Chapter One

Jupiter Comes Thundering In

It was cool, especially for a June night.

The air stung at her skin, a little, but she would not yield. She was determined. Everything pointed to this moment. To this place and she had to do what she needed to do before it was too late and he was lost forever….

"Jason," said a low voice.

"Hmmm," he groaned, a little.

"Jason!" the voiced repeated with a little more enthusiasm.

"Just a few more minutes, Juno," he muttered.

"JASON!" the voice yelled.

And Jason Grace toppled out of his bunk and onto the dark marble floor of Cabin One. He was tangled in silk white sheets and his blond hair must've looked like a bird's nest. He was so glad his friend Leo had built him a bed to sleep in instead of that little hole he had slept in his first at Camp Half-Blood.

He stared up into the green eyes, the cute freckled face with curly red hair dangling around it. Rachel Dare was standing over him, fully dressed with her one hand on her hip and wearing a traveling cloak with another one in her free hand.

"Rachel?" Jason squinted a little to bring his vision to focus. "What…" He yawned and stretched. "…are you doing in my cabin this late? I just went to bed two hours ago."

"I have something to tell you," Rachel said, kneeling next to him.

This couldn't be good, Jason thought. When the Oracle herself made a visit, there must be something evil going on.

"What?" he asked, quickly.

"We need to go," she said, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Now!"

"What's happening? What's going on?" He had a million questions, but the urgency in Rachel's voice made him very alert.

"I'll…I'll explain on the way," she said. "But we have to move!"

Central Park was dark at midnight.

A few people strung along the nightly path lit by iron lamps. Nobody seemed to care that two seventeen year-olds were strolling through wearing pajamas and traveling cloaks. Even moreso, that two pegasi were eating grass near an oak tree.

Rachel looked a little nervous, which bothered Jason a lot. He had never, in the six months that he'd known her, seen her look like this. He had his gladius…a Roman sword of Imperial gold which hung sheathed at his side. Luckily the Mist was able to trick the mortals into thinking it was just a stick he had tucked into his belt. It wasn't likely that a New York cop who had to deal with drug dealers, thieves, and murders would say, "Halt and give me that stick, young man!"

The sword had been a gift from Hera after he had his other magical weapon broken by a giant last winter.

"So," said Jason, as they rounded a bend, "are you going to tell what is going on? Why you woke me out of a good dream?"

And it indeed had been a good dream. He and Piper were on a nice date at this Italian restaurant in Queens and they were eating spaghetti and somehow they both ended up eating the same noodle, just like Lady and the Tramp, but he didn't get his kiss thanks to the crazy Oracle.

"I'm sorry about that," Rachel said, suppressing a giggle.

Jason wondered had she known what he was dreaming about. Her Oracle powers were a little too creepy, if you asked him.

"But this was important," she went on, "I had a dream too. Apollo came to me."

"Apollo?" said Jason.

"Greek Apollo," said Rachel, quickly. "Not Roman Apollo. And I really wished they used different names for him. It's so confusing. Why is that?"

Jason shrugged. Some of his memories had started to slowly come back to him since his quest last winter. It seemed the more comfortable he got at Camp Half-Blood, a little more of his memory would return.

"They did call him Phoebus," Jason recalled, "but Apollo was just cooler."

Rachel scoffed.

"You Romans," she muttered. "Anyway, Apollo came to me in my dream and told me that someone in Central Park would be waiting and that I needed to guide the child of lightning to them."

"But don't you get visions and stuff," Jason observed, "so why didn't he just send you an actual vision or make you speak a prophecy at the next camp fire if this was so important?"

"I don't know," said Rachel. "That's what's frustrating me. Apollo has never kept information from me before. But I sense whatever this is has to do with the Great Prophecy and Percy."

"What?" Jason said, sharply, stopping in his tracks. "Percy? Why didn't you tell Annabeth?"

"It had to be you," said Rachel, simply. "The gods are still shut away and Percy is at your camp, hopefully still alive. I didn't want to get Annabeth's hopes up until I knew for sure what was happening. And like I said, Apollo specifically requested you."

That disturbed Jason. Why would the god of prophecy himself want Jason on a mission like this? An unseen mission as a matter of fact. He could only hope that Rachel was keeping information from him because at the moment he was lost to what they expect to find in Central Park at midnight, let alone what that finding may have to do with Percy Jackson.

They walked a little longer, further into the park.

Suddenly, there was a high scream and a flash of bright light.

Rachel's eyes seem to light up in the darkness, an eerie green.

"Your path is within the light," she spoke, her voice deep and mystified.

Then, she blinked hard and coughed.

"I hate it when that happens," she said.

And the light flashed again amongst the trees in the distance.

"Come on," said Jason. "Whatever it is that is happening is going on over there."

Jason and Rachel ran up behind a patch of bushes. He unsheathed his gladius and was prepared to run into a battle, but Rachel stopped him immediately.

"What is it, now?" he waned.

"Wait, watch, and listen," she said, her voice deadly serious.

Jason leaned down and moved some of the bush aside to get a better view. And his eyes widened with shock.

A girl stood there. She was about seventeen and tall, athletic looking, with long chestnut hair pulled into a sleek, shiny ponytail. She wore a light jacket with an armor breast plate, shoulder pads, knee pads over jeans, and sneakers. In one hand, she held a bow that looked to be made out of oak and in her other hand an arrow, ready to release. But what struck Jason was the gold metal tip. Could it be…?

Then his eyes moved to a mass that was slowly rising from the ground. It was a monster, but unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was about seven feet tall, with tusks growing out of its mouth, which made its jaw hang lower revealing razor sharp teeth. It's skin was a tinge of green and it had yellow reptilian eyes with slits. The monster was muscular too, with bulging biceps and triceps and when it spoke, its lips didn't move, but sound seem to issue like it was coming from the back of its throat, so its unhinged mouth could remain open.

"You are a smart one," it growled. "Never have I faced a half-blood on this end of town that could fight like you."

"Yeah," said the girl with a cocky grin, "well let's see if I can send that cute grin of yours to Teritus and see how you like it there!"

If a monster could look confused, it did.

"Teritus," muttered Jason, looking up at Rachel, but her eyes were wide with shock as realization dawned her face. Jason knew that word and it was important.

The monster growled in anger.

"So, you dare speak of the old tongue, half-blood," the monster continued. "Such nonsense. The earth stirs and you are standing at the mouth of the Underworld where it will swallow you whole!"

"We will have to see about that," said the girl, and she launched her arrow.

It struck the monster in the shoulder and it howled with rage as green blood spewed from the wound. But as it was recovering, the girl had already had another arrow at the ready.

"Fine," the monster said, "if you want blood, I will start with yours!" And let out a fierce growl that Jason sure the gods could hear. He covered his ears, but still looked on as the girl's arrow shattered in her hands and she dropped her bow, distracted by the harsh noise to cover her ears.

The monster flung itself at the girl and would've impaled her had Jason not be watching. He moved forward and with a slash of his sword, held the monster at bay as the girl looked on in amazement. He kicked the monster backward into a tree as Rachel rushed out of the bushes and went up to the girl.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she introduced herself, brightly, shaking the girl's hand, who looked bewildered. "I'm so glad we made it here in time to rescue you."

And that's when the girl jerked free of Rachel's grip and got in her face.

"Saving?" the girl said, firing up. "I'm don't need saving!"

"Yes, you do," said Jason, who was stilling looking at the monster.

"Not another one!" spat the monster.

Jason held his sword up to the sky. It had been clear before, but now clouds began to circle as the cool wind began to blow. Thunder rumbled overhead and streaks of lightning crackled amongst the dark clouds.

The monster's eyes widened in shock and then its eyes focused on Jason like it was zeroing in on him as a target.

"Son of Jupiter," the monster said. "I mean, Zeus! Curses!"

The girl who had yelled at Rachel picked up her bow and froze at the monster's words. It was him. He was the one she had been looking for.