Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourite, and followed this. You all managed to guilt me into writing the next chapter. To the person who asked, there are no pairings at all. I detest romance, and probably can't write it worth anything, preferring the different types of bonds people can share. I chose to write this starting from Thalia, as I can see her having more in common with Ed than any of the other PJO characters (like the snarky attitude).

Once again, I do not own any of the characters or places in either of the fandoms.

Thalia sighed as she sat by the boy's unconscious form. Two days. The boy had not moved for two whole days, not even when various monsters came by. Thalia had been sitting next to the boy for two days, only leaving for the bathroom (don't ask about how that works out in the forest) and food. Lady Artemis had been waiting for two days. The hunters had been talking for two days. Monster had been attacking for two days at an increasing rate. Everybody was waiting for the moment when the boy's eyes would open.

A day later, it happened.

And the first things he did was leap off of his bunk, clap, touch his mechanical arm, create a blade, and back into a corner, holding his weapon in front of him defensively.

Artemis had seen the lights flashing from his blade and came rushing into the tent.

Thalia had instinctively drawn her own weapon and shield, perhaps not the smartest move, as the boy seemed to panic at the sight of the Medusa head staring at him from the shield.

Then, he attacked.

Using a combination of reflexes honed from hunting and her ADHD survival instincts, Thalia thrust her hand out and shot a current of electricity up the boy's arm. With an animalistic scream, the boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell, once again unconscious.

"…Oops."

She might have overdone it, but in her defense, he attacked first. And her reflexes were just that: reflexes. How were they supposed to figure out that his arm was made of metal, and should not be electrocuted, as it would probably fry him for a while? And, if the boy (by some miracle) managed to survive that, the hunters now new that they should probably restrain him first.

Ed probably shouldn't have attacked, but in his defense, he was in a tent in the middle of the forest, being stared at by a girl with a crown on her head (who could very well be classified as a problem). And his survival instincts had been changed. Admittedly, he normally would have attacked someone without any warning, but that was only if provoked. Now, that wild, animalistic side of him had gained more control, probably from that 'trade' (if it counts as trading where one comes up with the prices and the other is suddenly on the losing end without even getting a word in) with Truth. But that was okay. Because in the end, it was evidence that it worked, that Al had his body back, whole. He hoped that the jerk and Teacher and Winry and Ling and Mei would all help him, because now they both know the terror of being alone and he can't subject Al to that without friends to help him. And if (by some miracle, though he didn't want to admit it) the girl wasn't a problem and he actually managed to get home, he would stop making everybody worry and finally rest.

Luckily, it seemed that Ed got a little more than planned, and the Gate somehow left a residue that sped up his healing and probably saved his life. But that must be an accident, because Equivalent Exchange and Ed didn't remember trading anything for that.

So, in only a couple of hours Edward Elric awoke to the lovely sensation of a stiff body and rope tied too tightly around him and a tree. Brilliant.

For the first time since arriving in this forest that was apparently part of another world, Ed actually had time to think, to calm down, and to generally act more like one of those human beings he loves so much than a wild animal. When you're tied to a tree with your hands too far away to clap, you have nothing but time.

"Ugh. It feels like Envy hit me." Ed said this more out of contempt for that unnatural silence that seemed to hover around the clearing that he was in than need to tell people this. If he really wasn't anywhere near his friends, he doubted they even know who Envy is.

Plus, he might have had a concussion, but who needs details?

"Be quiet, boy. Lady Artemis hasn't given you permission to speak." A young girl, probably about eleven with light brown hair done in a longer version of his own braid said, clearly disgusted by him for some unknown reason. Perhaps for tying himself to a tree? Oh wait. He didn't.

"Lady Who?" Ed asked, having absolutely no idea what the crazy girl was doing, wondering less about the identity of whomever this 'Lady' is and more about how many of his bones were broken, and why his port on his arm hurt so much. He was also wondering how much it would hurt when Winry actually got a look at his arm, and considering how many wires were sticking out, he could guess the chainsaw would be brought out.

Until he remembered that Alphonse had given up his soul to return his arm. Until he remembered that his arm was taken again for his brother's soul. And at some point, it got somewhat confusing and he gave up because thinking with a concussion hurt.

"Idiot!" This time it was another girl, even younger than the last. "You fought the monsters! You should know some of the myths! How dare you disrespect Lady Artemis like that!"

Ed tried to give her his best glare, which somehow ended up looking like a lopsided smile. "I still don't know what you mean. And can somebody please UNTIE ME?"

The girl stepped forward; to untie him, to slap him, to look at his automail (who knows with a bunch of lunatics?), but a girl about twelve years old with auburn hair who, for some reason, made him uneasy stopped her.

"I am growing impatient, boy. Tell me; what do you know about Greek myths?"

"What the heck is Greek?"

The girl grimaced. "You've never heard of Greece?" she asked, eyebrow slowly rising.

"If it's nowhere near Amestris, then no. Never heard of it. Now can you untie me?"

Ignoring the boy's request, Artemis thought for a moment. Where on Earth was Amestris? Not to mention that the boy seemed to have no idea about who she was, what Greece is, and talked about envy as if it was a physical thing, not an emotion.

This boy was proving to be far more interesting and annoying than previously expected.

"Tell me, what is this 'Amestris'?" she asked, glaring at him as if that would make him answer things properly and respectfully.

"My country. And you tell me. What. The. Heck. Is. Greek?"

"Greece is a country. The people there worshipped gods and goddesses an-"

"How come everywhere has some kind of ridiculous religion with 'higher beings'?"

This time the girl with the crown stepped up to him and zapped him, luckily on his flesh arm. Though that would explain why his port was hurting so much, if she had done the same trick on his automail.

"Jeez! Did you have to shock me like that? In case you didn't know, I have two metal limbs! Now, in exchange for shocking me, you have to untie me so I can actually start feeling my body!" He added a glare with it, this time better than the last.

Crown girl sighed. "Do you promise not to attack anyone or try to escape?"

"Promise."

"Swear it on the River Styx."

"The River what?"

"Swear it!"

Crown girl's rather scary glared were enough to convince Ed to just do it. "Okay! I swear it on the River Styx!" He yelped.

Thunder grumbled in the distance, making Ed cock his head to one side. Coincidence? Or was it the work of something else?

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the lovely feeling of his limbs returning. Those ropes were tight.

Listening to his body crack and the automail motors start, Ed started stretching. "That feels better!" he said with a huge and somewhat sloppy grin.

Finally standing up, Ed stared at his surroundings. He was in a clearing of a forest, most likely the one that he was in earlier. Around him were about two dozen girls all in silver clothing that seemed to glow, ages between about nine and sixteen. Standing out from the rest were Crown girl, who seemed to smell slightly of ozone from when she got close to untie him, and who seemed to be a leader amongst the rest, judged by the way they seemed to respect her. Another was the twelve year old auburn haired girl who asked him about 'Greece', claimed to be 'Lady Artemis', and practically radiated power. The way her creepy silver eyes (though he can't really judge, seeing as his were gold) had flashed several times during their polite conversation told Ed not to get on her bad side if he can help it.

Which he, being the person who could never respect someone without them first earning it, something that these girls did not do decided to ignore.

"It's about time! So, question: What are a bunch of little (he enjoyed saying that way too much) girls doing in this forest?" He might have added the rather common 'girl scout' comment if he actually knew what that was.

One of the other girls glared at him. If Crown girl's glare was scary, this one's was terrifying. It practically said I will tear you to shreds with my bare hands and feed you to the wolves surrounding the tents. Ed decided not to test that out.

"Hunting. What where you doing?"

Ed did not expect that. "Don't know. Probably trying to go home." Well, it's true. I don't know why I'm here and I'm trying to get back to Amestris.

"You don't know why you're in a forest?"

"Yep. Just ended up here with no say in the matter."

She drew a knife. "Do you expect me to believe you?"

Ed stared at the knife, clapped his hands, touched his automail, and transmuted it into knife. "Are you sure you want to fight me with that thing? I can tell you that mine is a lot stronger than the brittle thing you're holding. And yes, I expected you to believe me because it's freaking true!"

She glared at him once more and sheathed her knife, watching in grudging admiration as he made his disappear as well. Just as she was about to add another comment-and possibly a threat-, Artemis stepped in.

"Boy, I expect you to treat me and my hunters with respect. And tell me, what do you mean by 'trying to get home'?"

"Well, miss, I meant that I'm away from home and have no idea how to get back. Especially with those chimeras trying to kill me!"

So he knows about the Chimera. Artemis mused. But those were hellhounds.

"You said 'chimeras'. Does this mean that you do know about Greek mythology?"

Ed frowned. Wow these people are dense. If I say something once, there's no need to keep asking me the same thing in hopes that I would change my answer. "Can't say anything about 'Greek mythology', but chimeras are beings created from the combination of two or more living beings through science (he figured that saying 'Alchemy' would only create more questions.). It's a despicable practice and should be banned." He added with a scowl, remembering how the military itself created chimeras with both human and animal.

Just as one of the girls were about to say something-probably not praise him for his great description- one of the dog-like chimeras appeared. And instead of the usual three or four that attacked him, this one was followed by a whole freaking pack of over thirty. Ed could only hope that these 'hunters' were as good as they acted.

And that draws this chapter to a close. (Why does Ed have to swear so much?) At some point, you may notice that I both switched in between point of views and levels of sarcasm. This was an accident caused by writing at different times. I do hope you enjoyed this.

Next chapter: A fight with "a whole freaking pack of 'chimeras'" and some discussions on alchemy, mythology, and the ways of Truth.