Hi everyone! I'm back again! Sorry, this chapter is only Percy Jackson, and mainly Nico at that. (I mean, who doesn't love Nico?) This is the first fight scene. I've never written fights before; my forte is dialogue, so please feel free to give me some pointers!

I'd love reviews! Speaking of reviews, guys…

TEN REVIEWS! TEN! I love you guys so much! And sixteen follows! Just a tip: I tend to give sneak-peaks of the upcoming chapter on my profile. :P

Please review! Let's see if I can make it to twenty!

This is how the PJ people got in Artemis' cellar.

Please enjoy!

The taxi was pulling up when the group arrived at the nearest road. Hazel looked confusedly at the others.

"It wasn't supposed to be here for another twenty minutes, though. Right?" she asked.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. I don't know why it's here now."

"Well, one way to find out," said Annabeth, marching up to the driver's door, "Hello? Why—Oh my gosh. What on earth are you doing here, Nico? How did you find us?"

"No time!" yelped Nico, "Jump in! Quickly!"

Confused, but knowing that if Nico said they were out of time for something then they probably were, they piled into the back of the small Irish taxi. Nico pressed the accelerator and the car roared to a start, jerking madly over the rough ground back toward the manor.

"Nico?!" Percy yelled from the back, "When did you learn to drive?"

"I didn't!" Nico grinned insanely.

Hazel closed her eyes and clenched Frank's arm so hard her fingers went white.

"Ahh!" shrieked Annabeth as they crashed through a topiary, "Slow down, Nico!"

"I can't! No time!"

The overloaded taxi pulled up at Fowl Manor and Hazel sagged out, collapsing on the pavement, her face green.

"Nico," she said weakly, "I never ever want to see you drive again."

But Nico was glancing around nervously, clearly looking for something. Then his eyes widened.

"Guys?" he said quietly, "Okay. Hazel, when I tell you, get us a tunnel into the cellar of the manor. Really quickly. The rest of you, follow her. Got it?"

Hazel swallowed nervously. "Yeah. There's one I think would work pretty well. What about you?"

"I'm going to lead them off. I'll meet you in the cellar. Hazel, once you're all safe and out of the tunnel, I want you to focus really hard on me. Everyone knows what to do? Good. Now RUN!"

They need no further urging. Hazel sprinted to the hedge and disappeared into a small gap mostly covered by the leaves, Frank and the others dropped down after her. Nico turned and sprinted as fast as he could back toward the taxi, glancing back once at the tunnel where Hazel and the others had disappeared. He jumped in, revved the engine, and sped away. On the other side of the manor grounds, a gray shape raised its head and started after him.

In the tunnel, a bright light flared suddenly, and everyone spun around.

"Sorrry," Leo mumbled, "I don't like this place. I needed some light."

Annabeth sighed.

"It's all right," she said, "Just tell us when you're going to light up next time, okay? You gave us quite a shock."

"Sorry. I just... well, I don't like this place. At all. Can we get going?"

"Yes," Hazel started, and stared into the gloom, "Good idea."

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Nico glanced in the rearview mirror. His eyes flashed dangerously; he laid a hand on his sword hilt. He muttered to himself, trying to remember everything he could about how to beat the monsters that were chasing him. The mares of Diomedes... Oh, Ares. Nico had spent only around six hours total in Monster Class, and that was nearly four years ago.
Okay, he thought, they're big carnivorous horses. What else is there to know? Not much. Did Heracles fight them? Probably. No use in asking how he killed them. If Heracles killed them a certain way, it's almost a given that I won't be able to do the same thing.

Well, at least he had a car, albeit a slow one. As long as it didn't run out of gas- he cursed violently as the vehicle puttered to a halt. He scrambled frantically, trying to disentangle himself from the seat-belt. Neighs sounded not far off.

You've got to be kidding me, he thought to himself, not even my luck is that bad. He almost sighed with relief when he saw the arrows sticking out of the tires, until he realized what they meant. The Mares of Diomedes had archers.

Nico finally managed to cut through the seat-belt as the Mare drew up next to the car. He drew his sword- three feet of wickedly sharp Stygian Iron- as the silvery-gray shape bucked, the whites of its eyes showing. Red light flickered around it. Okay, thought Nico, all I have to do is summon a few skeletons, and voila

The ground rumbled. Cracks formed; a chasm opened, a passage to the Underworld. Ten bony white shapes climbed jerkily up to the land of the living, brandished glittering black swords, and charge the Mare. The horse took one disinterested look at them, and snapped them up one by one. The crack of snapping bones rang around the peaceful Irish countryside.

Then the Mare belched.

"What?!" shrieked Nico, "You ATE them? You can't just EAT my skeletons!"

If horses could raise their eyebrows, if they even had eyebrows, the Mare's would have been raised.

"All right, fair enough, you just did. Could you not eat me? That would be great."

And without waiting for an answer, he swung the sword in an overhand stroke at the horse, who cantered hurriedly out of the way.

All I need to do is keep chasing this horse, and eventually, I'll catch it..

He'd forgotten about the archers.

Three arrows whistled out of nowhere, their black shafts shining. Nico jumped out of the way, and then rolled to avoid another two. Anytime now, Hazel, he thought, I really need you...

The Mare reared, lashing out at Nico, who lay, helpless, on the ground, clutching his sword, trying ineffectively to defend himself against the oncoming hooves.

Suddenly, a presence identified itself in his mind, dark with worry. Hazel, he thought, she did it. He latched frantically onto the presence, searching for the shadows. Finally, he found them, and pulled himself through them to where Hazel and the others were waiting, nervously, in Artemis Fowl's wine cellar.