The Harpy soared through the sky over Manhattan, the wind stroking her feathers as she circled lazily, licking her lips at the prospect of lunch. She was in the mood for something soft and chubby, maybe a toddler with an inattentive mother…
There it was- a child's cry, tantalizingly close. The Harpy swooped low over a rooftop, planning to dive down the other side in search of the little wailing meal, when suddenly she felt herself crashing downwards, battered into the roof by an invisible force.
"Hey, easy Tempest, I need to talk to her first, be gentle."
The Harpy crouched low to the ground, looking upwards wildly and snarling, trying to zero in on her attacker. What she saw almost made her flinch in terror. A horse of living lightning and wind was landing just in front of her, making the air crackle with electricity. Astride the snorting beast was a boy of sixteen or seventeen with short blond hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold the Harpy in place with sheer willpower.
"Hello Harpy" the boy said evenly, seemingly completely at ease with confronting a monster on top of a thirty story building while on a flying horse. A cold wind blew over the top of the roof, making the Harpy shiver, but seemingly not bothering this strange teenager.
"Hello" the Harpy decided to feel him out, try to give herself some time to escape or kill the boy.
"I have been sent by Jupiter, King of Olympus, to kill you."
The Harpy hissed at the boy, puffing herself up and baring her sharp teeth.
"I don't want to do that. I have a friend who's a Harpy, and I want to give you a chance to defend your actions. Why have you left my father's service?"
Father? The Harpy tried to hide the fear that shot through her.
"You are a good boy" the Harpy purred, her ugly features twisted into a self-pitying expression "I am a poor Harpy, a good servant to Jupiter, but I was very hungry…" she looked up at the boy pleadingly "so very hungry. I just want food, then I'll go back to Olympus."
"So you're hungry?" the boy narrowed his eyes "is that why you have been attacking mortals?"
The Harpy made a keening, whimpering sound "you do not know hunger son of Jupiter, I needed food, and they were only mortals, not important."
They boy's face hardened and the Harpy knew she had said the wrong thing.
"You are a murderer and a traitor to Olympus, I therefore-"
"Hey Jason!" a patch of air next to the boy shimmered and the face of a dark-haired boy appeared.
"Percy?" Jason glared at the floating image "what are you doing? I told you guys, I had stuff to do today."
"Yeah" a girl with a feather in her hair appeared in the patch of air "but you said you'd be done by now! Come on, we're having a beach day, everyone's here."
"I'll be there in a bit Pipes" the boy replied with a smile "I'm just finishing up a job for my father."
"Oh gods, you're not getting all 'I'm the son of Jupiter, therefore it is my duty to protect the world from your evil', are you?"
"None of your business Percy! And what about you when you caught that Laistrygonian trying to eat a dog in New Jersey? I swear you said the word 'smite'."
"He did" a blond poked her head into the frame "and you could feel all his credibility die in that moment."
"Not cool Annabeth!" the dark haired boy glared at the blond "he was chasing a puppy! Like, on a scale of evil that has to be a whole new level, 'smite' was warranted!"
The Harpy during this exchange had been slowly inching towards the edge of the roof, preparing to make her escape as the teens bickered. The horse noticed the movement and snorted, stamping a hoof to get his rider's attention. Instantly the Harpy was encased in a shell of wind that kept her pinned to the ground, able to only glare at the boy as he swung himself down from the horse's back, patting its neck softly.
"Thanks for the reminder Tempest. Sorry guys" the boy addressed the patch of shimmering air "I have to deal with this. Give me an hour and I should be back at camp, and don't you dare play beach volleyball without me."
"Of course not, what would be the point of playing without having you there to have your ass kicked" the girl with a feather in her hair winked. With that the Iris message cut off and the boy focused once again on the Harpy.
"Sorry about that, now let's get this over with." He pulled a golden sword out from its scabbard and frowned down at the Harpy. Thunder rumbled through the sky despite the shining sun, sparks of electricity seeming to radiate from the boy's skin. Shaking, the Harpy made herself look into the boy's eyes, and was paralyzed by the clear blue, that seemed to be pervaded with sadness and strength and old pain and power.
"I Jason, son of Jupiter, hereby send you to Tartarus for your actions against mortals and Olympus" the boy raised his sword, the sun glinting off the long blade.
Maybe being hungry isn't so bad after all the Harpy just had time to decide before the boy slashed down, turning her into dust that dispersed quickly in the wind, leaving nothing but a single brown feather.