I'm finally back. I apologize to all for the delay, I had a hard time getting this up and running, but here we are, Percy Jackson and the Stolen Spellbook. Note to all new readers, this story is a sequel to Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna. If you haven't read that, it is strongly advised that you do so. Here's a full summary of this one.

Still recovering from the shock of losing his invulnerability, and receiving numerous painful injuries, Percy Jackson is – going on a road trip. But not just any road trip. One of Hecate's most prized spellbooks has been stolen, and the prime suspect is Helen. Now Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are reunited for another cross country adventure. Meanwhile, Nico discovers of a kidnapping in the Underworld, and his father gives him and two of his friends the important task of solving the mystery. As if this wasn't enough for our heroes, war has been declared by the Roman Camp. So far there have only been small, isolated battles around the country, but it won't be long before the war is full blown. Looks like things aren't going to be easy for anyone...

Disclaimer: I'm only doing one of these. I don't own Percy Jackson. That's it. End of story.

Percy Jackson and the Stolen Spellbook

Chapter 1: A Divine Roadtrip

Percy

If you are here, and don't know my story, then you are in for a bumpy ride. I'm Percy Jackson. From appearance I'm just an average sixteen year old kid with black hair, green eyes. I'm not especially tall. Yeah, I'm a little tall, but not especially so. I don't look overly athletic, but I do look moderately so. Oh yeah, and I have a scar down the left side of my face, courtesy of my ex-principal. That's probably where things start to look not so normal. I have ADHD and dyslexia, my current school is the only school I've attended for more than a single year in my life, I know how to sword fight, and my girlfriend has a hat that can turn her invisible. And that's not even the weirdest part. I'm a demigod, a son of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. Unbelievable, I know. I didn't believe it when I was first told that the Greek gods are real. But they are, and if you feel something familiar as you read this, stop immediately. You could be a demigod too, and once you know that, it's all too easy for monsters like my ex-principal to find you, and kill you. I'm lucky. I lived. You may not be. So if you do feel something familiar as you read, be warned. You may be a demigod. And it is a bad time to be a demigod...

-t-S-S-

I threw my house keys in the bowl beside our door. Mom had said she'd be at the library, and Paul was busy trying to get a grip on his new job. Yep, Paul, my stepfather, was no longer a teacher at Goode High School. Now, he was principal. It was quite the good promotion. Haha, good, that joke never gets old. Anyway, for nearly a month now, he had been principal, ever since the "mysterious" disappearance of our last principal.

At the thought of her I reached up to my face and traced my scar. Every time I looked into a mirror I thought of Luke. I had ended up with an almost exact mirror of his scar. Yet, the two of us couldn't have been more different.

But now I was afraid I was more like him than I thought. Almost every night now, I dreamed that I was Kronos. The gods still didn't know what had happened to Kronos's consciousness after his defeat, and these dreams... unsettled me.

This wasn't the only thing that was bothering me. Last month I had fought a kid named Jason, and had injured him. Apparently he came from a camp of demigods who worship the Roman forms of the gods. He was the son of "Jupiter" and his pride had been hurt when a "mere" son of "Neptune" had injured him. So now he was leading the Roman camp, whose name I could never remember because it was in Latin, to war against us, the Greeks. According to Chiron, this hadn't happened since the 1860s, during the American Civil War. Afterwards the gods had layered thick mist between the two camps so that they wouldn't meet or interfere with each other. But now that Jason had made the presence of this Roman camp known, we could find each other... and hurt each other. So far there had only been small, remote battles, but it was only a matter of time before the they got more intense, and closer to camp.

The thing was, some of our campers wanted war. Apparently they were still miffed about the whole "Rome took over Greece" thing, and they (mostly the Ares cabin) wanted revenge.

Regardless of all this, I was in a relatively pleasant mood. It was winter break now, December 18th. It had been a half-day at school so that all the teachers and Students could be home in time for the festive occasion that was Christmas. I was, of course, looking forward to Christmas, but I had plans before then. I was going to Mount Olympus on the Winter Solstice. I was to be in attendance to give the gods a report-card, if you will, on how they were doing at keeping their promise to me. As soon as I got my things packed, I was off to Olympus, to spend a few days there with my friends, enjoying the festivities leading up to the meeting. For not only was the meeting of the gods coming up, but today was the groundbreaking of the newly refurbished Olympus. The festivities were to be going on for a week, ending on Christmas day, with the meeting of the gods taking place almost exactly half way through the festival. The groundbreaking was to take place in an hour, so I'd have to hurry.

I went to my room and emptied my backpack. I started packing it with the necessary clothes and other things. I made sure Riptide was in my pocket, couldn't be too careful. I grabbed a watch from my bedside table. I had received it a week ago as an early Christmas present from my half brother, Tyson. It had come with a note saying- Please do not break or lose this one brother. When I first read the note, I had laughed. Now I put the watch on my wrist. You could never be too careful, especially now. For me, defending myself was a major problem. Until recently I had borne the curse of Achilles and had been invulnerable. But I was vulnerable again, and was constantly being painfully reminded of that fact, like when I had burnt myself on my toast a week ago, or when I had given myself a minor concussion when I tripped in the park, or when I had been stabbed in my already bad shoulder by a dracaena.

Relearning the limits of my own mortality was a pain, and I was probably going to get myself killed in the process.

Hopefully, though, my new shield would lessen my chances of seriously injuring myself. I finished packing for my stay at Olympus and then hurried outside. I still had two hours before the opening ceremony began, but I thought that I might as well go.

I walked out into the cold December air and decided that maybe I should zip up my coat. Then I caught a taxi and told the driver to take me to the Empire State Building.

-t-S-S-

When I got there the lobby was overcrowded. I saw demigods, yeah, but I also saw several gods standing in the lobby. Even my dad. I hurried towards him. He was standing with Hades, having a fast conversation with hades. They were speaking in something that sounded suspiciously like Latin. This did not bode well. At war with a camp of Roman demigods and my father and uncle were speaking in Latin. I cleared my throat and they stopped talking instantly, turning to face me. My father grinned, but it seemed forced. "Percy! Good to see you!"

"Hi dad," I said. "Hello uncle," I added with a little bow towards Hades. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you discussing in Latin?"

The smile slid from my father's face instantly. He cleared his throat. "You needn't worry about it Percy."

"I needn't worry about it?" I repeated. "Dad, Camp Half-Blood is at war with the Roman camp. Don't tell me not to worry about it. Whatever it is has to do with them doesn't it? That's why you're speaking their language, that's why you stopped talking as soon as I walked over. Why are you hiding things from me, from all the campers? Is it because the gods favor the Romans? I-"

"Perseus!" my father roared. He wasn't one who angered easily, but I had pushed him too far. "Do not question me. We gods have our reasons for all things. Now, this matter is closed!"

Then the strangest thing happened everything around me seemed to freeze. Time had stopped. It was only for a moment, and I had no time to process what had just happened because I heard a call of, "Percy!"

I turned and suddenly found myself being hugged by Annabeth. Behind her stood Thalia and Rachel. Annabeth pulled back a little. "I'm glad you're here. Come on."

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me off. As I was walking away I barely caught Hades saying something in Latin, presumably resuming the conversation I had interrupted. Annabeth led me, Thalia, and Rachel over to the elevator to Olympus. Grover met us over there.

"Hey guys," he called.

Annabeth let go of my wrist and stood facing us. "You guys get a very special treat. The four of you get to see the finished Olympus before anyone else, even Lord Zeus. Are you guys ready?"

Everyone heartily said yes, but my thoughts were to troubled, so I resigned myself to nodding. It's funny how quickly one's mood can change. Until I overheard the conversation between my father and Hades I had been in good spirits. Now dread was weighing me down. And not just from that conversation, but from the moment when time had stopped.

-t-S-S-

Annabeth could tell something was bothering me, so when the elevator doors opened she told everyone to go ahead and then she and I stood alone on the bridge. She turned towards me, concern etched on her face. "You wanna tell me what's up?"

I sighed, then I told her everything, even the time freezing thing. We stood there in silence for a long time. After a while Annabeth said, "Well this is troubling. I wish I'd overheard the conversation; I taught myself Latin. As for the frozen moment... well I don't even know."

"I'm scared Annabeth," I said. "I – I'm turning into him. Into Luke!"

"In the end Luke was a hero," Annabeth protested. "And you are a hero Percy."

She kissed me, but it was a short one, and I was too preoccupied I was the one who pulled back, sighing. "I – I can't Annabeth. I have this – this abomination on my face," I said pointing at the scar. "And then time stopped in a moment when I was incredibly angry. What if Kronos is inside me! What's going to happen to me, what's going to happen to you? I-"

She cut me off with another kiss, but this one was more forcefull. In it I sensed that she wanted me to stop talking and just comply with the kiss. This time she pulled away. "It's going to be fine Percy. You are not turning into Kronos." I could see her eyes shining with tears. She was terrified that I might become like Luke. Completely lose myself and become possessed by Kronos. I was determined to not let that happen. I set my face and nodded determinedly. Besides today was a day of celebration. It was a happy day. More importantly it was Annabeth's day. I wasn't going to let anything intrude upon this fact. Of course, I didn't really have a say in the matter anyway, the day was already going to be intruded upon...

-t-S-S-

About an hour later, after Annabeth had made a speech and Olympus was officially opened to all the gods and demigods, Annabeth, Grover, and I found ourselves listening to a concert being performed by the Muses. It was the happiest I'd ever seen the citizens of Olympus. Even Zeus seemed to be in a good mood.

"I wish every day could be like this," Grover said, sighing contentedly and laying back. "It would be really nice if every day we could just relax and listen to music."

I laughed. "Yeah, but we wouldn't be us if nothing interesting ever happened to us." Annabeth and I joined Grover in laying back. "But it would be nice if we got more days like this. Zeus knows we need it." Thunder rumbled and Zeus glared at me. "Sorry uncle," I called. "Just an expression."

The three of us lay there for what felt like hours, just listening to the music. Finally Annabeth stood up. "Come on, I want to show you guys something."

We followed her up through the streets of Olympus, which looked newer, cleaner, and just altogether, better. Annabeth had done a wonderful job with it. Finally we arrived at the throne room of the gods. As always the ceiling displayed the night sky. Annabeth was squinting around at the ceiling, looking for something. Then she smiled widely and pointed. There was a new constellation. It looked like a boy with a sword...

Grover gasped. "It's you Percy!"

My eyes widened. "It... is?"

Annabeth nodded, smiling wider than ever. "Artemis told me that the gods decided to add it today sometime after the opening. I wasn't sure how long it would take, but there you are Percy. And there's an equivalent of it in the real night sky. It's called Poseidon's Son."

I couldn't help it. I kissed Annabeth, trying to communicate how thankful I was. After we pulled away, she giggled a little, then said, "You know, it's really Artemis you should thank, she suggested it."

I chuckled. "I don't think Artemis would enjoy my thanks."

"Um guys," Grover said, a little nervously. We turned. Standing there was a goddess I'd never seen before. She was tall, even though she was human size right now, with long hair that was somewhere between auburn and brown. Her eyes though, made me jump a little at first. They were exactly the same as Helen's.

I had now doubt now who this was; Helen's mother, Hecate, goddess of magic. "Hello Percy Jackson," she said in a smooth, calming voice. "As you have probably guessed by now, I am Hecate, goddess of magic. I would have a word with you, in private." The doors to the room slammed shut, seemingly of their own accord. A magical barrier suddenly appeared. There was no way out. I pulled out my pen, uncapped it, and held my sword tightly. Hecate rolled her eyes. She raised one hand and my sword jerked out of my own hand and zoomed to hers. "Don't bother Jackson. I do not wish to harm you. Any of you. In fact I require your help."

I raised my eyebrows, but it was Annabeth who spoke next. "Help with what?"

Hecate took a deep breath. "Where to begin? Well I suppose I shall start with the day I claimed my daughter."

The scene around us dissolved, to be replaced by new surroundings. We stood in the middle of the dining pavilion at camp, but something felt... off. The colors seemed less vibrant, and smell had completely disappeared, even though we should have been able to smell the food. We stood by the Hermes table. It was amazing none of them had spotted us. Then one of them stood up – and walked strait through me. It was then I understood. We weren't really there.

I looked around. The Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, and Artemis cabins' tables were completely empty, but the Hermes table was way overcrowded, some of them having to squat on the floor, holding there plates in one hand.

I looked and saw him. Luke. That was when the next piece of truth hit me. We had gone back in time. I also saw Helen. She looked to be about ten or eleven, frowning as if deep in thought. She stood, taking her plate to the fire she dumped the rest of her food in. Apparently she wasn't that hungry. Just then everyone gasped, and I did too. Above her head was s ymbols, a bubbling cauldron.

The scene faded away, replaced by the throne room on Olympus, the colors were back to normal, and I suddenly realized how much I smelled without realizing, because my sense of smell came rushing back to me suddenly.

Hecate looked at us a little sadly. "You just witnessed the claiming of my daughter. You'd think things would improve from there, but they don't. You see, Helen wanted to move into my cabin, but at the time I had no cabin at camp. Chiron tried to explain to her that the 'minor' gods didn't have cabins at camp, but Helen got angry and ran away. Then she came to me."

Again we were in a scene from the past. Helen was in the foyer of what looked like one of the mansions on Olympus, and there stood her mother, towering over her.

"I can't Helen," Hecate sighed. "Olympus is no place to raise a child. Demigods must be raised my their mortal parents."

"But I can't be!" Helen roared. "Dad is dead! He was killed by an empousa, which I have no need to remind you, are your servants!"

"I did not order them to attack you and your father," Hecate continued calmly. "Some of them do not obey me anymore. Regardless of whether or not you have a father anymore, you can't stay on Olympus."

"Where do I go then!"

"Back to Camp Half-Blood," Hecate snapped. "It is the only place for you."

"I'm not wanted there! There isn't even a cabin for me at camp. They don't even recognize you as a proper god. But Zeus and Poseidon get cabins, and there are no children of them at camp. And Hera and Artemis will never have children, but do they get cabins? Of course they do! I would have to continue to stay in the Hermes cabin, and I wouldn't even be really wanted there."

"You can't stay on Olympus!" Hecate burst out. "Some of the gods have tried it before, it never works out!"

"Fine," Helen said, turning on her heel. When she reached the door she turned around in time to say, "I hate you," to her mother, then she left, the doors slamming shut behind her.

We returned to the present. Hecate continued, as if choking up a little. "Well, as you just saw, Helen and I had a bit of a falling out. Then she joined Kronos. I will not pretend to you that I didn't join Kronos to try to make up with my daughter. On the contrary, that was one of the biggest factors that went into my decision. But Kronos fell, and you, Percy Jackson, you asked for me and the other gods to be pardoned for helping him. But, you see, Helen remained angry with the gods, and with me. I know you met her earlier this school year and fought her several times.

"Well what happened next is... most disturbing. You see, she has stolen something. Something of mine. A spellbook. In fact the spellbook with some of the most powerful and dangerous spells ever created within it. I can't interfere directly, especially when it comes to my own children, but I'm afraid of what my daughter might try to do with it. I want you to bring it back to me, and if you can, her, so that I can apologize for everything."

A small devise appeared in Hecate's hand. "This is a tracking devise. It shows the current location of the book. It is in Niagara Falls currently. You will need to hurry if you are to catch her there. Will you help me, Percy Jackson?"

I hesitated, then nodded. "Okay, I'll do it. But I didn't need all the images just so I could take on this quest. Why did you show me the past?"

Hecate smiled a little. "Because Percy Jackson, I believe it is important to understand the origins of people, especially your adversaries. You may find, if you do, that your enemy isn't all that bad after all, that your enemy just had some bad luck."

-t-S-S-

Next thing we knew we were being picked up by Blackjack pulling the flying chariot. It was just like old times, Me, Annabeth, and Grover going on a road trip together to save the world. The only thing that was missing was a time limit.

"And Percy," Hecate called. "You must get the spellbook before the solstice, that is when magic is most powerful, and when Helen will most likely attempt something big."

What was that about not having a time limit? It was exactly like old times now.

So, what did you think of the first chapter of the second book? I hope you enjoyed it and will enjoy the entirety of the book.