Jason woke up to his bed shaking. The bunk trembled as Jason sat up immediately, his instincts from Lupa’s training instantly kicking in. Alert, observe, attack. That was the way of the wolves.

  But there was nothing to attack. Below him, on the bottom bunk, was Frank shaking, his large frame making the bed tremble slightly as he thrashed left and right. Jason quickly hopped off the bed, gently landing on the floor to not wake anyone in the barracks.

  “Frank. Frank!” Jason whispered urgently, shaking his friend by the shoulders.

  With a gasp, Frank shot awake, a sheen of cold sweat across his brow. “She’s too strong! Ah–Jason. Oh.”

  He began to relax, and Jason let him calm down, watching Frank breathe in and out deeply. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Just…” Frank gestured vaguely. “Nightmares. Of Gaia.

  Jason nodded. The nightmares would always come. As much as they tried to forget, the horrors of Gaia destroying everything in their lives, their friends, family, and homes, were etched into their memories. That’s probably what Gaia wanted, anyway. To cause as much atrocity as she could to break the spirit of resistance.

  He wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the Seven got these nightmares. Jason certainly did. “It’s not real. We’re safe now.”

  “Right. Right.” Frank sighed, leaning back into his bed. “I…I don’t think I can fall back asleep, honestly.”

  Jason looked out the window, noting the time. Maybe… “The sun will rise soon. I’m going to go on a run. Want to come?”

  Frank blinked at him, and Jason added, “That’s what I usually do when I can’t sleep because of…you know.”

  Frank’s expression morphed into one of understanding. Jason tried to smile, remembering Piper’s words to him yesterday. A fresh start. Their own story . Jason and Frank had never met before the Argo II, and after that, it was hard to form a bond with dangerous situations happening left and right.

  Jason understood what Piper meant better now. The Seven had grown to trust and even love each other, but it came at the cost of…situations like right now: nightmares, insecurity, and scarring events. Jason wanted a better start for himself and Frank, one that didn’t need to be made over near-death experiences. One made of happy memories.

  Besides, the run was surprisingly more fun when he wasn’t alone. They jogged around Camp Jupiter, passing by the barracks of the cohorts. No one was awake yet; they were the first ones up. They ran through the Field of Mars and down to the Little Tiber. Frank seemed to have a little difficulty keeping up with Jason, so he slowed down a little, letting Frank catch up.

  Eventually, they went up the mountain path, and Jason basked in the feeling of the wind and sky around him. This was the closest he could be to his father, without flying, of course. From the top of this hill, he could see the entirety of Camp Jupiter, and even New Rome shining like a crown in the distance.

  Frank panted as he trotted up to him, dropping to a knee when he reached him. “Geez…I used to feel weird about my growth spurt, but now I’m really missing it.”

  Jason chuckled, letting Frank take a break, watching the dawn rise on Camp Jupiter. The sun's rays reflected off the Little Tiber below, and the camp was bathed in the morning glow. The sun on the horizon shined in many colors, bringing a new day to the camp and New Rome. Jason breathed the cold morning air deeply, giving a content sigh.

  “When I see the sun rising on a new day, you know what I feel?” Jason asked Frank, who went to stand next to him. “I feel like we can do anything. I feel like this day is waiting for us, waiting for us to make it ours. I feel like it’s the beginning of a story, one we can write ourselves.”

  Frank was silent, staring at the vast view in front of him in wonder. “I…I’d like to think that way too. A new day, a new destiny.”

  “A new fate.” Jason agreed.

  They watched the sun paint the sky with dawn, the new day bringing endless possibilities with it. They could change their destiny, they could make a new hope. They would create their own fate.

  “I’ll catch up. I promised I’d call, after all,” Frank told Jason, who nodded and left for the diner. “It won’t take long.”

  He stood at the steps of his empty barracks, this time with a prism he and Jason had bought from one of New Rome’s shops. It made Iris-Messaging much easier than creating mist from the Little Tiber. Once the rainbow was formed, Frank tossed a denarius in.

  “Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Emily Zhang in the Zhang Mansion.”

  An image soon formed in front of him, showing his mother in the mansion, watching their family fireplace with a pensive look. Frank immediately knew what she was thinking.

  He was surprised at how willing she was to send him to Camp Jupiter so soon. His mom was kind and understanding, but also cautious and protective when it came to Frank. So it shocked him when she took the mahogany chest out and handed it to Frank, gently explaining to him what he already knew.

  His mother had entrusted him with his fate that day, as if symbolizing he would go on to write his own destiny from there. It was then that Frank resolved to do what he had to do. It was then that he accepted his duty.

  “ Remember, Frank. You can be anything. ” She had told him, right as the Lupa and the wolves arrived at Grandma Zhang’s request.

  “Mom.” Frank called out, and she immediately turned towards him.

  “Frank!” She responded, slightly surprised. “So this is what you were talking about? What did you call it? An…Instant message?”

  “Iris message, mom.” Frank couldn’t help but smile, feeling a little giddy. “A favor from the goddess of the rainbow.”

  She leaned closer to the image. “How are you? Have you been doing well?”

  “Yeah, mom. It’s been good.”

  “No troubles? Have you made any friends?” She asked.

  Frank felt his lips twitch into a smile. “I have. His name’s Jason. We’re pretty close already…”

  Surviving a war and being sent back in time with him probably helped. His mom just smiled proudly, before a wistful expression crossed her face.

  “You’ve found your place so quickly.” She chuckled to herself. “Guess I really had nothing to worry about.”

  Frank hesitated for a second, then asked, “If you were worried, why did you let me go? You just seemed surprised, but you didn’t try to stop me like grandma.”

  “I was just surprised you wanted to go so soon, Frank. I knew this day would come, ever since Juno told us of your destiny. I knew you would one day step up and take on the duty given to you.” Emily Zhang smiled bittersweetly, reaching out toward Frank as if to touch his cheek, even though they both knew she couldn’t. “Oh, you’ve grown up so fast. Already leaving home and starting your life.”

  “Yeah.” Frank smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Leaving had been one of the hardest decisions Frank had ever had to make.

  He could only choose one. Years with his mother that he would never get again, or his responsibility to set things right as soon as possible. Emily Zhang would eventually leave for Afghanistan, and Frank would have to stand by and watch as his mother walked toward her death with a smile again.

  Yet Frank knew he couldn’t stop her. She put her duty before everything , Mars had said. Even her own life.

  His father had loved her for it. And throughout his own quests, Frank had grown to understand and respect her for it as well. Duty. Sacrifice. They meant something to the Zhang family, more so than most would think.

  Like his mom said, he had a duty to take on. Not just as praetor, not just as one of the Seven, but a duty no one but he knew right now.

  Without you, without your sense of duty, the whole war will go sideways, and Gaia will destroy the world.

  Frank failed last time, and true to Mars’ words, Gaia destroyed the world. He couldn’t let that happen again. That was why his duty was so important this time around.

  But why did he have to give up his mom for his duty? Frank desperately wanted both choices, even though he knew it was impossible.

  His mom narrowed her eyes through the rainbow, and Frank knew he couldn’t hide his feelings from her. She was just too good at seeing through him. “Frank, what are you worrying about? Did something happen at camp?”

  Frank chewed his lip in conflict. “Mom…are you still planning to go back to the war? To go to Afghanistan?”

  His mother stared at him, and Frank realized she had never actually told him before. To his relief, she chuckled slightly. “Ah, you’re always so perceptive, Frank.”

  Frank prayed to Olympus that maybe, just maybe, things would be different this time. That perhaps he could one day, after defeating Gaia and the giants, return to the Zhang Mansion, and have his mom there to celebrate with.

  It was a wishful dream; even he knew that.

  “…You have your duty, Frank.” Emily Zhang eventually said, sounding older and wiser as she looked Frank in the eye. “And I have mine. I know how dangerous it will be.”

  No, you don’t. Frank steeled himself, refusing to react.

  “I met your father on the battlefield, you know.” His mother continued, and Frank felt like his heart was hardening, as if his soul was accepting the inevitable. “We were under heavy fire, and if not for him, I would have never been able to save my comrades.”

  Save my comrades. Not escape, or survive, but to save. That was Emily Zhang’s duty, above all else. And that was why she would go.

  “We have a gift, Frank.” She met his eyes, and Frank reluctantly nodded in understanding. “It’s our duty to use it right.”

  “…Okay, mom.” Frank quietly said, trying not to cry.

  She didn’t promise she would be alright. She didn’t promise she would survive, or come back to see Frank. Frank was glad she didn’t.

  “And maybe over there, I’ll meet your father again. Who knows?” Emily jokingly added, and Frank couldn’t hide his smile, though it was filled with pain.

  It wasn’t fair at all. Frank just wanted his mother…was that too much to ask? He wanted to sit by the fireplace with her as she told Chinese legends and their history. He wanted to bring Hazel to the Zhang Mansion and introduce him to his mom, while Grandma Zhang grumbled and asked Frank why he took so long to defeat Gaia.

  But there was a difference between what he wanted to do and what he needed to do. Eat bitter, taste sweet . The easy, comfortable path was tempting, but in the end went sour. The harder, more painful path was the one that yielded reward in the end.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  And Frank knew which path he had to take. “Just…be careful, mom.”

  “You know I will be.”

  “Is that Fai?” The bittersweet but heartfelt reunion was effectively shattered by Grandma Zhang’s timely interruption, to Frank’s mixed feelings. “Have you been doing well at Camp? Have you been practicing your gift?”

  “Oh, yes, your gift!” Emily’s annoyed gaze at her mother quickly shifted to one of curiosity.

  “Yeah, I’ve been practicing.” Frank rolled his eyes at his grandmother. Shifting had come easy to him this time, with all his memories intact. Or maybe it was because he had accepted his duty already, and was determined to carry it out by any means. “‘You can be anything.’”

  “Within reason.” Grandma Zhang reminded him. “You can’t become a potted plant. Though gods know you seem to try.”

  “Mother!” Emily chided, as Frank tried to find a response, to no avail.

  Grandma Zhang had that kind of effect on people.

  “This is ridiculous.”

  “Just say hi to the pink poodle, Percy.” Grover chided, as the aforementioned poodle glared at him.

  Percy glared right back. What was its name again? Gladion or something. Percy didn’t really care. “It’s glaring at me. I don’t say hi to people–or animals, whatever–glaring at me.”

  The poodle growled at him, and Grover shot Percy a disappointed look. “You’re glaring at him too.”

  “He’s our ticket west.” Annabeth cut in, standing above Percy, giving him a pointed look. “So play nice.”

  Percy grumbled under his breath, looking at Grover. “What’s he for again?”

  Gladiola yapped at Grover, who rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. Just ignore him when he gets snippy.”

  “You’re taking his side, Grover?” Percy exclaimed, dismayed. “I thought we were best friends!”

  Said ‘best friend’ just shot an unapologetic grin at him, before saying, “Gladiola belongs to a rich family, and he ran away. They are offering a 200$ reward for his return, and Gladiola has graciously offered to return to his family if it means helping us out.”

  Percy looked at the poodle, once again reminded of how ridiculous this situation was. He had been in a lot of weird situations, but Percy wondered if this one took the number one spot.

  “We’ll turn him in and use the money to get tickets to Los Angeles.” Annabeth began planning. “That is if you decide to be nice and say hello to the pink poodle.”

  Gladiola yipped in agreement, looking entirely too smug in Percy’s opinion. However, with both Annabeth and Grover looking at him expectantly, Percy didn’t have much choice.

  Percy said hello to the pink poodle.

  Annabeth looked like she was trying not to laugh the entire time they walked Gladiola back to his family’s house, especially since Percy was forced to carry the poodle. “Why do I have to carry him?! He’s going to bite me!”

  “Oh, suck it up, Seaweed Brain. You’ve suffered worse.”

  Percy grumbled, but couldn’t help but smile as he remembered everything they had been through together. “You would know all of it, huh…”

  Whether it was carrying the sky, taking knives for each other, or even falling through hell itself, if they were together Percy believed they could get through it. A gentle smile spread across Annabeth’s face at the remark, but Grover raised an eyebrow at Percy from beside him.

  “Uh, I mean, since you’re always a know-it-all Athena kid. Wise girl.” Percy quickly added, avoiding Grover’s questioning gaze. Annabeth hastily turned away as well, and they both awkwardly stayed silent as Grover looked back and forth between them. They returned Gladiola and got the money, but as they walked toward the train station, it wasn’t long before Grover started asking questions.

  “What’s going on with you two?” Grover muttered, but Percy and Annabeth heard him loud and clear, stiffening.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Stop acting like I don’t know something’s going on,” Grover said seriously. “Satyrs smell emotions, remember. And both of your emotions have been all over the place.”

  Annabeth stepped toward him. “Grover–”

  “And it’s not because of the quest, is it?” Grover stepped back, surprising Percy. He had never seen Grover so guarded before. “It’s something you two are hiding from me.”

  Annabeth hesitated, and Percy wondered if she could think her way out of this one. Percy then asked himself if he even wanted her to do so. Maybe they should just tell him. He was one of their closest friends, and Percy knew Grover wouldn’t betray them or anything like that.

  But it would be so risky. Grover still had to find the Golden Fleece, bring the Ophiotaurus back to Camp, and find Pan. There were too many unknowns.

  “I’m sorry, Grover.” Percy finally said. “But it’s not something we can easily talk about.”

  Grover did not look okay with that, and he chewed his lip in nervous thought. “You two are a lot closer than you should be. The emotions you two have for each other…it’s a little uncomfortable to me.”

  Annabeth spluttered, her face flushing. Percy would say something about it, but he was too busy trying to not redden. “Uh…do you mean—”

  “Is that it? Am I…in the way somehow?” Grover asked, his voice catching.

  “No! No!” Annabeth immediately stopped him, her face still red. “That’s not it, Grover.”

  “Yeah.” Percy shook his head furiously. “You're our best friend. We want you—we need you here, G-man.”

  Grover paused, looking hopefully wary. “Do you really mean it?”

  Is that all Grover was worried about? That Annabeth and Percy didn’t want him with them? Percy tried to think back to when they were at this point last time, and specifically where Grover was. Before Grover found Pan and became Lord of the Wild. This was…

  Oh.

  This was when Grover was still struggling with losing Thalia and failing his first search. He saw himself as a failure, thinking he caused Thalia to die because he wasn’t good enough.

  It made too much sense, unfortunately. Of course, Grover would be worried about not being wanted. “I mean it. It’s not your fault or anything like that.”

  Annabeth nodded. “You don’t ever have to worry about us not wanting you along.”

  “Even though,” Grover sniffed balefully, turning toward Annabeth. “Even though you know how much of a failure I am?”

  “You’re not a failure, Grover.” Annabeth immediately rejected, her voice brokering no argument. “What happened with Thalia was not your fault.”

  “If I hadn’t made those wrong turns, or if I had gotten there quicker…”

  “No one blames you for that, Grover.” Percy interjected, and Grover looked at him glumly. Percy realized he had never actually told Percy about Thalia and them. He wondered if Grover would call him out on it.

  Instead, the satyr just sighed. “The council of cloven elders do. And even if Annabeth told you, you weren’t there, Perce. I was only supposed to bring Thalia, but I thought I could get Luke and Annabeth too. It slowed us down. She sacrificed herself for my mistakes.”

  “Saving two half-bloods isn’t a mistake, Grover.” Annabeth pleaded, grabbing Grover’s shoulder. “If you didn’t do that, Luke and I wouldn’t be alive right now. I don’t care what the elders say.”

  “Me neither. I don’t think any of the elders have found a child of the Big Three before.” Percy pointed out, and Grover ducked his head in bashfulness. He took that as a good sign, and kept going.

  “You found the two strongest demigods of the generation. That isn’t luck; you’re a natural searcher. You’ll be the one to find Pan, I’m sure.” Four, if he counted Nico and Bianca. Percy grinned, trying to get his best friend to smile.

  Grover sniffed one more time, a shaky smile gracing his face to Percy’s relief. “If that’s the case…then I guess I can wait for whatever you two are dealing with.”

  Annabeth breathed out slowly. “Thank you, Grover.”

  “But!” Grover held up a finger, startling Percy. “If you guys are hurting—don’t try to deny it, I can smell it when that happens—please, please don’t try to deal with it yourself.”

  Percy stared at Grover, whose expression was wholeheartedly genuine. “I’m always willing to talk, or listen, or anything, okay?”

  Annabeth tried to hide it, but Percy still heard the teary sniff at Grover’s pure-hearted request. Not that Percy was doing any better, of course. He was the son of Poseidon; he should be able to control his own tears, right?

  “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for, G-man.” Percy blurted out. “You always will be.”

  Grover smiled dryly, but his eyes were the complete opposite of dry. “We haven’t known each other that long, y’know?”

  I have. For an entire life. “Doesn’t matter. Time doesn’t matter in true friendship.”

  Grover laughed carefully, and Annabeth let out a shaky chuckle as well. “You two are so sappy sweet.”

  “Not as sweet as the looks you give each other when you think I’m not looking.” Grover quipped, laughing at the twin faces of shock and embarrassment.

  “You became a centurion when you were twelve!?”

  “Shhh!” Jason looked around the dining hall, but no one seemed to have noticed, too busy with their food. “It’ll happen soon, I’m just letting you know. Besides, I’m planning to bring you on the quest.”

  “Me?” Frank blinked, unconsciously reaching toward his neck. “Uh, I dunno man…”

  Jason held his hands placatingly. “Don’t worry, it’s not that tough.”

  “Not that tough? I don’t think most would call the Trojan Sea Monster not that tough. ”

  “Beat it once before.” The son of Jupiter just shrugged.

  Thunder boomed above them, and Jason looked up to the sky. “Father doesn’t seem happy.”

  Frank swallowed his uneasiness. A few days ago, storms had begun brewing above them, thundering threateningly, soaking the Field of Mars with rain, and making it impossible to run drills without slipping and getting a face full of mud. The storm wasn’t normal. And neither was the sea outside Camp, where the water raged and thrashed uncontrollably, waves crashing loudly like angry screams. It made patrols near the coast dangerous, and it totally ruined the legion’s beach outing.

  “Is that what Percy and Annabeth were talking about?”

  “It has to be.” Jason scratched his chin. “This happened last time too, but the storms didn’t last too long. Hopefully, Percy and Annabeth can get it to stop soon again. It would make things a lot less complicated.”

  Frank paused, noting Jason’s faraway look. That was the look of someone reminiscing, something they all probably did often. “You mean the monster?”

  “Battling the monster and the waves was tough.” Jason shook his head with a sigh. “It did make lightning easier though.”

  “When’s it going to happen?” Frank asked, but before Jason could respond, a call echoed from across the hall, cutting through the chatter and eating.

  “Zhang! Grace!” The two stood with a hasty salute.

  Hastastus Prior Marcus Tuffin gestured at them. “Patrol duty, you two.”

  “Yes sir!” Frank slowly relaxed as their stoic centurion turned away, sadly staring at his unfinished food. “They always make the Fifth take lunch patrols.”

  “No one wants their lunch interrupted.” Jason shrugged. “This is convenient though. Glad it didn’t change this time.”

  “What do you mean? Convenient for what?” Frank frowned, reading Jason’s wry expression. “You don’t mean…no.”

  Jason just smiled grimly, and Frank pressed his hands to his temples, counting down from three. He took a deep breath. “…sounds about typical for us.”

  “You’re taking after Hazel.” Jason patted Frank on the back, prepping for the worst patrol of his legionary career. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

  “This is not fine! Definitely not fine!” Those were the only words Jason heard over the crashing waves and thunder until it was replaced by an ear-splitting roar as Frank the Great White Shark snapped its jaws around the tail of the huge monster.

  Unfortunately, the Trojan sea monster seemed completely unfazed. Poseidon must have been having a really bad day if he came up with this monstrosity.

  The monster’s head was as large as a car. Its whole body was covered in dark green scales, and its face was a mesh of tusks, fangs, and tendrils. Think the Loch Ness Monster, but bigger, scaly, and with a hundred times more ‘murder’ in its eyes. Every time it screeched, Jason’s eardrums almost burst.

  “Hey, fish breath!” Jason’s insults needed work, but now wasn’t the time. “Take this!”

  He flew around the monster, dodging its wild lunges and bites, and raised his arms. Above Jason, rain poured and thunder boomed. In this storm, it wasn’t hard to summon lightning. “Frank, get out of the water!”

  A second later, a hawk drenched in water rocketed into the sky, and Jason fired a blinding lightning bolt at the creature. It thrashed in pain as thousands of volts coursed through its reptilian body, causing even bigger waves that almost dragged Jason under.

  He retreated to the sandy beach, letting the wind set him down. Frank appeared a moment later, wet hair plastered on his face. Jason wiped the water off his face, shouting, “That won’t be enough! We need to hit it harder!”

  “How?!” Frank shouted back, a death grip on his spear. His bow wasn’t very useful here, with the wind and waves making arrows difficult even to fire.

  “Last time, I killed it from the inside!” Jason responded, gazing at the shrieking monster. “After it swallowed me. Like Hercules!”

  If Frank could look more worried, he would. “Isn’t there any other way?!”

  Jason just shrugged. “We have to drive it off! If it gets any closer, it could even get into the Little Tiber and attack the Legion from there! It’d have a stranglehold on the whole city!”

  Frank tried to say something, but his head snapped upward suddenly. “Look out!”

  They rolled aside as the Trojan sea monster ate a busload of sand, sending a shower of sand into the air to join the rain. Jason grimaced as he rose into the air again. Even a glancing blow from the monster could kill them.

  Jason shivered as the monster reared its head to look up at him, and it had nothing to do with the cold rain. It snarled at him balefully, spitting poison and fire everywhere. Its jaws were big enough to swallow a bear; it could certainly snarf down one flying demigod.

  It lunged up, and Jason wildly swerved, letting his body twist and spin with the wind as he flew wildly around the creature’s head, jabbing at the chinks in its scales. Each strike only seemed to annoy it, and Jason was running out of options.

  The Trojan sea monster snapped its dinosaur-like jaws at him again, but this time its head was knocked sideways by a gray dragon, which wrestled itself onto the top of his head like an angry wig.

  “Frank!”

  Jason tried to fly close, but he couldn’t get through the wild flames and poison from the sea monster as it shook its head back and forth, trying to throw the dragon off. Frank clawed desperately at the slippery scales, trying to find an opening. With an angered roar, the sea monster’s tail flicked out of the surface and whiplashed at the dragon, sending him sprawling. Frank managed to right himself in the air, shaking his head dizzily. Jason took the chance to dart in and drive his spear into the monster’s left eye, which went dark with a satisfying (but slightly disgusting) squelch.

  The sea monster screeched in pain and would have torn Jason into demigod mincemeat if Frank hadn’t sent a burst of flame at his head, scorching its now bloody eye. With a scream, it recoiled with its face full of burning flames, and it dived underwater, vanishing under the raging waves. Jason, breathing heavily, matched the action, rising higher into the air for breathing room.

  Frank flew warily toward the surface, ready for another flamethrower. But nothing came. Jason slowly landed on the beach, letting the wind disperse. He gently breathed out, and the storm lessened, its winds and thunder slowing down as its prince calmed down.

  The gray dragon dropped much less gracefully on the ground, shrinking into a tired hurt child. Frank groaned, a hand on his ribs. “That thing hits like a truck.”

  Jason nodded sympathetically. That tail was like a wrecking ball. “Looks like it’s gone. Ran away again.”

  “Happened last time too?” Frank sat up slowly.

  “With a casualty, yeah.” Jason grimly said. “We managed to fight him off, but Kaden was just a probatio at the time. He didn’t last long.”

  “Oh…sorry.”

  “It’s fine. He’s alive now, this time.” Jason smiled weakly. “That’s why we’re doing this, right?”

  Frank nodded, wincing slightly at the movement. “So what now?”

  “Well,” Jason looked at the ocean ahead of them, still raging and crashing despite the monster being gone. The sky seemed to take it as a challenge, returning to high intensity and equally high voltage. “We have a lot to discuss with the Senate.”