PERCY POV

My alarm on my nightstand rang out, disrupting my precious sleep. I groaned and kicked my covers onto the floor. That's my new method to get up in the morning. If I don't have any covers, I just get up because I won't be comfortable. I threw on my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and stepped outside my cabin.

Camp was bustling outside, which was pretty weird for a Monday morning. I walked over to the lake and sat down in the sand, chilling.

"Percy! How can you be sitting by the lake at a time like this?" A familiar voice rang out behind me. I turned around to see Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena (also my girlfriend).

"Uh, mind telling me what exactly is going on?" I said stupidly. Annabeth rolled her eyes dramatically. For a daughter of Athena, she had a real knack for theatrics.

"Just come to the Big House, okay?"

I stepped inside the Bid House, just as a fight broke out between Connor Stoll and Clarisse.

"Okay! So what exactly is going on?" I said. Then I'm pretty sure I heard the world record of exasperated groans in one gathering. Someone flipped on the TV and switched to the news channel. A very high-strung reporter was ranting about something. Sorry, but I'm not the best listener. But then the cameraman turned to show a MASSIVE warship looming over New York City.

"What is that?!" I shouted.

"Dude! Where have you been? This has the only thing anyone's talked about all weekend!" Clovis said. Dang. You know you're behind on the news if a guy who is literally always sleeping knows more about it than you.

"Yeah, this weekend I had a Fallout 4 marathon so I'm kind of behind on everything that's going on."

" Okay, so there was this huge, like, spaceship thingy that was above New York, but then it landed and this old dude got out and was talking but then this dude who was, like, our age started attacking him with fireballs! But then the old guy turned into this huge monster and went into his spaceship cause everyone was freaking out!" explained Travis. I looked over at Chiron, who just nodded grimly.

"So was this fireball guy like Leo? A son of Hephaestus?" I asked.

"We don't think so. If he were a demigod, he would have found his way to here or Camp Jupiter, or have been claimed. Demigods on their own don't usually hone in on their powers to that level alone."

"So who is that guy?"

END OF CHAPTER ONE