WASS UP! So, I decided to begin this fanfiction because my first fanfiction Rise of the Imp isn't really that popular, so this is my second try at this so please read and review.

I actually wrote half of this on my ipod touch, emailed it to myself, and then copied and pasted it on the rest of the document because I didn't have access to a computer. Imagine typing two pages on a little ipod. I'm sure owlcity2013 can relate. (Hi owlcity2013! How's it hanging?)

Without further delay, I bring you Fly to Survive.

FRANK

This is the story about how all Hades broke loose, kidnapped my friends, and sent the rest of us on a wild goose chase. You'd think the day it happened would be ridden with evils and sin, but really, it wasn't that way at all.

The story can only truthfully begin at sunset, on the deck, next to my girlfriend Hazel.

I slipped my hand into hers, giving her a smile as she relaxed into my shoulder. On the deck of the Argo ll, the view was gorgeous. The sunset made splashes of fiery oranges and vigorous reds against the soft white canvases of the clouds, which looked appealing against the darkening blue sky.

And it was all the more beautiful knowing Gaea was gone-and had been gone-for nearly a month now. Percy and Annabeth were out of Tartarus, safe and sound, and Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had finally, at long last, made peace with the help of the Athena Parthenos. Life seemed perfect, every loose end meticulously tied down in perfect little bows.

Now, they were heading back to Camp Half-Blood after visiting the Roman camp. Ever since we conquered Gaea and the giants, the Argo ll and its occupants, the legendary seven (that's me) and Nico di Angelo go back and forth between the camps, keeping peace and helping out. You can't smooth out all the kinks in a thousand-year old feud, no matter what you do to avoid the squabbling. It was exhausting, but if I had to choose between fighting Greeks and Romans versus Gaea the Tyrant, then it's a no brainer.

I sighed contentedly. Hazel's eyes were beautiful, golden and glittering in the dying light of the sun. Her cheeks were blushing slightly, from either the sun or from emotion, only Jupiter knows. I caressed her cheek, which she responded with the softest smile. We never did really share that many romantic moments together, but this precious, beautiful moment was too lovely to let go, and with no disruptions to ruin it…

Hazel leaned into me, slightly puckering her lips, closing her jeweled eyes ever so slightly. I followed her example, coming in closer, ready to kiss her, and then…

"WASS UP!"

I jumped a foot in the air, nearly ejecting myself of the Argo ll and into the open air.

"LEO!" Hazel and I said in unison, sending Leo laughing.

I felt emotion flush my cheeks, more embarrassed then angry.

"You guys fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Leo humored immaturely, that classical smile painted across his face.

It was harder to tell who was actually more rosy, Hazel or me. "Leo! Please!"

Leo put his hands up in defense. "Hey, no means to be invasive, but I couldn't resist. I originally came out here to survey our little problem." He gestured towards the sky, pointing to what appeared to be a storm in the distance. It was a clustered mass of ebony clouds, seething with lightning. It radiated anger, and it seemed to be…breathing?

Just as I took notice to the dilemma, the temperature switched from pleasantly humid, to frigid. After being used to record high heat, the sudden shift was chilling. I think my teeth even chattered for a few seconds before I could contain it.

"It was the weirdest thing. I was just in the control room, steering away, when the radar started to go crazy. It had been perfectly clear, you know, minus the occasional butterfly, and then it had picked up this HUGE storm. And, I'm not a storm expert, but that doesn't look good." Leo observed wisely.

Duh.

"But, we've been out here since dinner." Hazel squinted, looking at the storm with confusion.

"That's the thing! It wasn't there! Then, without warning, POOF! It was just there," Leo squinted, lost in thought; "Maybe we can get Jason out here…"

Suddenly, the unbearable pungent odor of ozone filled the air. The clouds ruptured with heavy, cold rain. It came down in cumbersome sheets, and it drenched all of us in a matter of seconds.

Leo spit out a mouthful of acidic rainwater, blinking water out of his eyes. "…OR NOT." He said loudly towards the sky, the colors of his clothes darkening with each bead of water.

The thunder growled in reply, which Leo responded with a sarcastic smile. Then, he stared at Hazel and I.

"Have you guys been eating red meat? Get inside! It's raining!" He said dumbly, hiding his malicious grin with great difficulty.

Hazel and I made our way back into the control room. I'm not exactly the most graceful person in the world, so without Hazel, I probably would have face planted on the slippery deck several times.

We burst through the door a few moments before Leo, and I had this out of character thought about locking him outside in the rain for interrupting Hazel and I. But I quickly brushed it away. Leo was the only one who could actually navigate the ship besides Annabeth. I didn't particularly enjoy crashing out of the sky.

What a romantic moment that had been. I thought. I smile apologetically at Hazel, who returned the gesture.

Annabeth scarcely noticed our presence, cursing in Ancient Greek. You could actually see the wheels in her head turning, trying to decode the situation. Her grays eyes flashed with wisdom and intelligence as they flickered from the animated radar to random buttons, which she poked at with a slight uncertainty.

"So, Percy, you didn't piss off Zeus or Jupiter or anything, right?" Annabeth asked, staring at her boyfriend skeptically.

Percy, who'd been standing off in the side with Nico, Jason, and Piper, looked at his girlfriend defensively. "What!? No! At least, not recently…"

Annabeth looked at him, as if trying to detect a lie. "C'mon Annabeth. If I was lying, you'd see right through me." Percy said with a smirk.

Annabeth debated this, then nodded to herself, deeming the answer acceptable.

I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was always refreshing to see Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus, and healthy, even if that occurrence happened about a month ago.

"This is unexplainable. A storm just can't magically appear. They have to develop! They can be predicted! You can't just… UH!"

She gritted her teeth, and leaned against the wall, irritated. We all stared at Percy, expecting him to do something, but he just shook his head. "Trust me, I learned not to do that a long time ago… The hard way."

Annabeth gave him a deluxe, you suck glare. Percy just smiled innocently, which could only be interpreted as I love you and please don't kill me!

Annabeth smiled, but quickly hid it.

"But I just don't get it," she began again, rubbing her temples. "It just doesn't add up."

"Annabeth's right," Jason agreed, "I've made storms. This one just seems different."

Nico examined the clouds, and then intelligently said, "It just looks like rain to me."

Nico. Classical Nico.

"Well, it looks like were going to have to reroute." Leo said, water dripping from him, his usually curly hair plastered to his face as if saturated with super glue.

Annabeth glance at the radar, as if prepping to give Leo new coordinates as he advance near the steering wheel, flicking switches. But Annabeth was staring at the screen, awe-struck.

"Annabeth…?" Hazel asked her concerned. Not many things surprised Annabeth, so now the Argo II was quiet, waiting for an answer.

"I've never seen a storm grow so fast, it's like surrounding us. Its…" Annabeth was lost for words.

That horrible, cold feeling filled me, as if me someone was running ice down my back. Annabeth being uncertain was very, very scary.

Leo looked over the radar, droplets of water dripping on the glass screen. "Dang, were going to have to backtrack a bit to avoid this thing."

"Wait," I interjected, "why can't we just land or something."

"Well," Percy began, "we are under a body of water, and with a storm like this, it would be just as bad to land as to stay in the sky. Besides, do you really think it would be a good thing to land in the Gulf of Mexico?"

Grumbles of agreement vibrated the room. "Percy's right. We are getting some major wind speeds out there." Leo said as he flicked at switches and began to spin the wheel.

Now, for those of you who know their geography, and out there wonder why we are under the Gulf, you can ask Leo. Halfway through the trip from Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood, Leo decided it would be a good idea to stop for tacos. But no, not just any old tacos, he had to get authentic Mexican tacos from Mexico. The tacos were good, but we are on a bit of a deadline, so no one really appreciated it when Leo changed course without telling anybody first.

"Someone might want to send Chiron an IM, to tell him that were going to be late, because I'm gonna have to back track. Looks like were going to be camping out in Mexico."

"What should I tell him, that were late because of a weird storm, or because we stopped for tacos?" Piper joked, fishing in her jean pocket for a drachma.

"Hey! Those were some quality tacos!" Leo said.

I watched as Percy rolled his sea-green eyes, and then watched as they fell on Hazel and I.

"Um… Do you want me to get you guys a towel or something?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. No, I'll go get some. Leo, do you want a towel?" I asked as I reluctantly let go of Hazel's hand, who quietly slipped it into her pocket.

"Hmmm?" Leo asked, completely absorbed in steering his ship.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said, and then turned to Hazel, "I'll be right back." I promised.

Little did I know I wouldn't see her, or anybody, for a very long time.

"Although the storm is spreading out rapidly, we should be able to avoid it if we move fast enough..." Annabeth said, her voice trailing off as I made my way down the hallway to my dorm.

My dorm/room on the Argo ll was near the end of the hallway, so I had to pass the others dorms before finally reaching mine.

I was Roman after all, so unlike Percy's room, it was decent. The blankets that spread over my small bed were purple, resembling my Roman origins. My case of extra clothes was lying under my bed, half hidden in the shadows. Now, if only I could remember where the towels were...

I ventured into the bathroom, were three slightly damp towels were half stacked. I gathered them up, hoping Hazel and Leo won't mind them being slightly saturated, when the ship rocked to one side violently. Like the grace I am, I trip as the ship lurches hard to the right. My head collides with something heavy and solid, and to this day I'm still unsure what it was, and spots dance in my eyes.

Thunder rolls, so close it shatters my eardrums. Tongues of lightning, faster than whips caused the hairs on the back of my neck to rise in anxiety. I thought Annabeth had said that we were away from the storm…

In the control room, it sounded as if someone had dropped a nuclear bomb. Faint screams that were slightly drowned out by the mere intensity of the storm were now heard from the control room, only ways ahead. I foolishly mistake their cries for ones of anguish but too late I realized they were shouts of battle. The clash of swords and the banging of a hammer (Leo) mingled along with the chaos.

The Argo ll was under attack.

I shake whatever dizziness I still have away, and throw myself at the door, the towels abandoned. I grab the doorknob, turning it rapidly before realizing that I must have self-consciously locked it like I do every time I enter my dorm. Ever since Leo did the whip cream in the hand thing...

I fumbled with the lock before busting open the door; only to be knocked over again as the ship did a tight turn, nearly capsizing. But this time, I braced myself, throwing my hands out to catch my fall. The ship leveled out again, as if the invaders were wrestling with the wheel.

But what truly scared me was not the turning of the ship or the storm, but the noise level. It was getting quiet.

Too quiet.

My heart was in my throat. My friends needed help. They needed someone brave, they needed someone strong, and they needed a pair of claws.

In mid twist, I begin to transform. Dull fingertips transform, shifting into sharp, lethal claws, tinted jet black. Muscles morph until I take on a leaner shape. A stronger, more effective shape. My teeth shift, growing longer until ending in points. Fair tan hairs spread across my body, until reaching the area around my face, where it spreads out in a luxurious mane, which is a flurry of orange and tans.

I am a lion.

I pounce down the hall, my war cry erupting in a roar. I burst into the control room, a flurry of claws and teeth, trying more to terrify the invaders then attack them.

But I never got to attack.

Suddenly, the room erupted into white smoke, filling my lungs with poison, and sending my world into darkness.

So, did you like it? Constructive criticism is OK, but please no trolling!

- medusa's pen