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I'm going to strangle Morpheus if he keeps sending me these dreams.

In my dreams, I stood in the Olympian Throne Room. Two gods in their giant forms were standing in the middle of it, bellowing at each other so loudly that the hall was shaking. One was my grandfather, Zeus; the other was a god with a neat black beard, black hair, tanned skin, deeply scarred hands, and sun-crinkled sea-green eyes.

The god was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, Birkenstocks, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a hat that read, "Neptune's Lucky Fishing Hat." He also held a trident. I assumed this was Poseidon.

"He disobeyed my orders!" Zeus was yelling. "He broke his oath upon the River Styx!"

"I forbid you to kill him!" Poseidon shouted back.

Zeus's eyes flashed like lightning. "You forbid me? I am King of the Gods!"

"He is my grandson too, Zeus!" Poseidon thundered, banging his trident on the ground.

I wondered who they were talking about until I saw Dad standing in front of the two gods in his twelve-year-old form. He looked extremely weary, with enormous bags under his eyes. Dad watched the two gods arguing with increased irritation until Poseidon shouted his name.

"So what if Orion didn't obey your orders? He does not deserve to die! It is a foolish decision to-"

"ENOUGH!" Zeus thundered so loudly that a piece of ceiling actually fell and shattered by his feet.

Zeus turned to Dad. "Orion Theron, for your crimes, I condemn you to death."

He raised the Maser Bolt.

"NO!"

I woke with a jolt.

Chief! Agro raised her head in alarm. What's wrong?!

"No time to explain!" I shouted. "We need to go. Now!"

I jumped out of bed, jerked on my boots, and sprinted down the stairs with Agro and Zade on my heels. I dashed through the living room, where Leto and Raiden were having tea and talking. They both looked up as I flashed past.

"Ainsley what-" Raiden began.

"No time to explain!" I hollered, crashing through the front door. "Thank you for your help and hospitality, Grandmother!"

I skidded to a stop in the driveway, searching until I found what I was looking for.

"Let's go!" I shouted.

Agro jumped into my arms, while Zade perched on my shoulder, and I ran toward a strip of moonlight lighting the driveway. When the moonlight touched me, I thought, The Empire State Building, New York.

A heartbeat later, I ran out of another strip of moonlight and onto a sidewalk next to the Empire State Building. I set Agro down and almost collapsed from fatigue, even though I had just woken up from sleeping.

In case you're wondering what just happened, how I went from Florida to New York in less than a second, I used Lunar Travel. It's a power I inherited from my mother, as she was the Goddess of the Moon. Lunar Travel was basically just teleportation using moonlight. The one downside of it was that it tired me out to the point where I felt like I just run a marathon. Oh, and it was so fast that it felt like your face was peeling off.

"I'm fine," I muttered, staggering and pushing Agro away. "Don't help me."

Just then, lightning flashed at the top of the building, and I remembered why I was here; it filled me with adrenaline. I rushed to the doors and tried to open them, but they were locked. Without hesitation, I punched through the glass of the door with such force that all of it shattered.

I lifted Agro over the broken glass and then sprinted into the room myself.

"We're closed," the guy at the desk said from behind his book, without even looking up.

I didn't reply; instead, I grabbed his keycard off his desk, dashed to the elevator, and pummeled the call button.

"Hey!" yelled the guy behind the desk, springing to his feet. "Give me back my keycard!"

I drew one of my daggers and pointed it at the guy. Agro growled at the man with her fangs exposed.

"I will be using this," I snarled, silver fire dancing in my eyes, "and you'll get it back when I feel like it."

I walked into the elevator once the doors opened, followed by Agro, still pointing my dagger at the guy.

"Don't follow me," I growled. "You'll regret it if you do, boy."

The elevator doors closed, and I swiped the keycard through the slot. A button reading labeled 600 appeared, and I hit it. The elevator rumbled to life, and we moved upward.

Are you okay, Chief? squawked Zade, slightly nervously.

"No, I'm not," I growled. "If Zeus so much as touches Dad, I'll kill him."

I turned to the doors. "Open up!" I pounded on them with my fists. The only thing that was achieved was leaving two dents in the doors.

Finally, the elevator rumbled to a stop, and the doors opened. I dashed out, through the bustling streets, up the white marble steps, and into the Olympian Throne Room.

"STOP!" I bellowed as I skidded to stop before all the Olympians. "IF YOU TOUCH HIM, ZEUS, I'LL-"

I stopped shouting at that moment because I noticed that Dad wasn't there.

"Where is my father?" I asked, looking around.

No one answered, since all the Olympians were staring at me in disbelief, except Zeus; he was glaring at me in fury.

"How. Dare. You," said Zeus, every syllable rigid with anger. "How dare you threaten me, Ainsley Theron. I am the King of the Gods!"

"So I've heard," I said coolly.

Zeus's face contorted. He raised his Master Bolt, ready to strike but Artemis stopped him.

"Father," she said in a soothing tone that got Zeus's attention at once, "let us at least hear why my daughter is shouting such things."

Zeus scowled but lowered the Master Bolt.

"Very well," he said. "Speak, Ainsley Theron, before I change my mind about killing you."

I explained about the lightning strike, going to Leto for healing, and the dream that had awoken.

"So, Grandfather," I concluded, "the reason I came here and began to threaten you was because I thought my father was in danger."

"Daughter," said Artemis, "Orion Theron is with the Hunt. He has not been to Olympus in a long while."

I frowned. "But then...why did I have the dream?"

My insides went cold.

"Kronos," I said. "He's behind this."

At the mention of the Titan lord's name, the air temperature seemed to plummet several degrees.

"What do you mean, girl?" asked the goddess sitting to the left of Zeus. She had long, braided chocolate-colored hair in a plait and soft, brown eyes that radiated power. She was wearing a flowing golden dress and a golden crown. The goddess wielded a golden scepter with a peacock feather sticking out of it. "What do you mean 'Kronos is behind this?'"

I felt an immediate loathing for the woman as our eyes met.

"I have a name, Hera," I said coldly. "So use it." I glared at her. "And what I mean is that Kronos clearly lured me here through my dreams, by tricking me to think my father was in danger. He clearly hoped Zeus would blast me into bits."

The goddess's eyes glinted dangerously. "Watch your tone, Ainsley Theron."

"No. I don't think I will, thanks." I smiled at her. "I don't obey anyone who disrespects my mother."

Hera's eyes flashed in anger, and she threw her scepter at me. Before I could draw my daggers to evade it, a sword made of lightning flew past me and sliced the scepter clean in half.

I whirled around and saw Dad standing there, Snow at his side. His sea-green eyes blazing; they looked like the roaring sea in a hurricane. Dad lifted his hand and caught his sword as it came whizzing toward him.

"Are you okay, kid?" Dad asked me.

"Fine," I said, staring at him in awe.

"Good," Dad said. He turned to face Hera. "If you ever touch my daughter again, I will personally make sure you suffer."

Hera looked livid. She glared at Zeus pointedly; however, the sky god didn't get the hint.

"Lord Zeus," she said, with barely controlled rage and some irritation, "surely these two insolent demigods deserve to be punished."

Artemis spoke up at her words. "And why, Hera, do you deem that they deserve to be punished?"

"Why don't you tell me, Artemis?" Hera replied scathingly. "What makes you so sure that these two deserve to live?"

All eyes went to the goddess of the hunt.

"Well," Artemis said calmly, though I could see silver fire in her eyes, "my daughter was only acting in the way that she did in order to protect her father. And Orion acted with the same intent. Surely, you, Hera, of all people, can understand that."

Hera, apparently, had no answer to this.

"They still need a consequence," piped up a god with a biker outfit sitting six seats down from Hera. It was Ares. "Orion Theron broke an oath upon the River Styx and disobeyed your orders, Father. And Ainsley here, why, she threatened both the King and the Queen of the Gods."

Ares's words seemed to send Zeus into a fresh wave of fury.

"You are correct, Ares," the sky god said, turning his eyes onto Dad.

"There's a surprise," muttered a god with blonde hair, who I assumed was Apollo.

"Orion Theron," Zeus thundered, "for your crimes, I revoke my blessing."
There was a flash of lightning. "You and your descendants may no longer wield my power."

He glared around the room, at Poseidon, Apollo, and a god with a greasy black beard, a burnt face, and a crippled leg. I supposed this was Hephaestus, judging from his leg.

Hephaestus surveyed Dad and I for a long time. I had the impression that he was weighing options and calculating consequences.

"I revoke my blessing," he said finally. "Orion Theron and his descendants may no longer wield the power of fire."

Zeus cleared his throat and looked deliberately at Poseidon. However, before the sea god could speak, Artemis said, "Father, may I propose something?"

Zeus nodded.

"I am fully aware that you wish to punish Orion for his crimes," Artemis said, glancing down at Dad. "However, I would request that you allow Orion to choose two powers that he may keep."

Hera scoffed, but Zeus shot her a warning look, and she shut up.

"Very well," said Zeus, turning his attention to Dad. "Speak, Orion Theron. What two powers do you request we permit you to keep?"

Dad's eyes were still a furious sea, but he replied calmly, "Grandfather, I would request that allow me to keep the power of healing and shape-shifting."

"No," said Zeus.

"What?" Dad said blankly.

"No," Zeus repeated. "I forbid you to keep the power of healing. You may retain the power of water and shape-shifting. That is it."

"But-"

"My words are final," interrupted Zeus. "This council meeting is adjourned."

He disappeared in a flash of lightning. The rest of the Olympians started to disappear, too; Poseidon in a flash of sea green smelling like saltwater, and Hephaestus in a wave of fire.

"I will see you both back with the Hunt," said Artemis before disappearing in a flash of silver.

It was only when Hera spoke that I realized she was still there.

"Your power will fail you when you need it most," she said, before disappearing in a flash of peacock feathers.