Camp Half Blood: Rebellion

Camp Half Blood: Rebellion is a collab fan fiction written by singer22498 and BakaYellow. Originally posted on fanfiction.net, the story has garnered 50+ followers since it was posted in early September. To read the original story post of FF.net, click here.

Status: ONGOING

Current Character Pages
Madison Powali

Alexia Corrigan

Derek Vike

Izaya Felsic

Mikhail Harvosky

Jessie Roberts

Dimitri Jones

Chapter 1 (Lexi POV)
"Come on Lexi, we are going to be late! Do you honestly want to ruin your perfect attendance record?" Maddi shouted in my ear, and I groaned angrily. I rolled lazily off my bed, forgetting that I was on the top bunk. I hit the floor with a loud smack, which sent Maddi into a laughing fit.

"Are you okay?" She chuckled. I moaned and started to stand up, wincing as I checked out my fresh bruises. I stumbled blindly to the bathroom and checked the clock above the shower. It was already 7:45, and class began in a half hour.

Fifteen minutes later I was attempting to tame my golden mane of hair, which was refusing to cooperate. Maddi watched silently from the bed as I fought with my tangles. Her backpack was already slung on her shoulder and she nibbled absently on a granola bar.

"You know, we don't have all day. Class starts in ten minutes, and Mrs. Smith does not like it when people are late." Maddi informed me, pointing to the clock. I groaned and tried once more to get a ferocious knot out of my hair. It wouldn't budge, nor would the brush. Maddi's lips curled into a small smile.

"It's stuck, isn't it?" She murmured, shaking her head. I shrugged and unsuccessfully tried to yank the brush from its cursed position.

"Uh… help?" I squeaked. Maddi scoffed quietly before grabbing a pair of scissors from her bedside table. I gulped and stepped away slowly as she walked toward me.

"You wouldn't." I whispered, eyeing the tool. She laughed.

"If it comes to that, I shall. Seriously Lexi, just turn around so I can get the brush out." I gulped and shook my head. Her blue eyes bore into mine for a moment, and I gave up. There wasn't enough time today to run around the room with scissors anyway. I was not going to be late. I reluctantly turned the other way, facing the mirror by my closet. I bit my lip and squinted my grey-green eyes shut, trying to block out Maddi probing through my tangles. With a short ripping sound, Maddi released my brush from its prison, making me yelp. She shrugged and took ahold of my arm before half-dragging me out the door.

"Hey, where is my bag?" I complained as she pulled my down the hall. Maddi smirked before pushing the huge wad of lavender fabric into my arms.

"I took some of the books out of it; I doubt you could carry them all around with those weakling arms." I frowned and fumbled through the bag.

"Hey," I grumbled, "you took out my light reading books." Maddi scoffed. "You call those light? Those books were each larger than a dictionary! What were those even about anyway?" I sighed. "I was reading about Mythology. I mean, it is really interesting. Did you know that-"

"Lexi, I really don't care right now. Let's just get to class." Maddi cut me off, and I frowned, but tried to focus. I could not be late.

Two minutes later, we both burst into Mrs. Smith's classroom, breathing heavily. She narrowed her eyes as we came in, but didn't say a word. I breathed a sigh of relief before collapsing in my chair. Mrs. Smith began the announcements for the day. I struggled to pay attention, but instead stared blankly around the room.

Villa Elizabeth was an all-girls catholic boarding school that thrived in the depths of Manhattan New York. It wasn't very large, but it was home to around two hundred girls, all of which I knew from something or another. Although the rules were strict and the nuns weren't the best teachers, I still loved it here. The Villa was where I had met Maddi, and where I had finally gotten a friend that I could relate to.

"Miss Corrigan, I would appreciate it if you paid attention." Mrs. Smith snapped, breaking my stupor. I blushed crimson and mumbled an apology as she gave me a piercing look. I faced the front of the classroom and listened to the last announcement.

"Also, just a reminder, the dance is tonight at 7pm, in the cafeteria. As you all should know, the dance is a semi-formal occasion, and the boys from St. Anselm of Lucca are attending. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior." I nodded automatically, as did most of the other girls in the room. Mrs. Smith sighed sharply, and started her English lesson.

At exactly 3:30pm, I was racing to the dorm at top speed, dragging the exasperated Maddi along with me. I was rather excited for the dance. Maddi did not share the same enthusiasm.

"Why do we even have to go to this stupid thing? I know you want to see Matt, but do I honestly have to go with you?" She groaned audibly from the inside of her closet as she pulled out sweatpants. I shook my head before snatching the sweats from her loose grip.

"You have to go with me, and you are going to wear something nice." I stated, leafing through her clothes. "You will also have to borrow something from me, because you have nothing formal in here, not even a decent skirt! What happened to that nice dress I got you for Christmas last month?" Maddi stared at the brown carpeting before mumbling, "Lost it somewhere." I groaned and fumbled through my own clothes. "Here, wear this," I murmured, tossing her a blue dress. She frowned, but took it anyway. I examined the purple strapless I wore and ventured to the bathroom to fix my hair. It took all of my will-power to convince Maddi to wear makeup, but she finally did. I smiled and brushed out her short blonde locks, making it frame her small face. I declared us ready to depart a few minutes before seven, and I dragged Maddi to the cafeteria.

The space for the dance was fairly large, and the decorations were simple. Purple streamers hung from the chandeliers and black tables lined the walls. A huge crowd of girls were on the center floor, dancing to a Lady Gaga song. I sighed and drank in the room before turning to Maddi with a huge grin plastered to my face.

"Time to find the boys!" I whispered excitedly. She groaned as I pulled her into the depths of the crowd.

Chapter 2 (Maddi POV)
"Matt!" Lexi released her grip on my wrist and flounced over to the three boys in the corner of the room. They were dressed rather nicely, still wearing their familiar black dress pants. They wore white shirts and like many of the other male attendees, ties. But they weren't tied, as if to take their last stand against the school. They never said that the ties HAD to be tied, I guess.

Matt was by far the shortest and nicest. He had blonde-brown hair that matched Lexi's in some ways and was a nice guy, a little too nice. In Anselm, you were nice or you were dead. Honestly, I could care less about them though. I didn't really care much for the Villa girls either – most were just some stuck up rich kids. I won't say I'm stuck up, but I've got a pretty big ego sometimes. All the time.

Next to Matt was his best friend, a boy with brown hair named Jaret. We'd been friends even back in our public elementary school, but recently we'd grown apart. Whether it was the fact we went to separate schools, or maybe because we were both growing up and getting those feelings, I wasn't sure.

And on the other side of Matt was Kyle, a taller Matt look a like with glasses and face acne. I tried to stay away from him and he was a pretty awkward guy. I'd threatened to hurt him on more than one occasion.

Lexi was all over Matt like a bee on honey. I awkwardly pulled on my dress due to its habit of riding up onto my hips. The other boys went quiet too. It was awkward despite the loud music behind our group and Lexi's spastic blathering. I raised my hand like I was asking a question and turned on my tip-toes. "I'm getting some punch. Bye." Lexi bent her neck back to look at me and smiled. "Punch, please?"

Gladly. I took a deep breath and stomped away through the crowd and past the punch bowl. I was wiping off this make-up first, I felt extremely unnatural. Maybe that's why no one talked to me – they weren't used to me being all dolled up. I stomped into the bathroom and ran a paper towel under some cold water.

I was rubbing the artificial beauty off my pale face when a girl I'd never seen before came in. She had long, twisted black hair held back in a white headband. Her outfit was simple, a flimsy white dress and silver sandals. She was more beautiful than me on a good day; and that's a rare time in history indeed. She twiddled her thumbs and looked in the mirror anxiously before scooting closer to me.

"Personal space much?" I shoved her over to the side and she frowned. An unearthly growl escaped her lips and I was taken back by it. She cleared her throat though and wiped a stray block of make-up on my cheek. "You missed a spot."

Her voice was strange. A very motherly voice that reminded me of home and my family. But when it came from this girl, I felt uncomfortable. I stepped back suddenly and bumped into the cheap bathroom sink, cursing when I realized a bruise was probably beginning to form. The beauty smiled and rubbed her hands together. "Please be careful, Madison. If you are anything like your father, you're going to need it."

I looked up from the tiled floor. She'd just pinched a nerve somewhere. She mentioned my Dad. My Mom said that my father was a military man who came and went, supposedly. And some time after my younger brother was born, he vanished and we never heard from him again.

"What are you talking about, "my father"? How would you know anything about him?" But she simply shrugged and turned on her heel to face the door. "Listen to me, Madison. I want you to be careful tonight. Not everything is as it seems, times are changing. Farewell." And she strode out of the bathroom. I was hot on her heels, a wad of wet paper towel jammed in my fist. But when I left the bathroom, there was no girl. It was as though she'd disappeared into thin air.

"Lexi!" I dashed through the crowd, careful to keep the dress pulled to a modest knee length. She turned away from her boyfriend for a split second and, seeing it was only me, immediately turned back to continue the conversation. I tapped her on the shoulder for a full minute with some Taylor Swift-related music in the background before giving her a powerful kick to the back of the knee.

My best friend dropped to one knee. "Why would you do that?" She winced painfully. Matt stepped back for fear of being kicked next and looked to his friends. They shrugged absent-mindedly like a collective body. "I have to talk to you. Can we go outside?" She was confused by my request, but sighed reluctantly and agreed. "Fine. We'll be back in a minute, guys."

But they were right on it with us. "No!" Jaret stepped forward and reached out. We looked at him and the two boys suddenly tracking. "What I meant to say was...we'll come with you." His breath wrapped around my face and I gagged. Despite fighting back nausea, I grabbed Lexi's arm and pulled her along though. "No thanks, this a girl thing. Just wait here." But they followed us. I didn't want to share my encounter with them, they might think I was nuts!

Outside of the gym, I pulled Lexi into one of the bushes. "Maddi!" She squealed, touching her dress. "My dress is covered in dew!" "Rain." I corrected. She snorted. "Same difference, You get the point – I'm all wet now!" I heard the footsteps of the boys as they exited out the door and into the overhang that marked the entrance to the gym.

"Lexi, I don't care about your dress. I met a girl who-" "You don't care about my dress! But it was so nice and now it's probably ruined! What will Matt say?" She streamed along waving her hands and yelling about her precious dress, overlooking the fact we could simply dry it later tonight, being that it was Friday. When she stopped, I took my chance. "Lexi, I met a girl who knows my Dad."

"Really?" Her voice shrunk. We both knew my Dad was a touchy subject, and I always joked about it, but it was more serious than I'd let anyone but her know. Our conversation was interrupted when one of the boys screamed and fled the overhang. Lexi and I looked over at the concrete area to find only the two boys, Jaret and Kyle. Only there was something different.

Their heads hung low and they'd suddenly dropped onto all fours in front of our eyes. Their hair got longer until it covered their low-looking eyes and their skin turned a sickly gray. They were snuffing around for something, maybe us. I quietly dipped low, but Lexi froze on them. "They look like rhinos..." She whispered, grabbing my hair. I bit my lip and poked my head up. Unfortunately, my sudden movement caused the former-Kyle to turn suddenly and look at us through his hair I assumed. Fragments of a former uniform scattered around his rhino-like hooves as he alerted the other with his hoof.

"I-I know what those are." Lexi stuttered, giving a great tug on her fistful of my hair. "We have to run. Now."

"What are they?" I protested. She shook her head. "I'll tell you later; just run!"

Chapter 3 (Lexi POV)
I struggled to not cry out as we ran for our lives. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Jaret and Kyle were Catoblepas! They were Catoblepas intent on one thing only: to most likely murder us. My thoughts were racing, pounding around my skull as a passage from my mythology book came to mind. It had said that Catoblepas were large creatures like bulls that always looked downward. Their breath was poisonous, and they were very strong and armored. That fact made me rather frightened. Maddi was breathing heavily on my neck as I pulled her along, her eyes wide as she stared behind us.

"Lexi, what are they? Where are Jaret and Kyle? Oh lord; we are going to die aren't we?" She gasped, stumbling as she tried to keep up with my break-neck pace. I shook my head and sprinted faster as the bustling streets of New York came into view. The sooner we got into the crowd, the sooner we could lose the monsters.

"Not right now Maddi! I'm freaking out too, but we have to be logical about this! First, we need to get away from them!" I half-screamed into her ear, which made her wince. I glanced behind me for a split second and my chin dropped.

Not only were the Catoblepas gaining on us, but they had trash cans in their grasp. I screeched as the first metal weapon was thrust straight at our running legs. I yanked Maddi to side, and the can barely missed my calf. I yelped before we finally reached the busy streets, and slammed right into a parked Taxi.

"Let us in!" Maddi screeched, pounding on the door with her fist furiously. The cab-driver shrugged before unlocking the passenger door. Maddi threw me inside and hurriedly closed the door behind her.

"Go. Now! Drive as fast as you can!" She snapped, staring at the Catoblepas as they charged closer. The driver shrugged once again before hitting the gas pedal.

"You girls got any money?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Maddi frowned and turned to me with pleading eyes.

"Where is your purse?" She whispered. I groaned and a small smile reluctantly curled to my lips.

"A purse didn't go with this outfit, so the money is in my… you know…" Maddi burst into short hysterical laughter before whispering, "Well get it out of your bra and give the man some money for heaven's sake!" I frowned and retrieved a twenty dollar bill.

"How far can you take us with this?" I asked politely, trying to keep my voice from squeaking. The monsters were no longer visible in the back window, but there was no doubt that they were still after us.

I tried to breathe deeply for a moment, but of course Maddi interrupted my almost-peace.

"Tell me now what those things are! I know you recognize them. What are they, and why the heck are they trying to kill us?" She whispered in my ear, careful to keep her voice low. I mumbled a low reply, "Catoblepas. They are Greek monsters, very dangerous. They only look downward and their breath is poisonous. As to why they are trying to decapitate us, I have no damn idea." Maddi scoffed with disappointment. "Maybe they were sick of you talking so much." She murmured with a hint of sarcasm. My cheeks flushed crimson.

I anxiously twiddled with my thumbs, glancing out the windows every few seconds. Suddenly, the cab stopped.

"Your money is up kids." The driver mumbled, unlocking the doors. I swore silently and reluctantly got out, while Maddi sat rigidly in place.

"Come on Mads, we got to get out of here." I said, pulling her arm. She stayed still as stone. "Come one Maddi! We have to leave now!" I growled, glancing worriedly at the streets behind me. Maddi closed her eyes a moment, but reluctantly got out of the cab. I yanked her down the next street, struggling to pick up my pace. We passed a narrow space between the next building, and we pulled into a sharp turn down the alley.

"Hey!" I yelped, facing our attacker. The person backed up into a shaft of moonlight, revealing her face.

The young woman looked around 20 years of age, and much taller than my meager 5 foot 4 inches. Her hair was blonde and fell down to her waist in tumbling curls. Her eyes were a startling familiar gray. The woman's face was small, with soft features and a tan complexion.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you the girls from Villa Elizabeth?" She asked slowly. We both nodded and I gulped. "Then you are the ones I have been looking for. My name's Annabeth, and you need to come with me."

Chapter 4 (Maddi POV)
I looked at the blonde woman hesitantly. Well, if she could help us with the monster, I'd be glad to go with her. But the ground started throbbing under my nice, soaking flats and the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

Meanwhile, Annabeth and Lexi were having a sort of stare down. There was almost a flicker of recognition from the unfamiliar woman's eyes despite the fact neither of us had met her. "I'd hate to cut in on your intense staring contest," I cut in, catching their attention by raising my hand. "but we are being chased by Catpasses-" "Catoblepas" Lexi corrected me, the fear starting to show more in her voice.

I shrugged. "Same, difference. Point is, we need to run. Like, now." Then Annabeth did something strange. She looked at me and suddenly smiled. "Okay, I'll wait." And pulled out an average, run-of-the-mill Yankees cap. She flicked it onto Lexi's dirty blonde, wet hair and suddenly my best friend disappeared. And without notice Annabeth had backed away into the darkness.

That just left me. Instead of cursing, like I usually would, I looked around. Taekwondo had to prepare me for something, right? Why not giant buffalo-rhino monsters with poisonous breath? My brother had that every morning back at home. Back in the front of a dumpster was the handlebars of a bike, connected by a long rod. Long, all-be-it wet, muddy, and dirty, purple and pink streamers hung off and rust decorated the whole thing. But it was going to have to do.

The Catoblepas lumbered in, heaving out enough air that it blew their long hair from their eyes as they started cornering me. So, being the blunt girl I can be sometimes, I lunged at them with my fearsome girly bike handlebars raised above my head. With a little luck, although most of the credit should go to the eight years of taekwondo I've been taking; I cleared the beast's head and jammed the bar down...into hard, black scales.

"Lexi, help me out here!" I called out, rolling off the beast's back and against the other wall. I must have looked like an action star, the one who goes from being at a formal event and suddenly covered in mud and out to kill. My dress frayed with mud and I suddenly felt like Lexi would be mad at me. But I knew she wouldn't, considering I was saving her life after all.

Suddenly, Lexi appeared next to a dumpster at the end of the alley. "Maddi!" She yelled. I had my back to her, preparing for another strike with the bars. "Yeah?" My voice cracked with fear and adrenaline. I felt like this was some sort of drill at taekwondo class, only instead of a pack of lumbering high school students, it was a pair of lumbering monsters. So, really the only difference was they were smaller and less than better looking. "Listen: don't touch the Catoblepas skin, it's extremely toxic!" The beast formerly known as Jaret took a long step at me. "And?" I called back. She murmured quietly to Annabeth before returning an answer. "Try jumping onto its scales and hitting its head with the bar – but don't let it touch you or look at you. Don't let it breathe on you either!" Like that's easy, I thought sarcastically.

It was just me and the beasts now. No one had passed the alley, strangely enough, being this was Manhattan, and so I wondered why no one had come to our aid. I leapt past the closer monster and onto the one I'd attacked previously. Its scales were sweaty and slimy and oily, every imaginable secretion that could send me flying right off. I tried to keep my balance while the head beast turned to me slowly. I jammed the bar into the beasts back despite its rearing like a bull until finally something miraculous happened – one of it's scales had moved slightly. I jabbed the bar in as hard as I could managed and looked away as the beast began to rear even more in protest, twisting and wriggling like a dying worm. It bucked hard and threw me off against the adjacent wall.

This part I can't describe very well. I woke up in the back seat of a Ford Focus with a throbbing pain in the back of my head. "She's awake!" Lexi cheered from the front seat, turning around to meet my confused expression. "You did it! It was awesome – the Catoblepas you stabbed beat on the other one and in the end they both just died. They fell over and turned into dust and just blew away."

I raised my eyebrow quizzically. Nothing really made sense to me at the moment, considering the huge throbbing bump on my head and the possible bruises I'd had from falling onto the cement. Lexi waved her hand in front of my eyes and swallowed. "Don't fall asleep yet, Maddi. Annabeth is taking us to a place where we can check out that bump on your head. Y'know, for a concussion."

My vision was blurring when she finished that sentence when I caught her chuckle a little. "Maddi, here's something that will keep you awake. Annabeth was sent to recruit us into a camp for the children of Greek gods." I shook my head. "Yeah, Lexi, and I suppose you're gonna tell me we're gods...er, something."

"No, Maddi. We're half-bloods. I know who your Dad is, and I know who my Mom is. Did you hear that, Maddi? Our parents are gods! Isn't that awesome?"

Chapter 5 (Maddi POV)
The expression on Maddi's face was absolutely priceless. I had never seen her more confused in the almost six years that I had known her. Maddi's eyes were wide, however unfocused, and her mouth gaped. The bump on her head was rather large, and her body was covered with bruises. Although I was concerned for my best friend's well-being, there were so many thoughts racing through my head. I locked eyes with Annabeth for a moment and a smile spread across my face. There was so much she had told me.

First of all, I was a demigod! Maddi was also, so that meant that our parents were gods! I had always thought that my mother had abandoned my father and me because she couldn't handle me as a child, although my father said she wasn't allowed to stay. He had told me the story of my birth, and how I had been delivered to his doorstep in a golden basket and a note. I now knew that my mother really had to leave, because she was a goddess! Not only a goddess though, but she was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Annabeth was also a daughter of Athena, so we were half-sisters! I thought that was amazing; I always wanted a sister. Maddi was also a demigod, and she was the daughter of Ares, god of war. I now understood her mother's story about how her father was a military hero. I hoped that Maddi could now forgive her dad, now that she knew he was a god.

Annabeth had also told me about where she was taking us: Camp Half Blood. She said that the camp is a place that is full of people like Maddi and I; full of demigods. That fact made me oddly nervous. Meeting other people wasn't always easy for me, because I got abnormally shy around new people, however regularly I was considered a chatter box. The camp was close to Manhattan, and for that I was grateful. As my mind wandered, I once again glanced at Annabeth.

"Yes Lexi?" She asked with a grin. I could tell she was enjoying this specific rescue. I replied with an enthusiastic air, "I just wanted to know; how did you learn to kill those Catoblepas? That was some really cool sword fighting, and that Yankee's cap is amazing!" I beamed and pointed to the felt cap in the passenger seat. It had been so weird to be invisible, but I very much preferred that to fighting like Maddi had. Unlike her years of taekwondo, I knew practically nothing of fighting, except hitting people with random objects. I had no experience, and had never thrown a punch in my life! However, watching Maddi and Annabeth fight really had been a learning experience for me. The way they had jumped and lunged, the way Maddi had just immediately tried to overpower the Catoblepas. Annabeth's style of fighting was much more logical than Maddi's. Whereas Maddi used raw force to fight someone, Annabeth used a lot of skill and anticipation. Her attacks were much more thought out, ironically wiser.

Annabeth replied with a laugh, "I learned how to fight from three things: practice, studying, and of course experience. Don't worry if you never learned how to fight, it's okay. I mean, you're no daughter of Ares." Her glance flickered to Maddi a moment, who was struggling to stay awake, mumbling and not paying attention. "As for the baseball cap, it was a gift from our mother." I smiled and, remembering that she was driving, decided to stop talking. Instead, I eagerly looked around and out of the window and soaked up the scenery. This part of New York had many more trees than Manhattan. The land was rounded, with farmlands and hills and so much greenery. Hills lined the gravel road on which we drove, and I could just see a lake on the horizon.

After around fifteen minutes, Annabeth began to slow. She stopped in front of an old farmhouse. The house was fairly large, and fields of strawberries lined the acres in front of it. As we helped Maddi out of the car, I noticed a large collection of trees, all lush and green. Annabeth walked ahead as I half-carried Maddi to an opening in the trees. Annabeth gestured for us to follow before walking in between the opening. Once inside, my mouth dropped. The camp was beautiful, amazing.

Marble and stone structures were scattered around the acres of land, trees dotted between and among them. I struggled to count for a moment and estimated that there were around twenty marble buildings, all different in decoration, and each having a different symbol engraved above the main roof.

"Wait here for now; I will take Maddi to the house." Annabeth gestured to the old farm house and swiftly took my role of helping Maddi walk. I stretched gratefully, relieved without her extra weight to drag along.

In only a couple minutes, Annabeth was back with a small smile on her face. I raised my eyebrows in question for a moment before said anything.

"Oh it's nothing; I'm just glad to have a roommate until spring. You see, most of the kids in the camp leave during the winter, and since it's January, all of the other Athena kids are at their homes. This is my real home though, so I have been staying here." I nodded, thinking of the possibilities. If I stayed here with Maddi all year, we would never have to go back to those boarding schools; never have to go back to our homes. I was welcomed at my home anyway. Annabeth continued on as we walked past a few of the buildings, which were each adorned with plants, flowers, or banners. Each of the buildings looked unique, and I assumed each represented a different godly parent. I turned my attention back to Annabeth as she asked, "Lexi, have you ever gotten a gift, or a sign that you were a daughter of Athena? Anything would do, however our parents usually give us a sign by the time we are thirteen, which you are, correct?" I nodded, and thought for a moment. I could only think of one thing, which was fastened around my neck.

"There is this." I quickly unfastened the silver chain around my neck and revealed a small charm in the shape of an owl. "It was sitting at the foot of my bed last Christmas. I didn't really understand who is was from, but I guess I do now." Annabeth nodded, staring with admiration at the small silver charm. We walked a few more feet, and then Annabeth stopped.

"This," She announced, gesturing to the building in front of me, "is our cabin, number six. Welcome home."

The cabin was a gray building with a large owl carved over the doorway. Plain white curtains hung in the windows, and a simple grass lawn was in front. A metal shed next to the cabin was the armory. I walked inside slowly and my chin dropped. It was so perfect! There was a small workshop off to one corner of the room, and a library dominated half of the space. Many bunk beds were pushed against the wall, as if sleeping didn't matter much. The library itself had so many books that I could spend my entire life reading there. Hundreds and hundreds of scrolls and large books lined the shelves, most with old leather bindings and titles in Greek. Tables and chairs were scattered around the space where you could study and read. The workshop had many tables and benches, tools and cabinets probably filled with materials. 3-D models of famous buildings occupied a few tables, most finished and modified. Displayed on the walls were blueprints, armor, and strategy maps.

"Do you like it?" Annabeth asked with a grin. I struggled with my words before replying. "Its home, I-I am home."

Chapter 6 (Maddi POV)
It's alarming to wake up in an unfamiliar place; even more so when a boy is looking over you grinning. So alarming in fact, I let out a high pitched wail and sat up so fast we cracked foreheads and fell backwards; him onto the floor, and me back onto my cot. Before I could attempt to brain him with my pillow, he was up in an instant holding a small rounded box.

"I'll call it in." He shook the box in his hand with a pleased smile on his face. I'm no expert on looks, but he was good looking. He had short coppery hair and blue eyes that mirrored my own. There was a nagging thought that he could be my brother, but he seemed much too happy and a little bit weak to be considered a family member of mine. "Call what in?" I retorted, rubbing my forehead and sitting back up. "Assault; an assault on beauty, I might add."

I finally looked down at myself. My wet, sticky, and slightly bloody blue dress was replaced by an orange T-shirt and black sweatpants – like the kind I would wear on a weekend – and clean white tennis shoes. Besides the orange shirt, it mirrored my own outfit. Finally it dawned on me how the clothes actually got onto me, and for that I looked directly at the boy and narrowed my eyes, blush creeping all over my face like a vine.

He looked taken aback. "Me? I'm not that bad of a person – unless you want me to be." Oh, he was funny. If I wasn't attempting to conceal my red hot face I would either laugh, or perhaps slug the boy. He put his hands up defensively as though he'd read my mind. "I'm kidding. Deliah dressed you, I just came in to feed you some Ambrosia and see if you were remaining out of a coma."

I had no clue who Deliah was, but I nodded thankfully. "So, where am I then? And why are you watching me instead of Deliah?" He shrugged. "If you don't know where you are, maybe I should feed you more of the stuff..." He presented a small section of a cube and popped it into my open mouth. And although it looked like fudge, it tasted strangely like steak. And I really liked it.

He crumpled up the bag and tossed it into the wastebasket near the cot. He cracked his knuckles and took a deep breath, trying to keep my questions at bay for as long as possible. "Okay," He began sluggishly, scratching his coppery hair, "You're at the Big House at Camp Half-Blood in Long Island. Deliah is out playing Capture the Flag..." He rolled his head around and looked back up to me. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Sure. Who are you and where are Lexi and Annabeth?" I was honestly worried. I barely remembered Annabeth dropping me off and being led into a hallway before I fell asleep. He zoned out for a moment before answering. "My name's Derek Rubin. And if Lexi's that blonde girl who looks like Annabeth, then they both went to their cabin. As for Capture the Flag," He stood up and stretched his arms and I noticed he wore the same shirt as me. "Thanks for getting hurt! You saved me from all that maiming and what-not out on the field. I'm sure your friend thanks you too, if they hadn't dropped you off you might've been sucked into the game too!"

I kicked my legs off the cot and stood up. He was about 5 inches taller than me, and I felt very weak and feminine next to him. Although he just seemed more like one of the ego-poisoned football players from Anselm. "I'm leaving." I said quickly, bumping his shoulder away as I passed through the empty room. He turned and grabbed my shoulder. "No, you're not. You've got to stay here until Chiron-"

Suddenly, one tough looking boy came wobbling in on a heavily twisted ankle that had to be broken. I ducked under Derek's hand and past the broken-ankle kid to make my way outside. Strangely enough, once I got out there, it was clear although in the distance I could see storm clouds; a weather illusion? No matter, I was leaving.

I struggled past and looked around. The camp might as well have been deserted except for the five of us; Annabeth, Lexi, Derek, Broken Ankle, and I. I'd just hobbled past a horribly painted cabin when Derek came out, chasing me at an intense speed. "Hold up." He heaved, tugging back hard on one of my shoulders. "I might as well tell you where to go."

I looked around. There was a cabin further away where I could hear soft music. And another where I could hear something like roulette going on despite the fact everybody was at the supposed Capture the Flag game. I would've liked one of those. I looked expectantly at Derek, who turned my head toward the ugliest of the bunch.

It was horribly painted bright red like fresh blood and there was barbed wire on the roof. A stuffed boar's head was tacked above the door and I could swear I heard a sinister humming. Derek patted me sharply on the back and gave me a thumbs-up. "You should have a few things in there – oh, and be careful of the land mines."

Once I'd successfully made it inside I slammed the door and took a deep breath. This wasn't any summer camp, no sir, and not just because it was January. There were some deactivated mines lying in the corner of the room and only two beds were set up. My stuff was conveniently in a black duffel bag near an empty bunk, where I chose the bottom. At the moment, I was more worried about someone setting off a bomb, so getting out fast seemed to be my best option. The two other beds were top bunkers. There were no posters or family mementos of the sort, just ugly walls and ugly beds. I hoped that they weren't ugly people.

I had to trade in my nice white and blue bedspread and such for brown sheets and blankets and a slightly-ripped pillow. My space had become a perfect clone of my new sibling's, and for that I was a little thankful. There were no trunks on the ground or such, so I moved my duffel bag under my mattress so I could fit in more. Best not to anger or inflame any traditions for the cabin.

When I got outside, I had two choices. Up near the Big House where I'd first arrived, I noticed Derek waving at me while helping Broken Ankle out and back to his cabin in this direction. I guessed he was my new brother. And to the other side, I saw the beginning of a small collection of campers from the Capture the Flag game. One started at me right away, equipped in heavy armor, and ripping a helmet off her big head. She was yelling something I couldn't make out with my terrible hearing. I got so scared I almost trampled all over a small mine.

She was coming toward me faster than Derek and my half-brother were, and I started to make out what she was saying. Something about me being scrawny, a mix-up with Aphrodite's cabin: This may have been a compliment in itself, and remarks about my height until she stopped in front of me and snorted. Strangely enough, she turned away and turned toward the cabin directly across from ours with her armor.

I'd just about peed myself when my half-brother came waddling in awkwardly on his broken ankle. "His name's Dimitri." Derek waved. "And that one who just left is Clarisse. Don't let her get to you, okay?"

I considered looking for Lexi but had no clue where to look. I was hungry but, if this camp functioned on a normal schedule, I'd already missed dinner. It looked like a few campers were gathering around a newly-lit bonfire in the sudden darkness and pulling out books. I wondered if they were going to sing or something. At the moment, I only wanted to sleep. But the only thing that kept me going over there was the idea I might see Lexi.

Chapter 7 (Lexi POV)
I was thoroughly enjoying myself. The cabin was amazing, but the kids were even better. I felt so accepted. There were twenty cabins in all, and each had around three or four campers in it currently. Usually, however, Annabeth informed me that usually there were always at least eight campers per cabin during the summer. The camp was packed now, but I expected it would be overflowing in a few months.

I had met so many kids, and I liked a bunch of them. Annabeth and I were the only occupants of the Athena cabin at the moment, and no one was in the Hera, Artemis, or Zeus cabins. I had briefly met a little kid named Nico De Angelo, who lived in the Hades cabin. While exploring, I had also met Derek and Dimitri, who occupied the Ares cabin, where Maddi would be staying. I thought Derek was rather cute and funny, but Dimitri was quiet and seemed very tough. The other Ares occupant was Clarisse. When I had met her, all she did was snort and look me over with sharp eyes. Annabeth had apologized immediately after, saying that she was quite a grudge keeper, and she still couldn't get over her pummel with the Athena cabin. The other cabins were nice as we passed them. The Aphrodite girls had been doing their makeup, the Demeter girls had been watering plants and magically making things grow, which was an amazing sight. I met Leo Valdez at the Hephaestus' cabin, which appeared to be a large forge. Annabeth told me briefly about the Poseidon cabin, where her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, lived during the spring and summer. The Hermes's cabin had been quite an adventure: I was lucky to leave alive. Travis and Connor Stoll were the biggest jokester's you would have ever seen. The rest of the kids in the cabin were crazy energetic; running around the cabin, yelling, and wrestling. Dionysus's cabin was covered in vines and smelled thickly of grapes. Iris's cabin was plain, and Hypnos's cabin consisted of many napping children; which made me laugh with irony. Hecate's cabin was, well the only word to describe it was magic of course. The other cabins included Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, and Tyche's cabin. The kids from the Apollo cabin were leading the singing around the bonfire, which I mumbled along to as I searched for Maddi. Derek had informed me that she had woken up and visited the Ares cabin before exploring the rest of the camp.

"Hey, Lexi is that you?" Maddi whispered, arriving exactly on cue. I smiled and turned around, grabbing her hand to pull her next to me. She smiled and we quickly hugged, happy to see each other healthy and in one piece. We happily joined in the singing, and were dazzled as the fire began to turn different colors. Chiron, the centaur who I had met a few hours ago walked to the front of the fire and called for the Apollo kids to stop, and soon the whole camp was quiet. He cleared his throat before he began to talk in a deep clear voice.

"Hello everyone, I hope your day has been a pleasant one. I have a few quick announcements about upcoming events, but first, I am pleased to inform you that we have some new campers." He gestured to Maddi and I, motioning for us to come forward. I froze for a moment, but reluctantly moved to stand beside him. "This is Lexi Corrigan, daughter of Athena." Chiron raised my hand in the air, and the campers applauded, making me blush heavily. "This is Maddi Powali, daughter of Ares." He did the same with Maddi, and she too blushed, especially when Derek began to hoot. Some laughter filtered through the crowd, and Chiron chuckled softly before calling attention once again. "Thank you for your enthusiasm. I hope that you will all make an effort to make these two feel at home. That is all, however, I do want to remind you that the next game of Capture the Flag-"His speech was interrupted as the bonfire began to go wild, flames shooting in every direction. The campers began screaming, running as far away as possible from the fire. Maddi grabbed my hand and yanked me away, as I stared dumbstruck at the purple and sapphire flames.

"Lexi, we have to move! NOW!" Maddi screeched in my ear. I wasn't listening, however. My eyes were darting from the fire to the sky, as I noticed the thunder clouds rolling over the camp rather quickly. Lightning began to strike, flashing the dark sky with bright white. The campers were all returning to their cabins; however Chiron and Annabeth sprinted toward the farmhouse.

"Maddi," I whispered, "let's follow them. I want to know what's going on." Maddi glanced at me for a second before she started to explode. "Oh yeah, sure, that is totally okay with me!" She growled with thick sarcasm. "Of course I don't care if we get struck by lightning or anything; that would be such a great moment for me." I rolled me eyes and pulled her toward the farmhouse despite her protests. It was raining heavily, and I was soaked, but I still managed to make it to the house window while dragging Maddi behind me. Maddi smirked at me a moment before cracking open the door. Putting a finger to her lips, she gestured for me to follow. I groaned internally, but crept inside.

The air was warm and moist inside the house, the atmosphere comforting. Carpet lined the floors; light browns and warm colors of red were on the walls. I strained to hear the words whispered in the nearby room. Maddi rolled her eyes and tip-toed forward, moving further into the front hall, craning her neck until she was only ten feet from Annabeth and Chiron in the closest room to the right. I grinned, finally able to hear.

"What are we going to do?" Annabeth sighed.

"There are only a few options, but I don't think we should discuss them at the moment," Chiron replied, "I believe we have a few guests." I inhaled sharply and sent a horrified glance at Maddi. She shrugged, and stepped into the room. I groaned and followed, revealing our cover. Annabeth looked at me with exasperation in her eyes. I shrugged as well before saying, "We are really sorry. I just wanted to know what was going on. Maddi had nothing to do with this, I just dragged her along." I bit my lip, measuring their reactions. Chiron raised an eyebrow before replying.

"So, you want to know what is really happening?" He asked. We eagerly nodded. He sighed and shared a look with Annabeth.

"We are at war. The gods have decided they no longer need demigods." He informed us, and I gulped. Maddi blurted, "You mean they wanna kill us?"

Chapter 8 (Maddi POV)
Before Chiron could explain the events, a strange shuffling started coming from the hallway. We all turned to the doors, but only Annabeth and Chiron seemed to know what was going on. Annabeth stepped forward and backed the two of us up a few inches with her arm.

And in from the hallway came a girl with frizzy red hair. She looked younger than Annabeth and strangely familiar. I could have sworn that I had seen her before. Green mist pooled out of her mouth and her eyes were almost like lights in her head, illuminating everything in the vicinity. She shuffled like a penguin, on one foot and bouncing to another. I had to stifle a laugh – it looked too funny.

The strange girl breathed out a fresh plume of mist from her mouth and began to speak in a tone that was almost familiar – enchanting and yet somewhat hostile.

"Six young ones of magic blood will go

far and beyond what must be known

two of much knowledge and one of much brawn

a savior, a maker, a betrayer and pawn.

Across the plains they shall look, finding the lost, changed, wronged and crooked.

Some shall win and some shall lose, unless one has sense to follow the clues.

Every answer in sight is golden if bold, the wrong answers shall make blood run cold.

To save thyself and prove thy needs, ones once united may strain and bleed."

I looked over at Lexi. What with being dragged into such a turbulent beginning here at Camp – our first day already being plagued by angry gods and now a prophetic message – that message had to be about us. I wasn't sure what it meant but perhaps she or Annabeth knew. Being daughters of Athena had to have some effect on them.

The young lady waddled from the room and the mist began to thin. It reminded me of Halloween back at home, when the official celebration would end and the neighbors would shut off their smoke machines, eerie lights and stereos. Annabeth and Chiron had a silent agreement and she ran down mysterious girl's trail, all the while yelling "Rachel!".

Chiron cleared his throat momentarily and looked to Lexi and I.

"I think it would be in your best interest to go back to your cabins. The Head Counselors and I need to have a discussion here, if you don't mind." Lexi looked like she wanted to protest, but I gave her a hard look and she frowned. We nodded grimly and left – it was best not to get in the way of big business.

We returned to the cabins, engulfed in a mixture of gloomy lighting and an absence of campers.. A ghost town, almost. That is, until the doors opened to each of the cabins and the Counselors emerged. I looked around for some sort of Walky-Talky on them, but they almost seemed to know, like they had an instinct or a psychic connection with Chiron.

I saw Clarisse come bounding out of the cabin and could almost feel the fury coming off her in waves. At first she was storming toward me and I instinctively raised my hands in case she was about to beat my face in, when she changed direction and let out a long, loud huff of air. She made sure to shove me on the shoulder though, like a bully to a favorite victim at school when the teachers were watching.

Lexi and I exchanged looks.

"I guess I'll see you later." She mumbled, turning to her pristine-looking cabin. It looked much nicer than the one I was forced into due to my parentage, and despite the fact they were across from each other they felt closer somehow. It could have been the fact that two Athena kids had possibly saved me from slipping into a coma, but it might not have been.

I managed to snake around the landmines and into the cabin. I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, pulling a few stray hairs of blonde out of my face. I wanted to go home. I hadn't seen my family – my little brother, my mother, all the other inhabitants of my home – in a long time. I missed the smell of the sheet and comforter when I used to come home during the holidays. I missed the solitude of my old room, too. Just me, my drawings, and my father's collection of swords hidden in my closet. I could hear my Mom at that time, when I was younger after Andrew had been born, explaining the swords.

"They were your father's," She had said, unlatching one from it's rack, "He was always into weapons like these." Well of course he was, he was Ares! He was god of war and some other things I'd forgotten.

"Feelin' okay?"

I half expected to see Derek looming over me on the empty bunk above mine, but instead I saw Dimitri across the room on his top buck. I guess if he wasn't my brother, he might have been more appealing to me. He had short, uneven, greasy black hair and green eyes that matched perfectly with his olive colored skin. He was built like an ox, strong, probably not too smart. His armor had been taken off and replaced by a dirty, ragged T-shirt and sweatpants. His right foot was bandaged thickly.

"Yeah..." I raised my eyebrow at him and waited for him to respond.

"Yeah, it's pretty tough," He shrugged, "fitting in and all. I remember when I first got here." He sighed and clutched his chest, like the memory gave him heartburn. "I was nine years old. Clarisse stuffed my head in the toilet and gave me my very first swirly." He shook his head like his greasy mop of hair was still wet from it. "And then one day during Capture the Flag, I knocked her right off Zeus' Fist. She stopped hating me as much as before. Don't take it personally, mi Sestra. Clarisse hates almost everybody."

I really didn't want to attempt out brawning my older sister, mostly because she was beefier than a cow, so that was out of the question. A swirly hadn't been administered, but in time it could be possible. I could imagine the smell of the toilet as my face met the water...

I gagged and fell onto my bed. Dimitri was laughing hoarsely and fell back onto his pillow. I wasn't going to get used to this, ever. If I was lucky maybe I would be maimed during a Capture the Flag game. Or maybe if I was really lucky, I would wake up in the Clinic's office back at school. This could all just be a dream, and I would walk back to my room and snuggle in my covers. Lexi would drill me about doing my homework, I would sigh and complete the assignments, and have dinner with my best friend, and finally I would sleep. That is, not before I get held up by my own Insomnia.

No matter how much I pinched myself or banged my head onto the bed, it was real. I was Ares' daughter, I was at Camp Half-Blood, and I was about to become a part of a mysterious prophecy. As if on cue, Clarisse stormed in and threw a rolled up piece of paper at me.

It bounced off my back and rolled next to me.

"It's from Chiron," She narrowed her eyes and snorted. "When you're done sulking, you should go talk to him." I noticed Dimitri got quiet and had his eyes shut calmly on his bunk. I grabbed the paper and made my way back to the Big House.

"Madison," Chiron nodded when I entered the room. "take a seat wherever you would like." I looked around and settled on a seat next to a tall boy with dark hair and violet eyes. He regarded me quietly and turned back to Chiron.

"Welcome, you four. You have been chosen for an important quest – and for some, it is your very first." He glanced my way and continued. "As hinted at during the bonfire, the god's have become angry at their demigods. I don't know why, but..." He stumbled here, thinking of what to say, before giving up. "The gods are planning a mass-extinction of demigods. They want to begin waging war against Camp Half-Blood."

It was dead silent. I noticed there were only four of us. It was the tall, dark haired boy, Derek, Lexi, and Me. Annabeth was still gone; I'd assumed she'd be here for such an important meeting. Chiron cleared his throat and continued.

"In order to protect as many demigods as we can before the Gods can begin the war, we are going to be recruiting. You may unravel your maps now." I looekd at the piece of paper in my hand and gingerly unfolded it. It was a map of the U.S.A on plain, brown, old-looking parchment that reminded me of a pirate's treasure map. Instead of an "X" marking the spot, it was a "Male" or "Female" sign – an arrow attached to a circle that pointed down or at an angle upwards – and a small marking near it.

I immediately darted over to Ohio. There was a blue blip with a war-ax of some sort next to it. It was near Lake Erie, I realized, so that could only mean one thing. My brother was a demigod as well, and he could be killed at any time.

"We have selected six of you to attend on this journey." Chiron continued, allowing us to continue scanning our maps. "You will notice that your map is only centered in one general location – that's where you will be doing your recruiting." I looked closer and realized every blip and symbol was centered around the mid-west – Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and the like. "We've arranged you into partners in order to keep you safer. Madison and Derek will be recruiting around the Mid-West and eastern regions." He looked up to emphasize the point.

"Izaya and Alexia will be going to the Middle States, and some of our campers here will be recruiting around New England." Derek raised his hand at the next table where he was seated with Lexi.

"What about the West Coast, Chiron?" Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid we can't help them, lest we interfere with the other camp." We decided not to ask anymore questions after that. I could barely wrap my head around this camp, but another one?

Lexi raised her hand as well. I tried not to grin at her student demeanor. Her arm was raised high above her head as she leaned off the edge of her seat. The boy with the violet eyes, Izaya I assumed, studied her with an amused expression. Chiron bit his lip, and I reckoned he was comparing her to Annabeth.

"Yes, Lexi?" He asked, his voice rising an octave. Lexi bit her lip before replying.

"Um, yes, well... could you explain the quest a bit more? I mean, how are we supposed to travel? I can't drive, and Maddi and I don't exactly have any weapons. Annabeth told me that monsters could, uh... smell us. Well, I guess what Im asking is really how are we going to recruit demigods and fight monsters... convince the demigods of what they are, stay alive...and keep the demigods safe?" Her voice cracked near the end of her ramble, her brow furrowing as she was in deep thought. I bit my lip to keep from cracking a smile, because Lexi always did this.

Since the say I had met her, Lexi had always been careful. This made more sense now because of her parentage, but sometimes I wished she would just be a bit more reckless. Only a few times she had been even close to edgy, and those were in life or death situations, like missing class or forgetting her homework. Those had been hilarious to watch, because when she freaked out it was a big production.

Chiron cleared his throat, shocking me back to the present.

"Derek has means of transportation for him and Maddi, and I am sure that Izaya can provide his talents. Maddi, you will find that one of the swords from your cabin will suffice for a weapon. Derek and Izaya already have their own weapons, and Izaya can help you with yours Lexi. Basically the mission is to find both demigods and minor gods throughout your area, and persuade them to join our side. I have assigned each of you one demigod and two minor gods to start, however the more you bring the better. Ananbeth has already left to do her part of the quest." Chiron's eyes lingered over the four of us, "Does that answer your questions, Lexi?" She nodded meagerly and smiled, but I could see how scared her eyes looked.

Chiron dismissed us, where I hurried over to Lexi and was pulled into a bear hug. "Keep in touch, Maddi." She smiled half-heartedly. "I'll call you often. Be careful, okay? Don't be too blunt – and don't die." I grinned and felt melancholy pulling at my chest.

"I'll try not to," I answered, pulling away, "Don't let the enemy take advantage of you. Be strong." We hugged a last time and before parting ways – possibly for the last time.

"Midwest!" Derek snorted once we got outside. It had to be Midnight by now. It was cold but there was no snow, thankfully. "I would've preferred the real Midwest. I'd love to go visit my family back in Montana." He sighed drearily and stretched his arms. "What about you, Maddi? Where's your family?"

"Ohio." I said, hugging myself. I was perfectly warm but I needed some comfort and felt it would be too awkward to ask Derek for a hug. He smiled.

"It'll be nice to see your folks. Got any siblings?"

"A brother." I answered sharply, continuing the long walk down the cabin rows. There was no time to rest, the clock was ticking on life. Tens of lives, hundreds of lives all over the country. Derek grabbed my shoulder and successfully stopped me.

"Hey, you know, you don't have to walk all the way to Ohio." I glared daggers at him.

"Then what do I do? I don't have a car, or roller skates." He smiled. "Follow me."

Behind the last completed cabin was a motorcycle. Black as night, it reflected the stars intensity back at them like an infinite mirror. It was sharp and dangerous looking – like a projectile missile. This was built for speed. I felt drawn to it as I ran my hand over the beautiful leather seat.

"I can't drive a car, much less a hog." I murmured. Derek simply shrugged.

"My Dad lets 10 year olds drive his chariot through the sky. You can drive your motorcycle. Just get on."

I flung my leg over the side and turned the key in the ignition. The kickstand was up and suddenly it was just me and the bike. I pulled on the equally shiny helmet with goggles and threw the dustier one back at Derek, which he received with only complaints. The helmet seemed to make every brighter somehow, which I thought was supposed to be the opposite of the actual function of the helmet. I took a deep breath and suddenly there was a burst of heat and the motorcycle literally flew over the hill and out of camp, leaving only a trail of dust to show we had left.

Chapter 9 (Lexi POV)
Tears threatened to escape me as I watched the motorcycle speed away. The image of my best friend riding a motorcycle began to burn its way into my memory. This might be the last time I saw Maddi, but I didn't want to admit it. A large hand grasped my shoulder and I spun around, raising my hands up in defense. Izaya raised his palms in defeat and grinned, showing two rows of perfect white teeth.

"You sure look rather scary for an Athena kid," He said in a sarcastic tone, "What did you plan on doing; smack me with those delicate fingers?"

"Don't tempt me." I murmured, failing to adhere menace in my voice like Maddi always had. Izaya chuckled at my reply and lowered his hands, running one through his mused black hair.

"Okay then. Anyway, we need to get going as soon as possible, so you need to follow me." He pulled my arm in the opposite direction from my cabin as I struggled to weaken his grip. I settled on going limp, in which case he began dragging me a few feet before letting me go. "What was that for?" He shouted, yanking me to my feet. I smiled knowingly and began to walk toward my cabin.

"If we are going on a quest, I need to gather some things from the Athena house. Did you honestly think you could just drag me to New Jersey and Pennsylvania without bringing a few things?" I tried to keep my voice firm, but I was honestly afraid that he actually would drag me there. Izaya was very tall, and very large. I was half sure that he was older than me, but only by a year or two.

As it turns out, my fears we correct. His violet eyes glinted with insanity before Izaya hoisted me over his shoulder. A strangled gasped escaped my lips before I began screeching like a banshee on Halloween night. He walked calmly through the camp as I kicked my feet and pounded at his muscular back. Campers poked their heads out as we walked through a row of cabins, their curious eyes staring at moi. I groaned and tried to figure out where we were headed.

The cabin in front of me looked like a tiny factory. It was made of bricks and had a smokestack on the roof, from which black air flowed heavily. A Greek symbol hung over the metal doorway, followed by the Greek number nine. My mind reeled back to the textbooks I had gotten about Greek Mythology.

"Are you a son of Hephaestus?" I asked Izaya, struggling to raise my head.

"Yep, God of the Forge, Fire, Smiths, the Armorer of the Gods, whatever you want to call him, that's my dad. Now close your eyes or I won't let you down." He replied and shifted my weight to his other shoulder. I didn't kick or scream, fearing that he would drop me on my head.

Closing my eyes reluctantly, I listened as hard as I could. Izaya stepped forward to where I assumed was the large metal door, and I heard a combination of metallic clangs and electronic beeps. Izaya grunted once, and I opened my eyes to see the metal doors groan open. Still carrying me, Izaya strolled through the huge room, managing to seem casual. The inside of this cabin reminded me much of the Athena cabin, because sleeping didn't seem like an important thing.

Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears. The rest of the walls were lined with shelves that were overflowing with tools. A huge table in the center of the room held a mound of scrap metal, everything from aluminum cans to peices of old armor. A long clanging was coming from the basement, as was a wall of heat. I assumed they made weapons down there. It seemed as if we were alone, but suddenly two boys emerged from a firehouse pole in the ceiling.

"Izaya, you brought company!" The one boy shouted, his blue eyes meeting mine. I frowned and tried to make my expression scary, failing as usual.

"Can you please let me down?" I groaned, not making much of an effort to sound helpless. I was seriously pissed off, and if Izaya thought he wasn't getting punished for this, he was extremely mistaken.

"What do you think I should do guys?" He asked the two boys, amusement coating every part of his face. The blue-eyed boy shrugged, but the other one replied, "I don't think you should. We don't want another pretty face to run away." He flashed a grin at me and held out his grimy hand. "I'm Jake Mason, the counselor of cabin nine. Happy to make your acquaintance… what did you say your name was?"

"Lexi," I hissed, "and I am not just a pretty face, thank you very much. Izaya let me go, grab your things, and let's go; now." Izaya ignored me. I happily resumed kicking and screeching as he went to his cot, grabbing a large duffel bag. He sighed and strolled toward the Athena cabin, where he tossed me on my bunk bed in a raging heap. I thought for a moment about reprimanding him, but I was certain that it would only lead to being heaved around against my will.

With fumbling fingers I retrieved my backpack and checked if my necklace was still resting on my chest. I strode to the strategy table and found a note from Annabeth.

''Dear Lexi, Here, take these maps with you, and the book with the red cover. I really should have read these before going on my first quest, and I think you should take a peek at them. Ask Izaya to give you a weapon or two, because I know you will need them. We may cross paths soon, for I have gone to bring Percy back to Camp Half Blood. ''

Good Luck Sis,

Annabeth

A smile stretched across my expression, and I handed the note to Izaya, grabbing the maps and book and shoving them into my pack. "Oh, yeah I can take care of that for you." Izaya said, "However you might want one of these weapons instead of one of cabin nine's." Before I could ask what he was doing, Izaya crouched near one of the massive bookshelves in the cabin's library. Miraculously, he pulled out a long, silver sword and a pearl white dagger. Each weapon had the symbol of Athena engraved on the hilts. "Where did those come from?" I asked, my eyes widening. Izaya flashed me a smile. "The Ares campers aren't the only ones with a secret weapon stash." He handed me the blades and secured them into a leather belt, which he fastened onto my waist. "Now you have a sword, just like me." He raised his own sword, which was a startling blood red. "Cool huh?" He grinned, and I nodded sheepishly.

Izaya led me back to his cabin, but instead of going inside of it, we went to the back. The moment he gestured to the vehicle was the moment my stomach dropped to the floor. There was no way I was ever going to ride that. "Okay, just because Maddi can drive a motorcycle, doesn't mean I can." I grumbled, gesturing to the blue Harley Davidson. Izaya shrugged. "You don't have to drive it; I will. Hop on, because we really need to leave." I groaned inwardly and inched toward the metal beast. Once again, Izaya's patience was quite short. He scooped me up with a laugh and set me in the front of the cycle. He sat behind me and easily took the handlebars. I realized with dismay that he was over two heads taller than me and could see the road clearly even though I was in front. "Do you always pick girls up?" I muttered to him, not realizing my choice of words. Izaya chuckled, "Not usually, but you seemed rather special." "What do you mean?" I asked my brow furrowing. Izaya grinned, kicked up the bike stand, and revved the engine before giving his answer. "You are so damn stubborn it's crazy." He snorted. I tried to argue with him, but he let go of the clutch and the bike began to move forward at a break-neck pace. My hair swirled around my face and I clutched Izaya's arms for dear life. The wind in my face felt strangely good, and I embraced it. "Relax," Izaya whispered, "just let the wind take you away." I thought about that for a moment, my features slowly relaxing. For once, I didn't care that we hadn't put on helmets.

Chapter 10 (Maddi POV)
"Uh.. A toll station? Are you kidding?" What time was it now, four in the morning? That seemed about right. According to the GPS built under the handlebars, we still had more than three hours to drive before we finally reached Cleveland. The dim lights rose suddenly and became brighter as we neared the stations. They weren't empty, per say, but they weren't exactly packed either.

"What are we gonna do?" I turned back to Derek. His head was slumped back, exposing his chin. He was snoring softly and occasionally twitching and grabbing his chest. I sighed. He wasn't going to be any help anyway.

I rolled up slowly and stopped, putting my shoe down to hold the bike up. Derek shifted slightly but managed to stay on the bike somehow. The man behind the window looked over and tapped on his microphone. "Your total is twelve dollars and eighty cents; please drop it in the basket." As if on cue, a wicker basket dropped down the booth, waiting to be filled.

I made sure my helmet was tight around my head when I reached into my jeans pocket, fingering around for some cash. Unfortunately, when my clothes had been exchanged, so did everything in the purse I'd been carrying with me. Meaning, I was stuck with ten dollars I'd never used at the dance and some lint.

I turned around and slapped Derek on the shoulder. He woke with such a start the bike almost fell over and crushed my leg. "Derek," I hissed, "We're at a toll, I need three bucks." He muttered something sleepily and shook around in his pockets before coming up with a five. I dropped it in the bucket and waited quietly.

The man behind the window was very young looking, almost childish. He was tall enough to be a man though, much taller than both Derek and I. "I'm going to come out and inspect your vehicle." He said, without even taking the money. I shifted anxiously. The longer we waited here, the more time the man could take to find out I was obviously underage – my deep voice would only work for so long if he kept speaking to me.

When the man came out I realized something. While his top half, behind the glass screen that is, looked much like an officer, when he came out from behind it the shirt was huge. It stretched down to his feet, which were covered in bright red and yellow socks. I heard Derek stifle a laugh; this seemed more like a few children stacked atop one another for Halloween than something like a serious cop.

The cop came over and checked the bike out quietly while time ticked by on the GPS. I could feel the cold against my jacket and curled further into it until the cop came to the front.

"Ma'am, we have reason to believe you are an underage driver. Please remove the helmet." I swore silent and grabbed the handlebars gingerly. Maybe if I were quick enough, Derek and I could speed away and he wouldn't be able to catch us. I was an okay driver for thirteen, but how would I handle in darkness and at the speed of light, that was a tricky question.

My foot slammed the pedal and we shot forward like a bullet. Derek grabbed my waist before he could fall off, but unfortunately so did the cop – or should I say the seven three year olds who made up the cop.

The seven of them probably wouldn't have been so scary since they were only three years old – but they were insane. They all wore cloth pants like something from a medieval movie and a few wore black tank-tops. They had olive colored skin, dark eyes, and dark brown hair. The one at the end of the chain had the longest hair, tied in a bright red and white tie.

The one formerly composing the head of the toll booth guy reached forward and grabbed my hair, planting its chubby legs on my shoulders like I was some kind of horse. "Calo, tattu!" He shouted in some other language, stamping on my shoulder to further emphasize his point as the "owner".

I threw my shoulders and head back as far as I could, and swerved the bike as I did. It was four in the morning and I was not in the mood to go stabbing some foreign kids. Behind me, Derek was uttering a mixture of laughter and horror as five of the children crawled around on him like their own personal jungle-gym.

The boy on my shoulders, their leader, covered the lenses of my helmet. Everything was dark and I felt weak and scared, like at any point I could run head on into a pick-up truck and I'd be lost to leave the prophecy to someone else. I immediately thought of my little brother – annoying, very stupid, and absolutely evil. I had to help him though; I couldn't stand to think about what might happen if the Gods got to him.

That's when I heard a piercing screech. The boy released my eyes and turned back to his little friends. The girl had leaned back to far and gotten her long hair caught in the wheel of the bike. She squealed in pain, stretching her arms out for her brothers and sisters to help her.

The red lights of a stopping truck on the side of the road made me do an immediate, sharp turn. Derek and the rug rats rolled until somehow only the leader was hanging on, his feet wrapped around the tailpipe and his arms grasping his siblings. The girl with the long hair had her face meet the road and affected her like sandpaper, probably whittling her face away until she exploded into a dust cloud.

"One down, six to go!" Derek shouted, trying to pry the leader's legs off the tailpipe. I drove even faster, flying down the route faster than ever. But they held on, somehow managing to keep off the road in order to stay alive.

"Tivra!" One of the males at the bottom of the chain looked up at the leader. He shouted something over the pounding, brutal wind. Tivra nodded back and did something remarkable. He let go of the tailpipe. Before I could focus on driving again, though, the chain swung around and Tivra slapped onto my face.

He began to grab my helmet. For a three year old child, he had some amazing dexterity as he fingered the helmet. If he took it off, it would be too dark to see anything. We could easily ride right into a guard rail. I had an idea, though. The helmet passed over my eyes when it got stuck in my tangle of hair. Tivra began pulling on the helmet angrily, crawling onto my temple and tugging with all his might.

I whipped my head back and the helmet came loose, along with Tivra. They both hit Derek on the way but eventually fell to the passing road. The leader known as Tivra exploded into a flash of bright, sparking powder. The others were too busy watching their leader combust that they didn't notice Derek had turned on his side and delivered a clean kick to the child's temple, sending him flying along with his siblings. They finally disappeared in one huge dust cloud.

"Oh, the joys of being a demigod." Derek sighed, cleaning some dust off his shirt. "I hate those kids." I loosened my grip on the handlebars, permanently pressed with my hand prints and allowed my knuckles to gain their color again. "What were those?" I gasped.

Derek tapped his chin thoughtfully – or, I think he did. His helmet was still on. "Kalingoi. We don't know much about them, but that was a definitely a little herd. They give birth at age five and die at age eight. They attack in groups. I think they might be from India." This new information sent a chill up my back. Monsters in a toll booth? What next? I sighed and continued to drive, focusing on staying in the seat.

My eyes adjusted well to the darkness and before we knew it, we reached Ohio. Before I had time to stretch, though, the map began to bleep from the side satchel on the motorcycle. Derek reached over and took it out. "Take the next exit." He said. "No," I breathed, "We're going to Cleveland, not Akron."

"No, the map says we have to pick up a kid in Akron. An unclaimed-as-of-yet little guy." He said. I turned back to him. "You're...kidding, right?"

I took the exit and soon we entered a plain filled with apartments and homes for rent.

"Welcome to Akron." I sighed, imitating the fading sign in front of us.

Chapter 11 (Lexi POV)
The cushioned seat of the diner booth felt so good against my aching back, and I sunk deeper into the leather. Izaya studied me with a curious expression and still managed to seem amused.

"What?" I asked with a light tone. I felt oddly giddy from the motorcycle ride. Everything had felt so free; I had felt free. Stretching my arms as high as they would go, I struggled to stay into my sitting position. The moment he began to reply, I slid under the table.

"Ow." I complained as his booming laughter rumbled throughout the vacant Denny's. It was only 5am and here I was, at a Denny's in Philadelphia with a demigod I had met less than 48 hours ago. A huge frown spread across my face as I nearly drowned in my own clumsiness. Izaya continued to chuckle and helped me out of my predicament. Rummaging through our duffel bags, he pulled out the mess of maps and books for our quest until finding the right one. He analyzed the map of Pennsylvania and finally replied.

"Before that display of your remarkable balance, I was going to tell you how relaxed you look. Annabeth told me you seemed kind of uptight. However, here you are sinking into a leather booth, falling under tables. While we were driving you let the wind take you away, and you didn't even ask me about helmets! Plus, you are the only girl I have ever seen who hasn't fussed with her hair." Izaya trapped a few knotted blonde strands in his fingertips. The sight of the knot had me furiously trying to tame the again raging mane on my head. I didn't comprehend half of what he said. That was the most I had ever heard Izaya talk since I met him. His voice was very low and had a sort of charming quality. I envied the way he sounded so much older than me, so much wiser. I was a daughter of Athena, I should sound wise! Not a son of Hephaestus! I didn't know why I was so angered by this, and I tried to calm myself. Izaya snickered as I racked my shaking fingers through the tangles of my once silky smooth locks, and I lost it.

"What do you mean Annabeth told you about me? She has barely known me for a day! When did you plan on telling me this? Oh and how long have I looked this horrible?" My voice rose in frustration and I tried not to curse. Breathing through my teeth, a scowl formed on my face as I waited for an answer. Thoughts raced throughout my head, and for once I couldn't come up with a logical explanation. Annabeth had told Izaya about me? Why would she do that? And why didn't anyone tell me about Izaya? Was I supposed to be in the dark while Izaya had gotten a briefing on his new partner in the quest?

"What are you thinking about?" Izaya whispered, and I swore there was some desperation in those deep violet eyes. Instead of replying, I rolled my gray eyes and snatched the map from him. My eyes analyzed the paper and were surprised to find that it now showed the streets of Philadelphia, not just the United States. I found the pink symbol meaning "girl" written just off of North 15th street, next to the JFK Plaza. Peering out the window of the restaurant, I was pleased to find that we were on Chestnut Street, only a mile or two from our destination.

Without replying to Izaya I stood up, left a five dollar bill on the table to pay for the water we had gotten, and briskly walked out the door. Struggling to keep up with my fast pace, Izaya ran out the door, holding our duffel bags over one shoulder. "What the heck are you doing?" He shouted, simultaneously strapping our bags to the back of the Harley. Throwing my leg over the side of vehicle in my rage, I revved the engine, trying to remember what Izaya did when he drove. The little lever on the right handle was what he held down, and then he released it and the engine started… was that it? In that moment, I didn't care. Before Izaya could stop me, I let go of the handle. Suddenly I was flying.

The bike flew past me in slow motion, leaving me behind. My body was thrown back and into the air. I barely had time to scream before my back hit the asphalt. Pain seared through my limbs and my head cracked on the street. In the back of my mind I heard Izaya yelling at me, screaming for me to say something to him, but all I could comprehend was the pain. I knew my eyes were open, I knew I was breathing, but I couldn't speak, couldn't move. He shook me, but I couldn't make my lips move. All I could do was look at him in horror as I struggled to stay awake.

"Lexi, Lexi why did you do that? Please Lexi, please say something!" Izaya screamed frantically. His fingers fluttered hopelessly over my frozen form before a light bulb went on in his mind. "Oh gods, please let this work," He whispered frantically as he picked something out of his pocket. I moaned as he pressed the brick of food to my lips. His fingers fumbling, Izaya set the block on my tongue. The food was so pleasurable that it nearly made me forget the pain. It tasted like the best chocolate cake in the world, the fudgiest, most wonderful piece of cake you could ever have eaten. Warmth spread throughout my body and I sighed. Thoughts formed in my mind, and I remembered reading one of my mythology books. I knew what this was. ''Ambrosia. '' Words began to form in my mouth again, coming in a hoarse whisper.

"What… happened?" I managed to say. Izaya gasped and cracked a relieved smile.

"In your rage, you let go of the clutch too quickly. You were only going about twenty miles an hour, but you skid onto the street… and your back looks kind of scraped up. You have a bump on your head too, but I think you might be alright… do you feel okay? Not dying or anything?" His voice was casual, but from the look in his eyes I could tell that he was trying not to freak out. I gulped slowly and tentatively tried to move my arms, trying out my other limbs in the process.

"I don't think I broke anything, but I'm pretty bruised up." I told him, trying to keep my voice from turning into a whisper. "Ow, and my throat and head hurt. Uh… can you help me up? I want to see what happened to my back, because it is starting to sting really badly." Izaya nodded, and gingerly put his arms around me. Wobbling for a moment, I leaned heavily on him and managed to stay on my feet. It took most of my energy not to fall over or screech in pain at the agony crawling up my back. My head throbbed, making my vision swirl.

"I think we should go to the hospital." Izaya said, staring wide-eyed at the back of my shirt.

"Is it that bad?" I cringed as he lifted part of my shirt off my searing flesh. A small moan escaped me and Izaya stiffened.

"I think we really need to go somewhere for this… because it might get infected or something… and I don't know what else we could do." Izaya sighed and gestured around us. "Let's get the bike and go… the city is waking up." I nodded and grasped his hand.

Izaya led me to where the Harley lay, about 20 yards from where I had been thrown off. Other than a few scratches, the only damage consisted of a bent handlebar and a twisted muffler. I scowled at the metal, angered that it was less damaged than I. The city was slowly waking up around me as Izaya struggled to get the bike to work again. Careful to not stress my still burning wounds, I gazed at my surroundings.

Although it was only around 5am, men and women of multiple ages walked up and down the filling streets, seeming to be in a hurry to get to work. Traffic moved at a steady pace, and businesses began to turn on their lights. This is an early city, I thought. New York wasn't usually busy until at least 630, and my hometown, Boston, usually wasn't up and running until 7 or 8. Memories flooded through my mind, and I could see flashes of my childhood.

Before my dad had gotten married to that witch of a step-mother, my life had been practically perfect. We had lived in a beautiful Victorian house, just him and I. He had taught me about America's history, just like he did in his college classes. When I was six, he met Julie. In six months, they were married, and I had gotten a new step mother, along with her wretched son Brandon. Julie didn't like me one bit, and never treated me like her child. She brainwashed my dad, and then he sent me to Villa-Elizabeth. I hadn't had an entire conversation with my dad in more than four years.

"Lexi, come on, let me help you get on the bike." Izaya's voice snapped me out of my stupor, and I swayed. With swift movement, Izaya gripped me tightly at the waist and picked me up. It amazed me that he picked me up and placed me on the bike without touching my back. "Hold on tight, please." Izaya said firmly. Gradually accelerating the bike's speed, we sped down the street. Immediately I knew where we were heading: The Academy for Fine Arts. I had always dreamed of going to this school. As I saw the brick buildings, I questioned why we would go here. Our quest was supposed to take us by the JFK Plaza, but the academy was a mile north from there.

"Why are we going here?" I asked with a puzzled expression. Izaya shrugged and pulled into the parking lot near the entrance building. He got off the bike in a hurry and pulled me with him, not saying a word. "Are you okay?" I asked suspiciously, tugging on his shirt. When he didn't respond, I cautiously followed him into the building. The room was dark, but I could tell how beautiful it was regardless. The paintings were amazing, magnificent. Izaya paid no attention to them, and instead walked to the desk at the end of the big room.

"Lexi, come here. Someone needs to talk with us." He said his voice strange. It sounded as if he was droning on in his sleep. Biting my lip, I stepped forward with deliberate slowness. Something was going on, and I really didn't like it. As I neared the desk, I gasped.

It was my father! He had come for me, summoned me at last!

"Hello, Alexia. It is nice to finally meet you." The voice that came out of my father's mouth was deep and slow, clearly not right.

"Dad?" I whispered, taking a step back. My father chuckled.

"I am not your father, you silly girl." The man changed right before my eyes, and he became a mirror image of me. "I can be anyone you wish me to become, and anything I wish to be myself." As the man continued to change forms I began to step back, eventually running down the hall. The wounds in my back were burning, but I kept running.

Suddenly my mind went blank.

"You do not run from me," the voice said, "I am Morpheus, god of dreams. Come to me, little demigod, and let us chat."

A haze went over my mind as he controlled me, making me walk forward, back to where he sat.

"Yes," I whispered automatically, "Let us chat."

Chapter 12 (Lexi POV)
"Izaya, please listen to me, please. We need to get out of here!" I hissed and shook my head angrily; struggling with the duct tape that now bound my wrists. Izaya stood only feet away from where I sat, stuck in a clumsy bundle and unable to get out.

Why couldn't I be like Maddi? I thought, cursing my weak limbs. Even though her Ares blood definitely helped her somewhat, Maddi really was strong like a bull. Since third grade she had always been the one to win arm-wrestling matches, had always carried the most books. Of course most of the books were mine, but it was still her that carried them. I could almost see the disappointment on her face. Lexi, she would scold, ''it's only duct tape. Break through it. It can't be that hard!''

"Well it is." I mumbled, frowning as I talked to myself.

"Open your mind girl; I won't hurt you. I just want to talk." His voice was smooth like honey, hypnotizing. It willed me to melt, but I knew that I could not. If I gave into the dreams, the nightmares, I would be his slave. Morpheus would control me, just like he did Izaya. Izaya stood a few feet from me, motionless as a statue. Those dark violet eyes gazed at me with a heartless expression. Tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, but I held them in.

"I said, open your mind." Morpheus hissed. The God sat behind a large stone desk, changing forms with a speed that sickened me. My mind flipped back to the mythology books I had read, but I could only remember a paragraph about this God of Dreams. I felt helpless. Without information to take him down, with the strength to break these bonds, my only other options were… that was the problem. I could think of no other options.

"Girl, listen to me, look at me." Morpheus touched my mind in anger, poking and prodding at the wall was I was futilely trying to defend. "Athena has given you luck I see," Morpheus mused. "Wisdom too, but brains can always be outsmarted; in dreams." I gasped as he jabbed my mind at full force, at the power level only a God can control.

"You will never break me." I managed to say. The silver owl resting on the chain around my neck grew cold as ice, and an old saying came into my mind.

"''Rage may blaze like fires by the Father of Hate, but Wisdom has cold power, ice cold victory that Mother of Victory creates." ''

A broad grin formed at my lips as Morpheus stood from his chair. He hadn't broken me because he couldn't break my mother; her power, that is. Athena was helping me, or the necklace was. Thoughts of the rebellion flew around my head and a twinge of pain blossomed deep in my stomach. It was only the necklace, and I bet my mother didn't want me to have it any longer. She didn't want children anymore; she and the rest of the Gods wanted to kill all demigods.

"Having fun?" Morpheus asked, knocking me out of my stupor. ''There are many thoughts I can put into your head girl. Listen to me and you can be anyone, have anything. ''I shook my head in defiance, blocking the thoughts as Morpheus ran them through my mind, nearly taking all control. Weak, he sneered, ''you are weak, and you shall be broken. ''

"No!" I screeched. The seat Izaya had imprisoned me on began to wobble as I thrashed my limbs. With delight I realized that the duct tape had started to loosen. The strain on my pulled back arms weakened, and I began to pull. My wrists ached as the tape gave resistance, and Morpheus chuckled.

"Don't even try. Izaya, I have some work to do. Keep the girl from leaving, as I command." Izaya nodded robotically, which made my heart sink. Morpheus, who had decided on the form of a cloaked man, left the room with a smirked etched on his godly face.

"Izaya, please, snap out of it. Don't let him control you!" I pleaded, shaking my torso in desperation. I had to get out of here, fast.

"Shut up, little girl." Izaya snapped his voice like ice. A tear rolled down my cheek and I stomped my foot like women did in those cheesy romantic comedies, the ones that you love, but hate to admit you do. Something snapped inside of me at that moment, and I exploded.

"No, you shut up! I can't believe you are letting him control you like this, Izaya! Fight him!" I screeched at the top of my lungs and glared at him with fury. I was sure that he could fight Morpheus, if only I could get him angry enough. Sadly, that didn't work. Instead, Izaya stormed over to me, took my chin roughly in his hand, and smacked my cheek. I blushed bright red and struggled not to sob as my cheek stung and throbbed. The skin on my back still stung, though the pain had lessened since my mind had been preoccupied. Blood had dried on my forehead from where my skull had cracked against the pavement, leaving my head throbbing.

I could not believe that I had only fallen off the motorcycle a few hours ago. It was around 8am, but for some reason, no students walked the academy halls. The rooms were still dark, the doors still locked, and the paintings weren't being admired. I pondered this for a moment, mentally trying to nurse the stinging in my cheek. Izaya was strong, and he had slapped me at full force for sure. Biting my lip in desperation, I tried to talk once again.

"Izaya, I can't believe you had the guts to smack your partner." Keeping my voice low, I began to weaken the duct tape once again. Part of it had ripped, leaving a small tear that was my escape. Izaya's eyes were raw with anger. Cringing in fear of getting another mark on my face, I waited tentatively for his reply.

"You are not my partner; I don't have a partner. I only have a master." His voice was so controlled. It made me wonder what dreams Morpheus was giving to him. Was Morpheus entirely controlling him, torturing his inner conscious with nightmares so that it could no longer surface?

I wondered why Morpheus was being so dangerous; all of the myths and stories from my books said he was a messenger, peaceful. He gave people dreams, visions, and nightmares as needed. His mother, the goddess Nyx, was also peaceful. She made the night, Artemis made the moon, and Hypnos made sleep. They were all supposedly peaceful gods and goddesses, all working together to make the world we lived in. Was it because we were demigods? I would never understand or comprehend why we even needed a rebellion. Gods knew deep inside that they needed their children. If it had been Zeus's decision, which I was pretty sure it must have been, then why did all of the Gods believe the same?

"I'm your partner Izaya, you know I am. Please, just snap out of it! We could convince Morpheus to join the rebellion; we could get him on our side!" Once again I pleaded, trying to look him straight in the eyes. His expression had become confused, and I hope that meant he was fighting for control. His eyes shut and his hands balled up into fists. The duct tape on my hands ripped down the side, and I fumbled with my wrists to let my hands escape. Exhilaration thrilled through me, only to be crushed by one sadly familiar voice.

"Don't move girl, or I will give him the worst nightmare he has ever experienced." Morpheus strode through the room with lightning fast speed as I began to untangle my arms from behind me. Izaya, unaware of Morpheus's presence, seemed deep in thought, his brow furrowed with confusion. With one swift movement, I stood up, putting my hands out in front of me. Morpheus growled, but did nothing. "Didn't I tell you not to move girl?" He smirked, his eyes trailing toward Izaya's form.

"Don't touch him." The words came out of my mouth without a warning. It surprised me how angry I had gotten; I really felt like punching someone. Feeling utterly stupid, I realized that although the robotic Izaya had taken my sword, he had forgotten about the white dagger that felt red hot against my waist. A thrill of adrenaline left me feeling more confident, and I continued to speak. "Don't you touch him, don't you ever hurt him." I stated, my voice slightly shaking as Morpheus watched with a careless expression. "Just let us leave. I don't want any trouble." I tried to mimic the voice Maddi used when she fought with boys, normal but laced with venom.

"Oh, you can cause trouble?" Morpheus asked with a sarcastic tone, mocking me. "What did you plan on doing? Were you going to take that dagger and stab me? I'm immortal. I'm a god." His booming laughter filled the room, and I took that chance to grasp my dagger. Taking a step forward, I searched inside my mind for an escape plan. How did Maddi always fight her way out of things? She didn't have to fight a god though, I thought bitterly. Automatically, I mentally sifted through my mind for any information I had learned in my mythology books. I couldn't think of anything, but I had to try something. I was a child of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, goddess of battle strategy. I could do this, I could outsmart Morpheus. Glancing over to Izaya, my heart lifted in triumph. Although he still held a stiff stance and was expressionless as a robot, his violet eyes gave me a look, and I knew he was back. Morpheus, still laughing at my presentation, barely noticed the silent communication.

"Morpheus, I have a proposition for you." I made my voice sweet, feminine, innocent as I could. Morpheus raised his eyebrows. "What is this proposition you have, daughter of Athena? I shall not fall for your riddles or tricks." Taking a deep breath, I said what was, at that time, an almost certain death sentence for both Izaya and I. "This is not a riddle, nor a trick." I stated in a firm voice. "This is a deal; a bet if you wish to call it that." A spark of interest came into his godly yellow eyes. "And what is this bet about, little demigod? Surely you know that your chances are less than slim against an immortal." "I wouldn't say that is always true." Keeping my voice low, I gave him a look right in his eyes, daring him to challenge me. "Well, what is your proposition?" Morpheus's voice turned slightly hostile, and he again changed form, settling on a form of a normal, muscular man with black hair that came down to his shoulders. "If you can beat Izaya and me in a fight, then we stay here with you. If we beat you, you let us go. The condition though, is that you can't use any of your powers. No mind tricks and no dreams." Izaya stared at me with a shocked expression, his hand immediately going to the crimson blade strapped to his hip. Morpheus considered my offer for about three seconds before a bronze sword appeared in his hand.

"I shall accept your challenge; no tricks. You shall still lose though. I will take pleasure in killing you." Without a further glance, Morpheus took a fighting stance. Izaya backed over to me and handed me the white hilted sword, unsheathing his own crimson sword. With shaking hands I grasped the sword, pleased to find that I could lift the metal. Glancing over to Izaya, I tried to copy the way he stood, holding the sword like an extension of my arm. My head went back to the thousands of books I had read recently, and I tried to fill my mind with the information about one thing: sword fighting. Information flashed through my mind. During my Greek and self-defense obsession around a month ago, I had read a volume about Greek style fighting, and also a few chapters on fencing techniques. After that I had moved on to the current mythology books stuffed in Izaya's duffel bag. Morpheus still held his stiff stance a few feet away, waiting for Izaya or me to make the first move. I took a deep breath.

What did I know about fighting? I asked myself. Strategies came into my mind by the hundreds, and I briefly remembered the sparring class Maddi had dragged me to. It had been just my luck that the library had been closed, and she had taken me to her Taekwondo class. Maddi then convinced her professor to let me join the class. Strapped up in body-armor, I had struggled to punch, kick, block, and spar with weapons and fists alike. Testing my stance and balance, I felt as ready as I ever would to fight an immortal god. Sharing a look with Izaya, we charged. Morpheus was ready for us, a large grin on his twisted face.

I raised the sword as high as I was able, and with a determined look, swung the blade forward. The sound of clashing metal filled the silent gallery as Morpheus struck his brawn against our own. I ducked as the bronze weapon nearly decapitated me, moving back as I tried feigning a blow. I swung once again with all of my strength, missing Morpheus's arm by a millisecond before he blocked it with sickening strength. Izaya was blocking and hitting and fighting with a stamina that would surprise even Maddi. Morpheus focused mostly on him, although I gave quite a few blows of my own. My eyes fluttered restlessly around the room as my ADHD began to act up, thrilling me with adrenaline and scattering my focus. I backed away from the clash with lithe speed, ideas flaring in my head. A daughter of Athena may not have been able to trick him with riddles, but I could outsmart him in battle.

Making my way to the other side of the brawl, I tried to surprise Morpheus from behind. There was no way to tell who was winning the fight, but I soon found out. With one swift motion, Morpheus knocked Izaya on the head with his hilt. Izaya dropped like a rock.

Anger flooded through my body, adding to the thrill of the battle's adrenaline. With a feral scream I charged at Morpheus from behind, my sword raised. The metal collided with Morpheus's back, and he fell forward, surprised for the moment. A red haze clouded my vision as I tackled the immortal, and, grabbing my dagger, placed the blade at the nape of his neck. Breathing heavily, Morpheus began to laugh.

"Oh fine, go on." He chuckled, "Take the boy and leave little girl. Athena has once again outsmarted me, and for that you may leave." My body shot up like a rocket and I backed away from the laughing man, dagger raised defensively. To my utter astonishment, he rolled his eyes. Izaya moaned from the ground near me and I hurried toward him.

"Izaya everything is okay, get up." I whispered, nudging his form with the tip of my shoe. With a sudden burst of humor I realized I was wearing my favorite black flats; the ones that cost around sixty dollars and were from the new fashion collection. They now were soaked and dotted with mud. Izaya stirred slightly, but didn't open his eyes.

"You have two minutes girl." Morpheus growled, getting up. With a huge sigh, I realized what I had to do. Stooping down and putting my sword back on my belt, I began to drag Izaya. My arms strained from his weight, and I began to pant. Oh, take it like a man Lexi, I scolded myself. Morpheus watched with curious eyes as I pulled Izaya down the large hallway and out the door.

Five minutes later, he was beginning to wake up, and I was cruising on the motorcycle toward JFK Plaza. Another demigod awaited us.

Chapter 13 (Maddi POV)
"We're here." I dropped the kickstand and eased off the motorcycle. Beyond the fence, there was an ugly, rusty brown-red colored stone building. The sign out front was laced in spiderweb-like fractures, but you could still see the name underneath: Jonathon West Elementary.

In the enclosure of the fence, children began to stream out of the old back doors of the building, accompanied by a ringing bell. "Ah, recess." I sighed, stretching my arms above my head. "It's been too long!" Derek tapped my shoulder before I could go hopping over the fence and scream like a happy little girl. "We're not here to play. We're here to find the kid."

I was starting to get a little tired of Derek. I'd just spent all night driving, fending off warrior midgets, and sleeping outside where it was cold. My jeans felt like cardboard against my legs. Derek had enough sense to remind me it wasn't playtime, but when it came to bringing food, clothing, and weapons, he drew a blank. I huffed a heavy breath and watched it turn into mist and float away before my eyes. That's when we jumped the fence.

"Which one is it?" I asked, stopping behind a faded blue shed. He pulled the map out of his jacket and tapped on the blue symbol. "Mikhail Harvosky." He muttered, raising an eyebrow. "It still doesn't give any detail about what he looks like or where he is, though." I leaned against the shed and gave an exhausted sigh "Maybe we could go to the office and say we were cousins of-" I stopped mid-sentence when I heard voices from inside the shed.

My first instinct was to run screaming like a little girl. It seems strange, since I'm a child of Ares and therefore should be almost entirely fearless. Derek checked the corner and took my wrist. "C'mon, the door's right over here." He tugged sharply and caught me off guard, pulling me to the side where the faded blue door looked ready to collapse in on itself.

I took a deep breath and patted the shoulders of my coat. It was kind of thin despite the fact it was January, but hopefully I wouldn't bust my shoulders. I stepped back and shut my eyes tight before aiming my right shoulder at the door and racing at it. Before Derek could protest, I slammed into it full force and toppled onto the splintered remains in front of five very surprised children.

They stared wide-eyed at me, which was understandable since I had just crashed in on their little meeting. They were sitting in folding chairs that noon-aides, easily visible in their neon vests, would use during Latchkey. The table they surrounded was covered in stacks of paper, and each of them held a huge felt-tip black marker.

"...A-Are you from the M-Middle School?" I gazed up from the wreckage I was attempting to get out of and up at the smallest of the group. He had to be a mere first grader, with hair the color of butter and eyes as big as plates. Derek stepped over the fragmented wall and dusted off his jacket, ignoring me. He was probably just mad now. "High School, actually. Uh, what's going on here...?" He gestured with his hand to the stack of papers. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed one of the flyers in his hand and read over it.

"We're the leaders of the KAST Crew." The boy at the end of the table stood up suddenly. His hair was the color of fire and was spiked and pointed on his head, like he was trying to be a rebel. His face was streaked with dirt and a very worn-out cloth acted as a band-aid to a cut under his eye. He wore a baggy,dirty shirt and ratty blue jeans. His shoes looked ready to die right off of him.

"KAST Crew?" Derek still made no move to help me as I started to get off the floor. "What's that?" He was still reading the flier over carefully, and read it again and again like he couldn't get enough of it.

"The "Kids Against Stupid Teenagers" Movement." He moved some of his hair away from his face and stepped past a girl with black hair and glasses, heavily focused on her paper.

"Hold it, Ginger." I stood up, a bit shaky on my feet, and trotted in front of Derek with my arms crossed. "We've got nothing to do with your stupid little movement. We're looking for Mikhail Harvosky. You're not going to tell me that none of you know the little brat." Everybody, even dark haired girl, looked at each other.

"You're talkin' to him." The red haired kid said, shoving the little first grader's chair out of the way. This kid was crazy, he looked ready to take me on! A child of Ares, a black belt in Karate, and an older sister, I was a triple threat. But I was going to have to bring him back to camp alive, or else I would technically be helping the Gods. The sooner we got Mikhail, the sooner we could leave for my brother.

I shoved Derek back with my elbow and reached out for Mikhail, grabbing his slender shoulders and tugging him close. He didn't have time to react, but his associates did. They were up in an instant.

"Guard!" The little first grader squealed, slipping between Derek and I. I was locked in a tussle with Mikhail, struggling to get out of my grip but inevitably failing.

Derek had stepped out to catch the little squealer, and that left three other terrified kids. They watched quietly while Mikhail made sure to make enough of a ruckus that the guard would have to come.

"Assault!" He screeched, pushing out his hands and reaching for my neck. "Assault! She's tryin' ta kill me!"

I reached up from his shoulders and desperately tried to remember what I'd learned in Karate class when I was a mere nine years old. Joint locks and pressure points, that's what I was searching for. I slapped around his neck until I felt I had found the right spot and jammed both thumbs into both sides.

Mikhail's eyes glazed over and he slumped to his knees. "You killed him!" The brown haired boy in the back shrieked. The dark haired girl simply began to organize her papers neatly in a stack, as if she didn't care that her leader could have just died in front of her eyes. There wasn't any time to worry about the kids, so I heaved Mikhail up by his armpits and scooted out of the shed.

The sound of a shrill whistle caught me off guard. In the distance, I saw the first grader pointing to me. At least, I thought it was him. It was hard to see without my dorky glasses, but I was prepared to give up sight in exchange for my cool factor.

There wasn't time for dragging. I groaned and pulled the little brat onto my shoulder, his arms and legs hanging around like noodles. He wasn't too heavy, but trying to run away from noon aides with him on my shoulder felt like I was about to break. I braced him against my neck, and hurried as fast as I could to the fence.

Derek appeared, running just a tad faster since he wasn't weighed down by a kid, sprinting for the fence. He cleared it in one jump and turned back to me. I wasn't sure how he expected me to get Mikhail over the fence, so I just stood there like an idiot, dumbfounded.

"...Well, throw him over!" Derek finally said, clapping his hands. I grunted, trying to move him so I could easily toss him. I finally moved him into a bridal hold, like how I would carry my cousins around when they were little, and threw him. I grinned when his leg flopped over the fence.

The grinning ended when his shoe caught on the fence, his body dropping from mid-air and smashing into the fence. The noon-aide and first grader were closing in, the noon-aide blowing her whistle and the little kid squealing for me to stop. It was getting very annoying.

Derek and I exchanged a collective cringe as I began to scale the fence. My legs felt weak – not just because of the cardboard jeans but from all the running I'd done – making it even more challenging to climb. When I reached the top I grabbed Mikhail's calf and tugged sharply, falling to the ground with him.

Derek picked him up and we sprinted for the motorcycle, panting and wheezing. I was getting the heartburn I'd almost become famous for, too. Derek jumped on, throwing Mikhail casually over his lap and I kicked up the kickstand and drove away from the commotion growing behind the fence.

"So...is kidnapping our thing now?" I groaned and looked back at Derek with narrowed eyes. All he did was smile.

Chapter 14 (Maddi POV)
I swung my leg out at the apartment building ahead of us. We had made a sudden stop at the sidewalk curb and almost tossed Mikhail from his position on Derek's lap. The GPS sounded out the same cheer repeatedly until I fumbled around and found the 'Okay' button, stopping the very chipper woman's constant '''Arrival. Arrival. Arrival.''' from attracting attention.

"So, what's the plan, Mads?" Derek eased off the motorcycle and balanced the boy on his shoulder staring at the glass door to the apartments. "I mean, what if one of his parents are home? We can't just waltz in with Mickey here and waltz out without them stopping us – or calling the cops on us."

"Relax, Derek. He's probably only got one parent, and in that case, they should be at work so they can support the little brat." I slipped off the motorcycle and buried the keys in my jacket, already heading for the glass doors. Unlike the rest of the apartment, which looked as though it were crumbling, they were relatively new looking, very shiny and clean.

However, something unsettling brewed in the pit of my stomach as I entered the lobby. The black and white checkered floor was cracking apart, scuffed with dirt and who-knows what else. The front desk was pushed out of alignment with the wall, and the elevator light swung as though it had just been touched.

"Who puts a hanging light in the elevator? Most stupid idea anyone's ever had, I swear." I wasn't sure if Derek was trying to lighten the mood or was just clueless and stupid, but decided to push away both instances of fear and stupidity to return to our main quest, finding Mikhail's apartment.

"I guess we should head for the elevator then; the rickety, crappy elevator." I shambled across the floor stiffly, trying to maneuver my way into the death-box. It turns out that I was right; it was actually a service elevator, the kind that construction workers would use to carry supplies up on the worksite. I could see everything around and below us, and I hated being cramped in tight spaces. The dark didn't help one bit.

Another unsettling fact, besides the closed space and the swinging lamp, was the board of keys to take us onto the many hotel floors. Every single key was scratched out, perhaps by a screwdriver or something equally sharp, except for one: floor 13.

"Just perfect," I mumbled, jamming the key with my thumb.

The elevator lurched and I gripped the wall, a gasp escaping my throat. All that strength, whatever fears I'd lost the moment I knew I was a daughter of Ares, came crashing into my chest again. I hated the dark, I hated closed spaces, and I hated creepy apartment buildings with a thirteenth floor.

"Hey, whoa, Maddi, are you okay?" He apparently took note of my rapid breathing and my clenched fists, but I took the chance to try and defend myself.

"Yeah, totally, just a little nervous for my brother, that's all."

He nodded and tapped his foot, occasionally turning his head to escape the swinging light, which only seemed to swing higher and faster with each rotation.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doors opened on the thirteenth floor. I practically lunged out before Derek, breathing like I'd just run the length of the entire Earth, clawing at the tiled floor. "Sweet baby pastries, I missed the unmoving floor too much."

Derek, meanwhile, picked up a small silver tube from the floor. "Better take this, Mads." He tossed it at my crouching form and narrowly missed, instead letting it roll just a pace or two ahead of me. "There might be some spooky ghosts in here."

It was another moment where I wasn't sure if Derek was being funny, sarcastic, or just a doof, but he had a point. Despite my complete interest in the unexplainable and paranormal, I was completely afraid of encountering a being like that outside of a video game. I gripped the pipe and stood up, testing a few strikes against the corner of the hall to get ready for any surprise encounters.

"Here, ghostie ghostie. Got tons of tasty flesh right here, just come out into the increasing long hallway." I offered, brandishing the pipe like one would a baseball bat. The hall seemed never ending, most of the doors broken off or nailed shut, the artificial light occasionally flickering. It was the scariest haunted building I'd ever been in – and it wasn't technically open to the public. If there had been more occupants milling around and the hotel was cleaner, I may not have been spooked by the sudden voice behind me.

"Well, I can see you've got plenty a' meat on you, what with that wide load you're carrying on." I turned sharply and almost brained Derek with the pipe, instead meeting Mikhail's grinning face. "Oh, you're backing up? Sorry, I forgot. Beep, beep, beep..." I'd gotten teased about this enough as a child, every time I backed up even for a second, the entire room would turn into a chorus of 'beeps'.

I was most certainly not a truck, and my butt was not that big. Even so, I was terribly insecure about that. Great, I was the weird Ares girl who actually had feelings and regret and fear.

We continued our way down the hall until a seemingly untouched door was shut, very normal looking compared to the ghost town of a hallway.

"This is my house. Now, if muscles here will kindly put me down, I'd be happy to-"

"Stay with Derek? Good idea. I'll go inside and pack your stuff, okay kid? Sit tight." I stopped my fellow demigod and grabbed the handle of the door, twisting and shoving it open and into a small kitchen.

The floor was the same pattern as the floor outside and in the lobby, block and white checkers. In fact, everything in reach seemed to be black or white. The stove was black and white, the counters an impeccable bleached white, the pots and cups were ebony. It hurt my eyes just to see all the mixes of light and dark and I found myself rubbing my face with my fingers.

Big mistake.

Suddenly, something hit me in the back of the head with the power of at least a thousand big rigs. My vision was dotted with black swirls and twisted everything around me into a black and white sea, which promptly ended when my chin smashed into the tiled floor.

There was a loud, continuous, high-pitched whine coursing through my brain, striking every thought I could have and replacing it with a splitting headache. The room was moving like a tilt-a-whirl now, and all I saw where the bottoms of the cabinet doors and a pair of...red and yellow striped socks?

"Mom?" Mikhail's voice echoed in the hall the minute the socks appeared and, just as quickly, disappeared.

"Mikhail? Mikhail! Come to Mommy, Mikhail!" A husky voice resounded above me, likely to be my assailant. I should've known – attacking the Ares girl is a hobby of the Harvosky family. I lifted my head cautiously, waiting for another crack on the head, but instead found myself staring at the doorway.

"Put me down, muscles! Put me down!" Mikhail was kicking at Derek's stomach and clawing at his back with his stubby little nails angrily. Derek continued to mumble negative responses. Occasionally, I swore I saw those strange striped socks appear in front of me. Why didn't the ghost leave the room?

Wait; the ghost? It ran through my mind so fast I didn't catch what that meant. One of my greatest fears had just beaten me in the head with a pan and was now standing just in front of me, and I didn't feel the least bit of fear. Did I have a concussion? Was that the reason I had no fear?

In that case, everyone is Ares cabin had to be brain dead. While the ghost kept complaining and whining for her son to come inside, Mikhail was squealing about Derek holding him too tight and Derek muttering obscenities under his breath, I managed to quietly get onto my two legs, steadying myself on a counter, and get a good look at the ghost.

The spirit, from the back, had beautiful hair; chestnut brown and wavy, falling to her waist in droves and pleasant curls. She was wearing a red sweat suit, like the kind one would use for jogging, with the occasional white racing stripe down the arms and sides of her legs. I couldn't see her face, but I noticed a red sweatband peeking out from her sea of hair.

I tentatively reached back for the nearest form of weapon – and found a spatula. Not a burger flipping one, oh no, a frosting spatula. Plastic and bendy, leaving traces of frosting long gone. I considered licking it but, seeing the family had already found me unwelcome, decided against it. I raised the spatula above my head and approached Mikhail's mother, ready to give her a taste of spatula justice.

"Mom; she's gonna hit you!"

Suddenly, as if by magic, Miss Harvosky disappeared. I knew she was a ghost by the way she flickered, but it was unreal. I couldn't believe that I was about to fight a ghost.

The sound of metal whizzing past my head alerted me and I jumped forward toward the door, turning to meet my foe. She briefly flickered at me and disappeared, exposing only a floating frying pan. I turned to leave the room where she couldn't reach me, but Derek shoved me in further.

"We have to get Mikhail's stuff! Just fight her!"

That was easier said than done. I wasn't sure where the ghost was at any given moment, and I wasn't sure how to keep myself safe and with a minor case of brain damage. There was still a stinging pan in the back of my head from her first hit, and I wasn't begging for another.

The cabinet next to me flew open and hundreds of wine glasses came pouring out, some suddenly turning and flying at my head. I ducked but still felt the glass shatter against my neck and back, as well as on the floor under my feet.

I had to move away from the glass safely to prevent any major damage. Jumping backwards through the doorway into the dining room, I braced myself on the wood table. Just then a knife went flying past my ear, slicing through the window just behind me and falling out to the pavement below.

In my haste to move away from her unbridled rage, I bumped into a clunky vase on the table. A vase would be a good weapon against a ghost, right? I picked it up in both hands and waited for the moment when her figure would appear just before she struck.

After what seemed like an eternity, a large carving knife was selected from the counter. Her face flashed and I threw the vase just as the knife was thrown. The knife could easily cut through the vase and reach my head, probably killing me instantly. What else could I do? Frost her to death? I looked down at the spatula in my hand and dropped onto my belly on the table, hoping the knife would continue its course and lodge itself in the window or wall.

I was right. The knife easily cut the violet vase in half, splashing water all over the floor and leaving the knife to work its path – right into the white wall. I did a silent sigh of relief and watched the vase, now in pieces, still sail toward the ghost.

For some reason, she didn't notice. She didn't teleport away or attempt to deflect it, but she didn't seem to see it coming. The shards of clay, like arrowheads at this point, shot through the woman picking through her drawer of knives. Most passed through her harmlessly, but one embedded itself in that peculiar red sweatband.

Miss Harvosky froze and dropped to the floor, her form now as solid and stable as it should have been. The blood pounding in my ears only sped up when I heard Mikhail's sorrowful shouting. "Mom, Mom!" He wailed from outside the door, noticing her striped socks slip and hit the ground.

I eased off the table and grabbed a place mat, using it to clear a path out of the broken pieces of glass and clay that littered the floor. Once that was done, I motioned for Derek to bring the brat inside now that his mother was incapacitated.

Once Mikhail hit the floor he dropped to his Mom's side, tugging at the shard in her sweatband. "Mom, Mom! Please be okay! Are you dead? Talk to me!" He continued wailing for five minutes while Derek and I shuffled around, looking for a first aid kit. He began checking my neck and head for cuts and found a few little scratches here and there, but nothing big.

That left Mikhail's stuff. Derek offered to take him to his room and ended up picking the little brat up by his feet and dragging him to his room while I sat with his mother. She was a lovely woman, I admitted, looking at her unstained, untainted face. This was too perfect, almost goddess-like.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she grabbed the collar of my shirt, hauling me close to her face. I began struggling for air, slapping at her head and gasping. She didn't seem to mind though.

"You lay one wrong hand on my boy. You so much as think of leaving him behind, alone, or for dead, I swear I will carve you like a turkey. Do you hear me, daughter of Ares?"

I raised my eyebrow quizzically when she released my collar again and touched the shard of clay in her sweatband. "You may be wondering, how do I know? I'm just a no-good mommy ghost, hm? Poor, poor, Miss Harvosky."

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off again by her rambling. "Don't worry. I won't actually die, or leave this world for real. In fact, I was always like this, believe it or not. My dearest Mikhail never saw the true me. The one you fought just moments ago."

I blinked and looked around for someone to help me out with what I was hearing, but found myself still alone with this babbling ghost. I managed to spit out an answer, though.

"What do you mean? Mikhail doesn't know you're a ghost? But you're his mother! That doesn't explain how you know who I am either-"

The woman put her finger to my lips and shushed me until I'd stopped talking. I didn't want to stop asking questions, but her calm demeanor made me feel safer, preserved. Sighing, I tried to focus on her words.

"You see, daughter of Ares, I am not just poor deceased Miss Harvosky. My name is Soteria, and I was born a spirit. It is my job to help my brother, Soter, protect the weak." I opened my mouth but she immediately pressed her finger against my lips again, and my eyelids drooped. I was getting tired; finally the adrenaline was gone and left me feeling sore and broken.

"Mikhail was born to his teenage mother just a few years ago. I found him out of pure luck and coincidence. I've had to take a hiatus from work just to care for him, hide my true identity. He still thinks I'm his Mom somehow...he's never asked why I can't leave the building." She looked to the door wistfully, sighing deeply.

"Why can't you leave?" I was intrigued now, like a story being told at bedtime by my mother.

"My brother, Soter, bound me to this room after I told him I was taking Mikhail in. He said that if my new family was more important to him, he wanted to make sure I was always home to help." Soteria bit her lip and looked into my eyes, suddenly jolting me out of my hazy atmosphere.

"You've come here for a purpose, daughter of Ares. You're taking my boy away, to a place far from here, where he will be safe, correct?" I nodded and she smiled a bit, something refreshing to see after she nearly killed me. "Good. Before I can leave though, I need to ask a woman of your strength for a favor."

I nodded solemnly and listened for both her next command and for the boys in the next room, fighting as usual. Soteria gestured to the shard in her sweatband, her hand shaking furiously. "I need you to grab my sweatband and remove the shard. Make sure you are holding the band firmly in your grasp or else I will slip away into my less...solid form. Once you do that, everything will be alright."

I wasn't sure what taking this sweatband would really do, considering I'd just been fighting this woman not ten minutes ago, but her words were calm. She could be poisoning me and I wouldn't care at all, she sounded so pleasant and safe; the perfect motherly figure. I gripped the band firmly in my right hand and crossed over to grab the shard with my left. I sucked in a deep breath and tugged.

I felt like I'd crossed into a whole new plane of existence. My hand was burning like I was gripping hot coals submerged in melting gold, and the top of my hand felt like it was being slashed by swords and spears. Bright white pain exploded up my arm and around my body, but I refused to let go. Not for Mikhail, not even for Soteria, but for my little brother. We needed to get to him quickly, and without this freaky ghost woman, we could accomplish it faster.

I felt like my arm was being pulled from its socket just as the pain ended. It was so abrupt and my hand was so numb that I hadn't noticed that the sweatband had changed form somehow. Instead of the red fabric with the single white stripe through the center, it had changed into a bronze leaf-adorned circlet. What had Lexi called it? A laurel?

I looked down at Soteria's form, now blinking fast enough to make me cover my eyes to prevent a seizure.

"Keep it with you always. My laurel is a powerful weapon. Alas, I cannot tell you when will be the right time to use it. I'm sure you, a daughter of War, will know when-" Her instructions stopped suddenly and her voice grew incredibly quiet. I uncovered my eyes and couldn't see her, but that enchanting, safe feeling still remained.

"My time in this house is short. Remember, keep my son safe. The Gods will not be happy to see me still helping their children, but even so, I will not hesitate to drag you to the depths of Tartarus itself if he is betrayed."

With that final threat, the air grew cold. Everything around me seemed to burst with color – the tiled floor stained with more dirt and mud than I'd ever seen, the couch suddenly caving in on itself the next room over. A few pieces of wallpaper slowly peeled down as though someone was about to replace them. Soteria's magic, and her brother's curse, was gone now, and the apartment was left to catch up to ten years of no maintenance.

I tiptoed through the house and felt the chilling presence of, well, nothing. It was even more haunting now that Soteria's grip on the house was gone. I felt more comfortable in the sickly, monotone world than in this peeling, fading color wasteland. I passed a TV coated in disgusting gray webs and dust as I ventured into what I assumed was Mikhail's room, judging by the rumble of drawers opening and closing systematically.

"That's it, I guess. Soteria's gone, we can go." I leaned against the door frame and jammed my thumb back. Derek didn't seem to hear me as he zipped up the duffel bag Mikhail had packed for the trip, while Mikhail stared at me quizzically.

"Where's Mom? Who's Soteria?"

I sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, picturing the young boy as a replacement of my brother. They were about the same height, I suppose, and if I mentally blocked out the wild red hair on his head, I could easily imagine him as being my sibling.

"Your Mom is in a...better place." I lied quickly, remembering her last words. Tartarus didn't sound familiar at all, but it didn't exactly sound welcoming either. Mikhail wasn't a stupid boy, though, and I noted his eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sorry, kid, she's gone."

Chapter 15 (Lexi POV)
"Izaya, wake up, come on." I coaxed my partner awake and he moaned. "Don't move," I murmured as he began to roll to the side. We sat against a wide oak tree, on the grounds of the largest house I had ever laid my eyes on. The exterior of the building was composed of magnificent clean white marble. There were three floors, all with huge glass windows and golden accents. The yard was many acres and I could see lush gardens lining the edges of the property. If there was a demigod here, she was seriously rich.

"Did you look at the map yet?" Izaya's sharp tone cut through my thought and I jumped.

"Oh, you're awake." I mumbled, leaning against his Harley. I had scratched up the blue exterior a bit on the way here, but I had also held him up on the bike and driven it. He glanced at his surroundings a moment before sauntering toward our packs a few feet away. It had only been barely an hour; the sky was just turning pink with the signs of mid-morning. Absentmindedly I stared up at the growing sunlit scene, analyzing the deep purples and light pinks mixed with oranges and bits of gray as the sun came out. The grounds around the house had begun to look clearer to me; gardens lined the mansion, spreading a good distance in front and behind the house. The air was warm with the beginnings of spring, but as I strained my eyes toward the gardens, the flowers looked to be in a mid-summer bloom.

"Jessie Roberts." Izaya's lazy voice cut through my pensive haze and I frowned before turning to glare at him unconvincingly.

"What?" I asked, still questioning the flowers. Maybe they were fake; or it was warmer than I thought. This was Philadelphia though, and spring was much too far away; it wasn't even February. Global warming must have had something to do with it—"Lex, Jessie Roberts is the demigod. The Jessie Roberts! Lexi, are you listening to me?" He shook my shoulder lightly and it took me a minute to register that he was literally an inch from my face, shouting.

"Oh, sorry; what did you say?" My thoughts were racing in confusion, and the lack of sleep was starting to get to me. Had it really been an entire day already? My eyelids drooped and I shook myself awake. If I passed out now, Izaya would go get the demigod, and I wasn't sure he would be exactly reasonable.

"Lexi, are you listening to me?" He took ahold of my shoulders and we sat down roughly on the frosted grass.

"Sorry, I'm really fine, just tired," I mumbled, yawning. Vaguely, I could see Izaya rolling his eyes and grinning broadly.

"Out of everything that could go wrong, we can't go inside because you are too tired? Wake up Alexia, come on; this is Jessie Roberts's house! Michael Roberts's house! Do you know what that means?" It took me a moment to respond; the names sounded rather familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"I prefer to be called Lexi, if you don't mind; who's Jessie Roberts?" Izaya's eyes widened and he sputtered unintelligibly.

"Lex, do you ever watch TV? Michael Roberts makes all of those cartoons on Saturdays, and Jessie's voice is in every one! She's even in his new movie Dawn of the Machines!" The movie name sounded vaguely familiar; I shrugged. I was too tired to answer, or defend my blatant lack of media. Television wasn't one of my past times; reading and writing were much more beneficial. I had seen the comics though, usually when Maddi watched them on her laptop on weekend mornings. My gaze lingered on the scenery around me before Izaya snapped his fingers, turning my attention toward him.

"Earth to Lexi; I think I'll just go in there myself, if you don't mind. Take a nap Lex; come in when you're rested." Without another word he strode down the frosted, grassy path toward the main entrance of the mansion, leaving me unable to keep up. My legs wouldn't move; they lay stationary and crumpled up under my limp torso. Staring off into the distance once more to see Izaya proceeding toward the house, I drifted off into a sea of dreams.

When I resurfaced into consciousness, something felt wrong. My head was spinning as I struggled to peel my eyes open. There was a strange smell in the air that was almost intoxicating. Moaning softly, I blinked and analyzed my surroundings. On every surface, lining the floor, crawling along the walls, a million striking plants grew like an angry jungle around me. I lay on the frozen patio, my limbs sprawled. Getting into a sitting position I saw that the tips of my fingers were blue, and my arms were numb. The ground was frozen, bits of frost and snow littering the stones. The flowers were in full bloom though, confirming my observation from outside the mansion. ''How did I get here? ''I thought, the grogginess leaking slowly out of my mind. Something strange was going on here, and my thoughts immediately went to the supposed demigod living here. Jessie Roberts, could she be the daughter of Demeter, or some other nature goddess? I tried to remember facts from the many mythological books I had read, but nothing came to mind. For now, I was on my own.

Standing up cautiously, my hands went to my waist, coming up empty. Someone, something had taken my dagger and sword, and taken me from outside the mansion into this jungle of a garden. Trying to stay quiet, I trekked through the overgrown greenery, a fuzzy feeling growing in my nose. It smelled crazy and wild in the thresh of petals overwhelming my limbs and face. It was so beautiful though, a gift to my senses. There were so many colors, every shade and hue of every color; greens, blues, reds, bright oranges, violent purples, striking yellows, muddy browns, and vicious blacks. In each flower though, I got a strange creeping feeling. These weren't safe, the intoxicating smell, exotic appearances; I needed to get away from these things. The farther I stumbled into the thresh; the more vindictive the plants began to look.

After a while, I came into sight of a set of metallic glass doors. Rushing toward the doors, I groaned softly as I saw the padlock closed on the door's latch. Thinking for a moment, I felt the many hair-ties resting comfortably on my wrist and a thought came to me. Fumbling through my disheveled and tangled locks, my fingers grasped ahold of my current savior: a bobbin pin. As usual, one was still stuck in my hair from when I had failed at putting my heavy curls into a feasible bun. "Gotcha," I murmured happily, opening the metal pin into a usable tool. Inserting the pin into the padlock, I jerked it up until I heard the familiar click of the lock coming undone. I exhaled and slowly opened the doors, letting myself into the abode.

The interior of the house was painted in a mix of beiges and light tans with golden accents. The floors were pure marble, progressing slowly into hardwood and carpeted as I traveled through the many rooms, wondering where Izaya had gone. The last time I had seen him, he had been walking up to the house as I drifted off to sleep. He had to be somewhere in this maze of rooms, maybe he had already found Jessie.

"Oh, hello, miss." A strange, curious voice echoed off of the walls and I froze. "Who's there?" My hands flew to the dagger strapped to my waist and my eyes frantically analyzed the room. A swath of charcoal cloth caught my eye across the room as it swished lightly against the regal, blood red carpet. He sauntered toward me with a delicate pace, measuring each step.

A long cloak covered most of his tall, lean body. Curly coffee brown locks were perfectly splayed on his head, a few stray hairs scattering over his flawless tan skin. He had high cheekbones and plump lips that carried a sly, sexy grin. Unusual brown-blue eyes analyzed my tense figure and I felt self-conscious. "My name's Jesy. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you have an appointment?"'' I want an appointment with you Jesy. ''My eyes widened at the thought. Did I seriously just think of ''that? ''There was a fluttering feeling in my stomach and my skin felt hot and tingly. Jesy was looking at me now straight in the eye; he was only a few inches from me. Taking a moment to collect myself I replied as smoothly as I could. "I'm actually lost; do you know where I could find Miss Roberts?" His lips twitched.

"You mean the female, younger, richer version of me?" I couldn't help it, I laughed, a high pitched giggle.

"Yes, I meant Jessie Roberts. Is she around?" Jesy shrugged and a wave of desire rolled through me. What was going on with me? I couldn't stop staring at him, his face, his eyes, those calloused hands; they were stuck in my mind, engraved to memory. "Would you like to come with me? I'm sure we will find Ms. Robert's along the way. I have some things to do though; I am working here. What did you say your name was?" He motioned for me to follow as he sauntered slowly down the endless halls once again.

"Alexia, uh, Lexi Corrigan; everyone calls me Lexi." Leading me down a few other corridors, he nodded once and turned into a long stone hallway. "Well, Ms. Corrigan, Lexi if you wish, this is where you can stay while we find Ms. Roberts. I'm sure Josh and Liam will keep you company." Two tall dark figures broke away from the shadows and I licked my lips, my throat getting dry. Both men were as good-looking as Jesy, one with beach blonde hair spread in rough curls, the other with a chocolate brown crew-cut. "This is Liam, and that is Josh. Say hello to Ms. Corrigan guys." The blonde one, Liam, grinned arrogantly and analyzed me with his piercing green eyes. Josh stood beside him with a strange gleam in his hazel eyes, the same sly grin as Jesy painted on his hard jaw. The three men exchanged a look, and it all happened so fast after that.

Jesy was on top of me, pinning my thighs against the stone floor with his knees. Liam was staring at me from behind my head, holding my arms in a vicious headlock. I could just see Josh standing above me, a bloody knife in his hand. "What—"Don't fret, it's okay love, we won't hurt you." Jesy purred softly into my ear and my entire body relaxed. Afterwards, I couldn't tell you what it felt like, those next few minutes. The knife kept coming down on me, I was aware of that, but I wanted it. My thoughts became strangely clearer inside my head, and I drifted off to an old Greek horror book. It told of strange demons, terrifying gods, and my epiphany currently; the Empusai. Servants of Hecate, Goddess of magic, they lured travelers by attraction to their deaths and ate the flesh. It was said one of their legs was made of brass, the other the leg of a donkey. I couldn't see beneath those charcoal cloaks, but I knew what they were now.

"Lexi!" Someone was calling my name, but all I saw was Jesy's beautifully horrible face as he brought down the knife once again. I could hear myself moaning softly and Jesy put a finger to my lips. "Don't move love, it'll be over soon." Liam was kissing my wrists and Josh was nowhere in sight. Somewhere in my mind, I knew I should be in pain, but all I could think of was how much I loved it, every second. "MOVE LEXI MOVE!" The same voice was screaming at me now, but all I could do was enjoy the pleasure of Jesy's skin against mine. I could see his brass and animal leg now; his cloak was off, revealing a strange form below his muscled chest. Liam was gone too now though, Jesy had straddled me more firmly against the rugged stone; his mouth was everywhere and I couldn't comprehend what he was doing—and then he was gone too. A moan escaped my lips and I whimpered, crying out for him. Strong arms wrapped around me and I tried to reach out to them again, make them continue saving me. The voice was murmuring my name, over and over as I settled into the blackness that beckoned to me.

Jesy's sly grin flashed across my mind, and I fell.

Chapter 16 (Maddi POV)
We literally flew upstate at that point. No one said a word except for the GPS, instructing me on where to turn and when. The cycle hit a bump, perhaps a rock, en route at the beginning of our travel, and now we bounced leisurely a few inches above the pavement. I wasn't sure how, but this was a magic motorcycle.

Derek had enough sense not to talk most of the trip, mostly so he could balance Mikhail on his lap. Right now I was more worried about actually getting to my brother than the amount of space on the bike. In fact, besides Mikhail, I hadn't even looked for another blip. With this amount of focus, we turned a forty-eight minute trip into a much easier twenty-four minute one.

Once the lake came into our view and I hunched over a bit, relieved to be back home. Derek finally thought it would be safe to talk.

"Did I ever tell you guys about my family?" I turned back to face the blonde, looking through stray wisps of Mikhail's hair wishfully.

"No."

"Who cares?" Mikhail's voice cut through and I was reminded once again the reason why I disliked little boys.

"It doesn't matter – go ahead, Derek, tell us a story. I think we could all use something less tense." I answered, turning my focus back to the road. Cars didn't seem to notice that we were just a bunch of kids driving, strangely enough, and I wondered if the motorcycle had that magic about it...the Mist? That was it. At camp, I remember someone saying something about it, the magic that makes mortals blind to, well, Greek mythology things. I rolled my eyes mentally. I was starting to sound like Lexi, too smart and too calm.

"Well, if you insist." Derek began, looking at the lake on our right.

"My Mom took all these odd jobs after I was born, right? Because my Dad was off being the god of sexiness...or something. We didn't have really nice stuff, but we got along all right. I mean, I had to watch a lot of 80's shows on our VCR and all, but even that wasn't too bad. Anyway, when I was about three years old, my cousin Phil came over with this violin of his. And when he played, oh man, it sounded like he was hitting a cat with a lawnmower – not that I've ever ran over a cat with a lawnmower, since we lived in this really small apartment, and the owner wouldn't let us keep cats-"

"Derek, on topic. Okay, Phil has a violin. Aaaaand?" I interrupted, swerving left and letting the lakeside disappear behind us.

"Right. So he's playing this violin really bad, and I reached up and took it from him, and successfully executed my first solo violin piece. It was "Allemanda", one of the movements from Bach's Partita in D Minor. You know, that partita was probably dedicated to Bach's dead wife-"

"Mom liked Bach, especially that Allamana thing. She always said it was her favorite violin piece he wrote." Derek looked down through Mikhail's hair, his face of mixture of anger for being interrupted, and pity for the now-orphaned demi-god.

"So, everyone was really impressed since I could play that without prior training. Everybody started pitching in to get me into music schools, attend orchestras and concerts, and get me into band, all of that stuff. It may be hard to imagine, but I was extremely unpopular as a kid. The other guys would throw sticks and rocks and ask if I could make them a song – using the stick and rocks."

His story was pretty interesting, I realized, finally noticing I was zeroed in on his voice.

"Oh, and I wrote that piece. I played a drum solo with the stones myself. I called it; 'Ode to Pant-Wetter'."

Suddenly, the bike began to jump a little. Mikhail was making snorting sounds; his lips curved upward, eyes shut. He was leaned over against Derek's protective arms, making hoarse donkey imitations. I turned, concerning for the kid.

Was he laughing?

That was a new one for Mikhail. I'd never even seen him exhibit any emotion except anger, a bit of sorrow and regret even. But not this laughing thing he had going. It was a little disturbing to hear, to be honest, and as I turned back to face the road I was still concerned about our little recruit.

Once the laughing died down, Derek continued.

"The best feeling was the day I got claimed though. I remember, I was at the beach with my Mom, her husband, and our step-siblings. She was pregnant with my half-sister, too. Anyway, I wandered off from them for a minute to find a Port-o-Potty, and I found this flute half buried in the sand."

"Genius. Is your father some sort of genius?" I cut in once again, and I could tell just by Derek's expression that he was less than amused with Mikhail and I interrupting him.

"I played the flute, right? And this designer, deluxe, marble white bathroom literally appeared in this cliff wall. So I thought hey,a bathroom's a bathroom, no matter where it comes from. I went inside and the cliff shut again, so I was in the dark. And all of a sudden, there was this golden light. It was like the sun just filled up the entire room." He gestured with his hands the ball of light growing bigger, and then covering his eyes suddenly, causing the bike to tilt and Mikhail to lean back to prevent falling to the speeding ground below.

"Dude, we're asking for a story, not a theater production!" I jumped the bike back into position and tried to rest my heart, which was still precariously perched staring at the street below.

"Sorry, I'm just very expressive. I'm Italian, you know. Where was I?" He paused before catching his story again. "I remember! Okay, so the bright light took up the whole room and there was something, like a harp or lyre I think, just glowing right in front of me. When I touched it, I felt special. Not like...stupid special, but unique special. It wasn't until a little while later that I realized the initial light was actually my Dad leaving that mark there. It took even longer for me to realize I had my pants down and was staring at him in awe."

Mikhail began laughing like a diseased donkey again as I attempted to remain calm and stoic to keep the bike in check. I had to admit, that was really entertaining.

"So you were...claimed with your pants down?"

"You bet."

We finally arrived in front of my house in what we assumed was "Uptown Cleveland". It was much cleaner here, nice green trees and pleasant people. My Mom was likely at work at the hospitals now, so I figured I was safe. There was an eighty-nine percent chance my brother was home, due to his ability to magically catch fevers right before tests, and my Mother always believing him.

I fished around in my backpack for the keys, brushing against the laurel and smiling. Just touching it made me feel fuzzy. I finally reached my keys and jammed them in the lock, opening the door to the home I rarely saw anymore.

The walls were painted in various dark reds, oranges, and yellows, like my favorite season. The tiled floor greeted my now-dirty and chipped white shoes, while the beige carpeted stairs opened their path to let me go to my room. I took a deep breath and smelled the faint odor of corn dogs and toast, my brother's usual meal, somehow.

"Guys, I'm gonna run upstairs and see if he's home. Just chill out in the kitchen, watch some TV, do something, okay?"

Mikhail's eyes were glued to the old TV in our family room.

"Mom never let me use the TV. It was broken." He mumbled before stumbling toward it like an excited zombie. Derek waved me off and followed obediently while I checked my shoes and hurried up the stairs.

My brother's room was just past the linens closet to my almost-immediate left. The door was open slightly and I could hear the familiar sound of one of his favorite TV shows, I think it was 'Ninjago', at its usual louder-than-normal volume, and sighed. He was home. Good.

I opened the white door and met his Star Wars-centric room, the dark walls and Millennium Falcon bedspread making me feel extremely relaxed. I could see his form curled into the blankets and his face was turned to the wall. He seemed to be asleep.

"Hey, hey, Andrew." I shook his shoulder gently at first, trying to rouse him. "We've gotta go, little bro."

Nothing.

I shook a little hard, and harder, until I felt like his shoulder would pop out if I shook any more. Finally, I just turned him to face me from below.

That wasn't my brother. There was something about him that wasn't right. Blonde hair? Check. Extremely thin? Check. An air of annoyance? Double check. What was wrong with him?

Suddenly, his appearance changed like sand being blown away by a strong wind.

His short, wavy blonde hair became long and brown, splaying around the pillow and sticking to his neck and parts of his shoulders. His skin became lighter, softer, more porcelain-like, with a few scratches around his face and a scar at the base of his neck. His eyes were the most frightening part, though, and they stared up at me as though he was delighted to see me. They were completely black – iris, pupil, everything. If the eyes hadn't looked like that, he could be described as 'cute', maybe even 'adorable'.

I could only manage a few distorted choking noises before he reached up to touch my face with a hand that resembled my brother's – if his hand had gone through a blender, that is. The boy smiled, revealing rows of jagged shark-like teeth.

"Hi, big sister." The black eyes zeroed into mine and he pulled me, by the cheek, closer. "We're not in that big of a hurry, are we? Why don't we play some games?"

Chapter 17 (Lexi POV)
There were voices above me, skin touching mine. ''Was Jesy still here? Had he come back for me? ''Moaning softly, I tried to snuggle in closer to his embrace. It was strange, the knife was gone, and Liam and Josh were gone. Jesy was stroking my forehead softly, surely he was; I could feel the waves of lust rolling off me as his skin touched mine. ''Why wasn't he kissing me, helping me? ''I needed him, desperately, that was my only thought.

"Lex, Lexi please wake up." The voice was familiar and I frowned. That wasn't Jesy; ''who was it? Jesy, ''I tried to cry out, moaning. "Lexi? Lex, can you hear me?" The voice called my name again and I felt like crying. It wasn't Jesy, where was Jesy? He had left me; I was alone, longing for his touch. ''Child, wake up, it's vital that you wake up. ''A strong female voice cut through my thoughts and my mind went blank. ''No, Alexia, don't fight me. ''The woman said, sounding stern and scolding.

"What do you want?" I whimpered, my voice sounding strange. Someone touched my lips softly and another moan escaped my lips. What was happening to me? Everything felt so odd, I was awake, but disconnected. ''Open your eyes child, do not ignore me. ''The same feminine voice sounded oddly calm in my head, mature and crisp. ''Who are you? ''I thought in reply, praying to the Gods I wasn't having a conversation with myself. The voice was silent. ''Who are you? ''I thought again, breathing hard. ''Just open your eyes Alexia, that's all you need to do. ''The voice said finally, refusing to answer my question. ''No, don't go, who are you? ''I screeched mentally, pleading for an answer. "I'm here Lexi, I'm here! It's Izaya, remember, please wake up!" The other, familiar voice was yelling straight in my ear and giving me more of a massive headache. ''Had I said that out loud? ''I thought groggily, straining to hear the voices around me. "She probably can't hear you yet, there's too much blood," A high pitched voice informed, sounding distant. There was a growl and a soft hand touched my cheek. "Then help me; save her. It was your servants and your garden that made her like this. Fix it!" Izaya growled. Izaya… The name sounded so familiar, but who was this Izaya? Where was my Jesy, my Liam, Josh?

"I'm trying, but she isn't awake yet and I'm not sure how much the poison affected her—"Why do you have poisonous flowers in your garden anyway?" Izaya cut off the girl angrily. "I can make them grow, that's why!" The girl's voice became shrill and my ears cringed from the high pitched sound. "You must know why, you said you knew what I was Izaya! I'm doing the best I can; how good a healer do you expect a teenage girl to be? Let's just go to the hospital or something." "No, no hospitals; they would freak out. Didn't you see those creatures? What they did to her? Jessie, this is going to sound crazy, but those were ancient Greek monsters." His voice had gotten softer and light, a warmer tone. Recognition flicked in my mind as he talked; Greek monsters, the Gods, demigods… yes, I was a demigod, wasn't I?

''Fight it Alexia, wake up and everything will return to normal, don't let them erase you. Trust me. ''The woman spoke again in my head and I took a single deep breath, pleased to find I could breathe. Now all I had to do was open my eyes, right? It couldn't be that hard, just slowly opening my lids, fighting the numb feeling inside my limbs.

The moment I blinked into the bright sunlight, all of my memories came rushing back to me; I was me again. The room around me was a deep red color, like blood, only darker, mixed with black. "Lexi! Lexi, are you okay? Don't move." The words came tumbling out of Izaya's mouth as he gripped my hand tightly, stroking my cheek lightly, a grin spreading across his face. "What—"Don't talk," Izaya shushed me, placing a strong hand over my mouth. I frowned and gave him a smirk before springing up into a sitting position.

Wrong choice.

The pain hit me like a million knives, which I bet was most likely the cause, if I remembered correctly. Gasping, my head hit the table I was lying on and stars danced across my vision. "Dammit," I muttered, half moaning. A concerned look crossed Izaya's face, but he didn't say anything. I took that moment to analyze my injuries, and boy did I look crappy.

Long gashes covered my arms and legs, some covered with sterile white gauze. I was a bit self-conscious to see that I was only wearing my bikini and my bra, but at least I had a soft rose colored sheet covering me. I could feel an extremely large amount of gauze pasted to my torso, as well as my chest. Thinner cuts ran down my cheeks and around my neck, cutting the skin enough for dried up blood to form. My entire body felt bruised and my head was like a bowling ball, heavy and spinning. Raising my arms, I saw the two thick gauzed strips pasted against my wrists, and Liam's lips flashed back to me, him kissing them, sucking them…

"Oh, she's awake, that's good. Hi, I'm Jessie." The high pitched voice rang through the room and I wondered how she got into animation movies with an annoying tone like that. Her hair fell in thick, chocolate brown curls, but at the moment was tied back into a low ponytail. Large black eyes analyzed me with the usual competitive glance of any younger teenager. I guessed she was around 12, though she looked younger. Her clothes had once been designer and new I guessed, but now she wore beaten up denim jeans and a flimsy rose colored top that lay in tatters against her stick figure. Oh, yeah, did I mention how oddly thin she was? This girl looked anorexic or something, barely any meat on her. Glancing down at myself, I resisted the urge to call myself fat. I wasn't fat, just not super skinny. My body carried no muscle, yet not a lot of fat either. Through the thin sheets my flat stomach was visible, as well as my short legs. Jessie was taller than me I was sure of it, which made me feel more like a midget.

"Hello Jessie, I'm Alexia." I replied carefully, my voice rasping. "Izaya calls you Lexi." Jessie pointed out automatically, putting a hand on her flat hip. She had less curves than a regular rectangle. Izaya watched us as we studied each other and I got a bit annoyed. Was Jessie honestly trying to compete with me? With the way I looked now, those startling black eyes surely wouldn't see anything worth crying over. I tried to keep my reply as smooth as possible, though my voice was still gruff from overuse. "How old are you? Did Izaya tell you you're a demigod?" Jessie's eyes widened and a smile curved on her lips. She thought I was crazy, great.

"I'm eleven; I will be twelve in two weeks. Izaya told me about the… monsters. Frankly though, I'm finding it hard to believe either of you. What the heck is a demigod anyway?" Izaya sighed above my head and I felt his breath by my ear.

"She's not going to listen, stubborn brat. I don't want her to leave or do something stupid; can you help me convince her?" His voice was light but it still erupted in my head, pounding off the insides of my skull.

"Fine," I hissed, groaning. Slowly I rolled over on the table, wrapped myself in the sheet tightly, and began to get into an upright position. Izaya's arms went to my back, the only place where the Empusai hadn't stabbed me.

"I'm fine," My voice was hollow and scratchy, like sandpaper, but I ignored it.

"Hey, lay down!" Jessie snapped, sauntering toward me. I noticed her hands were stained red. With my blood, I thought, shivering. She held a wadded up rag in her hand as well as a strange glob-like mixture in the other. "What's that?" I croaked, eyes widening. "Are you letting an eleven year old heal me Izaya? She's a little girl. Her flowers are poisonous, and the Empusai…" I knew the Empusai hadn't been her fault, but at the moment I needed someone to blame. Jessie was a bit young, but the look on Izaya's face was so helpless I didn't want him to blame himself even more. Jessie pursed her lips and gave me a knowing look that didn't help her get any more on my good side. This was going to be one of those love-hate-I-want-to-kill-you-but-I-can't-relation-ships; it was already blooming magnificently and we had only known each other for five minutes now.

"Oh, just hold still and lean against the wall if you won't lie down. I'm not going to kill you or anything. See those pretty bandages? Yea, those were placed by me, so just thank me and lay down." The sarcasm and venom dripping from her voice made me want to smack her pretty little face, but instead I analyzed the strange mixture in her hand. With a start I realized it was leaves of plants, forming a type of paste.

"Hey, don't touch me those poisonous monsters!" I yelled, bracing myself against the wall, still sitting on the table, I noticed now that it was more of a bar, built into the drywall. Izaya patted my shoulder lightly, I couldn't help seeing how oddly calm he was. It made me seem like the smart-alec. "Those are fine Lex, they stop the bleeding. See?" He showed me his shoulder and pointed to a drying wad of yellow leaves. "I already put this on your wrists and legs; I need to do your stomach. Stay still." Jessie demanded, her small hand grasping the rose sheet. Pulling it down lightly, she revealed the hastily applied bandages lining my torso, upper chest, and neck. Her eyes flickered jealously at my bra and my face grew crimson. Izaya snorted, but his eyes trailed slowly down my body and he whistled lowly, moving his gaze to stare at a point in the distance.

As Jessie unwrapped my bandages and began applying the strange, numbing mixture, I felt self-conscious. So that's what bothered her, my boobs. I couldn't help chuckling a bit that she was intimidated. I might have big hips and a rack, but she was tall and lean; versus my curvy appearance I thought she won.

"Okay, I'm done." Jessie chirped after reapplying the bandages. She looked around the room awkwardly before walking to the door. "If you need clothes, you can borrow mine and Izaya, my dad can probably give you something. I wonder where he is anyway.." Without another word, she strode out of the room, leaving Izaya and I wondering how to convince her to come with us.

"Can you stand?" Izaya whispered as I yanked the sheet around my body once again.

"I'm not that helpless, I feel fine," I mumbled as a reply, lying. The truth was I still felt like crap and wasn't sure if I could stand, but we had to take Jessie away from here, soon. Getting unsteadily to my feet, I leaned heavily on Izaya as we ventured to find new clothes, gripping the sheet around me for dear life.

It seemed that we were upstairs; carpet and multicolored rooms dominated the floor, interspersed with the same delicate golden accents. We found Jessie rummaging through the closet of her magnificent room; it was a bit teeny-bopper for me, but still three times the size of my own.

"Oh, here you can wear these," She mumbled, throwing a flash of bright fabric at my face. Izaya's cheeks grew red. "Oh, I'll just let you change then." He muttered awkwardly, leaving the room. Jessie gave me a strange look before leaving as well.

The clothes were a bit snug, but they fit alright, except the fact that they made me look a bit like a hooker. The dark denim jeans were form fitted to my legs, but they were about five inches too long, bunched up at my calf and slipping down and over my feet. The top obnoxiously accentuated my breasts; it was a low neon green V-neck short sleeved shirt. I looked strange and unlike myself, actually I was the exact opposite. These clothes, those thoughts I was having, this competition with Jessie, the sarcastic remarks… what happened to the sweater and skirt wearing, book hugging, catholic school girl I had been before?

''People change Alexia. Mortals especially, though it is often for absurd reasons. Find your reason, and it is acceptable to change. ''That feminine voice was talking to me again; I was surprised she was still here. I thought she was a delusion, merely a figment of my imagination I had made up while I was hazily dreaming about the Empusai.

''This is not an illusion Alexia. Listen to my advice, use it well. Finish your quest, but do not lose yourself, or your friendships. Tis unwise to stay down this path; follow your prophecy. ''

The voice sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I swore I hadn't heard it before today. I had this sense that I should know who was talking to me, even if it was just an illusion. The prophecy was the next object to come into my mind, I hadn't thought about it one bit since that girl, Rachel if I remember correctly, had spouted it out of her mouth and scared me half to death. Parts of it had made sense to me immediately, such as "two of much knowledge", which was most likely Annabeth and I. The "one of much brawn" might be Maddi, and "the maker" might be Izaya, because of his parentage, though I had no idea about the "betrayer and pawn." From what I had heard about Annabeth's boyfriend, Percy, he had saved the world a few years back; surely he wouldn't work against half-bloods. There were many parts I didn't understand though, such as the fact that we were all split up. Did that make it count as a single quest then? I'd never gone on one of these, but I was pretty sure that on a single quest, there weren't two or three different teams. Izaya and I, Derek and Maddi, and maybe Annabeth and Percy; were we supposed to do this together?

"Lex, are you done?" I could hear Izaya knocking hesitantly on the door.

"Come on in," I called out, staring sadly at my hair. Neither I nor Izaya had taken a shower in two days; my golden locks were limp and tangled into a messy ponytail. He walked in, looking strangely fresh in loose blue jeans and a crisp white button down shirt, though his black hair was greasy and there were circles under his eyes. The lighter clothes were a real change for him, compared to the dark denim and black I had seen him wear the past few days. I had to admit, Izaya looked kind of… hot.

His eyes analyzed my new clothes and I fidgeted nervously. Then, he did the one thing I suspected him to do. He laughed.

"It's not that funny," I mumbled, staring at my feet. I noticed that I lost my ruined black flats somehow throughout the adventure, and prayed that Jessie had my same shoe size. Izaya, reading my mind, threw a pair of neon pink flip flops in my direction.

"There, now you'll be super colorful." He snickered. I snarled at him quietly before ripping open Jessie's closet doors.

"I'm not wearing flip flops and short sleeves on a motorcycle in the middle of the winter." I snapped. "Do you have my duffel bag anywhere, by chance?"

"I could only find one; it has the maps and weapons in it." Izaya shrugged, "We have those now, which are good; I'll uh… let you find a jacket or something, but we've got to convince Jessie." Without another word he left the room again while I scavenged the colorful closet for some better suited clothes. The jeans, I decided, were fine; the only other pants I could clearly find were daisy dukes and other strangely short shorts. After sorting through Jessie's neon wardrobe, I finally found a long sleeved white shirt and an old leather jacket that reminded me of my father. The smell was the same, that worn leather smell tinged with old tobacco and breath mints.

"That's an old one," Jessie whispered, scaring me. She was sitting quietly on the bed, hands folded on her lap. "Oh, sorry," I muttered, pulling off the jacket.

"No, you can have it. It was my brother's; he's gone now."

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry." Throwing the jacket over my shoulder, I felt a bit guilty.

"Oh, he's alive Lexi; he's just an ass that's all. Keep the damn jacket, I don't give a shit." The vulgar language coming from her little eleven year old mouth shocked me.

"Um, okay, thanks. Do you have any like boots or something? It's freezing out there, and you'll need warm clothes too, to ride with us."

"I'm not riding with you two. There are combat boots in the back of the closet, ugly shoes those are, go ahead and take them." After rummaging around I found the boots and laced them up, grateful that they fit, and I thought they looked pretty cool. I decided to leave Jessie in her room and go to find Izaya. Once I left the room though, she followed silently.

"Oh hey, are you ready to go?" Izaya appeared beside me, and I shrugged. "Jessie here doesn't believe in the gods yet," I mumbled, clomping down the stairs. Scouting out the kitchen, my stomach growled; it felt hollow. "Where's your kitchen?"

"Turn left," Jessie mumbled, looking at her shoes.

Once we stepped into the huge tiled room, something felt wrong. No, something smelled wrong, a sickening smell that burned my nostrils.

"Oh gods," That was all I could force out of my mouth before Jessie began to scream.

"No daddy, no!" She screeched, throwing herself on the bloodied corpse of Michael Roberts.

Chapter 18 (Maddi POV)
When I came to again, I was crouched over what seemed to be a white stone floor. The dust from the rock left white powder on the dark pants I'd been wearing for the last week or so, and my hands were a bit scraped from the initial impact. All around me was darkness, cramping darkness, hitching my breath so far back in my throat that I could barely breathe properly.

I lifted my head to the sky, or where I assumed it was, and noted that the white bricks ahead curled upward to form an arch above me as well – an infinite circle. This place was, no doubt, scaring me out of my wits, but I had to keep going. What did that creepy kid say? A game?

"Oh, good, you're awake. I almost didn't expect you to make the trip here. You're lucky I managed to save your left arm from tearing off or you'd be all off balance right now – and bloody, probably dead." I could hear that kid's voice echoing around the infinite path, as though he were right in front of me. I reached to the side of the path and felt for the edges, or at least the instrument holding the rocks up, but my fingers met cool glass.

"Isn't it nice? The infinite loop? I can keep you here as long as I want. Until that door opens, which it won't, start calling this your new home. HQ." He continued as I began to examine the area I could stand on. The stones were stiff in place, the glass clean-cut and thicker than my brother's head, and I felt like I was slowly suffocating to death.

"Don't try and break the glass either. Currently, it's the only thing separating you and me, and I wouldn't dream of exposing you to my true form – that alone would be so terrifying it could kill you." I didn't understand the 'true form' junk he was spewing; he was actually rather cute, like a little boy. The only thing terrifying about him was the fact he could pull me into this thing...what did he call it? The infinite loop?

"Even if you manage to win every game we play, you'll eventually die of suffocation. And then my brother and sister and I will carve out your body and leave it as a decoration for the next demi-god who happens to come along. This is the first time Father's let me torment one of my siblings, and I'm really excited to see how much I can push you before you crack." The tone of his voice reflected a little boy excited about going to a baseball game, not the tone of a deranged psychopath killing his...sister? He certainly wasn't my brother; I'd never met the little freak.

"What do you mean brother? I've never met you once in my entire life. And what does Dad have to do with any of this?" I narrowed my eyes at the white stones, somewhat hoping he would materialize so I could strangle him, but he didn't, and I was left to my own devices.

Suddenly, the glass beside me on either side shuddered and began to lurch together, ready to crush me. The stones beneath me shivered and cracked, bits of rock falling into nothingness, as the loop seemed to get infinitely smaller. In a panic, I began running to either side, trying to give myself the illusion that I had just enough space to keep going.

The walls packed together, the glass pressing against me and leaving me completely vulnerable to this little boy's game. I writhed around, trying to breath, and only got a mouthful of dust and pebbles from the surrounding rocks.

"This first game is called, 'how much longer can my sister stay alive if her body is compacted between rocks and there is no regular air flow?'" I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to hold it in. I was terrified of such closed spaces, terrified of this underground feeling, and the dark just outside the glass and rocks didn't help much.

My hands were up near my face, luckily, as my feeble attempts at shoving the rocks back initially had failed. I touched my forehead and drew symbols with the chalk, taking slow, leisurely breaths, despite my heart pounding faster than a drumroll.

I seemed to be suspended there for hours, days even, and every second ticking past too slow for me to count. Eventually, though, I felt the rocks around my mid-section tighten a bit, and the air I was holding was squeezed out.

"Why can't you just suffocate like a good girl? Just close your mouth, hold your nose, and stop thinking!" The boy was starting to sound demanding, like he was denied ice cream after the baseball game he just attended. The rocks pressed a little tighter and I felt my spine creak with resistance, once again emptying any oxygen that was in my lungs.

I began choking, clawing at the rock in front of me, begging for something to breathe. It was like he literally vacuumed all the air out of me and my lungs were compressed so tight that I couldn't bring in any more. It didn't help that I had lung problems from a young age.

My arms stopped moving and my head dropped. The constriction around my body became too tight to bear, so I just let go. Derek and Mikhail would come to look for me eventually, and they too would be killed. Or maybe Derek could use some of his "inner light". Could Apollo kids do that?

"D…Does that mean you're dead? You're not exactly moving, and this is getting rather tedious, so I'm going to assume you're dead."

Before the blackness completely consumed me, the rocks shuddered once again and moved back into place, the glass slowly moving back to its original space in the infinite circle. I was free-falling when my head smacked against the ground with a loud thud, and I took a few short gasps for air.

"That's a shame; I thought you'd last longer. Father would be ashamed, you know, having such a weak little girl for a daughter. And just to think about your poor brother! Eris was looking forward to seeing you, but I suppose she'll just have to settle for that little mess."

I must have surprised him by suddenly crawling onto my forearms, taking deep gasping breaths. I couldn't speak, I was busying myself trying to force air back into my lungs, but at least he knew the game wasn't over. Sure, it was unfortunate, as I was really looking forward to the airy embrace of death, but there were more important things to be done.

The far reach of the infinite loop's stone wall, or floor, I guess, seemed to retract, leaving a black crack in the middle of the pale stones littering the air.

"I can't say I'm impressed, why don't you go over to the small abyss in the wall over there, and we can play a new game."

I looked up to the rocky sky with wide eyes and mouthed a big "NO.". I knew I had to go on, but Deimos decided to simply restate the lecture he gave me at my arrival here.

"We aren't pumping fresh air in here – eventually, you'll either suffocate, die from carbon dioxide inhalation, to play my games. Personally, I would want to have a sporting chance at winning, but whatever's good for you is...probably boring to me."

I looked at the crack and back at my own hand. From this distance, it looked just big enough to encase my hand, maybe two. Deimos could easily crush my hands in his precious wall and whip me around like a wheel, or crush me with some ungodly object. I wasn't going to risk that. But a slow death due to suffocation or inhalation wasn't exactly appealing either.

I reached around to my back, feeling my backpack, and opened the zipper, fingering around for the laurel I obtained from Soteria. Could this be the situation she spoke of? I bit my lip and pulled the bronze laurel out, the white stones from above giving it an unworldly shine.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" I could tell Deimos was trying his best to sound nonchalant, but there was a twinge of panic burrowed deep in his voice. "Not that you can do anything with that, but my curiosity is piqued."

I ignored him and gripped the item tighter, feeling the bronze leaves under my grip fold into the ring. The rest of them began to simultaneously spring outward, sharpening themselves like knives. This wasn't just an ordinary headpiece, oh no, this was a weapon. I steadied onto my feet, still practically numb from being smashing together by the encircling stones, and braced myself against the wall.

I waited for Deimos to say something, and when he didn't, I knew it was time to show him what I could do to his precious arena.

I jammed the side of the laurel – no, the Chakram – into the thick glass that supposedly separated us. The brat was practically asking for me to come out there and wail on his butt, god or not. I tugged the chakram from its hold in the glass and smashing down in the same area again, the satisfying cracking and shattering of glass echoing around me.

"Stop that, you idiot! You're going to regret this, you know! It's safer to stay inside the loop than even thinking about going outside!"

I wound my arm back and smashed the disk into the glass, hurtling shards out into the blackness. The feeling of fresh air exploded through the loop and refreshed me, like hard rain in the middle of a drought. The feeling of cool air, or rather space, swirled about my body in a way I didn't mind. The goose-bumps I felt from the sudden gust weren't a bother at all, I was happy to feel the open air again.

I hacked the jagged edges away from the space in the whole and gently slid my leg through, part of my pant leg ripping but otherwise leaving no real damage at all. Before long I was easing the rest of my body through, and when Deimos' voice came through, it was cranked up at least 400 more decibels than before.

"Fine, I don't mind you walking straight into your death, although it is a big disappointment. A good daughter would have just gone and died fighting for family, but whatever, suit yourself."

My hands left the cool glass and suddenly I was falling, the floor of the airless prison disappearing high into the black void as I closed my eyes and waited for the impact that would shatter every bone in my body, and likely kill me. If I could turn my body in time, I could probably assume the fetal position, something to prevent me from turning into a pancake, but I was simply falling much too fast. So fast, I hadn't noticed the long, spindly claw that had so-graciously grabbed my shirt.

"Tell me, do you know the source of true terror?"

Deimos' voice jolted me out of my death acceptance state, finally noticing the hand gripping my shirt. It tugged up forcefully and I began to choke, but remained mostly intact, although again unable to speak.

"Many say it is past experiences – for some, the idea of what the future could hold. Only I know the true answer, though. The mortals never listen, though, and that will be their downfall, eventually." He paused, and the arm began dragging me sideways through the void, leaving me breathless from the strong hold he had on me.

"True terror comes from the unknown, as strange as it may sound. What we don't know is terrifying. The void of space, a masked assailant, a killer in a dark room. It's all the same, once you think about it."

His voice seemed to get deeper, as though he got older by at least seven years, and a lot more serious and less demanding. The grip seemed to get even tighter somehow and dragged me further, until I was lifted up and poised like a kitten in the gaping maws of its parent.

Perhaps that was what made me afraid, paralyzed; the hand turning me to face the figure just a hair from my face. I could barely make out the edges of a dark hood, giving off faint silver light, and shadows bloomed around it mysteriously. The absence of a face, though, just the void of black I'd been seeing for what seemed like hours.

"What do you see, demigod?" The voice was clearly coming from this hooded creature, but my eyes refused to look upon it anymore. If he was implying I was about to see something, I didn't want to be around to see it.

White claws gripped the sides of my face now, leaving the rest of my body in a sort of free fall, a painful one due to the intense gravity here, and practically tore my eyes open. The black area in the hood slowly morphed the disturbing images of disfigured men, half decomposing features, the most terrifying heads of bugs, with large eyes and pincers for a mouth. I pursed my lips and tightened my grip on the chakram, my eyes burning from the sheer amount of disturbing images they were exposed to.

"Go ahead, half-blood, close your eyes. Savor your last few moments of sight, before your vision vaporizes and leaves you...in the dark." Deimos chuckled at his lame pun, which I still managed to make note of somehow. Despite the heavy gravity affecting every inch of my body, and the feeling that at any second my head could be forcibly ripped from the rest of my body, I managed to swing my legs.

With my legs moving, my hips were swaying too, and if I managed to torque them enough, maybe I could save myself before my eyes disintegrated or whatever the god was babbling about. I got enough rotation as those spindly claws touched the outside of my eye, and swung my right arm at the creature's changing face.

To my surprise, he recoiled, and my eyes immediately snapped shut and left me falling, once again, into the void. I could still hear Deimos's voice as I made my descent, the deeper tone changing out for that more familiar bratty child one, screaming and cursing about how nothing was allowed to touch his face. I assumed that was the god's weak point, and gave myself a mental pat-on-the-back for figuring that out.

Of course, there were more things to worry about now. Instead of that black space I'd been suspended in for who knows how long, I opened my eyes to some sort of white-washed, clean castle-like structure with the faint smell of hand sanitizer.

It was awfully similar to the doctor's office.

I landed on a hospital mattress, or, what seemed like a mattress in this weird, large building, comforted by how regular everything looked. Ah, so it was all a nightmare. Deimos and his strange space were gone, and now I was in the hospital. That meant I'd never met Derek or Mikhail either, but that was okay. I had tons of imaginary friends growing up, why not add more?

My stomach growled and I groaned, rolling onto my side and curling up as tight as possible. Hunger pains, I thought, waiting for the bear in my stomach to seize its constant growling, where's the nurse with my food?

As if on cue, a young boy hobbled in on crutches in a hospital gown. He had short, messy blonde hair and a long white bandage wrapped around his left eye. This was all oddly familiar somehow.

"Hi," He said quietly, keeping close to the white door, admiring the soft colors of my room like he'd never seen them before. It would explain the eye bandage of his. "Did you want to come out and play a game with me? You know, to pass the time before you go?"

I blinked, suddenly remembering a moment when I was young and in the hospital. A little girl asked the very same question, but I declined, and continued pawing at my then-sown-up nose. Swinging my legs over the bed railing, I smiled.

"Sure, kiddo. My name's Maddi, what do they call you?"

The boy was halfway out the door already and didn't turn to acknowledge my question. I followed him, still pondering the actual reason I was in this hospital, when I exited my room and found the most terrifying building I'd ever been in.

Blood smeared the floor just ahead, and the boy stood just ahead of it. He abandoned the crutch on the floor and just stared at me with eyes that had turned completely black, much like Deimos posing as my brother in my not-really-a-dream.

A burst a light filled the hall and suddenly blood was covering nearly every inch of wall, some still dripping and fresh. The coppery smell overcame me and I covered my nose and mouth, squinting, trying to block out the feeling of death all around me.

The boy, meanwhile, had extracted the bandage from his face, revealing a large gash where his eyes were supposed to be.

"My name is Phobos. Welcome to the game."

Chapter 19 (Lexi POV)
It was hours before Jessie's cries stopped echoing in my ears, and by then she was asleep, cradled awkwardly in Izaya's arms as we sped down the highway. Now, for any of you who have ever ridden a motorcycle, they are clearly made for two people at most, not three. Random strangers on the highway gave us awkward looks, wondering why the heck three teenagers were riding a blue Harley down the interstate at 2am, but I ignored them. My thoughts were racing and images of Mr. Robert's mangled corpse were still pulsing through my brain. I knew it had to be worse for Jessie, it was her father and all, but the way he had just been laying there, his injuries, the blood… ''don't think about it. ''I needed to focus on driving, on getting to our next destination. Where that was, I had forgotten to check. The three of us were done driving for now, and all that was left to do was find a hotel. Of course staying in Jessie's huge mansion wouldn't have hurt, but the fact that she wouldn't step foot in that house again didn't make my night easier.

"Pull over at that Comfort Inn," Izaya murmured, pointing out the brown, apartment-like hotel in the distance.

"Okay," I replied flatly, speeding toward the parking lot turn in.

Jessie followed behind us obediently as we checked into a room and walked through the hotel. Izaya had surprised me a bit with the wad of cash he had produced inside his duffel bag, but he muttered something about Chiron and I dismissed it. The room was nice, two beds and a roll out bed from the couch. Without saying anything, Izaya passed out on the couch, leaving the beds for Jessie and I. Jessie looked like she was still crying, though she went to sleep without a word.

That left me, but as usual I was plagued by insomnia; I just couldn't stop thinking. About the quest. About tomorrow. The prophecy. The woman's voice. About how I had no clue what we were going to do tomorrow. I could hear Jessie crying softly in the bed across from mine, but how Izaya slept like a stone I had no clue. Was it really that calm in his head? It continued to interest me how much Izaya apparently knew about me, though I knew not a single fact about him. At least Maddi and Derek had known each other that first day of camp, right? Sure, they weren't half siblings like I thought, but Derek was in the Ares cabin because he was a healer in the Apollo cabin… or at least that's what Annabeth told me once I brought him up. Heck, I knew less than basic facts about these two boys, and I doubt Maddi knew anything either. Maybe she and Derek had talked about themselves to each other, but I doubted it.

Maddi was my best friend and all, and she had guy friends and talked with me as well, but it took a lot more to make her talk and break that rock hard eggshell of hers. She was a tough one, but I guess that was one of my favorite traits to her. There used to be so much mystery before I knew her like a sister, though she never ceased to amaze me. I, on the other hand, was an open-book. Once you got me to talk, I couldn't stop, because I didn't stop thinking or speaking my mind. One thought after another, talking and talking, until Maddi either cut in or told me to shut up. You should shut up now, I thought with a bit of humor, smiling. This was how the midnight rants and endless thought began. Thinking about my life, then about Maddi's life, and then worrying, then laughing about how stupid I was being, and then worrying again. It was an endless cycle, always controlling me when I most needed sleep. Who knows what would happen tomorrow anyway? I could die, or be awake until the next day, or have to stay awake in some kind of life or death situation. Some random monster could pound on the hotel door any moment, and I would have to be ready to fight it, no matter how tired I was.

I needed to sleep, but I couldn't, so much was going to happen, so much had already happened, and I had no clue what I was going to do—"No I can't!" A high pitched shout made me snap my eyes open, and I was pleased to find I had somehow fallen asleep mid-thought. Great, dreams about thoughts were just what I needed to get some sleep.

"Wait, what," I mumbled unintelligibly as I rolled off the mattress and fell to the floor, tangling myself in a sheeted mess.

"Go to sleep its fine," I heard Izaya mutter. That made me frown, and I struggled to get myself out of the fabricated mess I had gotten myself into. I eventually wiggled into a sitting position, leaning precariously against the edge of the mattress. My hair stood in tufts and tangles atop my head due to my lack of putting it in a bun. Blinking, I was surprised at what I saw.

The first part I noticed was the flowers. Hundreds of them in dozens of colors sat on Jessie's mattress, poking through the walls and floors. Izaya and she stood next to a startling woman with eyes so brown they appeared pitch black, and they were all looming over the flowered mattress. The woman was insanely beautiful in the way Snow White's evil step-mother was, before she turned into that old hag with the poisonous apple and the desire to rip her daughter's heart out. She stood oddly close to Jessie, in a sort of motherly way, and I prayed she wasn't a goddess. The flowers weren't a very good sign, but maybe Jessie had done that, or this was all a dream. If not, today was the anniversary of my death by vaporization.

It all went rather fast after that. I could barely make out her charcoal curls before she had me against the wall, eyes wide as they struggled to comprehend what was happening. Izaya made a strangled sound of protest but stood his ground, a twinge of fear was festering in his eyes.

"Which one are you?" I gasped, wishing I was taller. My legs were suspended a few inches off the ground and she held me by my neck, half choking me. Her eyes blazed with a strange fire and I wondered why she was so angry at me, not killing off all three of us with a snap of her fingers.

"Oh, well at least you figured it out quicker than the boy," She muttered, a sly grin forming on her dark skinned, delicate features. "Hephaestus is good with his hands no doubt, but he's slower than Poseidon with knowledge, which is slower than an underwater snail. Now let me ask you, daughter of Athena, can't you guess who I am? No doubt you'll mistake me for my mother; she is rather fun and all, but I prefer a much more… rustic approach to my art, as they call it. No garden gloves for me, as you can see." The goddess kept a steady hold on my neck as she talked only inches from my face. I couldn't get enough air in my lungs, let alone could I move a single muscle. All any of us seemed to be able to do was watch her with fearful eyes as she talked, while my mind raced and my heart was beating like a million bullets shattering glass.

"Queen Persephone," I whispered, my chest heaving. Great, I thought, this is just great. The one event I needed at 6am was the queen of the underworld choking me to death.

"Thank you for the formal address Alexia, daughter of Athena. You see how that makes this all seem so… high class. Lately I know you demigods have gone a bit rogue, though I have to agree it is a bit Zeus's fault. I'm stuck on my husband's side, and my mother's; this is the only idea the two have agreed on for two thousand years! They have even started addressing one another by their first names, for once. It's all very nicety-nice, though it won't last. Surely you know about that sort of thing, don't you Alexia? Oh, your poor father would love to have you home, wouldn't he? I don't think Julie and young Brandon would mind, would they. I checked up on them, you see, and Julie is pregnant yet again. It seems you'll have another step-sibling to adore and take care of… if I don't kill you, of course." The mention of my family caught me off guard and my mouth hardened into a grim line. She knew where I lived, she had seen my family. She was going to kill me, she was going to kill all of us.

"Why are you here?" Was my creative reply; yea, make the immortal angrier with sarcastic comments? No, I wasn't in for that at the moment. I was a little busy being held against the wall with nothing to defend myself other than the dagger, but that was strapped to my calf, far out of my reach.

"Oh, I paid you this little visit for three reasons. One, because I should just kill you now for the fun of it, two because I'm feeling rather generous today, and three to pay a last visit to my little half-sister. She's family, but I'll probably have to kill her soon; who would have known? Hm, maybe I'll make her kill you. That would be extra fun. Athena's kids do get rather proud in life or death situations." She caught the confused look on my face and chuckled. "If the flowers weren't a dead giveaway for you, I must have underestimated your intelligence little girl." Her free arm came close to my face and she played with a strand of my hair. "Ah, so much beauty, but locked away behind so many doors. I think one dip in the River Styx would cure you. How about it gray eyes?" I shook my head in shock and struggled to get enough air in my lungs to speak.

"Jessie's, D-Demeter's k-kid, huh." I managed to say before the coughing began. Persephone dropped my neck and I hit the floor, my legs crumpling beneath me. Within the next moment her small fingers were on my chin, pulling it to face up at her face.

"Good, you're coherent. It took you long enough to figure that one out. Yes, she is my mother's, though I have been putting my own… let's say twist on her. It was easy at first you know, the mood swings, the flowers, little things. She was a kid, and I was her conscious. I thought it was rather fun. She's more like my child now, a nature girl gone bad." The startled look on Jessie's face said it all. She believed us now, in gods and all that. She probably didn't have a clue as to what Persephone had done to her, and boy I bet I was going to have to deal with it soon enough. Losing her father and founding out the girl was being messed with by a leech-goddess-half-sister, all in one day? I was surprised that Jessie didn't faint on the spot.

"Alright, well I think I'll leave you to your thoughts, all of you. First though, goodbye sissy, and Izaya? You have to make a choice sometime. Alexia, I think you'll enjoy these pets of Hephaestus; I know how much you love dogs." I looked away as she disappeared and immediately Izaya was at my side.

"She wouldn't let me move, that witch!" He shouted, pulling me up. "Get your things and pack up. You too Jessie, we have to get out of here fast. I don't want to see Persephone's little surprise. My father doesn't make the nicest pets."

As if on cue, the hotel door exploded, wood tearing apart and scattering around the room. My eyes widened as two giant dogs ran through the gaping entrance, growling. They were about eight feet tall and completely made of gold and silver. Before I could be crushed by their surely huge mass, Izaya pushed Jessie and me out the window, jumping out after us.

"Percy, catch them!" A familiar voice screeched as I fell, limbs flailing. The next moment I was soaking wet, freezing water drenching my clothes and coating my skin. I couldn't decipher up or down, but I swam with all my might and floated to the surface of what I realized was the hotel pool.

"Need a hand?" Someone pulled me up and I was face to face with eyes as blue as the sea. His hair was black and roughly spiked, his pale face scuffed with grime. "I'm Percy," He greeted while I struggled to regain my breath. Within the next minute I noticed Annabeth running toward me with a furrowed brow.

"You're okay! Come on, we got some puppy chow to take care of." That was when I saw the four other massive metal canines, destroying the hotel and heading straight toward me.