Hey, hey, hey! Digger here!

I'm filling in for my cousin this week seeing as Echo's sick. I mean really sick. Like throw-up-your-guts, 104-degree-fever sick. I actually thought she was dying a few weeks ago when I came to see her. She was just lying in her bed, pale as can be, moaning into her pillow. I felt awful. And when my aunt and uncle took her to the doctors, they had to practically carry her into the building. But apparently it's just a virus and we just have to wait it out. So, I've spent the last few days holding her hair while she retches into a bucket.

Anyway, she finally realized that it's been almost four weeks without updating and she asked if I would write a chapter for her. So I wrote this yesterday while we were watching NCIS (Echo slept through most of it anyway) and I'm hoping it's as good as she writes.

As for reviews, well, I'm sure she appreciates all of them but I'm not going to answer them for her. Sorry if you had questions. Echo's really not in any shape to read or reply.

Max

"Get up, Max." The tone broke through the barrier of oblivion in my mind, causing me to blink and search blindly for the voice. I sighed, tired, not wanting to get up, glad for the warmth of whatever I lay pressed up against. Something poked my shoulder and I frowned, then heavily pushed myself up, wondering why on earth the floor was groaning. I froze. Six's face twisted as I pressed my palm down on his tender back and I ripped my hand away, bolting upright. My head whipped around to find Iggy and Nudge staring at me. Fang wouldn't meet my eyes.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Nudge blinked, looking at me with an expression of what-did-you-do?

"I . . . I just . . . ." My mouth closed and my gaze dropped to the floor.

"It doesn't matter." Fang stated, staring out the bars with a clenched jaw. "They'll be coming for him soon enough."

I glanced down at Six, his features once again relaxed. The tiny wings lay across his bloody back, only reaching from shoulder to shoulder. Fang was right, now that his wings had broken out, the whitecoats would want to test him.

Angel yawned from the other side of the cage and stretched, accidently kicking Gazzy as she did. He jerked to a sitting position, rubbing the side of his head, glaring at his sister as she took her time waking up. Angel swiped a hand at her dropping blue eyes as she smiled wearily at us. Her eyes landed on Six and she beamed, excitement washing all traces of sleep from her body. She scrambled over to him and reached out to touch the black feathers.

"They're so small." She breathed, grinning. I chuckled at her.

"They'll grow, sweetie." Angel looked at me skeptically. I shrugged, not actually sure myself that they would. Fang snorted and I turned to look at him. Why was he being such a jerk? Gazzy flicked Angel's arm as he came up to sit by my side. His sister yelped and glared at him. They both looked at me and Angel shrieked when she noticed my appearance.

"Max, what happened!"

"It's not mine." I assured her, trying to scrape some of Six's dried blood from my arms. Nudge patted the little girls head and started scratching at my face. A whitecoat came in and shoved our breakfast through the bars, nodding when he saw Six, and rushing from the room. Fang gave me an I-told-you-so smirk and I shot him the bird.

Six coughed from the floor and rolled onto his side, pushing onto his elbow. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, furrowing his brow as blood flaked off onto his hand. He lifted his eyes and caught mine, giving me a questioning look. I ignored it and continued to scour my arms.

"What happened to you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"You happened." I replied.

"Oh, don't be cryptic." He said, his green eyes searching my own browns ones. He winced as he sat up, then froze as, I guess, his tiny wings fell from his shoulders. He slowly reached an arm around and he tensed when his fingers brushed the wings' feathers. His hand fell to the floor and he seemed to stop breathing, staring at the ground in front of him. I brushed Nudge away and touched Six's shoulder. His head snapped up to stare at me, fear written in his eyes.

I pulled my hand back. "They're just wings," I said. "It's not a big deal."

He gawked at me. "Not a big deal?! This is wrong! You were born with them, I shouldn't even be here!"

"Hold on –" I started, my hands held in front of me. He ignored me.

"You were made in this place. You've never been outside, seen what I've seen, done what I've done. You've never known outside these bars or what true freedom feels like. All you know is dark rooms and needles!"

I probably should have been hurt by what he was saying but it was all true.

"Six. Calm down and listen to –"

"No, you listen. I've got a life! I've got parents and a girlfriend who I love. I've got a camp and friends that need me. I've felt the wind and the sun and seen the ocean. I've tasted things you've only tasted in your dreams. And for what? Too be taken away and cut up for some crazy scientist's pleasure?"

Wait . . . he had a girlfriend? Why did that stand out to me? Six's eyes drained of their fury and he hunched his shoulders, head falling into his hands. My flock exchanged looks and Angel wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled at her, hugging the little girl back.

"Better?" I asked, still slightly upset. He nodded as he gave me a smile that made me forget all about what he had said.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"What camp do you go to?" Fang pestered. Six blinked.

"And who's your girlfriend?" Nudge asked, eyes bright. I bit my lip as Six stared at them flustered.

"I don't – I mean, I . . . ." He faltered, seeming to debate with himself. He'd let out more than he'd wanted and now he was paying for it.

"What kinds of foods are there?" Iggy wondered.

"Did you ever make a bomb?" Gazzy grinned, probably planning out something that I wouldn't let him do.

Six chuckled. "No. Not a bomb, but I have –"

He was cut off by a booming voice. "So! They've finally emerged, yes? Good, good, now we can really begin your testing."

Six's eyes closed, and he exhaled in disbelief. Doctor Torowski's smiling eyes scanned us before she grabbed Six's arm through the cage bars and dragged him towards her. She placed both hands on the sides of his face, moving his head from side to side. Another whitecoat unlocked the door and Torowski pulled her prisoner out.

Six stood before her, eye-level with the insane doctor, his bloody back facing me. He was roughly shoved around so they could get a good look at the new wings and he gave me a pleading look. I shook my head signaling I could do nothing for him. His brow furrowed and Six whirled back around, hands clenched and raised, but before he could land a punch on anyone he staggered back and slid down the bars of the cage.

Two whitecoats hauled him up by his arms and one pulled the needle from his chest. Torowski jerked her head towards the door and her assistants carried Six from the room. She turned her dull eyes on us and said, "Don't worry. You'll be getting him back soon enough." Then as an afterthought added, "Probably."

Percy

Wings. I had freaking wings! It was actually exciting now that I thought about it. But I don't know how this is going to work. I mean, Zeus is gonna flip. I assume my wings were going to grow but you never know.

Pain shot up my back as someone shoved me from behind. I moved quicker, the affects of the drug still lingering in my veins. I followed the Injector – whitecoats, Max called them – into a large room and instantly there was a tugging in my gut. I stared at the massive thing hidden beneath the white sheet. There was water in there.

I threw my hand in the direction of the object, expecting an explosion that would flood the room. And there was an explosion only it was pain in my chest. I bent over, my hands covering where the needle had struck me.

There was a light laugh coming from the door way and Torowski stepped in, smiling.

"Silly boy," she said. "You can't control the water now."

I lurched then tried to cover it up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, we know all about you, Perseus Jackson. Son of Poseidon, Savior of Olympus. You've quite a reputation among demigods. Why the astonished look, young hero?"

"How did you –" I cut myself off, my eyes wide, my mind reeling. There was no possible way they could have known about us, about me. Torowski eyes glinted as she smiled knowingly.

"What if I told you we found something very . . . spectacular in your bloodstream? What if I told you there were half-bloods among us at this very moment? What if I told you they were able to hack into your camp's files?"

"What files?" I was breathing hard.

"You've never heard of them?" She mocked surprise. "Why the files your director – what's his name, Chiron? – keep on all of the campers. Oh, there's information on all of you! But I do believe yours was the most entertaining."

"How did you know I was a – a demigod?"

"We took a sample of you blood when you first got here, Dearest. At first we thought it was just a bad take so we took another and found the same thing. Golden streaks. I thought this strange. Thankfully, Margot here is a half-blood and knew all about the golden blood of the god." Torowski gestured to the blonde lady standing by the large object under the sheet. The lady nodded, not looking me in the eye.

"She let us take some of her blood and we compared. Sure enough, they were identical. So we now knew you were a demigod, we just needed to know who your parent was and just how dangerous you really were. Jacob over there was glad to help me with that problem and took the time to break into your camp's computer system, giving us immediate access to everything we needed.

"It was quite an experience, learning all about your world, Dearest. So much I never knew before! Made me wonder if we could create creatures like this."

My eyes widened. Torowski shook her head, eyes narrowed, a devious smile playing on her lips. "That's right – monsters. If we could somehow alter cells to produce one of these magnificent beasts, we would finally be able to finish what we started. We'd be unstoppable."

"But, the Erasers . . . ."

"Yes, yes, they're fine for guards but with a legion of those hellhounds or Minotaur's, we could actually take over. Think about it, Dearest."

I didn't want to think about it.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, originally you were just another test subject for us. My assistant saw you with that girl outside the museum and thought you had potential so they picked you up."

Annabeth. Torowski must have seen my expression because she waved her hand.

"Don't worry; your friend is just fine. Probably a little traumatic but she'll most likely get over it. I had you injected with sedation as soon as you got here just to keep you under control. Unfortunately, it didn't work and I had to give you something stronger, something to weaken you. Yes, Cell 5. You're aware of it? Oh, that bird-girl must have told you, am I correct? You settled down after that and we were able to take your blood which leads us into our earlier conversation.

"I figured that, seeing as your father is the god of the sea, that you'd be able to manipulate the water at will, so the logical thing to do was to put you somewhere you couldn't reach it. I had already planned to give you the avian cells so it was a stroke of luck that they were in the only wing that doesn't need water to power it. Yet, we were still going to need something to keep you from just using the water in your own body or the bodies of others. So we had our chemists concoct a mixture which we placed inside of you."

"And it worked." It wasn't a question.

"Yes! Now we had you subdued, your new wings implanted, all we had to do was wait for them to grow. Now that time has come and we need to make sure that you're still strong enough to handle them. Margot." Torowski gave a signal and the blonde lady jerked the white sheet, letting it cascade to the floor like a cloth waterfall. Underneath was a large tank full to the brim with water. I itched to touch it, feel it, but the whitecoats on either side of me prevented that from happening.

"Patience, Dearest." Torowski scolded and climbed the ladder and onto the platform behind the large container. She pushed a few buttons on a control panel and the grating of a gate opening resounded around the room. "Bring him up."

The whitecoats holding me compelled to her orders and shoved me forwards. I climbed the ladder myself thankfully but was captivated again the moment I straightened on the platform. Torowski smiled at me, making me uncomfortable as she gave another signal. I found myself positioned at the edge of the raised stage, looking over the water-filled basin.

"Push him in."

The order made my heart race and I started to whip back around but I was already falling. I couldn't control the water this time. I wouldn't be able to breathe.

I was going to drown.

I hit the water, the sting of it spreading on my skin as I sank lower into the liquid. I reminded myself not to inhale, panicking when I realized that if I didn't get air soon I'd die. I kicked for the surface, gasping and flinging water out of my eyes and hair while trying to stay above the death chamber below. Drops fell into my eyes and I blinked, still breathing hard and flailing my limbs like mad. I'd never gotten wet before without it being deliberate.

There was a clang above me and I saw that there was a netted metal covering over the tank. I reached up and hooked my fingers around the thin yet strong rods and hauled myself out of the water as much as I could. I took deep breaths, water falling into my mouth and dripping off my body.

"How ironic." I head Torowski's voice above me. "The son of the sea god, drowning. The Savior of Olympus brought down by his own element. How does it feel,

Dearest? How does it feel to be defeated?"

I'm not done yet, I thought. But it was pretty clear to myself and them that I was. There was no way I could get out of this. I was weak and powerless . . . literally. My hands were slick and I found myself slipping. I reached one hand farther away, following with the other.

"While that's smart, clawing around like a little rodent, it won't work." Torowski said, and I detected what sounded like pity in her voice. I heard a loud beep! and then the faint sound of buzzing.

It came out of nowhere, jolting through me, refusing to let me release the bars and I heard a scream. Finally I was sent lurching down into the water. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. My body jerked and twitched and I still felt the sparks leaping into me. My hands stung and I was sure they were burned badly.

Electricity. Of course the bars were electrocuted. Why wouldn't they be? Water and lightning don't mix. It was the perfect combination if you wanted to break someone.

I peeled my eyes open, my vision blurring in the water. But there was no mistaking the netted sheet descending down towards me. My lungs felt as if they were going to burst any second. The metal glowed and the electricity seemed to spear right through me, causing me to tense and arch my back, the cuts from my new wings only adding to the pain. My mouth opened in a scream that could only be heard in my mind.

The glow subsided and I went limp, sinking even lower. This time when the water lit up, I barely felt it. The sparks swirled around me, dancing, daring me to reach out and touch them. Everything faded away, my aching lungs, my burnt hands, the threat of death only seconds away. They continued to whirl around me, a vortex of white and blue.

One touch, came the whisper from somewhere deep in my subconscious. One touch and it'll be over. No pain. No worry. Come, Perseus, join your brothers and sisters in the endless bliss of oblivion.

The twirling sparks around me spun faster and one lone bolt broke away, speeding towards me. It split right through my forehead and the sparks immediately dispersed, leaving me alone in the darkness.

Annabeth

My shoulders heaved with my labored breathing. I was drenched in sweat causing the monster dust slowly falling to the ground to stick to me. I made a face and shook myself but the dust stuck. That empousa was too easy to kill. Either I'm just used to bigger, stronger monsters now or she wasn't trying. I have a feeling it's the former.

"I shouldn't be here." I found myself muttering. "I should be back at camp. With Percy."

I sighed realizing that I'd have to find Percy before that dream could come true. I twirled my dagger before shoving it into its sheath and staring off into the forest before me. I was far from camp, but not too far that I didn't know where I was. But that empousa showed up and disoriented me. All the trees looked the same to me. I cursed and struck my foot against the bark of a maple.

"Hey!" A little girl fell onto the ground, barely catching herself with her hands. She stood, brushing off the front of her auburn dress, then glared up at me. "I don't go around kicking you, do I?"

"I'm sorry." I told her. "I'm just lost and stressed out and really, really tired."

The girl's red hair shone in the sun and she patted me arm. "I'm a good listener."

I smiled at her. "You're sweet. Well, it started when my boyfriend Percy Jackson was kidnapped –"

"Percy Jackson?" The girl's eyes widened. I nodded, confused. "Black hair, green eyes?" Another nod. She smiled. "A friend of mine was down here a few weeks ago and she says that the building she lives next to had a new kid there. Black hair and green eyes. She didn't know his name though."

My heart beat quickened and I grabbed the girl's hand. "Where does your friend live?"

She shrugged and my heart sank. "Out west somewhere. She told me about the building she lived next to though. Right nasty place, she says. Kids go in and never come out. Says she hears screams long into the middle of the night." She paused seeing my stricken face.

"And?" I pressed, not really sure I wanted to hear.

"Says they do experiments there. Injecting kids with animal DNA. The wolf-hybrids are the worst, she told me. Snarling, slobbering creatures bent on hatred. Sometimes, my friend tells me, they set these wolf things on the kids and watch them fight to the death. Usually the kids lose."

Oh, Percy . . . . I stepped back, blinking. She smiled regretfully at me.

"Sorry."

"No, I set myself up for that one." I took a deep breath. "Um, can you show me the way back to camp?" She gave me a blank stare. "You do know what camp is, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's that way." She waved vaguely towards the north. I nodded as she walked back to her tree.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Take care of yourself. And don't kick anymore trees! We don't like it!" Then she vanished into the bark. I smiled and started toward Camp Half-Blood, worry for Percy setting deep within me.

They weren't experimenting on him, were they? Probably. I hope they don't do something that will change him too much. Not that I'll care, I just want him back.

Something reflected in the sun and I put my hand over my eyes to shield them. I bent over and picked it up, rolling it in my hands. A screwdriver. I almost laughed out loud, at the simplicity of it. In the midst of all the chaos and drama, this comes to me. This little, forgotten thing. Something people don't think about and just pass up.

I slipped it into my pocket. Hey, maybe I'll use it someday. And if I don't, Leo sure will.

Echo woke up halfway through this and told me to tell all of you that she loves you and is extremely grateful for the reviews and time you take to read this story.

Then she passed out again.

Well, I hope this chapter is as good as all her others.

Oh, and Annabeth's part was kind of an after-thought. Echo told me to put a screwdriver in there somewhere. Who knows why.