Hopefully you've listened to the song by now, next chapter is when it comes into play.

Check out all the hidden meanings at the bottom of the chapter.

Please Review! I only have a couple of more scenes to write! (Just finishing the scenes before the climax)

Follow and Fav :)

Enjoy

Chapter 11

The sun was finally starting to set over the arena, Percy and Leah had been practicing all day. The air had turned brisk and cold as the heat from the sun faded away with the hours. The shadows from the walls of the Colosseum stretched across the floor making it dark in the battle zone. Percy's body was dripping with sweat, and when he looked across at Leah, he could see that she was too. Leah was scary good with her sword (she hadn't beaten him yet, but she had gotten very, very close) she learned quickly and enthusiastically, the perfect student. They had just finished their final spar of the day with Percy barely winning because of a lucky turn of events.

"Well skewer that ghost in no time." Leah said as she started walking to the exit with Percy, she had a few minor cuts and bruises but nothing bad, and with her special wolf powers, apparently she healed a lot faster than normal people. All Percy needed was some nectar and ambrosia and he would be good as new.

"Tantalus won't stand a chance." Percy smiled at the thought.

Leah brows scrunched together. "But how do we hit him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's a ghost, won't our blade go right through him?" Leah asked.

Percy thought about it for a second, he had fought some ghost before, but they had never been this powerful, maybe they wouldn't be able to hit him. Percy shuddered, how could they hope to win with an enemy they couldn't touch?

"We'll just have to try." Percy said. "Cross your fingers."

Leah narrowed her eyes. "There's got to be a better way. Maybe research first? Something?"

A thought struck Percy, "I know what we'll do." He had the perfect way to get the information, it was so obvious.

"Research?" Leah raised her eyebrow.

"No, we'll just ask Nico. Come on, he'll probably be at the bonfire."

Percy and Leah walked down the dirt road that led to the pavilion, already they could see the large fire in the center, it's flames shooting up into the sky as the people began to gather around. Suddenly Percy was scared, the last time he had been here was for Annabeth's funeral, that horrible horrible day. He was frightened at the overwhelming emotions that suffocated him.

Percy's body stiffened and his breathing became louder, he was hardly aware of anything or anyone around him. He felt the darkness of his memories pulling him in, making him feel the urge to run, to sprint away into the ocean, his safe haven, to get away from here, why did he come back so soon? He knew he couldn't do it, couldn't survive the overload of feelings surrounding him. He tried to focus on simple things, his feet, one step after another, just move forward, past the deep pool of blackness behind him. But the farther forward he moved the darker it got, the deeper the ocean surrounded him, space without the stars. The freezing dull dusk surrounded his entire body like water, but this was a water Percy couldn't control, this water controlled him. Suffocated him. He looked around frantically, trying to find the light, trying to find his savior, nothing was there.

Suddenly, a speck of white, tiny compared to the darkness surrounding his body, appeared in front of him. Percy could feel its warmth from miles away where he floated in the frigid darkness. He could hear its promises, it's pledge for something better, for a way out of this gloom. Percy reached for it, stretching his hand out to hold onto this tiny shred of hope. Though the light was miles away, somehow his hand enclosed around it, the hot fire from its warmth spread through his body like a wave. The light grew brighter, blinding in fact, and Percy found he had to look away. The blackness turned grey with a hint of oak brown as the space became illuminated by the light. He felt at peace again, the light had kept its promise.

Percy opened his eyes, taking in the world around him. His hand, the one that had held the star in it, was now holding tightly onto Leah's hand. Its warmth strangely familiar to the fire that had swept through his body. Leah was looking over at him warmly, oak brown eyes full of love and hope. She had been completely oblivious to what had just happened, unaware of the fact that she had just saved him with a simple touch of her hand. That she had been his star.

Percy smiled.

"What?" Leah asked.

"Nothing." Percy answered. "Let's just find Nico."

They made it to the campfire, looking around the area, Percy's eyes scanned the crowd of chatting demigods to find Nico. Soon he found him, Nico was sitting at the farthest reaches of the pavilion, hiding in the shadows which seemed to bend around him. Percy frowned, though he hadn't exactly been paying attention to his surroundings the past year he was sure Nico had been somewhat happier than this. Nico would always hang out with Will... Oh, that made sense. Will must have been helping out in the infirmary, and now Nico was lonely.

Percy and Leah pushed through the crowd, shuffling their way to Nico in hope of answers.

"Nico!" Percy yelled across the space between them.

Nico looked up from his hiding place in the corner, giving a small smile when he saw Percy and Leah. "Hey Percy, who's the friend?"

Percy and Leah stopped in front of him. "I'm Leah, nice to meet you."

"So your the mystery girl everyone's been talking about today. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to get my ears checked or not when I heard that someone was holding Percy's hand today. Guess some rumors turn out to be true eh." Nico raised his eyebrow.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "She's been helping me with a certain... problem. We came over here because we need some help with it."

Nico frowned. "I'm not sure how much I can help, my dad has me doing some stuff in the underworld with him so I can't really do anything. I don't think anyone else can really help you either. Leo Jason and Piper are all helping Apollo with his quest thing. Frank's currently stuck doing some stuff as praetor and Hazels been helping him out. I'm sorry to say, but your all on your own."

Percy saddened but he tried not to show it. He had hoped for at least a little help with Tantalus, but it looked like he wouldn't get any.

"No, he's not alone." Leah said defiantly. "I'll be there."

"Who's your godly parent?" Nico asked.

"I'm not a demigod, I'm something else."

"What are you?" Nico said surprised. He reached for his sword but with a quick glance at Percy he stopped himself.

"I'm a Quileute."

Nico looked more confused than ever. Trying to connect dots that he didn't have.

"Look." Percy said. "All we need is information. And your the one who's most likely got the answers."

"I'll tell you all I know." Nico shifted his feet, stretching them out in front of him.

"We have a ghost problem. And we need to know how to kill him." Percy crossed his fingers behind his back hoping for good news. Hoping that Nico would say, oh that's easy, I'll just call my dad! Or Not a problem, they die the same as any monster. But of course with Percy's luck, that would never be the case.

"Is he powerful?" Nico grew more serious.

"Very." Leah answered for him.

"Your blade will go right through him." Nico said. Percy cursed under his breath. Of course nothing was easy, everything had to be difficult. Why couldn't he just find one monster, just one, that was easy to kill.

"How do we do it." Percy asked. Maybe it would be... no it would be hard.

"You have to make him solidify his form in one place, you have to trap his body, in its entirety to one single point, then you can kill him." Nico continued. "I'm sure when you met him before it seemed like he had parts of his body flowing out with the wind. And he was probably mostly transparent, right."

"You've just described him exactly." Leah gripped Percy's hand reassuringly.

"Only once his body isn't transparent, and your sure he's solid, will you know that you can kill him." Nico was staring at them intensely. As if he was making sure they understood his exact words.

"We understa-"

"Nico!" A voice called from over their shoulders. Nico's face brightened considerably, looking in the space behind them. "What did I tell you about sulking in the dark corners of the campfire. Your acting like a vampire!"

Percy turned around to see the body of Will walking towards them, a scowl on his face.

"I wasn't sulking!" Nico said defensively. "I was just... talking to Percy."

"In the corner?" Will raised his eyebrow at Nico before turning to look at Percy. "Nice to see you again Percy. Sorry about bones over here."

"No problem Will, it's good to see you again, we were just leaving anyway. Come on Leah." Percy pulled Leah away from the two arguing people behind them, and closer to the bright campfire in the center of the space. They had gotten the information they needed, now they just had to act on it. The sky had turned a lavender pink with hints of blood red streaking through the clouds. The trees surrounding them in the forest seemed to be on fire as the last of the falling light swept through its branches.

Leah stopped abruptly, "I forgot to tell the pack where we are, there going to start looking for us again!"

Percy almost laughed, the thought of people all the way in Washington looking for them while they were in New York was kinda funny. "How are we going to tell them? There aren't any phones at camp. The signal attracts monsters."

"I'll just change into a wolf. Hopefully I'll still be able to communicate to the pack with this distance. I don't think anybody's tried it this far before." Leah looked curious. Like she needed to find out now, it was cute.

"Alright, you go tell the pack that we're fine, I'll meet you down on the beach." Percy turned away, to walk down to the sand but as he took his first step Leah pulled him back and gave him a firm hug. It was unexpected and made Percy's body melt into her. He wrapped his arms around her. Smiling, he pulled away. "I'll see you soon Wolf Girl." Percy walked away pushing forward with a feeling of joy he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt like he was on cloud nine, flying through the crowds. When he was halfway there a familiar voice broke him from his bliss.

"Percy!" Leah called from behind him. She hadn't moved from where she stood, and her face was scrunched with worry and concern. "Be careful ok? I-I don't have a goo... just stay safe." Leah turned away walking into the forest to talk to the pack.

What was Leah going to say? Why did she look so worried? Percy walked down to the beach instantly feeling better. His feet sunk into the soft sand as he walked farther along the shoreline. The ocean breeze that was usually relaxing and helpful in the sunny and hot day was now chilling and cold, it sent goosebumps up his arms and legs. The entire sky on the horizon had turned a blood red, changing into a burning orange as it stretched higher up into the atmosphere. Looking strait up he could see the blackness of space, but it was still too bright to see the stars.

Percy had walked farther along the beach than he realized, he didn't recognize this part, and he had walked everywhere along the beach in the camp boarders. Oh... he had left the camp boarders, it was easy to do when one wasn't paying very much attention. Percy looked closer at his surroundings. There was a cliff in from of him that reminded him of the cliff in Forks, the one him and Leah had jumped off of. It stretched over the water, looming over the deep blue ocean and its shadow swept along the sand to Percy, he was barely a foot from it. If he took one more step he would enter the cold shadows. Percy shivered, he wasn't sure why but he just didn't like the cliff. It didn't give him a good feeling... That's what Leah was going to say wasn't it, she didn't have a good feeling.

Something was wrong, Percy needed to go back to the camp boarders, quickly. He had to make it back to Leah. He took his first step back, following his tracks that lay in the sand from him coming there.

"Percy!"

He froze. He would recognize that voice from anywhere.

It was Annabeth.

Muah ha ha ha ha, cliff hangers are awesome when your the author.

"It was still to bright to see the stars" -those descriptions are precise in there wording. Blood and fire, stars (leah).

"Lavender pink and blood red" - pink is the color of a girl in a baby shower, but whats with the blood red in the same sentence?

"Your acting like a vampire." Asking nico for help then he's described as a vampire. (Get it)

Important to note that while Percy may have visited camp half blood after Annabeth's death he has not gone back to the place of her funeral.(till now)

Let me know if you like these me explaining these hidden meanings, I'll keep doing them.

Like in the chapter where Percy was swimming away from Leah (his brain telling him no), then his powers unconsciously pulled her closer in the current, (his heart saying yes).

I turn 16 on December 1st, so thats epic.

R&R

-CreativeMode