I dreamed I was on the porch of Rachel's beach house in St. Thomas. The sun was rising over the Caribbean. Dozens of wooded islands dotted the sea, and white sails cut across the water. Rachel's parents sat at the patio table while a personal chef fixed them omelets. Mr. Dare was dressed in a white linen suit. It was weird now knowing he was my actual uncle. He seemed very different from the picture everyone painted of my mother. He was reading The Wall Street Journal. The lady across the table was probably Mrs. Dare, though all I could see of her were hot pink fingernails and the cover of Condé Nast Traveler. Why she'd be reading about vacations while she was on vacation, I wasn't sure.

Rachel stood at the porch railing and sighed. She wore Bermuda shorts and her van Gogh T-shirt. Now that I knew we were cousins, I studied her; we had the same shaped eyes, red hair and freckles. We were both on the shorter side, same athletic build, and love for art- maybe that was the Apollo/Delphi influence. 

Then the scene changed abruptly. I was in St. Louis, standing downtown under the Arch. Over the city, a thunderstorm boiled; a wall of absolute black with lightning streaking across the sky. A few blocks away, swarms of emergency vehicles gathered with their lights flashing. A column of dust rose from a mound of rubble, which I realized was a collapsed skyscraper.

A nearby reporter was yelling into her microphone: "Officials are describing this as a structural failure, Dan, though no one seems to know if it is related to the storm conditions."

Wind whipped her hair. The temperature was dropping rapidly, like ten degrees just since I'd been standing there.

"Thankfully, the building had been abandoned for demolition," she said. "But police have evacuated all nearby buildings for fear the collapse might trigger-"

She faltered as a mighty groan cut through the dark sky. A blast of lightning hit the center of the darkness. The entire city shook. The air glowed, and every hair on my body stood up. The blast was so powerful I knew it could only be one thing: Zeus's master bolt. It should have vaporized its target, but the dark cloud only staggered backward. A smoky fist appeared out of the clouds. It smashed another tower, and the whole thing collapsed like children's blocks.

The reporter screamed. People ran through the streets. Emergency lights flashed. I saw a streak of silver in the sky; a chariot pulled by reindeer, but it wasn't Santa Claus driving. It was Artemis, riding the storm, shooting shafts of moonlight into the darkness. A fiery golden comet crossed her path... maybe Apollo, but then the golden flash flew away from the fight.

One thing was clear: Typhon had made it to the Mississippi River. He was halfway across the U.S., leaving destruction in his wake, and the gods were barely slowing him down. There was another smokey fist that swung it was coming my way and I yelped. I turned to run but plopped down in soft chair, it was covered in dark leather. I blinked a few times, it was incredibly bright, so bright my eyes watered, it took me a second to adjust. 

A tanned hand waved in front of my face. I looked around confused. I was sitting in the passenger seat of the Sun Car with Apollo. 

"Dad!" I yelped.

"Hello Ellie, my little ray of sunlight! How ya doing?" He flashed me his normal dazzling smile, but I could see how tiered he looked. He was dressed in his full battle gear, his helmet sat discarded at my feet and he had a streak of soot on his face. I didn't care we were in the car, I leaned over and gave him a hug. He threw an arm around me and gave me an awkward side hug. 

"We don't have much time. Zeus has let me come to bring the sun into the sky, but I must get back to the fight." He had one hand on the wheel and kept one hand clamped tightly around mine, like he was just as desperate to hold my hand as I was his. Like he had to remind himself his children where still there.

"Okay. Wait...how am I taking?" 

"You're not actually here, your body is still physically in Hade's dungeon with Percy, this is like The Sight. Anyways, you manifested yourself here. There is something bothering you." 

"My mother, and May Castellan...the Spirit of Delphi." 

I saw a shadow pass over his normally bright happy face. He just nodded. I explained quickly what happened with the Oracle and me last year, what happened in the kitchen with Ms. Castellan and then what my dad told me about my mom. 

"Hmm, yes. You're a smart kid, Ellie, I'm sure you can piece together what happened to Luke's mother." 

"She tried to take the spirit of Delphi?" 

Apollo nodded grimly. "We warned her. No mortal has taken the spirit since she was cursed, and no woman with child has taken the spirit." 

"What about my mother though? She had the gift!" I protested. 

"She did indeed, even more then May. But she never tried to possess the spirit, she was already pregnant with you. But I do think she would have been able to host the spirit." 

"Why's that?" 

"Your mother...The Dare's are descendants of Pythia, she was the high priestess of my temple at Delphi in Greece." 

"What? No way! We're descendants of the actual original oracle? That's cool." 

"Indeed, my Ray of Sunshine. It is nifty, as the kids say these days." 

"Uhh we don't say that anymore dad, we aren't from the 50's or something." I rolled my eyes. 

"Huh. Well...anyways, yes your mother was a direct descendant, which is why she was so gifted. Which is why you are gifted with The Sight."

"It has nothing to do with you, or Helios or Sol being the god of like seeing everything?" 

"It may very well aid in your abilities. But think my little Ellie, the Oracle has been cursed for a long time, and yet you haven't gone crazy when she breathed into you." 

"Haven't I though? I willingly swam in the Styx...and I'm willing to go fight Kronos! I think that's pretty crazy." 

He nodded  thoughtfully. "Nah, just means your brave and will do what it takes. I'm proud of that, Ellie. Now next question." 

"What actually happened to my mom? I know she died in child birth...but there is something more to this! And I know it has to to with her gift and this broken Oracle." 

"I- I don't....I don't know." Apollo sighed, I heard the break in his voice. He sniffed and looked out the side window for a second, before looking back out the front windshield. I mulled over it. 

"You really did love her, didn't you." It was more of a statement, a realization for myself. I kind of knew it, but after seeing some other gods and their mortal love interests it was hard to imagine them actually fully loving them. Hades did seem to love his mortal wives in his own weird twisted and broken way, they way Poseidon loved Sally and Percy... 

"Yes. I really did. When her life was threatened because of me, I did the hardest thing I have ever done, I left. I left her and my child. I fought and did actual work to figure out what was threating her life, and then when I heard her life was in danger again and she was having you, I was physically incapable of getting close! I tried, but I couldn't, I physically couldn't." 

"But... your a god! What do you mean you couldn't?" 

"I don't know my little chickadee, something physically prevented me from being close, from saving her. When you were born I did put a blessing on you, to prevent any harm done to you... Once I knew Paul was going to be taking you home, I made him promise on the River Styx to keep you safe and not tell you any of this until the time was right. I needed you safe, and not to fall into the same fait as your mother." 

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. 

"How come the others don't worry about their mortal love interests and children as much? If they did we wouldn't have this war!" 

"I do not know my sweet pea." 

"It's so stupid! Zeus needs to step back and chill, respect Hades, everyone claim their kids then boom, no more war! Stupid. But nooo. Now we need to fight this stupid war." 

"I know, Ellie girl. There are a few of us who think the same." 

"Okay, you gotta know that this whole Typhon thing is a trick! Kronos is gonna try something else! He pulled you all away from Olympus! Leaving it vulnerable!" 

"You make a wonderful point, my love. I'll bring this up with Zeus." 

I leaned my head my head on his shoulder. He leaned over and kissed the top of m head. 

"Our time is almost up, Pumpkin. I need to know, how are the rest of your siblings?" 

I huffed and slumped in the chair. 

"Dad, their all being dumb!" 

I quickly explained the situation with Eos's chariot and what I did to it.

"I may have to have a chat with Michael as well. I do not like this, any other time maybe, Ares is over reacting and a big baby when it comes to everything being fare and equal." 

"Sure, any other time fight it out, whatever, but now they aren't even coming to help! Dad, Raph chose them! He chose the stupid chariot over me!" 

He frowned and looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry my Sunbeam, that is some-"

"Nora!" someone hissed. I jerked around, lashing out blindly. I blinked and I was back in the dark cell. 

Percy had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.

"Want . . . to . . . rescue," he choked.

Anger woke me up fast as Percy snarled in his face. 

"Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?"

"No . . . choice?" he gagged.

I scrambled to my feet, the sleep replaced by a sudden fierce protectiveness. I lunged at Percy and slammed my shoulder into him and he rolled off Nico. He curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. I stood over him protectively as I narrowed my eyes at Percy. Finally he got to his feet, eyeing Percy's sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. 

"Look if he wanted to actually kill you, he would have killed you while we slept, and even after you tried to strangle him, his sword is put away. So put that dam thing down, I don't want to vaporize you." 

Percy narrowed his eyes and capped his pen, "What's with you and your logic thinking?" 

"Must be a girl thing." I rolled my eyes. 

"We have to get out of here," Nico said.

"Why?" Percy snapped. "Does your dad want to talk to me again?" 

He winced. "Percy, I swear on the River Styx, I didn't know what he was planning."

"You know what your dad is like!"

"He tricked me! He promised-" Nico held up his hands. "Look... right now, we need to leave. I put the guards to sleep, but it won't last."

"Do you trust me Percy?" I challenged. 

"Yeah."

"Good." I turned to Nico, "Great, how do we get out out of here?" 

He pointed to the solid wall, a whole section vanished, revealing a corridor.

"Come on." Nico led the way.

"Well that's a cool trick!" I grinned. I followed without hesitation, Percy however hesitated for a slit second, but came along. I wondered how we were going to get out of here, last time Persephone zapped me to the rive, this time we had to sneak, and the castle was full of skeleton guards. Nico took care of this. Every time we came to a skeleton guard, Nico just pointed at it, and its glowing eyes dimmed. Unfortunately, the more Nico did it, the more tired he seemed. We walked through a maze of corridors filled with guards. By the time we reached a kitchen staffed by skeletal cooks and servants, I was practically carrying Nico. He managed to put all the dead to sleep but nearly passed out himself. I dragged him out of the servants' entrance and into the Fields of Asphodel. Percy grabbed his other arm and swung it over his own. I almost felt relieved until I heard the sound of bronze gongs high in the castle.

"Alarms," Nico murmured sleepily.

"What do we do?"

He yawned then frowned like he was trying to remember. "How about . . . run?"

Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a three-legged race with a life-size rag doll. I lugged him along, Percy held his sword in front of us.  I pulled my own blade out, and held it, just in case, but my body was doing the weird glowing thing again, maybe because I had sunlight in my veins, I glowed like this in the land of the dead. The spirits of the dead made way like the Celestial bronze was a blazing fire. When they tried to look at me, they hissed and held hands over their faces. 

The sound of gongs rolled across the fields. Ahead loomed the walls of Erebos, but the longer we walked, the farther away they seemed. I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I heard a familiar "WOOOOOF!" 

Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere and ran circles around us, ready to play. 

"Good girl.'" I said. She laid down on her belly.

"Can you give us a ride to the Styx?" Percy asked. The word Styx got her excited. She probably thought I meant sticks. She jumped a few times, chased her tail just to teach it who was boss, and then calmed down enough for me to push Nico onto her back. Percy climbing on, he sat in front, and I sat behind Nico, to make sure he wouldn't fall. He immediately flopped back and leaned into my chest, his eyes rolling in his head. 

"Come on, stay with me Nico! Don't pass out now!"

"Wouldn't.... dr-dream of it..." 

She raced toward the gates. She leaped straight over the EZ-DEATH line, sending guards sprawling and causing more alarms to blare. Cerberus barked, but he sounded more excited than angry, like: Can I play too?

Fortunately, he didn't follow us, and Mrs. O'Leary kept running. She didn't stop until we were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.

Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary's back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.

I took out a square of ambrosia- part of the emergency god-food I always kept with me. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.

"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."

"Your powers drain you too much," I noted.

He nodded sleepily. "With great power . . . comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."

"Whoa, zombie dude." Percy caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do." 

I fed him the last of my ambrosia, which was a little dangerous. The stuff can heal demigods, but it can also burn us to ashes if we eat too much. Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. Nico shook his head a few times and struggled to his feet.

"My father will be coming soon," he said. "We should hurry."

"So . . . I just jump in?"

"No. You have to prepare yourself first," I said, 

"Or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."

"Well that's a pleasant thought." 

"Perc. This is serious! It hurt like hell until I figured out what anchored me. 

Nico nodded, "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to-"

"Seriously?" I threw my arms up in annoyance. 

"Achilles," I said.

Percy spun around and I heard a gasp of surprise from him. Nico stiffened, but didn't say anything. 

"Seriously? You're Achilles?" Percy gapped, he finally looked down. 

The ghost rolled his eyes and held his leg up, the one with the arrow sticking out of his ankle.

The ghost nodded. "I warned the other two not to follow my path. Now I will warn you."

"Luke and Nora?" 

He just blinked. It was like he was only programmed for a few answers, and anything else made his mind glitch. 

"Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."

"I'll die with an arrow in my ankle? Can I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."

He blinked at Percy and then looked at me and then back at Percy. 

"She asked the same thing." 

"Were siblings." I called, while Achilles blinked again and then nodded, going on with his speech. 

"The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!" 

"I have to," he said. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance." I could hear the desperation in his voice. He was scared, clearly, who wouldn't be scared in this situation? But like he said, we had no choice, we had to do this so we stood some chance. 

Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."

"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?"

"I already asked that. He wouldn't tell me." I grumbled under my breath. I huffed and crossed my arms and chewed my cheek moodily. 

Achilles scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!" He vanished. 

"Cheerful dude. Very helpful indeed." 

"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."

"This was your idea."

"I know, but now that we're here...and wen I saw Nora come out-"

"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me . . . Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."

"Percy, stop being so dam dramatic." I rolled my eyes. "Just, find a spot of your body that will keep you anchored to reality, and then concentrate on that spot and like a cord or rope or something."

"You did that?" 

I nodded, as I sat down on the beach, I tossed a bone for Miss O'Leary. Nico sat down beside me, still looking pale and shaky. "One spot, like Achilles heel kept him mortal, and you can be killed in that spot. No spot is perfect, but maybe something that's hard to reach, like behind amour or something, just not like your ankle or armpit or something..." 

He closed his eyes and concentrated. Before he changed his mind he pulled his shoes off and stepped into the river. His body spasmed and he fell face first into the river.