, nor did her almost tripping over the skateboard resting in the middle of his room. The room, decorated by the two of them over a weekend running between thrift stores and Target, was a mess. Kiara was surprised he ever knew where anything was.

No longer attempting to be quiet, Kiara sharply pulled at the blinds, letting the hazy New York dawn into the room. Percy grumbled and rolled over, blindly reaching for the blankets that had fallen off the bed.

“Percy,” Kiara whispered, poking his shoulder. “Percy. Sally needs you to get up.”

He pushed her away without opening his eyes. “Sleeping.”

“I’m heading out soon, Perse.” At the lack of response she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I guess I’ll just see you in a few months.”

“Wait-” that jolted him awake. “What’s going on-”

“I’ve got to head to London and you’ve got to head to a meeting. Summer’s over.”

Staring at her through bleary eyes, Percy sat up. “I thought that was tomorrow.”

“It is tomorrow.” She looked over his desk, which at the moment was more of a large shelf. “I need my summer work and I don’t want to search through your junk.”

“Really.” He looked more awake with every word. “You’re going. Now?”

“I’ll come back.” Kiara said.

He frowned but stared at her. He seemed to catalog every part of her face like he was trying to figure out a difficult puzzle, but something convinced him. “I guess I can’t keep you from magic school.”

Without hesitation he reached into the chaos on his desk and pulled out her parchment, whole and unwrinkled. “Mom’ll want to make you and Hope breakfast before you leave.”

Taking the paper from his hand and rolling it tight she nodded. “Come on. We’ll be back here before you know it.”

“Where else would you be?” He grabbed her hand and pulled them to the living room where their mothers were already chatting.

Kiara let the light of the day buoy her, far away from thoughts about next summer and the future.

“Nowhere but here.”