{LANDON}

It was an awkward silence between him and the son of Poseidon, they hadn't spoken since they had left Portland. Hazel and Frank had fallen asleep and Ella was mumbling random facts to herself while sitting in the corner of the Pax in her nest of books.

Landon could tell Percy was mad at him, extremely mad. He'd always had this sense of when people didn't want him around, and right now he could sense it clear as day.

The son of Hermes wished he could sleep to avoid the awkward silence between them, but he didn't know how to get himself to fall asleep after years of insomnia.

He never felt safe enough to fall asleep, Landon had told himself that nothing would happen, that nobody was out there, but even after all that effort his mind refused to let him sleep.

Some part of him still felt unsafe, maybe it was the part that just wanted to know someone was looking out for him.

When he was a kid, he used to think that he would never get hurt with his dad out there, watching him. But when you grow up and see the actual truth, the truth that your father will never care and never help you, you put your faith into something else.

Landon had still not found what he was supposed to put his faith in, or who would look out for him. He'd thought that Luke would be that person, but then again, Landon trusted people too easily.

He never learned his lesson.

"You should at least try to get some sleep," Percy said, snapping him out of his stupor. "You'll need some energy to fight tomorrow."

"I would love to sleep," Landon said. "But not everyone has the skill to fall asleep."

The raven-haired boy nodded, his jaw set as he glanced at the water surrounding them. For a moment, Landon felt like everything would be okay, then Percy spoke, "What did Phineas mean when he said that you knew where I came from?"

He was hoping Percy would never bring that up, so he could ignore it and run away. But things never went his way. "He's crazy, don't listen to him."

Percy glared at him. "Do you ever tell the truth?"

Landon glanced at the Jackson boy, matching his glare. "I lie because I've done it my whole life, it's kinda hard to get rid of a habit you've had since you were born!"

"Then start trying to get rid of it now," Percy snapped. "Tell me what Phineas meant, we're supposed to be a team right? We're supposed to trust each other? How can I trust you if you don't tell me what you know about me?"

"I'm not hiding anything, gods I forgot how annoying you were." The son of Hermes mumbled under his breath.

"You forgot?" The raven-haired boy raised a brow. "That means you do know me. Why won't you just tell me what you know?"

"It's not that simple," he groaned, he was getting restless.

"Telling the truth isn't simple?" Percy asked. "Are you hearing yourself right now?"

"I didn't say that," Landon could feel his hands start to shake as a knot formed in his throat. The air felt thick and heavy, it was closing in on him. "I can't interfere with this, you have to find your memories by yourself."

"You could've at least said something," Percy spread out his hands. "I thought that the others were just being mean when they kept calling a liar and deceitful, I get why they say those things now."

"I'm not deceitful," The son of Hermes hissed. "I'm just doing what I was told."

Percy scowled at him. "Sure you were," he grumbled before turning his attention back to steering the boat. "Oh, and one more thing, Oliver told me to tell you he said hello,"

Landon straightened at the words, he was having a hard time believing Oliver was still alive. He figured Oliver to be in his early twenties, so if she was still alive, Cassie would've been the same age, but she wasn't.

The Astor boy had turned into a completely different person in their eyes in the span of a second, but Oliver had always been that way, he'd told Landon that himself on that day at the lakes.

Oliver always tended to be destructive, he would turn even the strongest things into the most broken, as if it were a mere toy.

Every single thing he'd ever touched was destroyed.

He was the destroyer and Cassie was the one that was destroyed in the end, all because she was blinded by something even remotely foolish as love, a hope to fix him.

Oliver Astor had been the ruination of both of them.

Landon could feel himself getting more restless, everything felt wrong. The air felt too warm. His throat felt like it had needles inside it. His clothes started feeling uncomfortable and sticky. The rough fabric of the bandages around his wrist rubbed against his skin.

The only sound was of the water moving swiftly as the boat tore through it and Ella's mumbling.

They arrived at the downtown docks of Seattle, as they got closer Ella scratched nervously at her nest of books.

"Um..." Hazel started. "Why are we stopping here?"

"Here to meet Reyna's sister," Landon said as Percy showed the silver ring on his necklace. "She wants us to show her the ring."

"Reyna has a sister?" Frank asked like the idea terrified him.

"Her very own Xander," Landon added.

"Reyna thinks her sister could send help for the camp," Percy nodded.

"Amazons" Ella muttered. "Amazon country. Hmm. Ella will find libraries instead. Doesn't like Amazons. Fierce. Shields. Swords. Pointy. Ouch."

Frank reached for his spear. "Amazons? Like...female warriors?"

"That would make sense," Hazel said. "If Reyna's sister is also a daughter of Bellona, I can see why she'd join the Amazons. But...is it safe for us to be here?"

"Nope, nope, nope," Ella said. "Get books instead. No Amazons."

"We have to try, or Reyna will kill me," The son of Hermes placed his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Why, you lie to her about something too?" Percy remarked.

Landon glared at the son of Poseidon. "And I thought Evangeline was petty,"

That took the raven-haired boy off guard. "What did you—"

"What's up with you two?" Frank asked, interrupting Percy.

"Nothing," the sons of Poseidon and Hermes grumbled.

"Okay..." The daughter of Pluto didn't look convinced. "So what now?"

"We go find Reyna's sister," Percy said. "Besides the Pax isn't doing too great. I've been pushing it pretty hard."

"That's what she said." It slipped before he could stop himself.

"That's what who said?" Hazel asked.

"No, that's what she said," Landon said.

"But who said it?" the daughter of Pluto blinked.

"I forgot you're also a grandma," The son of Hermes cleared his throat.

"What?"

"What I meant was, oh, look the boat is sinking!" The brown-haired boy pointed at the water which was leaking between the floorboards.

"Oh," Hazel said, looking down at the floorboards. 

"Yeah," the raven-haired boy agreed. "We'll either need to fix it or find a new boat. I'm pretty much holding it together with my willpower at this point. Ella, do you have any idea where we can find the Amazons?"

"And, um," The son of Mars said nervously, "they don't, like, kill men on sight, do they?"

"I think they do," Landon blurted. He vaguely remembered hearing something about the Amazons from his mother.

"What?" Frank's eyes widened and he turned his head towards the harpy.

Ella glanced at the downtown docks, only a few hundred yards away. "Ella will find friends later. Ella will fly away now."

And she did.

"Well..." Frank picked a single red feather out of the air. "That's encouraging."

When they docked at the wharf. It seemed the Pax had enough and shuddered, breaking into pieces. The remaining pieces were a board with a painted eye and another with the letter P.

"Guess we're not fixing it," Hazel said. "What now?"

Percy stared at the steep hills of downtown Seattle. "We hope the Amazons will help."

"If not, we'll find a boat and steal it," Landon offered.

They were in Amazon, literally. They'd come across a store downtown which happened to be an Amazon store, Hazel suggested they should go in there and they listened to her.

The lobby of the store had glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and nothing else. Against the back wall, a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard earpiece.

Her name tag said, Kinzie. Her smile was friendly enough and she seemed like she was a nice person, which meant two things: she was a monster or an Amazon warrior ready to slit their throats at any moment.

Kinzie nodded at Hazel, ignoring the boys. "May I help you?"

"Um...I hope so," Hazel said. "We're looking for Amazons."

Kinzie glanced at the children of Pluto, Mars, and Hermes's weapons, even though they shouldn't have been visible through the Mist.

"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or—"

"Hylla," Percy interrupted. "We're looking for a girl named—"

Kinzie moved faster than they could blink. She kicked Frank in the chest and sent him flying across the lobby. She pulled a sword out of thin air, and swept Percy off his feet with the flat of the blade, then swung her fist at Landon's face, sending him down onto his knees.

He clutched his mouth as it stung in pain. "I didn't even say anything," he groaned, his face lifted by the tip of Kinzie's sword.

She glared down at him as a dozen more girls in black flooded up the staircase, swords in hand. "First rule: Males don't speak without permission. Second rule, trespassing on our territory is punishable by death. You'll meet Queen Hylla, all right. She'll be the one deciding your fate."

The Amazons kept men in iron collars around their necks and orange jumpsuits, driving forklifts through the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes.

"You keep slaves?" Hazel asked.

"The men?" Kinzie snorted. "They're not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move."

The warehouse was an endless maze, one room after the other, they walked so far, that Landon was sure his feet had blisters.

"The Underworld isn't this big," Hazel complained.

The auburn-haired girl smiled smugly. "You admire our base of operations? Yes, our distribution system is worldwide. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, finally, we're turning into a profit. The mortals don't realize they are funding the Amazon kingdom. Soon, we'll be richer than any mortal nation. Then—when the weak mortals depend on us for everything—the revolution will begin!"

"What are you going to do?" Frank grumbled. "Cancel free shipping?"

A guard slammed the hilt of her sword into his gut. The sons of Hermes and Poseidon tried to help, but two more guards pushed them back at sword point.

"You'll learn respect,"' Kinzie said. "It's males like you who have ruined the mortal world. The only harmonious society is one run by women. We are stronger, wiser—"

"More humble," Percy said. The guards tried to hit him, but he ducked.

"He didn't mean that," Landon dodged a guard as she swung a sword at his head.

"Stop it!" Hazel said. It didn't come as a shock to him that the guards listened. "Hylla is going to judge us, right? So take us to her. We're wasting time."

Kinzie nodded. "Perhaps you're right. We have more important problems. And time...time is an issue."

"What do you mean?" The daughter of Pluto asked.

A guard grunted. "We could take them straight to Otera. Might win her favor that way."

"No!" Kinzie snarled. "I'd sooner wear an iron collar and drive a forklift. Hylla is queen."

"Until tonight," another guard muttered.

Kinizie gripped her sword. Landon waited for the Amazon fight to start which seemed to be brewing between them, but the auburn-haired girl kept her anger in check.

"Enough," she said. "Let's go."

They crossed a lane of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts, and ducked under a row of robotic arms that were packing up boxes.

Most of the merchandise looked pretty ordinary: electronics, baby diapers, books. But against one wall sat a war chariot with a big bar code on the side. Hanging from the yoke was a sign that read: ONLY ONE LEFT IN STOCK. ORDER SOON! (MORE ON THE WAY)

The Martin boy found himself stopping in front of a box full of books, they were books about architecture. He glanced at the others who were busy looking around, the guards were watching him and the other two boys. He offered one of them a smile before he turned to the books.

He picked one of them up, it was the same book he'd seen Annabeth glancing at when he took her to the old bookstore back in San Francisco, he may or may not have snuck her out at three am to show it to her.

It was a thin pocket-sized book, with a brown cover, it was about the many places to go to see the world's best architecture, she wanted it. He remembered how much she wanted it. Her birthday was in July too, if the others somehow managed to come to Camp Jupiter he should have some sort of gift for her when they met again, it was the least he could do after lying to her and disappearing for almost a year.

That's what friends do for each other.

He glanced at the guards as he started making his way after the others, his hand covering the book as he slipped it into his jeans' back pocket, he placed another book on the spot where the one he'd stolen had been.

Finally, they entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination loading zone and throne room. The walls were lined with metal shelves six stories high, decorated with war banners, painted shields, and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions, and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war.

An iron-collared male drove each machine, but an Amazon warrior stood on a platform in the back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades.

The shelves in the room were stacked with cages containing live animals ranging from black mastiffs to a red ant the size of a compact car and many types of weird hybrids. Landon watched as a forklift zipped into the room, picked up a cage with a white pegasus, and sped away while the horse whinnied in protest.

"What are you doing to that poor animal?" Hazel demanded.

Kinzie frowned. "The pegasus? It'll be fine. Someone must've ordered it. The shipping and handling charges are steep, but—"

"You can buy Pegasus online?" Percy asked.

Kinizie glared at them. "Obviously not, male. But Amazon can. We have followers all over the world. They need supplies. This way."

"Don't mind him," Landon said. "He's mentally challenged."

"We can see that," Kinzie grunted.

At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books, and a throne made from a thousand copies of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women.

At the base of the steps, several Amazons in camouflage were having a heated argument while a young woman—Queen Hylla, watched and listened from her seat on the throne.

Hylla looked to be in her twenties, lith and lean as a tiger. She wore a black jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown, but around her waist was a belt made of interlocking gold links.

Kinzie took one look at the argument and grunted with distaste. "Otrera's agents, spreading their lies."

"What?" Frank asked.

Landon glanced over at the daughter of Pluto who was having a staring contest with a honey-colored stallion in the cage a few feet away from Hylla's throne.

"It's him," she murmured.

"Him, who?" Percy asked.

Kinzie scowled in annoyance, but when she saw where Hazel was looking, her expression softened. "Ah, yes. Beautiful, isn't he?"

Hazel blinked. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, maybe she had.

"Is he..." Hazel started. "Is he for sale?"

The guards all laughed.

"That's Arion," Kinzie said patiently. "He's a royal treasure of the Amazons—to be claimed only by our most courageous warrior if you believe the prophecy."

"Prophecy?"

"Never mind," Kinzie said. "But no, he's not for sale."

"Then why is he in a cage?" Hazel asked.

The warrior grimaced. "Because...he is difficult."

As if to prove his point, the horse slammed his head against the cage door. The bars shuddered, and the guards retreated nervously.

"Just asking," Hazel managed, noticing the stares they were all giving her. "Let's see the queen."

The argument at the front of the room grew louder. Finally, the daughter of Bellona noticed them, and she snapped, "Enough!"

They shut up immediately. Landon blinked, it felt like looking at Xander...but if he was a girl. Hylla waved the amazons aside and beckoned Kinzie forward.

The auburn-haired girl shoved the demigods towards the throne. "My queen, these demigods—"

The queen shot to her feet. "You!"

She glared at Percy with murderous rage, just like a lot of people did when they met him.

Percy cursed under his breath in Ancient Greek. "Clipboard," he said. "Spa. Pirates."

The spa island, Landon remembered vaguely hearing about it from Evangeline but he knew enough to know that Percy had pissed Hylla off.

Hylla nodded and stepped down, drawing her dagger from her belt.

"You were incredibly foolish to come here," she said. "You destroyed my home. You made me and my sister exiles and prisoners."

"Percy," Frank said uneasily. "What's the scary woman with the dagger talking about?"

"He trashed their house," Landon whispered.

"Circe's island," The son of Poseidon recalled. "I just remembered. The gorgon's blood—maybe it's starting to heal my mind. The Sea of Monsters. Hylla...she welcomed us at the docks and took us to see her boss. Hylla worked for the sorceress."

Hylla bared her white teeth. "Are you telling me you've had amnesia? You know, I might actually believe you. Why else would you be stupid enough to come here?"

"We've come in peace," Hazel insisted. "What did Percy do?"

"Peace?" The daughter of Bellona raised her eyebrows. "What did he do? This male destroyed Circe's school of magic!"

"Circe turned me into a guinea pig!" Percy protested.

"No excuses!" Hylla said. "Circe was a wise and generous employer. I had room and board, a good health plan, dental, pet leopards, free potions—everything! And this demigod with his friends, the brunette, and the blonde—"

"Evangeline and..." Percy tapped his forehead as if trying to remember. Then his eyes zeroed in on Landon. "Annabeth. That blonde in that picture you! Annabeth, I was there with Annabeth and Evangeline."

"You released our captives—Blackbeard and his pirates." She turned to Hazel. "Have you ever been kidnapped by pirates? It isn't fun. They burned our spa to the ground. My sister and I were their prisoners for months."

"And Percy deeply apologizes for that," Landon placed a hand on his chest. "Right, fish spawn?"

Percy glared at him.

Hylla grunted. "Fortunately, we were the daughters of Bellona. We learned to fight quickly. If we hadn't..." she shuddered. "Well, the pirates learned to respect us. Eventually, we made our way to California where we—" She hesitated as if the memory was too painful. "Where my sister and I parted ways."

She stepped toward the raven-haired boy. She ran her dagger under his chin. "Of course, I survived and prospered. I have risen to be the queen of Amazon. So perhaps I should thank you."

"You're welcome," Percy said.

The queen dug her knife a little deeper. "Never mind. I think I'll kill you."

Landon pushed Percy out of the way and came in his place. "Yeah, listen," he said. "I know we all hate and want Percy dead, but we only came here because of Reyna, I'm a friend of hers. She thought you would be able to help us."

He showed the older girl the silver ring around Percy's neck, and the color drained from her face. She glared at Hazel. "Explain this. Quickly."

Hazel tried her best to explain, describing Camp Jupiter, Reyna being their praetor, and the army of monsters that was marching south. She told them about their quest to free Thanatos in Alaska.

While she talked, Landon noticed another group of Amazons enter the room. One was taller than the rest, with plaited silver hair and fine silk robes like a Roman matron. The other warriors made way for her, treating her with such respect it was astonishing.

"So," the daughter of Pluto finished. "Reyna needs your help."

Hylla gripped Percy's leather cord and yanked it off his neck— beads, ring, probatio tablet, and all. "Reyna...that foolish girl—"

"Well!" The older woman interrupted. "Romans need our help?" She laughed, and the Amazons around joined her in.

"Well, technically we don't need your help," Landon said. "Just Hylla's."

"And you are, male?" Otrera looked at him with disdain.

"Landon," He stated. "Landon Martin."

"You're one of Cecilia's boys, aren't you?" Otrera grimaced. "I've heard about her, she sounds arrogant, I mean, having a Greek child while being Roman? My, my, how disgraceful."

"Excuse you?" Landon glared.

"And the cursed daughter of hers?" Otrera scoffed like the thought was so appalling to her. "I must say, she had it coming, Gaea had tried to warn her, correct? But I suppose one's arrogance can lead to stupid incidents. It could've been avoided, had your mother listened to Gaea. But who am I kidding? That woman's full of foolish decisions."

"Shut up!" The son of Hermes snapped, one of the guards pressed the pointed edge of her spear at the side of his neck.

"How many times did we battle the Romans in my day?" The woman asked. "How many times have they killed our sisters in battle? When I was queen—"

"Otrera," Hylla interrupted, "you are here as a guest. You are not queen anymore."

"Yeah, get a grip, lady." The brown-haired boy added.

The older woman spread her hands and bowed mockingly. "As you say—at least, until tonight. But I speak the truth, Queen Hylla."

She said the word like a taunt. "I've been brought back by the Earth Mother herself! I bring tidings of a new war. Why should Amazons follow Jupiter, that foolish king of Olympus, when we can follow a queen? When I take command—"

"If you take command," Hylla said. "But for now, I am queen. My word is law."

"I see." Otrera looked at the assembled Amazons, who were standing very still as if they were placed in a cage with two tigers. "Have we become so weak that we listen to male demigods? Will you spare the life of this son of Neptune, even though he once destroyed your home? Perhaps you'll let him destroy your new home, too!"

"I will pass judgment," The daughter of Bellona spoke in an icy tone, "once I have all the facts. That is how I rule—by reason, not fear. First, I will talk with this one." She jabbed a finger at Hazel. "It is my duty to hear out a female warrior before I sentence her or her allies to death. That is the Amazon way. Or have your years in the Underworld muddled your memory, Otrera?"

The woman sneered, but she didn't try to argue.

Hylla turned to Kinzie. "Take the males to the holding cells. The rest of you, leave us."

Otrera raised her hand to the crowd. "As our queen commands. But any of you who would like to hear more about Gaea, and our glorious future with her, come with me!"

About half the Amazons followed her out of the room. Kinzie snorted with disgust, and then she and her guards hauled the boys away.

Their prison was sixty feet in the air.

Landon and the other two boys were in three of the chain-linked cages that hung from the cables.

"What was Otrera talking about back there?" Frank asked, speaking in a hushed tone so the guards couldn't hear. "The stuff about Gaea."

"Don't bother asking him," Percy said. "He'll probably lie."

"You're the one who trashed Hylla's home," Landon shot back.

"At least I didn't—"

"Guys," Frank groaned. "Focus. Landon, what was she talking about?"

The son of Hermes cracked his knuckles as he glanced around nervously before meeting Frank's gaze. "My sister," he admitted. "She was talking about what happened to my sister."

"You have a sister?" The son of Mars' eyes widened, they looked like they would pop out of their sockets. "Since when?"

"Since always,"

"You never mentioned her," Percy stretched out his neck to look at him.

"You never asked," Landon shrugged.

"What about me?" Frank cut in. "You could've told me."

"I thought you knew,"

"Liar," the sons of Mars and Poseidon spoke in unison.

"What's there to tell?" The son of Hermes glanced at them. "She's dead, end of story."

"Otrera said something about her being cursed," Percy said.

Landon sometimes wished Percy kept his mouth shut. "She was."

"What?" Frank asked.

"I don't know the whole story of how it happened, okay? I also don't know why she was cursed." The Martin boy said. "Cassie was born with the curse of foresight, she could see the future and some shit."

"Cassie was a seer," Percy guessed.

"Yeah," He shifted in his seat. "Something like that, the people at the camp used to call her Crazy Cassie, Octavian started that name, he lied about the fact that she told him his future to scare him. She wasn't crazy," Landon continued. "Cassie hated using her foresight. Stuff used to give her night terrors."

The son of Hermes could see the way they were looking at him, he felt uncomfortable and vulnerable. It felt like the bandage was being ripped open to let them see the wound.

"Do you know what she saw when she saw the future?" The raven-haired boy asked.

Landon shook his head, he was telling the truth this time. Cassie never told him or Xander what she saw. But one thing he did know was that she would keep a diary, one where she would write about the visions she saw.

The problem was, that Cassie kept it hidden in a place only she knew about. When she died, the diary was gone with her. Hidden away in a place where no one could find it.

"What about the thing with Gaea and your mom?" Frank asked.

"Apparently, from what I know—when Cassie had her first vision, Gaea had shown up to our house. She made an offer to take Cassie's gift of foresight away if my mom promised to stay away from Mercury's Greek counterpart."

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Dunno," He shrugged.

"So who's Oliver then?" The son of Poseidon questioned.

"Oliver who?" Frank blinked.

"He was Cassie's best friend, she loved him, romantically." Landon said.

"And he loved her back, right?" The son of Mars raised a hopeful brow.

"We thought he did," Landon said. "Then Oliver went insane, he stopped coming by the house one night after some argument with Cassie."

"And what was it about?" The son of Poseidon asked.

"He—"

Landon got cut off by the sound of Kinzie's voice, he glanced at the catwalk where Hazel was being hauled toward them with her hands tied behind her back.

"What are you staring at?" Kinzie yelled at the guards. "Here's the third prisoner. Come get her."

One of the guards set her reading tablet down. "Why can't you walk another thirty paces, Kinzie?"

"Um, because—"

Then Hazel fell to her knees. "I'm feeling nauseous! Can't...walk. Amazons...too...scary."

The son of Hermes had spent enough time with the Stolls to know when someone was acting to get out of trouble or to divert someone's attention, and right now, Hazel was doing just that.

"There you go," Kinzie told the guards. "Now, are you going to come take the prisoner, or should I tell Queen Hylla you're not doing your duty?"

The nearest guard trudged over and grabbed Hazel's arm. "Fine," she said. "I'll take custody of the prisoner. But if I were you Kinzie, I wouldn't worry about Hylla. She won't be queen much longer."

"We'll see, Doris." Kinzie turned to leave and the auburn-haired girl receded down the catwalk.

The guard pulled on Hazel's arm and said something, Landon couldn't exactly make out what.

Doris tried to yank Hazel up again, when she went limp, like a kid in the store throwing a tantrum. The Martin boy could see the boxes next to Hazel begin to tremble.

The first guard called over the other one, and together the two tried to get Hazel up but she flattened against the catwalk.

The next thing they knew, the boxes next to the daughter of Pluto exploded. A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing Doris and the other guard right over the railing.

Before they fell to their deaths, Hazel summoned a few hundred bracelets, which leaped at the guards, and wrapped around their ankles, leaving them hanging upside down from the bottom of the catwalk. Hazel undid her bonds which looked like they were purposefully tied loosely, and turned to the third guard.

"Should I kill you from here?" She snarled. "Or are you going to make me come over there?"

The guard turned and ran.

Then she shouted something at the other two guards who ever hanging upside down, and they passed her an Amazon card.

The daughter of Pluto raced toward the cages and swiped a card. The doors to their cages popped open.

"Hazel, that was...amazing." Frank stared at her in astonishment.

Percy nodded. "I'll never wear jewelry again."

"Even Evangeline's ring?" Landon smirked at him. "Or that necklace she gave you?"

"Except those," Hazel said. "And this," she tossed Percy his camp necklace. "Our weapons and supplies are at the end of the catwalk. We should hurry. Pretty soon—"

Alarms began wailing throughout the cavern.

"Yeah," she said. "That'll happen. Let's go!"

The escape was going great, they were making their way through the warehouse. Hazel was being awesome, Frank was being a lovesick idiot, and Percy was just there along with Landon.

They ran into the throne room. Hylla and her guards were nowhere to be found. Hazel dashed towards the honey-colored stallion's cage and swiped an Amazon card across the lock.

The horse burst forth, rearing in triumph making the boys stumble back.

"Um...is that thing tame?" Frank said.

The horse whinnied angrily.

"I don't think so," Percy guessed. "He just said, 'I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man.'"

"You speak horse?" Hazel asked.

"'Baby man?'" Frank spluttered.

"No, Frank," Landon grinned. "He clearly said, 'Silly Chinese Canadian baby man."

"That's not any better!"

"Are we ignoring the fact that Percy can speak to horses?" Hazel questioned.

"Speaking to horses is a Poseidon thing," Percy said. "Uh, I mean a Neptune thing."

"Then you and Arion should get along fine," Hazel said. "He's a son of Neptune too."

Percy turned pale. "Excuse me?"

"Ha!" Landon laughed. "You're related to a horse."

"The point is," Hazel said, he could see her trying to hide her laugh. "He's fast. He can get us out of here."

Frank didn't look too thrilled at the idea. "Four of us can't fit on one horse, can we? We'll fall off, or slow him down, or—"

Arion whinnied again.

"Ouch," Percy said. "Frank, the horse says you're a—you know, actually, I'm not going to translate that. Anyway, he says there's a chariot in the warehouse, and he's willing to pull it."

"There!" Someone yelled from the back of the throne room. A dozen Amazon charged in, followed by males in orange jumpsuits. When they saw Arion, they backed up quickly and headed for the battle forklifts.

Hazel vaulted the horse's back. She grinned down at them. "I remember seeing that chariot. Follow me, guys!"

She galloped into the larger cavern and scattered a crowd of males. The three followed after her, knocking out some Amazons, sweeping some off their feet, and stabbing at some of them.

Finally, they reached the chariot. Arion stopped by the yoke, and Percy set to work with the reins and harness.

"You've done this before?" Frank asked.

"He was in a chariot race once," Landon explained, Frank looked at him dumbfounded. "I'll explain later, come on!"

A battle cry went up behind them. A full army of Amazons stormed into the warehouse. Otrera herself stood astride a battle forklift, her silver hair flowing as she swung her mounted crossbow toward the chariot. "Stop them!"

Hazel spurred the horse. They raced across the cavern, weaving around pallets and forklifts.

"The stairs!" Frank yelled. "No way this horse can pull up a chariot that many flights of—OH MY GODS!"

The stairs were wide enough for the chariot because the stallion didn't even slow down. He shot up the steps with the chariot rattling and groaning, making them hang on for dear life.

A few minutes later, Arion crashed through the main doors into the plaza and scattered a bunch of guys in business suits. Hazel pulled back the reins.

The three sons of Poseidon, Mars, and Hermes jerked forward by the abrupt stop.

"Ella!" Hazel shouted at the sky. "Where are you? We have to leave!"

"What are you doing?" Landon asked, glancing back as a battle forklift clattered up the stairs and roared through the lobby, a mob of Amazons behind it.

"Surrender!" Otrera screamed.

The forklift raised its razor-sharp tines. "Ella!" The daughter of Pluto tried again.

Suddenly, Ella landed in the chariot. "Ella is here. Amazons are pointy. Go now."

"Hold on!" Hazel warned them. Landon shot her look as he gripped the chariot tightly.

Arion shot away from the Amazons and sped through downtown Seattle. The horse left a line of smoking pavement where his hooves had touched the ground. He thundered towards the docks, leaping over cars, and barreling through intersections.

Arion reached the water and leaped straight off the docks. Hazel seemed to have a lot of faith in that horse. The stallion tore over Puget Sound with a sonic boom, seawater turning into steam in his wake as the skyline of Seattle receded behind them.

------✧------

A/N: I finally managed to write this chapter guys. There was a family emergency and it took all my motivation away after it was over.

Also, go to my pinterest if you guys want to see Cassie and Oliver's aesthetics, it's the same user as the one on here.

Anyways, ciao, drink water or smth.