(A light flicks on, shining directly on a wheeled chair. The chair turns to reveal me sitting in it, holding my cat on my lap and trying to look evil)

Me: I've been expecting you.

(My cat claws me, making me shriek and ruining my evil persona.)

Hey guys! Hope you liked my cliffhanger! I know you all are about to kill me though, so here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and Anni.

General P.O.V

Percy rushed over to Annabeth and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Annabeth, it's okay. Your okay." He soothed, stroking her hair. A few tears lazily trailed down her cheeks; Percy swiped them away. "It's okay."

"He doesn't have his scar yet." Annabeth whispered, lowering her hand. "I'd forgotten what he looked like before he got it." She took a deep breath.

"Annabeth? You okay?" Leo asked. Annabeth nodded, taking a shaky breath.

"I'm okay."

She was given very incredulous looks, but the memory started and everyone's attention was devoted to it, hoping to unravel this mystery.

"Start talking, kid." Luke snarled. 'Why were you following me?"

He was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, along with his Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and his necklace. The sword he held appeared to be a standard-issue bronze sword. Leo's eyes were fixed on the sword and it's close proximity to his stomach, his right hand clenched in a tight fist so that a recent scar stood out, slightly raised, along the back of his hand. He was clearly having Nick flashbacks. Luke, not happy with Leo's wide-eyed silence, shook him, still snarling.

"Well?" he demanded. The sword twitched, and Leo immediately began babbling.

"I wasn't following you okay I was but just because I've never seen you around here before and I was curious and doing this was more exciting than going to class and why the hell do you have a sword…" Leo shut up as the anger in Luke's expression faded to something like puzzlement, and then resignation.

'Gods, a curious clear-sighted mortal kid." He muttered, letting go of Leo's collar and rubbing his face, the sword dropping to his side. Leo eyed him warily.

"What do you mean, 'mortal kid?'" he demanded. Luke sighed.

"Look, kid, I don't have time for this. I've got an empousa tracking me and you really should be getting to class." He raised an eyebrow when Leo scowled. "What, you don't like school?"

Leo shrugged. "I'm fine with school. I just don't like the kids in my school. They think they're sooo much better than me because I'm here on a scholarship while their parents paid for them to come here. Because they have parents while my mom is dead and my dad is a no-show." Luke blinked, then his face transformed. He gave a small smile and knelt, laying a hand on his shoulder. Leo flinched from the unexpected contact and looked at the boy warily.

"You know, Leo, I know how you feel. I've only met my dad once and he was a total jerk. My mom… well, she's not dead but she would be better off that way." Leo was blinking up at him, still with a wary look. Luke sighed.

"Geez, you remind me of Annabeth. That intense glare." Luke muttered to himself. "The point is, kid, your dad, if he doesn't take care of you the way he should, then he probably never will. You need to accept that. I've got a good friend, Thalia," here he grinned like a lovesick puppy "And a girl about your age who's like my little sister." His grin became more gentle and he gently squeezed Leo's shoulder. "Look, kid. Family will almost always let you down. Forget about your dad. All you really need is yourself and maybe a friend or two." Leo studied him for a moment before…

The door of the closet opened.

A tall, gorgeous blonde girl with huge blue eyes stood there, wearing an immaculate uniform, her long straight hair held back with a perfectly placed blue headband. She settled a hand on her hip.

"Well. What is going on here, boys?" Her voice was smooth as silk and honey-sweet.

Luke did not appear impressed. He stood up slowly, with the tense expression one usually associates with a lion tamer when his lion won't cooperate. He ever-so-slightly stepped in front in front of Leo. The girl noticed this and a smile curved across her face.

"Awww. Protecting him. So sweet. Why don't you send the little runt off to class and you and I can have a little…fun?" Here she stepped suggestively close to Luke. She lifted a hand and lightly traced the collar of his T-shirt before trailing her finger up the side of his throat to his jaw. Luke's eyes glazed slightly. But as the girl leaned closer, Leo, still in the closet, saw her eyes briefly flash red, saw the long Alice-in-Wonderland hair flicker for a second, saw one leg turn into a donkey hoof beneath the pleated blue skirt. His eyes widened, then flicked towards the sword dangling uselessly from Luke's hand. He snatched it and jabbed it inexpertly at the girl. The point barely grazed her leg.

With a loud shriek, the girl staggered backward. Her hair suddenly made a crackling sound, before bursting into flickering flames. Her eyes glowed red, her teeth became fangs, her nails became claws, and her legs became mismatched: one a shaggy donkey leg complete with hoof, and one made entirely of bronze.

Luke's eyes cleared and he snatched the sword back from Leo, shooting him a grin. "Nice one, kid." He said before turning his attention to the vampire lady in the hall, who hissed at him.

"Half-bloods." She snarled. "Always so annoyingly bold. What are you going to do with that pretty sword, Luke?" Luke lifted the sword, aiming it at her.

"Get back, stay back, and go to Tartarus where you belong, and this won't be as messy as it could get." He snarled. The girl laughed, then turned to a very shocked, scared Leo who was trembling.

"Oh, really? And what if I took this little half-blood with me?" With a lightning-fast movement, she darted her arm past Luke, grabbed Leo's arm, and hauled him out of the closet and against her, using him as a shield against Luke's sword. Leo struggled, but she dug her nails into his arms to hold him in place, jeering at Luke.

"Leo?"

All three heads swiveled to face the corner as Anni walked around the corner. "Dude, you are in so much trouble…" She trailed off as her eyes took in the scene, green eyes widening. Luke looked back and forth between Anni and Leo, looking panicked. The empousa smiled and held Leo tighter, obviously not concerned.

And then Anni opened her mouth.

"Recede paululum ab eo, qui monstrum!" (Get away from him, you monster!)she hissed, hands curling into fists. Luke's eyes widened, as did the empousa's.

"Anni?" Leo asked, looking confused. Anni shot him a 'shut-up-right-now' look.

"Dimitte eum relinquunt." (Let go of him and leave.) Anni snarled. The empousa snarled uncertainly before shoving Leo toward Anni. He stumbled, nearly knocking Anni over, but she caught him before turning to Luke, speaking this time in English.

"She's all yours." she said, gesturing to the empousa, before grabbing Leo's arm and dragging him back around the corner.

"Anni, what. The. Hell. Was that all about!?" Leo demanded as Anni dragged him down the hall until they found themselves in the hall Leo's class was supposedly near. Lockers lined the hallway, and Anni pushed Leo up against one, looking around furtively.

"Anni, what the hell…"

Anni spun to face him and snapped her fingers.

Leo blinked. Cold air wafted through the hall, making the posters on the wall flutter. Leo's gaze grew unfocused.

"Leo, are you okay?" Anni asked, fake concerned. "You fainted. You never saw anything else except this hall." Leo blinked, and awareness returned to his face.

"Whoa…" he staggered. Anni caught him, relief crossing her features before they settled into a mask of friendly concern.

"You okay? I came out here… by the way, Greene is pissed at you for being late to his class, so you better hope your sick… and found you slumped against the locker."

Leo blinked and shook his head. "Weirdest dream… teenage dude with sword… vampire lady with fire for hair…" Anni frowned and laid the back of her hand against his forehead.

"You are most definitely sick." She muttered. "Come on. Let's go to the nurse."

She wrapped his arm around her shoulders, wrapping her arm around his ribs to hold him up, and walked down the hall.

The projection went dark and the words As they left flashed across it before the memory resumed.

Leo was walking between two people who were apparently his foster parents, obviously leaving school. He looked over his shoulder at an attractive brick sign sitting in front of the school, proclaiming it as the 'Alan Fisher Prepatory Institute.' Leo blinked and squinted.

Hanging on the point of the A in Alan was a piece of dark blue fabric. And there was a mark along the bottom of the sign, a mark that looked rather suspiciously like a scorch mark.

Sorry about any inaccuracies with the Latin or with the Spanish. Blame Google Translate.