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I'm thinking that I change to updates on Monday, or either Monday or Friday because I always forget to update. I got to chapter 42 anyways so, enjoy!

To say that Dom was surprised was to say the least when I just appeared, falling from the sky in exhaustion right above his head. Thank the gods he was able to catch me just as I reached his arms, and when I shook out of my daze, all I could see was his violet eyes looking at me in worry. "How long have I been gone?"

"Only about an hour, I guess? How did you finish your scouting mission so quickly?"

I looked at my reflection in his eyes. I still looked young, the teenage 15 year old I was, not the mentally aged 25 year old I had become. "It was 10 years for me."

"10 years? Thea, don't exaggerate. It's not noon yet. We still have a few hours to train, before we go. The Roman troops have arrived in Camp Half Blood already, and Reyna and Thalia left in hurry after you left. We five are the only ones left here, including Nemeo, but he's guarding." I knew that, since I saw the lion before I toppled into unconsciousness.

"No! You don't understand!" I had to say, Nyx's torture had snapped something inside of me, as my mind couldn't comprehend why Dom couldn't load information fast enough. After 10 years of being in Percy and Nico's body, with their companions as Annabeth and Bianca, two relatively intelligent females, it was sort of weird to have Dom around again, and it still took time for me to register that in my mind, 10 years had passed. In the real world, it was 10 seconds.

"I don't understand you, Thea, I never will, but I understand friendship. I'll always have your back."

"Not for this." My eyes were wide, like I had too many cups of coffee, which was impossible because I hated tea, coffee or any kind of beverage like that, excluding hot chocolate. "For you, for the world, it was a mere 10 seconds. For me, I had endured 10 years on Mount Othrys. Lady Hecate has been freed, but with Pasiphaë tampering no one can be sure that the Mist will be returning. Atlas has been sent to Olympus. Prometheus is under the weight of the sky. Tom and Alice have all the time in the world to train, because Nyx has the remaining essence of Kronos, or the primordial Chronos. And even she doesn't dare touch it."

Dom gave me a look-over. "What did Nyx do to you?" I didn't know what came over me, but I immediately fell into his arms, sobbing. Dom awkwardly hugged me, patting me on the head, soothing me, like when he was there for me when Tori died. 

"Thea? Thea!" Leah ran out of the barracks, Max and Emily close behind. "What's your report as a scout."

I responded by crumpling to my knees, and Dom carried me into his arms, his biceps tense as he brought me towards the barracks, lowering me onto one of the beds. I must have been incredibly heavy, with my quiver full of arrows and belt full of daggers. "What happened to you there?" Emily asked, holding my hand tightly like I would slip into oblivion any second.

"I was there for an entire decade." My voice was low and hoarse. "All the pain, all the anguish."

"What happened to your hair?" Indeed, the two strips of white/grey hair didn't go unnoticed to the observant daughter of Aphrodite.

"And your face! Where did you get that?" My finger traced the scar that ran from the center of my left eye brow to my right side of my face, at the my cheekbone. Summoning a bit of water and healing it, I ignored the puzzled glances of my friends, my quest mates. I knew that I was starting to descend back into my old personality: cold, respectful, efficient, heartless. It was hard to find something, someone, to anchor my mortality. The side of me which was cheerful, prank loving, friendly.

Loyal. Brave. Smart. 

"Hey, hey, don't go back into your own little world. Thea. Yo. Snap out of it." Dom's voice brought me back, and subconsciously it was comforting that someone knew where I went when I drifted off.

"No questions. Not now. Not when there's more urgent matters at hand than my physical injuries." My hands waved at watery images appeared, a shadows of Mount Othrys. Small water figures symbolized the monsters, while three figures that stood out more symbolized Tom, Alice and Nyx. Silver figures that replaced us five were created, standing at the foot of the hill. Instead of focusing on the image, Dom was focusing at my hands and my eyes.

"How are you doing this? I knew you had control over water, but not to this degree. You could only control it in a rage!"

"I said, no questions." I answered sharply. Waving my hands, the silver figures began to move. Silver Emily and Silver Max stood at the bottom of the hill, bringing up the rear and staying at the relatively safer part of the mountain, fighting off the incoming watery monsters. Then, Silver Leah faced off against Water Alice, while Silver Dom fought off the monsters and Water Tom. Silver Me crept up and disarmed Nyx of the Time Essence (or whatever it was called), and went up against Nyx. "That's the plan. Now, you can ask questions that do not relate to my personal health or abilities."

"What about Nemeo?" asked Dom. "Valuable asset over there."

"Nemeo will help with Emily and Max, and since you can dispose of the monsters fairly quickly with a man-eating indestructible lion on your side, Max and Emily will continue to stand guard in case there are any stragglers, and Nemeo will help you with the monsters that you and Leah have to deal with. Also... " I quickly ran off to the weapons store-room, picking out three small daggers for Leah and a few Greek fire vials for Max. "Max, please throw the fire away from us, towards the monsters, okay? I don't have any sand on me and I don't want to be bombed."

"Yes ma'am." answered Max, receiving the Greek Fire vials like they could explode any moment, which they could. Emily held the daggers gingerly, inspecting them and making sure that they wouldn't kill her. "Em, remember. Although we're mortal, ivory and claws can still kill us. We can still be set on fire. Just keep that in mind."

"Yes. Don't stab myself for fun. I get it." Emily sighed. "I'm not an airhead, though I seem like one. I'm not stupid."

"So I'm up against Alice. Good. Can't wait to beat up that bitch." Leah said, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

"Please refrain from killing her, please. I want to be able to bring BOTH of them with ALL body parts attached."

"Am I allowed to break her arm?"

"Yes."

"Good. Both of them?"

"Preferably not."

"Good anyways. I don't care."

I sighed. "I'd rather get some training done. Leah, you're sparring with me. Max and Emily, fight against each other, and Dom, try some fighting with Nemeo. Terminus is enough for guarding." They mock saluted and left, leaving me and Leah together. Leah immediately propped her elbows on the mattress of the bed, taking Emily's seat.

"So?"

"What?" I groaned, standing up. "Let's go train."

She pulled me back down. "We're not training until we talk. You just got tortured by the primordial of Night herself. AND YOU'RE STILL SANE. Snap out of it. And talk."

"Can't make me." Making my move towards the exit again, she tugged on my hand.

"You need serious girl talk."

"Which I will gladly accept. After we get rid of Nyx, the monster armies and Pasiphaë, which is what I originally wanted to talk about."

"Okay then talk!"

"Good. Here's the deal..."


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