Disclaimer : I do not own Percy Jackson, or any of the content published from Rick Riordan.

Prologue

I pressed my back along the fence and crept along in near silence, the full moon my only saving grace tonight. The lack of a need for a flash light was probably the only thing keeping me invisible to this strange world.

It's not often that anyone is allowed out of the fence but when someone needs something and we don't have it in our stores, I am the first one they send out. Why? Because I am the only one immune. I am the only one who ever returns.

I stop along the fence and sigh. I have five miles I need to cover just to get to town. I can see the road a few hundred yards in front of me thanks the moon light. I was just about to make a break for the road when I heard twigs snap in the distance.

I freeze against the fence, praying it was just an animal. I however, am not that lucky.

Another stick breaks in the distance and I can hear the crunching of leaves followed by another stick breaking.

My eyes run over the area, scanning for my best options. I can either crouch down and hide between the two bushes next to me or make a mad dash for the tree about twenty yards away.

The noises are getting closer, and faster and I quickly decide that my best bet is the tree. I push myself off the fence and full out run to a large oak in front of me. I thank God, that I spent a lot of time climbing pretty much anything when I was younger and have a gift for knowing just where to go in a difficult climb.

The crunching of limbs and leaves is even closer and I jump at the first branch I see. I quickly pull myself up onto the branch and steady myself. I am not far enough up off the ground. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the best tree to climb, but if need be I can tree hop.

I grab another branch and haul myself up on to it, moving closer to the trunk for better balance and I listen. The sounds are so close now that I can actually hear someone panting as they are closing in on my tree.

I hug the tree trunk and turn to see if I can find what is making the noise. I spot it, about fifteen yards from my tree. A young man trying his best to run but he has a slight limp and it is impeding his progress. In the moon light I can see that his clothes are tattered and it looks like he's stained in blood.

'Great, just what I need . . . a gimpy tag along.'

I hopped back down to the first branch and flatten myself out. I drop an arm down and brace myself. I don't want to fall out as I grab him and help haul him up. I am only about six feet up, but that drop would still hurt, not to mention ruin my plans of getting in and out of the city in one day. Although I had a feeling that gimpy boy was already going to ruin that plan for me.

I wasn't expecting him to actually see my arm dangling from this tree but he did. He didn't hesitate to grab my hand as he turned and pulled himself on to the branch. I didn't say anything, just pointed up and he nodded.

I quickly sat up and turned to make my way back up the tree. He silently followed behind me and for looking like he had been through hell and back, he was doing an amazing job of keeping up.

I stopped at two massive branches that were almost right next to each other. I sat down on the slightly higher branch and put my back against the trunk. I stretched my legs straight out and I tried to will myself to be invisible.

I looked over to see him doing the same. He looked over at me like he was going to say something and I simply put a finger to my lips. Now was not the time to make noise.

My ears perked up again and I heard the twigs and leaves snapping and crunching under what sounded like an army's footsteps.

I slowly and quietly turned to see hundreds of infected moving through the trees. I willed myself to calm down and slow my breathing. I know they aren't going to notice me up in the tree but the bleeding gimp next to me is a whole other story.