Bet you weren't expecting this, huh?

I'll keep it short. I noticed that for each of the Big Three in the series, there are two children: One Greek and One Roman. In Poseidon's case, however, that isn't true. Percy is his only Demigod child, and he's Greek.

I was wondering what a Roman child of Neptune would be like, and this story was born from it. I'll be updating this whenever I can, so I hope you enjoy.

BENJAMIN K.

"Man, sentry duty at night stinks," Percy said, a tinge of melancholy in his voice. "Nothing ever happens this late, we just sit and watch nothing."

Benjamin, who was sitting a few feet away, legs crossed and arms resting against his stomach with his back against a tree, sighed. "I like watching the sky at night. You can't see the stars as well as you could back home, but it's relaxing."

Benjamin, or Ben as everyone called him, was a son of Ares. Usually, Percy didn't get along with children of the War God. Frank had been a pleasant exception, and now Ben followed in his footsteps.

He was tall, nearly six feet, with biceps the size of pro footballs, and had dark, tanned, skin, a shade or so darker than milk chocolate. His hair was black, cut low into a simple crew cut, reminiscent of his father, and his eyes were covered by dark, golden-rimmed, Aviator shades. Percy had only actually seen his eyes once or twice, as Ben didn't like taking his shades off. Even now, at night, he still wore them.

Like Percy, he was wearing a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and a necklace of beads around his neck with four beads on it. Whereas Percy wore simple blue jeans and sneakers, Ben went for tan cargo pants and boots. Both of them wore simple leather armor, reinforced with Celestial Bronze, and both opted out of wearing helmets. Hanging across Ben's chest, was a simple satchel bag, filled with emergency supplies and a book of Sudoku puzzles.

His sword was in the grass beside him, laying against the ground where he could easily pick it up if he had to. Despite that, though, Percy knew he probably wouldn't. Ben was a pacifist, after all.

Sighing, Percy sat down against a tree next to Ben's. Riptide was stashed away in his pocket, as usual.

"I wouldn't know. Being born and raised here, I've never seen too much of the stars. Even on the Argo II, I never really caught them." He replied. Ben nodded along, turning his head slightly in Percy's direction to hide what a glimpse of his eyes could be.

"That's fair. Maybe you should take night sentry duty more often. I could teach you how to meditate, maybe, and you could feel how calming it is." Ben said, smiling. His voice was deep, sorta like off-road motorcycle tires trembling against the ground. Given that, though, it was full of mirth. He was a happy guy, Ben.

Percy chuckled. "Maybe I should. You take it all the time, right?" He asked. Ben nodded and crossed his legs, meditation style.

"It's a good time to clear my head if I need to. Other than that, though, I just enjoy the quiet." He replied. Percy leaned back against the tree, shutting his eyes.

"Yea, maybe I could get behind that...," He dozed off a little, and Ben returned to looking out across Camp Half-Blood's main entrance. Nothing would happen, as nothing ever did happen, but he enjoyed talking with Percy when he could. Taking a deep breath, Ben shut his eyes and clasped his hands together, the way he always did when he began meditating.

Normally, people say that meditation is an uplifting sensation. Being a Half-Blood, it was even more exhilarating for Ben. Meditation for him drew the line between consciousness and sleep, and he could sometimes induce visions if he tried hard enough. Those visions were like the dreams that Percy had always told him about, as Ben had never had them himself, though they were a lot more tranquil.

Now, though, he didn't induce one. Instead, he opened his senses to the forest behind him. Thalia's tree was a few feet away, birds flocking away against it and in it's branches. There were lizards, snakes, and frogs all behind him, as well as the occasional tree nymph dashing out on an errand or so. Everything was calm, and nothing seemed to be happening. Tonight would be just as any other...

The pounding of hooves on the ground became immediately clear in the back of Ben's head.

His eyes shot open, and he wasn't surprised to notice that, even while he wasn't focusing on it, he could still hear it. Despite the fact that he really didn't want to, Ben grabbed the handle of his sword and got to his feet. Percy stirred next to him, but he didn't wake up. That much was to be expected. Percy was a pretty deep sleeper, as Annabeth had often told him.

The horse, or what Ben assumed was a horse, was getting closer. Standing now, his sword in hand, Ben shut his eyes once more in an attempt to broaden his senses once more. It worked, though only for a moment, and he caught a glimpse of a figure.

Most definitely a horse, it had a dark brown coat with vanilla coating around it's mouth, at the ends of each of its legs, and at the end of it's tail and mane. Taking a closer look, or as much as he could, Ben saw that this horse had clearly gone through some rough times recently. There were scrapes and scars across it's dark body, dried blood staining it's fur. Live embers still burned away in the horse's tail, and it's mane, though that didn't deter the creature from running it's heart out.

On the horse's back, it's rider wasn't fairing much better. A female, or Ben presumed it was anyway, was almost slumped completely against the horse's neck. She was wearing jeans, tall black boots and a short-sleeved back shirt. Her hair, tied back into a long braid, flowed out behind her as the horse ran on. Like the horse, her body was riddled with scars. Her arms, dark and covered in soot and dirt, were scratched and bleeding. A long, deep gash across her forehead bled profusely, blood dripping down her face and falling off from her chin.

He couldn't see much behind the horse, but it looked as if it was running from something. In the lives of Half-bloods, they usually were running from something, and Ben had long since assumed this girl would be a half-blood; It was the only possible explanation.

Ben fell back into his own senses and he started forward, before remembering Percy next to him. How handy it was to have someone who could talk to horses. Kneeling down in front of Percy, Ben shook him awake. Percy stumbled and sputtered for a bit before standing up. He yawned.

"Wha..What is it.., Ben?" He asked, clearly still tired. With his sword still in hand, Ben stepped up onto the apex of Half-blood hill. Down the hill and across Long Island Sound, barreling toward them, was the horse and it's lone rider.

"That. Someone is in need of help, it seems," Ben replied calmly. Using his sword, he pointed behind the horse, where a horde of hellhounds were closing in on the horse. "What do we do?"

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out his pen, which almost immediately extended out into a sword. Percy was armed and ready. On his face, there was a sudden look of intense focus and thought.

"Now," Percy took a step forward, and Ben felt a rumbling in the ground beneath his feet. Glancing down at the ground, then at Percy, he took a step back. "We save a life."

A tidal wave, a sixty-foot wall of water, suddenly rose out from behind the trees, towering over both the horse and it's assailants. The horse moved on, and the wave crashed into the main force of hellhounds. Some of them were pushed and crashed into the thick trunks of more trees, disintegrating on hit. Most of the forces, however, kept chasing. This, was when Percy and Ben jumped into the fight.

Percy, Riptide in hand, crashed into the middle of the crowd, slashing out in a wide arc as he did. Ben stood in front of the forces, his sword in one hand, with his arms out wide. Despite his usual pacifism, Ben was an excellent fighter, and his rules often times did not apply to monsters. As the first hellhound reached him, Ben struck with his sword, rending it down the middle and turning it to dust. The others, which were so keen on ignoring him and following the horse, immediately turned their attention back to him, snarling and growling all the like.

Behind him, the horse carried on running until it reached the apex of Half-Blood Hill, where it slowly sank to the ground. Ben took it in, though he couldn't do much where he was, fighting blade against claws and teeth.

"Percy!" He called out, and in a second, the older camper had pulled back and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. "Do you think you could handle these things? I should go call for help from camp."

Percy nodded, a glimpse of a smile on his face. "Easy-peasy. I'll hold them off, worry about her and the horse." He replied. Ben nodded his agreement and took off running, back towards camp. The hellhounds grew restless and jumped after him, only to be slashed out of the air by Percy.

"Hey now," Percy taunted as he back-stepped a set of swiping claws and took out another hellhound. "I'm the threat here. You pay attention to me, got it?"

Ben reached the hill, though before he attended to the girl and her horse, he ran up to the gates of Camp Half-Blood. Lights were on at the front of each Cabin, and further down, near the canoe lake, was a second set of night guards. Ben dug into his pocket and pulled out a short, red candle-like object. He ran it across his side once, and the top lit up in a bright red light. A flare, which each guard was forced to hold during the night.

Holding it high above his head, Ben began to wave the flare in a simple pattern; A straight line down, then a line straight across. As he moved the flare, the light drew in the air alongside him, and when he was done, a shining red cross was floating in the air. Ben smiled. He'd seen the demonstration that Leo gave, but it still amazed him that the thing worked.

He shook the amazement away, remembering that he needed to convey the entire situation. A simple cross was just 'Medical Help Needed,' but for 'Enemies on the Hill', he needed to draw a circle with an 'X' through it. Ben did just that, watching as the second set of guards noticed his message and wrote back; 'Help is Coming', which was an arrow pointing up inside of a circle.

Knowing that help was on the way, Ben ran back to the girl and her horse. The horse itself was breathing, which Ben was pleased to notice. He'd always liked animals. The girl, though, was in a much worse state. She was breathing, but it was slow. The timing between each breath was off, hinting at some form of internal damage. Firstly, though, the cut on her forehead needed to be dealt with.

Since he didn't fight much himself, Ben considered himself a combat medic, and had taken more medical classes with the Apollo Cabin and with Chiron when he could. Reaching into his satchel bag, Ben pulled out a rag and a small flask of nectar. Pulling the cork off the flask, He dripped a few drops of nectar onto the scar. It's effects weren't immediate, as they never were, but this seemed even slower than that.

Putting it off as his own paranoia, he took the rag, dripped a bit more nectar onto it, and began to apply a bit of pressure to her temple, just to the right of the cut. Ben could hear her breathing hitch up, which he took as a good sign.

"Come on, drink up.." He muttered, to her but mainly to himself. He attempted to force just a bit of nectar into her mouth, but to no avail. She was still out. The cut was looking slightly better, though. The bleeding had slowed, nearly stopping, and the cut itself had begun to close, just a bit, at each end. Deeming that was good enough as it was, Ben moved on to the horse.

It had been watching, and now that he was closer, Ben could tell that it was a stallion; a male.

"Hey, buddy. Hey...," Ben spoke softly to the horse, rubbing a hand across it's muzzle The stallion blew air from it's nose, probably the equivalent of a sigh, and relaxed under his touch. It's breathing was labored still, but not as bad as it's rider's was. Ben went through standard procedure; soaking a clean rag in nectar and running it across the horse's wounds. Usually, nectar only worked on magical beings, but horses were close enough to pegasi for it to work. Or at least that was the idea and general hope.

Fortunately, after a short moment, it did work. The cuts that Ben had gone over began to close, and within a short moment, had closed completely. The horse's breathing steadied out, and Ben breathed a sigh of relief.

The low clopping sound of hooves on grass brought his attention back to the real world. Ben whipped his head up, only to be met with the familiar face of his trainer and mentor.

"Chiron," Ben muttered, and the old centaur smiled down at him.

"You've done well, Ben. We'll take care of it from here," Chiron told him, and Ben took it upon himself to relax for the first time in what felt like hours. Now that he was paying attention once again, he could see that their help had come. Will Solace and a few other Apollo campers had swooped in to take care of the girl, whose eyes were now slightly opened, though she still looked out of it. She was laid down on a stretcher, her hands laid over her stomach like she was a corpse in a casket.

Far down the hill, Percy and Nico DiAngelo were cleaning up the remains of the hellhound force. When Percy cut one down, Nico swayed behind him, drinking in the inky pools of darkness that the monsters left behind. In no time, there was barely any evidence that the hellhounds had been there in the first place, save for a few claw marks against the ground or across tree trunks.

Ben staggered to his feet. Despite the fact that he didn't do much, he was exhausted, feeling as if he'd just dead-lifted a yacht. Chiron had trotted over to to inspect the girl, whose eyes had widened up as she looked back at him. Will was at his side, talking in a low hushed voice that Ben couldn't quite make out. Once the blonde saw him looking, however, he flashed him a lazy smile and shot him a thumbs up. Ben smiled back. Solace was a nice guy.

A hand fell onto his shoulder, and Ben looked to his side to see Percy, smiling at him.

"You did good, Ben," Percy exclaimed, turning back to face Nico as he waltzed up. He had since sheathe his sword, that wicked blade of Stygian Iron that made Ben's blood boil when he saw it. Nico nodded his hand in confirmation.

"Both she and the horse were close to death. What you did brought them back from the brink, Ben," Nico stated, monotone and calm. "Without you, they would've died."

Ben rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He'd never much liked receiving praise, if you could consider it that, anyway.

"W-well, I did what I had to. That's just about all I can say, honestly." Ben replied. It was a practiced response, one that he was well used to give when he needed to. Nico simply nodded and walked off, meeting up with Will Solace at the entrance to Camp before the two of them disappeared down the other side of the hill. Ben noted that they seemed a lot closer than most and left it at that.

Percy patted him on the back, and Chiron turned back to smile at the both of them.

"I'm sure the both of you would agree that you've earned yourselves a night of rest," He stated, scanning over both their faces as he spoke. "We'll send another group up, and the two of you can relax tonight."

Ben smiled at the idea of being able to go to sleep tonight, though he was sure it wouldn't come easily. Despite that, he nodded and muttered a low 'thank you' before both he and Percy began their trek down to the Cabins.

Once they reached the front of the Cabins, they split off. Percy headed toward his own, the Poseidon Cabin, and Ben went off toward the Big House, where he stayed in one of the few guest rooms. Being a pacifist, he didn't get along with his fight-loving siblings, and Chiron had opted to putting him in the Big House instead of sticking him with his siblings; a gesture that Ben appreciated wholeheartedly.

Stepping into the Big House, he first made his way to the infirmary. Without stepping in completely, he glanced in to see the girl, lying on one of the many beds, passed out. Her scars had mostly faded, and the grime that had plagued her skin just a few minutes earlier was gone. Her skin was dark brown and tan, and her hair, let out of it's braid, was mostly black but with streaks of brown here and there. The ripped shirt that she had worn earlier was gone, and now she wore a simple Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, like everyone else.

Her breathing was steady, and Ben decided that he'd talk to her tomorrow, if he had the chance or whenever she woke up. With that, though, he left the infirmary and began the short stroll to his room at the back of the house. Once there, he wasted no time and collapsed onto his bed the first chance he got. All was quiet, and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore outside his window helped lull him off to sleep.

Tonight, however, he got a taste of the dreams he'd never experienced before.

His dream opened up in the strawberry fields of Camp Half-Blood. Ben himself had never been too good at caring for plants, but he enjoyed it. Like always, he was knelt down in front of a particular bush, a wicker basket on the ground in front of him half-full with strawberries.

He plucked another from the bush and dropped it into the basket, bringing his hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow. Usually, Demeter kids and Dionysus kids would be in the fields alongside him, but today he was alone. It was a bit strange, but he didn't question it.

The sound of thunder shook him, and Ben stood up to peer at the clouds that were moving their way toward Long Island Sound. He wasn't worried about them, as the weather had always skirted it's way around Camp Half-Blood, but these storm clouds were enormous. Huge, dark, and rippling with thunder, they floated straight through the Camp's magical border, and it began to rain quickly; drops of water crashing down against the ground and thunder sounding out in the air.

Ben had never seen it rain in Camp, though Percy had told him it happened when something serious was happening. He couldn't think of anything serious that would cause storms like this to just march into Camp Half-Blood.

The ground was wet, and Ben, for some reason, felt as if it was running underneath his feet, like water into a drain. That's when he realized that it was. The entire valley was moving, crawling across the ground: and it all ran straight to the arena. Going with the flow, Ben followed it, running as fast as he could. As he went past, he noticed off things about all the buildings he passed. The color in the Big House was draining, flowing down it's sides and falling onto the ground. It was falling apart; from top to bottom and slipping away in the same direction as everything else. It was happening to everything; even the cabins.

Ben finally thundered into the arena, expecting a monster of some sort. Instead, all he saw was the girl; the one they've saved just that night. She was dressed in all black, jeans, boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and a military jacket. Her hair was tied back in a long braid, and it whipped in the wind. Her eyes, murky green but brown near the irises, were set in his direction; her brow furrowed.

It took him a bit to notice it, but she was standing in a knee deep hole. Ben started forward to help her, but some wreckage of what he could only assume was one of the cabins shot past him in the sinking ground. It flew towards her, and he opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Expecting it to hit her, he braced himself...but nothing happened.

He looked back to her, just to see the remains of what had shot toward her fall and sink into the hole, as if gravity itself had pulled it down. Ben then came to a sickening realization: She was causing the massive sinkhole, somehow.

"It's you," He said, finally finding his voice. Through the rain and the wind, his voice sounded muffled; Like it was coming through an old-timey microphone. "You're causing the storm. The sinkhole, everything. It's all you."

The girl raised an eyebrow, her eyes intense but with no malice.

"So? Are you going to do something or not?" She asked. Where his voice had been muffled, hers came out clear, cutting through the storm as if it wasn't there. "If you don't, you're camp is going to be destroyed, whether you like it or not."

Ben recoiled. She couldn't have been much older than him, maybe even younger. Just who was she?

"But...," Ben replied, lost for words all of a sudden. "But why? What do you have against Camp Half-Blood?" He asked her. She shook her head, a look of thinly veiled disappointment crossing her face.

"I don't have anything against your Camp. I don't even want to be here!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms out. The storm picked up around her, the sinkhole dragging things in faster. Ben could feel himself being sucked in now, as it almost doubled in strength. She crossed her arms, staring Ben dead in the face.

"All I want," She began, and Ben slipped, falling down to the ground. He was dragged across the ground at an alarming rate, only stopping when his feet collided with her own legs. She felt like a wall. Ben looked up, only to see her staring down at him. Suddenly, the murky green of her eyes felt hostile. "Is what was taken from me. Return it, and I'll leave as soon as I came."

Ben tried to stagger to his feet but to no avail. He was stuck.

"What...What was taken from you? Tell me, and I promise I'll try to help!" Ben exclaimed. More wreckage piled in through the open doorway of the arena, all swirling around Ben and dropping into the sinkhole. The girl didn't move an inch.

The storm grew stronger, the arena itself beginning to crack and fall away. Ben looked away, watching as it began to crumble. When he turned back, the point of a spear was held just against the tip of his throat.

The sickening thing was: it was a beautiful weapon. The shaft was metal, most likely celestial bronze, painted a dark blue. There were random patches of it painted sea green, dark around the edges reminiscent of the girl's eyes. Around the entire shaft, a green serpent coiled it's way from top to bottom. It's head lied just at the base of the spearhead, which was regular, unpainted celestial bronze. About eight inches long, it didn't look like any weapon that Ben had ever seen. It didn't even look Greek.

The girl leveled the spear under his throat and crouched down so that she was level with him. The entire valley shook. Every building uprooted itself and flew through the air, falling just overhead of Ben. The ground shook beneath him: an earthquake, and, staring at the girl as she held a spearhead to his throat, Ben was sure she could do worse if she wanted to.

"Return it!" The girl shouted, and then the entire valley fell onto Ben, dragging him into the sinkhole. Then...darkness.

Ben awoke in a start, sitting up quickly. His room was dark, and he could barely see. His dream was still fresh in his mind, and his first thought was that he needed to tell Chiron. Then...maybe he'd confront the girl.

Though, he couldn't do any of that without getting ready for the day. Pulling himself out of bed, he stretched and looked around.

His room was small and next to Chiron's, so he sometimes heard the classical music that Chiron would play from his speaker. The door was in the front left corner, and his bed was pushed into the front right corner. There was a single window in the middle of the back wall, and Ben's desk sat in front of it. He didn't have a computer, no one in Camp did, but instead a stack of papers sat there. To the right of the window, several different pictures were nailed to the wall.

The first, a picture of Ben, his mother, and his cousin Landon before he left for Camp Half-Blood. In the picture, Landon was kneeling and Ben sat on his leg, despite the fact that he was much too big for it. Ben's mom, Eden, was kneeling on the other side of them, one arm slung around Ben. They were all smiling, Ben the largest. They'd just gotten back from the amusement park near his childhood home: one of the last fun things he did with them before he left.

He was only fourteen at the time, and had yet to grow into his bulk. He was big, he always had been. His hair was braided back against his head, as his mom had always liked it. It hurt more than anything for Ben, but he never argued. His front tooth, easily visible with his smile, was chipped slightly near the bottom. Landon, tall and lanky, had long black dreads, tied back with a red hair tie. A tattoo was just visible underneath his shirt collar, just against his neck, but Ben had never seen what it was.

Eden was tall, but strong. As it was now, Ben was taller than her, but she towered over him when he was fourteen. her hair was always cut long, and she never tied it up or braided it. It was streaked with gray, but Ben never really thought of her as old. More wise than anything. Her eyes were big, and dark brown, and her skin was the same as Ben's, though more tan. She was a disciplined woman, being in the army as long as she had been made sure of that, but the smile lines around her mouth and eyes spoke more than anything. She laughed and smiled a lot at home, and Ben loved it.

The next picture was recent, only a year old. In the picture, Percy, Annabeth, Ben, and Tyson sat at the end of a battered chariot. Last year's chariot race had been amazing. They all helped make the chariot, Tyson doing most of the heavy lifting and forging while Annabeth and Ben did most of the planning. Percy helped out sometimes too. In the end, Percy and Annabeth had driven the chariot while Tyson and Ben sat in the stands to watch. When they won, the four had celebrated and sat down in the chariot to commemorate the event. Looking at the picture, it brought a smile to Ben's face.

Pulling himself out of his memory-fueled stupor, Ben pulled out one of his Camp T-shirts, a pair of tan jeans, and his black sneakers and set out to shower and start his day off properly. His dream echoed in his head, but until he was ready to find Chiron, he could do nothing about it.

Showering as quickly as he could and putting his clothes on, Ben started to leave before he remembered something. The girl. She was in the infirmary. Making a split second decision, he strolled through the Big House and into the infirmary, only to see that the girl wasn't there. Upset, though he tried not to show it, he left the Big House with his shades on over his eyes.

The sun was shining, and the day had begun quite a while ago for everyone else. There was a game of volleyball going on between a group of campers, three on each side. Ben recognized two of them, each on different sides as they usually were.

Ian, son of Athena, was tall and lanky. He had a mop of neat blond hair like the rest of his siblings, startling gray eyes, and his upper arms were riddled with scars. He had a lazy type of smile, but it was offset by just how brilliant he really was. He could calculate complex problems in a second, making him a great asset to have in a battle. Despite that, though, he wasn't the best fighter. He usually took the role of 'pacifistic strategist' when it came to games of capture the flag.

On the other side was Vanessa, daughter of Hermes. She was shorter than average, but clearly a fighter. Her hair was short, cut to her shoulders in choppy strands, and bright red. Her eyes, a pale emerald green, were constantly furrowed angrily and freckles were splashed casually across her nose and cheeks. In a fight, she was usually the one to have on your side. Long-term strategy constantly went out the window, as she required just the bare minimum of plans to fight and win.

Because of how different they were, Ian and Vanessa were constantly on different sides, always against each other. It ranged from a lot of things; From Capture the Flag to regular old volleyball games. They could never properly see eye to eye on just about anything. Because of that, Ben was usually employed as the middle-man. With his open way of thinking, he usually found very easy solutions to their problems that both of their pride wouldn't let them see.

As he was walking down the front steps of the Big House, Ian saw him and waved, flashing him the same lazy smile he always had.

"Ben! Great to see you." He called out as Ben half-jogged half-walked toward them. Vanessa, who was holding the ball, shoved it underneath one arm and walked over to meet him.

"We seem to be at another impasse." Ian said just as Vanessa got to them. She scowled at his words, and shoved the ball into his hands. He stumbled, but managed to stay standing.

Ben shook his head slowly. "An impasse," He said, looking between them and the other players on the volleyball field. "Over volleyball. Again."

Ian shrugged, holding the ball between both his hands. A quick look of shame crossed Vanessa's face, but it was quickly put down by anger once again.

"It's not about volleyball. It's about him," She jabbed a thumb toward Ian, who faked sadness at her words. "We were arguing about capture the flag again, and he suggested volleyball to settle the differences."

Ben sighed. "I don't see why the both of you care so much," He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "If the both of you started working together, you'd realize just how much damage the two of you, together, could actually do."

For a second, Ben thought he saw a flash of red cross the both of their faces. An instant later, though, it was gone, along with Ian's smile.

"I don't think that'd be a possibility, Ben," He said, tossing the volleyball backwards behind him into the sand. "No time soon, anyway."

With that, he turned around and walked back to the pit. Vanessa watched him as he did, and when Ian picked the ball back up out of the sand, she nodded to Ben and walked back as well. As Ben began to walk away, he could hear the two of them going over the rules. Like they always did. Sighing once more, he began to jog his way to the arena. Maybe Percy would be there.

Percy was indeed at the arena, but Ben was surprised to see that Chiron, Annabeth, and the girl were there too. Chiron, standing at his full height as per usual, was talking to Annabeth when Ben came in. Percy was standing off to the side, Riptide in one hand and wearing armor. He was drenched in sweat and his breathing was still a bit labored. He'd been training before they'd all came in. The girl was standing further away. All her scars had faded, and she was surrounded by an air of hostility. Wearing black jeans, the same black boots and a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, She stood with her arms crossed, twiddling a small blue pearl in between her fingers.

She was the first one to see Ben, and when she did, she walked over to him immediately.

"Hey," She said, nice and simple. "I wanted to say thank you."

Ben cocked his head to the side and, despite his dream, managed to muster smile. "For what?"

With her hair tied in the same long braid that it was the night before, she threw her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes were the same murky green that Ben had seen in his dream, though they didn't hold much malice now. More admiration than anything.

"For saving both my life and the life of my horse, Chestnut," She said. Chiron and the others had finally noticed that Ben was in the arena. "I appreciate it. Honest."

Ben awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Once again, not used to praise, he was at a loss for words. He managed out a 'you're welcome' as Chiron and the other came over. The old centaur nodded at him, while Annabeth and Percy stood off to the other side, talking quietly. After Ben took it all in, he tilted his head to the side questioningly.

"What's going on here?" He asked, looking between Chiron and Annabeth. Percy, with Riptide still in his hand, hiked the sword up over his shoulder.

"I was gonna ask the same thing. I was in the middle of training." He said, annoyance clear in his voice. Despite the sweat running down his face, he didn't look exactly tired. Annabeth shot him a look, but it wasn't angry or anything. More like a reassuring glance.

Chiron cleared his throat and turned to Ben. "It's good that you showed up on your own. I would have sent Annabeth to find you regardless," He started. "We are here, because our new guest wishes to leave already."

Ben, having heard some part of what the girl had already wanted, wasn't too surprised. Percy and Annabeth, however, were taken aback.

"So soon?" Annabeth asked. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, showing off the startling gray of her eyes. Dressed in shorts, running shoes, and a CHB t-shirt, she looked as casual as possible. "The outside world isn't safe for demigods."

The girl scoffed, and suddenly that hard malice that Ben had seen in his dream came back to her eyes.

"I'm aware of what the world is like," She said. She stood an inch or so taller than Annabeth, and as such was forced to look down at her to meet her eyes. "And I am capable of taking care of myself."

Annabeth didn't back down, and in fact stepped closer and crossed her arms.

"You mean how you rode in unconscious; you call that taking care of yourself?" She retaliated. Percy stepped forward and caught her arm, giving her an accusing glance. A streak of red crossed the girl's face, though she didn't move.

"You try riding a horse for a week straight, never being able to sleep because you have to move or else the hounds get you!" She screamed back. Her face had gone red, despite her dark skin tone. "Those things were sent after me, I know they were. I've never had to deal with so many at once.." Her voice lulled off.

Chiron and Ben shared a cautious glance before they turned to quell the situation. Ben placed a tentative hand on the girl's shoulder, though she pulled away immediately. Chiron turned and muttered a few choice words to Annabeth, Percy joining in, and she went to sit in the stands. Percy turned back to the girl and straightened out his armor.

"Firstly," He said, his voice surprisingly chipper. "What's your name? You've gotta at least let us know that, right?"

She turned to look at him, her arms still crossed. "I don't have to let you know anything," She said, tossing her braid over her shoulder once again. "My name's Leah. Leah Vasquez."

Percy nodded, seemingly satisfied, and Leah pulled the pearl out of her pocket again and began twiddling it once again. Ben felt like he'd seen it somewhere before.

"Leah, a pleasure to meet you then." Chiron said, though Leah clearly didn't want the hospitality. She turned to Chiron at once.

"When can I leave?" She asked, straight to the point. Chiron looked taken aback. He sighed and issued over to Annabeth, who was no longer paying attention to the situation.

"It's like Annabeth told you, my dear. It simply isn't safe in the world for a demigod," He trotted nervously, his tail whipping out as he did. "You would be better off here."

Leah threw her arms out. "I don't care where I'd be better off! All I want is what was taken from me, and I won't get it back by sitting here and doing nothing!" She retorted. Ben flinched at her words. She'd sounded the same way in his dream. He took a step forward, holding a hand out tentatively.

"Leah...just..just what was taken from you?" He asked, his voice low and uncertain. Leah's eyes flashed over to look at him, now suddenly full of melancholy. Then, in the moment of confusion that crossed him, she was all anger once again.

"That's none of your business. If you let me leave right now, It won't be your problem anyway," She said, taking a step back. Her fist clenched around the pearl, and Ben thought he heard a slight crack in it. "If not, I can't promise that harm will not find your Camp. I will leave, one way or another."

Percy, Riptide now sealed away in his pocket, took a step forward.

"Hold on, did you just threaten my camp?" He asked, a slight tinge of protective fierceness edging it's way into his voice. "No one threatens my camp."

Percy was taller than her, but Leah stepped forward until there was barely a foot between them. She stared Percy down with the same tense confidence that she'd stared Annabeth down with.

"So what if I did?" She asked. Her fists clenched tighter, and Ben was sure he heard the pearl in her hand cracking further. Tentatively, he stepped back. Chiron's eyes flashed over to him, but the old Centaur did not move.

"If you'd just let me leave, I wouldn't have to do anything! But, it doesn't look like you people will listen to reason." Leah spat out. Percy's hand slipped into his pocket, and Leah took a step or two back. Something began nagging at Ben's mind, telling him of what would happen. For some reason, he couldn't remember it though.

Percy's brow was furrowed, and his hand slipped form his pocket, clenching Riptide tightly between his palm and fingers. Ben heard a low rumbling, and instinctively thought back to his dream. He glanced up to the sky, but it was clear. No thunderclouds in sight. Leah took another step back, her feet sliding slowly apart from one another. Chiron looked tense, but he was clearly in no rush to stop what was about to happen. Annabeth had stood up from where she sat in the stands, one hand held over her throat; grasping her beaded necklace.

"We can't just let you leave. There's an entire process to it," Percy said through clenched teeth. His anger had diluted a bit, but he was still festering quite a bit. "You get issued a quest, you talk to..-"

"Then issue me a quest! I don't care what it takes for you people to just agree to it, just let me leave!" Leah interrupted. The pearl in her hand shattered, and tendrils of green spilled out between her hand. It looked like magic, but Ben couldn't be sure. He'd never seen it before. In a moment, the green tendrils solidified out into the spear that he had seen in his dream. Leah hefted it up by the shaft and set the end lightly against the ground. Just where it touched the dirt, Ben could spot a single pearl embedded in the butt of the shaft. The tip of the spear blade stood a couple, maybe three, inches taller than Leah herself, but with the way she handled it, it looked like she'd had it for a while.

Percy took half a step backwards, clearly surprised to see the spear come from seemingly nowhere. In retaliation, however, he uncapped Riptide and the blade sprung forth. Leah watched as the sword extended, and she tilted the spearhead down a fraction of an inch.

"We don't just issues quests, my dear," Chiron said, taking a step forward. His arms were by his side, though his fists were clenched. He expected a fight, as did Ben and Annabeth. "I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you to just leave."

Leah's eyes darted over to the old Centaur, down to Ben, across the arena to Annabeth, and then back to Percy. She took a deep breath and then looked back to Chiron.

"A deal then. Pick anyone in this Camp that you want to fight me. If they win, I'll stay here and do nothing. If I win, you issue me a quest and I get to leave." She said, he eyes full of determination.

Chiron did a bit of a double take, his eyes honing in on Leah.

"My dear, you can't be serious," He said, skittering a bit. Ben had never seen him so nervous about anything. "We don't just host random battles in Camp. I won't allow it."

Leah picked her spear up off the ground and pointed the spearhead toward Chiron. "Either you agree to this, or I force my way out. I've told you once, I'll say it again. I will do what I have to to get back what was taken from me."

Annabeth had stepped out of the stands and had inched her way toward the standoff, the Drakon Bone sword that she'd had for months, now held in one hand. Ben, with his arms crossed, stood off to the side, tall and imposing like a bodyguard, though he held no weapon. Chiron, with his bow slung over his back, stood his ground against the young demigod.

It seemed as if they'd simply stare each other down, that is until Chiron heaved a sighed and trotted his way over to Annabeth. He said something, low and hushed and then looked back to Leah, where she stood across from Percy. Both had their eyes trained on him.

"I agree to your terms then," Chiron said finally, and his eyes flashed over to Percy, then Ben. "As for your opponent, we select Percy. He's our best fighter. We will abide by your terms, and I expect you to do the same."

Ben's arms fell to his sides. He was sure this wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't tell why. His eyes flashed over to Leah, and she looked back, her brow furrowed. She slammed the butt of the staff against the ground, the pearl shattering, and the spear melted down into green tendrils of light again until Leah held only the small blue pearl in her hand once more. Slipping it into her pocket, she turned on her heel and walked away, toward the stands. Percy capped Riptide and slipped it into his pocket. With a glance toward Ben, he began to pull his armor off, throwing it to the ground, before walking out of the arena. Annabeth, who had been talking with Chiron up until then, stopped and walked out after him. Chiron looked to Ben, his eyes depressingly dark, and walked over to him.

"Chiron...," He started, though he couldn't continue. The old Centaur patted him on the shoulder and tried to give him a reassuring smile, though Ben could tell it was more for himself than anything.

"Come now, my young camper. We must be prepared." Chiron told him and began steering him out of the arena. With a short glance back toward Leah, who had sat down in the stands with her arms crossed, they left.

"Prepared? Prepared for what, Chiron?" Ben asked, finally finding his voice somehow. The two of them were walking now, back toward the Big House. The attic window sent chills down Ben's spine, as per usual, though he never really knew why. He'd never been up there.

Chiron reached the front door and pushed it open slowly. Being too tall as it was now, he could not enter, but the doorway was just mere inches above Ben's own head.

"A quest, my boy. We must be prepared for another quest." Chiron said, melancholy ringing true in his voice. Ben looked back to the arena, and his dream, in full, replayed itself in his head. Leah's arrival...it was something serious.

I'll be trying to keep these characters written as canonically as possible, but it may be a bit difficult for me. I'll be introducing a few of the other characters from the PJO/HoO series, like the rest of the Seven for example, as well as Nico, who will come back, Reyna, and a few others.

All that aside, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Since these will be, and are meant to be, long chapters, I can't make a schedule for writing this at all. All I can really say is that I'll be trying to get the entire story out as soon as I can.

If you enjoyed it, drop me a review and tell me what I can do better. If you REALLY enjoyed it, stick around. If you liked this one, I'm sure you'll love the rest.

Stay tuned, Dantikat out.