A/N: Hey guys, I'm posting this in my college class at the moment. I didn't have time to do it earlier. Anyways, for any college students out there, is it normal to feel nervous about college? This is now my second attempt at college, the year previous I had chosen a course that wasn't good for me. Now I'm afraid I'm going to fail and drop out again.

The group managed to salvage an old truck from the edge of the dump, and luckily, it had a tank full of gas.

Vitani drove again, and the mood was grim from Bianca's death.

The truck ran out of gas they reached the edge of a river canyon, it was just as well though, because the road was a dead end.

"Great, what now?" Thalia asked, slamming the truck door so hard that one of the tires blew.

The Desert was in all directions, occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there. The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert. The rock cliffs dropped away below them.

"There's a path." Grover said. "We could get to the river."

Percy looked down at the path Grover was looking at. "That's a goat path."

"So?"

"The rest of us aren't goats." Luke said, sighing.

"We can make it... I think." Grover said, starting to sound unsure.

"Maia!" Luke said suddenly, and his shoes grew wings. "I can take someone down with me. So can Vitani if she has her broom."

Vitani nodded and pulled her firebolt broom out of her bag.

"We can each take a passenger." Vitani said.

Since Zoe would definitely refuse to go with Luke, Vitani offered to take her first, to which she looked gratefully at the witch.

Zoe got on the broom behind Vitani and wrapped her arms firmly around her waist. Vitani then slowly descended down to the river, where Zoe jumped off the broom as soon as they neared the ground.

"Thank you." Zoe said before looking at Luke, who was carrying Thalia down bridal style. Her eyes were clamped shut as she clung to the Son of Hermes for dear life.

Vitani felt a small pang of jealousy, but ignored it. She knew that Luke wouldn't cheat on her, he wasn't like that at all.

So the witch flew back up and took Grover down next, leaving Luke to get Percy.

Once everyone was beside the river, Vitani put away her broom and Luke's shoe wings disappeared.

The group walked for about half a mile before they cam across a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season. Vitani left a wad of cash on the counter and wrote a note saying IOU two canoes.

"We need to go upstream." Zoe said. "But the rapids are too swift."

"Leave that to me." Percy said, smiling. Water was his element.

Percy, Zoe, and Grover took one canoe while Vitani, Thalia, and Luke took the other.

As it turned out, Percy didn't need to control the currents. As soon as they got into the river, a couple of naiads stared at Percy. Before Percy could even finish asking them for help, each naiad picked a canoe and pushed it up the river.

The naiad that was pushing Vitani's boat giggled and winked at Luke, who smiled wryly back.

"I hate naiads." Zoe grumbled.

She shouldn't have said that. A stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit Zoe in the face.

"She-devils!" Zoe said, going for her bow.

Percy stopped her however. "Whoa! They're just playing."

"Cursed water spirits. They've never forgiven me."

"Forgiven you for what?"

Zoe slung her bow back over her shoulder. "It was a long time ago. Never mind."

"What happened to Bianca wasn't your fault." Percy told her. "It was the curse's fault."

Zoe's shoulders slumped. "No, Percy. I pushed her into going on the quest. I was too anxious. She was a powerful half-blood. She had a kind heart, as well. I … I thought she would be the next lieutenant."

Percy frowned. "But you're the lieutenant."

Zoe gripped the strap of her quiver in response, suddenly looking tired. "Nothing can last forever, Percy. Over two thousand years I have led the Hunt, and my wisdom has not improved. Now Artemis herself is in danger."

"Look, you can't blame yourself for that." Percy said.

"If I had insisted on going with her-"

"You think you could've fought something powerful enough to kidnap Artemis? There's nothing you could have done."

Zoe didn't answer after that. Percy then took Riptide out of his pocket. Zoe gave a pained expression when she looked at the pen.

"You made this." Percy said.

"Who told thee?"

"I had a dream about it."

Zoe sighed. "It was a gift, and a mistake."

"Who was the hero?"

Zoe shook her head. "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."

"You act like I should know him."

"I am sure you do, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?"

Percy looked at Riptide and decided to change the subject. In the meanwhile, everyone else was listening quietly.

"Your mother was a water goddess?" Percy asked.

"Yes. Pleione. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."

"Those were the girls who lived in a garden at the edge of the West. With the golden apple tree and a dragon guarding it."

"Yes." Zoe said wistfully. "Ladon."

"But weren't there only four sisters?"

"There are now. I was exiled. Forgotten. Blotted out as if I never existed."

"Why?"

Zoe pointed to my pen. "Because I betrayed my family and helped a hero. You won't find that in the legend either. He never spoke of me. After his direct assault on Ladon failed, I gave him the idea of how to steal the apples, how to trick my father, but he took all the credit."

Vitani scowled, and so did Thalia and Luke.

All three of them figured out which hero it was, Hercules, and lets say that they no longer admired him, at all.

Before Percy could say anything else, one of the Naiads interrupted him.

They saw why. The river was blocked, they couldn't go any further. A dam the size of a football stadium stood in their path.

"Hoover Dam." Thalia said. "It's huge."

The naiads had left with a lot of grumbling-not in words that only Percy could understand, but it was obvious they hated this dam blocking their nice river. Their canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake of the dam's discharge vents.

"Seven hundred feet tall." Percy said. "Built in the 1930s."

"Five million cubic acres of water." Thalia said.

"Is larger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops." Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"Filled with 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York City." Vitani added.

Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."

Zoe stared at them. "How do you know all that?"

"Annabeth." Percy said. "She liked architecture."

"She was nuts about monuments." Thalia said.

"Sprouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."

"Hoover Dam is one of her favourites." Luke said.

"I wish she were here." Vitani said, slumping slightly. Luke rubbed her back comfortingly.

The others nodded together and Zoe looked at them strangely.

"You are mad." Zoe decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."

They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road.

Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but they knew he smelled monsters.

"How close are they?" Luke asked him.

He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us … the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."

Percy bit his lip, they only had two more days til the winter Solstice, they didn't need anymore monsters slowing them down.

"There's a snack bar in the visitor centre." Thalia said.

"You've been there before?" Percy asked.

"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked a bit like Oscar statues with wings.

"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built." Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

"What are they doing?" Vitani asked.

"Rubbing the toes." Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."

"Why?" Percy asked.

She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

"Let us find the dam snack bar." Zoe said. "We should eat while we can."

Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

Luke and Vitani snorted with laughter.

Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing." Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam French fries."

"And I need to use the dam restroom." Luke said, trying to contain his laughter but was failing.

Percy then looked confused, but shared a look with Grover who stopped laughing as well.

"Did I just hear a cow?" Grover asked, looking around.

"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.

"No." Grover said. "I'm serious."

Vitani felt saddened, her godfather Sirius used to crack 'I'm serious' jokes.

"I hear nothing." Zoe said.

Thalia looked at Percy. "Percy, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Percy nodded. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."

"What's wrong?" Grover asked.

"Nothing, I just need a minute to think." Percy said.

"You sure, Perce?" Luke asked worriedly.

"Yeah, go on without me. I'll meet you in a minute." Percy insisted.

They hesitated, but Percy looked upset so they left.

"What are you going to order?" Vitani asked.

"Burritos." Thalia answered. "You?"

"I don't like Mexican food that much. I'll just go with cheese nachos. It's about the only thing on that menu I'll be able to eat." Vitani grimaced.

"Why? What's wrong with Mexican food?" Grover asked.

Vitani winced. "Food poisoning from Tacos. Not to mention, I don't like guacamole."

"Oh, sorry, Vitani." Luke grimaced and patted Vitani's back. "You know what? I think I'll share with you."

"No, you can order what you want." Vitani said, shaking her head.

"It's fine." Luke insisted and Vitani relented.

Since plain cheese nachos were easy to make, Vitani and Luke got their food first while the rest of the group waited.

The two sat down at a large table, eating the nachos. They kept looking around, waiting for something to attack.

By the time they were nearly done their food, the others came with their burritos.

Just as they were sitting down, Percy appeared and ran over to them, looking frantic. Luke's hand immediately shot to his sword handle while Vitani looked ready to flip out her wand.

"We need to leave. NOW!" Percy gasped.

"But we just got our burritos!" Thalia protested.

Zoe stood up however, cursing as pointed out the window. "He's right, look!"

The cafe windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave us a beautiful bird's-eye view of the skeletal army that had come to kill them.

Seeing as most of their exits were blocked, Grover suggested the elevator.

But more warriors came out until they were completely surrounded.

It was then that Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.

"Burrito fight!" He yelled before flinging his Guacamole Grande burrito at the nearest skeleton.

Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. No one was sure what the other kids in the cafe saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.

The skeletons tried to aim their gun, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere.

In the chaos, Thalia and Percy tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then they all raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past their heads.

"What now?" Grover asked as they burst outside.

The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. They ran across the street to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put their backs to the mountain.

The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around them. Their brethren from the cafe were running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages.

They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.

Vitani immediately shot out spells, attacking the skeletons and shooting curses at every one she saw.

"We have to get away! There are too many civilians around here. I can't risk hurting them!" Vitani said frantically.

Luke then had a crazy idea.

"Thalia, pray to your father!"

Thalia glared at him. "He never answers."

"Just this once, ask for help. I think the statues can give us some luck." Luke said as Vitani continued to fight the skeletons that got close.

Thalia scowled but tried it anyways.

Nothing had happened at first, but a shadow came over them. The bronze angels stepped in front of them.

"Man, it feels good to stand up!" The first angel said.

"Will ya look at my toes?" The other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"

But Vitani became distracted by the bronze angels and was shot in the right shoulder. She fell to the ground with a cry of pain, dropping her wand.

"Vitani!" Luke cried out, he ran over to his fiance and pulled her into his arms. Blood was staining her clothes quickly. He picked up her wand as well and stuffed it into his pocket. He ripped a part of his shirt and hastily pressed it to her wound, trying her ignore Vitani's moan of pain.

"Get us out of here!" Thalia said.

Both angels looked down at her. "Zeus's kid?"

"Yes!"

"Could I get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?" One of the angels asked.

"Please!"

The angels looked at each other and shrugged.

"Could use a stretch." one decided.

And the next thing they knew, one of them grabbed Thalia and Percy, the other grabbed Zoe and Grover, and they flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below them and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.

Luke followed them with his flying shoes and hurriedly pulled the firebolt broom out of Vitani's satchel bag. The broom could fly much faster than his shoes as he was falling behind the two bronze angels.

He got on the broom and the wings on his shoes disappeared. He cradled Vitani in one arm while steering the broom with the other.

"Hold on, Vitani, we'll land soon and we'll be able to help." Luke said, looking down at his fiance in anguish. Her face was pale and her bangs were matted with sweat.

"'kay." She said quietly. Her vision was become blurry as she continued to lose blood.

The wound continued to bleed, now staining Luke's fur jacket.

Thankfully, they made it to San Francisco in record time, landing by the Embarcadero Building near a ferry dock, where they had scared off a homeless man. The man ran off yelling something about metal angels from Mars.

Luke immediately ran into a nearby alleyway and behind a dumpster. After saying good bye to the angels, the rest of them followed.

By now, Vitani was deathly pale and her breathing was heavily laboured. Luke had shrugged off his fur jacket and laid it on the ground so Vitani could lie on it.

"What can we do?" Thalia asked, desperate as she looked at the witch.

Luke said nothing and searched through Vitani's satchel bag and pulled out her deluxe first kit. When he opened the kit, it fell out in several labelled compartments.

"Zoe, can you cut open her shirt so we can see the wound?" Luke asked.

Zoe would normally ignore a order from a man, but since it was an urgent matter, she obeyed. She took out a hunting knife and cut open Vitani's blood stained shirt. Percy and Grover looked away out of respect, instead they kept a look out for anyone passing by.

Zoe grimaced when she saw the wound. "It is not infected, but it will be if we don't hurry."

Luke handed her a bottle and a sterilized cloth. "This is a wound cleaning potion, clean out her wound."

Zoe nodded and poured some of the amber liquid onto the cloth and started to clean the wound. Thalia helped by taking another cloth and cleaning the blood from around the wounded area.

Vitani groaned when she felt the sting of the wound cleaning potion.

"It's okay, Vitani, please just hang on a little longer." Luke said soothingly despite the panic that was etched onto his handsome face.

"Done, what next?" Thalia asked as Zoe finished cleaning the would. Now that all the blood was gone, it didn't look as bad.

"This." Luke sighed, pulling a pair of tweezers from the kit. He eyed them regretfully but they had to get the bullet out. "Hold her down, we can't let her move."

Zoe and Thalia nodded and held Vitani down.

Luke carefully lowered the tweezers down, trying to keep his hand from trembling. He winced when the tweezers entered the wound, making Vitani jerk slightly. He kept digging throug, not looking at Vitani's pained face.

He sighed in relief when he felt the bullet. Very carefully, he pulled it out.

"There." Luke said, holding up the bloody bullet. "Now we need to use this. It's supposed to be for emergencies but..."

Luke put the dirty tweezers on one of the dirty cloths along with the bullet. He then took out a vial of Phoenix tears.

"What is that?" Thalia asked.

"Phoenix tears. Very rare." Luke said. He pulled out a dropper and dipped it into the vial. After gently sucking up some of the tears, he dropped them onto the wound.

The three of them watched as the wound healed and sealed, leaving not even a scar behind.

"But she still lost a lot of blood." Thalia said, looking at Vitani's still pale face.

She had regained some colour, but not much.

"We can use this." Luke said, holding up a potion vial full of red liquid. "Blood replenishing potion. We'll her one of them."

"How are you going to get that potion into her? She's practically unconscious." Thalia said.

"Like this." Luke said before taking the potion into his mouth.

He gently sat up his fiance, pulled open her mouth slightly, and kissed her.

Thalia went red and looked away while Zoe scowled.

After transferring all of the potion from his mouth, he broke the kiss and gently massaged her throat. Thankfully, Vitani swallowed and didn't choke.

Luke wiped the bit of potion that fell from her lips gently.

"She should be fine now." Luke said, hugging Vitani close to him. "You guys go and figure out what monster Artemis was hunter, I'll stay here with Vitani until she wakes up."

"Are thy sure?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah, go on. I'll be here." Luke said.