IT WAS a late night in New York City when Magdalena Caelestis brought a monster into her home.

December, 2002, to be exact.

She'd been at tennis practice, running a little late to dinner due to Coach Davies going overtime with their drills. The sun had set long ago, and the overhead fluorescent lights glared down on her as she hastily packed up her things, having to race home to make it on time. Her parents, mostly her father, were strict when it came to being on time. And tonight was especially important for them. They were having a business dinner at one of the rooftop bars in West Village— one that would determine an expansion in her mother's company. Though it meant nothing to Magdalena, it meant everything to her parents.

And so, that left Magdalena Caelestis, who was nine at the time, sprinting down the streets of Manhattan toward the Upper East Side. She dodged people and cars as she ran along the streets, cutting through alleyways and oncoming traffic to reach her apartment building. She knew she was already late, but with every minute that passed, the angrier her father would be. She knew she was going to be in for it as soon as she got home, but she knew she had no other choice. It'd only be worse if they went without her.

Lena was a few blocks away from her building when she saw it. It was unmistakable— scaly green body, yellow viper eyes and sharp horns on its head. It was slithering along the brick walls of the alleyway beside her, its lengthy body as thick as a cement pillar, and was so long as she couldn't see where its body ended. It hissed, sending a shiver down Lena's spine as she stood frozen in place.

  Magdalena was only nine at the time, and knew she could never take down a horned serpent by herself. Though she was good with a sword, she was small. She didn't have much muscle due to her age, and she was well below five feet in height. That serpent would eat her in seconds.

  So, she did the most logical thing she could think of.

  She ran for her life.

  As she bolted down the street, she fumbled for the small flip phone in her pocket that her parents had given her for emergencies. It only had five contacts— her mother, father, Magnus, Annabeth, and Luke. The five most important people in her life, at the time.

  It was good thing that Lena was pretty fast for her age, since she didn't have anything else going for her. She was able to weave in and out of streets and alleys to try and throw off the monster she desperately dialed Luke's number into her phone. She knew he was at camp with Annabeth, and would be able to help her, even if he was an hour away. Luke always found a way to reach the girl, no matter how far away she was from him. His protectiveness over her was unwavering, and any time she needed him, he was there.

  She pressed the phone to her ear as she knocked down a garbage can behind her, hoping to deter the snake for a moment. It worked, but barely. The snake just hissed louder and slithered over the top of it, its tail swiping along the ground behind him. People got swept off their feet or thrown into another citizen as the monster raced after her, causing arguments to break out among them.

  After two rings, Luke Castellan picked up.

  "Maggie?" He said into the phone. He already sounded worried. He knew that Lena was aware of the risk she took using a cellphone as a demigod. It was like sending a flare up to any monster within a hundred miles of them. So whenever she called, he knew something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

  "Luke!" Lena cried into the phone as she ran down a dark alleyway, breezing by two New Yorkers who looked like they were up to something shady. She hardly spared a glance as them as she heard the serpent hiss behind her. "I need your help!"

  "What is it?" He asked. There was shuffling, and then the sound of feet hitting the ground. "What's wrong?"

  "Monster!" She breathed out as she darted through a couple of pop-up tents seeking fake jewelry. She heard the snake crash into the tent behind her, getting caught up in the drapes and dangling necklaces. But she didn't stop running. "A serpent! I can't kill it!"

  "Where are you?" Luke demanded. "I'm coming right now."

  "Is that Lena?" Connor Stolls's childish voice asked in the back round. "Is she okay?"

  "I— I'm near my house," Lena replied, glancing behind her to see if she was still being followed. To her relief, the serpent was no where to be seen. She must've lost it back at the pop-up tents. She could hear the sounds of mortals screaming in the distance, which meant the snake was still after her, but for the moment, she'd lost it. "But, I think I lost it."

  "It's going to track your scent," Luke said. She could hear his jacket rustling against his clothes, which meant he was moving. "I'm on my way. Try and get your penthouse and I'll meet you there. If I get there in time, it'll come after me before it reaches you."

  "O— okay," Lena said fearfully. She was still running, but not as quick as before. "My parents are going to be so mad at me. I'm already late for dinner, and if the serpent gets to our building— "

  "It's not going to get you," Luke said hardly. "I'm not going to let it hurt you. Just get to your place, and I'll handle it."

He hung up the phone before she could away anything else. Lena's heart was racing as she pocketed her phone and started to run faster toward her apartment building, not deterring until she reached the top floor, where her penthouse was.

She stumbled into the house just as her parents were grabbing their bags. At the sound of the door opening, they whipped their heads toward her.

"Magdalena!" Her mother said, frazzled. "Where have you been?"

"You're twenty minutes late," her father's voice boomed. "Do you not realize how bad this looks for us? We're supposed to be at dinner in ten minutes!"

Lena was completely out of breath as she bolted the door shut, her entire body shaking. "My practice went too long," she said shakily. "And then, there was a monster, and I had to run away— "

"A monster?" Her father's deep voice interrupted, turning to his daughter with hard eyes. "Where?"

"I— I lost it," Lena said weakly. She was close to tears. "I think. I was faster than it, and I was able to escape. I— I'm sorry."

"Are you alright?" Lena's mother asked, walking toward her daughter to inspect her for injuries. "Oh gods, you're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm okay," Lena's small voice shook. "I'll get ready now. I'm sorry."

  Lena's father just shook his head. "This would've never happened if you'd just missed practice. You have five minutes to be ready, or you'll be walking to the restaurant."

  "Nicholas!" Lena's mother exclaimed, sending him a baffled look. "Our daughter was just attacked! We mustn't have her go to this."
 
  "She needs to be there," Nicholas snapped. "And we would've already been there if she hadn't insisted on going to tennis." His eyes stared hardly at his daughter. "Go!"

  Lena's mouth shook as she turned and bolted up the stairs, the sound of her mother and father arguing slowly fading as she ran into her room. She sniffed and wiped away her tears as she threw on the first dress she found, putting on a pair of flats and brushing out her hair from its ponytail, before rushing back down the stairs. Her eyes were bleary and her face was stained with tears, but she put on a brave face.

"We need to go," her dad said. His face was rigid and cold, like it always was. Being a military sergeant made him the way he is, along with being a son of Ares. It was an unbeatable combination. "Andrè already pulled the car around."

Margaret Caelestis pulled her daughter into her side, running a manicured hand through her hair. "It's okay, baby," she said softly. "You're safe now."

Magdalena nodded, but it seemed her mother spoke too soon, because just as they were moving to leave, the serpent's long, lengthy body burst through their front door, ripping it off its hinges as it flew across the room.

Margaret Caelestis screamed, immediately pulling Lena behind her as Nicholas stumbled backward, just barely missing a hit from its tail.

"You led it here!" Lena's father cried as he raced toward the kitchen, pulling out a celestial bronze dagger from one of the locked cabinets. The snake hissed at the sight of it, baring its fangs.

"I didn't mean to!" Lena cried as she gripped onto her mother's dress, tears pouring from her eyes as lamps and paintings shattered onto the ground, her mother cradling Lena against her as she tried to back away.

"Margaret, run!" Nicholas ordered as he took a stab at the serpent, slicing off a few of its scales.

Margaret didn't want to, but she knew she couldn't fight the serpent. She was a mortal, after all. And despite having true sight, she had no skill on how to fight monsters. She took Lena into her arms and turned to room toward the back of the house as Nicholas dodged another strike from the viper.

But the serpent seemed to realize Margaret was trying to escape, and its tail whipped out from behind her, slamming her and Lena into the wall behind them.

"NO!" Nicholas bellowed, and moved toward them, but he couldn't reach them. The snake was too fast, and blocked his path with its large reptilian head. Nicholas ducked as its fangs struck down at him, rolling beneath it and stabbing its neck.

The snake let out a grueling wail as Magdalena tried to pull her mother away from danger. Her head had hit against the wall with so much force it'd knocked her unconscious. Magdalena was sobbing as she used all of her strength to pull her into the bathroom.

"It's okay, mommy," Lena whispered as she choked on her tears. "You're okay. You're okay."

Magdalena locked the door behind her once her mother was fully inside, and then ran back out to where her father was relentlessly fighting off the serpent. There was a cut tracing down his cheek, and his chest shuddered with heavy breaths as he twisted and rolled away from every strike the snake took at him.

"Dad!" Lena screamed, unsheathing her Astrean silver sword.

"Magdalena, get out of here!" He demanded. "Go!"

"No!" She cried. "I'm going to help!"

"You're too weak!" He snapped. "You'll die!"

Magdalena shook her head. She wasn't weak. This was all her fault, but she was going to fix it. Her mom was hurt, and her dad wasn't going to last much longer. And it was all because she couldn't fight a monster on her own. But that was going to change.

Lena hoisted her sword, and screamed as she charge the serpent headfirst, ramming her sword into its tail. It managed to lodge itself about an inch into its skin, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't strong enough to give a full strike.

Her assault only annoyed the monster. It turned on her with a sickening hiss, and within seconds, Magdalena was stumbling backwards, finding herself cornered against the wall.

"Magdalena!" Her father cried.

Magdalena was crying profusely as her sword got knocked out of her hands, her back pressed against the wall as she stared up at the monster's sulfurous yellow eyes. Its tongue flickered as it bared its fangs, preparing to strike down at her.

  "MAGGIE!"

  Luke Castellan's voice ripped through the room like a saving grace, and she turned toward the front door just as he bolted through it, Backbiter gripped tightly in his hand.

  "Luke!" Magdalena sobbed out as she stood beneath the serpent, its fangs just inches from her face.

  Luke wasted no time in charging the monster, his sword arching upwards, slicing straight through its neck in a matter of seconds. It took only one strike from him for the monster's head to be wiped clean of the rest of its body, and in a mere moment of trepidation, the snake dissolved into dust.

It was silent for a moment, before Magdalena cries began to worsen, and she ran up to Luke, crashing into him.

"Luke," she whimpered as the teenage boy wrapped her in his arms, his hand caressing her head as sobbed into his chest. "You came."

"You called," he said back, holding her tight as Magdalena's father stood in stunned silence.

Then, his face fell. "Margaret."

He bolted toward the bathroom where his wife was laying unconscious on the ground. He pulled her into his arms and laid her down on the couch, tears pricking at his as he tried to wake her up.

"Come on, Margo," her father muttered as he tried to coax her to wake up. "Come on, honey."

"Mommy's okay," Magdalena said as her and Luke walked over toward. "She— she's not dead."

"We need an ambulance," Nicholas whispered. "She needs to go to the hospital."

"No!" Lena protested. "She's okay! She just needs ambrosia— "

"Magdalena, enough!" Nicholas barked. He suddenly wheeled around, standing tall over his daughter. "This is all your fault! You led that beast here!"

Magdalena's mouth quivered as she took in her father's words. "I didn't mean to," she said quietly, her voice cracking.

"Your mother is hurt!" Her dad continued to yell. "All because you're not strong enough to fight off a monster yourself!"

"Mr. Caelestis," Luke said. "Maggie's only nine. She hasn't had enough time— "

"Stay out of this Luke!" Nicholas yelled. "This is a family matter!"

"Luke is my family!" Magdalena cried. "He's my brother!"

"Oh, really?" Her father growled. "That's your family?"

"Yes!" Lena yelled. "And he saved our lives!"

"I had it under control!" Her father screamed. "All because you couldn't even lift your sword!"

"Maggie, let's go," Luke said to her. He couldn't leave her here with her father. Not when he was like this. "We're going to camp."

"You will not take my daughter away from me!" Nicholas immediately barked.

"She needs to be somewhere safe," Luke argued as he pushed Lena's small frame behind him. "Away from you."

  "Magdalena, you will stay here," her father ordered. His eyes were dark and angry, just as Ares' were. "Do not leave with him."

  Magdalena's small hands were gripping the ends of Luke's T-shirt like a lifeline. "You're scaring me, dad," she whimpered. "I don't want to be here."

  Nicholas's jaw was shaking in rage. "I'm scaring you?" He asked lowly. "I'm scaring you?! What about that monster that almost killed us? Did that scare you?!"

  "It wasn't my fault!" Lena screamed. "It followed me! I didn't lead it here!"

  "YES YOU DID!" Her father bellowed. "And now there's consequences. Your mother is hurt because of you!"

  "We're leaving," Luke said with finality, taking Lena's hand into his. "Right now."

  "Don't you dare walk out that door, Magdalena!" Nicholas yelled, pointing a finger at her.

  Magdalena continued to cry as she gripped Luke's hand in her's, turning as Luke and her began to walk towards the exit.

  "If you leave, don't bother coming back!"

  Magdalena faltered for a moment, her heart sinking. Her teary blue eyes looked up at Luke's kinder ones, and he nodded down at her, squeezing her hand.

  "It's okay," he whispered.

  Magdalena looked back at her father's angry face one last time, and then at the unconscious form of her mother, and then, she turned away and walked back out the door with Luke Castellan.

MAGDALENA WOKE up slowly. Mournfully, almost.

Her mind slowly let the dream fade away as she opened her eyes, feeling as if an anchor had dropped down on her heart. She remembered that day like it was yesterday— along with every other memory of Luke Castellan that she held deep in her chest. She'd been getting dreams like this more often, now that the war was looming. The dreams were more like visions of her past— vivid memories of times that she wished to forget. Maybe that was why she was getting them. Her mind refused to let her forget.

Kronos refused to let her forget.

It was too early in the morning for Lena to get up, but she knew she would never be able to fall back asleep. She tossed and turned until the sun began to rise through the windows of the Hermes cabin, and she made sure to leave before anybody could get a chance to talk to her. Since the war council, she hadn't really wanted to talk to anybody.

But that even reached from before the war council. Lately, everybody had been uneasy around her, almost like they could sense a shift in her demeanor. She couldn't blame them, but it didn't make her feel any better. If anything, she left more alone than ever. And now, with the sudden accusation of her being their potential spy, Magdalena felt like she had a target on her back. And despite most of the camp disagreeing with Micheal, the idea was still lingering in everyone's minds. Camp couldn't help but wonder if maybe Micheal Yew was right.

And honestly, Lena couldn't blame them for that either.

Breakfast felt like a funeral procession, as everybody sat with their designated tables. Nobody laughed or smiled much. Everybody kept to themselves. But Lena could still feel the lingering stares of the demigods around her, followed by hushed whispers and speculation to their nearest cabin mate. She tried to ignore them, but it was hard. She could hardly stomach her food as Melé sat by her side, sniffing her bacon with interest.

"Ignore them," Connor mumbled from beside her, noticing her agitation. He glared at anyone who dared make eye contact with him, or Magdalena, for that matter. He was still pretty heated from the war council the night before, but most of it was directed at Micheal Yew, who was avoiding his stare. "Micheal Yew's an idiot. Nobody believes him."

Magdalena pursed her lips. She brushed her bacon off her plate, letting it fall on the ground for Melé to eat.

"He had a point," she admitted quietly.

"He was pulling at threads," Connor argued. "He has no right to accuse you of being the spy. He doesn't know anything."

"Nobody does," Lena replied, absently tracing her fingers against the scar on her neck. "Just me."

"Percy and Annabeth do," Connor said. "They . . . They're the ones that saved you. And people trust them. They trust you."

"No one trusts anybody anymore," Magdalena said. She glanced around the pavilion, her eyes landing on Percy Jackson, who was picking at his food at the Poseidon table, all alone. He must've felt her eyes on him, because he glanced up at her from his plate. His face seemed to fall a little, and he lowered his gaze. Lena felt her stomach twist.

Connor watched the interaction, and when Lena turned back to look at him, his eyes were sadder than before.

"I trust you," Connor said softly. "So does Travis. And Annabeth, Percy, Katie . . . "

Magdalena dropped her fork, the utensil clattering against her plate. "It doesn't matter," she said abruptly. "People can believe what they want. I don't care."

Connor just sighed, noticing how worn down Magdalena looked. Her face was more gaunt than usual, and there were dark circles underneath her eyes. Her hair was down, and he knew it was because she was trying to hide her scar. Her hands seemed to have a constant tremble to them, and her body was tense. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping, and she was hardly eating. All of these things worried Connor, but he felt more helpless than ever. He didn't know how to help her.

"You do care," Connor told her. "I can see it in your face." He let out a strangled breath. "I— I think if you told the camp what happened to you— "

"No."

Connor blinked at her tone. He hadn't expected her to sound so cold.

"It might be the only way to convince them," Connor tried to reason, keeping his voice was soothing as possible. He felt like he was walking on eggshells.

Magdalena's jaw clenched, and her eyes hardened as she stared at her uneaten plate of food. "They shouldn't need convincing," she said tightly. "And I'm not talking about that. Ever."

Connor Stoll swallowed, running a hand over his mouth as he tried to think of what to say.

"I'm just trying to help you," he said defeatedly.

Magdalena looked like she was holding herself back from saying something she didn't mean. With the way her breathing had changed, to her hands flexing and un-flexing underneath the table . . . She truly looked like a bomb waiting to detonate.

"I know, Connor," she said slowly. "But . . . Don't."

Connor stared at her for a moment. "Don't?"

"Don't help," she whispered. "Please."

"But why?" Connor asked. "I— I'm on your side, Lena. And right now, you need that. Without Magnus here . . . Travis and I are your closest family. Let me help you."

"Connor, stop."

"Stop saying that," Connor said. "You've tried to shut me out for months now, and I don't get it. I— I just want to know how to help you, Maggie. Please. Let me help."

"Gods, Connor!" Magdalena's hands slammed down on the picnic bench, causing many heads to turn toward the Hermes table. The pavilion got a little quieter, and Chiron's eyes stared worriedly at the girl as she sat in her seat, shaking.

Magdalena looked around the pavilion, noticing that most of the campers eyes were on her, now. Her chest felt tight as she tried to control herself, but she couldn't. She couldn't even help herself.

"Lena . . . " Connor's voice trailed off sadly.

"Stop . . . Stop trying to help me," Magdalena said through a cracking voice. "Nobody can help me when I don't even know how to help myself."

Every camper watched as Magdalena stormed out of the pavilion, Melé trotting along behind her. Chiron just watched with sad eyes, let out a defeated sigh.

Annabeth immediately stood up from the Athena table, moving between the picnic tables to rush after the girl. Percy began to follow, but Annabeth stopped him.

"Stay here, Percy," Annabeth said.

"No," Percy immediately argued. "I want to help."

"I know," Annabeth said, sounding guilty. "But . . . I think it's best if it's just me."

Percy's face slowly turned from confusion into miserable understanding. Percy wasn't the one that Lena wanted. Who she needed. At least, that's what he thought.

"Right," Percy said, swallowing down his pain.

Annabeth's face was sad. "I'm sorry, Percy."

  "No." Percy's tone was bitter. "I get it."

  Annabeth stood there for a moment, like she wanted to say something else, but then she seemed to realize there wasn't more to say. She turned and walked down toward where Magdalena was ran off, leaving Percy to stand alone in the pavilion, with all eyes turned to him.

  Percy turned back to the campers. "What are you all looking at?"

  His tone must've been pretty harsh, because every head darted back to their food, keeping their eyes down.

  The day was already off to a bad start, and it was only ten in the morning.

CHIRON HAD excused Magdalena from her chores that day, not giving any explanation on as to why, but everyone knew. With how high strung she was, the last thing she needed was to lead a sparring class for a bunch of teenage demigods.

So, instead, Annabeth decided to have Lena join her in doing cabin inspection with Percy. After finding the girl down at the docks, Annabeth had sat with her for over an hour, doing whatever Lena needed to help her feel better. They didn't talk much, but they didn't need to. Really, all Magdalena needed in that moment was a friend.

Percy's morning task was to go through the reports to give to Chiron, but him and Annabeth had decided to tackle their chores together in order to make them a little less horrible. They both hated their jobs, anyway.

When Percy met up with the two girls, he immediately noticed that Magdalena had been crying. She'd tried to hide it with makeup, but her eyes were rimmed red. He tried to ignore the sinking pit in his stomach. He hated when she was upset. And lately, it seemed that's all she ever was. That hurt him enough, and the fact he couldn't help her only made the pain worse.

So, to sum things up, Percy had been pretty fucking miserable these past few months.

They started their inspection with the Poseidon cabin. Percy had kind of made his bed that morning, and straightened the Minotaur horn that was hanging on the wall, so he decided he'd get a four out of five.

Annabeth scoffed. "That's generous."

She lifted up a pair of old athletic shorts with the tip of her pen, raising an eyebrow. Percy could've sworn he saw a hint of a smile on Lena's lips, but he might've been imagining it. He sometimes did that.

Percy smacked the shorts across the room. "Cut me some slack. Tyson hasn't been here to help me clean all summer."

"Three out of five," Annabeth said. "That's being generous."

Percy decided it was better not to argue, so he took the score and they moved on.

As they walked, Percy distracted himself from Lena by skimming through Chiron's reports. It was mostly notes from satyrs and nature spirits, informing him about numerous attacks and sightings from monsters across the country. It was too depressing to read, so he tried not to focus on them too hard.

There were small attacks happening all over. Camp wasn't getting any new recruits. Satyrs were coming up empty with discovering new demigods and bringing them back to camp. Thalia, their old friend, hadn't been heard from in months, along with any other of the Hunters of Artemis.

Once they got to Aphrodite's cabin, it immediately got a perfect score. Their closets were color coordinated, their bed sheets were steamed and fresh, and fresh orchids bloomed on their windows. Percy voted to take a point off their score from the heinous smell of designer perfume, but Annabeth didn't seem to hear him.

"Beautiful as always, Silena," Annabeth complimented.

Silena nodded half-heartedly. All around her were photos of her Beckendorf as she sat in her bunk, a partially eaten box of chocolates beside her. Her father owned a sweets shop in the Village, which was what had grabbed Aphrodite's attention.

"Want a truffle?" Silena asked. "My dad sent them. He figured maybe they'd . . . Raise my spirits."

"Are you any good?" Percy asked.

"They taste like cardboard."

Percy didn't have anything against cardboard, so he took one. Lena took one just for the sake of it, and Annabeth passed. They gave Silena a final goodbye before moving on.

Magdalena wordlessly offered her chocolate to Percy. "I don't want it," she said when Percy asked her why.

"Then why'd you take it?" He asked.

Lena shrugged. "I didn't want to say no to her."

Percy nodded, and took the chocolate from her. It was so strange how their small interactions just made him feel worse and worse. Not talking to Lena was bad enough, but when they did, the shortness of it all just made his heart break even more. It was like they were strangers.

As they walked through the center of camp, they saw a fight erupt from Apollo and Ares' campers. A chariot manned by a couple of Apollo's kids flew over the Ares cabin, dropping firebombs down on it until the entire roof was in flames. Water naiads ran from the lake to try and put it out.

Some of the Ares kids screamed out a curse, turning Apollo's arrows into paper airplanes. Apollo's kids continued shooting them, but they just breezed along in the air.

Two archers giggled as they raced by the group, followed by an Ares camper who was cursing at them in poetry: "Curse me, eh? I'll make you pay! / I don't want to rhyme all day!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Great. The last time this happened, it took a week for the rhyming curse to go away."

"What are they even fighting about?" Percy asked.

Magdalena grabbed the inspection sheet from Annabeth and wrote in a one out of five for both cabins, shaking her head.

Percy always did this, but he caught himself staring at her. Percy was still a little taller than Lena this summer, but she'd definitely grown an inch or two since last year. Despite this, she seemed a lot more mature. It sort of intimidated him. And even though Percy had always found Magdalena pretty, she was truly starting to look beautiful.

Finally, Lena said, "The chariot."

"What?" Percy asked.

"That's what they're fighting about."

"Oh, yeah. Why?"

"Last week, it was taken from Luke's army in a raid in Philadelphia. Apollo cabin seized it from the army, but Ares cabin was who led the assault. Since then, they've been fighting on who it belongs to."

Percy watched as Micheal Yew road his chariot over their heads, an Ares campers cursing him out in rhyming couplets as he tried to take a stab at him.

Percy was a little disappointed that the Ares kid missed.

"We're in the middle of a war," Percy said. "And they're fighting for a stupid chariot."

"It'll pass," Annabeth said. "Clarisse will come around."

Percy could've begged to differ. Clarisse never backed down from a fight.

They continued on as they inspected the other cabins. Demeter got a four. Hephaestus got a four as well, but it should've been lower. Their cabin was a mess, but Annabeth looked over it due to Beckendorf's passing. Hermes got a two. Usually, they got a three because Magdalena helped clean up after everyone else. Most times, though, it was only her bunk that was spotless. But when they went in, Magdalena's entire bunk was messed up. Her covers were littered on the floor. There were bottles of ibuprofen and melatonin stacked against her windowsill, and tissues littered the floor.

Annabeth and Percy both gave each other sad looks as Magdalena swallowed in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she whispered, rushing into the cabin to try and collect some of her things, but it was useless. It was obvious Magdalena was struggling to anyone who had enough sense to see her current state. "I . . . I didn't have time to clean."

Annabeth gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay," she said. When Magdalena wasn't looking, the daughter of Athena erased the two on the paper, and made it a three out of five. Percy nodded in agreement, watching as Lena shoved her tissues into the trash and threw the sheets over her bed.

Annabeth and Percy ushered Magdalena out of the cabin, reassuring her that nobody blamed her for the mess, and they moved onto Athena's cabin.

It was clean, like always, with books arranged in alphabetical order, polished armor, and all of their blueprints and maps laminated and taped on the walls. It was just Annabeth's bed that was in shambles. Daedalus's laptop was running, and piles of scrolls and paper littered the bunk.

  "Vlacas," Annabeth cursed, which meant she was in idiot in Greek.

  Malcom, her second-in-command, smiled timidly. "Yeah . . . We weren't sure if you wanted us to move your things."

  That was probably for the best. Annabeth kept a bronze knife for monsters and idiots who touched her stuff.

Malcolm smiled at Percy and Lena. "We'll let you guys finish up inspecting." All of the Athena campers flooded out of the room as Annabeth organized her notes.

  Percy tried to busy himself by sifting through more reports, trying his best to ignore the faint scent of citrus that radiated off of Magdalena, who was distractedly twisting the silver ring on her finger.

  He tried not to feel too awkward since it was the three of them alone in the cabin instead of just him and Magdalena. Technically, it was against the rules for two campers to be alone in a cabin, even during inspection.

  The rule had usually been ignored until Silena and Beckendorf started dating. The question that usually came up when people saw this was, Isn't everyone at camp related on the godly side? Shouldn't dating be considered . . . Weird? But, that was completely false, since gods don't have DNA. Obviously, demigods of the same parent would never date, but anyone else? Completely normal. It was even easier for Magdalena and Magnus since . . . Well, Percy wasn't exactly sure how their genetics were made up of. They both had beating hearts and blood rushing through their veins, but neither of them were technically . . . Conceived. They could date anyone.

  Percy didn't know why he was thinking about that, but he snapped out of it when Annabeth cleared her throat, all of her stuff now put away. She slid her laptop into one of her desk drawers.

  "Have you found anything useful in there?" Percy asked her.

  Annabeth sighed. "More than enough," she said. "Daedalus's ideas are endless. I could spend the rest of my life trying to figure all of them out."

  "Huh," Percy mumbled. "Sounds fun."

  Magdalena breathed out a laugh when she heard that, knowing that reading through Daedalus's work was the last thing Percy would want to spend the rest of his life doing. Percy smiled softly at her, but it only made his heart ache.

  "Lena," Annabeth said as she shuffled through her collection of blueprints and handwritten notes. "Where's Magnus?"

  Magdalena went a little rigid, but kept good composure. "I don't know," she said quietly. "The last time I saw him was when you did. Last month."

  Annabeth nodded, but Percy could tell she didn't believe Lena. For the record, neither did he, but he wasn't going to question it.

  "Any idea on where he might be?" Annabeth asked, trying to make it sound as causal as she could. Her and Magnus hadn't exactly been on good terms this past year. Ever since their falling out last summer, the two of them had refused to make amends. It was pride against stubbornness— a dangerous battle, and one that would never be conceded unless one of them gave in. But, despite their rocky relationship, it was obvious that the two of them missed each other. It was clear in their faces every time the other was brought up.

  "No," Lena responded, rubbing her thumb along the inside of her wrist. Percy noticed the action, but thought nothing on it, since nothing was there. "But, he's okay."

  "How do you know?" Percy asked. He felt worried for Magnus just like everyone else. He was his best friend, after all. And honestly, he'd been one of the only people he could really talk to these past few months. With Magdalena and Annabeth, it was like walking on eggshells. But with Magnus, everything was easy. He understood Percy. And now, he was gone.

  "I just do," Lena said firmly, glancing between Percy and Annabeth, as if daring them to question her. "You guys trust me, don't you?"

  "Of course," Annabeth immediately said. She tucked a piece of hair behind her hair. "I— I only ask because . . . I've been thinking about this whole thing with Beckendorf and Silena. And . . . Prioritizing what's important. And losing people who are important."

  Magdalena and Percy both nodded. They knew exactly what she was talking about. With Magnus being gone, she didn't know whether she'd see him again or not. She wondered if she'd ever be able to make amends with him, or if it was too late.

  Percy scratched the back of his head. "Right . . . " he trailed off. "You know, with your family and everything, too. How is things?"

  Annabeth sighed, trying to take her mind off Magnus. She knew Percy was trying to help in changing the subject, but it didn't make her worry any less about him.

  "I was supposed to go to Greece with my dad," Annabeth said. "He knows I've always wanted to see— "

  "The Parthenon," Magdalena finished, smiling dimly.

  Annabeth smiled weakly. "Yeah."

  "Well, that's okay," Percy said. "The Parthenon's not going anywhere. There's going to be more summers to see it."

  Percy realized how boneheaded of a comment that was as soon as he said it. He himself was facing the end of my days. Olympus was doomed to fall by the end of the week, and along with that, the world as they knew it would be destroyed. There wouldn't be more summers to come.

  Annabeth glared down at her inspection sheet. "Three out of five," she grumbled, "for a careless head counselor." She sighed. "Let's go. We need to get these reports sent back to Chiron."

  Percy read over the last report as they made their way toward the Big House. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but it made him feel even worse.

  "'Dear Grover,'" Percy recited. "'National forest bordering Toronto ambushed by giant badger. Attempted to summon the power of Pan as you instructed. Failed. Hundreds of trees destroyed. Naiads homes in ashes. Hunkering down in Ottawa until things settle. Please, report back. Where are you? — Gleason Hedge, protector.'"

  Magdalena swallowed. "You heard nothing from him?" She asked Percy. "Not even from the empathy link?"

  Percy shook his head miserably.

  Grover had gotten more and more distant ever since Pan had died last summer. The Council didn't accept him anymore, but Grover continued scouring across the East Coast in the hopes of spreading Pan's message. The only times he'd returned to camp were to visit Juniper, his girlfriend. But even those were minimal.

  Last Percy had heard, Grover was organizing frauds around Central Park, but he'd been out of commission for two months. Iris-messages never went through, and Percy's empathy link was silent, but he had a feeling he'd know if something bad had happened to him. Grover had once told Percy if he died, the empathy might kill him too, but Percy never found out if that was true or not.

  Percy debated on going into Manhattan to find him himself. But then he thought back on his dream of Rachel, and her drawing— storm clouds filing in over the city, and an army surrounding the Empire State Building.

  "I've got to get this inspection to Chiron," Annabeth said, rolling up the scroll. She took the report sheet from Percy. "I'll take the reports too."

Percy started to say, "I can do it— "

"It'll save us both time," Annabeth cut him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you guys later."

She walked off before Percy could say anything else, leaving Magdalena and Percy alone.

For the first time in a long time, Percy Jackson felt awkward being alone with Magdalena.

Actually, let him correct himself. He always felt awkward around Lena, but it was for a different reason. Not the reason he felt right now. Right now, he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to act, really. They'd hardly talked for months. It wasn't like he enjoyed that, but . . . Their relationship had sort of fallen apart since that night in her penthouse. Now, he didn't even know what they were.

"Um . . . Lena?" Percy said uncomfortably. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Magdalena's blue eyes seemed dimmer than usual. The sparkle they usually adorned was dull, and they were a dark shade of blue. Like the deep sea during a storm.

"Sure," Lena said. There was an uneasiness in her tone, like she had an idea on where the conversation was going.

But, that actually wasn't what Percy was thinking of at all.

Shocking, right?

And before anybody shades Percy on being an idiot, please be aware that he already knew that. He should've never even brought this up in the first place, but he was clawing at his brain for something to say to her. Literally anything. And the closest thing was the ominous dream Percy'd had the previous night of the sketches Rachel had drawn.

"Look," Percy said. "Last night, I had this dream about, uh, Rachel . . . "

Percy reiterated the entire thing for her, including the strange drawing of Luke as a child.

For a long minute, Lena was silent. She stared hardly off into the distance, watching as Melè tried to play fetch with one of the Apollo's cabins' rubber arrows. Will Solace happily indulged him, chucking the arrow across the clearing as the wolf bolted after it, jumping about seven feet in the air to catch it with his mouth.

Finally, she turned back to Percy. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I— I just wanted a second opinion, I guess. If you were Kronos, what would be your next move?"

Magdalena shrugged. "Typhon would be used to distract the gods. I'd draw them out of Olympus so that I can hit it directly with no defense."

"That's exactly what Rachel drew."

"Percy," Lena said slowly. "Rachel's only mortal. She can't predict that."

"But what if she did? All the other Titans— they all said Olympus was doomed to fall within days. And they talked about a bunch of other attacks being planned. And what's the deal with that picture of Luke— "

"We just need to be ready."

"How?" Percy said. "Gods, just look at our camp. We can't even stop fighting each other. And I'm supposed to have my stupid soul reaped."

Magdalena's eyes snapped toward him jarringly. "You should've never been shown the prophecy." Her voice was angry and hurt. "It just scared you. You run from things when you're scared."

Percy stared at her, completely stunned. "Me? Run away?"

Magdalena's jaw shook. "That's what people do when they're scared of their problems. They run from them, Percy! Just like you!"

Percy's eyes flashed. "No, just like you, Lena." His voice sounded just as angry and hurt as her's. And he got the feeling that Lena really wasn't directing her words at him. She was projecting from her own internal battles.

"You don't get to say that!" Lena snapped. "You have no idea— "

"— What you're going through?" Percy finished for her. "Yeah, I don't, because you pushed me away before I could figure it out!"

"And you're better off because of it!"

Lena's voice cracked as she said that. Both her and Percy were staring at each other, looks of betrayal shown in both of their faces.

"That's what you think," Percy said lowly. "That's what your screwed up brain told you! That's what Kronos is telling you!"

He regretted saying that the second he heard the words come out of his mouth.

"My screwed up brain?" Lena repeated quietly. She stared at Percy with a look so jarring, it almost made him wince. "That's what you think, then? You think I've just gone crazy over this past year?"

Percy huffed, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "No, Lena, gods." He took a shaky breath. "I don't think that. I— "

"You don't?" Lena said. "Because that's what it sounded like."

"I didn't mean that."

"Then why'd you say it?"

"Fuck, Lena!" Percy bursted out. "I don't know, okay? Gods, I— I don't know. I don't know anything! With this war, Kronos, and this stupid prophecy . . . I feel like I'm going crazy."

You're making me go crazy, Lena.

"I guess that makes two of us, then," Lena said harshly, glaring at him.

"Seriously?" Percy deadpanned.

Magdalena shook her head. "You just don't get it, Percy," she said. Her voice was shaking. "You don't fucking get it."

"Get what, Lena?" Percy protested. "You keep saying that, but you don't tell me what it is! You can't expect me to understand you when you just storm off every time I try to help!"

"You can't help me, Percy!" Magdalena cried. And she really was starting to cry. "You can't, Connor can't, Annabeth can't . . . Nobody! I can't even help myself!"

"Maybe that's because you're not trying to," Percy said hardly. "You're letting Kronos get in your head. I see it happen to you. Every time you get lost in thought? That's Luke reminding you of what he did to you. He's still torturing you, even after you escaped him, and he knows it! You're not helping yourself by going through this on your own. You're making it worse."

"How do you know what's good for me?" Lena asked harshly.

"Because I know you!" Percy argued. "And you know I do. But you keep pushing me away because you're afraid." He took a second before speaking again. "It's not me who's running from my problems. It's you, Lena."

Magdalena just stared at him. "You know what?" Her tone was broken and angry. "If you think our camp's destined to fail, then maybe you should go on that vacation with Rachel."

Percy's jaw clenched. "Lena— "

"If you're so sure that we're all just going to die, anyway!"

"That's not fair!"

Magdalena pushed past him and stormed off toward the forest. She hit the tetherball as she passed. She was so angry, the ball was hit so much force it unlatched from the string and went flying across the courtyard.

And once again, Percy was left standing alone, feeling like the biggest loser on the planet.

ANNA'S NOTES!
And the crowd is... holding me at gunpoint??

There is honestly nothing that brings a smile to my face in this chapter expect Melè and Will Solace playing fetch

But IT WILL GET BETTER YALL I STG JUST LET ME BREATH