Well the summer had come and gone and it was the last day of camp for the summer kids. I mean now it was going to be a damn ghost town because no one except for a few kids stayed here for the winter and went to school in the city like Annabeth, Luke, and some others. Luke had convinced me this year to actually try to go to school and try. I think I was going to either be in 8th grade a freshman. I was super excited to go to school again actually and try to make normal friends.

I was watching TV; Iron Chef America to be exact. I had a soft spot for cooking shows weird enough. I heard the door open and close and I looked to see Percy. He had had a wonderful summer. I not so much well let’s just say I and Luke had gone through some rough patches, really rough patches, but we were going okay for now. But other than that my summer hadn't been as good as I wanted it to be.

"Why aren't you packing?" Percy asked.

"Hmmm?" I asked him looking over to him from the TV.

"Why aren't you packing to go home? You live in New York I know that." He said.

"I go to a private school close to here so I can just live at camp. The private boarding school that I want to go to the court won't let me have the money for and I have no one to live with so I stay at camp and do whatever I want since there's hardly anyone here. My mother died when I was 6 so I really don't have a choice." I said murmured.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't be. I was only six at the time. I didn't really know anything much except what she taught me. This was actually a lot. All my mom told me was my dad was in the Navy and he stops in every once in a while. But when she died I started getting attacked all the time. Then one day when I was getting attacked by a lower level monster Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth saved me. That's when Luke offered me a spot in their group and we made it to camp...accept for Thalia." I murmured thinking about what happened. I shook my head in disgust.

"Oh, wow you've known Luke and Annabeth for a long time." Percy said.

"Yeah I've grown up with them and until recently Annabeth used to like me." I laughed as I muted the TV.

"She doesn't hate you she just-" He said but was interrupted by a squeal.

"CASSI!" Bethany squealed. I groaned internally.

"Cover your ears." I said looking at Percy; he covered his ears. I turned the TV off and then stood up. Bethany came running in squealing and tackled me squealing almost knocking me to the floor. Don't you feel sorry for me now?

"YOU GET TO GO ON THE CRUISE WITH LUKE TODAY!" She screamed. Oh, shit. I totally forgot about that. Fuck. It's my favorite word...have you noticed? See, Luke had invited me to come with him on a cruise that would be long right as the school year started. He promised that I would have tutors on the boat and whenever we got back to New York City then I would start going to school.

"Oh shit! I forgot!" I said pulling out my Vera Bradley luggage. Bethany was handing me stuff as I shoved it in. I put all my bikinis in and all the good hot clothes I knew I would need. Then Bethany handed me a box of tampons and pads. I looked at her and shook my head.

"Only you would give me these." I said as I stuffed them into a zipper pocket and then zippered it closed.

"Well you're going to be swimming duh! If you going to get in the pool you might not want to have blood coming out of your-" She said throwing things at me.

"Dude!" I screamed as I caught the things she had thrown at me. She looked at me. With her I could be my tom-boy self sometimes. I was half scene-half tomboy- and half preppy. It was a complicated and funny mixture sometimes.

"What?!" She screamed.

"Percy here's he's 12." I said pointing over towards him over by his bed.

"Almost thirteen." He smiled. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The boy was eager to learn about that stuff was he?

"Yeah almost 13! He sees these and he's probably going to go home and ask her about them! And that last little comment Ew." I said. She looked at him and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and packed everything. Then she threw something else at me.

"I got Jake to get them for you!" She laughed. I looked down what the box was and they were fire and ice condoms. I blushed and thought about throwing them back at her and pegging her in the head with them. Damn.

"Bethany!" I said.

"What?!" She asked sitting on my suitcase trying to close it. I pushed her off and stuck the box in there. She put herself back on the suitcase and then I zipped it. I took a deep breath and she smiled.

"Quick pack," She said. I nodded and sighed.

"Why did you give me those?" I asked.

"In case you and Luke get hot and heavy one night!" She giggled. I rolled my eyes and lay down on my bed. I looked up again and Percy was gone. Poor kid was probably traumatized.

"I think we scared my brother off." I laughed. We just started busted out laughing and I actually fell onto the floor laughing. The door opened and Luke walked in on us laughing our asses off. He glanced down at us amused.

"Did I miss something?" He asked looking down at me. I nodded.

"Nope just I got Cassi some-" Bethany said.

"Shut up Bethany!" I snapped. She turned red and then looked at Luke.

"You'll find out," She laughed as he pulled me to my feet. I shook my head and gave her the finger before looked up at Luke.

"Hey what's up?" I asked running my hand through my hair smiling.

"Nothing just stopping by to tell you that I'm going down to the arena to practice before we leave," He said. I nodded and smiled.

"Alright where do you want me to meet you?" I asked.

"Um by the creek in the forest." He said.

"Ok." I said blushing. That was kinda of our place. We went there to get away from everyone to make-out and to do things and talk. It was our place in a way.

"Well I'll see you in a half-hour." He said.

"Alright." I said smiling. He bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck holding him to me. He chuckled and pulled back smiling at me resting his hands on my hips.

"See you later." He said kissing me once more. He walked out grabbing his sword on the way out. I smiled and looked at Bethany. I grabbed my stuff and pulled the thing up to the door of my cabin.

"So you ready to hull this stuff to the forest?" I asked.

"Yeppers, let's go!" She said grabbing a bag Thank god I had rolling luggage or it would have been a ral bitch to lug all this shit to the creek. I looked in the water and I saw the Naiads. They smiled at me and waved. I waved back and then leaned against a tree. I needed a rest after walking all that way with all that stuff. I had packed basically everything.

"So how far have you gone with Luke?" She asked.

"Um...only 2ND base." I said.

"Nothing else. That's sad." She said.

"Well excuse me for not being a slut!" I said.

"You’re excused." She laughed. I stuck out my tongue. We talked for about an hour before she saw Luke.

"Well I better get going. Your lover and brother are coming," She giggled. I looked at her confused when she mentioned Percy.

"Percy?" I asked standing up. I glanced back to see that what she said was true. Percy was walking with Luke to where we stood. I didn't understand why he would be bringing Percy out here unless it was to say good-bye to me.

"Yeah, well later darling." She said. We gave each other air kisses and then she took off in their direction. I looked at them and they approached me.

"Luke let me have a soda!" I giggled as Percy sat down on a rock. He broke off one and then he handed it to me and then wrapped his arm around my waist hugging me to him. He was drenched in sweat. Nasty!

"Ewww sweat." I said sticking out my tongue. He just laughed and kissed me lightly on the lips. He started talking to Percy about his quest and I just zoned out since I didn't like hearing about it. I didn't want to hear about his quest really because I mean I wasn't going to lie. I was jealous of him for getting a quest. I wanted to go on some adventure but I hadn't been given one in years. I had only once been on a quest and I got a scar and pity from everyone. It had really pissed me off, like super bad. Luke and I were the same. He got the same thing when he returned with the scar on his face. He stopped talking and threw his can into the river. I bit my lip and looked at Luke. Another thing that pissed me off was littering and in a stream was sort of my element now which just pissed me off more.

"The heck with laurel wreaths. I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big house Attic." Luke said. I looked up at look biting my lip. What was he going on about?

"You make it should like you're leaving." Percy said.

"Oh, we're leaving, all right Percy. I brought you down here to say good-bye." He said. I looked at Luke like a 'WTF' look. What the fuck did he mean we were leaving? I mean we were coming back, right?

"Leaving permanently?" I asked. He didn't answer but he just snapped his fingers and a hole formed on the ground and a scorpion crawled out. I screamed and Luke covered my mouth with his hand as I backed into him.

"Shh, it won't hurt you Cassi." He said. Percy started moving.

"I wouldn't, pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds." He said. I stared up at Luke freaked out. Fuck Jake was super right. I should've dumped his ass the moment Jake told me this.

"Luke please don't hurt him. He hasn't done anything to you." I murmured looking up at him. I was hopefully appealing to his more sensitive side.

"Luke what-" Percy said. Then he got this strange look like he was thinking really hard about something. I glanced at him sort of confused.

"You!" He said. Luke sighed. Percy looked at me with a scared look on his face. What danger had I gotten myself into? I tried to get my cell phone out of my pocket but Luke moved his hand to my ass and stuck his hand in the pocket my phone was in stopping me from getting it. Fuck him! Fuck fuck fuck!

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy. Didn't you feel it- the darkness gathering, the monsters growing strong? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics- being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods." Luke said. It made sense even though I didn't want to believe it. He had been talking like this all summer with me sometimes. He had a lot of bitterness in him because of the gods. He had told me things about them not caring about us and then one point during the summer I had honestly felt his words and thought about them for once. He was right to some degree because they weren't even allowed to come see their own kids which were royally fucked up.

"Luke...you're talking about our parents." Percy said. I closed my eyes and let my tears flow freely. I couldn't believe he was actually talking about this.

"That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest. It killed Cassi mother it's killed and to many Innocent humans." He said. I flinched and Percy's eyes met my own. His eyes were saying 'don't worry I'll get you out of this'.

"You're as crazy as Ares." Percy said. Oh good god he had met Ares and the kid was still alive? He must be a good fighter.

"Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long." Luke said. I looked at Percy and the scorpion crawled up his pant leg. I shook my head jerkily and started sobbing. There was nothing I could do with Luke's bear-hug on me.

"Luke don't kill him." I begged him staring at Luke.

"Kronos, that's who you serve," Percy said. I froze and recognized the name. He was the father of the Olympians. Oh my god. I remembered in the legend I had learned once in school that Zeus had cut up Kronos with his own weapon and then threw the pieces of him down in Tartarus. That guy was...evil was putting it in mildly. You didn't want to get involved with him and I thought Luke would have more sense. But what I don’t understand is how he is communicating with Luke? Well Jake you got another point.

"Luke you aren't." I whispered. He just pressed his lips to the top of my head as he caressed my cheek. Father, please help me.

"You should be careful with names," Luke warned.

"Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams." Percy said. I shook my head in denial. I couldn't believe I was dating one of the top evil people at camp and he was taking me on a cruise that I wouldn't be returning from. I probably never see Bethany again or my cabin or my friends. Or Percy.

"He spoke to you too, Percy. You should've listened. Cassi listened to him, well sort of." Luke said. I got this sick feeling in my stomach. How could I have ever even thought about the stuff Luke had said? Sure I was angry at my father for never visiting me but never would I want to tear Olympus down.

"No I didn't do anything for him!" I said looking at Percy.

"But he was convincing you, and you believed him, baby." Luke said. I shook my head quickly.

"No he wasn't!" I cried.

"He's brainwashing you, Luke. Cassi!" Percy said.

"You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done. That was the best he could think up." Luke said.

"That's not an easy quest. Hercules did it!" Percy said.

"Exactly, where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this and when I came back, all I got was pity. Just like Cassi here." Luke said. Then he turned me around.

"What are you doing!?" I asked quickly as I felt his hand on the back of my shirt. He pulled back of my shirt up revealing the long scare that went from the base on my neck to the small of my back. Okay, that really freaked and pissed me off since all I had on underneath was a bra. I felt him let my shirt go and let it drop back down my back.

"I wanted to pull down Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's Master bolt right from his chair. Hades helm of Darkness too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft." Luke said as he turned me back around to face Percy.

"So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?" Percy asked.

"Luke you didn't." I whispered horrified. He just got this pleasurable smile on his face.

"I...I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt- Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Krono's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Luke said as he drew his sword Backbiter. I stared up at Luke afraid.

"Afterward, the Lord of the Titans...h-he punished me with nightmares of Cassi being killed. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way- from Ares down to Tartarus." Luke said.

"You summoned the hell-hound, that night in the forest." Percy said. I looked back at Luke in anger and shock. He had turned my life upside down! IT WAS HIS FAULT!?

"You made my life hell?! I WAS TAKEN OUT OF MY CABIN BECAUSE OF YOU-YOU-YOU FUCKING SON-OF-A-BITCH!" I screamed. I hit Luke really hard in the stomach and it hurt my hand.

"Don't do that!" Luke snapped at me.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" I said. Then he slapped me. I just stood there frozen in my spot. He had just hit me. Luke really just hit me.

"Cassi!" Percy yelled.

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked. Cassi I knew you were his child because of all the signs. Kronos pointed them out to me and you my love have a very bigger purpose than Percy here has. Don't worry about your future you already have it laid out for you." He said. My blood boiled. I reached for my pencil and he stopped me by grabbing my hand. I tried to pry it away but he was too strong.

"The flying shoes were cursed, they were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus." Percy said.

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't the part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse." Luke said. I shook my head in disbelief. Luke looked down at the scorpion.

"You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend and set things right." Luke said.

"No!" I screamed. I moved toward Percy and Luke grabbed me around the waist hugging me tightly to him. I squirmed against his grip and his grip tightened around me.

"Thalia gave her life you save you, and this is how you repay her?" Percy said. Bad move. Very bad move.

"Don't speak of Thalia! The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for." Luke said.

"You're being used Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos." Percy said.

"I've been used? Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest- the ones who serve him." Luke said.

"Call of your bug, if you're so strong, fight me yourself." Percy said.

"Nice try Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake. And he wants to meet Cassi." Luke smiled.

"No!" I screamed as Luke put his hand over my mouth again. I reached out for Percy crying hysterically.

"Luke-" Percy said.

"Good-bye Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be a part of it." Luke said. He slashed his sword through the air and my luggage disappeared and he pulled me with him.

"Percy!" I screamed as Luke dragged me through the hole he had created and when he did I blacked out.


******

I woke up with a major headache. I sat up cracking my neck and looked around. I was in a room with a couch, a flat-screen, a mini kitchen, and a table. It looked like a suite or a small penthouse wherever I was. I stood up and I realized there was a golden coffin in the room. I shivered slightly and stood up.

"Creepy." I murmured. I went to the window and I realized I was out at sea. I opened the door up and walked out onto the balcony that stretched out wide. I looked down to see the tide crashing against the side of it. I realized I was on the cruise ship. Then my memories started coming back slowly to me. It was hazy though. Like I couldn't really remember what happened. I stood up straight and started to get on the balcony edge to hopefully jump off and somehow survive when someone grabbed me from behind.

"No let me go!" I screamed. I turned around to see this weird looking creature behind me. I screamed and kept on screaming.

"Shut up you little brat!" It hissed as it pulled me back into the room and slammed the door to the balcony closed.

"Let me go!" I screamed. I kept screaming my brains out until she let me go and flew me down on the carpet floors. I groaned and sat on up my hands and knees when the door flew open and Luke came in with two things following him. I stared at him scared and I backed away slightly.

"Cassi you awake." He said coming over to me. I backed up away from him shaking my head tears flowing down my face. This was his fault.

"Cassi this is Agrius and Oreius." He said motion to the things following him. I nodded my head to the creature that had grabbed me.

"That's a Kampe. Really old monsters." He said. I closed my eyes hoping I was back at camp and this was all a dream. I opened them up and saw Luke smiling at me. I wanted to scream again.

"Don't worry everything is going to be alright." He said bending down next to me. He caressed my cheek as I cringed away from him. Then he looked back at the monsters.

"Leave us," He barked at me.

"Come on Cassi." He murmured. I looked at him and shook my head quickly.

"No," I said as tears ran down my cheeks. He sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap while I was fighting him.

"We can do this easy or I can leave you here to cry yourself to sleep!" He snapped at me. I stopped fighting him and started to sob harder.

"I just want to go home!" I cried. He looked at me and frowned.

"I just want the Luke I know back I want to be able to feel safe in your arms but I can't! I'm afraid of you Luke!" I cried. He looked at me with a frown and sighed. He took my hands in his before he kissed them lightly. .

"Shh…Cassi. I'll make you feel safe again in my arms. I promise." He said hugging me. He pressed his lips to the top of my head and I was still shaking.

"It's gonna be alright." He promised.