Sarah

"I don't agree," Lily says firmly.

Malcolm looks at her like he wants to stab her. "Get it together!"

"I can't go with my siblings either," I state.

Percy scowls at us, he's frustrated as well. "What are you two up to?"

I look at Jake. "Tell him."

My friend steps forward. "She has Beckendorf's old notebook."

"What notebook?" I pull it out of my bag and show it to Percy. "Hey, these are the bombs we hid in the bus... and the ones we used for the Andromeda!"

"There's more," I say. "Ten grenade designs, and traps that we haven't tried yet. Beck was hoping not to need them at all, but..."

"So you guys are building these?"

"I have a few ready," I pull my dino bag forward. "But they're not enough. If we want to win, I'll have to loot a few places."

"Alright," Percy doesn't hesitate this time. "Beckendorf's creations were always fault-proof, you can make these."

"You can only take three campers with you, though," Annabeth makes an educated guess as to how many people they can spare at the moment.

"Lily, Connor," I can't take Travis or Michael, they're counselors. Same thing with Jake. "Nyssa, you're coming."

Lily and Connor are exceptional pickpocketers, they can loot a store and get you anything you want without having to break windows or set alarms off. Nyssa and I will make lists of all the things we need, and then we'll build as we go. 

We split into two groups: Connor goes with Nyssa, and Lily with me. Before we leave, I hug my brother. As he leans forward I hold him tighter and whisper to him. 

"I know about Achilles."

"We'll talk later," he says. "I promise."

"You better."

The group scatters, but someone runs up to us before we go too far. 

"Hang on!" Michael searches his backpack and pulls out a walkie-talkie. He gives it to Lily. "If something happens, call me. I'll find you."

Lily shakes her head. "You can't—"

"You're like sisters to me," he presses. "I won't turn my back on you now." 

I take the walkie and hug him, part of me doesn't want to let go. 

"Don't get killed," he tightens his grip around me. "You have a title to gain."

"See you in a bit." 

I step back so Lily can hug him, I lock eyes with Mike for a second, we never talked about the kiss and there's no point in doing it now, so I seize Lily's hand, and we walk away.

Ara's suffering from separation anxiety and she hasn't even left camp. She keeps walking around, looking for a problem that may require her to stay, but she's fixed most by now. Even Jason's cabin has been remodeled and furnished, same thing with Aphrodite's.

In short, Ara discovers she's been doing a great job at the worst time possible. And to make things worse, Leo's still avoiding her. Part of her is guilty because she thought that moving back in with his parents wasn't a big deal, but he seemed pretty upset about it.

"I wish I could go with you," Lily sighs as she arranges her armor. 

Ara snorts. "No, you don't."

Her friend smiles. "Yeah, but I wouldn't hate it, you know? Going to school, attending proms and all that..."

Ara wrinkles her nose. "I won't go to prom."

Lily's shocked. "But it's your first school dance!"

"Percy promised he'd take me, but he's obviously not going to, so..."

The dark-haired girl pouts. "We used to daydream about it, Ara. Are you sure it isn't..." her friend pauses. "You're not worried about not having a date, right?"

"I haven't gone to that school at all this year," she reminds her. "I don't know if I have the same classmates as before, or if they even remember me."

Lily rolls her eyes. "I know a short brunette doesn't sound like a lot, but you're a daughter of Olympus, you draw people in like moths to a flame—"

"Wow, that's flattering."

Her friend laughs. "You know what I mean."

Ara shakes her head. "I don't wanna go, Lils. It wouldn't be fun."

"But your mom said—"

"Don't use that against me..." she whines.

"You love dancing!"

"You know what I love? When you win using the bow I made for you," she pushes Lily forward. "Go get that Flag, civetta."

Lily mutters complaints as she walks onward. Ara's so glad to have Lily, she can second-guess many things in life, but her friendship with Lily is not one of them.

Piper walks up to Ara and nudges her arm. "You're not playing?"

Ara shakes her head with a sad smile. "I miss it a lot, but it wouldn't be fair."

Her sister points in Lily's direction. "She's the one who taught you to be sneaky, right?"

"She's like a ghost," Ara grins. "You're lucky to be playing on her team."

"No joke..." Piper lowers her voice. "I'm sorry Leo didn't take the news well, I think that he was looking forward to spending time with us... and you. He's never stayed in one place for long, this was his first chance to do so."

Ara groans, deeply embarrassed. "I'm usually the one who dives right into awkward conversations, I don't know why I find it so hard with him now."

"Maybe 'cause you care a little too much about what he thinks."

Ara ponders this. "I'll talk to him tonight, I promise."

Piper shrugs. "You don't have to promise me that."

"Right," she blushes. "Well, uh, thank you for talking to me, then?"

Piper hugs her sideways. "No problem."

Ara walks up to Chiron and stands next to him. Usually, she waits with him until the game ends, but now he's got something else in mind. 

"You should take this time to brood on your prophecy."

Ara groans, a bit more dramatically this time. "Chiron, honestly, has that ever worked?"

"Aren't you the exception to most rules?"

Her mind drifts to something else. "You didn't want me to leave camp when the war ended, but you agreed to let me go now. Why?"

"Because I'm not your guardian," he sighs. "I'm an... advisor of sorts."

"Alright, advisor," the girl stares at him frowning. "I'm going home while everyone else works. Is that wise or cowardly?"

"Neither. I call it saving the best for last," he replies. "You are our secret weapon. Just because the monsters know you exist now, doesn't mean it'll stop working."

"Then I'm no exception to the rule," she responds smartly. "I'm your last resort."

He smiles knowingly. "We should always give the enemy a chance to retreat before we attack them with, er..."

"Your worst?" She suggests.

"Our best chance at winning," the centaur corrects.

"That isn't a compliment, is it?"

Chiron heaves a sigh. "A child of Olympus rarely gets compliments while they're alive."

She pouts. "Well, I'll go think about my terrible prophecy then, see you..."

As she walks through the forest, she reminisces about the war, not the prophecy. It feels like it was ages ago. Ara's stuck between wishing she could go back, and hoping to never again be who she was before getting her title.

She draws out her compass and looks at it, the needle is steadily pointing in a single direction.

"I heard Annabeth and Malcolm are activating plan twenty-three," Nyssa mentions. "What's that about?"

"All the statues on the island are automatons," Lily explains. "I've been going over the plan with her and Malcolm for weeks—Haven't slept well since, I still remember Ara's dragon..."

"He's just a little rusty!" I argue, but then I notice the dark circles under her eyes. "Have you been eating properly, at least?"

"No. I gave her an apple this morning though," Connor replies.

"How thoughtful of you," I tease him.

"Shut up."

"How come you never bring me food when I skip meals?"

"You could blow me up in flames if I go near one of your crazy inventions."

"Ara hasn't exploded anything in a year, three months, two weeks, and three days," Lily answers immediately. "That's a thing of the past."

"Speaking of," I smirk. "Did you know the Greeks used to throw apples at people they were in love with, Connor?"

"And if the other caught it, it meant the love was reciprocated," Nyssa replies in the same way.

"Next time I throw something, it'll be my knives at you two," Lily warns us.

Ara shouldn't interfere with the game, but this is the best time to hold a private conversation without interruption. She finds Leo exactly where the compass said he'd be, Ara approaches quietly from behind and covers his mouth so he doesn't alert others. 

"It's me!" She whispers as the boy squirms in her arms. "We need to talk!"

Leo snatches her hand away. "Are you insane?" He whispers angrily. "I almost set you on fire!"

"You've been avoiding me, I couldn't risk you sneaking away!" She argues. "I want a chance to explain myself."

"I'm in the middle of a game—"

"Leo," she gives him her best puppy eyes. "Please? I know you're upset and I don't want you to be."

Leo groans, but the blush on his face isn't helping him. "Does it have to be right now?"

Ara shrugs. "I should wait. I'm not allowed to interfere during Capture the Flag..."

"I'll see you at the campfire," he tells her. "Now leave me alone, your face is distracting me."

She chuckles, eyeing him with a playful gaze. "You look adorable in armor, by the way."

"Go away!" He presses, smoke coming out of his ears.

Ara giggles but obliges. Just as she exits the forest, she spots Janus standing near the forges, looking right at her. Her mouth goes dry. "No!"

The god vanishes in a heartbeat. Ara feels her legs wavering under her and she falls to her knees, severely nauseous. She tries to focus on the coldness of the grass, or the strawberry fragrance coming from uphill, but she's having trouble breathing. 

"A crossroad is approaching," says a voice. An echo of a memory. 

"You're incredible at this," Lily points out. "Although you should wear gloves."

My fingers are covered in cuts, the wire's thin and I'm not gentle. "I thought I had them in my bag, but I must've left them in my cabin."

"Where are you putting all of these?"

I point towards the Empire State.

"Why there? The Monsters haven't reached the city."

"You know why," I say without looking up.

Lily takes a moment to respond. "These are all last resorts, aren't they?"

I nod. "If everything else fails, I'm hoping these will kill enough monsters to give us one last chance."

Lily starts a new bomb but stops for a moment. 

"Do you think we have a chance right now?" I look up, and for a moment I think a bird has pooped on her because she's scowling at the sky, then I realize she's trying not to tear up. "I wouldn't mind dying if I knew the rest would have a chance to survive..."

"Don't say it like that," I reply, now also feeling like crying. "This is just starting. Don't say that."

Lily fixes her posture. "Right. Sorry," she sniffs. "I need you to promise me something, though."

"I'm listening."

"I'll be your second in command once you become General," she says determinately. "Where you go, I go."

"You, Mike, and I forever," I nod. "You have my word."

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