I finally dare to write a fanfic! This is my first time so Criticism WILL BE MUCH LOVED. Thank you for considering to check this one out—I promise I won't let you down!

I know it said rated M previously, but that was a mistake on me.

DISCLAIMER: Rick Riordan owns PJO

Now that's out of the way (I've always wanted to do that!) enjoy the show!

Revised as of 6/25/'21

Lincoln Tunnel.

The hunters arrived at the tunnel we were assigned to defend. knowing that the tunnel is pretty small and that there are lots of cars that would slow down the monsters and provide cover for us, it should be no problem holding the line. Just in case though, I made sure that we had our 'medic' hunters further back if we need to fall back, not that will ever happen though.

"Alright, make sure you use the cars as cover. When we get over-run, I want Phoebe and Atlanta with me to cover the rest of the hunters as they retreat to the next line, got it? Good, now take your positions here they come!"

As I barked those orders, a battle cry that sounded somewhat in between a strangled snake hiss, yell, sputtered roars, and a loud engine. The first sound I quickly found out was an army of dracaena armed with spears, swords, and bows.

No problem, "Hunters, fire at will!"

Becoming lieutenant has some amazing perks, like being marginally stronger than Percy. Gods, I hope Percy's alright, I thought but was snapped out of my daze by the glistening stream of arrows that bombarded the dracaena ranks, front and back, creating holes throughout their attack.

Wait, a loud engine? All the mortals should be asleep.

As I contemplated myself out of my interesting thoughts, then it hit me on what Percy had seen earlier just before we got here.

The scene shifted again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclops, a few fire-spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II-era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of its way as it rumbled into the tunnel.

Styx! We're about to have a huge problem

"Hunters, fall back!" I ordered as I saw the tank leading the attack with those dragons following its flanks. I knew we were out-gunned and about to be baptized by fire as soon as I saw that thing hit into high gear and somehow heard someone inside the tank say," Load HE!"

BOOM.

My head was spinning as my vision was blurry and there was that annoying ringing in my ears. As my vision slowly returned to me, I saw that I was knocked off my feet a good three yards away from where I had been standing. I felt something sticky and realized that it was blood. I could feel the pain from the shrapnel as it had caused some minor bleeding to my left side, but I realized that it wasn't just my blood.

It was the blood of Phoebe, who had been closer to the impact zone than I. The moment I saw her body, I wanted to give up and puke right then and there. Her entire left arm and shoulder had been blown from her body by the explosion, but the worst was her main body itself, or lack of it. The only thing I could say was that there was nobody, only one big bloody spot with chunks of flesh that stained the walls and were scattered throughout the tunnel.

If it wasn't for Atalanta, who had been in the hunt since the time of these metal beasts, I might have met my end there as a boy popped out of the tank and began to blast us with the machine gun on the roof, forcing us to retreat to the line where the medics were. They must have seen my shell-shocked expression as they began to bombard us with questions as to why we were already back to our last line of defense for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"What happened?! Where's Phoebe?" asked Naomi.

"Girls, those disgusting pigs killed Phoebe. We need to leave this area now if any of us want to continue to fight. From now on, we are going to use hit and run tactics. Watch out for the tank, if you see it, retreat immediately and report its position, I'll get someone from the Hephestus cabin in a bit. Everything I just said is an order, got it?" I shakily replied.

Every one of the hunters paled considerably, maybe because I was scared of something. Being lieutenant, that has to be bad for morale.

"Incoming!" one of the hunters yelled, as we all hit the deck, just to see, or rather hear another one of those 'HE' rounds ring right past us and explode into the buildings right behind us.

"Everyone, retreat now!" I yelled as we dove for cover yet again from another burst of machine gunfire.

Percy, please come quickly.

Williamsburg Bridge.

A phalanx of dracaena was marching soundly weaving through traffic. At the head of the army was good old Beefhead himself. At least this time he has the decency to get dressed I thought to myself, stifling a small chuckle from the first time I met the Minotaur.

"Hey, Beef Boy," I shouted back. "Didn't I kill you already?"

That really must have done it, because the next thing I knew, I was dodging cars being launched at me at speeds that would make cops drop their coffee and sound their sirens. Good thing I've had some experience dodging crazy taxi drivers around Manhattan.

Once he ran out of cars, I rushed him with my trusty sword, Riptide, and he came forward to meet my charge with his double-headed axe. I closed the distance and brought Riptide in close for an upward slash that cut his axe in half, spun around, and plunged Riptide into his chest right through the heart, sending Meat Head back to Tartarus. Someone from the monster side had been shooting arrows at the same time so I didn't notice the rest of the army barreling towards me.

One hundred and ninety-nine to one. I like those odds, I thought to myself as I did the only sane thing for a demigod. I charged them.

Not sure if I was dodging all the arrows, spears, and shields, or if it was the magic of the curse, but I fought with the ferocity of a whirlwind. Cutting a Hellhound here, stabbing a snake woman there, and occasionally laughing in the direction of the enemy. The Apollo cabin and Annabeth were supporting me in the onslaught by launching streams of golden arrows and the occasional monster disintegrating at random. I must've taken out at least 50, but I lost count after that, probably because my ADHD was getting bored of the same moves. Don't get me wrong, but when the monsters you fight are kind of predictable, you almost want to fight something else or take a break for someone else to finish the job.

When there were only 20 to 30 monsters left, they fell back to the Brooklyn side of the bridge, only to be absorbed into a new force of skeleton cavalry. "Ok, now we fall back!" I shouted, but the enemy was already charging.

Soon, Annabeth, Michael, and I were surrounded by half of the cavalry while the other half continued down the bridge, slamming into the Apollo cabin.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Came from one of the horsemen. "Looks like someone wants to run back to mommy. Oh wait, you can't!"

That was low. NO ONE disrespects my mom like that!

I stifled a growl, but then I heard a yelp, no, two of them. I looked over my shoulder to see that both Michael and Annabeth were on the ground. I recognized Ethan Nakamura as the one who did this to both of them, but he had already severed Michael's head and kicked it off the bridge with the help of his comrades.

"Per-hack-cy, get out of here." Another cough.

"No, I'm not leaving you Wise Girl," I replied.

"How cute. Your little girlfriend is dying right in front of your eyes!" came from Ethan

He was right. Annabeth's Camp Half-Blood shirt was soaked in her blood, and her face was already paling from the blood loss.

I tried to get to her, but I was blocked and kicked back by multiple skeleton horses. I'm probably not going to speak to them

"Perhaps we should show you pain, true pain. The kind where you lose a loved one, or, your loved one has lost you." Ethan said

"I don't have time for your philosophy!" I retorted.

"Too bad, I like Philosophy," he said as he decapitated Annabeth's head.

"Annabeth!"

I could only watch as they threw the body and head to one of the nearby Hellhounds. Then I knew we were fighting a lost battle, no, a losing war.

"Run home little hero! See how the mighty have fallen!" said a voice that could only be from one person, Kronos

As much as I wanted to stay and fight, I swallowed my pride and began to run. Cowardly? Yes, but I'll live to continue fighting.

During my flight, I could see there were no Apollo cabin members left, all had severed limbs and large chunks of their bodies missing from them. Even worse was their expression upon their death. Some still had their eyes open, with a shock that they had been overcome so quickly. The few remaining bows that were still visible were all broken, some were used to impale their users for a very ironic death. If things are going this badly, then where is that tank I saw? Thalia must be having a hell of a time over there. I hope they can hold the line.

Stay safe Thalia.

Every one of them is dead. They were out-gunned, out-manned, and out-supplied. They had no chance from the beginning. The Lincoln Tunnel, The Williamsburg Bridge and Central Park defenses had all collapsed. and with it, nearly all of the defenders and their hope. But the Hearth still burns on. Their hope had not yet been extinguished but had been fueled instead.

Thalia and Percy, The last of the defenders that barely survived with their lives, only to live long enough for the showdown.

"Nice knowing ya kelp-head," Thalia said. "You too Pinecone-face," replied Percy with a smirk. With that said, they both brandished their weapons and waited for Kronos. Sea green eyes met electric blue ones, and for the first time, they both held mirth and acceptance.

It was at that moment that Luke decided to barge in, already submitting to Kronos' will. Apparently, he had forgotten about the two, as his honor guards were carrying party supplies.

"Finally, THE Olympian Throne Room! And there is no on—ah. Let me rephrase that, no one can stop me after I deal with these two!" said Kronos after he collected himself, "You two should be honored to witness the new golden age! Because I am nice, I will give you one last chance to renounce the gods and join my side. You already know how this will end."

"Go to Tartarus!" came from Thalia.

"As long as we're here, you still haven't won!" added Percy.

"Very well," replied Kronos, "then I shall make both go away!"

Both Percy and Thalia took defensive positions, but standing in any certain way does not help you against a beam of energy. Around the two heroes, pure energy and light grew steadily as screams of agony could be heard from both of them. Suddenly, the ball of light dissipated into nothing, along with the two heroes.

Thalia POV

A few seconds earlier

I remember screaming in a way that Percy might have found funny if he had not been screaming along with me. I distinctly felt my soul withering away from my body and my own will to live was being torn away, giving me a sense of peace that I've felt before as I was dying before being turned into a tree. I look over to see Percy withering similarly. We both somehow ended up closer to each other knowing that this was the one fight that we couldn't win.

Our hands found their way to each other's hands and clasped tightly, then followed suit by our eyes. A silent message passed between our eyes, 'It's ok, I've got you, you're not alone,' comforting each other in our final moments.

"Hey Thals, wake up."

I groggily opened my eyes, then regretted not doing it slowly. The light came pouring in, blinding me for a good two minutes. When my vision cleared, I immediately took stock of my surroundings. From what Annabeth told me about her short visit to DOA, what I saw did not match that description.

I was on a medic cot that was situated in an open-air tent. There were other tents around but they didn't look like they had medical equipment. One of the tents had people moving boxes into them—I couldn't see what was stamped on the boxes, but because there was a pair of guards outside in an olive drab military uniform; those boxes must have been important.

Another tent, much bigger than the others, had a tank under it and looked as if it was being serviced with all the tools and fire extinguishers spread out around it. Fires must be common here, probably because the flamethrower range was right next to the ammunition and fuel storage. Seriously, who puts fire right next to explosives and fuel? There were two people next to my cot. One was a medic standing next to me constantly checking my vitals with a fragile stethoscope and a hand-operated blood pressure band-thing. The other had sea-green eyes.

Wait, sea-green eyes? I thought. My vision focused on the man with high cheekbones and untamed black hair. "Percy?" I asked.

"Who else did you think it was?" he said with a smirk.

"Sorry, it's not like I was just blasted by a titan," I starkly replied.

Then I looked at the medic next to us, thinking that he was just a mortal. Maybe I said too much...

He was giving both of us an amused expression before saying, "Well, now that you're both up, I'll go get the commander." With that said, he took off the IV and the pressure device and left towards what looked like the communications tent with all the different antennas and whatnot.

"Percy, what happened?"

"I honestly don't know. I was in the cot next to yours, and when I woke up, that medic guy said that the commander will fill you in once she wakes up as well."

I give him a small shock and he stares at me with mock betrayal. "No, before that."

"Uh, I was woken up by an explosion down the firing range?"

I shock-punch him with a bit of rage. "No, Kelp-Head, BEFORE this mess, BEFORE where we are now!" Then I shock him full-on with a lightning bolt and static electricity. This sends him twitching on the floor.

"I-i th-think w-w-we w-were k-k-killed."

"Oh-gods-kelp-head!" I barely say through my laughter.

"Yy-ou knows, it's n-not funny when y-ou're on the r-re-receiving end," Percy says, still recovering from his initial shock.

"Dam-you-Jackson! I-can't-breath!"I wheeze. This gets him to start chuckling that soon turns into full-on laughter sending us both to the floor.

I hear some chuckling behind us and immediately shut up while facing our mystery man.

His attire was similar to the other boys I saw walking around, except his' was midnight black, no, blue. He had pure black combat boots and leather gloves that complemented his startling grey eyes. Just like a child of Athena. Wait, child of Athena?

"Hahaha! I've never seen anybody fail the behavior report so badly!" he says dialing down his laughter. Percy responds in a very intelligent way to that, "What?"

"Ah, I almost forgot, you kids have a different accent, probably New Yorkers? Either way, come with me, Grace, Jackson, we have much to discuss.

"Wait," Percy said, "what did you mean by 'fail the behavior test?'"

"Oh, that? Nothing, oh look, we're here!"

"Hey, who's this 'commander' I keep hearing about? And how do you know who we are?" I pushed.

The guy's eyes flashed in fear, "I think it would be best if you ask the commander those questions. Even I don't have answers to that. If you want to know, go inside the tent and look towards the back for a guy sitting at one of the typewriters wearing a black helmet. You can't miss him."

"Is he nice?" Percy asked.

"Well...he...um, It would be best for you to decide that for yourself," he replied. With that, he left us and ran towards the fuel storage, probably because one of those guys with the flamethrowers was getting a little too close for safety.

The mystery guy left only left Percy and Thalia alone to go find the 'Commander' of this operation. They both enter the tent to see multiple things that should not have fit. It's like this tent is enchanted to be bigger on the inside than it looks outside, just like a hunter tent, thought the hunter herself. The tent was packed to the brim with decoding machines seen only at Bletchley Park, only to be connected by endless streams of haphazardly placed wires, some having the protective coating worn off to where it could shock you if you touched it, not that it would be a problem for the lieutenant.

Closer to the back of the tent were several typewriters clacking about, producing reports only to be picked up by another person and taken back to be sorted. Over on the left was a varied assortment of maps with little models on top. Either they were playing a war game or were using it for war. On the right were at least 10 different radios that ranged from man-portable to large ones that had lifting lugs welded onto them. Whoever's in command of this place must take communication very seriously, Thalia contemplated.

The two made their way to the back of the tent and didn't miss the man they were looking for. His uniform was pure black with splotches of forest green and marine blue. His helmet was black as they were told, but it had 4 stars on it. The right side of his face and mouth was covered in a gas mask that barely managed to cover a deep 5-inch jagged scar. His left eye was metal grey with a ring of brass around it. Over his left shoulder was an M1 Carbine that has been patched up more times than it should have been; the wood was mismatched and the barrel had been sawed-off and had its iron-sights welded back on. His black trench coat concealed a well-hidden shoulder holster sporting an M1911/1914 silver engraved pistol.

On the outside, you could tell that was all he had, but to the trained eyes of Thalia and Percy, they could tell that he was hiding more than his image presented, considering that his arura screamed, 'I look like I can kill you and I will but I will also torture you by breaking war crimes.'

"Lieutenant Thalia Grace and Percy Jackson, I assume?" the commander said starkly, causing the two named individuals to flinch.

"Who are you? What do you want, and where are we?" hastily replied Thalia.

"How come I don't get a cool title?" Percy whined.

"Shut up, Captain Salt Water!" Thalia retorted.

"Always the rebellious one, weren't you? Well, for starters, you both died," the commander said, "as for your first three questions and how you are alive…" he gestured to look behind us.

"The three fates…" Thalia said.

"Five points to Gryffindor!" exclaimed Lachesis.

"Oh, shut it Lachesis," came from Atropos.

"Both of you be quiet! We have company!" scolded Clotho, "And yes, we are the three fates."

"So...can you tell us why you're here?" came from Percy.

"Yes, if you recall, Miss Grace, there was a tank, and Mister Jackson, the skeleton cavalry charged both your position and your fellow defender. That wasn't supposed to happen. Losing the war wasn't supposed to happen. To set fate right, you both will need to secure allies for the next time you fight Kronos."

"Wait, next time?"

"Yes, Perry, next time. In case you haven't noticed, you're not in your correct timeline, both of you."

This comes as a revelation to the now lost-in-time demigods.

"Commander, we'll let you continue from here," and with that, the three fates disappear into the mist.

"Judging from your shell-shocked expression, I'll take that as my cue to begin the briefing," stated the commander, "I do not like to repeat or stop myself for questions; if you have any, wait until after the briefing. Where to start... Alright, currently you are at Stratford upon Avon, Great Britain, or just Stratford for short, the current headquarters for the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. This organization was founded with the help of Lady Artemis, Miss Athena, and Sir Poseidon, but we are supplied by Demeter and Hestia. Yes, you two died; the cause of death: a ball of time energy from Kronos.

"Now, the Fates did not have that planned so they are going to send you back in time to when you, to when you both first met, but to make sure that you don't fail this time come round, I will personally train you with additional weapons that fit your fighting styles, but for that, I will have you two fight each other so I can determine whether this is worth my time becoming allies with you. You'll have 5 minutes to prepare yourselves. When those five minutes are done, the weapons that you had will be given to you. Any questions?"

The very school-like monologue made their heads swim. Percy, being the intelligent one, asked, "Wait, I thought Athena and Poseidon hate each other, and why is Artemis involved with a group of men?"

"Ah, a great question, but that kind of information needs authorization from said individuals. I will see if I can get that kind of confirmation, but the only way I can freely give you this is to dissolve this group. As much as I love to chit-chat, you two should go prep yourselves now. I hope to see you there."

Woohoo! First chappie! I know I sound like other writers here, but PLEASE review!

Duckie signing off!