I do not own PJO or any of the characters. Rick Riordan does.

Hey guys, I'm really, really sorry about the huge delay for the chapter. I was busy replying to reviews, I had writer's block, and I was lazy :P After this chapter is when it really gets good. This chapter is sorta long, sorry about that! Keep the reviews coming, I really appreciate them :D

Chapter 2: I Dance To My Doom

The rest of the afternoon Annabeth stayed at my apartment, and she was basically filling me in on everything that happened since we last met, mostly the monsters that attacked. So far we were up to 5 Laistrygonians, 3 empousai, 2 Sphinx, 1 Minotaur (obviously, since there was only one), 4 Hydras, and a few very old monsters that even Annabeth didn't know. After she was done, I stared at her, my mouth hanging open.

"What?" she asked when she noticed me staring.

"What do you mean what? How is it even POSSIBLE for someone to have that many monster attacks!" I was freaked out. Things must be really bad.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "I-I don't know, Percy. The old monsters are awakening, and they were all trapped in either San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Both of them are very, very dangerous places to live, even for mortals."

"Great" I muttered under my breath. "That's just the news I wanted to hear when my best friend comes to visit me after months." Annabeth heard me and smiled, but her face was yet not relaxed, and her eyes were filled with worry.

"Percy, it's going to be okay. Until the final battle, we'll figure something out" she promised, but I could tell she didn't believe it herself. Final battle. Final battle. Final battle. Her words echoed in my mind again and again. A thought suddenly came to my mind. I made a mental note to talk about it to Chiron when we were at camp.

Suddenly I heard the door slam and I jumped. I turned and saw my mom walking through the door. She smiled, and her smile was warm, but I could see that something was worrying her.

"Hi Percy. Hello Annabeth. You kids didn't mind being home alone for a few hours, did you?" she asked. I rolled my eyes. I knew she was worried about me, but she was so overdoing it.

"Mom, I'm almost 16. I can stay home alone; I don't need you to be worried about me every minute. Besides, I'm a demigod. Mortal criminals are the last thing on my mind right now" I said, totally and completely exasperated. My mom had a hurt look in her eyes. That immediately made me feel guilty.

"I know Percy, I know. I'm just… really worried. And maybe I wasn't talking about mortals" she pointed out, and sat down on the couch next to me. "So, how was school? You only have one month left! And then there's the end-of-the-school-year dance. You are going right?" She asked, as she eyed me and Annabeth, as if she knew something we didn't.

I sighed. Typical Mom. "To answer your first question, school was… not so great." I told her about the monster attacks.

My mom gasped. "Oh, honey. That's terrible. You are alright, aren't you? And you Annabeth?" she asked with unnecessary concern. I rolled my eyes my eyes again.

"Mom, I'm fine" I assured her.

"So am I, Mrs. Jackson. You have nothing to worry about. I'll keep your son safe. I did this time, didn't I? Percy didn't even do anything." Annabeth promised, smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Hey, it's not my fault! The monster took me by surprise. Besides, this monster was so darn strong! I couldn't even move, he had pinned me to the ground" I said defensively. But even then, I felt guilty. I hadn't helped Annabeth at all. I was stronger than that, and we both knew it.

My mother gave me a warning look, and I gave her a look that said what did I do? "Alright, you two. I'm sure you will keep him safe, Annabeth, and Percy, I'm sure you can fight well too. Now Percy, what about my second question?" She had a strange twinkle in her eye. Oh man.

"Mom, of course I'm going to the dance. I have to. It's mandatory. Unless…" I smiled as a sudden thought came to me. "Unless, I can pretend I'm sick. I mean, come on Mom. I have other, much more important things to worry about. This dance isn't a big deal."

My mom raised her eyebrows. She hadn't been tricked after all. "Percy, don't try that with me. Just because you're a half-blood doesn't mean you have to miss out on human experiences." I knew she probably wouldn't change her mind, but I didn't want to let this drop just yet.

"But Mom, I'm not missing any human experience. Half-blood or not, I wouldn't have gone to this dance either. Ugh, a dance." I scoffed at the word. I was a total klutz and completely clumsy. Basically, I just can't dance.

"Percy, you are going. What about you Annabeth? Are you going?" My mom had a strange tone to her voice, like what she said implied something else. Annabeth shifted awkwardly.

"I-I don't really know, Mrs. Jackson. I guess. My dad, like you, is forcing me to go. I swear that man has gone CRAZY. I almost miss the days when he didn't care about me" she joked. I was surprised she was joking about that. It was usually a sensitive subject for her. "Dance or not, though, I'm not dancing with someone" she said, making a face.

"Neither am I" I muttered, turning red, wondering if my mom even thought about that. Was that why she was so smug? My mom smiled again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, despite the current position everyone—and the world, was in.

A sudden thought came to me. "Annabeth? Why did you join school here anyway? There is only one month left. What's the point?" I asked. It sounded kind of stupid, joining when there was barely a month left.

Annabeth sighed, rolling her eyes. I knew, somehow, that she wasn't rolling them at me. "Ask my dad, Percy. " I didn't say anything. Annabeth stood up. "I should get going, Seaweed Brain. We both have homework, and I have to yet unpack everything. I'll see you in school. I'll see you later Mrs. Jackson" she said.

I didn't want her to leave but I said, "Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Wise Girl."

My mom nodded. "See you, Annabeth. Come soon. Of course, you will be coming a lot now since you live just 3 apartments away."

Annabeth grinned. "Yes, Mrs. Jackson. I will. Bye!" She glanced at me one more time with an expression I didn't understand, and with that, she walked out of the door and left.

I sighed. My mom stood up. "Percy, you should start on your homework" she told me.

I nodded. "I will, Mom. Just let me make a phone call first." She gave me a strange look, but left me alone and went to the kitchen. I walked over to the phone and dialed Rachel's number. My hands trembled, nervous from what I was about to do. The phone started ringing. Part of me hoped that she didn't pick up.

"Hello?" said a female voice on the other end. It wasn't Rachel's.

"Um, hi. Is… is, uh, Rachel there?" I asked. I hoped she wasn't going to call the cops or something.

"Yes. Who is this and what do you want with her?" the female voice, probably her mom, asked.

"I…" I didn't know what to say. It was weird though, I called Rachel all the time, and Rachel always picked up. I never had to deal with this. "I… I'm Percy, Rachel's friend. I just want to talk to her"

"Of course. RACHEL! SOME BOY NAMED PERCY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" the female voice screamed, and nearly made me deaf.

"It's Percy?" a muffled voice asked on the other side. "Mom, give me the phone." I heard another faint sound. "Percy?" I recognized the voice immediately.

"Rachel! Uh, hey"

"Hey. Why did you call?"

"Um, about today… thanks. And, um. You… you're okay, right?"

"Hey, no problem. It's becoming a full-time job for me. And I'm fine Percy, I ran inside when Annabeth told me to. I'm fine. " She sounded annoyed, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Okay, well… I'll see you tomorrow in school." Rachel didn't say anything. It took me a few moments to figure out that she had hung up.

The next day, I was at Goode High School, opening my locker when someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned and found myself face to face with Robert Goodman. He was a pretty popular guy. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and most people would call him good looking, but his nose was huge, and his voice was all weird and deep. It was a strange combination. "Hey. It's Percy, right?"

"Yeah, I—" Goodman didn't let me finish.

"You're going to the dance, right? With who?" he asked, sort of absentmindedly. I didn't get why this stranger was asking me this. I didn't get how that related to anything.

"Yeah, I'm going, but I'm not going with anyone. Why?" Why would he want to know? He didn't even seem curious.

He looked around as if afraid someone was listening. He suddenly looked very uncomfortable."I, well… I—uh, I was just… I was just… just, wondering. Bye!" he stammered, and then literally ran to his next class. Ooo-kay, that was extremely strange, I thought. I struggled to hold all of my books and walked to my next class.

"Seaweed Brain! Wait up!" said a voice that I was sure belonged to Annabeth.

"Hey Annabeth", I said without looking behind me. Suddenly, Annabeth was beside me.

"Percy, I need to talk to you. I have bad news. It's about Typhon. I don't know exactly what happened, but… I think he has escaped" Annabeth said, terribly serious.

I felt as if a knife had just gone through my chest. For a moment I couldn't say anything. Then I finally came back to reality. "Wh-what?" I managed.

"I know it's hard to believe but… Well, even I'm not exactly sure. I just heard some people talking, and my mom was acting really weird when I talked to her yesterday" Annabeth told me. Well, at least it might not be true.

"Annabeth, Typhon is huge! What are we going to do?" I asked, freaking out. Typhon could crush the whole of Manhattan just by walking around in it.

"I-I don't know Percy. Well, the summer solstice is in a few weeks. I'm sure a lot of campers will be there. We'll decide something." A few weeks was more than enough time to have him travel here and crush the city. And Olympus. "I don't know if Typhon has even really escaped. So, just, don't worry okay?" she added, even though she was plenty worried. I could sense her fear; I could see it in her eyes.

"Annabeth, I can't not worry. I have a big enough reason to worry. Don't tell me, or anyone, not to worry" I said.

Annabeth sighed. "Okay, I guess you're right. Oh, and Percy, I won't be here for the rest of the week. I'll be at the dance though. Athena wants to meet with me. So does Chiron. I don't know about what exactly. I'll talk to you at the dance about it" she said. I stared at her like she was crazy.

"Okay, let me try to figure this out. You enter school when there's only one month left, and you would be better off training at camp. Then, you decide to miss one week of school, and come back just for a dance? What in Hades is wrong with you, Annabeth?"

Annabeth glared me. "It's not like I have a choice!" she snapped. "Besides, I told you, my DAD wanted me to go to school, okay?" She was trying hard to sound angry, but I could tell she was embarrassed.

I laughed. "Alright, alright. I was just joking. But… it is a bit whack." I winced at how stupid and lame that word sounded. Annabeth grinned, waved, and then walked to her first class. I sighed. It sucked that me and Annabeth had absolutely no classes together. Rachel had a few with me, but I was scared to meet her after yesterday's phone call.

"Hey, Percy." A voice said. I turned around and found Rachel looking at me with a tired expression. It looked like she hadn't slept a wink, and her voice was hoarse.

"Rachel! Are you okay? You look terrible." I told her in a worried voice. Rachel stiffened but didn't say anything.

"Rachel?" I asked. I was really getting worried about her now. There was something important she wasn't telling me, and I had a feeling it was nothing that was related to my other life. It hurt to think that my other life was my real life, and that would never change. I sighed.

"I-I'm fine, Percy. I'm just… I'm just having some trouble with my parents. That's why I was… I was in a, um, bad mood yesterday on the phone. Sorry about that" she apologized.

I nodded. "It's fine. I was wondering what happened. You… you want to talk about it?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, not right now. Let's just get to class." I nodded again and we went to class.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. Rachel didn't give me a chance to ask any questions about what was going on, and I barely saw Annabeth. Annabeth, Rachel, and I were the only ones sitting at our lunch table, and even then we didn't talk that much. Annabeth mostly just glared at Rachel. I found that kind of funny, but I was still wondering why she didn't like Rachel.

At the end of the day, Annabeth found me as I was walking to the bus with Rachel. She gave Rachel a cold look, and then turned her attention to me. "Percy, I'll see you Friday, at the dance, okay? My mom is sending some, er, special transportation." I nodded.

"Alright, Wise Girl. I'll see you Friday." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Then she took off. Rachel looked uncomfortable.

As we got on to the bus, I decided we had delayed enough. "Okay, Rachel. What's going on?" I asked her, nervous for the answer. We both knew exactly what I was talking about. Rachel stiffened and started to walk away, but I held her, holding her with one hand tight around her arm. "Rachel, come on!" I warned. My face felt hot. This seemed a bit dramatic, but she was really pushing it now. She told me she'd tell me, and I didn't see a reason why she shouldn't.

Rachel glared at me. "Not now, Percy" she hissed, gritting her teeth. I had never seen her so furious.

I set my jaw, and gave her a cold look, or I tried to, at least. I wasn't really that mad, just a bit annoyed, and curious. I wanted to know. "No. Now" I said in a flat but hard voice. She kept glaring at me until someone told us to move and we had no choice but to sit down next to each other. None of us said anything.

After about 10 minutes, I sighed. "Rachel. Why don't you want to tell me?" I asked her, nervous, again, for the answer.

It was another 5 minutes before Rachel answered. "It's personal, Percy."

"Tell me." I said. I was surprised when she sighed, ad gave in so easily.

"We… we got into a fight, Percy. My dad wants to move, and of course, my mom is going right along with him. It makes no difference to them how I feel. And I feel horrible. I do not want to move, not again." Then she covered her mouth as if she had given away a secret.

I felt dizzy. "Wait, what? You… I mean—what do you mean again?" How many times had she moved before? Before she could answer her stop came, and she took advantage of that. She looked at me with an expression that was almost… pain. "Rachel—" I started.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? I'll explain everything. I promise." I started to protest, but she was gone. I sighed and glowered out the window.

Wednesday and Thursday went by quickly, without Annabeth there and with Rachel not talking to me. For once, school was all about schoolwork. The thought annoyed me.

I'd tried to approach Rachel in many ways, but she just stammered and walked away. It was clear- she was avoiding me, or trying to. She had broken her promise twice now; she had promised she would explain everything. Twice.

At the end of the school day on Friday, the day of the dance, I caught up with Rachel. I put my hands on her shoulders and, almost harshly, turned her to face me, and glared deep into her eyes. Her expression bothered me. She looked almost… frightened.

"Aw, Rachel, come on! This isn't fair. Stop avoiding me like this!" I tried to make a joke of the whole thing, but it didn't work.

"You really want to know? Fine, but you asked for it, okay?" she snapped. "I move around. A lot. Wherever my dad's burning all this 'insignificant' land" – she winced at the words burning and insignificant—"I have to move. And now it's happening again. But I can't stand it anymore. Not when I have friends here. Not when I finally…" she trailed off. I don't know if I was imagining things, but I though she turned a little red, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

For a while I couldn't say anything. Finally, I managed to say, "You're moving… now?" We needed her right now. There were too many monsters around. It was weird how I only thought of the monsters and not her pain—it made me feel selfish, but it didn't even occur to me. Rachel didn't seem to hear me. "Rachel?" I said, concern in my voice. She seemed to come back to life.

"Yeah—I… I don't know, Percy. They said if I don't want to go with them, then I can"—her expression turned to sadness and hurt—"I can… move out" she winced at the words. I stared at her. I didn't get why she cared so much, though. Her parents didn't care about her—that something a lot of demigods had to deal with. It was nothing new.

"I'm sorry" I whispered. I could barely hear my own voice.

She nodded. "So am I. I'll be moving this Saturday, if I do. At least I'll see you at the dance. After that, I don't know…" She didn't finish. I nodded.

"See you." And then I was gone.

I groaned. "Where is she?" I hissed at Rachel. "You said she told you she'd be here at eight! It's 8:30" I was at the dance, wearing formal clothes that were basically torture. My mom had insisted on a suit, much to my horror, but I said absolutely not, so she forced me to wear a white formal collared shirt and beige pants. I guess I did look sort of good, but not good enough that would make me any less angry at my mom.

I looked at Rachel one more time. She was wearing her usually jeans and a top. She was never formal. Her clothes were not casual, though. Her silver top was sparkly, and her jeans were skinny and almost black. Her hair was properly combed, and she looked really good. It didn't have me tongue-tied though, thank the gods.

I sighed when Rachel didn't answer me. I didn't know when Annabeth had the chance to meet her and not me, when I was living three apartments away from her. Whenever I went there, she wasn't home. Something was up, that much I knew.

I felt someone tap my arm. "Percy!" Rachel exclaimed suddenly. I saw what she was pointing at and my jaw dropped. I forgot who I was, I forgot where I was. All I could see was a girl. A girl who looked like a goddess. She was wearing a white silk dress that stopped below her knees. She had blow-dried blond hair that shined and curled up at the ends. Her eyes were a stormy, brilliant gray. She was wearing the perfect make-up, bringing out her best features. She looked absolutely stunning. It didn't take me long to figure out who it was. She was walking toward me and Rachel.

She stopped just in front of us, glaring at Rachel. Then she turned to me and smiled wryly. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."

I didn't say anything. I was still in a daze, and my mouth was still hanging open. Rachel stifled a giggle. Annabeth frowned. "Is he okay?" She seemed genuinely concerned. She obviously didn't get what I was thinking which surprised, and relieved, me. So much for being a wise daughter of Athena.

Rachel laughed. "Oh, he's fine. He's just tongue-tied. Who wouldn't be; you look great!" Rachel complimented. I glared at her, and turned a bit red. Rachel just laughed again.

"Percy?" Annabeth eyed me carefully, like trying to figure out what was wrong with me. She didn't seem to believe Rachel, thank the gods. The next thing out of my mouth just flew out.

"Annabeth! I mean… is that… is that you?" I questioned her. Rachel laughed again, and Annabeth turned pink and glared at me.

"Of course it's me, you idiot!" she snapped. I didn't get why she was so angry. I backed away. "I know, I know. I look horrible. Make fun. My stepmother forced me into this dress, and makeup! Ugh! It was torture!" She ranted on.

"Yeah. Beautiful torture" I muttered, low enough for only me to hear. But Rachel heard me and smirked as I turned a deep shade of red.

"Annabeth, you don't look horrible. You look great, seriously" Rachel told her quietly. Annabeth stared at her, but said nothing. It was kind of creepy. I sighed.

"Let's just get this stupid dance over with" I said, exasperated. Rachel didn't say anything, and Annabeth just nodded in agreement. "I don't get the point of being here. It's not like I'm dancing either. What was my mom thinking?" I growled. After half an hour, we were standing in the same place, same position, not even talking.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked quietly, hesitantly. I looked up in response. "As long as we're here… you, uh, want to dance? To pass the time?" Rachel's face was smug. I nodded, unable to speak.

Once we were on the dance floor, I had no idea what to do. I looked at other people around me. They were dancing casually. I sighed in relief. Then, suddenly, the music stopped. The song had come to an end. Another song took its place, a much slower, sadder one. I stomped my foot in frustration.

"Ugh! Why does it have to be a slow dance, once we come over?! Ugh, ugh, UGH!" I complained. Annabeth glared at me.

"Do you want to dance or not?" she hissed.

"Not" I muttered. But she didn't hear me. I sighed and hesitantly put my trembling hands on her waist. She put her hands on my shoulders, her expression grim. We started dancing, slowly, hesitating at each movement. We were both looking at the ground. Suddenly Annabeth grinned.

"You haven't got any better than the last time we danced, Seaweed Brain." She pointed out. I grinned right back at her.

"I know" I laughed. The dancing seemed to be getting more natural, the tension slipping away. I tried to find Rachel. She was sitting on a chair, smiling so widely at us that I was surprised her mouth didn't hurt. Then again, I didn't know that. Rachel got up and mouthed the words fresh air. I just blinked as she walked out the door.

Both I and Annabeth were quiet for a while. "Annabeth?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" she asked, oblivious to the difference in my tone.

"You, uh, look really cool tonight. I mean, who would've thought I could find Annabeth Chase wearing a dress and make-up!" I complimented and teased her, smirking just a bit. Annabeth shot me a dirty look.

"Oh, shut up" she snapped. I laughed and then turned serious again.

"But, seriously. You look really great." A tiny smile formed on Annabeth's tomato red face, then disappeared again. She was clearly uncomfortable. I frowned.

"Um, thanks. So, uh… where is Rachel?" she asked quickly. Obviously, she was trying to change the subject. I sighed and jerked my head toward the door. Annabeth understood, and nodded. More silence.

"Hey guys" a familiar voice said. Annabeth and I both jumped and turned, only to see Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades, with a little smirk on his face. He had grown a few inches taller. Besides that, he was the same as ever. He had shaggy black hair, almost touching his shoulders and pale skin. His eyes were coal black and he was still very thin.

"Oh my gods, Nico! Don't scare us like that!" Annabeth screamed. Nico grinned. I patted him on the back.

"Nico, hey. What are you doing here? At this dance!" I wondered. What would Nico want? He looked at me carefully.

"Percy? Have you thought about my offer yet?" he asked. I shook my head sheepishly. Nico glowered at me. "Well think fast, Percy! There's not enough time!"

Annabeth looked confused. "What… what offer? What do you mean, Nico?" None of answered her. I looked at the ground. I knew Annabeth wouldn't like Nico's "offer". I knew Nico didn't like it much either.

"Percy!" a voice suddenly screamed. It was Rachel's. I didn't see her anywhere though; it was like a muffled scream. Then suddenly she was beside me. Her face was slightly bleeding, and she was out of breath. "Monsters! Army! HUGE! Outside, now! Have to fight… have to…" she murmured. And then, she fainted.

Haha, a cliff-hanger! Again, sorry for the huge chapter, and the delay. The next chapter will be up sooner than this. It will be called "We Battle An Army Of Nasties". Please review!