S T A R   W A R S

C H A P T E R   T H R E E

( topeka-32 sucks )

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

          IT WAS OFFICIAL. Aurora hated tar monsters. Honestly, she didn't even realize that tar monsters were a thing until she ran into one in Utah at the most inconvenient time. Lucky for her, she was used to meeting deadly things that she had no clue existed, so she handled the steaming tar monster pretty well for someone who had no clue what they were doing. That, and she had both Percy and Frank fighting with her, the trio coming out of it with two buckets of tar, new tar makeovers, and a deeply rooted hatred for Utah.

Aurora could finally breathe once Frank dropped her and Percy off on the deck of the Argo II. She was fine aside from bits of tar sticking to her hair, face, and arms. Percy's shirt was covered in it, but aside from that, he was okay. While Frank left to change back to human, Percy and Aurora raced down the steps. They stopped by the sick bay when Aurora noticed that Jason was awake and sitting up on his bed, talking with Piper and Hazel.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, leaving the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Aurora squirmed a bit, but she was used to cramped spaces after living in barracks for roughly ten years.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Aurora said. "Hey, Jay, glad to see you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"

She pointed down. "Engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.

"Uh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Oh. . ." Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like. . . all of them."

"Great." Percy handed the buckets of tar to Frank and Aurora. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."

"Got it!" Frank promised.

"Be careful, dumbass." Percy pecked Aurora's lips before the three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door.

Aurora and Frank passed by Sarah as they raced down the hall, the daughter of Ares following after them to help Annabeth and Leo with the repairs. When they found the engine room, Aurora stumbled at the sight of Leo. His hair was slicked back with grease and he had a pair of welding goggles on his forehead. His arms were covered in tattoos and there was a lipstick mark on his cheek.

"What the—you know what? I don't want to know. Here's the tar." Aurora set her bucket down and Frank did the same, staring at Leo with a bewildered expression. 

Annabeth sent the girl a tired smile. "Thanks. Where's Percy?"

"Keeping the water nymphs of this lake in check," Aurora said, glancing at Leo. "Apparently Leo and Hazel ticked them off a bit."

Leo winced. "We may or may not have run into Narcissus and stole his big mirror, which was the Celestial bronze. And when we did that, we angered him which angered the nymphs. Fun, right?"

Sarah sighed. "Only we would manage to do something like this." She then glanced at the engine. "How long until repairs are done?"

Leo hit something with his hammer. "With the tar? About an hour."

The ship rocked again, nearly tipping the buckets. Aurora pursed her lips. "I'd shorten that hour into a half an hour. Maybe less."

Leo nodded. Aurora turned on her heel and stumbled her way to her room, which was in the same hall as the rest of the girl cabins. She pushed the door that had her name on it open, gaping at the sight.

Somehow Leo knew exactly what she would want in her room. The cabin was simple with a bed and a dresser and a bookshelf filled with different novels that she never got the chance to read since she was stuck training in the legion. There was a lamp on her nightstand, the shade having engravings of the sun and a lyre and other Apollo-based things on it.

Some of her things from her old bunk were sitting in the room, as well as her clothes and other personal items. She admired the work put in to making her cabin and moved to pick up some clothes to change into. Aurora was surprised to see that each room had a bathroom alongside it, but she took advantage of the shower and cleaned herself up, scrubbing the tar and grime from her skin.

When she was done, she dried her hair and got dressed in a random tee shirt and a pair of shorts, lacing up her tennis shoes. She braided her hair down her left shoulder, the end reaching her waist, before turning and leaving the bathroom to the bedroom portion of her cabin. There was still some time to kill before the ship's repairs were finished, so Aurora stretched out on her bed and allowed her eyes to close, instantly regretting it as she was pulled into a dream that foretold the future.

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

Aurora had woken up with a start as soon as the repairs were finished. She joined the rest of the demigods in the dining hall for dinner while Coach Hedge took the helm. She was nervous. Not only because this would be the first time they'd all sit down together—just the nine of them—but also because of her dream. Her mind was reeling with thoughts of what it could have meant, and none of those thoughts were good.

Maybe the presence of eight other demigods going through what she was should have reassured Aurora, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Eight was unfolding at last. No more training with the legionnaires or joking around with her friends at dinner time and hoping to put off the daunting reality of it all until tomorrow. They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed.

The other's must've felt it too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy's and Jason's powers. In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking, Seriously, dude?, they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table. Aurora took Percy's hand and sent him a grin, rolling her eyes at the pout he was wearing.

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy was eating a piece of pie, which was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whipped cream. Aurora laughed under her breath as she remembered the story of how his mom got him into eating blue food. "We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve the mood around the table. Piper frowned. "I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason took her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart.

Piper still looked uneasy. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rime of her plate was embedded with rubies. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

Aurora stared down at her own dinner. The magical plates could conjure up a great selection of Italian foods. She especially liked the bucatini amatriciana, which was a dish her mother made often when Aurora was living in Rome. Not as famous as rigatoni carbonara, but still really good. However, the current conversation mixed with her recent dream was making her lose her appetite. 

She thought of her dream. It had involved a deserted highway, the wine god Bacchus, and the same evil spirits she'd seen inhabiting Leo before the son of Vulcan—wait, Hephaestus—attacked Camp Jupiter. She remembered feeling the chill that the spirits brought with them, and it made her stomach churn.

"You're right," Piper said after a moment of silence. "We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we only have six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time."

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

No one answered. Aurora felt sick at the thought of returning to Rome. She swore never to go back home, but if she wanted to save the world, she'd have to. And she would have to listen to her father and put the past behind her. It wasn't her fault. 

"There's more," Piper said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

Frank froze with a big forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as. . . ?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. Right now it showed a comfy living room with a cozy fire and a magical leopard head snoring above the mantel. 

"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."

Percy turned to Aurora. "You're the daughter of Apollo. Got any idea what the lines are talking about?"

Aurora pursed her lips in thought. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone," she said. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. I mean, unless there's another child of Athena around here."

Percy nodded. "I agree. Juno told me. . . well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."

"Juno usually is," Aurora mumbled. After what Juno had done to her cousin, she was seriously pissed at the goddess.

Annabeth took a long breath and Sarah reached for her hand. "Reyna was about to tell me and Sarah something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"

"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled. "'An old wrong finally avenged.'"

Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"

Jason shared a look with Aurora, who had gone pale. Any type of hunger she'd felt when entering the dining hall was gone. 

"I. . . uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not sure?"

Jason didn't respond. Hazel broke the silence. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death."

"Giants' bane stands gold and pale," Frank added, "Won through pain from a woven jail."

Aurora's mind raced through the words. Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. What had Nico's last name been? Di Angelo? Angelo in Italian was 'angel', which meant that the twins would be killing Nico. Which explained why Nico only had six days until he'd die. If the twins were in Rome and Rome had six days and Nico had six days, then the twins were going to kill Nico and destroy Rome on the same day.

Aurora kept this to herself. She didn't want to make Hazel stress more than she already was. Plus, Aurora wasn't sure if she was thinking the right thing. She could be jumping to conclusions. she didn't want to cause unneeded pain. She then focused on the other two lines.

Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail. Giants' bane had to be something that would help the demigods. Something that would allow the gods to get their acts together and help the demigods defeat the giants and Gaea. So that meant that the thing Nemesis was talking about, and Reyna, was the same thing as the bane in the prophecy. And Aurora had a sinking thought as to what it was. 

The second half of the line was something she struggled with. Woven jail? That could mean a million different things. The woven jail could be made of yarn or ribbons or string. It could mean anything. She just hoped that she would figure it out before the 'pain' portion came along. 

"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."

Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."

Jason turned to Frank, Hazel, and Aurora. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the three of you."

"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but. . ." He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."

Sara glanced at Aurora. "Are you making heads or tails of these lines?"

Aurora bit her lip. She didn't want to tell them everything yet. She was still trying to figure it all out herself. "I—I have an idea. But I'm not confident in it yet. I don't want to cause any unnecessary worrying if what I'm thinking turns out to be wrong."

Sarah nodded in understanding. Percy sent her a curious look, and she shot him one that said, Later. He nodded, and they went back to eating.

"So. . ." Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

No one spoke. Aurora thought back to her dream, and she sighed. They needed to speak with Bacchus. And if she remembered correctly, he'd been standing in front of a sign saying TOPEKA 32. 

"Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

Aurora had trouble falling asleep. Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty with Sarah, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!"

He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for anyone to go to sleep. Aurora figured this was the most fun the satyr had had in a while since he seemed to be enjoying himself. 

Aurora stared at the bronze beams on the ceiling. She followed the outlines of the lyres and suns and arrows illuminating the ceiling, which helped her to relax. But she was still unable to sleep.

Aurora had so many things on her mind, she thought she'd never sleep. But there was something peaceful about the rocking of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as they scooped through the sky. 

Finally her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off.

It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell. Aurora slipped out of bed and got dressed in new clothes, opting to pull her hair into twin braids instead of a singular one like she usually did. As she was finishing up her hair, a knock came to her cabin door.

"Come in!" she said, tying off her final braid. The door opened to reveal Annabeth. "Hey."

"Hey. Leo's setting us down a few miles outside of Topeka, as requested." Aurora nodded, checking to make sure she had Solstice on her finger. "I know you know what Reyna had been talking about. I saw that look you and Jason shared."

Aurora stiffened as she started lacing up her shoes. Annabeth didn't sound angry, but Aurora didn't really know her well enough to decipher her different tones. After a moment of silence, Aurora nodded. "Yeah. I do." She turned to face the blonde once her shoes were tied. "And I promise I'll tell you soon. But I still have a few things to figure out first."

Annabeth nodded. "I understand." She then glanced out of the room. "We should probably meet with the others. You have some explaining to do."

"I know."

The two girls stopped at the dining hall to grab some breakfast before joining some of the crew above deck. Aurora gasped at the sight around her. The Argo II was settling down in the middle of a field of sunflowers (ironic, since her father was the sun god). The oars were retracting and the gangplank was lowering itself.

The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell. It reminded Aurora of the greenhouses back at camp. She used to have to work in them before becoming Centurion, and it had been one of her favorite jobs since her abilities to control sunlight helped the plants grow. (She was on Ceres's good side).

Percy smiled when he saw her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a soft kiss. Her cheeks flamed but she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling. He was wearing new clothes consisting of faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt. The new clothes seemed to be helping his mood. Aurora was happy to see him so happy, and she tried to push the faint thoughts of him leaving her for the Greeks away. Now was not the time.

Once Piper and Sarah joined them on deck, Annabeth spoke. "So!" she said. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Aurora said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Aurora explained her dream as best as she could—the man in purple with a goblet (Bacchus). She talked about how she'd seen the mile marker behind him, but she kept quiet about the spirits she'd seen. She didn't want to bring anyone down or make anyone nervous about meeting the god. Everyone was so happy right now that she'd feel awful if she tore the mood down.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? That's definitely Bacchus."

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much. . ."

Piper, Jason, and Leo shuddered. They must've ran into the maenads at some point. Not the friendliest batch of followers to exist, Aurora would admit.  

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in wine country."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas. Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"

Frank grunted. He was dressed in a blue tracksuit this morning, like he was ready to go for a jog in the sunflowers. 

"The gods haven't been very good at following that order," he noted. "Besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And Leo said," added Leo.

Frank scowled at him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well. . . you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth and Sarah—I could use your help. You two are the only other people who even sort of  understand engineering."

Annabeth and Sarah looked apologetically at Percy. The blonde sighed. "He's right. We should stay and help."

"I'll come back, guys," he said. "I promise."

Aurora nodded. "Don't worry, you two. I'll make sure Kelp Head here makes it back here alive."

Percy rolled his eyes and moved to mess up Aurora's hair, but she swatted his hands away with a laugh, dodging his attacks. Eventually Percy grabbed her hands and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek, making her laugh harder. The two were oblivious to the saddened expression on Piper's face and the knowing looks that Sarah and Annabeth were sharing. 

Frank slipped his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"

Hazel stepped between them.

"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."

Aurora sighed internally. Frank and Hazel had to get their acts together with Leo. It's not his fault that he looks like Sammy. He's probably related to Sammy or something and that's why he looks like him. Frank needed to get over his jealously and insecurities and Hazel needed to realize that she would have to deal with a few consequences since she had just come back from the dead in a world that had changed a lot. Sammy would have children, and those children would look like him. She had to realize that. And in order for this group to work together, the three of them needed to figure out how to understand each other and put their feelings aside. 

Hazel turned to Percy and Aurora. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be karpoi on the loose."

"Karpoi?" Piper asked.

Aurora shivered at the thought of the spirits. "Grain spirits," she said. "You don't want to meet them. Trust me.

Piper nodded, though she still seemed confused.

"That leaves four of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Piper, and Aurora. I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you're on better terms with him—"

"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him."

"Aurora," Piper said, sending her a smile, "it's your dream vision thingie. You should take the lead."

Aurora shivered. She'd seen them all struggling with these spirits, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be the leader of this particular quest. 

"Of course," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Let's find the highway."

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

Leo had said they were close. His idea of 'close' needed some work. 

After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

Aurora groaned. The summer heat was making her skin slick with sweat and she hated it. Sure, she loved sunlight as much as the next person (especially since she was the daughter of Apollo, the sun god), but when it was mixed with long walks through hot fields, she was ready to collapse. 

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He looked better today, thanks to the magical healing of your's truly plus some ambrosia and nectar. His color was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished. The new gladius that Juno had given him in place of his old (cooler) weapon hung at his belt. He looked like an idiot with it.

"No cars. . ." he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm. . ." Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."

Aurora's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait! You have friends? When did that happen?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Aurora and Piper shared a look. Boys.

Jason whistled. Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated. Aurora took this time to study her boyfriend, her smile growing when she realize just how handsome he was. 

His hair was messy as per usual and it reflected onyx in the summer sun. His skin was deeply tanned—very Mediterranean, but he was a Greek, so what else should she expect. He kind of reminded her of the skater boys she'd see while guarding the entrance to camp—cute in a scruffy way, a little on the wild side, and definitely a troublemaker. She definitely understood why Reyna had tried hitting on him. He was a literal god in human form, and she was the luckiest demigod to ever exist, having him as a boyfriend.

Thunder crackled in the clear sky, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them. At first, Aurora thought it might be Frank in crow form. Then she realized it was much too big to be a bird.

"A black pegasus?" Piper asked. "Never seen one like that."

The winged horse came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then turned his head inquisitively toward Piper, Jason, and Aurora. The daughter of Apollo was staring at the stallion with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. He was magnificent.

"Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper, Jason, and Aurora. They're friends."

The horse nickered.

"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

Aurora sometimes forgot that Percy could speak with horses, but seeing it was kind of strange. Even if she had witnessed it before, it was a bit weird. 

"What does Blackjack want?" Piper asked.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts."

Aurora finally managed to say something. "Oh my gods!" she gushed, grinning broadly. "He's so cool!"

Blackjack made a cocky sound as he trotted over to Aurora, allowing her to scratch him behind the ear and coo over how adorable he was. Percy rolled his eyes at whatever the horse was saying, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Anyway," Percy continued, "he can carry all of us if—"

Suddenly the air turned cold. Aurora's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.

"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.

"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."

Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."

Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Aurora had never ridden on a pegasus before since Camp Jupiter didn't have any aside from Scipio, so she gladly took Percy hand and settled on Blackjack's back behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and without warning, Blackjack took off, nearly sending Aurora flying off of him.

"Fuck!" Aurora shouted, causing Percy to laugh. "Ha ha, asshole."

"You're adorable when you swear, you know that?" Aurora rolled her eyes and she hoped Percy could feel her glaring at him. "Come on, Blackjack. Let's show that storm spirit how it's done."

Blackjack soared above the road, the wind brushing against Aurora's cheeks. Fortunately, no cars passed by Tempest and his riders, or they might have wrecked. In no time, they arrived at the thirty-two-mile marker, which looked exactly as Aurora had seen it in her vision.

Blackjack landed. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride.

Blackjack whinnied.

"You're right," Percy said. "No sign of the wine dude."

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields.

Blackjack turned so quickly, Aurora almost fell off. 

The wheat parted, and the man from her vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over. 

"Did someone just call me the wine dude?" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."

"What a long name," Aurora mumbled.

Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it.

"You look different," Percy told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."

The wine god squinted up at him. "What in blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"

"Uh. . . what series?"

"He means Ceres," Aurora said, sending her boyfriend a look. "The goddess of agriculture. You call her Demeter."

Jason nodded respectively at the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."

Bacchus scratched his stubbly chin. "Ah. . . yes. John Green."

Aurora's brows furrowed. "Isn't that the author of The Fault in Our Stars?"

"I think so," Piper whispered back.

"Jason Grace," Jason said, ignoring the girls.

"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"

"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to party, my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The karpoi are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."

"The plant war," Percy said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"

Aurora groaned. Percy was trying to get himself killed, wasn't he? The god narrowed his eyes at Percy. "Have we met?"

"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D—Dionysus."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. Aurora saw a different person—fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-print shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that! he demanded. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"

Percy blinked. "Uh, but—"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"

"That sounds pretty normal for you," Percy said.

The god's nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that other camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."

"It was discussed," Percy assured him. "I think you were just too lazy to do it."

Aurora had been watching with horrified fascination, the way she might watch a car wreck in progress. Now she realized Percy was not making things better, and she had done nothing to rein him in yet. Aurora figured Sarah and Annabeth wouldn't forgive her if she brought Percy back transformed into a sea mammal. She wouldn't forgive herself, either.

"Lord Bacchus!" Aurora interrupted, slipping off Blackjack's back as Piper got off Tempests's 

"Girls, be careful," Jason said.

Aurora shot Jason a warning glance: I've got this.

"Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."

Piper nodded. "We were told that you are one of the wisest gods and that the Olympians would have fallen into chaos if not for you keeping them together."

It was a pretty noticeable lie, but the god bought into it. The purple glow faded in his eyes, and Aurora felt her shoulders droop in relief. "You're well-spoken, girls. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere rimes, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"

"Not about parties," Aurora interrupted. "Although that's incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest."

She explained about the Argo II and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision that she'd had the night before, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet and some advice.

"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.

"You drink Diet Coke," Percy said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bacchus snapped. "As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want Pepsi. Jupiter had put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."

"You can fight?" Percy asked.

Aurora wanted to smack her boyfriend so hard right now.

Bacchus snarled. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

"A thyrsus!" Piper said, putting emphasis on the name of the weapon. "Oh, what a mighty weapon!"

"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "I'm glad someone in your group is smart. The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"

Jason flinched. Probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother.

Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his pot-belly almost threw him off balance. "Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod. . . Harry Cleese, I think."

"Heracles?" Aurora suggested politely.

"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"

Aurora and Piper met eyes. All at once, several ideas came together in Aurora's head—the vision she'd had the night before, the lines of the prophecy they'd been discussing. Piper and her were thinking the same thing. It was almost like the wool covering her eyes had been pulled away, revealing the truth.

"Lord Bacchus," she said, trying to control the nervousness in her voice. "Those two giants, Ephialtes and Otis. . . would they happen to be twins?"

"Hmm?" The god seemed distracted by his thyrsus swinging, but he nodded. "Yes, twins. That's right."

Aurora turned to Percy. She could tell he was following her thoughts: Twins snuff out the angel's breath. 

In one of her previous dreams, she'd seen two giants in yellow robes, lifting a jar from a deep pit. But she'd had that dream weeks ago, way before she got involved with the Prophecy of Eight and met Percy.

"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!"

Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't do quests."

"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," Aurora insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think. . . I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. Please, Bacchus. We need you."

Piper nodded. "You have to help us kill the giants!"

Aurora winced as Bacchus glared at Piper. You should never tell a god what he has to do.

"My girl," he said coldly, "I don't have to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."

Blackjack whinnied uneasily.

Aurora couldn't blame him. She didn't like the sound of tribute. She remembered something about different gods and how they liked their sacrifices and tributes in the olden days. Greek gods were more likely to be lenient about what they considered tribute. Roman gods were more strict about what their supporters give to them.

Percy voiced the question that she was too scared to ask. "What kind of tribute?"

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing you could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since these two girls do have some manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."

Aurora hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"

"That's the one."

"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A Titan?"

Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water."

"Salt water. . ." Percy said. "In Atlanta?"

"Yes," Bacchus said. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or. . ."

The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"

"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested.

The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped.

The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Despite the dry, hot day, Aurora shivered. A cold feeling. . . the same kind she'd felt before Leo attacked the camp. Images from her vision clicked into her mind, and she tensed.

"Bacchus is right," she said. "We need to leave—"

Too late, said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground at Aurora's feet.

Percy and Jason drew their swords. Aurora got her weapon ready as well, moving to stand beside Piper. The power of Gaea was everywhere, and Aurora wanted to run. The sunflowers turned to look at them. The wheat bent toward them like a million scythes. 

Welcome to my party, Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded Aurora of corn growing—a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise she would hear in the fields at Camp Jupiter when she had to work in the agricultural department before becoming Centurion.

What did Bacchus say? the goddess mocked. A simple low-key affair with organic snacks? Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Aurora, my dear, choose which hero will die with you. And don't fail me like you did in Alaska.

Aurora stiffened at the reminder of how she'd almost drowned in Alaska with Percy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Percy's grip on his sword tighten.

"Gaea!" Jason yelled. "Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!"

Such bravado, Gaea hissed. But the other one, Percy Jackson, also has appeal. Choose, Aurora Jacorusso, or I will.

Aurora's heart raced. She could see Piper staring at her strangely at the mention of her last name, but she ignored it. Gaea wanted to kill her. No surprise there, everyone wanted her dead lately. But what was this about choosing one of the boys? Why would Gaea let either of them go? It had to be a trap.

"You're insane!" she shouted. "I'm not choosing anything for you!"

Suddenly, Jason gasped. He sat up straight in his saddle.

"Jason!" Piper cried. "What's wrong—?"

He looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were no longer blue. They glowed solid gold. Not like how Aurora's did when she got angry. This was a cold, cruel gold. It was happening just like her vision predicted.

"Percy, help!" Aurora pulled Piper away from Tempest.

But Percy galloped away from them. He stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip toward Jason.

"One will die," Percy said, but his voice wasn't his. It wasn't the light-hearted, goofball, sarcastic voice she'd grown to love. It was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.

"I will choose," Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.

"No!" Piper yelled.

Aurora gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. All around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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This chapter was long and exhausting but we are getting further into the Mark of Athena. Next chapter is the fight and then we have the whole badass Piper moment and the conversation about life and stuff. And then after that is the Percy chapter and the two will have a bonding moment!

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.