Chapter 2

Thalia's tree was definitely not a good sleeping spot.

Rain lashed at Melinoë's face, jolting her awake. Thunder rumbled in the distance as a 78' Camaro appeared on the hill, swerving down into a ditch as lightning flashed down. A black figure was also emerging from the rain, towering up over seven feet. Two meaty hands swung down by its side with two equally large horns jutting out of its bulging head.

"The Minotaur." Melinoë breathed. Chiron had told her about the son Pasiphae, but seeing him in person took all of Melinoë's worst fears and meshed them together, leaving her staring at the Minotaur.

Her eyes flicked back to the Camaro, where two figures, a boy and a woman, were stumbling up out of the ditch, dragging a third in between them. The Minotaur roared, lowering his head as he lurched towards the limping group. Melinoë scrambled out of the tree's fork, landing in a heap at its roots. She jumped up and drew her sword its sheath, fiddling at the clasp with sweaty hands. The sword was wooden and blunt, clearly not meant for battling the Minotaur. The Minotaur was drawing nearer the group, rain running through his matted hair in streams.

As Melinoë approached she could make out the Minotaur more clearly. Clumsily done tattoos were scrawled on its arms with the words DEAD MEAT picked out in gold rings on its fingers. Its hair was twirled down in dreadlocks and secured with grimy yellow bands that looked ready to turn to dust.

"Split up!" One of the figures shouted, their voice tiny against the growing winds. The boy nodded and started running at the Minotaur, probably not the direction the woman had intended for him to go in.

"Percy! No!" The woman tried to stumble after the boy - Percy -, her efforts flaunted by the weight of the third figure on her shoulder. Melinoë's eyes narrowed.

"Grover!" She screamed. The satyr lifted his head from where it lay on the woman's shoulder.

"Food…" He moaned, his eyes rolling up into his head. The woman glanced frantically between Grover and Percy, who was drawing closer to the Minotaur. Percy started to slow down, waiting for the Minotaur to close in. The Minotaur swung out at him, tripping forward as his target darted out-of-the-way. The woman dropped Grover to the floor, running towards the Minotaur with renewed energy. She approached the Minotaur, dodging out-of-the-way as it tried to grab at her. But the Minotaur was ready. A beefy hand shot out, drawing the woman in by the waist.

"Percy!" She choked as the Minotaur's grip tightened. "Go!" The Minotaur gave a final squeeze and the woman dissolved into a golden mist, illuminating the Minotaur's face in a flickering light. Percy screamed loudly, his voice wracked with grief, as he leapt up onto the Minotaur's back. His sea-green eyes were rimmed with the start of tears as he wrenched at the Minotaur's dreadlocks. The sword in Melinoë's hands started to vibrate as she clutched at the blunt tip, trying to formulate a plan.

"Ow!" She gasped at she drew her hand away from the blade, her fingers dripping with blood from where the celestial bronze had cut into her fingers. "But, how?" It had been wooden just a few seconds ago. From behind her Melinoë hear a cry as a group of orange clad campers stumbled up the hill. But they were too late to do anything. Up on the Minotaur's back Percy was struggling to hold on as the Minotaur tried to shake him off, he would only last a few moments longer.

"Catch!" Melinoë sent the sword spinning through the air towards Percy, manipulating the wind around it so it spun hilt first into his outstretched hand. Percy adjusted his grip on the leather and swung the sword downwards. The Minotaur twisted, diverting Percy's aim sideways, the blade slicing clean off one of the horns. The Minotaur roared, halting in his mad dance just long enough for Percy to bring the blade down once more, reducing the Minotaur into a pile of dust as its essence seeped back to Tartarus. Melinoё's hands thrust forward, stopping Percy from hitting the ground. Black dots danced in the corners of her eyes and her hands dropped to her sides.

"Melinoё!" Annabeth lay Melinoё's head in her lap, blonde hair brushing down onto Melinoë's pale skin.

"Annabeth-" Melinoё started, hands feeling out the girl's face.

"Shhh. Don't talk." Annabeth put a finger to Melinoё's lips, silencing any further comments. Two strong hands slid under Melinoё, lifting her up to their chest.

"Be really careful Clarisse." Annabeth warned. "You know Chiron didn't want to let you out of the infirmary so soon after you got well, possessed." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm fine, see?" Clarisse flexed one of her arms to show just how fine she was.

Annabeth let out a quick yelp and leapt forward, catching Melinoё's head just before it hit the ground. Clarisse cursed loudly and gripped at Melinoё's body even tighter.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "What were you saying?" Clarisse grunted and picked up her pace, refusing to meet Annabeth's gaze. Four more campers trailed on behind Clarisse and Annabeth, dragging Percy and Grover between them. Chiron met up with them at the steps of the Big House looking ready for battle as he stood in the porch in a patched ensemble of leather armour and a tie dye t-shirt.

"Annabeth! What happened?" Chiron galloped down the steps to where Melinoë rested in Clarisse grasp.

"Is that Percy?" Chiron peered over the top of Clarisse, his forelegs raising just off the ground as he sought for a clear view.

Blood leaked from Percy's arms and there were several tips in his jeans from where the Minotaur had scratched at him.

"Inside. Inside." Chiron gestured for the four campers to move Percy and Grover to the infirmary before turning back to Annabeth. "Everything. Tell me everything."

Clarisse coughed.

"Yes, take Melinoë inside too." Chiron waved Clarisse away, but the girl remained stubbornly still.

"What I'm trying to stay," she paused, waiting for Chiron to listen, "is how come Annabeth always gets to do the status reports?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow, as if to say, a woman has just died, a Minotaur attached, a boy, a girl and a satyr are severely injured, AND YOU WANT TO ARGUE ABOUT WHO DOES THE STATUS REPORTS?

"What happened?" Melinoë groaned softly. Annabeth's brow furrowed in concern as she looked down at Melinoë's slack face.

"Clarisse-"

"I know, I'm on it." Clarisse frowned, but as she started up the steps her grip on Melinoë tightened, the ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

oOo

Never sign Clarisse up to work at a hospital. The consequences will be fatal.
Clarisse, too scared to drop Melinoё again, spent a good five minutes trying to open the door with her foot. She was still there, twisting her foot at awkward angles when Chris Rodriguez came up behind her.

"Hi Clarisse." He said. Clarisse's foot went through the door, creating a gaping hole where the door handle used to be.

"Hi Chris." Clarisse's grip on Melinoё was becoming looser as her palms started to sweat. "Need to get Melinoё to the -uh- infirmary."

"Okay. Need some help with the door?" Chris asked.

"No." Clarisse said quickly. "I'm fine." Chris glanced at the shards of wood lying on the porch.

"Course you are. So you wouldn't need my help?" Chris stuck his hand through the hole and unlocked the other door, pushing it open.

"See you tomorrow." He turned and hopped down the steps.

"Yep. Tomorrow. We will be seeing. Each other." Clarisse nodded vigorously. She walked through the doorway, banging Melinoё's head on several different pieces of furniture as she made her way to the infirmary. On arrival Clarisse found the infirmary deserted, the Apollo cabin already finished with patching up Percy and Grover. Clarisse rolled Melinoё onto a free bed and pulled up the blankets to cover Melinoё's small frame, feeling just how feverish the girl was as her hand brushed Melinoё's shoulder. There weren't any Apollo demigods around and Clarisse hated to ask for help. She turned to the big cabinet of medicine, pondering on which potentially fatal remedy she should force down Melinoё's throat first. She had uncorked a friendly yellow one and had it pressed to Melinoё's lips when Michael Yew had come in, a fresh roll of bandages clutched in his hands.

"Clarisse!" He shouted. "That's arsenic!" Michael grabbed the bottle from Clarisse and placed back on the shelf, taking another bottle down as he did so.

"What's that?" Clarisse ordered.

Michael turned slowly. "I'm just going to knock you out for a few hours Clarisse. You could be possessed again for all we know."

"What? No! Michael I'm not possessed!"

"We can't take chances Clarisse!" Michael pleaded. Clarisse hesitated for just a second, her hands wavering slightly. It was only a moment, but it gave Michael just enough time to dart forward, forcing the pale liquid down Clarisse's throat.

"Michael-" Clarisse eyes went dull as the medicine took hold. Michael pushed Clarisse down onto a bed, taking care not to accidentally push her to the floor.

Certain that Clarisse was secured, Michael turned to Melinoë. Suddenly realising that even though Clarisse had nearly killed Melinoë, she was right. The girl really needed attention. But shouldn't he tell Chiron about Clarisse… but Michael wasn't sure if Clarisse really was possessed yet. She could've just been really stupid… Melinoë first, then Chiron, he decided. Stupid decision-making.

oOo

If Michael had wanted Melinoë to stay in bed and rest, he probably shouldn't have put her in the same room as Clarisse.

The girl was still knocked out, but she was snoring like someone had stuffed a jet up her nose. Melinoë tossed and turned in her bed, constantly readjusting as she tried to sleep. Annabeth was coming in yet again, in her hands a bowl of something that looked remotely like porridge. With half closed eyes, Melinoë's gaze followed Annabeth as she walked over to Percy and started ladling the porridge into his mouth. The bed where Grover had lain in was empty, the sheets down the end of the bed were coated in a thin layer of hair.

"Mum!" Percy called. He had been doing this for a while now.

"Shuddup." Clarisse murmured. Even when sleeping she could still be a right annoyance.

"Wake up!" Annabeth was forcing the porridge down Percy's throat with increased intensity, not caring as splotches of the gooey sludge were flicked into her hair. Melinoë edged out of her bed, curious about the identity of this new demigod.

She drew back the covers and slipped out of the sheets, her bare feet making no sound against the wooden floor as she crept up behind Annabeth.

Percy (that was his name right?) was drooling out of the side of his mouth.

Annabeth smirked as she wiped away little droplets of porridge from his chin, happy that she wasn't the only one who was getting the sludge all over. Percy's eyelids started to flutter and his body began to tense. The boy had barely opened his eyes before Annabeth was on him.

"What will happen at the summer solstice?" She demanded.

Percy looked startled, his eyes darting around frantically as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"What's going on? What was stolen?We've only got a few weeks!" Annabeth pressed.

"I'm sorry. I don't…" Percy mumbled.

"Stop it." Melinoë tugged at Annabeth's shirt, startling the older girl. "He's tired! Ask him later." Melinoë continued.

Annabeth sighed but let Melinoë push her out the infirmary door. When the girl returned to Percy's side he was barely conscious. She pulled herself up onto the bed beside Percy and lay down next to him.

"I'm Melinoë. I was there yesterday. Remember?" She rambled mindlessly, twirling her black curls about her index finger. "I'm meant to be sleeping now. But Clarisse is snoring to loud. The person feeding you porridge was Annabeth. Well, I don't actually know if it was porridge…" Melinoë stopped, cuddling closer to Percy she shut her eyes and slowly slipped out of consciousness.