Chapter 10, Act I - Percy's Journey to Camp.

"Oh hell no you don't." I snarled. I equipped my gauntlet and used aerokinesis to help me spring forward, slamming the fist with the gauntlet on it into his face. I kneed him where it hurt, and he went sprawling from the sheer force.

"Miss Jackson, I'm so sorry to intrude. We came because it's time for Percy to go to camp. Percy, grab what you need. I'm going to make sure our resident inbred walrus doesn't lay a hand on anyone else." I said firmly, ending with a snarl.

Percy scurried off, and Sally went to grab a few things, too. I think she knew she wouldn't be allowed in, but thankfully, I knew how to let her into camp, and this is about a month or two away from the encounter with the Minotaur, I believe, so she should be safe.

Gabe started to get up, but I used aerokinesis to literally knock the wind out of him. He collapsed, breathing deeply as he tried to catch his breath. "What," he coughed, "the fuck are you, brat?" He demanded.

"Sally, call the police on this kid!" He called out. Of course, she didn't, but another moment later, Grover, Sally, and Percy were packed and ready to go. "Do you think blinding him would be enough payment for doing this to the both of you?" I asked coldly. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm not entirely sure who you are, and I thank you for your concern, but you've done enough. Percy can get away, and that's what matters." Sally said a little sadly. I knew she didn't want Percy to go to camp. She was scared he wouldn't come back, and she wouldn't get as much as a minute to see him in person again.

"But if we don't do something, my face, as well as Percy's and Grover's, could easily show up on the news. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to be that much of a scumbag." I countered.

"We can handle that, trust me." She said calmly. I could hear uncertainty in her voice, as if she doubted herself. But I thought about the books. Percy made it out relatively unharmed in everything, and he has plot armor. I'm soon to be his friend, if not already, and since his fatal flaw is loyalty... Well, harm coming to me is unlikely.

Unless I become a mentor figure to him, in which case, I'm fucked, because the mentor always dies. Unless you're Chiron, because he's just different. I shake myself out of my thoughts. "Fine. Let's go, before something can happen." I snapped my fingers, letting Mist cloud Gabe's eyes. Hopefully, my control over the Mist was enough to make this encounter seem more normal, rather than remembering some airbender came to beat his ass.

I'd wipe his memory of it entirely, but unfortunately, we needed a national hunt for our heads, as fucked as that sounds. We left, and piled into Gabe's Camaro, Sally driving urgently. I was tempted to strike up a conversation with Sally, and find a way to convince her and Grover to let me allow her into camp.

I knew how, it's just unfortunate that Grover was here. Grover's a bit more of a stickler for rules, and mortals aren't supposed to enter camp, except in rare instances, to include the Oracle, and people trying to take up the mantle of Oracle.

But if I could convince them, then she could be safe in case the Fates screw with things, and have the Minotaur chase us earlier than it was supposed to. But I decided to put that idea in the backseat for now.

Unfortunately, we got held up because someone got in a car accident on our way. I frowned when I saw a nearby apartment complex. My head started hurting, and I saw a flash of something. A broken body, a closing door, and a hand reaching out and locking it.

I paled, and started to sweat inexplicably. "You okay, man?" I heard a concerned voice say. I turned to see Percy, and I came up with a lie easily. "Yeah, just... bad memories, you know?" I say, looking sorrowfully back at the complex we just passed. He glanced over at me, seemingly understanding, with whatever he got from my half-lie.

That apartment complex seemed familiar. I wasn't sure why. What were those scenes? Memories? I shrugged it off for now.

Grover looked at me, confused. He knew I had amnesia, and this was my first time leaving camp in two years. I shook my head discreetly at him, and he shrugged. It was another hour before we got there, and it was getting hard to see outside. It was dark, and rain was pelting down relentlessly.

A chill passed through my spine, and I understood. This was a fixed point. Percy had to fight the Minotaur, on his own. I heard a roar, confirming my fears. Sally paled. "No. We're almost there, come on." She said fearfully. "Ms. Jackson, if it comes down to it, I'll try and hold it off. I've been training for two years to fight a monster like this." I assured her.

I knew what was about to happen, and I didn't like it. The hairs stood up on my neck. I heard a boom, and saw a flash of light, before the world faded to black.

I woke up seemingly a few minutes later, just in time to see Sally get crushed by the Minotaur, and she vanished in a shower of gold. I snorted. The Big Three were always pretty dramatic, though Poseidon much less so. I heard Percy scream, and he charged at the Minotaur. The bullman lowered his head, and started charging himself, and Percy leapt up, grabbing the Minotaur by its horns.

He used the horns like the handles on a bike, and directed them into a tree. Percy took a moment to get his bearings, but slipped off of the bull. The Minotaur was thrashing, trying to get free. "Percy!" I shouted, reaching into my inventory to grab Riptide. He turned to me, and I tossed the pen at him, willing the water from the rain to push off the cap as it landed in his hand, and it extended into a beautiful sword.

He seemed unfazed in his anger, and he turned to the Minotaur. It got free, leaving both horns in the tree, broken. It snarled, but before it could do anything, it was bisected by Riptide, and the beast collapsed, transmuting into golden dust as it scattered in the forming hurricane.

I limped my way over to Percy, and I glanced at my HP. 540/1300. That bolt and the crash must've hurt, but fortunately, the System healed the injury itself, so I didn't suffer through the pain. To me, it was just a number.

I pulled both horns from the tree, and passed one to Percy. "We need to go." I said, dropping the spare horn into my inventory, and lifting an unconscious Grover over my shoulder. "Come on. Let's go to the Big House." I ordered.

I didn't leave him much of a choice, as I marched forward into the valley, towards the baby blue house. Percy stumbled behind me, following me to the Big House to meet Chiron. Surprisingly, Annabeth was there, too. Annabeth sized him up, and Percy collapsed on the ground. "He's the one. He must be." Annabeth demanded.

"Silence, Annabeth. He's still conscious." Chiron said, looking down at Percy. "Niko, bring him inside, please."

I grabbed the unconscious boy, making it one unconscious person on either of my shoulders, as I carried them in, aerokinesis keeping them on my shoulders so they don't fall. I set Percy on a bed, and examine him. "He's hurt internally, I think, but externally, he looks to be all good. You already know his father, Chiron?" I ask. He nods.

"He's just like his father." He says amusedly. I nod. "It's exactly why he's unscathed like he is. I'll go get a healer. He should be fine, but a professional opinion would be better." I turned away, marching to the Apollo cabin.