Prologue
Posted: Tuesday 19th March 2024

With the Second Titan War behind us and my newfound immortality, I settled into a new life.

Chiron invited me to be a guest trainer at camp, having been impressed by how long I held up in single combat against the Titan Lord.

"He basically killed me, you know that right?" I protested.

"Nevertheless my girl, you held your own very well, allowing our forces vital time before Kronos infiltrated Olympus."

"If you're sure," I told Chiron, "I'm not sure you want me though, I'm not the best influence."

"You'll be fantastic," Chiron promised.

That's how I ended up spending some of my days teaching close combat to campers. I spent my evenings on Olympus with Apollo. I wasn't sure why, but despite being immortal I felt as though my time with him was finite.

We spent as much time together as we could, taking walks around Olympus, where Annabeth's redesigns were already taking form, exploring the mortal world and simply enjoying each other's company.

The one black spot in my otherwise perfect life was the threat Nyx had left me with. I was to await her call. I wasn't sure what it meant and I knew that I didn't want to answer her call, but I wasn't sure I would be able to resist. In her presence I believed I would have done anything she asked of me without hesitation and only question it once she had left. I was beyond angry with her for tricking me and with myself for allowing myself to be tricked.

Apollo knew nothing of my worries, I tried to push them to the back of my mind and enjoy my time. But I knew Nyx had some motive and I couldn't shake the thought that it was linked to the weapon that Apollo and I were supposed to create together. But I knew nothing more than a funny feeling, I could do nothing.

I spent time with my friends, I grew closer with Percy and Annabeth, and many of the other campers. Everyone was recovering slowly from the war, but slowly Camp regained a spirit that I had never seen. By the end of the summer, pranks were being pulled again by the Hermes cabin and happiness had begun to creep back into the eyes of the campers.

This time, when I was presented with the bead that celebrated the end of another summer (this one had an image of the Empire State Building etched onto it), I accepted it with honour instead of embarrassment. I added it to my necklace, the two beads I had acquired over the last two years sitting there together.

Joy was the main feature of my life in the coming months. That was until I received an Iris Message one morning from a panicked Annabeth telling me that Percy had disappeared overnight from Camp Halfblood, and everything began to change again.