AN: Wow! Chapter 9, and already over 100 reviews! Congrats to UltimateHades for the hundredth review! Thank you so much!

Air Flare: Yes! Someone who likes cliffhangers! Don't worry, there'll be a bunch. ;D

aesir21: I'm assuming that by Biko, you mean Nico. And… yeah, you're right about the prophecy… And you're not the only person who wants to kill James right now. :D

Haruyuki (Guest): Perfect OC! I need her for Chaos's army! Thank you! The only thing I might change is the stuff about her and Percy with Chaos.

Silver Moon Huntress: Lol. :D

SnowTime: I'll try. :)

OmegaExodus: Thanks. :) You made so many OCs for me! You are awesome!

AnimexMangaAddict: Wow, three smiley faces! I have such a soft spot for smiley faces… :) I'm trying to make Clarisse somewhat likeable, so yay!

Imogen Heap (Guest): Yes, of course I will use your OC! The little six-year-old girl… with an extremely high pain tolerance… I really like her. Thanks! :D

TehShinyGengar: Thanks. I will NEVER discontinue this story or any other story I write. And I'm a girl. :D

UltimateHades: Thanks, nice OC. ;D

Menna Nasser (Guest): Thank you! :)

Spikeitup (Guest): Artemis is just there for her Hunters. And Percy will be with Zoe.

I am Katrina daughter of Time: Okay, sure. Here it is.

.deceptive: Me glad you like.

. .27: Annabeth will technically be evil, and Percy will be with Zoe. I hope you're all right with that.

Addicted to PJO: Lol. Annabeth will be evil, somewhat, and sorry, but Percy is with Zoe.

EloquenceDecepti (Guest): Seriously? He's one of my favorite characters!

As for the votes, good Annabeth is winning by one, and on the polls, the mixture of good and evil is winning, which I'll probably end up doing. To clarify, the good/evil mix is basically Annabeth having trouble deciding, or being good/evil, then changing sides.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson does not belong to me. Unfortunately.

Chapter 9: The Bitter Truth is Accepted

Mystery Person's POV

My mother spent most of today convincing the demigods that they were, well, demigods, while I held a war council to discuss battle plans with the other titans. The demigods seem to have finally accepted the truth now. The eleven-year-old boy, obviously a son of Apollo, has helped persuade the others. He can tell which statements are lies and which are true. My mother has been telling them the truth the entire time, so he has no reason to deem us untrustworthy.

My mother's voice sounded in my head. The demigods know about the godly side of their families. You must teach them the truth about the gods now. We know their godly parents now. They do too.

I grimaced. "I am no good at teaching children, Mother. I am needed for battle plans!"

You and your precious battle plans. They will fail if you do not gain the demigods' trust. We need them. She paused, letting it sink in. Have you memorized their names?

"Yes," I grumbled.

Do you know their godly parents?

"Yes, I remember them," I muttered.

Then you are fit to teach them. You must go now. I have already left. They are getting restless. They do not have the patience to wait for you!

"Well, I do not have the patience to teach them!" I shouted.

They are young, she said, her voice still as calm and unmoving as the ground beneath my feet. Patience is not expected from youngsters. However, you, my son, are many millennia old. You are expected to have patience. It is a lesson you should have learned millennium ago. Her voice never rose in pitch or volume, but I got the impression that it should have risen to a shout near the end.

"All right, I'll head over there now."

I left the war council, telling the other titans to build on the plan and inform me later.

Good. They are in the same room as this morning.

I made my way through the monster camp. I got to the room too soon and still didn't know what to say when I opened the door.

I told them you were trustworthy. Do not tell a lie, my mother warned. Beware of the son of Apollo. He will be able to tell.

I nodded, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside.

Immediately, ten pairs of eyes snapped over to me. The six-year-old girl – Violet something, was it? – was still sitting in the lap of the eleven-year-old girl, whose name started with a J.

The six-year-old is Violet Juliet O'Hara, my mother supplied. She is the daughter of Odyne, the goddess of pain. The eleven-year-old is Jane Whitrow, daughter of Demeter. Smile at them.

I smiled.

The demigods looked shocked, as if they had never expected I had the ability to smile. The eleven-year-old boy, the son of Apollo, just squinted at my face.

His name is Ruku Sado, my mother growled. Remember it.

"All right, all right, I got it," I muttered under my breath.

When Ruku raised his eyebrows, I knew he had heard me.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said, my smile vanishing. The look on his face clearly said that he didn't believe me. Unfortunately, I was lying, and he could tell. "I was talking to myself," I added, wondering how I was supposed to teach this group of demigods when one of them obviously already disliked me.

Great, I'm already on their bad side.

Do not despair, said my mother, but I could tell she was disappointed. You cannot lie.

I just did.

Do not lie again, she said.

I'll try not to.

I smiled widely. "Hello, children… I presume you have been told that you are demigods."

"Yeah," said Ruku. "Why are you here?"

"Well, Ruku, you know about the gods, don't you?"

His eyes narrowed. "How did you know my name?"

I hadn't expected them to be so suspicious. They were only children. "Oh… Uh, I… You told me," I stammered.

"That's a lie," he stated flatly.

"Uh… My mother told me your name," I said. It wasn't a lie, but I could tell Ruku still didn't believe me.

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Percy's POV

"What are they doing here anyways?" I whispered, looking back at Nico.

"I don't know. There's supposed to be at camp," he said.

I was struck with a thought. "The titans are rising… Zeus wanted to order two quests: one to find me, and one to find the Romans."

Nico gave me a confused look. "The titans are rising again?"

"I saw it in a dream," I explained. He nodded. "So Annabeth could be trying to find the Romans… or me."

I looked at Annabeth. She was asleep and hadn't moved, still clasping hands with James.

Clarisse suddenly looked up from sharpening her dagger and whipped her head around. She made eye contact with me an instant before Nico pulled me back, and I knew she had seen me.

I heard a sharp clatter, which I assumed was the dagger falling to the ground. Then, I heard footsteps, coming towards the corner Nico and I were behind.

Nico swore softly behind me. "I think she saw you."

"I know she saw me," I muttered.

Clarisse peered around the corner. "Prissy?" she asked, a shocked expression on her face.

I rolled my eyes and stepped forwards a little. "Hi Clarisse… It's Percy."

"Fine, whatever, Percy." She glanced around, taking in Nico, Blackjack, Mrs. O'Leary, and Raven. "Di Angelo? So that's where you went. And you guys have a Pegasus and two hellhounds?"

"Uh… yeah," said Nico.

We all stood in silence for a second. Then, Clarisse opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a soft growl sounded around the corner. We all looked to see a hydra hovering over Annabeth and James, who were still asleep and oblivious to the fact that they were about to become monster chow.

Clarisse and I glanced at each other, and then simultaneously charged at the hydra, raising our weapons. With the air infused with water vapor, charging me with energy, I got there first.

I leaped over Annabeth's still sleeping body and stabbed one of the heads in the eye. It hissed in pain and growled at me. I ran past Clarisse in the direction I had just come from, hoping to draw it away from Annabeth. It worked, but now I had a really mad hydra chasing after me.

As I turned around to face it, Clarisse jumped in front of me, parrying two sets of teeth with the shaft of her spear. The other heads were focused to Nico behind it.

"I'll chop off the heads," I said to Clarisse. "Do you have any fire?"

"I'll be fine!" she whispered angrily. "I don't need your help. I've got jars of Greek fire. Besides, it's one of the younger ones, and can't spit acid." She paused, looking back at Annabeth and James, who were, as impossible as it sounds, still asleep. "She'll wake up any second. I have no idea what's still keeping her asleep. You need to leave now."

I bit my lip. Clarisse was right. I did need to leave before Annabeth woke up and saw me. But I couldn't get rid of the feeling that as soon as I left, something bad would happen.

Clarisse saw that I was arguing with myself. "Leave," she said, glaring at me. "Now."

I looked at her. She was going to be all right. She was a daughter of Ares. She could handle a hydra. And she had Annabeth to help her, if she ever woke up.

"Nico!" I called around the hydra. "We have to leave! Get on Raven! Take Mrs. O'Leary and shadow travel to Central Park!" I didn't hang around to make sure he heard me. "Blackjack!"

Right on cue, Blackjack flew down and landed next to me. Hey boss.

I climbed onto his back and waved at Clarisse. The corners of her mouth tilted upwards, and she nodded at me.

As we flew away, I saw Annabeth lying on the ground, still asleep, and still holding hands with James. And I couldn't help but worry about her.

Annabeth's POV

"I'm tired," James had said, dragging his feet along the ground. "Maybe we should rest a little. I want to take a nap."

He did look tired. And we could use a rest.

"Let's stop for a while," I told Clarisse.

She turned to me incredulously. "You actually want to rest? Have you noticed that it's not even close to sunset?"

"Come on, Clarisse. A little nap can't hurt you," I reasoned.

"Fine," she grumbled.

James looked pleased and grinned at me. He lay down and patted the ground beside him. I lay down next to him, and he slipped his hand into mine. I smiled at him, and the last thing I heard before falling asleep was James talking to Clarisse.

"Keep watch, will ya?"

Annabeth's Dream

I was standing in my room. It was my actual room, in my dad's house in San Francisco. An owl flew through the window and landed on my bed, staring at me silently.

"Mother?" I asked it.

It nodded at me, jumped off my bed, and started to glow. I turned away. When I turned back, I saw my mother.

"Hello Annabeth," she said.

"Hello Mother," I replied. "Why am I here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you." She smiled, but then her expression turned serious. "Things have been happening," she said gravely. "After you left, Apollo called for a council and told us that the next Great Prophecy was recited by the Oracle."

My mouth hung open in shock. My mother wouldn't be telling me this unless it was important. That probably meant that the new Great Prophecy wasn't going to take another seventy years to fulfill.

"I… I have to go back to camp!" I said. "The prophecy means that the titans are planning another attack, doesn't it? It… it's Gaea this time, isn't it?"

"Annabeth…" she murmured. "Yes, it is Gaea. And yes, she is more powerful than Kronos." I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her voice and talked over me. "Annabeth! You must remain focused on your quest! Since Gaea is more powerful, we will need more help! That is why you must get to the Roman camp!"

"But-" I protested.

"The Romans will be more help to Camp Half-Blood than you, Annabeth!" My mother took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. "Remember your fatal flaw, and do not let it control you!"

My fatal flaw. Hubris. My mother was right, as always. I couldn't let it control me.

"Okay," I said.

My mother looked at me and nodded. "Good… You should wake up now. Your… friends… need you."

End Annabeth's Dream

I woke to the sounds of battle and yelling. I opened my eyes to see Clarisse fighting off a hydra, while screaming at us to wake up.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was half up with my dagger in my hand. James sat up slowly next to me, rubbing his eyes.

"What's happening…" he murmured.

"Get up and help me fight this hydra, Wise Girl. And get Fish Boy over there to wake up!" Clarisse screamed.

I cringed at Percy's nickname for me, but helped James up.

"You were supposed to keep watch!" James yelled at Clarisse.

"I was keeping watch!" Clarisse shrieked. "I can't kill a hydra that fast. The Greek fire's in the backpack over there, and I don't have enough time to get it out without getting eaten! And you weren't helping! So, go make yourself useful, and get the Greek fire so I can kill the freaking hydra!"

"Okay, okay," James muttered under his breath. I still didn't get why they hated each other so much.

He started over to the backpack, but I ran to it before him, and pulled the jars of Greek fire out.

"Clarisse!" I called. "I have the Greek fire! Start chopping the heads off, and I'll throw it onto the stumps!"

She nodded and ran to James. I understood instantly and yelled, "James! Give her your sword!"

Thankfully, he handed it over to Clarisse without complaint. After that, Clarisse and I made short work of the hydra. Soon, it dissolved into golden monster dust. All that was left was a single hydra tooth, gleaming in the sunlight. Clarisse picked it up and placed it in her pocket.

Thalia's POV

It was Phoebe who got me to calm down enough to stop the wind, thunder, and lightning. But it was already too late; the Athena cabin was in ruins. The rest of the Hunters had come to gather around the Athena cabin as soon as they heard the first rumble of thunder and saw the first strike of lightning.

At some point, I had gotten so mad, rain had poured down on the camp, despite the magical boundaries. It softened down to a drizzle now.

Chiron approached me carefully, trotting through what used to be the doorway of the Athena cabin, but was now just a jumble of wood.

"Thalia?" he said cautiously. "What happened?"

"That… Kelp Head!" I yelled at the sky. "He runs away from camp and leaves a note telling me that it's best for him to be forgotten!"

"Ah," said Chiron, nodding sadly. "Percy?" I said nothing. "Thalia… Percy is smarter than you think. If he left, he must have had a reason to leave."

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about Percy. Would knowing that Annabeth cheated on him be enough to get him to leave? It probably was. His fatal flaw was personal loyalty. If his loved ones didn't reflect the love and loyalty he gave them…

And Percy obviously didn't want me going after him. But there was nothing stopping me from going after Annabeth.

"Annabeth's on a quest, right?" I asked Chiron.

"Yes."

"I'm going after her."

"No!" Chiron shook his head. "You cannot, Thalia. She is on a quest to find the Roman campers for help."

I sighed, but nodded. I looked to Malcolm. "Sorry about your cabin," I said curtly.

He took a small step away from me, glancing nervously up at the sky. "It's okay…"

I looked at the small group of Hunters and motioned them to follow me. "I'll be in Cabin Eight," I told Chiron. He nodded silently as he and the campers watched us leave.

When I got to Artemis's cabin, I packed up my tent, a spare bow, some clothes, and a canteen of nectar into a small, silver backpack. Slinging it over my shoulder, I walked out of the cabin.

"Wait!" Phoebe called after me. "Where are you going?"

"After Annabeth."

"Why?" she asked. "Lady Artemis told us to stay at camp."

I kept walking. "I think Artemis would be fine with me leaving to find a disgrace to women, and avenge a cousin and friend."

Phoebe ran forwards to step in front of me. "Then wait for me to pack. I'll come with you."

I looked her in the eyes. "No, Phoebe. This is something I must do alone."

After scrutinizing my face, she stepped back and let me continue walking towards Half-Blood Hill. "Good luck, Thalia," she said. "And may the stars and the moon be ever with you."

"Bye, Phoebe."

I walked up Half-Blood Hill and past my pine tree. Phoebe would explain to Chiron where I went, and hopefully, he would understand.

AN: Just a reminder: Vote on the new poll, which will tell me what you guys think about having Leo and Piper in the story. Or you can mention something about it in your review. I can't give you guys the next chapter until it's obvious what you guys want, since Leo and Piper will be in it. :D

Just to clear this up, Annabeth is evil/good. Percy will be with Zoe. Everything clear now?

This was one of my short chapters, but I hope you liked it!