Prologue:

High on a mountain peak somewhere, six beings (four female, two male) gather...

"Thank you for coming. I know how busy you all must be. We six are the beginning of something incredible."

"Save your patronizing, Sister! What is this about?"

"Now, now! There's no need to get our pincers in a twist, Milady! I assure you, this matter is of the utmost importance. My friends... It is time."

"Time for what? We're not all friends here!"

"At least you will agree with me that the continued survival of the Half-bloods is an issue worth noting."

"Have you forgotten that we have tried already? Those stupid demi—"

"No! Don't say the name! They don't deserve the immortal title any longer. And for wrath's sake, cease unraveling my furniture, if you please!"

"We have tried, and every time, we have failed—they just keep winning every battle!"

"Quite... You see now why this is a problem? The balance of power is ever in their favor: over so many of you, and their dual natures make them a danger to the humans, as well. I say once again: it is time! The balance must be restored!"

"How do you propose to do this? The last I ever heard, it wasn't your place—"

"It should be! I have a plan already in motion that will ensure that all gods will receive their just due, and not only we who dare challenge them."

"The Blacksmith? What is he doing here, Milady?"

"He is part of my plan. The Half-Bloods regard him as an ally; and yet he has equal cause to support a grievance against the gods who depend on him so blindly. The young Half-Bloods feel safety in their numbers; they long for somewhere to belong. Faugh! I hate them for their dependence; they are too weak, we should not have let them live! This is what the world of the Olympians has become—let us see how they stand when true Justice comes! Where is the Hourglass?"

"It is here."

"Begin the countdown!"

1000:00:00

999:59:59

"Now, each of you know your part in this grand scheme. Let us depart from this mountain; I will take measures to see that none will ascend and tamper with my Hourglass. The Day of Judgement shall fall!"

999:52:00

51:59

:58

Chapter 1

Camp Half-Blood

It was summer again, and Percy Jackson had returned to Camp Half-Blood; this time, he came voluntarily, rather than being chased there by monsters or a malevolent god.

The rebuilding process was going far better than he'd hoped. There were new campers flooding in, glad of a place to stay where they would be accepted for who they were. Percy saw the residents from the Main Twelve cabins implementing a sort of mentorship arrangement with those minor gods associated with the same aspect: Ares' Cabin led the cabins for the minor gods of war, battle, of armor, and of anger; Cabin Athena led the minors of knowledge, study, learning, genius, and reason; Cabin Zeus led the minor cabins for the gods of the air, the planets, and authority; and Poseidon's cabin...

Percy saw the collection of half-built huts around the cabin overlooking Long Island Sound. Lesser-known water-gods, fish-gods, the god of voyages, the river-gods, and a large stable for those who were connected to Poseidon's equestrian aspect. As Percy neared his cabin, the campers gathering around it stopped and stared.

"Hey," said a short boy with shaggy dark hair, "Aren't you one of the Heroes of Camp Half-Blood?"
Percy smiled. It had been a year since the battle against Kronos, and there had been a lot more at stake than just Camp Half-Blood, but he and his friends had earned special status due to their continued involvement.

Before he could respond, a lean girl with silky dark hair and hungry grey eyes swung onto the porch with a snort. "Of course he is, Greg! He's the one from Poseidon—our Cabin Leader, Percy Jackson!" She grinned widely at him. "My name's Drea, daughter of Enipeus."

Percy nodded to her, but the introduction only sparked more names and connections from all the other campers, eager to give their names an explain their parentage. Percy found at least three other half-siblings (including Greg) and heard the names of countless other gods he forgot as soon as he heard them. At least with a roster he could keep track of names.

A familiar face floated head and shoulders above everyone else.
"Percy!" called Master Chiron, the centaur director of Camp Half-Blood.
Percy waved. "Hello, Master Chiron!"

The centaur's smile was barely visible under his bushy beard. "Good to see you, lad!" Abruptly, another camper called Chiron's attention, and he trotted off to see what was the matter.

Percy wandered back toward the center of Camp, but he took a slight detour toward a small knoll he knew very well. It overlooked the lake, he knew—but there was another reason he preferred this particular vantage point. The clash of swords melded with the ringing of voices made him smile.

Directly beneath the cliff on the other side of the knoll lay one of the smaller training grounds, usually used for small sparring or grappling. Below, Annabeth Chase was putting her "protegees" through their paces. Percy could watch her undetected from here. The new kids were good; they certainly knew the first thing about how to handle a weapon. Even so, where anyone else was "good", Percy knew from experience that Annabeth would be instictively "better." It was only because his parentage had been hitherto unknown that she had nearly killed him when they first met. If she had known that the water would make him invincible—

"Man, I don't believe it!"
Percy whirled around with a wide grin and jumped up. "Grover?"
"Percy!" The lanky satyr threw his arms around his old friend. "When I heard the rumor that the great Perseus Jackson had returned to Camp Half-Blood, I thought for sure it might just be a fluke. Yet here you are, in the flesh!"

Percy chuckled, "I gotta say, you were the last person I expected to see here. How's life as God of the Wild?"
Grover rolled his eyes. "Meh-eh-eh," he bleated noncommittally, "It's all right. Except when certain others start calling me Pan Junior or Grover Undergod. I just don't feel very god-like most of the time, know what I mean?"

Percy smirked and bobbed his head. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that his father was the god of the seas—or that his girlfriend called the Goddess of Wisdom "Mother." Percy went back to watching her, and did not even realize he'd lost track of time till Grover slapped him on the back.

"Dude, there's the horn," he said, "It's lunchtime, bro." Grover took off down the steep hill, his small, lithe hooves giving him balance and stability Percy could only long for. The young demigod picked his way down the hillside, fighting to keep upright all the way.

It didn't work; about halfway down, he slipped on a patch of loose gravel, and slid the rest of the way down-right into a pile of towels. Someone yelled, "Look out!" just a split second too late. Percy and the other person crashed to the ground.

He looked around. He sat amid the scattered towels with a girl about Annabeth's age, with long, strawberry-blond hair. Around them, campers ran by with not more than a glance; yet Percy distinctly remembered hearing a guy shout the warning. So who had seen them collide but did not remain to help them set things to rights? She deliberately avoided his gaze and wordlessly began picking up the towels and piling them neatly once more. He moved to help, but she stared at him with aqua-colored eyes and shook her head.

"Hey," Percy said, making conversation since she wouldn't allow him to help. "I'm Percy Jackson; what's your name?"

The girl averted her gaze. Maybe she was just super-shy. Percy attempted to put her at ease.

"So," he said, knowing the demigod nature of the only ones allowed in Camp Half-Blood, "who's your parent?"

The girl bit her lip and shrugged. Still she did not utter a sound.

"Percy!" Percy turned to where Grover was waving at him. He turned back to the girl, to invite her to lunch with him, but she had disappeared! Percy shrugged and joined his friend.