I had to leave this story for a little bit, the Sea of Monsters Is my least favorite of the books so it was hard to write two stories with it... but now I am back!

"That's amazing!" Mathias watched, jaw all but scraping the floor, awe In his eyes as a massive ship floated towards them. Chugging towards the Camp was the strangest ship Mathias had ever seen. It rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck plated with iron. In the middle was a trapezoid-shaped casemate with slats on each side for cannons. A flag waved from the top-a wild boar and spear on a bloodred field. Lining the deck were zombies in gray uniforms- dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls. The ship was an ironclad. A Civil War battle cruiser.

The CSS Birmingham.

Clarisse turned to him, stunned but proud. "My father, I prayed to him for Sea power and this is what he gave me." She sounded a little shocked, as if she could barely believe her father would ever do something so generous for her. It was a painful thought though, one that left Mathias sort of depressed.

'Are the gods so neglectful that any sign of kindness or decency can be read as surprising?'

He hoped he was wrong.

"That's a big ship." Percy, who was standing behind them, gaped at it.

Annabeth nodded. "It's Civil war Era, but I don't think it's meant for such deep water."

Mathias couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Shall we captain?" he bowed dramatically to Clarisse, getting a flush from her.

Ignoring him entirely she charged onto the ship with Percy and Mathias behind her. Heat rose off of the metal ship just as emotions radiated off of the dead warriors, pain and sadness choked against his bracelet. Not for the first time he was grateful for his mother's gift and the many saving graces it provided him. His sanity thanked her for it...

As it was he knew that these skeleton warriors were heavy with pain and loss, desiring freedom above all things.

"They owe my father tribute." Clarisse saw him looking at the undead warriors and approached him. " Every losing side of every war owe him this. That is why I can summon them with his aid."

"I see... no wonder they are so unhappy."

Clarisse nodded. "I imagine so... what were you talking to Beckendorf about?" She gestured to his chest, where new leather armor now lay. It covered his body, wrapping around his arms and legs and torso, crafted by Drakon skin. " I assume it's not just for the armor?"

He couldn't help but smirk a little. "We had a lot to talk about... I know I might die on this quest so I asked him for a favor. He made me the armor earlier, saying it was a gift for saving the younger kids when the birds attacked. It's light weight so I can still box and fight up close. As for the favor well...

"This place is so hot, how do you tolerate it?" Mathias all but panted as he walked into the Forges, sweating harshly within seconds. Charles Beckendorf, a tall black boy with rippling muscles, had summoned him via a younger sibling and a note. He was curious, since it was predawn, so he hurried to the Forges with a genuine caution and curiosity. His mother tossed Hephestus off of Olympus as a baby, if anyone was going to have a grudge besides Zeus himself it would be him and his kids.

Said son of Hephestus, the Tall Beckendorf, smiled at him from his place in the center of the forges. He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and an apron and gloves, looking very comfortable with the heat. "You get used to it...anyway I have something for you." From behind him, he grabbed a box and handed it to Mathias, smiling kindly as he did so.

With nerves galore, Mathias opened the box slowly and was stunned to see greenish armor perfectly fitted to his body. Lotus flowers decorated any point where a joint was as well as directly stamped on the chest. It was beautiful really, and he was moved.

"Thank you... but why?"

"You saved a lot of little kids yesterday, I couldn't help but feel moved. I worked all night on that, we all did." he gestured to his siblings, meandering about, who nodded. "We thought you'd be like your mother but you saved kids not hurt them... " He stopped talking, looking a touch embarrassed. " Anyway, we faced a Drakon about a week ago. We had nothing to do with the skin so we made it into leather armor for you. Your a boxer you need to be light on your feet, figured this would be a good move for you."

He was touched.

"Thank you." For once anger was not at the forefront of his heart, though he felt some annoyance that they would judge him for his mother's actions... he couldn't entirely blame him though... She had done so many evil things over her long life. He had to do something to mitigate the damage, less he inherit more enemies then he could reasonably win over. "I have a request for you, if your feeling up to it."

Beckendorf looked at him, curious. "What do you need?"

"My mother wanted my cabin changed so guests could visit, like Tyson... but I have a better idea." His mind swam with his idea, amazed and proud. "I want you, you and your siblings, to modify my cabin so I can take in some of the unclaimed kids." He enjoyed the shock in their eyes, the swelling of fear and shock and happiness that spread and crashed against his bracelet. It was so intense he tasted some of it even though he wore his bracelet. "Mom owes me and her people, I think that is part of why I am alive... if nothing else she owes me for inheriting her enemies. She said she loved me and she is the Queen and Goddess of Motherhood. I cannot see her minding kids living in her cabin, Foster moms are moms too... so I think she has sway there."

Beckendorf seemed nervous, though it was also clear that he enjoyed the idea on some level. " That would make life a lot easier for the unclaimed kids... but that's also a huge risk."

"Offer a prayer to her, a sacrifice of some kind, then see if she shows a sign that she's okay with it. I'll do the same... maybe when your done with my cabin, you can fix up Hermes' cabin. Doesn't seem right that it's in such bad shape."

"No, it really doesn't... I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, I wish you luck... oh and if it becomes too much, we can wait until you reinforce the barrier around here with turrets and towers or whatever you think you need to do."

Clarisse blinked. " That's rather bold of you."

"I know but I want to make a change." He smiled, taking full advantage of his rare good mood. "I inherited a lot of enemies from my mother, doesn't seem smart or right to do nothing to fix that damage."

"Your not wrong... but be careful, the gods can be temperamental. This might backfire..."

A flare of anger returned, the notion of his mother's bad karma biting him the backside was not one he liked. "I hope not." He shuddered as the sensation of emotion built as a skeleton approached them, a captains hat on his head.

"Hello, Mistress." He said, his voice strong but pained as he spoke to Clarisse. " Lord Ares has sent us to serve you, whatever you need done or whom you need killed, we are here for you."

"Who ever I need killed... I like that." She said, a dark twinkle in her eyes.

She never noticed the pained look in Mathias' eyes as emotion wafted off of this being before him, sinking into his body despite the potent power of his mother's blessed bracelet. Sadness and a hate so potent it left him unable to focus, a splitting headache forming immediately afterward. He fell back, holding onto the railing as he struggled to stand...

'Please let this trip be short... I am not sure I can handle being around such... beings for so long.'

"""

Travel across the seas was rough and uncomfortable and Mathias felt the urge to sleep through it and he did. He slept restlessly, his dreams flashes of oddness. Each came with a painful shock, slamming into his head with pain that left him even more exhausted then before. He was miserable for the day trip it took to get to Miami, their last mortal stop before they reached the Sea of Monsters or whatever it was called.

He saw a Guinea pig with big beautiful eyes, pirates growling in rage at a beautiful women.

He saw a massive whirlpool, feeling it pulling him into oblivion.

He saw a cyclops and sheep, wedding bells in the distance.

Bits and pieces, nothing entirely clear as he struggled get rest. No matter how much he slept, he felt more and more tired. By the time they reached Miami he felt dead on his feet. He wasn't entirely sure why though...

"Maybe it's motion sickness?" Clarisse put her hand on his forehead, looking uncomfortable at their closeness. She seemed worried though more then she was uncomfortable, a softness to her voice that didn't seem to fit her rough persona.

Annabeth, who was standing behind her, frowned. "It wouldn't mess with his sleep I don't think, just make him nauseous."

"Either way it sucks." Mathias struggled to stand, not entirely sure what the think as he did so. "I wouldn't mind this so much if I wasn't seeing things again."

"What things?" Annabeth looked at him with something akin to understanding. "Things that have already happened or..."

He froze and considered the visions. "Well I can things that have happened to people when I touch them, but these are... weird. Like tiny moments, screenshots if you will, of things that I am not sure have happened. There is no emotion behind them though... " He described his visions to the crew, doing his best to ignore the odd skeletons working about. They made him uncomfortable with their raging emotions. He wondered what horrors he'd see if he touched them, and worse he couldn't afford to attack them if they refused to leave him alone.

They needed a crew to pilot the ship after all.

"Maybe their demigod dreams. We have a tendency to see things in our dreams, visions of the past and future, things that have already happened..." Annabeth kneeled before him, looking a little worried. " Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so... and maybe... they aren't dreams persay though, I feel awake and exhausted after them. Can my mom see the future? Maybe I can do that?"

"Maybe, but that power is rare in demigods. I only know of a few that have ever had that power... maybe it's empathy? I mean what you described, at least the last part is what Grover is going through, so maybe your seeing things he saw through the Empathy Link?"

Eyes wide, Mathias nodded. "That seems to fit the best I like that one." He stood and moved over to Percy, grabbing onto the small white thread linking him to Grover. Instantly he was bombarded with the same visions as earlier, in almost the same order and with much clearer precision. "Yeah... I think that one fits... huh?" He looked, and realized that the Link had grown, and a much duller white thread now connected him to Percy. He felt his heart drop into his feet at that notion. "What's... I'm link to you now too... damn it."

"That's not good." Clarisse grunted as she stood looking worried. "Empathy Links can be fatal if one half dies... or I guess that would be all three of you."

"More reason to save Grover and break the link. I rather like living damn it." Turning to Percy, he frowned at his pale face and honestly felt sort of bad for him. " Some friend, linking you two with something potentially fatal."

Percy frowned at him. "Hey, he had no choice... and I'm not seeing stuff like that just Dreams about Grover and sometimes a word or voice. Maybe your powers over empathy is changing how you see things? Or maybe cause it's third hand, your seeing it through me instead of through Grover?"

"Maybe... either way this sucks and I want to stop..." He shivered. "I hate having other people in my head more then they already are... and I don't want to die for someone I do not know or care for. "

He'd die for a kid, for himself and maybe for Clarisse... but no one else was worthy of that honor... he would live damn it. No matter what else happened he would live...

'Damn it Mom, will the random crap never stop. I'd like to live in peace you know!' He stopped in thought for a moment. 'Or at least not lose my mind every time I get a new power.'

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This is a hard story to write, I do not like it as much as I liked my Aaron Mathews story... but I will keep up at it. I like show casing what a Child of Hera can and might be!

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.