Nina's Destiny

The Dead Reaturn and Mars

I marched next to Tonks as we followed the fifth cohort into the battlements that we were raiding. We were doing a training exercise called the War Games. We were trying to capture the flag inside. Somehow, Percy had managed to fit Hannibal, the elephant inside the battlements.

Momentarily, I wondered who named him. I thought it was pretty clever. Hannibal was an African leader who tried to raid Ancient Rome. He tried to cross the Appalachians on elephants. The name was pretty cool. I pulled out the knife I had been carrying around. Bill had frowned when I told him the name. He muttered something about Greeks. I wondered what that was about. I don't see anything wrong with the name Mov. He said it meant purple.

Tonks led me around the wall to where ladder was. She started climbing up with me following behind her. We almost made it to the top, when a rumbling filled the building. Tonks nimbly jumped out when she saw Frank, Hazel, and Percy riding Hannibal out onto the field with the flag. I jumped down next to Tonks, clapping for Percy.

The entire third, fourth, and fifth cohorts were cheering and clapping. Everything grew eerily silent as a body was brought out from the fortress. Gwen, a fifth cohort centurion, was lying, dead, on a stretcher. A pilum was sticking up out of her bloody chest.

"Who did this?" Reyna demanded. "When I find out..." She trailed off.

A shadowy gray light was surrounding Gwen. "What's happening?" Fred asked. No one answered. Gwen's entire body was glowing with this strange light. Listless and disoriented, Gwen sat up on the stretcher. She didn't seem to notice the pilum sticking out of her chest.

"What are you all staring at?" she asked.

"Gwen...you were dead..." Dakota whispered. For once, he looked completely sober.

"What do you mean?" Gwen gasped. "I don't feel dead."

Everyone stared at her. "What was it like?" asked Luna.

Gwen frowned. "I was in this room. There was a man there. I think her must have been a demigod because he was cursing Pluto. Only he called Pluto by his Greek name. When he saw me, he asked if I knew how to get out of the room. At first I was a little confused, but then I saw a door appear out of the shadows. It wasn't there before, and I think it just appeared when I started looking for it. I walked through the door, since it was unlocked. I assumed the man was right behind me."

Gwen turned around trying to see if she could find the man. Luna quickly stopped her. Carefully, Luna removed the pilum from Gwen's chest. The wound immediately closed up. Only, something else was happening too.

Behind Gwen, more gray shadows were gathering. A door formed. Something on the other side of the door, pushed it open. My eyes widened. Someone I thought I would never see again stepped through the door. "Thanks for unlocking the door," the man grinned. He looked younger if that was possible. The grays in his hair were gone, and his eyes were sparkling. Gone were the sunken features and pale skin that twelve years in Azkaban had given him. Now, silver eyes, the color of the stars, and tan skin covered the aristocratic features.

"Siri," I gasped.

Siri's eyes caught mine. "Hey, Nina," he grinned.

Running forwards, I threw my arms around Sirius' neck. He laughed and spun me around. When he put me down, he noticed the others. "The Weasleys,and little Nymphy," he grinned.

"Don't call me Nymphy," Tonks snapped.

Sirius snorted but grinned at his cousin. He seemed to have just noticed his surroundings. "This is so not London," he groaned.

"Who are you?" snapped Octavian.

"Your superior, boy," Sirius growled at Octavian. He obviously didn't like his attitude. "I don't care who the Hades you think you are, but you do not talk to your elders that way."

"Sirius is being serious," grinned George. Fred rolled his eyes at his younger twin brother.

"I am the centurion of the first cohort and the augur of Camp Jupiter," Octavian stated, affronted.

"And I own forty percent of magical Britain," Sirius retorted. "News flash, kid, I don't care." Octavian glared and stomped back to his position in front of his cohort. Everyone was laughing. Even Reyna had to stifle her giggles. "Sirius Black," by the way. Son of Hermes."

"You my half brother?" Tonks asked her cousin.

"And my mother and stepfather were second cousins," Sirius added. "What's your point?" Tonks made a face.

"Sweet!" Fred shouted.

"Sirius is our brother!" George finished.

"Didn't you mean Mercury?" Charlie asked.

"No...My dad is Hermes. I'm positive his name ain't Mercury."

"He's a Greek!" shouted Octavian.

"Shut up, Octavian!" Reyna snarled. Octavian shrunk back.

Sirius was about to say something else weird happened. A red light appeared in the middle of the large circle we had all formed. A fifteen-foot tall, very buff man appeared. Everyone dropped to their knees except Percy and me. I felt extreme rage towards this man, whom I realized had to be a god. He scowled at Percy and me when he saw us. "I don't see how this will work," the man grumbled.

"How what will work, Lord Mars?" Reyna asked politely.

Mars smirked. "How you all won't kill each other. Anyways, juno says it's time you all had a quest to retrieve your eagle. My son, Frank Zhang will lead this quest." Frank was shoved so that he was in front of the crowd. "Punk, you're taking the Jackson twins with you. Since they don't remember who they are, it's Perseus and Christina. You can pick whoever else you want to come with you."

Frank immediately chose Hazel. He totally had a crush on her. It was really obvious to everyone except Hazel. Octavian asked about a prophecy. Mars' grinned and recited this as his prophecy.

Go to Alaska.

Find Thanatos and free him.

Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die.