The six had woken up and got off as far as Apollo could take them, a small ski town in the mountains of New Mexico: Cloudcroft.

The air was cold, thin, and even with Percy's new Nemean leather duster, he was shivering like crazy.

Percy had told Grover and Ashe about his own talk with Apollo, leading Ashe to do the same and show off his newest key- but not reveal the weapon.

From what the three had discussed their destination was San Francisco, where the remnants of Titan Magic converged into the Mountain of Despair.

Apollo suggested that if they didn't know what monster was capable of bringing down Olympus by the time they arrived, to seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. Apparently his knowledge sometimes slipped past the Oracle's prophecies.

Apollo had helped them a long way, so the three had very little reason to despair seeing as they were halfway there on the first of their seven day deadline.

However, when Grover began tailing Zoe in a trance, Percy revealed to Ashe that the General only had plans to keep Annabeth alive until the Winter Solstice- Friday, four days from now- before she'd be sacrificed.

The six stopped in the middle of town with seemingly no public transit in sight.

"Great. No bus station, no taxis. No car rental. No way out." Thalia whined.

"There's a coffee shop!" Grover exclaimed, making Thalia groan. Zoe seemed to like the idea. "Yes, coffee is good."

"And pastries- oh, and wax paper...!"

"Fine. You two go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check the grocery store for directions. Ashe-"

Thalia turned to him, only to see him walking away with a scowl. She clicked her tongue in response and turn back to the others.

"What's his deal?" Bianca asked. She sounded more concerned than impatient like her words portrayed.

"Maybe it's because two people won't stop hating his guts." Percy shrugged, trudging towards the grocery store. Bianca nervously followed as Zoe and Grover left.

Thalia huffed, expelling a breath of mist that made her shudder even more than she already was. She followed after the two and tried to explain that she didn't hate him.

•

Ashe was sitting down on a fountain, eyes closed as he tried to think about his place in the world.

Ever since he was comatose, it'd had been swept under a rug by most of his friends.

He wondered why he could suddenly perceive things thought not to exist. Why he could display immense strength that a teenager shouldn't possess. How the very gods he had never believed in began to favor him and reward him.

Who was he exactly?

He remembered being raised in an orphanage somewhere in North Carolina. He remembered his upbringing was as dull as it got.

A woman with dull grey hair raised him, taught him most of what he knew. She looked surprisingly young for how aged her hair was, but was most confusing was her distant look.

She always seemed to look after him like it was a task. There was no affection behind her actions up until the day he left.

She caught him sneaking out, and seemed to be proud of who he'd become- or rather, who he would become.

The look on her face...

Relief.

Like she was so sure he'd be great.

He didn't remember her name. She never gave it. He assumed she was like him, since she said she'd been there her whole life just as he had been.

Ashe wondered why only now he questioned is role in life.

Throughout everything he'd been through, why was it at the slope to the climax of this war brewing did he suddenly wonder if he belonged or not?

Was it because bigger pieces were in play?

Kronos, the Titan Lord who birthed the very gods of the modern day.

The Olympians themselves, who continued to shower him with favor and resentment.

In every prophecy, he wasn't included. He forced himself within- but one thing puzzled him.

Why did Chiron never have an issue with that...?

Was it because he didn't matter in the grand scheme of things? Was he that insignificant despite his growing power? Or was it that he had no control over the boy?

Was it because he was human that his involvement entirely didn't matter?

That couldn't be the case. The Mist exists for a reason.

So why could only he see beyond it, and trespass into the domain of the gods?

What was he?

"What will I become... mom...?" Ashe asked himself, staring at the sky.

He'd visit her after all of this was over. It was the least he could do.

Ashe stood up, wiping his eyes of the strain, and began walking down the main road. He saw several figures in the distance, and even heard a few gunshots before the loud thuds of some approaching figure in the distance.

He hadn't quickened his pace, and slowly arrived beside Bianca to see Grover in a semi-conscious daze on her back.

Ashe took him off her back, making Bianca suddenly swung her hunting knife back in fright. He leant aside to dodge, making Bianca gasp.

"There you are! Wh-Where have you been?!" She asked.

"Reflecting." Ashe answered lowly, his sudden dark tone making Bianca flinch. She awkwardly looked away as he faced forward, seeing massive wild boar the size of the grocery store and tusks the size of canoes.

It didn't take long for it to begin chasing Percy and Thalia due to her shield's depiction of Medusa. Rather crude, but it got the job done, dragging its attention away and all.

"You return..." Zoe glanced at Ashe, seeing a different look in his eyes than previous times they'd spoke.

"Yeah."

Even Grover was reluctant to speak to him. Something felt wrong. Ashe didn't seem himself.

"Let's see whether they've got it handled." Ashe muttered, walking away with a slow strut in the direction they were chased.

•

The six were staring at the boar lightly flailing its legs, almost completely covered in snow while upside down.

"A blessing of the Wild," Grover said with a hint of agitation.

"I agree. We must use it." Zoe replied.

"Hold up," Thalia, covered in snow and pine leaves, interrupted with a scowl. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

"It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?" Grover replied.

"Like... pig cowboys. Cool." Percy mumbled.

Grover continued to mutter in disdain about how he lost the scent of the Wild, what he'd been tracking for as long as he could remember- The Lord of the Wild: Pan.

Unfortunately, he and Zoe deduced that the scent no longer lingered, and thus they needed to depart.

•

The boar traveled until sunset. The ride was about as uncomfortable as possible atop such a beast, and it seemed everyone was ready to get off as the boar stopped at a creek to refresh itself.

"This is as far as he'll go," Grover exclaimed. "We need to get off while he's eating."

Ashe was the first to drop down and the others followed. After it consumed a few cacti of the Arizona desert, it made its way back to the mountains of New Mexico.

On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked like it hadn't been open since before Zoë Nightshade was born, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said Gila Claw, Arizona hanging crooked above the door.

Beyond that was a range of hills, but seeing as the countryside was way too flat for that, it was clear the hills were enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever.

"Something tells me we're not gonna find a car rental here," Thalia turned to Grover. "I don't suppose you've got another boar up your sleeve?"

He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to anyone else, but Grover looked concerned. "That's us," he said. "Those five nuts right there."

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoë suggested.

"Oh, shut up."

"That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble."

"A monster?" Thalia asked.

Grover looked uneasy, "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge..."

He pointed to the junkyard.

•

Zoe and Bianca produced five sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks. The size of their bags left that phenomenon very impossible by normal means.

Percy noticed the count, and wanted to tell Ashe that he could take his, but he had already began walking away to find shelter.

He and Grover stared solemnly at his back, but Thalia didn't seem to care much.

Unfortunately, such serenity wouldn't last.

A small light came from the sky catching all six teen's attention. There was a distinct glint in its form that Ashe recognized.

He suddenly summoned his bat as the glint caught fire and burst down towards him.

With a crash and explosion of sand and smog, Ashe was sent flying out of the gas with sparks of fire crackling on his clothes.

Unraveling his scarf, Ashe's eyes shone silver as he slid on his feet back into a lunge.

Ashe and Ares clashed broadsword and bat, treading backwards to circle around each other. Ashe suddenly lashed the scarf around Ares' wrist, tugging him forward.

Ares rolled his wrist and slid around, tugging Ashe over his shoulder and tried to slam him down into the ground.

However, the scarf suddenly raveled back up, zipping Ashe forward to kick Ares in the chin. He leapt off his recoiling body and slammed his bat down on Ares head, a wave of lightning surging through his body and to the ground.

Ashe dashed back, noticing that the charge in his bat had left, so he'd have to wait until his curse activated to use such a powerful attack again.

Ares felt the golden ichor running down his nose, growing far more frustrated than when they first fought.

"What the?! Why are you back?!" Percy furiously shouted, uncapping Riptide, but soon faltered realizing he was in one of the driest places in the country.

Ares paid him no mind either way, wanting to settle the score with the scum who defiled the gods' properties.

Ares analyzed Ashe's bat, and noticed the lightning that harmed him was gone. He grinned wickedly and rushed forward with fire trailing from his feet.

Ashe spun his keyring, switching from Concusser to Corona, lunging forward to match Ares speed.

Clashes of fire and light caused splashes of rainbows to pop from their battle. Bianca could only awe at the spectacle, unaware that Ashe was fighting for his life.

Ashe slid under a horizontal slash, blocking a diagonal hack before leaping back and firing a wave of light at Ares.

Ares deflect the blast, sending it barreling into the abandoned taco place, resulting in an explosion.

As the two rushed back towards each other, a white limousine finally pulled up on the two-way highway and screeched to a halt.

Ashe cleaved his hatchet upward, finally pressing forward enough to parry Ares sword. Unfortunately, he simply called it back to his hand and prepared to stab him.

With the two about to land fatal blows, Percy, Thalia, Grover, Bianca and Zoe caught their breath.

However, the two suddenly froze.

A pink aura began to creep over them, but Ashe suddenly broke free and glared at the limo. He sized up the dazed Ares and scowled at his form.

Feeling a faint whisper in his ear due his resistance to the familiar magic, he began walking to the limo.

"Ashe?" Percy called.

"I'll be a second. She wants to speak with you too," Ashe waved to the others as Zoe caught the scent of the magic binding Ares. Her nose twitched in disgust just as Thalia realized who it was.

"Aphrodite..." She muttered in disbelief.

•

Ashe sat down, staring at the plump woman who glared at him with a pout. He tried to ignore it, but she tugged on his scarf to make him face her.

"...What?" He asked stubbornly.

"You can't keep butting heads with him- he really wants to kill you, you know."

"I felt that..." Ashe spat as she pinched his cheek.

He closed his eyes with a hum, before taking in her appearance.

"I'm shocked you showed up in person. Aren't you worried-"

She pinched both of his cheeks and grumbled about how ignorant and rude he was. "I am what others perceive me to be, unlike you, dummy. It's annoying..."

"They will simply see what beauty means to them. They likely will not tie my being to a single face or description. Simply the word."

"Then I'm glad I have the luxury of seeing the real you."

Aphrodite recoiled in her seat and put up her hands in shock. She wasn't expecting such a suave move to be delivered so well from his stoic demeanor. There was a small smile on his face that displayed his gratitude, but she was sure that it was meant platonically.

"Oh jeez, you've gotta get out of this car before something bad happens..." Aphrodite glared at him lustfully, which he was incredibly ignorant to.

"Wow. Fine, I guess..." Ashe went to leave, but she grabbed his scarf and stopped him.

"I'll tell your disastrous friend this too, but make sure you don't meddle too much in my husband's territory. Don't take anything, okay?"

"Uh, sure. I'm sure I've got enough cool god stuff anyway." He plucked her scarf, making her gulp nervously.

She quickly shoved him out in a flustered hurry, "Talk later!"

Ashe stumbled out of the limo and began walking to his friends. Ares was out of his daze, glaring at Percy before he spotted Ashe. Ashe could tell it took everything in him not to resume their fight, and smirked because of it. He was clearly under orders.

"Your turn, kelp boy." Ares barked, shoving Percy towards the limo, but followed after him anyway.

Zoe, Bianca, Grover, and Thalia stared at Ashe after the wild ten minutes that had just past.

"You... you fought Ares... and wounded him again." Thalia was at a loss for words, as were the others until Grover suddenly leapt on Ashe's back with a grin.

"You actually fought Ares by yourself! You-You made him bleed!" He whisper shouted. With Grover being taller than him, Ashe nearly fell over.

"I couldn't have done it without... you know." Ashe summoned his hatchet, revealing Apollo's artifact.

"No way..." Grove and Thalia mumbled.

"You have half the gods trying to kill you, and the other half befriending you. What makes you so special...?" Thalia glared in confusion at him.

"What did you and... her... talk about?" Zoe asked skeptically.

"We caught up."

"Caught up?"

"Caught up, yeah."

"You're just casually friends with the Goddess of Love? Is that even possible?" Thalia didn't buy it. No way they were platonic... but she didn't wanna think about the God and a 13 year old boy any longer.

"Well, it's not like I bought this off her. She was actually the first god to actually intervene and help me. Athena spoke to me first, but it was out of curiosity."

Zoe held her tongue at questioning why he'd been so favored as a human. It didn't make a lick of sense. He'd done nothing for them other than serve as entertainment yet here he stood, powerful and supported.

It disgusted her the same way it impressed her.

It didn't take long for Percy to be out of the limo, and Ares to shove him back towards the others. Ares and the limo disappeared in a swirl of sand and dirt.

Suddenly, the taco place across the street was refurbished in a pulse of light from the neon signs. Ashe heard Aphrodite whisper about it in his ear, so he'd be sure to thank her later, and turned to the others.

"Grub." He waved them to follow.

•

After eating, the six were standing before Hephaestus' Junkyard.

Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.

"Whoa," Bianca said. "That stuff...some of it looks like real gold."

"It is," Thalia said grimly. "Like Percy said, don't touch anything. This is the junkyard of the gods."

"Junk?" Grover picked up a beautiful crown made of gold, silver, and jewels. It was broken on one side, as if it had been split by an axe. "You call this junk?"

He bit off a point and began to chew. "It's delicious!"

Thalia swatted the crown out of his hands. "I'm serious!"

"Look!" Bianca said. She raced down the hill, tripping over bronze coils and golden plates. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"

She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword!"

Zoë's face was grim. "Leave it, Bianca."

"But-"

"It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed."

Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down.

"I don't like this place," Thalia said, gripping the shaft of her spear.

The six began picking their way through the hills and valleys of junk, and much to Ashe, Thalia, and Zoe's dismay, Percy, Bianca, and Grover couldn't help but checkout whatever caught their eye.

They luckily would discard of the items before proceeding.

It didn't take any longer than an hour to pass over the junkyard, but near the end they arrived at very odd sight of bronze toes. Everyone caught one look of them, cringed, and decided to take the long way around the toes the size of goal post.

In only a few more minutes, the six made it back to the dusty highway with dimly light lampposts.

"We made it." Zoe let a small smile escape her lips. "Thank the gods."

The gods didn't appreciate that however.

Clangs and bangs the volume of a thousand trash compactors at work burst from the junkyard behind them. Everyone turned around to see that the junk itself seemed to be rising from the ground. What they had spotted earlier before proved to be actual toes. The ten toes stepped down and revealed a bronze giant in Greek battle armor.

He had to be the height of a seven story building. Even Ashe questioned how they prevail of this thing...

He looked down at the six with a deformed face. The left side was partially melted off, his joints creaked with rust, and across his armored chest, written in thick dust by some giant finger, were the words "WASH ME."

"Talos!" Zoë gasped.

"Who-who's Talos?" Percy stuttered.

"One of Hephaestus's creations," Thalia said. "But that can't be the original. It's too small. A prototype, maybe. A defective model."

Talos didn't take kindly to the word defective.

He unsheathed his sword and released a piercing sound of metal scraping metal. The blade was easily a hundred feet long, but was very dusty and dull.

"Someone took something," Zoe spat. "Who took something?"

She quickly glared at Percy and Ashe.

Percy shook his head, "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a thief."

Ashe gestured to his outfit. "I'm dripped out in divine artifacts, do I look like I need more?"

Zoe didn't have time to press them further because Talos closed the distance in a single step.

"Run!" Grover yelled.