AN: I'm back! This is the sequel to 'Dark Oceans' so it will probably make no sense whatever if you haven't read that. but I am so excited about this book - and I promise that I won't make it a trilogy. Thank you for all the reviews from the last story - they really encouraged me to write faster and literally made my day. I'm so sorry if my update schedule will be dodgy because I've got a lot of stuff going on at the moment.

This is just the prologue, so the chapters may be longer.

See you soon!

~Cocoa.

Prologue

Atlantian Dungeons.

The night sentry fell down to the ground with a clatter, his armour crashed down onto the floor and his eyes rolled back into his head. Annabeth smiled with satisfaction and swiftly unhooked the keys off his belt.

The elf mumbled something unintelligible in his unconsciousness and then fell completely silent, almost like he was dead. But Annabeth knew that he wasn't – it was only a swift punch in the head.

She opened the heavy metal door of the cell and held the burning torch in front of her, to light the way. Her footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor and a small light seeped through the iron bars at the top of the prison.

"Annabeth?" a voice whispered from the shadows.

There was a rattle of iron chains and a rustle on the cold stone floor. She ran up to her friend and knelt down by her side. Immediately she started unlocking the chains around her friends' ankles and wrists, although they left red blotchy marks on her skin.

"Wait – what are y – "

"Hush, we don't have much time."

Annabeth pulled her up and handed her the keys. "The two kings are going to send you away to the mermaid's lands – both of us know what is going to happen there – it's your punishment for trying to kill Triton, you see? You'll be going on the boat with the ten other elves that were chosen."

Thalia remained unfazed. "It's a reasonable punishment."

Annabeth carried on. "I'm taking your place – all I need is a lock of your hair to put in this potion which will turn my features into yours – "

"No!" Thalia burst out; her blue eyes were wide and horrified. "You are not sacrificing yourself for me, I forbid it. I'd rather go myself."

"Don't you see, Thalia?" Annabeth pleaded. "It's my only chance to find Lily and Sebbie; Castor won't let me out of the palace grounds – let alone the city. I'm not giving up on my children."

"You'll be eaten – there's no way that you'll find her. Let me go instead – "

"It's my only chance! I have to do this, please Thalia. Lily is somewhere near the mermaid coast. Even if it's one in a million, I'll risk it. I'd rather be eaten alive than stay trapped in this palace forever knowing that I could've done something."

"Let me find her then – I'm not letting you go into the mermaids lands alone," Thalia protested.

Annabeth shook her head urgently. "Look, we don't have much time. Even if you did find her, you wouldn't be able to bring her back. I know that I'll probably die there but as long as I find my daughter I will know it's worth it. Go and run away to the mountains – take Luke with you – "

"Luke?" she said in a small voice.

"Yes, he'd be heartbroken if you left him. Just give me a lock of your hair and go."

"What if...what if I'll never see you again?"

Annabeth smiled sadly and looked deeply into Thalia's eyes.

"I'll never forget you – we're best friends remember? We'll always be in each other's hearts – who knows? One day we might find each other again."

Thalia tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. Instead, she hung her head and chopped off a piece of her spiky black hair and gave it to Annabeth.

"I'll miss you, Annie," she whispered, giving her best friend a hug.

"I'll miss you as well."

She took the lid off the bottle and stuffed the hair inside. After shaking it a few times, she took the cap off again and drunk the vile liquid in one. Afterwards, she handed Thalia another bottle of potion that had a murky grey liquid inside.

"This will temporally change your features and body into mine, although I suggest you wear the hood of the cloak just in case – people might find it strange to see the princess walking around at midnight."

Thalia drank the potion quickly and grimaced, with her nose scrunching up in repulsion. "Ugh, that tastes disgusting..."

"Sorry, but at least no one will suspect you. The effects of the potion will wear off in about a week, that's loads of time to escape from Atlantia."

"Annabeth...I'm still not sure about this. You could be killed out there."

"I know, but it's the best option for both of us," she took a deep breath and tried hard not to think of the mermaid's fangs and claws and the way they could wield magic ten times stronger than elves. "We need to swap clothes, or the guards might suspect something."

Thalia didn't complain, and obediently passed her leggings and top over to Annabeth and then pulled on the simple dress and cloak.

"You sure you want to do this?"

Annabeth nodded determinedly. "Castor once told me to follow my heart – I know that this is my destiny, no matter what happens."

"Nothing will change your mind, will it?"

"No."

Thalia sighed and brushed a hand through her hair. "Then all I can say to you is: stay safe, I can't lose my best friend."

"I'll be back, Thals. This isn't a farewell, I'm sure we'll meet again."

Annabeth waved as Thalia picked up the burning torch and made her way out of the dungeon. The heavy door shut, leaving her in darkness.

Sally sat on the side of the river bank, with her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes looking up at the sky. The land she now lived in was inhabited by giants, monsters and tropical storms that raged constantly and battered at her newly built palace.

Although, today the rain had stopped. However bitter winds still rushed through the hills and valleys, whipping her hair around her face.

A faint sound was brought to her attention...like the crying of a newly born infant. Except it didn't make any sense. There were no other humans living on this island and the elves were banned from it – unless they were the tributes that came every month to be hunted down for fun and then eaten.

She stood up in curiosity and peered into the dark waters of the stream. Amongst the blur of colours, a charred piece of drift wood was being swept down the river. Her brows tilted in worry as she saw something clinging onto it...swaddled in dirty white blankets that were soaked in sea water.

A baby? It wasn't possible. What was a baby doing all the way here? Cautiously she stepped in the strong currents of the river and swiftly caught the burnt and blackened raft. With trembling hands, she leant down and picked the small child up.

Sally pulled the blankets away from the child's head; she could feel her breath trapped inside of her. The child was beautiful...she'd give her that. Her features were smooth and well proportioned for her size, lacking the redness of a newborn or the scrunched up nose that most babies had.

But what hit her the most were her eyes. Only on two other people had she seen eyes like that on a person. Poseidon and Percy. And both were related, like father like son.

This couldn't be...

She stifled a gasp and felt anger rising up in her heart. Either Poseidon had sired another child or this tiny creation was her granddaughter. None of the options appealed to her...the mere thought was disgusting.

Hurriedly, she raced up the rocks and made her way up the hill to the palace. The mermaids outside the entrance stared at her inquisitively and then averted their gaze to the elf inside her arms.

She ran into the throne room and looked wildly around but no one was there. Pulling the double doors shut, she rushed up the winding staircase and headed towards Percy's chambers.

There was a beam of light shining from the gap in the door, without hesitation she burst inside and scowled heavily at her son.

He obviously had been laughing and sword fighting with Sebbie on the pristine white carpet, next to the fire place...

"Mother?"

Sally breathed inwardly and tried to focus. "Do you have any explanation for this?"

He frowned and got up from the floor, looking intently at the child in her arms. "No, I've never seen her before. Where did she come from?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking you."

She let the statement sink in, leaving the birds outside to fill the silence.

Realization dawned on him as he studied the infant's face. "Wait...you don't think...I didn't k-"

"You were the one who sired her, admit it Percy," she hissed. "It was with that princess, the same princess who betrayed us – she doesn't care for you, hell, she doesn't even care for her own child. I found the baby clinging to a raft on a river coming in from the ocean."

Percy's face paled as he took the child off his mother. "Annabeth would never abandon her...it's not her nature."

"Then explain why I found her daughter – your daughter – alone and defenceless all the way out here."

"Maybe there was an accident – Annabeth would never leave her own child in the ocean. There must be some explanation – "

"You need to get over her," Sally said more forcefully. "She's on your mind constantly, when will you understand that she hates y – "

"She doesn't hate me," Percy interrupted her. Anger flashed in his green eyes, sparks of energy crackled down his arms as his fury rose. "She told me herself and I'm not as stupid as you think I am – I know when a person is lying. We're only separated because of the actions of some selfish m – "

"I was protecting you!" Sally yelled back, her blinding green aura light up around her making Percy stumble backwards. "This is how it will be for the rest of eternity – mermaids will never have peace among the elves, that's how it always has been, that's how it always will be."

The green light dimmed down as she struggled to hold back her magic, which could end up with the whole palace being destroyed. Or maybe even the whole island with everyone on it.

"You can keep your child," she said quietly. "But only if you forget about Annabeth – prove to me that you can live without her. Then I'll let you keep the baby."

"I'll never forget her," Percy spat. "And you have no right to take my child away from me."

Her anger faded, only to be left with a cold chilling sorrow that gnawed at the forefront of her mind. "Look, the elves will be arriving in two days, it's the least you can do by joining in with the hunting."

"I am not going to hunt for some innocent elves that were taken by their will away from their families and friends. I'm not a child anymore and you can't tell me what to do in every single second of my life."

"Then you've just lost your mother," Sally whispered between clenched teeth. She pulled open the door of the chamber but was stopped by an equally quiet voice.

"You're no mother of mine; my mother was lost ten years ago."

"What is your business here?" the guards asked him suspiciously, looking him up and down.

"I wanted to see Thalia – the prisoner in these dungeons."

The elf snorted and didn't move. "Then you've made a wasted journey, nobody is allowed to see her."

Leo scowled and unsheathed his sword and stabbed it at the guard, the elf batted it away and smirked.

"Put it away and I'll forget that you ever did that."

"I need to see her," Leo said through gritted teeth. He raised his sword and slashed it towards the guard, the attack was blocked and the two elves battled furiously down the narrow corridor.

The clanging of metal pierced into the night and then suddenly stopped, the sound of panting only filled the air. Leo pressed a dagger to the guards' throat. "Open the door and then give me the keys."

"No," a trickle of sweat dripped down from his helmet.

Leo pressed the dagger deeper into his neck, making the guard tilt his head upwards to stop blood being drawn. "It's either that, or I knock you unconscious and then take the keys for myself."

"I'll never submit to filth like you," the guard hissed with murder in his eyes.

"So be it," Leo replied and swiftly ripped off his helmet and crashed the elf's head into the wall.

He slumped down to the ground and fell flat on his face. Leo leant down and unhooked the ring of keys off his belt and then unlocked the prison door, with the screeching sound of rusty hinges breaking the silence.

He blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness and then stepped into the dungeon. "Thalia?"

There was a figure sitting on the ground with chains shackled around her wrists and ankles, she had the same spiky black hair as he remembered and electric blue eyes that held no loss of fire.

Leo rushed up to her and was surprised to see her lean away...maybe she didn't remember him. "It's me, Leo."

Thalia raised a perfectly straight eyebrow and looked at him as if to say: 'Why the hell are you here?'

"Look, I'm sorry about what's happening," Leo started, sitting down next to her. "And I know that this is incredibly selfish of me..."

He paused, wondering how to put his words. "But do you remember Calypso? The mermaid that you brought back from the dead?"

"Um...yeah."

Leo took in a deep breath and pulled out a small sapphire coloured stone from his pocket. The jewel seemed to light up the entire dungeon with an eerie blue glow, the single touch of it sent a thrum of energy flowing down his arm.

"She fell in love with someone else and when the mermaids escaped from the dungeons and sailed over to another land – she went with them. She forgot about me. But you're going across the oceans...I just wondered if you could do this one last favour for me. It would mean the world to me if you did."

"You want me to give Calypso that Sapphire and say it's from you?"

Leo nodded dejectedly. "You're my last hope...tell her I love her. That's all. Tell her to keep the stone and remember me – just as I will remember her."

"Of course I will," Thalia said softly, taking the stone from his hands.

"And Thalia...I am truly sorry about all of this. You don't deserve to die, if only the King could see that."

"It's my fault, don't worry about it."

"We'll meet each other again. I'll see you in Starlight."