Hades wasn't as happy as I thought he'd be, and I was more hungry than I thought I was. It was almost a lose-lose when he said we'd talk again in the morning. I assumed it would be about the transportation, but it didn't make trying to sleep any better.

The three of us were separately escorted by dead Soviet soldiers to three side-by-side rooms.

"Remember the rations we've got?" Diana had asked before we disappeared into our rooms. "Eat up. But only the stuff in your packs - don't be tempted by whatever could be in our rooms or we'll never leave here."

And then I was alone.

The small room should have scared me - I should have had another stupid attack because of my stupid phobia. But my mind was on two things and two things only; food, and sleeping on the small comfy-looking bed that was the only piece of furniture in the dark room.

~

I saw my dad for the first time when I dreamed that night.

Zeus was very tall, very muscular, and very scary. He had shoulder-length black hair and a neat beard, electrifying blue eyes, and a serious and handsome face. Though I'd expect a god to be wearing a chiton or some other Greek-looking thing, he was dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit. The smell of clean wind, rain, and ozone wafted off of him, and it was strangely comforting. His voice was the same as it ever was, though the anger behind it was long gone.

"You are doing well on your quest. It was smart how you--"

"Where were you?" I asked softly. He raised his bushy eyebrows in alarm at the question I hadn't realized I wanted to know the answer to.

We were in a garden of some sort - filled with strange and magnificent flowers I'd never seen before. I brought a metallic one into my fingers, but didn't waver my gaze from his eyes.

"For the thirteen years of my life, where were you? Knocking other women up and forgetting about me? And when you finally have the chance to claim me - you don't because you feel I need to prove myself?"

He inhaled deeply. The sun seemed to dim above us.

"Gods cannot interact with their children for certain reasons, as Chiron should have explained to you. But I believe I have every right to get you to prove yourself in order to be claimed as my daughter, whether I was there or not--"

"No." I decided. "You don't have that right. In fact, I think it best if you prove yourself to me. Make up for the whole 'hey, I'm your Dad, but you aren't worthy' thing. You aren't Thor, you can't tell me I'm not worthy!"

"Thor?" Zeus looked disgusted. "You bring him up? Why--" he must've seen my expression because he caught himself.

"I did not contact you so you could argue with me. I contacted you to tell you that I am proud of you in this moment. Do not fail me, or not being claimed won't be the worst thing that can happen to you."

And with that, he vanished and I had a nightmarish dream of being turned into a tree.

~

When I woke up, I somehow knew that it was morning. Of course, the only light source came from the fire in braisers around the temple, but they'd turned brighter since I went to sleep.

Eating my last granola bar (having finished everything else the night before), I strapped my dagger to my waist, fixed my hair, and grabbed my bag.

Outside my room, the same Soviet skeletons led Diana, Johnny and I back to Hades's throneroom, where the god of death himself held a poker face.

"The transportation," Diana said as soon as our ushers departed. "Is it ready?"

Hades nodded. I waited for him to tell us how we were getting to Russia, or to call down whatever mode of transportation he had in store.

He didn't.

Instead, he nodded again, and then stood from his throne.

"Y/N, a word? Alone?"

I swallowed a lump in my throat. Hades wanted to talk to me alone for what? Was something wrong?

But I agreed, and followed him to a side chamber.

"Yes, Lord Hades?"

~

I'm not sure what happened after that, or why I can't remember it, but the next thing I knew I was following him back into the throne room, holding my temples because of a killer headache.

Johnny looked alarmed, but didn't say anything.

"I will send you back to the world of the living," Hades, golden crown glimmering, informed. "Get food for your journey, as I'm sure you don't want anything from down here." He gave a cocky grin to Diana, who rolled her eyes when he looked away.

"In half an hour, my chariot will materialize in Valencia Central Valley Park. Don't be late, the horses won't wait longer than ten minutes before they start their route to Russia."

He kept explaining things, but since we got back it was like I was hearing what he was saying, but not listening. It's hard to describe...a wall of smoke between us...like I was in the backseat of my body...

Anyway, Hades threw something at us, and with a pulling at my navel we were above ground.

~

I missed the sun. It took a minute to get used to natural light again, but when I did, I couldn't get enough. Seeing the sky again cleared my mind almost immediately, and calmed me down a hell of a lot.

"We don't have any money." Diana pointed out solemnly. "How does he expect us to get food?"

But Johnny was focusing on me, instead. "Y/N, what did Hades say to you when he pulled you aside?"

I didn't answer.

I didn't know.

Deep down, something told me to drop the conversation; to change it.

"Diana's right. What are we going to do? We can't make a trip to Russia without food. I could barely survive last night."

We all turned to look at our surroundings, hoping an answer would pop out at us. I wasn't sure where we were, but there were lots of people and cars and shops and bakeries everywhere. Any ATMs I saw I quickly turned away from. None of us had credit cards, let alone bank accounts we could pull money from. Begging for money was no solution either. We'd never get enough for food, if we even got any. I was above pickpocketing, and none of us had that skill anyway; we weren't children of Hermes.

About to give up hope and head for the park on an empty stomach, Diana pointed at my hip.

"What's in your pocket?" She asked, pulling her long dark hair into a tight ponytail.

"Hmm?"

"Your pocket. There's a lump in your pocket."

Johnny followed her gaze, and I did too. Sticking my hand into my pocket, I pulled out a thick wad of american twenties. An explanation as to how I got the money came out of my mouth before it came to my mind.

"Hades gave it to me, when he pulled me aside."

"And you didn't bring it up sooner?" Johnny asked incredulously, taking the money out of my hand. "This is way more than we need to go grocery shopping. We can get fresh clothes with this, and we can even stop for McDonalds or something!"

"Let's split up," Diana decided, splitting the money and dividing it between us. "I'll get the groceries, Johnny can get the clothes, and Y/N can get stuff from the bakery. McDonalds is junk.

"I like this idea," Johnny agreed.

"Meet at the park as soon as you're finished. Be quick, because if you aren't there I'm leaving without you." Diana added.

Before I could argue about not wanting to split up, we already had.

~

I checked out the nearest bakery, hiding my forty-five dollars of split cash in my pockets. There were few people in the shop, though all of them seemed to be in the long line for service. To aliviate my boredom, I turned to look at the hanging TV.

Then, for the second time in a few days, my face fell slack while looking at the screen.

"Suspects Y/N Y/L/N and Johnny Overwood of Dorrianne Middle School in New York have been spotted several times as they've been making their way across the country." The newsman reported. "We have reason to believe that they are now hiding out in Los Angeles - police and crimestoppers encourages anyone who has knowledge on the incident to contact them immediately. These two individuals are dangerous; a week ago today on Monday the twelth, the two grade sevens viciously attacked their classmates at their annual volleyball event against their rival school. Four people were injured in the attack, and twelve others are being treated for insomnia as a result of it. Again, here are their pictures..."

My face flashed across the screen. The only thing I could hide behind was my unwashed and ratty hair.

Fortunately, nobody recognized me or even have me a second glance in line. At first.

See, a smart person like Diana would have left, ran to the park, and hid. Me? Those donuts smelled good; and I was ready to bet that nobody had even been listening to the news.

When I was one person away from the register, looking gleefully at the sweets in the display case and getting ready to order three breakfast meals, the old lady in front of me turned.

"I didn't think so at first," she said in a whisper, face void of expression. "Your smell was hidden by the stench of your filth, and something else...but I know now. Watch."

My heart dropped to my stomach as the fake old lady put on a fake scared expression and screamed a fake scream. "Oh dear! Oh my! It's the girl! The one from the news! Heeelllllllp, before she tries to hurt me, too!"

Her eyes flashed bright orange if only to confirm she was a monster. Why she didn't just attack me and instead started a commotion? I wasn't sure. But all I could focus on now were the dozen other people now staring at me and looking back at the TV to confirm the woman's theories.

"Holy Christmas nuts, Wayne! It is her!" A man said to his business partner behind me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said. They didn't look convinced.

"That's my evil twin." I tried. A guy got out his cellphone and started dialling the police.

"So...that's a no on the breakfast orders?" And I bolted for the door.

~

I barely made it across the street when the guy who must've been Wayne grabbed my arm and stopped me from running. Man, I regretted not joining cross country this year.

My free hand flew to my dagger, but then I remembered that he was a mortal, and I couldn't kill him. There were many people on the street, maybe if I screamed bloody murder they'd think I was being kidnapped and help me. Or maybe that would just get more people on my trail. Helplessly, I looked back at the tough-faced Wayne, whose mouth and chin looked oddly familiar.

His partner, whose name I did not get, ran to his side in a hurry. Everyone else from the bakery remained inside and across the street; I could see them all watching through the window, on their phones with the authorities. The old lady monster was gone.

"Is there any possible way you can let me go?" I asked, wondering how long I had before the horses flew away. "It's important that I, uh--"

"Rendezvous with your partner in crime, Johnny, to tell him that we're on his trail, too?"

"Richard," Wayne warned. "Don't talk to her that way." Then he fixed his steel gaze on me. "We're going to wait here until the authorities arrive. A lot of people have been looking for you. I'm glad we found you before you could do any more damage to people's lives."

A crazy plan formulated in my head, then. I wasn't sure I liked it, but it was the only plan I had. Doing this would only make things worse for me, and probably Johnny too, but getting to the park was more important; literally life or death.

"Wayne, Richard," I said. "I'd like to apologize--"

"We aren't the ones you need to apologize to. Those kids back at your school that you've traumatized; the parents of the girls on the volleyball team that you murdered, those are the people you need to say sorry to." Wayne said, grip still hard on my arm.

"You didn't let me finish." I replied. "I was saying, I'd like to apologize in advance, for the following."

In a quick moment, I pulled my free arm into a fist and launched it at Wayne's chin. As soon as he dropped my arm in shock, I kneed his sidekick, Richard, in the groin. Sprinting away as fast as I could, I turned my head over my shoulder to yell a last taunt, one that most definitely confirmed the news' stories that I was mentally ill and dangerous.

"Take that in your Christmas nuts!"