AN: Thanks so much for the reviews. Thought I would update this while I could because I'm going to have a busy weekend. I will try my best to write the next chapter of the Sea of Monsters, but I can't make any promises. I'm almost done with the Distortion of Destiny though.

Oh, and by the way, Thalia's going to regain her memory faster than Jason did.

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own the Heroes of Olympus.


Thalia II

The Son of Vulcan


The great storm evolved into a miniature hurricane. The students ran for the building as funnel clouds whipped up their hats, notebooks, coats, and even their shoes. Thalia got smacked in the face with a good number of sandals and skidded across the floor.

Leo lost his balance and was about to topple over the glass railing, before Thalia leaped to her feet and grabbed for his jacket. She yanked him back, pushing him towards the exit.

"Thanks, bro," the Latino shouted over the wind, his eyes widened in panic.

Piper and Dylan were holding the huge doors open, ushering the other students inside. Piper's hair flew wildly across her face and even though she should have been terrified, she did not appear to be. Her voice was strong and confident as she reassured the girls who had relentlessly mocked her.

Thalia, Leo, and Coach Hedge rushed to get to the doors as well, but they couldn't seem to run through the wind like the others had. The raven-haired girl clenched her fists, wishing the wind would ease up. Wishing didn't seem to work.

Dylan and Piper managed to get one more kid inside before the doors unexplainably closed. Piper pulled the handles of the door as strongly as she could, but she wasn't able to get it to open.

"Dylan, help!" she shouted over the wind.

Dylan backed away, smiling as the wind blew through his mesh jersey. At least someone was able to enjoy the violent storm, Thalia supposed.

"Sorry, babe," he remarked. "I'm done helping."

With a flick of his wrist, a gust of air shot Piper backwards into the doors. She bounced off the door, sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Leo yelled.

He and Thalia attempted to move forward to get to her, but Coach Hedge pushed them back. When Thalia felt his hand settle on her abdomen, she unthinkingly grabbed his wrist. She twisted his arm in a series of maneuvers, somehow breaking his fingers and pressing his wrist against his back.

Hedge cried out angrily, and it was then that Thalia realized what she had done.

Dylan chortled. "Oh, you're a trained one."

Not knowing what he meant and still shocked at her own actions, Thalia released the Coach's arm and ran for Piper. Despite the force of the wind pushing her back, she made it to the other girl in record time, shooting across the skywalk like a streak of lightning.

"How did you run that fast?" Leo shouted in surprise, but his question went ignored.

"You're going to get it after this, Amnesia Girl! For now, step back. This is my fight, kiddos!" Coach Hedge shouted, holding onto his injured hand. His eyes glared holes into Thalia's back as he watched her support Piper's head. "I should have known that this was our monster!"

"Monster?" Leo repeated, still amazed at the fact that his best friend had just broken Coach Hedge's fingers. "What monster?"

Hedge's hat flew off his head, revealing two—were those horns?—knots on the top of his head. He lifted his club, which had seemingly replaced his menacing baseball bat.

"C'mon, coach!" Dylan shouted with that annoying peppy smile. "Aren't you getting a little too old for this? Let the amnesiac fight me. She'll probably do a better job than you, grandpa!"

"You're going to get it now, punk!" Coach Hedge bleated.

Dylan gestured to Leo, laughing evilly as he was flung over the side of the railing. The Latino plunged downwards, latching onto a ledge about fifty-feet below the skywalk.

"Help would be nice!" Leo yelled fearfully.

Coach Hedge grumbled a foreign curse under his breath. Thalia didn't understand it at all. It sounded strange to her, and not just because it was in another language.

"I don't know who the hell you are, punk," Hedge spoke to Thalia, tossing down his club. "But you might as well try and break some of its fingers," he pointed to Dylan, "while I save Leo."

"How are you going to do that?" Thalia asked, peering over the side of the railing. "You can fly?"

"Not fly," he answered as if it were a hilarious concept. "Climb." He kicked off his shoes and Thalia had to slap herself in the face to realize she wasn't dreaming. Instead of feet, the coach had the hooves of a goat.

"You're a…you're a faun."

How did she know what a faun was?

Hedge bleated. "A satyr. Fauns are Roman, girl." Without anything else to say, he vaulted over the railing and glided over to the canyon wall. His hooves impacted with ledge after ledge with surprising agility.

Thalia didn't know why, but she pulled the coin from her pocket again. She barely registered Piper reaching for the long-forgotten club.

"What you got there, pretty girl?" Dylan taunted, eyeing Thalia with arrogance. "A coin? So menacing. Let me guess: you're going to tip me?"

"Here's a tip," Piper spoke up, twirling the club. "Duck."

Before he could, she tossed the club through the air. The strong winds carried it along until it roughly impacted with Dylan's head. The monster fell to his knees, golden blood trickling from the new gash in his forehead.

"You'll have to do better than that, bitch," Dylan spat.

When Thalia looked away from Piper again, Dylan had completely transformed. His entire body was composed of swirling, dark fog and he had wings that sprouted from his back.

"What are you?" Piper yelled in shock.

"Ventus," Thalia provided although she wasn't sure how she knew that. "A storm spirit."

Dylan laughed loudly, shaking the skywalk as he rose above it. Cracks appeared in the glass and the kids inside backed away fearfully.

"I'm glad I waited, half-blood! I've known about Leo and Piper for weeks, but I held off on killing them. My mistress said there would be a third coming, and she was right. My, my, what a prize you are. She'll enjoy your death."

Two additional funnel clouds spiraled down on either side of Dylan, and they formed into venti.

Thalia ordered Piper to the ground, and when the smaller girl failed to comply, the taller pushed her to the ground as gently as possible.

When Thalia spun back around, she was greeted with a blast of lightning to the stomach. It flung her backwards, sending her sailing into the doors. She crumbled to the ground, feeling the sparks traveling across the pale canvas of her skin.

She was energized; she was empowered; she was pissed the fuck off.

Dylan looked surprised when she gradually rose to her feet. "How—?"

Thalia snarled, instinctually flipping her golden coin in the air. She caught it when it came back down, and was only slightly stunned that she was now holding a sword—no, not just a sword; a Roman spatha, completely forged from gold.

"Kill her!" Dylan ordered, backing away.

Coward.

Thalia did a series of flips as lightning was shot at her from the two subordinate venti. They charged for her and while in midair, she spun around and sliced through one of them with her sword. It disintegrated instantly. Before the other could retreat, she swiftly disposed of it as well.

Dylan screamed in outrage whenever his partners did not reform. "Impossible! Who are you, demigod?"

"I'm Thalia," she retorted spitefully. "You'd do well to remember that."

Coach Hedge jumped back onto the skywalk, dropping Leo effortlessly. "Sprits, fear me!" he bellowed, flexing his short arms. "Hey, where'd they go?"

"Thalia got rid of them!" Piper exclaimed, having got up from the floor seconds before. She rushed over to the raven-haired girl, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "That was amazing."

Thalia gently pushed the other girl away, sending her an apologetic smile. She didn't remember the girl and even though she knew it probably hurt Piper, she didn't feel very comfortable with how forward the smaller girl was acting.

"Shit, kid," Hedge cursed. "You couldn't have left anything for me?"

Leo grumbled. "Listen, Coach Supergoat, I just fucking fell into the Grand Canyon. I'd really appreciate it if you stopped asking for trouble."

Dylan hissed threateningly. "You don't realize how many enemies you have beckoned, half-blood. My mistress will destroy all demigods. This war you cannot win."

Thalia didn't like the way he had said this war—as if there had been one before.

A giant hole opened in the sky above—a vortex of black and silver.

Dylan cackled. "My mistress calls me! And, you, demigod, will come with me!"

He dove for Thalia, but Piper tackled the wind spirit, somehow making physical contact. They all rushed forward to help Piper, but the spirit released a loud screech. Thalia, Hedge, and Leo were all flung several feet. Piper was tossed carelessly with the wind, landing on the opposite side of the rail. She was left hanging by one hand over the canyon. She wouldn't be able to save herself like Leo had.

A scream ripped through her throat as the Native American girl slipped. She went tumbling into the frightful abyss below. Without hesitance, without indecision, Thalia ran to the railing, and used one of her capable hands to lift her willowy body above it. She barely registered Leo's yells behind her as she plunged through the open air.

It hit her when she was halfway through her fall: she had just leaped into the Grand freaking Canyon for some chick that she didn't even know. And for the love of Julius Caesar, it was such a long way down. She was afraid of heights. She was afraid of heights.

Thalia forced herself to focus. There was no time for fear. She could always look back on this memory and tremble about it then.

She tucked her arms in and sailed downwards headfirst. Her skin felt impossibly tight around her bones, but she only concentrated on getting to Piper. Faster than she thought possible, she reached Piper. Wrapping her arms tightly around the smaller girl, she clenched her eyes shut.

Rather than resignation, confidence filled her. They wouldn't hit the bottom of the canyon. She wouldn't let them.

Piper was wailing frantically in her ears, and Thalia was trying desperately to refrain from telling her to shut up for two measly seconds.

The wind died abruptly. Piper quieted, as if shocked into her silence. Thalia knew without opening her eyes that they had been halted in midair. She could sense the inactivity around them.

Finally, her eyelids fluttered open when she felt Piper turning into her embrace. Piper buried her head in the crook of Thalia's neck, tightly gripping her shirt. Thalia, unsure and a tad bit uncomfortable, rested her hand against the nape of Piper's neck.

"We're okay now," she whispered shakily and—she hoped—reassuringly.

"How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Thalia responded honestly. "I don't think it was me. I just thought about how it would be nice if we didn't fall."

Wrong. She had commanded that they wouldn't fall, but Piper didn't need to know that bit of information.

Piper sniffled. "The air is supporting us, isn't it?"

Thalia thought for a moment. "Yes. It is."

"Can you…?"

Thalia realized what the girl was asking and attempted to comply. She thought about the air supporting them higher, lifting them to the skywalk. They shot upwards, and Piper gripped Thalia's shirt even tighter. It was only moments before they landed and the two of them rushed towards their fallen companion.

Piper reached him first, turned him over, and examined his ashen face. Leo coughed before opening his eyes. He scowled at the sight of his soaked army jacket. His curly brown hair and his clothes were covered in golden monster dust, and he had a black eye that Piper inspected worriedly.

If Thalia didn't know better, she would've assumed that the two of them were the ones that were dating.

"Stupid Supergoat," Leo muttered through strings of continuous coughing.

"Where did he go?" Thalia asked—more like demanded—quickly.

Leo pointed straight up. "He never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."

"He saved your ass twice," Thalia confirmed. She outstretched a hand, pulling Leo to his feet. "How're you feeling?"

"Confused." Leo rubbed the back of his sore head. "What the hell happened, dude? I recall that storm guy, the gold sword…I'm hallucinating, is that it? Coach Hedge must've snuck something strange into our lunches or something—just a joke to laugh about at the next P.T.A meeting."

"Afraid not," Thalia responded, walking over to pick up her discarded sword. She flipped it, watching as it turned back into a coin mid-spin. When it landed back in her palm, she slipped it back into her pocket.

Piper shivered from the cold. Her wet snowboarding jacket was doing little to protect her from the harsh weather conditions. "Thalia…who are you?"

"I wish I could tell you."

Something in the sky caught Leo's attention and he narrowed her eyes. "Uh, sorry to break the news, but we've got more company."

They all looked up to see what appeared to be a flying chariot. The humungous object floated down from the sky and landed on the cracked skywalk with a frightening creak.

Thalia was now convinced that she had seen it all. A large chariot being pulled by two winged horses wasn't an everyday sight. Yet, even more surprising than the chariot were the two people that climbed out of it.

One of the teenagers—a tall, mahogany-eyed girl with short-cut brown hair—loudly stomped their way. The girl with her seemed to be much friendlier, with calm gray eyes and a curly blonde ponytail. The blonde spoke to the three first.

"Judging by your conditions, I'm going to guess that you're the demigods we're supposed to retrieve," she said straightforwardly.

"Demigods?" Piper asked. She looked to Thalia. "That's what Dylan and Hedge called us."

"Gleeson Hedge," the rough-looking girl spoke for the first time. "He's your protector. Where is he?"

Leo cleared his throat. "He was taken by these tornado things."

"Venti," Thalia supplied without missing a beat.

"Anemoi thuellai," the blonde corrected. "You used their Roman name." Romans—why did everyone keep bring them up? "Who are you, and what happened?"

Thalia explained that she had no idea who she was. She gave them her name and told them what had happened on the skywalk just minutes ago. With every word from her mouth, the blonde girl looked more and more distressed.

"What do you think, Annabeth?" the brunette girl beside her asked.

"This is a lot more complicated than a simple extraction mission," Annabeth answered. She glanced to the skies. "We should get back to Chiron. He needs to know about this."

The other nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"I usually am, Warrior Babe."

"Warrior Babe?" Leo repeated, obviously trying not to laugh. "Your parents must have hated you to name you that."

"It's Clarisse La Rue to you," the brunette snapped. "Only Annabeth can call me Warrior Babe and get away with it."

Annabeth had a sly little smirk on her face, but she changed the subject. "I know your minds are probably screaming 'stranger danger' right now, but we'd like you to come with us to Camp Half-Blood, a safe place for kids—"

"Get in the goddamn chariot," Clarisse interrupted. She saw Annabeth glaring at her, and quickly softened her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Annabeth mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Come with us," she addressed the labeled-demigods.

Leo and Piper looked to their memory-lacking friend, as if waiting for her approval. Thalia couldn't see how her opinion could possibly matter; she was the one that didn't have a single clue.

Deciding reluctantly to appease them, she followed after the blonde girl, Annabeth, and the threatening Clarisse.

Thirty minutes later, Thalia was standing in the back of the flying chariot alongside her pretend friends. Piper was mushed between her and Leo, but the two were ignoring her many complaints. Clarisse, who had introduced herself as the daughter of Ares, handled the reins, while Annabeth, who had said she was the daughter of Athena and girlfriend to Clarisse, fiddled around with a bronze navigation device.

Thalia had to admit that she was surprised by the news; how could someone as fiery as Clarisse be in love with someone as level-headed as Annabeth?

Speaking of Annabeth and Clarisse, they were demigods.

They were all demigods—half-mortal, half-god. Out of the three newbies, Thalia was taking the information the best.

For some reason, it hadn't surprised her. Sure; she was the one that had known about her sword, and she was the one who had fought off the spirits, and she was the one who hadn't even flinched whenever their rescuers had told them about their parentage, but she would have liked to say that the information was new to her. The truth was it wasn't. Every word out of their mouths—you're all demigods, one of your parents is a god, you have enhanced abilities—was a bunch of word vomit. Thalia felt that even though she didn't remember anything, she had been told all of those things in the past.

Piper and Leo looked pretty freaked although they both attempted to mask it as best as they could.

"Tell me about this camp," Thalia spoke.

She could feel Piper's curious and sad eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore it. The last thing she needed was to latch onto someone else while she was this vulnerable—clueless and unaware.

"It's in the east. It's a haven for kids like us," Annabeth answered whenever she realized that her girlfriend was too caught up with driving. "The only safe place for half-bloods."

"Half-blood," Piper murmured. Thalia was surprised by the bitterness in her voice. "Is that some kind of joke? Is my race really that funny to everyone?"

"Hey, yeah," Leo said, indignant once he had caught on. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not what you think it does, Leonardo," Clarisse finally spoke, turning around to glare at the three teenagers. "Don't raise your voice to my girlfriend like that or I'll knock your nuts into your brain."

"Baby, calm down," Annabeth soothed, rubbing Clarisse's forearm. "I'll explain everything to them. You just focus on getting us to camp."

Seemingly convinced, the daughter of Ares spun back around to face the horizon, her fingers gripping the reins just a little tighter.

The Athenian sighed quietly in relief. "A half-blood is someone who is half-mortal and half-god. You know, like Heracles, Daedalus, and debatably Theseus."

"Perseus," Piper added helpfully. "Those guys?"

Annabeth nodded. "That's right. You're very smart."

The Native American girl blushed. "Thank you."

Thalia glanced over her shoulder and eyed the multiplying storm clouds behind them.

Leo hummed. "So…like Jason?"

Thalia was so stunned that she nearly fell off the chariot. Jason. The name electrocuted her—not in a literal, physical sense, but rather mentally. Her brain prodded at her, encouraging her to remember Jason. She would've tumbled down into Arizona if Leo hadn't grabbed her by the arm.

Annabeth eyed her suspiciously, but continued to reply to the Latino. "No, Jason wasn't a demigod. He was a hero, true, but he had no godly blood. He was favored by Hera though."

"Oh," Leo said simply.

Piper erupted into laughter. "Come on, you nutbags."

"What did you just call us?" Clarisse snarled.

"This is obviously some sort of joke," the smallest girl urged. "Us? Children of the gods? You've got to be kidding. You don't seriously think—"

Clarisse threw the reins to Annabeth, who caught them easily. The daughter of Ares barged right up to Piper and placed her hands on her shoulders, effortlessly lifting the small girl until their eyes were level.

Lighting flashed around them, but none of them seemed to be aware of it.

"Listen here, Ms. Priss," Clarisse growled. "You're on a flying chariot, pulled by flying horses, and I personally don't give a flying fuck if you end up falling out of it. Now, in case you didn't notice—"

"In case you didn't notice," Thalia remarked casually, cutting into the demigoddess' tirade, "the left wheel is on fire."

Clarisse instantly stopped, nearly tossing Piper into Leo. She leaned over the edge and raised her eyebrows when she witnessed the white hot flames licking the side of the chariot. Then, she changed her focus to the storm clouds behind them. "Annabeth, more anemoi!"

Leo cracked a smirk. "Ooh, this time in horse-form."

Annabeth didn't hesitate to surrender the reins to her girlfriend. "Hold on, guys. This is about to get rough."

With a flick of the reins, Clarisse sent them spiraling through a wall of white clouds. The pegasi were bullets breaking through the flesh of the sky. Their supersonic speed slowed once they were above a completely different place.

Thalia's eyes found the steely ocean in the distance, and her pupils traced the forest scenery below them. In a lush green valley, she soon spotted a cluster of buildings, or rather little ancient temples, and a sizable blue mansion.

There were many other things to see, but Thalia didn't exactly get the chance. The wheels to the chariot plopped off, and they went free-falling into the valley. The horses struggled to support the weight of the five demigods, but they seemed far too tired.

"Aim for the lake, honey," the daughter of Athena advised, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

"I know what I'm doing, Owl Head!"

"You can't be seriously talking to me like that," Annabeth snapped. "You're always trying to dominate everything. Why can't you just accept logical, intelligent advice from someone—"

"Oh, I lack logic and intelligence, is that it?"

"Knock it off," Thalia ordered.

Clarisse released the reins stupidly, poised to punch Thalia in the face.

"Clarisse! Get away from her!" Annabeth screamed. "Gods, you're always trying to prove something, aren't you? And I thought I was the one with hubris!"

"Shut up!" Piper shouted the command. Everyone ceased talking at her instruction, merely staring at her in shocked silence. "Clarisse, get away from Thalia and grab the reins. Now." The daughter of Ares did what she said quickly. "Aim for the lake, like your girlfriend told you to do. She's the child of the Goddess of Wisdom. If you should take anyone's advice, it should be hers."

Annabeth looked smug, but quickly wiped it from her face whenever she noticed they were seconds away from hitting the water.

Thalia braced herself, gulping in a breath of glorious air before they plunged into the icy lake. She was submerged for a measly second before some powerful force pitched her out. She landed on her ass on the shore, gasping for breath and freezing cold.

Annabeth, Leo, and Piper followed soon after although they were gently assisted by giggling girls that seemed to dwell in the lake. Clarisse was just coming out of the lake, ordering the "damn sons of Hephaestus" to cut the pegasi free.

Thalia unsteadily rose to her feet, disliking the copious amount of lake water in her combat boots. She was blasted in the face by some retro-looking bronze hot-air dispenser, and within seconds she was dry; the water in her boots had vanished. With a little smile, she acknowledged that maybe the camp wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be.

Feeling hot in her jacket even though it was incredibly cold outside, Thalia shrugged the leather garment off.

There were over twenty campers surrounding them, and none of them appeared to be very pleased. One even seemed quite angry—a blonde boy with a quiver on his back—and he stormed over to Annabeth.

"I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!" He glanced to Clarisse. "I knew I should've known that this would happen, what with her traveling with you and all."

"Watch your mouth, Solace!'

"Whatever." He scowled.

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth said sincerely. "I'll get it fixed. Promise."

Will sighed, but eventually gave her a small smile. "I know you will." He scowled again when he observed the new campers. "These are the kids you were sent to retrieve? They're over thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed?"

"Claimed?" Leo repeated. Then, jokingly, he added, "No one claims and tames Valdez."

He went ignored.

An Asian girl stepped forward, wearing the same orange t-shirt and jeans that the other campers were wearing. Even though she should've blended in, she did the exact opposite; her beauty made her stand out in the crowd of others. Her dark hair was curled perfectly, like Annabeth's but less natural, and her face was delicate and covered in makeup.

"I hope they're worth the trouble," the new girl remarked.

Leo snickered. "Thalia and I haven't begun to show you trouble, right man?" At Thalia's confused look, the Latino frowned. "Oh, I forgot. You don't remember."

"We allowed you to drag us here, threaten us," Thalia shot a pointed look to Clarisse, "drop us into a freezing lake, and toss us back out of it. I hardly think it's us that have been causing the trouble."

"Thalia," Annabeth said with a sigh. "We'll answer any questions you have. Just give us time." She glanced to the Asian girl. "And Drew, all demigods are worth saving."

Clarisse nodded in agreement, walking up to her girlfriend and placing her arm around her. "If we had the option to pick-and-choose, you definitely wouldn't be here right now."

Drew seethed but seemed to be too intimidated by the daughter of Ares to actually reply. She turned harsh, scrutinizing eyes to Piper. "Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper abruptly stepped forward, about to smack the other girl.

Leo prevented her from doing so, wrapping an arm around her waist. "C'mon, diva. Simmer down."

"I told you not to call me that," Piper hissed, slapping him on the arm.

"We need to make our new campers feel welcome," Annabeth said, pointedly glaring at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide to give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would someone please enlighten us?" Piper asked loudly. "What does claimed mean?"

Thalia arched an eyebrow at the sight of the suddenly-there red, holographic image above Leo's head. It was a hammer surrounded by fire.

I would say it's that," she answered, pointing at it. "You're the son of Vulcan."

"Hephaestus," Annabeth spoke firmly. Her eyes were steely as they settled over Thalia. It was then that the brunette noticed that every eye was on them. "How did you know that?"

Thalia shrugged. "Call it intuition."

"I'm calling it suspicious," Annabeth muttered, but did not go unheard. Looking to Leo, she began to explain, "Hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths and fire. He has claimed you."

"So…you're saying that this Asbestos guy is my father?"

"Hephaestus," Piper corrected. "She said Hephaestus."

"Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe."

Quickly, the image faded away, but Leo kept glancing up as if he expected it to appear again. He reminded Thalia of a little monkey—the way he was jumping and swatting above his head.

"Will," Annabeth said. "Would you mind taking Leo on a tour? Introducing him to his new cabin-mates?

"Cabin? What cabin?" Leo asked. "I'm not Vulcan-anything!"

"Come along, Mr. Spock," the son of Apollo joked good-naturedly. "I'll explain everything."

Annabeth's keen eyes caught sight of something as she turned to stare at Thalia, and she immediately commanded her: "Hold out your arm."

Thalia glanced down, yielding her right arm out to the daughter of Athena. She saw what the girl was so surprised about—the pale canvas of the tall girl's skin was marred by the inky image of an eagle. Directly beneath it were the letters SPQR and seven lines—like some sort of barcode, marking her worth.

"That—you didn't have that before," Piper muttered.

"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"

"Beats me," Thalia said. She ran her fingers over it as something in her mind reminded her of a burning pain. "Some sleazy tattoo parlor?"

"No," Annabeth said with a shake of her head. "The image is far too intricate and permanent. It almost looks like it was burned into your skin."

The burning pain flashed in Thalia's mind again. "I think it was. I don't know."

Everyone suddenly went silent as they rushed to peer at her arm. Thalia didn't like the special attention, but she tried her best to mask the fact that it was getting to her. Several campers were glancing to Annabeth, as if waiting for her to make a decision.

"Chiron needs to know about this," the daughter of Athena announced, analyzing the amnesiac like she would a geometric theorem. Her gray eyes then turned to search the crowd. "I need someone to take Thalia to the Big House, while I take care of some things."

Thalia arched an eyebrow in question when she watched the girl from earlier—Drew—step forward. With a flirty smile, the Asian girl locked their arms and tugged Thalia away from the crowd and towards the mansion—the place Annabeth had called the Big House. Thalia barely registered Piper's mumbled curses as she was pulled farther and farther away from the lake.