Dawn has broken by the time all the counselors have made their way to the command tent. I was just going to have us meet in my tent, but Annabeth scowled so bad, I think I might actually had offended her. So I called the meeting to an Athena Command Tent- this mighty tent, three times the size of a normal tent, that I thought was a little over the top until Annabeth led me inside.

I thought a tornado might have blown through the place. Drafting tables lined the walls, cluttered by maps of the island. In the middle, there was a single desk. This desk was, by far, the most cluttered and disorganized thing I've ever seen. Actually, it might even had been more cluttered than any of the desks I had in elementary school. And that's saying something, being that I usually wrote over piles of paper and not the top of the desk. This desk, however, had a laptop resting slightly sideways on top of the mountain of papers. Displayed on the top of it is the greek letter Delta. That's when I realized it was Annabeth's desk. Of course it was. Centered in middle, clear view of all the possible strategies of her cabin mates and it was obviously the spot a leader would choose.

But still, as I walked up to her desk, the condition of it prompted a stifled laugh.

Annabeth turned. "Oh shut up, Seaweed Brain, I've been busy. Go make sure everyone is here." So, suppressing a smile, I exited the camp to take roll.

Thalia was the first one. In fact, all the hunters were. She wove them off as she entered and they muttered unhappily as they returned to the tents on the other end of the street, which seemed a little unsafe, separating of camp basically in half, but they insisted on it. Something about sleeping too close to boys. Jake Mason, Michael Yew, Katie Gardner, Pollux and the Stoll brothers trickled in. Silena Beauregard finally showed up, apologizing a hundred times for being late, telling me how hard it was to find the right shade of eyeshadow. I was more concerned on were Grover was. I expect someone like Silena to be late, but not so much Grover.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you waiting for Grover?"

I craned my neck to see Annabeth, very much prep-ed for combat. A bronze helmet rested under her other arm, the other on my shoulder.

I looked away. "Yeah. I talked to him last night, he said he was spending the night down here. So where is he?"

"I just talked with Thalia, she said he left as soon dawn broke. He was in quite a rush. He told her he wanted to check on the dryads and nature spirits to make sure the defenses are set up."

Of course. Grover isn't one to sit around. Still. I was disappointed I wouldn't get to see him before.. "Okay. We'll see him tonight then." Putting on the best confident smile that I can muster, I turn towards Annabeth. I am met by skeptical eyes.

"I'm going to need you thinking, not worrying, if that's going to happen though." I say softly.

She looks down. "You're right."

"Ahhh, that's nothing new." The incredible scowl the statement draws from Annabeth cracks me up. She stands there with folded arms, rolling her eyes occasionally to let me know how annoying I am. By the time I calm myself, I see Annabeth can't help but smile. "Come on, Seaweed-Brain. You've got a council to lead." I nod and open the tent as we walk in.

The others have pulled up chairs from the surrounding tables, vacated by Annabeth's siblings. To my surprise, Annabeth pulls up a chair and sits next Katie, blending into the audience. She nudges her head encouraging toward her table, centered in the middle of the meeting. With a deep breath, I walk to her desk. I decide not to sit and motion for everyone to stand.

"Come on, guys," I say pulling out the magical map with the battle plan Annabeth and I had decided on. "We've got a lot to talk about."

Jake Mason speaks up. "We sure do. Percy, we need more supplies. We're doing the best we can, but the request for exploding arrows-"

Michael Yew pipes in, "Gonna need a lot of them."

"-traps and greek fire jars are too great. By my estimation, we'll need to raid every hardware store in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens to even put up a decent defense." He finishes hopelessly.

"Weapons and armor too. We have a couple campers who plan to fight without a stitch of armor." Connor Stoll informs grimley.

"And many more without complete sets." His brother, Travis, adds.

Silena raises her hand. "And what about-"

I'm about to throw my hands in the air and tell them I can't fix their problems when Thalia steps in.

"Hey!" She stands abruptly. "Let's calm down. The hunters will help with the weapons and armor. Although I hope you have campers skilled with knives. We have brought supplies as well, although those too are limited. Can we just focus on what we do have for a second?" She glares at the people around her. I can feel the mood change. Thalia's very eyes could encourage an army to fight with twigs.

She catches my eyes and I nod to her gratefully. "Thalia's right. We need a defense before it can be improved. So let us make one." I flatten out Annabeth's papers as carefully as I can and place the map over them. The others gather around the table. "Jake, take your cabin to the Midtown tunnel. Set up your traps and greek fire, anything you can to stop the monsters from getting through there. Then, when you're set up, we need you to send half your cabin, armed with melee weaponry, south to the Williamsburg bridge. Michael, that's where Apollo's cabin will be. But when your reinforcements report, I need you to spare five or so archers. Send them to the Brooklyn-Battery bridge. Tell them to run, to not even think about stopping at the Manhattan bridge, no matter how bleak things might look. We've decided Aphrodite's cabin will need some amount of ranged support."

He nods, but Silena shrieks, "We don't need help!"

"It's the best strategy," I promise, "Take your cabin to the Brooklyn bridge, Silena, and set up defenses without the archers. Hopefully they'll be there before the fighting starts, but prepare as if they won't be."

"Fine. Still don't think we need anyone's help." She mutters as she turns up her nose.

I smile to myself. "Katie and Pollux, take the Demeter cabin to the Holland tunnel and fill it with poison ivy, thick hedges- make it a jungle. Make sure no monsters get through there."

Katie winked at me and she turned to Pollux. "We can do much better than thick hedges."

"Good. Connor, take half your cabin to the Manhattan bridge. Travis, take the other half to the Brooklyn bridge. Protect the island."

"Percy, what about the-" Connor started

"Before you set out, I want you, Travis and Jake to meet with Thalia. Have her look over your cabin. I'm sure she'll do her best to help you with supplies."

"I will." Thalia prompts, "Let's go then. Time is short, Percy, where do you want the hunters?"

"The Lincoln Tunnel." I tell her.

"Naturally. See you back here tonight. Good luck." She hugs Annabeth and comes to give me one too. Then she tightens her grip and whispers in my ear, "Protect her, Percy. She is well capable; smart and a skilled fighter...but sometimes, she is still just a girl."

"I will." I whisper back, although Annabeth wouldn't be the person I would exactly feel the need to assign a bodyguard. My doubt must've been evident because she whispers back, "If you meet Luke today, you'll understand. Good luck." With that, she lets me go. Waving for Jake and the Stoll brothers to follow her, she exits the tent. Katie and Pollux take off as well but Michael and Silena stay with Annabeth and I.

Michael walks up to me, "Percy, what about the 59th St bridge?"

I smile. "Annabeth's cabin has that covered." I can see the worry in his eyes. "Michael, we're going to hold. Grover has a legion of nature spirits placed in Central Park, defending against a surprise attack."

"What about the rivers?" He asks with his hand raised quizzically to his chin.

I wave my arms fluidly. "I'll take care of that dude. Really." I wrap my arm around his shoulder, leading him out. Raising the tent over us, I walk him down to the Apollo tent. On the way, I promise him the plan will work and instruct him to inspire and rally his cabin on the battlefield. When I return, I see Silena has also left. Annabeth stands alone, leaning over the map I showed her this morning. She's so silent, I can hear her breathing.

I sneak up behind her whisper in her ear, "I hope your cabin can spare you." She jumps and I laugh, "Didn't mean to startle you."

She turns around and leans against the table. "Yes, Percy. Yes, you did." I see a trace of a smile on her lips and meet her eyes.

"Well I was just letting you know, I'm going to need my number one strategist by my side when this thing starts. Is your cabin ready to fight without..."

Forgeting what I was talking about, I stare into her storm veiled eyes. And in the next moment, the storm seems to clear and continue to, until I'm looking at gray eyes I would have never associated with Annabeth had I not seen them on her face. The usually violent gray in her eyes seem as occulting as a screen door. I gaze right through her eyes and can read her emotions. I pick up on little things. She's scared, but not of battle. Her body is ready for the task, but her mind is elsewhere, full of worry and uncertainty. I see them shift back and forth between my eyes, as if she's waiting for me to do something. My palms sweaty, I remember what Thalia had told me- she is still just a girl. Most of the time, Annabeth is someone you don't even think of calling soft. But now, she looked as gentle as a flower in springtime.

Suddenly my arms feel like jelly, but I steel the nerve to hold them out to her. She raises her arms and falls hard against me. Locking my arms around her waist, I steady us. I have yet to put on my armor, but she is bearing full greek battle armor and right now, she looks as stable as the stacks of paper on her desk. She rests her head on my shoulder and sighs. I realize she's taking in the moment. We might not have many more like this, and she just wants to hold onto someone she cares about. Tightening my grip, I realize that's all I've really wanted to do ever since the start of this war, to make sure I have someone by my side.

She leans back so her hands cuff around my neck, our faces inches away from each other.

"Yeah. I think Malcolm can handle the cabin. At least at the beginning of this thing." Her voice swoons my thoughts and I can't decipher her words.

Locked in her gaze, I mutter, "Hm?"

This prompts the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard. She throws her head back and all but giggles. I smile as she looks up to me. I had finally grown taller than her a couple of summers ago, but now, with a good three inches on her, she had to look up to me. Especially in this proximity.

"The battle, Seaweed Brain. Malcolm can lead the cabin to the 59th St bridge. I'll go wherever you need me." She says softly. I grin as she catches herself. "I mean, where I'm needed most. Oh, you know what I mean." She tries to pry herself from my arms but I just pull her closer until her breastplate is pressed against my chest.

"I think this is where you're needed most." I whisper in her ear as I keep her close. My heart races as I think about what I just said. I meant it, wholeheartedly, but in what way? I knew the answer to that question too, I felt, but I avoided asking it to myself.

She stops resisting on the last word. Working her arms above my grip, she wraps them around my neck. I could have stayed like that forever, but eventually she pats my shoulder, bringing her head around so I have to meet her eyes. Instead of shooting me down, like saying something about the war or something, and completely ignoring the meaning of what I just said, I see something in her eyes. A stare so forceful it makes my brain turn to jelly and my bones go stiff. Just a glint of something flew across her eyes like a shooting star. I'd only seen that look in one person before. My Mom, whenever she would talk about Paul, got the same faraway, somewhat dreamy eyes that I now saw in Annabeth's. Before I could respond, as fast as it had appeared, the intensity faded. The clouds reform and she nods over my shoulder.

Holding onto her tight, not wanting to lose the moment, I crane my neck to see a boy, about seventeen standing in the doorway of the tent. He is decked out in full body armor and judging by his drawn sword that now sinks into the dirt, was about to run off into battle. His cheeks are red as he studies the ground.

"Sorry, I was just coming back for A-" he coughs, "a map of the city."

I release Annabeth as she turns around to her desk. Tossing around papers she calls, "Come over here, Malcolm. I need to tell you something.

I take a few steps to the side as he takes few forward. "Look, I'm real sorry, I didn't know you guys were in here-"

"Not about that! About the battle!" Her cheeks rapidly gain color. "Here's a map of downtown Manhattan. And you're going to lead our cabin into battle."

He almost immediately objects but Annabeth raises a hand. "I'll need to direct Percy. He may be our only hope if we're to hold Olympus until we can expect help from the Gods. From three phalanxes and spearhead them with Harley, David and Alexi. If I were a monster, those are the three I'd most not want to see in a bad mood."

Slowly Malcolm nods. "Alright..." He shakes his head. "Count on me. But you two better have something planned, and I don't mean in a tent." He smirks, but it's quickly replaced with a sad smile. "Or this is all for not." With that, he leaves the two of us alone.

"He's right." Distraught, she looks me up and down. "And you're not even dressed!"

I pull on my shirt. "Yes I am!"

Rolling her eyes, she grabs my hand and rushes me out the tent and up the block, back toward my tent. "I mean dressed for battle. You are not going to battle hordes of monsters in a skimpy t-shirt and shorts."

"Skimpy?" I ask.

She turns her head, her mouth open, ready to give a defense, but none was forthcoming. Seeing Annabeth so flustered, I can't help but smile.

"Just get dressed, okay?" Blushing to the roots of her hair. "Hurry, the invasion could happen any minute and we need every hero we can get." She says, pushing me toward the entrance of my tent.

"Especially this hero?" I ask innocently.

The scowl that follows is priceless. "Just checking." I shoot her a wink before ducking into the deep green tent.