When her three friends disappeared, Piper felt useless. She stared at her knife, Katoptris, hoping for a useful vision, but all she saw was demigods driving towards Camp Half-Blood. She and Annabeth sent a dream vision to warn Chiron. When Frank, Hazel, and Leo finally appear, Leo tells the group they will arrive in the Mediterranean the next morning. Piper feels a sense of foreboding.

Annabeth removes the disk from her bag, but it is blank. It only reveals the map when she is alone, just as the Mark of Athena only reveals itself to her. She admits that she will have to embark on her mission alone once they are in Rome. Jason shares what he knows about the statue. 40 feet tall, it once graced the Parthenon and may have been stolen by the Romans when they conquered the city to break the Athenians’ spirit. If she can find it, Annabeth says, it may help heal the rift. Piper notes the spirit of teamwork that Annabeth and Jason share and feels hopeful that Annabeth finding the statue could end Greek-Roman hostilities and help defeat Gaea, but she worries that Annabeth must work alone.