Hey! I'm back! Did you miss me? Probably not. It's only been two days. I should be doing math homework right now but I'm posting this instead. Aren't I nice? And thank you, all followers and favers and reviewers. And to answer your question, EclipseHeart, no. Nico will not be participating in this story. I love Nico as much as any fan girl, but it would be hard and unnecessary to include Nico from the point I'm at. I'm already on Chapter 5 or something. And if I involve Nico, I would have to everything over again. I love my little Nico, he's one of my favorite characters, but he won't be in this story.

Anyways, here's the third chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Leo woke up with a splitting headache. He held his head, hoping it was a dream. He looked up to see his friends all staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"OH NO YOU DON'T," he heard Bill think. The next thing he knew was his memories being searched again, "HEH HEH, HEY EVERYBODY! WHAT'S SHAKING?" the words were strange coming from Bill.

"Leo Valdez," Piper said sternly, "We want you to tell us what's going on right now."

"WOAH! CALM DOWN, PIPES. I JUST HIT MY HEAD, THAT'S ALL."

"And this?" Percy held up a wrench.

"I WAS HOLDING THAT WHEN I FELL. NO BIGGIE. I'LL BE FINE."

"Why are your eyes different colors?" Annabeth asked.

Leo realized his goggles were off, and he tried to take this opportunity to signal to them. He blinked rapidly and let a few tears slip out (his hand still hurt like crazy), but Bill quickly covered it up. "OH YEAH, KINDA EMBARASSING, ISN'T IT? LIKE I SAID, THE EFFECTS SHOULD WEAR OFF IN A FEW DAYS."

"How did you fall?" Hazel asked.

"I THINK MY LEGS SPASMED OR SOMETHING. PROBABLY JUST SOME SIDE EFFECTS. BUT DON'T WORRY! I'M STILL MY DASHING OLD SELF!" Beo flashed a grin, and Leo couldn't help but be feel sick.

"Don't believe him!" Leo thought desperately.

Hazel rolled her eyes, but still looked concerned, "Where were you going, anyway?"

"OH, JUST TO THE ENGINE ROOM. IN FACT, I SHOULD GO THERE NOW! THANKS FOR THE CONCERN, THOUGH!" Beo put his goggles back on and stood up to leave, but Annabeth held him down.

"Woah, Valdez. You're not going to the engine room by yourself in your condition. What if you have one of your… spasms again?"

Leo's memories were still being searched, "AWWW, C'MON GREY! I'M COMPLETELY FINE!"

"Grey?" Leo thought.

"Grey?" asked Annabeth.

"YEAH, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE GREY OWL. HEY! WANNA SEE WHAT I CAN DO?" Bill lit Leo's hand on fire and waved it toward Frank. It startled him so much that he turned into an iguana.

"HEY!" Hazel shouted, pushing Leo back, "Don't do that!"

"That settles it. You need someone with you in your unstable condition," Annabeth concluded.

Leo felt annoyance course through Bill, but he didn't show it, "WHATEVER YOU SAY, GREY."

Leo felt happy about this at first. Maybe if they spend one on one time with him, they would finally realize what's going on. Then he realized that them being so close to him while Bill tries to carry out his plans might not be a good thing. He might see them as a threat.

Annabeth followed Beo down the stairs, leaving a concerned Percy behind. They entered the Engine Room, and Annabeth didn't notice when he locked the door.

"So what are we supposed to do down here?" she asked.

"JUST DO YOUR THING ON YOUR LAPTOP. I'VE GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL."

Annabeth shrugged and took out her laptop. She started to do some sort or architect thing for Olympus or whatever, while Bill leisurely started to plot their deaths in front of her very face.

"OKAY SPARKS. THIS IS WHERE YOUR MEMORIES COME IN HANDY." Bill thought.

"Yeah, good luck sorting out my thoughts," Leo thought with a smirk.

"I'LL FIGURE IT OUT. I'M SUPRISINGLY TALENTED AT UNDERSTANDING HUMAN MINDS."

Leo felt his memories being searched. He tried to stop him, but it proved extremely difficult and gave him a nasty headache on top of the bruise that was already there (Bill, by this time, had healed himself). Besides, the little amount it did, he might as well be trying to empty the sea using an eye dropper.

Bill started working on the computer and cutting wires. Accessing block systems and using complex computer codes. Annabeth watched with great interest.

"You know that will destroy the ship, right?" Annabeth stated.

Bill smiled, "OF COURSE I KNOW THAT." Then he went back to his work like it wasn't that big of a deal.

Annabeth took a shaky breath, "I need to go to the bathroom." She stood up to leave, but Bill intervened.

"I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU, GREY. TAKE ONE STEP AND YOU'RE DEAD. IT WOULDN'T BE WISE TO CALL FOR HELP EITHER. DON'T WANT THE OTHERS IN YOUR SAME PROBLEM," he said all of this without looking up.

"And how do you plan to kill me?" asked Annabeth.

"SIMPLE. BURN YOU IN A FEIRY INFERNO," his hands lit up for effect. He reached over and grabbed her backpack, which had her laptop and knife. "I'LL BE TAKING THIS."

Leo saw Annabeth analyze the situation. She had no knife, contacts, magical powers, and something or someone had seemingly possessed her best friend. Cons won over pros and she sat back down. "Who are you? Are you with Gaea?"

"THE NAME'S CIPHER. BILL CIPHER. BUT AT THE MOMENT, I SUPPOSE SHOOTING STAR WOULD CALL ME BEO."

"Are you working with Gaea?" she asked again.

"HAHA! OF COURSE NOT! WE'RE JUST HELPING EACHOTHER OUT. USUALLY WE'RE BITTER ENEMIES!"

Annabeth was confused by this, but did not press it. "What have you've done with Leo?"

"DON'T WORRY, KID. HE'S NICE AND SAFE UP IN HERE," Bill tapped his head.

Annabeth shook her head. "I've should have known. I mean, we suspected it, but we thought Piper banished all the Eidolons off the-"

"WOAH WOAH! KID! DON'T MISTAKE ME FOR THOSE WEAK SHELLS OF A DEMON! IT'S OFFENSIVE!"

Annabeth gasped slightly, "If you're not an Eidolon, what are you?" she asked in wonder.

"I AM A DREAM DEMON MADE OF PURE ENERGY. AND I AM NOT SOMEBODY TO BE TAKEN LIGHLY," he warned.

Annabeth raised her hands in defeat, "Point taken. But can I at least speak to Leo for a moment?"

"NOT SURE IF YOU WOULD WANT TO DO THAT," Bill said evilly.

Annabeth crossed her arms, "And why not?"

"BELIEVE ME, GREY. WHATEVER PAIN SPARKS IS IN RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD BE DOUBLE AMOUNT WHEN HE TAKES A PHYSICAL FORM. AT LEAST WITH PINE TREE, HE COULDN'T EXPIERIENCE PUNISHMENTS. BUT SEEING HIM FLOAT AROUND SHOOTING STAR'S HEAD WAS FUNNY ENOUGH."

Leo groaned, "I thought my hand was about as bad as it could get!"

"BELIEVE ME SPARKS. IT CAN BE MUCH, MUCH WORSE."

Annabeth gasped again, "What did you do to him?"

Bill shrugged, "THE KID'S GOT FIRE IN HIM, I'LL GIVE HIM THAT. BUT HE NEEDED TO LEARN SOME MANNERS."

Annabeth grit her teeth, "If you hurt one hair on his head, I swear I'll-"

"WHAT? KILL ME?" he laughed, "GO AHEAD AND PUNCH ME, GREY! PLEASE DO! PAIN IS HILARIOUS! ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S SPARK'S PAIN!"

Annabeth scowled, "I'm smarter than that. No matter how annoying he is, no matter how many times I want to, I'm not going to hurt Leo. Not without a reason, at least."

Leo rolled his eyes, "Tell her thanks for the love."

"OKAY! SPARKS SAYS THANKS FOR THE LOVE!"

Annabeth widened her eyes, "Leo can hear me?"

"YEP! CAN SEE YOU, TOO! RIGHT OUT OF THIS EYE!" Bill took off his goggles and pointed to Leo's eye. Leo stared into Annabeth's eyes desperately. "Please help…" he tried to say.

"HAHA! YOU'RE FAR BEYOND HELPING, SPARKS!"

"Let him go! You can take me instead."

Leo, under different circumstances, would have been deeply moved by Annabeth's offer, if Bill wasn't on the verge of ending the world, that is.

"HAHA! SORRY, GREY! SPARKS IS MUCH MORE VALUABLE TO ME THAN YOU ARE. IN FACT, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, YOU DON'T REALLY SERVE A PURPOSE TO ME…" Beo advanced, his hands lit in flames. Annabeth gasped and stumbled backwards.

"No! You can't do this! Do anything you want, just don't kill her!"

"WHATS IT TO YOU? ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS YOUR SHIP."

Bill continued advancing. Leo can't let this happen! He would never forgive himself. Then (if he gets his body back) Percy will personally make sure he goes to Tartarus the hard way.

Annabeth looked into his eye desperately, "Leo! Don't do this! You're stronger than him! Fight it!"

"HAHA! FORGET IT KID! YOU'RE DOOMED!"

Bill was almost upon Annabeth. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. The flames were inches away from her neck. Her skin started to bubble. It won't be long now-

"No," Leo thought firmly, "I'm not going to kill someone I love. Not again."

The flames started to flicker, and Bill looked down confusedly, "WHAT THE-"

Beo collapsed on the floor, twitching. Annabeth came forward cautiously. "Leo…?"

Leo's head jerked up wildly. His eyes were changing from brown to yellow. Wounds were appearing all over his body. "R-r-run!" he choked out desperately.

Annabeth didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed her backpack and dashed up the stairs to the main deck. Ignoring the burns on her neck, she shouted, "ALL HANDS ON DECK! We need to evacuate! Now! Get up here! All hands on deck! Evacuate! Evacuate! Get out of here NOW!"

The crew rushed up on deck and loaded onto the escape boats. "Where's Leo?" asked Percy, not noticing the burns on her neck.

"He's not coming with us," she muttered darkly. She turned to Piper, who was running across the deck as fast as she could. "C'mon Piper! Get over here! Run faster!"

Piper picked up her speed. She almost reached it when the door to the stairs burst open. She gasped and turned around, seeing a twitching Leo walk onto the deck, flames, splinters, and blood dripping off his knuckles. "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT, KID."

Piper gasped again, "L-Leo?" she whispered.

"Piper! Get in here NOW!" she reached out and grasped the girl's shoulders, practically dragging her in. She shut the door and pressed the button. The pod shot out just as a fireball came crashing where the wooden pod had just been a few seconds ago.

The pod sped through the sky, heading toward Earth. Leo had made this just in case they needed to get off the ship in a hurry. Annabeth was never so grateful towards Leo in her life.

She sighed and leaned against the wooden wall, raking her fingers through her hair, preparing herself for the questions that she knew would soon bombard her. "Stupid," she whispered, "so stupid."

"Annabeth, what happened to your neck?" Percy noticed the burns for the first time. With everything going on, she had completely forgotten about them.

"Oh. It's nothing. I just-"

"Those look serious, Annabeth. Here, take this," he handed her a canteen of nectar and some ambrosia. She took them gratefully.

"Annabeth, what happened back there?" Piper asked. She still seemed shocked by the encounter.

Annabeth winced. "You know how we were saying that we thought those Eidolons came back and possessed Leo again?"

Frank stood up, "Yeah, but that's impossible! We already got rid of them!"

Annabeth winced again. She was not looking forward to this conversation. "It wasn't an Eidolon, it was some sort of dream demon. He called himself Bill Cipher, he possessed Leo and was trying to destroy the ship."

Hazel looked up concerned, "Did he give you-" she broke off, but Annabeth knew what she was talking about.

Annabeth nodded, "Yeah. He tried to kill me. But Leo stopped him. Bill's probably punishing him right now for that."

"Punishing…?" Jason asked.

"Bill said something about Leo being in pain. Something about learning manners. I have a feeling that Leo is not enjoying his housing arrangements right now."

He and Percy leaned back unison, racking their fingers through their hair, obviously distressed.

"Did he mention anything important? Anything that could help us?" Piper asked.

Annabeth thought for a moment. "He said he's bitter enemies with Gaea, but they were helping each other out."

Piper nodded, "Anything else?"

"I think he mentioned some people. Shooting Star and Pine Tree."

"Err, sorry to break it to you, Annabeth. But I don't think those are names," Frank stated.

Annabeth shook her head, "I know that. I think they're nicknames. He called me Grey and Leo Sparks. I think he also called Percy Fish once or twice."

Percy nodded, "Yeah, he did."

Annabeth felt a jerk on the pod and saw them slow their descent. The parachute must have deployed. Once they landed, they hauled the pod into the woods and covered it with some branches. Didn't need any UFO rumors going around. Jason read the sign on the road, "'Welcome to Gravity Falls,'" he read, "Huh, what a funny name. I mean, how can gravity fall?"

Annabeth shrugged and looked down at the town a few miles off, "I don't know. But this looks like a good place to stay for a couple of days. Regroup, gather information, etc., etc."

Percy nodded in agreement, "Seems like a small peaceful town to me. Shouldn't have too many problems as long as no monsters attack."

Hazel nodded with Percy and shouldered her backpack, "Well, we better get moving."

Together, they trekked down the road to the small peaceful town of Gravity Falls. Ooh! Cliffy! When I wrote this, I was so proud. I just kept reading the last part over and over again, giddy for the next chapter. Which doesn't even make sense, since I'm the author. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Constructive criticism is appreciated, and any questions will be answered. If any of you think one of the characters are to OC, please politely tell me how to make them less so. If you see any spelling mistakes, tell me. I love favs and followers, but reviewers are my favorite! Reviews get me motivated for posting more chapters. So if you're excited, review, and who knows? Maybe I can get another chapter tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed! Review please! Gotta' do math now! Bye!I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to their creators, companies, and authors. I am not any of those.