Charleston seemed boring.

It was hard to be impressed by a regular city when Emilia had seen such stunning things... literally anywhere else. Just the night before, after she'd told Hylla about her sweet conversation with Frank and listened to her rant about a problem with the Amazon website that no one was capable of fixing just yet, the two had spent time debating which cities they should visit based on how beautiful they were.

This would not have made the list for any reason. Leo had docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, wrought-iron fences, and antique cannons pointed at the water.

Jason, Frank, and Leo left before the girls did, promising to be back by sunset. Percy told them that he'd be in the harbor while they were gone, intending to communicate with the local Nereids. They set out along the Battery, through the White Point Gardens.

The ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat of the summer afternoon, and it was pleasantly cool under the shade of the palmetto trees. Lining the road were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures. Charleston Harbor glittered in the sun. To the north and south, strips of land stretched out like arms enclosing the bay, and sitting in the mouth of the harbor, about a mile out, was an island with a stone fort

The park wasn't crowded, and as they strolled uninterrupted along South Battery Street, they saw lines of four-story Colonial mansions with brick walls blanketed with ivy. The facades had soaring white columns like Roman temples. The front gardens were bursting with rose bushes, honeysuckle, and flowering bougainvillea. Emilia wasn't really big on flowers– she couldn't keep one alive to save her life.

"Kind of reminds me of New Rome," said Hazel and Emilia glanced boredly at everything. "All the big mansions and the gardens. The columns and arches."

Annabeth nodded, a grim smile on her face. They didn't speak– Piper kept looking around like she expected an ambush, Hazel was lost in thought after a few seconds probably thinking of Nico, and Emilia was simply wanting to get this over with and leave this strange place. Nothing here called out to her.

Piper suddenly grabbed Emilia and Annabeth's arms. "There." She pointed across the harbor. A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure floated on the water. It glowed, forming the distinct figure of a woman.

"The ghost," said Annabeth.

"That's not a ghost," said Hazel. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."

"Do we approach–?" Emilia's question died in her throat as Piper walked across the street toward the edge of the seawall, narrowly avoiding a horse-drawn carriage. She rushed after her, the other girls trailing behind.

At last, when the ghostly apparition was only a few yards away, Piper glared and grumbled, "It is her."

The glow faded suddenly. The woman before them was breathtakingly beautiful and strangely familiar. Her face was hard to describe. Her features seemed to shift from those of one glamorous movie star to another. Her eyes sparkled playfully— sometimes green or blue or amber. Her hair changed from long, straight blond to dark chocolatey curls.

The woman was dressed like a Southern belle, just as Jason had described. Her gown had a low-cut bodice of pink silk and a three-tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. She wore tall white silk gloves, and held a feathered pink- and-white fan to her chest.

Emilia was the first to bow her head respectfully. "Lady Aphrodite."

"Venus?" said Hazel in amazement.

"Mom," said Piper with no enthusiasm.

"Girls!" The goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug.
The girls did not oblige. Hazel backed into a palmetto tree and Emilia instantly crossed her arms over herself. Aphrodite was unfazed, "I'm so glad you're here. War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."

"Uh...and that is?" Annabeth ventured.

"Why, have tea and chat, obviously. Come with me!"

She led them to the central pavilion in the gardens—a white-pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, china cups, and of course a steaming pot of tea, the fragrance shifting as easily as Aphrodite's appearance—sometimes cinnamon, or jasmine, or mint. There were plates of scones, cookies, and muffins lined with fresh butter and jam.

Aphrodite sat—or held court, rather—in a wicker peacock chair. She poured tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her clothes, her posture always perfect, her smile dazzling.

Emilia didn't understand why Piper and Annabeth both looked so upset. Aphrodite seemed overwhelming, but she was already proving a much better presence than Eris by far. And Emilia would never say no to free food. Aphrodite had helped her improve her wardrobe back in California and since then, Emilia had become more confident. She had a lot to thank her for.

"Oh, my sweet girls," said the goddess. "I do love Charleston! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo—they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely. Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."

"Which are you?" asked Annabeth. "Venus or Aphrodite?"

The goddess sipped her tea. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Annabeth Chase, you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair, though. And, Hazel Levesque, your clothes—"

"My clothes?" Hazel looked down at her rumpled denim, not self- consciously, but baffled, as if she couldn't imagine what was wrong with them.

"Mother!" said Piper. "You're embarrassing me."

"Well, I don't see why," said the goddess. "Just because you don't appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean the others won't. Emilia, darling, you've certainly settled into yourself nicely, though now perhaps we could improve your fashion sense a bit further. I could do a quick makeover for you three, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—"

"Mother!"

"Fine," sighed Aphrodite. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am both Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. In fact, I like to think I haven't aged a bit!" Her fingers fluttered around her face appreciatively. "Love is love, after all, whether you're Greek or Roman. This civil war won't affect me as much as it will the others."

Hazel nibbled a sugar cookie. "We're not in a war yet, my lady."

"Oh, dear Hazel." Aphrodite folded her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."

Hazel set down her sugar cookie. "What do you mean heartrending days?"

The goddess laughed as if Hazel were a cute puppy. "Well, Annabeth could give you some idea. I once promised to make her love life interesting. And didn't I?"

Annabeth's face hardened visibly. "Interesting... is a mild way of putting it."

"Well, I can't take credit for all your troubles. But I do love twists and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you are such excellent stories—I mean, girls. You do me proud!"

"Mother," said Piper, "is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere—you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it." She pointed to a nearby mansion. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"That's it," recalled Annabeth. "The island in the harbor. That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort."

"Oh, such a party!" Aphrodite said. "A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officers' uniforms. The women's dresses—you should've seen them! I danced with Ares—or was he Mars? I'm afraid I was a little giddy. And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts!"

Emilia frowned, lowering her banana nut muffin. "Are you romanticizing the American Civil War? Despite... the casualties, the significance, the aftermath?"

"And the refreshments!" Aphrodite continued. "Ah, they were divine. General Beauregard himself made an appearance. He was such a scoundrel. He was on his second wife, then, but you should have seen the way he looked at Lisbeth Cooper—"

"Mother!" Piper tossed her scone to the pigeons.

"Yes, sorry," the goddess said. "To make the story short, I'm here to help you, girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others." Aphrodite fixed her gaze on Annabeth. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?"

They all turned to Annabeth, whose cheeks burned red. "An argument," she said dismissively. "It's nothing."

"Nothing!" the goddess said. "Well, I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over...oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had other war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman—like Bellona—"

"Reyna and Hylla's mom," said Emilia quietly.

"Yes, indeed," the goddess agreed. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras—not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him crass and terribly nouveau dieu, personally. At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena. They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

Annabeth spoke slowly, "The Mark of Athena. It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to... to the statue."

Aphrodite smiled. "You are clever, like your mother. Understand, though, your siblings, the children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. None has succeeded in recovering the statue. In the meantime, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war...so much bloodshed and heartbreak...has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children." When Annabeth hesitated to speak, Aphrodite offered, "That's romantic? Yes, I suppose it is."

Annabeth shook her head. "But, the Mark of Athena... how does it work? Is it a series of clues, or a trail set by Athena—"

"Hmm." Aphrodite looked politely bored. "I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she'd simply tell you where to find it. No...I'd guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of breadcrumbs. It's a connection between the statue and the children of the goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy."

"And for thousands of years," said Annabeth, "no one has managed."

"What statue do you mean?" Emilia hadn't read any stories about statues.

Aphrodite laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in. At any rate, the clue you need is close by: a map of sorts, left by the children of Athena in 1861 —a remembrance that will start you on your path, once you reach Rome. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in following the Mark of Athena to its end. There you will face your worst fear—the fear of every child of Athena. And even if you survive, how will you use your reward? For war or for peace?"

Annabeth gripped the edge of the table like her life depended on it. "This map, where is it?"

"Guys!" Hazel pointed to the sky.

Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a flying chariot pulled by pegasi. Apparently Leo's diversion with Buford the end table hadn't worked—at least not for long.

Aphrodite spread butter on a muffin as if she had all the time in the world. "Oh, the map is at Fort Sumter, of course." She pointed her butter knife toward the island across the harbor. "It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I were you. Would you care for some tea cakes to go?"

They sprinted back to the dock, but wouldn't have made it unless Emilia shadow-traveled all of them mid-sprint. Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of them. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who was scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.

"Surrender to Rome!" shrieked Octavian.

Emilia reached into the shadows and drew her spear. "Let's not do this," she said coldly, not at all intimidated by the two warriors behind Octavian. Hazel had a cavalry sword, Piper and Annabeth had daggers, and together, they were one terrifying group. "You don't stand a chance against us and you know that what happened wasn't our fault. You saw my mother there."

Piper jumped in, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" yelled Octavian. "Wax in our ears—standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"Let me skewer him," muttered Hazel. "Please."

The ship was only fifty feet away, but there was no sign of Coach Hedge or Percy– the former was probably glued to the television like the useless slab of goat he was and the latter was probably still underwater.

It was too early in the day to summon too many shadows, but Emilia still dragged them toward her, glaring at Octavian and refusing to lower her weapon. Then, out of nowhere, Annabeth drew her dagger using only two fingers. Instead of dropping it, she tossed it as far as she could into the water.

Octavian made a squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

Annabeth smiled in an apologetic manner, so uncharacteristic and creepy it reminded Emilia of when she tried faking a genuine smile and startled her friends.

Octavian didn't know how suspicious that was. He huffed in exasperation. "You other three..." He pointed his blade at Hazel and Piper. "Put your weapons on the dock. Child of Discordia, if you try any funny bus–"

All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger.

"You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced.

Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"Guys," Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!" Percy leaned over him, calling, "Tempting." Octavian couldn't hear him, holding onto his guards as they tried to keep him and themselves afloat.

"Might as well drown them," muttered Emilia, pointing her spear toward Octavian's face.

"Not a good idea," said Percy. "But don't worry, Hazel, I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

They rushed onto the Argo II. Annabeth ran to the helm. "Piper, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!" Piper nodded and raced off. "Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!" Hazel skidded off. "Emilia, you said you can un-sow discord... can you do just enough to keep them from fighting anyone at all?"

"I can try." Emilia went to stand beneath the sails, in the only patch of shadows she could find. She swirled her hands together, gathering the shadows then coiling her wrists clockwise, the rings of darkness pulsating out of her with each beat of her heart, spreading into the Battery to slam into the Romans.

Overhead, Percy was getting the ship ready to sail– to Fort Sumter, Annabeth said. With only his willpower, ropes flew on their own– releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind.

Meanwhile, Annabeth fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the Argo II turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.

The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close and Emilia was pumping her hands as hard as she could. Some of the Roman demigods riding the eagles seemed to start veering them off-course before they'd snap back into place and continue in their tight formation.

Coach Hedge arrived too late, wanting to kill someone uselessly. Piper had gotten a message to Jason, who was already on his way. Heading toward them in the air was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" called Hazel. Leo was holding onto the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, they could hear him screaming and cursing. Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.

"Never seen Jason fly before," grumbled Percy. "He looks like a blond Superman."

"You can literally create hurricanes!" said Emilia in disbelief, sweat rolling down her forehead. There wasn't much she could do but focus on one of the Roman chariots that was flying down to Jason and Frank. She kept swirling her hands harder, urging the driver not to descend. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stop the charioteers from firing the bows they had trained on Frank.

The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws. The Argo II's crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.

"Percy," said Annabeth as Frank, Leo, and Jason landed on deck, "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship. I've got to figure out where the map is. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," warned Percy. "You'll have to fight your way through, find this map, and get back here alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day." Annabeth kissed him. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship!"

Emilia's arms were shaking as the ship slowed down enough for Annabeth to rush off the dock. Tourists were screaming and running in circles, not at all consoled by the tour guides that insisted it was just a reenactment.

"Emilia," said Percy, putting his hand on her shoulder as the Roman eagles circled, not able to land under her influence. "You need a break. It's too bright outside. Let me and Jason help you. Breathe."

She lowered her arms, leaning on the mast as Jason and Percy stepped forward. The Roman eagles swooped down immediately. Coach Hedge, Hazel, and Piper were guarding the dock as the Romans began landing and pursuing Annabeth and Leo began training his fire on the eagles while the other two guided their swords together, moving the sky and sea as one.

It was an impressive display. The waves began to heave against the ramparts as lightning flashed overhead, a storm forming overhead that began to knock the eagles out of the air. The wind churned, chilling Emilia and bringing a rush of air into her that energized her.

She stood back up, darkness on her side. She swung her spear overhead, forming a spiral of energy that she flung at the Roman chariot, shattering it and scattering its riders. She trained her focus on the Romans, channeling the dark clouds and closing her eyes, imagining peace and relaxation as she coiled her wrists and pushed the shadows forward.

Mother, I really hope you're not here helping them, she thought as several of the Romans lowered their weapons, looking around in confusion as if they didn't understand their place here.

She continued the same motions, more and more of the Romans finding themselves unable to fight. A few started to remove the wax from their ears, allowing Piper to command them into sleep. The eagles that had landed to avoid Jason's lightning, Leo's fire, and Percy's slaps of water were now starting to sway tiredly, relaxed by Emilia and soothed by Piper's voice.

Emilia didn't find herself growing tired. As the energy churned out, the responses seemed to feed back into her. She felt her chest swell as she took in their grief, their anger, their frustrations, their wariness. She used it to strengthen herself and the force she used on her wrists, exhausting them faster and faster and leaving them frozen, unable to fight. Would the effects last? Could she relax them enough that they'd rethink what they were doing? She wasn't sure.

Octavian resisted the most, yelling out, "STOP HER!" As Annabeth came running back to the ship. The Romans couldn't have managed it even if they tried. Annabeth whizzed past them, grabbing onto Piper and using her to leap into the boat. The gangplank fell into the sea, and the two girls tumbled onto the deck.

"Go!" Annabeth screamed. "Go, go, go!"

The engines rumbled beneath them. The oars churned. Jason changed the course of the wind, and Percy called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea.

By the time the Argo II reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and they were racing across the waves toward the ancient lands.