Athena decided that shadow traveling would be quicker than trying to get a ride.

So, they all walked into Hades' palace so Athena could ask Hades to help them.

"Athena?" Percy asked. She stopped and turned around.

"Why are we going into Hades' palace?" Percy asked.

"I need to ask Hades for a favor," Athena said slowly.

"Hades will want something back," Annabeth said.

"He already owes me," Athena said,"He'll be repaying the... favor."

"What did you do for him?" Percy asked.

"Umm..." Athena trailed off,"I'll tell you later."

She spun around on her heal and started walking again. It was a moment before she heard footsteps following her.

She continued walking through the halls until she came to a set of intricately carved set of double doors.

She nodded at the guards who guarded the door and they opened the door quickly.

Athena smiled at them and walked forward, trying to ignore the fact that the guards were skeletons from the civil war. Specifically from the Union Army.

"Ares," Athena mumbled to herself.

"What about him?" Mia asked.

"The Civil War was a fight between some of my children and some of Ares' children. His children won and he's been bragging about it since," Athena explained.

"Oh," Mia said.

"He was so proud that two of his kids lead the Union army," Athena muttered.

"Calm down," Percy said softly. Athena ignored him and kept walking.

Soon the group came up on another set of double doors.

Athena pushed the doors open and walked into the throne room.

The room was curved, with armchair in front of a small fireplace. I'm the center of the room was a throne made out of bones.

On the throne was a man with black hair that came down to his shoulders, solid black eyes and pale skin. He was wearing a suit and bow tie woven out of souls.

"Hades," Athena said and nodded stiffly.

"Hello, Athena," Hades greeted.

"I was wondering if you would help us travel to Camp Half-Blood," Athena said.

"Why should I help?" Hades asked. Athena smiled,"I believe you have a debt to me. I saved you from-"

"I'll help," Hades interrupted. Athena smiled,"Let's go then."

Hades snapped his fingers.

When everyone opened their eyes, they were standing on Half-Blood Hill.

"They're back!" someone shouted from Thalia's Tree.

She had brown hair and purplish-grey eyes.

"Hi, Sophia," Athena said.

"Hello, Lady Athena," Sophia said shyly,"...Do you... do you know who my mom is?"

"I'm so sorry, I haven't asked around yet. I'll do that as soon as I get back to Olympus," Athena said. Sophia nodded,"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Athena said softly.

Sophia nodded and walked down the hill as Chiron walked up to the group.

"I see you all lived," Chiron said. Athena nodded,"May we talk about this in private?"

Chiron nodded and the group followed the centaur to the farmhouse.

***

"So, Athena, why are you here. If I'm not mistaken, you went to Olympus," Chiron said. Percy looked at Athena with clear confusion written across his face.

"I got an IM from Hades saying that Percy and others were in the Underworld and he asked me to check up on it. So I got Hazel and went to the Underworld," Athena explained.

Chiron nodded.

"How did they make a camp in the Underworld without Hades knowing?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron looked at the ground then back at Annabeth,"The gods get distracted sometimes." Annabeth nodded,"Who were they?"

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you," Chiron said.

Annabeth sighed and ran a hand through her now kinky hair.

"Why can't you tell us?" Hazel asked. It was Chiron's turn to sigh,"I swore on the River Styx that I wouldn't tell a soul." Athena could sense that he was partially lying l, but chose to ignore that-for now.

"You all may go back to your cabins, I'd like to talk to Thalia and Mia."

Everyone nodded and filed out of the room.

Athena was walking toward the arena when Percy stopped her,"Athena!"

She spun around,"Yes?"

Percy-who apparently didn't know that she was gonna stop-ran into Athena knocking her to the ground.

"Sorry," Percy said and kissed her quickly before helping her up.

"What is it, Percy?" Athena asked softly.

"Would... would you mind uh comingtomycabin?" Percy rushed the last part, his face burning as he scratched the back of his neck.

Athena laughed,"Sure, Kelp Head."

Percy smiled and practically dragged Athena to the Poseidon Cabin.

When they were in the cabin, Percy sat down on one of the bottom bunks and gestured for Athena to sit next to him.

"You said that you'd explain what you meant by Hades owes you," Percy said.

Athena sighed, she knew this was coming, but she still wasn't prepared.

"Hades, he uh got in trouble with the council and we were voting on if we should make him mortal. Hades secretly begged me to help him,... and I did. He pulled me aside after the meeting and said that he owed me," Athena explained.

She only explained half of it, but she wasn't ready to share the other half to anyone. Especially not Percy.

"Well... now I understand why you didn't want to say in front of everyone in Hades's palace," Percy said.

Athena nodded. Percy smiled and payed his head in Athena's lap.

Athena started playing with Percy's hair.

"Are you aloud to tell me who the kids in Camp Thunder are?" Percy asked.

Athena laughed,"No, Percy."

Percy sighed loudly,"But it's me."

Athena smiled,"Sorry, honey. No."

Percy rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" he wined.

"Because," Athena said. Percy sighed again.

The two were silent for a few minutes.

"Do you ever read?" Percy asked. Athena laughed,"Yes, Percy. I'm supposed to be smart."

"Right," Percy said.

"Why did you ask?" Athena asked.

"I thought you're the goddess of wisdom," Percy said.

"Yeah," Athena said,"Wisdom. I don't read minds."

"Okay."

"Why'd you ask?" Athena asked again.

"Ive never seen you read before," Percy said innocently.

Athena smiled,"Well, I'm not around you twenty four seven," Athena said jokingly,"I have a life when I'm not around you."

Percy frowned,"You're not seeing anyone, are you?"

"I'm seeing you. But that's it," Athena said.

Percy sighed contentedly as Athena kept playing with his hair.

Soon his breath evened out and Athena chuckled softly to herself when she saw that Percy was asleep.

Athena listened to Percy's deep breaths and the gurgling of the fountain in the cabin. Soon she too found herself asleep.

***

Athena found herself at the edge of a cliff.

She watched as a little girl-about 3-with golden hair that fell in ringlets around her waist and golden-grey eyes laughed as she was chased by a man in his late twenties with curly blonde hair and warm brown eyes.

"Stop!" she squealed when the man caught up to the girl and started to tickle her mercilessly.

"Why?" the man asked.

"Because it tickles!" the girl squealed. The man smiled and let the girl.

"Adam?" the girl asked as she looked down the side of the cliff.

"Yes?" Adam asked. The little girl turned around and looked at him with her intelligent eyes,"Why am I a freak?"

"Mylah, you're not a freak," Adam said,"Who told you that?"

"Mommy," Mylah said as she looked down at her foot which was scraping the sand on the path.

Adam's eyes glazed with hate before he forced a smile,"How about we go get ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Mylah said excitedly as she jumped up and down.

Then the scene changed.

Athena in a small living room.

There was a worn down couch up against the wall in front of a small TV. There were a few pictures of a blonde haired girl on the walls. The glass on the pictures was shattered. The fireplace had a small fire burning.

The man-Adam-from earlier was arguing with a woman. The woman had frizzy red hair and bright blue eyes.

"She's four!" Adam yelled,"Brielle, she's four!"

"You think I don't know that?" Brielle asked.

"Apparently!" Adam yelled,"You didn't have to call her a freak!"

"She is!"

"No, she's not. Just because her eyes aren't normal or because she can slow down and speed up time-that doesn't make her a freak!" Adam yelled.

"Yes, it does!" Brielle yelled back.

Adam clenched his jaw,"I'm leaving. I'm taking Mylah with me. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"She's not yours," Brielle said.

"According to her birth certificate she is. Yes, you cheated on me and had her, but she's still just as much my daughter as she is his," Adam said.

Brielle sighed,"Can't you act rational for once?"

"I don't know. Let's see. I'm leaving. That's a start," Adam said.

***

"Mom!" Annabeth exclaimed waking Athena up.

"What?" Athena asked.

"That goes against a camp rule," Annabeth said crossing her arms.

"I don't live at the camp," Athena said,"Plus it was an accident."

Annabeth sighed,"Chiron called a meeting."

"Okay," Athena said. Annabeth nodded and walked out of the cabin.

"Percy," Athena said as she shook him.

"What?" Percy asked, his face buried in a blanket.

"Chiron wants all of the councilors at the Big House," Athena said.

"Five more minutes," Percy muttered.

Athena sighed,"Kelp Head, you're drooling."

No response.

"Fine, I'm gonna eat all the blue food," Athena said.

"NO!" Percy sat up so quickly that he hit his head on the bunk on top of his.

"I'll let you get ready," Athena said. She smiled and walked out of the cabin. She leaned against the side of it when she was outside.

"Athena," a voice said.

Athena rolled her eyes,"What Apollo?"

There was a loud sigh and the god of poetry was in front of Athena,"I was trying to scare you."

"When I'm the last 3 millennia has that worked?" Athena asked.

"True," Apollo agreed,"Anyway, dad called a council meeting."

Athena nodded,"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Apollo smiled and disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Athena knocked on the cabin door,"Percy, Zeus called a council meeting. I have to go."

"Okay," Percy said.

Athena snapped her fingers and disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.

When she appeared on her throne the room was already in chaos.

"QUIET!" Zeus thundered. (No pun intended)

Everyone quit arguing and sat down on their thrones.

"Where's Artemis?" Apollo asked.

Athena looked around and saw that Artemis was indeed not there.

Someone calmly walked through the doors. (Literally)

The woman was wearing a long black dress and a Greek head wrap that covered everything but her eyes, which were a beautiful golden-grey.

"Artemis has been captured," the woman said calmly.

Everyone gasped.

Athena looked at the woman curiously.

"Who are you?" Zeus demanded. The woman shrugged,"Who are you?"

She looked each god and goddess in the eye,"Who are all of you? What can you do to stop me?"

Ares stood up,"We are the Olympians and you need to leave!"

"Ares," Hera warned.

The girl smiled innocently,"I'll leave."

She snapped her fingers and Athena seemed to be fighting against gravity to move.

The girl walked over, roughed Ares' forehead and walked out of the room.

As soon as the girl walked out, Ares disappeared and Athena could move again.

"Who was that?" Aphrodite asked.