I was frozen in a silent scream of pain. Kronos's hand gripped my head so hard it felt like he was going to squish my head like a grape. I was transported back to the past, to the same spot, almost 17 years ago.

Apollo was  standing in the middle of the room, the gods all around him, but it was the look on Zeus and Hera's faces that made me want to cower. Apollo didn't seem to even notice. His big blue eyes were glassy and far away, a dreamy smile on his face. He was in the middle of talking.

"...Evangeline Grace Dare...."  He stood smiling for a few seconds. He shook his head. "You would be wise to leave her alone father and you too, Hera." 

"She can make things infinitely worse! She's already powerful in seeing through the mist!" Hera warned. 

"And? She can lift the curse." Apollo countered. 

"Maybe it would be best to leave the curse in place!" Zeus muttered. "That accursed oracle!" 

"FATHER!" Apollo cried, he looked genuinely hurt and shocked. "That is my gift! That is something I am in charge of! What would you say if I said 'oh good, maybe thunder is best left locked away and never to be used!" 

The room shook with thunder and Zeus roared in anger. 

"Then you should know!" Apollo cried, he looked like a 16 year old kid crying to his parents how much he loves a girl they said he couldn't date. "I love her! And there is nothing you can do about it!" He spun on his heel and fled the room. 

"He is going to make a mess of everything!" Hera pouted. She rounded on Zeus. "This is your fault!" 

"Mine?" He cried. "How is this my fault!" 

"He is not MY child!" She gave a very pointed look to Artemis who rolled her eyes, and left the throne room after her brother. She turned back to Zeus, "Well?" 

"Well what, woman?" He huffed. 

"What are you going to do about this?" Hera swept her hand towards the door where Apollo had taken off. 

"Nothing." When he saw Hera's venomous look, "For now." He added. 

"Of course you won't." She grumbled, staring off after the boy. She narrowed her eyes, "It's always left to me to save this accursed family." She straightened up and stood up, and walked swiftly out of the room. 

I followed Hera and she followed behind Apollo. Who had gotten into the sun car and started the engine. Hera stormed up to the car and stood with her arms crossed.

"Are you seriously going to see that mortal?"

"Yes. Yes I am. But first I'm going to go visit gramps. He was never quarrelsome like this accursed family! All you do is biker and argue."

"What about a second date with the beautiful Hecate?"

"She is not Evangeline. No one will ever compete to her beauty and grace. Get over it Step Mother. I love her. End of story."

Apollo put his sunglasses on and revved the car engine as Hera tried talking again. He cranked the music and sped out of the Olympus parking lot, leaving behind a set of black tire treds and a few small smoldering flames. Hera coughed and waved a hand, trying to clear the smoke.

"Oh this is not over. You mark my words boy!" She snarled. She spun on her heels and stormed away.

The scene changed. It was night time and I recognized the tall figure of Hera standing behind a statue, one of her holly cows. She was whispering urgently with someone.

"Yes. He has spurred your advances and crushed your feelings. He has made a grave error in whispering sweet promises to you and then dashing your hopes."

"I have sworn off men for quite some time since then..." A voice hisses back. It was full of venim and pain.

"Yes! He promises you the world...then rips it away. He has gona after the mortal-"

"The descendant of Python?"

"The very one. The one who could bring ruin to our rein! The one who dipped your happily ever after away."

There was a pause. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I am the goddess of marriage and family. I am grieved and in pain seeing my family ripped apart by...by some mortal hussy! She bats her eyes and draws a few pictures and suddenly the man you love, the god who promised you the sun, is head over heels for her!"

"I must be avenged!"

"Yes, my child... However he is an Olympian. He is strong and powerful. We must proceed with caution. We must seek more help, but we must be careful about this."

"What did you have in mind?"

The scene changed.

I was standing in the garden throne room of Hades Palace. Hades sat on his throne of white bone. His arms crossed and his jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed and they flamed purple.

"You can't possibly be asking me to help you."

"Indeed it seems we have come to the conclusion...we can only get this done if we ha e your help."

"Really? You? Hera, Queen of the Olympians...the wife of the mighty Zeus himself, has to stop so low as to come all the way to the Underworld to seek my help?"

"Yes." A woman said.

I jumped, it took me a moment to recognize her, but I would know her anywhere. She held two flaming brackets, it was Hecate. Why was Hecate and Hera in Hades palace. I then realized the woman, the minor goddess Hera was talking to was Hecate.

"Yes, we come seeking your wisdom and help."

"You would do well to cut the cunning lies and magic laced words Hecate." The doors of the palace room banged open. A tired washed out Persephone appeared.

"Wife! You are home early! I was not expecting you home for another 2 weeks! Has the mortal world been that awful?"

"Yes. Zeus has rained down all kinds of weather storms. I called summer early, I'm tired of trying to keep summer alive while Zeus and Posiden fight back and forth like children."

"You look tired my love. Why don't you go upstairs and rest?" Hades cooed, as he got up from his throne and glided over.

"No need. I'm home now." She smiled. With a wave of her hand she transformed into Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Her dress was now black as night, pressed with dried rose petals, a crown of white bone and silver braided together and studded with rubies. Her bright sunshine hair became black as night, and shine almost blue. Her bright red lips looked like blood. She was breath takingly beautiful.

"My Queen. My beautiful Raven." Hades cooed. He kisses her cheek, making a small blush to rise on her white as snow skin.

"I'm home, Mon Cheri. I'm feeling much more myself." She purred.

He held his arm out and she took it and he started them to their chairs. I could see Hera seething in rage. She was so angry I was surprised she didn't combust. She glared at the couple. The couple sat down and turned their eyes to Hers and Hecate.

"You were saying?" Persephone asked, almost bored.

"In the matter...of a certain stepson of mine and his ... Mortal concubine-"

"You mean Apollo and the descendant of Python? He is quite in love with her."

"Yes. Clearly." Hecate snapped.

"Hecate...you should know better!" Scolded Persephone. "You do not want to marry him just because! Let me tell you something my dear sweet friend. You marry for love. Always. And you would be wise to leave it at that. You would also be wise in not listening to any more poison from an angry goddess. Apollo does not love you. I am sorry, it is hurtful news, but his heart belongs else where. Find someone who wants you around and makes you feel like home."

As she said this she had turned her head and was talking to Hera. Persephone continued.

"In the many many years I've been married, I have never once thought about straying." She turned to look at Hades and her blood red lips parted in a perfect smile. "In the many many years we have been married, my husband has not strayed-"

"The time when-" Hera interrupted

"The many MANY times when Zeus strayed..." Persephone yelled turning her angry eyes on Hera.

"Did your husband not abduct you and force you down here?" Hecate asked, folding her arms.

Persephone rolled her eyes. "That story has been vastly exaggerated. Each time it gets worse and worse. No. I'm here willingly. I married Hades because I love him. End of story. Say whatever twisted truths you want. He is my home. Here is my home. And you would be very wise to remember I am a Queen. I am the Queen of the dead, of the Underworld. And trying to use your magic inside my home is forbidden. You are welcome to stay for dinner, but I am tired. And I would request my husband's precense in our bed chambers."

She left no room for arguments. Hera fumed and Hecate looked hurt. But I knew angry and hurt gods were the worst kind.

The scene changed.

Hera and Hecate stood in the shadows of the deepening night.

"They won't see us?"

"No. We are wrapped in mist. We must do this swiftly."

Hera nodded. Sudde ly there was chanting, and must and smoke, there was flashes of green and white. It got colder and darker. I felt the cold creep into my bones, I felt the evil grow around me. I knew something terrible was going to happen.

I heard a cry a pleading for help. I spun around trying to figure out what had happened. I looked down, and saw like the clouds parted into a tv, I saw my mother sitting on the bathroom floor holding a pregnancy test. She had tears running down her face as she prayed for Apollo.

The tv screen changed - Apollo trying to start the sun car but the engine wouldn't turn. He afruggled and tried everything. He even tried just changing I do his full got form, but the ad of fire and smoke billowed and stayed where it was, filling up what looked like a glass box. If he tried to get to the elevator, he was held back, his arms strained behind him, like invisible cuffs held him chained to a wall.

All I could hear was the sobs of Apollo as he watched my mother struggle through her pregnancy alone, as she was plagued by visions and dreams. I heard the sad splitting, guy wrenching sobs of my father as he struggled to get to my mother as she went into labor and  slowly died because the goddess of childbirth was also chained up.

A tall woman with a cold look on her face stood in the corner of the hospital room. Hera. Hera was standing in the corner, watching with cold and calculating eyes. the doctor and nurses flew around the room, trying to jump start her heart.

"Always left to me to keep my family safe." She muttered, her cold look never left my mothers face. 

I was left with the agonizing, the heartbreaking sobs of Apollo, his arms pulled back in invisible chains as he watched from Olympus, the death of my mother.

The scars of dark magic burned white on my wrists and palm of my hand.

I hated the gods. I wanted them destroyed. With a wild scream, Kronos was messing with my hearing again, I spun out of his grip, slashing with one of the knives I grabbed from my belt. If Luke hadn't bathed in the Styx I would have taken his arm off.

I twisted away from him and stood in the middle of the Thone room panting hard. My jaw was clenched hard. My eyes stung with tears and my wrists burned with the residual after effects of his time jump vision.

"Yes Child. Gods are fickle and temperamental. Especial my children... Zeus and Hera most of all..."

With a scream of emotional pain I shot a fire ball into the statue of Hera, that stood right by the gates. It exploded the statue into pieces and then the gates blew off the hinges. The doors were big enough to steer a cruise ship through, but they'd been ripped off their hinges and smashed like they weighed nothing.

I dropped to my knees. I held my head in my hands and sobbed.

Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, his arms wide, staring at the starry ceiling as if taking it all in. His laughter echoed even louder than it had from the pit of Tartarus.

"Finally!" he bellowed. "The Olympian Council- so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall we destroy first, my Dear?"

He swung his scythe, the sharp point was right under my chin and forced my head up. Making me look at him. He smiled at me, but it was twisted. I just felt empty at this point. I had no hope, I couldn't see a way out of this, no grand idea or whitty comeback. Kronos removed his scythe from my chin and slammed it into Zeus's statue by the crumpled door.

Ethan Nakamura stood to one side, trying to stay out of the way of his master's scythe. The hearth was almost dead, just a few coals glowing deep in the ashes. Hestia was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Rachel. I hoped she was okay, but I'd seen so much destruction I was afraid to think about it. The Ophiotaurus swam in his water sphere in the far corner of the room, wisely not making a sound, but it wouldn't be long before Kronos noticed him.

Annabeth, Grover, Percy and somehow Raph stepped forward into the torchlight. I had seen them, but I couldn't do anything. Or maybe I didn't want to do anything. I stayed on my knees, head down in the middle of the destroyed throne room. Which I helped destroy. Just like it was predicted.

"My lord," Ethan warned.

Kronos turned and smiled through Luke's face. Annabeth made a painful sound in the back of her throat, like someone had just sucker punched her.

"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos asked. "Is that the choice you will make- to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know. Ask your sister. She is realizing that. Right my dear?"

He swung the scythe and forced my head up with the point end. I blinked as more tears leaked down my cheeks.

"Nora? Are you okay?"

My exhausted broken and dead eyes traveled to Raph. More tears ran down my face. I could hear his voice. I missed his voice. But it was full of pain and sorrow and...fear.

"Nora?" He signed and spoke. "Don't give up. Don't give into the lies and twisted ideology!"

"...Raph..." I whispered, like I forgot who he was.

"You know, Luke would fight with a sword," Percy called. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."

Kronos sneered. His scythe began to change, until he held Luke's old weapon, Backbiter, with its half-steel, half-Celestial bronze blade.

Annabeth gasped like she'd suddenly had an idea. "Percy! The blade!" She looked at me, staring hard, like she wanted me to read her mind. Then she signed. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap." She unsheathed her knife.

I didn't understand why she was reminding us of that prophecy line right now. It wasn't exactly a morale booster, but before I could process this, or Percy could say anything, Kronos raised his sword.

"Wait!" Annabeth yelled.

Kronos didn't wait.