daughter-of-the-sea-god: Hey again! Here the next chapter. And don't forget, 'big battle' chapter is up next! And this time,

Percy: She's actually serious about it. Sorry for those who expected this to be the battle chapter, she just needed another one to get some other stuff in the story before getting on with the battle. Don't worry, she really is serious now.

Carter: Yep, she should be. She's kept them waiting long enough.

daughter-of-the-sea-god: *sighs* I know, I know. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! And, erm, concerning the whole 'necklace-of-invulnerability' thing, I just forgot to mention that Carter just left the necklace on her bedside table, because she didn't think she'd get hurt while she was in camp.

Carter: What?

daughter-of-the-sea-god: Erm, nothing, Carter, nothing.

Percy: Hey, I hear someone from Olympus is going to visit our birthday celebrant.

Carter: What?

daughter-of-the-sea-god: PERCY!

Percy: What?

daughter-of-the-sea-god: *sighs again, frustrated* Okay, readers, while I beat up Mr. Jackson over here, *glares at Percy* you guys go read the newest chapter.

Percy's POV

After making a truce with my sister Carter, I went over to Annabeth. "Hey Wise Girl," I greeted. "Making plans for the next game already?"

She nodded. "Well, if we want to beat them next time, we gotta have a better plan, right?" I smiled and sat down next to her, trying to listen to whatever she was saying. After around 5 minutes, Chiron walked over to us. He had a worried look on his face.

"Percy, where is Carter?" I frowned. "She is nowhere to be found. I believe she is injured, and she hasn't been treated yet. Do you know where she might be?"

I frowned, thinking about it, then our 'secret hideout' came to mind. "Erm, yeah." Chiron raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. "Um, Chiron, it's. . .er, I better go myself. She might be, um, a bit irritated or something if everyone goes." Chiron looked a bit confused, but he nodded eventually. I headed off to the woods. I was walking in a familiar trail leading toward the 'secret hideout', when someone stepped out of the shadows. Now, someone would normally freak out if that happens, but I'm used to Nico doing it all the time, so I got used to it after a while. But then, it could be his half-brother, Miguel Brewer, so I waited for the guy to speak up. I wouldn't want to disrespect a god and get another immortal enemy.

"Hello, Perseus." A man's voice said. His figure became clearer and I could make out the features on his face. Definitely the god of darkness. "I assume you're looking for your dear sister Carter?" He asked.

I nodded. "She is where you think she is. Now, let me come with you. I have something to tell her." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but I led the way. I spotted the dark bark of the tree which was our landmark. I scanned the side of the tree with my hand to find the ladder we carved on the tree. After a few seconds, I felt it. I turned to Miguel, and he understood. He walked over and studied the ladder, frowning. "How in the name of Zeus' socks will we climb that?" At first I was confused why he didn't say 'Hades', since the more used term, but then I remembered that he was a kid of Hades, so those demigods use Zeus' name instead.

"Er, Lord Miguel," I started, but he raised his hand, and I understood that I didn't need to call him 'lord' or anything of the sort. "Erm, Miguel, it's quite easy. Besides, my sister was smart enough not to put the treehouse too high up in Zeus's domain. No need to worry about getting blasted out of the sky."

He took a deep breath, and started to climb up. He was halfway to the house when I followed him. Soon, we were inside the house, and we saw my sister leaning on the tree where the house connected, half-dead from exhaustion. When I looked closer, I realized it wasn't just from exhaustion, it was from great loss of blood. My eyes widened and I rushed to her side. "Carter," I whispered, "Oh gods, I'm so sorry."

She managed a faint smile and said, "It's okay. We were both mad at each other awhile ago." I noticed she was clutching her left arm, and I gently lifted her good arm so I could get a good look at the gash. Oh gods, Artemis is going to kill me for doing this to her.

"Don't worry, Percy, she knows nothing about Carter's injuries." Miguel spoke from behind. "At least, for now."

Carter looked surprised by the sound of our cousin's voice, and looked behind me. "Mig. .Miguel?"

"Hello, cousin." He greeted. She smiled faintly, then closed her eyes. She didn't open them for a few tense seconds, and she looked at me, her eyes now a darker shade of green.

"Perce," My sister started, but then she winced and clutched her side. I noticed a good-size cut on her side, right where I first hit her. Oh gods, I am so dead. "Perce, you won't get hurt. I promise."

I frowned in confusion when she said that, I mean, how could she know I was thinking about that? But then, I remembered something to explain this, so I nodded. "Carter, we've got to get you to Chiron. You're bleeding badly."

She shook her head, and winced, but the pain washed away quickly like it was nothing. "Don't have the. . .strength. . .to go. . .back down." She spoke softly, clearly showing that her loss of blood weakened her greatly. Then I remembered her trident necklace from Dad.

"Carter, where's that trident necklace that Dad gave you earlier?" She looked away, and I saw no necklace on her neck. "Oh gods. You took it off? Why? You know Dad gave you that for protection, not for accessories."

She gave me the most frightening glare I've ever encountered- and trust me, I've seen plenty of those especially if she's in a bad mood -but I tried not to show my fear. "Can't do. . .anything now. . .can I?" She scowled, and winced again. That's when I noticed the scar on her cheek. I cursed myself mentally for not controlling my blows awhile ago. She was wincing because of that scar. "Perce. . .don't. . .blame. . .yourself. It's. . .both. . .our fault." She said, now whispering so softly I almost couldn't hear. I sighed, even if she was so weakened right now she still managed to calm me of my thoughts. She closed her eyes, and I prayed to every god I knew that she wouldn't pass out, because that could be bad(Well, according to some stuff Annabeth told me one time about that, but that's another story). After 30 seconds of tension, she looked at me with the sea-green eyes we shared, only now they were darker than before, and I could barely tell if it was black or just really dark green.

"Sis. ." I started. She looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "Why are your eyes darker than I've ever seen them?"

"Percy," Miguel spoke up from behind us, answering for my older sister. "When half-bloods are really tired or on the verge of-" He glanced at Carter, not wanting to say anything bad in front of her. "- erm, that, their eyes tend to take up a darker shade of their natural color. The darkness depends on their, um, condition. You have noticed Annabeth's eyes become almost black a few times, right?"

I nodded. When I looked at Carter again, she mouthed only four words: Tell them I'm sorry. Then she closed her eyes. My eyes widened and I shouted, "NO!" Miguel rushed over to us, and looked at me with worry on his face.

"She isn't. . .dead, but her life aura's almost gone. Her strength isn't enough for her to even just open her eyes. I'll take her to Chiron." He informed me, which got me worried about my sister. If she. . .NO, I told myself. She won't die, she's a strong girl. She'll push through. She WON'T die. He started to lift Carter up, but he had trouble making sure that her wounds weren't touched. So he said, "Er, on second thought, let's both take her to Chiron." Then we shadow-traveled to the Big House.

Jenine's POV

After our victory against the Blue Team, I went to find Carter. When she was nowhere to be seen, which was odd because we always met each other after stuff like this. I looked for Percy, and found him sitting with Annabeth on a big rock. I was about to go talk to him, but Chiron beat me to it. He asked about Carter, and Percy went deeper in the woods to look for our sister. Five minutes later, he still wasn't back, so all of us got nervous. I was worried sick about my bestfriend. But then I told myself that she couldn't be. . .NO! Stop thinking negative. A few minutes later, we heard someone yell, "CHIRON! We need you at the Big House! NOW!" When the person came to view, it was Miguel, my half-brother. Miguel searched the crowd and locked eyes with me. Even if we didn't have the same father, we still had the same mom, so we had some kind of 'telepathy'. Or at least, that's what we called it. Jenine, you'd better come with me, He said. Now I was really worried. He sounded more serious than usual, which was a bit rare. He's only like that if he's sensing bad stuff to happen, like the time he fought ten 9-headed hydras just to keep it away from the camp - which, by the way, is how he earned the right to become a god. But anyway, back to the present. Miguel shadow-traveled both of us to the Big House, while Chiron had galloped quickly from the woods, so we all got here at the same time. Miguel led us to the couch in the living room, where Carter lay with her eyes closed, barely breathing. Percy had pulled a chair to sit beside her. I knew that my best friend, being the forgiving girl that she is, completely forgave Percy for their little 'fight' earlier, but I couldn't help feeling angry toward him. I was about to yell at him for being so stupid, but then Miguel said, "Chiron, you have to do something. I can feel her-" He looked at me, not wanting to say anything negative. "Just. . .Please, Chiron, you have to do something." His voice was full of concern and worry, which was a first. He hardly cared about anybody. But then, Carter was one of the few gods who were on good terms with him. Everyone else still treated him like an outsider, which always made him go to the Underworld so he wouldn't be lonely. Carter changed that, so he came to the home of the gods more often now.

"I'll see what I can do, but Miguel, bring a healer from Apollo's cabin. I fear that my magic won't be enough." Miguel nodded and disappeared in the shadows. I went over to my sister, and Percy gave the seat to me while he just knelt beside me. Chiron went somewhere in the Big House, and a few seconds later, Chiron came out with something in his hand, and Miguel reappeared in the room with Will Solace. Will looked dizzy for a moment, then shook his head and walked over to Carter. Chiron did his healing, and Carter's breathing was more stable, but still unconscious. Will took a deep breath, and did his magic. He put silvery paste on the wounds, and hummed Ancient Greek words as a hymn to Apollo. A few seconds later, the wounds on her face, arm, and ribs slowly closed up. Will stood up, and his face was slightly pale from the healing. "Thanks, Will," Percy told him. Will nodded and went out of the Big House. I suddenly got an idea and got water from the faucet. When I came back to the room, all three guys looked at me questioningly. I ignored them and sat down beside Carter. I think Percy got what I wanted to do, because he smiled at me as if to say, Great idea, sis. I poured some of the water on her face, and it washed away the dried blood around the wound, but the scar was still left behind. I carefully lifted her right arm, and poured water where the wound was. The blood was washed away, and the scar left behind looked better than before. The same result went with the wound on her ribs. Chiron told us she could rest in the cabin instead of the infirmary. When I asked why, Miguel answered for him. "I can feel her life aura getting strong. She should be in good enough shape to be moved around." Chiron agreed with my brother, so we gently woke her up so we wouldn't have to carry her.

Carter's POV (I would've gone longer in Jenine's POV, but I couldn't think from her point of view anymore)

I woke up to some people gently shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw a few people surrounding me, but I couldn't make out their faces because my vision was still blurry. I heard a gasp, and someone said, "Thank the gods. She made it through." Chiron's voice. But how. . .Percy and Miguel. My vision cleared, and I could make out the relieved faces of Percy, Miguel, Chiron, and my best friend Jenine. I sat up slowly, and held my head in my hand. That's when I realized the wounds I had earlier were better, and were just scars, reminders of my little fight with Percy. I blinked, then looked up.

"Sorry, sis," Percy started. "I didn't mean for-"

"Gods, Carter! You will never scare me like that ever again, understand?" Jenine suddenly exclaimed, like she was only getting over the fact that I almost died. She attacked me with a bear hug, and my jaw tightened to resist from groaning. Sure, it felt good to be welcomed back to the world and all, but she had hit the wound in my ribs. Miguel must have noticed, because he said, "Hey sis, you might want to lay off all the bear hugs." Jenine frowned at him for awhile, but realized what she'd done and quickly released both of us from the hug.

"Oh, gods. Sorry, Carter. Didn't mean to." She apologized sheepishly, looking down. She was probably feeling embarrassed for not being careful, because her cheeks were pink.

I smiled at her. "It's fine, really. Now, I. ." I stood up, but pain shot me in the ribs. "Ow." Chiron looked worried, so I tried to give him a brave smile. "Don't worry, Chiron, a few minutes rest will do this." He still seemed unsure, but he went out to blow the horn to signal the last warning for curfew. I turned to my brother and cousin, and told them, "Perce, go back to the cabin, I'll be there in awhile. Miguel, go to. . .wherever you're going. Is it the Hades cabin?" Miguel nodded, saying he'd be staying for a few days or maybe even weeks to help with the training, while Percy went out the Big House to go back to Cabin 3. "Jenine, you should go too. I don't want you sleeping too late."

Miguel was still inside, and he coughed. I looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Erm, I should go and leave you two in here." He went out, which left us completely alone. Dionysus was still out checking on the minor deities, but so far there weren't anymore betrayal. That was good, because we would need all the help we need. After all, Kronos was coming back. And he could only come back if he was much stronger than before. Everyone in Olympus had believed he was too scattered to form a consciousness again, much less a body. But Apollo and I had had a vision and told everyone to get their guards on, but of course no one believed us, they even laughed at us, thinking it was just fear or something left from the Second Titanomachy. Well, who's laughing now?

"Carter, let's go. It's getting late, and you need rest." Jenine said, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Go ahead, sis. I'll be there in a minute. I just need to sit down for awhile." I told her.

"But-" I held my hand up to shush her. I smiled at her and motioned her to go on. She looked unsure, but she went out of the Big House, leaving me alone. I took a deep breath, suddenly tired. I blinked and shook my head a couple times to wake me up. I got up and went out of the Big House. Chiron was making his way back, and I greeted him a good night's sleep. He returned the greeting and told me to be careful, because the harpies were out to watch for disobedient campers who'd be out even after curfew. I nodded and we went our separate ways. I made my way to the cabin, and went in. I close the door quietly behind me, because my brothers and sisters might be sleeping already. I walked to my bed, careful not to make a sound. I laid down, and just stayed in that position, waiting for sleep.

"Carter?" A voice whispered. It was coming from the bed beside mine. I looked to my left, and saw Jenine looking at me. I raised an eyebrow at her as if to say 'Yeah?'. She shook her head to say 'Nothing', and laid back down on her bed.

I smiled, and she turned in her bed, her back now facing me. "Good night. I love you, Jenine." I whispered so softly I thought she couldn't have heard it. Even if she wasn't facing me, I could tell she was smiling.

She turned and faced me, her eyes smiling. "I love you too, sis. Good night." She muttered, then closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

I smiled, feeling good all of a sudden. And then I realized why: we'd never actually said those stuff, even if it's not as hard as boy-to-girl confessing. It's just, all of a sudden it felt right to say it. I was about to drift off to Slumberland happily, but a voice spoke in my mind: Hey Kelp Head. My eyes, which were half-closed awhile ago, widened so much I thought my eyes were going to come out. I was shocked right to the core, I couldn't speak, even telepathically. Come on, Carter. Get out here. I was about to get up and head for the door, but the thought of my sister held me back at the last second. Arty must've sensed my hesitation, because she said: Don't worry, Kelpy. I had Morpheus put a good sleeping spell on the cabin. No one will wake up even if your bed falls apart. I grinned, then told her, Now that's my Arty. Through our 'empathy link', or whatever you would call this, I could feel her smile. Then she said, Yeah, yeah. Cut it out with the flattery, Kelp Head, and get out here. I stifled a laugh, and went out the cabin. I didn't see her anywhere, but I knew better than to go back inside. I sat down on the bench-and-swing-like thing on the left, and a second later, she shimmered to existence next to me.

"Hey Carter," Artemis greeted. "Happy Birthday." (Remember, right from chapter12, the story never goes to the day after Carter's birthday.)

I smiled and looked at her in the eyes. "Thanks. For, you know, the weapons and for, well, coming here. It really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well, you're awesome with sword play, and you're the best archer next to us in the world." She smiled. "Well, for me, anyway."

"Who's doing the flattery now, huh?" I teased. She punched me playfully in the arm. Two things happened after that: 1)It felt good 'cause, well, it was like the good ol' times and 2)I winced because that was the arm that Percy cut, and it wasn't fully healed yet. I clenched my jaw so Arty wouldn't see me pained. Fortunately, she didn't notice, and we laughed for a little until things got quiet and we just enjoyed each other's company in peace. I sighed, and I felt her eyes at me. I looked at her, and for a few seconds we locked eyes. Then her eyes moved to my right cheek, and I tensed.

Fortunately, she didn't notice the scar for some reason, so I calmed down. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw her tilt her head and then she held my chin and tilted my head so I was facing her. I narrowed my eyes at her and frowned, curious why she did that. Then she let my face go, and said, "What happened to you? You look more tired than you usually are."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I've lost my 'appearance-changing' abilities. Aside from that, the training here is more intense because we expect the war within 2 weeks, or maybe even less. I teach swordplay and archery, since Chiron's always out almost every other day for some unknown reasons. And since the minor gods have claimed their kids, training sessions hold 40 campers now, sometimes even 50. It's a good thing Miguel, Ryan, Percy and Annabeth are helping me train the kids."

She sighed. "Carter, if you're stressing yourself out so much, you might not have enough strength left for the war. Like you said, we're expecting it within a week or two. You have to lay off the training for awhile, Kelpy. You have to."

I let out a breath. "No, Artemis. I have to teach the campers every technique they can master before the war. There's no time for breaks or whatsoever. Wh-" She held a finger to my lips to stop my stupid rant about teaching the kids, then did her puppy-dog-silver-eyes thing. That look I just can't resist from saying 'yes' to. Well, if you've been friends for more than 200 years, it's pretty hard to say no when it comes to stuff like this.

"Please?" She pleaded. "For me?" She removed her finger from my lips to let me speak.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Okay, Arty. I'll lay off the training every once in awhile, okay? I'll adjust my schedules. Actually, I'm the only one who has to work everyday. Perce and Annie work thrice a week, M-W-F. Ry and Mig work T-Th-S, and I handle both classes alone on Sundays."

"WHAT?" Artemis shouted and suddenly stood up, which made me cringe. She'd never been this angry at me like this before, well except that one time when I asked Zeus about that 2-year-deal thing. But anyways. . . "If that's the case then-" She stopped speaking to get a hold of herself, then when she calmed down enough, she spoke again. Still angry, but her tone was more. . .controlled. "Those duos can work both archery and swordplay each. If that's the case, then why do you have to work too? Can't you just. . .you know, not work and have Chiron or somebody else to work on Sundays? I hate seeing you so exhausted after teaching the kids, because you're so determined to make them the best that they can be." She sat back down, which was a relief to me, 'cause that meant she was really done from being angry. She could only be so scary- no, frightening, even. .well, sometimes anyway... -when she's mad. Especially when she's angry at me. "I'm sorry, Kelp Head, it's just. . ."

"Yeah, I know. Well, the reason is, well. . .Annie still needs to keep an eye on Percy so he won't lose his temper if he comes across an annoying camper or something. And as for the two gods, well, Ryan certainly needs no help with the archery class, seeing as he is the god of it. No, it's Miguel who needs some. .supervision when he's teaching swordplay. I still need to help him teach the kids some tricks he hasn't completely mastered." I explained.

"So, you teach archery when Perseus and Annabeth teaches swordplay, and you teach swordplay with Miguel when Ryan takes over archery." She said, summing it all up. "And. . .how are you going to adjust your schedules without wanting to supervise them?"

I smiled. "Don't worry, Arty. I'll work Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays only." I said, trying to reassure her because she seemed like she thought I was going to supervise them even after this deal.

"Okay," She said. We locked eyes for a moment before I felt her gaze drop to my right cheek, where my scar was. I tensed and looked away as calmly as I could so she wouldn't sense my panicked feeling. Strangely, she just said, "Kelpy, I know about your wounds and that little fight you and your brother had. And DON'T WORRY-" She said those words a little louder 'cause she must've felt my fear that she'd hurt my brother or something because we had fought and he had hurt me in several places, while my sword had barely touched him. "-because I won't hurt your brother. I know the feeling when your younger brother acts like he's the older one." I grinned at this, I knew she was talking about Apollo.

"Yeah, well. . .I just, can't I get just one damn day for myself? I mean, it is my birthday? Can't I get just one freaking day to relax before I have to go back to the world where any freaking second, you can get killed by a demigod, monster, or even a freaking immortal on Olympus. Hell, it might even be an insane mortal on the street." I said, releasing all anger inside me through that little 'speech' I made about a 'freaking day'.

"Don't worry, Carter. No one, and I mean no one will hurt you without getting through me." Artemis said, probably trying to calm me down.

I smiled at her. "Protective much, Artemis?" I teased.

She punched me playfully on the arm. "Yeah, well, can't really help but be a bit, just a bit, protective over those people I love." I coughed.

She gave me a look that said "What?". I smiled and shook my head at her as if to say "Nothing."

"Carter." She warned. "What is it?"

My smile faded and I looked away. She held my chin(again) and turned my head so I was looking at her in the eyes. Her facial expression was pleading me to tell her why the Hades I coughed earlier, but she wasn't begging. She just really wanted to know why. I sighed, and she let go of my face so I could speak properly. "It's just. . .you? Love me?"

She smiled and I could sincerely swear she was trying hard to stifle a laugh. "Really, Kelp Head? You still worry about that?" I looked down in embarrassment, and I knew she felt that I was hurt with what she said, because she continued with what she was saying. "Of course I love you, Kelpy. You're my best friend. In fact, the greatest bestfriend anyone could ever have."

By now, I was sure I had a stupid smile on my face. Thanks to Arty and those sweet stuff she says to make me feel better. And she really does mean it, it's not just to make me feel better."Really?" She raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled and said, "I love you too, Arty." I leaned back on the bench and closed my eyes to feel the breeze that comes coldest at night. A few seconds later, I felt Artemis' head on my shoulder. I smiled, feeling good. Then I tensed when I sensed something. Artemis must have felt the tension in me, because she sat straight up and shot me a questioning look.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's. . ." I started to say, then I looked at her before continuing. "It's your brother. He's gonna go to the Hunters' camp to look for you."

"What?" She asked, confused.

"We lost track of time, Arty. It's only a half-hour before the sun rises." I explained.

"Wha- Why would he go looking for me? I mean, it's not like he has to see everytime before he goes to drive his car around the. . ." She faltered when she realized that he was used to that. "Oh gods."

"Arty, you've got to go back before he goes there and sees that you're not around." I said, standing up. She stood up, too, and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back just as tightly.

"I'm going to miss you, Carter. You and that head full of kelp." I smiled when she said that. "This is probably going to be the last time we see each other in a few weeks."

I released ourselves from the hug and said, "Don't worry, Artemis, we'll get to see each other again. . .soon." She gave me one last sad smile before I averted my eyes as she glowed brightly, and disappeared leaving the scent of the forest. And it actually smelled good, not like some forests I know that are. . well, you know. I came in the cabin as quietly as I could and sat down on my bed. It was already 5 in the morning(which was weird since Jenine was still asleep, but then I remembered the sleeping spell Morpheus put on them) and I hadn't gotten any sleep, but still I felt rested. Guess Artemis did something while we were talking. I sighed when I thought of Artemis and when I had that vision about Apollo. Sure, he was looking for her, but not to say 'hello' or to annoy her or anything of the sort. I knew, I just knew, that we had the same vision before he sent me a message: Carter, I know you're with Artemis right now. . .but as much as I'd hate to break your conversation short, please, just tell her to go to me. I know we had the same vision before this. Please, just tell her to come here. We have to tell Zeus what the heck is going to happen.

Kronos' army was coming by midday, when everyone would least expect it. When no one, except the gods, would be prepared enough to face the wrath of Kronos and his army of monsters. When no one. . .would be able to survive lest we prepared now. And it was impossible to prepare now, when everyone would still be sleepy, and they'd need their rest.

We were doomed.

Whew! Epic cliffhanger? No? Send me your opinions, guys. Please, to help me become a better writer. Anyways, please review, and it'll help me update faster! Hopefully by two weeks I'll get the 'battle chapter' up and published. So, watch out for the next episode! Erm, I mean, chapter!