Author's Note; Hello my peoples! You're lucky. Two chapters in under 24 hours. I slaved over the computer for five hours. I didn't even stop for food. Please don't expect the next chapter to be up even twice as quickly because I am aca-exhausted. And ready to play Minecraft. SHOUTOUT TIME!

SHOUTOUTS!:

Cherokee rememberer gamer98: Yeah, I guess so. I don't know how he found it boring but just...agh. I can't even. Yeah...when Percy was being so embarrassed of Tyson when I first read it and Annabeth was so rude, I was just like, "Really? He didn't do anything to you guys." But I guess I understood at least a little bit.

Rubydaawesome: Thank you, and I really don't want it to be the same old thing. So even though longbows are cool, crossbows are kinda like the mechanical pencils of bows I guess. They're more powerful too, which is good. There're a bunch of different strings and you put the arrow in like you would with a normal bow (please look up a picture) and either pull on the string or some have levers to pull instead. Have fun at swim camp and I hope you can read FF over there. When I went camping for school we had no bars, which meant no FF at night before bed. I couldn't even write cause Google Docs wasn't working.

P.S. Youre secret's safe with me ;)

Aqua: Oh. My. Gods. First of all, not going to mention spelling errors and second of all don't tell me what to do. And I considered her kinda like Mrs. Dodds. Hates the awesome people (me) and fawns over the not-so-awesome people (you). And it's up.

Disclaimer; I obviously don't own PJO or any of the other fandoms, songs, parodies, or anything you recognize to be somebody else's. If I did, I'd probably be doing something more important than writing FF while listening to Imagine Dragons/Fall Out Boy/All-American Rejects/Panic! At the Disco. (But probably not.)

I'm A Demi-WHAT Now?

Chapter IV: Chariot Racing Is Painful

The next few days were, in fact, torture, like Tantalus had said. But...for different reasons than others. Percy and Chryssie were still embarrassed of Tyson and whenever he would excitedly ask about siblings, one of them would go, "Well, it's not that simple." It was.

The comments from the other cabins were annoying but most were directed at the twins, instead of me, which confused me immensely. I guess more people knew them so it was funnier in their opinion.

Whenever he wasn't around to hear the comments and their replies, one of the twins would go, "He's not our real brother! He's more like a half-brother on the monstrous side of the family. Like...a half-brother twice removed, or something. "

I knew they were confused by my actions as well though, so I didn't really judge them. From what I'd heard, Chryssie had never known if she had any siblings or who they were until Percy came and Percy had been raised as an only child. So it wasn't their fault. Most people would've reacted that way, I just had a pretty big family.

Since the twins and Tyson teamed up with for the chariot race, (2-3 people) I couldn't participate. They didn't even let me help.. Pearl, Monkey, and a girl from their cabin teamed up for Athena. Sapphire, her cabin counselor, and another guy from her cabin were all together for it. The Stolls and Jade were the Hermes representatives.

I have a good (read: violent) enough imagination for traps and stuff. But no the three of them had it covered. It pissed me off. Since Jack was the same way, we hung out a lot.

Jack pointed over to two girls sitting by the Apollo cabin (we were in the middle of the green). One was an Asian girl with wavy black hair in a ponytail and just normal jeans and a camp t-shirt. The other had wavy chestnut hair with a headband that really did nothing to hold her hair back and milk chocolate skin. She wore jean shorts and another camp t-shirt. It looked casual yet fancy at the same time, which confused me.

The one with the ponytail was saying how they needed to have a certain trap on there while the other girl exclaimed in a loud British accent, "I'm so bored! They should have let us helped at least a bit.

Jack and I exchanged a look. "Move in, now!" I muttered. "Before anyone else does." She nodded and we got up, heading over to them.

We stopped when we reached them. "Hi." Jack said. "We couldn't help hearing your...discussion and, well, we're bored too. Like, desperately. Wanna hang out?"

"Sure." The girl with the ponytail said. She had dark brown eyes. "I'm Topanga Brooks and this is Camille Night. We're daughters of Apollo. And the mortal Mackenzie Brooks."

"Wait, you're...twins?" I asked, really confused.

"Oh gods no." Camille exclaimed. She had hazel brown eyes with flecks of blue in them. "I'm almost a year older than her. But yes, we have the same biological Mum. I was put up for adoption."

We nodded. "I love your accent!" We exclaimed at the same time, grinning from ear to ear.

We sat down across from them. "I'm Jack Frost and this is Diamond Sapphire, daughter of Poseidon."

"Jack Frost?" Topanga asked, confused.

"Isn't your brother the Cyclops?" Camille asked. I nodded. "Why aren't you embarrassed like the twins?"

"Camille!" Topanga exclaimed.

I shrugged. "S'fine. It's because there's nothing to be ashamed of. He's a monster technically but he's really sweet and quite hilarious. He's a baby Cyclops, I think. Anyway, can't choose your family."

They grinned. "I think it's rude what people are saying." Topanga remarked. "I heard a bunch of Aphrodite girls asking one of the twins if they wanted to borrow eyeliner for their eye."

"Oh, sorry. Eyes." Camille mocked in a high-pitched American accent. "That Melanie is so annoying sometimes."

"What about Karen and Sadie?" Topanga asked. Camille groaned.

"They're horrible! The lot of them!" She exclaimed.

After a few seconds of silence, we all started laughing hysterically. It felt so good to have at least one other person who understood my sense of humor, and now I had two.


The night before the race, they finally finished the chariot. The three of them were proud of it, and I tried not to show how disappointed I was at not being able to participate. It was blue and white, with wave designs on it and a trident on front. "It looks really cool! Can't wait to see it in action."

When we were all in bed, Tyson asked, "Percy, Chryssie?"

"Yeah?" They called.

I pretended to be asleep. "You are mad?" He asked nervously.

"Diamond, are you awake?" Chryssie hissed. I didn't answer.

"Nah, we're not mad." Percy said.

"I am a monster." Tyson said sadly.

I bit my lip. I wanted to tell him he wasn't, but I wanted to hear what the twins would say.

Chryssie answered him. "Don't say that. It's not true."

"It is okay. I will be a good monster. That way you won't have to be mad." Tyson answered simply. I felt so bad for him.

"It's just...we've never had any half-siblings before. Even last year, we knew we had the same mother. It's really different for us." Percy said.

"And we're worried about camp." Chryssie added. "And another friend of ours, Grover...he might be in trouble. And we both feel like we should be doing something to help, but we don't know what."

Tyson didn't answer. "I'm sorry." They both muttered.

"It's not your fault." Percy told him. "We're mad at Poseidon."

"We both feel like he's trying to compare us all...and we don't understand why." Chryssie murmured.

Tyson snored. They both sighed. "Good night, big guy." They said.

I lied awake a little longer, mulling over what they'd said. It all made sense.

I had a dreamless sleep, and woke up to the twins tossing and turning. I glanced out the window, it was the same time of day we normally got up. The two of them were murmuring in their sleep. Something about...a bride?

I got out of bed and walked over to them. Tyson followed suit. I stood next to Chryssie and he next to Percy. Suddenly, both of their eyes shot open...at the same time.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" Tyson asked.

They both had a short look of panic when Tyson said that. It faded away quickly, and he didn't seem to notice. But I did.

The morning was hot and humid. Sapphire's cabin had plowed a track in minutes a few days before. There were stone steps for the spectators. Tantalus, a few goatmen (Who I've been told are called 'satyrs'), a few nature spirits, and all the campers who weren't participating.

I sat down next to Jack, and right above Camille and Topanga. Another girl, with wavy black hair and brown eyes sat down next to Topanga. She looked around 10, Aqua's age. We were right in front, so we could see the action.

"Topanga, who're they?" She asked as Jack was in a conversation with Camille about Supernatural.

"Oh, those are Jack Frost, unclaimed, and Diamond Sapphire, daughter of Poseidon." She said.

I waved. "Hello. What's your name?"

"This is Violet Keston, also unclaimed. She's a family friend, and she's like my sister." Topanga explained.

"Even though she has three sisters." Violet remarked, rolling her eyes.

A boy that looked like a boy version of Topanga came over and sat with us. "Hello girls. How's it going? Why don't you introduce me to your friends?" He grinned at us.

'Kinda like Sean.' I mouthed at Jack. She nodded grimly.

'I'm sure they'll be the best of friends.' She mouthed back.

Camille rolled her eyes at the boy. "Guys, this is Mason, Topanga's twin brother."

"And your charming little brother, don't forget." He grinned.

"Charming my arse. You irk my soul." She replied dryly.

"This is Jack and Diamond. What do you want Mason?" Topanga said.

"Just to say hi. Can't I sit with my favorite twin sister and her friends?" He asked innocently.

"Sure, I guess. Come on, the race is about to start." She replied, grinning.

I looked around at the mass of pigeons in the trees. They made screeching noises that made me want to stab them. "Guys, look." Jack pointed.

"Those are not regular pigeons." Topanga remarked.

"Well duh, Angie." I said.

"My name is Topanga." She answered, confused.

"I know, but I will now call you Angie, even in my head." I replied.

"Okay…" She still looked confused.

They pointed out who the other chariots belonged to. Sapphire's team's chariot was all made of bronze and iron-even the horses. Violet called them automatons. I knew from Sapphire that their chariot had a lot of hidden traps. The Ares' chariot was blood red with two skeletal horses. It had a bunch of weapons just sitting in it. Camille, Mason, and Angie's chariot was completely gold and pulled by two palominos apparently. The were armed with a bow, but promised not to use any regular arrows on other campers. According to my siblings, our chariot had a few...surprises. Pearl and Monkey's chariot was a pale grey and the two were armed with javelins. Jade, Violet, and Jack's cabin's chariot was green and old looking, but knowing Jade and just seeing the Stolls, I knew it was more than it seemed. The Dionysus, Aphrodite, and Demeter cabins had chosen not to participate.

"Right!" Tantalus exclaimed. "You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody! Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

For some reason, I was a bit nervous for all of them. The twins went over to talk to the other girl from Athena. She had curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. They looked like they were arguing about something.

A satyr blew a conch horn. "Charioteers!" Tantalus called. "To your marks!"

As the twins walked back to the chariot, Chryssie pointed something out to Percy. I followed her arm towards the pigeons. There were way more than there had been a few seconds ago, and they were all screeching like crazy. Their eyes looked weirdly shiny.

The chariots lined up. More birds went to the trees, which were shaking with their weight. They wouldn't stop screeching. Everyone looked a little nervous except for Tantalus.

"Charioteers!" He called, and he had to be a bit louder to be heard over the screeching. "Attend your marks!" He waved his hand and the starting signal dropped. The race was beginning.

Almost immediately the Hermes chariot crashed into Apollo's with a loud crack. It flipped over and Camille, Mason, and Angie groaned. Jack and Violet cheered as the Stolls and Jade grinned. The Apollo chariot's horses quickly dragged it across the track until it slammed into the Hermes chariot, flipping that over as well. Jack and Violet groaned at the sickening crunch.

I grinned at them. "Suck it!" I sang and Jack groaned. (1)

"Every. Single. Time." She muttered. The others just laughed.

Our chariot was pulling ahead of Ares', but still far behind Athena's. And Hephaestus' was catching up. The head counselor pressed a button and sent three sets of ball and chains at the wheels. Tyson knocked them aside with a swipe of the pole Percy gave him. Chryssie had a matching one to bat away anything on the other side.

The pigeons rose from the trees and spiraled toward the track. I narrowed my eyes. They seemed like bad news.

Our chariot rounded the corner, really close to Athena's. Pearl aimed her javelin at the chariot and was about to throw it when all Hades broke loose.

The birds had arrived. They attacked the chariots behind ours and dive-bombed the stands, going for any exposed flesh. I immediately summoned my knives and batted at any that came close. Mason and Angie drew bows, Camille drew two black sais tipped in Celestial bronze (2), Violet drew a javelin, and Jack got her ninja stars.

They swarmed the Hephaestus chariot and Sapphire tried to draw them away with her axes but to no avail. They couldn't see anything and plowed through the strawberry fields, horses steaming. The Ares cabin put a camo cover on their chariot and held it over them. The birds pecked at the horses, but it did no use.

Their beaks were made of bronze and razor-sharp. One swooped past and raked it's beak down Angie's arm. I stabbed it, pushing it away as it dropped to the ground. "Thanks." She muttered.

The Athena chariot slowed down until it was next to my cabin's. The girl driving and Percy had a quick conversation before turning around.

The birds were getting harder and harder to drive off and more and more broke through our little circle. Jack couldn't throw her stars and the twins couldn't shoot for fear of hurting other campers. The Athena cabin was calling for shields and the Apollo archers brought their bows, but still couldn't shoot because we were in the way.

The Ares cabin pulled across the finish line, and Clarisse just seemed to notice how serious the problem was. The driver from Pearl's chariot leapt from her chariot into ours and they drove off towards the Big House. Clarisse and the other Ares campers rushed the stands.

The chariots were on fire, the campers were bleeding, and Tantalus was chasing desserts! We had to move, we couldn't hold off the birds from where we were any longer. We ran in different directions, still fighting the birds. Mason and Angie were just stabbing them with arrows and Jack did the same with her ninja stars.

"Everything's under control! Not to worry!" Tantalus called. I felt an urge to stab him, right then and there, when nobody would notice, but I refrained. Barely.

Another bird divebombed me and I stabbed it midair, not before gain another cut on my hand. Chryssie, Percy, Tyson, and their friend showed up again in the chariot with a boombox. Chryssie hit play.

Suddenly the screeching was drowned out by violins and old guys moaning in...was that Italian? GENIUS! My gods, the effect was immediate. The birds bashed into each other multiple times before flying away in a massive black cloud.

"Now!" The girl from Athena called. "Archers!"

The Apollo cabin and anyone else with any kind of bow shot those things out of the sky until it was raining feathers and dead birds and there wasn't one stupid bird left. We were alive and the camp was saved. But the chariots were almost all destroyed, almost everyone was bleeding, and the Aphrodite cabin was shrieking about the bird poop and their messed up hairdos.

Sapphire and the two other Hephaestus campers trudged down from the fields, in no better state than the rest of us.

"Bravo!" Tantalus said, but he wasn't looking at the twins and their friend. "We have our first winner!"

He walked over and placed golden laurels on the stunned Clarisse's head. "And now." He then turned to the twins, Tyson, and the other girl. "To punish the troublemakers who interrupted this race."

The way Tantalus saw it, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Annabeth, Tyson, Chryssie, and Percy hadn't disturbed them with our bad chariot driving. We all knew that wasn't true and I would've said something if not for the manic look in his eye.

It was so completely unfair, Percy stupidly told Tantalus to go chase a doughnut, which didn't help his mood. He sentenced them to kitchen patrol-scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies.

We had a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's victory. Yay. I felt bad for them. But the banquet was delicious and satisfying. Country-fried Stymphalian death-bird as Camille put it.


The campfire was when things started to get more interesting-you know besides almost being pecked to death by dumb birds.

The Apollo cabin tried to get everyone's spirits up, but it wasn't easy. The campfire grew higher with how loud everyone sang, growing warmer and changing color with our moods. That night it was five feet high, barely even warm and the color of lint.

Mr. D left early, muttering something about how pinochle with Chiron was more exciting. He shot Tantalus a look and left. After the last song, Tantalus said, "Well that was lovely!"

He walked around with a marshmallow on a stick. He tried to pluck it off but it jumped off. He tried to grab it, but it jumped into the flames. Good. I thought. He deserved it.

Tantalus turned back toward us, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule. "

Sir, " The twins interrupted..

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy and girl have something to say?"

Some of the Ares campers snickered, but the two were determined. The twins stood up and the girl from earlier, Annabeth I'd been told, stood up with them.

Percy said, "We have an idea to save the camp. "

Dead silence, but I could tell they'd gotten everybody's interest, because the campfire flared bright yellow.

"Indeed, " Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots-"

"The Golden Fleece, " Chryssie argued. "We know where it is. "

The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop me, they blurted out a dream about their satyr friend Grover trapped on the Cyclops Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do. It sounded more convincing coming from her.

"The Fleece can save the camp, " she concluded. "I'm certain of it. "

"Nonsense, " said Tantalus. "We don't need saving. "

We all stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable.

"Besides, " he added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look. "

"Yes, we would, " The twins replied. "30, 31, 75, 12,"

"O-kay, " Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers. "

"They're sailing coordinates, " Chryssie said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies. "

Even Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes

west. He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute, " Tantalus said.

But we took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"

The flames rose higher.

"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.

"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"

"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"YES!"

"Very well, " he agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying. "

"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious. "

Tantalus looked at Annabeth and the twins as if he wanted to flay them alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defense of the camp. You shall lead this quest ... Clarisse!"

The fire flickered a thousand different colors. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"

Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" The twins shouted. "Grover is our friend. The dream came to us. "

"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, they just want to be in the spotlight again!" another said.

Clarisse glared at them. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"

The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides-shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. I thought it was going to turn into a full-fledged s'more war until Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!"

His tone stunned even me.

"Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story. "

We didn't know what he was up to, but we all moved reluctantly back to our seats. The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was as strong as any monster we'd ever faced.

"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, and I got the strange feeling he was talking about himself.

"This king, " he said, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe-just one little doggie bag, mind you-the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children-just-like- you. " He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, including the twins and I.

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face.

"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife, " Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumor has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so ... Are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

Silence.

Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on. "

She shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet.

"Sir-"

"Go!" he snarled.

She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.

"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?"

They didn't say anything. They obviously weren't going to give him the satisfaction of punishing them again.

"Good, " Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone- no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries ... Well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well. "

With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and we trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.

I knew the twins were planning to leave. When I went to sleep, there was four campers in my room. And I wasn't at all surprised that when I woke up, there was one.

Done! Phew! I have a pen...and it's shaped like a sword...I call it Riptide...It's AWESOME!

Trivia question (And please don't cheat): What is Riptide's Greek name?

The prize is...uh...a virtual high-five and a shoutout for the first to get it right!

And semi-personal question: What fandom of yours is most prominent? Like, if somebody were to only name one fandom you're in for people to know who you are.

My Answer: Doctor Who.

Footnotes:

(1) Like in Pitch Perfect 2, when the Trebles sing 'Lollipop'. Me and my Mum do this all the time. It annoys people quite a bit.

(2) I had to look this up to be sure what it was. They're ninja weapons with three prongs, the middle one being a lot longer than the others.