A/N: I don't own the rights to any of the Percy Jackson series or it's characters. That right goes to Rick Riordan. I also don't own the rights to Animorph including it's title.

I am, however, the person who posted 'The Tales of...' series.

This is not a crossover of the Percy Jackson series with the book/tv series Animorph, despite what you might think from the title. I just thought it be a proper name for the ability to turn into animals since that's why the tv/book series 'Animorph' was called that in the first place.

If you haven't read this yet, read:

AnimorphPercy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
AnimorphPercy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

The Vice Principal is the Manticore

I change out of Gecko form and grew into a white artic fox. I figured I can use it is hearing to hear anything Dr. Thorn and the di Angelo kids say.

Thorn marched them into the woods. They took a snowy path dimly lit by old fashioned lamplights. I was glad I decided to change out of Gecko form. The wind was blowing, and I was sure if I stayed cold-blooded, I would become a Percysicle.

As I hope, my heighten sense of hearing let me hear their conversation.

"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."

"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"

"Silence, you insufferable girl!"

"Don't talk to my sister that way!" Nico said with a quivering voice.

They kept going until Thorn finally said, "Halt"

The woods had opened. They had reached a cliff overlooking-from what I can sense from here—the sea.

Dr. Thorn pushed the siblings toward the edge. "Face me!"

They turned.

Dr. Thorn pulled something from under his coat, but I could not make out what it was as I crept slowly toward them. Then he said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."

I realized it must have been a phone, which was too modern and creepy. I also realized I might be way over my head, and decided to try and contact Grover.

I concentrated and picture Grover's face. I focus on my feelings of danger. Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us. He had sent me visions in my dreams to let me know he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I had never tried to contact Grover before. I did not even know if it would work while Grover was awake.

Hey, Grover! I thought. Thorn's kidnapping the di Angelo kids. I am trailing him as an artic fox. He called for transportation. Come quickly.

There as a flicker of movement from Thorn's back and a missile whistled so close to Bianca, I would not be surprise it nicked her somewhere. Something had sprung up from D. Thorn-like a catapult, but more flexible… almost like a tail.

"Quiet!" Thorn ordered. "I'm not going to kill you. You both are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you two would already be dead."

"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you will get a ransom, you're wrong. We do not have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."

"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little b-. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family. I will let the General enlighten you on the great service you'll do for him." Then he looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation.

In the distance there was a search light over the sea. There was the sound of chopping blades getting louder and closer.

"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.

"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."

'They're not dolls! They are figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring of monsters is underway." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Bianca asked.

"The worst of monsters, my dear, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have ever known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all-the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"You are nuts." Bianca responded.

Dr. Thorn responded with a series of missile weapons.

I change back to human form and changed form as I grew is size, my hands and feet turn into hooves and large horns grew from my head as I turn into a Reindeer. I charged and rammed him. At the same time something invisible seemed to slam into the di Angelo kids as the missiles flew overhead.

I change back to human form but partially transform my arms with bear muscles and claws as I tried my best to restrain him. I hear Thalia shouting, "For Zeus."

Dr. Thorn turned as Thalia and Grover were charging at us.

If you never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has a head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it will not turn you into stone, it is so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it. Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.

Since Annabeth was not with them, I can guess she was what plowed the di Angelo kids to the ground, using her cap of invisibility.

I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. With me holding onto him, surely Thalia would be able to jab at his head. But he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it had not been for Aegis, Thalia would have been sliced a loaf of bread. At first, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.

I decided to go full bear as white fur sprouted all over my body as I turn into a polar bear. I bit down right at Dr. Thorn's neck and he howled in pain.

The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I did not have time to look.

A leathery, scorpion like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip appeared between me and Thorn. Now that I was full polar bear, I did not have the human grip of a partial transformation and it yanked me off him. I had a chunk of his skin in my mouth and I can tell you, it tasted like monster.

Despite having a chunk of his neck bitten, Dr. Thorn was still fighting. He fired another volley of missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force their impact knocked Thalia down.

Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorn missiles in all directions.

"A manticore!" Annabeth shouted. She was now visible as her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when she had plowed into the di Angelo kids.

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I had no time to think about it. The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward Annabeth and the di Angelo ids with a snarl.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow as thorns sailed over them.

I charged at him, still in polar bear form and gave him a bear tackle but Thorn whacked me sending me at Grover. I manage to change into human before we collided.

"Yield!" the monster roared.

"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster? The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.

"No!" I ran out to help her. I took out Riptide and uncapped it. I parried away a spike before it would have hit her chest. I hit the stop watch on the watch my brother Tyson made me, and a four-foot-wide shield spiraled out as I raised it over us.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. If there were any animal forms, I can take that might stand a chance, they are not built to survive in this weather.

Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

…

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.

He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

"C- you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but it was impossible. Not even Apollo's kids at camp could shoot with that much accuracy.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he was not as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.

Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."

I did not have a chance to ask what she meant.

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

I could not tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Thalia and me.

"No!" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" The girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoë ordered.

"No!"

But the hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

"Annabeth!" I yelled.

I was about to change shape into a flying animal when the helicopter started firing at us with gunfire.

Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.

"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter and the black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.

I use that moment to shapeshift into a pegasus since there are not any animals, I can think of that could carry humans.

I flew into the sky and down the cliff, but I see Annabeth. I try to sense her out but nothing. But I still change shape back to human and then my body bloated as my legs turn into a flippers as I dove into the water as a leopard seal. I search as far as I can but no signs.

Eventually I had to give up and return to land and rejoined my friends and hunters.

"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."

"I couldn't find her," I said. "I searched good far."

"Yes, I was afraid of that," the younger girl said. "I'm sorry Percy Jackson."

"Who are you?" I asked.

The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."