Percy darted in front of the Lydian drakon that was advancing on Annabeth. He threw Riptide at the drakon, and it stuck between the scales of its back, but didn't stop the monster. It let out a roar and began to crawl towards Percy. He stuck his hands out, hoping for water, but in the middle of the Sahara, one seems to find that water has deserted them. The monster continued to come towards them, and Annabeth let out a weak cry of pain. That did it. Annabeth was no damsel in distress, she had been to the depths of Tartarus and back. If she was in that much pain, then the situation was serious. He felt a roaring in the back of his mind, like when he had drenched Clarisse La Rue with the camp toilet system his first day. But this was different, more ancient. He matched the drakon's roar with one of his own and thrust his hands towards it. A rush of white light came gushing out of his palms and shot straight into the stunned monster's chest, right where its heart was. It crumpled, turning into golden dust on the wind. Percy whirled around and ran to Annabeth. "Hey, Wise Girl, where ya hurt?"She managed a small smile. "My stomach, Seaweed Brain." He cursed. "Styx! I think I've got some ambrosia in my bag, but we need to get you back to camp." She put her hand on his chest. "Percy, what happened out there? How did you kill the drakon?" He winced. "Annabeth, I don't know yet. Let's just get you home, okay?" He whistled loudly. "BLACKJACK!" Percy yelled, and soon enough a pitch-black winged stallion zipped out of the sky. Percy stroked his nose."Hey, boss, what's up?"Percy frowned. "I told you not to call me that. Any way, Annabeth's hurt and we need to get back to camp, pronto." His frown deepened. "And Chiron, Poseidon, and my mum have some explaining to do." When they reached camp, Will Solace, son of Apollo, rushed up to them. "Oh, gods-what happened to Annabeth, Perce?" Percy ran his hands through his unruly hair and sighed. "Lydian drakon claw wound. Stomach." Will's mouth hung open. "A "Lydian drakon? Wow, those are rare, but I think I can treat it. Where were you guys, anyway?" Percy grinned. "Cairo. But no time for long, detailed travel reports-I've got to talk to Chiron. He has some explaining to do." He strode off in the direction of the Big House. When he got there, he called out, "CHIRON! I need to talk to you!" The Centaur came clopping out onto the porch. "Yes, Percy? What is it?" Percy glared. "Who is my real mother?" Chiron winced. "What monster?" He rolled his eyes. Of course, Chiron knew. "Lydian drakon. I'm going to talk to my mom. Tell Annabeth I'll be back." He ran off to go back to New York.
New York
I knocked on my mom's door. When she opened it, she gasped and put her hand on her heart. "Percy, baby, what are you doing back here?" I bunched my eyebrows together. "Mom, who is my real mother?" Her entire demeanor crumpled. "Oh, baby. I guess the cat's really out of the bag. Sweetie, your real mother is Hecate, goddess of magic. I swear on the River Styx."