{PERCY}

Percy was not feeling the love. Bad enough he'd been run out of Atlanta by evil sea gods. Then he had failed to stop a giant shrimp attack on the ship. Then Chiron's brothers hadn't even wanted to meet him.

After all that, they had arrived at the Pillars of Hercules, and the son of Poseidon had to stay aboard the ship while Jason the Big Shot visited his half-brother. Hercules, the most famous demigod of all time, and Percy didn't get to meet him either.

Okay, sure, Hercules was a jerk, but still...Percy was getting kind of tired of staying aboard the ship and pacing the deck. The open sea was his territory. He was supposed to step up, take charge, and keep everybody safe.

Instead, all the way across the Atlantic, he'd pretty much done nothing except make small talk with sharks and listen to Coach Hedge sing TV theme songs.

To make matters worse, Evangeline's deadline was nearing. It had taken him four years to realize he liked her, then they'd spent four amazing months dating before he got kidnapped for almost a year. And now, when he finally got her back, she told him she was going to die in a few days.

Percy was starting to think Landon's grandmother didn't like him too much.

It was about four in the morning. The weather was miserable. The fog was so thick, that Percy couldn't see Festus at the end of the prow, and warm drizzle hung in the air like a bead curtain. As they sailed into twenty-foot swells, the sea was heaving underneath them, Percy could hear poor Hazel down in her cabin...also heaving.

He had gone to wake Annabeth up, after his weird dream about the giants, the dark cavern, and about how they wanted to spill his and Evangeline's blood.

They stood on the deck, alone except for Leo, who was still manning the helm. The guy must've been shattered, but he refused to go to sleep. "I don't want any more Shrimpzilla surprises," He insisted.

They'd all tried to convince the son of Hephaestus that the Skolopendra attack hadn't been entirely his fault, but he wouldn't listen. Percy knew how he felt. Not forgiving himself for mistakes was one of Percy's biggest talents.

Despite all that, Percy was grateful to be back on the water. He preferred it to flying through storm clouds and being attacked by man-eating birds and enchilada-trampling pegasi.

He stood with Annabeth at the forward rail while he told her about his dream. Percy wasn't sure how she'd handle the news, but she didn't seem surprised.

She peered into the fog. "Percy, you have to promise me something. Don't tell the others about this dream, especially Landon and Evangeline."

"Don't what? Annabeth—"

"What you saw was about the Mark of Athena," she said. "It won't help the others to know. It'll only make them worry, and it'll make it harder for me to go off on my own."

"Annabeth, you can't be serious. That thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor—"

"I know." Her face looked naturally pale, and he suspected it wasn't just the fog. "But I have to do this alone."

He swallowed harshly. "You know what's in the cavern," he guessed. "Does it have to do with spiders?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Then how can you even...?" he cut himself off. Once the daughter of Athena made up her mind, arguing with her wouldn't do any good.

"I mean it, Percy," she said. "Not a word of this to Evangeline, she already has enough things to worry about, with Nico, and her prophecy, she'll freak out if we tell her."

He wasn't sure if he was mad at his dream, whoever cursed Evangeline, or the entire Greek/Roman world that had endured and shaped human history for five thousand years with one goal in mind: to make Percy Jackson's life suck as much as possible.

"Did she tell you about the deadline?" He mumbled.

Annabeth's grip tightened around the railing. "We still have time," she said. "We can avoid whatever happens."

Percy stared into the fog. He couldn't see anything around them, but he had perfect bearings at sea.

He knew their exact latitude and longitude. He knew the depth of the ocean and which way the currents were flowing. He knew the ship's speed and could sense no rocks, sandbars, or other natural dangers in their path. Still, being blind was unsettling.

They hadn't been attacked since they touched the water, but the sea seemed different. Percy had been in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and even the Gulf of Alaska, but this sea felt more ancient and powerful.

The son of Poseidon could sense its layers swirling below him. Every hero, whether Greek or Roman, had sailed these waters—from Hercules to Aeneas. Monsters still dwelt in the depths, so deeply wrapped in the Mist that they slept most of the time but he could still feel them stirring, responding to the Celestial bronze hull of a Greek trireme and the presence of demigod blood.

They are back, the monsters seemed to say. Finally, fresh blood.

"We're not far from the Italian coast," he said, mostly to break the silence. "Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber."

"Good," she said. "By daybreak, we should—"

"Stop." His skin felt washed with ice. "We have to stop."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo, stop!" He yelled.

Too late. The other boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. In that split second, he registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords, and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the Argo II.

The children of Athena and Poseidon were almost thrown overboard.

Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the warship. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

By the time he'd returned his wits, the enemy was everywhere. He couldn't see well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be human-like dolphins or dolphin-like humans.

Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet, which reminded Percy of clown shoes.

Leo sounded the alarm bell. He dashed to the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.

Annabeth and Percy stood back-to-back, as they'd done many times before, their weapons drawn. Percy tried to summon the waves, hoping he could push the ships apart or even capsize the enemy vessel, but nothing happened. It almost felt like something was pushing against his will, wresting the sea from his control.

He raised Riptide, ready to fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around them, wisely keeping out of striking distance of Percy's sword.

The dolphin-men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises. Percy had never considered just how vicious dolphin teeth looked.

He tried to think. Maybe he could break out of the circle and destroy a few invaders, but not without the others skewering him and Annabeth.

At least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. They kept Percy and Annabeth contained while more of their comrades flooded belowdecks and secured the hull.

Percy could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with his friends. Even if the others hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many.

Leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. Below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. Either the others had been subdued or...or he refused to think about that.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through.

He appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—and everything he was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade like Riptide, was gold instead of bronze.

His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head—curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. Percy had met Gorgons before. The likeness was good—a little too good for his taste.

Annabeth turned so she was shoulder to shoulder with Percy. "Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than the raven-haired boy could follow, he smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea.

He might as well have thrown Percy's lungs into the sea because suddenly Percy couldn't breathe. He'd never been disarmed so easily.

"Hello, brother." The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety with an exotic accent—Middle Eastern, maybe—that seemed vaguely familiar. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want...Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

Chysaor walked back and forth, inspecting them like prized cattle. A dozen of his warriors stayed in a ring around them, spears leveled at Percy's chest, while dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing around belowdecks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs. Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships."

"Ha!" Chysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy said. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure," The man's golden gorgon mask snarled at him, though it was impossible to tell what his real expression might be underneath. "But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."

"I'm nobody's sidekick," Annabeth growled. "And, Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."

"Percy frowned. "I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his—? Oh."

"I wasn't aware Medusa had a spawn," He heard Evangeline's voice. The brunette was pushed into the circle, next to Percy by two dolphins, swords pointed right at her neck, ropes around her wrists.

"Ah," Chrysaor said. "I've heard of you. Evangeline Merlyn, Percy Jackson's replacement. I am Chrysoar, the Golden Swor—"

"Do I look like I care?" she raised a brow.

Chrysaor snarled at her and stepped closer. Percy knew he had to divert the man's attention back onto him.

"Medusa is your mom?" he asked. "Dude, that sucks for you."

Chrysoar turned to Percy. "You are as arrogant as the first Perseus," he said. "But, yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom..."

The golden mask turned on Annabeth. "That would be your mother, I believe...Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head—"

"Two children sprang out," Annabeth remembered. "Pegasus and you."

Percy blinked. "So your brother is a winged horse. But you're also my half-brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are my...You know what? Let's forget it."

He'd learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly side of things. "But if you're Medusa's kid," he said. "Why haven't I heard of you before?"

"Because he's irrelevant," Evangeline said.

Chrysoar raised the tip of his blade to Evangeline's chin. "You have a mouth on you," he said.

"So does every other living thing," she said. "Did you not know that?"

"Silence her," Chrysaor ordered.

A dolphin lowered its spear and stuffed a gag into the brunette's mouth. Evangeline stomped her foot onto the warrior's flipper.

It cried, clutching its foot as it staggered back. Percy couldn't help but smile.

Chrysoar cleared his throat. "Back to what I was saying," he sighed in exasperation. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me? No!" He moved the tip of his blade to Percy's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."

"Imperial gold?" Percy guessed.

"Bah! Enchanted gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.

Chrysaor spread his arms, which was fine since it got the sword pointed away from his eyes.

"The best pirate," Chrysaor said. "I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off his captor's armor. Judging from the hoof-shaped prints on the breastplate and helmet, the coach had already made several attempts.

"Ah, a satyr," The son of Medusa mused. "A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Hedge protested.

"Gag him as well," Chrysaor decided.

"Why you gilded little—" Hedge's insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth. Soon the coach was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot—crates of food, extra weapons, and even the magical ice chest from the mess hall.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.

Chrysaor's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask. Percy wondered if he was horribly disfigured under there, or if his gaze could petrify people the way his mother's could.

"I can do anything I want," He said. "My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"Dolphins," Percy noted.

The son of Medusa shrugged. "Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago and kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these...these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"

One of the warriors chattered at him nervously.

"Yes, yes," Chrysaor growled. "They fear one thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here."

Percy felt an idea forming in his head. Before he could pursue it, more dolphin warriors climbed the stairs, hauling up the rest of his friends. Jason was unconscious. Judging from the new bruises on his face, he'd tried to fight back.

Hazel, Lorelai, and Piper were bound hand and foot. Piper had a gag in her mouth, so apparently the dolphins had discovered she could charmspeak. Frank and Landon were missing, though two of the dolphins had bee stings and faint pan shaped marks on their faces.

Could Frank actually turn into a swarm of bees? Percy hoped so. As for Landon, he figured the son of Hermes had slammed a pan into the warriors' faces.

"Excellent!" Chrysaor gloated. He directed his warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows. Then he examined the girls like they were Christmas presents, which made Percy grit his teeth.

"The boy is no use to me," Chrysaor said. "But we have an understanding with the witch, Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or as trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Evangeline."

Evangeline's eyes narrowed, and Percy saw black veins crawl up her neck. For a second, he thought he saw something standing behind her.

He shook himself out of it and his hand crept to his pocket. His pen had appeared back in his jeans. He only needed a moment's distraction to draw his sword. Maybe if he could take down the son of Medusa, his crew would panic.

He wished he knew something about Chrysaor's weakness. Usually, he had Annabeth provide him with information like that, but apparently, Chrysaor was so irrelevant he didn't have any legends, so they were both in the dark.

The golden warrior tutted. "Oh, sadly, Evangeline, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for capture—alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."

At that moment, Piper caused the distraction they needed. She wailed so loudly it could be heard through her gag. Lorelai pretended to faint against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit.

Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Chrysaor's neck, but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle.

They chattered and squeaked, egging him on, Percy got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of entertainment. They didn't feel their leader was in any sort of danger.

Percy hadn't crossed swords with an opponent like this since...well since he'd battled Ares. Chrysaor was that good. Many of his powers had gotten stronger over the years, but now, too late, Percy realized that swordplay wasn't one of them.

He was rusty—at least against an adversary like Chrysaor.

They battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying. Without meaning to, Percy heard the voice of Luke Castellan, his first sword-fighting mentor at Camp Half-Blood throwing out suggestions. But it didn't help.

The golden gorgon mask was too unnerving. The warm fog, the slick deck boards, the chattering of the warriors—none of it helped. In the corner of his eye, Percy could see one of the dolphin men holding a knife at Evangeline's neck.

He feinted a thrust at Chrysaor's gut, but Chrysaor anticipated the move. He knocked Percy's sword out of his hand again, and once more Riptide flew into the sea.

Chrysaor laughed easily. He wasn't even winded. He pressed the tip of his sword against Percy's sternum.

"A good try," said the man. "But now you'll be chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess. Speaking of which," he looked around at the demigods as if noticing something for the first time, he turned the mask to his warriors. "Find Landon Martin and that notebook, and bring them here!"

As Percy stood there, disarmed and outmatched, the plan formed in his head. He was kind of stunned to actually remember something useful, but he had to act fast. He couldn't let anything happen to his friends. He wasn't going to lose Evangeline—not again.

Chrysaor couldn't be beat. At least in single combat. But without the crew...maybe then he would be overwhelmed if enough demigods attacked him at once.

But how was he supposed to deal with Chrysaor's crew? Percy put the pieces together when he glanced at Evangeline. The pirates had been turned into the dolphin-men millennia ago when they had kidnapped the wrong person. Percy knew that story. Heck, the wrong person in question had threatened to turn him into a dolphin.

And when Chrysaor said the crew wasn't afraid of anything, one of the dolphins nervously corrected him. Yes, Chrysaor had said. But he's not here.

Percy glanced toward the stern and spotted Frank, in human form, peeking out from behind a ballista, waiting. Percy resisted the urge to smile. The big guy claimed to be clumsy and useless, but he always seemed to be in the right place when Percy needed him.

The girls...Frank...the ice chest.

"Fine!" Percy shouted so loudly that he got everyone's attention. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."

Chrysaor turned his golden mask. "What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else."

Percy raised his hands dramatically. "The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn't he, Annabeth?"

Annabeth was quick. "Yes!" she nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus! Evangeline's his favorite!"

The brunette spat out the gag. "I am! He won't be happy if he finds out what you did! He'll curse you all!" She started smiling like a crazy person.

Percy loved her for going along with all of his crazy plans.

A ripple of uneasiness passed through the warriors. One dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."

"You should be scared!" Percy looked at the pirate crew with sympathy. "Dionysus will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?"

Hazel and Piper had stopped the shaking fits. Lorelai on the other hand was still committed to it. The daughters of Pluto and Aphrodite were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy, but when he glared pointedly, they started hamming it up again, trembling and flopping around like fish.

The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"So you admit Dionysus is our director!" Percy said.

"He was," The son of Medusa corrected. "Everyone knows that."

Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he'd just betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!"

The raven-haired boy stormed over to the magical cooler. No one tried to stop him. He knocked open the lid and rummaged through the ice. There had to be one. Please.

He was rewarded with a silver-and-red can of soda. He brandished it at the dolphin warriors as if spraying them with bug repellent.

"Behold!" Percy shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"

The warriors began to panic. They were so close to retreating. He could feel it.

"The god will take your ship," Percy warned. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins!"

"Or the cans of his favourite beverage will rain down on you!" Annabeth added. Percy glanced at where she was looking at.

The son of Hermes stood in the corner next to Frank, Coach Hedge's baseball bat in his hand and a handful of grape soda cans next to him. He threw a can into the air and swung the bat. Soon, soda cans started raining down on the dolphin men, making them drop their weapons.

"Yes!" Percy agreed. "Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor's voice turned shrill. He didn't seem sure where to level his sword—at Percy or his own crew.

"Save yourselves!" Evangeline warned, falling to her knees dramatically. "It's too late for us!"

"She's right!" Percy gasped and pointed to the spot where Frank was hiding. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Nothing happened.

"I said," Percy repeated, "Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Landon kicked Frank out of their hiding spot. The son of Mars stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. "Oh, no," he said like he was reading from a teleprompter. "I am turning into a crazy dolphin."

He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.

Landon rained down more soda cans onto the deck. That was the cherry on top. The pirate crew disbanded in fear, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons, forgot their captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard.

In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Lorelai, Piper, and Coach Hedge.

Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. Percy and his friends had no weapons except for Annabeth's knife, Evangeline's sword, Hedge's hooves, and his baseball bat, but the murderous looks on their faces evidently convinced the golden warrior he was doomed.

He backed to the edge of the rail. "This isn't over, Jackson," Chrysaor growled. "I will have my revenge—"

His words were cut short by Frank, who had changed form again. An eight-hundred-pound grizzly bear worked great to break up a conversation. He sideswiped the son of Medusa and raked the golden mask off his helmet. Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with arms.

Landon swung and the baseball bat made contact with Chrysaor's face, sending him tumbling into the water.

They ran to the rail. The golden warrior had disappeared. Percy thought about chasing him, but he didn't know these waters, and he didn't want to confront that guy alone again.

"So what do we do with all of the pirate stuff now?" Landon asked, spinning the bat in his hand. "Do we take it or...?"

"We need to get rid of it," Percy said.

"Burn it?" Annabeth suggested.

Percy looked at the Diet Coke in his hand. "No. I've got another idea."

Landon, Lorelai, and Coach Hedge had a field day on the enemy ship, they broke everything they could find. Piper tended to Jason's wounds, but he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked.

They returned all their own supplies to the proper places and tidied up from the invasion. When he was done, Percy loaded the enemy's weapons back on the pirate ship.

Their storeroom was full of treasure, but Percy insisted that they touch none of it. He also made the others promise not to tell Landon about that room. They left the gold as tribute for the wine god.

Percy went aboard the pirate ship and asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and the son of Hephaestus was happy to oblige.

The crew of the Argo II assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Lorelai brought out her new horn of plenty, and, on Percy's directions, willed it to spew Diet Coke, which came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck.

Percy thought it would take hours, but the ship had sunk immediately.

"Dionysus," Percy called, holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus—whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name...or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you."

The words were hard to get out, but he managed not to gag. "We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd better like it."

"There was gold on that ship?" Landon yelped. "And you left it?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We had to, it was an offerin—Landon!"

The son of Hermes had leaped off the railing and onto the enemy ship before anyone could stop him.

"He really loves gold, doesn't he?" Frank said. "Should we be concerned about that?"

"No," Evangeline said, watching as Landon ran belowdecks on the other trireme. "He just likes shiny things. Give him a few minutes."

After a while, Landon came back from the enemy ship and pulled himself up the railing, completely drenched and smelling like Diet Coke. He swung his leg over the railing, and jumped onto the deck, frowning. "I am very disappointed in you, Frank."

"What? Why?" Frank's eyes widened.

"Out of everyone, I thought you would be on my side." Landon shook his head.

"I didn't even do anything!" Frank spread his arms.

Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even faster, brown fuzzy liquid spewing out the trireme's oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.

Percy summoned a wave, and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo steered the Argo II away as the pirate ship disappeared underwater.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper asked.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason said. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."

The morning sky was brilliant blue as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods.

Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium.

Everyone was on the deck except for Landon and Annabeth who'd been missing since last night. Frank had gone to find them an hour ago.

Evangeline stopped next to him as she tied her hair up.

"Morning, princess." He said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Horribly," She stared down at the city. "I had a weird dream last night."

"What about?" Percy raised a brow. He saw her shadow on the floor, spreading out in different directions as if trying to run away from her.

"This dark place," she said. "I was surrounded by bones, and that voice I keep hearing, it kept whispering this one line over and over again; darkness beckons, beware the fall."

He didn't like the shiver that ran down his spine at her words. He could practically hear Gaea's voice in his head. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. The goddess had told him in his dream the previous night. Your only choice now...Will you fall alone?

He clenched his jaw, his hand tightening around the railing. When he glanced back at Evangeline, she was already watching him.

Before Percy could speak, Coach Hedge climbed onto the deck, going ballistic. Landon, Frank, and Annabeth followed behind the satyr.

"Where were you guys?" Leo asked, grinning wildly.

"Getting in trouble, that's what!" Hedge yelled, turning to the children of Athena and Hermes. "You, Annabeth Chase, I expected better from you. You're supposed to be responsible and follow the rules!"

"Why am I the only one getting scolded here?" Annabeth scowled.

"Because I expected this sort of thing from him!" Hedge pointed at Landon.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Landon said.

"You—"

"But where were they?" Leo raised his eyebrows.

"In the stables," Frank murmured. His eyes wide like he'd been traumatized for life.

Percy wondered what the big guy had seen that could've been so horrifying.

"Doing what?" Lorelai asked innocently, brushing her cat's fur.

"Sleeping," Annabeth said, her ears turning red. "Like I told Hedge, we were just talking last night and fell asleep. Nothing happened, I swear."

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" Hedge asked.

"Do you want us to answer that?" Landon crossed his arms.

"Listen here, cupcake!" Hedge stomped his hoof. "I—"

"We can resolve this later," Evangeline said. "We don't have much time left to waste."

"Right," Jason cleared his throat. He pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel. "I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."

Percy frowned. "Scipio...Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Annabeth put in. "They were a noble Roman family, and...wow, this place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..."

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. They'd made it. They'd landed in Rome—the Rome.

"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico has until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

Percy shook himself out of his daze. "You're right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which he could interpret just fine: Remember what I said, buddy. Keep that dream to yourself.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take us along," Evangeline finished. "Yeah, you should."

Annabeth faltered. "That's not—"

"Safe," Percy supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. We'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction and, hopefully, meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go alone from there."

"I'll go too," Landon said.

"Nuh-uh, Mister." Coach Hedge said. "You're staying here, where I can keep an eye on you."

The son of Hermes shot the goat a nasty look.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked as if coming out of a trance. "Um...hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh...Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "No problem,"

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask.

"Can I go too?" Lorelai asked. "I'm sure I can help."

"Yeah, she makes a great torchlight," Leo said.

She narrowed her eyes and held up her hand which was now glowing brightly in front of Leo's face.

"Shit!" Leo yelped, covering his eyes. "Cut it out!"

"You can come too, Lorelai," Hazel said.

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason, Landon, and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

"Good idea," Percy said. "How about we plan to meet back here at...what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris message."

The others nodded. Coach Hedge grunted. "That's give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull."

Percy looked around at his friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time they'd ever be together. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and the children of Hades, Poseidon, and Athena were first off the ship.

------✧------

A/N: The plagiarism thing is all sorted out now, they took the book down. So grateful for you guys helping me.

Anyways, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we have four maybe five more chapters left of moa.

I also thought the stables scene fit lannabeth better because of Landon's insomnia and him feeling safe enough around her to fall asleep.