A / N: Hello everyone! This is a sequel to my book Maia Lightwood and the Devil's Maze, so please read that one first if you haven't already! On with the story!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own the Percy Jackson series. I mean, I wish I did.

1

My head was numb from leaning on the car window. The trees whizzed past, moving faster than the speed of light. I narrowed my eyes. Something was moving; moving faster than the trees that were flashing by. The dark shape flickered through the dense foliage.

There it was again.

"Dad, did you see that?" I asked, twisting a lock of inky hair around my finger.

"Probably just a bird," he answered, though he did look troubled. "Well, here we are."

For a moment I forgot about all my worries. I was back. Camp Half-Blood. I had made it through the exhausting school term and now I was back. Finally. Technically, I hadn't quite made it through the first term of school. I had gotten expelled in the last week. Still, close enough, right? Now I'd get to see all my friends again. Jack, Audrey, Holly. Leo. Gods, I missed Leo.
I stepped out of the car, squashing a couple of grasshoppers under my combat boots while Dad climbed out after me.

"Have a good summer, Maia. Be careful," he said, patting me on the back in an awkward boy way.

I hugged him tightly, my feet leaving the forest floor. I nuzzled my face into his worn polo fleece jacket that he'd had for as long as I could remember. Just like Dad. He never threw anything out until it didn't fit.
"I will."

"Bye."

"Bye. Love you."

The dark shadow flickered above my head. I looked up, more worried about the shadow than ever now. Slowly the dark mass weaved its way through the leafy foliage. I realised what was about to happen, right as I saw the shape swoop down in a flash of glinting bronze feathers and teeth.

"Dad!" I yelled, but I knew it was too late.

The bird-like creature wrapped its talons around Dad's left ankle, bearing its pointy teeth. The creature's body was a mixture of feathers and scales, its mouth filled with rows and rows of needle like teeth.

"Maia!" Dad's voice was full of desperation, swinging from his ankle.

He grabbed desperately at the passing trees and vines in vain, scraping his hands across the rough bark.

"Dad I'm coming!" I called back.

Thoughts raced through my head. I had trained for this. Heck, I had fought giant scorpions last summer. Even so, all of that went out the window when it was Dad's life on the line. I knew I didn't have time to get my sword from my bag. I had a small pocket knife in my jumper pocket. Well, it would have to do.

As if reading my thoughts, Dad yelled, "No Maia! Go to camp!"

"I'm not going without you!" I called desperately, wielding the knife.

"You have to! Tell Chiron!"

"Dad!"

The creature was flying away with him, disappearing behind the layers of dark leaves.

"Go!" he yelled, his voice considerably fainter now.

"No,'

My voice was barely above a whisper as I watched my Dad grow smaller and smaller until he was out of sight.

I started walking backwards, stumbled, then turned around and broke into a run, slinging my grey backpack over my shoulder. I raced past Thalia's pine tree, my long legs hitting the earth with unnatural force as I burst straight through the door of the Big House.

A loud noise of annoyance issued from the small table in the corner of the room as the door shuddered.

"You could knock, you know. I was about to win this poker game," said Mr D in a bored voice, setting down his cards.

"I think you may be wrong there, Dionysus," Chiron corrected, displaying his cards to the god opposite him.

Mr D sighed.

"What is it, Maia?" Chiron asked me finally, turning his magical wheel chair around to face me.

"It's my Dad. This bird – this creature – swooped down in the forest and – and –"

My voice broke, and I felt angry tears form in my eyes.

Chiron leaned in, suddenly looking extremely alert. "Do you know what this creature was?"

"No,' I hiccupped. "No idea."
"What did in look like?"

I thought back. Rows and rows of needle like teeth. Razor sharp feathers. Metallic red eyes. I told Chiron what it looked like.

Chiron ran a hand through his greying hair. "This is bad. Very, very bad."

I caught my breath. "So you know what it was?"

Chiron sighed. "Back in the giant war, some idiot Cyclopes tried to make the Stymphalian Birds-" he glanced at me and I nodded to say I knew what Stymphalian Birds were. "- bigger and stronger to fight the enemy. He ended up creating one of the deadliest monsters of his time. The Stylaen. He couldn't control it so it striped his army to a pile of bones. But," Chiron added, catching my expression of absolute horror, "The last sightings of the birds confirmed that they were most definitely being controlled by someone. I doubt that someone would want to kill your father."

He almost added, at the moment, but I could tell he left it out for my sake.

"Blah, blah, blah. I'm leaving," said Mr D, and strode out of the room.

"We've got to do something," I pleaded. I could feel my heart going haywire.

"Well, we can take the matter to Olympus," he said, thoughtfully.

How could Chiron not be worried?

"We've got to do something now. My Dad might be dead by the time we get to Olympus."

Normally I would've been thrilled to be able to see Mount Olympus, but in these circumstances, I doubted even the gods would be able to help us.

"Maia, don't stress. The gods will take care of it. You've just been through a lot. It will be alright. Here, have this," he said, handing me a glass of unicorn draught.

I sipped it, my blue eyes dark with betrayal. I couldn't believe that Chiron was blowing me off like that.

"Go out and meet your friends. I bet they missed you," Chiron said kindly.

I banged the glass down on the table and walked out.

As soon I got out of sight I slid to the ground, blinking back tears. My Dad. I could deal with someone hurting me, but no one gets away with hurting my family. Pull yourself together Maia. Slowly, I stood up and trudged through the camp until I entered cabin 10.

Audrey was sitting on her bunk below mine, applying yet another layer of mascara. I threw my bag above her head and on to my bunk. She looked up at the noise and gave a little shriek.

"Oh my gods! I didn't know you were here yet!" she exclaimed, her hands waving excitedly. "And those clothes! Maia, you really need to go shopping. There is this really cool place on Sixth Street-"

I let her rant on, nodding and saying 'Yeah and "That's right', whenever she took a breath.

Eventually Audrey broke off, her warm brown eyes dancing across my face.

"Maia, what happened?"

I bit my lip. I might as well tell her. So I did.

When I finished, she didn't say a word. She just pulled me into a hug, and cuddled me in her arms. I hugged her back, gratefully. I just don't do sadness. I didn't need people saying sorry. Sorry doesn't change anything.

"Is Chiron doing anything about it?" Audrey asked, sitting back up on her pillows.

"He said he'd take the case to Olympus and see what they'd do about it," I answered glumly.

"Oh," she brightened up. "That'll be fine then."

I silently disagreed. Even though the gods are powerful, power can only get you so far.

I strapped my sword to my side. I'd learnt to keep my sword on me at all times last summer, and I often found myself fingering the familiar leather hilt.
Brushing the thought away, I pulled my long black hair up into a fluffy ponytail. I had never gotten around to getting new anti-frizz cream.

"Have you seen Leo and Jack?" I asked, tying the hair band.

I was longing for my friends. Well, other friends anyway. Even though I had only been with Audrey for a few minutes, I needed some air. Audrey is a very dramatic person, and after what happened with my Dad, I just wanted a few drama free moments. I was an ADHD kid wanting everything to be calm. And that probably isn't normal, but it's what I wanted, so world, just give it to me for once.

"Yeah, they're at the climbing wall I think," Audrey told me, pulling out her mascara brush again.

I took that as my queue to leave. I wasn't really in the mood to be attacked with the black make-up wand. I meet Meg and Katie chatting about a new hairstyle on my way out, but I slid past them, avoiding conversation. The lump in my throat was so big I don't think I would have been able to talk anyway.

I walked past the strawberry fields where Mr. Gleeson and some other satyrs were playing tunes on reed pipes to make the plants grow. They said hello and I waved back. The camp just seemed so... peaceful. If only.

I finally reached the climbing wall, and at first I couldn't see the boys anywhere. Then I looked up and saw Jack and Leo play fighting on the flat bit at the top of the wall. Well, as playful as fighting could get when two demigods clashed swords. Even from a distance I could see an angry red burn mark on Jack's left arm from climbing up there. I could tell that it was Leo's idea; Jack would have never tried something so risky. I took off my jacket and dumped it on the grass before nimbly scooting up the wall. It was pretty much as a dangerous climb as when I fought the Hydra (which I coincidently killed with the very same wall).

They still hadn't seen me, so I decided to do some charmspeak practice.

I channelled all my feelings of fear and anger and guilt into the single word.

"Drop," I whispered.

Leo and Jack fell to the ground at once, their weapons flying out of their hands. Oops. I hadn't expected the charmspeak to be that strong.

"What the - ?" Leo yelped, l sitting up and looking around nervously.

"Hi," I said, walking over to where he was sitting.

Leo grinned when he saw me. "I missed you, too."

"I was just practicing,' I said calmly, helping him up.

"Well then, you have gotten a lot better," Leo said, his green eyes boring into mine.

He was so close his eyelashes tickled my face.

I gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled away. "You'll have to do a lot better than that."

Jack laughed and Leo elbowed him.

"Um, Maia?" Jack said, scuffing his shoes on the rough rock.

I turned around. "Yeah?"

"I think Chiron wants to speak to you."

I looked down and saw Chiron waiting at the bottom, his hooves stamping the worn grass impatiently. I slid away from my friends and limbed down the spikey steel ladder, feeling a little guilty. I did slam the door on him. And I slammed the glass on the table. And I half yelled in his face. Maybe I should say sorry.

I walked across the grass to Chiron, putting a piece of loose hair behind my ear.

"I'm sorry," I said once I reached him.

"What?" Chiron said, shaking his head. "There is no need to be sorry, child. Your father had just been taken by a Stylaen! You had every right to be upset."

I bit my lip. "And, um, do you know what we could do about it?"

"As a matter of fact, I've got us a spot in front of Olympus."

I nodded. "When are we going?"

"Next Thursday," Chiron said promptly.

My stomach dropped. Next Thursday? My Dad didn't have enough time. I didn't have enough time. Chiron was crazy if he thought I was going to wait, and I wasn't.

"And Maia," said Chiron. "Just don't worry about him."

I nodded once more, and watched Chiron gallop off (I was still getting used to him being half horse), wondering why he had even bothered coming up to talk to me. All I had gotten out of that was that the gods were being proud and unkind.

If it had been an Olympian that was taken, a war would have already began. But my Dad was just a human. A perfect, annoying human.

I saw a faraway Chiron morph back into a wheel chair and wheel straight through the Big House doors. I bit my lip and turned around to see Leo and Jack jumping off the hard steel ladder and landing at my feet.

"Your Dad has been taken by a Stylaen?" Jack asked.

Of course he was listening. I'd forgotten how insensitive Jack could be. Oh well. A little insensitivity was just what I needed.

I told them what happened, in a dethatched voice that wasn't my own. I knew that if I thought about it one more time I might throw up.

Leo pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"No, you're not," said Leo matter of factly. "You are quite far away from fine but you are too stubborn to admit it."

"That," Jack added, "is true."

I gave a small laugh. At least my friends knew that I hated people saying sorry. There was nothing to apologise for.

The bell signalling dinner rang across the training area, echoing slightly as the sound bounced off the equipment.

Slowly clusters of demigods began to move towards the dining pavilion before splitting off to each of their cabin's tables.

The three of us followed, before regretfully splitting off ourselves.

I sat down at cabin 10's table next to Holly; a new camper that I had befriended last summer.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I didn't reply, instead asking, "Did Audrey tell you?"

Holly shrugged, her fiery curls bouncing on her shoulders. "It's a small cabin."

As she turned away to talk to someone else, I glance over at the Hermes table. Leo caught my eye and gave a small smile.

I put my fingers to my lips in a shushing gesture, as Mr D began his speech. I barley listened past the point when he told the campers about the canoe races being held tomorrow morning, still thinking about Dad. I suddenly felt a surge of anger towards Aphrodite. Of all the gods, she should be the one out there helping my Dad. After all, she must have loved him; she had given birth to me. Now Dad was captured, and she hadn't so much as turned her head.

"Are you even listening to me?" Audrey asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

I hadn't even realised that she had been talking to me.

"Yes," I lied defensively, trying to sound hurt.

"Well what did I just say then?" she demanded.

Now I was stuck. I decided to take a guess. No one wanted to be on Audrey's bad side. "Um, that you got the new iPhone for your birthday?"

Audrey sighed. "I said that, like, ten minutes ago."

"Sorry," I apologised guiltily.

Even though my life was being sucky, I shouldn't block other people out.

Despite that, I had to ask.

"Do any of the gods visit their kids?" I asked Audrey, leaning on the wooden table.

"Um, no. It's kind of forbidden. But sometimes the sneak out and visit their kids in secret," she answered, a little puzzled, still huffy from my lack of attention.

Forbidden. I guess that explained it. Still, if any god was going to sneak out of Olympus to visit a previous lover (aka, Dad), it would be Aphrodite. If only …

I glanced over at Holly and saw that I wasn't the only person who was gazing into the distance. Her red hair fell over her pale face like a curtain. I followed her gaze and saw she was staring at the Athena table. At … Jack?

I grinned. "You think he's cute, don't you?"

She looked at me and sighed, resting her head on her arm. "Yeah,"

I looked over and saw Jack talking to a girl with identical stormy grey eyes and blonde hair. Athena really showed in all of Jack's half-siblings.

"Please don't tell the others," said Holly.

I could tell that by others, she meant Audrey.

"I won't," I promised, wondering idly if that was the way my face looked, when I looked at Leo.

A / N: I hope you liked it! Please review!