▬▬▬ CHAPTER TWENTY NINE ▬▬▬

Merry early Christmas everyone! 🎅

Sorry for the late update! I had finals to worry about and a new thing to obsess over: Jujutsu Kaisen.

Yeah. Uh, I've been really obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen for the past couple of weeks. I literally even made a fanfic for it 💀💀💀

Any JJK fans here? Like I said, I made a fanfic, but it's still in the drafts. It's a YANDERE STORY featuring an OC with multiple unstable love interests. Because the JJK characters are infinitely more fucked up than the ones here, my JJK fic is gonna be more disturbing than this one so watch out for that.

It'll be the same level of disturbing as the Essan one shot, probs even worse hahahaha 💖

I have the first two chapters written out but I wanna make at least fifteen before publishing, so I'll tell you guys once it's out!

▬▬▬ CHAPTER TWENTY NINE ▬▬▬

ESMERELDA FACED THE FLOATING IRIS Message containing her father's visage while telling him about what was happening so far. Surprisingly, he took the whole 'the world is ending' part quite well.

"So if you fail to defeat them in August first, the world will end?" He hummed, sipping a cup of tea Kreacher prepared for him. "Hmm. That certainly sounds dire. But you've been keeping up with your French lessons, haven't you?"

She let out a sigh. "Oui."

He smirked knowingly. "Tu me mens, n'est-ce pas?"

Her face fell a little. "Uh... oui?"

He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "You just admitted to lying to me, dear. No matter. Luckily for you, we won't be moving to France after this whole quest is over with."

Esmerelda blinked. She disregarded the fact that he was already wholly confident in their skill in defeating Gaea (he was always confident in her when it came to beating up the bad guys), she was more focused on the whole moving part.

"Wait... we're moving?" She had to ask. Her fingers gripped the comforter of her bed.

"Oh no, no. You're not moving. I'm moving, and so is Sirius. We're getting our things ready for New York," he clarified, which got her shoulders to sink with relief. "The building was called the Icarus Tower, correct? How ironic..."

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Uncle Sirius agreed to move back to New York with us? I thought he wanted to stay in Britain and focus on Voldemort and the war."

A small smile crawled over his face. It didn't reach his eyes. "Not to worry about that. My brother and I have come to an agreement."

"An agreement?"

"Yes," he answered. "Sirius has agreed to stay with us back in New York until he's called over to Britain for whatever the Order needs him for or if the Potter boy requests his help."

"That's great!" A joyous look lit up her face. "He gets to stay with us and he gets to help the Order! We all win!"

"We sure do," he murmured, a sly smile over his mouth which he covered up when he lifted his teacup to his lips. "But I was thinking, dear..."

"Hm?"

"About having our own house," he continued, setting his teacup down. There was a weird look glinting in his sharp grey eyes. "Your friends and... Ethan," he said his name with great distaste. "Live in the penthouse as well, correct? That seems a little crowded, don't you think?"

"Um, actually dad, the penthouse has fifteen bedrooms—" She tried to point out.

"—Exactly. It's much too small for us," he cut her off with a shake of his head. "So I was thinking that we could get our own house, an estate if you will. One much more secluded from the rest of the busy city. You would have more space and privacy to practice your spells or train, and I'd get some peace from the loud streets. And don't worry about your friends, they can still have Icarus Tower. I just feel like it would be better for us to live together. You, me, and Sirius. Like a proper family. Oh and Kreacher, of course. We do need our favorite house-elf after all."

The phrase 'proper family' kept echoing in her head by the time Regulus finished.

Already she could imagine what that would be like. She and her dad living together like regular families do, with her uncle staying with them. He could help her with her homework or help her study for tests, and she could go to her uncle for hair or fashion tips. Kreacher could be like the grumpy butler who's loyal to the family but hates the uncle.

In other words, she loved it.

"That's a great idea!" She exclaimed, and Regulus smiled at her excitement. She didn't seem to notice the dark undertones behind it. "But, um, I'd still be able to attend Goode High School, right?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Though that other school you told me about—the one your friend, Rachel Dare, attends—sounds more preferable. Clarion Ladies Academy, right?"

Esmerelda paled. As cool as it would be to go to school with Rachel, Clarion Ladies Academy was all the way in New Hampshire.

"Please don't," she said.

"Alright fine," he sighed. "But I'm glad you at least agree with the house idea. I'll do some research to see if there's any good land we can buy, and I'll have to contact a builder... Specifically, a wizard. They're just much faster with the building process and we can talk about protective charms too..."

He was already alone in his own world right now, muttering future plans about the house. Honestly, every second of this made Esmerelda even happier. She couldn't wait for this quest to be over so she could be with her family at last.

Of course, there was the issue of where Nico would stay. Hopefully Nico would live with her, but she figured Ethan might miss him too so he could probably stay over at the penthouse to hang out with Ethan whenever he wanted. Plus, the Stolls would drive her boyfriend crazy, so having Nico there would be good for him!

But in order for any of that to happen, they needed to destroy Gaea and her stupid army of children and monsters first. And pull Percy and Annabeth out from Tartarus, naturally. That was the most important thing they needed to do.

None of them were handling the loss well, but they knew they needed to pull themselves together if they wanted to save them and save the world. Speaking of that, it was getting late... dinner would start soon.

"Oh dad," she said regretfully. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

His face fell a little. "Right. I understand. Stay safe on your quest, Esmerelda."

She offered him a reassuring smile before swiping her hand through the Iris Message.

A head peeked out from the edge of the bed.

"Is he gone?" Ethan whispered.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Oh thank gods," he rose from the floor. He had been hiding down there ever since the Iris Message came in. "He scared the shit outta me. Where'd he even get the drachmas to IM you?"

The two had been making out on the bed when Ethan quickly spotted the shimmery image slowly beginning to form in front of him. The second he realized what was going on—and who was trying to contact them—he threw himself off the edge of the bed and hid there until the conversation was done.

"Oh, Harley gave me some drachmas before we got taken away by Hera, and I gave some to my dad so he could contact me any time he wanted," she explained sheepishly. "I'm surprised it took him so long to do it."

He tugged his shirt and pants back on. The mood had been completely ruined thanks to Regulus' abrupt appearance. "So... what he said about moving..."

"It's not like we won't see each other," she began.

"Essie, if we live through this, I won't even be attending Goode with you. I've already graduated, remember? Now I won't even get to live with you..."

"You can still visit any time you want!" She chimed in, looking a little anxious.

He nodded absentmindedly. He figured he could make regular visits into the house until he was basically moving in with them. Regulus wouldn't like it, but he would just have to deal with it.

But something was definitely weird about the older man's idea. He had no doubt that Regulus was purposely trying to isolate themselves by putting them in a secluded house (he would've done that too), but he could tell that the 'agreement' he and Sirius made wasn't a genuine one. Regulus must have been planning something to keep Sirius in the house, and in turn, keep Esmerelda.

Nevertheless, he didn't really care about what Regulus was scheming. As long as it wasn't taking Esmerelda away from him, then he was fine with whatever the man was concocting.

A few minutes later, they headed down the mess hall for dinner. Nico was already there with Hazel sitting next to him. Frank was miserably eating a pork chop, Leo was stuffing his face with pizza, Jason was slurping a bowl of soup while Piper was watching him eat. Coach Hedge was at the back, already aggressively eating a salad.

Esmerelda couldn't help but let her eyes trail over to the two empty seats at the table. Percy and Annabeth's chairs. It was almost painful to look at really, but she could imagine the pair of them eating alongside them. Annabeth would be eating her food like a normal person would while Percy would probably be trying to start a food war with Leo.

"How long do you think it'll take us to cross the Apennine Mountains?" Jason began the conversation.

"Maybe a week," Leo said glumly. "It's the quickest way to reach Epirus though. Any other path would be too long or too dangerous or both. Just over the Apennines and across the Adriatic Sea."

Jason nodded quietly before shoving another spoonful of soup into his mouth.

And that was the end of the conversation. Without Percy and Annabeth, things just weren't as lively anymore.

For Esmerelda, dinner was short. She ate quickly and when Nico was too tired to do anything else, she walked him back to their room so he could have a good night's rest. Ethan followed half an hour later.

The room was dark when he walked in. He would've turned the lights on, but he could see Esmerelda and Nico already dozing off on the bed. He tiptoed over to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth (it was always important to stay hygienic even in the middle of a death quest).

After that, he quietly walked towards the bed and quietly groaned in annoyance. Not only was Nico snuggled close to Esmerelda's side—which was supposed to be his spot—but the kid was also hogging the entire blanket. Of fucking course.

As carefully as he could, he tried to pry Nico away from her so he could reclaim his spot. But then Nico let out an irked grunt and pushed his face away.

"Stop it," he grumbled sleepily.

"There's extra rooms, you know," Ethan glared half-heartedly at him.

Nico opened his eyes and sent him a matching glare. "Exactly. So go use one of those."

"I was here first!"

"Well mom loves me more!"

This little shit, Ethan thought, internally fuming. He was SO lucky he cared about him or else he would've pushed him off the side of the bed.

Instead of doing that (which would've really pissed his girlfriend off) he settled with laying down on Nico's other side instead so he would be sandwiched between them. At least this way, the brat wouldn't accidentally roll off the bed and hit the floor...

(But he still hated him for hogging his girlfriend and the blankets.)

It took him a while to drift off into sleep. Nico's light snores were bugging him and it didn't help he kicked in his sleep. Or maybe he wasn't really asleep and fucking gremlin was just kicking him on purpose. He wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.

After about an hour or so getting kicked around, he finally managed to go to sleep...

...Only to wake up an hour or two later.

He could hear a loud THUD sound coming from outside the room.

Followed by another, one, and then another one, and then another one.

Angrily, he got out of bed (without waking Esmerelda or Nico up) and stormed out of the room. The thudding noises continued, but it wasn't coming from the hallways, which were empty. He climbed out and went to the mess hall, only to stop right outside the door when he heard raucous laughter.

You have GOT to be kidding me! He wanted to punch something. It was one o'clock in the morning and the boys were STILL awake.

He didn't hesitate to burst into the room, scaring the living daylights out of everyone inside. Jason, Leo, and Frank all jumped in their seats, staring at him like a deer in the headlights.

He didn't bother to lower his voice as he gave him the harshest scolding he could manage this late at night.

"What the fuck are you brats doing?!" He demanded. "Do I need to give you fucking idiots a gods damn bedtime?!"

Jason was tightly clutching a napkin that was folded into a swan. "W-we were just—"

"—Do you know what time it is right now?!" He cut him off, glaring deep into their souls. "It's past midnight! Do you realize how late that is?! We might have a fight to the death early in the morning and you should be in bed resting for it! Yet you're over here causing a nuisance! Gods, you're lucky Essie didn't wake up, and have you forgotten that Nico's just sleeping nearby? He's trying to recover and you guys could've woken him up! Why can't you be more like the girls, at least they're aware that we have shit to do tomorrow!"

Frank looked like he wanted to shift into a mouse and hide away. "We're sorry," he squeaked.

"Aw man," Leo moaned when he looked at the clock. "Ethan, bro, we're sorry. We hadn't even realized how much time had passed. We were just swapping stories about our camps and we lost track of time..."

He scowled at them. "Well you don't need to be throwing shit around, alright? So cut it out and get your asses to bed."

"Wait, what?" Jason shot him a confused look. "We weren't throwing anything around?"

It was Ethan's turn to frown in confusion. "You weren't? I kept hearing these loud noises—"

—THUD!

"Like that..." He finished, staring suspiciously at the direction at the door. He turned back to the boys, his face suddenly cautious. "Weapons out."

"Maybe a bird just hit us," Frank said hopefully as they crept out of the mess hall.

"With our luck, it's probably a Stymphalian bird," Jason muttered under his breath.

"Or a strix," Ethan added bitterly.

"Shhh!" Leo said. "I hear it again!"

They made it out to the deck, where the thud sounds were the loudest. The first thing they noticed were all the random boulders that scattered the floor. Upon closer inspection, they were all various sizes and jaggedness.

Ethan leaned down to pick it up. It was as large as his head.

"A rock?" He furrowed his brows. "How the hell did it get up here? I mean, we're all the way in the skies."

"Is it a meteorite?" Frank wondered, looking up as if he would find a meteor shower overhead. No such luck.

While the others kept checking out all the other fallen boulders, Frank still had his neck craned up to look upwards like he was determined to find a meteor shower. Instead, he found something a lot worse.

Another chunk of rock was falling from the skies, heading straight for them. This particular one was a lot larger than the rest and definitely huge enough to kill on impact.

"Guys," he tried to alert them, keeping his gaze up.

"Are we near any mountain ranges?" Jason was asking Leo.

"Yeah, but they're under us!" Leo replied.

"GUYS! RUN!" Frank screamed. He tackled Ethan and out of the way. Jason, who finally looked up above, hurriedly did the same with Leo.

BOOM!

The gigantic boulder finally crashed onto the deck, crushing the floorboards underneath its heavy weight. It didn't go through it, thankfully, but stayed embedded between the boards instead.

"What the fuck is that?!" Leo squawked. And then his expression turned to anger. He whipped out his hammer and began to wave it threateningly at the sky. "Who is trying to destroy my ship?! You better show yourself so I can—"

"—ANOTHER ONE COMING!" Ethan warned.

Leo let out a frightened noise before diving for cover.

The next boulder that came crashing in struck the mast with a loud CRACK!

Ethan grasped the rails, holding on tight so he wouldn't be thrown off. He glanced down and that was when he saw it.

The clouds underneath the ship parted just long enough to reveal the top of the mountain below them: a spearhead of black rock jutting from mossy green slopes. Standing at the summit was a man. There was no way he was a regular mountain climber because he was wearing an Ancient Greek tunic and no sane dude would climb a mountain in a dress.

He was about twenty feet tall and extremely muscular, with a flowing white beard, scraggly hair and a wild look in his eyes, like a crazy hermit. He bellowed something Ethan didn't understand, but it obviously wasn't welcoming. With his bare hands, he pried another chunk of rock from his mountain and began shaping it into a ball. And then, he hurled it up at them.

Before Ethan could warn the others about it, Jason soared overhead and pushed his arm down. The wind forced the rock away from the ship and smacked the mountain man head on, which probably didn't make him happy.

"It's one of the numina montanum!" The blonde called out.

"A what?!" Leo shouted.

"Ourae," Ethan translated into Greek. "A mountain god, basically."

"Why's he attacking us?" Frank asked.

Jason redirected another boulder.

"Oh fuck," Ethan suddenly cursed, remembering something about them. "They're attacking us because they're children of Gaea!"

And if he remembered correctly, there were supposed to be ten of them. How fun.

Suddenly more voices entered the scene.

"What is going on?!" Said a shrill voice and Ethan internally groaned. Piper.

He glanced back to see Nico and the girls flooding into the deck, their dazed faces taking in all the boulders that damaged the ship.

Esmerelda was keeping a tight grip on Nico's shoulders, keeping the boy close to her as she looked around. And then her eyes locked with his.

"Ethan, where are all these—"

"—Watch out!" Jason yelped.

Another boulder launched their way, one that Jason couldn't redirect since he was busy pushing down the other boulders the god was throwing at them.

Esmerelda raised a hand and the rock bounced off of an invisible shield she summoned just in time. It fell back down to the mountain and they could hear the god curse at them.

She let out a tired sigh. "Gods," she groaned. "This trip is going to be awful."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

'Awful' was exactly the way to put it.

For the next few days, the ourae were relentless. Day one, they broke the mast and Leo freaked out and pelted them with explosives (which may or may not have caused a rockslide in the Apennine Mountains. Day two, they broke the mast again and Esmerelda had to hold Leo back from jumping overboard to fight the gods.

And well, yeah, you get the point. Jason and Esmerelda were pretty much the only people who could fight off against the ten gods and deflect or block the boulders they were throwing at them, so they were completely overworked throughout the days they spent trying to cross the Apennine Mountains. Leo and Coach Hedge worked too, Leo with the repairs and Coach Hedge going crazy with the ballistae. Nico would've helped, but he was still recovering and Esmerelda and Ethan would've committed a murder together if anyone made Nico work.

Hazel had no idea how many days it had been since the first attack—three? Four? She really wasn't keeping count—but she knew the Argo II couldn't handle any more damage.

The only other people who were fighting, protecting, and making repairs at this hour were her, Nico, and Leo. The others were still dead asleep, Esmerelda and Jason in particular were sleeping like coma patients. Nobody wanted to wake them up since they had been working so hard to fend off the gods, they deserved the rest.

But the attacks had gotten so bad that Leo had to fly them away. They managed to flee which was great and all, but they needed to get across that mountain range. All the other options would take way too long or they would be too risky.

Hazel tried praying to her father for help. She was certain he heard because Arion came not even a minute later. After reassuring Leo and Nico that she would be okay, she mounted her beloved horse and let him guide her to wherever he needed.

...But then she immediately regretted it once she realized where he was taking her.

A mile away, on the crest of the next hill, a storm had gathered over some old stone ruins—maybe the remains of a Roman temple or a fortress. A funnel cloud snaked its way down toward the hill like an inky black finger.

The storm swallowed the hill in a swirling cone of black vapor, and Arion charged straight into it for some crazy, suicidal reason.

Hazel found herself at the summit, but it felt like a different dimension. The world lost its color. The walls of the storm encircled the hill in murky black. The sky churned gray. The crumbling ruins were bleached so white, they almost glowed. Even Arion had turned from caramel brown to a dark shade of ash.

In the eye of the tempest, the air was still. Hazel's skin tingled coolly, as if she'd been rubbed with alcohol. In front of her, an arched gateway led through mossy walls into some sort of enclosure.

Hazel couldn't see much through the gloom, but she felt a presence within, as if she were a chunk of iron close to a large magnet. Its pull was irresistible, dragging her forward.

"Let's go, then, boy." Her voice sounded muffled, as if she were speaking into a pillow.

Arion trotted through the stone archway. Ruined walls bordered a square courtyard about the size of a tennis court. Three other gateways, one in the middle of each wall, led north, east, and west. In the center of the yard, two cobblestone paths intersected, making a cross. Mist hung in the air—hazy shreds of white that coiled and undulated as if they were alive.

Not mist, she realized. The Mist.

She should've realized it sooner after spending so much time with Esmerelda. Then again, this sort of Mist was nothing like the kind Esmerelda could create. The pure magic radiating from the older girl felt gentle and harmless (unless she was trying to kill something), but the magic she could feel here was malevolent and so powerful Hazel could feel her legs start to buckle.

In the distance, a dog howled. Arion wasn't usually scared of anything, but he reared, huffing nervously.

"It's okay." Hazel stroked his neck. "We're in this together. I'm going to get down, all right?"

She slid off Arion's back. Instantly he turned and ran.

"Arion, wai—"

But he'd already disappeared the way he'd come.

So much for being in this together.

Another howl cut through the air—closer this time.

Hazel stepped toward the center of the courtyard. The Mist clung to her like freezer fog.

"Hello?" She called out before mentally slapping herself.

If Ethan were here, he'd be dragging her back to the ship and giving her a very lengthy lecture about how stupid it was to act like 'the brainless morons in horror movies that are always the first to get killed'.

"Hello," a voice answered back.

Hazel nearly went into cardiac arrest.

Three women appeared, each stood in front of the three gateways. They looked identical, but with different coloring. One had red hair and bright blue eyes, the other was blonde with onyx eyes, and the last one was dark haired and green eyed—an almost spitting image of Esmerelda.

Her form was blurred, made from Mist, and she was trailed by two smaller wisps of smoke, darting at her heels like animals. Some sort of pets?

She reached the center of the courtyard and her three forms merged into one. She solidified into a young woman in a dark sleeveless gown. Her golden hair was gathered into a high-set ponytail, Ancient Greek style. Her dress was so silky, it seemed to ripple, as if the cloth were ink spilling off her shoulders. She looked no more than twenty, but Hazel knew that meant nothing.

"Hazel Levesque," said the woman.

She was beautiful, but deathly pale. Hazel remembered catching glimpses of some vampire movie back in the 1940s. The actresses were so pale and beautiful with blood red lips and everything—but this woman put those actresses to shame.

"You're Hecate," Hazel said nervously. This woman radiated power. Everything around them—the swirling Mist, the monochromatic storm, the eerie glow of the ruins—was because of her presence.

Right now, she didn't look much like her daughter thanks to the blonde hair and black eyes. But according to Esmerelda, Hecate had three forms: a morning form, a noon form, and a night form. It was still early in the morning, so early that the sky was a dark colored blue, so this must have been her morning form.

"That's correct," the woman nodded. "First, let me give you some light."

She raised her hands. Suddenly she was holding two old-fashioned reed torches, guttering with fire. The Mist receded to the edges of the courtyard. At the woman's sandaled feet, the two wispy animals took on solid form. One was a black Labrador retriever. The other was a long, gray, furry rodent with a white mask around its face. A weasel, maybe?

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hazel," she began. "We have much to discuss if you're to live through tonight."

On either side of the crossroads, two dark metal torch-stands erupted from the dirt like plant stalks. Hecate fixed her torches in them, then walked a slow circle around Hazel, regarding her as if they were partners in some eerie dance.

The black dog and the weasel followed in her wake.

"You are like your mother," Hecate decided.

Hazel's throat constricted. "You knew her?"

"Of course. Marie was a fortune-teller. She dealt in charms and curses and gris-gris. I am the goddess of magic."

Those pure black eyes seemed to pull at Hazel, as if trying to extract her soul. During her first lifetime in New Orleans, Hazel had been tormented by the kids at St. Agnes School because of her mother. They called Marie Levesque a witch. The nuns muttered that Hazel's mother was trading with the Devil.

If the nuns were scared of my mom, Hazel wondered. What would they make of this goddess?

"Many fear me," Hecate said, as if reading her thoughts. "But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."

"My—my mother..." Hazel stammered. "She didn't believe in magic. Not really. She was just faking it, for the money."

The weasel chittered and bared its teeth. The rodent's red eyes glared at her balefully, like tiny coals.

"Peace, Gale," said Hecate. She gave Hazel an apologetic shrug. "Gale does not like hearing about nonbelievers and con artists. She herself was once a witch, you see."

"Your weasel was a witch?"

"She's a polecat, actually," Hecate said. "But, yes—Gale was once a disagreeable human witch back in... what was it? The 1300s, I believe. She was very rude, though that's to be expected since she was raised as a blood supremacist. I got tired of her attitude so I killed her family and turned her into a polecat as punishment."

"Oh. Okay." Hazel said weakly.

"She's much better as a polecat," Hecate smiled thinly.

Hazel swallowed. She looked at the black dog, which was affectionately nuzzling the goddess' hand. "And your Labrador...?"

"Oh, she's Hecuba, the former queen of Troy," Hecate said, as if that should be obvious.

The dog grunted.

"You're right, Hecuba," the goddess said. "We don't have time for long introductions. The point is, Hazel Levesque, your mother may have claimed not to believe, but she later learned that she did come from a family of witches and wizards."

"W-what...?"

"You're close with my daughter, right? Has she ever told you what a squib is?" Hecate asked.

Hazel was still reeling at disbelief at the first thing Hecate told her. "I, um—no? Essie doesn't... she doesn't really talk about the wizarding world a lot..."

Hecate grimaced. "That's understandable. A squib is a person who was born from at least one magical parent but didn't inherit any magical abilities themselves. You and Marie came from a long line of squibs, you see. Back in the early 1400s, the magic in your bloodline came to an end. Your mother was unaware of this, but eventually she found out."

Hazel was speechless. Her mother had never told her about any of this... but then again, it made sense. Her mother was rarely ever honest with her.

"When she searched for a spell to summon the god Pluto, I helped her find it," Hecate said. "Usually I would've ignored her, but she was quite determined to summon him despite her lack of magic. I was impressed by her tenacity."

"You...?"

"Yes." Hecate continued circling Hazel. "I saw potential in your mother. I see even more potential in you."

Hazel's head spun. She remembered her mother's confession just before she had died: how she'd summoned Pluto, how the god had fallen in love with her, and how, because of her greedy wish, her daughter Hazel had been born with a curse. Hazel could summon riches from the earth, but anyone who used them would suffer and die.

Now this goddess was saying that she had made all that happen.

"My mother suffered because of that magic," she began shakily. My whole life—"

"—Your life wouldn't have happened without me," Hecate said flatly. "I have no time for your anger. Neither do you. Without my help, you will die."

The black dog snarled. The polecat snapped its teeth and passed gas.

Hazel felt like her lungs were filling with hot sand.

"What kind of help?" She demanded.

Hecate raised her pale arms. The three gateways she'd come from—north, east, and west—began to swirl with Mist. A flurry of black-and-white images glowed and flickered, like the old silent movies that were still playing in theaters sometimes when Hazel was small.

In the western doorway, Roman and Greek demigods in full armor fought one another on a hillside under a large pine tree. The grass was strewn with the wounded and the dying. Hazel saw herself riding Arion, charging through the melee and shouting—trying to stop the violence.

In the gateway to the east, she saw the Argo II plunging through the sky above the Apennines. Its rigging was in flames. A boulder smashed into the quarterdeck. Another punched through the hull. The ship burst like a rotten pumpkin, and the engine exploded.

The images in the northern doorway were even worse. She saw Leo, unconscious—or dead—falling through the clouds. She saw Frank staggering alone down a dark tunnel, clutching his arm, his shirt soaked in blood. And she saw herself in a vast cavern filled with strands of light like a luminous web. She was struggling to break through while, in the distance, Percy and Annabeth lay sprawled and unmoving at the foot of two black-and-silver metal doors.

"Choices," said Hecate. "You stand at the crossroads, Hazel Levesque. And I am the goddess of crossroads."

The ground rumbled at Hazel's feet. She looked down and saw the glint of silver coins... thousands of old Roman denarii breaking the surface all around her, as if the entire hilltop was coming to a boil. She'd been so agitated by the visions in the doorways that she must have summoned every bit of silver in the surrounding countryside.

"The past is close to the surface in this place," Hecate said. "In ancient times, two great Roman roads met here. News was exchanged. Markets were held. Friends met, and enemies fought. Entire armies had to choose a direction. Crossroads are always places of decision."

"Like... like Janus."

The goddess of magic made a disgusted hiss. "Janus and his doorways. He would have you believe that all choices are black or white, yes or no, in or out. In fact, it's not that simple. Whenever you reach the crossroads, there are always at least three ways to go... four, if you count going backward. You are at such a crossing now, Hazel."

Hazel looked again at each swirling gateway: a demigod war, the destruction of the Argo II, disaster for herself and her friends. "All the choices are bad."

"All choices have risks," the goddess corrected. "But what is your goal?"

"My goal?" Hazel waved helplessly at the doorways. "None of these."

The dog Hecuba snarled. Gale the polecat skittered around the goddess's feet, farting and gnashing her teeth.

"You could go backward," Hecate suggested. "Retrace your steps to Rome... but Gaea's forces are expecting that. None of you will survive."

"So... what are you saying?"

Hecate stepped to the nearest torch. She scooped a handful of fire and sculpted the flames until she was holding a miniature relief map of Italy.

"You could go west." Hecate let her finger drift away from her fiery map. "Go back to America with your prize, the Athena Parthenos. Your comrades back home, Greek and Roman, are on the brink of war. Leave now, and you might save many lives."

"Might," Hazel repeated. "But Gaea is supposed to wake up in Greece. That's where the giants are gathering."

"True. Gaea has set the date of August first, the Feast of Spes, goddess of hope, for her rise to power. By waking on the Day of Hope, she intends to destroy all hope forever. Even if you reached Greece by then, could you stop her? I do not know." Hecate traced her finger along the tops of the fiery Apennines. "You could go east, across the mountains, but Gaea will do anything to stop you from crossing Italy. She has raised her mountain gods against you."

"We noticed," Hazel said.

"Any attempt to cross the Apennines will mean the destruction of your ship. Ironically, this might be the safest option for your crew. I foresee that all of you would survive the explosion. It is possible, though unlikely, you could still reach Epirus and close the Doors of Death. You might find Gaea and prevent her rise. But by then, both demigod camps would be destroyed. You would have no home to return to." Hecate smiled.

Hazel's stomach churned with discomfort.

She was beginning to see why Esmerelda rarely talked about her mother. The other Greeks spoke about their own parents. Percy complimented her dad a lot, Annabeth was proud to be Athena's daughter, Ethan would make blunt remarks about his mom, Leo mentioned Hephaestus once or twice, and Piper... uh, well, she made her opinion about Aphrodite known.

But she couldn't really remember Esmerelda talking about Hecate at all.

Maybe this is why, Hazel thought.

"More likely, the destruction of your ship would strand you in the mountains," Hecate continued. She spoke with an airy tone as if she was talking about the weather and not the deaths of innocent people. "It would mean the end of your quest, but it would spare you and your friends much pain and suffering in the days to come. The war with the giants would have to be won or lost without you."

She looked around at all the gateways, all showing grim depictions of her and her friends. But something was missing.

"Where's Essie?" She murmured aloud.

Hecate's face tightened. "My daughter's fate is... unknown to me. I believe it's the work of the Fates. I've been too interested in my daughter's life, so they left me blinded to her future along with... others."

Hazel stared at her warily. The goddess wore a pinched expression as if she was containing her anger. She wondered if 'others' meant Hecate's other kids. Nevertheless, she sounded like she cared about her children if she was watching over them so much that the Fates had to intervene.

Suddenly the middle gateway caught her eye. She saw Percy and Annabeth sprawled helplessly before those black-and-silver doors. A massive dark shape, vaguely humanoid, now loomed over them, its foot raised as if to crush Percy.

"What about them?" Hazel asked, her voice ragged. "Percy and Annabeth?"

Hecate shrugged. "West, east, or south... they die."

"Not an option," Hazel said.

"Then you have only one path, though it is the most dangerous."

Hecate's finger crossed her miniature Apennines, leaving a glowing white line in the red flames. "There is a secret pass here in the north, a place where I hold sway, where Hannibal once crossed when he marched against Rome."

The goddess made a wide loop... to the top of Italy, then east to the sea, then down along the western coast of Greece. "Once through the pass, you would travel north to Bologna, and then to Venice. From there, sail the Adriatic to your goal, here: Epirus in Greece."

"That's so far out of the way." Hazel frowned.

"Which is why Gaea will not expect you to take this route," Hecate said. "I can obscure your progress somewhat, but the success of your journey will depend on you, Hazel Levesque. You must learn to use the Mist."

The last part stunned her so much that she needed some time to register her words.

"Wait... what?" She pointed to herself. "You want me to use the Mist?

Hecate's face showed a flicker of annoyance. "That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"But—but...! What about Essie?" She asked incredulously. "Essie can use the Mist!"

"Esmerelda is only one person," the goddess replied smoothly. "She's an amazing witch and an even better hero, but she's no limitless robot. She does need her breaks and rest, after all. She cannot do everything on her own."

Hazel wanted to protest, but Hecate quickly extinguished her map of Italy. She flicked her hand at the black dog Hecuba. Mist collected around the Labrador until she was completely hidden in a cocoon. The fog cleared with an audible poof! Where the dog had stood was a disgruntled-looking black kitten with golden eyes.

"Mew," it complained.

"I am the goddess of the Mist," Hecate explained. "I am responsible for keeping the veil that separates the world of the gods from the world of mortals. My children learn to use the Mist to their advantage, to create illusions or influence the minds of mortals. Other demigods can do this as well. And so must you, Hazel, if you are to help your friends."

"But..." Hazel looked at the cat. She knew it was actually Hecuba, the black Labrador, but she couldn't convince herself. The cat seemed so real. "I can't do that."

"Your mother had the talent," Hecate said. "You have even more. As a child of Pluto who has returned from the dead, you understand the veil between worlds better than most. You can control the Mist. If you do not... well, your brother Nico has already warned you. The spirits have whispered to him, told him of your future. When you reach the House of Hades, you will meet a formidable enemy. She cannot be overcome by strength or sword. You alone can defeat her, and you will require magic."

Hazel's legs felt wobbly, but she noticed one important thing.

Before, Hecate talked about Esmerelda and Hazel working together. But now... now Hecate was suddenly talking as if Hazel was going to do all this on her own.

"Who?" Hazel croaked. "Who is this enemy?"

"You'll find out who she is," Hecate said ominously, which wasn't very helpful. "That would alert her to your presence before you are ready to face her. Go north, Hazel. As you travel, practice summoning the Mist. When you arrive in Bologna, seek out the two dwarfs. They will lead you to a treasure that may help you survive in the House of Hades."

"I don't understand."

"Mew," the kitten complained.

"Yes, yes, Hecuba." The goddess flicked her hand again, and the cat disappeared. The black Labrador was back in its place.

"You will understand, Hazel," the goddess promised. "From time to time, I will send Gale to check on your progress."

The polecat hissed, its beady red eyes full of malice.

"Wonderful," Hazel muttered.

"Before you reach Epirus, you must be prepared," Hecate said. "If you succeed, then perhaps we will meet again... for the final battle."

And here she went again. Esmerelda was suddenly no longer part of the equation. Hazel wanted to know why Hecate seemingly wanted her to do this on her own.

"Why are you helping me?" Hazel demanded. "At Camp Jupiter, they said you sided with the Titans in the last war."

Hecate's dark eyes glinted. "Because I am a Titan—daughter of Perses and Asteria. Long before the Olympians came to power, I ruled the Mist. Despite this, in the First Titan War, millennia ago, I sided with Zeus against Kronos. I was not blind to Kronos's cruelty. I hoped Zeus would prove a better king."

She gave a small, bitter laugh. "When Demeter lost her daughter Persephone, kidnapped by your father, I guided Demeter through the darkest night with my torches, helping her search. And when the giants rose the first time, I again sided with the gods. I fought my archenemy Clytius, made by Gaea to absorb and defeat all my magic."

"Clytius." Hazel's voice turned feeble. "Is he the threat in the House of Hades?"

"Oh, he waits for you there," Hecate said. "But first you must defeat the witch. Unless you manage that..."

Suddenly she paused and turned to the side. Hazel followed her gaze but saw nothing there.

"Oh dear," Hecate murmured quietly. She quickly snapped her fingers and all of the gateways turned dark. The Mist dissolved, the images gone.

"We'll have to end this conversation short, Hazel, but—"

"—Hold on," she brought a hand up. "Wait a second... You... you talk as if you want me to do this all on my own. You want me to fight this—this super powerful enemy and a giant? Isn't Clytius the same one who killed Essie? How on earth do you expect me to—"

The area darkened instantly and Hazel sucked in a breath. The temperature turned ice cold and she could see all the shadows around her churn in anger.

"I don't like being reminded of another one of my losses," Hecate said darkly. "And frankly, Hazel, I don't really care about what you think or what you want. Just know that your choices are limited, and it would be wise to take this seriously."

Hazel gulped inaudibly. Hecate definitely wasn't in a happy mood anymore. She seemed a lot less controlled now. Unhinged even.

"We all face choices," the goddess said. "When Kronos arose the second time, I made a mistake. I supported him. I had grown tired of being ignored by the so-called major gods. Despite my years of faithful service, they mistrusted me, refused me a seat in their hall..."

The polecat Gale chittered angrily.

"It does not matter anymore." The goddess sighed. "I have made peace again with Olympus. Even now, when they are laid low—their Greek and Roman personas fighting each other—I will help them. I will assist you against the giants, if you prove yourself worthy. So now it is your choice, Hazel Levesque. Will you trust me... or will you shun me, as the Olympian gods have done too often?"

Blood roared in Hazel's ears. Could she trust this dark goddess, who'd given her mother the magic that ruined her life? Sorry, no. She didn't much like Hecate's dog or her gassy polecat, either.

But she also knew she couldn't let Percy and Annabeth die.

She opened her mouth to agree to the plan, only to be cut off.

Another figure appeared in a poof of green behind her. Hazel couldn't see who it was, but she immediately recognized the voice.

"Mother," came Esmerelda's clipped voice. "What do you think you're doing with Hazel?"

— author's note —

YOU FINALLY GET TO MEET LOU ELLEN'S GIRLFRIEND, MABEL, IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!

:)

Essie fanart from ariadne_starling:

From goldenfleece: