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:

Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Apollo Secretly Helps Us Out

We were crossing the Potomac when we spotted the helicopter. It was sleek, black military model just like the one we'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward us.

"They know the van," I said. "We have to ditch it."

Zoë swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," I said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," Zoë said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid. I don't know how much they can see through the Mist, but I doubt it matter to them. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

I can't argue against that. I seen the Fields of Punishment in the Underworld and even meat one of it's residents: Tantalus last summer. From my understanding, you have to do something evil to be judge by the judges of the underworld to go there, or if you did something really evil, get direct sentence there from the gods themselves.

The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than we were through D.C. traffic.

Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

I normally rather not experience another power of Zeus' lightning as I had plenty of it during my first summer and quest, but right now I'm on Thalia's side. Sadly the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.

"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"

"We'll be trapped," Zoë said.

"Trust me," Bianca said.

Zoë shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. We left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Thalia agreed.

We bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind us for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later we were safely aboard the southbound train, riding away from D.C. I didn't ease until our train was above ground and we could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us.

Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."

Bianca looked pleased. 'Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."

Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."

"I guess,' Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."

Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"

Bianca nodded.

Now, I knew nothing about D.C., or specialize in architects as Annabeth, but their whole subway system look no less than twelve years old. And although Annabeth had told me that certain chain restaurants and stores are tied to monster's lives, I don't think subways are as well unless Hades was trying to make improvement to underground places for his minions. Judging from everyone else's face they were as confused as I am.

"Bianca," Zoë said. "How long ago…" Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.

"We need to change trains," I said. "Next station."

Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter.

Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses, railway tracks, and lots of snow. I found myself glad for my new lion's fur coat as it seemed much colder here.

We wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they haven't moved in years.

A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. We must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to warm up? Come on over!"

I then remembered what my brother Tyson said about Cyclopes are normally homeless themselves to learn to build and appreciate the things they can build so they don't become like Polyphemus. Although it seem fair considering I met Polyphemus, I reminded myself that is also why rogue cyclopes are often homeless themselves. Last thing we need right now is to find ourselves in a Cyclopes' trap.

"Hold on guys," I said before turning to to Grover. "Is he… you know?"

Grover look at me then seem to understand what I'm asking as he sniff the air. "He smell safe."

I sighed with relief as we huddled around the fire. Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-g-great."

"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.

"Feet," I corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy.

"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"

"No," Zo:e said. "They cannot help us any more. We must finish this quest ourselves."

I gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere far to the west, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And we were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless person's fire.

"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimey and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"

"Yes, sir," I said. "You know any?"

He pointed on greasy hand.

Suddenly I noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"That's… convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh…"

She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.

…

An hour later we were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because we all got our own luxury car. Zoë and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thala had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the altrock station from DC. There even was a hot red Spyder like the form Apollo's sun chariot was in when he came to pick us up. I plan to sleep in it, but first I need to talk to Thalia.

"Join you?" I asked her.

She shrugged, so I climbed into the shotgun seat.

The radio was playing the White Stripes. I knew the song because it was one of the only CDs I owned that my mom liked. She said it reminded her of Led Zeppelin. I heard some of their songs and I see what she meant as I became a fan myself. Thinking about my mom made me sad, because it didn't seem likely I'd be home for Christmas. I might not live that long.

"Nice coat," Thalia told me.

I pulled the duster around me. I can turn into any animal that can keep me warm, but I can only talk in human form so the warmth was helpful. "Yeah. Thank gods the skunk smell didn't linger. I'm guessing the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for, though."

"Not even close. We've got a long way to go."

"Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one."

"He said that?"

"Well, something like that. Yeah."

"That's great. I love being used as bait."

I understand what she meant. For the last two summers Kronos and Luke tried to baited me into delivering either the Master Bolt or the Golden Fleece to them. Although I had to face monsters and certain death in the process, at least Master Bolt and Golden Fleece weren't monsters themselves.

"No idea what the monster might be?"

She shook her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading."

I remembered something Annabeth had said at the dance: how her dad was moving to San Francisco, and there was no way she would go. Half-bloods couldn't live there.

"Why?" I asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"

"The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic—what's left of it—still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."

"What's the Mountain of Despair?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask stupid Zoë. She's the expert."

She glared out the windshield. I wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but I also didn't want to sound like an idiot. Here I am, with the power to turn into any animal I want and I can tell you anything you need to know about that animal, but when it comes to the rest of the world, more importantly mystical stuff, I have to turn to others to find out anything. And right now, I hated the feeling like Thalia knew more than I did.

The afternoon sun shone through the steel mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face. I thought about how different she was from Zoë—Zoë all formal and aloof like a princess, Thalia with her ratty clothes and her rebel attitude. But there was something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right now, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression, Thalia looked a lot like one of the Hunters.

Then suddenly, it hit me: "That's why you don't get along with Zoë."

Thalia frowned. "What?"

'The Hunters tried to recruit you," I guessed.

Her eyes got dangerously bright. I definitely hit a major sore topic and it look like I might get zapped for it, but Thalia just sighed.

"I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoë tried to convince me. She almost did, but…"

"But?"

Thalia's fingers gripped the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."

"Oh."

"Zoë and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."

I watched the sun through the metal curtain. We seemed to be traveling faster each second—shadows flickering like an old movie projector.

Technically, Zoë was right. Luke did let her down. He poisoned her when her spirit was in the tree, but then I remember how Annabeth once said how I reminded her of Thalia, that we had similar personalities. If I found out someone I hate ended up being right about something, I wouldn't want to admit it. Especially if it's about someone that was close to me.

"Luke isn't the same guy you knew back then," I told her. "Annabeth said it herself after Luke left Camp Half-Blood. Luke changed after his quest Hermes send him on. Because of it, we will have to fight him."

"I'll do what I have to." Thalia said.

"Look, even if you admitted it or not, I want to make one thing clear: I got back," I said. "If FDR and Winston Churchill can work together against Hitler, I'm sure the two of us can do the same against Kronos. Just because our dad's are rivals doesn't mean we have to be."

"Thanks Percy," Thalia said. "Now, do me a favor and get out of my car."

I nodded and got out.

…

I sat in the driver's seat of the Spyder after Grover had tried to impress Zoë and Bianca with his pipe music of 'Poison Ivy' which had caused that very stuff to sprout from their Lexus' air conditioner. Fortunately after that fiasco Grover finally gave up trying to impress them, which was good. I don't think he would survive the rest of the quest if he kept pulling stunts like that.

As I watched the sun go down, I thought of Annabeth. I was trying to decide to shapeshift into an animal and see if I can check on her status or not through dreams. As worried as I am about Annabeth, I'm starting to miss having my dreams diluted by my own shapeshifting powers.

"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to me.

I looked over. Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find the homeless guy from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. He looked kind of like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck.

"If it weren't for dreams," he said, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:

"Dreams like a podcast,
Dowloading truth in my ears.
They tell me cool stuff."

"Apollo?" I guessed, because I figured nobody else could make a haiku that bad.

He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."

"A god name Fred?"

"Eh, well… Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody"

"Can you help us, then?"

"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"

"The train. How fast are we moving?"

Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."

"But where is Artemis?"

His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's… clouded from me. I don't like it."

"And Annabeth?"

He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmm. I don't know."

I tried not to feel mad and held back a growl. I knew the gods had a hard time taking mortals seriously, even half-bloods. We lived such short lives, compared to the gods.

"What about the monster Artemis was seeking," I asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscured from my Oracle."

"But it's your Oracle," I protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"

Apollo sighed. "You might ass well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."

"In other words, you don't know,"

Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep in human form every now and then! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"

I wanted to protest that I wasn't tired and I'd never made up a Haiku in my life, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing I knew I was closing my eyes.

Compare to most of my previous dreams, this one wasn't so bad. It probably helps that I was somebody else. I was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, which was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around my back like a cape, and I was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping my hand.

"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but I could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"

It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. We were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading me through it, as if we were about to die.

"I'm not afraid," I tried to tell her.

"You should be!" she said, pulling me along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.

We raced up the side of the hill. She pulled me behind a thorn bush and we collapsed, both breathing heavily. I didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And I felt strong. Stronger than I'd ever felt before. I'm even more confused why I'm even running and hiding in human form. I can shapeshift into any animal needed. But when I try, I found I can't seem to access it. Not like something was blocking it like with Circe's magic potion, but rather that whoever I am don't seem to have the power.

"There is no need to run," I told her. My voice sounded deeper, much more confident. "I bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."

"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."

The hurt in her voice surprised me. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about me.

"I don't trust your father," I said.

"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die!"

I chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"

"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it." I stood up, rubbing my hands together.

"Wait!" the girl said.

She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."

The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.

"Take it," she told me, "And make of it a weapon."

I laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"

"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."

The girl's voice softened my heart. I reached down and took the hairpin, and as I did, it grew longer and heavier in my hand, until I held a familiar bronze sword.

"Well balanced," I said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands." Actually I prefer using my animal forms if my sword isn't enough. "What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. If I could I would choke with surprise hearing the name. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."

Riptide. This is Riptide. The same sword that most likely in my pocket in ball point pen form in the real world right now.

A few things dawned on me: who I was in this dream, and who this girl is. Most importantly I'm starting to get what Mr. D was talking about on the Chrysler building.

Before I could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He's here!"

…

I sat bolt upright in the Spyder's driver seat. Grover was at my door, which was wide open, shaking my arm.

"Percy," he said. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"

I tried to shake off my drowsiness. Thalia, Zoë , and Bianca had already rolled up the metal curtains. Outside were snowing mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.

I fished my pen out of my pocket and stared at it. Although it was not the broach form I saw in my dream, I'm sure it's the same blade from my dream. Not only that, but I'm sure I was Hercules in my dream, and the dream took place sometime during his eleventh task of getting the Apple of Hespirides, who—as I said in my dream—bested many monsters with his bare hands, and wore the Nemean Lion Cloak before me. More importantly, I'm sure that girl in my dream was Zoë Nightshade.