I remember laughing.

Having a good time.

~Maia

I remember letting my guard down, just this once, so I could actually enjoy myself.

~Nico

I remember just watching peacefully at the camp celebration.

It was New Years, after all.

~Percy

I remember getting challenged by a new camper from the Apollo cabin at chess.

I won, of course.

~Annabeth

Then I heard rustling.

I could feel death was near.

Sensing the danger, I uncapped Riptide defensively.

I took out my own sword as the festive mood died down.

I activated my locket and drew my sword.

I stood at the ready; feet apart, sword levelled in front of me.

I thought I was set for anything, but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what emerged from the trees.

It was a hellhound.

At least, it resembled the one guarding the gates of Hades's realm.

But instead of having three heads of dogs, two of them were a wolf and a dragon.

Everyone froze, and for a second it was so quiet you could have heard the monster's heartbeat.

Then it attacked.

Percy and I went for its legs, trying to bring it down.

Unfortunately, the dragon blew fire in our direction, setting fire to my sleeve. I managed to stick it in water, although not before the flames burned a hole in my favourite hoodie.

Seeing it almost kill Percy and Maia, not to mention trying to destroy the camp, fury blazed within me.

A fissure opened in the ground and dozens of skeletal beings climbed out, attacking the monster and holding it still while Jason, Annabeth and Leo assaulted it.

Jason flew above the hellhound-wolf-dragon and hit it with lightning, but it just seemed to enrage the monster even more.

I leapt and landed onto its back. All three heads roared in unison, but I just managed to climb to its neck.

Being a dog-person, I raised my sword and swiftly cut off the dragon part of the beast.

The head fell, turned to stone and crumbled into dust. Unfortunately, a new one started reforming. I screamed for Leo to burn it-similar to how you defeat a hydra-and the next thing I knew, the son of Hephaestus was there, shooting flames at the monster, stopping the regrowth.

Then, just as I was about to slice off the wolf's head, I was flung off onto the ground. My head hit something hard, and I blacked out.

The Apollo cabin shot arrows at the 'hellhound', piercing its hide. While it was distracted, I water-travelled to its front paws and swung my sword with all my might. The blade made a deep cut on the beast's left leg. It howled and broke free from the bones that Nico summoned, and hit me with its right paw, but not before I reached up and made a gash on the wolf's muzzle.

I flew backwards and my back hit a stone structure. All the air was forced from my lungs and I heard my name being shouted. Before I knew it, I slipped into unconsciousness.

While the campers had their attention on the beast, new monsters-empousas and karpoi grain spirits - came from the trees.

It didn't make sense - the barrier should have held them back…unless someone summoned them…

But I didn't have time to think as one of the empousi attacked me, her fangs barred. I stabbed her with my Stygian sword and she screeched, disintegrating even before I even pulled it out. I turned just in time to see the hellhound/wolf destroy the cage that held it in place and bat Maia to the side, throwing her against a wall. I screamed her name, but her head slumped to the side. From the distance I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, although before I could go over and check, four or five karpoi ambushed me. I cut them down quickly, reducing them to wheat, barley and other types of grains, but more kept coming. Suddenly, a large… something appeared out of nowhere and hit me on the side of my head. I fell to the ground and tried to stay conscious, but I saw a face with one eye in the middle of its head loom over me. The Cyclops hit me again, and I was out cold.

I watched all this with horror while vaporising the empousi, karpoi and –very reluctantly- the Cyclopes. It looked as though the Ares cabin was taking down the hellhound-wolf, overwhelming it and, sure enough, it gave one last cry and was gone in a shower of dust.

We didn't have time to celebrate as two-headed men, cynocephali, ogres and many more started to appear. There weren't this many monsters at Camp Half-Blood since the fight with Gaia; and even then we had the Roman's help.

Just then another Cyclops towered over me. I cursed in ancient Greek and stabbed him with Riptide, causing him to disintegrate with a wail. I flinched; glad Tyson-my half brother Cyclops-wasn't there to see me do that. Apparently he was still at the Roman camp with Ella and Rachel, who were trying to reconstruct the Sibylline Books.

Unfortunately, I let my guard down while thinking those thoughts and before I could react, I felt dull pain on my leg. When I looked down I almost fainted.

A golden sword-tip gruesomely jutted out from my left thigh. Imperial gold.

Deadly to monsters and demigods alike, the metal had almost killed Jason back in Ithaca… and he had come close… I didn't even have time to try and figure out who stabbed me or cry for help. I slid to the ground and the sounds of the battle faded around me. I winced, but somehow pulled the blade out, turning the dull throbbing into white-hot agony. I howled in pain and my vision blurred. Then I made the mistake of closing my eyes, because the next second I fell into oblivion.