Well, here's another one. Remember,

Listen to Stuck in the middle with you: steelers wheel

It shall come up in a future chapter, and if the lyrics mean anything-you know it isn't good.

Happy Reading, pls review follow or fav. :)

Chapter 10

Percy woke up in a chair, wrapped in a warm blanket, looking at the room in the big house. The blanket wasn't as warm as Leah was but it was enough. His body still ached from teleporting to camp. He had eaten some nectar and ambrosia and it had helped a little bit with the fatigue. Percy turned his head to look at Leah's sleeping body, a movement that left his neck sore and cramped. She looked so peaceful, sitting to his side in another chair. A table sat in the center of the room and a packman arcade game in the corner.

How was Percy even here. He knew Nico could shadow travel, but never in a million years did Percy think he had the power to teleport, and he didn't think he could do it again. Whatever power he had before had left as soon as it came. He looked at Leah's beautiful sleeping body. She rustled in her rest, hand clenched like she was having a bad dream. Her once tranquil face now sketched worry as she began to squirm in her chair.

Percy reached his hand to grab Leah's in an effort to calm her down. As soon as he touched her hand power shot through his body sending prickles up his arm. Leah calmed at his touch, face become relaxed again. Percy felt the power in his gut. The same power that he felt when him and Leah had teleported to Camp Half-Blood. It was strange and new yet altogether familiar. It was like the power that had gone into Leah had changed when it connected to her body. Like Leah had put her own personal touch on it. And now, when Percy was touching her warm hand, her power connected together with his and became something more. He knew, that if he was touching water, he would be able to teleport them again. It would take a toll on their body's, they would probably sleep for a week, but he could do it. It also explained why Leah was so tired as well. She had used her power too.

A squeaking sound brought Percy out of his thoughts. It sounded like a wheel screeching against the axel that it revolved around. Percy reluctantly turned his head from Leah's sleeping body to see Chiron wheeling himself into the room looking at Percy who was finally awake. Chiron's eyebrow raised when he saw Percy holding Leah's hand. He quickly let go, only to regret it a second later when his hand felt the cool air in the room, missing Leah's warm embrace.

Chiron pushed his wheelchair farther in the room, wheels squeaking with every shove of his hand.

"I'll have to oil that again." Chiron said with a sigh. "Now, what brings you here Percy? Not that I'm not exited to see you again. But I thought you were supposed to be in Washington."

"So did I" Percy grumbled.

"What do you mean." Chiron asked, eyes looking at Percy quizzically. How do I explain this... he decided on the abrupt approach.

"Well, me and Leah... kinda sorta... teleported here?" Percy watched Chiron's face to see how he took the news. It was a strange thing, unheard of from anyone besides the children of Hades.

At first Chiron looked surprised, but then the expression turned to one of wonder. "You've always been the one to deny the odds Percy. Why am I not surprised you would find a way to teleport."

Percy chuckled. "I can't do it on my own." He paused to see Chiron's eyebrows scrunched together forming a tight knot at the center of his head. "I can only do it with Leah."

"Is she a demigod?" Chiron said surprised.

"No, but she has some of my power, and when we touch, both our powers connect and become stronger. I think." Percy said hesitantly. For some reason he didn't want to explain what Leah was, he felt like if he told Chiron, no matter how much he trusted him, soon the information would end up with the gods. And if the gods found out there was another race of mythological creatures in the world, not to mention whatever Edwards family was, things could go down hill, and he needed to keep Leah safe.

He decided to change the subject. "I know who killed Annabeth." Percy's tone turned dark.

"Who."

"Tantalus." Percy spat the name out like it was a vile venom in his mouth.

"Percy." Chiron became sad. "You need to stop. I know you think someone killed Annabeth, but you have to realize that it's a lie. Tantalus has been in the Fields of Punishment for many years. It was an unlucky chance encounter with a vampire. Being demigods has its consequences, and sometimes, we loose the people we love." He'd heard Chiron say this before, he'd heard many of his friends say it before. It angered him, after all he'd done, couldn't he get a little trust?

"Why don't you believe me!" Percy yelled angrily. "I thought you believed in me."

"I do Percy. I do." Chiron responded. "And I want nothing more than to see you happy again. I've watched you Percy. When she died, you were a shell of yourself. You should have seen it, you would point the finger at any monster you faced, determined that they were the one to organize an attack on Annabeth. I can't watch you do that again, I can't watch another one of my greatest hero's fall that far again. I won't be a part of your rat races down empty mazes."

Percy had never heard this part before. The time after Annabeth's murder was much a blur to him. He vaguely remembered going off on hunts searching for monsters. Mostly he remembered being angry, and sad, very very sad. But this time it was different, he really had discovered the true villain.

"Well what if I finally found the right monster." Percy said softly.

"The I would do anything in my power to help you kill it." Chiron's voice was laced with concern. Percy had one more ace up his sleeve, Leah. She had been there the whole time, she knew the truth, and though he didn't want to drag her into this, it couldn't hurt for her to simply back him up, right?

"Then help me, please. Leah will back me up on everything."

"Ah the girl." Chiron said with a smile. "I see you have found a new star to set your gaze upon."

"I've found the sun." Percy really meant it. His feelings for Leah had grown painfully intense. To intense, dangerous. Every since they shared power he had felt even more drawn to her than before. He could feel his bonds to Annabeth being put aside, as Leah's steel cables took the forefront in his heart.

"I will leave you two for now. I'm sure some of the other campers would like to voice there concerns for you as well and I would not like to be the one to get in their way." Chiron turned to the door, wheels squeaking from the dull orange rust that covered his wheel in a fine powder. "Goodbye for now Percy. I do hope you visit again soon."

The door slammed shut, leaving Percy in silence once more. He would have to convince Chiron later.

A warm hand brushed his. Their pinky fingers slowly coming together before the whole hand followed suite. Percy turned his head gazing at Leah's bright, sun stained face. She was looking around in wonder, oak brown eyes taking everything in before finally settling in on Percy. Leah slowly raised her hand up next to his face, Percy thought she was going to cup his cheek. Instead she did something that surprised him, she playfully smacked him upside the head. A smile on her lips. "That was for slamming me with a ten foot wave."

Percy had the nerve to laugh, a sound that echoed deeply throughout the small room. His laugh was cut short though, with a certain girls velvety lips on cheek. Sparks flew threw his body at the unexpected kiss. The fire from the spark started at his face and reaching with its warmth all the way down to his toes. His eyes widened in surprise.

"And what was that for?" Percy said with a smile. Leah's only reply was the blush that came to her cheeks, turning her face the same color as her cherry swimsuit.

"Ready to explore?" Leah said excitedly.

Line Break

Percy and Leah stood on the front of the Big House, both wearing the bright fire orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirts and a pair of identical ocean blue jeans. It was mid morning and the campers had just finished breakfast and were preparing for their everyday activities. The sun was a quarter of the way up in the sky and if Percy had to guess, he would say it was probably around nine or ten o'clock. A slight ocean breeze was blowing into their faces, cooling them down from the hot sun above.

Percy and Leah walked hand in hand down the dirt path that led them through the camp. Percy pointed out all the different places and all the different pavilions to Leah. He was eager to show her his home. Leah's eyes widened in wonder with every new thing she saw. She gasped when lava began pouring over the rock wall, it's searing heat barely missing the struggling climber. Their journey seemed like an exact replica of when Annabeth had first introduced Percy to camp. Surprisingly, the thought hurt less than it usually had, and that made Percy happy.

He told Leah of the history behind the great hero's and how there was a cabin for every god and goddess. Leah looked surprised when a number of campers rushed forward to meet him, it happened from time to time in their stroll and soon Leah seemed to get used to it. When Clarisse called him prissy, Leah looked ready to step in and defend, but quickly backed down when Percy simply clamped his hand on Clarisse's back and laughed. The strange thing was that all of the campers shared one thing in common, they all looked at Percy and Leah with their eyebrows raised when they saw that they were holding hands.

Soon they came across a new building. It looked like an extravagant shed, with pillars on its side and weeds sprouting out from under the building. The green ivy climbed up the walls of the Greek style structure. Snaking up like thick rope they covered the sides, hiding the original color of the building except for the small spaces in between them. A thick wooden door blocked the entrance, its pristine material worn over years of use and harsh weather, the metal door nob rubbed dull from countless hands.

The building seemed to catch Leah's attention.

"What's that one." Leah asked curiosity echoed in her voice.

"The weapons shed. We can go inside if you like." Percy started walking Leah to the door. He turned the handle with his hand and using his shoulder, pushed into the door, forcing his way inside. He stumbled in the ill-lit room, the force of his push carrying him to the center. The sunlight glittered in from doorway, shining off the many dust particles flowing through the space. Percy strained his eyes in the dark, looking at the assortment of weapons surrounding him. He turned to look at Leah, who was still standing at the entrance of the door. The sunlight shone off of her back giving her the faint glow of a white yellow star as she stepped into the room. She put a hand on a shelf to her side, swiping her hand over the top of it to wipe the dust off. She walked to the back of the room, brushing Percy's shoulder as she did so. The touch sent a shiver down his side.

"Can a grab one?" Leah asked

"Sure." Percy looked into the pile of swords and knives in the back of the room to see what had grabbed Leah's attention. He watched as Leah put her hands over the hilt of a weapon. She slowly pulled the sword out of the pile, causing some other weapons to fall over with a slight crash.

No, it wasn't a sword, it was something else entirely. Longer than a knife but shorter than a sword the blade glowed with a wicked gleam. The entire blade was silver, except of a celestial bronze rim that surrounded its edge. The golden glow from the celestial bronze reflected off of the silver center casting colorful lights across the room. There was Ancient Greek cut out in shallow, precise gorges on the hilt of the half-sword. μέσαι νύκτες

"Midnight" Leah said as she twirled the blade in her hand, somehow reading the writing on the weapon.

Percy smiled as he watched her moving the blade in mock fighting moves, the light moving though the room following her motions. She was mesmerized by her own blade.

"Wanna spar?"

Line Break

Percy circled across from Leah in the Colosseum. The dirt on the ground crunched with every step they took in their circle of death. The large stands surrounding the battle ground were silent and empty, a slight breeze was blowing across the floor, picking up dirt on its path through the arena. The sun was directly above, its heat raining down like fire from the sky. Sweat was already coming down Percy's brow, he wiped it off with his free hand looking again at the picture in front of him.

Already, Percy could point out a dozen things wrong with Leah's stance. She was holding her sword at the wrong angle, her back wasn't strait, she was crouching too low.

They circled each other like cats, agile and steady in their movements. Leah may not know how to fight with her half-sword, but she still was athletic, dangerous. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail, exactly like how Annabeth used to keep it. A sharp pang went through his heart as he thought of all the history that lived in this place. All the memories, the good and the bad, he would give it all to go back. Back when things were easier, when all they had to do was worry about saving the world. But then, he would have never met Leah, he would have never met this stunning, elegant and exquisitely beautiful girl before him, and Percy wasn't sure if he wanted that either.

Leah sprang forward, fierce determination set steeled in her oak brown eyes. She ran with her sword above her head and when she met Percy, she slammed the blade down with all her force, hoping to overpower him. That was her first mistake. Percy simply re-directed the blades force, using Riptide as a deflector rather than a hard block. The celestial bronze blades clanged together for a moment before Midnight stuck the ground, sending dirt flying up in its wake. Percy, having rendered Leah defenseless, easily stepped inside her guard and held his cold blade against her throat.

"You're dead." Somehow, just saying those words hurt, even if it was true. Percy needed to help get Leah better with Midnight, to help keep her safe. Safe from what though, safe from monster attacks that only came from his presence?

Percy continued instructing Leah on her technique, "You swung your blade too hard. It was too easy for me to simple divert your sword to a different angle, the strength behind your attack carried your blade into the ground. You need less power and more finesse in your swings. Let's go again."

Leah moved Midnight up again and this time, Percy took the time to help her with her form. He walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and moving Leah's arm into the right position. He helped her straiten her back and stopped her from crouching too low. Leah sighed against Percy's body and leaned back into him, unable to help herself as it seemed.

Percy laughed, the sound echoing loudly in the large arena. "Come on Wolf Girl, if your gonna do that we'll be here all day." Percy froze, realization of what he just said shocked him from his head to his toes, what had he just called Leah? Wolf Girl? Apparently Leah was shocked too because she turned around with a blush on her face, forrest brown eyes staring deeply into Percy's own.

"What did you call me?" Leah asked hesitantly, like she was afraid of breaking something.

"Wolf Girl." Percy said firmly. The nickname felt... he wasn't sure how to explain it but it just felt right.

"I love it." Leah's lips curved up on the edges in a smile revealing a perfect set of white teeth, though the canines were a bit longer than normal, almost like a vampire, but not long enough.

Percy shivered at the thought, he hated vampires, they were everything he wasn't. They invited you in with their good looks only to kill you later, they lied about everything, always having their own personal agendas to put ahead of others. Percy hated liars, he stood for the truth, because loyalty is built on the truth. Lies destroyed trust, and with that, his loyalty.

"Come on, get ready, let's go again." Percy said as he walked over to his battle position. This time Leah knew what to do. She had been a good listener and was in perfect form, waiting for the right time to strike. Now, instead of running forward, she walk-jogged, smoothly making it to Percy ready to make her move.

Percy watched her subtle movements, they were fluid and precise in every moment, she was a natural. Leah lashed out with Midnight aiming for Percy's unprotected flank. He snapped his blade to block hers with a flick of his wrist. This time however, instead of Leah being too committed on her first strike, she was already moving to his other side, using her speed to her advantage. The blade came quickly like a bolt of lightning, but Percy was just as fast, barely. He recognized some his own stile in her stance and movements, maybe Leah had some extra swordsmanship because of their shared power.

Percy didn't have time to ponder it because Leah was raining blow after blow on his quickly darting sword, and she seemed to be getting better with every move, more controlled and confident, looking at him strategically, finding openings in his guard. But those openings were small and hard to find, and no matter how good Leah was she was just starting, and Percy had been practicing for years. Leah might as well have been hitting a brick wall. Percy waited, waiting for Leah to make her first mistake. Soon, he saw it, she had just struck an overhead blow at Percy head, and when she brought her sword back to hit him again, her blade was at the wrong angle. He took advantage of the moment, there wouldn't be many chances like this. Percy's blade whipped out like a snake, the point of Riptide hitting the side of Leah's flat blade with perfect precision. Midnight twisted out of Leah's grip, hitting the ground with a dull thud. She looked to the ground with shock, then stared at her empty hand, then at the ground again before raising her arms in mock surrender.

Then Leah surprised him, she ran. She bolted across the battle field, staying just outside of Percy's reach. The wall of the arena was getting closer and closer as Leah ran strait to it. Percy capped Riptide, putting the sword in the familiar place in his pocket, favoring his speed, rather than weaponry. The dust flew up from the floor with every step, some of Leah's tracks ending up in Percy's eyes, he blinked it out. He was almost to Leah now, barely missing her back by inches with his outstretched hand. The wall was getting closer, and Leah hadn't slowed down. They were ten feet away, nine feet, five feet. As soon as Leah was three feet away she planted her right foot in the ground and sprang up into the air. Percy watched, in horrified awe as Leah used her left foot to propel off of the wall and backflip over him landing perfectly on her feet. Percy tried to stop his momentum but the dirt was too slippery. He skidded over the ground and slammed into wall shaking with the impact. He crumbled to the ground in pain, it had felt exactly like how it was, running into a wall. He had been so focused on catching Leah that he didn't think about the stone side of the arena coming to him at high speeds. He had thought that Leah would just turn at the wall, not backflip off of it.

Immediately Leah was at his side checking to make sure he was ok. She was crouched over Percy's body, eyes filled with worry. He gave her a small smile and a thumbs up, signaling that he was ok. As soon as Leah saw he was fine, she smiled and gloated in Percy's face.

"I beat you! Admit it, I actually beat you!" Leah laughed, full of joy.

But Percy wasn't done yet, slowly he reached into his pocket, gripping Riptide lightly in his hands. Leah had no weapon, it was laying on the ground, useless, halfway across the area. "I'll admit, you are a natural." Percy brought his hand out of his pocket, holding the pen in his hand. "But you haven't beaten me yet." Percy uncapped Riptide and in one fluid motion held the blade against her chest. He gave her his signature lopsided grin, "You dropped something back there."

Leah scowled, "Unfair, you cheated. I already beat you."

"There are no rules in war." Percy replied holding back his laughter.

"Fine, but I demand a rematch" Leah stood up and reached her hand out to help Percy up. As soon as their fingertips touched the familiar power surge swept through Percy's body, making him feel energized again. He felt drawn towards Leah, a steady pull that wouldn't go away. Leah's eyes widened, immediately Percy was crushed into a hug, she burrowed her head in his neck holding on to his body tightly.

"I thought we were supposed to be killing each other by now. But I don't mind." Percy smiled

Leah looked up at him sheepishly, "I'm sorry, it's just that, your already my imprint and then with whatever that just was... I couldn't help myself." Leah flashed red with embarrassment. "I already knew about the power sharing connection we have, but it was never this strong. Maybe it's because I'm getting stronger at using the power."

"I think your right. You seem to have gotten my knack for swordsmanship as well." Percy pulled away from Leah's warm body, leaving his chest open to the cooling air around him. He pulled Leah forward to the middle of the arena where her sword was laying on the ground. "Come on let's keep practicing."

Well, what other powers do you think Leah may have gotten?

She's got a sword now, see you on Thursday!

R&R

-CreativeMode