Dawn had hold of her other arm.

"Come on," she said. "We're practically there. There's fresh air and everything."

Nika nodded and forced herself to keep walking, all the way through the Gate. As soon as she was through, she vanished.

A few miles away, her eyes sprang open and she sat bolt-upright, scrambling to her feet.

Jason jumped and flailed when she suddenly started moving. He fell backwards and just barely managed to catch himself.

"Welcome back," he said after a moment.

Dawn grinned.

"Look, the first success," she said to Seth. "I don't think it's ever been done right before."

Nika groaned and leaned against the nearest hard surface as her heart started to beat again, thudding loudly in her chest as she tried to get her body to remember how to breathe properly.

"I think that's about right," Seth said. "I bet Hades isn't happy. Oh well." He shrugged and started walking. "We'd better get back."

"Careful," Jason said as he got closer. "We managed to keep everything from decaying or anything, but you were still gone for a while. It'll probably take a few minutes to regulate again."

Dawn shrugged as she went through the gate and back out into the fresh air and sunshine.

"It was fair," she said. "We just happened to have learned from past mistakes."

Nika glared weakly at him. "I noticed," she managed to say, crossing her arms over her chest and focusing on breathing evenly and slowly. It took her a few minutes to get her body under control again.

Seth laughed quietly. "Yeah, I know." He grinned and started walking back towards the others. "So, how does it feel to be the first known demigod to get someone out of there successfully?"

"Just take it easy for a bit," Jason said. He gathered up his arrows from where he was going through them and examining them to pass the time. "Aaron left already to drop in at camp, so they know we'll be on our way back as soon as Dawn and Seth get here."

"Oddly underwhelming," Dawn replied. She grinned. "Wait till Chiron hears about it, though."

Nika nodded. "Well then, I need to get my car." She fished her keys out of her pocket. "Damn. I almost miss the stuff I jacked from Ares."

Seth laughed. "Oh he is going to flip out."

Jason shuddered.

"Yeah, obviously he showed up a while back," he said. "No offense, but I like interacting with my own dad much better."

"Yeah, really," Dawn replied. "Though it wasn't all me. You helped a lot, and a lot of it was Nika being stubborn."

Nika laughed. "That's normal," she assured him. "Hell, I hardly like dealing with him and he's my father."

"Hey, I was just there for moral support," Seth said with an innocent grin. "And yes, she is incredibly stubborn."

"I don't mind talking to my father much," Jason said. "Every once in a while. Dawn hates him, though I can't really blame her for that." He held out a hand, offering to help her up. "Come on, we may as well meet them half-way The cars are in a general that-way direction, anyways."

Dawn shuddered a bit, picturing Chiron's reaction.

"Maybe I won't say anything," she said. "I really don't want to have to explain everything, not when I know Chiron's going to ask a million questions."

Nika took his hand after a moment and got up. She nodded and started walking, still a little unsteady. Being dead for a few hours will do that to a person.

Seth chuckled. "I won't tell him anything if you don't."

"I can't believe my sister actually did it," Jason commented as he walked next to Nika in case she stumbled. "Well, sort of. But still."

"Deal," Dawn replied.

"Sort of?" Nika echoed. "What does 'sort of' mean?"

Seth laughed quietly and nodded. "Sounds fair to me, then." He continued walking, his hands stuck in his pockets.

"Well, I doubt my sister could have done everything by herself," Jason pointed out. "I don't think any one person could."

Dawn hummed softly to fill the silence as they walked.

"Seth was with her," Nika added with a shrug. "He offered to hel out, and apparently threatened to follow her if she didn't agree to let him come with."

Seth listened to her with a little smile, just relaxing as they walked. He could see two people headed in their direction. "Think that's them?"

"He was?" Jason asked. "They were alone together at some point?" It was obvious that he didn't trust the other demigod, though it was more an inherited distrust than anything. Apollo cabin and Hermes cabin tended to not get along.

Dawn glanced ahead, and nodded.

"That's them," she said. "I see my brother."

Nika shrugged. She wasn't all that concerned about it. "Yeah, so? He helped drag me back out of there to the Gate. Literally."

Seth nodded. "I get the feeling he's not happy," he muttered, watching them approach with some trepidation.

"I still don't trust him," Jason muttered.

"He isn't," Dawn replied. "It's not you, though. It's one of those inherited things, like my inexplicable burning hate for snakes. You know the story about how Hermes stole Apollo's sacred red cattle, right? And then lied about it and tricked him? Apollo never trusted him after that, and it kind of passed down."

Nika snickered and shook her head, walking over to her car since she saw the other two. "Well then, you can come with me and he can go with Dawn. It is his car, after all, isn't it?"

Seth grimaced, looking sour. "Yeah, I know," he muttered. "It's so stupid, though."

"Yeah," Jason said sullenly. "I don't like them being alone together, though. Who knows what he might do..."

"Oh trust me, I know," Dawn replied. "But it is what it is. Trust me when I say it's not you my brother doesn't like. Give him time, he may actually like you. You got along on the ride here, right?"

Nika rolled her eyes. "Yes, after everything we've done, he's going to suddenly turn on you two," she said, her voice laden with sarcasm.

"Sort of. Mostly we didn't speak," Seth said with a little shrug.

Jason glared at her half-heartedly.

"You're not helpful," he said.

"Not surprising," Dawn replied. "Chances are, he still thought he didn't like you, but it was out of habit. Our father's influence wasn't there at the time."

"I'm not supposed to be helpful," Nika pointed out with a smirk as she unlocked her car.

"I'm sure you'd know better than me," Seth just said with a shrug.

Jason rolled his eyes and set his weapons down on the floor of the car before getting in.

"I just don't want him trying anything with my sister," he said.

"Don't let it bother you," Dawn said.