Disclaimer: I own neither Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters from either of the aforementioned series.

Chapter 1

Percy had heard of the expression "be careful what you wish for." He knew that most wishes came with a price. But he never imagined that his unspoken wish for peace would get him thrown in an alternate dimension, in the middle of a war, fighting for his life. Again.

24 hours earlier

Percy Jackson didn't scare easily. The horror films nowadays didn't cut it, Percy having seen so many gruesome things in real life that couldn't be blamed on makeup or an art designer. Still, there were a few things that sent Percy into a state of terror. He was afraid when a friend's life was put in danger. He was afraid of flying and getting blasted out of the sky by his uncle. He was (sort of) afraid of the twenty-something gods that wanted to blast him. But, above all, he was afraid of a pissed-off girlfriend. Yep, give him a dracanae any day.

It was a strange sight to see: the Hero of Olympus, defeater of Kronos, all-out running as if Hades himself was on his tail. And, behind him, gray eyes smoldering, the Architect of Olympus chasing after him as if he had gutted her mother (impossible, by the way, as Athena was a goddess and would blast Percy if he tried to come anywhere near her).

As the two demigods ran all around Camp, they extracted some strange looks from the newer campers, while the older ones just smiled and shook their heads, used to the lovebirds' odd behavior.

Panting with exhaustion, Percy made a beeline for the Hades cabin, where Nico was just emerging. Putting on a final burst of speed, he grabbed Nico by the collar, ignoring his befuddled look, spun him around, and practically dragged the younger boy back inside. Gasping, he quickly bolted the door and slid to the floor, exhausted.

"Percy?" Nico looked slightly concerned to see the older boy so terrified. "What's wrong? Are there monsters? Did they get past the border? Is another god out to burn you ali-?" he cut himself off at Percy's waving his head no.

"It- I-" Percy coughed, still trying to regain his breath. "Worse," he managed to choke out before the pounding started.

"Perseus Jackson!" The daughter of Athena's voice was so angry that Zeus himself could probably hear it on Olympus. "You can't hide in there forever!"

Percy's face paled even further, which Nico had previously thought was impossible. "Nico!" he hissed. "Hide me!"

Nico's face suddenly showed realization. "You mean... you... Annabeth..." he broke off, the edges of his mouth twitching, before he lost the battle and collapsed on the floor in a heap of laughter.

"Nico!" Percy scolded Nico, who was rolling around on the floor in amusement. "This isn't funny!"

"Really? 'Cause I think it kind of is," Nico retorted.

The two boys' conversation was brought to an abrupt halt when Annabeth reminded them of her presence at the door.

"Nico, I'm speaking to you!" The son of Hades' laughter was cut off abruptly. "Get Percy out here in the next three seconds!" She didn't need to bribe or threaten him. The unspoken or else remained clear for all to hear.

"Three!" Annabeth started her countdown.

"Two!" Nico's eyes darted furiously between his cousin and the person who probably would not hesitate to rip him to shreds.

"One!"

"C'mon!" Nico grabbed Percy by the sleeve and dragged him over to a shady part of the cabin.

By the time Annabeth burst into the cabin, the cousins had already shadow-traveled away from the angry daughter of Athena.

Percy and Nico stumbled out of the shadows to be met with a silver bow pointed at their heads. "Um..." Percy started. "We come in peace?"

"Seriously, Perce?" Nico complained. "When has that ever worked?"

"Well, there's no harm in trying," Percy grumbled.

"Percy? Nico? What are you doing here?" the huntress asked, lowering her bow.

"Thalia?" Nico said, confused. "When did you get here?"

Thalia shot him a strange look. "You're the one who came here. Speaking of which, why are you in Portland anyways?"

"Oregon?" Nico looked befuddled. "That's not possible. I was just trying to get us to the other side of Camp."

"Maybe your shadow traveling is a bit rusty," Percy suggested, ignoring the dirty look his younger cousin gave him.

Thalia suddenly froze. "Anyone else think it's weird that the three of us are together? I mean, after whole deal with Hades' sword, do you think that the gods are just going to gather us to do their dirty work for them?"

"That's not going to happen," Percy said firmly. "Nico, can you shadow travel us out of here?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to need a really long nap afterwards," Nico agreed.

"I'll get your pillow," Percy said dryly.

"Wait a sec." Thalia stepped up to them. "I was separated from the Hunt in Philadelphia. Do you think I could hitch a ride so I could catch up to them from New York?"

They looked at Nico, who nodded. "I don't see why not. Everyone, grab hands." Thalia hesitated.

"Come on, Thals," Percy said. "We're your cousins."

"You're boys," Thalia said pointedly, but reluctantly grabbed onto Nico's hand with the tips of her fingers.

"Hold on tight, enjoy the ride, and please, try to refrain from barfing all over me," Nico said before stepping into the shadows. He concentrated on Camp Half-Blood, and the shadows obeyed him. He started walking, pulling his cousins along with him, before something went wrong.

It felt like a wall blocking his path, and it knocked the breath from him. His step faltered, and he could feel his grip on the shadows slipping. The last thing he felt was his cousins' hands slipping from his own before a flash of bright blue light invaded the shadows.