From the port to Acropolis, I didn't see anything of Athens except dark, putrid tunnels. The snake men led us through an iron storm grate to the docks, straight into the underground lair, which smelled of rotting fish, mold and snake skin. Piper kept singing. If she stopped for longer than a minute or two, the snake men started hissing and looking angry.

"I don't like this place." Annabeth murmured. "Reminds me of when I was underneath Rome."

"Our domain is much older." Kekrops hissed with laughter. "Much, much older."

"Well, duh." I uttered, slipping my hand into Percy's.

Ha smiled down at me and brought me closer to his side. Annabeth was next to Piper as we walked through the tunnels, Percy and I in the back. Percy and I drew our swords to give us more light. Piper's voice echoed. As we traveled further into the lair, more snake people gathered to hear her sing. Soon they had a procession following behind us - all of the gemini swaying and slithering.

We passed through crude stone chambers littered with bones. We climbed steep slopes so steep and slippery it was nearly impossible to keep our footing. At one point, we passed a warm cave the size of a gymnasium filled with snake eggs, their tops covered with a silver of filaments like slimy Christmas tinsel.

More and more snake people joined our procession. Their slithering sounded an army of football players shuffling with sandpaper on their feet. A heartbeat had started to play throughout the tunnels. The deeper we went through the tunnels, the louder it grew resonating through the stone and the air. It was as if we were back in Tartarus listening to his heartbeat.

I wake. A woman's voice spoke as clear at Piper's singing.

"Oh, that's not good." Annabeth froze.

"It's like Tartarus." Percy said, his voice on edge. "You remember...his heartbeat. When he appeared-"

"Please don't." I quickly cut him off, giving his hand a squeeze. "Don't."

"Sorry." Percy's face was light by his sword in the darkness as he gave me an apologetic look.

At last. Gaea's voice spoke louder.

Fear washed over me. My mind flashed to the dreams she's been giving me. I had to force myself not to tremble at the sound of her voice. Then I remembered Piper's pep talk back at the temple. With a shaky breath, I let the emotions wash over me and feel them. Finally, we reached the top of a steep slope. The path ended in a curtain of green goo. The snake king turned to face us.

"Beyond this camouflage is the Acropolis. You must remain here. I will check that tour way is clear."

"Wait." Piper stopped him. She turned to address the rest of the gemini. "There is only death above. You will be safer in the tunnels. Hurry back. Forget you saw us. Protect yourselves."

They turned and slithered into the darkness, leaving only their king.

"Kekrops." Piper said. "You're planning on betraying us as soon as you step through that goo."

"Yes." He agreed. "I will alert the giants. They will destroy you." Then he hissed. "Why did I tell you that?"

"Listen to the heartbeat of Gaea." Piper urged. "You can sense her rage, can't you?"

"I can, yes." Kekrops wavered. The end of his staff glowed dimly. "She is angry."

"She'll destroy everything. She'll reduce Acropolis to a smoking crater." Piper told him. "Athens-your city- will be utterly destroyed, your people along with it. You believe, don't you?"

"I-I do."

"Whatever hatred you have for humans, for demigods, for Athena, we are the only chance to stop Gaea. So you will not betray us. For your own sake, and your people, you will scout the territory and make sure the way is clear. You will say nothing to the giants. Then you will return."

"That is...what I'll do." Kekrops disappeared through the membrane of goo.

"Piper, that was incredible." Annabeth shook her head in amazement.

"You should try out for that one singing show Seth talks about....the uh, voice thingy?" I furrowed my brows trying to think of it.

"The Voice?" Percy assumed.

"Yes!" I snapped my fingers and nodded.

"We'll see if it works." Piper sat down on the cool stone floor. We squatted next to her. Percy handed her the canteen of water. Piper took a drink. "Thanks."

"You think the charm will last?" Percy nodded.

"I'm not sure. If Kekrops comes back in two minutes with an army of giants, then no." Piper said. It was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke up again. "Do you guys ever think about your families?"

"My mom...I-I haven't even seen her since Hera made me disappear. I called her from Alaska. I gave Coach Hedhe some letters to deliver to her. I..." Percy's lower lip quivered as his voice broke. His gaze became unfocused. I held his hand and he gave it a tight squeeze. "She's all I've got. Her and my stepdad, Paul."

"And Tyson" I added.

"And Grover." Annabeth continued.

"And-"

"Yeah, of course." Percy said. "Thanks. I feel much better."

"What about you, Annabeth?" Piper asked after letting out a laugh.

"My dad...my stepmom and stepbrothers." Annabeth turned her sword in her lap. "After all I've been through in the past year, it seems stupid that I resented them for so long. And my dad's relatives...I haven't even thought about them in years. I have an uncle and cousin in Boston."

"You, with the Yankees cap?" Percy looked at her in shock. "You've got family in Red Sox country?"

"What a scandal." I teased.

"I never see them." Annabeth smiled weakly. "My dad and uncle don't get along. Some old rivalry. I don't know. It's stupid what keeps people apart."

"Yeah." I slowly nodded, thinking back to my mom.

"And you, Ivy?" Piper questioned.

"Just Pollux." I stated, staring at my shoes. "Never had a good relationship with my mom. It's clear she doesn't want me back in her perfect family."

"You've got us, too." Percy nudged me. "My mom adores you as well."

"You're part of our family." Annabeth nodded.

"The entire crew is one big family." Piper added.

"Thanks guys." My eyes watered as my chest warmed.

Before I could get stuck in thoughts and emotions, the green membrane rippled. We stood up to our feet. My hand tightened around the hilt of my sword. Anxiety rushed through my veins as my worst thought led to an army of monsters coming to attack us. Instead, it was Kekrops who emerged alone.

"The way is clear." He said. "But hurry. The ceremony is almost complete."

🍇

Going through the green goo curtain was gross. It was as if I walked through mucus. Thankfully, none of it stuck to us. It just made me feel revulsion. The four of us found ourselves in a cool, damp pit that seemed to be the basement level of a temple. All around us was uneven ground that stretched into darkness under a low ceiling of stone. Directly above our heads, a rectangular gap was open to the sky. I was able to see the edges of walls and columns.

The membrane closed behind us. Piper placed her hand on it. It didn't go through. It was as if the area was made of solid rock. Annabeth ran her hand long some marks on the ground- a jagged crow's foot shape as long as a human's body. The area was lumpy and white, like stone scar tissue.

"This is the place. Percy, these are the trident marks of Poseidon." Annabeth informed him."

"He must've been using his extra-extra-large trident." Percy hesitantly touched the scars.

"This is where he struck the earth. Where he made a saltwater spring appear when he had the contest with my mom to sponsor Athens." Annabeth explained.

"So this is where the rivalry started." Percy stated.

"Yeah."

Percy grinned and extended his hand toward Annabeth. Catching on, a smile grew on her face as she took his hand. The son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena shook hands.

"The rivalry ends here." Percy said. They dropped their hands and Percy wrapped his arm around me. He pulled me close. I smiled up at him despite the fear growing in my chest about the battle we were about to step into. A troublemaker smirk grew on his face. "Now, where's Mr. D's theatre thing so I can kiss my girlfriend there and rub it in his face?"

"That will make my dad actually hate you." I raised a brow at my boyfriend.

"He didn't already?" Piper asked.

"Surprisingly no." Annabeth shrugged.

Percy nodded and let out a hum. Then he kissed me. My eyes widened from surprise. It took my brain a few seconds to reboot and kiss him back. When he pulled away it felt like my insides melted. A smile grew onto my face.

"I love you, Vine Girl." Percy said. I couldn't even form a complete sentence. All I could do was nod. Percy turned to Annabeth and Piper. "Sorry, I had to do that."

"How could a daughter of Aphrodite not approve?" Piper grinned. "You're a great boyfriend."

"Just save the kissing for later where we're not stuck in the same room with you two." Annabeth teased. I blushed. "Anyway, we're beneath the Erechtheion. It's a temple to both Athena and Poseidon. The Parthenon should be catty-corner to the south east. We'll need to sneak around the perimeter and disable as many siege weapons as we can, make an approach path for the Argo II."

"It's broad daylight." Piper brought up. "How will we go unnoticed?"

"That's why I made a plan with Frank and Hazel." Annabeth scanned the sky. "Hopefully...ah. Look."

A bee zipped overhead. Dozens more followed. They swarmed around a column, then hovered over the opening of the pit.

"Say hi to Frank, everybody." Annabeth said.

"Hi Frank." I said as both Piper and I waved. The cloud of bees zipped away.

"How does that even work?" Percy said. "Like...one bee is a finger? Two bees are his eyes?"

"I was thinking more like a hive mind kind of deal? Each bee is a whole Frank but just like a bazillion of him." I theorized.

"I don't know." Annabeth admitted. "But he's our go-between. As soon as he gives Hazel the word, she will-"

"Gah!" Percy yelped.

I quickly covered his mouth with my hands. I almost jumped when I saw Percy had turned into an Earthborn. Then I noticed that six of my hands were covering Percy's mouth. My eyes drifted to Annabeth and Piper. They were also disguised as Earthborn-body hair, loincloth, stubby legs, and oversized feet.

"Hazel's Mist." Piper's voice sounded deep and gravelly.

She glanced down to inspect her new body. I dropped my hands. If I focused on them I could see my actual human hands beneath the Mist. It rippled like a mirage.

"Wow, Ivy..." Percy grimaced. "I'm really glad I kissed you before you changed."

"Thanks a lot." I scoffed.

"We should get going." Annabeth said. "I'll move clockwise around the perimeter. Piper, you move counterclockwise. Ivy sneak to the back and scout there. Percy, you scout the middle-"

"Wait." Percy said. "We're walking right into the whole blood-spilling sacrifice trap we've been warned about, and you want us to split up even more?"

"I kind of second that." I raised my hand nervously.

"We'll cover more ground that way." Annabeth told us. "We have to hurry. That chanting..."

I hadn't paid attention to it before. It was an ominous drone in the distance, like a hundred forklifts idling. The gravel on the ground trembled, skirting southeast, as if pulled toward the Parthenon.

"Right. We'll meet up at the giant's throne." Piper said.

Currently at the clinic as I edited this. Not feeling so well