A/N: This is the longest chapter of this story so far, but not the longest I have written in the past. Just a little warning: Even though this chapter does involve a lot of the events that took place in the actual book, I assure you that it will not always be so. It just fit better for this chapter.

Disclaimer: Wish I did, but I don't own it. Pretend I didn't say that first part; it sounds obsessive.

Joe Bob's Family Reunion

Thalia stuffed her phone into her pocket angrily, shivering against the cold Manhattan breeze. Percy Jackson wasn't answering his phone. After looking at the time, she realized he probably wouldn't even be up this late at night. It wasn't actually night, she corrected. It was just past three in the morning.

It hadn't taken her very long to get into New York, which certainly surprised her. Then again, she hadn't stopped to take a break at all. The daughter of Zeus had forgotten to bring any cash with her. She managed to sneak on a bus for a short time before she was discovered and booted off. At least they hadn't arrested her, she thought with a wry smile.

Thalia had wanted to call Percy and let him know that she was on her way, and that they needed to get a move on. Unfortunately, even seven calls weren't enough to make the boy wake up. She gave up on trying to contact him. The daughter of Zeus was just going to lie down and rest, and head to his apartment in the morning. Hopefully, she would get there before he had to go to school.

Finding a relatively safe place in the park, far away from the homeless and night crawlers, she relaxed her body atop an uncomfortable bench, using her duffle bag as a pillow. She had seemingly forgotten how cold both Boston and Manhattan got during the spring months, and especially early in the morning. Fighting back the urge to shiver, she closed her eyes and willed for sleep to take a hold of her.

Thalia finally managed to sleep and thankfully, dreams didn't find her. Unthankfully, a hellhound did instead. It was smaller than the average demon, as it appeared to be young. It wasn't much of a challenge to her, and she didn't find herself intimidated in the least. She had fought hellhounds in the past. As long as she was quick on her feet (which she usually was) she had nothing to worry about.

However, the daughter of the Zeus screamed bloody murder when she first saw the thing. And, why? She woke up when she felt the rain drizzling…only to realize, when she awoke, it was hellhound drool. Cue the screaming.

Thalia frowned. She supposed she shouldn't have used her cellular device earlier. Even if it took a while for monsters to reach her, a scent of the Big Three was always a big hit in the demon community.

She woke up a great number of hobos, who all yelled something along the lines of 'Shut up, you damn kid!' She also attracted the attention of several people who were walking by the park, and they hurried even further away, acting as if they hadn't heard her scream. A little boy, who was playing fetch with his puppy, gasped in astonishment and ran to his mother. He had claimed that the scary girl was kicking her poodle.

The daughter of Zeus rolled her eyes. The Mist could be a real pain in the ass, especially when it made her look like some kind of puppy torturer.

Thalia wiped the golden dust off the front of her jean jacket, silently rejoicing that the pesky substance hadn't gotten anywhere else—namely her curly and wild hair. Monster dust was extremely difficult to wash out if it was left anywhere for too long. Checking the time on her cell, and noticing that it was almost seven in the morning, she quickly powered the device down.

She had to hurry if she wanted to catch Percy in time for school. She wasn't being too impatient. All right, so she was. But, she felt she had reason to be. She was usually sort of relaxed and laidback (not), but they had places to be and things to attend to.

Thalia lost track of time once she started walking, but she eventually found herself in front of the familiar apartment building.

Not seeing any light through the window, she came to the conclusion that both Sally and Percy were still slumbering beneath their cozy blankets. Thalia held back a shiver. She was so stealing his bed when she got in there.

She didn't want to risk waking Sally from a peaceful sleep, so she walked around the building until she spotted his fire escape looming far above her. The daughter of Zeus gulped. She hadn't lost her fear of heights, even if she had recently been experimenting with her control over the air. It was simply impossible to forget such a fear.

No reason to fear heights, she told herself.

Urging herself to think optimistically, she scaled the building. It was obviously an old apartment complex, as its ladders had long since been eaten away by rust and the like. She didn't trust the metal bars enough to climb them, so she saw no other choice than to latch onto the slightly protruding bricks as she went.

It reminded her of the climbing wall back at Camp Half-Blood. In a way, even though it was most certainly less dangerous, scaling the building was much more terrifying than the lava wall.

Brick after brick, Thalia pulled her body up.

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. You're looking down! Stop looking down!

"Thalia?" a shocked voice called from just above her head.

The daughter of Zeus looked up, startled, flashing a sheepish smile. "Hi, Sally."

"What on Gaea's green earth are you doing on our fire escape?" the woman responded, mouth agape.

It wasn't everyday you find your son's friend climbing up your apartment building, Thalia supposed. Unless, of course, you person lived in an 80's movie.

The demigoddess thought long and stupidly for a moment. "It's cold."

Sally rolled her eyes good-naturedly before opening the window completely and ushering the taller inside. "What brings you here?" she asked once the demigoddess was safely indoors.

Eyeing the young girl in a concerned manner, Ms. Jackson reached out and dusted off the shoulder of Thalia's jean hooded jacket. "Monster?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah, just a hellhound," she replied casually. "And, I actually wanted to see if Percy would head to camp with me this morning. It's really urgent."

Glancing around the teenage boy's bedroom, the daughter of Zeus resisted the urge to snort. He was just as messy as she was, if not messier. His clothes were scattered all around the floor, magazines were thrown about, and the sheets of his bed were jumbled upon the mattress.

Sally frowned. "I'm sorry, dear," she said. "Percy left for school with his friend Tyson. You just missed him."

"Tyson?"

The woman nodded, smiling warmly. "He's…something else." There was an amused glint in her blue eyes that unsettled Thalia. "Anyway, you can stick around and wait for him to get back home if you'd like."

The demigoddess shook her head wildly, her curly bangs falling across her face. "I can't, Ms. J. I'm sorry. I have to get going. I need to find Percy and get to camp."

"Thalia, honey, what's the rush—"

"We have things to do, and I just don't know—"

Sally reached out and grabbed onto the girl's arms, looking up at her. "What's the emergency, Thalia? You know you can tell me anything."

"—I have to go. I can't stay any longer," the raven-haired girl continued, as if she hadn't heard the woman at all.

Thalia suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision blurred around the edges, but she pushed back toward the window. Sally looked surprised, taking in the girl's appearance.

"You keep stumbling, are you all right?"

The demigoddess' head felt like it had suddenly been dipped in a vat of quicksand. She didn't know what in Hades had happened. One second, she had felt fine; the next, she was on the verge of passing out. Her mind was sluggish, and pain wrecked her body. She didn't think she could stand straight any longer.

Her knees buckled beneath her, and she fainted to the ground, Sally's cries drowning in the back of her mind.

When she came to, she first noticed that she was sweating excessively. Her body was absolutely burning, but at the same time she felt chilly. Even though it nearly killed her to do so, she snuggled further into the thick blue blanket that lay over her willowy form.

It was a few moments before she could open her eyes completely, and a bright twinkle caught her attention. She turned her head to the side, to see the source of the distracting light. The sun reflected off of a cool glass of nectar, and her hands eagerly reached out for the glass.

"Don't sweat it," a friendly Sally walked through the door and to the nightstand. "Lean up as much as you can," she ordered, lifting the glass and pressing the straw against the demigoddess' full lips.

The daughter of Zeus gulped the entire glass down within seconds, unsurprisingly. She always finished off nectar fairly fast. It tasted of her mother's homemade colcannon—something that shouldn't have tasted good in a drink, but did anyway.

"How long was I out?" the demigoddess asked, sighing.

Her body was starting to cool down, which was good. She had no idea what had made her overheat so badly, but it was a pain in the ass. She hoped it was only a temporary thing; she didn't want to be fainting all the time!

"Almost two hours," the woman replied, taking a napkin and dabbing at her chin. She smiled when the girl shied away from her attentions.

Thalia released a large breath of air, staring at Sally in near-astonishment. "Two hours?" she repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. "I seriously have to leave now. This is getting ridiculous."

"Whoa, what?" the mortal woman asked, pressing a hand to Thalia's collarbone to keep the girl rooted on the bed. "What do you mean? Has this happened to you before?"

The daughter of Zeus shook her head, eyes unfocused. "No," she said. "Just in a dream. Two nights ago, I dreamt about my pine tree—you know, the one on top of Half-Blood Hill. But, for some reason, I felt almost connected to it. A—and, Luke. He was there. Gods, he shoved a fuckin'—"

Sally shot her a disappointed look.

"—freakin'," Thalia corrected, "sword through the trunk."

"You think you felt it."

"Well, yeah," she said, almost defensively. "I know I did! But, I didn't know if it would affect me outside of the dream. There's no way I can be attached to the tree."

Sally sighed tiredly. "Why don't you try explaining this whole tree thing to me? I haven't heard the full story."

Thalia nodded, still slightly distracted by her thoughts. "Sure," she said. "See, when Luke, Annabeth, Grover and I finally reached camp, too many monsters managed to catch up with us. They outnumbered us greatly. We might have stood a better chance had I been in a healthier condition. Anyway, I told them to go on without me. I almost died, but my father saved me. He created a pine tree in my place, to deter Hades and the rest of the gods away."

"So they would think you were turned into the tree?" Sally guessed.

"Yeah." Thalia bit her lip in thought. "He slowed down my aging in hopes I wouldn't reach the prophecy age before he figured out something, but that's a story for another time," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"How did it fool the gods?" the woman asked. "I mean, the tree thing. They're immortal, powerful beings. Wouldn't they have noticed that it wasn't you?"

Thalia was about to say no, but then she actually considered the words. They were, in fact, gods. They would know better to believe something like that. So, how had her father fooled them? Had he done something to the pine in order to make the tale believable? The demigoddess shook herself out of her thoughts, and fixed her sapphire gaze on the window across the room.

Sally stood from the bed instantly, beginning to pace the room.

"You have to be connected to the tree," she reasoned. "Some way, somehow. If I were able to see the tree, I might have a better idea."

"What makes you think that?"

"Clear-sighted mortals can see even more than a demigod can, occasionally," Sally replied, deep in thought. "You have to get to camp soon. You were right. Percy and you need to tell Chiron what is going on. He'll know what to do better than I will."

Thalia nodded in understanding, sliding her feet back onto the warm carpeted floor. She noticed Sally had removed her boots before setting her into bed. She found them on the other side of the room and she hurriedly slipped them on, paying no attention to the sore thumping of her skull.

"You sure you'll be all right?" Sally asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Percy and she looked so alike; it made Thalia smile.

"Yes, Sally," the demigoddess responded. "I'm positive. I just have a little headache."

"I should drive you two to camp."

"That won't be necessary. If there are monsters…"

Sally frowned. "Please, at least let me give you a ride to Percy's school. I already called in sick for work after you fainted. I didn't want to leave you unattended."

The daughter of Zeus blushed. She wasn't very used to generous people. "You didn't have to do that," she threw out shyly. "But, I appreciate it. You can give me a ride to the school if you'd like. Makes it much faster…and I don't know where it is."

The older woman's frown dissipated. She smiled, leading the taller girl out of the apartment building. "Great," she said. "I love road trips."

By the time they arrived in front of the school, Thalia already had her duffle bag thrown over her shoulder and the car door wide open. Before she could leap out of the vehicle while it was still parking, Sally called her back.

"Be careful," Percy's mother said, handing her a baggie of ambrosia squares. "He has gym now, I think. Keep my boy safe."

Thalia grinned wolfishly. "We're talking about Percy here."

Sally smiled. "I know, I know. Be good, the both of you. Iris message me as soon as you get to camp?"

"You betcha."

"Good-bye, Thalia."

"See you, Sally."

The daughter of Zeus watched as the woman backed out of the parking space, changed directions, and headed back to the apartment. She glanced up at the school. It was tall, and almost intimidating. It didn't look like a school any of her friends would attend. It resembled the school she had recently been expelled from, and it reminded her of the academies she had been forced to attend as a young child.

A large, stark white arch stood above the main building. It took Thalia a few long moments before she could decipher the fine, black script letters.

MERIWETHER COLLEGE PREP

Thalia released an exhausted breath of air, glanced around her to make sure no one was watching, and entered the school.

The air conditioner hummed above her head upon entering, and she nearly jumped from the sensation. Shaking her head, donning a droll smirk, she silently made her way down the main hallway. She had no idea where the gym was, but she was sure that she would know when she spotted it.

A man suddenly rushed out of his classroom, his curly blond hair in a mess. He wore an ACDC shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. A pair of thin sandals decorated his feet, and he passed by her hurriedly, a mouth full of gum. Thalia was pretty sure he had been a teacher, too.

The man glanced to her worriedly. "Sorry, young lady. Didn't see you there," he excused. "What a great day!"

The demigoddess stopped, sparing the hurrying man an incredulous glance.

What kind of school was this?

The teacher's unusual optimism reminded Thalia of a character in a book that her English professor had nearly shoved down her throat. Candide, was it? Surprisingly, she had enjoyed the satire. Reading had never really been her forte.

Boisterous laughter sounded from to the left, and she quickly sprinted that way. After waving her way through tricky hallways, coming to several dead-ends, and running into a few wandering cheerleaders who helped direct their "new student", she finally came to a stop in front of what she surmised were the doors to the gym.

The daughter of Zeus slowly creaked one of the doors ajar, and what she saw made her clench her jaw in anger. Percy sat on the floor, obviously in pain and clutching his stomach, with a dodge ball lying on the floor next to him. A group of taller, bulkier freshman stood on the opposite side of the gym, howling with mocking laughter.

Thin—for lack of a less offensive word—geeks stood behind Percy, cowering in fear. Only one kid, besides the son of Poseidon, wasn't shrinking back…and he was hardly what Thalia would consider a kid. The boy must have been four inches taller than she was, which was remarkably impressive. His clothes were tattered and shredded, as if he shopped in landfills.

It reminded the daughter of Zeus of the days she had been on the run.

His teeth appeared mangled and shimmered like butterscotch. She didn't have time to look any longer because just then, the tall boy in question yelled.

"Percy, duck!"

The son of Poseidon rolled out of the way just in time, the lightning fast dodge ball hitting the back mats thunderously. A yelp projected from behind the mat, and a skinny boy stumbled out from behind it.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. "You could kill somebody!"

The daughter of Zeus resisted the urge to smile. He was so caring.

The largest of the bullies grinned, flashing a rather repulsive set of caramel teeth. "I hope so, Perseus Jackson," he said, and Thalia's eyes widened. "I hope so!"

In the world of mythology, if someone said your full name when they should've been oblivious to it, they were either gods or enemies. Occasionally both.

Without giving herself time to rethink anything, Thalia got ready to throw her duffel to the far side of the gym and threw the door open. All eyes snapped to her, and dodge balls ceased to fly across the room. The daughter of Zeus crouched when she saw one of the giants pulling his throwing arm back, and slid into Percy's team zone.

She released her bag, watching it as it slid until it hit the far wall. The demigoddess stood, lifting a dodge ball up in the process, and tossed it with all her might. She managed to catch a dark-haired boy in the stomach, causing him to fall to his knees and groan.

Percy stood next to her and pulled her in for a quick hug. His smile was one of relief. "So glad you could make it."

Thalia smirked. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. So, what's their deal?" She already had a strong hunch they were monsters, but she wanted to be sure he was getting the same vibe.

Before he could answer her, a roar resonated—the cry of one of the feared giant bullies. Thalia watched in surprise, as they grew even taller than before, standing menacingly at nearly eight-foot and donning arms full of sleazy generic tattoos. They were also disgustingly hairy.

The boy she had nailed in the stomach stood, shock clear on his features. "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who…"

Other kids in the gym wailed and ran, heading for the only exit. Before they managed to open the door completely, one of the monsters—Marrow Sucker, as his handy nametag read—threw a ball with astonishing accuracy, shutting it immediately. They banged desperately, but the door would not open again.

"Let them go!" Percy yelled bravely.

Joe Bob—again, courtesy of the creative nametags—growled. He tightened his grip around a ball, his tattoo rippling on his arm as he did so. Thalia squinted in order to make the words out. JB Luvs Babycakes.

"And lose our tasty morsels?" the monster asked. "No, Son of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"

Laistrygonians? Thalia held back a snicker as a rather immature thought popped into her head. Laistrygonads, she thought snidely. You're an idiot, Thalia.

He waved his monstrous hand, and a row of bronze cannonballs appeared on the line. But, they weren't average; they were riddled with holes, and threatening flames danced within the spheres. The monsters lifted them with ease, despite the fact that they must have been searing hot.

Percy shot his female companion an almost helpless look…and he was never helpless. It wasn't very much like him at all. He was the bravest person she knew, and she didn't quite like seeing him feel so down.

"Play nice," the coach mumbled from his chair, lazily flipping the page in his Sports Illustrated.

Skull Eater took the first shot, aiming for the son of Poseidon. Thalia could feel the heat of the flames as he pushed slightly into her, successfully dodging the hit.

"Corey!" he screamed.

Thalia didn't risk glancing back to check on the thin boy. When she didn't hear any moans of pain, she figured he was all right. How had he gotten out of the way? It was normal for a demigod to have supernatural instincts and reflexes.

"Run!" Percy yelled. "The locker room exit!"

Before the boys could, Joe Bob waved his beefy hand again, and the doors flung closed.

"No one leaves until you're out!" the monster bellowed. "And you're not out until we eat you!"

Thalia grimaced, looking to Percy. "Can't argue with logic," she quipped. "And right now, logic is looking a bit like nailing one of those fuckers with a cannonball."

The demigod looked at her strangely, gritting his teeth. "That's your plan?"

"You're complaining?"

"No, I'm not complaining!"

"You're complaining."

Joe Bob snarled. "Hey! Stop talking to your girlfriend, Perseus. It's time to die!"

He launched a fireball of his own, this time aiming for the daughter of Zeus. Percy pushed her out of the way just in time, leaving a huge smoking crater in the gym floor. Thalia climbed out from beneath him and helped him back to his feet.

"Riptide," he said in realization. "Riptide is in my locker. I can't go get it!"

Thalia activated Aegis, smirking in satisfaction when everyone shrunk away from the frightening head of Medusa, even some of the giants. She dug into her pocket and threw him Thunderbird.

"You take offense, I take defense?" she proposed, setting herself into position.

The son of Poseidon grinned, activating the weapon. It looked unbalanced in his hands, but she knew he could handle wielding it. "Now that's a plan," he replied, sending her a quick smile before sobering up.

Another fireball streaked towards them, courtesy of Marrow Sucker. Even with demigod reflexes, the two of them couldn't make it out of the way. They found themselves tackled by the tall, street boy Thalia had been studying earlier.

The daughter of Zeus scowled. "What's up with me and hitting the floor today?" she murmured to herself.

Thankfully, because of the son of Poseidon, her new bleached jean jacket was saved from the force of the explosion. Her shirt was a whole other story. The two of them looked like they had just survived a nuclear war (which, in itself, would prove impressive). Gaps sizzled in their short-sleeved tees, and their cheeks were marred with an ashy like substance.

Two monsters focused on the demigods once again. They just couldn't catch a break, could they?

"Flesh!" they chorused. "Hero flesh for lunch!"

They took aim.

Percy glanced over at Thalia, his beautiful sea green eyes glazed. "C-can you," he coughed, "summon lightning?"

The daughter of Zeus was unsure of herself. She had passed out not too long before, back at his apartment. Would she be able to use her powers? She decided it was worth a shot.

The boy who had saved them earlier gasped. "Percy and his girlfriend need help!"

The demigods blushed, but crawled to their feet.

"Tyson!" the son of Poseidon yelled, as the brave mortal jumped in front of them and caught both of the cannonballs.

In the blink of an eye—actually one, in fact—the fiery spheres were sent back across the gymnasium, catching the two giants in the gut and causing them to explode into matching pillars of flame.

How had Thalia missed it before? Tyson—the same Tyson that Sally had mentioned earlier in the day; that had just saved them twice; that looked so incredibly friendly and innocent—was a Cyclops.

Her mind flashed back to the first time she had ever encountered one of his kind, but she quickly repressed the memory. She didn't need to dwell on that idea now. They needed to get everyone out of there—preferably alive and well.

"My brothers!" Joe the Giant wailed. Thalia thought he sounded a little like Calliope after she was told she couldn't have ice cream before dinner…except more masculine, of course. "You will pay for their destruction!"

"Tyson!" the daughter of Zeus screamed. The young Cyclops appeared surprised when his name fell from her lips. "Watch out!"

"Victory will be ours!" Joe roared, pulling his arm back.

Tyson wouldn't have enough time to stop the cannonball. Thalia didn't have a high resistance to heat, so she reacted in the only way she knew how.

Lightning streaked through the gym ceiling, directly hitting the ignited ball seconds before it would have soared into the Cyclops. It exploded, blasting the flaming bronze ball to bits. Tyson was still flung into the back wall, but at least he hadn't been hit. His large body slumped in exhaustion.

Joe was so surprised he dropped his next fireball. "Daughter of the Sky God!"

Percy looked just as shocked. "Heft Aegis!" he called suddenly.

Thalia lifted her shield and the son of Poseidon scooped her bronze sword off of the floor. They neared the front line, managing to dodge even more projectiles. Percy seemed to ponder something for a few moments before he glanced at her in alarm.

"What?" she asked, concerned.

Little fires danced around the gym, and Tyson still hadn't budged. The other kids were continuing to search for an exit, and she noticed that the attention of Joe Bob and his "brothers" was solely on the two of them.

Percy handed her sword to her. "Cover me," he commanded. "I have a plan. If you can, get a kill in."

Thalia knew better than to ask what he was planning. She nodded, strengthening her stance into one of an offensive nature. She deactivated Aegis, not wishing to catch one of the fireballs with the beautiful bronze.

Jackson, the crazy bastard he was, ran straight for the locker room, ordering the other kids out of his way.

Two giants attempted to take advantage of Tyson, and the daughter of Zeus narrowed her eyes. Leaping into the air, she flipped over the panicking bodies of a few students, and shot her sword directly through the smaller giant's skull.

The other one turned on her and dropped his weapon, reaching out to strike her instead. She narrowly avoided his attack, and swung her sword up underneath his underarm, slicing all the way through his upper chest. The monsters erupted into smoke, leaving two giants still standing.

"Wrong side of the court, Daughter of Zeus!" a giant laughed, stomping towards her. Joe Bob was too preoccupied throwing a cannonball towards the locker room.

Wait…the locker room?

Percy was trying to break into the locker room in order to retrieve Riptide. Of course. He probably didn't feel comfortable enough using Thunderbird.

As soon as the son of Poseidon jumped out of the way of the fiery ball, one sailed past her shoulder. Skull Eater growled in frustration, throwing yet another her way. She didn't dodge that one so easily. She was saved once again when Tyson suddenly sprung onto his feet and caught the ball.

He sent it back to its owner, but the giant managed to duck out of the way. The cannonball planted itself into the wall behind them, going through to the other side. Unfortunately, it didn't provide a large enough gap for anyone to escape.

Thalia chanced checking on Percy, to see he had successfully managed to trick Joe Bob into blasting open the wall of the locker room. A jock strap landed near her boot and she blanched, kicking it away.

Tyson, giving up on playing a dangerous game of dodge ball, walked straight up to Skull Eater and punched him in the face. The daughter of Zeus nearly laughed. She hadn't expected him to do it.

When the kind monster turned around to check on the demigoddess, it was too late for her to warn him. Joe Bob planted a cannonball in Tyson's chest, causing him to fall and slide the length of the court. The wall cracked and crumbled on top of him when his back came into contact with it.

Luckily, the impact opened a large enough makeshift door onto Church Street. Unluckily, Tyson was too dazed to attempt standing again.

"Well, I'm the last one standing!" Joe Bob bragged, puffing out his hairy chest. "I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggie bag!"

The giant prepared to attack Tyson again.

"Stop!" the son of Poseidon called. "Leave him alone. It's me you want!"

Thalia shook her head wildly, silently begging the demigod not to stand up and divert the monster's attention. She didn't care if it made her sound shallow; she'd rather have a monster die than her best friend.

"You wish to die first, young hero?" Joe Bob flashed a greasy smile. Thalia stepped in beside her friend, gripping his shoulder to reassure him. The giant grinned wider. "You wish to die alongside your man, Daughter of—uff!"

Uff? She was the daughter of Uff?

The tip of a blade wrenched its way through the monster's body, protruding out of his belly button. Joe let his flaming projectile drop from his meaty hands. He glanced down in astonishment, his gnarly teeth bared.

"Ow."

He erupted into green flame, causing the demigods to high-five. In the smoke, stood their friend Annabeth, the daughter of Athena and their current savior.

Admittedly, she didn't quite look like a savior at the moment. Her hair and face were layered in dirt and soot. Scratches ran the lengths of her cheeks—none of them severe enough to last—and her voluminous golden locks were in tangles. Her worn backpack hung loosely off her shoulder, and her Yankees cap sat tucked into her back pocket.

"I don't know why you two oafs are congratulating one another," she scoffed, rolling her eyes playfully. "I did all the work."

Thalia retracted her sword, and slipped the pocket watch into her jacket.

"Are you kidding me?" Percy exclaimed jokingly. "That was all me."

Thalia frowned, taking in the shorter girl's appearance. "What happened to you, Annabeth? You look like shit."

The daughter of Athena snorted. "Ever the charmer," she jibed. "You are so blunt."

"Sorry, you know I didn't mean it that way," the dark-haired demigoddess apologized. "But, seriously, what's got you looking so rough?"

"I trekked all the way from—"

The short brunette boy from earlier stumbled into the conversation, blinking wildly at the blonde demigoddess. "That's—that's the girl—"

Without giving him time to finish his sentence, Annabeth socked him square in the nose, causing him to fall onto his back.

Thalia smirked in pride.

"You," she snarled. "Lay off my friend."

The gym was engulfed in flames. The other kids hadn't ceased panicking, and resembled a bunch of wild, depraved chimpanzees. Police sirens wailed from the outside—a sound the daughter of Zeus knew all too well. A man appeared in front of the exit door window, wrestling with a ring of keys to get the gymnasium to open.

A thought came to the raven-haired demigoddess, and she furrowed her eyebrows. "Uh, Annabeth?"

"Yes?"

"How long have you been here? How did you know that Percy was in trouble?"

Annabeth flushed scarlet. "How did you know?" she countered.

Percy gaped. "How did either of you know?" He seemed to realize something, and he stared at the blonde in terror. "Oh my Gods, you were looking in through my bedroom window!"

"What? No!" she denied.

Thalia shrugged. "Don't feel bad, Annie. I climbed through it."

The son of Poseidon huffed. "What in the H—"

The tallest sent him an annoyed look. "You weren't in there," she defended.

"So?" he exclaimed. "What is wrong with you two?"

The girls shared a look. Annabeth sighed. "I just wanted to get a chance to talk to you, but you were never available," she complained.

Percy and Annabeth looked to the daughter of Zeus. In response, the brunette scratched the back of her head. "Yeah," Thalia drew out. "I was just sneaking into your house."

The doors to the gym swung open before any more creepy things could be said between the three. A woman shouted, "There!"

Annabeth gave them both steely looks. "Both of you," she began, "meet me outside." Her eyes flickered to the dazed form of Tyson, and she scowled distastefully. "And him. You'd better bring him," she decided reluctantly.

Percy was confused as to her instant hatred, but Thalia sure as hell wasn't. They had encountered their first Cyclops together, years before. Again, she had to shake off the memory. It didn't sit well with her. And, if the other girl noticed her thinking about it, then she would think of it as well.

"Anna—" Percy started to say, before Thalia nudged him.

"No time!" the blonde said, putting on her Yankee's cap and vanishing. "Hurry!"

Teachers, staff members, policemen and the like crowded around the flaming area. The daughter of Zeus made awkward eye contact with one of the officers, and immediately glanced away, beginning to whistle.

"Percy Jackson?" a man asked, bewildered. Thalia guessed he was the principal. "What…how…?"

Tyson groaned in pain, standing up from the crumbled bits of wall. "Head hurts."

"Matt," Percy snapped when he saw the boy on the floor begin to stir.

Matt stared up in terror, pointing an accusing finger at the both of them. "Percy and his psycho girlfriend did it, Mr. Bonsai. She broke into the gym and brought explosives. They burned the gym down! Coach will tell you. He saw everything!"

The daughter of Zeus sneered. "Oh, he is so on my shit list," she whispered to herself.

The coach looked up when he heard his title being said, and mumbled, "Eh? What was that? Yeah, mm-hmm."

All of the adults turned their attention to the two disheveled half bloods. Thalia had received that look enough times to know that, no matter what they said, they would never be believed.

The son of Poseidon grabbed Riptide out of the pocket of his jeans, grabbed Thalia's hand, and ran towards the hole behind Tyson. Thalia snatched up her bag from the ground, thankful that it hadn't been ruined.

"Come on!" Percy told the young monster, before the two demigods leaped out of the wall.

They landed on the other side roughly, falling face-first onto the cement. Thalia coughed, but got back to her feet. After the son of Poseidon lifted himself from the floor, and they saw that Tyson was following closely behind them, they sprinted away from the burning building.