Sorry, I haven't updated in a while. I'm trying to catch up on writing chapters so I can give them to you. Anyway, I wanted to address something one of you anonymous readers asked: less cussing. I'm fine either way, I didn't think anyone really cared. I'm just not sure if you want all of it gone, or there's just some that are tolerable. Like "damn" or something. I'll censor the rest with stars like I do with the f word if that's what you want. Let me know, that's what I'll do.

14/

Annabeth's POV

Thank the gods for Thalia. I don't know what I would've done without her there. She went serious and deadly calm when I explained everything to her. She even held me, which the hardcore Thalia Grace I knew would never do to anyone in public (we were in my cabin, but whatever).

I fell asleep in her arms.

I knew I was dreaming.

Not because I remembered drifting off. Not because I recognized the haze of sleep surrounding what I was seeing. Because I'd seen it so many times before.

It never felt like a dream. More like a vision.

People I'd never seen before. Kids. Just kids. But clearly they were demigods. No mortal twelve-year-old would be caught in those situations.

There was only one face that caught my attention, though. The face that always popped up.

A kid, with messy black hair.

A boy who looked exactly like Percy.

His nose, the shape of his mouth, his jaw, his build, even the way he held himself. All Percy's. His eyes ruined the image. Gray, rather than green. Storm clouds instead of sea tides. My eyes, copied perfectly into his face.

It scared me. And not because this boy was like a clone of younger Percy, but because I knew exactly who he was.

He crouched in a bush, holding a sword that looked suspiciously like Riptide in his hand. He jumped as a voice next to him hissed, "What are you doing? Let's go already!"

He glared at the figure, a girl with a braid of black hair and shocking blue eyes. "No, we have to wait for—"

The girl huffed loudly, cutting him off. "I hate waiting," she muttered.

"I know," the boy said knowingly.

"Hey, I'm back." A second boy appeared next to the first, his purple eyes shining with mischief fit for a Hermes kid.

The Percy-clone grinned. "Didya go happy tree?"

"Bet your ass I did."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Gross."

A crack broke the silence in the distance. The three kids stiffened. The Percy-clone raised the sword. The girl pulled something from her pocket, and suddenly she was holding a Celestial bronze whip. The second boy twisted the stud in his left ear and held a bow and arrow in his grip.

"Ready?" the Percy-clone asked in a low voice.

"Readier than you'll ever be," the girl said crisply. The clone gave her a skeptical look, and she smirked.

"Born ready, bro," the other boy grinned ear to ear.

The clone smiled. "Then let's kick ass." The dream went black as the three kids jumped out of the bushes, yelling loud enough to let the world know what they were doing.

One word echoed in my mind.

A name.

Percy's POV

I was speechless after Thalia left me in the dust. Crap, she was going to screw up everything! I cursed silently, then I sighed. I promised myself I wouldn't get mad like that again. I didn't want another earthquake catastrophe.

I decided to head for the stables instead. Horses were bound to make me feel a little better. At least.

I was one step in the doorway when I heard voices. Instinctively I dived into one of the nearby stalls, thankfully empty of pegasi.

I didn't recognize the voices outside, but I pressed my ear to the wood anyway, straining to hear what they were saying, but I only got bits and pieces.

"…you, for helping me."

"…welcome. I would want to escape too, if Cabin…was following me." The two girls laughed together, sounding strangely false.

The second voice grew serious. "…sure you don't want me to—?"

"No," the first one said firmly. "No."

"Very well." Footsteps thudded quietly in the direction of the door, then stopped, hesitating. I got a glimpse of her through one of the cracks—Tatiana Taylor. I frowned.

She spoke. "Thank you. You're the first person to actually be nice to me." Then she was gone.

I heard a sigh. I stepped out of the stall—to find myself face-to-face with Madyson Montague, daughter of Aphrodite. Her eyes got big in surprise. "Percy, I didn't know you were there."

I just looked at her. "What was she talking about?" I almost didn't believe I was asking the question; I'm not the nosy type, and Madyson had never showed any sign of talking to me.

But Madyson's fake, polite expression degraded, showing the sadness and exhaustion underneath. "She…asked me if I wanted her to hide my…my scar." Her hand raised to touch the deep white mark slicing through her face, almost absently.

"Why didn't you?" I couldn't help but asking. ADHD does that to you.

I didn't know Madyson well. I knew she was pretty, like all Cabin Ten girls were, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and straight teeth. I knew she was mauled by the Bronze Dragon before Cabin Nine got ahold of it. I knew she slipped away into the background of depression. But if I knew anything at all, it was she hated that scar.

"A month ago, I would've begged Tatiana to take this away. But it's different now. Everything's changing. Getting attacked taught me more than I could've hoped. Aphrodite's children are always seen as a bunch of shallow, good-looking kids who would glue their noses to their mirrors just to check that their outfit is flawless.

"The truth is, I'm not one of those girls who's gonna stay up all night curling her hair to make sure it's perfect the next day. Not anymore. This stupid flaw left its mark on me in more ways that just physically. I feel like I should be thanking that dragon. Now I know that I don't have to pretend to be a dumb blonde like my sisters. I don't have to be a helpless Aphrodite girl.

"This," she touched the scar again, "this reminds me every day that I'm a warrior. A fighter. Just as good as any of you. It's proof of that. And I'm gonna wear that proof, proudly. And I'm not gonna let anything stop me."

Drama queen, all the horses in the room thought at the same time. I agreed, somewhat. That whole speech came kind of out of nowhere, like she'd been waiting to say it, but didn't have anyone to say it to. Until me.

But I couldn't help thinking she had a point.

Thalia's POV

"Yo, Thalia!"

I turned, annoyed, to see Connor Stoll crouching in front of me, hands on his knees, panting. "What?"

"Damn, you're fast," he hacked out.

"What?" I repeated.

He straightened, pulling a pen and pad out of his pocket. "I'm on scout duty for today," he explained. "I need a statement from you."

"What—no!" I said. "I'm not getting sucked into your new stupid fad!"

Connor looked offended. "It's not stupid."

"Connor, it's kind of stupid."

He frowned quickly, but looked down at his pad. "Okay, question one: there's a rumor going around about Annabeth. Care to confirm or deny?"

I sighed. Normally I'd punch Connor and walk away, but I should stop whatever they're doing, right? "Lay it on me," I said, already regretting it.

He grinned. "Is it true Annabeth's pregnant?"

Two Minutes Later…

I left Connor by the Nike cabin with a broken nose, fuming. How did Connor know? There were only three people who figured out about Annabeth's…condition. Wait, no, four. Connor, me, Mark, Nico.

Connor wouldn't open his mouth or he'd lose his tongue (now). He knew better than to mess with me. Mark was already terrified of me (something I take great pride in), so he wouldn't—didn't—squeal. And I definitely didn't do it.

That only left…

Nico's POV

I was just sitting in my cabin, eating cookies, minding my own business, when footsteps thundered up the porch and the door banged open.

"You little WEASEL!"

I whirled around to find myself glaring into the blazing, electric blue eyes of Thalia Grace. She didn't give me a chance to process what was going on.

"You pathetic, tiny, slimy bastard!" she yelled in my face.

I shoved a random sock in her mouth in a weak attempt to get her to shut up. "What the HELL?" I demanded.

She spat the sock in my face. "You narced on Annabeth, you prick, don't play dumb!" She went on to rant, but I didn't bother to listen to her Greek/English curses.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

"YOU told the Stolls about her getting knocked up!" she snarled.

"And why in the name of Hades would I want to do that?"

"Because you're a rat-faced, two-headed, scrawny, ****SUCKER!"

"Look who's talking!" I shouted back. "You're a cold stone B****!"

"ME? I'M a b****?" Our faces were an inch apart. Her eyes were boring into my head, obviously analyzing the multiple, painful ways to take me down. I didn't care.

"Yeah," I retorted. "You. Are. A. B****."

"Call me a b**** one more time." Her voice was cold and deadly.

"B***."

She slapped me. It stung from her added electric current. We glared daggers at each other with for about three seconds. Then I was kissing her, her fingers in my hair, my hands around her waist, pulling her closer and closer.

I picked her up and slammed her on the top of my nightstand, knocking everything to the floor with a crash neither of us cared about. She hitched her legs around me.

Her breath was hot in my mouth. Her lips were sweet and soft. Our tongues fought for control. I felt like I was on fire. She pulled her shirt over her head and ripped mine off. We kept making out.

By the time the knocking at the door threatened to break it down, I was all for letting it. There was no way I was gonna unglue myself from Thalia.

"NICO!" someone screamed. "GET OUT AND FIGHT!"

I ripped myself away. "What, Will?"

Will Solace's voice was drowned out by the sudden explosion of fire and screams. "—UNDER ATTACK! Get your lazy ass out here NOW!"

"Go, dumbass!" Thalia whisper-yelled. Gods, she looked so beautiful. I gave her a quick kiss, yanked on a t-shirt, grabbed my sword, and sprinted out the door, barreling into Will as I went.

"Talk to me," I said.

"Greek fire," he panted. "Blew Cabin Fifteen to bits."

"Anybody dead?"

"No. Hypnos kids sleepwalked out of there five minutes before it happened."

"Typical," I muttered. "Where'd they attack from?"

He paused to shoot an arrow into the distance. "The west," he answered. "Almost decapitated Peleus."

"Anything else?"

"The forest's on fire."

That I could see clear as day. Nymphs were going crazy trying to put it out.

"And the Hermes cabin."

Big surprise there. Will and I were getting towards Half-Blood Hill now. The fight there was intense.

"Ready?"

Percy's POV

I don't even remember what happened. I was just minding my own business when Summer's voice screamed, "PERCY! RUN!"

I whirled around—but not towards her. I found myself staring Anastasia herself in the face. She had me pinned to the ground before I could even register her presence.

A few of the braver campers drew swords and moved to decapitate her, but she waved her hand, and an invisible force kept them back.

"You," I hissed.

"Me," she said sweetly. "Lovely to see you again, sweetie."

"Wish I could say the same," I snarled.

She pouted. "Aw, don't be upset, Percy. We're not here for you, anyway." Her face didn't waver, but her eyes tightened. "We're here for my dear sister."

That thought threw me for a second. Tatiana?

"Yes," she answered. Damn, I didn't realize I'd said that out loud. "Do you know where she is?"

"No," I told her.

Her lips curled back over her teeth. "Perseus, where is Tatiana Taylor?" The words were cold, dangerous, and deadly. There was no escaping the question.

"I have no idea," I said.

The look on her face was businesslike, but I saw the anger boiling underneath. "Fine. Jessica!"

The white-haired girl moved from behind Anastasia. She gave me a smile behind her blue-tinted lips. "Sorry." She blew on me. Mist drifted from her mouth, slow and creeping, but when it hit me it wasn't like that awesome fan-blown stuff at Universal Studios or in Vegas. It was damn cold, so much that it burned like f***ing hell. I wanted to scream.

Next thing I knew, I couldn't move. I felt like I was staring through the glass at the aquarium—everything was blurred, every noise muffled. But I could still make out Anastasia smiling sweetly at me through the barrier. She mouthed the word Sorry, blew a kiss, and walked off, waving her hand.

That's when the cold registered. When I realized what had just happened.

Jessica Marina had encased me in a huge block of ice.

Annabeth's POV

I woke up alone to the sound of someone screaming.

I jumped up and ran outside. I grabbed a passing teenager's arm—someone who only later I would remember as Apollo, the sun god. But I didn't register that.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"It's Percy," he answered. "He—"

I didn't let him finish his sentence. I took off running. A crowd of kids were gathered at beach, in the middle of a riot. They pounded on an invisible barrier keeping them back; magic. I started forward, but a hand on my arm grabbed my attention.

I forced myself to look. "What?"

Nico di Angelo looked taken aback at my sharp tone, but he didn't let go when I tried to run. "Annabeth, I don't think you want to see—"

"See what?" I demanded frantically.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd of campers. They suddenly went silent. Nico's hand tightened around my arm. I had a second-long battle with myself. I didn't want to look—something could be wrong. So wrong. But I had to see. I turned.

A scream ripped out of my throat without my permission. No one seemed to hear. Nico caught me as I crumpled to the ground. I crushed a hand to my mouth to stop myself from screaming more. Tears were staining my face again, but I didn't close my eyes, like I wanted to. I couldn't look away.

Percy. Completely sealed in ice.

Could he breathe? Was he dead? Was there a chance to save him? Why wasn't anyone doing anything? The countless questions and speculative answers threatened to blow my mind. Until one, final conclusion rested alone.

It's all my fault.

Fury followed the pain and quickly took over. I saw red. I was slightly aware of Nico holding me. I knew I could break his grip with a few, well-aimed jabs. I knew pressure points well.

My gaze sharpened—focused on her. Blowing Percy a kiss through the ice? B****. How dare she. So evil. So cruel. Her fault, just as much as it was mine.

I don't know what I would've done.

Punch Nico in the groin, sprint for Anastasia, and slice her motherf***ing head off with my knife, maybe.

I didn't get a chance.

A figure broke from the frozen crowd, passed right through Anastasia's invisible barrier, and slammed into her, tackling her into the sand.

At first no one did anything. We just watched, dumbstruck, as Tatiana Taylor choked her sister with both hands. The Order was the first to move.

Damien Morneau lunged. Tatiana didn't even look at him. She threw out a hand, holding him in a Darth Vader chokehold for a few seconds before tossing him aside like a doll.

The rest of them moved too, but Tatiana waved her hand, and a ring of sheer force threw the entire Order into the water.

Even from where Nico and I were standing, I could see Anastasia's eyes flashing with pure rage. A ball of fire slammed Tatiana twenty feet back. She was on her feet in a second.

"Nice to see you, little sister!" Anastasia shouted. "I didn't think you survived that present Mother sent you!"

Tatiana fumed. "Can it, you cow! Are we gonna do this, or what?"

In response Anastasia shifted into a battle stance. Something black streaked to her feet—her hellish dog, Xander. Time seemed frozen for a fraction of a second. Then they began, their moves so fast I almost couldn't see them.

Anastasia made the first attack, a streak of deadly black zooming straight for Tatiana's face. Instead it arched around her, turned purple, and flew back towards Anastasia. She bended back in a matrix move, but the shot still grazed her shoulder, bloodying her armor.

She sneered and snapped something in a language I didn't recognize—a command. Xander streaked for Tatiana, only to get snagged by the throat viciously. She squeezed him until he exploded into black dust.

Anastasia shrieked.

Tatiana blew the glittering dust at her—in midair it turned into a volley of bullets. She traced an oval in front of her just in time to stop the bullets, morphing them instead into a missile and shooting back.

The missile changed into a roaring tiger. The tiger exploded into a flock of birds with bronze talons. Time slowed as Tatiana grabbed one of the birds and the rest vaporized. A flash of gold left her hand and hit Anastasia straight in the chest, burying itself to the hilt.

"You will never be my sister," Tatiana hissed. She stamped her foot; the ground opened under Anastasia, and the daughter of Hecate fell through the cracks without even a scream.

No one moved. No one breathed.

I threw up. Then I passed out.

I had one of those dreams again. The same kids. The same kinds of situations. The same boy.

He was lying cheek-down in the middle of a highway. He opened his eyes, seeming to understand what happened. He stumbled over to the remains of a totaled Porsche. A familiar woman was inside, out cold from a bloody bruise at her temple. I knew her, but I couldn't place my finger on who she was.

The boy froze suddenly. He turned slowly, his eyes widening in fear. I wanted to see what he was looking at, but I couldn't. My dream wouldn't let me. Someone called a name I couldn't make out.

Something skidded to the ground at the boy's feet—a pen. He picked it up in long, slender fingers. And clicked it to life.

"Annabeth! Annabeth, wake up!"

I bolted upright. "What happened?" was the first thing out of my mouth.

Thalia frowned. "You fainted."

It took me a second to process that. "I did?" I ran a hand through my sweaty, matted hair. I was lying in a dark room with barely any light, Thalia standing next to me.

Her expression told me yes. "Nico came and got me," she explained. "You're in his cabin."

"Yeah, so treat it right," Nico walked out of the shadows.

I managed a smile. "I'll treat it better than you." I noted the sufficient damage to the room.

"Shut up," they said together. They exchanged stricken glances over my confused one, and Nico cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Um, we're going to the council meeting," he told me. He cut me off as I opened my mouth. "You're staying here."

"What?" I complained. "But—"

The look Thalia gave me was one she almost never used—commanding, composed, hard. The face that belonged to the cold, hardened leader I'd known so long ago. There was no questioning it. No disobeying it. You either surrendered to it, or suffered. I knew that well.

I drew my knees up to my chest. "Fine," I grumbled. "I'll stay here."

Thalia's expression didn't change, but Nico's was relieved, like he really didn't want to make me stay here. "Good. We'll be back soon."

A plan was already sketching itself in my mind before they reached the door. I waited until their footsteps retreated, then jumped out of the bunk, slapped on my hat, and slipped after them.

It was easy to catch up to them. Even easier to silently fall into step with them. Harder not to eavesdrop.

"…she won't, like, blow up my cabin, right?" Nico asked Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "Not if you didn't make her angry."

"Did I make her angry?"

"Probably."

He breathed out. "Great."

Silence. Then, "Nico, we have to talk."

"Mm? Oh, you mean about the kiss?"

That last word almost stopped me in my tracks. Kiss? Nico? Thalia? Together? Sounded strange no matter how I thought about it.

"Way to be discreet, Death Boy."

"And you assume I know what discreet means." Pause. "I do like you, Thalia. Whatever you might be thinking."

"I know."

I knew that was Thalia's way of saying "I do too". I hoped Nico would get it; for some reason, I could see Nico and Thalia together. And I kind of wanted it, for both of them. Ever since Bianca died, Nico had been acting extremely isolated from the rest of the world. Same with Thalia, since...Luke.

Everyone looked exhausted when I slipped in behind Thalia and Nico. Most of the counselors were asleep on the Ping-Pong table. Malcolm had my spot. Percy's was empty. I stepped into a corner silently.

"This…Council is called to order," Connor yawned.

"At 10:05 pm, July 3, 2013," Travis finished, then went back to sleep with his head in Katie Gardner's lap. She didn't seem so upset about it.

"How's the defrosting going?" Alice asked tiredly.

Elijah Andrews frowned. "Slow. Percy should be in the infirmary in about an hour completely ice-free."

I mentally sighed in relief.

"Clarisse," Alice sighed.

"Borders secure."

"Miranda?"

"Patients stable."

"Nico?"

"Dead prepared for burial."

That thought seemed to freeze everyone. I wasn't even aware that more had died. I tried to think of who was missing. I couldn't. What was wrong with me?

"I think we all know this is far from over," Alice said. "Anastasia has been detained—"

"She'll be back," Tatiana murmured. "She never does seem to die right." Her expression was guilty, like that was her fault. I frowned. Suddenly, while I was looking at her, an idea started forming into my mind. It was perfect.

"Tatiana." Everybody was surprised to hear Madyson Montague, daughter of Aphrodite, speak. All eyes turned to her. "Thank you."

Everyone looked at Tatiana Taylor, half-dead with exhaustion, slumped in a chair with her eyes barely open. Slowly, they began to murmur their thanks too. Even I did, but no one heard me.

"We should sleep on it," Alice suggested. "Go back to your cabins. Clarisse, keep your cabinmates on patrol. Miranda, if you're too tired, have Hannah take over. Nico, have the funeral pyre ready by tomorrow morning."

Everyone left the room in a slow, single-file line of depression. Tatiana was the last to leave the room.

I ran to catch up with her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tatiana."

She jumped. "Who's there?" Whoops. Forgot I was invisible. I took off my hat. She relaxed. "Oh, it's you." Under her polite, platonic expression I sensed doubt; I'd never talked to her before.

"I need your help."

Ahem. Why would Annabeth, who'd never spoken a word to Tatiana, need her help? Is that encounter with Madyson Montague completely and totally pointless (probably, outside of a personal request, but there was some-correction: A LOT-of foreshadowing in that...)? What was Annabeth's dream about (cough, obviousness, cough)? Oh, and how did I not say this first: Nico and Thalia have finally pulled together a chance for Thalico (you are SO welcome, fangirls).

Oh, and anyone wondering about Annabeth's dreams? Fifth reviewer gets to know the name of the kid of their choice...

Love you all, Alice