CHAPTER     FORTY
SILVIANA  DUVALL

Sylvie was going to voluntarily open the glass doors beneath them and plummet to her death.

"What...?" Percy rubbed his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."

They'd been found passed out in the stables by Finley and Frank, and Sylvie was sure she'd never been more embarrassed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep here with Percy. But both of them drifted off, and now, they had to deal with Frank's face of horror and Finley's incessant cackling.

"Oh, my gods, this is amazing!" Finley cheered. "Frank, you should've waited for me to get a camera!"

"It's not funny, Finley." Frank swallowed. To Sylvie and Percy, "Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped. We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out—oh, gods, you've been here all night?"

Finley shook her head, shrugging unsympathetically. "You're goners."

"It's not like that!" Sylvie begged. Her face and ears were as red as strawberries. "We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep. Accidentally. That's it."

"Kissed a lot," Percy said.

Sylvie hit him, making a miserable noise. "Not helping!"

"Aw, it was cute." Finley tried to make Sylvie feel better, but she only accomplished the opposite. You two all cuddled up. Skipper hugging you like a little teddy bear."

"We'd better..." Frank pointed to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did—I mean, didn't do?"

"Yeah, you two scandalous heathens are on your own for this one," Finley said. She saluted them while clapping Frank on the shoulder with her other hand. "Come on, Frankie, I want steak."

"It's breakfast time," he followed after her, sounding scandalized.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Sylvie had feared. Jason and Piper were mostly relieved. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Annabeth joined Finley in wishing that someone had brought a camera. Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Sylvie or Percy's eyes.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic. Sylvie was—like she'd alluded to last night—scared shitless of his reaction, but Percy only seemed able to focus on the fact that Coach Hedge was barely five feet tall.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"I'm so sorry," Sylvie apologized. Her face flamed, and she was actively trying to curl into herself. "I swear it was an accident. We—We were just talking, and we fell asleep."

"Your face is so red," Percy teased, sounding terribly fond.

"Perseus!"

Percy just laughed, throwing an arm around Sylvie, which probably wasn't helping their case. He turned his attention back onto the fuming Coach Hedge. "Come on, Coach. You're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy! Get your arm off of her stat!"

Percy tried to stop his laughter. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"It won't." Sylvie nodded rapidly. "It definitely won't."

"Now, don't we have other things to discuss?" he asked.

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Silviana Duvall, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

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The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood, they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Sylvie felt right at home.

Percy told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo tapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Sylvie asked, desperate for some way to help Nico. She couldn't even find herself embarrassed anymore about what had happened earlier. That all seemed silly and stupid now that the safety of Nico was being threatened.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden. Your half-sister."

"You mean Persephone," Annabeth said.

Sylvie had never really met her godly half-sister, per se, but they had been in the same vicinity before. Back during the Battle of Manhattan, when Persephone had charged into battle with Demeter, Hades, and Nico. That was the most Sylvie knew of her.

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. All the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Sylvie said, because it was obvious. Then, she was only met with silence. Her confidence crumbled as she looked around the group. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Duvall, of course we'll help the little freak," Finley said. Then she burped. "But how long do we even have before he di—?"

There was a banging noise from underneath the table, and a pained expression overtook Finley's face. As she grimaced, Percy cleared his throat to take the attention off of what Finley was about to say.

"Hazel," he said, "how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Frank gulped. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death. Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"

"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."

Sylvie entirely lost her appetite. She couldn't even stare at the food beneath her without feeling nauseous. Nico had always been a troubled kid, and Sylvie felt compelled to look after him. One time, she'd even bought him multiple snacks from a gift shop because she was so worried about his eating habits. Now he was fending off nothing but pomegranate seeds. Sylvie didn't even feel worthy to eat after knowing that.

"We'll rescue him," Sylvie decided. "We have to."

Finley nodded. "Well, the prophecy does say he holds the key to endless death."

"Hazel," Piper said, "your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

But Sylvie didn't feel good. She was worried about Nico, and a little agitated at the fact her friends were implying they only wanted him found because of a stupid prophecy line. They should want to save him just because he was a kid worthy of saving.

"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... he knew about both camps, right?"

"Well, yes," Hazel said.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."

Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that."

"It sounded like it!" Sylvie commented, incredulous in her chair. "But y'all better not be."

Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"

"Hazel, Sylvie," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazel's arm shook. A silver platter zoomed toward her and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs. "You... the great Jason Grace... the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now... now I understand why Finley despises you!"

She stomped on her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.

"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez. I should—"

"You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to way.

"Give her time," Piper advised.

Sylvie frowned at Leo and Jason. "I can't believe y'all. Nico's like the rest of us, just a demigod. Just a kid. That was cruel."

Jason looked shocked. "Cruel? I'm just being cautious!"

"You're being an asshole," Finley corrected. "But who's surprised?"

"Oh, like you were any better at helping?!" Jason snapped.

"Hazel's brother is dying," Piper said.

"I'll go talk to her," Frank insisted.

"No," Piper said. "Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."

"But..." Frank huffed like an irritated bear. "Fine. I'll wait."

From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill.

"That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to land."

Everyone turned to Percy.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"

Sylvie detected resentment in Jason's voice. She wondered if Jason was secretly miffed about the duel in Kansas. Jason had joked about it, but it seemed that both boys harbored a little grudge.

"I'm not sure," Percy admitted. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."

Leo nodded. "On it."

He raced for the stairs.

"When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta," Percy said. "Frank, I could use your help. And Sylv—"

"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge. "Young lady, you are grounded."

Sylvie stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Pardon me?"

"You and Jackson are not going anywhere together!" Hedge insisted.

"I'm the oldest demigod here, you can't 'ground' me!"

"I just did!" He glared at Percy, daring him to mouth off. "I'll go with Frank and Mr. Freaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Sylvie doesn't break any more rules!"

Sylvie's mouth was agape in incredulity. She was grounded on a flying ship by an old, fat satyr. She looked at Percy, wondering if he was feeling the same as her. Judging by his moody glare, Sylvie figured he did.

"This," Percy said, "is going to be so much fun."

╰━━━ ◦ ✸ ◦ ✸ ◦ ━━━╯

When Piper went to check on Hazel, Sylvie followed the daughter of Aphrodite. Sylvie was just as worried about Nico as Hazel was, so she wanted to make sure Hazel knew everyone wasn't as heartless as Jason and Leo. That led to Annabeth joining along, because she didn't want Sylvie thinking she wasn't on their side. An angry Sylvie was a scary Sylvie. It didn't happen often, but when it did...

Well, the last time it happened, Sylvie nearly destroyed Manhattan with a 6.8 magnitude earthquake.

Annabeth ended up dragging Finley along, despite the girl's complaints. She didn't care that Finley was vehemently against being near Piper. She just figured Finley could benefit from actually befriending people on the ship, instead of shielding herself off with snarky comments and "discreet" sips of wine.

So, a sort of enforced girls' hangout in Hazel's cabin was set into motion.

Hazel sat on her bed, and since Finley was already comfortable around Hazel, she flopped herself onto it as well. The Levesque girl seemed a little disconcerted with Finley's feet occasionally kicking near her face, but she also seemed to know Finley wouldn't care to stop even if Hazel spoke up.

Piper was sitting on Hazel's desk, with her feet dangling off of it. Annabeth was sitting at Hazel's desk chair, but had wheeled it around to face the other girls rather than the desk itself. In front of her, Sylvie was criss-crossed on the ground. As they chatted, Annabeth braided some strands of Sylvie's hair, before taking them out and starting again. Sylvie didn't seem to mind, so Annabeth didn't stop.

The four girls were trying to cheer up Hazel. Although, Sylvie seemed to get along with her best—they'd already shared the "You're from Louisiana? No way, me too! Have you been to Mardi Gras? No way, me too!" conversation, and ever since, they'd gone off on tangents that Annabeth, Finley, and Piper probably didn't understand. To include everyone in the conversation, Sylvie began regaling them with Percy's greatest and most intelligent (catch the sarcasm) moments.

Piper was the only one who didn't really know Percy, but she didn't seem to mind when they all started sharing stories of their own. Hazel told them about him confusing the Feast of Fortuna with the feast for tuna. Finley divulged how the first thing he did when she came back to life was hit her as hard as he could, then threaten to kill her again when she threatened to steal Sylvie from him. Annabeth had countless interactions under her belt, but her favorite seemed to be two years ago when she was trying to convince Percy to ask Sylvie out to the Fourth of July fireworks. Sylvie had obliviously walked up to them, asking what they'd been talking about, and Percy got so flustered that he made the entire lake burst into the air. The water had come down to drench Sylvie and Annabeth head to toe, and Percy was still so embarrassed about it that he tried killing Annabeth every time she brought it up.

"So, that's why he was so red!" Sylvie marveled, thoroughly amused.

Sylvie herself didn't know how she was supposed to choose from her favorite Percy moments (they were all her favorite), but she settled on Percy visiting her for Thanksgiving at the farm.

"He'll tell you that he's so funny for scaring me off that hammock we were napping on," she said, "but the second I bring up the cicadas..."

"What happened with the cicadas?" Finley asked.

"They were making a shit-ton of noise in trees," Sylvie explained. "I guess Percy had never heard what a cicada was before? He started screaming in fear about 'why the trees were screaming.'"

Just then, Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into Hazel's cabin.

"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

All the girls shot to their feet—Well, Finley tried to shoot to her feet, but she stumbled and had to be steadied by Sylvie. 

"Where's Percy?" Sylvie demanded. "And the goat?"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"

Sylvie pushed past him and took the stairs three at a time, the other girls right behind her, and Frank trailing, still gasping for air. Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome." Percy was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window. He didn't say anything, but he grasped Sylvie's hand weakly, as if to say Be right with you, as soon as the world stops spinning.

Leo and Jason, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.

"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?"

"Followed!" Frank yelled again.

"Followed by what?" Jason asked.

"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky?"

"That makes absolutely no sense!" Annabeth looked like she wanted to strangle the poor guy, but Sylvie thought that rather counterproductive.

She put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Leo, you'd better get us out of here."

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm.

Soon the Argo II was rising into the sky. Annabeth manned the crossbow. Percy, Frank, and Hedge didn't start to recover until the Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance.

"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank unzipped his backpack and started bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

Annabeth bristled again, so Sylvie spoke up hastily: "That's great, Frank. Awesome. But how about you start from the top—of the story, not the backpack?"

They gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy and Frank took turns relating what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium.

"We have to deal with this bounty on our heads," Percy said.

Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

"Bounty on our heads," Finley echoed. "That's kind of cool. We can be like Flynn Rider in Tangled."

Piper looked at her with crossed arms. "Eugene Fitzherbert."

"My gods, McLean, do you want me to strangle you?"

"Wait—do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "I mean, Sylvie's probably worth the most. And I can understand not being as pricey as her, Percy, or Jason, maybe... but am I worth, like, two Franks or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

"Leo, seriously?" Sylvie's gaze on him was filled with disappointment.

He looked incredulous. "What? I'm definitely betting you're worth the most, vaquera! You've got the whole"—Leo shimmed—"and all the"—he waved his hands around whimsically.

"Quit it!"

"Let's just get back on track," Annabeth sighed. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."

Piper leaned against the control panel. "A map. But a map to what?"

"The Echo of Demeter," Percy looked cautiously at Sylvie, like he was afraid he'd overstepped. Her I don't want to talk about it vibe must've been strong. "Whatever that is. We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

"Winning the frailed marble maybe?" Hazel guessed, referring to the prophecy line.

"I think so." Percy nodded. "In my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."

"Um..." Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what is it?"

Everyone looked at Sylvie. Her scalp tingled, as if the thoughts in her brain were agitating to get out. The recent headache she'd been suffering grew worse. A statue... Demeter... Greek and Roman, her nightmares, and her argument with her mom. She saw how the pieces were coming together, but she couldn't believe it was true. The answer was too big, too important, and much too scary.

"I'm—I'm close to an answer," she said, voice strained. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston... have you been there before?"

"With Reyna," Finley answered for him, sounding peeved. "About a year ago."

Jason's head snapped to her. "How did you know that?"

"I wish I was the amnesiac here, but unfortunately that's just you."

He sighed, finally seeming to understand nothing would simmer Finley's attitude towards him. Jason turned back towards the others. "Well, yeah. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from a military submarine designed by Roman demigods."

Hazel crossed her arms. "Military submarine?" she repeated. "So... Romans and Greeks really don't get along, then?"

"Yeah, the war was sort of... huge," Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous hand. "But it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He looked sheepishly at Hazel. "Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."

Hazel stared at him. Slowly it seemed to dawn on her that he was apologizing.

See, the thing was—before Sylvie had gone into Hazel's cabin, she'd cornered Jason and Leo against their will. Sylvie spent around thirty minutes lecturing the two boys about their cruelty and how they needed to apologize to Hazel before Sylvie turned them into a maple trees in same way she had to the Titan Hyperion. She'd never seen two demigod boys—very powerful, very capable of defending themselves—so terrified. Jason and Leo nodded rapidly, promising Sylvie they would apologize, even sending her apologies of their own.

Sylvie figured this was their apology to Hazel. She elbowed Leo.

"Ow!" Leo yelped. "I mean, yeah... bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

Hazel pursed her lips. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

Jason shrugged. "Well... I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the submarine—that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from past civil wars between Greeks and Romans. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo said. "That sounds cool."

Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy assured him. "It took all three of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. We'll need you to keep them in line."

Frank gulped. "Okay. Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckles. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron the centaur. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everybody busted out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway," Frank said, clearly eager to change the subject. "The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?"

Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Sylvie could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there with Reyna, we saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle glowing and floating along. We approached it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her." Jason breathed. "Reyna wouldn't tell me what the spirit said, but it must've been important. She seemed... shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

Finley's eyebrows rose in shock, but she consoled her intrigued face before anyone noticed. Sylvie did, though she wasn't going to comment on it. Instead she considered Jason's words. After their experience with the eidolons, she didn't like the idea of approaching a ghost. On the other hand, Sylvie figured they didn't really have a choice.

"A girls' trip, then," Sylvie said. "Annabeth, Finley, Piper, and Hazel can come with me."

"Five demigods is way too much," Hazel said, sounding nervous. "You guys go on ahead without me. I'll stay here and protect the ship."

Sylvie's brows furrowed. "You sure?"

"Positive." Hazel nodded rapidly. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experiences for two lifetimes.

"The rest of us will still go with you," Finley said. Her eyes flashed defiantly, like anything Reyna or Piper could do, she could do.

It dawned on Sylvie how she'd just swooped in and taken charge of the upcoming expedition. Her voice caught in her throat when she realized. Sylvie always hated being the leader. A long time ago, she never had to be. But that... well, it really was a long time ago. Way before...

What gave me the strength to leave was the knowledge that you were staying behind. I'd seen what you were becoming, and what you could finally do. I knew I could leave, because they had you.

Why'd it have to be me? I only ever wanted it to be you.

Sylvie couldn't think about that right now. Not now. She looked at Percy to make herself feel better, wordlessly wondering if he would be okay staying back on the ship with Hazel and Coach Hedge. He nodded, as if to say Yeah. It'll be fine.

"So, that's settled." Sylvie turned to Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."

Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

Finley rolled her eyes. "No, McLean. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman!"

"We can't turn around the ship and fight," Jason said, hoping to prevent Finley and Piper from arguing for the millionth time. "It would remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"

Sylvie and Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand.

"I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Sylvie scowled. "When you say should have enough..."

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about barely enough?"

"You're so obnoxious." She counted to three in her head, inhaling. "Sounds typical for us, anyways."

Annabeth nodded, because Sylvie's words weren't too far off. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Leo grinned his crazy, mad-man grin. "Frank's dirty laundry. Hope you don't mind, Frank."

Frank choked. "What?"

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants!"

"Well," Leo ignored him, facing the others, "I call that a good day's work! I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"

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Percy passed out early, which left Sylvie with nothing to do in the evening except get lost in her thoughts.

If you were new here, let it be known that was the worst possible outcome. Good things didn't happen when Sylvie got lost in her mind. Actually, quite horrible things happened.

Sylvie had been on edge ever since Piper freed the eidolon from her mind. Actually. Scratch that, Sylvie had been on edge ever since Percy disappeared last December.

When Sylvie finally, finally reunited with Percy, she thought everything could be okay again. Even if the new Great Prophecy was actively unfolding, Sylvie would be alright knowing that Percy was at her side.

But deep down, Sylvie was aware nothing would stay that way. Not when Sylvie's life was Sylvie's. Not when she was born to be cursed.

A part of her was just choosing to ignore the argument with her mother. If she could prolong the inevitable for as long as possible, she could live in ignorant bliss. She could hover over Percy, kiss him, and unintentionally grow a flower bed beneath his body. There wasn't a prophecy with her name on it. Gaea didn't have a plan designated especially for Sylvie. The eidolons never affected her. There wasn't a lingering headache, always at the back of her mind.

But the more she thought about the Echo of Demeter, and the old Roman legend Reyna had mentioned, the worse the pounding in her head got.

Sylvie rubbed her forehead, hoping to ease the pain. She didn't want to, but she recalled her argument with her mother. Even after so many weeks, the words still stung.

Sylvie had been sitting out on the fire escape outside of Percy's bedroom window. During those long months when Percy was missing, Sylvie made constant trips to Percy's mom—partly to give Sally Jackson and her husband Paul Blofis an update on the search, and partly because Sylvie and Sally needed to lift each other's spirits and convince one another that Percy would be fine.

The spring had been especially hard. Usually that was Sylvie's favorite season, but this year, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy anything. By then, Sylvie had reason to hope Percy was alive, since Hera's plan seemed to involve sending him to the Roman side, but she couldn't be sure where he was or if he remembered her.

That particular afternoon, after Sylvie had told Sally goodbye, it had been a lie. She went to Percy's fire escape instead. She was so drained that she couldn't bring herself to leave right away. Sylvie and Sally had first cried and then attempted to pull themselves together, but their nerves were frayed. So now Sylvie just watched life go by outside. Percy had been right about Manhattan—it was a busy city, one that never slept. Horns honked and people yelled outside, but Sylvie still thought it so devoid of life. It didn't have Percy in it.

Sylvie had to pull her eyes away from the activity happening before her. Her gaze found the little planter Percy had installed right next to his window on the outside. Once upon a time, all that was planted there was moonlace he'd brought from Calypso's Island. Not that it made Sylvie jealous or anything, but she had grown a good amount of her own flowers in the planter since they'd started dating.

However, the flowers were starting to die. Sylvie couldn't bring herself to care for them with Percy missing. She heard a sad sigh at the sight of dead vegetation. Sylvie looked over and saw Demeter studying the pitiful planter.

"Mom!" Sylvie couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen her mother in months—not since Zeus had closed the gates of Olympus and forbidden all communication with demigods.

Many times, Sylvie had tried to call her mom anyway, pleading for guidance, sending up burnt offerings with every meal at camp. She'd had no response. Now here was Demeter, dressed in jeans and duck boots and a red flannel shirt, her sienna hair cascading over her shoulders. She held a backpack and a walking stick like she was prepared for a long journey.

"I must return home," Demeter murmured, studying the planter. "No appreciation for agriculture, or family."

"Mom!" Sylvie said. She scrambled to stand up on the fire escape. "Demeter!"

The goddess turned. She seemed to look right through Sylvie with no recognition.

"That was my name," the goddess said dreamily. "Before they made me this. I must return home."

Sylvie stepped back in shock. "Mom," her voice trembled, "it's me. It's Silviana. Your daughter."

This couldn't be happening. Forgotten by Percy. Forgotten by her mother. Once forgotten by her father. No. No, no, no, no, no.

"My daughter..." Demeter repeated. "Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans."

Sylvie's heartbeat thumped in her ears. "You want that? But you hate violence. You're peaceful."

"Not when I have lost so much!" Demeter growled. "I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children." She focused more closely on Sylvie. "You are my daughter?"

"Yes. Conan Duvall's my dad. You loved him, you've gotta remember that."

That was the wrong thing to say. Her mother's eyes turned so furious that they flamed green, and she'd never looked at Sylvie with such disgust before.

"Don't you dare speak that name to me, child." Her voice was dark, and Sylvie's hands began shaking in fear. "It doesn't matter what I remember! He FORGOT ME!"

"It wasn't his fault," she defended. "And you left him to suffer alone, anyways!"

Demeter's mouth curled into a nasty sneer. "Watch your mouth, Silviana. Yes. I remember you now. My child, the most useless demigod alive."

Now Sylvie's whole body shook. Her heart dropped entirely in dread.

"You... You don't mean that. You wouldn't say that to me. I've gotten better. I've proved myself."

"No," the goddess corrected, "you will prove yourself. You will suffer, and your memory will be as lost as your father's. You will know no one. Follow the Echo of Demeter. Avenge me."

Sylvie wanted to topple right over the fire escape, but she couldn't move. There was something familiar keeping her glued in place. Fear. Anxiety. Timidity. These three fundamental beings of Sylvie Duvall wrapped around her neck, threatening to strangle her like a vine.

The Echo of Demeter.

At the time, Sylvie had had no idea what it meant. She didn't understand why her mom was acting like this. Ceres or not, she shouldn't be so cruel. Wasn't she known as a universal mother figure?

"Mom..." She tried to make her tone as steady as possible. "Percy's missing. I need your help."

She had started to explain Hera's plan for bringing the camps together to battle Gaea and the giants, but the goddess stamped her walking stick against the rusted metal of the fire escape.

"Never!" Demeter said. "Anyone who helps Rome must perish. If you would join them, you are no child of mine. You have already failed me."

"Mom!"

"I care nothing about this Percy. If he had gone over to the Romans, let him perish. Kill him. Kill all the Romans. Remember my abilities echoed onto you, and follow them to its source. Witness how Rome has disgraced me, and pledge your vengeance."

"Demeter isn't the goddess of revenge." Sylvie's nails bit into her palms. She could feel her warm blood seeping out from where she'd punctured skin. "Percy is everything to me."

"And revenge is everything to me," the goddess snarled.

"Something's wrong with you. What happened?"

"Rome happened!" the goddess said bitterly. "Let them taste their own evil. Kill them, child."

"No!"

"Then you are nothing." The goddess turned to the dying flowers in the planter. Her expression softened, becoming confused and unfocused. She healed them herself, but that still didn't seem to make her feel better. "If only they could remember... then perhaps—But no. Avenge me or leave me. You are no child of mine."

╰━━━ ◦ ✸ ◦ ✸ ◦ ━━━╯

BAILEY YAPS...

Sorry for the long chapter!! But things are finally starting to unravel and friendships are finally starting to develop and yk yk and such and such and y'all can now probably catch onto what's happening with Sylvie's quest

Not good things by the way???? Demeter when I find you...

Still I had so much fun writing this chapter I don't know why but like yay yay yay they are just teenagers doing teenager things and bickering as teenagers do and there is nothing going wrong outside of this