Chapter 1

Percy awoke in an infirmary. His head throbbed. His whole body hurt. "Where am I?" the startled green-eyed boy asked.

A she-wolf stepped out from the shadows, elegantly. "Welcome to Legion camp, Demigod." Percy blinked. "Huh?" The she-wolf regarded him carefully. "Ah. It seems you have lost your memory." The wolf flicked her tail. "We will have to start out with the basics. Reyna. Come over here, child."

A brown-haired girl with sharp gray eyes appeared at the doorway of the room. She made her way toward the Lupa so that she stood beside the wolf. The girl was confident, tall and athletic-looking. Two short-swords were on either sides of her legs. She wore a purple shirt and denim capris. Percy thought she looked a bit like someone he knew, to which his stomach responded by doing jumping jacks.

"Hi. I'm Reyna." The girl stuck out her hand, her stormy eyes acting as if they were calculating Percy's weaknesses. "Daughter of Minerva." Percy frowned but nevertheless proceeded to shake her hand. "You mean Athena?" "Minerva's greek alternative? I suppose."

Dot, dot, dot...

Lupa stepped in between the silent pair. "Reyna. Show this young lad the ropes. He seems to be powerful, but we can not know for sure until he is claimed by his god parent. Maybe, he is the one." Lupa's eyes twinkled as if she and Reyna had some little secret they were hiding. Reyna nodded. "Understood. Perseus, come this way."

Reyna avoided any physical contact with Percy. The last time Percy tapped her on the shoulder to say something, she jumped back a couple feet and let out an, "Eep!" Reyna, embarrassed, muttered her apologies to Percy and continued to tour him around the facility. After that, Percy refrained from touching her again.

"Uh, Reyna?" Percy called meekly. "How did I end up here?" Reyna turned around and her usually steely eyes softened. "We found you at the border of our camp, unconscious. We figured you were something special because you appeared around the same time when Jason," Reyna's face held an expression of longing. "Went missing."

"Who's this Jason?" Percy asked, curious. His name reminded him of the story 'Jason and the fleece.' Reyna paused in the middle of the crowded camp.

"Her boyfriend, duh." Reyna blushed. A burly boy with a soot-filled face stepped out from a blacksmith's forge. "The name's Bobby. Son of the overly awesome fire god,

Vulcan." He grinned at Percy and Reyna. "I wouldn't want you to two-time your boyfriend with this fine young fellow." Reyna rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Lighten up, Rey."

"Be quiet, Bob. I was given the job to show Percy around, and I don't plan on failing Lupa's orders."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Bobby nodded his head of thick curly brown hair. "We'll settle this. Capture the flag. Tomorrow." Reyna grinned. "Ha, bring it, soot-face." She stuck out her tongue and dragged Percy from the presence of the forge boy.

"This, here, is the archery range." Reyna pointed to a vast field with targets and thousands of discarded bows and arrows. "The girl over there," Reyna said pointing to a lanky figure. "Is named Gwendolyn. Descendant of Apollo. Good friend of mine." Percy smiled. "Cool." From afar, Percy imagined an epic archer and stunning song and poem writer. Approaching the girl gave Percy second thoughts. Gwendolyn was a short, stocky girl. She resembled an elf with her pointy ears and she, too, wore a purple shirt like Reyna's. She had wavy brown hair that was cut short above her shoulders. She didn't look like ideal Robin Hood material.

"Greetings, rookie." She saluted Percy and waved her hand at Reyna, acknowledging her. "Hey, Reyna. Who's the newbie?" "Percy. We don't know his god parent yet. But Lupa thinks he's some supreme being." Reyna readjusted her dirty blonde ponytail.

Percy stood in silence. He didn't feel like he belonged here. Gods? No. It wasn't that part that got to him. He felt like he belonged elsewhere, like he had a life somewhere else.

Two identical looking teenage girls pranced the archery field, slowly moving toward Gwendolyn, Reyna and Percy.

"Ooh! Look, it's that cute boy we found sleeping at the entrance of Legion camp!"

"Shush, Hazel. You're embarrassing me. He was unconscious, you dummy."

"Gosh, Dakota. You think you're sooo smart. Well, news flash, you're my blood twin sister. So if you make fun of me, you'll end up hurting yourself."

"Not necessarily. We're not the same being, you know."

"... I'm telling mom."

"Sheesh. Ask her for more cosmetics for all I care."

Percy raised an eyebrow. There were way too many girls, and they were all equally idiosyncratic. Uniquely odd. Reyna shot Percy an apologetic look. "Excuse the Venus twins. As you can tell, Dakota is the smarter one. They have quarrels quite often."

The twins carried on, oblivious to the onlookers of their argument.

"Look what you did. Now the good-looking boy is staring at us."

"You're the one degrading us, Hazel."

"... How do you spell that? I'm looking that up in the dictionary."

"Degrade: H-A-Z-E-L." "Hold on. H-A-Z-," Hazel looked hurt. "Hey! That's my name."

Dakota tossed her medium length blonde hair over her shoulder. "Mhm. First time you noticed. Oh. And you're holding the dictionary upside-down." She gave Percy a smile and continued to harass her dimwitted sister.

"Are they always like this?" Percy asked. "Yeah. Pretty much." Reyna replied, her lips pulled into a tight line. Her stormy eyes, however, danced with amusement. Her traits resembled someone else's. Percy could only wish he knew who.

That night, at the Legion campfire, the many Romanic god descendants anticipated the revealing of Percy's god parent.

There were shouts from the Venus cabin. "Oh my gosh, he is sooo hot!" "I know right!" "I like make-up."

Some warlike hollers were heard from the Mars cabin. "Yo, I hope we get that kid. He's pretty well-built."

"Yeah, man. Hey, did you notice that pen thing-ma-bob sticking out of his pocket?"

"Settle down, children!" The campers converted to silence so quickly, it was almost deafening. Lupa, was an authorized figure, Percy noted. "Perseus. Prove your worth to us."

With all eyes on him, Percy instinctively pulled out a too familiar object from his pocket. A ballpoint pen.

The crowd watched the pen as if it were some legendary weapon. "Well? Do somethin', kiddo." Percy pulled off the pen cap and revealed a sharp bronze blade.

"Nice! He's hanging with us from now on."

"That's even cooler than Hudson's lance!"

"Hey, I heard that!" Excited murmurs were heard throughout the camp.

Almost as if fated to happen, someone threw a cup of water at Percy. He remained unaffected, dry. There was a stunned silence among the crowd. But his dryness seemed insignificant compared to the golden trident shaped symbol hovering above his head.

"Impossible."

"A child of one of The Great Three?"

"Just like Jason." Percy heard Reyna say.

Lupa bowed her head in respect and everyone did the same. "Hail, Perseus. Son of the Great Poseidon."

Chapter 2

PERCY

The camp started to question Lupa. The Roman bonfire became a black color due to the stressed anxiety heavily weighing on the camp. "Poseidon? Isn't he like, a greek god?" Reyna raised an eyebrow at the she-wolf, demanding answers. "Yeah, what happened to Neptune?" Another camper pressed.

Gwendolyn pretended to slice her neck off with her own hand. "Greeks. Our Roman camp cannot be shamed by associating with their kind." Bobby stood up. "Our military and disciplinary based camp can not be bested by those Greeklings." Percy proceeded to cap his sword-pen. Somehow, he knew the name of his sword: Riptide.

Lupa, however, was not bothered by all of these questions and statements. "It is indeed true that Poseidon is the greek equivalent to our honored god, Neptune." She paused for effect. "Though Poseidon's being is more widely diverse, he holds almost the exact characteristics as Neptune." Percy nodded in agreement as if he understood what Lupa was saying. "Perseus, here, is a part of the prophecy. Do not take him for an enemy." There were audible grumbles and grunts in the crowd.

Lupa turned to face Percy. "So, young demigod. Do you not realize who I am?" "I happen to know who you are, surprisingly. Are you the Lupa? Raiser of Romulus and Remus?" The she-wolf made a noise that Percy considered a wolf laugh. There were confused stares from the Romanic campers. Even Reyna looked a bit surprised. "Young demigod, I hope you do realize that you are speaking ancient Greek. Your kind was hardwired for it." Lupa resumed her talk in English, her eyes sparkling. "Hhoui kuhht..." Percy faltered in his speaking.

Hazel broke the silence that hung heavily above the campers. "He's smart AND cute. Mother, make him mine." she clapped. "Hazel. Quiet. The Venus cabin has already received the title of 'dumbest cabin ever.' Don't bring us down further, we'll end up in Pluto's throne." Dakota calmed her sister and continued to read from a Latin book. Judging by the 'further down' part of Dakota's sentence, Percy assumed that Pluto was the Roman name for Hades.

Reyna's grey eyes widened with excitement. "You can speak Ancient Greek? That's amazing! Maybe you are one of the seven from the prophecy..." Percy felt a tug at the pit of his stomach. Why did she remind him so much of someone he remembered so vaguely?

All at once, the Legion campers started to talk. "Is he the chosen one?" "He's amazing to look at. Too bad he'll probably be on a quest." "Is he some kind of future Greek Hero?" "Oh Em Gee. My nail polish is cracking."

Lupa took a step forward and tamed the ruckus of the crowd. "We must welcome our guest. Marcus. Give him a clean Legion camp shirt and supplies." A muscled Mars child gave a violent whoop and rushed to his cabin, returning with the supplies he was asked for and dropped them at Percy's feet. "Reyna? Dakota?" Lupa nodded in their direction. "You two show Perseus to his cabin. The hero needs his nightly rest." Lupa's ancient eyes twinkled as if she knew something the two girls didn't.

"But, Lupa. It's only 7:00PM. He didn't even taste my delicious camp marshmallows." Reyna protested. "You will see why, dear. Tomorrow, perhaps, at Capture the Flag. He is not to be underestimated. Good Night, Percy." Lupa winked. "Campers. You are dismissed." A mob of campers rushed from the campfire and hastily said their 'good nights.'

Percy was entranced by the humongous cabin he called his own. Seashells were embed onto the cabin walls and columns. There was only one bed in the room which the three campers sat on. For the first few minutes, they were all taking in the grand sight of Neptune's cabin.

"Haven't you girls, um... Been here before?" Percy asked. Reyna and Gwendolyn shook their heads simultaneously. "Oh." They all sat in the awkward silence, when

Percy broke the ice. "Uh. I gotta change into my camp clothes." He pointed to a purple shirt and a pair of jeans. "Mind if you two step out for a bit?"

Reyna was the first to go out the door, followed by a blushing Gwendolyn. It was as if she had imagined Percy in undergarments. Percy shook the disturbing thought from his head. He quickly changed from his Orange shirt and torn jeans into the camp clothes given by Lupa. Further inspection of his orange shirt made him aware that letters had been scratched off of the fabric. It only spelled the word CAMP.

"Reyna, Gwendolyn, are you there?" Percy called as he stepped out onto the front porch of his cabin. Apparently, the two had returned to their own cabins, leaving Percy alone.

Never had Percy ever felt so isolated from humanity. He had no memories of his past life, and the only thing he seemed to remember was the name of his stupid pen. With nothing else to do, Percy curled up in his bed and drifted off into what felt like eternal sleep.

Percy dreamt that he was face to face with a golden-eyed boy. He was a blonde, with a scar running down his face. He lifted up a scythe of some sort. "I am Kronos, the Lord of the Titans." Beside the boy was a blonde girl whose hair went down her back in soft curls. Her face held the look of desperation. "Please, Luke. You don't know what you're doing. You promised. Family." Her voice had a strange effect on Percy. He felt compelled to kiss the girl.

His dream transitioned into a more peaceful one. He lay on his back, looking at the stars. At his side was the same blonde haired girl that he saw in his other dream. "Oh, Seaweed Brain... I could lie like this forever." She said dreamily. Percy reached for the girl's hand, but his fingers passed through hers.

A woman descended from the skies. "Percy. Your time has come. The rising of the giant Porphyrion has come. You must act as the hero that you were destined to become." Percy rubbed his eyes. "Hera? Goddess of marriage and keeper of the Heavens?" The woman nodded in response. "Hurry, there is not much time..." Her voice faded and was replaced by a much more ancient voice.

"Perseus Jackson..." Percy assumed that this was his last name. "I am waking. Join my sons... The giants... You will gain much more power than you ever had... I will make you a god..." A woman rose from the earth, all muddy and unattractive. She reached out to him, laying her too real hands on his chest. Before Percy could react, he woke up, finding himself in the infirmary, yet again.

Chapter 3

REYNA

Reyna sat next to a black-haired boy who appeared to be having a nightmare of some sort. He was sweating, yet his forehead felt cool. Then, she put her hand on his chest to ensure that his heart was pumping, just as Lupa had instructed. The boy snapped out of his trance and stared up confusingly at Reyna. He shook his head in disbelief after realizing where he was situated.

"I find myself in the infirmary more and more." Percy sighed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "What were you doing, staring at me like that?" Reyna bit her lip and without thinking, she answered. "You remind me of Jason." He raised an eyebrow. "Is that good? Or bad?" "Well. He always seemed to have these weird dreams and he, too, always ended up coming to the Legion nursing room." Percy scrunched up his nose, indignantly. "Oh."

Reyna laughed at the boy's expression. "Are you in good enough health to participate in Capture the Flag today?" "Definitely." Percy answered without having to think twice. "I somehow get the feeling that I've played this before." "Whose team do you want to be on?" "I guess I'll go with Bobby. He seems to need a handicap if he faces a natural like you." Reyna flushed at his comment. She then remembered what Lupa said. Don't underestimate him.

Percy yawned and placed his arms on top of his bed sheets. Reyna studied the boy carefully. He reminded her so much of her Jason, yet differed from him so greatly. "So, what time is it?" The green-eyed lad waited expectantly for an answer. "It's about 9:30AM. You've got at least 2 hours to prepare for the game."

Reyna put on her armor. She somehow got the feeling that Percy had fighting skills. But she couldn't be certain until she faced him in battle. She would have to be cautious. She wouldn't to lose her title as "Battle Queen" to some newbie who found himself on the border of Legion camp.

Outside, Reyna spotted Percy talking to Bobby. Probably going over the rules for 'Capture the Flag.' Why did she feel so nervous? Reyna mentally hit herself on the head. As a daughter of the wise Minerva, she felt shamed when she failed to draw up some genius war plan. But this was something different. She had no idea what Percy was capable of doing, his strengths or weaknesses. She wished Jason was here. His sweet voice and assuring smile. His lovely blue eyes. Oh, Jason.

Reyna sharpened her two short-swords on a rock. In about 10 minutes, the campers participating in her favorite game would gather at the Legion Camp Forest. She was very familiar with forest grounds. Her favorite place, however, was the beautiful stream of water that separated each team of 'Capture the Flag.' For some reason, she always found herself looking into it, even though there were no fish. It comforted her.

Reyna pondered her feelings for Jason. Was he safe? What if she didn't feel anything for him when he returned? What if he fell in love with another girl? She could only come up with questions. She put on the last of her armor and headed out of her cabin.

Before she could even reach her station at the Legion Camp Forest, she was tapped on the shoulder to which she responded by jumping back a few feet. "Oh gods!" She yelled, falling on her behind. A familiar husky laugh filled her ears.

"HAHA! Oh, that was precious." Bobby Harrison stood above Reyna, his body shaking due to his hearty laugh. Beside him stood Percy, quiet and unamused. He shot her an "I'm Sorry" look as if he was apologizing for Bobby's actions. The poor boy.

Bobby wiped a tear from his eye, laughing a little bit softer. "Hoho... Good times. Anyways," He offered Reyna his sooty hand. "I gotta shake your hand. Lupa says it's courtesy and regulations. I honestly don't feel like doing so. But, meh. Whatever." Without hesitation, the gray-eyed girl pulled Bobby down onto the ground and quickly recovered from her fall, planting a foot on his chest.

"Hey! Cut it out." Reyna smiled triumphantly, smirking at the squirming figure below her. She didn't lift her foot until Bobby apologized. Well. In his own way. "Reyna, I won't do it again! Sheesh! Let me go! The games are about to start." Reyna reluctantly helped Bobby up from the grassy grounds. She giggled when she saw the imprint of a butt on the grass, but laughed when she noticed the shoe mark on Bobby's tunic. "What are you laughing at, Rey?" "Nothing."

Lupa stepped in between the two teams of ten. Her tail flicked in excitement. "The rules of the game are simple. Each team must take the opposing side's flag. Reyna," The she-wolf pointed her muzzle directly at Reyna. "Will be leading the Red team. Bobby," Lupa nodded her head in the direction of the boy whose tunic held Reyna's shoe imprint. "Will be leading the Blue team." The canine bowed her head. "Positions. Get to your bases. When you hear the conch, you may commence the game."

Reyna's team retreated in the familiarity of the forest. The Red base was located atop a boulder. A bright Red flag was firmly placed on the rock. "Dakota. Gwendolyn. Hazel. Guard the flag." She commanded. The three girls stood back to back. "Marcus, Damien, Randolph, Tracy and I will play as offense." Reyna looked at the remaining team members, 2 children of Vulcan. "Have you two set booby-traps on the flag?" The children nodded.

Hazel, being as dumb as she was, started to walk towards the flag. "Oooh! Is there something special about this flag?" "Watch out! It's gonna blow!"

The motion activated mines exploded and knocked Hazel off her feet. She was still in good shape, but she was shaken. If she had been any closer to the flag, she would had ended up in the infirmary. Hazel whipped out a hand held mirror. "Ew, my hair is messed up. What's more, my face is full of black stuff. EW." Reyna groaned and shook her head, disappointed. That was one of their best chances to winning the game. Or so Reyna thought. A conch sounded in the distance. This was gonna a long game...

Chapter 4

REYNA

Before heading out from the safety of her base, Reyna reminded Dakota and Gwendolyn to make sure Hazel didn't mess up their chances of winning again. "Keep an eye on her." Reyna glanced worriedly at an amber-haired girl who appeared to be cross-eyed, attempting to touch her nose with her tongue. Gwendolyn and Dakota nodded, giving Reyna a sense of assurance.

The game had begun. Marcus gave out a battle cry and ran mindlessly into the deeper parts of the forest. Typical Mars child. Reyna sprinted behind Marcus, followed by Damien, Randolph and Tracy. Before long, they reached the stream dividing the team territories.

"So, we're here. Do we get to kill people?" Marcus sheathed a double-sided spear.

"No, Marcus. You know the rules." Reyna rolled her eyes. Marcus let out a grunt of disappointment. Tracy, Damien and Randolph readied their bows and arrows. Apollo children.

Reyna led her party of five across the stream. "Disperse." The five campers separated, each running in different directions that led to the same base. Reyna already heard the clanging of swords as she sprinted in the direction of the Blue base. An arrow whizzed by her head.

Picking up speed, Reyna tripped on something. A wire. Not just any wire. A tripwire. A small explosion sent her sprawling forward, at least a good seven feet away from the spot she had tripped. Her ankle throbbed in pain and she shakily stood her ground. Bobby Harrison came out from the shadows of an oak tree. Seeing as he was a Vulcan child, Reyna expected him to come up with these tricks. Bobby grinned, satisfied with Reyna's swollen ankle.

"Hey, Rey." He was armed with a sledgehammer he named Bob. Very original name.

Reyna was not affected by the presence of the oversized hammer. She had seen it many times in battle.

Reyna easily sidestepped a potentially dangerous blow that Bobby aimed at her. She drew one of her short-swords. With expert swordsmanship, Reyna twisted Bobby's lower hammer handle area and thrusted downwards, disarming him. She hit him on the chest with the hilt of her sword, sending him onto the ground and allowed him to get back up. A fair fight was a fair fight.

Being as unpredictable as he was, Bobby picked his hammer up off the ground and fled past Reyna. She ran with great swiftness, a speed that she reserved for the most dire of situations. I'd better get to Bobby's base before he gets to mine, thought Reyna. She saw a royal blue flag waving in the distance, beckoning for her to draw closer. It was the flag that stood upon a base that she had infiltrated one too many times.

A certain black-haired boy waited at the base. He was alone. Apparently, his team members must have put a lot of trust in him to let him guard his team flag in solitude. Percy noticed Reyna's arrival and took out his pen, converting it into a fearsome blade. Reyna sheathed her two short-swords. She gripped the handles tightly. She felt that Percy would not be brought down easily.

"You ready?" Reyna asked dully. She made a calculated guess that Percy was about five feet away.

"You bet." Percy flipped his sword and caught it in mid-air. Reyna would have to catch him off-guard. Percy held his sword in a lazy manner and Reyna saw her chance.

Reyna attacked first. She ran up to Percy with such speed that she was able to deliver the first blow: right to his stomach. She was unspeakably surprised when her two swords bounced off his skin. Was he some invincible human? Impossible. Percy took advantage of her shock. He handled his sword with such skill that he removed Reyna of her two swords. They clattered onto the floor. The next thing Reyna knew was that she was pinned to the ground, a sword pointed under her chin.

Reyna could not do anything but stare at Percy with amazement. She had greatly underestimated him. Never had she met someone who handled a sword with such remarkable ability. Not to mention that Percy used an unfamiliar and different technique of fighting that differed from the style that Roman campers were taught to use. Though Jason had beat her while fighting several times, she was amazed that Percy bested her on his first try.

"Do you give up?" Percy asked softly. There was not a trace of threat in his words. He seemed to be a gentle fellow, Reyna noted. But that did not help the fact that Reyna had a bronze blade threatening to pierce her throat.

"No." Reyna managed stubbornly, kicking Percy's blade, scooting away and re-arming herself with her twin short-swords. Percy nodded, closing his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was concentrating on making something godly and mighty. That was when Reyna noticed a shadow overwhelming her own from behind, making her turn around in curiosity.

A huge wave of water hung in the air. The source of the water, Reyna mused, was apparently the stream that she favored. Again, Reyna found herself wide-eyed in surprise. What other tricks did this demigod have up his sleeve?

So suddenly, the wave crashed down on Reyna, knocking her senseless. She struggled to breathe and regretted not taking the swimming courses that Gwendolyn had suggested for her to take. A green-eyed figure descended the waters and swam in pursuit of the drowning girl. Well, this is it, thought Reyna as she was enveloped with unconsciousness.

"Reyna? You alright?" A worried curly haired boy was stopped over a motionless figure lying on a grassy field. Reyna's eyes fluttered open. She coughed up water and looked up at several faces. Bobby. Dakota. Hazel. Gwendolyn. Percy. Lupa.

"Oh, Reyna! You scared us half to death!" Gwendolyn rushed down to hug Reyna, who choked on water in response.

"Too. Tight. Crushing. Body." Reyna coughed some more. Gwendolyn looked crestfallen as she withdrew from her hug. "Sorry..."

Hazel and Dakota were next to be relieved with Reyna's safety. "Oh gods! We thought you drowned back there!" Hazel and Dakota each gave Reyna a rose. "Um, thanks."

Percy stood guiltily in the back of the crowd. He looked at his hands as if he couldn't comprehend what happened back at Legion Camp Forest. Lupa cautiously sauntered through the crowd of friends.

"Reyna. I take it that you've went on quests before?" The old wolf watched Reyna with her ancient eyes.

"Yes, Lupa." Reyna stood up and cleared her throat of whatever remaining water there was. "Why do you ask?"

Lupa ignored her question. "The time has come, child. Pack plenty of ambrosia, nectar, drachmas and other supplies. You will be departing tomorrow."

"But... but Lupa. What happened? Am I going on a quest? With who?" Reyna questioned the ignorant wolf, frantically.

Lupa gave Reyna a wink. "You will see, child. Mr. Jackson. Come with me." She watched Percy walking alongside Lupa as the two figures mounted the steps of the she-wolf's cabin. Had the Oracle predicted yet another mind-boggling event? Not another war, Reyna pleaded mentally.

Chapter 5

ANNABETH

Annabeth Chase stood on the deck of a somewhat-finished ship. She absentmindedly stroked the mast of the ship, the head of a bronze dragon. Something that Leo Valdez called Festus. Behind her were campers studying the blueprints of a ship called Argos II. A pretty Cherokee girl with braided hair bounced up to her.

"Hey Annabeth." Piper McLean gave Annabeth a genuine smile. "Gee, I hope we get this boat finished soon. It's been what? 2 weeks already?" Annabeth knew what she was doing. Piper was trying to get her to stop thinking about Percy. But it didn't work.

"Piper..." Annabeth gazed at the ocean, aloofly. Piper nodded and walked away, giving Annabeth some time to think on her own.

It had been nearly 3 weeks since Percy's strange disappearance. Annabeth lost hope for finding Percy each day and she broke down in silent sobs on a daily basis. She was a respected girl; strong, brave, smart and admirable. But losing her best friend, her boyfriend was just too much.

She looked back to the day she found Jason. She was downright angry, feeling the urge to push Butch off of his chariot and smack his face with Jason's stray shoe. She couldn't believe that Rachel had advised her to find a boy with one shoe. But now that she thought about it...

Annabeth tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear. She turned around and scrutinized a blonde-haired boy struggling to hold up a heavy load of wood. This guy might be the key to finding Seaweed Brain, she thought.

She put great trust in Jason, now that he impressively handled the quest given to save Hera and possibly slow down the Giant King, Porphyrion. Excluding the Hera part.

"Yo, princess!" Clarisse ran up to Annabeth. Her messy mud-brown hair flailed wildly in the breeze. "How do you read this thing?" She pointed to a complex blueprint.

Annabeth flipped it around. "You had it upside-down," she said with a monotone voice. Clarisse grinned stupidly. "Yeah, I knew that." She departed with a wave, heading for the building site, leaving Annabeth alone once again.

Annabeth sighed. She was looking forward to the campfire tonight. Rachel had predicted something.

Chiron gathered the campers around the massive bonfire. Annabeth half-expected Dionysus to make a wise crack, but remembered that he had retreated to Mt. Olympus for personal matters. A deathly silence hung over the swarm of campers.

"Tonight," Chiron began. "Under certain circumstances, we will discontinue campfire activities." A few campers groaned and whined.

"Aw man, I was hoping to make some s'mores and pelt Drew with them."

"Shut it, Leo."

"Hey! That wasn't me!"

Clovis, a child of Hypnos, snored loudly, disrupting the chaos in his surrounding environment. He clawed at his pillow, seeking warmth. He finally settled on a certain spot of the pillow, sighing contentedly before taking another trip to dream land. A few campers laughed at his obliviousness.

"Silence!" Chiron subdued the mob of campers.

"As you can tell, our links to the gods and goddesses have been weakened," Chiron paused for effect, letting the campers register his words. "The gods have completely cut us off from their lives. They are quite the stubborn bunch, not allowing you prodigies to aid in their once again uprising." Thunder roared and the waves in the ocean suddenly became more violent. Tremors could be felt throughout the ground.

"I apologize, my lords," Chiron mumbled uneasily. The clouds cleared up, resulting in an eerie silence. "The Oracle has spoken." There were knowing and nervous glances from campers. Jason leaned forward in interest, using his new gladius for support. Even Drew, the most conceited girl that Annabeth currently knew, put away her fashionable compact mirror. Her lipstick appeared to be hastily put on.

"Rachel, if you may." The aged centaur bowed his head in the direction of a red-haired girl that Annabeth did not notice previously. She looked pale, shaken and timid. She suddenly jolted up, startling a few unsuspecting campers. She stood in a stiff posture, her eyes glowing with an all too familiar green light.

She spoke:

Two ancient camps must reunite

To combine two forces and prepare for fight

A child of thunder and a child of sea

must combine their powers and set the gods free

The ages where this darkness spreads

has rose again and left us for dead

But to stop these forces from getting through,

Our seven heroes must look to two.

Rachel swayed and collapsed. Apollo medics rushed to carry her. What did she mean? Who were the seven mentioned in her prophecy?

Chapter 6

ANNABETH

"You're going to be just fine, Rachel." Annabeth reassured herself. As much as she didn't like the red head, she was the only person who understood her necessity for Percy. It wasn't that Rachel longed for Percy as well. Rachel comforted Annabeth and treated her deprivation with soothing words. It was as if she was a trainee therapist. The blonde mentally cursed Aphrodite for making her a lovesick puppy. She hoped for Percy's well-being.

Everyone had returned to their cabins after a long night of panic and animation. Annabeth was the last to head back to her lodge. She thought about all the unrealistic events that took place. Yeah, Rachel had spazz attacks every once in a while when predicting something. But passing out cold for a good thirty minutes and so forth was not like her.

The Camp's hospitalization center was crowded with sick and severely injured campers. This resorted to Chiron and Annabeth's decision to nurse Rachel back to good health in her own hermitage, her cave.

"Uh, Annabeth?" A hispanic boy poked his head into the Athenian dwelling, placing a foot to keep the cabin door open and his other foot on the porch. She lazily lifted

her head, greeting Leo Valdez in her nonverbal way. A few of her cabin mates watched the boy, waiting for him to do something.

"I'm retiring from building the Argos II for tomorrow. I trust that you'll make a great leader for the time being." Leo grinned, shakily fiddling with his oversized Hephaestus tool belt. He wasn't used to the publicity he was receiving.

"Sure. Get to sleep. You wouldn't want Chiron to catch you." Annabeth nodded.

"Right. Uh... Good night." Leo blinked. She knew that he had hoped for a longer response. An objection. An indication that Annabeth Chase was alive and well, a normal girl. Leo clumsily waved at no one in particular and left the cabin. Children of Athena resumed their previous nightly activities.

Annabeth lay on her bunk. Lying down in bed always helped ease her tenseness. She was half-reading her 1,759 page copy of "The Official Greek Architecture Guide" and half-spectating a simple checker match that her two new cabin mates, Becky and Arthur, were playing. "Hah! I beat you!"

"Arthur, we're tied. 382 points to 382. We have another 118 matches to complete before determining who is more strategic in the field of checkers." 13 year-old Becky rolled her eyes.

"Yeah? Well then, let's continue. I'll bet you that I'll score the last point after the next 118 matches that we play." An irritated 14 year-old Arthur challenged.

"You're on. You'll be owing me 10 golden drachmas," Becky grinned evilly.

Annabeth smiled, something that she hadn't done for quite a while. She carried the burden of leading and planning the trip to the Romanian camp grounds. She barely had time for herself. Very often, she did not get the privilege to happiness, joy or even a tiny smile. Smiling felt good.

She received a few curious glances from her half-siblings. Her half-brother, Malcolm raised his eyebrows. "What's up?"

"Nothing important. Is there something wrong with smiling?"

"No, no... Not at all." Malcolm recommenced skillfully sketching a picture of a blade. He was pretty artistically inclined, Annabeth noted.

She bookmarked the page she left off on and shoved her book under her pillow for safekeeping. She was mentally exhausted. Who knew that guiding a camp could be so stressful? Annabeth yawned, getting under her bedsheets and burying her head in her pillow. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Dreams. The way of escaping reality. To live artificial moments. Aspirations. Dreams.

Annabeth dreamt of a blonde-haired boy who she was once very fond of. He had a scar running down the left side of his face. Luke Castellan. He was apparently fighting with a shaggy-haired, green eyed boy in traditional sword-to-sword combat. Percy Jackson. A boy that... she would not admit she liked a bit too much. Otherwise she would disrespect her mother's poor relations with the boy's father.

The blonde girl nearly reached out to the black-haired boy before realizing that he was unreal. If only he wasn't...

Her violent reenactment of Luke and Percy clashing in battle was interrupted by a disturbing, raspy voice.

"Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena." A earthen bound woman's figure flickered as if she was a hologram.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the disfigured lady. "Gaea."

"Stop your shipbuilding. Turn back and abandon any thoughts of making it to the Roman camp grounds. You will never make it there with my disapproval."

"Your threats do not scare me," Annabeth shouted, raising her voice in the process, hoping to intimidate the woman.

"Hm. Foolish and arrogant. Like your mother, Athena." Gaea's eyes looked like they were glued shut. However, Annabeth had the strange feeling she was being looked at. "My sons are continuing to rise. Alkyoneus, and Typhon. I take it that your ignorant family thinks they have bested my creation?"

"The gods have beaten that untamed super-giant in the war," Annabeth stated. As confident as she sounded, Gaea's words had pricked her mind. Was Typhon not yet fully defeated?

"Ah. You will see, my dear. They will both awaken and the two of them will join my side, more powerful than ever. My powers have no extent. We will promise the downfall of your godly empire." Gaea managed to rearrange her mouth, the corners of her muddy lips turning upward in some sadistic smile. "I will see you again, Annabeth, dear. Perhaps you can join my companions and I. We hope you'll consider our offer." The earthbound woman's image faded, mud scattering in various directions.

Annabeth instinctively kicked, feeling as if she'd been falling into an endless hole. What she did not expect was waking up with plenty of eyes fixed upon her. Great. What did I do now? Annabeth scowled, internally.

Chapter 7

PERCY

The rusty-coated wolf led Percy into a big log cabin. The interior of the cabin was inviting and warm. It smelt strangely like cookies, Percy noticed. He had the deviating desire to eat blue food. He followed the timeworn wolf into a living room. A fireplace danced ablaze, it's flames flickering various colors; blue, green, purple, black.

"Sit down, child," the she-wolf ordered, gently. Percy took a seat on a couch. The wolf preferred to sit on the floor.

"What was it that you wanted to speak to me about?" Percy asked. His being uncomfortable with the wolf caused his hands to sweat. He dried his hands by nonverbal command.

"As you probably might not recall, your greek camp has a fortuneteller. The Oracle of Delphi, yes?" Percy thought for a moment. The Oracle of Delphi? That rang a bell.

"Yeah, I think I've heard about the Oracle before," Percy paused to think. "Yep, it seems familiar. The strange thing is that everytime I think of an Oracle, I visualize some weird mummy lady with glowing eyes encased in some coffin thing."

Lupa stared at her paws with interest. "Delphi is indeed ancient, her spirit wandering from host to host. The Legion camp does not rely on such future seeking abilities." The wolf inspected her somewhat trimmed nails. "Many centuries ago, Romans took control of the sanctuary of Delphi. The Oracle lost its significance and it's visions' influential capabilities had waned. Our Roman camp has invented another way of predicting the future."

Percy tilted his head, mystified. "Yeah? If it's not the Oracle, then do you send letters to Apollo and beg him to tell you guys the future?" He snorted at his own unrealistic idea. Lupa did not seem amused.

"Incomprehensible boy, we do not do such a thing," Lupa sniffed at the air. "Somnus, the Roman god of sleep, and Apollo transfer messages regarding events in the future to various campers in their sleep; depending on whether the vision involves them or not."

"Oh, cool. Is it like watching a youtube video in your dreams?" Percy grinned. 'Cause that'd be way too awesome.

"No, child. It sometimes involves memories of one's past. Often, I have the Legion campers claiming that gods can reach out to you in your dreams."

Uh-oh. Percy wiped his once again dampened hands onto his pants without willing them to dry. What did my last dream mean?, he thought. He remembered two blondes, a guy and a girl, the goddess of marriage, Hera, and this intruding creepy muddy lady person. The list went on for describing the disturbing mud-faced woman.

"What seems to be bothering you, boy?" The she-wolf inquired. "Perhaps you have had an experience similar to what I have described?"

Darn, she's good at reading minds. "I think so." Percy recalled his dream, explaining the strange events that took place.

Lupa had a look of urgency in her sharp eyes. "The time is near. You, Reyna, Bobby and Gwendolyn must travel east. New York, perhaps. Gaea is rising, child, and so are her sons, the giants."

"You mean that mud lady? That's Mother Earth? Woah. She didn't look the way I thought she'd look."

"There is no time to discuss that. We will have to plan out how you four will travel."

"And... why did you choose those three?"

"They were all faced with similar encounters of Lady Gaea in their dreams. Dreams are more powerful than you believe, child. They all have meaning and purpose."

"Yeah? So my dreaming of blue cakes and sweets is completely sensible?" Percy arched his brow.

"Yes, child. Things are not always what they seem. That is all, boy. You are dismissed," Lupa turned away from Percy, granting him permission to leave the cabin.

What was that conversation all about? Percy scrunched up his face, perplexed. He spotted Reyna, Bobby and Gwendolyn talking in the distance; sitting on the porch of the Minerva cabin. Squatting behind a bush, he eavesdropped into their discussions.

"I can't believe that Lupa treated that Percy kid so kindly. I mean, we weren't as welcome when we got here," Bobby's voice rang out loud and clear, unaware of Percy's presence. "I remember we had to scale walls and climb ropes when we just arrived at the camp."

"Hey, the kid has potential. I can't believe he beat you, Reyna. You're like the best swordsman around. Well, swordswoman if there is such a term," Gwendolyn said.

"I wasn't ready. I could've beat him if I tried," Reyna protested.

"Haha, sure. Percy was epic. When our team took your flag, I saw you lying on the ground. Out cold, Rey," Bobby laughed.

"Yeah? I bet you cared," Reyna teased. Percy imagined that Bobby flushed at her comment.

"So," Gwendolyn began, changing the subject, "You and Jason weren't exactly a couple when he disappeared, right?"

"Well... we had our moments together. I really cared for him. But then again, he wasn't exactly my boyfriend. I just hope he's okay..." Reyna's voice trailed off. Percy admired her strong and caring personality. I just hope that someone cares for me like Reyna does for this Jason.

"Oh."

There was a disturbing silence between the three, despite all the busy campers going along with their afternoon activities. Miraculously, Percy managed to continue squatting behind the bush. Shifting his position to get more comfortable, Percy stumbled onto a few twigs, some of them breaking under his weight.

"Hey, did you hear something?" Bobby's suspicious voice inquired.

"Yeah, I think it came from that shrub over there," Reyna said. Uh-oh.

"What the heck? I see some black hair. Is that Percy?" Gwendolyn came into view, leading Bobby and Reyna to Percy's hiding place.

"Uh, hey guys..." Percy called out, awkwardly. Busted.

"Were you listening to us?" Reyna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the emerald-eyed boy.

"Uh, well..."

"Spit it out."

"Sort of..."

Reyna sighed. "What did you hear?"

"Things, of course," Percy replied, avoiding her question.

"What kinds of things specifically?"

"Look, it was nothing important. I just talked to Lupa and she said something about the four of us going on some quest-mission-thingy. I'm definitely not James Bond, but I have the feeling that this is an important adventure."

Reyna crossed her arms, disgruntled. "Why are you coming with us?"

"I'm guessing that we all had dreams of Gaea," Percy responded, "and her little sons." Large, actually.

Reyna stiffened. After a long pause of contemplation, she recomposed herself. "Well, then. Start packing. We have a long journey to embark on."

The Son of Neptune

Chapter: 8

Jason

"Don't move," Nico barely murmured, holding out his arms and stepping defensively in front of Jason and Piper. "And put your swords on the ground, otherwise they'll have something to pick their teeth with when they're done with you!"

Jason and Piper didn't argue – the look of concentration on the 13 year olds face made sure of that – and they let their weapons fall from their hands.

"Now, you three need to back off," Nico said in a stern tone that people use to train animals. But unfortunately three huge hellhounds ignored him and stood their ground, growling angrily and clawing at the dirt.

"Back. Off." Nico repeated, stepping forward slowly, holding up his hands and motioning them to get back. At this, the three dogs stopped growling and studied him carefully with recognition, but as soon as their eyes caught on Jason again, more growls erupted in their throats. In response, Mrs. O'Leary snarled and leaped in front of Jason and Piper protectively.

"No, girl," Nico said, his eyes still locked on the other hellhounds. "I need you to go find Chiron. Get help. Go!"

Mrs. O'Leary looked at all of them sadly as if she wasn't sure whether to leave them or not and then took off into the night, leaving the three currently weapon-less demigods to fend off three hellhounds...including Cerberus himself.

The hellhounds saw this as their chance to start approaching them and Jason could smell their breath in the air and feel it on his face.

"Back off!" Nico was shouting now. Moving forward with authority and keeping his head high against the three monsters. Jason felt Piper inch over to stand closer to him. "I am a son of Hades. You know who I am. Get out of here!"

The dogs hesitated as Nico stared them down and Jason grabbed Pipers arm, carefully taking two cautious steps back until their backs were against their rock, keeping his eyes on the dark animals.

"Leave!" Nico said again, his voice loud and stern but the dogs had had enough. All it took was one of Cerberus's heads to lose interest in Nico and take a snap at them to set off a whole chain reaction. The two smaller hellhounds lunged at Jason and he and Piper were forced to roll across the ground and reach desperately for their weapons. But before either of them could get to them, Jason felt Piper torn away from his side, followed by her scream.

"Piper!" He called, springing to his feet. One of the hellhounds had managed to snag her leg between its teeth and was dragging her towards the forest. Thinking quickly, he picked up his Gladius and began running towards her, calling her name. He was only about a meter away from her screaming form when the other hellhound jumped in front of him, snapping its jaws wildly. Jason swung his sword forcefully, only just missing the beast by inches. As Jason stumbled from the momentum the hellhound saw its chance and swiped a meaty paw through the night air, knocking him to the ground. Head spinning, Jason slashed blindly and was rewarded with a howl of pain. Sitting up, he sighed in annoyance when he realised that his attack wasn't enough to disintegrate the brute. But that wasn't the worst of Jason's problems. Piper's scream was getting fainter and fainter and if he didn't get to her soon…

"Alright, that's it!" Jason cried, jumping up and lunging towards it, finally managing to stab it through the chest, making it crumble into ashes and blown away with the wind.

Breathing hard, Jason looked over to see Nico, battling it out with Cerberus for control. He was shouting orders at the huge dog, but whenever he seemed to be getting through to the beast, it would shake its heads and go back to snarling at him. The funny thing was that Nico acted like it was normal to be able to control a three headed dog from the underworld like it was his pet. But if this was the case, Cerberus didn't seem to want to cooperate today. Something wasn't right.

A loud scream echoed through the trees and Jason shook himself awake. Deciding that Nico could look after himself, Jason took off into the trees.

"Piper!" He called desperately, his heart pounding. "Piper, talk to me! Where are you?"

"Jason!" He heard her cry and he hurried towards the direction of her voice, tripping on roots and getting scratched in the face for his trouble.

By the time he got to the creek, her screaming had become louder and he could hear rustling in the nearby shrubbery. He was close. In a final effort, he sprinted through the water, dashed between some trees and managed to pick out the huge figure in the darkness, dragging a smaller shape which he knew to be Piper.

"Piper!" He called and rushed over, managing to end the hellhounds life with one quick slash of his sword. Ash fell like rain all around them as he bent down and took her hand. He could see the blood soaking her jeans and flowing slowly onto the forest floor. "Are you alright?"

She swallowed hard but he couldn't make out her expression in the blackness. "Does it look like I'm alright?" She asked and Jason almost sighed in relief.

"No, but I had to ask," he replied, slipping his armour off his torso followed by his shirt. He felt shivers run down his spine from the cold but he ignored them and ripped his shirt to pieces, wrapping it firmly around her leg. "It's going to be alright, Mrs. O'Leary went to get Chiron, remember?"

"But he won't be able to find us…and I don't think I can move."

Jason glanced around, his eyes darting around the shadows of the trees. Nothing. He looked up at the sky for a moment, and then got an idea. Not willing to take a risk, he wiped the blood on his jeans and rose shakily to his feet, taking a few steps away from her.

"Don't leave," she pleaded and he shook his head.

"I'm not going anywhere." Clenching his jaw in concentration, he built up as much power as he dared. When he felt his skin begin to tingle he released a lightning bolt into the sky. Amazingly, this left a small trail of smoke that was visible against the dark blue that surrounded them.

Deciding that this was good enough, he sat back down and took her hand once more, holding it tight.

"How did they get across the border?" Piper asked quietly, sounding extremely exhausted.

"I don't know. And I don't know why they didn't listen to Nico either. One minute, they'd back down and the next they were snapping at us again...then he lost all control."

"Where is Nico?" Piper asked suddenly, trying to sit up but Jason pushed her back down again.

"He was holding back Cerberus. He didn't look like he wanted to hurt him though," Jason said.

"Who didn't want to hurt who?"

"Neither of them wanted to hurt each other," Jason said with a slight chuckle. "They weren't after Nico; I think they were after me."

Amazingly, Piper didn't argue this theory. She probably knew that he was right. "But why?"

For this, Jason had no answer and he shook his head.

There was silence between the two for a while as they listened to the cool breeze tug at the leaves around them and the sounds of animals echoing through the trees. But then Piper's breathing started to become slower and Jason lifted her head onto his lap.

"No, don't go to sleep, Piper. Stay with me," Jason said, stroking the hair back from her face.

"I am," she said with a slur that made Jason not believe her. "And I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Now?" Jason asked in disbelief.

"Now seems as good as any other time. We were interrupted before," she said slowly, her eyelids fluttering slightly in an attempt to stay awake. Jason figured that it was best to keep her talking.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to let you know that you don't need to blame yourself for not remembering things," she told him, her voice fading. "You need to give yourself time."

"But we don't have time," Jason argued, wondering where she was getting all of this from. "Everything would be so much easier if I could just remember."

Piper laughed slightly. "Since when is anything easy for us? I mean, look at me right now as an example!" she paused and then sighed. "Look, you can't rely too heavily on yourself. We're here to help you whenever you need it…" by now she was barely speaking and Jason knew that he was losing her.

"Piper! Wake up!" he called, patting her cheek.

"I am!" she muttered and she forced her eyes open again. Jason sighed in relief.

"Just hold on, Chiron–"

As if on cue, the sound of hoofs hammering the floor became clear and before they knew it, Chiron was standing above them.

"What happened?"

Jason dreamed that he was in one of the cabins back at the Roman camp. Looking around, he had a strong sense that he'd been there before. There were four bunks – one in each corner - and clothes were strewn everywhere, most of them dark in colour. The walls were black and even though there were flickering lights hanging from the ceiling, the blinds were drawn and everything inside seemed to be shrouded in darkness.

Stepping cautiously across the wooden floor, Jason looked around, trying to figure out why he was there, but as far as he could tell there wasn't anything of interest in the room. Shaking his head, he turned to see if he could leave when two figures entered through the door, practically blinding him when the afternoon light shone harshly across his face. One of the boys Jason recognised as Percy Jackson and he looked about the same as when he last saw him aside from the dark misshapen rings that had formed under his eyes. From nightmares maybe? Jason wouldn't be surprised.

The other boy seemed extremely familiar with his dark hair, eyes and pale skin. He wore a purple shirt – exactly like Jason's – and it was really loose fitting on his gangly structure. But even though he didn't look like much, Jason knew him to be really strong and clever when he needed to be. They were also good friends.

"Dakota," he murmured, suddenly longing to be back at camp. Seeing Dakota again had stunned him…brought back memories that he didn't know he had. He remembered the time the two of them had been cornered by six Dracanae. Jason was injured from a previous attack that he couldn't remember (figures...) and Dakota had stepped in front of him, taking the worst of it. Along with most of the other campers, Jason had always had trouble trusting Dakota, but the two of them had fought side by side that day, and they'd been close friends ever since.

Jason shook himself away from the memory and focused as the two boys crossed the room.

"I'm telling you I don't know!" Percy exclaimed, throwing a pen across the room in frustration and sitting down on a bunk.

"Are you sure?" Dakota asked somewhat angrily, cornering him. "Because I think that you do. And you know why? Because Jason seems to vanish off the face of the Earth and then you show up with supposedly no idea of who you are. Do you think that I'm supposed to believe that this is just a coincidence?"

Percy dropped his head into his hands and massaged his temples. "No, I don't. But believe me when I say that I don't know who Jason is! I don't even know who I am."

Dakota glared down at him for a moment before his expression softened and he sighed. He pried up a loose floorboard with his fingers and started rummaging through the contents. "Alright, I believe you, ok? But this is just crazy."

"Tell me about it," Percy muttered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the pen that he'd thrown across the room a moment ago. Annabeth had told Jason all about that pen and how it was able to reappear in his pocket after a certain amount of time. Percy examined it carefully, uncapping it and watching as it extended into a sword. Jason realised that it was a lot like the one that he used to have.

Dakota grunted as he pulled out two cokes and handed one to Percy before taking a seat next to him on the bunk and taking a sip.

"How did you get this in here?" Percy asked in disbelief as he capped his pen/sword again and looked between Dakota and the coke.

"I have my ways," he said with a smirk. "It's hard to get it in, but not impossible."

Percy just stared at him with a cynical look.

"Don't look at me like that," Dakota said, laughing. "It's just coke! Go ahead and drink it, it's not poison."

Percy seemed to think it over before popping the lid open and taking a long drink. He'd tipped about half the can down his throat before he stopped to take a breath.

"It…tastes a bit funny," he muttered, running his tongue along his teeth.

Dakota took another sip of his drink and frowned in disgust. "So does mine. It's probably from being kept under there for so long. I'll try to find a better hiding place next time. Anyway, Percy…"

"What?"

"Just be careful," Dakota muttered, taking another drink.

In response, Percy sighed and finished off the can, not seeming to mind the taste anymore. "I know. I never did thank you for covering me when I talked to Lupa."

Jason's eyes shot up. He was right. Someone was helping him on the inside. Dakota. His friend – the last person he ever expected would help anyone – was telling Percy how to survive the camp.

Dakota grinned mischievously and nodded. "Anytime my friend. But, dude, what is with all of that Greek stuff? Just talking about it around here can get you into trouble, you know."

"Yes, Dakota, I know. You've told me. And, as for the Greek stuff, I'm getting pretty tired of saying this, but I don't know."

Jason froze, remembering that he'd said the exact same thing when he'd first shown up at Camp Half-blood. He was sick of not knowing things and having questions asked about who he was when he didn't have answers. That was how Percy was probably feeling.

"The Greek names…they seem to be all I know," Percy continued, his face contorted with concentration. "I barely knew the names of the Roman Gods when I showed up."

"Well, if I were you I'd forget all about that right now, unless you want to end up becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy said angrily, his eyes narrowing but Dakota raised his eyebrows and shook his head quickly. That was another thing Jason remembered about Dakota; he had a really twisted sense of humour that not many people seemed to understand.

"Dude, I was kidding," he said throwing his coke can into the trash with perfect aim. "C'mon, we're going to miss dinner…and if we do that we're going to be on kitchen duty for a month."

As Dakota left the room, Jason stepped out of the way and watched as Percy stood and frowned, wobbling on his feet before kneeling down on the floor, holding his head in his hands. He cried out in pain and Jason couldn't help but rush over and kneel beside him. But just as Percy screamed in agony, Jason felt himself being ripped away and he plunged into darkness.

Chapter 9- Reyna

Ever since the water accident this new kid "Percy" caught my attention. It was just so weird. So I watch over him for the next days, he started to notice but I hope my sophistry despite him a little.

It all came clear that day afternoon, just after Hazel come over to ask me about some big dog thing and when she leave I continue playing my beautiful 3rd bridge guitar (I am sure it was a happy song but the notes just seem to come sad d minor, f minor, c minor!) when my fingers started playing alone, I couldn't stop so I started to listen. It was just a few moment but , I have no idea how I did it, but I understand the notes, not like identify them but to understand a phrase in the music like if each note was a different note. The thing is that I could tell I figure something like:

"Beware the Sea Child"

Now, prophesies are never wrong. ESPECIALLY my prophesies. And that simple sentence told me something was wrong, and I had to figure it out. But, what is that suppose to mean? Is that related to Neptune or something? Even I (daughter or Apollo, divinity of prophesies) can't tell. After long thinking, I decided there was only one person I could ask for an advice: Hazel.

…

"Curse her! she's so smart (duh) but she can always help me, or she could, before the "accident". Fine. I'm fine with that but still…don't get me wrong, I love her, she IS my best friend even if she betrayed me, but this is not the moment Reyna, that's not what you want her for now." Those were my exact thoughts as i walked to the arena. The good news: Hazel was there. The bad news: I didn't had time to talk to her. The test started.

Percy's test! Gods I was so exited, and guilty in that moment. I had trained him for a week hard enough but forgot to explain the test to him. He must hate me now. But watching him alone in the middle of the arena just made feel worse, and remembered me of Jason. No, not again. Why does everytime I watch him I think on Jason. Gush they´re so alike, still so different. I guess that makes me a little lovesick sunshine.

I observe a big black dog some closer to him. It was Lealaps, wow I guess i'm not that bad on mythology. He didn't seem much of a thread but those were the dangerous monsters, and I learned long ago (another story). The boy's expression was of: what-the-hell-is-this-big-dog-doing-here, mixed with fear and confidence, so it was kind of a tricky expression. The thing is that the dog came out.

Lupa make the starting signal and the dog released itself to the boy, who barely notice it and received a clear strike. I could literally feel the force on that strike, and it was enough to kill someone but he seemed just dazzled. I could watch perfectly the cuts on his shirt but there was no blood coming out, he woke and take his pen

out. I've seen the pen a lot of times but never asked why he always kept it; he uncapped it, and I saw why. The pen increased until transformed into a celestial bronze sword. Lealaps shivered at the sword, duh, most monster desintegrate at the touch of it, he surely knows that. The boy charged at the big dog, but you can't just attack a dog that never fails, Lealaps dodge and his speed was amazing. I could barely saw him moving, but as incredible as it sound, Percy was as fast but what really got my attention was Percy's fighting style. Most of us came here knowing nothing about fight and what saves us is our stategy, and our luck. But he knew what he was doing, even if he had practiced before there was no way he could move like that. Not only that, he fights different from others, from us. I've never seen that fighting style before, so graceful and exact, like if every movement was made in the exact moment. We don't do things like that here.

I didn't exactly understand what happened but he slashed his word at the time the dog tried to cut him. The sword touches it, and it disintegrated into golden dust. No way, it was to easy to be true tests aren't that simple. Then is when lupa talked:

"well done, you've prove your abilities to fight, amazing by the way, it was a hard monster to defeat but you took is as an easy one. Still, this isn't over", her voice changed into a more serious tone," We still have to prove your combat abilities and your parent must be determined so: welcome the Teumessian fox. I think your challenge is pretty obvious: you must catch her somehow" The Tumessian Fox, the impossible test, no way he could catch her. See, the tumessian fox was a gigantic fox that was destined never to be caught. The fox was one of the children of Echidna, and that would explain a lot. In other words: he was doomed. And he seemed to understand that, his confidence smile disappeared as a big brownish fox came out to the arena. The difference between this and Lealaps was that he had to catch the unattainable fox; not to kill it but to catch her. He prepared and the fox started to run around him, he tried to slash her many times and after a while he just started to spin with his sword extended, and somehow his sword touched her, not only touched it, it cut her but she didn't disintegrate as most monsters do…why?

Finally the teumessian fox pushed Percy somehow and he fell at least 10 meters back. He layed down for a while and the fox stopped, her expression was of victory. She got closer to him, took him with hes mouth and started trowing him to the air like a ragged doll. Was he dead? No. tired? Sure. Concient? Not probable. He hadn't fall so bad why was he like that? It started to rain, weird I didn't notice when the clouds gathered. It also seemed like a joke 'cause it never rained on the camp at least we wanted to. The weird thing was it only rained for a few seconds before there was a fluid in the arena. Somehow all the water accumulated in the arena leaving the sits dry. Also the rain stopped. Oh and Percy was up like of nothing had happened. How? That's a mystery for me.

The teumessian fox tried to swim but the water seemed to pull her to the bottom. Percy on the other side, looked perfectly fine and dry too, something that scares me to the day,he make a movement with his hand to the teumessian fox and the water

covered her completely, but not just that; it also lifted her to the air until making a small cage of water around her. After a while of fighting against it she relax and stay calm. Lupa talked:

"Well, you seemed to have battle abilities and strategy abilities, how do you feel?"he turned to lupa and answered:

"ashamed and a little tired"

"ashamed you said? Why?"

"Well, ashamed I have to say I didn't actually catch the fox, I just tired her enough to her to stay calmed, and also ashamed I had to do something I can't explain how I did"

"well for me it's pretty clear: you have approve the test, and claimed you as a son of Neptune. You may go now, as well as all of you!" she shouted to all of us.

Then everything came clear. If my prophecy was right, I can't trust Percy Jackson.