When Percy, Leo, Hazel, and Frank came back, they had brought someone with them. The four of them brought Nike in a net. We ended up putting her in the stables. We had a quick meeting and then a few hours later had to send Frank and Piper to check out Pylos.

There was another hurried meeting after Frank and Piper came back from scoping the land of  Pylos. We all met on the foredeck. It was mostly because Percy was keeping an eye on a giant red sea serpent swimming off the port side.

"That thing is really red." Percy muttered. "I wonder if it's cherry flavored?"

"Don't tell me you're now interested in red food now." I teased.

"Ha ha." Percy titled his head to look at me with an unamused look causing my smile to grow.

"Why don't you swim over and find out?" Annabeth asked.

"How about no."

"Anyway," Frank stated, "according to my Pylos cousin, the chained god we're looking for in Sparta is my dad...uh, I mean Ares, not Mars. Apparently the Spartans kept a statue of him chained up in their city so the spirits of war would never leave them."

"Oo-kay." Leo said. "The Spartans were freaks. Of course, we've got Victory tied up downstairs, so I guess we can't talk."

"On to Sparta, then." Jason leaned against the forward ballista. "But how does a chained god's heartbeat help us find a cure for dying?"

"Piper has told me about seeing a vision. What exactly did you see?" Hazel turned to face Piper. The other girl seemed to be deep in thought. Piper didn't acknowledge the question "Piper?"

"Sorry, what?" Piper shook out of her daze.

"I was asking you about the visions." Hazel prompted. "You told me you'd seen some stuff in your dagger blade?"

"Uh...right." Piper unsheathed her blade. "I um...I don't see anything right now. But one vision keeps popping up. Ivy and I are exploring some ruins-"

"Ruins!" Leo rubbed his hands. "Now we're talking. How many ruins are there in Greece?"

"Quiet, Leo." Annabeth scolded. "Piper, do you think it was Sparta?"

"Maybe." Piper said. "Anyway... suddenly we're in this dark place like a cave. We're staring at this bronze warrior statue. In the vision I touch the statue's face and flames start swirling around us. That's all I saw."

"Well," I laced my fingers together, "that sounds like real fun."

"I think you may need to reevaluate what should be considered fun, Ives." Jason raised a brow at me.

"Flames." Frank scowled. "I don't like that vision."

"Me neither." Percy kept one eye on the red serpent, which was still slithering through the waves about a hundred yards to port. "If the statue engulfs people in fire, we should send Leo."

"Love you too, man."

"You know what I mean. You're immune. Or, heck, give me some of those nice water grenades and I'll go. Ares and I have tangled before."

"If Piper saw us two going after the statue, then that's who goes." I told them, staring at the bright red serpent. "We'll be all right. We'll find a way to get out of it alive."

"Yeah, there's always a way to survive." Annabeth tried to reassure us, staring at the retreating Pylos coastline.

"Not always." Hazel warned.

"What about this stuff?" Frank held out the vial of Pylosian mint. "After the House of Hades, I kind of hoped we were done drinking poison."

"Store it secularly in the hold." Annabeth told him. "For now, that's all we can do. Once we figure out this chained god situation, we'll head to the island of Delos."

"The curse of Delos." Hazel remembered. "That sounds fun."

"Hopefully Apollo will be there." Annabeth said. "Delos was his home island. He's the god of medicine. He should be able to advise us."

"Someone remind me to bring sunglasses when we see him." I leaned against the railing.

Percy gave me an amused look, leaning against the railing beside me. He pressed his body against mine as we watched the serpent. The cherry colored sea serpent spewed steam.

"Yeah, he's definitely checking us out." Percy decided. "Maybe we should take to the air for a while."

"Airborne it is!" Leo said. "Festus, do the honors!"

The bronze dragon figurehead creaked and clacked. The ship's engine hummed. The oars lifted, expanding into aerial blades with a sound of ninety umbrellas opening at once, and the ship rose into the sky.

"We should reach Sparta by morning." Leo announced. "And remember to come by the mess hall tonight, folks, 'cause Chef Leo is making his famous three-alarm tofu tacos!"

🍇

When evening came and we ate the amazing tofu tacos, everyone started to head to their cabin. Percy and I had started to make it a game to see who can make it to the other's cabin the quickest without being caught by Buford and the hologram of Coach Hedge. Buford apparently liked to take his job as chaperone very seriously. If he had any suspicions of a girl and boy in the same cabin without supervision, he would steam and clatter down the hall. His holographic projection of Coach Hedge would yell "CUT THAT OUT! GIVE ME TWENTY PUSH UPS! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

It was fun.

There's only been one time either of us has been caught. It was because I slipped on Percy's hoodie that he had thrown on the ground when he missed the chair and was too lazy to pick up. Since then, Percy made sure to put his clothes where they belonged. We also made sure to keep the door open so Buford wouldn't break through our door. He almost did the last time. Percy and I weren't sure if it was because everyone noticed we had trouble sleeping if we weren't in the same room or if Buford picked it up, but as long as the door was open the magic table wouldn't yell at us.

The both of us were in my cabin currently. I was sitting on my bed, my back against the wall with Percy's head in my lap. He was lying on his back, facing me while I played with his hair with one hand. Percy held my other hand, fiddling with my fingers.

"Your nails are horrible." Percy muttered as he brought my hand closer to his face.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes. "That's a girl's dream to hear her boyfriend call her nails ugly."

"I never said ugly." Percy playfully squinted eyes at me. He ran his thumb over my index finger nail. "It looks like you bite them or something."

"I tear and pick at my nails." I told him. He blinked in question, raising a brow. "I think it's anxiety or boredom or ADHD...I honestly don't know at this point. I don't bite my nails, I pick at them and chip them off."

"I don't think that's healthy..." Percy tilted his head at me.

"How about yours then?" I scoffed, grasping his hand and pulling it closer to my face. A frown grew on my face when I realized he had better nails than me. Percy grinned when he saw my reaction. "Shut up. That's not fair."

"Don't pick at them then." Percy teased, interlacing our fingers together and bring them down to rest on his chest.

I stuck out my tongue at him. He breathed out a chuckle as he stared at me. I twirled a lock of his hair as a comfortable silence grew in the room. A wave of tiredness washed over me.

"Have the nightmares stopped?" Percy softly asked, watching my facial expression carefully.

"They're not as bad as they were when we first left Tartarus." I honestly informed him. Percy frowned. "Sleeping beside you helps a lot. I'd get one to two nightmares in one night instead of having more than that when I was sleeping in my room by myself. How about you?"

"Same." Percy admitted. He ran his thumb over my hand. "It's mostly still the arai and Akhlys hurting you that haunts me. And of course facing Tartarus."

"Mine are about the same." I sighed, running my fingers through his hair to untwist the lock of hair. "I don't think we'll ever be the same...Nico isn't either."

"Did he end up opening up to you before he left?" Percy asked. "He wouldn't with me, but I know he's a lot closer to you."

"Not really." I frowned. "He seems to be hiding something. He used to be so open with me and now... I just don't know."

"Hey," Percy gave my hand a small squeeze, "he knows you're there whenever he feels like he can open up. Maybe something happened after the trama he received from Tartarus. Like you said, we're not exactly the same."

"Yeah..." I trailed off.

Percy sat up and pulled me into his chest. I hugged him, burying my face into his hoodie. He kissed the crown of my head.

"How about we get some sleep?" Percy muttered. "You have to go to look for that statue tomorrow."

"We'll be fine." I reassured him as we started to get comfortable and lay on my bed. Percy wore a mixture of a pout and a frown. I knew he wasn't happy with me going tomorrow, especially after hearing what Piper saw in her blade. "I'll always come back to you."

"I know." Percy heaved a sigh as we faced each other. He reached over and tucked some hair behind my ear. "Doesn't mean I don't like you leaving my side for a few hours to find this fire statue thing."

"Hey," I softly told him, making sure to hold eye contact with him, "I love you, Shark Boy. I'm not leaving you."

"Love you too, Vine Girl." Percy pecked my lips.

🍇

I was in a field of ruins. Broken Greek columns were scattered all around me. A torn down shrine to my left. Thunder rumbled above me. The wind started to pick up, causing my hair to whip around me. A haunting cold laugh echoed all around me. Chills ran down my spine.

You may have escaped the pits of Tartarus my little pawn, but your time to awaken me draws near. Gaea spoke. I'll make sure you will be the first to spill the blood of Olympus. You will be the first to awaken me.

"How about no?" I narrowed my eyes, glancing around to search for her.

You cannot fight fate, Ivy Pittaluga.

"You created a giant to oppose the Fates, so why not?" I scowled.

She laughed again as if I made an inside joke. Anger bubbled in my stomach. Vines started to slowly grow from the ground. They barely reached my ankles before they started to shrink. It was as if someone grabbed their roots and pulled them underground. Then they were gone.

Your vines won't be able to protect you, little pawn. There will be no escaping. No saving graces. You'll be the first to die.

"No way in-"

The ground cracked beneath me. I didn't have enough time to jump. A shriek was caught in my throat as I fell into the earth and the sky turned to black.

🍇

The next morning, I went to go wake up Piper so we could meet with the others before we left. I tried my best to keep my hands from shaking as my mind kept replaying my dream. Percy walked with me and waited at the door. He didn't seem to suspect anything about me having nightmares or at least ask me about it. I entered Piper's cabin to see she was still asleep. I gently shook her away. Piper groggily opened her eyes.

"Hey, we made it to Sparta." I softly told her. "Can you get ready?"

"Yeah..." Piper sat up and gripped my arm. "But first, there's something you need to hear."

Piper informed us about her dream. It was about what the both of us were going to face today while searching for the statue. Most of it was about looking to the statue. She brought up someone names Mimas, a giantess named Peribois, a Fate killer named Thoon, and the makhai. Mimas and the makhai were both what we would be facing later today. It wasn't good news.

Then the toilets exploded.

"No way are you two going down there alone." Percy said.

"Man, did you have to destroy the plumbing?" Leo ran down the hall waving a wrench.

Percy ignored him with a glowering expression. Water ran down the gangway. The hull rumbled as more pipes burst and sinks overflowed.

"Hey, we'll be all right." I reassured him. "Piper foresaw us two going down there, so that's what needs to happen."

"And this Mimas dude?" Percy glared at Piper as if it were her fault. I placed a hand on his arm to calm down. It wasn't Piper's fault. Percy calmed a little under my touch. "I'm guessing he's a giant?"

"Probably." Piper told him. "Porphyrion called him our brother."

"And a bronze statue surrounded by fire." Percy said. "And those...other things you mentioned. Mackies?"

"Makhai." Piper told him. "I think the word means battles in Greek, but I don't know how that applies, exactly."

"That's my point! We don't know what's down there. I'm going with you." Percy stated, looking at me.

"Percy, you can't. If the giants want our blood, the last thing we need is a boy and a girl going down there. Remember? They want one of each for their big sacrifice." I reminded him.

"Then I'll get Jason." Percy said. "And the two of us-"

"Shark Boy," I raised a brow at him, "are you implying that Piper and I, two girls, can't do this by ourselves? That two boys can do it better than us?"

"No. I mean...no. But-"

"We'll be fine." I gave him a soft smile and kissed him. He frowned, a slight pout forming on his lips. "We'll be back before you know it."

🍇

An hour later, Piper and I stood on a hill that over looked the ruins of Ancient Sparta. We'd already scouted the modern city. There wasn't any statue that was of a chained god in any of the locations we went to. The ruins were our last resort that we put on the last of our list. I had secretly hoped we didn't have to go to the ruins like Piper's blade had shown her.

The weathered slope was covered with dead grass, rocks, and stunted olive trees. Below, ruins stretched out for maybe a quarter mile: limestone blocks,  a few broken walls, and some tiled holes in the ground like wells.

"You'd think if there was a thirty foot tall giant around, we'd see him." Piper wiped the sweat off from her forehead.

I stared back at the ship. My thoughts felt scattered. It kept showing flashbacks of my time down in Tartarus, specifically the worst parts Percy and I experienced. I absentmindedly fingered the red coral necklace I was wearing. Surprisingly, the necklace had lasted this long since Percy had gifted it to me for my birthday.

My mind decided to focus on Percy and I fighting Akhlys. How desperation, anger, fear, and bitterness swirled in my gut when fighting Akhlys. Percy's dark eyes and glowering expression as he controlled the poison toward Akhlys and saving the both of us. A surge of fear started to bubble in my stomach. I frowned, not sure why the feeling was growing. Was it for thinking about fighting in Tartarus or the unexpected Piper and I were about to face?

"You're thinking about Percy." Piper guessed. I nodded, glad she distracted me from my thoughts. "He seems to be adjusting. He's smiling more often. You know he cares about you more than ever."

"I know he does. I-I don't know why it's hitting me hard all of a sudden." I admitted. "I can't quite get the memory of both of us fighting Akhlys...what we did...how Percy looked when he was standing at the edge of Chaos. I know I probably didn't look any better, but..."

"Give him time." Piper told me, stepping closer to me. "The guy is crazy about you. You've been through so much together."

"I know...it's just...Bob, he warned me there would be more sacrifices ahead. I want to believe we can have a normal life someday..." I swallowed thickly as my eyes welled up with tears. Fear and sadness started to churn in my chest. "But I allowed myself to hope for that last summer, after the Titan War. Then Percy disappeared for months. Then we fell into that pit..." A tear fell down my cheek. My hands started to tremble as Tartarus popped into my mind. "Piper, if you'd seen the face of the god Tartarus, all swirling darkness, devouring monsters and vaporizing them-I've never felt so helpless. I try not to think about it. It's one of the few nightmares I still have."

"Hey." Piper took a hold of my hand. She frowned when she noticed how bad they were trembling. "Don't try to shut out the feelings. I know that's your defensive mechanism. You can't and won't be able to do that. Just let them wash over you and drain out again. You're scared."

"Gods...yes, I am and I hate that." I breathed out.

"You're also angry."

"For suddenly being scared of-of Percy when I wasn't before. Of this prophecy we have to endure. At Gaea. The giants. The gods for being jerks."

"At me?" Piper asked.

"Yes," I let out a shaky laugh and looked at my friend, "for being so annoyingly calm while I'm on the verge of a meltdown."

"It's all a lie." Piper told me. She nudged my shoulder. "You're usually the one who's good at hiding her emotions until you can't control them anymore. Except your anger."

"It's a child of Dionysus trait I believe." I shrugged. "And you're a great friend."

"Ha."

"And for having your head on straight about guys and relationships and-"

"I'm sorry. Have you met me?"

"I'm the stupid one right now." I playfully punched her shoulder. "I'm here talking about my feelings when we have a quest to finish."

"The chained god's heartbeat can wait." Piper tried to smile. "Whatever happens, I'm your friend. Just...remember that, okay?"

I furrowed my brows at her wording. I opened my mouth to question her when a roaring sound cut me off. It came from the ruins. One of the stone-lined pits that looked like a well, spewed out a three-story geyser of flames and shut off as quickly.

"What the heck?" Piper asked.

"That's definitely not a water well." I sighed. "I don't know, but I have a feeling it's something we need to check out."

🍇

Three pits lay side by side like finger holes on a recorder. Each one was perfectly round, two feet in diameter, tiled around the rim with limestone; each plunged straight into darkness. Every few seconds, seemingly random, one of the three pits shot a column of fire into the sky. Each time, the color and intensity of flames were different.

"They weren't doing this before." I walked a wide circle around the pits, studying it. "There's no pattern..."

"Did we active them somehow?" Piper wondered. "Maybe that surge of fear you felt on the hill...uh, I mean we both felt."

"Maybe." I slowly nodded, trying to process everything. Each time one of one ignited, a horrible thrill went through me- fear, panic and a strong desire to get closer to the flames. I had to force my hands to be by my sides so I wouldn't touch the flames. "There's no rational pattern. Maybe it also has to do with these pits?"

"It's emotional, not rational." Piper stated.

"But how can pits be emotional?" I wondered.

Piper held her hand over the pit on the right. Instantly, flames leaped up. Piper barely had enough time to withdraw her fingers. Her nails steamed.

"Piper!" I chided, grasping her arm and pulling her away. "What were you thinking? Don't tell me you're a pyromaniac..."

"I wasn't. I was feeling. What we want is down there. These pits are in the way. I'll have to jump."

"Jump?" I gave her an incredulous look. "Piper, no way! There must be another way. Even if you do go down and by some miracle you don't get stuck in the tube, we have no idea how deep it is."

"You're right."

"And you can be burned alive."

"Possibly." Piper ignored my warnings. She unbuckled her sword and tossed it into the pit to her right. "I'll let you know if it's safe. Wait for my word."

"Piper, don't you dare." I narrowed my eyes at her, taking a step toward her. Piper jumped before I could grab her arm. "Piper!"

Piper disappeared from my view. I hesitantly stood next to the pit she dropped into. I swallowed back the fear that crawled into my throat. I peered inside only to see darkness.

"Piper?" I shouted down the pit. Worry gnawed at my stomach. "Please don't be dead. Jason will kill me."

"Yeah!" Piper shouted back, her voice echoing from down below.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Hold on a sec." Piper told me. It was about a minute before she spoke up again. "Ivy! It's a long drop, but it's safe to come down. Maybe...uh, you could find a rope you could fasten so we can get back up?"

"On it!" I told her before searching for a rope.

A few minutes of looking for a long enough rope, I finally found it. I fastened it and threw the rest of the rope down the pit. Once I knew it went down safely, I shinnied down. My feet hit the ground of the dark room. I blinked my eyes to adjust the to darkness.

"Piper McLean." I grumbled, walking toward her and smacked her arm. "That was the dumbest risk I've ever seen anyone take, and I date a dumb risk taker."

"Thank you." Piper nudged the nearest decapitated dragon head with her foot. "I'm guessing these are the dragons of Ares. That's one of his sacred animals, right?"

"And there's the chained god himself." I nodded. "Where do you think those doorways-"

"Do you hear that?" Piper held up a hand. I stopped and listened. The sound was like a heartbeat with a metallic echo. "It's coming from the statue. The heartbeat of the chained god."

I plucked a grape from my necklace. Percy had convinced me to leave my drakon bone sword back in my cabin as a backup. Piper's dream had freaked him out. A sword grew in my hand.

"Every part of me is wanting to back out from fear." I said with a shaky breath. My hand gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. "But I have a feeling that means we have to go towards it."

"The shrine is ramping up our emotions." Piper said. "It's like being around my mom, except this place radiates fear, not love. That's why you started feeling overwhelmed on the hill. Down here, it's a thousand times stronger."

"Yeah..." I scanned the walls. "We need to think of how to get to the statue and what to do once we get there."

"Wait." Piper glanced at the snarling stone faces above the doorway. "A shrine that radiates fear. Ares has two divine sons, didn't he?"

"Yeah. I think it's, uh...Ph-phobos and Deimos." I felt a shiver run down my spine. "Panic and Fear. Percy met them once in Staten Island."

"I think those are their faces above the doors. This place isn't just a shrine to Ares. It's a temple of fear." Piper said.

A deep laugh echoed through the chamber. On Piper's right, a giant appeared. He didn't come through either doorway. He simply emerged from the darkness as if he'd been camouflaged against the wall. I raised my sword with trembling hands.

He was small for a giant - perhaps twenty-five feet tall, which would give him enough room to swing the massive sledgehammer in his hands. His armor, his skin, and his dragon-scaled legs were all the color of charcoal. Cooper wired and smashed circuit boards glittered in the braids of his oil black hair.

"Very good, child of Aphrodite." The giant smiled. "This is indeed the Temple of Fear. And I'm here to make you believers."

😬😬😬😬