After we had finished breakfast - I had eaten most of it and Nico had a bottle of water - I went back inside to change. I had pulled on some new clothes and opened my bag to get my IPod to check the time when my hand skimmed across a cold surface and then a whimper came. I scrunched my nose in confusion and then a small mental dog popped out of my bag and shook itself out. I looked into it's glowing aqua eyes and smiled.

"Aqua!" I said and she jumped into my palm. I zipped up my bag and walked out to see Nico dressed.

"Hiya!" I said and Nico turned first looking at me then at the metal dog. "This is Aqua. Leo made her for me before he..." My voice trailed off.

"Cool." Nico sounded apprehensive and I cocked my head at him.

"Here. Hold her." His eyes widened but I placed Aqua in his hands.

Aqua curled up in his hands and nuzzled his thumb. "She... Likes me."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Usually dogs hate me because I smell like death - unless they're a hell hound or from the underworld. Then again, most dogs of the Underworld try to kill anything that breathes unless it's Mrs. O'Leary or if you have a red rubber ball around Cerberus."

"What?" I asked him after whatever he just said.

"On Percy's first quest with Annabeth and Grover they went to the Underworld and had to get by Cerberus. Annabeth used to have a dog and conveniently had a red rubber ball with her that she used to distract and make friends with Cerberus. Ever since then, Hades or I go out whenever we can to play with him. It makes it easier for me to get to the Underworld when I don't feel like accidentally visiting China."

"Again, what?" I am officially very confused.

"Never mind, you wouldn't be able to keep track if you tried. I barely can."

Instead of arguing I grab a piece of paper from my bag and my box of one hundred - thirty Sharpies - almost all of them. I do have a slight obsession but they're awesome and I can use them for anything. I've decorated almost all my binders, folders, bag, and several other random things with my collection. Anyway, I pulled them out and began to doodle random things on the paper.

"We go on a quest and you bring Sharpies?" Nico shakes his head in disbelief but I saw a spark of interest at my collection.

"So, uh, how many of those do you have?"

"One hundred and thirty wonderful markers. All of them either different colours or tips." I plaster on a proud smile wanting to boast slightly about all my markers. 

"Bianca used to have a few when we went to Westover. Fourteen different colours that I used to decorate three of my teachers desks and then hid them in a secret compartment that Bianca carved out in the wall. Best week ever. The teachers had rainbow desks for a week until the new ones arrived!" Nico had a faint smile starting to form across his face and that made me grin like a fool.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked and I just shook my head and turned back to my Sharpies.

I didn't pay attention to what I was making until I realized what it was beginning to be. Sitting nicely on the once white paper was an image of Nico and his creepy red eyes. Okay, I admit, the red eyes are very hot. Anyway, I was a second away from crumpling the paper up but I hesitated. Instead of throwing it away, I fold it neatly and slip it into my pocket.

***

It was sometime in the afternoon and Nico and I were officially bored out of our minds. Nico had been playing with Aqua for awhile but she needed to recharge and retreated to my backpack. I continued to make random cartoons of all the people I've met with my Sharpies until I ran out of paper. My drawings now sat in my backpack smoothly stacked and placed.

The son of Hades and I had agreed that there was no telling when anything was going to happen. We had decided that if we stop one thing from happening then there's a large chance that that will throw off the pattern and undo everything else. It was a long shot but also the only thing that gave us some comfort.

"Do you think you could shadow - travel to get me more paper? We each have like three hundred dollars." Nico looked at me and then sighed.

"It's too much of a risk. After the war, every time I travel the shadows still try to swallow me and the last time I did it I felt myself start to dissipate into them. I still need time which sucks because shadow - travel is fun stuff."

"Is there anywhere where I could have complete darkness?" Nico looked at me quizzically but pointed to the tent and told me to press a button near the door.

I crawl into the tent and press the button. The tent becomes engulfed darkness and I concentrate on transporting myself to a store nearby. When I open my eyes I'm in a small town outside a market place. I walk in and look around for paper. I pass by several isles until I come across a newspaper stand.

On the paper it had a list of 'strange' recurrences of major events that have happened and a picture of a brutal snowstorm in the Midwest of the U.S. This is bad. Very, very bad. I tuck the paper under my arm and then go to the next aisle to find a stack of printing paper. I buy the two things and ask for the restroom.

Inside the restroom I splash cold water on my face and turn out the lights. Clutching my recently bought items I focus on the campsite and Nico and Aqua. I open my eyes and find myself in a campsite near a river.

Wrong. It's 'Aqua' not 'agua'. For once, think.

Oh, shut up me.

Luckily it was night wherever I turned up so I just focused on the camp and got there without any more surprise visits anywhere else. I had told Nico about my powers but he did jump back when I appeared less than an inch from him.

"Gods, Sky. If you wanted more like last night you could've just asked and not night - travel an inch in front of me." My cheeks flared and I hit him playfully muttering a 'shut up'.

"I'm sorry but without me we wouldn't know what's been going on." I throw throw the newspaper at his face and walk away smirking.

"This could be bad."

"Why?"

"Some major wildfires destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Texas. Leo better turn up soon before we're deep fried."

"You said 'of' a lot in that."

"Is that all that you got?"

"No. It was the only thing that didn't terrify me." I smile at him and continue to draw.

"I've defied death before ya'know!"

"Did you say something?" I look at Nico.

"No -"

"Shut up, son of Hephaestus!" a voice hisses.

Nico stands abruptly and unsheathes his sword. I follow in suit unlatching my bow and arrow for long distance defence. In the distance I see a giant figure lugging something coming this way. Nico makes the tent go back to tiny box size and puts it in his pocket.

"You're lucky Cyclopes are fireproof, buddy, or you'd be a crispy Cyclopes in a matter of seconds." Leo's voice shouts and the giant - or Cyclopes - groans and continues to carry Leo towards us.

"Get me in some darkness. I'll make us invisible until we need to be seen."

Nico took off his jacket and surrounded me in it. I concentrated and soon enough we were both invisible. How'd I know? I couldn't see him nor could I see my hands. Anyway, we waited for Leo and the cyclose to get here but with all of Leo's annoying chatter the Cyclopse often stopped to yell at him.

"Why's a Cyclopes taking him?" I ask Nico who I still can't see.

"Styx. Gods of Tartarus can't get out of there so they're probably using the monsters that are in the human world do their dirty work. Why didn't I remember that sooner." His question didn't come out as a question so I didn't answer, I kept quiet and watched as Leo's face went slack and emotionless. I think he knows where he is.

"Why are we here?" Leo's voice was strained but emotionless at the same time.

"You shall see young demigod." Three empousa showed up behind the Cyclopes and two wierd wind people showed up a second after.

"Venti. Jason is usually better with these ones." Nico whispered in my ear. He was now on the other side of me.

The once burned down structure shimmered and then standing where chared rubble used to be was a machanic's shop. It was small but you could tell it was useful and could do good work. Leo's face crumpeled at the site of the building and his cocky and stubborn demenor vanished. A small opening in the ground formed and a young woman appeared - the same woman from the picture.

"Mi madre." Leo whispered and I could hear the hurt in his voice. It made me want to cry, I had to hold back a sob.

"Leo, mi querido hijo." Leo's mom tried to walk over to him but her image flickered and a flash of pain went through her eyes. She has to stay in the same place she was when she died.

"Oh, the fun is just beginning, Miranda." I tuned towards the Cyclopes who was talking to one of the empousa - I'm guessing that one was named Miranda. "Flame up, kid. You won't be able to resist."

Leo seemed to become a kid in the blink of an eye. Not physically but mentally. Terror went through his eyes and he flashed from his cage to inside the shop. His mom was in an office type room banging on the door. Nico and I walked in to get a better look.

Leo's hands sparked and then blazed a bright white fire. He looked down at his hands and widened his eyes. He was loosing control, the same way I did when the ice started to form around me. In a flash of white, Leo was absorbed in the flames. His clothes were burning slowly and the fire spread to the building.

I couldn't sit and watch any more, "Leo!" I practically screeched. "Leo! Control it. You're not eight any more, you aren't helpless. You have the power; the responsibility. Breath!" My voice was more controlled and it seemed to work. Must be Aphrodite's blessing.