Eris had kept her promise.

Emilia knew what had happened even without her mother having to explain. She didn't just keep her oath as Emilia gave her final breath, she returned it to her and brought her back to life. She gave her child the power to survive, she accepted her and re-created her of her own will without Gaea's influence.

"Mother..." Emilia collapsed into her arms, still woozy. "You're here."

"Punctuality has never been my strength," said Eris with a lopsided smile. "I'll arrive much earlier next time, now that there is a bridge for me over the Acheron."

Overhead, a supersized Zeus was riding into battle in a golden chariot, a lightning bolt the size of a telephone pole crackling in one hand. Pulling his chariot were four horses made of wind. One took the icy visage of Boreas, another wore Notus's swirling crowd of fire and steam, a third flashing the smug lazy smile of Zephyrus. Zeus had bound and harnessed the four wind gods themselves.

On the underbelly of the Argo II, the glass bay doors split open. The goddess Nike tumbled out, free from her golden net. She spread her glittering wings and soared to Zeus's side, taking her rightful place as his charioteer. "My mind is restored!" she roared. "Victory to the gods!"

At Zeus's left flank rode Hera, her chariot pulled by enormous peacocks, their rainbow-coloured plumage bright enough that it nearly blinded Emilia all over again. Ares bellowed with glee as he thundered down on the back of a fire-breathing horse. His spear glistened red.

The Olympians surrounded their children, human-sized to match them and glowing with power. Jason shouted and charged Porphyrion, the others joining. The fighting ranged all over the Parthenon and spilled across the Acropolis.

Annabeth rushed to Enceladus. At her side stood a woman with long dark hair and golden armor over her white robes. The goddess thrust her spear at the giant, then brandished her shield with the fearsome bronzed visage of Medusa. Together, Athena and Annabeth drove Enceladus back into the nearest wall of metal scaffolding, which collapsed on top of him.

On the opposite side of the temple, Frank Zhang and the god Ares smashed through an entire phalanx of giants– Ares with his spear and shield, Frank (as an African elephant) wth his trunk and feet. The war god laughed and stabbed and disemboweled like a kid destroying a piñata.

Hazel raced through the battle on Arion's back, disappearing in the Mist whenever a giant came close, then appearing behind him and stabbing him in the back. The goddess Hecate danced in her wake, setting fire to their enemies with two blazing torches. Hades was nowhere in sight, but whenever a giant stumbled and fell, the ground broke open and the giant was snapped up and swallowed.

Percy battled the giant twins, Otis and Ephialtes, while at his side fought a bearded man with a trident and a loud Hawaiian shirt. The twin giants stumbled. Poseidon's trident morphed into a fire hose, and the god sprayed the giants out of the Parthenon with a high-powered blast in the shape of wild horses.

Piper faced the giantess Periboia, sword against sword. Despite the fact that her opponent was five times larger, Piper seemed to be holding her own. The goddess Aphrodite floated around them on a small white cloud, strewing rose petals in the giantess's eyes and calling encouragement to Piper. Whenever Periboia tried to strike, doves rose up from nowhere and fluttered in the giantess's face.

Leo was racing across the deck of the Argo II, shooting ballistae, dropping hammers on the giants' heads and blowtorching their loincloths. Behind him at the helm, a burly bearded guy in a mechanic's uniform was tinkering with the controls, furiously trying to keep the ship aloft.

Eris and Emilia had gone for the old giant Thoon, though there wasn't much they needed to do as the Fates– armed for war– brandished their brass clubs and bludgeoned Thoon each time Eris or Emilia left an opening, each wielding spears that they stabbed past his meat cleaver.

Jason had Porphyrion running in circles, a man with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard like stratus clouds floating above with his lightning bolt appearing as a bronze rod a meter long, pointed at both ends with blades of energy extending from both sides to form a javelin of white electricity. Zeus slashed across the giant's path, forcing the giant to collapse into his makeshift throne, which crumbled under his weight.

"Now, my child," said Eris as Thoon fell to his knees. "Do as I do. The shadows... use them as strings for a puppet."

Emilia mimicked her mother, the two of them extending their hands. Ropes of shadows shot out, making contact with every single one of the giants, slowly wrapping around them in the form of chains.

"They will die," said Eris as they bound each limb, "and will be kept in pieces, scattered and chained at the same time, in an extended and permanent prison. Together, we channel the strength of Nyx, of every single one of her descendants. The power of another primordial will prevent the giants from ever rising again. It is what you tried to do to keep Porphyrion from waking. Except, now, we hold the power of everyone who shares our blood, little one. All my brothers and sisters, all their children, funneled through the two of us. Force them down, now."

They both swept their hands down, the giants pressed into the earth. Hades opened a chasm beneath each of their feet, letting them be swallowed and taken into Tartarus in bits as each of the demigods and gods dealt the final blows, shattering their essences. Against their will, the bits flowed down, controlled like puppets by the Mistresses of Chaos.

Soon, nothing was left of the giants except heaps of ash, a few spears, and some burning dreadlocks. The Argo II was still aloft, barely, moored to the top of the Parthenon. Half the ship's oars were broken off or tangled. Smoke streamed from several large splits in the hull. The sails were peppered with burning holes.

Leo looked almost as bad. He stood in the midst of the temple with the other crewmembers, his face covered in soot, his clothes smoldering. He still managed to have an arm around Emilia, having given her a bone-crushing hug as soon as he stepped off the Argo II.

The gods fanned out in a semicircle as Zeus approached. None of them seemed particularly joyful about their victory. Apollo and Artemis stood together in the shadow of a column, as if trying to hide. Hera and Poseidon were having an intense discussion with another goddess in green and gold robes– perhaps Demeter.

Nike tried to put a golden laurel wreath on Hecate's head, but the goddess of magic swatted it away. Hermes sneaked close to Athena, attempting to put his arm around her. Athena turned her aegis shield his way and Hermes scuffled off toward Eris and the Fates, who stood off to the side, unsure who to speak to other than each other. The only one who seemed to be in a good mood was Ares. He laughed and pantomimed gutting an enemy while Frank listened, his expression polite but queasy.

"Brethren," said Zeus, "we are healed, thanks to the work of these demigods. The Athena Parthenos, which once stood in this temple, now stands at Camp Half-Blood. It has united our offspring, and thus our own essences."

"Lord Zeus," Piper spoke up, "is Reyna okay? Nico and Coach Hedge?"

Zeus knitted his cloud-coloured eyebrows. "They succeeded in their mission. As of this moment they are alive. Whether or not they are okay–"

"There is still work to be done," Queen Hera interrupted. She spread her arms. "But my heroes... you have triumphed over the giants as I knew you would. My plan succeeded beautifully."

Zeus turned on his wife. Thunder shook the Acropolis. "Hera, do not dare take credit! You have caused at least as many problems as you've fixed!"

The queen of heaven blanched. "Husband, surely you see now– this was the only way."

"There is never only one way!" bellowed Zeus. "That is why there are three Fates, not one. Is this not so?" By the ruins of the giant king's throne, the three old ladies silently bowed their heads in recognition.

"Please, husband." Hera tried for a smile, but she was clearly frightened. "I only did what I–"

"Silence!" snapped Zeus. "You disobeyed my orders. Nevertheless... I recognize that you acted with honest intentions. The valor of these seven heroes has proven that you were not entirely without wisdom." Hera looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut. "Apollo, however..." Zeus glared into the shadows where the twins were standing. "My son, come here."

Apollo inched forward like he was walking the plank. He looked so much like a teenage demigod it was unnerving– no more than seventeen, wearing jeans and a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, with a bow over his shoulder and a sword at his belt. The Three Fates gathered around the god, circling him, their withered hands raised.

"Twice you have defied me," said Zeus.

Apollo moistened his lips. "My– my lord–"

"You neglected your duties. You succumbed to flattery and vanity. You encouraged your descendant Octavian to follow his dangerous path, and you prematurely revealed a prophecy that may yet destroy us all."

"My lord Zeus."

He snapped his head toward Emilia, who stepped forward. "With all due respect," she said, though she knew her tone betrayed her, "I don't think you should be attacking Hera and Apollo for your failures."

He looked ready to turn her into another spot of ash on the floor. "You dare–?"

"Yeah, I dare," she said sharply. "The last time the gods gathered like this with demigods was when Kronos was defeated. I wasn't there for that, given I was a prisoner, but I heard what happened. You all promised to do better– you swore to Percy that you would be more attentive. Did you really do any of that? The Olympians shut us out the moment things got complicated and what, you're going to punish those who actually tried to communicate with us what we were supposed to do? Sure, Hera probably went about this the wrong way, but you've expected demigods to clean up the messes you left behind millennia ago and then you turn around and use us as pawns like Gaea did. You also refuse to accept you have any fault in this. If you'd blame Hera and Apollo, you'd better blame yourselves, too."

She gestured to her mother. "You didn't only shun demigods, you shunned other gods, too. Khione, Kymopoleia, and Eris are only three of the many goddesses who were swayed to Gaea's side because the Olympians always push the blame elsewhere, always refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes. Other monsters like the Kekrops didn't feel respected. I'm not saying it's easy to do any of this, I'm not saying you didn't make some good choices in the moment, I'm not even saying all of these gods and goddesses did deserve more, but years later you refuse to own up to the consequences of your actions and from that you only birth more discord. Of course attacks keep coming if you keep showing you are weak– plain and simple, that is what Kronos wanted to exploit. What Gaea wanted to exploit. Apollo and Hera– for all their faults– helped us succeed. My mother helped us succeed. So... maybe don't snarl at them."

"She's right, Father," said Jason bravely. "I made a vow to honor all the gods. I promised Kymopoleia that once this war is over, none of the gods would be without shrines at the camps."

Zeus scowled. "That's fine. But... Kym who?"

Poseidon coughed into his fist. "She's one of mine."

"Our point," said Jason, "is that blaming each other isn't going to solve anything. That's how the Romans and Greeks got divided in the first place. And look at what happened when gods set that aside. Eris helped create chains of darkness that will keep the giants locked away forever. Nike and Apollo, through their debates, gave us advice no one else offered. Emilia is right. Apollo wasn't the problem. To punish him for Gaea waking is..." He seemed to struggle finding the right word to use, considering Emilia had already ticked Zeus off enough and he wasn't making it better, "unwise."

"Unwise." Zeus's voice was almost a whisper. "Before the assembled gods, you would reprimand me–" He glared at Emilia, the hairs on the back of her neck standing, as if a bolt of electricity was aimed at her, "and call me unwise."

Artemis stepped out of the shadows. "Father, these heroes have fought long and hard for our cause. Their nerves are frayed. We should take that into account."

Jason and Emilia both started to protest, but Artemis stopped them with a glance. Her expression sent a message so clear she might have been speaking in their minds: Thank you, demigods. But do not press this. I will reason with Zeus when he is calmer.

"Surely, Father," the goddess continued, "we should attend to our more pressing problems, as you pointed out."

"Gaea," Annabeth chimed in, clearly anxious to change the topic. "She's awake, isn't she?"

Zeus turned towards her. "That is correct. The blood of Olympus was spilled. She is fully conscious."

"Oh, come on!" complained Percy. "I get a little nosebleed and I wake up the entire earth? That's not fair!"

Athena shouldered her aegis. "Complaining of unfairness is like assigning blame, Percy Jackson. It does no one any good." She gave Jason and Emilia an approving glance. "Now you must move quickly. Gaea rises to destroy your camp."

Poseidon leaned on his trident. "For once, Athena is right."

"For once?" Athena protested.

"Why would Gaea be back at camp?" asked Leo. "Percy's nosebleed was here."

"Dude," said Percy, "first off, you heard Athena– don't blame my nose. Second, Gaea's the earth. She can pop up anywhere she wants. Besides, she told us she was going to do this. She said the first thing on her to-do list was destroying our camp. Question is: how do we stop her?"

Frank looked at Zeus. "Um, sir, Your Majesty, can't you gods just pop over there with us? You've got the chariots and the magic powers and whatnot."

"Yes!" said Hazel. "We defeated the giants together in two seconds. Let's all go–"

"No," said Zeus flatly.

"No?" asked Jason. "But, Father–"

Zeus's eyes sparked with power. Jason couldn't afford to push him any further. "That's the problem with prophecies," growled Zeus with a glare toward Apollo. "When Apollo allowed the Prophecy of Eight to be spoken, and when Hera took it upon herself to interpret the words, the Fates wove the future in such a way that it had only so many possible outcomes, so many solutions. You seven, the demigods, are destined to defeat Gaea. We, the gods, cannot."

"I don't get it," said Piper. "What's the point of being gods if you have to rely on puny mortals to do your bidding?'

All the gods exchanged dark looks. Aphrodite, however, laughed gently and kissed her daughter. "My dear Piper, don't you think we've been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years? But it is what binds us together, keeps us eternal. We need you mortals as much as you need us. Annoying as that may be, it's the truth."

Frank shuffled uncomfortably, like he missed being an elephant. "So how can we possibly get to Camp Half-Blood in time to save it? It took us months to reach Greece."

"The winds," said Jason. "Father, can't you unleash the winds to send our ship back?"

Zeus glowered. "I could slap you back to Long Island."

"Um, was that a joke, or a threat, or–"

"No. I mean it quite literally. I could slap your ship back to Camp Half-Blood, but the force involved..."

Over by the ruined giant throne, the grungy god in the mechanic's uniform shook his head. "My boy Leo built a good ship, but it won't sustain that kind of stress. It would break apart as soon as it arrived, maybe sooner."

Leo straightened his tool belt. "The Argo II can make it. It only has to stay in one piece long enough to get us back home. Once there, we can abandon ship."

"Dangerous," warned Hephaestus. "Perhaps fatal."

The goddess Nike twirled a laurel wreath on her finger. "Victory is always dangerous. And it often requires sacrifice. Leo Valdez and I have discussed this." She stared pointedly at Leo.

Emilia remembered Asclepius's grim expression toward Leo. "Leo," pressed Annabeth. "What is Nike talking about?"

Leo waved off the question. "The usual. Victory. Sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. Doesn't matter. We can do this, guys. We have to do this."

Jason made the choice. "Leo's right. All aboard for one last trip."

"Mother..." Emilia turned to Eris before they could depart. "Thank you. In the hour I most needed you, you were there."

"I promised, little one," said Eris, floating over to her. "I would not break that promise to you. I admit, it was not easy, but I felt your pain. I saw your life fading. It gave me the strength to conquer all. I will be waiting to hear back from you. I bless you with the protection of Night, to do what must be done. We will see each other again."

She leaned down, pressing her forehead against Emilia's. Behind Eris, Athena cleared her throat. "Eris," said the goddess of wisdom, eyes stormy as she considered her presence outside of the Underworld. "Perhaps before you go, there are things we could... discuss."

Emilia wondered if Eris was about to get reprimanded for her daughter's inability to hold her tongue in front of the King of Olympus. But there was a perceptible warmth in Athena's eyes, sort of like when Annabeth got an idea that would make someone happy but she didn't want to be so openly pleased until it worked.

Eris nodded skeptically. "Of course, Lady Athena." She smiled at her daughter. "Best of luck."

The last they saw of the gods, Zeus was a hundred feet tall, holding the Argo II by its prow as they strapped themselves to the deck. He boomed, "HOLD ON!" before tossing the ship up and spiking it overhand like a volleyball.

They probably would've all disintegrated if they hadn't been held to seats below the hatch by Leo's safety harnesses. Emilia felt her stomach drop so severely, she was sure it was trying to stay in Greece. Too soon after her last scare, the air was sucked out of her lungs. The sky turned black. The ship rattled and creaked. The deck cracked like thin ice and with a sonic boom, the Argo II hurtled out of the clouds.

"Jason!" Leo shouted overhead. "Hurry!"

That was their signal to head up. They burst out of the hatch to find that the sails were on fire. Festus creaked in alarm. A catapult peeled away and lifted into the air. Centrifugal force sent the shields flying off the railings like metal Frisbees. Wider cracks opened on the deck as Jason staggered toward the hold, where a rope guided the rest of them out from below the hatch, all disoriented.

"Go!" yelled Leo, reminding them of their evacuation plan, which they'd discussed many times. "Go, go, go!" His tone was deadly serious.

"Frank, you're up!" yelled Emilia, steadying Hazel, who was fighting down the nausea as if it were a demon.

He shifted into a grey dragon, and Emilia immediately boosted Hazel onto his neck while Percy and Annabeth settled themselves at his front claws. Frank grabbed hold of all three demigods and soared away.

Emilia stumbled to Leo as Jason grabbed Piper by the waist, ready to fly. Below them was a spinning kaleidoscope of sky, earth, sky, and earth– the ground was getting awfully close.

"Come on, shadow-travel!" she yelled to Leo. "Grab hold!"

"Plan changed!" he reminded her, though he made it sound like a spontaneous decision. "Go with Jason!"

"Leo–" called Piper.

"Same your charmspeak, Pipes! I've got a plan, now shoo!"

Emilia ran to Jason just as he prepared to jump ship. She looked back at Leo as Jason held her arm, shooting them into the sky.

As they plummeted, a vast army of monsters became visible, spreading across the hills– cynocephali, two-headed men, wild centaurs, ogres, others Emilia couldn't name– surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. At the crest of Half-Blood Hill, gathered at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, was the main force of Camp Half-Blood along with the First and Fifth Cohorts, rallied around the golden eagle of the legion. The other three Roman cohorts were in a defensive formation several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.

Giant eagles circled them, screeching urgently, as if looking for orders. Frank flew alongside, near enough that Jason could yell, "Hazel! Those three cohorts are in trouble! If they don't merge with the rest of the demigods–"

"On it!" said Hazel. "Go, Frank!"

Frank veered to the left as Annabeth and Percy screamed various profanities and encouraging messages to the team. Jason veered himself, Piper, and Emilia towards the summit of Half-Blood Hill. Emilia saw Nico at the front lines with the Greeks, slashing his way through a crowd of two-headed men.

A few feet away, Reyna sat astride a new pegasus, her sword drawn. She shouted orders at the legion, and the Romans obeyed without question, as if she'd never been away. Making their way to the main line of attack were two familiar figures leading separate but intermixed groups of women clad in armor. Emilia's heart fluttered when she saw Thalia and Hylla with their weapons raised, trying to bring reinforcement.

Thankfully, Emilia didn't see Octavian or Gaea anywhere. When they landed on the hill, weapons drawn, a cheer went up from the Greeks and Romans. "About time!" called Reyna. "Glad you could join us!"

Jason made a face when he realized she was more excited to see Emilia and Piper. Piper grinned, "We had some giants to kill!"

"Excellent!" Reyna returned the smile. "Help yourself to some barbarians."