Thank you guys for your reviews! I'm going to ask for 5 from now on before I update, but for now, here's Chapter Two!

This chapter has a few little things in dialogue from previous books, but I promise it wasn't intentional.

Chapter Two- We Have An Incredibly Awkward Picnic

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ANNABETH'S COMING?" I yelled at Rachel, ignoring the people who were staring at us.

"Yeah, I invited her," said Rachel, beaming. "Isn't that great?"

I would have strangled her if my arms hadn't been loaded with books. I dropped them on the floor. "Why did you invite her?" I asked desperately. How could you possibly make me feel even worse?

"I just thought she might like to come," she replied, shrugging. "Why do you look like you're about to be sick?"

That really was how I felt. "How did you even talk to her?" I asked. "I mean, you couldn't unless…" My eyes suddenly widened with anger. "It was you who took my last drachma!"

"Ooooh, yeah sorry about that. I kind of wanted it to be a surprise." She grinned sheepishly. "Surprise!"

I groaned, mumbled something about the library (which I later realized shouldn't have fooled Rachel, because I hadn't been to the library three times the entire year), picked up my immensely heavy backpack, and started walking down the hall. As I walked away from her, I thought I heard Rachel say, "Well, I think he took that pretty well."

I was distraught. I mean, she was my best friend and all, but things hadn't been going so well between me and Annabeth lately. The last time I'd really talked to her, she'd pretty much ticked off an immortal goddess for my sake. That wasn't exactly how I'd pictured that moment on the hilltop to end, and now we hadn't spoken in months. To find out that she was coming, today, in just a few hours…I was literally shaking.

Relax, I told myself. It's just Annabeth. What's there to worry about?

But I couldn't relax. I didn't relax for the rest of the day, even when the bell rang and the school was filled with the cheers of six hundred hyperactive teenagers as they ran outside and jumped into their cars to go to the picnic. I walked outside slowly, suddenly dreading the picnic more than ever.

Nevertheless, I hitched a ride with my buddy Conrad, his older brother, and a couple of his brother's goofy friends. As we drove through Manhattan, listening to rock music and the older guys messing around and acting like doofuses, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Hey Conrad," I said. "Guess what? I'm done with school."

He blinked. "Very good, Percy. Would you like a sticker?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I mean, I've never completed a full year at any school before. This was my ninth school in nine years, and I actually finished."

I looked out the window, suddenly awed. I felt good about myself, but also strangely disappointed. I guess I had wanted to keep my record up. Oh well.

We came to a large field where we were having the picnic and jumped out of the car. A large stage was set up on the far end, and a bunch of junior and senior guys were tuning up their instruments and all that stuff. Hot dogs, barbeque, chips, and deserts were set up on two long tables next to coolers of drinks, and people were spreading picnic blankets all over the field. I immediately mauled the food, along with half of the other guys, piling my plate before all the good stuff was gone. Rachel invited me over to her blanket, and I sat down, keeping an eye out for my mom or Annabeth.

The band introduced themselves and started to play, and they actually weren't half bad. Through the first couple of songs, I talked with Rachel and her Art Club friends on her blanket, but I got up when I saw my mom's car park in the edge of the field. She got out, and with her was a huge kid with peanut butter in his teeth. I grinned and walked over.

"Percy!" cried my half-brother Tyson, running at me and squeezing me into a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, big guy," I said, struggling for air. "Ouch, gotta breath, gotta breath…"

"Sorry," Tyson blushed and let me go.

"Here's a blanket," said my mom, smiling. "I'm going to go talk to Paul." She gave me a glance as she said that, like I'd forgotten my promise. Yeah right.

Tyson attacked the food table and came back with four barbeque sandwiches. We sat down on the blanket and started catching up.

"So, how goes the war down there?" I said, trying not to sound bitter for Tyson's sake.

"It is going good," said Tyson between Cyclops-sized bites. "But Daddy is worried. He thinks that…" His eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to remember. "Typhoon?"

"Typhon," I corrected.

"Right," said Tyson. "He thinks that he will escape very soon. Forces must be ready. Typhon will be hard to beat."

"Yeah." Haphaestus had once told me that the gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. I didn't like how things were looking if the Titan escaped.

Rachel came over and starting chatting with Tyson, and I got up to get some more food. I was standing in line when I heard a voice behind me. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."

I jumped and turned around, and it was her. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her gray eyes looked me over critically, like she was deciding how best to take me down. She was dressed in a white tank top and shorts, and she looked shorter for some reason. Or maybe I was just taller.

"Annabeth," I said, and for a second, the music, all the noise seemed to fade away. All there was in the world was me and her. Then something told me to snap out of it. "I mean, uh, hey, Wise Girl. You made it."

She smirked. "Yeah. It wasn't easy, mind you. I had ride with the Gray Sisters all the way from Vegas."

"What?" I said, confused. "I thought they only did business in New York."

"Times have changed," she said darkly. "They've been forced to expand their business to all of the major cities, mostly getting demigods to camp." She kind of winced when she said the word camp. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

"Anyway, they argued the whole way there, as usual, and we almost went over a couple of bridges on the way. It was awful."

I laughed, remembering when Tyson, Annabeth and I had taken the Gray Sister's taxi to camp, a couple of years ago. "I guess they can be a little obnoxious," I said.

She grinned. "A little," she agreed.

Just when I was really starting to think we could get over the awkwardness from before, a guy farther back in line yelled, "Will you hurry it up?"

I wanted to tell the guy to shut his trap, but Annabeth said, "Come one, let's go sit down."

I reluctantly backed down. "Fine," I said.

"Annabeth!" Tyson suddenly came barreling up to us, smiling and showing off the strands of barbeque that was now mixed with the peanut butter in his teeth.

"Tyson!" said Annabeth, beaming and hugging him. Rachel followed behind him, looking a little uncomfortable.

Annabeth broke away from Tyson and stared at Rachel. Memories from our adventures in the Labyrinth came rushing back to me, of how many times these two had argued. I quickly stepped in and broke the staring contest. "Rachel, you remember Annabeth," I said, and then I slapped myself mentally because of how stupid that must have sounded.

"Yeah," said Rachel, still staring at her. Annabeth just nodded coldly.

Tyson seemed to sense the awkwardness. "I think I will…go get more sandwiches," he said.

"I'll come with you," said Rachel, and they walked off together.

"What's with you two?" I asked when they had left.

She turned on me sharply. "What do you mean?" she snapped.

"Forget it," I mumbled. We stood in silence for a moment. I pretended to watch the band.

"So," Annabeth began, "How's your life been, Seaweed Brain?"

She sounded so casual, I couldn't resist. "Oh, nothing much," I said sarcastically. "I've just being attacked by monsters every other day since August, I've got to tell my future stepdad that I'm the son of a Greek god today, and in less than three months I've got to face the Titan Lord and decide the fate of Olympus. But other than that, nothing's really new."

I could tell that had hurt her. "No need to sound so cold, Percy," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I was just asking."

"Thanks," I grumbled. "That makes me feel better."

She tried to ignore me. "So, have you come up with anything about…you know…defeating Kronos?"

By beating Kronos, she mean saving Luke.

"Nico found me last August," I said. "He told me he knows a way to beat Lu…Kronos. According to him, it's our only chance of stopping him."

"What is it?" asked Annabeth, forgetting she was supposed to be cross with me for a second.

I looked around. "Not here," I said quietly. "I'll tell you when we get to camp."

She looked suspicious, but she nodded. "Okay," she said. "So, anything else?"

"Yeah," I said. I told her about my dad.

"Oh, that," she said, like it was old news. "Not that it's not important or anything, but I really think we've got bigger things to worry about than some old smelly sea guys trying to take over a little water."

That really ticked me off. She'd basically just insulted my father. "Oh, yeah, that's right," I said, "I forgot that Athena teaches all her children that Poseidon is an idiot who has no real problems so they have more time to work on their dorky little inventions."

Tears sprang into your eyes. "You know what, Percy…"

But whatever she was going to say was interrupted by screams coming from the edge of the field. I turned and saw dark shapes springing towards us, causing the teenagers and adults to run in all directions, screaming.

My hand flew to my pocket. Please, no, I begged silently. Not here!

But there was no getting around it. We were under attack.

I know, it's boring and looooong. More action in the next chapter, I promise. Remember, 5 reviews, and if you have any suggestions or criticism, please include that.