★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘:
BELLE IN THE LOST
HERO

★ 。／｜＼。★

*it's a long one, besties. like over 18,000 words. buckle up*

BELLE ADAIR BELIEVED that life was going smoothly for her. They had finally won the war against Kronos. Her and her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, were in an over one-year-long relationship and had confessed their love for each other on their anniversary. Also, Belle was redesigning the plants on Mount Olympus with Annabeth Chase's architecture. Everything was going great.

Of course, it all had to come crashing down.

Percy suddenly disappeared. Like, the poof, no trace of him kind. Belle and him had come back to spend their winter break at Camp together, but the next morning he was just gone. And then Belle got a vision from her least favorite Goddess, Hera (who still sent blue hair ribbons to her), telling her that if she went to the Grand Canyon that the guy with one shoe would be the answer to Percy's disappearance.

Even though she didn't like it, Belle did what she was told. She took the Apollo Cabin's flying chariot that was pulled by Pegasi. Belle opted to take Annabeth and Butch, a burly son of Iris who was their best equestrian (well, besides Percy.) All of them wore their orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirts and shields were strapped to their backs.

The chariot landed. Belle hopped off immediately with Annabeth right behind her and took Sunflower's keychain off of her belt loops. She flipped it and caught it while still running. Belle kept the sword pointed downwards but clenched the green hilt in her hand tightly. She was met with a handsome blonde boy, a pretty brown-haired girl, and a scrawny curly-haired boy. Belle's blue eyes were fierce and startling, glancing around frantically for any sign of the black-haired green-eyed boy she had fallen in love with so deeply.

"Where is he?" Belle demanded. "Do you know?"

"Where's who?" the blonde boy asked.

Belle frowned and turned to the other two. "And your protector? Where's Gleeson Hedge?"

The curly-haired boy cleared his throat. "He got taken by some . . . tornado things."

"Venti," the blonde boy corrected. "Storm spirits."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean Anemoi Thuellai? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"

The blonde boy introduced himself as Jason and the other two as Piper and Leo. He explained his story of waking up on the bus with no idea where he was, fighting storm spirits on the skywalk, catching Piper as she fell off the side by flying, Leo getting rescued by Gleeson Hedge, and then the Satyr disappearing.

Belle squeezed her eyes shut in frustration once Jason was finished. "I'm going to kill Hera. She told me if I came here that I'd find the answer. But you know what she does? Deceive me. Typical."

"Hey, B," Annabeth began gently. "Look."

Belle looked to where she was pointing. Jason's left foot looked like it had been barbecued and didn't have a shoe. Apparently, this blonde boy that had no idea who he was was apparently the answer to Percy Jackson disappearing.

"The guy with one shoe," Butch voiced. "He's the answer."

"I don't think so, Butch. Hera tricked me." Belle glared up at the sky, hoping the stupid Goddess of marriage could hear her. "We've had our differences, but taking Percy is going way too far. What have you done with him? Do you need me to go on some quest to get him back? Because I'll do anything at this point."

The skywalk shuddered. All of the Pegasi whinnied urgently.

"Belle, Annabeth, we gotta leave," Buch urged. "Let's get these three to Camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

Annabeth gave Jason a resentful look. "Fine. We'll settle this later. Come on, Belle."

Belle flipped her sword in the air and put Sunflower's keychain back around her belt loops. She got back in the chariot and fiddled with the seashell pendant on her necklace anxiously.

"We'll find him," Annabeth stated confidently. "I know we will."

Belle sighed. "I hope you're right."

Jason, Piper, Leo, and Butch all came back to the chariot. The first three stood in the back of the chariot while Butch helped Belle and Annabeth get ready. Butch handled the reins and allowed the Pegasi to fly back east in the direction of Long Island. Meanwhile, Belle stood in the middle with her arms crossed over her chest while Annabeth adjusted a bronze navigation device. Icy wind swept straight through Belle's hair and made it fly behind her. More storm clouds also gathered behind them.

Chariot rides were never smooth. It lurched and bumped as it was pulled through the air, but Belle was kind of numb to everything at this point. She stared down at the floor with her eyebrows knit in thought. Why was this blonde boy, Jason, supposed to be the answer to her problems? Nothing made sense.

"This is so cool!" Leo, the other new boy, exclaimed before spitting a Pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth answered. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper repeated, immediately putting up a guard. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're Demigods," Jason explained. "Half God, half mortal."

Belle picked up her head and turned to look at him, her blue eyes meeting his. "You already seem to know a lot, Jason. And yes . . . we're talking about Demigods. All of us are. My mom is Demeter, Goddess of the harvest, and Annabeth's mom is Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Butch over here is a son of Iris, Goddess of the rainbow."

Leo choked."Your mom is a rainbow Goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch questioned.

"No, no. Rainbows. Very macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth continued. "He gets along great with the Pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered to himself.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

"Demigods," Piper voiced. "You mean you think you're . . .  you think we're—"

Lighting suddenly flashed. Belle reached down and clenched Sunflower's keychain in her hand nervously as the chariot shuddered.

"Left wheel's on fire!" Jason yelled.

Sure enough, the wheel was burning and white flames were licking the side of the chariot. Dark shapes formed in the cloud and swirled towards the chariot.

"Why are they—" Piper began.

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth cut in. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."

Butch flicked the reins, making the Pegasi put on a burst of speed. In the span of a few seconds, the chariot had reached above Camp Half-Blood on the Long Island Sound. It was an island of springtime in the middle of snow-covered fields due to the magic weather (although Chiron did allow them to have snowball fights once in a while), and the lava climbing wall, the Cabins, the Big House, the volleyball courts, and the strawberry fields were all visible. Before Belle could even say anything, the chariot wheels flew off and they began to fall.

Belle, Annabeth, and Butch all moved to try and maintain control, but it was no use. The Pegasi managed to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they were too exhausted from their burst of speed and trying to hold the weight of six people.

"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"

With a loud BOOM, the chariot landed in the water. Belle inwardly gasped from the shock of the cold water and was so disoriented she didn't know which way was up. Then a familiar face appeared in the green murk. The Merpeople of the lake smiled at her before grabbing her shoulders and hauling her up onto the shore.

"Belle!" Travis Stoll's voice exclaimed as the girl coughed. "Gods, are you all right?"

She raised her hand, and he took it to help her stand. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Just dry me off, please."

The Hephaestus kids ran up to her with a large Celestial Bronze leaf-blower. A blast of hot air hit her, and in about two seconds, her and her clothes were completely dry. Connor Stoll placed a blanket on her shoulders and she gave him a gracious yet small smile. Katie Gardner walked up and placed her hands on Belle's shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss to her sister's forehead. Meanwhile, the rest of the campers all gathered around to see Jason, Piper, and Leo and hear what happened.

"Belle!" Will Solace's voice shouted, and she turned to see him with a bow and quiver on his back pushing through the crowd. "Annabeth! I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"

"I'm sorry, Will," Belle apologized, wrapping the blanket around her a little tighter as she sighed. "Annabeth and I will get it fixed, promise."

Will scowled at his broken chariot, which the Merpeople had tossed up, before sizing up the three new Demigods. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" Leo inquired.

"Any sign of Percy?" Will continued before any of them could explain what claimed meant.

All eyes immediately went to Belle, and she cast her gaze to the ground with a small sigh. "No."

The campers muttered among themselves. Footsteps then began to approach them, and Belle looked back up to see Drew Tanaka, head counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin, walking forwards. Drew had that kind of regal energy to her — she was tall, her dark hair was curled in perfect ringlets, her jewelry was shining under the sun, her makeup was perfect, and she managed to make jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt look fashionable. She wasn't exactly the nicest person, but Belle and her had a mutual respect.

Drew glanced at Leo for about two seconds, stared straight at Jason like he was worthy of his attention, and curled her lip in disgust at Piper. "Well, I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorted in response. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," Jason agreed. "How about some answers before you start judging us — like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

"Jason, I promise we'll answer your questions," Annabeth reassured him. And Drew—" she frowned at the daughter of Aphrodite "—all Demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what we hoped."

"Hey, we didn't ask to be brought here," Piper voiced.

Drew sniffed at her. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper stepped forwards, but Belle immediately jumped in. "Hey, stop it you two."

Everyone went quiet. If they had learned anything from the Battle of Manhattan and the past couple of days, it was to not mess with Belle Adair when she was angry.

Belle sent a pointed look to Drew. "All of us have to make our new arrivals feel as welcome as possible. Each of them will be assigned a guide to give them a tour of Camp. And hopefully they'll be claimed by the campfire tonight."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper inquired.

Suddenly, there was a collective gasp and the campers began to back away. Belle looked up to see a reddish glow above Leo's head. It was a blazing holographic image of a fiery hammer — the symbol of Hephaestus' claim.

Annabeth pointed to it. "That is claiming."

"What'd I do?" Leo panicked. He ducked and tried to back away to the lake to try and get away from it, but the symbol kept following him. "Is my hair on fire?"

"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—"

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth told him. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"

"By a God," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turned to him.

Belle raised an eyebrow. "You really seem to know a lot about the Gods. How?"

Jason shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus, the God of blacksmiths and fire," Annabeth explained.

Leo kept swatting the air even after the fiery hammer began to fade. "The God of what? Who?"

Belle turned to Will. "Hey, Will, can you give Leo a tour around Camp? Make sure to introduce him to his siblings in Cabin Nine."

Will nodded. "Sure, B."

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"

"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything."

Will put a hand on Leo's shoulder and steered him off towards Cabin Nine. Belle unwrapped the blanket from around her and placed it gently on the ground before turning her attention towards Jason. She stared at him — not in a romantic way, because Percy was the only one to hold her heart, but in a quizzical way. Something was unusual yet oddly familiar about him. It was confusing how he knew so much about the Gods yet had no idea where he came from.

"Belle?" Katie spoke. "What are you—"

"Jason, can I see your arm for a second?" Belle interjected, stepping closer to him.

"Uh, sure," Jason replied, holding out his arm.

She took it in her hands gently and studied the tattoo. Underneath the letters SPQR were the symbol of an eagle and twelve horizontal straight lines like a bar code.

"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth admitted. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

Belle tilted her head in thought as she stared at them. "It almost seems like they, whoever they are, branded you. Were these burned into your skin?"

"Yeah," Jason answered, Belle's head snapping up in surprise. He then winced. "I mean . . . I think so. I don't remember."

No one said anything. The group looked to Belle and Annabeth for a verdict. Belle dropped her hands from Jason's arm and waved Katie over. Katie walked over and joined their side.

"Jason, this is my sister, Katie," Belle introduced, the two of them exchanging quick smiles. "Katie, would you do me a favor and bring Jason to Chiron?"

"Of course," Katie responded. "Come on, it's this way."

Katie and Jason walked off in the direction of the Big House. The rest of the crowd began to disperse until it was only Belle, Annabeth, and Piper left.

"Who's Chiron?" Piper inquired. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"

Annabeth hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, Belle and I will give you a tour. We need to talk."

Usually, when Belle would give tours to the new Demigods coming to Camp, she was much more enthusiastic. However, it was kind of hard giving a tour of the place where you had basically fallen in love with someone that was now missing. She missed Percy and all of the amazing memories she had with him at Camp was making her miss him even more. The fact of not knowing where he was terrified her down to her core and was literally killing her from the inside out. Sure, they had been separated in the Battle of Manhattan a couple times, but Belle knew they were always in the same vicinity. Now, Percy could be anywhere.

Her and Annabeth took turns explaining things about the Camp, like magic archery, Pegasus riding, the lava climbing wall, and fighting monsters. Annabeth pointed out the dining pavilion that overlooked the Long Island Sound. Belle explained that Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp even though some kids stayed year-round, and how it was crowded now even in the winter because they had added so many new campers.

They climbed a hill at the edge of Camp to show Piper the valley. It showed the big stretch of woods, the beach, the creek, the canoe lake, the green fields, and the Cabin layout. The Cabins for the twelve Olympians were arranged in the shape of the Greek letter Omega while two wings of more Cabins stuck out the bottom on either side. There were twenty Cabins in total now, starting at Zeus with Cabin One and ending with Hecate with Cabin Twenty.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek God — a place for that God's children to live."

"You're saying Mom was a Goddess," Piper summed up.

Belle crossed her arms over her chest. "You're pretty calm about this whole thing."

Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Annabeth replied. "You're what — fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."

"The deal?"

"Last summer, they made a promise to claim all of their Demigod children when they turned thirteen," Belle answered, staring out at the figure of Cabin Four. "It's a really long story, but it was made to make sure that Demigods wouldn't be ignored anymore. Sometimes it may take a while, but you saw how fast Hephaestus claimed Leo once he got here. Your claiming should happen by the time the campfire begins for the night."

"Why thirteen?" Piper wondered.

"The older you get, more monsters notice you, try to kill you," Annabeth revealed. "'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to Camp before it's too late."

"Like Coach Hedge?"

Annabeth nodded. "He's — he was a Satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding Demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."

"What happened to him?" Piper asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he . . . is he gone for good?"

Belle sighed. "It's hard to say right now. Storm spirits are really difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, made of Celestial Bronze, only pass through them unless they're caught by surprise."

"Jason's sword just turned them to dust."

Annabeth shrugged. "He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

The name was enough to send shivers up Belle's spine. "It's a huge abyss in the Underworld where monsters come from. In simpler terms, it's basically a bottomless pit of evil. Once the monsters dissolve after being killed, it can take months, even years to regenerate. It doesn't really make sense why that storm spirit Dylan would keep Hedge alive after getting away, but Hedge was a protector, so he knew the risks. If he dies, he'll be reincarnated as a nice plant since Satyrs doesn't have mortal souls."

When Piper didn't say anything else, Belle turned to look at her. Piper was staring at the Cabins below her nervously. She understood. Everything was just so new to her right now. It was a lot of information to take in.

"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."

"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," Piper admitted. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Only five?" Annabeth questioned. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven. Belle over here has been here since she was ten."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—"

"Leo's ADHD," Piper stated.

"That's because our brains are hardwired for battle," Belle responded. "Our decisions are often restless and impulsive, which makes us not fit in with other kids. In fact, you should hear how much trouble Percy—" Belle stopped herself. Her heart broke at the mention of his name. She cleared her throat, a sadness etching onto her features. "Um, anyways, Demigods have a bad reputation. So, how did you get into trouble?"

"I steal stuff," Piper said. "Well, not really steal . . ."

"Is your family poor?" Annabeth inquired.

Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it . . . I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."

"I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"

"Well ... nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers — even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, Sure. Take it. Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."

Belle was silent for a moment. "That's interesting. I would say you were a child of Hermes, God of thieves, if your dad was a God because he can be very convincing. But your dad is mortal, right?"

"Very," Piper agreed.

Annabeth shook her head, obviously mystified, which is just how Belle felt. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."

Belle then glanced over at the woods, and a thought immediately came to her mind. "Hey, come on. I just need to check on something else really quick."

Annabeth immediately got what she was insinuating and let out a small ah. The group of three hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Some bones and old swords littered the ground. The cave was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes and was flanked by two torches. It might've seemed a little weird, but this was where the Oracle of Delphi, and Belle's friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, lived.

"What's in there?" Piper asked.

Belle poked her head inside of the cave, sighing and closing the curtains once she saw nobody. "Just somewhere my friend lives. Annabeth and I have been expecting her for the past few days, but there's nothing so far."

"She's still not there?" Annabeth questioned.

Belle shook her head defeatedly.

"Your friend lives in a cave?" Piper inquired incredulously.

Annabeth offered her a small smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at Camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our Oracle, tells the future. Belle and I were hoping she could help us—"

"Find Percy," Piper guessed.

Belle let out a deep breath and sat down on a rock, no longer having the energy to hold herself up. Annabeth appeared by her side and began to rub her back softly. The past few days, she'd been nothing but tired. It was bad the first night. She had absolutely cried her heart out, and it had to take Travis, Connor, and Katie hours to try and calm her down. After that, she put on a stone-cold front and focused her attention on finding Percy. But now . . . she felt every part of her she had tried to keep together unraveling.

Piper began to look everywhere else but her before beginning to stammer over her words. "That's — a dragon. That's the actual Golden Fleece?"

"Mhm," Belle hummed in response, but she wasn't really listening. She rubbed at her eyes in effort to wake herself up and get rid of the tears pricking at them. "Sorry, I'm just really exhausted."

"You look ready to drop," Piper pointed out. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?"

"Annabeth?" Belle asked.

The blonde thought it over for a moment. "Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."

"And you've got no idea what happened to him?" Piper continued.

Belle shook her head miserably, her heart shattering. "Both of us were so excited because our winter breaks started early. We met up at Camp on Tuesday and would have three weeks together after that. After the campfire that night, he . . . he kissed me goodnight in front of my Cabin and then went back to his. However, the next morning, he was gone, almost like he just vanished. We searched for him everywhere but have come up with nothing."

"How long were you guys together?"

"A year ago on August eighteenth. Last August was our one year anniversary."

"Your one year was almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper voiced. "But we've only been together a few weeks."

Annabeth shared a guilty look with Belle before wincing. "Piper . . . about that. Maybe you should sit down."

Piper suddenly looked panicked. "Look, I know Jason thought — he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."

Belle shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Piper, but it's the Mist."

"Missed . . . what?"

"Not that missed, but M-I-S-T. It's sort of a veil that separates our magic world from the mortal world. The Mist bends reality in a way see things in a way that they can understood. Their minds can handle seeing the strange stuff we see, like Gods and monsters. For example, their eyes could skip over this valley completely, or they could look at the dragon and see just a really big pile of cables."

Piper swallowed nervously. "No. You two said yourselves I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a Demigod."

"Even Demigods can be affected," Annabeth admitted. "I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"

"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper protested. "He's a human guy, or Demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me . . ."

Piper then began to tell Belle and Annabeth about her whole semester at the Wilderness School. Belle watched as she did so with a sad expression on her face. She was afraid that this news about the Mist would totally break her.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—"

"I do!" Piper insisted.

Even though she didn't want to, Belle began to question her. "Where is he from?"

"He must have told me, but—"

"What about his tattoo? Or his parents? His friends? His last school?"

"I — I don't know, but—"

"And his last name?"

Piper began to cry. She slumped down on the rock next to Belle, almost like she was falling into pieces. Belle exhaled softly and put a hand on the girl's shoulder, rubbing her thumb back and forth against the fabric of her shirt.

"Hey," Annabeth said after a couple of moments. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."

Piper wiped a tear off of her cheek. "You both brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"

Annabeth shrugged. "We figured it would be hard for you."

Belle gave Piper a tight smile. "And I know what it's like to lose a boyfriend. It's not exactly the easiest thing."

"But I still can't believe . . . I know we had something," Piper continued. "And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"

"Good questions," Annabeth replied. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?"

Piper gazed down at the Cabins before taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The group of threemade their way back to the central green. Members of the Apollo Cabin were playing basketball and were, of course, making perfect shots every time. Piper stared at them in wonder.

"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained once she noticed her expression. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons — arrows, basketballs."

They then walked past Hestia's hearth. Two campers were sword fighting with each other.

"Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Kind of the point," Belle responded.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at her. "That was terrible, B."

"My bad. It was an accidental pun."

"Anyways, that's my Cabin over there. Number Six." Annabeth nodded to the gray Cabin with a carved owl over the door. Inside were bookshelves, weapon displays, and some SMART Boards. "Speaking of blades, come here."

Annabeth and Belle led Piper around the side of Cabin Six to the armory. The blonde opened the door to reveal all of the weapons inside the shed — everything from swords to spears to clubs.

"Each Demigod has to have their own weapon," Belle told Piper as they walked inside. "Of course, Hephaestus makes the best — God of blacksmiths and all — but the Athena Cabin has a pretty good selection, too. Since Athena is all about strategy, they can match the right weapon to the right person."

Piper pointed to her. "I saw you had a sword earlier. Where'd it go?"

Belle reached down and unclipped Sunflower's keychain from her belt loops, holding it up for Piper to see, before flipping it and catching the green hilt in her hand once it appeared. "This is my sword, Sunflower. Gifted to me by my mother, Demeter, when I was ten on my way to Camp. It has the power to attach itself to belt loops as long as I'm wearing jeans." She flipped it again and it turned back into a keychain. "All right, take it away, Annabeth."

Annabeth first handed her a massive sword. Piper could barely lift it.

"No," the three of them chorused.

Annabeth looked around the shed for a little longer until she brought something else out. Belle raised an eyebrow at the gun in her hand.

"A shotgun?" Piper asked.

"Mossberg 500," Annabeth elaborated, checking the pump action casually. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial Bronze, so it only kills monsters."

"Um, I don't think that's my style."

"Seems a little flashy," Belle agreed.

Annabeth put the shotgun back. She began to poke through a rack of crossbows until Belle noticed Piper staring at something. Her eyebrows knit in thought and followed her gaze to see her looking at the corner.

"What is that?" Piper questioned. "A knife?"

Annabeth dug it out of the shed and blew the scabbard. Belle approached her side and stared down the knife in her hands. Its sheath was made of leather and bound in bronze. The knife had a handle of polished wood. Belle tilted her head at it. Something about it seemed oddly familiar . . .

"I don't know, Piper," Annabeth stated uneasily. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."

Piper pointed to the knife strapped to Annabeth's belt. "You use a knife."

"Yeah, but . . ." Annabeth ultimately shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want."

Piper took it and unsheathed the knife. The knife had an eighteen-inch-long triangular blade. Piper stared down at her reflection in it. Belle soon then realized where exactly that knife had come from. She had read about it on multiple occasions.

"It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."

"I like it," Piper responded. "Why didn't you think it was right?"

"Well, that blade just so happens to have a long story that makes most people afraid to claim it," Belle voiced. "The original owner of it didn't have a good outcome. Helen was her name."

Piper paused for a second. "Wait, you mean the Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Belle and Annabeth nodded.

"And it's just sitting in your toolshed?"

"We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth revealed. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that — they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as Demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."

"Meaning?" Piper inquired.

"Mirror," Annabeth answered. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."

Piper looked down at the blade again. Suddenly, a couple of moments later, she dropped it. Her face turned pale and it looked like she was about to pass out.

Belle's eyes widened and she reached forward, placing her hands on Piper's shoulders. "Woah, Piper, are you okay?"

"Medic!" Annabeth shouted to the Apollo kids on the basketball court. "We need some help over here!"

"No, it's — it's okay," Piper stammered.

Belle raised her eyebrows disbelievingly and dropped her hands from Piper's shoulders. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I just . . ." Piper reached down and picked up the dagger. "I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But . . . I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."

Annabeth hesitated before waving off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something."

"I'm fine. Is there . . . um, a phone at Camp? Can I call my dad?"

Annabeth's gray eyes were calculating, but she ultimately gave in. "We aren't allowed phones. Most Demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are. But . . . I've got one." She took it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret . . ."

Piper took the phone and stepped away from the two. Belle crossed her arms over her chest and stared out at the girl.

"Something's going on with her," Belle said quietly to Annabeth. "And this whole thing with Jason . . . I'm just so confused. All I want is to get Percy back."

"Me too," Annabeth agreed. "But we will. Tomorrow we'll go searching, yeah?"

Belle nodded. "Yeah. Gods, I miss him." Piper then came back and handed the phone back to Annabeth, making Belle tilt her head at her. "You have any luck?"

Piper didn't answer.

Annabeth looked down at the phone screen. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."

"Common name," Piper replied.

"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"

"He's got a degree in the arts. He's a Cherokee artist."

Belle wasn't convinced, but she decided to move past it. "All right. If you're feeling better, we can keep going. There's still a lot to show you."

Piper fastened her new knife to her belt. "Sure. I want to see everything."

Belle and Annabeth led Piper back to the green to the Cabins. Piper glanced around at all of them before her eyes landed on Cabin Eight.

"Artemis?" Piper guessed.

"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth responded.

"I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year."

Belle blinked. "You told us he did Cherokee art."

"Oh, right. But — you know, he does other stuff too."

"Anyway, Artemis is Goddess of the moon, Goddess of hunting," Annabeth elaborated. "But no Campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."

"Oh," Piper let out.

"There are the Hunters of Artemis, though," Belle added. "They sometimes visit Camp. None of them are actually Artemis' children, but they're kind of her handmaidens. Basically the Hunters are a band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together to hunt monsters."

Piper perked up at that. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"

"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows," Annabeth built on. "Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating — ever. For eternity."

"Oh. Never mind."

Belle laughed a little. Her and Annabeth took Piper past Cabin Ten, which was painted a light shade of pink with a darker pink accent door. Lace curtains hung from the windows and carnations were potted by the window. Belle breathed in the scent of the plants and felt just a little peace enter her heart again. There was nothing quite like the power of plants.

Piper, however, looked absolutely repulsed. "Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"

Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's Cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor."

"Figures."

"Not all of them are bad," Belle argued. "In fact, the last head counselor for the Aphrodite Cabin was one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. She was a good friend of mine."

"What happened to her?"

Belle's expression darkened. "That's a story for another time. Just know that she was a hero, okay?" She nodded her head forwards. "Let's keep going."

They took Piper around to see the rest of the Cabins. None of them seemed to really stand out to Piper. Belle also really couldn't get a read on the girl. Hopefully her parent claimed her tonight.

"We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male Gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other Gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus — Hecate, Hades, Iris—"

"What are the two big ones on the end?" Piper asked.

Belle frowned. "Uh, Cabin One and Cabin Two are for Zeus and Hera, king and queen of the Gods."

Piper walked over in that direction. Belle sent a confused look to Annabeth before following her. She wasn't exactly happy to do that. Zeus was a real jerk, and don't even get her started on Hera.

The Zeus Cabin was made of white marble, and had big columns in the front and polished bronze doors that were emblazoned with lightning bolts. Hera's Cabin, although smaller, was done in the same style except the doors were carved with designs of peacock feathers that shimmered in different colors.

"Are they empty?" Piper questioned.

Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the Gods — they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having Demigod children."

"Tried to avoid it?"

"Well, they cheated sometimes," Belle replied. "Our friend Thalia is a daughter of Zeus, but she decided to become a Hunter. There's a son of Hades named Nico who shows up sometimes. And Percy, my boyfriend, is a son of Poseidon. As far as we know, they're the only Demigod children of the Big Three."

Piper looked back at Hera's Cabin. "And Hera?"

"Goddess of marriage," Annabeth voiced, her tone very controlled. "She doesn't have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no Demigods. The Cabin's just honorary."

Piper looked in between her and Annabeth's angry expressions. "You two don't like her."

"It all started in the Labyrinth," Belle stated. "After last summer, I thought we could at least try and be civil, but I got this weird dream vision from her when Percy disappeared."

"Telling you to come get us. But you thought Percy would be there."

"Maybe we wouldn't talk about it right now, or else I'll probably say something that will get me in trouble. And I really don't want her sending me more blue ribbons to me to try and tell me I'm a princess."

Piper stared at the doors. "So who goes in here?"

Annabeth shrugged. "No one. The Cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in."

"Someone does."

Piper pointed. Belle followed her gaze to see a footprint mark on the dusty threshold. Her eyebrows knit in thought until Piper swung the door open.

Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"

"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?" Piper countered.

Piper stepped inside. Belle sighed and followed after her, going inside the Cabin of her least favorite Goddess.

Hera's Cabin was extremely cold. A ten-foot-tall statue of the Goddess on a throne in flowing golden robes was in the center circled by white columns. Fire in a bronze brazier burned at the bottom of the statue. Hera held her staff topped by a lotus flower while a stone hawk sat on her shoulder. Her hair was done in black braids like it usually was and she was smiling, but Belle knew better. She glared up at the statue. Belle knew Hera had something to do with Percy's disappearance.

Belle's eyes trailed away from the statue and instantly widened. At the little altar behind the statue, a familiar figure covered in a black shawl was standing there. Her hands were the only things visible since her palms were facing up, but she was chanting a prayer in ancient Greek. Belle tapped Annabeth's shoulder and pointed her to the figure.

Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"

The figure turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing none other than their Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Her curly red hair cascaded down her back and a multitude of freckles dotted her face. She was wearing a very typical Rachel outfit, which was a green blouse and tattered jeans decorated with marker doodles.

Belle surged forwards with her arms extended. "Thank the Gods."

"Hey!" Rachel responded, giving Belle a hug before giving Annabeth one. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could. Did you find him?"

Belle shared a sad look with Annabeth before shaking her head. "Uh, no. Hera's vision about me finding answers if I went to the Grand Canyon . . . well, let's just say I knew I shouldn't have listened to her. But we did find three new Demigods." She turned and gestured to Piper. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the three Demigods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our very own Oracle of Delphi."

"The friend who lives in the cave," Piper guessed.

Rachel grinned. "That's me."

"So you're an Oracle? You can tell the future?"

"More like the future mugs me from time to time. I speak Prophecies. The Oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the Prophecies tell the future."

"Oh." Piper uncomfortably shifted. "That's cool."

Rachel laughed a little. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."

"You're a Demigod?"

"Nope. Just mortal."

"Then what are you . . ." Piper trailed off, waving her hand around the room.

Rachel's smile faded away and she glanced at Belle for a quick moment. "Just a hunch. Something about this Cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the Gods went silent."

"Went silent?" Piper inquired.

Rachel frowned at Belle and Annabeth. "You haven't told her yet?"

"We were getting to that," Annabeth reassured her. "Piper, for the last month . . . well, it's normal for the Gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. Belle and I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."

"Oh. Sure, why not?"

"Annabeth and Belle were redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "They make an amazing architect and gardener duo. You should see the salad bar with the roses—"

"Anyways, about a month ago, Olympus went completely silent," Belle interrupted. "The entrance was closed and no one could get in for anything. None of us know why. It's sort of like the Gods have sealed themselves off from the mortal world. Nobody's parents are answering prayers, and our Camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."

"Your Camp director was the God of . . . wine?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, that's also a—"

"Long story. Right. Go on."

"There's not really much after that," Belle admitted. "Besides Demigods getting claimed, the Gods just kind of . . . secluded themselves. No messages, no visits, no nothing. It's almost like something really bad happened." Belle took a deep breath. "And then Percy disappeared."

"And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."

"Who's Jason?" Rachel questioned.

"My—" Piper began, but then stopped herself. "My friend. But Belle, you said Hera sent you a dream vision."

"She did," Belle confirmed. "It was the first communication from a God in a month, and it comes from none other than Hera, the least helpful Goddess, and she wants to talk to me, one of her least favorite Demigods only because I told her I wasn't going to be a princess like my name. She said I would get answers to what happened to Percy if I went to the skywalk and the Grand Canyon and search for a guy with one shoe. However, I only found you three and the guy with one shoe ended up being Jason. None of this makes sense."

"Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed, looking at Piper.

Piper seemed to get a little out of it. "Guys, I — I need to—"

Before she could say anything else. Rachel's body stiffened and her eyes glowed green. She reached forwards and grabbed Piper by her shoulders. Piper tried to back away, but Rachel wouldn't let her go. Belle and Annabeth shared a concerned glance. They couldn't interrupt a Prophecy, but this seemed like something different.

Free me, Rachel said, but it wasn't her voice. It sounded like an older woman who was speaking somewhere far away. Free me, Piper McLean, or the Earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice.

That definitely wasn't a Prophecy. Belle ran forwards and tried to get Piper out of Rachel's grasp, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped around them, making it extremely hard to see. Belle kept her grip on Piper.

Our enemies stir, Rachel continued in the same weird voice within the green smoke. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!

The green smoke dissipated. Rachel was blinking, obviously disoriented, but Piper's knees buckled. Belle caught her in her arms and attempted to hold her up.

Belle looked up at Annabeth and Rachel. "What was that?"

Tears suddenly began to stream down Rachel's face. "I — I don't know. What if she's—"

"No," Annabeth cut in. "We have to get her to Chiron. Now."

Annabeth and Rachel helped Belle hold Piper. Together, the three of them rushed as fast as they could out of the Hera Cabin and towards the Big House. It took a little bit of time to get there especially since they were dragging an unconscious girl, but they managed to get up the steps of the porch. Belle ran forwards, leaving Piper in between Annabeth and Rachel, and swung the door open. Sitting inside the parlor were Chiron and Jason. Jason instantly shot up from his seat once he noticed what was going on.

Jason immediately rushed over to Piper. "What happened? What's wrong with her?"

"Hera's Cabin," Annabeth gasped. "Vision. Bad."

Rachel looked up, even more tears dripping down her cheeks. "I think . . ." She gulped. "I think I may have killed her."

Annabeth and Rachel quickly put Piper down on the couch. Belle ran down the hall to another room to get the med kit for Piper. She found it and quickly grabbed it before rushing off back to the parlor.

Once she made it back in, Belle kneeled next to the couch where Piper was. "Chiron, I — I don't know what happened back there. That wasn't Rachel's Prophecy voice. This sounded like an older woman. She just grabbed Piper's shoulders and said—"

"To free her from a prison?" Jason guessed.

Belle blinked. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart — a ward against evil. "Jason, tell them. Belle, the medicine bag, please."

While Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper's mouth, Jason began to tell them how the room froze and a dark misty woman had claimed to be his patron while telling him to come free her. Belle placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the floor in thought. Gods, everything was just so confusing. Jason finally finished, and no one spoke for a long moment.

"So does this happen often?" Jason asked, breaking the silence. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?"

"Your patron," Annabeth repeated. "Not your Godly parent?"

"No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."

Annabeth frowned. "I've never of heard anything like that before. You said the storm spirit on the skywalk — he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"

"I don't think so," Jason revealed. "If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the Earth on the solstice—"

Belle immediately turned to Chiron. "Gods, please tell me it's not Kronos."

Chiron looked miserable as he held onto Piper's wrist to check her pulse. "It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But . . ."

"But what?" Annabeth urged.

Chiron closed the medicine bag. "Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later."

"Or now," Jason stated. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"

"Oh," Rachel said in a very small voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her Cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."

Belle raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Hera? She spoke through you and did whatever this is to Piper?"

"I think Rachel's right," Jason admitted. "The woman did seem like a Goddess. And she wore this — this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"

Annabeth scowled. "It is? I've never heard that."

Chiron reluctantly nodded. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel questioned. "Who could do that to the queen of the Gods?"

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera—"

"Annabeth, she is still one of the Olympians," Chiron warned. "In many ways, she is the glue that holds the Gods' family together."

"Yeah, we'll let her keep thinking that," Belle muttered. "But in reality, she's just as much as a home wrecker as any of the other Gods."

Chiron sighed. "If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help—"

"Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, we know Titans can capture a God, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the Gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan . . . ?"

Jason stared at the head of Seymour, the leopard that resided in the Big House. "Hera said she'd been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."

"Which is how long Olympus has been closed," Annabeth noticed. "So the Gods must know something bad is going on."

"But why use her energy to send me here? She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent Belle a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other Gods — let them know where she is so they bust her out?"

"The Gods need heroes to do their will down here on Earth," Rachel stated. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with Demigods."

"I mean, yeah, but Jason does have a point," Belle agreed. "Why take his memory?"

"And Piper's involved somehow. Hera sent her the same message — Free me. And, Belle, this must have something to do with Percy's disappearing."

Annabeth looked over to Chiron. "Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing?"

Chiron seemed to look older. "My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."

"You've never . . . you've never kept information from me. Even the last Great Prophecy—"

"I will be in my office. I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Belle and Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about — about the Greek and Roman Gods."

"Chiron," Belle protested.

He ignored her and turned his wheelchair. Belle stared after him incredulously as he rolled off down the hallway. If this was as big as it was, then why wasn't Chiron saying anything?

"I'm sorry," Jason apologized. "I think my being here — I don't know. I've messed things up coming to the Camp, somehow. Chiron said he'd sworn an oath and couldn't talk about it."

"What oath?" Annabeth demanded. "I've never seen him act this way. And why would he tell me and Belle to talk to you about the Gods . . ."

Her voice trailed off and her gaze settled on something else. Belle followed it to see that she was staring at a sword on the coffee table. She took a step forwards and placed her hand on the blade gingerly. It definitely wasn't Celestial Bronze. So what was it?

"It seems to be made of gold," Belle mumbled to herself before looking up at Jason. "Do you remember where you got this sword?"

"No," Jason replied. "Like I said, I don't remember anything."

Annabeth nodded, and Belle could see in her eyes that she had just come up with a plan. "If Chiron won't help, we'll need to figure things out ourselves. Which means . . . Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?"

"Sure," Rachel promised. "Good luck, you three."

"Hold on," Jason insisted. "What's in Cabin Fifteen?"

Belle stood up straighter. "Maybe a way to get your memory back. Let's go."

Her and Annabeth led Jason to the newer wing of Cabins at the southwest corner of the green. Cabin Fifteen looked like an old-fashioned prairie house made of mud walls and a rush roof. A wreath of red poppies hung from the door.

"You think this is my parent's Cabin?" Jason inquired.

"No," Annabeth said. "This is the Cabin for Hypnos, the God of sleep."

"Then why—"

"You've forgotten everything. If there's any God who can help us figure out memory loss, it's Hypnos."

They walked inside. Three Hypnos kids were sound asleep under piles of covers — typical — while a warm fire crackled in the hearth. A tree branch hung above the mantle and dripped a white liquid, water from the River Lethe in the Underworld, into tin bowls. Violin music played softly throughout the entire Cabin and the air smelled like fresh linen. Belle remembered the first time she had come in there that she had almost fell asleep, but she was sort of used to it now. Jason, however, was not and seemed to be falling asleep.

Belle snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey, wake up." Jason blinked and looked down at her with a slightly embarrassed expression. She offered him a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. Cabin Fifteen makes everyone tired. Even more dangerous than the Ares Cabin in my opinion. At least you can figure out where the land mines are in the Cabin Five."

"Land mines?" Jason asked.

Annabeth didn't respond and walked up to the nearest snoring kid, shaking his shoulder. "Clovis! Wake up!"

If Belle was being honest, Clovis kind of looked like a baby cow. Not in a bad way, no, it was just the way she was. His head was shaped sort of like a wedge and had a blonde tuft of hair on top. All of his features were just thick except his arms, which were small and spindly.

"Clovis!" Annabeth exclaimed.

She shook harder, yet he still didn't wake up. Annabeth let out an exasperated breath before knocking on his forehead about six times.

"Wh-Wh-What?" Clovis stammered.

He sat up and squinted. Clovis gave out a huge yawn, which made Belle, Annabeth, and Jason yawn too.
sitting up and squinting.

"Knock it off," Belle scolded. "Seriously, we need your help."

"I was sleeping."

She rolled her eyes. "What's new?"

"Good night."

Before he could go back to sleep, Annabeth ripped the pillow off of his bed.

"That's not fair," Clovis complained. "Give it back."

"First help," Annabeth instructed. "Then sleep."

Clovis sighed. "Fine. What?"

Belle and Annabeth took turns explaining what Jason's problem was. Every once in a while they would have to snap their fingers under Clovis' nose to keep him awake. Once they were finished, Clovis surprisingly didn't go back to sleep. He actually stood up from his bed and stretched.

Clovis blinked at Jason. "So you don't remember anything, huh?"

"Just impressions," Jason responded. "Feelings, like . . . ."

"Yes?"

"Like I know I shouldn't be here. At this Camp. I'm in danger."

"Hmm. Close your eyes."

Jason looked at Belle and Annabeth for reassurance. The two of them nodded encouragingly. Jason finally closed his eyes.

However, the second he did, he fell forwards. Belle caught him in her arms (two people in one day, Gods, couldn't she catch a break?) and struggled to get him in the chair next to the fire. She kneeled next to him and watched in concern as his body almost disappeared. It was almost as if he was dissolving into thin air.

"This isn't good," Clovis admitted. "What happened to him is serious, all right."

Jason opened his eyes again, his body fading back into existence. "What happened? How long—"

"Just a few minutes," Annabeth answered. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved."

"Usually, memories are lost for a good reason," Clovis elaborated. "They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But this . . ."

"Is it the Lethe?" Belle questioned.

"No. Not even Lethe."

"Lethe?" Jason inquired.

Clovis pointed to the tree branch that was dripping milky drops above the fireplace. "The River Lethe in the Underworld. It dissolves your memories, wipes your mind clean permanently. That's the branch of a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of my father, Hypnos. Lethe is not a place you want to go swimming."

Belle nodded in agreement. "Percy went there once with Thalia and Nico. He told me that it was even powerful enough to completely wipe the mind of a Titan."

"But . . ." Jason trailed off. "That's not my problem?"

"No," Clovis agreed. "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen."

The Cabin went completely silent. There was no noise besides the crackle of the fire, Lethe fire dripping into tin cups, and another Hypnos camper muttering something about ducks in his sleep.

"Stolen," Jason repeated. "How?"

"A God," Clovis replied. "Only a God would have that kind of power."

"We know that. It was Juno. But how did she do it, and why?"

Clovis scratched his neck in question. "Juno?"

"He means Hera," Annabeth corrected. "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names."

"Hmm."

"What?" Jason asked. "Does that mean something?"

"Hmm," Clovis said again, but he was actually snoring.

"Clovis!" Jason yelled.

"What? What?" Clovis' eyes fluttered open. "We were talking about pillows, right? No, Gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, could be important."

Belle tilted her head. "But aren't they just the same Gods with different names? I mean, I read about what stuff they stood for and how they're kind of different, but . . ."

"Not exactly."

Jason sat forwards, apparently intrigued. "What do you mean, not exactly?"

"Well . . ." Clovis paused to yawn. "Some Gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek Gods — it's not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities."

"But . . ." Annabeth began before faltering. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn't change who they are."

"Sure it does." Clovis started to nod off and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose to wake him up. "Coming, Mother! I mean . . . yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The Gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Belle and Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-Eighth Street, right? It was the same in Roman times, and the Gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."

"Makes sense," Jason said.

Belle crossed her arms again. "Clovis, how do you know all of this? I know you wouldn't stay awake long enough to read a book like I do."

"Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming," he replied. "I see the Gods there all the time always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. It's a lot like being a God, actually. Like recently, I dreamed I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage with Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could not remember the words for The Girl Is Mine. Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I—"

"Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Back to Rome?"

"Right, Rome. So we call the Gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same — that's not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much. They were harsher, more powerful — the Gods of an empire."

"So the Gods had a dark side?" Belle questioned. She paused for a moment. "That would make a really good book plot."

"Not exactly," Clovis answered, ignoring her comment about the book. "They stood for discipline, honor, strength—"

"Good things, then," Jason cut in. Belle looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Why was he so adamant on agreeing with the Roman side of the Gods? "I mean, discipline is important, right? That's what made Rome last so long."

Clovis shot him a curious look. "That's true. But the Roman Gods weren't very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos . . . he didn't do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at the wrong time, boom — they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy."

"Nice guy," Annabeth commented. "But I still don't understand what it has to do with Jason."

"Neither do I. But if Hera took your memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?"

This just made everything more complicated. To be honest, Belle didn't want to deal with Hera or Juno or whoever she was at any time. But if her and Jason were really the keys to Percy disappearing, Belle had to figure out how to get him back. Percy was her other half. They were practically attached at the hip. Without him, well . . . she was kind of lost.

Annabeth stood up and tossed Clovis his pillow. "Thanks, Clovis. We'll see you at dinner."

"Can I get room service?" Clovis inquired, yawning and stumbling over to his bunk. "I feel like . . . zzzz . . ."

He collapsed on his bed with his butt in the air and his face buried in his pillow. Belle rubbed her face tiredly. This Cabin was just another reminder of how little sleep she had gotten recently.

"Won't he suffocate?" Jason asked.

"Nah, he's good," Belle voiced. She looked up at Jason, and her blue eyes met his. "But I have a feeling that you're in some serious trouble, Jason."

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

THE CAMPFIRE WAS always one of Belle's favorite activities at Camp. Roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores with Katie, Connor, and Travis or just the Demeter Cabin gave her a sense of home. While everyone sat around with each other, the Apollo Cabin would conduct the sing-along — like they were doing right now — with their guitars and lyres. They jumped around the amphitheater as they sang a song about a grandma getting dressed for war. Everyone sang along and made gestures for the pieces of armor. The flames of the fire were made to match the energy level of the campers, and now, it was turning from red to orange to gold.

Yet now, her enthusiasm was dimmed. It was hard to be happy when a part of her home was suddenly ripped away from her. She sat in the front with Annabeth and Jason, staring down at the ground and absentmindedly fingering the seashell pendant on her necklace. Every once in a while she would look up at the campfire to see a singular flame was blue. Sad. That was because of her.

The song ended. While the rest of the Camp erupted in rowdy applause, Belle clapped weakly. Gods, she shouldn't be sulking this much. Annabeth often had to remind her it was okay to be sad, but she was kind of tired of it. All she wanted was for Percy to come back.

Chiron trotted up carrying a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. "Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, Camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" an Ares kid yelled.

"Yes, I know the Ares Cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."

"And kill people!" another shouted.

"However, until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible," Chiron announced. "Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"

He turned to the Hephaestus kids. Belle saw Leo wink at Piper and shot her a finger gun. A small smile made its way onto her face, but it was bittersweet. She felt like Charles Beckendorf would've been a great older brother and mentor to Leo.

Nyssa, Leo's sister, stood up next to him uncomfortably. "We're working on it."

"How, Nyssa?" another Ares kid demanded over the grumbling of the campers.

"Really hard."

She sat down. The campers began to yell and complain, which made the fire sputter chaotically. Chiron stamped his hoof against the stones of the fire pit with a bang, bang, bang, which caused everyone to go silent.

"We will have to be patient," Chiron instructed. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."

"Percy?" someone asked, making the fire dim even further.

Chiron gestured to Belle and Annabeth. Annabeth gave Belle's shoulder a quick squeeze. Belle laced her fingers together and stood up after taking a deep breath. She turned to the crowd and caught eyes with Katie. Katie nodded her head encouragingly.

"Um, we didn't find him," Belle revealed. "Originally I thought he was at the Grand Canyon, but there was nothing. However, none of us are giving up. We've got multiple search parties — Grover, Tyson, Nico, even the Hunters of Artemis. But what Chiron is talking about is different. It's not about Percy. Instead, it's a new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.

Everyone turned. The Aphrodite Cabin had been talking amongst themselves until Drew stood up. Belle raised an eyebrow. Drew rarely addressed the crowd.

Annabeth also stood up to join Belle's side. "Drew? What do you mean?"

"Well, come on," Drew continued, spreading her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends our resident princess over here—"

"Not a princess," Belle insisted.

"—a vision and you come back with three new Demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?" Drew looked to Rachel, who was sitting down next to Piper. "Well? You're the Oracle. Has it started or not?"

Rachel stepped forwards calmly. "Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun."

Pandemonium broke out. Belle felt her entire body freeze and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. Already? They had just been through so much, they didn't need to go through anymore. Belle turned and shared an extremely concerned glance with Annabeth. Annabeth nodded in understanding and placed a hand on Belle's shoulder.

Rachel took another step forwards. "For those of you who have not heard it, the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: Eight Half-Bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

Jason suddenly stood up, his eyes wide. Belle looked to him, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

Even Rachel seemed to be caught off guard. "J-Jason? What's—"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," Jason chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

Belle blinked. "Did you just . . . speak in Latin?"

"You just . . . finished the Prophecy," Rachel stammered. "—An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"

"I know those lines," Jason admitted. He then winced and pressed his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that Prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."

The Aphrodite Cabin giggled. Belle rolled her eyes a little. Now was really not the time. Jason then sat back down, obviously embarrassed by the way his face was turning pink. Belle frowned and sat down next to him, putting her hand comfortingly over his.

"Hey, it's all right," Belle told him. "I can't even imagine how confused you are right now. But Jason, I promise you, we're going to figure this out, okay?"

Jason nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay."

She gave the top of his hand a quick squeeze before clasping her own hands back together. "Props to you for learning Latin, though. It's a hard language to learn. I've tried to study it, but . . . Ancient Greek is just easier."

"Do you really read that much like the actual Belle does?"

Belle laughed lightly. "Oh, you have no idea. The girl with a dreamy, far-off look and her nose stuck in a book? That's definitely me."

Rachel cleared her throat to re-announce her presence, although she still looked shaken up. "Well. So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The eight Demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

"I'm here!" Clovis shouted over the mumbling of the crowd. "Oh . . . were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, making a lot of the campers laugh.

"Anyway, we don't know what the Great Prophecy means," Rachel resumed. "We don't know what challenge the Demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."

"Or worse," Chiron murmured.

Everyone overheard him, the flames of the campfire turning a dark purple.

"What we do know is that the first phase has begun," Rachel revealed. "A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the Gods, has been taken."

The amphitheater was encaptured in shocked silence before fifty Demigods started talking at once. Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait a little bit before the attention was back on her. She explained the whole incident of what happed at the Grand Canyon — Coach Hedge sacrificing himself when the storm spirits attacked and the storm spirits serving a great mistress who would destroy all Demigods. Rachel then told them about Piper passing out in the Hera Cabin (Belle attempted not to roll her eyes as Drew mimicked a faint in the back row) and about Jason's vision in the Big House.

"Jason," Rachel began. "Um . . . do you remember your last name?"

He shook his head.

"We'll just call you Jason, then. It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."

Jason set his jaw and nodded after Rachel's pause. "I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel ordered. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council day of the Gods," Annabeth noted. "If the Gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice is also the time of greatest darkness," Chiron spoke. "The Gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the Gods. It is a day when things . . . stir."

Belle stared at him incredulously. "Thank you, Chiron, for those words of optimism. You should try being a motivational speaker." She shook her head. "Anyways, I agree with Rachel. Jason has to be the leader of this quest."

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" an Ares kid yelled. "If he's so important—"

"He has been claimed," Chiron confirmed. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

Jason stepped forwards nervously. He glanced over at Piper, who mimicked flipping a coin. Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. He flipped it, and just like Sunflower's power, a weapon appeared in his hand. However, this time, it was a gold lance about seven feet long with a spear tip at one end. The crowd gasped. Belle, Annabeth, and Rachel all took a step back to avoid the point.

Belle pointed to it. "Um, wasn't that a sword earlier?"

"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason responded. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" someone from the Ares Cabin shouted.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.

"Electric," Jason murmured. "Back away."

Belle, Annabeth, and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, making thunder break the sky open. Lighting arced down and touched the tip of the spear. It hit the campfire. Smoke and ash rained down everywhere. All of the campers sat frozen in shock as they stared at the place where the fire had been.

Jason lowered his lance. "Um . . . sorry."

Chiron grimaced as he brushed some burning coals out of his beard. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason announced. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."

The Camp broke into chaos with dozens of people asking questions.

Belle stepped forwards and raised her hand in question, her mind spinning. "Uh, question. How can Jason be Zeus' son? I mean, the Big Three had a pact not to have any more mortal children. And why did we know about him earlier?"

Chiron was silent. Belle sighed as she looked at him. She had the feeling that he knew the truth and that it wasn't good.

"The important thing is that Jason's here now," Rachel stated. "He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own Prophecy."

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forwards to catch her while another grabbed a bronze three-legged stool. They maneuevered Rachel to sit on the stool in front of the ruined hearth. The night was dark without the fire, but green mist swirled around Rachel's feet. She opened her glowing eyes and emerald smoke issued from her mouth. And in her raspy Prophecy voice, she began to speak.

"Child of lightning, beware the Earth. The Giants' revenge the eight shall birth. The forge and dove shall break the cage, and death unleash through Hera's rage."

Rachel collapsed on the last word. The three Demigods from earlier caught her again and carried her away from the hearth into the corner to rest.

"Is that normal?" Piper asked through the silence. "I mean . . . does she spew green smoke a lot?"

"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a Prophecy — Jason's Prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just—"

"Drew, cool it," Belle scolded, her crossed arms and demanding blue eyes telling everyone that she was not messing around. "This is Piper's first day here. She's never seen a Prophecy, so that was a fair question. Although, something about this Prophecy isn't normal. Why would we free Hera if breaking her cage unleashed her rage that causes death? It could very well be a trap or Hera is planning on betraying her rescuers. You know she's never been kind to heroes."

Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."

Nyssa stood up as well. "Maybe. But you should listen to Belle. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son — our dad — down a mountain just because he was ugly."

"Real ugly," someone from Aphrodite added with a snicker.

"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think — why beware the Earth? And what's the Giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"

Belle, Annabeth, and Chiron all looked to each other, having a silent exchange.

Belle: No way. Giants' revenge? Someone please tell me that what I'm thinking is absolutely wrong.

Chiron: Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them.

Annabeth: You're kidding me! We can't be that unlucky.

Belle: I mean, when have we ever been lucky?

Annabeth: You're not wrong.

Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.

"It's Jason's quest, so it's Jason's choice," Annabeth announced. "Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions."

"Well, you, obviously, Annabeth," Travis shouted. "You too, Princess. You've both got a lot of experience."

"No, Travis,. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way."

Belle nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Hera and I aren't really buddies. I appreciate it, Trav, but I'm also leaving early in the morning with Annabeth to try and find Percy."

"It's connected," Piper blurted out. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance — it's all connected."

"How?" Drew demanded. "If you're so smart, how?"

Piper tried to answer, but she didn't.

Belle saved her. "Maybe you're right, Piper. But if all of this really is connected, I'll certainly find out from the other end by searching for Percy. Just like Annabeth said, neither of us aren't going to rush off and rescue Hera even if her disappearance makes the rest of the Olympians fight again. However, there's another reason we can't go. The Prophecy says nothing about a child of Demeter or Athena."

"It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul— Hephaestus."

Nyssa's shoulders slumped. "If you have to beware the Earth, you should avoid traveling over land. You'll need air transport. The flying chariot's broken, and the Pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus Cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."

Leo then stood up. "It's me." His siblings tried to pull him back down to his seat, but Leo resisted. "No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"

Jason studied him for a moment before smiling. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."

Leo pumped his fist. "Yes!"

"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."

"Oh." Leo suddenly didn't look so excited, but he seemed to remember everyone was watching. "I mean . . . oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."

Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member. The dove—"

"Oh, absolutely!" Drew exclaimed, standing up and flashing Jason a brilliant smile. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."

Piper stepped forwards, her fists clenched. "No."

Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."

"I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."

"Anyone can have a vision. You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things . . ." She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."

The campers started murmuring about how persuasive Drew was. Belle sort of agreed, but something still didn't feel right. She had a feeling that Drew wasn't the one supposed to be on the quest.

"Well . . ." Annabeth trailed off. "Given the wording of the Prophecy—"

"No!" Piper insisted, her voice sounding more rich in tone. "I'm supposed to go."

Everyone then started nodding and agreeing that Piper's point of view made sense. Drew looked around at them with a confused expression. Belle slightly nodded her head to herself. Piper felt like a better fit.

"Get over it!" Drew snapped. "What can Piper do?"

Silence.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Drew said smugly.

There was a collective gasp. Belle's head snapped up and her eyes instantly widened once they set on Piper. She took a tentative step forwards towards the girl that had a reddish glow around her.

"What?" Piper demanded.

She looked above her before looking down and yelping. Piper was wearing with a beautiful white sleeveless dress with a low v-neck. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps and an intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered prettily on her chest. Her hair was lush, long, and the color of chocolate and was braided with a gold ribbon. She had subtle makeup that made her lips cherry red and the colors in her eyes pop.

"Oh, God," Piper let out. "What's happened?"

A very stunned Annabeth pointed at the dagger hanging by her side on a golden cord. Piper took out the now-oiled Katoptris and stared at her reflection.

"She's . . ." Belle began, still shocked by the beauty Piper was expelling.

"Beautiful," Jason finished. "Piper, you . . . you're a knockout."

Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No! Not possible!"

"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I — don't understand."

Chiron folded his front legs and bowed to her, all of the campers following his example. "Hail, Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite, Lady of the doves, Goddess of love."

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BELLE SAT OUTSIDE of the Demeter Cabin that morning, her bag packed next to her as she rested her chin on her knee that was tucked into her chest. She stared up at the sky as clouds floated around and let out a little sigh.

"You look deep in thought," Katie Gardner's voice spoke.

"I am," Belle replied, not looking over at her half-sister as she sat down next to her. "Thinking of places where he could possibly be or have been transported to."

"You'll find him," Katie reassured her. "There's no way you two can be separated for that long. I know that no matter what, you'll always find your way back to each other."

Belle gave her a small smile. "Thanks Katie. I'm actually gonna go check on Jason before he leaves to make sure he's all right."

Katie nodded and squeezed her shoulder gently. Belle stood up and put her backpack on over the winter coat she was wearing. Sunflower's keychain hung from the zipper of the coat rather than her belt loops for easier access. She began her trek across the green towards Cabin One, only to see Annabeth doing the same. Annabeth was also dressed for travel with a winter coat, a backpack, and her knife sheathed at her belt.

"Morning," Annabeth greeted. "You ready?"

"I guess," Belle responded as they climbed the steps of the Zeus Cabin. "I'm just making sure Jason is. It's hard enough getting adjusted here as is, but especially with him losing his memories and having to stay in a Cabin alone . . ."

The two walked in. They saw Jason standing in a corner, staring down at something in his hands. Belle and Annabeth approached to see him holding a photo-booth picture of Annabeth, Luke Castellan, and Thalia Grace — the original trio.

"That's Thalia," Annabeth stated with a sad expression. Jason turned to see both of them standing there. "She's the other child of Zeus who lived here — but not for long. Sorry, we should've knocked."

"It's fine," Jason reassured them. "Not like I think of this place as home." He paused for a moment. "Don't suppose you've changed your mind about coming with us?"

Belle shook her head. "Sorry, but both of us are off to look for Percy. Besides, you've got a great team already."

"Hey, you'll do fine," Annabeth promised once she noticed Jason's nervous expression. "Something tells me this isn't your first quest."

Belle had the same feeling. However, she could only imagine how lost he was. Everyone was painting him to be brave and confident just because he was a son of Jupiter. Belle could see as Jason stared down at the photo of Annabeth that he was wondering if somebody was looking for him like they were looking for Percy.

"You both know who I am," Jason guessed. "Don't you?"

Belle shrugged. "I'm not too sure, Jason. My best guess is that you've been a loner. Most Demigods are. For some reason, Camp Half-Blood never found you but you managed to survive by constantly moving around. You trained yourself to fight and killed monsters on your own. Somehow, you managed to beat all the odds."

"The first thing Chiron said to me was you should be dead."

"That could be why," Annabeth replied. "Most Demigods would never make it on their own. And a child of Zeus — I mean, it doesn't get any more dangerous than that. The chances of your reaching age fifteen without finding Camp Half-Blood or dying — microscopic. But like Belle said, it does happen. Thalia ran away when she was young. She survived on her own for years. Even took care of me for a while. So maybe you were a loner too."

Jason held out his arm to reveal his tattoo. "And these marks?"

Annabeth glanced at the marks, clearly bothered by them. "Well, the eagle is the symbol of Zeus, so that makes sense. The twelve lines — maybe they stand for years, if you'd been making them since you were three years old. SPQR — that's the motto of the old Roman Empire: Senatus Populusque Romanus, the Senate and the People of Rome. Though why you would burn that on your own arm, I don't know. Unless you had a really harsh Latin teacher . . ."

"I, um . . . had a weird dream last night," Jason admitted.

"Most Demigods get strange dream," Belle responded while crossing her arms across her chest. "What was it about?"

Jason told them about the wolves, the ruined house, and the two rock spires. Belle's eyebrows knit in thought while he talked while Annabeth began to pace around the Cabin in agitation.

"You don't remember where this house is?" Annabeth asked.

Jason shook his head. "But I'm sure I've been there before."

"Redwoods. Could be northern California. And the she-wolf . . . I've studied Goddesses, spirits, and monsters my whole life. I've never heard of Lupa. Belle?"

"I haven't seen her names in any books," Belle revealed.

"She said the enemy was a her," Jason continued. "I thought maybe it was Hera, but—"

"I wouldn't trust Hera, but I don't think she's the enemy," Annabeth said. "And that thing rising out of the Earth—" Her expression darkened. "You've got to stop it."

"You two know what it is, don't you? Or at least, you've both got a guess. I saw your faces last night at the campfire. Both of you looked at Chiron like it was suddenly dawning on you, but you didn't want to scare us."

Belle hesitated for a moment. "Jason, there's this sort of things about Prophecies. The more you know about them, the more you try and change them. It can end really bad. That's why they're so vague. Chiron also believes that it's better to follow your own path and find out things in your own time. If he had told me everything he knew before I went on my first quest in the Labyrinth with Percy and Annabeth . . . to be honest, I'm not sure I would've gone. It's even more important for your quest."

"That bad, huh?" Jason questioned.

"Not unless you succeed. Well, I mean, I sure hope not."

"But I don't even know where to start. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Follow the monsters," Annabeth suggested.

"Okay. How do I find storm winds?"

"Personally, I'd ask a wind God. Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he's a little . . . unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I'd try one of the four seasonal wind Gods that work for Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind."

"So if I looked him up on Google maps—" Jason began.

"He shouldn't be hard to find," Belle promised. "Just like all the other Gods, he's settled in North America. Naturally, he picked the oldest northern settlement, just about as far north as possible."

"Maine?"

"Go more north."

"Canada," Jason decided after thinking it over. "Quebec."

Annabeth smiled. "I hope you speak French."

"Thanks, both of you." Jason looked down at the picture that was still in his hand. "So, um . . . Annabeth, you said it was dangerous being a child of Zeus. What ever happened to Thalia?"

"Oh, she's fine. She became a Hunter of Artemis — one of the handmaidens of the Goddess. They roam around the country killing monsters. We don't see them at Camp very often."

Jason glanced over at the huge statue of Zeus in the Cabin before glancing back down at the picture. "Who's the other kid in the photo? The sandy-haired guy."

Belle and Annabeth shared a tight expression. It was an innocent question, but Luke was definitely still a touchy subject. For Annabeth, losing a person who had helped raise her, and for Belle, seeing his dead body up on Mount Olympus.

"That's Luke Castellan," Belle answered. "He, um, died a couple of months ago."

Jason continued to stare at Thalia. "How old is she now?"

"Hard to say," Annabeth voiced. "She was a tree for a while. Now she's immortal."

"What?"

Annabeth chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not something all children of Zeus go through. It's a long story, but . . . well, she was out of commission for a long time. If she'd aged regularly, she'd be in her twenties now, but she still looks the same as in that picture, like she's about . . . well, about your age. Fifteen or sixteen?"

"What's her last name?" Jason inquired

Annabeth looked uneasy. "She didn't use a last name, really. If she had to, she'd use her mom's, but they didn't get along. Thalia ran away when she was pretty young." Jason waited and Annabeth let out a little sigh. "Grace. Thalia Grace."

Jason suddenly froze. His eyes widened and the picture fell out of his hand, fluttering to the floor. Belle watched him in concern.

"Hey, are you okay?" Belle asked, taking a step closer to him. He didn't answer and continued to look like somebody had just punched him in the face. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"You have to swear not to tell anyone else," Jason finally said.

Belle blinked. "Jason, what—"

"Swear it. Until I figure out what's going on, what this all means—" His fingers brushed against the burned tattoos on his arm. "You have to keep it a secret."

Belle and Annabeth shared a look. The daughter of Demeter shrugged. Why not? Jason seemed pretty anxious about it.

"All right," Annabeth decided. "Until you tell us it's okay, we won't share what you say with anyone else. We swear on the River Styx."

Thunder rumbled — even louder than the constant thunder in Cabin One.

Jason leaned down and picked up the picture, holding it up for them to see. "My last name is Grace. This is my sister."

Belle felt like she just got slapped in the face. Her entire body completely froze and she felt herself go pale. Thalia and Jason, siblings? She had never mentioned Jason once in her life. Then again, Belle hadn't known her for that long, but Annabeth seemed to be just as confused as she was. How was it possible?

The Cabin doors then burst open. Belle's head whirled over to it to see half a dozen campers spill in led by Butch. Katie, Connor, and Travis were among the crowd. They ran up to Belle, and she grasped Connor's forearms as they all stood around her.

"What?" Belle questioned worryingly. "What's going on?"

"We gotta go, Princess," Connor urged, beginning to drag her away.

"Hurry!" Butch exclaimed. "The dragon is back."

"The dragon?" Belle repeated, her eyes widening. "Oh Gods. Not again."

She let go of Connor and sprinted outside of the Cabin. The entire Camp was in chaos. Campers were outside in a strange mixture of pajamas and armor while the Satyrs screamed not to kill them. And sitting on top of the dragon (who had wings now) as it set itself onto the green was . . .

"Leo?" Piper yelled.

"It's cool!" Leo shouted. "It's cool! Don't shoot!"

The archers hesitantly lowered their bows and the warriors backed away while keeping their weapons ready. A loose wide ring was made around the dragon. Other Demigods opted to hide behind their Cabin doors or peep out their windows.

"Nyssa!" Belle exclaimed as she found the girl walking up to the dragon, Annabeth and Jason right behind her. "You got it under control?"

"I didn't," Nyssa corrected before pointing to Leo. "He did. I don't know how, but . . ."

Belle sighed. "Come on."

They pushed their way through the crowd. On their way, the dragon reared its head and shot a large column of fire in the sky. Campers scrambled away while and raised their weapons again. Leo, as calm as ever, held his hands up in surrender with a crazy grin on his face. He looked absolutely wrecked — his army coat and face were smeared with soot, his hands were stained with grease, a new tool belt was around his waist, his curly hair stood up, and as Belle got closer, she saw his eyes were bloodshot.

"People of Earth, I come in peace!" Leo shouted. "Festus is just saying hello!"

"That thing is dangerous!" a girl from Ares announced while hefting her spear. "Kill it now!"

"Stand down!" Jason ordered.

Finally, that group of four made their way to the front of the crowd. A pang of hurt flashed through Belle as she looked up at it. Gods, the adventure she had with that dragon . . .

Jason gazed up at the dragon and shook us head in utter amazement. "Leo, what have you done?"

"Found a ride!" Leo replied, beaming. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"It — has wings," Nyssa stammered, her jaw completely dropped.

"Yeah! I found them and reattached them."

"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"

Leo hesitated for a second. "In . . . the woods. Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?" Nyssa repeated.

The dragon's head twitched. It tilted to one side and poured out oil all over Leo. Belle slightly winced. That could not have been fun.

Leo gave everyone an awkward smile. "Just a few kinks to work out."

"But how did you survive . . .?" Nyssa questioned, still staring at the dragon in awe. "I mean, the fire breath . . ."

"I'm quick. And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"

Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, festus means happy? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

Festus the dragon twitched, shuddered, and flapped his wings.

"That's a yes, bro!" Leo responded. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the — um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

Jason frowned. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"Go, Jason," Belle announced. "There's only three days until the winter solstice. Plus, you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. Trust me. This is definitely a good omen."

Belle stared up at it wistfully. She remembered when her, Annabeth, Percy, and Silena Beauregard had first deactivated the dragon to save Charles Beckendorf from the Myrmekes during an intense game of capture the flag. Belle missed the last three terribly. It reminded her of better times, before the Battle of Manhattan and before Percy's disappearance. Guaranteed she had just come back from a quest in the Labyrinth, but that summer was probably the best one of her life.

Jason nodded and smiled at Piper. "You ready, partner?"

Piper looked at the dragon for a moment. "You bet."

The rest of the Camp watched and waved goodbye as the three of them flew away on the dragon. People began to return back to their Cabins to get ready. Belle lifted her backpack higher on her shoulders and sighed.

Annabeth glanced over at her. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Belle stated.

And with a quick goodbye to Katie, Connor, and Travis, Belle and Annabeth left Camp Half-Blood to try and find the missing boy that had managed to capture Belle's heart.

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

NEITHER BELLE OR Annabeth had found anything while searching for Percy. It made Belle's heart sink even further into her stomach, but hopefully Jason had some information. Apparently, Jason, Piper, and Leo had returned from their quest last night. Belle and Annabeth had arrived at Camp this morning and were allowed to freshen up before the meeting.

Belle, clad in a green sweater she had taken from Percy and some jeans, walked into the rec room of the Big House for council. Annabeth was right behind her, just as unrelaxed as her. She had her armor over her clothes with her knife at her side and her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Everyone was gathered around the ping pong table. Even Seymour the leopard was there. Every so often, a counselor would toss him a Snausage.

The scene was so utterly familiar. Jason, Piper, and Leo weren't there yet, but everyone else was. Clarisse, senior counselor for Ares, sat with her boot-covered feet on the table. Clovis, senior counselor of Hypnos, was snoring in the corner while Butch, senior counselor for Iris, was trying to see how many pencils could fit in Clovis' nose. Connor and Travis, senior counselors for Hermes, were trying to burn a ping pong ball with a lighter (naturally.) Will Solace, senior counselor for Apollo, was absentmindedly wrapping and unwrapping an Ace bandage around his wrist. Lou Ellen, senior counselor for Hecate, was in conversation with Katie Gardner, Belle's second in command, about how magic and plants could be related. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Oracle of Delphi, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table in her Clarion Academy school uniform dress.

Travis, Connor, and Katie immediately stopped what they were doing once they saw Belle walk in. They walked up to her and pulled her into a giant group hug. Belle sighed in content and hugged her best friends back tighter.

"Hey, Princess," Travis greeted once all of them pulled away. "Did you find anything?"

Belle shook her head with a small sigh. "Nothing. I'm getting really, really scared, Trav."

"We're going to find him," Connor voiced. "No matter what. Don't worry."

"I'm worried."

"I know," Katie replied softly, her hand laced with Travis'. "But we'll be here with you every step of the way."

Jason, Piper, and Leo then walked in. They took their own seats around the ping pong table. Belle let out a deep breath and joined Annabeth's side next to Chiron. She looked at Jason expectantly. He had to have information.

"Let's come to order," Chiron announced. "Lou Ellen, stop trying to steal Katie's nose. Travis and Conner, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball you left on the table, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully . . . more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."

Jason cleared his throat and began telling everyone about the quest — Boreas' palace, the warehouse with Cyclopes in Chicago, Medea and her store, Midas, meeting the Hunters of Artemis, Aeolus' palace, Mount Diablo and how they had saved Piper's dad from the Giant Enceladus, rescuing Hera from the Giant king Porphyrion, and finally, Hera's visit to Jason right before the meeting. Piper and Leo chimed in from time to time to fill in details he forgot.

"So Hera was here," Annabeth said at last. "Talking to you."

Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"

"Smart," Belle commented.

"—but she isn't making this up about another group of Demigods. That's where I came from."

"Romans," Clarisse voiced, tossing Seymour a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another Camp with Demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the Gods. And we've never even heard of them."

Piper sat forward. "The Gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."

"I can respect that. Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"

"Oh, yes," Chiron answered sadly. "You have, many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the Gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same Gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Jason added. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis put in.

Belle sent him a warning glance. "Travis."

"What?"

Several of the other counselors looked just as uncomfortable. Clarisse, however, shrugged like it sounded okay to her.

Annabeth twirled the tip of her knife on the table. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Not exactly hated them," Jason corrected. "The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, Demigods started to divide — either Greek or Roman."

"And they've been separated ever since," Belle guessed. "I mean, I get it, but something still doesn't make sense. Where were the Romans during the Titan War? They didn't show up when we needed more troops than ever. Wouldn't they have wanted to help?"

Chiron tugged at his beard in thought. "They did help, Belle. While you, Annabeth, and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?"

"Wait a sec," Connor cut in. "Chiron, you said Mount Othrys just crumbled to pieces when Kronos was defeated."

"No," Jason interrupted. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."

Belle blinked. "Oh. Uh, okay. Good for you."

Annabeth's gray eyes were stormy. "The Bay Area. We Demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman Camp — it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"

Chiron uncomfortably shifted in his wheelchair. "I cannot say. Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away."

"The Camp's heavily veiled with magic," Jason explained. "And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."

Rachel laced her fingers together, clearly the most calm out of everyone. "But you'll try, won't you? You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman Camp. You'll need their help to confront the Giants."

"Bad plan," Clarisse warned. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

"You're probably right," Jason agreed. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel hummed. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Eight heroes of Olympus — some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy — what's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death. She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas — there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek Demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

Belle stared down at the table in thought. Hera, in a sick and twisted way, was right. Jason was most definitely the answer to Percy's disappearance. It just took a little while to figure it out. Everything was starting to make sense now. Because if Jason had come to Camp in Long Island, that meant that Percy was all the way at the other Camp in California.

She raised her head, looking straight at Jason. "Let me come. Jason, please. When Leo and the Hephaestus Cabin finish building the ship, I want to go."

Jason gave her a tentative smile. "We'll need you the most out of everyone, Belle. And Annabeth, too."

"Wait," Leo interrupted with a frown. "I'm cool with Annabeth and Princess Belle coming along. But why would we need Belle the most out of everyone?"

Belle, Annabeth, and Jason all studied each other. All of them now knew the dangerous truth.

"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders," Jason reminded. "A way for the two Camps to learn of each other's existence."

"Yeah?" Leo inquired. "So?"

"An exchange goes two ways. When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman Camp — they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him? Who are you talking about?"

"My boyfriend," Belle answered with a grim expression, her hand clutched around Sunflower's keychain nervously as worry spun around in her mind. "And Annabeth's best friend. He disappeared only a couple days before Jason appeared. And if Jason came to Camp Half-Blood with no memories—"

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson is at the other Camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

—  [  ♡  ]  —

three bonuses this time bc I broke my streak of 15 chapters per book due to the fact that the blood of olympus isn't very percy centered

anyways sorry this was so long. but also not sorry. OOPSIES. just really wanted to show belle in tlh and how lost and hurt she was without percy <333

also I posted a harry potter fic called london boy and a ron weasley fic called brutal that link to each other so you can check them out if you want :)

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !