I do not own Percy Jackson.

Annabeth and Percy showed up shortly after Di'Angelo left. Her with a large backpack that I'm sure had everything she could ever need. And him having seemingly nothing. Though I knew he had Riptide and his watch/ shield contraption.

All together, we made quite a team.

Argus let us take the van, since all of us can drive anyway. Just one problem.

"So, umm... Does anybody know where to go."

Annabeth scowled, seemingly unhappy with not knowing something, before saying, "I don't know. But the prophecy said to go west. So let's just get on the interstate and head that way. Just see what happens."

Percy nodded and moved to the drivers side door. I however, was concerned.

"How do you know something will happen?"

Percy laughed while shutting the door, the window was down though and I heard him chuckle some more.

"Trust me kid, something always happens when I'm around."

Percy did not fail to deliver.

We made it just short of five hours on the road -switching drivers once- when suddenly we were slammed into from the side.. The camp van rolled over before coming to a smoking stop just short of the treeline near the road. After checking that everybody was safe we all made out way out of the sideways van (through a window Annabeth kicked out).

"What the hell happened?" I asked, turning to face my companions after looking around and seeing no immediate threats.

Percy answered first, looking somewhere else as Annabeth was investigating a small cut on her calf from the window.

"Call me crazy, but I think we got rammed by whatever the hell those are."

He pointed over my shoulder and I spun on a dime as Annabeth rose to her feet.

Behind me was a large flock of equally large birds.

"Why do birds hate us?" I yelled as we scattered, the flock nosediving into where we had been.

"Their not just birds, I think their the Stymphalian Birds!"

I thought for a moment, "... Like the Hercules thing?" I yelled over the noise of the automated birds flapping their wings.

Percy yelled while ducking, holding his shield above his head to deflect a monstrous fowl, "Can someone please tell me what's going on?!"

Annabeth answered as he quickly made his way to us -hiding behind the bus.

"They were one of Heracles labor's. He had to clear them out of a field. Without getting eaten."

"But their automations?" Percy seemed very confused by this.

Annabeth shrugged, "I don't know, guess Hephaestus automated them. Let's not worry about that now."

I dove out of the way of a particularly angry bird and then rolled to my feet, "You have a plan?"

She nodded and ducked, "Yeah, bud I don't think Percy is going to like it."

He groaned from my left while bashing a bird away with his watch, "Distraction again?"

Annabeth laughed lightly and said, "well, you are the one with the shield."

He muttered something about leaving it at home from now before yelling, "ok...NOW" and at that point in time he did one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. He started jumping while lunging out with his sword to cut down what he could while running and spinning to backhand as many as possible with his shield.

Had it not been to save MY ass (along with his own and Annabeth's) I would have laughed hysterically.

As soon as he had said to go, I bolted for the nearest tree. I quickly swung to a relatively low branch and took in the situation.

Percy was knocking down many automations, (which were sadly only momentarily stunned) and successfully distracting them. Some were spontaneously falling to the ground, not to come back up, so I assumed Annabeth had her hat on.

I tried to get a rough estimate of how many were left. There were at least 75 it seemed. I frowned. I only had 25 throwing knives and very few arrows. Meaning I would have to retrieve them during the fight, which always makes things exponentially harder. Hence why I carry so many. To try and not do this.

I shook my head, nothing to do about it now. I looked and threw a knife into the chest of a crow sized automation flying to go between my tree and the one next to it. I jumped the gap to land on a steady branch on the other tree, grabbing the bird out of the air as I did so.

After I landed I pulled the knife out and dropped the bird.

The process was repeated for another thirty minutes. At that point I had no knives left (most had been lost -I would have to find them after- some broke) and was too tired to continue jumping in the trees, afraid I wouldn't make the jump once and fall.

I activated my gauntlets and joined Percy, we fought back to back. Him using mostly his shield and occasionally slashing wildly. Me punching furiously, and Annabeth still sneaking around.

We lasted like this for a long time, however fatigue (and blood loss from my many scratches) betrayed me, and I missed a punch at a bird divebombing at me, stumbling forward as I did. Causing it to miss me and hit Percy hard enough that he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

I turned around and said, "shit," just before a bird Percy could obviously no longer deflect hit me in the forehead. Knocking me into another. And then another, the last one knocked me to the ground. I heard Annabeth yell at us. Just before my vision faded to black I saw the remaining birds be pierced by many silver arrows.

Then I saw no more.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find that the story is picking up.

please review,

AC out.