Tensions Rise
*Many thousands of years ago
The golden age of the gods had begun. Poseidon, Hades and Zeus had just returned to Mount Olympus after casting the remains of their father into the depths of Tartarus, never to return and wreak chaos as he once did. Ichiro had wondered if he should have intervened, but decided that it would be both futile and probably a failed mission. He had benefited from the conflict, but not enough to fight numerous Olympians at once.
Olympus gleamed, marble reflecting brilliantly in the fading light provided by the sun. The entire city was filled with partying and celebrations. As of now there were 6 gods and plenty of nature spirits, satyrs and other beings enjoying the festivities.
There were magnificent temples and residencies under construction, scaffolding covering much of the mountain. It was to be the most beautiful city the world had ever seen, better than Mount Othrys anyway. The sight from Ikari's dragon was magnificent. The dragon was a gift moulded by his mother and given to him just minutes after his birth before she abandoned him. Well, she had recently gifted him an experimental monster, but not in person.
He had a complicated relationship with her; on one hand he was her firstborn and blessed with an incredible technique of power as well as great battle prowess and physical capabilities. Everyday he learned more about himself and his potential. On the other hand, she had refused to involve him in the plan to get rid of Uranus and neglected his attempts of communication no matter why he requested conversation.
So he figured why not take a different route, the Olympian route. The six children of his half-brother Kronos and half-sister Rhea in the seats of power to do as they pleased with the world, that being as long as Gaia let them be. In Ichigo's head, his plan was to fly on down, do a little meet and greet with the Olympians and try to get on their side. Maybe he could even become an Olympian himself.
Sure, he wasn't exactly a god or a titan, but he was strong enough, right? He had heard from dryads that the leader of the Olympians, Zeus, had hundred-handed ones in his 'cabinet' of warriors, so he must be accepting of others. Now that he thought about it, the 6 gods were all technically his nephews, removed or half-nephews, but still his nephews and nieces. Family. That was what really mattered.
To make up for his lack of a blood family, he had grown used to spending time with satyrs and spirits of nature, definitely not a stranger to partying thanks to his furry friends and used to socialising due to gossip from his nymph friends. So maybe he'd even get to enjoy the party.
There was of course the extremely small chance of them rejecting him, but in his mind it was a such a low chance he didn't feel the need to worry about it. He had a plan if things did go sideways, he had a plan for every occasion. However, there should be no reason for them all not to get along well.
As the son of Gaia came closer to landing on a flat area of the city, he made a point of reabsorbing his dragon to avoid being spotted. He definitely didn't want to come across as an aggressor or anything like that.
Successfully landing with no one on the mountain the wiser, Ichiro pulled his robe around his form closer than usual to hide his presence and face. No one should know who he was, he had never visited this part of Greece and made a point to do so for an occasion like this.
He kept himself small, scurrying through the crowds towards the main temple, probably where the Olympians were now. His theory was confirmed when he made it to the assembly building and could hear the roars of laughter only capable by a god.
Ichiro made his way up the steps to the grand assembly and stood nervously at the doors. He took a deep breath and smoothed over his robes, patting himself down of any dirt or dust. Then he confidently pushed the doors open. He had his eyes closed as he thrust his arms out, and when he dared to peek open he was greeted to the sight of... an empty throne room?
The room was pretty much empty, and definitely vacant of gods. But he could hear them further down the building, a corridor in sight past the central two thrones. And so the summoner sighed before marching into the throne room and past the thrones. With every step he took, he slightly grew his height. He had been informed that the gods were giants among others, towering over those below them.
Soon enough he did make it to the actual source of the conversation and laughter, behind mighty doors he could smell nectar and ambrosia. The aura that emanated from the room could only be compared to that of his mother.
He had once gone on a wild goose chase trying to find his father before he was informed by a dryad that he was a child of asexual reproduction, which basically meant that he didn't have a father. It had disappointed him.
Forcing those memories out of his mind, he mentally prepared himself to meet his family, pushing open the doors of fate for the second time.
Ichiro marched confidently into a dining hall where six beings of unimaginable power sat around a table. The table was covered in the finest foods from all the lands, various meats, vegetables, baked delights, treats and more presented. A rich hearth blazed at the end of the room, filling the place with warmth. The son of Gaia's heart suddenly filled with hope and happiness. the rest of the dining area contained beautiful metopes and statues displaying the gods glory.
The people at the table took a moment to notice someone else had entered their sanctuary. The man at the head of the table, a huge bronze figure with chiselled features and a bolt of lightning in one of his hands, was the first to notice the new arrival. Zeus.
The others, who must have been his other nieces and nephews; Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera and Hestia, also looked over at him. Ichiro smiled and waved awkwardly.
"Greetings! I'm Ichiro, you're-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a trident hurled straight at his chest, almost impaling him against the wall if he hadn't reacted quick enough.
"A titan!" yelled the sea god, rising from his seat and recalling his weapon.
"Woah!" squeaked Ichiro, "Relax, I'm family!"
"And that is supposed to mean anything?" asked Demeter. "I think everyone knows what just happened to our own father."
"Yes, yes I do," laughed the summoner nervously. "I am his brother after all. But trust me, I do not share his intentions. I wish to join you in this new age that you have ushered in."
Zeus, seemingly amused at the situation, got up from his seat and moved around to stand before his uncle, looking him up and down.
"So you're my uncle?" he mused, admiring the robe Ichiro wore. "Nice robes."
"Thank you. And yes, we're related through... well both Kronos and Rhea. I'm their older brother, Gaia's firstborn."
Hera shot up. "You mean you're older than Uranus?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm not that old. After Chaos had created the primordials and world order had been established, even after Gaia and Uranus initially got together, Gaia created me by herself. I don't know why, she has never reached out to me since then, so I wish to find true purpose with you Olympians in the new world."
"An earth born like you? To join us?" laughed Hera. She had to have been drunk, so Ichiro laughed it off too. Hestia watched him from her seat, not speaking a word.
"I hope so," responded Ichiro. "I have lived in the mortal world with satyrs and dryads for company, so I imagine you all will be a change of pace!"
The others around the table laughed, cackled and roared with humour. He couldn't tell what the emotion of the room was, so he just went with the flow. Eventually, the laughter died down. Were they really drunk or just high on their recent victory over his brother and sisters in the war?
"Oh Uncle, you must understand something," said Zeus, wiping a stray tear of humour from his eye. "Filth like you titans doesn't belong in my new era."
"What do you-" started Ichiro, confused, before the full force of a lightning bolt slammed into his stomach. His eyes bulged from his head, ichor erupting from his mouth. Eyes almost rolled back, but he managed to maintain his consciousness. The hit was hard and unexpected which is why it had such an impact on him.
As he stumbled back, black ash left the arms of his robes and began to take form on the floor. He began to instinctively summon his monsters. Ichiro hadn't collected many, and the ones he had were primarily for everyday use like his dragon for transport and sea-beasts for water exploration.
But before he could do so, an extremely strong blast of water that could've ripped the skin from his face almost hit him. Luckily he redirected the monster ashes to protect himself. Now pushed back to the door, he looked at his 'family' in shock.
"We are entering the age of the gods, a relic like you can't enter the new age with us."
Ichiro was at a loss for words. "But... but..."
"Quit your blabbering," hissed Poseidon, "You're starting to sound less like a divine being and more like a satyr."
The hearth roared as Hestia tensed up, and the shadows intensified as Hades began to get up. The god of the heavens began to prepare another bolt of lightning, creating the ammunition from seemingly nothing.
Coming back to his senses, Ichiro shook his head. Why were they acting this way? What had he done to deserve such an attack? Fine, things weren't going as planned but he couldn't let it beat him. This was why he had a plan, just in case this happened.
Then, he outstretched an arm to his side, eyes narrowing and brows furrowing. Ash curled from his fingers. The being Gaia had blessed him with. From what she had said through his mind when he found it, it was for him to do with as pleased, also to teach until she needed it back for 'purposes'. It was currently a poor fighter and struggled to utilise its own strengths, but he could work with its destructive capabilities.
Ichiro muttered its name as its enormous form began to take shape, breaking through the beautiful walls and decorated ceiling.
"Typhon."
If he couldn't join Olympus, he'd wage war against it instead. Typhon would provide a means of escape, and he could reabsorb the being later.
As the Olympians began to take arms against the fully formed snake-like monster, Ichiro summoned his dragon and took off into the sky through a hole punched by Typhon. He'd fight a guerrilla war.
He'd burn their temples.
He'd destroy their mountain.
He'd kill their children.
Kassandra's head was still ringing slightly when she appeared back on the ship, but she thought nothing of it. She had arrived before Piper did to meet the others who had gathered together on the top deck.. She told them everything that had happened and cleared an area for Blackjack and the boys when they arrived for medical aid. They came soon enough, Piper flying in on the black steed.
While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay. Annabeth and Leo hauled Percy whilst Kassandra just grabbed Jason like a sack of rice and over her shoulder he went.
"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?
"Because you'll end up doing something stupid," responded Kassandra, resulting in the two sticking their tongues at each other as if they were mortal kids.
The ex-huntress dumped Jason on one of the sick-bay beds and slumped
"Leo," Piper said, "are we ready to sail?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later."
"But... okay."He hurried off.
Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.
"What hit him?" she demanded.
"Blackjack," snorted Kassandra, half laughing and half concerned for the health of her ally.
"What?"
Piper tried to explain while Hedge applied some healing paste to the boys' heads. Kassandra held onto both the boys arms for that little boost to their recovery, and she was pretty impressed watching Hedge work his healing magic. Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also made them extra resilient. They both groaned and opened their eyes.
Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened. When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.
"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."
Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more dishevelled than normal. It reminded Kassandra of her horrible shoulder burn. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."
"Yeah, but... I could have killed you."
"Or I could have killed you," Percy said.
Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas,maybe."
"I don't need an ocean-"
"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."
"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't-"
"Bacchus?" Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy... change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."
Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base "for fun." They gathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened, such as their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Ichiro, the eidolons that had possessed the boys.
"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."
"So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"
"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"
"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us." He turned to his girlfriend with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."
Kassandra, sensing awkwardness in the air, intervened.
"I'll admit; I've already been contacted by Reyna since leaving. She mainly asked about myself and I told her who I really was, but nothing of the mission. She was in some storage closet filled with weapons though, weapons and supplies you'd need for a war campaign."
"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."
Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks." She turned to Kassandra. "(Y/N) was great at keeping power, he made sure that Octavian never got too much strength and favoured Reyna since she's clearly the smarter of the two. It would be great to have him here... As for those eagles, it's like they could smell us."
Damn, she really had a lot to live up to. Doctor, military leader, parent, god, married, teacher and immortal warrior. Well, she had time to cover all that.
"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely- not from them."
Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."
Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"
"Oh, man..." Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget-"
"Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us-"
"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion."He sounded so depressed.
"How can you be sure?" Piper asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"
He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."
Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if we go there..."
"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean- the Mare Nostrum."
Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."
Jason didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza.
"Well, it's probably just all talk," commented Kassandra, trying to lighten the mood. "Ichiro is the main land threat, and I'm sure with a little more training I can catch up to match him. You guys shouldn't think so low of yourselves too, you're the seven! Prophesied to save the world!"
Whilst she wasn't lying about them being strong, she wasn't exactly telling the truth about her own strength. Ichiro was on a whole other level, plus Ikari was still out there, somewhere. They could chase after them over the Atlantic and into the ancient lands. Kassandra would need some external divine aid if she ever wanted to stand a real chance against Ichiro, let alone match him. Maybe she could take Ikari in a fight that really favoured her with a little more power training of the potential of her godhood.
"As of now, we need a plan," she demanded. "Come on smart people, I could multiply my age by 16 and still be the youngest here so do the thing where the genius plan comes together."
Jackson nodded. "So let's plan ahead and make sure we don't die. Mr. D- Bacchus- Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"
"Ephialtes," Jason said."Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade..."
Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."
Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pine cone on a stick?"
"Something like that," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."
There was silence at the table, and below deck everyone could hear Hedge singing some song, which was pretty funny. What wasn't funny was what she had been told by Piper about this Nico kid. Apparently he and (Y/N) were close, and now he was at risk of dying. Not if she had anything to do with it though.
"She wants two of us," Piper murmured.
Everyone turned to look at her. What was she on about?
"Today on the highway," she continued, "Gaea spoke to me telepathically. She told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods- one female, one male. She... she asked me to choose which boy would die. "
"But neither of us died. You saved us."
"I know. It's just... Why would she want that?"
Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favourite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."
"Oh..."
Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered.
"Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm.
"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"
"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."
"I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said- he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"
Kassandra was still stuck wondering about what Bacchus had said to her, about finding the path or whatever.
"You think the giants would use our blood...... the blood of two of us-"
"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured." Jason grunted. "That I agree with."
"But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy, this Ichiro guy... how does it all fit together?"
Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."
"Right," Piper said."Bacchus told us we should seek out... what was his name?"
"Porky?" guessed the daughter of Bellona.
"Phorcys," Percy corrected.
Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to her boyfriend having the answers. "You know him?"
Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognise the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."
Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."
"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."
"Wait," Piper said.Once more, everyone looked at her. "There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."
As Piper said that, the diadem on Kassandra's head shattered into a thousand little pieces, Hector crashing from her forehead entangled with some sort of ghoul. And yelling profanities Kassandra didn't even know existed.
Kassandra struggled to keep a straight face and not move as Hector and the spirit tossed and turned on the floor, grappling with each other whilst both screamed ungodly speech. She was torn between staying still, helping her prince out or bursting out laughing.
Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."
"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.
"I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was... you know."
Everyone seemed to understand, except Kassandra, who just sat there confused with her eyes ripping from the sight of Hector. "Uhm, what exactly were you?"
"Dead," stated Hazel bluntly as if it were a normal thing to say.
"Right, makes perfect sense," squinted Kassandra, waiting for Hazel to elaborate but giving up when she didn't.
"So..." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or-"
Kassandra was sitting down in a seat, but not at the table. Behind her back she waved her hand and the prince began to glow, giving him a sudden surge in strength and a decisive edge over the tussle.
"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."
Lurking inside them? Was that what Hector was fighting on the floor, an eidolon trying to take her over?
Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true-"
"We have to take steps,"Piper said. "I think I can do this."
"Do what?" Percy asked.
"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen." Piper met their eyes,one person at a time.
"Eidolons," she said, using her charm speak, "raise your hands."
There was tense silence.
Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to-?"
His voice died.His face went slack. He raised his hand.Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall. The eidolon Hector was fighting stopped moving, and the others must have finally been able to see it because Franks eyes went wide and he jumped five feet into the air.
"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"
"Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked Valdez.
"No," Leo said in a hollow voice. "The Earth Mother sent four. The strongest, the best. We will live again."
"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All four of you, listen carefully. You will leave those bodies," she commanded.
"No," Percy said.Leo let out a soft hiss. "We must live."
Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"
Leo turned toward him. "You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."
The daughter of Bellona wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking.
"I- I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight-"
"Frank, don't." Hazel rose.Next to her, Jason drew his sword.
"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice wavered. She seemed to be losing strength and faith.
"Listen to Piper." Hazel pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.
Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way. "Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead."
Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrainhim, but Hazel waved her off.
"Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."
At the same time, Kassandra enhanced Piper's strength as her sister would have. It was a very handy talent to have, a clear effect on McLean as her posture straightened and voice grew louder.
"You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.
Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. "We- we will leave these bodies."
"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."
Leo and Percy both hissed in protest. The eidolon on the floor began to twitch and fade in and out of view as if it were evaporating. Hector got up and was prodding the monster with the blunt end of his spear.
"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.
A moment of tension. Then all four eidolons spoke in unison: "We promise on the River Styx."
"You are dead," Piper said.
"We are dead," they agreed.
"Now, leave."
All three boys slumped forward, and the eidolon completely vanished from sight.
Percy fell face-first into his pizza.
"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed him.
Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.
Leo wasn't so lucky. He fell toward Frank,who made no attempt to intercept him. Kassandra rolled her eyes before creating a huge golden hand to grab the boy by the scruff of his neck, gently picking him up and dropping him off at her feet. She then proceeded to put her sandalled feet on his back as a stool.
The son of Hephaestus groaned. "Did it work?"
"It worked," Piper said, "I don't think they'll be back."
Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"
Piper laughed, exhaling all her nervousness. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."
The two got up and left the room together, whilst it took Leo another ten seconds to realise he was being used as a foot stool. He tried to get up, but Kassandra summoned golden bonds to hold him down for another thirty seconds. Hector chuckled at the sight before leaping back into his mistresses mind. Leo had a comfortable back.
Piper and Jason wandered up and down the deck. Leo, after being relieved of his foot-rest duty, manned the helm. Blackjack had flown off to wherever he had come from. The others settled in for the night. Kassandra meanwhile had nestled herself in the crows nest. (The book Argo II lacks a crows nest, but this one does have one.)
The night was young when Kassandra fell to slumber. Apparently her father had great control over his dreams and could block out nightmares thanks to training from Chiron. Kassandra had none of that stuff.
She opened her eyes, but didn't wake up. She could tell she was in a dream when she discovered herself to be about four or five times shorter than she usually was and her fists were smaller than a tennis ball.
Kassandra was still Kassandra, just now she was back to being under a day old. She wore a tiny white chiton and her hair was braided. From a third person perspective she was just a smaller version of her current self, looking very cute and almost like a doll to display in a cabinet.
The daughter of Bellona sat on a soft blanket as the sun gently warmed her skin. She was back on Olympus in one of the city's many parks. Around her had gathered a group of demigods, minor gods and nymphs, all staring at her and cooing at the miniature goddess.
"She's so adorable!" squealed Hebe, picking up Kassandra and spinning her around in the air.
The ex-huntress couldn't do anything but watch from a first person perspective like when Hector was in her mind. Speaking of the prince of Troy, she could tell he couldn't see her dreams, someplace else in her mind. Her younger self giggled as she was flying through the air in Hebe's arms.
Kassandra could remember the freedom that came with youth, and what the goddess of youth's touch actually felt like. It was... comforting and filled her with happiness. But not as much happiness as the couple who she just saw in her peripheral.
"Put my baby down!" shrieked Bellona, dashing across the grassy floor and trailed by her husband who was carrying ice lollies.
Hebe's eyes went as wide as saucers, and sensing the mothers wrath vanished with the smell of various baby foods like apple sauce and strawberry milkshake. Baby-Kassandra dropped to the floor like a stone. Just before she hit the floor though, she was intercepted by her father who clutched her close to his chest.
(Y/N) was wearing plain shorts and a t-shirt as well as a straw hat. Bellona was decked out with a summer dress and a similar straw hat. Her father then caught the three lollies he had tossed into the air to save her. Coddling his daughter, (Y/N) offered her an ice lolly which she accepted, beginning to gnaw on it with her tiny teeth.
"We need to teach you how to defend yourself," said Bellona, taking a seat beside her daughter so that she was sandwiched between her protective parents.
"Oh, let her be a child for another few days," scolded (Y/N), passing his wife the other lolly so they all had a cold treat to work on. (Y/N) eyed up the crowd that still surrounded them. "Oh, don't you have better things to do? Like preparing for Kronos?" he asked them all, and within moments they had scattered.
"I... I can fight," said the baby, swinging her lolly around like a sword. (Y/N) chuckled and began to engage her in combat. He ended the skirmish by allowing her to jab him in the cheek with the iced treat.
"Oh my little girl, you are destined for great things, greater things than I can dream of," announced Bellona proudly, booping her on the nose causing Kassandra to burst out giggling.
Whilst she laughed, the parents closed the distance over her and kissed. Kassandra, the one watching this all through her younger selves eyes, could only stare on in sweet memory. Her heart melted. Where had it all gone wrong?
She awoke in an awkward position, climbing out of the crows nest quickly and scampering down. She had risen pretty late, later than usual anyway.
Everyone had gathered in the mess hall and there was an odd aura in the air. Kassandra narrowed her eyes at Leo, who kept muttering something under his breath and grinning like he had just heard the funniest joke.
"Foot-stool," barked the goddess, "What's so funny?"
Valdez laughed into his hand before turning to properly face her.
"Percy and Annabeth were getting-"
"We were just asleep together, that's all," interrupted Annabeth to avoid any of Leo's lies.
Kassandra nodded. She remembered times she had fallen asleep out in the camp forest with Aspen, how her hair tickled her cheek whilst she was trapped in the dryads beautiful eyes. Gods, that damned nature demon was really ticking her off, why did he feel the need to create that fake dream for her?
The crew took seats around the table, Kassandra sitting between Percy and Leo. The daughter of Bellona snatched a donut from the table and took a bite as Jackson told them about a dream he had had that night. Twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.
Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds."
"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.
Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."
"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."
Kassandra had met many gods, even a few cthonic had been invited up to meet her, but Persephone was one she had yet to encounter.
"She highly influenced Lord Hades' decision to send me to you," commented Hector in her mind. Maybe she wasn't too bad then.
"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. She was clearly nervous, because all the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her. Probably a hereditary power of Pluto's offspring. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned-"
"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."
"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling.
"Won't we?"
"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"
"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"
"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."
"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."
"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."
"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days,including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome-"
"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"
"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."
"We'll do everything we can to save your brother Hazel," assured Kassandra, creating a miniature copy of a cyclops on the table and squashing it under her fist.
"We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."
"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."
"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."
"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"
Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"
"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... he knew about both camps, right?"
"Well, yes," Hazel said."He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."
Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."
Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother.He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"
Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."
"Look, I also knew about both camps and kept the secret," said Kassandra. "You haven't doubted me yet and I'm pretty trustworthy, right?"
Everyone at the table nodded, but she got some weird feelings. The daughter of Rome knew they would never fully trust her. They were demigods and she was a goddess, it was natural for them to be suspicious of her. She just wished she could change that.
Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is-"
"Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."
Hazel's arms shook. A silver platter zoomed toward her and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs. "You... the great Jason Grace... the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..."
Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.
"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez. I should-"
"You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to wait.
"Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys,that was pretty cold."
Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"
"Her brother is dying," Piper said.
"I'll go talk to her," Frank insisted.
"No," Piper said. "Let her cool down first.Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."
"But..." Frank huffed like an irritated bear. "Fine. I'll wait."
Kassandra put her hands to her forehead. 'Please, please don't let the crew tear itself apart before we even leave North America,' she prayed.