The moment Circe vanished, Reyna barked, "Gather up your comrades and get to the minister's house!"

Funny how she made "comrades" sound like noble people who'd died in battle. She was actually referring to the people who got turned into guinea pigs.

Chris Rodriguez scooped up Clarisse the little shrew, who had been letting out adorable noises and trying to pick up her spear.

Hazel put Katie the mouse and Michael Kahale the turtle into her loose pocket.

Travis pulled out his dangerous bag of tricks and put in Connor and Argus, also guinea pigs. "Don't worry little bro, and um, Argus. I'll keep you safe, just don't touch the land mine in there."

In seconds, everyone was ready to go. Drew and Mitchell had carried Lacy's body to lay against the destroyed truck, with one of the Hecate kids, Magea, who had been killed as well.

Hylla was already racing down the street, "We may only have seconds! Circe no doubt fought us then disappeared so she could weirdly marry this guy while we were out here tired and wondering where'd she gone!"

In unison they all sprinted straight through the door. There were no guards, and the padlocked gate was ripped straight off its hinges by Hylla.

When they neared the door Mitchell said hesitantly, "Um, what about traps—"

Reyna kicked the door open without a second thought. "We have no time for traps."

The place looked completely peaceful, except for the demigods in full battle armor charging through.

They paused at the foyer to decide where to go. The place was huge.

"Did the newspapers hint at anything?" Drew asked.

"No," Chris shook his head, "all it said was that the wedding's today. The reporters are all confused because no other information was ever announced."

"Hazel?" Reyna asked.

"No activity underground, but if Nyx is still here she could be blocking something. Circe's magic could be as well."

Clovis yawned, "Had a dream that they're in the drawing room."

Bella, Artemis's co-lieutenant, stared at him in disbelief, "When did you have this dream?"

"While we were fighting?" he answered, confused.

"..."

"I think Dad was forcing me to sleep or something...so I'd have this dream. He was helping us."

While Bella and Kayla did some more glaring, Travis pulled out the floor plan for 10 Downing Street. He trailed his finger across the path they had to take, "Drawing room's this way."

While they ran, Miranda asked, "Where did you get that?"

"Online," he replied, grinning from ear to ear.

They peeked inside the drawing room. It was empty.

"Hm..." Clovis said. "I was so sure—I mean it looks just like my dream."

"Maybe it was an actual made-up dream," Miranda grumbled. "And you're just really good at dreaming."

Hazel was still looking in, "Hush." They quieted, and after a few seconds she murmured, "I knew it. It's an enchantment. Lou and Crius? Help me."

The two other Hecate kids stepped forward and worked their magic. The three of them gathered at the door and whispered stuff.

The only Apollo healer mended Miranda's broken arm while she muttered something about how she wished Sherman were here.

The Hunters were taking calming breaths and loading their bows.

Hylla sort of glanced at everyone and tried to wait patiently. She and Reyna were positively itching for battle.

Drew figured out how to hold her dagger.

Chris petted Clarisse the Shrew.

"Almost," Hazel whispered, then the empty room vanished, being replaced by....

...rubble?

Or, in other words, the ruins in Athens.

The scene was so bizarre, they took a few seconds to even react.

"Just throw the apple to me," Circe murmured, "come on now."

The prime minister, a tall and worried-looking man, hesitantly tossed an apple at her.

"There!" she cried. "Now we're engaged, I mean as long as you believe you're in Greece this will work."

Then one of her attendants spotted the demigods, "HEY!"

Circe whipped her head around. Then she snapped her fingers, and a wall of water appeared, blocking their way. It stretched from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Something like this had definitely been prepared before-hand.

Miranda snorted and stepped towards it. Chris tried to grab her, but she stormed straight into it. Even though she went right through, she couldn't get out to the other side. The light and liquid seemed to warp and twist, making it so that she was either walking in place or walking around in a gigantic water bubble but they just couldn't tell.

Circe's voice could still be heard slightly from the other room, "Finally arrived? Try getting through that half-bloods! And don't even try breaking through the other walls like bulldozing maniacs, you'll end up in water."

The demigods were kneeling and trying to see if they could move the water somehow (hey they were running out of ideas), and Miranda gave them a terrified wide-eyed look. She couldn't get out.

"Miranda!" Hylla threw an arm into the water, reaching for her. Miranda was pushing towards her, but her hand couldn't quite extend far enough.

Katie was squeaking and trying to get out of Hazel's pocket. "No shh," Hazel soothed, "she'll be fine." She turned to the water and concentrated on stripping its magic, but there was no effect as far as they could see. "It's connected to Circe," she reported, "maybe if we got her to touch it..."

Hylla pushed in farther, and Reyna held her sister's other arm in case she got pulled in too. "Hazel, try at the corners! Everyone else, distract Circe! I'm talking to you, Drew!"

Drew panicked, "I literally just ran a mile! And used a whole lot of charmspeak, hon! I can't do it again!"

Reyna didn't reply, but turned her worried eyes to Miranda.

Miranda had just touched Hylla's finger when she broke into a fit of coughing, bubbles floating to the surface as she got the water went into her mouth and lungs.

"No! Come on!" Hylla bent down and her hand closed around Miranda's wrist, but when she pulled out, her hand was empty. She gasped. "Miranda!"

The daughter of Demeter stumbled backwards, the bubbles gone. She began floating to the ceiling, since her arms weren't windmilling to keep her down anymore. Katie was squeaking, and Hazel was pressing her lips together, a tear going down her cheek.

Travis dropped his bag made a grab for her leg, and Kayla shot a lasso arrow, but the refraction, or the magic of the water, made both go straight through her.

"Miranda!" Travis shouted. "Dam it your half-sister's going to kill me! Come on!"

She didn't respond, and a tiny bubble escaped from her mouth as she closed her eyes.

"You're cool!" he tried. "Get outta there! Do it for Sherman!"

"Travis Stoll," Reyna said tightly, yanking Hylla out of the water, "stop it."

"But...but..."

She flipped her braided hair back and stood up, her straight pose radiating the fact that she was praetor, "She's gone. So distract Circe. Yell at her. Do something to make her lose concentration. It is the only way to avenge her."

He nodded.

Circe wasn't in a rush before, but she was now. "Hurry up!" Circe shrieked to her attendant. The girl rushed up to her, and poured a vase of water over her head.

"Hey, that's part of the wedding ritual in Greece," Drew said.

"She's pretty," Clovis muttered. "I mean, she's right."

Two of the attendants were watching the demigods. They weren't as energetic as before, but did a good job summoning objects and animals to torment them.

Hazel batted away a rabid vampire bunny and opened a fissure in the ground, but it didn't seem to appear where she wanted it to, because her eyebrows went up in confusion when it showed up a yard away from Circe, then filled up with water.

"This is giving me a migraine," Clovis moaned. "This place is practically bursting with crazy magic."

"Almost nightfall!" Circe yelled. She snapped her fingers, and her robes changed to a newer pair that was exactly the same, but with a random veil covering her face.

"So much for being a fashionable spa owner," Drew sniffed, "wearing the same outfit twice. And what is it with that veil? Doesn't even match."

"Yeah," Mitchell agreed. Then: "That's not the point."

"It's the shoes, right?" she asked.

"Well—"

"HEY CIRCE!" Hylla yelled. "Did the pirates burn down your sense of style as well?"

"Don't try to distract me," the sorceress snapped back. "Now, Mr. Minister-whatever-your-name-is, just give me those gifts—"

Lou and Crius were enchanting one of the Hunter's arrows while Hazel worked on the water. "Here," Lou tossed it at Bella, who discreetly loaded it.

"Hey wait," Travis muttered. "I got an idea. Make some sunlight will you?"

Lou gaped at him, "Wot?"

"I dunno, Iris Messages might confuse her."

Crius snorted a little, "Ask Tristan or Sky."

Bella glared at Travis with distaste, "Make it fast."

Travis conversed with Tristan, and Crius started enchanting one of Sky's arrows. Hazel continued to open little holes everywhere, but they weren't appearing where she wanted them to, and the attendants were filling them up again as soon as they appeared.

Everyone else yelled the randomest things at Circe.

"Oh gods look behind you!" Chris shrieked.

Hylla broke off the door and threw it into the water. It was a bit extreme, but Circe did turn around and stare for two seconds.

Clovis yawned, "You wanna sleep Circe?"

"You're ugly, hon!" Drew screamed at her. "You'll never find a boyfriend!"

"Or a girlfriend!" Mitchell added.

"Not even a fugly one!"

"I ship Pasiphaë and the bull!"

Circe spun to face him with inhuman speed, and her eyes burned holes in Mitchell's skull. "Excuse me? Do not insult Pasiphaë!" She thrust out one hand, and a snake made of ropes poofed into existence, already wrapping around his legs.

"Yikes!" he yelped.

"Hold still you imbecile!" Drew tried to hack it away. "YOU BRAINLESS IDIOT I said hold still!"

Chris was rushing over to help, but before he could Sky shot an arrow into the center of the water. Since the attendants and Circe were distracted by Mitchell's frantic jumping around, they couldn't stop it.

Cover your ears, Sky mouthed. She'd spun around instantly after shooting to look at her friends, looking victorious.

Circe paused for just a second, then said in singsong, "You're getting desperate demigods! What was that sup—"

BOOM!!

A massive shockwave of sound shattered the magic. It was like twenty banshees howling in unison.

All the magic animals vaporized, all glass present shattered, the attendants and the minister fainted, and Circe fell onto her butt, staring at them in shock.

"Oww," Hylla moaned.

Water vapor was clouding the entire room, making it feel very humid.

Circe was the first to struggle to her feet, "I...what..."

"T-Tristan—" Travis managed, wincing.

Tristan closed her eyes and put her hands together, lips moving in the quickest prayer in all of history. She opened her palm, and a beam of sunlight burst out, lighting the whole room.

Clovis opened his eyes groggily, "Rainbows."

It was true, there were rainbows everywhere.

Travis threw two drachmas into the mist, "IRIS ACCEPT THIS!! DIONYSIUS AT CAMP HALF-BLOOD!!"

"What are you saying?" Circe wailed, holding her ears in pain. She was blinking rapidly as well, as if clearing black spots.

Dionysius appeared, numerous faces appearing throughout the whole room.

"Interesting," he said, sipping Diet Coke. He belched.

"Urghhh! I have no wish to see your face!" Circe screamed. The water was collecting again, trying to quickly build the wall that was there before. She raised one hand to swipe the message, but Hazel jumped forward, "NO STOP!"

Circe paused, confused, "Why should I listen to you, girl?"

Mr. D sloshed some Coke onto his tiger-patterned shirt, "Yeah, why you little brat?"

"Hazel?" Travis said in disbelief. "My plan was to—"

But Hazel shushed him. She'd noticed something they hadn't. "You'll destroy the water barrier if you swipe the IM," Hazel said.

"Why thank you," Circe put her hand down, still glaring at them suspiciously.

Tristan's sunlight shut off, and Mr. D disappeared. The water collected and was almost clear again.

Circe shook her head and spread her hands, pink mist billowing out of her. "Whatever! You helped me with one thing, but you've ruined everything else!"

"Hazel..." Reyna muttered, shaking out of her daze. "I do hope you have a plan."

"Just a few more seconds."

Exactly three seconds later, Hazel stole some of Circe's pink mist and made it white, covering the prime minister, who reappeared on their side.

"What?" Clovis yawned.

A second BOOM shook the floor. This one was much more lethal.

When the dust had settled, only half of the drawing room had been destroyed. The water barrier was gone. So were the sorceresses. Maybe they were even dead.

"What happened?" Mitchell asked, no longer freaked out about the rope-snake. "Hello? Someone tell me what just happened."

In reply, Hazel pointed at two little guinea pigs, who managed to look both very smug and very adorable at the same time.

Argus and Connor.

"What?" Drew snapped. "Tell me what those rats did!"

Connor scurried over to his brother's bag and patted it.

Travis picked it up, "Wait a minute! Where's the land mine?!"

• • •

FINALLY DONE!!

I probably don't deserve any happy wishes, but today's my birthday ^_^