Emilia was never taught to flirt.

In hindsight, she should've asked Piper for tips. But how could she have known she had to do that? There was no way she would have foreseen this situation arising. The actual need to flirt with someone made no sense to her.

She wasn't even fully sure what Pollux was seeing with Hylla– okay, maybe Emilia had thought about kissing her, but surely that was normal when a pretty girl was that close?

She sat on her bed that night, trying to imagine every possible scenario that could be carried out. It should've been tiring enough to lull her to sleep, but instead she remained awake and alert. Pollux snored on the other side of the room, exhausted and probably already dreaming about his little tour with Krista.

Emilia wanted that security. Pollux was confident in everything– the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he could make people feel. Emilia supposed she felt more beautiful these days, she felt more satisfied with how she came off to people (really, her heart was still leaping thinking of Hylla having said she looked 'sweet'), but she couldn't say she liked how she made people feel.

Had she comforted people in the past? Yes. Jason, Piper, and Leo came to her for advice regularly when she was at camp, they trusted her with their problems and felt comforted with her words. Pollux seemed to be in that same group.

But none of those feelings were romantic. Emilia had never had to 'woo' anyone, she'd never had to make someone feel like they were loved in that sense. If she were to speak to Hylla, how could she convey that she found Hylla attractive, that she admired her power and her sense of humor? How could she make Hylla feel that she was being complimented in such a precise way?

She wasn't sure at what point she finally nodded off. All she noticed was that in the blink of an eye, she wasn't in the hotel room anymore. She stood inside a dark room, shapes of planets over her head. The lights came on, a starry galaxy depicted on the left wall, where light-up information panels described everything she was seeing. As she walked further down the hall, still glancing up past the glittering models of the solar system, she came across a large dome with an elaborate painting.

She knew where she was once the entrance hall sign flickered in the light– the Griffith Observatory. As she glanced up at the ceiling again, she could make out Jupiter with his thunderbolts, Venus and the four seasons, Atlas holding the zodiac signs, the Pleiades, Mercury chasing Argos, and even Saturn– Kronos.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

The woman across from her was dressed in a dark pantsuit, long black hair flowing nearly to her hips. Then, with a closer look, she realized it wasn't a pantsuit at all and it wasn't fully a mane of black hair. Where her feet should've been were coils of shadows barely carrying her over the surface, gliding across the floor. Her hair was ever-changing, flowing all around her— the only part that was really hair stopped just above her shoulders. The shadows didn't just curl around her like they did with Emilia— they were part of her, she was darkness.

It was the first time Emilia had ever understood why people said she had a serial killer smile. This woman grinned as if she knew everything, controlled everything. Her skin was as pale as Emilia's would get when she called upon the shadows for too long. Her eyes were dark as night, glaring into her soul as her thin lips continued to curl sinisterly.

"Mother," she realized. (A/N: Picture Michelle Monaghan and/or Lena Headey, couldn't decide between them.)

Eris leaned over the other side of the display that dipped down under the painting– a pendulum in constant motion. "A wondrous place, Los Angeles," said Eris, voice both as smooth as satin and as sharp as a razor blade. It reminded her of how Kronos used to speak, before he entered Luke's body. "Filled with chaos. Beautiful, beautiful chaos."

"You escaped Tartarus," said Emilia. "Your patron let you out."

"The Doors of Death are wide open," said Eris, shrugging her shoulders. The shadows ripped down her back, hair a flurry of movement. "Nothing was stopping me. And don't..." She laughed maliciously, "don't think you can close them. Even if it were possible, that is not your quest to fail, my dear. There are others who will be on their way to try, in a few months. Their deaths will be glorious. You don't need to follow them."

Emilia huffed. "You only want me alive to continue being your anchor. I bet if I die, Doors of Death or not, you're not going to be able to bring monsters in as easily."

Eris didn't seem bothered by this. "Perhaps. I don't actually know what would happen if you died. My aunt says very little on the matter. Your creation was planned meticulously but not your death. I was only told that you, my sweet, are the bridge between the demigods... the tightrope artist who sways between the gods and the giants. I keep hearing that you're on their side now. That's not right, is it?"

"It's not right you created me, either. She made you do that. You didn't want a kid any more than my dad did."

Her expression fell for a split second, but she recovered quickly, shadows lapping nervously at the pendulum. "Emilio was a conduit, I'm afraid. I fed off of his discord for months to create you. It took so much out of everyone to make sure you could be born. Oh, how fascinated they were in Tartarus, watching you be made. No one comes close to the Mansion of Night otherwise but you were an event no one wanted to miss. You were an opportunity. My mother and my siblings were astounded."

"In Tartarus?" asked Emilia, confused. "I was made... in Tartarus? How did you get me here?"

"It was easy once you had a form. Ten perfect little toes and fingers." For a moment she sounded wistful. "My brothers... They are so malleable. I convinced Hypnos to put Thanatos to sleep– those twins have always been happy to cause trouble with each other. Nemesis helped me send you out into the world... back when my sister and I used to see eye-to-eye..." She rolled her eyes, "Unfortunately now she's as foolish as you are. Just like that son of hers who deserted Kronos at the last second. Kronos was not as efficient as he could've been."

Emilia leaned back as if she'd been slapped. "He wasn't efficient? Your cousin manipulated me. Same as he manipulated your nephew Ethan, even your nephew Morpheus– do you really not care?"

"It is not in my nature to care about the deeds of others," said Eris. "I only wish to see discord. I feed off of the problems in the world. You should've seen how your grandmother reacted when my brother Charon decided to go and work for Hades. Now that was a good day not to care about things. Just watch chaos unfold and be nourished. And right now, there is a great deal of discord... even within the gods themselves. They cannot come to terms with their counterparts. I'm one of the only ones who is perfectly fine... I know who I am. Discord is universal. My name does not matter. Eris or Discordia— I will always be the same."

The goddess rippled closer to her, the ceiling no longer visible as shadows consumed it. Emilia didn't waver; darkness had always been her friend. "And always someone else's pawn," she accused, wishing she, too, could so effortlessly lift herself up with shadows. It wasn't fun to try and snap back at her mother while being so much shorter. Up close, the goddess hovered so high, she was almost nine feet tall. "You must be proud of yourself."

Eris sighed, "There are things you will never understand about this world, little one. Your sense of loyalty is being warped. We are of the most ancient creatures. We're better than the gods. We've never been cared for by Olympus, they all believe we are frail and useless, fit only to fill a pit they won't even step in."

"Gaea must've thought the same of you," snapped Emilia. "It's why she knew she could exploit you into creating me. You're as much of a victim as me and my father. You're not going to convince me to side with her. I made a mistake once and I will never make it again."

"I sense there isn't enough discord within you for me to make my mark," said Eris. She reached a pale hand out as if to caress her, but her fingers never made it– shadows extended outward to do it for her. Either she didn't want to touch her daughter or she couldn't. "Unfortunately, I can't sow it in you anymore than you can sow it in me. I'll come back soon enough. Let's see how your date goes. Maybe then you'll realize how much you won't get to have, all because you're serving the gods."

The observatory dissolved, and she woke up to Pollux picking out his outfit. "Hey!" he said, chipper. "Ready for today?"

She was so stunned, she didn't immediately respond. It took several slow breaths to feel warm again– goosebumps had risen over her skin feeling her mother's shadows touch her. It was like ice, not an ounce of loving heat within her.

Emilia told him about her dream over breakfast, and continued musing as he did her hair again.

"From what it sounds like," said Pollux, "Gaea keeps trying to pinpoint everyone's weaknesses. Enceladus used Piper's father, Gaea pinpointed Leo's insecurities, and now she and Eris are trying to get you to focus on your resentment. You're not... considering it, right?"

"Of course not!" she said. "I'm past that. I don't want to help Gaea and the giants. It isn't the right thing to do and she's hurt all of us. She helped kill Leo's mother, she manipulated mine, she almost got us killed multiple times. I'm older now, I'm... I'm not some scared little girl anymore. But if you're right, if she's focusing on my resentment... then I need to make sure I have nothing for them to use."

Pollux slowly lowered his hands. "Well... no offense but it isn't going to be easy to completely get rid of any godly resentment. Hera was meddling and no one else has been particularly nice or helpful in recent times."

Emilia pursed her lips. "Maybe that's a bit too large for now. I can start smaller. I can start with my family. I already spoke with my aunt... maybe it's time to meet my dad and my siblings."

He hesitated. "Is that a good idea?"

"Gaea was promising me my family back if I helped her. If I can reconcile with them, if I can get a proper hold of bothmy families... she has nothing to use against me. Think we can go to Napa... then SF... then SD?"

Pollux grinned. "Hell yeah. I've always wanted to surf."

-

Emilia shuffled back up to the Amazon warehouse, past a line of trucks now parked and waiting to receive packages. There wasn't anyone to greet her there, there weren't even workers that she could ask for directions.

She walked right up to the main door, finding it locked. She moved around the perimeter until she found a much smaller door, slightly ajar. She slipped in, finding the warehouse was no longer empty. Rows upon rows of heavy-duty shelves extended high into the ceiling, filled with gigantic boxes.

She could see perfectly fine in the dark, but it still didn't help her figure out where to go. As she approached the shelves, she saw some of the columns had barriers between them, some rows were shorter than others– it was arranged like a maze. She chose an entrance at random and began to slip through the strange maze, listening carefully for movement.

The door closed fully once she could no longer see it. The slam bounced through the room, and hurried footsteps faded out. The only light came from above, a dusty skylight that was probably just enough for people who couldn't see in the dark.

Emilia figured this was a game. And who had the advantage now? She did.

She swept her hands up, the shadows crowding over the skylight and plunging the room into complete darkness. She tiptoed, the shadows muffling her steps. She darted through each passage, making sure to look through each shelf and figure out if anyone was hiding behind the boxes. She couldn't exactly be sure if there were Amazons in the boxes, but even if they were, she'd see them before they could see her.

As expected, she sensed an attack before it arrived. She whirled around, turning the shadows into a shield that one of the Amazons ran right into before they could attack her. The girl's body collided with a loud thunk! and stumbled back. Emilia swept her leg out to drop her the rest of the way, then curled the shadows around the girl's feet, lifting her up to the highest shelf where she couldn't jump off, lest she hurt herself.

The noise brought on more attackers. She didn't even need to summon her spear. When five more girls came at her wielding daggers and swords, all she had to do was create more barriers, more bolts to catch their weapons before they could be flung at her. She tossed them aside, clearing her path to keep exploring the maze. She didn't even need to run– they barely knew where they were going. She kept hearing them crashing into boxes from a distance.

At last she reached the middle, right beneath the skylight. A singular figure waited there, dressed in all black but without Hippolyta's Belt– it wasn't Hylla. She held out a sword and waited, sensing Emilia there.

Emilia reached into the shadows for Incubo, clearing the skylight and raising the spear right as the girl attacked. She caught her sword with the edge of the spear and twisted it, clearing the sword out of the way to headbutt her. The girl didn't falter and tried to stab at her again, but Emilia leapt away, twirling the spear and slamming it into the girl's abdomen before dropping fully to the ground to duck between her legs, keeping the spear extended with her and dragging it to knock the girl flat on her face.

This only served to infuriate her more. When they both rose, Emilia blocked three hits before feinting to the left then abruptly whipping the spear to the right, pressing the tip right under the girl's chin.

"Yield," she demanded. "And have Hylla show herself. I'm not interested in games."

The lights in the warehouse turned on. The girl she'd been fighting with scowled as Hylla emerged from between a few of the boxes, clapping slowly. "You don't fight like a Roman," she told Emilia with a small smile. "So you were lying yet again."

"I'm Greek," she said, extending her arms as the spear went back into the shadows. "I'm built to surprise alone, not adapt in groups. Krista called herself a child of Mercury, so Pollux and I both decided to go along with it. My mother is at peace with both sides of herself but I was taught by the Greeks. We weren't sure how anyone would react to the truth."

"You are full of mystery, Emilia," said Hylla. "Unfortunately for Kinzie."

Kinzie scowled, walking off to join the other Amazons who were slipping out of the maze. Emilia gave her a thumbs-up, hoping Kinzie would interpret it as a sign that it was interesting. Just not what Emilia was looking for.

"Reconsidering?" asked Hylla somewhat smugly. "We could use someone like you."

Screw it. Emilia decided to try what Pollux had recommended. "Fighting is cool and all but that's not going to be the deciding factor. I want to know what the people are like before I make a choice. I hardly broke a sweat and you're dressed... let's go grab a bite together."

Hylla stared at her as if she'd proposed something more scandalous. "What?"

"Unless you're not interested," said Emilia, her confidence dwindling. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to ask her this in front of the other Amazons. "I... I guess I wanted to get to know you a little better before I commit to... anything."

Perhaps it was too obvious, perhaps Hylla was about to strike her down. But to her surprise, Hylla relaxed visibly. "I'd like that very much," she said. "Commitment can be... daunting."

"It can be," agreed Emilia. "Testing the waters is nice. I saw a Peruvian restaurant at the corner... my treat."

"Give me a moment to grab a coat," said Hylla. Emilia swore her face was a little redder than it'd been before. She turned away quickly, leading Emilia through the shelves and into a small room where a winter coat rested on a wall hook. She put it on, hiding the Belt of Hippolyta.

They walked in silence until they exited the warehouse. Emilia felt like she stood straighter, feeling triumphant. The Amazons had probably gone easy on her— she felt it was more a test of what her demigod abilities were rather than her actual ability to fight. She'd proven a worthy recruit, and it satisfied her.

"I admit, being caught off-guard is not a usual occurrence for me," said Hylla once they were seated in the restaurant. "Your powers... they're quite terrifying."

"I have that kind of presence," said Emilia, cheeks pink. "People never know what to expect with me. I can make the strongest people question themselves. Usually in a bad way and usually unintentionally."

Hylla smiled. "Well, I would not say this is bad at all. You not only managed to beat Kinzie, but you also somehow chose one of my favorite restaurants on a whim."

"Lucky guess," said Emilia, pleased. "I like Peruvian food. Kinzie's a good fighter, really, but I had the advantage from the moment I walked into the lights being off."

"Admittedly, I wanted to see what a child of the Underworld could do," said Hylla. "I've interacted with so few. My sister was telling me just the other day about two children of Pluto who arrived at Camp... I've heard strange things about their abilities."

"You have a sister?" Emilia hoped she wasn't prying. "Older or younger?"

"Younger," said Hylla. "My little Reyna. Well, not so little. She's sixteen and she's always been a natural leader." Her eyes were sad, as if even thinking of her sister brought up more terrible memories. "Do you have siblings?"

"Four, actually," said Emilia. "On my father's side. I haven't seen the three oldest since I was five and I've never met the youngest. I may go and see them soon... I think it would be important."

She tilted her head curiously. "Important?"

Emilia hesitated, unsure if Hylla would even know about the Great Prophecy or anything stirring at this 'Camp' everyone kept mentioning. Probably the Roman one whose name Jason hadn't quite remembered.

Hylla seemed to notice her uncertainty about answering and added quickly, "It's alright, I shouldn't pry."

"No, it's okay," said Emilia. "It's so much to explain, I just don't know where to begin. It sort of ties into why I can't join the Amazons... yet. Maybe in the future but certainly not now. I'll be going on an important quest in a few months. I'm not sure what'll happen and I want to make sure I have no regrets."

They paused the conversation as the waitress came to take their orders. Emilia got the tallarin verde with bistec while Hylla ordered the plate with milanesa instead. Hylla waited for the woman to be out of earshot before saying, "Are there any other regrets you wish to take care of?"

Emilia shrugged, unsure how to word her response because she knew Hylla was referencing this. Them. Was there even a 'thing' to be considering? Emilia was getting the sense that there was. "I suppose... there are. In the sense that I don't want to go without first seeing this through in some way. I... I don't find it easy to talk about these things. I've never had to. But I had a good time talking to you at the party and a good time dancing. My friend gave me the confidence to try and see where things could go. I at least would like to talk about it. I don't know the proper protocol for any of this..."

"Me neither. I haven't been in a relationship of this sort. I've always wanted to but it never quite worked out. Most men are intimidated by a strong woman. I realized very recently that they're not really my cup of tea."

"I never had the opportunity, at least not one that made sense or was right for me," replied Emilia. "I know aboutrelationships but I have no experience in even making the attempt for one. I hope I'm not overreaching by asking if this is something you're... interested in. I don't know if these things have a timeline."

"Not at all," said Hylla soothingly. "I prefer this way. Communicating about expectations as soon as there is a spark. I feel there could be... something. I was drawn to you when I saw you dancing. You were mysteriously perfect."

Emilia blushed. Most people steered as far from her as possible. "Well, then, I'd like to see where this goes. I can't be in Seattle the whole time but I could Iris-message you?"

Hylla blinked for a moment, then seemed to recall what that was. "Yes, the thing with the coin and rainbows. I could do that..." She sat back as their plates arrived, "You're perhaps the most interesting person I've ever met."

She wished she could tell her everything, she wished she could understand. But it wasn't time, she knew that. She focused on the meal, the two finding they could make conversation about anything. They compared traditional foods, they examined the similarities on the Peruvian menu, they related San Francisco's climate to Seattle's, and then they walked out to get ice cream while carrying on a debate about the best flavors and best ice cream shops they'd been to. Emilia was biased toward the Thrifty Birthday Cake flavor while Hylla spoke highly of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.

It made Emilia realize how little she'd gotten to do when she was actually a kid. She'd never spoken to someone about something so mundane while being in high school. She hardly had actual conversations with the people in her classes, and when she was in Kronos's army, she was lucky if she spoke to anyone near her age.

Most people in Camp Half-Blood had known everything about her, and those who hadn't had filled in the blanks with terrible assumptions. But Hylla didn't judge prematurely– she understood why some things hadn't been said and she seemed ready to wait for everything to be cleared up before believing anything bad about Emilia. She saw what she showed. So far it was all good.

"I should get going," said Emilia once she'd taken Hylla back to the Amazon warehouse. "It's getting late and I still need to pack. It's been a pleasure to speak with you, Hylla. I look forward to the next few months of getting to know you."

Hylla stood across from her, tucking a strand of hair behind her own ear. "I look forward to it, too. I enjoyed today, Emilia. It was different from anything I've experienced. I had a whole day to not think of myself as Queen. I was just... me. I was listened to not because I was a leader but because I was a person. I don't know what the future will bring for either of us but I hope to see you in mine."

She leaned forward, placing a kiss on Emilia's cheek, right at the corner of her lips. Emilia was sure she looked like a wide-eyed fish before she composed herself and smiled at Hylla, promising she'd Iris-message her once she was back home.

She felt like she was floating the entire walk back to the hotel. When Pollux asked her how it'd gone, it was like the words flew out of her mouth. She was sure she'd never spoken continuously for that long ever in her life.

It was only afterward that she realized how much her heart fluttered, how excited she already was for her next meeting with Hylla. For another kiss– maybe a real one. And definitely more dancing and having lunch together. It brought her hope, it convinced her that maybe there was something waiting on the other end of this quest for her. A ray of light that could shine over once Gaea was defeated.

A reason to stay alive.