The black stallion was having a right fit. Percy watched as he bucked and kicked and reared itself on it hind legs. While Percy watch the stallion, he noticed marks across his back that were bleeding. The rope around his neck was too tight and was cutting into the horses flesh. Percy felt a great swell of pity for the creature.

"Grover?" Percy asked from his seat across the cage where he had been studying the horse.

"Mmmm?" Came Grover's mumbled reply.

"Do you have any more of the salve you used on Princess Annabeth?"

"Yeah, I just used some for my arm."

"Can I have it?" Percy held his hand out for it.

"What do you need it for?" He asked as he pulled it out for him.

"Something crazy." He took the salve and began inching his way toward the stallion.

The horse went wild as Percy approached it. Percy tried not to flinch, instead he pulled out one of his mother's old sweets, quickly reached through one of the holes in the cage and placed it on the ground. He moved back to his spot in the cage. The horse sniffed the sweet. The next moment, the horse ate it up.

Percy approached again. The horse was skittish, but didn't buck. Percy placed another sweet on the ground. The horse ate it up immediately. "We're not going to hurt you." Percy said soothingly as he held a sweet in his hand, palm up. To his amazement the horse gently ate out of his hand.

"What are you feeding him?" Grover asked in amazement.

"My mother always said, 'You'll make friends faster with sweets and a smile, than a scowl and a demand.'" Percy and Tyson locked eyes for a moment sharing in the memory of their first meeting. Percy opened the salve container and got some in his hand. While he offered a sweet in one hand, he began rubbing some salve on the lash marks on the horses hide. He was skittish at first, but soon began to lean into the cage. Percy tried to loosened the rope around the horses neck, but the rope held fast. He rubbed what salve he could around the flesh the rope cut into. He tried to rub the salve on every wound he could reach on the horse all while feeding him a sweet at a time. Soon he was out of salve and sweets. The stallion, however, was much calmer and even let Percy pet him. "You just needed a friend. Our situation doesn't look so good, though."

The horse neighed as though it was responding. Percy watched the soldiers milling about in clearing traps, burring the dead and setting up camp. Percy sat at the back of the cage closer to the stallion, who stood calmly beside him. He was desperately trying to come up with an idea to get them out. But each scenario was worse than the last. The sun was starting to hang low on the horizon, when Castellan approached them again. Percy almost laughed at the look on Castellan's face when he saw the stallion standing calming beside Percy, but he was too worried about what his visit meant. Percy stood with Grover and Tyson following suite.

"Looks like you did my job for me." Castellan appraised the stallion. He reached out a hand to stroke the stallions head, but the stallion rose up on his hind legs and kicked threateningly. Castellan backed up quickly. Percy couldn't help but smirk. Castellan scowled at the stallion and then at Percy. "Show time." He growled. He motioned for the guards to unlock the cage. As they were being led out of the cage, Percy saw Annabeth a few yards away flanked by two guards. She was still pale but was at least standing, and with a proud royal air about her at that. Castellan pointed his sword at Percy's neck.

"Coward." Percy spat.

"You dare call me a coward?" Castellan smiled humorously.

"Yes. You have no problem sending your men to die and do all the hard work, while you sit back and don't even care how many under your command dies, all to get what, a kid? You don't even have the guts to fight me yourself." Percy spat. He knew he had hit a sore spot for at least the soldiers. The shift in the camp was subtle but tangible.

Castellan felt it too. "Fine, have it your way. Give him back his weapon." A soldier presented Percy his weapon. It felt good to have it back in his hand again. The stallion reared again behind him, but Percy wasn't afraid anymore. Castellan on the other hand flinched.

They circled each other a few times, testing each other. Percy knew that Castellan was better than him. Mostly, he was just delaying the inevitable. Castellan suddenly charged with a vengeance. Percy successfully parried the advance, but at the last minute, Castellan punched his still healing side with the butt of his sword. Percy staggered from the blow. He tried to stiffle the groan, but he knew Castellan knew he had struck his mark by his smirk. He had purposefully hit his wound where he had run him through not three months past. "I looked up to you." Percy gasped.

"You can't trust anyone in this world." Castellan advanced again. Percy parried as best he could and saw an opening that he quickly took ending in a clean slice across Castellan's arm. Castellan grabbed his arm and when he drew it away was surprised to see blood.

Percy allowed a small smirk appear on his face. "I can't believe that. You were advancing in the ranks, why throw it all away?" Percy declared.

Castellan looked less than pleased. "I was there for one reason and one reason only, access to the palace. I have been plotting the collapse of the Olympians for a long time, Percy." Percy was hardly prepared for the next volley of attacks and let out a small hiss when he felt Castellan's blade slice his thigh. "There is always someone waiting to betray you. Let me save you from any future pain you will have from your delusional state." Castellan smirked. Percy felt his leg giving out beneath him. He backed up, his leg throbbing. Castellan knew he had won. Percy knew it too. That's when he felt the stallion's hot breath puff against his neck. In one swift movement he turned and cut the rope tying the stallion to the cage. He couldn't save everyone, but he could at least do this. The stallion instantly reared up, letting out a loud neigh. Castellan hesitated when he saw the now freed stallion.

All at once, chaos broke loose. Several horses thundered into the camp. Percy was trying to keep track of his friends, but he couldn't see a thing. He finally spotted Annabeth and went to make his way to her, when a horse with a rider blocked his way.

"Time to go, son." The man held out a hand to him.

"Annabeth. My friends." Percy desperately looked around.

"Already riding out. Let's go." He offered the hand again. This time Percy grabbed it and used it to pull himself up on the horse behind the man. He saw Castellan yelling at his soldiers amidst the chaos, then they locked eyes. The glare Castellan gave him told Percy that this was now personal. They rode out of the camp in one big stampede. It was hard for Percy so see past the pain of his leg, but he could see Tyson's frame ahead of him riding behind someone else. He couldn't see Annabeth or Grover, but he hoped they got out. At some point he realized that of the several horses surrounding them, some had riders and some didn't. Percy couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. They rode for about an hour and his leg was beginning to go numb, which worried him. Soon they came upon a camp. They rode into it and didn't stop until they were in front of a large tent. Percy saw Princess Annabeth being carefully lowered by Clarisse into the arms of several men under Athena's supervision. She looked worse for the wear from the ride, but she was alive. Percy spotted Grover and Tyson also getting off the back of horses. Some men approached the horse Percy was ridding on and helped him off. His leg instantly gave out under him and they had to carry him into the tent.

Inside the tent, Athena was hovering over her daughter. Percy watched as the doctors removed the bandages from her head wound, before he was set down on a cot on the other side of the tent. A doctor was just tending to his wound when the man who he rode with came in.

"The rescue mission was a complete success." He announced.

Athena glared at him, "Of course it was, Poseidon. I planned it."

Just then Clarisse entered the tent. "And we owe some credit to the daughter of Ares." Poseidon grinned at her. "Who knew inspiring speeches were in Ares gene pool."

Clarisse looked a bit uncomfortable at the attention.

"Clarisse?" Percy looked at her in awe.

"You owe me, Prissy."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure we're even. I saved you first, remember?" Percy smirked.

Her face turned into a scowl and she advanced on him with her sword drawn. "Don't think that this makes us friends, cause it don't."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

She huffed annoyingly and left the tent. Percy hissed as pain shot through his leg from the doctors mending techniques.

"Seems the inspirer was inspired herself." He heard Poseidon murmur.

"What happened?" Percy tried to focus on anything but the doctors prodding.

Poseidon approached his cot. His face showed no emotion. "It was quite a sight. There were the Olympians, bickering amongst themselves in Olympus' Hall, when in charges Clarisse LaRoue atop her stead. She threw the helmet at Hades and continued to give a great speech about returning the house of Ares' honor. And explaining Princess Annabeth of Athens' situation. She then called everyone to arms to retrieve her. 'We are on the same side,' she said, 'it is time we started trusting each other.' That got everyone moving. We were on our way within the hour."

Percy chuckled then grimaced as another stab of pain shot through his leg.

"We can't stay here for long. Once everyone's wounds are tended to, we will head back to Olympus."

"He's finished." The doctor finally said as he began wrapping his leg up.

Percy stopped the doctor from leaving once he was doneand asked, "How bad is Princess Annabeth?"

"It is difficult to say. Head wounds are complicated. But the fact that she is conscious and responding well to our medicine is promising." Percy nodded in acknowledgement. He was starting to fade. He didn't realize how tired he was. "Get some rest. It will be some time before Princess Annabeth will be recovered enough to travel."

It didn't take long before Percy was fast asleep.