Hermes let his head fall back for a second and then made a face.

"Fine," Hermes said. Percy straightened up and started to sign for me.

"Your mother said to warn you that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods. As if I didn't know that. Why they pay her to be the wisdom goddess, I'm not sure."

"Anything else?" Annabeth asked before I could interrupt.

"She said you should try plan twenty-three. She said you would know what that meant."

Annabeth's face paled. Obviously she knew what it meant, and she didn't like it. "Go on."

"Last thing." Hermes looked at me. "She said to tell Percy: 'Remember the rivers.' And, um, something about staying away from her daughter."

I'm not sure whose face was redder: Annabeth's or Percy's. I sniggered. His dark eyes flicked to me.

"She also said, watch yourself demi god. If they find out your true secret, we are all doomed."

I opened my mouth to argue.

"Thank you, Hermes," Annabeth said cutting me off. Percy gave me a side eye and shook his head shary. I rolled my eyes, huffed and folded my arms

"And I... I wanted to say... I'm sorry about Luke." Annabeth said, her face showed the anguish her voice must have held.

The god's expression hardened like he'd turned to marble. "You should've left that subject alone."

Annabeth stepped back nervously. "Sorry?"

"SORRY doesn't cut it!"

"Ya well, your anger now doesn't help!" I signed. I reached forward and grabbed Annabeth and pulled he backwards.

George and Martha curled around the caduceus, which shimmered and changed into something that looked suspiciously like a high-voltage cattle prod.

I pushed Annabeth even further behind me. And I felt my hands burning, and the hot tingle running up my arms. The air around me began to heat up.

"You should've saved him when you had the chance," Hermes growled at Annabeth. "You're the only one who could have."

Percy tried to step between Annabeth and Hermes and me. "What are you talking about? Annabeth didn't-"

"Don't defend her, Jackson!" Hermes turned the cattle prod toward him. "She knows exactly what I'm talking about."

"Maybe you should blame yourself!" Percy yelled. His hands flew with a sudden anger.

Percy looked like he only realized now he should've kept his mouth shut. All I could think about was turning his attention away from Annabeth. This whole time, he hadn't been angry with me. He'd been angry with her.

"Maybe if you hadn't abandoned Luke and his mom!" I snarled. My hands had sparks as I signed, my hair was now glowing and I knew my eyes flickered with the fire that flowed through my veins. I was sure he was going to try and smite me. The heat rippled in front of me, forming a wall between me and Percy and Annabeth.

"Bring it!" I signed.

I was so ready to do something, to fight. I was so frustrated and angry and hurt and just so done. These gods sit in this big room arguing over who's the best, having kids left right and center, and ignoring the real problems they cause. And then expect us kids to clean the mess.

Hermes raised his cattle prod. He began to grow until he was ten feet tall. The heat around me rippled and the fire flowed hot through my veins. The symbols and ancient Greek and Roman words appeared on my skin, glowing gold. I knew my eyes flicked with fire.

There was a bright flash of sunlight. Apollo appeared in the thrown room. He was dressed in his accent combat gear; the same attire he had worn in the Sun Chariot when I saw him in my Sight dream.

"Hermes. Enough!" He roared, and stepped in front of Hermes. "You know you can't harm the girl. That would make Jackson upset and in turn, you would make My Sunbeam very very upset if something happened to her brother. And you do not want two powerful half-bloods angry with you."

Hermes rounded on Apollo now. "You plotted with Helios in making her untouchable! You planned this! Making an untouchable all powerful half blood! You know she's even more powerful then Jackson, and he's one of the forbidden big three!" Hermes pointed his cattle prod at Apollo now.

"Ya, 'cause you can reason with the crazy ol' gramps. I'm the god of prophecy, and I didn't see this coming!" Apollo rolled his eyes. "Come on Uncle Hermes. We're all hurting. These kids have a job to do. Remember who we are really fighting."

"Because you two have taken on the curse of Achilles, I must spare you. You are in the hands of the Fates now. But you will never speak to me like that again-"

"Then maybe get your head outta you a-"

Percy smacked my hands so I stopped. I glared at him for a second. Hermes didn't seem to notice.

"You have no idea how much I have sacrificed, how much-"

His voice must have broke, he looked away and his face crumpled in pain. He shrank back to human size. "My son, my greatest pride... my poor May..."

"Ya. Wow. Don't tell Connor or Travis or any of the rest of the cabin full of kids you have." I signed angry. "We've all had to sacrifice something." I glared at the god. My hands flew as I spoke. I wish with everything in me I could have yelled at him. He had no right to look so pitiful. But sparks were flying from my hands again, and my hair flowed in sheets of ripping heat, fire flowed hot and angry in my veins and flicked in my eyes. "My mother died in child birth, Apollo was forced to stay away from her to help. Every single one of your kids and every other demi god who has walked this earth has had to sacrifice something. For you. Every single fucken one of us. For YOU. So don't even start with me. You won't find any pity from me."

He looked so devastated now. Percy was gapping at me, Annabeth looked terrified, her mouth open and eyes huge. Apollo finally turned his eyes on me. His normal calm and gentle eyes were hard and angry, also flickering with a hot burning sun, they softened slightly as he looked at me.

"Ellie, my Sunray. Breathe."

He stepped through my heat and placed a hand on my shoulder and I wilted. One minute Hermes was ready to vaporize us. Now he looked like he needed a hug. I wasn't going to volunteer.

"Look, Lord Hermes," Percy said. "I'm sorry, but I need to know. What happened to May? She said something about Luke's fate, and her eyes- "

Hermes glared at me, and Percy's voice faltered while his hands slowly signed to a stop and he dropped his hands to his sides. The look on his face wasn't really anger, though. It was pain. Deep, incredible pain.

"I will leave you now," he said tightly. "I have a war to fight."

He began to shine. I turned away and Percy made sure Annabeth did the same, because she was still frozen in shock.

Hermes glowed with the light of a supernova. Then he was gone. Apollo turned to look at me, his hand was resting on my head for a second. And then signed, the room thundered and shook wildly.

"I must go before Zeus has me turned to a mortal and cast down to earth, to live like a mortal. Dreadful! Remember Ellie-Bear, I love you."

He glowed bright and I turned away. He was gone. Annabeth sat at the foot of her mother's throne and cried. She needed to be comforted but I wasn't sure how. She would probably stab me right now. I pointed to Percy and gestured for him to go over. His eyes went wide and I pointed at Annabeth again.

"GO!" I mouthed.

He groaned and started walking over.

"I hate you!" He signed.

"I know." I smiled at my brother. His face was pink, but he sat down beside her. I leaned on my father's throne and watched the exchange.

"Annabeth," he said, "it's not your fault. I've never seen Hermes act that way. I guess... I don't know... he probably feels guilty about Luke. Also Nora pissed him off pretty good."

I snorted in derision and rolled my eyes. Thanks, I thought, just throw me under the bus. But it was true. I pissed off another god. I was getting really good at it now. Annabeth lifted her tear streaked face and looked at both of us.

"He's looking for somebody to blame. They always are." I slowly walked closer as I signed. "I don't know why he lashed out at you. You didn't do anything to deserve that. It's true, I pissed him off."

Annabeth wiped her eyes. She stared at the hearth like it was her own funeral pyre.

Percy shifted uneasily. "Um, you didn't, right?" He asked and signed.

She didn't answer. Her Celestial bronze knife was strapped to her arm- the same knife I'd seen in Hestia's vision. The knife she had for the year is known her, and the years Percy had known her, I hadn't realized it was a gift from Luke. I'd asked Percy many times why she preferred to fight with a knife instead of a sword, and he said she never answered. Now I knew. It was from Luke.

"Percy," she said. "What did you mean about Luke's mother? Did you meet her?"

Percy nodded reluctantly. "Nico, Nora and I visited her. She was a little...different."

"She gives the Boho Hippy Grandma in the Big House Attic a run for her money in the creepy vibes department."

Annabeth frowned at me and then looked to Percy for more of an explanation. Percy described May Castellan, and the weird moment when her eyes had started to glow, and how I had a matching episode, both spewing green smoke and she talked about her son's fate.

Annabeth frowned. "That doesn't make sense. But why were you visiting-" Her eyes widened. "Hermes said you two bear the curse of Achilles. Hestia said the same thing. Did you...did you bathe in the River Styx?"

"Don't change the subject." Percy scoffed.

"Percy! Did you or not?"

"Um . . . maybe a little." Percy signed. He looked at her sheepishly.

"I did more then a month ago. After you were an ass after a war council."

"The first time you went missing and showed up with Nico!"

"Ahh there's those brains." I rolled my eyes.

"I knew something was different!"

"Good job. Want a sticker?"

Percy told her the story about our adventure, and Hades and Nico, and how we'd defeated an army of the dead. He hesitated for a second before he said I'd yanked him out of the water.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"Yes. We did."

"We had no choice," Percy added. "It's the only way Nora and I can stand up to Luke."

"You mean... di immortales, of course! That's why Luke didn't die. He went to the Styx and... Oh no, Luke. What were you thinking?"

"So now you're worried about Luke again," Percy grumbled. He didn't sign it, but the dark hurt look on his face was clear and I could read his lips. I agreed. I crossed my arms and glared at Annabeth.

She stared at him like he'd just dropped from space. "What?"

"Forget it," he muttered.

I watched her for a moment, she seemed flustered. I zeroed in on her vital signs. She was swallowing a lot more, she was chewing her lip, her heart was beating faster and her breathing was quicker then it should be. I wondered what Hermes had meant about Annabeth not saving Luke when she'd had the chance. Clearly, she wasn't telling us something. But at the moment I wasn't in the mood to ask. And it looked like Percy wasn't either. The last thing I wanted to hear about was more of her history with Luke. Luke chose his side. End of story.

Same with Raph. He chose his side. End of story. My heart hurt again. I had taken a dam curse for him, and he leaves me hanging. My hands formed fists and I felt my nails dig in.

"The point is he didn't die in the Styx," Percy signed, catching my attention back. "Neither did I. Or Nora. Now I have to face him. We have to defend Olympus."

"Ya...about that." Her eyes flicked to me and narrowed. "Why did you have to bath in the Styx. I get Percy...he's got a prophecy...but you? Also... everyone keeps saying if they knew who you really are." She had got to her feet. I hadn't moved, leaning on the chair beside me. I just watched her angrily sign.

"I'm part Titan." I signed back lazily. "I have Titan blood in me. Are you happy now?"

She gapped at me. 'How...how is that possible?" She rounded on Percy. "you knew?"

Percy simply nodded.

"That's...that's why Kronos is so adimet he gets his hands on you! You are a better host for his body!"

I just nodded again. I could see the wheels spinning.

"Before you get all we can still save Luke, or get all suspicious, just stop already Annabeth."

I was exhausted.

"Seriously, what do I have to do to finally prove I'm on your side. I'm on the demi gods side. No, I don't agree with how the gods run things, Percy isn't either. A lot of us aren't. But Kronos is by far the worse choise. He's already tried to convince me to willingly choose him. I fought him instead and then came to camp and fought at the Labyrinth. I fought him again on the ship and saved Percy and did my fucken best to save Beckendorf. I'm here now, willing to throw my life down for my family, my siblings."

I could feel the anger melting away and the exhausted hurt was finally surfacing. I could feel the twist of the knife in my heart again because Raph chose pride of me, because for some reason Annabeth hated me and I didn't know why, because I had to leave my best friend down in the underworld with a godly parent who berated him for being something he's not. All the hurt from being looked at like a freak and outcast.

"All I've ever done is my best to keep my friends and family alive, and try and find a place in this messed up demi god life." I signed. I could feel the tears threatening to fall. I took a shuddering breath. "I'm done trying to prove to you I'm on your side." I turned to Percy. "Find me when your done. I'll be downstairs."

I turned and left the room. I didn't look back, but I started to walk down the path when I spotted someone running towards me, arms waving frantically. I picked up my speed and started running towards Kayla. I slid to a stop, she looked worried.

"You need to see this."

I nodded and followed her. "So? Good news?"

I looked sharply at her, but I could see in her face she knew it wasn't. I just shook my head. I wasn't ready to explain the emotional upheaval that happened in the throne room with Hermes, Apollo, Percy and Annabeth. Kayla didn't say anything but linked my arm and gave my arm a squeeze. She led me over to a group of campers. Just as I got there Percy and Annabeth and Connor.

"You left this." Percy signed and handed me my helmet. I just nodded, taking it back from him.

The blue lights in the sky had stopped, so at first I didn't understand what the problem was.

The other campers had gathered in a small park at the edge of the mountain. They were clustered at the guardrail, looking down at Manhattan. The railing was lined with those tourist binoculars, where you could deposit one golden drachma and see the city. Campers were using every single one.

I looked down at the city. I could see almost everything from here-the East River and the Hudson River carving the shape of Manhattan, the grid of streets, the lights of skyscrapers, the dark stretch of Central Park in the north. Everything looked normal, but something was wrong. I felt it in my bones.

"I don't...hear anything," Annabeth said.

"Same." I signed.

Percy gave me a twisted grin before it slid off his face and into worry.

"What did they do?" Percy asked, his hands shook, and his face pulled into an angry glower. "What did they do to my city?"

I pushed Michael Yew away from the binoculars and took a look.

In the streets below, traffic had stopped. Pedestrians were lying on the sidewalks, or curled up in doorways. There was no sign of violence, no wrecks, nothing like that. It was as if all the people in New York had simply decided to stop whatever they were doing and pass out. I pulled away to let Percy see.

"Are they dead?" Silena asked in astonishment.

I shook my head, remembering what Nico and Grover had said. "You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event." Ice coated my stomach. A line from Percy's dark prophecy rang in my head: And see the world in endless sleep. I caught Percy's eye and had a silent conversation.

"Not dead," I signed.

"Morpheus has put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started." Percy stated.

I felt a ripple of fear go through the group.

🔆

We're getting closer to the actual battle of Manhattan!

Is it making scene?!? Please someone tell me it makes sense! 😕