After half an hour of sitting relaxed, my ADHD started to act up. I started fidgeting.

Annabeth had fallen asleep; the duel with Clarisse had obviously sapped her energy. I started thinking about where in Texas we would find the Scythe.

You must be thinking that Texas is so damn big, how were we going to know where to go?

See, mythical creatures always tend to leave behind a trail, or clues. On top of that, us demigods have a so-called scent attracts monsters.

I knew Texas is a huge place, but I had Annabeth with me, who is basically a human Wikipedia when it comes to architecture, so she's probably figure out something. But I had a feeling that this quest was going to be more than just an errand.

I didn't realize when I fell asleep. But when I did, I did the most common thing that demigods do: dream. I mean, not the normal ones, demigod dreams can be about anything. A warning, or the future or past, or a million other things. They can make you see sense, or they can be completely bonkers.

This one was completely bonkers too. In my dream, I was watching a movie that had adventures that can be compared to mine. In it, there was a mythical creature that I knew about at the back of my mind, but couldn't put my finger on its name.

Then my dream changed, and I found myself fighting the same creature, only in a different location. Even though my ADHD keeps me informed about my surroundings in battle, this place was completely indiscernible. Then some sort of realization hit me, but before I could figure out what, I was woken up by Annabeth yelling in my ear.

Immediately after I woke up, the dream started fading. I knew it had something to do with the quest, but what, that I didn't know.

Annabeth looked at me with concern, "Dreams?" she asked.

I nodded. She shook her head sympathetically. Like I told you, irregular dreams are a common feat for demigods.

She questioned me, "What was it about?"

"About a movie," I said, "And then suddenly I was fighting the monster in it."

She stared like she was worried about my sanity. And I've got to admit she was doing nothing out of the ordinary. I would have done the same.

"It's probably nothing," I said. But even then I knew it was not nothing.

It was then I noticed that we'd stopped. Which could mean only thing, we had reached our destination. We were in Texas.

Argus was looking at me with concern in all his hundred eyes. I didn't like being the center of attention of all of his eyes, so I hopped off.

I said, "Thanks for the ride, Argus." Argus nodded and winked. Then he revved up the cab, and left us in the dust.

I turned to Annabeth, "So, what now?"

She said, staring at the sky, "Demeter is a powerful goddess, so her Scythe is bound to attract attention from plenty of unwanted guests."

I started, "What do y-," following her gaze.

Then I stopped, seeing what she was looking at. It was evidently some sort of monster that could fly. Wow. That was a little too obvious.

"What do you reckon that thing is?"

I asked her, expecting she'd give me the answer in a flash, but she shook her head and said, clearly mystified,

"I don't know that. But we've got to follow it. I can tell you that much."

I heard myself saying, "Right, let's go," and we were off.

I tried to stay calm, trying to make sense of my dream, but in vain. When Greek dreams decide to be nuts, they stay nuts until the fates decide otherwise.

After a devoted 15 minutes of craning our necks and following the weird creature with an increasing pain in the neck, we lost sight of it. And just at time, too. We'd reached a famous monument: The World War 1 Memorial.

Before Annabeth could spout any facts about this monument, I dragged her behind the memorial so that we could check where the unusual creature was. Turns out the thing had been waiting for us.

Something grabbed me and in half a minute, a blur of bronze, and a dozen feathers in my mouth, we landed in the middle of nowhere. The thing that had grabbed me let go and I turned, only to be hit on the head. The last thing that I remember before blacking out was the sound of hooves and feathers.

I had a weirder dream this time. I could see the animal as it turned, talking to... I must be dreaming, I thought. Of course you're dreaming, dummy, my brain told me, but this is still real. It was talking to a lion. Not just any lion, this one I'd met before.

That thing was talking to, probably talking orders from the Nemean Lion. Just the sight of the beast made my hair stand on end. It had taken five of us to overpower it the first time, but if it attacked now, there wasn't even any space food there. (Another long story.)

Then it changed, I could see Grover with a bunch of dryads (tree nymphs.) I understood. Our empathy link was still there. Not as strong as it used to be, but still, there. I tried calling out to him, but either he'd lost his hearing, or my voice wasn't reaching him.

It felt like torture, watching him talking to the dryads, instructing them, but not being able to talk to him.

Maybe that's why I was seeing this dream, The Fates wanted some more torture for me, because that's exactly what I need, more torture. Hurray.

The dream changed again, I saw something, no, someone sitting so still I could've mistaken it for a statue if it hadn't been breathing. Somehow it spooked me worse than the Nemean Lion or that weird creature. That thing was ancient, I knew that.

I've fought Kronos, I've fought Gaea, I know what ancient means.

But that presence was soothing, peaceful, and calm. In fact, it was so soothing, it was dangerous. It was like those villain moms who are so caring they end up killing their children.

Then I got shut out of the dream, and opened my eyes, really slowly. As I regained consciousness, a throbbing pain in my head became more and more unbearable. I felt Annabeth slumped across my shoulder. She was breathing. So not dead. That was something.

I opened my eyes fully, and what I saw made me wish that I could just black out again. Unfortunately, that was not an option. Also unfortunately, I (surprisingly and finally) found the name of the creature standing in front of me.

We were facing a hippogriff.

If you have ever woken up still half asleep, wounded, having no idea where the heck you are, disturbed by dreams, worried about your lives, you have a pretty good idea of how I was feeling at that moment. And of course, nothing better than a good ferocious monster to wish you good morning.

My mind registered that we were in a wood. Were there any woods near the city in Texas? Oh heck, were we in Texas? For all I knew at that moment, we could have been in Brazil. But instinct told me we were still where we started. This was Texas, only a different part of it.

I started thinking about how we could get out her, but then the hippogriff grunted, "You are not going anywhere, Perseus Jackson,"

I am so used to hearing threats like these that this one felt like old time. But then it hit me, I could understand what the hippogriff said.

I looked at it carefully; the creature had a Griffin's body at the front, and a horse's behind, with mismatched legs. So that's why I could understand it. That thing was half-horse.

See, my dad's Poseidon, creator of horses, so I can communicate wth them pretty much at will. But maybe the Hippogriff didn't know that. Or perhaps it was plain stupid.

I willed myself to read its thoughts, but before anything else happened, it was on me. Six years worth of training saved me. I grabbed my sword, (which, by the way, becomes a pen when I don't need it) and slashed out, only managing to graze its left wing. And that too only just. The damn thing had celestial bronze wings.

It attacked with its claws extended, but I rolled over. I was already exhausted, and I knew one more attack was all I could handle. But then I saw Annabeth lying motionless on the ground, and adrenaline rushed through my body. I got up, charged at the hippogriff, reading its thoughts, and stabbed it.

The hippogriff let out a great bellow I wouldn't have thought possible from it. Then it became silent. I didn't bother to try reading its thoughts. My only worry was Annabeth. Like an idiot, I turned.

I heard a rush of wings, understood what was going to happen a split second before it did, and I was on the ground, blood pouring out of my back, my sword falling out of my hand.

So this is how I will die, I thought. Alone, in a dark forest, defeated by a monster at last. At least I would die with Annabeth.

I closed my eyes. I knew Anaklusmos would return to me eventually, but by then it would be too late. I braced myself to visit the Underworld. And that was when all Hades broke loose.

Turning back, I didn't realize what the heck was happening till it was over. I was where I had been. The hippogriff wasn't. It was disintegrating. Someone had shot it with an arrow. Not just someone. It was the only person in this world, who like me, wasn't supposed to be alive.

Before passing out, (again) I caught a glimpse of our savior. Her bow held high, Lady Artemis's lieutenant smiled at me.

Thalia Grace had saved our lives.