The path was not clear.

They still had some doubts about heading toward Greece, even after Hylla made her departure and the group met in the mess hall. Emilia admittedly missed the sound of Coach Hedge yelling something ridiculous in the background. Going to Tartarus had made her see the old goat in a new light.

She'd prayed twice over her breakfast– once to the gods, so that Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge would make it to Camp Half-Blood safely and so that Hylla and Pollux could get to where they were going in the same fashion, then the second time to God, hoping He'd remember the little girl who used to stare up at the altar wondering what her purpose was and wishing for an answer. Somebody had to help amongst that group.

Piper started by revealing a vision she'd seen in Katoptris just before coming to eat. It showed a scene of Ithaca, at the ancient palace of Odysseus, where a horde of evil spirits were gathered and awaiting Gaea's orders. There had been a profound silence as she revealed this, followed by Hazel nodding in agreement and claiming that it was the biggest gathering of evil spirits she'd ever sensed. Annabeth's instincts marked the rest of their course– if they wanted to know how to proceed from here, they needed to go to Ithaca and learn more.

She had two quiet days to herself. Piper had insisted that Percy, Annabeth, and Emilia needed rest, and had offered herself for their shifts. The others had accommodated, which meant Emilia got to spend her time as she wished.

For most of the day, she followed one of the others around, trying to maintain conversation to feel less alone. She'd admitted to all of them that she wasn't sure if she could conjure shadows the same way– each time she tried, the tug wasn't as natural. She'd gone to speak with Percy and Annabeth in the mess hall (now a space up for hanging out in without Coach Hedge to yell about curfew) about it, finding that they were also struggling to readjust.

She'd told Hylla about it just before she went to bed, once she'd reported herself arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Hylla had asked Chiron for help in gaining contact with Thalia and the Hunters, intending for them and the Amazons to work together for the foreseeable future. They'd rendezvous in Seattle and wait for Bob and Damasen, and with any luck the group of them could deal with the giant. Pollux would be the link between them, communicating through Krista how to prepare for the Roman attack.

As they neared Afales Bay, they divided up their duties in preparation for infiltrating Odysseus's palace and learning what they could about Gaea's plans before leaving as soon as possible. Emilia was glad to have been assigned tasks with Leo, who she always enjoyed working with. He would just tell her clearly what to do and she'd complete the tasks in a perfectly robotic fashion. Most of the time, they used to talk about stupid things like what each of them would do if they had Piper's cornucopia all to themselves.

"We'll be there soon," said Emilia, following Leo around as he turned knobs on the spyglass they'd be using to monitor Jason, Piper, and Annabeth's progress from the deck. "You've been quiet all morning."

"Just making sure everything's ready," said Leo. "Have to have the catapults loaded with Greek fire and Celestial bronze shrapnel in case the flares I gave them go off. You sure you don't want to follow them invisibly?"

Emilia hesitated, coiling her fingers at the shadows lingering behind him. They didn't budge until she really focused, even when she thought over Hylla's words of encouragement. "It still doesn't feel right. I need more time to... rest."

"That's alright," said Leo. "We'll hang out here. It'll be fun." The usual nervous energy in him seemed muted, his fingers twitching less than usual.

"What are you thinking about?" She tilted her head. "I know you, I know when something is bothering you."

"Not bothering me," he promised. "Um, last night, I Iris-messaged your sister. She made me promise to check in even after you were back, just so I could let them know how you're doing."

Emilia's lips curled into a smile. "And? What'd you tell her?"

"I told her that we were making sure you, Percy, and Annabeth were safe. She seemed satisfied with that and we just um, started talking about other stuff." He blushed. "She was telling me how she wants to take pre-law courses at Columbia after high school 'cause she wants to be an immigration lawyer."

"Both of you are very smart," agreed Emilia. "Seems you two are growing a friendship on your own terms. I'm glad to see it."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I had a feeling you two would like each other in some way if you got to know one another. As long as you handle things maturely and don't hurt each other, why would I have a problem with it? All you need to remember is that I care about both of you and I want you both to be happy. Be cautious and it won't be an issue."

"She's really nice," he said quietly. "She thinks I'm smart and funny, she even said I'm cute. She doesn't understand why I've ever doubted myself. She never hesitated to believe that I was a good person, that I was a hero. I... appreciate her."

"Good," said Emilia. "You deserve for everyone to acknowledge that." She ruffled his hair. "Screw everyone who doubted you before. After this is over, we'll find a time to go to San Diego so you guys can meet in person."

"Your dad wouldn't kill me?"

"I highly doubt that. As soon as he finds out how good you are with machines, he's gonna start preparing Xochitl's dowry."

"Very funny. What's your dowry gonna be when you marry Hylla?"

"When." She smiled to herself. "It is... sort of a 'when' situation now, huh? At least, I hope it is. Uh... I don't know what I have to offer other than raging mental health issues that I'll probably pass down to our future kids."

He smirked. "They'll have a great sense of humor. Then I'll be Tío Leo. Hey, that has a nice ring to it!"

He started to discuss hypothetical situations where he would be the 'coolest' uncle ever as they made their way up to the deck. Apparently, if Emilia and Hylla's children ever snuck out to a party, Leo would totally go and pick them up... but not before having a dance-off with the host.

Hazel got to work as soon as Jason, Piper, and Annabeth were dressed. Emilia was highly impressed with how much progress Hazel had made in such a short time being a magic user. Jason suddenly looked like an old man, with gnarly and bony fingers, bulging blue varicose veins, and a saggy age-spotted face that reminded her of the old couples that used to hobble into mass smelling like... well, old people. Jason had that smell, too.

Piper and Annabeth had been disguised as Greek serving maidens, with white sleeveless gowns and laced sandals. Piper's hair was pinned up in a braided spiral, silver bracelets adorning her arms. She was unscathed after single-handedly defeating a flock of blue harpies while on duty the night before. Annabeth was uncomfortable in her outfit, hunching her shoulders as she tried to keep the dress from slipping. Her pinned-up blonde bun had come undone in the back and her hair dangled like long spider legs.

Emilia and Percy watched her carefully, both glancing at each other and having the same concern about the three of them being separated. Percy especially must have been unbelievably anxious at the prospect of her being out of reach.

Once they set off, the others remained at their posts, with Frank and Percy manning the catapults, Hazel at the helm leaning on the controls as she concentrated on maintaining the spell, and Leo and Emilia by the rails taking turns peeking up with the spyglass.

They kept hearing distant booms, but there was no telling just yet what that was about. It was sure to get really bad if they had to fire. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Something is wrong," said Hazel nervously, after Leo and Emilia could no longer see the others. They'd disappeared into the palace.

"Just wait for the flares," said Leo, pacing back and forth. "If we see anything..."

"What if they can't reach them?" asked Emilia. Gods, should she have gone with them? She reached out at the shadows on the ship, hating how they resisted her, as if they no longer believed her to be their master. How easily they'd surged forward in Tartarus... she still missed it even if she knew she shouldn't.

They waited anxiously, the strange explosions stopping. They couldn't hear any screaming, which could've been both a good thing and a bad thing. Emilia was squinting at the cliff when there came a flash of light. "Look!" She offered the spyglass to Leo. "There's some weird flashes up there."

"Weird flashes?" He peeked in. "That's not weird, that's Morse Code!" The color drained from his face. "It's Annabeth. Jason was impaled by... the ghost of Michael Varus?"

This made Percy, Hazel, and Frank go rigid. Emilia felt the name was vaguely familiar. Leo kept translating, "Smoking wound, not enough ambrosia, imperial gold is deadly to demigods... okay." He set down the spyglass and grabbed the controls, twisting knobs until a flashlight the size of Emilia emerged from a panel on the deck. "What do I tell Annabeth?"

"I'll go get him," offered Frank, seeing how Emilia stared at her hands, the shadows refusing to wrap around her enough to shadow-travel up. "Tell her I'll change form and be up there soon."

Leo got to work, making the flashlight send the message. Emilia stood uselessly next to Percy, watching Frank soar into the sky as a large eagle, speeding to where Jason needed help. When they returned, Percy made a beeline for Annabeth, while Emilia helped Piper wiggle Jason out of a stretcher Annabeth had woven for him.

"Oh, gods," said Emilia, hands shaking as she examined the wound. Jason was barely conscious.

"He won't stop bleeding," said Piper, voice wavering even as she tried to stay as calm as she could. "We already gave him a lot of ambrosia, and not even Juno could fix him."

"We'll talk about that later," said Annabeth quickly. "Emilia, do you think–?"

She hesitated. "My mother said it was for minor wounds, I don't know..." She had to at least try. "Okay. I just need a second."

She planted her palms over the wound, closing her eyes. Please, if anyone can hear me, I need this strength. I need to fix him.

Would the shadows respond to love? Would they stir more because she was worried this time?

"You used to do incredible things without the Pit," Hylla had told her. "You don't need it to breathe here, you don't need it to have a full grasp of your abilities. You already have that. You have learned to use your power in a new way. You fought Tartarus himself to save a giant and a Titan..."

She timed the pulsations of the shadows to her breathing. When she inhaled, they gathered over her hands. When she exhaled, they spread themselves out over Jason's body. She tried it a good three times, until she opened her eyes and saw a nice layer like a bandage forming around his abdomen, sealing off the wound.

No, there were no limits. It didn't only have to be a minor injury. It could be a major injury if Emilia willed it to, if she was strong enough to want it. Perhaps Eris thought it was only minor injuries because she'd never actually seen a major enough injury that she wanted to fix. She might not have tried it. But Emilia would. She was the one who faced Tartarus, she was the one tipping the scales in their favor.

With a sharp exhale, she imagined the shadows pressing down, sealing the dark passageways inside of Jason, mending all tears and punctures. The shadows didn't disobey her, even as the sun beat over the back of her neck, making her wish it wasn't summer. There was no more resistance, only a free flow that she created by coordinating their flickers with the twitches of her body, both physically and mentally. Once she got her rhythm, they moved more effortlessly than they ever had outside of the Underworld, as fluidly as they had in Tartarus.

"The bleeding stopped," said Piper in awe as the shadows dissolved back into Emilia's palms, the wound sealed.

"I don't know what it looks like on the inside," admitted Emilia. "Never really could stomach studying all that... but I assume they fixed things the right way. They restored the balance inside him."

Jason gave a weak groan, but otherwise looked alright, color beginning to return to his face. Percy and Frank scooped him up like he weighed nothing, transporting him down to his cabin so he could sleep it off.

The updates the others had to offer weren't good. Despite efforts at the Wolf House, Porphyrion had in fact risen in Athens. Gaea intended to rise at the Acropolis on the first of August, right at the most ancient temple to the gods. She also knew about Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge, and apparently had redirected her giant son– the most dangerous one, supposedly known as the hunter who never rested– to kill them.

The ghosts and Juno had said the same thing– Nike ran rampant in Olympia, and unless they subdued her, the rift between the Greek and Romans would never be healed.

There was only one way to go, really, to reach Olympia and further out, Greece. The ghosts had told Jason that the most direct route was due east through the Straits of Corinth, but Gaea had cyclopes, storm spirits, and sea monsters waiting there. Even without any monsters, the straits were impossible. The not impossible path was sailing around the entire Peloponnese, which was hardly much safer.

The goal was surely Athens. They had twelve days to get there, before Gaea could rise. And before they got there, they could stop at Delos. Delphi was no longer in Apollo's control. Juno had revealed that the twins were also out of favor with Jupiter, but if they stopped at Delos, the twins might help them.

As soon as they set course for Olympia, Emilia prepared her prism and drachmas to update their friends.

"Emilia," said Bob happily as the Iris-message went through. "Bob is nearly in Seattle. Damasen has found new sheep friends." He gestured to where Small Bob napped on the back of a gigantic bighorn sheep.

"Oh, gods," said Emilia. "And where is Damasen?"

"With the others." He stepped out of the way until Damasen, a fairly small dot in the distance, could be seen with a flock of the bighorn sheep. "The sheep are following us to Seattle."

"That's an interesting bit of migration," said Emilia. "Listen, I called to let you guys know about the giant that's supposedly in Seattle... probably not there anymore, actually. Some hunter that never rests?"

"Orion," said Bob pensively. "Damasen has told me tales of all his brothers as we pondered who it was." He plucked Small Bob up, the kitten curling its back as it stretched and began to lick his paws, unhappily awake. "He does not look like the other giants. He is strong, very strong."

"I have to warn Hylla and Thalia," said Emilia. "He's going to go after our friends, the ones I said are transporting the special package."

Bob hummed, then remembered. "Yes. Nico Friend. We will help the package arrive safely. Small Bob wishes to see your Camp."

"And so he will. I'm sure he'll have the very best naps by the lake. I'll check in on you guys tomorrow... hopefully you'll be in Seattle by then."

"Yes, almost," he confirmed. "Damasen wishes the sheep to not enter the city. Stay in the mountains where it is safe. We will meet the Amazon friends soon. And the Hunters. My granddaughter has said hello from the stars."

Emilia faltered. "That's... that's very..." Sad? Nice? "Beautiful, Bob. I'm sure she will guide your way. I'll see you guys later, tell Damasen I said hello." She swiped out of the Iris-message, much less energetic.

She decided to try and contact Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge before Iris-messaging Hylla. She curled up in her bed, concentrating and hoping that one of them would be asleep at the moment, otherwise she'd have to try again.

She got through to Nico, dreams as dark as his gaze. "Emilia," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Warning you," she said. "A giant is on its way to you. Orion, the hunter who never rests. Damasen and Bob are going to try and help the Amazons and Hunters in stopping him. Is there anything else we can do to help you guys?"

"Nothing yet," said Nico. "It's... going." There was much he didn't seem to want to say. "You need to focus on your own journey. I need rest now."

He forced the dream to end, shutting her out. Once, when he'd been dismissive, she'd told him he should talk to Will Solace the way she did. He hadn't liked that. It was as if he couldn't admit when he needed help. He didn't like to open up to people. Really, she hardly knew a thing about him. She promised herself that when this was over, she'd try to get to know Nico di Angelo.

When she woke up, she went to check on Jason. He was awake now, sore but otherwise unharmed. His wound seemed to have been sealed perfectly, if one could judge by the fact he'd reported no problems anywhere. She had dinner in his room while Piper napped, having stayed awake despite her exhaustion until she was sure Jason was alright.

She spoke to Pollux first that night, learning that Krista had arrived at Camp Half-Blood to be the Amazon ambassador on Hylla's behalf. She teased that now distance did not separate them, but he revealed that Chiron had made sure Krista stayed in the Hermes cabin, with too many people around for her and Pollux to have some time alone.

"What is the proper timeline for marriage?" asked Pollux, snacking on grapes. "Like, if you were to marry Hylla, how much time would it take you from now to get to that point?"

"Everyone is different, I think," said Emilia. "Personally, if we were dating for ten years and neither of us had popped the question by then, that's just way too long. Maybe... three years of dating and two years of being engaged or four years dating and one year engaged. At least one of those years we should have already lived together to see how it is. What about you?"

"I already want to marry her," said Pollux, covering his face. "It's stupid."

"No, it's not! I don't advise you to do it just yet however I wouldn't say there's anything wrong or stupid about feeling it. After you're both twenty-one, I think, what's really stopping you? Guess you have to consider what you want to do and what a good timeline is considering that. What's Krista majoring in again?"

"Business and Marketing. She insists she would get a really good job right out of college because of her connection with the Amazons. She even thinks she could get me a job in an up-and-coming Biotech company with my Plant Bio degree. We could make good money and then eventually retire to run a vineyard. I guess... maybe after we both have those jobs, it would be good to get married. Can you imagine the kids we'd have? Super smart and maybe with the powers of Mercury/Hermes and Dionysus/Bacchus."

"Already planning your future kids... we're not so different, are we, Pollux? Just as..." She struggled to find the right word.

"Delusional?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Kidding. I don't know. After everything we've had to endure just in this life alone, we deserve all the good things that might come. We've suffered more than most demigods. It's a miracle we survived into adulthood. I'd say we're allowed these crazy thoughts. How else will we pass the time? Happiness... it's attainable. Gaea can't snuff out hope, not as long as we build it in ourselves."

"Very right." Emilia sighed, pressing her palms into her cheeks. "My mother... she clings to hope, too. She wishes for us to have a relationship with each other after all this. Do you think that's possible? For her to... be as present as Mr. D was with you? Do you think she would stay long enough to meet Hylla... to maybe meet my children?"

"She promised she'd be there when you needed her most. She swore on the River Styx, didn't she?"

"This oath, I will hold," Eris had sworn. "To make up for all the times I failed you. On the River Styx, I swear that I will see this through with you until the threat is vanquished."

"'An oath to keep with a final breath,'" recalled Emilia quietly. "Final breath... whose?"