Wolves were exactly what they needed.

They were close enough to merit a response. Emilia scowled, reaching for her spear as Jason summoned his sword. Hedge and Leo joined, but Piper sank back before she could get to her feet.

"You alright?" asked Emilia, offering her hand.

"I still feel weak," she admitted, obviously frustrated. Without her needing to say it, Emilia could tell Piper hated feeling helpless and useless. She wasn't, at least Emilia had never thought that of her, but Piper probably felt she could be doing more against the wolves. Emilia didn't blame her– she and Leo were borderline hypothermic even just an hour ago.

Leo was fine, however. Emilia wasn't sure he healed faster than other demigods but she vaguely remembered an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender where Zuko warmed himself up with his own fire. Maybe Leo had battled off the hypothermia more easily because of that.

Just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, a pair of red eyes glowed in the dark. Emilia didn't know much about wolves, but it didn't seem normal for their eyes to be red. Shouldn't it be... white? Or yellow?

Steadily, more wolves joined the first, edged into the firelight. They were black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed and their glowing red eyes glared menacingly in a way no animal did– it was strangely human-like, even intelligent. The wolf in the front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Jason stepped forward, "Non habes hic locum, lupus." (T: You have no place here, wolf.)

The alpha wolf curled his lips, the fur standing along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Hedge cursed, preventing him from answering. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack, they simply waited– at least a dozen now– in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The Coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I kill them all, and you guys escape."

Emilia rolled her eyes as Piper replied, "Coach, they'll rip you apart."

"Nah, I'm good."

Figuring she should handle it on her own so he wouldn't get himself killed, Emilia motioned the others back and swirled the shadows of the cave forward, but Jason remained at her side. "Stick together," he advised. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

Emilia heard Piper gulp behind her. She pulled the shadows to create a barrier around her, keeping her from feeling like she was too exposed. In front of them, the wolves parted, allowing a man to step into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones.

His robes were tattered fur– wolf rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Emilia didn't recognize. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull, teeth sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves' – and they fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

"Ecce," he said. "Filli Romani." (T: Behold, Roman sons.)

"Speak English, wolf man!" bellowed Hedge.

The wolf man snarled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack." His nostrils flared as he studied them. "So it's true. A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A daughter of Discordia. A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."

Emilia narrowed her eyes at the man. "You were told about us?" asked Jason. "By whom?"

The man snarled as if he meant to laugh. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves, and my pack is hungry."

"Well, they're going to starve," said Emilia, watching Leo slip a glass bottle of clear liquid out of his tool belt. "Leave, Lycaon, or we'll feast on you the way you let Zeus feast on human flesh."

"Zeus killed my sons!" howled Lycaon furiously, encouraging the wolves behind him to howl, too, from the darkness.

"And made you a werewolf," continued Emilia. "A better fate than you deserved."

Jason motioned for her to take a beat. "Leave, Lycaon, there's no food for you here."

"If I had my way," said Lycaon with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one–" he waggled his claws at Piper, "has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?"

He snickered, "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."

Piper reached for Emilia, holding her elbow to hoist herself up. "You're going to leave now," she commanded, "before we destroy you."

Lycaon's red eyes crinkled with humor. "A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."

Jason took a step forward. "You're not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me."

Lycaon extended his claws and Jason swung, but the golden sword passed straight through the wolf king as if he wasn't there. He howled menacingly, "Gold, bronze, iron, steel– none of these are good against my wolves, son of Jupiter."

"Silver!" cried Piper. "Aren't werewolves hurt by silver?"

"We don't have any silver," said Jason. The wolves leapt into the firelight, and Leo threw his glass bottle, splattering liquid all over the wolves. He shot a burst of fire at the puddle, a wall of flames erupting over the liquid– gasoline. The wolves yelped and retreated. Several caught fire and had to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looked uneasily at the barrier of flames.

"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complained. "I can't hit them if they're way over there."

Every time a wolf came closer, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seemed to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline was already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" he warned. His face turned red. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. Gonna take the tool belt awhile to recharge."

"Don't worry," said Emilia, motioning for them to back away. "We may not be able to kill them but I can make them wish they were dead. Bad choice to come here at night."

She swung the spear, letting the shadows begin to churl all around her. "You know what I call this spear?" she said to Lycaon, preventing the light from the fire from escaping the cave. She and the wolves could see just fine, and they had no advantage over her. "Incubo. Nightmare."

The wolves didn't back away, but they didn't advance either, watching the shadows pulsate in the cold air, tendrils dark as night reaching to them. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Hedge probably couldn't see her anymore, but they'd hear her. They'd hear what was about to happen.

One wolf was brave enough to get close, and in a second, she zapped its snout with dark energy, eliciting a panicked yelp.

"Monsters used to steer clear of me," she said, stepping closer and dragging the shadows with her. They were a cloak, a veil, a crown, even limbs that crawled out and threatened to grab them by the throats. The wolves began to back away, even Lycaon appearing unsure what her game was.

Emilia sighed, feigning mournful pensiveness. "They were afraid of my power, of course. They thought I reminded them of Tartarus. Of my mother. Discord. Oh, how easy it is to sow discord when people are already terrible. I've never tried it on animals but how different can you mutts be?"

She held out her left wrist, coiling it counterclockwise as her right hand reached into her shirt for her necklace, the dark apple of discord. She pressed onto the stem and opened the apple, revealing the tiny skull within. She brought the mouthpiece to her lips as the wolves began to snarl at each other, turning their bodies and bracing for a fight, even extending their anger and desire for conflict toward their alpha.

Lycaon didn't look away from her, probably thinking nothing would happen. She blew into the whistle, the hair-raising scream echoing through the cave, growing louder and louder as it spread to the wolves. She felt the others flinching behind her, but the wolves didn't react with fear– it was their signal to pounce. As the shrill scream thundered and her wrist turned over, the wolves flew into each other, snarling and baring their fangs at their own kin, ready to kill each other.

"No!" sneered Lycaon as he dodged two wolves that had locked their jaws into each other's necks. "What have you done?"

Emilia smiled dryly. "Well, this little thing," she toyed with the necklace mindlessly, as if it was harmless, "is called an Aztec death whistle. It may not be magical but I sure do love how it drives people crazy without me exerting myself too bad. All the gripes your pack has within itself, all the reasons these wolves have to hate each other and you... well, I'm just bringing that all to the surface, suggesting a path to violence. Right now, all they see is red, all they want is blood. Funny, you were worrying about them going hungry. Most will die of something other than starvation. The ones who live will be well-fed for months."

She let go of the necklace, lifting her hand and acknowledging how pale her skin was becoming. She wouldn't run out of darkness anytime soon. She could feel how still the others were behind her, maybe confused, maybe afraid, maybe just paralyzed in fear of her. But if it kept them safe, she wasn't going to stop.

"The darkness can swallow them," she said to Lycaon as the wolves tore into each other. "I can make them think they're in Tartarus even when they're here. I can burn them..." She flicked her fingers, tendrils breaking off and zapping each wolf, which only served to make them angrier. One was already bleeding and another had a limp. "I can make them focus on their despair, their agony, I can leave them with psychological conflict they won't even understand." She walked even further out and not a single wolf could come to attack her. They were too busy hurting each other.

"I could lead you to where there is silver," said Emilia, smiling sweetly at Lycaon as she watched the wolves suffer. At least, the intention was 'sweet.' To him it was probably even more unsettling. "I could lure them into another nightmare, one that I will make real when I make my shadows each grab a piece of silver and stab every single one of you. You think they're confused now? They're going to be so very confused when they wake in my great-uncle's domain and have only you to blame."

A ripping sound cut through the wind. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf– the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow. Emilia drew all the shadows back and unwound her wrist, letting the others watch the volley of arrows piercing the already-wounded wolves. One arrow flashed toward Lycaon, but the wolf king caught it in midair. Then, he yelled in pain. When he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

Lycaon called his pack to flee. He managed to shoot a final hateful look to Emilia, who wiggled her fingers and stared back emotionlessly, waiting for them to disappear from sight. She turned to the others immediately, expression dropping when she registered their faces.

Coach Hedge was the only one who didn't look surprised by what he'd witnessed. If anything, this was only confirming his assumptions that she was this force that needed to be contained. Jason looked concerned, Piper looked afraid, and Leo... it was hard to tell what Leo felt but it wasn't like anyone was cheering her on.

Her shoulders fell and she felt like shrinking away. She couldn't, because there came another bay of wolves. It was less threatening than Lycaon's pack. She turned just as three small white wolves burst into the cave.

Hedge reacted first. "Kill it?"

"No!" said Piper, snapping out of her daze. "Wait."

The wolves tilted their heads as their masters appeared: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carried bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

The tallest one crouched in the firelight and snatched up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand. "So close. Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you."

The other girls mumbled agreement and disappeared. The girl in white turned toward them, face obscured by a parka hood. Emilia didn't need it to be pulled back to know who she was. And the girl clearly recognized her, too.

"Emilia," she said, sweeping the hood off. "This is a surprise. We've been following that demon's trail for over a week... What are the odds–?"

"Thalia," replied Emilia tightly. "Fancy running into you here. I thought you were trying to find Percy."

"I am," said Thalia, narrowing her eyes. "Annabeth mentioned you were on a quest... making amends, and such. Nice trick with the shadows there, you helped us take down almost half of his pack."

"Trying to. I haven't seen you since–"

"The battle. I know. I was one of the people who helped bring you to Camp." She glanced at Piper, who was staring at her, jaw dropped. "Do I know you?"

Piper took a breath. "This might be a shock, but–"

"Thalia." Jason stepped forward, his voice trembling. "I'm Jason. Your brother."

_

Emilia did not intrude in the family reunion. She and Hedge carried Piper out to Phoebe's tent to get proper treatment for her hypothermia and still-ailing ankle. Jason asked Leo to stay for moral support as the two siblings caught up. From her understanding, Thalia had thought Jason was dead this whole time.

Phoebe set up an entire tent, nice and toasty and warm with a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Emilia lowered herself into corner and had some hot chocolate while they waited. Phoebe seemed perfectly pleasant with Piper, but spoke less kindly to Emilia. She didn't blame her for it. It was likely Phoebe had known Zoë Nightshade and, well...

They were given silvery winter clothes that were both incredibly lightweight and warm. Phoebe broke camp in six seconds and followed Thalia as she led the way to Aeolus's palace. She ran uphill through the snow with such ease, Emilia was struggling to keep up. She remained close to the front with Piper, giving Jason a moment to keep processing everything with Leo's help.

"You alright?" asked Piper, who looked much better after whatever Phoebe had done to her. Emilia hadn't really paid attention, even though she should have.

"Fine," said Emilia, shrugging her shoulders. "You?"

Piper tilted her head. "I can tell when people are hiding things too, you know."

Emilia huffed, knowing Will would probably want her to be honest. But how honest could she be? Thalia might be able to hear her. "I don't want to make anything about me," said Emilia. "It's stupid."

"It's not making it about yourself to talk about feelings you need help processing."

Emilia decided to take a stab at it. "After Lycaon left, I realized I may have taken it too far."

"Too far?"

"You all looked afraid of me. Uncertain of my presence."

"I wasn't." She was telling the truth, and Emilia sensed no charmspeak. Piper was being genuine, kind Piper. As always. Emilia wished she could be like her. "I've always seen the shadows swirling around you and I sort of saw some of it in action with the cyclopes, another tiny bit with Medea, but I didn't see anything with Midas and I think everyone else probably agrees that this is the first time we've gotten to see the full extent of what you can do. That chaotic... strife... discord... emotional manipulation along with the shadows... it's intense stuff, I'll admit. I couldn't even really see, I just heard you and I heard the wolves fighting and it was..."

"Terrifying?" offered Emilia sadly.

"In an impressive way," insisted Piper. "I'm glad you're our teammate. Our friend. We're lucky to have you here helping us."

She hesitated. "Piper, I'm a danger to all of you."

"What, because of what you're capable of? Because of Gaea? If you wanted to hurt us, you would've already. Listen... not to stray off topic, but Lycaon called you a daughter of Discordia. That's Eris's Roman version, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know why he said that. Atlas told me I was a child of Eris. I never formally got claimed."

Piper hummed. "That prophecy, it said that you were the deciding factor of the Eight. You determine whether they can come together or not."

"I figured that was because of my part in the last war, that me choosing not to help Gaea is the link or something. I give... hope or whatever and rebuild a bond in a better way than before."

"Is Eris's Roman version any different from the Greek?"

"I... actually don't know. I haven't read much about my mother. Partially by choice and partially because there isn't a lot that I can find at public libraries. I'm too scared to look at the books at Camp Half-Blood, I don't want them to think something weird if they catch me trying to find one about her."

"It seems the gods are slightly different in each form and they choose which one they appear in when they create demigods, right? What if, because Gaea made your mother create you... she didn't have one particular aspect? What if she's both? What if you're both?"

"Oh, great," said Emilia, not meaning for it to sound sarcastic. "First I learn I might like both boys and girls and then I learn I might have both a Greek mom and a Roman mom."

Piper cracked a weak smile. "That might be what makes you the anchor. You are both Greek and Roman and you connect the two sides of the eight. You act as the bridge by choosing to be part of this journey, of this... goal to stop the giants. Without you, it's like you grant her control over the Greek and Roman demigods and that's why she can destroy us."

"Maybe," said Emilia. "But what if... what if I'm not useful in that sense? I don't want to help Gaea, ever, but I... I'm unpredictable, Piper. I can't even control myself."

She knew Thalia was pretending not to be listening, but she didn't care to stop herself. Let her hear. It didn't matter anymore. Piper furrowed her brows, "Control yourself? What do you mean?"

Emilia wrung her hands together. "I still hear him," she said, low enough that Jason and Leo wouldn't hear. "Kronos. Not because he's alive but because for a long time, he was always telling me what to do, how to feel, making me believe my place in the world was one in his service, meant to bring the gods' downfall. My conscience, that voice I hear in my head, it has his voice. It speaks to me. When I'm feeling insecure or too secure, it whispers what I expect him to say to me. It's like me being aware of my weaknesses and my capacity to harm others again but it comes through his voice and sometimes I can't shut it up."

Her hands trembled, and she clamped them tighter. "When we were speaking earlier, he told me that the gods will use me, that my parents never cared for me. When I realized I might like girls, he told me that I wasn't meant to be among heroes, that I should serve Gaea because she'd give me a normal life where I'm not reduced to weakness. I don't want to listen but the thoughts linger at the back of my mind, always pessimistic, always paranoid."

"Oh, Emilia," said Piper gently. "It's like you said, it's not his voice. I don't even think it's yours. Those words, they may be said by him in your head, but I think those are things you've heard from other people. All the things that were said since you were little made you feel unwanted and unimportant. They linger there and they... I don't know, I guess they mutate like some disease and because you deal with negative emotions, maybe you're more prone to suffering from them yourself."

"Yeah," she admitted. "I am. Will is trying to help me work through that, having... normal emotions. It's not easy. I'm not used to people. I never was a people person. I haven't had a real friend group, a real family. I don't know what to do sometimes."

"It's okay to ask. We won't judge. If you think you need to watch us to see how we react in a situation, you can mimic us. You can tell us if you're confused. And most importantly, you can just say whatever you want to say and know that we get it. You've been through a lot and the way you process things will be different no matter who your godly parent is. Maybe, little by little, listening to us can help you replace Kronos's voice. Hearing us say good things about you– and knowing we mean them– could go a long way to getting him out of there. You're a good person in my eyes. I think you're perfectly normal and... really cool. Just remember that. I've never had a good girl friend before, much less a sister. If you're ever ready to go and meet your family, I can go with you. Or if you don't want to reach out to them, if you want to form a family here... I can be your family, too."

Emilia felt a burn in her eyes, the familiar sensation of wanting to cry against her will. "Thank you, Piper," she said quietly. "I don't know what family is supposed to be like but this... sounds very nice to me."

Piper smiled warmly. "Of course. You protect us, we protect you. You care for us no matter how we are, we care for you in all your wonderful-ness– all the things you think are bad about you, I think are really interesting and I admire you for it. That's what family does."