A/N:

Matt (guest) I don't know exactly when I'm going to update the other Percy Jackson story, but i hope to do it soon. In the meantime I am glad you're finding enjoyment with this one.

Chapter 4: Bullfighting

The thunderstorm continued raging outside. While the camp's mystical shields allowed for full weather control, the pounding of the thunder and the flashes of lightning didn't help the mood of Charles Beckendorf, who tossed and turned in his bed that night. It got to a point where he gave up on sleep entirely, and he just stuck to a game of Call of Duty – which he had the luxury of having access to thanks to the advanced gaming system he'd built into his bed. It also helped that his bed had music speakers – which he'd installed. With a little thievery from Luke, he'd managed to smuggle in quite a few mortal things to add to his endless collection of toys.

"I don't do this for just anybody, Beckendorf. But I can make an exception. You're doing something really sick here," Luke had said to him at the time.

As a son of Hephaestus, Beckendorf was expected to create and build things – to make things work as one, oiled machine. Much like Athena's kids, he held himself to a high standard. So, he created the most ingenious items the camp had to offer – or at least, that's what Silena told him. And as he played his video game, Beckendorf felt very uneasy about the news surrounding this new camper – Percy Jackson, a supposed child of the Big Three.

His stomach clenched as he tried focusing on completing to the next checkpoint. Looking over at his siblings, he saw his little sister Nyssa, and his younger brother and second-in-command, Jake Mason sleeping soundly in their beds. Even the baby of the cabin, little Harley, who was four years old, was sleeping soundly, clutching a stuffed teddy bear stained with grease stains – the last piece he had of his family. The poor little guy had witnessed his mother die in a car accident with him in the car, and he ran away from several foster homes by the time Gleeson Hedge came and got him, bringing him to Camp Half-Blood. Harley was the youngest of all his siblings and experienced so much trauma, yet, even he managed to have peaceful sleeps at night. But while all his siblings slept with ease, Beckendorf wasn't so lucky.

Sighing, he paused his game, and set his controller aside. Lying there, he stared up at the ceiling of his adoptive home. He thought of his mother, whom he'd recently been to visit in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. She'd been so happy to see him, but with the news of this new camper coming, his heart hadn't at all been in the visit. He'd sat at her desk in her office at the car dealership, reading vintage car magazines. He still found it ironic that his dad, Hephaestus, had fallen in love with a woman who sold Toyota cars for a living. But all the old magazines and new, shiny cars in the world couldn't take his mind off it. His visit had only lasted a day before his mom sent him back to Half-Blood Hill.

"Go back to camp, honey. Clearly, there's a lot on your mind. If you want to come home for the school year and not do online correspondence, send me a letter. You know you always have a home here."

'Maybe I will come home for the year, Mom,' he thought, 'I want to spend my second year at NJIT with you, anyway. Miss you.'

Sighing, Beckendorf closed his eyes and turned over onto his side, his blankets wrapped around him. But with the next clang of the thunderstorm outside, he slammed his head slightly into his pillow. Giving up on sleep, he slid on some socks and sneakers and headed towards the Big House, feeling this urgent need to talk to Chiron, again. But before making his leave, he went over to Harley's bedside, brushing his fingers along the boy's hairline before placing a soft kiss there.

Walking across the lawn, he could hardly bring himself to care whether the harpies would hunt him down. He couldn't stop the turning feeling in his stomach, and as he got closer to the Big House, he saw the warm lights still on. Clearly, Annabeth was still there with Chiron, sitting up and waiting for the arrival of Percy Jackson – the boy who just might be the reason why she'd go on a quest.

Entering the Big House, he saw Annabeth curled up on the couch, asleep with a blanket draped over her shoulders. Luke was sitting up with her, watching over her and rubbing circles into her shoulders. And Beckendorf noticed her cuddling something – a stuffed, snowy white owl. It had been a present from Thalia – her fallen friend who'd stolen it for her from a local toy shop. Thalia had gifted it to Annabeth who'd only been seven at the time, and since then, Annabeth couldn't sleep without it.

Beckendorf managed a soft smile at the sleeping blonde, watching as Luke gently tucked away a stray piece of her blonde curls, which had fallen out of place.

"She insisted on staying here," Chiron explained.

"Chiron told me why. I tried to convince her to go back to her cabin. She refused," Luke said softly, continuing to stroke Annabeth's hair before rising to his feet. He placed a gentle kiss against her forehead before turning to make his leave. "If she wakes, see if you can convince her to sleep in her own bed."

"You know Silena doesn't believe in charmspeaking anyone, unless it's to comfort somebody," Beckendorf pointed out to his old friend – his teammate from the first and last quest Chiron ever allowed for the millennials of Camp Half-Blood.

"Well, I think tonight she should make an exception," Luke sighed. "I know Annabeth's been anxious to get out into the real world. But she can't keep hoping every new guy that walks in is the sign she's been hoping for."

"Can you really blame her, though?" asked a bleary-eyed Silena, who'd walked in, clearly unable to sleep as well. She was wrapped in a thick, fluffy robe, and her hair was surprisingly unruly, which was unlike her. Beckendorf walked over towards her and wrapped her in his buff, strong arms, holding her closely.

"Ever since you mentioned that Great Prophecy, it's scared the piss out of those who found out, Chiron," she continued. "We're all desperate for an answer. We want to know what it means."

"It's been in existence since the Second World War, my dear," Chiron said gently. "Prophecies can have multiple meanings. We do not know when it'll come to pass. It might not even be about Percy."

"But even you said, Chiron, you felt something is coming," Beckendorf whispered, tightening his arms around his girlfriend who snuggled into his hold.

"It just a hunch," Chiron said, "but I just hope I am wrong."

Luke, Silena, and Beckendorf all shared looks of agreement, before looking towards the sleeping Annabeth, who curled in on herself a little more. She clutched at her stuffed owl a little tighter, mumbling one name, "Thalia," under her breath. Her breathing grew more intense as it hitched in her throat, and her face shifted into an expression of fear.

Nightmares in general were awful. Demigod nightmares were worse.

Luke sighed, closing his eyes before walking back to Annabeth's side, stroking her hair back again gently. His lips brushed against her forehead soothingly as his fingers tangled in her honey-colored curls. He brought the blanket up a little higher around her shoulders. "It's okay, Annie," he murmured to her, before turning towards the door so he could head back to his own cabin. But Silena didn't miss the look of bitterness that passed over Luke's face as he left. She hadn't even told Charlie that she felt Luke wasn't himself lately.

Granted, she noticed a shift in his behavior since they returned from the Garden of Hesperides together. She and Charlie had spent every day and night with Luke when they'd gone on that quest, and ever since, Luke just seemed so different. Granted, she and Charlie arrived at camp a year after Luke and Annabeth did. But she liked to think she and Charlie knew Luke pretty well, almost as well as Annabeth. While she knew Charlie noticed, she noticed a lot more.

Being an empath naturally due to who her mom was, Silena could feel many emotions that radiated from people. She could sense emotions of joy, love, heartbreak, and depression, and above all, this capacity for empathy made her want to fix people. And when she couldn't, it affected her in more ways than one. At times it even left her in a depression. Only, she never told Chiron, Charlie, or Annabeth for that matter, the emotions that came off Luke. They were emotions of such hatred, such anger. More than anything, it left the head of Aphrodite sick to her stomach with worry for her friend.

"Sil, you okay, honey?" Charlie murmured to her.

Silena hadn't noticed her eyes shining with tears, or that her appearance had shifted to pure blonde hair and her eyes a shade of hazel. Blinking her eyes, she pushed her tears back and changed her appearance back to normal – dark hair with highlights and blue eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Charlie," she mumbled. "I think I need another cup of tea," she added.

"I'll make it, dear," Chiron told her softly, going off toward the kitchen area and allowing for Silena to sit down in a vacant chair. And as the storm outside raged, Silena clawed her fingers over her heart and pushed them outward.

"I really hope they're okay," Silena whispered, saying a silent prayer to any of the gods or goddesses listening.

"Me too," Beckendorf agreed.

Rain slammed against the hood of the Camaro as Sally sped along the highway. She could barely see a thing, between the darkness of the skies, the pouring rain, the heavy mist, and the wild winds. The only flashes of light came from the lightning outside, which was accompanied by the bang of the thunder. Percy was convinced the pelting rain could break the windshield of the car.

In the backseat, Percy's heart was in his throat as he looked over at Grover, who sat beside him without his pants on. Percy had hoped Grover just had shag-carpet pants on – that this whole thing was his imagination. But the smell was too real. It smelled like wet, barnyard animal – a scent Percy associated with his first-grade field trip to the petting zoo. Yup. This was real. Because Percy could never dream something this weird, ever.

"So, you and my mom . . . know each other?" he asked Grover wearily.

Grover looked at Percy, his face pale as a ghost in the faint light. "Um . . . not exactly. I mean, we haven't met. But she knew I was watching you."

"Watching me?" asked Percy.

"Keeping tabs on you; making sure you were alright," Grover said, then he added hastily, "I wasn't faking being your friend. I am your friend."

"But . . . what are you, exactly?"

"That doesn't matter right now."

"Doesn't matter?!" Percy exclaimed. "You're half-donkey!"

Grover let out a throaty "blah-blah" sound before saying, "I'm half-goat!"

"But you just said it didn't matter!"

Grover released another throaty "blah-blah!" "There are satyrs out there who would trample you for such an insult!"

"Wait! Satyrs? Like in Mr. Brunner's myths about the Greek gods?"

"Were those old ladies at that fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?" Grover asked him, a serious look in his eyes.

"So, you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!" Percy exclaimed.

"That's not the point!" Grover cried. "The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract! We put Mist over the eyes of the humans. We hoped you'd think your encounter with that Kindly One at the museum was just a hallucination. But then you started realizing what you really are. And we knew we couldn't keep this up forever!"

"Wait – what do you mean?" asked Percy, feeling the fear creeping up in his stomach.

Suddenly, that was when they all heard a weird, bellowing noise in the distance – like an angry, distressed animal crying out in agony. The color drained from Percy's face as Sally continued speeding along, keeping her foot hard on the gas pedal as her knuckles tightened on the steering wheel.

"Percy, there isn't much time to explain," Sally said, her voice trembling fiercely. "We have to get you to safety."

"Safety? From what?"

"Oh, not much," Grover said nervously, "just the Lord of the Dead and his blood thirstiest minions!"

"Grover!" Sally cried.

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson," said Grover hastily, "can you drive faster, please?"

Sally nodded, stepping even harder on the gas. Percy jolted to the side as his mother made a hard left turn, and outside, he could see fields and signs that read "Pick Your Own Strawberries." He could hear the ocean waves crashing fiercely outside, and the bellowing outside grew even louder.

"We're almost there," Sally whispered, "please, please just let us get there . . . please."

"Mom, where are we going?" Percy asked.

"The summer camp I told you about," she replied.

"The place my dad told you about, but you didn't want to send me to?"

"Please, honey, this is hard enough for me," Sally said, close to tears. "You're in danger . . . I don't want to have to do this. But I need to."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn," Percy said, still very confused by all that was happening.

"Those weren't old ladies!" Grover said to him. "Those were the Fates! Do you know what that means – the fact that they appeared in front of you? They only appear when you . . . when someone's about to die."

"Whoa . . . you said 'you.'"

"No, I meant someone – 'you' as in 'someone else.' Not you, specifically!"

"Boys! Please," Sally begged, continuing to speed along the backcountry roads. "Just a few more feet . . . please, just let us get there!"

Suddenly, Percy turned, looking out the back window, and he saw a glimpse of what it was they were running from. The figure was shadowy, with his hands fisted over his head. He towered over them and seemed to be hundreds of feet tall – bulging muscles and pure black. Suddenly, that was when they heard a loud "Moo" sound, and a huge cow crashed in front of the Camaro. Sally swerved quickly, trying to avoid it.

"WHOA! Is it raining cows?" Percy yelled.

"Percy, now's not the time to joke," Grover whimpered.

"I wasn't joking," Percy replied, his voice trembling fiercely as another cow went flying right at them, and it crashed into the hood of the Camaro, crushing it like a tin can. The force was so great that Sally made such a sharp turn, the car flipped over right in the middle of the road.

The car became a twisted jungle of broken glass and crushed metal as Percy's head slammed into the window, glass breaking into his hair as his head slammed into the passenger's seat. He heard his mother scream loudly as the airbags expanded due to the impact. Peeling his head away from the passenger's seat, pain shot up through him. From what he could feel, he had a broken rib. His whole torso felt as though it was on fire. And his wrist stung – probably dislocated.

"Ow!" he moaned.

"Percy!" Sally cried out, trying to get her seatbelt off so she could kick in the windows.

"Mom!" Percy gasped. "Are you alright?"

Sally managed a nod.

"Grover!" Percy moaned, turning his head and looking towards his friend. Only he found Grover passed out beside him, bleeding from the side of his mouth. His eyes widened in terror. "GROVER!"

"Food!" Grover moaned as Percy shook his shoulder. At least there was hope.

"Percy, we – we have to get out of the car!" Sally gasped, kicking her foot hard against the glass window. It broke open and she proceeded to crawl out, making her way around to Percy's side. "Kick the door in! Get Grover out of there!"

Percy nodded, breathing hard and slamming his foot against the glass window until it shattered even more. Glass cut into the palms of his hands as he crawled out, pulling Grover out with him. Panting and shivering, he felt absolute terror rush through his veins as he and his mother helped Grover up to his feet, supporting him between them. Looking behind them, Percy saw the huge figure lumbering towards them. The closer the strange figure got to them, the more he could see. It appeared to be a man, covered in pure black fur, holding a blanket over his head. The way his hands were positioned, it looked like a pair of horns residing them. The strange man let out another loud moan of pain, tumbling forward.

"Come on!" Sally gasped. "We need to move! Up the hill towards the pine tree! You'll be safe there!"

Percy nodded, hardly able to see through the thick rain as he and his mother stumbled up the muddy, slippery hills. Looking at the huge, White House Christmas tree pine, he saw a wooden gateway at the very top of the hill – somehow, he understood the letting on it was Ancient Greek for "Camp Half-Blood." How he knew that, Percy didn't understand. But as he lumbered up the hill with Grover between them, Percy felt rushes of pain shoot up through his abdomen and wrist as he practically limped along. He barely had any strength within him to continue, but he had to. Adrenaline rushed through him along with the pain; he had to keep going.

And as they kept climbing the hill, Percy turned back to glance at the damaged Camaro. He remembered Gabe's words: "Not one scratch." He knew when he got home, there would be hell to pay for him and his mom. He just knew Gabe would beat the shit out of him.

Shivering hard, he saw the figure this time. The man had bulging, veiny muscles, thick black fur that just grew thicker around his torso, arms, and face. He had an animal-like nose and snout, which had a huge nose-ring dangling from it. Only what Percy saw nearly made him scream. It was a pair of sharp horns, huge and towering overhead. The man was half-man, half-bull. And he wore a pair of bright, white Fruit of the Looms – it probably would have looked hilarious if the bull-man wasn't so terrifying.

"That's –!" Percy choked out.

"Pasiphae's son," Sally said, "do not call him by his name. Names have power."

"But, why hasn't he found us yet?" Percy gulped.

"He goes by smell. His hearing and eyesight are terrible," explained Sally as they got even closer to the hill. But before they made it to the gateway, the bull-man lifted Gabe's Camaro and let out a loud, agonizing yell, throwing it until it landed about two feet away from them.

"He smelled us!" Percy gulped.

"Honey, listen to me. You have to get inside the gate! You'll be safe there," said Sally, "but if you have to fight him, do as I say. You need to side step away from him. He cannot change directions very well. Follow your instincts."

"Mom, how do you –?"

Sally shook her head, rushing them up towards the hill. Finally, they made it towards the gate. But as Percy stepped through with Grover, he noticed that his mom was stuck outside.

"Mom!" he said.

"Percy! You have to go without me!" she cried.

"No, I am not leaving you behind! You're coming with me!"

"I can't go through! I'm not like you!" Sally choked, and before she could add to her point, Percy saw the Minotaur reach a huge, meaty fist down, grasping Sally into his grip.

"NO!" Percy shouted, running away from the gate and leaving Grover there, passed out. "PUT MY MOTHER DOWN!"

"Percy! Go! You're safe inside the gate!" Sally choked, before the Minotaur closed his fist tightly around her neck. She disintegrated into a flash of gold dust as she let out one final scream of terror.

Percy's eyes stung with tears – of fear and rage as his adrenaline rushed through him once more. He couldn't believe he'd just watched his mother disappear before his eyes, and a sob burst past his lips. He felt this urgency to kill this beast – he couldn't bear the thought of this happening again. That was when he saw the bull-man beginning to charge for him. Remembering his mom's words, he side stepped away just in time. But he knew that that wouldn't help him for long.

Suddenly, he had an idea – a stupid idea. But it was better than nothing. Ripping off his red rain jacket, he waved it at the bull-man.

"HEY STUPID! GROUND BEEF!" he yelled, getting the bull-man's attention, and he heard the bull-man bellow once more. He heard Grover moaning from inside the boarders of the gateway as the bull-man charged once more, but Percy instantly jumped up. He didn't know how his limbs were working this way, but he found himself on top of the bull-man's head. The reeking scent of rotten meat filled his nostrils, and the smell was so awful, it was nearly enough to make him throw up. But he managed to hold on long enough for the bull-man to ram into a tree, trying to shake him off. One of the horns lodged into the tree, and Percy jumped off. But he stumbled backward as the monster freed himself, albeit with only one horn. But Percy grabbed the horn, trying to yank it out of the tree. He had no other weapon. It was his only option.

But as he tugged on the horn and freed it, he stumbled backward and he fell, his head almost cracking open as he hit it on a rock. His vision swam as he felt the effects of a concussion hitting him, hard. But he held onto the bull horn as the bull-man charged him once more. But before the monster could even reach down and strangle him, the horn impaled the monster right in his ugly belly. Percy watched, delirious, as the bull-man bellowed loudly in agony, and he disappeared in a flash of golden light.

'Mom!' he thought, a sob bursting past his lips.

Panting, he was weak, sick, and shaken. He could barely rise to his feet and he crawled his way over to Grover, who was still moaning in the grass where he'd left him. His clothes were soaked through completely, and he felt nauseated as the smell of wet livestock overwhelmed him. Gagging, he leaned over and vomited until all that was left was bile and spit. Nonetheless, he kept on crawling forward, shivering violently and sobbing, crying for Sally.

Suddenly, he saw several people running out of the big farm house that was on the hill as he collapsed in a heap on the grass. Someone knelt down to look at him – a pretty girl with curly blonde hair like a princess's, a burly, well-built African-American dude, and a girl whose appearance he couldn't quite place, because it shifted to someone who had black hair and green eyes, then blonde hair with hazel eyes, and then dark hair with blonde highlights and blue eyes. She was like a chameleon – everchanging her appearance, as if she couldn't decide what she wanted to look like. But her fair skin tone remained a constant, as well as the length of her hair, the build of her body, and her face shape.

"Chiron! They're here!" the dark-skinned kid yelled, kneeling near Percy as someone came clopping out of the farm house – the sound of horse hooves.

"Oh, Gods!" the blonde girl gasped. "He's the one! He must be!"

"Quiet, Annabeth," the boy said in a commanding tone. He looked older – possibly college-aged. He leaned in closer to Percy's level, trying to make eye contact with him. His eyes were filled with concern – a softness Percy wouldn't expect from such a muscled guy. His hands were like catcher's mitts, calloused and rough. But they were gentle on his shoulders to the touch.

"Stay with me, alright?" he said to Percy. His voice was quiet, calm, kind even. "We'll get you help. You're gonna be okay."

Percy blinked hard, trying so hard to stay conscious. "Hurts," he slurred out, a harsh shiver running through him.

"I know . . . I know," the older kid whispered. "Keep talking. Tell me your name."

"P – Percy . . ." Percy mumbled out.

"Last name, kid?"

"J – Jack – Jackson."

"Come on, don't check out on me, Percy. Just stay awake a little longer. Breathe through the pain. Keep talking to me."

Percy was delirious with pain, and couldn't understand a word of what was being said. Tears streaming down his face, he managed to moan out, "Mom!" as his last word before his eyes began rolling into his head.

Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf remained kneeling near Percy and Grover, who were both unconscious, but thankfully alive. Annabeth hovered over Percy, her blonde curls a mess over her shoulders. Her eyes were wide with excitement, but also worry.

"Let's get them inside," Chiron said, concerned.

Beckendorf nodding, leaning over and turning Percy over onto his back, scooping him up as Silena and Annabeth leaned over to help Grover up. Grover kept moaning out the word, "Food!"

"Come on, Grover," Silena mumbled as the rain and winds continued howling outside. She watched as her boyfriend carried Percy into the Big House, supporting his head, laying him down on the couch where Annabeth had been sleeping moments before. They'd seen what had happened just as Sally Jackson had disintegrated before Percy's eyes. They would've helped, but Percy had already gone into action. And he'd successfully fought the Minotaur and stayed alive.

Beckendorf laid Percy down as Silena set Grover down into a nearby chair, dribbling some nectar into the satyr's mouth. Upon the nectar hitting Grover's tongue, he sprung back to life, gasping. Upon seeing Percy unconscious, he moaned, "Oh, Styx!"

"Grover, just stay seated," pleaded Silena as she and Annabeth rushed to Percy's side just as Beckendorf propped pillows behind Percy's legs and head.

"He's got a concussion," Annabeth whispered, kneeling by his head and brushing her fingers along his jet-black bangs. She could feel the glass embedded in his scalp, bloody. It cut into her fingers, but she could hardly bring herself to care as she heard Percy whimper in his unconscious state.

"And glass is stuck in his cuts. Wrist is dislocated, too," Silena sighed, sympathetically as she took Percy's right hand in hers. His palms were bloody, covered in glass, and dirt and grime. Reaching for the canteen of nectar, she grabbed it and poured it into some towels before setting those aside and grabbing some tweezers. She proceeded to gently pull the glass out of the wounds, which were raw and red, the skin peeling badly. Seeing the amount of glass stuck in Percy's cut-up hands, she winced in sympathy. Once assured his hands were clean of the glass, she wrapped his hands with the nectar-soaked towels to clean them out and heal them.

"I felt he had some broken ribs," Beckendorf said with concern, "should I grab Lee and Will from Apollo's cabin? They might know something."

Annabeth nodded, grabbing a bowl of ambrosia – which was in pudding form, much easier for him to swallow. "We should get this in him," she said.

Chiron nodded in agreement. "Stay with him, the three of you. I'll fetch Lee and Will."

The three head counselors nodded as Chiron left. But Grover had ignored Silena's orders and stumbled to Percy's side.

"Grover, you need to rest," Silena said anxiously.

"But . . . But this happened to him, because of me," Grover sniffled, starting to cry. "After Thalia, I swore I wouldn't let this happen again!"

Silena, Beckendorf and Annabeth all sighed. They knew Grover to be very hard on himself. He still didn't forgive himself for what happened to Thalia. Knowing Percy could have suffered the same fate left them all very afraid. Yet, Percy had survived the Minotaur – he'd followed his gut instincts and did what his ADHD told him to do. That alone spoke volumes that there was something unique about him – his aura was powerful; far more powerful than the typical half-bloods that came through the gates.

"Grover, what happened to Thalia wasn't your fault," Annabeth whispered to him, putting her arm around him gently as they heard Percy moaning weakly in his sleep.

"Mom . . .!" his voice was slurred heavily as Annabeth began to spoon a little ambrosia into his mouth, force-feeding him and scraping it from his chin. She pressed her fingers to his throat, trying to help him swallow. But Percy kept sobbing in his sleep.

"Silena, help him," Annabeth whispered, spooning some more ambrosia into Percy's mouth. But it kept dribbling out along with drool.

Silena nodded. She gently took one of Percy's wrapped up hands into hers, and she ran a soothing hand through his soaking wet hair, like a mother would. She felt the glass in his scalp along with the glass and cuts, worrying that he maybe he'd cracked his skull when he'd hit it on the rock. She laced all her charmspeak into her voice, hoping to sound as comforting as possible.

"Percy . . . it's okay. It's all going to be alright," she whispered, watching as Percy sobbed out, "Mom!" again in his distressed sleep. But he also slurred a few other words, like, "Furies," "bulls," "No, please," "stupid," "loser," and "Don't hurt me!"

"Shhh," shushed Silena, wiping his tears away soothingly. "You're safe, now. I promise. No one is going to hurt you." Luckily those words seemed to get Percy into an eased state. But tears still spilled down his face. It was as though he couldn't feel safe and peaceful in his own sleep; it left her wondering what more could have happened – hearing the word "Furies" especially left her alarmed. She knew from Grover and Chiron's Iris messages that Percy had fought the Fury Alecto, which alone was a great achievement for a demigod.

Silena's eyes stung with tears, which went flowing down. She could feel Percy's heartache like it was her own as she reached for a blanket, tucking it over him like a mother would tuck her son in. She could also feel other emotions radiating off him, emotions of fear, disgust, and self-loathing. Who in the world left him feeling this way? Of course, self-esteem issues were common among demigods. They faced their own share of harassment and lack of understanding from teachers, who treated them like they were impossible to put up with. But to hear from Percy's mouth that a teacher had called him "stupid," it was almost too much for her heart to take. Looking at Annabeth, she could see the younger girl looked torn up about it, as well. Beckendorf wrapped an arm around her gently, holding her close as Annabeth kept feeding Percy the pudding-like ambrosia. Silena leaned over and pressed her hand over Percy's forehead.

"He's burning up," she whispered, sniffling on Percy's behalf. She saw tears leaking down Percy's closed eyes and soaking his face, which had cuts and bruises fading gently. The fact that he was surviving the nectar and ambrosia was proof enough that he was one of them.

"The nectar and the ambrosia will help him, Sil," Beckendorf said gently as Lee, Will and Chiron rushed back in. Lee and Will knelt down and felt around Percy's torso, feeling for broken bones and other possible internal injuries.

"We should get him changed and out of these clothes," Lee said, concerned, gently touching the unconscious boy's cheeks and forehead. "I don't want him getting hypothermia. I normally would never steal, but we're desperate here. Silena, Beckendorf, get Luke to steal some spare clothes for him from the camp store."

"What about his ribs?" asked Annabeth, concerned.

"From what I can feel, one is broken, two are cracked, and three are bruised," Lee whispered. "The ambrosia should help heal him over time. But just to be safe . . ."

Lee placed his hands on Percy's torso and muttered a hymn to Apollo, and Lee could feel Percy's ribs mending under his gentle touch. He lifted Percy's shirt slightly to check, and he saw fading bruises. But he noticed something alarming. He saw a scar that couldn't be from a monster attack – a scar that had clearly been left behind by a human – possibly an abusive parent. Lee quickly pulled Percy's shirt down, not wanting the others to see the scars. Will didn't need to see that; he was only ten. His hands shook slightly. There were clear signs of physical abuse. For how long? Lee didn't know. And he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. As one of the camp's resident healers, they were some of the worst scars he'd ever seen. And that was saying something. He'd seen demigods come to camp with a lot of scars, usually from monster attacks or abusive parents who would beat their children. He just hoped that wasn't the case with Percy.

"Lee? Are you okay?" asked Annabeth.

Lee nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Will, you should go back to bed," he said.

"But Lee!" Will protested; he was one of the best healers the camp had to offer. But Lee didn't need to see Will hardened by witnessing hints of child abuse. The kid was still so young; sure, Lee knew Will had seen a lot, given he often acted as a medic on the battlefield during Capture the Flag. But this was different.

"No, Will," Lee said, sternly. "I want you to go back to the cabin for the night. End of discussion."

Will sighed stubbornly, before exiting the Big House. Lee then turned toward the others. "We just need to get him undressed. I'll change him once we get some dry clothes here. After that we should move him to a bed in the infirmary. He'll be more comfortable that way."

With that in mind, Beckendorf and Silena rushed out towards Hermes's cabin to ask Luke to steal Percy some dry clothes.

But as they did so, they knew deep down that there was something special about Percy Jackson.