The days leading up to the quest were surprisingly restful. I fooled around with lessons and met/re-met some campers. The funny thing about saving the world is that everyone wants to be your friend. I'm not complaining about being popular or anything, but I've never gotten to really know anyone closely other than Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and the rest of the Seven.

I also found that I'm not as bad at archery as I thought I was… just kidding, I'm still worse than a blindfolded tree stump… that has been set on fire… and then thrown into the canoe lake. I thought I'd give it a try to see if anything had changed and I almost killed Chiron, who after the lesson, almost certainly doubted that I was the hero of anything let alone Olympus.

The old centaur acted as if we had never had the conversation that one night other than a few knowing glances. We hadn't told him much other than all of the basics so he could assist us in our quest: We are from the future, we are on a quest, something happened in the future that we want to fix. The other Future Campers, Annabeth, Future Chiron, and I did our best to fill Past Chiron in while glossing over the details.

The conversation about Thalia's living, non-green state was an interesting one. It happened right when Future Chiron summoned her to the council meeting.

"Luteniet?" F-Chiron called.

"Sir?" Thalia asked as she strode out.

P-Chiron gawked at the image of the very-much-alive daughter of Zeus. She turned to the image on the screen and glared at me and, well, you already know this part.

"So you're alive," P-Chiron awkwardly ventured after a short time of F-Chiron and Thalia walking from cabin to cabin gathering head councilors.

"Yes." She sounded tired.

"As in… not a tree…" he weakly added.

"That is correct."

In an attempt to ease the, for a lack of a better word, uneasiness, I teased the huntress to see if she would be less stiff.

"So Pinecone face, how are the arrows flying for you hunters?"

The look of horror on P-Chiron's face shut me up just as quickly as the death glare that Thalia AND Annabeth sent me combined with the look of 'why' on F-Chiron's face. He was probably wondering what in Hades was wrong with me.

Needless to say they walked in silence after that.

During those days, I tried to ignore the occasional whispers and fade into the background of the 'camp happenings,' but apparently, not many people are allowed to spend most, if not all, all of their time with the Annabeth Chase. In attempt to sound like a prepared-for-anything, knowledgeable, and "Big-Three Material" kid, I'm going to go ahead and say that Annabeth and I spent all of the time discussing important matters that had nothing whatsoever to do with gossip, pointless bickering, and whatever silly thing we could think of.

I would never.

The only main downside of the extra time was Cabin Eleven. I don't have anything against the children of Hermes, (save one particular scar-faced blonde) in fact, their father is probably my favorite god second to only my own father. I had just gotten used to being back in the Poseidon Cabin with all of it ocean-y comforts after the giant war when I was plopped back on the splinter-filled, campy floors that Cabin Eleven had to offer.

I also spent a lot of energy avoiding training in the sword arena. I wasn't in the mood to answer the question "How do you know all of those complex moves?" just yet. This lead to spending more time with my girlfriend which turned into even more rumors.

"They're so like, totally together," true…

"I hear that they knew each other before he came here." Also the truth.

"Do you think she's pregnant?" What?! We are seventeen, and you people think we're twelve!

"Gracie told Cathy who told Lacy who let it slip to Mira who mentioned to Grace that wrote to her secret boyfriend Mark in the Apollo Cabin who told me that Annabeth and Percy are part of an undercover Black-Ops unit of the CIA and they have infiltrated the camp to expose us to the mortals." I didn't even have words for that one.

But I honestly had been spending so much time with Annabeth that I hadn't realized that she was the only person I had been alone with since Yancy and Grover.

Ironically enough, the next time I was alone with someone else, it was with Grover. I had just sat down by the water after an amazing breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. My stomach was busy digesting the syrup and I was staring over the ocean at the impending storm that probably wouldn't ever reach Camp Half Blood. I faintly heard the pitter patter of my friend's hooves over the crash of waves onto the sound, but clearly didn't process the noise until he was right next to me and whispering

"Perrrcy?"

"Ahhh!" I yelped.

"S-s-sorry." He stuttered.

"Nah, it's all right, I was just watching the waves, so how've you been?" I spoke way too eagerly.

"Goood," he replied in that tone people use while they slowly back away before sprinting as far away from you as they can.

I tried to back off a little, "so… uh… are you ready for Capture the Flag?"

"Percy, Satyrs don't usually do that…" he actually started backing away.

"Well, I'm going to find Annabe-" I began before Grover cut me off.

"So what's your thing with Annabeth?" he said it quickly as if the question had exploded from his mouth so I knew he had been wondering it for a long time.

I tried to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

"You know, you're always hanging out together. Are you… together?"

"Uhhh… nope… she just has been… trying to help me get situated into camp life."

"Oh, okay," he said warily, and ran off undoubtedly trying to figure out what mental institution he could check me into.

I could tell from his tone that it was anything but okay.

That night at capture the flag, I straightened my armor and stood a little ways away from Annabeth. We were supposed to be incognito, not making even the most trusting campers gossip behind our backs like two drunk old women.

Annabeth, being the genius that she was, caught on almost immediately and when a sly grin spread on her face, I started to get worried.

I was put on border patrol.

The way she acted as she gave it to me could've dissuaded some of the rumors. She was all like

"Percy," then gave me a little glare that made her look totally hot in the dying sunlight.

So I, being the good dutiful boyfriend asked

"Yea?"

"You can to border patrol," and though her face looked perfectly neutral, I thought I could see her inward laughter at my 'are you kidding me?' face.

So that's how I found myself standing stupidly in the dark, waiting for the vengeful Ares kids to attack.

When they came, I was ready.

Clarisse led five of her biggest, burliest brothers charging and yelling straight at me.

I uncapped Riptide with a "shink!" To the credit of my attackers, they didn't even hesitate when they saw that I was well armed and looked prepared.

I might be a good swordsman, but I'm most certainly not good enough to face six expert fighters at once.

I decided to try and get them one on one.

I made sure to keep near the water and when the first two charged I jumped out of the way so that I was only in the path of one of the five boys. In the beginning of the fight I slowly backed into the creek and let the energy surge through me. I needed as much as I could get.

With the extra strength, one-on-one strategy, and the trick I was doing with the water to make fighting harder for Clarisse's siblings, I was able to beat the first five with only a few minor injuries (the water healed the more major ones.) I looked Clarisse in the eye and quickly formulated my final move.

I dodged her final strike and sunk down into the water. Gathering as much strength as I could, I thrust my hands into the air and with them flew several tons of stream water.

"Hey," I smiled confidently to the sputtering mass of armor that was struggling to stand in front of me, "Looks like the water has a thing for you Clarisse." And I flicked a finger that sent a soaking wet, fuming daughter of Ares flying towards the woods.

I sat beneath a tree and hummed one of my favorite campfire songs until I could hear the cheers of my team-mates coming closer. When they came into view, hoisting Annabeth on their shoulders I gave a cheerful little wave. She sent me a grin that I was able to read without a problem 'Athena always has a plan.' Was the message my girlfriend was sending me.

I silently nodded as if to say 'ditto'

The celebration didn't last very long.

Not two minutes after the blue team had marched into the creek clearing a new disturbance had come about. Bursting through the trees came a gigantic jet black hellhound. The beast was foaming at the mouth and growling up a storm. It almost instantly located me and charged.

I wasn't in the mood for a scuffle and was still a little drained from my encounter with the bully half-bloods so I one last time, uncapped my sword and when it went for my jugular I held up the blade and let it fall and sink into the lethal point of my weapon.

The dog turned straight into monster dust, but not before its full weight crashed on top of me and I think I heard a few bones crack. Before I blacked out from the pain I noticed a few things. Annabeth's shocked and terrified expression that she shot at Chiron, the fact that I needed to roll into the water before I died, the glowing blue trident above my head, and Chiron's shaky voice saying

"Hail Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Son of the Sea God." Then he turned to the nearest medic and said calmly, "Get a medic."

For the second time in that period of a week or so my world went black.