A/N: I apologize for the wait, but I have been working on some different stories recently. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, even though there is little action.

Thank you for all of your reviews and your continued support.

Disclaimer: I do not own the series, nor have I ever. I wish I did, yada yada yada.

Attack of the Monster Donut Kid

Thalia huffed, tossing a branch over the lifeboat. She swiftly wiped her heated forehead. She had seemingly forgotten how hot parts of Virginia could be, especially in the mouth of the river. Percy passed her another branch, and she set it along the boat, attempting to hide it from sight.

After departing from Luke's ship and thermos-traveling nearly five hundred and thirty nautical miles—according to Percy, seeing as Thalia's mental GPS abilities had failed to work at sea—the daughter of Zeus had directed them further into Chesapeake Bay. She planned to lead them to a shelter that she and Luke had built years ago.

"That should be enough," Percy said, running a hand through his messy hair. "Don't you think so?"

Instead of answering, Thalia worked her way along the shore. Her boots felt even heavier against the red mud, sinking her in to the soles. She felt her two companions following behind her as she continued into the grass. Percy froze as a snake slithered past his shoe, but he didn't scream. Tyson pouted as he irately swatted at the mosquitoes that were feasting from his arm.

"Not a good place," the young Cyclops muttered.

Thalia would have to agree with him, but this hideout was all that they had available to them right now. Her eyes caught sight of a familiar patch of brambles and she smiled slightly, wistfully. "We're here," she announced quietly.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't give him the opportunity. She marched up to the cluster of branches, and she moved aside their make-shift circular door. The son of Poseidon closed his mouth instantly, possibly coming to a realization.

"Whoa," he said. "The walls are made out of plant stuff. It reminds me of a Native American hut." Thalia rolled her eyes as she entered the shelter. Upon entering, Percy seemed to have changed his opinion. "There's nothing old about this. There are sleeping bags, an ice chest, a kerosene lamp, and ambrosia and nectar."

"Kelp Head, I would really appreciate it if you would stop naming off everything you see."

"There are even spare weapons here…" he continued, almost in awe. "Oh my gods, Thalia…you made this place?"

She shrugged. "Luke and I mostly. Annabeth was too young to physically help out a lot, but you bet your ass she instructed us on how to make the damn thing."

Percy gave a strange laugh, some unintelligible feeling tainting his voice. She shot him a curious look, but he quickly looked to Tyson. "Tyson, buddy, come on in. There is plenty of room for you."

The young Cyclops smiled gleefully, stepping into the hut and glancing around in childlike wonderment. His brown eye spotted something red on the floor, and he bent over to pick it up. He fumbled with the little toy car in his hands. Thalia turned a flaming red, angrily reaching out and snatching it from him. His big eye blinked several times before tears began to spill.

The daughter of Zeus shoved the Hot Wheels toy into her back pocket. "Leave my things alone," she gritted between her teeth, willing herself not to think of the car's origin. Percy flashed a hurt look, but she ignored it.

He stepped next to her, using her shoulder to make her look into his face. "Look what you've done, Thalia. You made Tyson cry."

She fought off the guilt that wanted to overcome her and shrugged her shoulders. Everything would be all right. The hut was waterproof.

The son of Poseidon huffed angrily and shook his head. "You're heartless." Thalia clenched her fists. "Tyson, come on. You're going to scout the area."

"But…" the Cyclops began to argue, tears still pouring from his eye.

Percy shook his head. "Go look for a convenience store or something."

"Convenience store?"

"Yeah, to get some snacks. Everything in here is probably too old and musty to eat now. Try and find some powdered donuts or something."

"Yes," Tyson said, wiping his face and nodding eagerly. "I will find some powdered donuts in the wilderness." Before Percy could lead the way outside, the Cyclops rushed out, calling for donuts.

The son of Poseidon spun around on his female companion. "So?"

Thalia sat down on a sleeping bag, not bothering to meet his gaze. "So?"

Percy sighed, sitting down across from her. "What's the problem? Why did you take the toy from Tyson?"

Thalia smirked. He sounded like a parent. She quickly wiped the look from her face whenever he glared at her. She dug around in her back pocket and pulled out the little car. Her eyes saddened as she looked over it. "I'm not sure that's any of your business."

"Thalia."

"Percy," she stressed in response.

"You saw how upset it made Tyson. Why did you take it from him like that? You could have simply asked for it back. Why in Hades does it mean so damn much to you?"

His words drowned out in the back of her head. She twirled the car over, and her eyes spotted the silvery J scribbled on the bottom. She made a choked sound in the back of her throat before she hurriedly shoved it back into her pocket.

He hadn't been blind to her distress. Percy's eyebrows furrowed in slight concern, all previous anger wiped from his face. He leaned forward, setting a hand gently on her thigh. "Thalia…what's so special about the toy?"

The daughter of Zeus shook her head, blinking slowly. Thankfully, he let the conversation drop immediately. She started feeling like she always did whenever she thought of her past—like the walls of the small shelter were closing in on her. She needed to change the subject. Percy spoke before she could ask him what his favorite breed of dog was.

"I don't want to think it, but…"

"What?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

"Luke let us go too easily. Don't you think?"

Thalia recalled their escape. Even though many alarms had been sounded, and several had tried to prevent them from leaving, it had been too simple to get away. Luke had wanted them alive. He wanted something from them. It was plausible that he wanted them to do something.

"He mentioned bait," the daughter of Zeus muttered thoughtfully. "He wanted someone to 'take the bait.' Do you think he could have been talking about us?"

"He let us escape because he needed us to take some kind of bait?" Percy repeated, nodding his head. "Yeah, I would say that would be our most likely bet. Sounds like something he would do."

"Not really."

Percy flared his nose in irritation, but brushed her comment off. She couldn't help it. She had said it without realizing what she was doing. She wasn't even sure that she meant what she said. "So, what would be the bait, then?" the son of Poseidon questioned.

"The Fleece, I suppose," Thalia grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What about Grover?"

She shook her head. "No," she answered surely. "Luke wouldn't use Grover as bait. He couldn't have set his capture up. Grover wasn't led there by Luke and his army. He was led there by the magic of the Fleece, right? So, that can't be a possibility."

"I wouldn't put it past them, Thalia," Percy replied. "They aren't exactly of-the-good."

"I just think it sounds too elaborate for them is all."

He nodded. "Hey, there's kind of something that I want to ask you about." Thalia arched an eyebrow, but gestured for him to continue. "Luke said…he said that you were supposed to be on his side. What did he mean?"

She shrugged. "I…I don't know. I guess he just expected me to stick with him through this whole thing."

"What thing?"

"You know, going against Olympus and everything."

"Why would he think that?"

Thalia sighed heavily. "Look, I don't know, all right? I can't read his mind."

Percy fumbled with his hands, unsure as to what to do with them. "You didn't promise him anything did you?" She grew an expression of confusion, and he reluctantly clarified, "When you were on the run…did you two plot against Olympus?"

The daughter of Zeus felt herself becoming offended. Why the hell would he think that? Sure, she sometimes got upset with her father, but she couldn't ever see herself trying to destroy him.

"Percy…" she trailed off, trying to keep the venom from her voice. "How could you say that?"

His cheeks flushed and his sea-green eyes widened in remorse. "I—I didn't mean it like that, Thalia. I trust you, I swear I do. I don't think you'll turn against the gods or anything. I just…well, if you guys had something going on—"

"Something going on?" she echoed. He shrugged in response, looking to one of the walls of the hut. She ran her tongue slowly across her upper row of teeth, considering her words. "Annabeth tells me that you and me…we're a lot alike."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, she thinks we have tons of things in common." Thalia smirked. "I mean, I don't see it, but hey. In that case, if Luke asked you to turn against your father, against Olympus, would you do it?"

"No," he said without hesitation.

She leaned forward, merely a breath away from him. "Then what makes you think I would?"

"I don't," he replied, visibly gulping. His eyes flickered down to her lips before they traveled back up. "He kept saying that you weren't the same. That you shouldn't be with a Cyclops. What was he talking about?"

Before she could answer, the circular door of the hut was thrown open. Tyson crawled through, proudly presenting a box full of powdered donuts. "I got the donuts, brother!"

"Well," Thalia remarked, leaning back and distancing herself from the son of Poseidon, "he got it faster than I expected he would."

Percy's expression became one of surprise. "Tyson…where did you get those? There cannot be any stores for miles."

"Fifty feet," the Cyclops said, smiling enthusiastically. "Monster Donut Shop—just over the hill."

"We should go check it out," Thalia suggested. She looked to Percy. "Does it sound suspicious to you, too?"

"Not really," he said, shaking his head. "We have them all over New York, Pinecone Face." She glared at him, but didn't say anything. "It's not like they have actual monsters in there."

"No, you don't get it," she argued. "Before, there was nothing within about two or three miles of here. This is in the middle of the freaking wilderness. Why would there be a donut shop—conveniently when you sent Tyson in search of donuts—only fifty feet away? It wasn't here before."

"It's been years since you have been here," the son of Poseidon reasoned. "Some things are bound to change." He looked to the Cyclops. "Tyson, weren't there any other stores around it? Has it been turned into a shopping center?"

Tyson thought for a moment before shaking his head innocently. "No."

Percy frowned. "No? There was only the donut shop there?"

Tyson nodded, and Thalia resisted the urge to do a dance of victory. "So, are we going to check it out or what?" she asked.

"I guess we'd better. Tyson, lead the way, buddy."

After exiting the shelter, they trudged their way further into the woods. By the time they arrived within sight of the store, between Tyson and Thalia, there were no donuts left. The daughter of Zeus licked the powder from the tips of her fingers as she narrowed her eyes at the shop.

Suspiciously, there was a little bit of a road leading into the forest, and a completely vacant parking lot. The establishment appeared to be brand new. A man, his face blurred and unintelligible, was spotted working behind the counter.

"It's just as I thought," the demigoddess muttered. "This isn't right at all, Percy. Can you see that now?"

"Well, if it isn't a completely harmless donut shop, what is it?"

Thalia grimaced, turning to glance at the shop again. She felt as if she should know the answer to his question. It seemed to be on the tip of her tongue, but she just wasn't sure. Annabeth had most likely told her about it in the past…chances were, she hadn't been paying much attention.

She was really second-guessing eating so many of the donuts.

"Maybe it's a…a nest?" she suggested, unsure. A nest of monsters. That made sense, right? Gods, she was kidding no one. They were helpless without Annabeth there to explain everything to them. All she had was experience with fighting both monsters and humans alike, and she had never cared to learn much else.

Tyson whimpered, and the daughter of Zeus predicted that she must have scared him a little. She sent him a sympathetic look, lightly patting him on the shoulder. She surprised herself when she did it, and she hurried to retract her hand.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "A nest for what?"

Thalia scoffed. "Kittens, Jackson. It's a nest for kittens."

"Sarcasm hurts."

"Whatever—" she froze, hearing a faint scraping sound. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked. Tyson was whimpering even louder than before, his large hands clutching at the empty pastry box.

"Tyson, shh," Thalia hushed the frightened Cyclops. "Slowly, guys, we're going to turn around."

Percy released a small breath of air, nodding once. "Slowly," he agreed.

All together, they turned their bodies. A large creature hissed at nothing in particular, its seven scaly heads writhing in several different directions. Each of its seven necks had a child's bib donning it, and it read: I'm a MONSTER DONUT KID! Thalia wasn't sure how a toddler's bib could fit the neck of something the size of a freaking rhino, but she wasn't going to question it.

"The Hydra," Percy whispered, pulling out his ballpoint pen. Thalia swatted at his arm, silently warning him not to activate it yet. It was possible that the monster hadn't spotted them. All monsters sensed the presence of celestial bronze.

The creature sniffed and some of its heads flapped through the leaves. It was hunting for them, Thalia had no doubts. A couple of the Hydra's heads were tearing into one of their duffel bags—Tyson's in particular. The monster had already invaded their shelter, and now it had their scent. Its rattlesnake-like heads snapped at twigs on the ground as it neared closer.

The Cyclops, seemingly recognizing the bag as his own, whimpered and incidentally stepped on a fallen branch. It cracked beneath the weight of his foot, and the six heads of the merciless Hydra shifted towards them. The monster hissed, and Thalia barely had enough time to jump out of its way as it charged them.

Percy rolled in the opposite way that she had, as she had jumped to the left. Acid shot from the Hydra's mouths, instantly sizzling on the tree behind the son of Poseidon. He hurried away from the plant, seeing it begin to deteriorate. Tyson was immobile in front of the terrifying monster. It spat acid toward the Cyclops, but Percy was too far away to prevent it. Unthinkingly, the daughter of Zeus tugged Tyson out of the way, accidentally throwing him to the ground behind her.

"Tyson!" she instructed. "Stay safe and out of the way." It was strange trying to protect a Cyclops, but she was willing to do it.

She and Percy drew their swords. The Hydra's heads snapped between the two weapons, undecided on which would be the bigger threat. Four of its heads would look to Thalia, and two would look to Percy, and then it would switch around.

"Thalia, sheath your sword. Let me distract it!"

She didn't bother responding to his command. Her pride was already swollen to the brim, and it wasn't backing down now to obey any orders. It was how she always got when she fought. "Do you remember how to kill these things?"

It continued to hiss at the two of them in confusion, and it began to remind Thalia of a hairless cat.

"That would be a no," Percy admitted, raising his sword slightly higher. "You cut off half of its heads, and I cut off what's left?"

The daughter of Zeus shrugged carelessly, although she suddenly developed an ache in her gut that protested. "Sure, sounds just as good as any other plan."

Swiftly, she lobbed off three heads, barely paying any attention as Percy sliced away at the remaining three. They looked away from the wobbling creature to high-five one another, but a whimper from Tyson provoked them to glance back.

The six stumps that had once been the heads of the hydra began to swell. They inflated like balloons, growing mightily before splitting into two. All twelve heads of the Hydra spat acid, and the children of the Big Three struggled to dodge in time. Thalia hit the forest floor unceremoniously, releasing a groan of displeasure.

"All right," Percy said, panting, rolling out of the way once more. "I'm thinking that wasn't the best plan we've ever had."

"How the hell are we supposed to kill this thing?" Thalia remarked, springing back to her feet. Two of the heads snapped towards her, and she barely managed to deflect the frightening teeth with her blade. The heads sprung back, shaking violently, before lunging again. She continued to fend them off, all the while dodging acid baths.

"Why are you asking me?" the son of Poseidon replied, nearly cutting off another head. "Shit," he cursed under his breath, backing away from the creature. "Your brother is the one who destroyed it. You should know."

"My brother?" Thalia asked numbly. She forced thoughts of her baby brother away.

"Hercules," Percy clarified, shooting her a strange look. He quickly turned his attention to the monster, deflecting four ferocious heads just in time. "He…he killed them somehow. Annabeth said something about it."

"We could really use that girl right about now," the daughter of Zeus grumbled, ducking beneath a ray of acid. If it had touched her hair, she was going to be livid. "Think, Jackson. I don't know half the shit Hercules has done. You're our chance right now."

"It isn't like I can concentrate!" Percy growled as he kicked a head away with the bottom of his shoe. It barely had an effect on the monster, but it served as a proper distraction.

Thalia roughly nudged him away, causing him to fall back by Tyson. He panted in exhaustion, looking up at her incredulously. "Well? Get to thinking, brain boy," she grunted out as she began to lead the Hydra toward the river.

Percy was about to argue, but then his mouth snapped closed. His eyes shut tightly, and he was obviously racking his brain for the solution. Thalia had to admit that it was hard working without Annabeth. She was so used to having the brain by her side, to spit out random facts about statues or whatever. She almost felt hopeless without the daughter of Athena there to assist the three of them.

"Fire!" Percy yelled suddenly. "It is killed with fire. Hercules cut off the heads, and then burned the stumps before the heads could regrow."

Fire? She gritted her teeth in frustration. Thalia could usually spark a fire or two, but it would be difficult with the foggy weather and the river so close by. The daughter of Zeus briefly looked to her male companion, but it proved to be a deadly distraction. Half of the heads swung towards her, knocking her to the ground. She ached and pained, but tried to force herself to crawl to her feet.

Before she could, Tyson barreled toward the Hydra. "Do not hurt my friends!" he bellowed, punching out the heads one after another.

Thalia allowed her jaw to drop in surprise, before quickly regaining her composure. Percy hurried over, offering her a hand. When she refused to take it, he gripped her elbow and used it to haul her to her feet. She glared at him, but soon gave up on it when he flashed her that irritating smile.

Tyson fell backwards as he dodged the creature's venomous spit, and Thalia stepped in front of him to distract the Hydra, attempting to give him the time he needed to recover. She, Percy and Tyson did their best to fend off the monster, but their defenses were becoming increasingly weak and sluggish. Thalia knew that if they didn't get some fire now, she could pretty much drop all hopes of getting a cheeseburger whenever they wandered into a town.

Then she heard it—the distinct, boisterous sounds of machinery. It shook the riverbank, and she felt the tremble through her boots. The vibrations traveled through her body like the clattering of drums, and she nearly lost her footing.

"What the shit is that noise about?" she yelled angrily, twirling the wrist of her sword hand sorely.

"Steam engine," Tyson supplied helpfully, not taking his large fists away from one of the Hydra's disturbed faces.

"I'm sorry," Percy said loudly. "What?"

"There! Prepare the thirty-two pounder!" a female voice screamed from behind them, sending a shiver up Thalia's spine. She recognized that voice.

"Thirty-two pounder? Sounds like a burger. I'd like a thirty-two pounder with cheese," the daughter of Zeus mused quietly, shrugging whenever Percy glanced at her in disbelief. "What? It kind of does."

"That's a huge cheeseburger, then."

A man's voice shouted out next, surprising the three. "They're too close, milady!"

"Damn the heroes!" the female shouted once more. Thalia nearly snorted at the harsh remark. "Full steam ahead!"

"Aye, lady," the male's voice relented.

"Fire at will!" the girl ordered.

The daughter of Zeus flung herself to the ground, dragging Percy down with her. She covered her skull with her hands, bracing herself in the muck. Milliseconds later, a loud, deafening sound rattled the riverbank, light blinded them briefly, and a ball encased in smoke shot straight for the Hydra. Its guts splattered all over the fallen demigods, while Tyson stood just out of range from the blast. Thankfully, the gunk dissipated with the rest of the creature.

Thalia climbed to her feet, a smirk on her face. She nearly coughed from the gunpowder smoke revolving around them. "That was pretty sweet." Percy nodded his agreement. She frowned in disgust at the muck on her clothes. "Tyson, will you do me a favor?"

The young Cyclops nodded with a wide, silly smile. "Anything, Zeus girl."

She resisted the urge to groan. "Grab our bags from the shelter, and make sure to stock them with some of the useful supplies left in there."

He nodded, hurriedly walking to the shelter. The son of Poseidon spun around, making a sound of disappointment. "Thalia, you might want to see this."

"I might not," she muttered in disagreement, having already recognized the owner of the commanding voice. She turned around nonetheless, not at all surprised at what she saw.

A sizable old steamship was chugging along heavily on the river, the iron deck catching her attention immediately. It was labeled the CSS Birmingham, and a flag in dedication to Ares flew proudly from above. It was loaded with cannons, indicating the age of the vessel. Shimmering figures in grayish uniforms littered the deck, and Thalia was reminded of the souls in the Asphodel Fields.

"Civil War battle cruiser," the son of Poseidon remarked thoughtfully. "It's too bad about who's on it," he added dryly, pointing to the tall, armor-clad figure standing next to the smoking cannon.

Thalia rubbed the back of her neck sorely, narrowing her eyes at the sneering daughter of Ares. "Fucking hell, Clarisse," she shouted loud enough for the girl to hear. "You could have blasted us to pieces!"

"Hop aboard, sissies," Clarisse grumbled, eyeing them distastefully. "I haven't got all freaking day."

Athena marched into Hera's gardens, scowling at the sight of her stepmother. The Queen of the Gods arched an eyebrow in interest at the frustrated goddess. What could she possibly want from her? And, why was she so angered?

The goddess of wisdom sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her chest. "All right," she stated apathetically. "Color me interested. What do you plan to do with the daughter of Zeus?"

Hera narrowed her eyes, but turned her attention to the flowers that needed tending to. "I am not sure I understand what you are implying, Athena."

"You marked her with the brand of—" the goddess of wisdom was immediately silenced with the glare that was shot her way. "You broke Ancient Law."

"And my husband hasn't?" Hera retorted hotly, resisting the urge to bring up how Athena branded her own son—Daedalus. "He's broken every single one in existence for that despicable bastard of his."

Athena rolled her eyes, paying no mind whenever the older goddess seethed at the disrespectful display. "What god hasn't, really? Father is just less talented in keeping things secretive. Admittedly, I have provided assistance for many of my offspring."

Hera growled. "Do all of you neglect consequences? If you ask me, there is nothing more insanely selfish."

"I do not recall asking for your opinion on anything," Athena replied heatedly. "I only inquired of your intentions, to which I have still not been provided an acceptable answer."

"Zeus sent you," the Queen of the Gods accused, narrowing her eyes. "Did he not?"

"He did not."

"You lie, Athena. It is written across your brow."

The glint in the younger goddess' eyes alerted Hera immediately. Athena, naturally, felt her intelligence challenged. She never did favor it when someone managed to look past her disguises. The goddess of wisdom was surely about to attempt to get beneath Hera's skin—something she did well. Athena largely manipulated many, and it was no secret that she enjoyed psychoanalyzing others, and her fellow immortals were definitely no exception. Athena was damn good at it, too.

"Why would you risk such…consequences in order to save someone you loathe?" the goddess of war strategy asked, arching that cocky charcoal eyebrow of hers. Her almost frightening, icy gray eyes danced mischievously as she met her stepmother's gaze bravely. "You know, because of you, I have met the daughter of Zeus. Do you recall whenever you forced me to go to her last year, and order her to turn against the son of Poseidon? Father still does not know of your previous schemes. He does not know that you have always known of her existence."

"What harm could be brought to me, if you were to confide in him now?" Hera countered, attempting to seem uninterested. "Prithee, do not act as if you were not in full support of my plans. You did not care much for Perseus."

Athena, instead of snapping at her, smirked yet again. She did so victoriously, as if she had accomplished something. It irked the Queen of the Gods to no end. "I do not care for him at all, and I do not wish to witness his life nor his death. Thalia is the only hero I am focused on as of late. Naturally, you are indebted to me. You will reveal to me your intentions…before Father fully discovers them for himself, that is. If you were to require any assistance at all, I would be your only ally, my Queen."

Before Hera could respond, the professionally clothed Goddess of Wisdom departed in specks of gray.