Fatigue

"...no more dessert. We'll see, that's why Persephone likes me more than her own husband," Percy muttered. He wallowed in his self-pity before realizing what he said, "Wait, that isn't exactly a good thing. She likes me the same way she likes her husband."

After a short arguing match, which Percy was losing from the beginning, it had been decided that his deviation from the quest was only a minor fault. Well, that was Persephone's decision. Hades, however, was seething in his seat. Being used to having his orders carried out without fail, the elder god flashed over to the Fields of Punishment to let out his anger.

That led to an extremely awkward conversation with the Goddess of Springs. With seemingly no intention of keeping up her loyalties to Hades, the entire exchange was just like the one with Hecate. Thank gods for the timing, the Furies came rushing in at Hades' disturbance, ushering Percy out of the Underworld.

All in all, it led to the demigod to be stuck on yet another rowboat, albeit significantly more moody, in the deadly Sea of Monsters. Percy didn't even question the lines on the sea, just rowing his boat where the numbers glowed. The environment couldn't even change either, only getting worse. Instead of the odd color of the water, there were white puffs floating in it, almost looking like…

"Wool! You've got to be kidding me… Nope, it's real. Definitely a sheep's wool. Where am I going anyway?"

It didn't take long before he was answered. Just like before, another island came into view. It wasn't ugly in any way, in fact, it was quite the opposite. With crispy green fields, sandy white beaches, and an abundance of tropical fruit trees, the area would be a better place of a resort than Circe's island.

Percy had no doubt this was where he was supposed to go when a pirate ship was docked in the sand. Queen Anne's Revenge glistened in the sun as if it was beckoning the approaching demigod.

After a few more minutes Percy had safely arrived to the island. He looked around and couldn't help but appreciate the sheer beauty of his surroundings. Let it be known, as dangerous as all monsters were, the land they stoked fear on was anything but.

He walked a little forward and leaned on a nearby palm tree, "Now why exactly would the Furies drop me off here? Seems pretty peaceful too―"

In one of his constant and consistent moments of speaking too soon, the island began to tremble. Wild sheep began to bray and run around frantically. Fruit fell from the tropical trees above and a few of them bonked Percy on the head.

If he listened well enough, which for him wasn't hard at all, he could hear a rather loud voice roar, "COME BACK, NOBODY! I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU!"

Nobody? Why is he saying it like it's an actual person? Percy decided to investigate, mostly because the fruit that was falling seemed to specifically target him. He jogged closer to the mountain of the island. Hmm, never noticed that before. Thirty yards from the base, a crevice was cut into the mountain, making a makeshift cave.

He made the observation that it was probably in his best interest to get inside that cave, but as the demigod tried to climb the island's cliff, the loud voice began yelling again. "...YOU'RE—NO—LADY—CYCLOPS!"

The island began to tremble again, which unfortunately made the experienced climber lose his grip. Ten seconds and two bloody hands later, Percy looked back up to the cave in confusion. "What the Hades is up there?" He put his hands to scratch his hair before pulling away abruptly, "Dekára!"

The rumbling continued as Percy began to heal himself with Nectar and Ambrosia. Once everything was ship-shape, he searched around the plains, looking for any other way to reach the cave above. Soon, after fifteen minutes of uncomfortable searching, he found what he was looking for.

"Well, would you look at that: a bridge. To think I was trying to…" Percy narrowed his eyes as four little dots and a large one moved speedily towards him, "...climb a cliff."

He couldn't make out the four small people, but he didn't need to. No, the enormous figure stalking them answered all of his questions. There ran Polyphemus, dressed in a disgusting baby-blue tuxedo, chasing four humans across the island.

One of the said people most likely figured out who he was because they started to run with renewed vigor. "Percy!" a familiar voice bleated.

One eyebrow gradually made its way up to the middle of Percy's forehead. He could recognize that voice anywhere. With a voice hinted with suspicion he called out, "Grover?"

Sure enough, the scruffy, goat-legged, Satyr came into view, running incomparably faster than the trio around him, and tackled Percy to the floor. The demigod learned early to get used to this behavior, as because of his mother, all Satyrs and nymphs were inevitably attracted to him. All Satyrs wanted to be blood brothers while nymphs wanted to be his children's mothers.

But it all happened without them really knowing why. Once he gained the knowledge of his true lineage, Grover took it upon himself to be his personal bodyguard. As if he didn't have enough already.

"Alright, Grover. Yes, I missed you too. Okay, jeez, Grover! That's enough!" The newly-licensed searcher jumped off quickly, much to Percy's relief. He almost died of suffocation.

"Sorry, Perce. Guess I got a little ahead of myself," Grover said whilst scratching his head bashfully.

Percy was on his knees trying to catch his breath, but when he saw Grover's outfit he promptly lost it again. "Are you wearing a dress?"

The Satyr flinched at his incredulous tone, "It's a really long story."

"One where you marry a freaking cyclops! Polyphemus at that!"

"You gotta do whatever it takes to get what you want."

"I think most people would draw a line when it comes to joining a large, one-eyed monster in unholy matrimony!"

Grover tried to defend himself but was cut off with shouts from behind the duo, "Come on Thalia! Let's go!"

Percy looked behind Grover, who had begun to rid himself of the wedding garments to assess the situation. He recognized the trio from yesterday, and also why one of them wasn't crossing the bridge.

The bridge was high up on two cliffs, and under it was a large chasm. Given the Daughter of Zeus' unhealthy fear of heights, the problem being faced today would undoubtedly steal someone's life without intervention.

So without any instruction, he left his hairy companion and sprinted off towards the questers. Clarisse was on the side closest to him while Annabeth (who had the Golden Fleece) was gradually crossing the bridge, desperate to get to her sister figure. Through it all, Polyphemus was gaining on Thalia, hoping to at least get one if he can't have all.

Percy wasn't going to have any of it. As he got closer to the bridge, Clarisse decided to join Annabeth on crossing the bridge again. Just as she was going to take her first step, two hands were on the side of her stomach and she was sent backward. Annabeth heard the quick movement behind her and turned around, only to see the familiar sky blue eyes she only saw last summer.

Percy took a quarter of a second to steady himself before leaping over the Daughter of Athena. Willing his bow into existence, Percy notched an arrow and released. The arrow flew true and hit its mark, otherwise known as Polyphemus' eye. The roar of pain from the monster was almost deafening.

The tri-blood landed on the side with the Cyclops and already had another arrow at the ready. "Give up Polyphemus," Percy called out, "You've made your point. We have the fleece, just go back to your cave."

"But Nobody must die. And the Satyr was supposed to be my wedding meal." Polyphemus whimpered while scrambling back, holding his injured eye.

"It was all a trick. Nobody is long dead, and the Satyr will no longer bother you again."

"What? It was a trick?" Percy didn't like his tone of voice. It wasn't dejected or sorrowful, but furious. Furious beyond mortal belief. "NOBODY!"

His eyes' widened as Polyphemus' free hand was raised in the air and brutally brought down to shake the earth. And if the island experiencing a 10.5 magnitude earthquake wasn't enough, the Cyclops began to raise his hand again. He consistently beat the island with his hand, splitting the beautiful island again.

Percy's bow is raised again after managing to steady himself, and he contemplated letting another arrow loose. On one hand, it would stop Polyphemus from shaking the island, but on the other hand, the bridge was already splitting apart at the seams.

The Son of Artemis turned his head to look back at the demigods. Annabeth had retreated to safety with Grover and Clarisse, but Thalia was hanging onto the pole supporting the bridge like her life depended on it. Which it did.

Percy let his weapon fade out of existence as he turned to his young Aunt. "Priorities First," he chanted before speeding off towards her.

No one cared enough to ask Thalia how her day was going, but mostly because no one needed to. It was more than discernible to know that the Daughter of Zeus was having the worst day of her short and dangerous life. But the thought would've been amazing. Really.

She made have been able to face her fears and jump from six hundred and thirty feet into the Mississippi River, but that was by chance. Specifically, she had a chance of living. That prospect was nowhere to be found here. Even though there was a bridge in this situation, the likelihood that she would peer over the side, and fall, was astronomically high. Sure she took risks every now and then but Acrophobia wasn't named for nothing.

It didn't help that the ground started trembling as if it hadn't eaten for centuries. She was patiently and gratefully waiting for Annabeth to come over and help her along but no. The stupid Cyclops who had the stupid fleece just had to shake the stupid island. It was just so… stupid.

Now as she held on for dear life, she began to think about her life and all the good and bad that came with it. On the mortal side she was fine, minus her mother. Annabeth and Percy and whoever decided to treat her normally was always a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It was the divine side that took hold on her mind.

She had only truly met four gods in her lifetime. The Big Three, and her father's wife. Poseidon was an amusing surprise, Hera was a total witch, and Hades was… well, Hades. Thalia couldn't expect too much from him. Surprisingly, it was her father that took home the gold for her.

Percy wasted no time and picked up Thalia in bridal style and took off down the bridge. Once he got to Grover's end, he heard the gasps of Clarisse and Annabeth. Not wasting any time, he thrust Thalia into the Daughter of Ares' arms.

He uncapped his trusty sword, Riptide, and swiped at the ropes. It took a couple tries, but eventually, the ropes snapped and the bridge fell. It was then that Polyphemus stopped his childish tantrum.

With a satisfied sigh, Percy capped his sword and placed the pen back in his pocket. He turned around with a triumphant smile before being yanked up by his shirt and being held in midair

"Wha–" Percy tried, before being yelled at.

"Shut it Prissy! You've got some explaining to do, so start talking. Now!"

Percy was silent in awe at how ferocious the girl was. She's almost exactly like her father. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Don't play dumb, Prissy. Why are you here, in the Sea of Monsters, when you should. Be. At. Camp." Clarisse shook the demigod in her hands with every punctuation.

He struggled to find an answer, partly because he couldn't think after his ragdoll like treatment, and partly because the fact he hadn't slept in over thirty-six hours was starting to catch up to him. "I uh… What happened was…"

She shook him some more, "Answer the question!"

As he was tossed around in the air again, akin to his position with Ares a year ago, he caught glimpse of Annabeth trying to snap Thalia out of whatever trance she was in. Percy began to slightly remember the details about this quest. "Why are Annabeth and Thalia here… when they should… be at camp." His voice slurred.

He never got an answer as blonde curls flooded his vision. "Clarisse stop shaking him. He's going to lose his balance mentally, which will make it harder for us to get off this island."

Percy sleepy smile at the familiar voice, "Hi, Annaaaabeth."

The Daughter of Athena frowned in response and got close to inspect him, trying her hardest to keep her cheeks from getting red. Keeping her mind focused solely on the task she announced, "Nevermind, it didn't matter. He seems to be fine, tired if anything."

"Uh, guys?" Grover tried.

"So what does that mean, Annie?" Clarisse sneered.

"It means," Annabeth started, with a condescending tone, "that he will have to be helped down the hills to our boat."

"Umm, this is serious," Grover whimpered.

"And then I'm just the lucky gal to help him, right?"

Grey eyes rolled in annoyance, "Obviously. Out of all us, you would be the… best equipped."

"Annabeth, come on. Clarisse?"

"What are you trying to say, Chase?" As if preparing for a fight, the Daughter of Ares pulled out her famous spear.

Annabeth wasn't even fazed, and somehow pulled off looking up at her with a disappointed look. "Don't be so insensible. You apprehended exactly what my intentions were."

"Hey!" Both girls turned to Thalia, who finally realized she was on safe ground. "We have a problem, like a man-eating sheep problem!"

This time Annabeth acted with purpose instead of indifference and was at Thalia's side in an instant. She also took the chance to look at the startled and recently aggravated sheep who were indeed making their way over to them. "What? Grover why didn't you say anything!"

"I did, but you two are always arguing!"

"Hate to break it to you all," Clarisse interjected, her spear cackling with electricity, "but there's no way we can get passed all them. Unless we all accepted death."

Thalia didn't like the sound of that at all, "No, no. I can handle it. Just everyone, move back." Everyone did, with a little hesitation from Annabeth and disgruntled moaning from Percy, and moved towards their cliffside.

Storm clouds began to take form in the skies above them, like ink on a clean paper. Their dark menacing clouds were billowing from the southeast, draining the color of the sands, grass, and mountain alike. Like the beginning of an impending laugh, lightning began to crackle, tickling the mountaintops above.

The air began to hold weight as if gravity was suddenly stronger. Humidity became a natural enemy to the audience of demigods, as it emerged in an attempt to suffocate anyone it could get its hands on. A few raindrops began to pour on top of the demigods' heads, and then Thalia's eyes began to glow a royal blue.

The Heiress of the Sky raised both her hands and for a moment everything stopped. Annabeth moved her wet hair from her face to look around and noticed the raindrops were literally suspended in midair. The wind that was howling its ferocious profanities began to quiet in response to its mistress commands.

It was a beautiful, a restless tranquility.

Then a flash of scorching gold split the sky, and Thalia's inhumane roar boomed louder than any of the bolts she summoned.

It was utter pandemonium, and the demigods weren't prideful enough to hide their juvenile screams of fear. Even Percy, who was suffering from Sleep Deprivation, called upon another source of energy to put his butt in gear. And no matter how well-groomed each and every one of them was for battle, they were still young children.

That being said, just like any child who would stare a thunderstorm in the face, they all began to run straight for Queen Anne's Revenge with reckless abandon.

In an effort to keep them all safe, Percy decided to take a risk and run straight for Thalia. Annabeth, who was more worried for Thalia then herself, saw him and tried to yell "NO!", but it unquestionably fell on deaf ears. Clarisse, however, decided to take initiative and took a dive at Percy to stop him.

She missed and ended up doing what Percy wanted anyway. Everyone and everything stopped, and Thalia's eyes proceeded to dim. No one wanted to move but Clarisse had other ideas as she began to laugh dryly while hoisting the Daughter of Zeus upon her shoulder.

She made her move too quickly.

A bolt of lighting sprouted from the clouds and struck inches away from Clarisse, but it was enough to send the message.

"Run, Clarisse! Run!" Annabeth screeched.

She didn't need to be told twice as she shot towards the beaches. Like a lightning rod, Thalia seemed to subconsciously attract bolts towards her being. Once Clarisse arrived to the shores of the island, she didn't know what to do. It was pretty comical, seeing the Bully of Camp Half-Blood run around in circles to avoid being hit by lightning.

Annabeth, Grover, and Percy caught up to the two and began to scramble for ideas. "Annabeth, you're the smart one. Any theories you want to bring up?"

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking." Annabeth was frantic, she never did have experience with demigods and their elemental powers. What little she did know about was just Apollo's kids healing or Demeter's kids' gardens.

"The sea," Percy whispered. Thinking about it, it did make sense. The water, Poseidon's domain, should block off any bolts that try to enter. Or it could totally backfire and they turn into fried demigods.

It's a good fifty-fifty… Right?

"The water! Clarisse, go to the water!"

The desperate demigoddess paused to hesitate, but then the clouds began to rumble louder than ever before. It was as if they took a mind of their own and knew what Percy was planning, which was a good sign.

Clarisse was actually pretty far from the shores and gave everything she had into reaching the waters. She was doing well but then started to slow when she was waist deep. All the while the storm started to get louder, preparing its final devastating blow.

"Throw her, Clarisse! You're going to get hit!"

"NO!" Annabeth actually had tears building up, not liking the idea of a Daughter of Zeus in the Sea God's domain at all. It was too late because Clarisse launched Thalia like a football into the Sea of Monsters, the most dangerous body of water on the planet.

The bolt came down with a luminous streak tried to reach Thalia before she was engulfed in the water, but it was too slow. It ricocheted back into the storm clouds and caused it to dissipate in a display of fireworks.

Not that anyone noticed, as everyone focused on Clarisse who went underwater to retrieve the fallen demigod. It was a tense twenty seconds, but when all hope was lost she emerged with the raven-haired demigod in tow.

Annabeth made a delightful shriek and raced towards the sopping wet demigoddesses to retrieve her sister figure. Grover jumped up and let out a whoop, before turning around to see Polyphemus' smoking figure laid on the grass. The Satyr knew he was alive still, as the groans and moans were easily heard.

Grover looked over at Percy with a happy smile before losing it for enlarged eyes, "Percy? Where the heck did you get that from?"

Percy readjusted the fried sheep to fit comfortably on his shoulders as his face went crimson.

"Well it was just lying there, and I couldn't help myself. Y'know… Oh, why does it matter?"

Swords clashed as both opponents didn't hold anything back. Well, that's what the smaller swordsman thought.

Perseus was giving his all, fighting like his life depended on it. His opponent had the advantage of strength, but Perseus knew he kept the battle alive because he was faster. It was a small favor for the demigod, considering his sparring partner was Achilles.

They were in the newly built arena of the Underworld. It was said that Hades employed a small number of dead architects and gave them the space needed. Resources wasn't a problem, with a wave of his hand there were different stones, metals, and jewels at the disposal.

Then Hades approached the heroes of Ancient Greece, as the enemy of the gods derived from the time period of the Titans. They were eager to accept, the chance to pass on their skills and their stories from their own perspective. Achilles, Theseus, the original Perseus, Odysseus, Jason, Hippolyta, and Atalanta.

Obviously, young Perseus gravitated towards training with Hippolyta and Atalanta and was easily received by both female women. The men were thoroughly confused and the women questioned his motives, until learning that he was raised by the Goddess of the Hunt.

Hades allowed for Perseus to choose his teachers because he thought he would keep up the variety. Yet after a month and still being trained by Hippolyta and Atalanta, Hades realized that the demigod wouldn't be reasonable. So he wrote up a schedule and Percy had to deal with the male heroes.

So they had an arena, that while newly built looked like it could use a little refurbishing and trainers. Seven days meant a trainer a day, and Monday meant the famous hero of the Trojan War.

Achilles was everything he was made out to be and more. With a height that absolutely towers Perseus' small form, he was pure muscle that packed a dangerous punch. But he was also known for his prowess with the sword.

Perseus surged forward and rolled around to the back of Achilles, but tried land a blow behind the knee. However, the heavy swordsman expected this and expertly parried the attack. Faster than he should move, Achilles turned around and slashed his sword with a downward swipe. Perseus was clearly able to dodge it, and did so without trouble, but wasn't prepared for what came next.

Once again, betraying the image of how quick he should really be, Achilles lunged forward, crouched low, and thrust his fist into the boy's stomach.

The reaction was immediate, as Perseus dropped his sword, opened his mouth in a silent scream, and promptly fell backward. His hands wrapped around his torso as he groaned on the dusty ground under them.

More groans could be heard from the stands, as the six heroes and trainers cringe as Achilles most likely again "forgot he's supposed to train and not kill."

"Perseus," Achilles started, ignoring the sounds of his comrades, "is something wrong? You fight as if you have not been receiving instruction for the past three months."

Perseus was rolling around the floor holding his stomach. It felt as if a hole was trying to bore itself through him. "Well… not to be pessimistic… but you're a legendary hero… while I'm an inexperienced demigod."

Achilles took off his golden mask, "You are not inexperienced. A blade has been held in your hands since the young age of four. Your skills should be unmatched by most."

"Not most, all. Well, I can't say that for a god but no one in the camp could beat me. Not even Luke, that traitor boy."

The son of Thetis frowned, "Apologies, I do not think I understand."

"Nevermind, I was just speaking nonsense."

"Alright, well that still does not answer my question. Something is up with you."

"It's nothing alright." He slowly pulled himself off the floor, "I'm ready to go again when you are."

"You are not. Is it something to do with your moth—"

"Don't talk about her! I'm perfectly fine…" His body forsook his thoughts as he fell down again, this time holding his head.

Achilles watched all of this, and his observant eyes documented everything. His eyes gained an understanding glint as he turned to his fellow trainers and waved them off. They didn't argue or protest, knowing that the Trojan War veteran was wise enough to handle the situation.

"I'm hungry, how about you all?" Theseus' stomach growled in response. Everyone else voiced their agreement.

"I am not surprised. Ever since we have been employed you have done nothing but eat like a pig." Hippolyta had a permanent scowl on her face as she strode past them all.

"Why must that woman dispute everything I say?" Theseus threw his hands up for extra effect, drawing some snickers.

"Oh quiet you. Imagine living your whole life as a warrior and then being told you were actually known for being some man's wife. Your wife to be specific. You would be furious as well."

"Well, of course, I would. I am a man myself, so how can I be another one's wife?."

Achilles took off most of his armor, leaving him in just his chiton. He watched as Perseus attempted to piece himself back together after his mini-migraine. If he was perceiving the situation correctly, he knew exactly what was going on.

Hades made sure each and every trainer was informed about Perseus' special case. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned, as his own mother left him as well. Though he was a little hesitant with the demigod's hatred of some of the gods. Achilles decided to take the subtle route. Well, he was going to try.

"You didn't seem to be into the training today Perseus."

"That's because," Percy paused to shake his head one more time, "I was raised to be a hunter. I was given a bow and hunting knives from my family, not a sword. I wasn't brought up to become a swordsman."

"You cannot fight this threat in the future alongside the demigods with just a bow and hunting knives."

"I think I could do just fine!"

"Listen, Perseus. You may be a hunter now, Perseus, but you'll grow into a man eventually. A man won't be using hunting knives, but a sword and shield."

"I have never used a shield before, Achilles, and I will never use one."

"If you choose not to use a shield, then call upon your uncle to see about you getting another xiphos."

"Fine," Perseus stood up, "I will."

"It will be harder to use two swords than just one."

"I can figure it out," Percy called over his shoulder. Achilles watched him closely and reached a conclusion: Subtlety is for the weak.

"No matter your feelings on your past, you must recognize your heritage. Woe is the man who knows not where he comes from."

"I know where I come from."

"You do, but you do not acknowledge it. You must recognize and come to accept your past in order for you to move past and get stronger."

"I am getting stronger."

"Physically, but not Mentally. A great warrior is strong in both aspects. Come to terms with your legacy. If not, Perseus, then we should just stop training altogether, and let the Titans prevail. If you are not willing to put in everything, then you should put in nothing."

Perseus stood still for a moment, contemplating the thought. He waved his arms around frantically in the form of a minor temper tantrum. "Alright! Fine! What do I have to do?"

"Honor your birthright. The entirety of it. If not, surely you will die."

"My birthright?"

"You acknowledge that you are your mother's son, but we both know there is more. You are the son of the Sea God. Poseidon; Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses."

"N-now listen here!" Perseus started, while bringing up an accusing finger. He waved it in front of Achilles' face, who knocked it down, before bringing it even closer to the hero's face. "I don't know where you learned that, but whoever said that was lying."

Achilles snorted, "I would listen to the words of an elder god before I listen to you Perseus. Lord Hades told all of us before we started to train you."

"It was supposed to be confidential information."

"How would Lord Hades expect us to train you if we knew nothing past your name?"

Perseus pouted like a child who couldn't get a cookie, "Fine, you know what? I don't care. It doesn't change anything. I won't ever accept that good-for-nothing―"

"I don't think you understand Perseus. No anger will be held towards me if I decide to stop teaching you. Lord Hades actually expects it to happen. Are you catching on? I don't have to accept your good-for-nothing stubborn attitude. I won't train a coward. It's either all in or not at all."

Perseus stood there, trying to adopt his mother's glare. It didn't work, as Achilles stared back with an almost bored glint in his eyes. Finally, he huffed and turned around.

"You're not as gullible as you look."

SLAP!

Percy's entire body flipped from the left to the right as his eyes snapped open. He had no idea what was happening, as he was just trying to sleep after being up for more than forty hours in a row.

"What the Hades―"

SLAP!

The first slap knocked him out of unconsciousness, but the second one succeeded in truly waking him up and sending his mind into overdrive. Adrenaline flooding his system, he kicked his feet out towards his attacker sending it towards the end of his tent. Hurrying to prepare to fight, for what seemed to be the third time this week, Percy struggled to get out of his sleeping bag.

He was still a little disoriented.

Once he eventually got out of his sleeping bag, he willed his knives to appear with their sheaths. However, he was too slow. His attacker recovered and was up again by the time Percy tried to pull them out.

It ended up with him only able to pull out one, while his assailant got the other. It sucked that he only has one knife, but because of his tremendous amount of experience, Percy was a little overconfident when it came to winning this knife fight.

That turned out to be a major mistake. Every swipe and slash was met with either a masterfully-timed dodge or precise parry. Even when he raised the speed of his attacks, it didn't seem to affect his opponent in the slightest.

A small trickle of fear began to fall onto Percy, as he hasn't received a challenge to a knife fight since the Hunters. So weighing his odds, he knew it could either be the Hunters or an unknown threat that is after Olympus. It wasn't good regardless.

The demigod tried an experimental thrust to test the strength of his aggressor. He was mentally satisfied to see that whoever he was fighting wasn't stronger than him. With his newfound knowledge, instead of swinging fast, he swung strong. Just like he expected, he promptly sent the knife to the floor.

Yet, Percy just couldn't get an advantage in this bout for the life of him. He was tackled to the floor, and since he didn't want to kill whoever was trying to harm him, he quickly lost the wrestling match.

It ended up with him on his back and his opponent straddling him with his own hunting knife held to his throat. Had to lose eventually, he thought dryly. Though it didn't stop him from stealthily reaching his own over to the lamp and flicking its switch on.

He was glad that it wasn't an angry hunter, like Zoe or Phoebe, but was also scared of who it really was. There sat Reyna, looking as angry and furious as ever. He suddenly thought of her older sister and the similarities of the situation. Great sisters think alike then. "Reyna?!"

Her response was pulling back her knife hand, dropping the weapon, balling her hand up, and punching Percy across his face.

"Owwww! Couldn't you just stick to the slapping?"

She raised her fist again, making Percy backpedal. "Alright, alright! I was just kidding. You know, talking could help us in this situation."

She was quiet, instead just staring deep into eyes. There was no romance involved though, just pure, unadulterated anger. When she spoke she picked up Percy and slammed him into the ground with each word, "Where. Is. My. Sister?"

It was then Percy's full memory started back up because as he remembered being held at sword-point by Hylla, he now remembered the delicate conversation afterward. Play dumb Percy, you don't know where she is.

"I don't know Reyna. Wouldn't she be with you?"

It seemed like his good lies ran out though, as he was swiftly punched and thrown to the ground. He groaned in pain as he heard her growl out, "You're lying to me."

"No, I'm not… Stop it! Reyna… Oww… Fine. I'll tell you, just stop hitting me."

She didn't stop hitting the disgruntled demigod and jumped off of him, grabbing his knives. "Hmph, big baby. I expected more from you."

"Maybe you would've gotten it," Percy grunted, dusting himself off. He stood up and searched for a clock, "I'm only running off an hour of sleep―Not even! You only let me get thirty-five minutes of sleep!"

"So you've been up all night?"

"Yes, I was up all night. Even so, it would mean that you to let your sleeping partner wake up by himself."

"Yeah, but that also means you know exactly where my sister went and you're going to tell me."

He wanted to argue because he had made a promise, and he always kept his promises. But all he wanted to do is sleep, and if he just spilled the beans, he could have exactly what he wanted. Then again, Hylla said that if Reyna knew of her whereabouts, it could potentially ruin Reyna's developing personality.

She is a little aggressive, maybe a personality switch is just what the Doctor ordered.

It was so tempting… Sleep or Truth.

Sleep.

Truth.

...Lying to get some sleep. Yeah, there we go.

So the next twenty minutes were spent with Percy spitting out some intricate lie. Whether it made sense or not was up to the Fates to decide. He consciousness slowly faded away as he continued to squeal out nonsense, and really only Reyna's face was the only thing he truly remembered.

The sun was high in the sky, and the Son of Artemis found himself back inside of his very comfortable sleeping bag. Maybe she does have a heart. Percy doubted he would have placed himself back in his bag, actually, he was fairly certain he dropped right there on the tent's floor.

He shrugged it off, and after five minutes of freshening up, he stepped out to their campsite. He found Reyna petting two metal dogs, one silver and the other gold, right where he sat last night.

"Glad that you finally got your sleep?" Reyna asked. Now that he was well-rested he easily detected the sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah well, it totally was better than being woke up via your slaps," he retorted.

"It was efficient," she said in a reprimanding tone, like a teacher speaking to a student. "Besides, you act as if it was a last resort. I did try yelling out your name."

Percy rolled his eyes. If she really did, he somehow knew she only did it once. He decided to turn his focus to the dogs, who were already staring at him with beady red eyes.

"So, new pets?"

"A gift," she replied. "I just found out who my mother is, and she has very high expectations for me."

"Oh really," he questioned. He wondered how Bellona was able to give them to her. "So did she stop by or something or…"

"Of course not, Lupa brought them with her."

"Oh, alright then." He nodded in acceptance and began to walk towards the nearby stream. He was beginning to hum a soft tune, before freezing, "Did you say―"

A bone-chilling growl sounded through the area, and Percy slowly turned to the source of it. While doing so, he noticed the smirk on Reyna's face and the tailing wagging of her metal pets. Yet there was no excitement in his face when he met the newfound friend-or-foe.

The largest wolf he had ever seen stood before him, teeth bared and eyes glowing. Its coat was a beautiful silver, that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. It didn't stop him from trying to move away though.

"Perseus Jackson," Lupa acknowledged, "Your mother has told me so much about you."

A/N: Hey guys. First things first, I apologize for the wait but I have a logical excuse. So my day ones know about my AP classes. Well, two of the four (my hardest ones) just announced there will be only Review from now on, we just need to complete a few more projects. So I put my entire focus on it and guess what happened? I'm Done boys and girls. Only review from this day out and it's significantly easier than the HW.

The first scene was directly made for Thalia. I realized that she was a little punkish, and not in the way we know her, and she needed to step up her game a little bit. So now we know the power of a Daughter of Zeus. FEAR HER! I'm really sorry Reyna fans, as the last scene was perfect to spark a spark into a little romance between them. No, Reyna isn't stronger than her, but he was in the right mindset, our boy is tired.

I've been working on a few different writing projects for the future. Most of them are solo, but I am working with a group of writers as well. They are exclusive on Wattpad, so I will post the story on my account. They're a duo called Xx_Anaklusmos_xX and they're really good. Check them out on Wattpad. I have a surprise that most likely come out during May and June. That's testing days, and when I can't write. Ya dig?

It's great to be back. All reviews are appreciated. We're close to 400 favorites and 600 follows! We've cracked 61K views and I'm just glad you all love the story. Thanks for sticking with me, and if you're new, enjoy the ride.

Again thanks for even reading. Share to others, like it, add it to your library.

You won't regret it.