Author's Note: So I'm pretty sure where I'm going to go with this story, but I'm not certain on how to get there. Lmao. I'm thinking I'll cut it off at the point where Percy disappears right before The Lost Hero starts… What do you guys think? Is that a good place to end it?

Also, Hadesrocks's OC is coming in during this chapter. But don't worry, Angel's Dectective; I haven't forgotten about Riot! I actually have to message you about her to figure out how she'll come into the story… :P

Review Response time! :D

—Lumina Balderson: I've never even heard of Norse mythology… oops. My bad. But I'll look into it and let you know what I think of your idea!

—TwIx27: You liked it? Really? YAY! :D I'm glad one of us did, lmao. And it's okay! Feel free to be late as much as you'd like(: And HOLY BABY JESUS. YOU FREAKING REVIEW FAIRY, YOU. I LOVE YOU FOR HELPING ME OUT AND PUBLICIZING. YOU HAVE NO IDEA. And I promise you will be missed! :D

—WhiteWinterStar: I'm glad you don't mind. :D And yeah, I kind of completely forgot about him, so after I published the story I realized that I didn't have Annabeth freak out or anything. I decided to make an excuse for it in the last chapter… Oops(: Also, I LOVE YOUR IDEA. Do you mind if I use it? Really and truly? Because if you don't mind I would love to.

—Fanfiction to the Max: I'm glad you liked it! I was all down on myself because I feel like it was totally half-ass. But I'm glad you liked it. That makes me feel a hell of a lot better3

Keep the reviews coming, guys! :D

Max's POV.

I forced a smile throughout the introduction to camp: the orientation film, the cabins (we would be staying in Hermes), the pegasus stables… I managed to nod and agree with everything Percy explained to me without uttering one sarcastic remark. All was going well until I reached the strawberry fields.

When I saw the field, I froze in my tracks. There were rows after rows of strawberry plants, and I couldn't help myself. I stared with a pained expression, remembering the fight that had started… everything. The kidnapping of Angel, the loss of our home, my getting shot by those assholes bothering Ella, being on the run… Every bad memory flashed behind my eyes, causing a Casanova of emotions within me. Anger, hatred, and despair flowed through my veins as freely as my blood does.

Damn strawberries.

I was shaken out of my trance by a careful hand put on my shoulder. I whirled to face Percy, who was gazing at me with a concerned expression. He stared at my face for a few moments before asking softly, "Are you okay?"

I swatted his arm away and wiped away the tears that were threatening to escape my water-filled eyes with the back of my hand. I glared at him and snapped defensively, "I'm fine." He nodded, having learned enough about me in the past few weeks to know to just drop it. Angel, however, could read my mind and snaked her hand through mine. I smiled at her before cocking an eyebrow at Percy and commanding, "Lead the way, Oh Wise One."

He laughed and a smile lit up his face, causing his sea-colored eyes to sparkle. I felt the corners of my lips twitch upwards at how carefree he seemed, but paid no mind to it as we meandered through the campgrounds. He showed us around the entire area, but Iggy stopped him when we got to the climbing wall. "Something's burning," he said abruptly. He stopped and sniffed the air before inquiring, "Why is something burning?"

Percy smiled slightly and informed him, "We're at the climbing wall. It's kind of like extreme rock-climbing for demigods."

"What's so extreme about it?" Gazzy asked, staring at the wall with a curious look shining in his eyes.

"Nobody's on it right now, so you can't see it, but— hey, look! One of the new campers are here." He waved the girl over and exclaimed, "Alecto! Care to show off your mad skills on the wall?" As the girl grinned and approached us, Percy explained the wall to the Igster. "While you're climbing, lava and boulders come down at you. You have to dodge it, which would be the extreme part. There's two walls, and they move closer to each other with time. Depending on your capability, more stuff comes down on you, and the walls move faster."

"She's only, like, ten!" Nudge exclaimed. "How do you expect her to do this? What if she gets hurt? Or, what if she falls, and like a boulder lands on her, and then lava pours down and burns her, and she gets really hurt or dies? Or, or, or, what if the walls are too fast and she gets squished! It'll be all our faults!"

Alecto glared at Nudge with a fiery passion burning in her dark-as-night eyes. Said eyes reminded me a little— well, a lot— of a certain complete asshole that bailed when it counted. (I wonder who that could be? Hmm.) The girl took a step closer to Nudge and snapped, "I'm not some stupid kid! I know what I'm doing!" She then redirected her attention to Percy and commanded, "Turn it up. I'm climbing that bitch."

"Watch your mouth," Percy scolded her lightly, but the expression that molded her features told him to shut up and do what she said. I decided instantly that I liked this girl, despite her young age. I watched as Percy turned the wall up to the best level. We watched as she scurried up the wall, dodging boulders and lava with what seemed like no effort. She reached the top before the walls were even remotely close to each other, then smirked down at us smugly. "See? I told you I'm not just a stupid kid."

Dylan gazed up at her for a moment before asking Percy, "Was I good at the wall? I feel like I might have been."

Percy paused for a moment to consider the question before deciding, "Why don't you try it? I'll put it on the lowest setting, and we can go up from there if you do well."

Dylan nodded and stared up at the wall nervously. His apprehensive face quickly morphed to a determined one as he stood at the bottom. The moment Alecto was down, he handed her his hat and sunglasses and stared at his goal: the top. "Ready," he said.

Percy turned the level down to the easiest one there was before calling over to Dylan to let him know that it was ready. We watched as Dylan began to struggle with the task of climbing up. It wasn't that he wasn't strong or he was getting hit a lot; he was just having trouble getting a grip on the rocks and kept slipping.

When Dylan was about halfway, that stupid blonde chick from before— Annabeth, I think her name was— came over. She was playing with a dagger absentmindedly as she approached. "Percy, hi, I need to talk—" Her sentence stopped short when her eyes landed on me, and then her nervous persona turned into a mask of anger. I wondered what the hell her problem was… or, better yet, what my problem was. I had an immense hatred for her, and I barely knew her. Angry sparks flew between our eyes as we evaluated each other; all in all, I had a feeling that she would be a worthy opponent. An opponent in what, I'm unsure, but she was an opponent all the same.

Just when I had made up my mind about her, our eyes disconnected. Her gaze flitted over to Dylan, and I watched her jaw fall slack. She stared in shock for a moment before whispering, "Luke?"

A/N: I realize this was another short chapter, so I'm sorry about that. However, it was much better than the other chapter (that is, in my opinion), so I feel a lot less ashamed than I did last time. Yay for more confidence! :D next chapter will have Annabeth and Dylan's reactions to each other. So yeah. Kay. Bye.

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