A/N

I MUST STOP WRITING NEW STORIES. I MEAN, I HAVEN'T FINISHED-

Stupid caps.

As I was saying, I haven't finished 90% of my stories, but summer's quickly approaching. It's kind of scary. I don't wanna grow up. T_T

I've been in an anime phase lately, and am currently watching 11eyes. The main character with one eye kind of annoys me.

"No, I will not teach you how to use a sword."

"But I must protect Yuka!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, too bad."

"But I must protect Yuka!"

The one who's talking about Yuka is him. I forgot his name; that's how insignificant he is to me. Anyway, I watched Angel Beats and Hidan no Aria a little before this one, and in both of those animes, the girls use guns. Well, everyone uses guns, but I find it more enjoyable to watch a girl fight with explosives.

Half-Blood Base- South Woods

September 5th

3:00 PM

Everything looks red, and I think it's just my eyesight before I realize that it's blood. Everything's splattered with blood, and although I can hear the sounds of weapons clanging and explosives going off, I can't see anyone. Maybe I'm going crazy.

I stand up unsteadily. Maybe if I just walk away from the battlefield, I can clear my mind a little. Because as bad as it looks, all of this blood has to end somewhere.

"Hey, you must be the new recruit."

I jump at the sound and fall on my face. Spitting out some dirt, I glance up at the mystery figure. He looks about the same age as me, with curly brown hair and a slight limp, seeming to favor his right leg.

He looks around calmly, as if all the red is a normal sight for him. Pulling me up to my feet, he gestures toward the southeast. "We're in the south woods right now, so if we go this way, we'll make it to the Big House. I'm Grover, by the way."

Grover starts walking away before stopping. "You might want to stick right behind me. Any wrong steps and we might activate a land mine. I guess it doesn't really matter though, since we can't die." I freeze mid-step.

"What?"

Grover checks his watch, like he has better things to do than safely guide someone out of a rigged forest. He looks at me pitifully. "We can't die. You can get shot right in the heart or accidentally get run over by a truck a hundred times. You'll still feel the pain of dying, but sooner or later you'll just wake up like nothing happened. Listen, if we get to the Big House, someone can explain it to you better."

I must still be frozen because Grover sighs and grabs my arm, carefully leading me out of the woods. The sounds of fighting fade away, and I take my time looking at the sights. It thankfully looks normal enough out here; a little like a summer camp. There are some stables and a lake; a mess hall and a strawberry field.

Yet something feels a little off.

There's an armory and an arena, but I'm too confused to even question it.

A girl appears out of nowhere as we pass some trees. I realize that she jumped out of one, and wonder how much stealth it takes to not shake a single branch. She is small and petite, and dressed in camouflage. She smiles at us.

Grover speaks first. "Hi, Juniper. I haven't seen you in a while. Any information?"

She pauses, twirling some of her brown hair around a finger. "Well, I heard news about an invasion in the city, but nothing out of the blue. Nothing that we aren't used to."

Grover shrugs. "Well, we never know. Anyway, I've got to drop this one off at the Big House, so see you in a bit." Juniper nods, turning to stride away. When I blink, she's gone. The only thing that's left is a small trace of her perfume.

Grover seems amused. "She's one of our best spies. We call people like her tree nymphs, just because they blend in so well. Anyway, we'll get to the Big House in a few minutes, so hang in there."

Half-Blood Base- Big House floor 1

September 5th

3:15 PM

"Well, I have to go scout out some possible recruits. Annabeth'll behead me if I waste another minute. I suppose I shouldn't be afraid of death, but her torture methods are even worse than the Underground. If you feel the urge to vomit, go to the first door on the left on the second floor. For now, just wait here and make yourself comfortable."

Grover leaves before I can answer. As the door clicks shut, I sit on a couch. I have to be hallucinating. I mean, not dying? Not possible. It's just not possible. It's not-

"Oh, it's possible." A girl with red hair is suddenly standing in front me, snapping her fingers directly in front of my face. "Of course, it's preferred that you try to live for as long as possible, because the pain still kills." She pauses. "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare, by the way. Call me Red, and I'll drive a knife through your crotch."

I'm suddenly afraid, and it's not because of her definitely intimidating threat. Her eyes have a slight glassy look that you can only see up close. As if she can feel my urge to bolt, she grabs my hand gently.

"Let's go to my cave. I feel more comfortable there."

"Umm… cave?"

She laughs. When she smiles, she looks slightly more human. "I'm somewhat like a psychic. Special benefits, y'know?"

"Whatever you say."

She rolls her eyes, steering me out the door. "I get that this whole 'not dying' thing is messing with your mind, but try to adjust a little more quickly. It's pretty much guaranteed to kill you once or twice in the beginning. I'll explain everything in a while."

Half Blood Base- Oracle Cave

September 5th

3:25 PM

"Home sweet home!"

Rachel collapses on a sofa, gesturing for me to sit down next to her. I awkwardly sit as Rachel fixes her eyes on me. They're green, like mine, but a few shades lighter and a few shades creepier.

"I bet you think we're all insane, am I correct? A bunch of nut jobs that believe in immortality. Except guess what. You're wrong."

I stare at the ground. "Immortality doesn't exist."

Rachel laughs, but it has no real feeling in it. It sounds bitter. "Titans rule. We live in what's considered the 'Golden Age.' Anyone who's on our side has a traumatic past."

I raise my eyebrows at the last part, but Rachel shrugs. Her eyes are cloudy. "Say you saw your twin brother die right in front of you. Times like that are when you realize that life's nothing but a cruel game."

She smiles sadly. "When you realize that, the Titans have to get rid of you before you start playing along. Except they keep you. They give you eternal life in exchange for everlasting entertainment. They kill you and bring you back to life."

I'm silent for a moment as Rachel absently swings her legs. Before I can stop myself, I blurt something out. "What happened to you?"

She sighs. "I'm a Dare. My father destroys land to place some building. I always organize protests. He put up with that for fifteen years, and I guess he finally snapped. He threatened to run me over if I didn't move, and I ended up in this hellhole. I've been here for a year."

She forces a smile. "There are two ways to give up. Join the Titans, or live a normal life. But there's a catch to the second option. You can't enjoy yourself, because if you do, you eventually forget your reason for coming back."

Rachel stands up and starts pacing. I realize that she's trembling a little. Her eyes look even glassier than normal. She suddenly stops. "What's your name?"

I realize that that's the first time anyone asked. Grover and Juniper were preoccupied, so I guess they didn't notice. "Percy Jackson."

She nods. "You can't remember your past, right? Well, it's better you not know as of now. We have to get you settled. Any other questions?"

I nod slowly. "If Titans are bad guys, who's the good side?"

She glares. "Us. Well, the base stationed here in New York… we're referred to as half-bloods. The base in California is more commonly known as demigods, since they're sterner. I…" She takes a deep breath. "A long time ago, there were gods, but they've long since… left. We still use Greek terms out of habit, but we're on our own."

Her eyes soften. "Percy, just remember. We fight the Titans because they mess with everyone's mind. But you have to remember that there are tons of minions. People have gone insane knowing that everywhere, people are staring. So… just don't lose sight of what matters, okay?"

Half Blood Base- Big House infirmary

September 5th

5:00 PM

I regret allowing Rachel to demonstrate our immunity to permanently dying. I didn't think she was serious. By that time, I was convinced that we couldn't die, but nothing can ever make me recover from the emotional shock.

Flashback

"So… we can't die."

"I knew you were slow, but not this slow. Yes, we cannot die, you idiot."

"How long exactly does it take to… respawn?"

"We aren't aliens. But the time depends on the injury. For example, if I crush your head completely until your brain was falling out, it would probably take anywhere from three to five days. But we normally don't have injuries that severe, so you can expect to wake up in less than a day."

"So if I get stabbed in the heart..?"

"Can I demonstrate?"

"Yeah, sure. Wait, what-?"

SLASH

Flashback

"Look who's awake."

Grover is sitting on a stool next to the bed. Next to him are the bloodstained remains of my clothes. I feel like I'll puke. He hands me a tall iced glass with a liquid that looks like apple juice. I take a sip and nearly choke when I realize it's warm and scarily nostalgic.

Chocolate chip cookies...

"It's called nectar. One of the only things that survived from the gods." Grover talks as I drain the glass. When I finish, the ice cubes are still perfectly solid. "It can trigger some memories if dealed with properly, but usually it's just for comfort reasons."

"Did Rachel really..?"

"Yeah, she stabbed you. If you want, I can give you your bloody clothes. She left the knife there as a consolation prize." I turn green in the face.

Grover gets up, all business now. "Now that you've had your first death, I have to bring you to our leader."

"Let's go meet Annabeth Chase."

A/N

Done.

I have no more to say. :D