𝐒 𝐓 𝐀 𝐑   𝐖 𝐀 𝐑 𝐒   !

⎯ 𝘚 𝘐 𝘟 𝘛 𝘌 𝘌 𝘕 ⎯

( 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔨𝔞 ! )

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

           𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒? No contest.

Percy would've preferred driving Grandma Zhang's Cadillac all the way to Alaska with fireball-throwing ogres on his trail rather than sitting in a luxury Gulfstream.

He'd flown before. The details were hazy, but he remembered a Pegasus named Blackjack. He'd even been in a plane before once or twice. But a son of Neptune (Poseidon, whatever) didn't belong in the air. Every time the plane hit a spot of turbulence, Percy's heart raced and he gripped Aurora's hand even tighter, sure that Jupiter was slapping them around.

He'd tried to focus as Frank and Hazel talked. Hazel was reassuring Frank that he'd done everything he could for his grandmother. Frank had saved them from the Laistrygonians and gotten them out of Vancouver. He'd been incredibly brave.

Frank kept his head down like he was ashamed to have been crying, but Percy didn't blame him. The poor guy had just lost his grandmother and seen his house go up in flames. As far as Percy was concerned, shedding a few tears about something like that didn't make you any less of a man, especially when you had just fended off an army of ogres that wanted to eat you for breakfast.

Percy still couldn't get over the fact that Frank was a distant relative. Frank would be his . . . what? Great-times-a-thousand nephew? Too weird for words.

Frank refused to explain exactly what his "family gift" was, but as they flew north, Frank did tell them about his conversation with Mars the night before. He explained the prophecy Juno had issued when he was a baby—about his life being tied to a piece of firewood, and how he had asked Hazel to keep it for him.

Some of that, Percy had already figured out. Hazel and Frank had obviously shared some crazy experiences when they had blacked out together, and now they'd made some sort of deal. It also explained why even now, out of habit, Frank kept checking his coat pocket, and why he was so nervous around fire. Still, Percy couldn't imagine what kind of courage it had taken for Frank to embark on a quest, knowing that one small flame could snuff out his life.

The only thing keeping him calm other than the conversation going on around him was Aurora sitting next to him. Her hand in his, thumb running over his knuckles soothingly, helped him to relax just a little bit. His memories of her were clear from all those winters ago, and as soon as he remembered her, the memories of who Annabeth was became clearer. He had to find a good time to tell her the truth about the blonde.

He'd noticed the way her eyes would dim or her shoulders would deflate or her smile would drop when he would mention Annabeth's name. It would make his heart leap with excitement at the prospect of her liking him like how he liked her, but it would also make his heart deflate, seeing her so upset.

He gripped her hand tighter as they hit another bump and she sent him a relaxed smile, taking his hand in both of hers. She began to play with his fingers, and he noticed that her ring had the faintest outline of a trident glowing against the mix of gold and bronze. He decided he would ask her about that later, reveling in the feeling of her fingers playing with his own.

Percy looked at Frank with a small grin. "Frank, I'm proud to be related to you."

Frank's ears turned red. With his head lowered, his military haircut made a sharp black arrow pointing down. "Juno has some sort of plan for us, about the Prophecy of Eight."

"Yeah," Percy grumbled. "I didn't like her as Hera. I don't like her any better as Juno."

Aurora nudged Percy with a raised brow. He had made her promise not to tell them about him being Greek until after the quest, but now things were different. There was no avoiding the subject now, especially after finding out that Frank was his relative. He gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance and prepared himself for the load of questions he was most likely going to receive.

Hazel tucked her feet underneath her. She studied Percy with her luminescent golden eyes, and he wondered how she could be so calm. She was the youngest one on the quest, but she was always holding them together and comforting them with Aurora's help. Now they were flying to Alaska, where she had died once before. They would try to free Thanatos, who might take her back to the Underworld. Yet she didn't show any fear. It made Percy feel silly for being scared of airplane turbulence.

"You're a son of Poseidon, aren't you?" she asked. "You are a Greek demigod."

Percy gripped his leather necklace with his empty hand. "I started to remember in Portland, after the gorgon's blood. It's been coming back to me slowly since then. There's another camp—Camp Half-Blood."

Just saying the name made Percy feel warm inside. Good memories washed over him: the smell of strawberry fields in the warm summer sun, fireworks lighting up the beach on the Fourth of July, satyrs playing panpipes at the nightly campfire, and a best friend with gray eyes who always would punch him in the arm if he did something stupid—which was often.

Hazel and Frank stared at him as though he'd slipped into another language. Aurora just continued to play with his one hand.

"Another camp," Hazel repeated. "A Greek camp? Gods, if Octavian found out—"

"He'd declare war." Aurora's eyes were dark. She obviously didn't have a good relationship with Octavian. "He's always been sure the Greeks were out there, plotting against us. He thought Percy was a spy. Of course, I told him he was an idiot and said that he should go slaughter another teddy bear."

Percy chuckled softly. "That's why Juno sent me. Uh, I mean, not to spy. I think it was some kind of exchange. Your friend Jason—I think he was sent to my camp. In my dreams, I saw a demigod that might have been him. He was working with some other demigods on this flying warship. I think they're coming to Camp Jupiter to help."

Frank tapped nervously on the back of his seat. "Mars said Juno wants to unite the Greeks and Romans to fight Gaea. But, jeez—Greeks and Romans have a long history of bad blood."

Hazel took a deep breath. "That's probably why the gods have kept us apart this long. If a Greek warship appeared in the sky above Camp Jupiter, and Reyna didn't know it was friendly—"

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "We've got to be careful how we explain this when we get back."

"If we get back," Frank said.

Percy nodded reluctantly. "I mean, I trust you guys. I hope you trust me. I feel . . . well, I feel as close to you three as to any of my old friends at Camp Half-Blood." Well, he felt a little bit closer to Aurora than he let on. Okay, a lot closer. "But with the other demigods, at both camps—there's going to be a lot of suspicion."

Hazel did something he wasn't expecting. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. It was totally a sisterly kiss. But she smiled with such affection, it warmed Percy right down to his feet. He felt Aurora pause in her movements, and when he looked down at her, she was staring at their hands. His heart dropped when he saw the frown she wore, and without thinking, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Aurora looked up at him with pink cheeks and a wide smile, her eyes bright.

He felt his cheeks warm a bit and he gave her a smile back.

"Of course we trust you," Hazel said. "We're a family now. Aren't we, guys?"

"Sure," Frank said. "Do I get a kiss?"

Hazel laughed, but there was a nervous tension in it. Aurora rolled her eyes playfully at them and began to fiddle with Percy's fingers again. "I don't think I've ever trusted someone as much as I trust you, Kelp Head. Other than Jason, that is." She grinned up at him. "Anyway, what do we do now?"

Percy took a deep breath. Time was slipping away. They were almost halfway through June twenty-third, and tomorrow was the Feast of Fortuna. "I've got to contact a friend—to keep my promise to Ella."

"How?" Frank said. "One of those Iris-messages?"

"Still not working," Percy said sadly. "I tried it last night while Aurora was cooking. No luck. Maybe it's because my memories are still jumbled. Or the gods aren't allowing a connection. I'm hoping I can contact my friend in my dreams."

Another bump of turbulence made him latch onto Aurora's hands tightly, and she laughed softly. She gently loosened his grip on her hands and laced her fingers through his, resting their joined hands on her lap. Her free hand continued to mess with his fingers, a wave of calm running through him. Below them, snowcapped mountains broke through a blanket of clouds.

"I'm not sure I can sleep," Percy said. "But I need to try. We can't leave Ella by herself with those ogres around."

"Yeah," Frank said. "We've still got hours to fly. Take the couch, man."

Percy nodded. He felt lucky to have Hazel, Frank, and especially Aurora watching out for him. What he'd said to them was true—he trusted them. In the weird, terrifying, horrible experience of losing his memory and getting ripped out of his old life—Aurora, Hazel, and Frank were the bright spots.

Aurora studied him for a moment. "I might have a way to help you sleep. Come on."

She stood and led him over to the couch before telling him to lay down. He stretched out on the couch and Aurora knelt beside him, giving him a soft smile. She still held his hand gently and met his eyes. Her cerulean eyes were so bright and calm, he immediately began to feel sleepy.

Aurora gently placed her palm on his forehead and mumbled something under her breath. And before he could say 'thank you', he was falling from a mountain of ice toward a cold sea.

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

The dream shifted. He was back in Vancouver, standing in front of the ruins of the Zhang mansion. The Laistrygonians were gone. The mansion was reduced to a burned-out shell. A crew of firefighters was packing up their equipment, getting ready to move out. The lawn looked like a war zone, with smoking craters and trenches from the blown-out irrigation pipes.

"Whoa." Percy nearly jumped out of his skin as Aurora's voice filled the air. Looking over, he saw her standing beside him with wide eyes, her hand still tight in his.

"Ho—how are you here?" Percy asked. He wasn't mad, just surprised. This had never happened to him before.

Was this how Hazel felt when Frank followed her into her blackout?

Aurora's brows knit together as she frowned in thought. It was an adorable expression, and Percy had to fight the urge to smooth the crinkle in her forehead. "It shouldn't have happened, unless . . ." Her eyes widened and she groaned. "I'm an idiot! Our hands were connected so I got pulled into your dream. Gods, I'm sorry. You probably don't even want me here. I can go somewhere else while you talk⎯"

Percy chuckled and pulled her closer, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "It's fine. I actually feel a bit better having you by my side." His cheeks reddened and so did hers. "Um, I mean, uh—"

"It's fine, Perce. I enjoy being by your side." They would have said more, if the sound of branches snapping hadn't caught their attention.

At the edge of the forest, a giant shaggy black dog was bounding around, sniffing the trees. The firefighters completely ignored him. Aurora's grip on his hand tightened and he sent her a concerned look. She just sucked in a deep breath and brushed it off. Percy guessed the dog startled her.

Beside one of the craters knelt a Cyclops in oversized boots and a massive flannel shirt. His messy brown hair was spattered with rain and mud. When he raised his head, his big brown eye was red from crying.

"Close!" he moaned. "So close, but gone!"

It broke Percy's heart to hear the pain and worry in the big guy's voice, but he knew they only had a few seconds to talk. The edges of the vision were already dissolving, and Aurora looked like she was straining to keep the dream going. If Alaska was the land beyond the gods, Percy figured the farther north he went, the harder it would be to communicate with his friends, even in his dreams.

"Tyson!" he called.

The Cyclops looked around frantically. "Percy? Brother?"

"Tyson, I'm okay. I'm here—well, not really."

Tyson grabbed the air like he was trying to catch butterflies. "Can't see you! Where is my brother?"

"Tyson, I'm flying to Alaska. I'm okay. I'll be back. Just find Ella. She's a harpy with red feathers. She's hiding in the woods around the house."

"Find a harpy? A red harpy?"

"Yes! Protect her, okay? She's my friend. Get her back to California. There's a demigod camp . . ." Percy paused, his brows furrowing. He turned to Aurora. "Where's the camp located again?"

"Hey, Tyson. I'm Percy's friend, Aurora." Aurora didn't look as uncomfortable talking to Tyson as Percy had thought she would. She actually managed to sound friendly toward him, which Percy appreciated. "There's a demigod camp in the Oakland Hills—Camp Jupiter. It's where I go, okay? Meet Percy above the Caldecott Tunnel."

"Oakland Hills. . . California . . . Caldecott Tunnel." He shouted to the dog: "Mrs. O'Leary! We must find harpy!" He then looked around. "Percy, your friend has a pretty voice! Is she pretty?"

Percy's face was on fire as he glanced at the girl next to him. Her hair had been freshly braided that morning and her eyes, despite having dark circles beneath them, were still their usual bright blue. She was watching Mrs. O'Leary chase her tail, and Percy would've believed that she hadn't heard Tyson if it wasn't for the tinge of pink dusting her cheeks and the smile on her face.

Licking his lips, Percy smiled to himself. "Yeah, Tyson. She's beautiful."

Aurora looked up at him and their eyes met. If this was any other moment, Percy was sure he would have leaned down and kissed her right then and there. But he knew they had more pressing matters than his feelings for Aurora. Though, he did promise himself that if they all made it through this, he would kiss her with no regrets.

"WOOF!" the dog said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Tyson's face started to dissolve. "My brother is okay? My brother is coming back? With pretty friend? I miss you!"

"I miss you, too." Percy tried to keep his voice from cracking. "I'll see you soon. Just be careful! There's a giant's army marching south!"

The dream shifted.

Percy found himself standing in the hills north of Camp Jupiter with Aurora, the two of them looking down at the Field of Mars and New Rome. At the legion's fort, horns were blowing. Campers scrambled to muster.

The giant's army was arrayed to Percy's left and right—centaurs with bull's horns, the six-armed Earthborn, and evil Cyclopes in scrap-metal armor. The Cyclopes' siege tower cast a shadow across the feet of the giant Polybotes, who grinned down at the Roman camp. He paced eagerly across the hill, snakes dropping from his green dreadlocks, his dragon legs stomping down small trees. On his green-blue armor, the decorative faces of hungry monsters seemed to blink in the shadows.

Aurora's hand tightened in his, and she gasped. "Snakes."

Percy furrowed his brows. "Snakes?"

"Children of Apollo thing. Ever since Apollo defeated Python . . . well, snakes aren't huge fans of us, and we don't really like them," Aurora explained. And Percy could understand why. The story reminded him of Annabeth and how she was afraid of spiders because of Arachne. He pulled Aurora closer and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yes," the giant chuckled, planting his trident in the ground. "Blow your little horns, Romans. I've come to destroy you! Stheno!"

The gorgon scrambled out of the bushes. Her lime green viper hair and Bargain Mart vest clashed horribly with the giant's color scheme.

"Yes, master!" she said. "Would you like a Puppy-in-a-Blanket?"

She held up a tray of free samples.

"Hmm," Polybotes said. "What sort of puppy?"

"Ah, they're not actually puppies. They're tiny hot dogs in crescent rolls, but they're on sale this week—"

"Bah! Never mind, then! Are our forces ready to attack?"

"Oh—" Stheno stepped back quickly to avoid getting flattened by the giant's foot. "Almost, great one. Ma Gasket and half her Cyclopes stopped in Napa. Something about a winery tour? They promised to be here by tomorrow evening."

"What?" the giant looked around, as if just noticing a big portion of his army was missing. "Gah! That Cyclopes woman will give me an ulcer. Winery tour?"

"I think there was cheese and crackers, too," Stheno said helpfully. "Though Bargain Mart has a much better deal."

Polybotes ripped an oak tree out of the ground and threw it into the valley. "Cyclopes! I tell you, Stheno, when I destroy Neptune and take over the oceans, we will renegotiate the Cyclopes' labor contract. Ma Gasket will learn her place! Now, what news from the north?"

"The demigods have left for Alaska," Stheno said. "They fly straight to their death. Ah, small 'd' death, I mean. Not our prisoner Death. Although, I suppose they're flying to him too."

Polybotes growled. "Alcyoneus had better spare the son of Neptune as he promised. I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake the Earth Mother! What word form the Amazons?"

"Only silence," Stheno said. "We do not yet know the winner of last night's duel, but it is only a matter of time before Otrera prevails and comes to our aid."

"Hmm." Polybotes absently scratched some vipers out of his hair. "Perhaps it's just as well we wait, then. Tomorrow at sundown is Fortuna's Feast. By then, we must invade—Amazons or no. In the meantime, dig in! We set up camp here, on high ground."

"Yes, great one!" Stheno announced to the troops: "Puppies-in-Blankets for everyone!"

Polybotes spread his hands in front of him, taking in the valley like a panoramic picture. "Yes, blow your little horns, demigods. Soon, the legacy of Rome will be destroyed for the last time!"

The dream faded.

Percy woke with a jolt as the plane started its descent.

Hazel looked at the two of them in concern. "Sleep okay?"

Percy sat up groggily. "How long were we out?"

Frank stood in the aisle, wrapping his spear and new bow in his ski bag. "A few hours," he said. "We're almost here."

Percy looked out the window. A glittering inlet of the sea snaked between snowy mountains. In the distance, a city was carved out of the wilderness, surrounded by lush green forests on one side and icy black beaches on the other.

"Welcome to Alaska," Hazel said. "We're beyond the help of the gods."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

The pilot said the plane couldn't wait for them, but that was okay with Percy. If they survived till the next day, he hoped they could find a different way back—anything but a plane.

He should've been depressed. He was stuck in Alaska, the giant's home territory, out of contact with his old friends just as his memories were coming back. He had seen an image of Polybotes' army about to invade Camp Jupiter. He'd learned that the giants planned to use him as some kind of blood sacrifice to awaken Gaea. Plus, tomorrow evening was the Feast of Fortuna. He, Frank, Hazel, and Aurora had an impossible task to complete before then. At best, they would unleash Death, who might take Percy's two friends to the Underworld. Not much to look forward to.

Still, Percy felt strangely invigorated. His dream of Tyson had lifted his spirits. He remembered Tyson, his brother. They'd fought together, celebrated victories, shared good times at Camp Half-Blood. He remembered his home, and that gave him a new determination to succeed. He was fighting for two camps now—two families.

Juno had stolen his memory and sent him to Camp Jupiter for a reason. He understood that now. He still wanted to punch her in her godly face, but at least he got her reasoning. If the two camps could work together, they stood a chance of stopping their mutual enemies. Separately, both camps were doomed.

There were other reasons Percy wanted to save Camp Jupiter. Reasons he didn't dare put into words—not yet, anyway. For one, Camp Jupiter was Aurora's home. Where she had met Jason, her cousin, and where he had met her and began feeling something for her. Also, he saw a future for himself and Aurora in New Rome together, attending college classes and owning an apartment together.

Of course, you first gotta grow a pair and ask her out. Percy rolled his eyes at his own thoughts, even though they were right.

As they took a taxi into downtown Anchorage, Percy told Frank and Hazel about his dreams. They looked anxious but not surprised when he told them about the giant's army closing in on camp.

Frank choked when he heard about Tyson. "You have a half-brother who's a Cyclops?"

"Sure," Percy said. "Which makes him your great-great-great—"

"Please." Frank covered his ears. "Enough."

"As long as he can get Ella to camp," Aurora said. "I'm worried about her."

Percy nodded. He was still thinking about the lines of prophecy the harpy had recited—about the son of Neptune drowning, and the mark of Athena burning through Rome. He wasn't sure what the first part meant, but he was starting to have an idea about the second. He tried to set the question aside. He had to survive this quest first.

The taxi turned on Highway One, which looked more like a small street to Percy, and took them north toward downtown. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the sky.

"I can't believe how much this place has grown," Hazel muttered.

The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror. "Been a long time since you visited, miss?"

"About seventy years," Hazel said.

The taxi driver slid the glass partition closed and drove on in silence. Aurora laughed softly into her hand, shaking her head at Hazel.

According to Hazel, almost none of the buildings were the same, but she pointed out features of the landscape: the vast forests ringing the city, the cold, gray waters of Cook Inlet tracing the north edge of town, and the Chugach Mountains rising grayish-blue in the distance, capped with snow even in June.

Percy had never smelled air this clean before. The town itself had a weather-beaten look to it, with closed stores, rusted-out cars, and worn apartment complexes lining the road, but it was still beautiful. Lakes and huge stretches of woods cut through the middle. The arctic sky was an amazing combination of turquoise and gold.

Then there were the giants. Dozens of bright-blue men, each thirty feet tall with gray frosty hair, were wading through the forests, fishing in the bay, and striding across the mountains. The mortals didn't seem to notice them. The taxi passed within a few yards of one who was sitting at the edge of a lake washing his feet, but the driver didn't panic.

"Um . . ." Frank pointed at the blue guy.

"Hyperboreans," Percy said. He was amazed he remembered the name. "Northern giants. I fought some when Kronos invaded Manhattan."

"Wait," Frank said. "When who did what?"

"Long story. But these guys look . . . I don't know, peaceful."

"They usually are," Hazel agreed. "I remember them. They're everywhere in Alaska, like bears."

"Bears?" Frank said nervously.

"The giants are invisible to mortals," Hazel said. "They never bothered me, though one almost stepped on me by accident once."

That sounded bothersome to Percy, but the taxi kept driving. None of the giants paid them any attention. One stood right at the intersection of Northern Lights Road, straddling the highway, and they drove between his legs. The Hyperborean was cradling a Native American totem pole wrapped in furs, humming to it like a baby. If the guy hadn't been almost the size of a building, he would've been almost cute.

"I can't tell if that was adorable or terrifying," Aurora mumbled, staring back at the giant. "Maybe both?"

The taxi drove through downtown, past a bunch of tourists' shops advertising furs, Native American art, and gold. Percy hoped Hazel wouldn't get agitated and make the jewelry shops explode.

As the driver turned and headed toward the seashore, Hazel knocked on the glass partition. "Here is good. Can you let us out?"

They paid the driver and stepped onto Fourth Street. Compared to Vancouver, downtown Anchorage was tiny—more like a college campus than a city, but Hazel looked amazed.

"It's huge," she said. "That—that's where the Gitchell Hotel used to be. My mom and I stayed there our first week in Alaska. And they've moved City Hall. It used to be there."

She led them in a daze for a few blocks. They didn't really have a plan beyond finding the fastest way to the Hubbard Glacier, but Percy smelled something cooking nearby—sausage, maybe? He realized he hadn't eaten since that morning at Grandma Zhang's.

"Food," he said. "Come on."

They found a cafe right by the beach. It was bustling with people, but they scored a table at the window and perused the menus.

Frank whooped with delight. "Twenty-four-hour breakfast!"

"It's, like, dinnertime," Percy said, though he couldn't tell from looking outside. The sun was so high, it could've been noon.

"I love breakfast," Frank said. "I'd eat breakfast, breakfast, and breakfast if I could. Though, um, I'm sure the food here isn't as good as Hazel's."

Hazel elbowed him, but her smile was playful.

Seeing them like that made Percy happy. Those two definitely needed to get together. Percy found himself looking to his right where Aurora sat against the wall, his eyes twinkling as she watched the two. His heard sped up at the sight of her looking so relaxed and happy, and thoughts of spending time with her in New Rome filled his head.

Happy thoughts, he told himself. Keep thinking happy thoughts.

"You know," he said. "Breakfast sounds great."

They all ordered massive plates of eggs, pancakes, and reindeer sausage, though Frank looked a little worried for the reindeer. "You think it's okay we're eating Rudolph?"

"Dude," Aurora said, holding up her fork. "I could eat Prancer and Blitzen, too. I'm hungry."

Percy chuckled and they began eating. The food was excellent. Percy had never seen anyone eat as fast as Frank. The red-nosed reindeer did not stand a chance.

Between bites of blueberry pancake, Hazel drew a squiggly curve and an X on her napkin. "So this is what I'm thinking. We're here." She tapped the X. "Anchorage."

"It looks like a seagull's face," Percy said. "And we're the eye."

Aurora laughed into her juice while Hazel sent him a glare. "It's a map, Percy. Anchorage is at the top of this sliver of ocean, Cook Inlet. There's a big peninsula of land below us, and my old home town, Seward, is at the bottom of the peninsula, here." She drew another X at the base of the seagull's throat. "That's the closest town to the Hubbard Glacier. We could go around by sea, I guess, but it would take forever. We don't have that kind of time."

Frank polished off the last of his Rudolph. "But land is dangerous," he said. "Land means Gaea."

Hazel nodded. "I don't see that we've got much choice, though. We could have asked our pilot to fly us down, but I don't know . . . his plane might be too big for the little Seward airport. And if we chartered another plane—"

"No more planes," Percy said. "Please."

Hazel held her hand in a placating gesture. "It's okay. There's a train that goes from here to Seward. We might be able to catch one tonight. It only takes a couple of hours."

She drew a dotted like between the two X's.

"You just cut off the seagull's head," Aurora noted, making Percy chuckle.

Hazel sighed. "It's the train line. Look, from Seward, the Hubbard Glacier is down here somewhere." She tapped the lower right corner of the napkin. "That's where Alcyoneus is."

"But you're not sure how far?" Frank asked.

Hazel frowned and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it's only accessible by boat or plane."

"Boat," Percy said immediately.

"Fine," Hazel said. "It shouldn't be too far from Seward. If we can get to Seward safely."

Percy glanced out the window. So much to do, and only twenty-four hours left. This time tomorrow, the Feast of Fortuna would be starting. Unless they unleashed Death and made it back to camp, the giant's army would flood into the valley. The Romans would be the main course at a monster dinner.

Across the street, a frosty black sand beach led down to the sea, which was as smooth as steel. The ocean here felt different—still powerful, but freezing, slow, and primal. No gods controlled that water, at least no gods Percy knew. Neptune wouldn't be able to protect him. Percy wondered if he could even manipulate water here, or breathe underwater.

A Hyperborean giant lumbered across the street. Nobody in the cafe noticed. The giant stepped into the bay, cracking the ice under his sandals, and thrust his hands in the water. He brought out a killer whale in one fist. Apparently that wasn't what he wanted, because he threw the whale back and kept wading.

"Good breakfast," Frank said. "Who's ready for a train ride?"

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

The station wasn't far. They were just in time to buy tickets for the last train south. As his friends climbed on board, Percy said, "Be with you in a sec," and ran back into the station.

He got change from the gift shop and stood in front of the pay phone.

He'd never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his mom's turntable or his teacher Chiron's Frank Sinatra cassette tapes. He wasn't sure how many coins it would take, or if he could even make the call go through, assuming he remembered the number correctly.

Sally Jackson, he thought.

That was his mom's name. And he had a stepdad . . . Paul.

What did they think had happened to Percy? Maybe they had already held a memorial service. As near as he could figure, he'd lost seven months of his life. Sure, most of that had been during the school year, but still . . . not cool.

He picked up the receiver and punched in a New York number—his mom's apartment.

Voice mail. Percy should have figured. It would be like, midnight in New York. They wouldn't recognize this number. Hearing Paul's voice on the recording hit Percy in the gut so hard, he could barely speak at the tone.

"Mom," he said. "Hey, I'm alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and . . ." His voice faltered. How he could possibly explain all this? "Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest—" He winced. He shouldn't have said that. His mom knew all about quests, and now she'd be worried. "I'll make it home. I promise. Love you."

He put down the receiver. He stared at the phone, hoping it would ring back. The train whistle sounded. The conductor shouted, "All aboard."

Percy ran. He made it just as they were pulling up the steps, then climbed to the top of the double-decker car and slid into his seat beside Aurora.

She frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he croaked. "Just . . . made a call."

She nodded and left the conversation at that, which he was grateful for. He was pretty sure that he would have started crying if she'd asked him to go into detail.

Soon they were heading south along the coast, watching the landscape go by. Percy tried to think about the quest, but for an ADHD kid like him, the train wasn't the easiest place to concentrate.

Cool things kept happening outside. Bald eagles soared overhead. The train raced over bridges and along cliffs where glacial waterfalls tumbled thousands of feet down the rocks. They passed forests buried in snowdrifts, big artillery guns (to set off small avalanches and prevent uncontrolled ones, Hazel explained), and lakes so clear, they reflected the mountains like mirrors, so the world looked upside down.

Brown bears lumbered through the meadows. Hyperborean giants kept appearing in the strangest places. One was lounging in a lake like it was a hot tub. Another was using a pine tree as a toothpick. A third sat in a snowdrift, playing with two live moose like they were action figures (Aurora and Percy had laughed at that one). The train was full of tourists ohhing and ahhing and snapping pictures, but Percy felt sorry they couldn't see the Hyperboreans. They were missing the really good shots.

Meanwhile, Frank studied a map of Alaska that he'd found in the seat pocket. He located Hubbard Glacier, which looked discouragingly far away from Seward. He kept running his finger along the coastline, frowning with concentration.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked.

"Just . . . possibilities," Frank said.

Percy didn't know what that meant, but he let it go.

A few minutes passed and the outside world began to grow a bit boring. Percy turned his head when he felt eyes on him, and met the brilliant cerulean irises of Aurora. Her cheeks lit up pink when he caught her staring, but she held his gaze.

"You called your mom, didn't you?" she asked in a whisper.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. It must be midnight back in New York, 'cause she didn't pick up. Either that, or she didn't recognize the number."

Aurora frowned and looked at her hands. Her eyes fogged over like she was in thought, but before Percy could ask what she was thinking about, she spoke. "How are you? After the whole dream, I mean? Seeing your brother and all that?"

Percy sighed. To be honest, he felt relieved to know that he remembered his brother now and knew that people were coming for him. "Is it okay to say that I feel a little homesick?" Aurora perked a brow and he laughed softly. "Okay, I'm a lot homesick."

Aurora smiled up at him. "I would be concerned if you weren't missing home. A place you've spent years at doesn't just become something of a memory. You have emotions tied to Camp Half-Blood that you don't have with Camp Jupiter. Friends and family that are waiting for you back there. Being homesick is . . . it's natural."

She got a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke, and Percy wondered if she had felt this way before. Feeling homesick but not knowing when or if you would ever return to the place you miss. Percy realized that Aurora had to come from somewhere. Somewhere out there in the world, she had an entire family missing her, and he had no clue where she used to live before Camp Jupiter. Did she even miss her family? Did she ever visit them? Does she ever regret coming to Camp Jupiter?

Thoughts raced through his head as he looked at the girl in new light. He'd have to ask her after the quest where she used to live. All these questions filled his brain, but he had to push them away. Focus on the quest, not the beautiful girl beside you.

"You're really smart, did you know that?" Aurora laughed airily, her cheeks painted pink.

"Thanks, Kelp Head. You're kinda smart, too."

After about an hour of talking with Aurora, Percy started to relax. They bought hot chocolate from the dining car. The seats were warm and comfortable, and he thought about taking a nap.

Then a shadow passed overhead. Tourists murmured in excitement and started taking pictures.

"Eagle!" one yelled.

"Eagle?" said another.

"Huge eagle!" said a third.

"That's no eagle," Frank said.

Percy looked up just in time to see the creature make a second pass. Aurora gasped beside him. It was definitely larger than an eagle, with a sleek black body the size of a Labrador retriever. Its wingspan was at least ten feet across.

"There's another one!" Frank pointed. "Strike that. Three, four. Okay, we're in trouble."

The creatures circled the train like vultures, delighting the tourists. Percy wasn't delighted. The monsters had glowing red eyes, sharp beaks, and vicious talons.

Percy felt for his pen in his pocket. "Those things look familiar . . ."

"Seattle," Aurora said. "The Amazons had one in a cage. They're—"

Then several things happened at once. The emergency brake screeched, pitching them forward. Tourists screamed and tumbled through the aisles. The monsters swooped down, shattering the glass roof of the car, and the entire train toppled off the rails.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐒   𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄   !

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Okay guys. I think there might be four or five more chapters left of this part before I move on over to Mark Of Athena. The next chapter will have the explanation of why Aurora doesn't use a bow and instead uses a sword, and you will find out where she comes from and understand who she is better. It will be a big bonding moment between Percy and Aurora because it will also have them in the muskeg together and some alone time between them for when Hazel and Frank go looking for stuff to wipe the two of them off.

Okay, please comment and vote!

I love you all!

~ a.h.