Hi guys! I've posted a cover for this story! All credit to the image goes to burdge-bug on deviantART. The image title is 'Get Up'.

Okay...wow, this chapter is...gah. My fingers were, like, shaking, as I typed it up. I don't know where the idea came from, but...

I'll just let you read it.

The backs of my eyelids glowed red. I stretched out my arms and covered my eyes, groaning.

"What time is it…?" I mumbled. "Malcolm? Why didn't you wake me up?"

I tried to sit up, and my thighs screamed in pain. I gasped and fell backwards, hitting my head on rock.

"Ah!" I rubbed the back of my head and opened my eyes, blinking in the sunlight.

"Where am—?"

I gingerly sat up, trying to get past my aching legs. I looked around, taking in my surroundings.

A massive arch, sandy rock—oh, my gods! Percy! California!

I slept in!

"What time is it?"

I leapt to my feet, stumbling over the bedroll. I squinted at the bright sun. It was almost in the center of the sky. The shadows were almost gone.

"Blackjack! Oh, my gods…" I ran around, shoving everything in the pack and sloppily rolling up the bedroll. I grabbed a granola bar and stuffed it in my mouth.

"Where are you?"

I finally found him wandering around, trying to find something to eat.

"Here," I said, opening another package of apples. I did it so fast that the apple slices catapulted out of the packaging and fell to the sandy floor.

"Freaking—crap." I picked them up and dusted them off as well as I could and held them out so Blackjack could eat before we left.

He chewed slowly, watching me with an amused expression.

"Will you hurry up?"

He swallowed and stretched out his wings. I watched impatiently. He shook out his mane and flicked his tail.

"Are you finished?"

He looked at me and whinnied happily.

I climbed on his back and he waited for directions. I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was right in the center. I slumped forward.

"I don't know which way to go," I admitted. Why didn't I bring a compass? Why didn't I mark which way west was yesterday?

"Oh, gods…"

I slid off his back and fell dejectedly to the ground.

"Why did I sleep so long? I…I'm hungry." I opened my pack and dug through it. I suddenly remembered something. I pulled out a pack of…"hot dogs!"

I busied myself with making a fire. I refused to eat them raw. Once I got a fire going, I found a stick and sharpened the end with my knife, and then impaled a hot dog on the end. I sat by the fire, roasting the 'dog. Once it was finished, I picked it off with my fingers and put the fake meat in my mouth. Delicious.

I was just about to smother the fire when I heard a strange call echo in the sky. It sounded like a bird.

Blackjack's ears twitched and he starting neighing and bucking.

"What is it?"

He rolled his eyes and tossed his head. That couldn't be good.

I ran over to the fire and chucked dirt on it and stomped it out. I was running towards Blackjack when the shriek was right behind me. I whirled and felt myself get picked up by sharp talons.

I screamed as I was lifted into the air, and soon I was dangling several hundred feet above the ground.

I looked at the bird that had carried me away. The sun glinted off of a massive metal eagle, and it had a razor-sharp beak. I could feel its talons pricking my skin, and soon I had beads of blood running down my arms.

I scrabbled for my knife, my fingers fumbling over the sheath. I tried to twist around and plunged my knife down on the clawed foot.

The knife bounced harmlessly off, vibrating so hard that it jarred my arm. I almost dropped my knife into open space.

Suddenly, we were slammed into the side, and the eagle almost dropped me. I turned my head, spitting hair out of my mouth, and saw Blackjack dive down, his hooves out, and smashed into the eagle again. The eagle gave a cry of shock and released its grip on me.

I fell into the air, spinning out of control. I tried to put my knife away, but it was no good, especially falling to what seemed your death.

I saw Blackjack fly away from the eagle and drop below me. I hit his back with a thunk and he suddenly reared backwards, screaming in pain.

My knife had impaled his flank.

"Oh, gods!" I screamed. I twisted my hand in his mane and left the knife where it was, not wanting to make it worse. Blood was flowing freely.

"Try to land!" I shrieked.

I suddenly heard a scream of anger behind us. The eagle was flying towards us, murder on his metal face, and gaining every second.

Blackjacks wings started to beat slowly, and we neared a canyon wall.

I grabbed his head and yanked to the right, steering us out of the way.

The ground came closer and closer, and we were nearing freefall.

Blackjack gave one last beat of his wings before stopping all together.

We fell like a stone.

I sent a prayer to any god that would listen, any god that would give us mercy. Please.

A burst of wind buffeted us up, and we tumbled to the sandy ground, feathers flying everywhere.

I was tangled in Blackjack's legs, and I was hit sharply in the head with his hoof. Spots flared before my eyes, but I refused to lose consciousness.

The eagle screamed.

I leapt from Blackjack's legs and, with a breaking heart, ripped the knife out of his flank. He screamed in agony.

I turned to face the eagle, which was diving towards me.

Apollo, I prayed fervently, please guide my knife.

The eagle screamed again, and I threw my dagger with all that I had.

Its aim was true. It flew inside the eagle's mouth and impaled his throat.

It shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, crashed into a boulder, and exploded.

The heat was intense, but it was gone as soon as it started.

I rushed to Blackjack, who was lying on the ground, sweating and breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry," I cried, tears streaming down my face. "I can heal you."

My fingers trembled as I pulled out the canteen of nectar and the squares of ambrosia. I poured the nectar on his wound, which wouldn't stop bleeding, and fed him half of a square.

I watched as the wound slowly disappeared until there was only a pink scar.

I pulled out my canteen of water and drenched one of my shirts and placed it on his forehead, brushing his mane out of the way.

Blackjack looked at me and my tear-stained face and whinnied softly.

"I'm…I'm s-so sorry," I whispered. "But…you're gonna be okay. The wound is healing."

I could tell from the look of his eyes that I was forgiven.

Good gravy.

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I don't even know what to say right now.

Leave me a review? Sure, that works..

Um, okay, bye.