Chapter 8

A/N: Greetings everyone. Thank you for your patience, I've been busy with more and more work. Whew, I thought I might update late. Anyway, I checked the polls, and still no change. Please keep in mind that the sequel will be based on popular vote, like a lot of things. Anyway, I had the order a little mixed up. Here are the real results so far.

Choice 1: 0

Choice 2: 1 (unofficially)

Choice 3: 3

Please, if you want to vote, don't just put it in a review, put it in the poll. It closes on Friday, so act quickly.

Percy: I already voted

Me: Not that election, the sequel one.

Percy: Oh, at least I did something

Me: Anyway, since Annabeth and Thalia are busy with something, and Nico is in hiding, let's get this party started. I don't own PJO or HoO, Rick Riordan owns it all.

Percy: Let's rock.

P.S. Poseidon wants to apologize for the hurricane that is on the East Coast. Someone got under his skin *cough* Athena *cough*, and he is trying to keep everything under control.

-Percy

Percy POV:

Two days ago, I came up with a spell called Cien Sols. I will thank Athena later for giving me the hint, but I am also freaked out. At the same time, Kronos invaded a daydream, and told me I have until midnight tonight or he will kill me. You just got to love deadlines, especially when they concern your life.

Tonight is our first ever Halloween bash. Chiron decided to hold a ball in the Pavilion, and curfew was lifted for tonight only. Yeah, the harpies aren't happy, but when Travis told them about the candy, they forgot about it. Apparently, everyone is pretty much gone during this time of year, and everything is quiet. My mom and Paul are visiting some of his family in Pennsylvania, and I got the apartment to myself for a few weeks. I'd go with them, but then I'd put them in danger as well. Can't have that, can we?

Costumes were allowed, but only a few actually wore them. I was dressed up as Nemo since some people decided to announce that the Savior of Olympus wore Nemo underwear. I didn't want anyone seeing that, especially Annabeth. Oh gods how I will never live that down.

I was chilling in my cabin watching the basketball game with the Spurs against the Celtics. Just as the game was about to go into halftime, I heard a knock on my door.

I groaned and got up from my seat, which was not easy since I was dressed up as a fish. I opened the door, and nearly reached for Riptide. Standing at the door was a hooded figure in a cloak. Mist was spreading across his feet, and he was holding a scythe. The figure pulled back its hood, and the grinning face of Nico Di Angelo appeared.

"Happy Halloween!" he shouted.

I squinted my eyes at my cousin, and slapped him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?" he exclaimed.

I smiled. "You dressed up as a figure that just so happens to wield a weapon that oddly enough looks like Kronos' weapon. The same weapon that almost killed me earlier this summer," I said. "Yeah, I have a right to smack you upside the head."

He rubbed the back of his head, and chuckled. "Anyway, Lou Ellen sent me to tell you to meet her in the Pavilion. She said she has news," he said.

I smiled, and sighed in relief. About a week of nothing but nightmare after nightmare, and it was all about to end. Some campers thought it was a good idea to leave camp to escape the curse, but its magic seeped into our souls. Even if we traveled to the Moon, that curse would still find us. I looked down at my costume, and cursed under my breath.

"I think I will change my costume," I decided.

Nico held back a chuckle. "Good idea. Clarisse would have a field day if she saw you in that," he said.

I thought about it for a moment. "Hey, how about you be the Slenderman?" he suggested.

Slender-what? "What's the Slenderman?"

His eyes widened, and pushed me into my cabin. "Dude, you never heard of the Slenderman?"

I shook my head. "The Slenderman is a creature that is about 7 feet tall. He wears a long black suit, and has no face," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "The Slenderman lives in forests, where his prey can easily get lost in. If anyone sees him, he either kills you or takes you to an alternate dimension. No one has ever seen the Slenderman and lived to tell the tale," he said. "Well, one guy did, and he is still on the run."

My eyes widened. "I can't believe I never heard of it before. Where can I get a suit?"

Annabeth POV:

I can't believe I'm doing this. I decided to dress up at my great-great-great times 30 half-brother, George Washington. At first, I was glad I was dressing up as him, but then everyone else in my cabin got in on the idea, and started buying George Washington costumes. I ditched the wig, and just rolled with it.

I was standing in the Pavilion with Thalia and Lou Ellen. Thalia decided to dress up as Queen Elizabeth I, and I understand why. She didn't marry, and ruled England without a man's help. Seems appropriate. Lou Ellen just wore her robes and her unicorn wand strapped on her side. I hate that wand because she forced me to switch bodies with Thalia (long story), and that made things difficult for Percy.

Anyway, we were talking, and then something happened. The air got cold, and some strange mist started to form around us. I looked around, and a dark figure was slowly approached us. Thalia drew her bow, Lou Ellen waved her wand, and I unsheathed my dagger.

The figure got closer, and I saw its weapon. He was holding a scythe made of a broomstick and a piece of cardboard. Wait, cardboard? "Alright Nico, you got us," I said.

The figure stopped, and removed his hood. Yup, Nico was there with a smile splattered across his face. "Like the costume?" he asked.

Thalia slowly lowered her bow. "Nice cloak, you steal that from Thanatos?" she asked.

He nodded. "He has a whole cave full of cloaks. I just borrowed one. Although, I should've gotten a cleaner one," he said.

I wrinkled my nose. "Anyway, where's Percy?" I asked.

A glint of mischief shined in Nico's eyes. "He's looking for a new costume. He'll be here soon," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "OK then. Well, we need Percy for this, so can you get him to hurry up?" I asked.

He shook his head. "He's changing. Let me go see if he's done." Then he turned on his heel and ran off.

I sighed, and shook my head. "Annie, tell me again why we have to wait for Percy to show up?" Thalia asked.

"We need a blessing from Poseidon, and since Percy is closer, we could use his help. We can't just use the cure without it, or something will happen," Lou Ellen said.

I flashed her a look of annoyance. "Thank you Annie," I said sarcastically, "And I still think we should've asked Poseidon himself. I mean, what if Percy isn't enough?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "This time, we will prove the great Annabeth Chase wrong. Maybe Percy will pull through," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. Then, something tapped me on the shoulder. Thalia and Lou Ellen's eyes widened in horror. Together, we all turned around, and what greeted us was something unusual. It was a tall man, about 7 feet tall. He wore a black suit, but he was pure white. He had no face, no hair, and no eyes. On his back were 5 tentacles swimming on his back.

The man tilted his head at us. "Hello, pretty ones," he said.

My eyes widened. Nico told me about this thing. He called it the Slenderman, a being that killed anyone who saw him. We all stepped back, hoping to get away from it before it captured us. All it did was step forward. It raised his hands, and the tentacles started swimming around us. We all screamed in horror, and I heard laugher.

I looked behind me, and there was Nico doubling over in laughter. I raised an eyebrow, and the Slenderman seemed to be laughing with him. "Oh man, you should've seen yourselves!" he exclaimed.

Wait a minute, I know that voice. I walked up to the Slenderman, and ripped off his mask. Percy's face appeared. I turned red, and smacked him in the arm. "SEAWEED BRAIN!"

He stopped laughing, and hugged me. "Aw, sorry Wise Girl. It was Nico's idea," he said.

We all turned back to Nico, who looked surprised. "Perce, you weren't supposed to say that!" he yelled.

Percy smiled. "That's what happens when someone steals my boxers and shows them all over camp," he said.

He had a point. Nico looked down, and laughed. "But it was funny. 'Watch out, here comes the Slenderman!'" He looked like a zombie when he did that.

They laughed, and settled down after Lou Ellen gave them a grim look. "Nice job, Perce. Anyway, we need your help. We got the cure, now all we need is a blessing from the Sea God. Can you help us?" she asked.

Percy looked serious for a moment. "Sure. Where's the cure?"

Lou Ellen smiled, and pointed out at the Sound. She was pointing at Trident Island. "We need a son of Poseidon to allow us to touch the island. You think you can help us? We are setting up the cure on a fire cracker. When the fireworks begin, we will send it off, and ridding the camp of the curse," she said.

Percy smiled. "Let's do it!"

After an hour of careful sailing to the island, we finally reached the shore. Poseidon granted us this island as a shrine to the Heroes of Olympus, but they can only reach the island with the help of a son of the Sea God. In this case, it's Percy. Just in case someone went rouge and tried to destroy our shrine, Poseidon would be our last hope.

As Percy raised his hands for his father, I noticed Thalia shifting in her seat. "Thals, what's wrong?" I asked her.

She squirmed. "Um, I think Aphrodite is messing with me again," she said.

"Oh," I said in understanding. See, ever since Nico led the attack against Kronos' troops, Thalia told me that Aphrodite was visiting her in her dreams. She told me that Aphrodite has plans for her in the future, and she got help from Apollo that will change her life forever. I pretty much know that she will be forced to fall in love in the future.

"What did she say this time?" I asked.

She didn't say anything, but eyed Nico. Oh crap. "She says that we will make a cute couple in the future. I can't focus on that if I am still in the Hunt," she said.

Before I could say anything, the boat lurched forward. Percy was on the shore with a grin on his face. We reached the shore, and I jumped on the island. The soil was rich and moist. The sea breeze showed us that Poseidon was watching us and taking care of us. I almost wish I was a Poseidon child, that way I could enjoy the power of the ocean instead of the libraries. Although, I do like myself as an intelligent demigoddess and a child of Athena.

I smiled and looked around. I saw a pathway that was lit up by torches. The path led uphill, and Lou Ellen walked up to us with a bag over her shoulder. "Well? We have a curse to stop," she said.

I nodded in agreement, and we all took a little hike. Luckily, I knew about it, and I packed my hiking boots.

We hiked up the hill to the summit. When we designed it, we placed gold statues of all of us who fought in the battle, and the ones who fell to the Underworld. The statues were arranged to form a Greek Ω. In the center of the Omega were the statues of the Heroes of Olympus: Percy and Luke. Percy stood tall with his wind-blown hair falling over his eye. In his hand was Riptide, and in the other was a Minotaur horn.

Luke's statue was simple. His blonde hair fell over his eyes as well. The scar on his cheek didn't seem so evil anymore, and in his hand was my knife. He wore Greek armor with a cloak. A symbol of his passing.

I teared up when I thought about Luke. He promised to never harm me, and he broke that promise on my knife. Sure, Percy is here to take care of me, and I thank him for that.

Lou Ellen dropped her bag, and set up her rocket. She set it up so that it would fly over the camp, and explode over the Big House. Night time fell quickly since we left the camp to take care of it. If my Moon-reading skills are correct, midnight was not too far away.

Lou Ellen turned to us. "OK Perce, I need you to bless this rocket in the name of Poseidon. Only then, we will be ready for launch," she said.

Percy smiled, and walked up to the rocket. He waved his hands over the rocket, and began muttering a prayer in Greek. Before I could actually settle down, a hand wrapped around me, and hoisted me up. Percy stopped what he was doing, and looked up at me. "ANNABETH!"

I struggled to get out of his grip, but it was too tight. I managed to turn around, and my heart stopped. In front of me was a giant with the head of a Hydra and the body of a human. He had dragon legs and a scythe in one hand.

"I told you I would get me revenge, demigod!" he boomed.

I didn't say a word. I was staring at the transparent face of Kronos, Lord of Time and king of the Titans.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took a while. I had so much I wanted to put, so I hope you enjoy it. Anyway, I think there is enough room for one more chapter, and then the sequel will be posted. I hope you enjoyed this story.

Percy: Poor Luke

Me: I know. Born a hero, fell as a servant of Kronos, and died a Hero of Olympus.

Annabeth: C'mon, last chapter.

Percy: She is crying right now. Wait a little while, and update, ok?

Me: Ok. Remember to review and I will update. Until next time.

-Unknown

P.S. our hearts and prayers to everyone on the East Coast that is being affected by Sandy. We all are ready to jump at the first chance we can get, so hang on tight. Seriously, we all are here for you.

-The gang behind PJO and HoO