I swear if I passed out one more time because of something the Rogues did to me, I'd ask them to kill me than prolong my suffering. The dizzy and uncomfortable feeling of waking up to an unfamiliar place always threw me off.

Speaking of which, even after blinking my eyes open, I was still surrounded by darkness, which got me frantic until I felt a cloth move slightly over my face.

Oh. A blindfold. That explains it.

I tried taking it from my face, but my hands were tied down behind me. Judging from the cold metal that tightly bound my wrists, they probably used the same handcuffs they made me wear from the police station.

Just great.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud.

"Shut up," a familiar female voice said.

I leaned to the source of the voice, which I thought for a moment was in front of me. Something shifted nearby, making me turn to my left.

"Who's there?"

"Chill, it's me, your favorite trickster," Hermes said as I felt him move closer beside me.

A frown made its way to my lips. "Where am I? And why do I feel like we're moving in some sort of a car?"

"Because you are in one, redhead," he said. "We just got out of the plane a few hours ago, and now we're going to our secret hideout."

"Hermes," Artemis said in a warning tone. "You've got to stop telling her information or she'll be able to tell her dumb friends about it."

"Whatever," Hermes scoffed. "There's no way she could possibly tell them. They won't be able to track her too since I took her phone."

I heard a small knock on a window and the rolling of one followed shortly. "Young lady and lord, we are approaching the manor soon. Should I inform the household to prepare a feast for your arrival?"

"That arrangement won't be necessary," Artemis replied. "Just let the head butler know that we have. . . an extra guest coming along."

"Right away."

Manor? Young lady? Master? What the hell are they talking about?

The ride continued in silence until the car slowly came to a halt. I heard the doors open and the shuffling of people going out. Before I could say anything, someone grabbed me by my arm and whisked me out of the car.

As soon as I stepped out, gravel crunched under my feet. Cool fresh air blew past and the smell of fresh leaves and wet soil wafted through my nose.

Are we in the countryside or something?

"Come on, let's get moving." Hermes pushed me from behind, making me stumble. I reluctantly walked forward, grumbling gibberish under my breath.

With my eyes blinded, it made walking a lot harder. Not only could I not see my steps in front of me, but I also lost my sense of distance since I didn't know whether we were about to reach our destination or not.

But we eventually did. Hermes tugged my arm, stopping me from walking any further. Some footsteps and a door creaking later, a pair of hands held something behind me and my blindfold fell off my face.

My jaw went slack at the sight of the mansion standing in front of me, which looked like something coming out of a history book. Large green vines crept on the rustic brick walls, some even reaching the wide glass windows and balconies. Neatly trimmed hedges and flower bushes outlined the large house that seemed to be four or more stories high.

Two men in fancy uniforms pushed the giant oak double doors open, revealing a spacious and extravagant living room with all the hanging chandeliers, heavy curtains, ornate rugs, antique paintings, and a couple of curved staircases in the center.

The Rogues' hideout is a mansion?

An old petite man stepped forward and bowed, snapping me out of my stupor.

"Welcome back, Lady Faust and Lord Cortez," the man said. "I hope your mission was a success."

"As always, Jean-Paul," Artemis said. "We finally got her."

"We get our job done every time," Hermes added.

I raised a brow.

"That is splendid news. I'm sure Master will be very glad."

"Oh, I hope he will be." Artemis frowned. "I don't know what's the deal with her but I hope she's worth the trouble."

I looked at her. "Excuse me—"

"Anyway, is the man of the house here, Jean my man?" Hermes asked.

Jean-Paul nodded. "He just arrived a while ago, but he's resting and doesn't want to be disturbed."

Artemis crossed her arms. "Well, we have to talk to him and ask him what to do with our girl here."

"You won't have to worry about that, my lady," Jean-Paul said. "Master Demetrius prepared a special room for our guest."

"What?" the two Rogues chorused.

Hermes held me on my shoulders. "But isn't she supposed to be thrown in the dungeons to be interrogated?"

Interrogated? Again? There's no way I'll have to experience that all over again!

"Agreed," Artemis said. "You must've heard the man wrong, Jean-Paul."

The old man shook his head. "I may be old, young lady, but I heard his orders loud and clear. I am to take her to her suite."

"Fine!" Artemis spat. "But I'm going to argue with him about this!"

She stomped away in frustration, disappearing into a corner. When her angry footsteps were no longer heard, Jean-Paul cleared his throat.

"I suppose I should take our guest to her room now," he said.

Hermes shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Do what you gotta do."

He was about to walk away when Jean-Paul raised a hand then gestured at my cuffed wrists.

"Would you be so kind and remove her restraints, Lord Cortez?"

"Okay, whatever. . ." A second later, my handcuffs cluttered under my feet. "If she runs away and escapes, tell Artemis it wasn't my fault."

As I held onto my reddened wrists, Hermes nudged me on my elbow. I looked at him. He gave me a wink.

"Enjoy your stay, redhead. I'll see you later." He turned to Jean-Paul. "I'd like to get some snacks sent to my room, my man. You know, the usual."

"Of course." He bowed as Hermes left to the same hallway where Artemis stormed off.

Jean-Paul gazed at me in anticipation.

"What are you looking at?" I blurted.

He ignored what I said, then nodded ahead. "Shall we go, miss?"

I hesitated.

I was alone with the old butler, so this is my only chance to get the hell out of here! But then there might be guards around the area, and even if I did escape, I still don't know where in the world I was. My friends or anyone else I know don't know that I'm missing.

With nothing else to think of, I followed the butler as he headed to the towering staircase.

As much as I tried memorizing the steps we took and the rooms we passed by, I gave up after a few tries. With the time the butler Jean-Paul and I spent walking around the house, I thought we were in a maze or something. The size of the place was so huge!

I wonder who their 'master' was. Is he that rich to afford all this?

Plus the repetitive decoration of the mansion didn't help at all. Just when I thought I saw an eye-catching statue or painting that would remind me of the path we took, I would still see the same thing in another place. As far as I'm concerned, the theme used in the furniture and stuff was pretty much the same.

Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me or it was because of the sedative Hermes put in me when we were in the station. I guess I will never know.

The old butler eventually stopped in front of a wide door. It was like any other door I saw for the last several minutes: brown, made of some sort of sturdy wood, and had a weird logo on its center. I didn't know what it was meant to look like, but it basically was two cursive Ks with one of them flipped so they would make a mirror image of themselves.

Jean-Paul pulled out a golden key and unlocked the door, pushing it open. I stepped inside.

"Welcome to your room."

The interior of the room was completely different from the outside. Silk green curtains with gold embroidery covered the windows. Leather chairs sat under a round green rug which covered the floor near a big fireplace. Across the room was a king-sized bed complete with fluffy pillows and a blanket, all of them matching with the green theme.

"Wow. . ." I turned to Jean-Paul who remained outside the room. "Your name's Jean-Paul, right?"

"Yes, miss."

I took a deep breath. "Do you. . . know why they took me?"

"I don't know, miss. . ." He paused.

"Amelia."

". . . miss Amelia, but I'm sure it was for a good reason," he said.

My forehead wrinkled. "Good reason? When did kidnapping ever become a good thing to do?"

Jean-Paul shrugged slightly. "I'm only a humble servant of the house, miss Amelia. My master only shares his agenda to people he deems worthy."

Before I could even ask who their 'master' was, Jean-Paul continued. "Your three main meals will be served to you at their respective times. You do not have to worry about looking for the toilet since there's one in the room. You are to stay inside at all times until someone comes and tells you that you are being summoned. Are those instructions clear, miss Amelia?"

I blinked, surprised by his sudden shift of character.

"Alright then," he said with a smile. "Have a good day."

He reached for the doorknob and slammed the door shut, leaving me in the room stunned. After a second passed in silence, my body gave up and I sat down on the marble floor, my hand trembling.

They took me away from home, from school. From my friends. I'm all alone.

What will they do to me?

I don't know where I am, but I have to get away from this place as soon as I can. Zeus and the others will know I'm missing and get worried.

With a rough plan in mind, I first tried to open the door, and surprisingly, it creaked open.

Huh. I guess the butler was too old that he forgot to lock me up or something.

I peeked outside to see if there was anyone around. When nobody walked by after a few seconds, I stepped out of the room and ran for it.

As I sprinted across the hallways, my eyes darted around to see if anyone was around or if there was any familiar landmark I saw earlier. Thankfully, I haven't bumped into anyone but I felt like I was running in circles.

Yep. I was completely lost.

After getting nowhere, I stopped and leaned on the wall, panting. A window stood beside me so I decided to look outside to see if I could pinpoint where I was.

Outside, high concrete walls surrounded the mansion. The symbol I've seen earlier in the place decorated the gated entrance. A garden far bigger and neater than the one in Olympian High covered most of the land in front of the house, save for the gravel pathways that led to the mansion and the gates.

This place is really huge. How will I even find a way out?

"Are you lost?" Something tugged on my shirt.

I froze in my spot. Shoot. I got caught.

Slowly, I turned around to face the voice's owner. A little boy with jet-black hair stared at me with curious golden eyes.

"Um, hi?"

"Hullo!" the kid said, smiling. "My name is Duke. What's yours?"