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"Get up," Dad said, shaking me harder than the time I ran into the goddess Melinoe in that haunted house in Vegas (Don't ask). "It's time to go. Grab your backpacks. We're leaving in 5 minutes."

"We were already awake," Aidan said, trying and failing to smooth down his tousled hair. "Where are all the Hunters?"

"I told them to leave," Dad said, grinning. "They don't like Aidan much, considering he's a boy, and they swear off romance."

"Well," I said. "If they can put up with you, they can put up with Aidan."

"Hey!" Aidan and Dad said together.

I shrugged. "I'm telling the truth."

Dad chuckled. "You definitely get that from your mother. C'mon, let's go to the Big House. Chiron has some stuff to give us."

Aidan looked at me.

You got any ideas? He said into my mind.

I shrugged. None.

We walked up to the Big House. The atmosphere was the calm before a storm. The air crackled with electricity, the ocean crashed into the shore, and the plants grew and whacked people with their vines at random.

Already, there were about 14 people nursing burns and small injuries. Chiron sat in his wheelchair, gazing at the horizon. His gaze looked worried, tired, and stressed, as though he and Dad had stayed up all night talking about adult stuff, which they had.

"It's too earlyyy," Raiden complained, yawning and stretching. She had a scythe strapped to her back. It was made of finely carved cedar wood, the blade was made out of some black metal, and it had a leather grip near the bottom.

"Ah," Chiron said as we approached. "Here."

He handed us small yellow squares in a baggy, 2 bottles with some golden liquid, changes of clothes for each of us, 100 dollars in money, and some weird gold coins.

"What's this?" Aidan asked, holding the plastic bag and scowling. "Why do you use plastic? It's very damaging to nature!"

"The gold liquid is nectar, and the yellow squares are ambrosia," Dad said. "Food of the gods. It can help heal demigods if eaten in small amounts. If too much is eaten, the demigod will get a fever and then be incinerated. Same thing happens with humans if they eat it, just without the fever. They'll just burn up immediately."

"What about the weird gold coins?" I asked, picking one up and looking at it.

It had a picture of some god on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. They were as big as Girl Scout Cookies.

"Those are called drachmas," Dad said. "Currency of the gods. Used to send an Iris Message, send things along the Hermes Express, pay the Gray Sisters, or to bribe your way into the Underworld. Made of pure gold mined from Olympus. The gods won't use anything other than pure gold."

"Of course, they won't," Aidan muttered, glaring up at the sky. "Ugh, they're so stuck up!"

"The what Express?" I said looking at Dad like he was crazy. "And did you say to pay the Gray Sisters?! The crazy ladies who share one eye and one tooth?!"

"Yes," Dad said. "I did say the Gray Sisters. They drive a taxi and can take anyone anywhere as long as it's their service area. And the Hermes Express is basically like the gods' version of Amazon. It's run by Hermes, obviously. God of trade and travel. Not that there isn't an Amazon run by the actual Amazons. But the gods normally use the Hermes Express. Well, the Olympians anyway. Most of the demigods and minor gods use the Amazons' delivery system. But they're just slow. Three weeks to get the new book I wanted. Three! Hermes got it there within two days! Talk about bad service!"

"Um, Dad," I said. "Can you worry about your delivery problems later?"

"What-?" Dad said distractedly. "Oh yes, never mind. Where was I? Ah yes, the Gray Sisters and their Chariot of Damnation."

"I'm sorry," Aidan said. "Why on Earth would you trust 3 ladies with one eye to drive you and keep you alive?! And did you say Chariot of Damnation?!"

"I don't," Dad said, smiling at the look on Aidan's face. "I've never used their taxi. I travel by running, shapeshifting, wind, horseback, pegasi, or walking. Buses if I really need to, but I never used a car until I was raising y'all."

"Why would you use a car?" I asked. "You know we hate pollution."

"It was easier," Dad said. "It was my priority to protect you, not to worry about the rest of the world. I already did that before."

"Anyways," He continued, staring up at the stormy sky. "Snow, is she there?"

Yep. Snow barked. She pretty much destroyed the dummy. I had to jump out of the way just to avoid getting hit with her sword.

"Who's she?" I asked.

"You'll find out in about a minute," Dad said, smiling. "Follow me to the arena!"

Dad led us toward another amphitheater across the creek.
"Who's this person we're going to meet?" Aidan asked, running to catch up with Dad.

Dad ignored him, while absentmindedly holding a ball of fire. The arena had a few dummies in Greek armor scattered around it. Or at least what was left of the dummies. A girl with short brown hair was hacking at the remnants of one of the straw dummies shouting something in what sounded like French.

"Um, excuse me," I said.

The girl didn't answer and continued to hack at the remnants of the dummy and shouted in French. I glanced at Aidan. He nodded.

"Hello!" I said a bit louder. Still, the girl didn't respond. I sighed and cautiously walked up behind the girl. I didn't really want to startle the girl with the sharp blade.

"Excuse me," I said, tapping her on the shoulder.

She wielded round, her sword spinning around in front of her. Without hesitation, she thrust her sword straight out. I leapt backward, landing on the hard concrete floor.

"Oh!" The girl cried in a French accent. "I'm so very sorry!"

She sheathed her sword into a scabbard attached to her belt and held out her hand. I grudgingly took it, and she pulled me to my feet.

Dad cleared his throat. "Kids, allow me to introduce the Maid of Orleans."

Aidan screwed his face in confusion. "Who?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Dad said, gesturing to the girl.

"Ok, then," Aidan said irritatedly. "Who are you?"

"I am Joan d'Arc," The girl said. "Or as you stupid Americans call me, Joan of Arc."

I hopped up and down with excitement. "You're Joan of Arc?! The maiden who led the French army in the 1400s at the age of 17?!"

Joan smiled at me. "Indeed I am."

Aidan grinned. "But didn't you die after being burned at the stake? I'm kinda confused, now."

"Of course, you'd be confused," I said. "Especially with that brain of yours."

"Shut up," Aidan muttered, looking embarrassed.

"Well," Joan said, turning to Aidan, who was blushing furiously. "That's what the stories say. But what they didn't know was that I survived. You see, I am a demigod daughter of Athena. The visions sent to me were by Athena, not God. As my mother is the Goddess of War and Battle Strategy, that is why I lead the French army. Athena chose me to lead the French, whom she favored. Ares favored the English and as he and Athena are rivals, and I am a proud Daughter of Athena, he despised me; Ares sent his sons to capture and kill me. The pope who sentenced me to burn at the stake was heavily influenced by Ares like Hera influenced Heracles's cousin, King Eurystheus."

"That jerk!" I shouted. "I hate him! He's the worst! He's too violent! The only other two gods I despise more than him are Hera and Aphrodite."

"Same here," Aidan said. "But how did you survive if you didn't die?"

"Be patient, Aidan," Dad said, amused.

"I know!" Aidan snapped.

"I had always admired the goddess Artemis," Joan said. "She and my mother were very good friends by the Olympians, so that is one of the reasons I decided to stay a maiden, because of my admiration for Athena and Artemis. When I was convicted and led to the stake, I asked for 2 sticks to make a cross, to buy me a few seconds before the flames consumed me. I said a silent prayer to Artemis, asking for her help. One second before the flames would've killed me, Artemis whisked me off to the forest where her Hunters were waiting. She offered me the chance to become one of her Hunters. I accepted, and I have been with the Hunters ever since."

"Cool," I said, grinning.

A conch horn sounded in the distance.

"Oh! That's breakfast!" Joan said, her stomach rumbling. "I better go! It was nice meeting you!"

"You too!" Aidan and I said together. Joan smiled at us one last time and ran off in the direction of the Dining Pavilion.

"Alright," Dad said. "Let's go. We're leaving camp. Argus will drive into the city. After that, we're on our own."