When Percy woke up, he wasn't expecting to be lying in a bed with fuzzy blankets pulled up to his chin. He definitely wasn't expecting to feel relaxed and well rested. He was, however, expecting to find drool on his pillow.

Cautiously pulling himself into a seated position, Percy looked around the mysterious room he had been sleeping in. Where am I? he thought, taking in the room with wide eyes. It was circular, with all the walls, ceiling, and floor made out of a dark grey stone. There were no windows, and the only door was made of metal. He spotted a vanity, a dresser, and even a table and chair placed evenly around the outskirts of the room. The place was immaculate, which was an incredibly foreign look compared to all of the places Percy had slept in his lifetime- including his own room. An oddly shaped lantern hanging from the ceiling cast a low light around the room, giving everything a red, maybe even orange tint. It looked like a sunset-

Sunset. Potion. Doctor. The entire encounter with Dr. Derideo flooded Percy's brain, and he shot straight out of bed, tripping on the blankets that caught on his foot. He landed face-first on the floor but quickly recovered and scrambled back onto his feet.

I have to get out of here! Percy thought frantically, and his first instinct was to try the door. He sprinted for the only entrance into the room, and tried to open it. Its cold, silver handle didn't budge, but Percy kept trying. He yanked it again and again before finally pushing away in frustration.

"Come on," he muttered, searching the room for any possible exit. Percy ran over to the dresser and dragged it away from the wall- nothing behind it. Next, he rushed over to the table, checking above and below for a button, a switch, anything that could possibly let him out. Percy was breathing hard, and he felt each heartbeat drumming against his chest. Dropping to the ground, he flung up the fallen covers and checked underneath the bed for a trapdoor. Again, nothing was under there.

Percy was almost hysterical. He had already worked out that Dr. Derideo had stabbed him with the syringe back in the lab, but how long did Percy have until the potion took affect? Had it already affected him? He didn't feel any urges to kill people; in fact, he didn't feel any difference at all. Percy still wanted to save his friends, and he wasn't going to let some stupid locked room stop him.

The only place Percy hadn't scoured from top to bottom by now was the vanity. He tugged open the single drawer and saw only a hairbrush inside, then proceeded to slam it shut again. No help. He yelled in frustration and sunk down into the chair that accompanied the vanity, head in his hands.

Where were his friends? Had they all made it out that window in Dr. Derideo's lab? Had they been captured? Were they looking for him? Percy groaned when he thought about the whole event. Their plan to sneak in and sabotage the monsters had majorly backfired. Not only were they captured within fifteen minutes of beginning their quest, they were now separated with no plan on how to find each other.

Percy was angry, but not with his friends. He was angry with himself. He had let himself become a distraction; instead of continuing the mission, his friends had to find Percy first. Not only that, but Percy had lost control with Dr. Derideo. Controlling the doctor had happened naturally- and that scared Percy. It was taxing on his energy- Percy doubted he could hold control any longer than five minutes at best- but at the same time, he couldn't stop. He was so focused, so fixed on getting free, that he had thrown his morals out the window. How could he have let himself get so carried away? And the look on his friends' faces…

"What am I going to do?" he moaned, running his hands through his unkempt hair. Percy then peered through his fingers at his reflection in the vanity's mirror and nearly screamed.

His eyes were glowing.

Percy launched out of the chair, knocking it the ground with a loud bang, and shoved his face right up in front of the mirror. Where there had once been sea green, there was now molten lava- no pupils or irises, just two shining eyes of pure orange.

"Oh gods," Percy whispered, leaning across the vanity as far as he could and staring into his own unnerving gaze. "It's the Hyde." The potion had worked, and apparently it was in full effect. Why don't I feel different? Percy wondered, taking a step back. He looked at his hands, turning them over and examining them for any signs of change. There was no sense of villainy, no sudden influxes of power. Percy held his hands closer, and he could see the slight shadows around his fingers cast by the light of his eyes. It was weird knowing that his eyes were glowing solid orange, yet he could see perfectly.

A sudden knock on the door startled Percy, and he stepped back only to trip and fall on the chair. He heard keys jingling outside, a click, and the metal door swung open. In the doorway stood a Cyclops as tall as the doorframe, clothed completely in gleaming golden armor. His skin was a burgundy color, and his hair looked like burned red licorice glued to his scalp.

"Glad to see you're awake," the monster commented as he ducked through the doorway.

"At this point, I'm getting used to waking up in captivity," Percy replied, using the corner of the bed to pull himself up.

"There's no need for snide remarks, Perseus Jackson," the Cyclops chided in a low, rumbling voice. "We are on the same team now. Why else do you think you were given such a nice room?" He began to walk towards Percy, but Percy snatched Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it, a celestial bronze blade now separating the monster and the demigod.

"I am not on your team," Percy growled, keeping the sword raised in defense.

"Your eyes show otherwise," the Cyclops smirked.

Percy's eyes narrowed, but he made no comment. "Who are you, and what have you done to me?"

"I am Callisthenes, but to you I am Commander."

Percy laughed. "Yeah, right. Look, Calloused Knees, there's no way I'm going to help you or your monster army kill everyone. I will protect my friends- or die trying."

Callisthenes grimaced. "You're a disgusting excuse for a demigod, but unfortunately, we need you to win this war."

"Well, getting me to join you is a hopeless cause, so why don't you just move aside"- Percy gestured with his sword- " and I'll let myself out."

Callisthenes chuckled. "Lucky for us, we don't need to convince you to join- Dr. Derideo's potion has taken care of that. I must give him credit for your transformation; he really is an impressive man- for a mortal, that is." The Cyclops reached behind himself and grabbed a rolled up piece of paper that had been tucked into his belt. As he unrolled it, he continued to explain. "By injecting you with Hyde, Dr. Derideo broke down the walls you built up to regulate your power. Now whenever you control water, it's all or nothing. The potion also doubled your endurance; you'll be able to do things for a longer period of time without draining yourself of energy. However, those aren't even the biggest perks."

Callisthenes didn't show Percy what was on the scroll, but instead he turned around and pinned it to the far wall using a small silver knife. "The biggest improvement resulting from the Hyde is that your first instinct upon seeing another demigod is to kill."

The Cyclops stepped back and revealed the image. Printed upon the paper was a headshot of none other than Jason Grace, son of Zeus and one of Percy's best friends.

It was at that moment that Percy felt a surge of absolute and utter loathing. Heat spread throughout his body, and Percy didn't need to look in the mirror to know that his eyes were burning fiercely. The dirty, rotten, wicked coward on the scroll was the subject of Percy's hatred. He hated Jason more than anything else in the world, and he wanted him dead. Percy's arm reeled back, Riptide in hand, and he chucked the weapon straight at Jason's face. The blade impaled him in between the eyes- a perfect shot.

Laughing, Callisthenes tore the photo down, and as soon as it was out of sight, Percy gasped for air. The heat disappeared as quickly as it came, and Percy's knees gave out. He stumbled towards the bed, where he grasped the bed frame for support.

"What the hell was that?" he shuddered, glaring up at Callisthenes through horrified eyes. Percy had had no control whatsoever over himself. Those thoughts…those horrible thoughts weren't his. How could they be? It was terrifying, knowing how at the monsters' mercy he was.

"That, Perseus, is why we need you. The sight of any demigod in the world will trigger the Hyde, and you won't be able to stop yourself from stabbing them through the heart." The Cyclops unhooked an axe from his back and mimicked the motion. "You have a compulsion to end the lives of every half-blood on this planet, and when we arrive at Camp Half-Blood and eventually Camp Jupiter, there will be quite the massacre." Callisthenes strode over to Percy and offered him a hand to help him up. The son of Poseidon swatted it away and pulled himself up on his own.

"I hate you," Percy spat. "Possessing people like this…it's wrong."

"Says the boy who did the very same thing this morning to Dr. Derideo."

Callisthenes words were like a punch in the stomach.

"Actually, it is because of the havoc you wreaked earlier today that we have our only setbacks in the master plan. Because of you, the rest of the Hyde was washed away. It's meant to be administered in doses, each shot lasting only 12 hours. The doctor insisted that he couldn't extend the time frame," the Cyclops grumbled. "He's down in his lab cooking some more so that we have enough for the siege. Your little stunt is also the reason why the other demigods got away; we had planned on having you murder them at the Opening to prove your forced alliance, but alas, our spectacle has been canceled. We'll just have you introduced normally now."

"They got away," Percy breathed in relief, head hanging to hide his smile. "Thank the gods."

"We have guards positioned at every entrance, so they won't be free for very long," Callisthenes added as he reattached his axe to a strap on his back. "As for you, we need to get you fitted for armor. We can't have our secret weapon getting killed in his first fight. After that, we will join the rest of the army to go over the plan. Now," Callisthenes asked, cracking his knuckles for emphasis. "Will you cooperate, or I am going to have to use force?"

Percy glanced behind Callisthenes at the open door. He thought about making a run for it, but quickly decided against it. Even if he managed to escape past all the monsters infesting the place, he had no idea where he was in the HQ or how to get out. This was all assuming he could get past Callisthenes in the first place. Besides, if he played along now, he could learn the specifics of the monsters' Master Plan and prepare the camp for what was coming.

"I'll cooperate," Percy said at last, holding out his hand for a handshake. "Commander."

Callisthenes grinned, revealing yellow and crooked teeth. "Perfect." He returned the handshake, his massive grip engulfing Percy's hand. "Grab your sword, and we'll head downstairs." The Cyclops proudly sauntered towards the door, feeling that it was he who persuaded the son of Poseidon to join his army. Percy walked over to where Riptide was impaled in the wall and slowly put his hand on the grip. I tried to stab Jason, he thought with a shudder, and tugged the sword out of the stone.

Together Callisthenes and Percy left the room, locked the door, and headed down a spiral staircase. Percy figured that his room must've been at the top of a tower. At the bottom of the staircase was a portcullis blocking the exit, and Callisthenes used his ring of a hundred keys to unlock it, heaving it upwards to let them through.

These guys really don't want me getting out, Percy mused as the portcullis lowered behind them. They then found themselves in a hallway lined with torches and doors every five yards. These walls were also made of stone, but the ground was creamy marble, and a purple carpet lined the center of it, running endlessly in both directions.

"This is the Quarters Hall. Each door leads to a monster's living quarters." As if on cue, a blast of flames fluttered out from underneath the closest door. Percy stifled a yelp.

"Please don't tell me you have a dragon in there," Percy remarked, making sure to follow Callisthenes on his left side, opposite from the flaming door.

"No, no. Our dragon got sick last week, so we sent him home to rest. That's probably just another angry empousa."

The two continued down the hallway in silence, eventually turning left, then right, then left again. The hallway décor rarely changed as they continued through hall after hall, stone staircase after stone staircase. The silence and monotony of their journey gave Percy plenty of time to think.

As much as Percy wanted to get out of this crazy castle of crooks, he figured it was best if he didn't see his friends until tomorrow. Unless Dr. Derideo finished Batch #2 of the Hyde- what, he had 8 hours left at this point? -, Percy would be free from its curse sometime this evening. Then, he could truly devise an escape plan. He didn't want to risk running off now because he might see his friends; ironically, that was the last thing he wanted.

Percy wasn't himself. His reaction to Jason's picture was terrifying; Jason was a great guy, and all of Percy's respect for his bro vanished upon the sight of his face. The last time he had felt that sort of anger was when he fought Misery in Tartarus, and at least then he'd had a reason to be angry. Percy didn't want to imagine what would unfold if his friends found him now. He would attack at a moment's notice, and he'd have no way of warning his friends why. He could seriously injure one of them- he could kill one of them. And after he killed one, he wouldn't stop. Percy would be left standing in a pool of his friends' blood, with no one to blame but himself.

Percy gagged at the thought of his friends' gory deaths, and Callisthenes cast him a side-glance before looking forward again. The finally stopped in front of a door at the base of the third staircase they'd descended. It was wooden, unlike all the other ones, and above it there was a bronze plaque: "Armory."

Callisthenes knocked, not bothering to use his keys, and in two seconds a familiar looking girl with vampire fangs, flaming hair, and mismatched legs pulled the door open.

"Kelli?" Percy complained.

"Percy Jackson," the empousa snarled.

"Glad to see you two are already acquainted," remarked Callisthenes gruffly.

"Weren't you stomped to death in Tartarus?" Percy asked, crossing his arms.

"Weren't you stuck down there with your know-it-all girlfriend?"

"Lucky for me, I got out."

"So did I."

"Not without getting squashed first."

"You-"

Callisthenes cleared his throat, and both Kelli and Percy looked angrily up at him. "Kelli here will be measuring you for your armor. He's on our team, Kelli." Callisthenes glared at the empousa, who stomped her donkey leg in protest. "There will be no killing- for both of you."

"Commander, you can't expect me to work with him!" Kelli whined. "He's totally not worth keeping alive."

Percy rolled his eyes. "You're no prize, either. Trust me, the thing I want more than anything right now is to run Riptide right through your chest, but neither of us are going to get what we want."

"I'm not asking you to be friends," Callisthenes continued. "He needs armor, and you are one of our best blacksmiths, Kelli. Get the job done." Callisthenes pushed Percy and Kelli into the armory and was preparing to exit when he looked back over his shoulder and added, "I had one of our men use magic to make the plumbing Perseus-proof, so don't get any ideas." He then shut the door with a final thud.

"Let's just get this over with," grumbled Kelli, stomping over to the center of the room, where a circular pedestal and trifold mirror were placed. The room was one of the more brightly lit rooms in the HQ; there were two torches on every wall, and the room wasn't much bigger than his mom's apartment. The low ceiling made it feel even smaller. Stacks of cloth and piles of scrap metal and unfinished weaponry lined the walls, and swords and axes of every shape and size were hung around the room, the light of the fires glinting off their bronze and gold blades. The room was extremely cold, however, and Percy spotted a grate on the ceiling that must have been for air conditioning. This place must've undergone some serious renovation in the past decade, Percy thought to himself.

Kelli was rummaging in a toolbox by the pedestal, and she pulled out a measuring tape. Then, noticing that Percy hadn't moved, sighed exasperatedly and waved him over. Percy cautiously walked over to the pedestal, and at Kelli's direction, stepped on top. She continued to mumble angrily under her breath, but didn't say anything directly to him, as she began measuring his legs.

Percy examined himself in the mirror in front of him, its three parts giving him three reflections. His black hoodie had a tear by his shoulder, and his jeans were dirty and ragged. His hair looked like he'd been caught in a hurricane, and he had a rope burn around his neck from when Dr. Derideo tried to capture him. That's when Percy noticed a crucial detail missing from his appearance: his Camp Half-Blood necklace was gone. He reached up and rested a hand by his collarbones, where it should have been. Had it fallen off? Had Dr. Derideo yanked it off during their fight? Percy felt like someone had taken a knife and carved out an important part of him. That necklace was a symbol of his connection to Camp, his finding a place in the world where he was safe. He felt vulnerable without it.

"Put your arms out," Kelli ordered, and Percy did as he was told as she measured his chest and arms. He noticed in the mirror when she stopped and stole a glance at his face before continuing to measure.

"It's a shame you're not a monster," she tsked. "You're pretty cute."

Percy blushed and pulled his arm back in. "Uh, how long is this going to take?"

"Almost done," she answered, stepping up on the pedestal in front of Percy. She was close- way too close for Percy's comfort- as she measured his head for helmet size. "You know, I like you better with those blazing orange eyes than those watery green ones."

"Okay, we're done here," Percy announced, stepping backwards and off the pedestal. Kelli hopped down and headed over to a large table on the back wall that was covered with more scrap metal, leather, and even some finished pieces of armor.

"Do you work here alone?" Percy asked, observing the incredible variety of weaponry adorning the walls. "I thought that forging armor and weaponry was more of a Cyclops thing."

"Other monsters can forge too, you know. I would totally only trust another empousa for repairs on my mechanical leg." She continued to work at her table, back turned to Percy, and for a few minutes they stood in silence.

Percy took a seat on the pedestal, making sure to face away from the mirror, and rested his arms on his knees. He didn't want to see his eyes. He didn't want to think about what was going on. All he wanted was to be sitting in Cabin Three with Annabeth, sharing a cup of hot cocoa and watching Beauty and the Beast like they did every Friday. It was Annabeth's favorite movie because she related to Belle's fascination with literature and independent personality. Percy always made the joke that if she was Belle, that'd make him the beast. Now Percy was wondering how true that statement really was.

The thought of hot cocoa made him realize how hungry he was; he hadn't eaten since dinner at Camp Half-Blood last night, and by now it was nearing noon.

Sparks flew at Kelli's table as she wielded some celestial bronze together, hammering at pieces with a pent-up anger that, if they weren't under a forced treaty, she would probably have directed at him.

"Thank you, by the way," Percy called over to Kelli, "for making my armor and all."

"It's not like I've got much of a choice," she retorted, slamming the hammer down once more. "Callisthenes insists that we make you feel welcome because you're 'on our side' and 'our secret weapon' and all that, but it isn't easy when you've killed like half of us before."

"I don't want to be here any more than you want me to," Percy shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. He had an idea. "In fact, I'm sure that lots of the other monsters wouldn't mind if I happened to disappear."

Kelli paused her work, setting the piece of metal she was working on in a bucket of water to cool.

"Let's make a deal: you tell me how to get out of here, and I'll tell Callisthenes that you tried to stop me but I got away. You don't have to put up with me, Callisthenes won't be mad at you, and I can go home. Everybody's happy."

Kelli laughed, but it was dry and without humor. "If I wanted you to disappear, I'd just kill you." She pulled the metal out of the water- Percy could tell that it was a breastplate- and picked up all of the other pieces she had altered. "Unfortunately, Callisthenes is right. You're our best bet on winning this war, so I'm going to have to keep you around a little while longer."

Kelli carried the finished set of armor over to Percy and motioned for him to stand back up on the pedestal. The went quickly around, snapping and tying bronze to his body, fitting him with a sheath for Riptide, and handing him his helmet to try on. Sliding it on over his messy hair, Percy finally looked in the mirror- and didn't recognize himself.

The helmet had a short, black plume, and on the sides were bronze scales like a fish. His breastplate was fairly regular, except over the sternum was a large trident emblem. The other pieces were standard, and Percy was surprised to see how well everything fit. Kelli worked just as fast-maybe even faster- than Tyson. However, when Percy wore armor Tyson created, he felt protected and honored to be wearing something Tyson made just for him. He felt proud to be a demigod. Now, looking at the menacing man in the mirror, he felt like the villain.

Kelli whistled at her own work. "That suits you well. It even brings out your eyes."

She was right. The shadow the helmet cast over his eyes made them stand out even more, glowing like two fires in the dark; it was intimidating. Percy immediately removed the helmet and cocked it under his right arm.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but a rumbling and banging from the ceiling cut him off. The sound traveled down the length of the room, each boom shaking dust down from the stones above. Kelli and Percy' heads turned as the sound made its way down the room before disappearing altogether.

"What the Hades was that?" Percy asked.

Kelli shook her head in confusion. "No idea. Probably just another monster making his way to the meeting- which we should be getting to."

Together they left the armory and headed back up the staircase, down a hall on their left, then turned left again. Nothing was said, and the only noise came from Percy's armor as he walked and Kelli's odd legs. Clank. Thump. Clop. Shing. Thump. Clop. They were a cacophony of clashing noise. Every once in a while the groan from the ceiling could be heard as well, but Percy just passed it off as the sound of more monsters making their way through the castle.

It didn't take long before they reached a giant pair of double doors, nearly three times Percy's height. Kelli reached for the golden handle but hesitated, fingers hovering over the metal.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, confused.

"Look, you hate me- and trust me, the feeling's mutual- but at least consider helping us win? I know you don't have a choice and all, but, like, we have our own lives too. We're done getting put down by you stupid half-bloods, and it's time we end your reign. So, when you're in there, try and actually be helpful, 'kay? Think about why we're doing this in the first place, and maybe you'll come around and see things from our point of view. Remember that next time you stab one of us."

On that note, Kelli heaved open the giant door and pushed Percy inside. "Introducing Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, blah blah blah." She swiftly slammed the door shut, leaving Percy awkwardly in the spotlight.

Before him stood a group of giants- six of them, to be precise- standing around a large table covered in maps. It would've seemed like a typical battle plan meeting except for the fact that these giants were at least twenty feet tall, and they're table was ten feet.

"There's the man of the hour!" boomed one of the giants, who knelt down and put his hand on the floor for Percy to step on. "Perseus Jackson!"

"Hi guys," Percy squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Uh, what's up?" He climbed on to the giant's blue, calloused hand and was lifted up onto the table, where the giant dumped him right on a map. Percy felt like Tom Thumb, if Tom Thumb had ever had to deal with monster armies, giants, and rebellions.

"Let us begin, shall we?" called a seventh member, who was seated in a chair on the far side of the table. It was Callisthenes, who was half the size of the giants but too dignified to sit on the table. "As you all know, Percy is our key to victory against those disgusting demigods."

This was received with cheers all around; one giant slapped Percy on the back, which knocked the wind out of him.

"Tomorrow at noon, we will take our forces down into Manhattan, where we will head directly for Camp Half-Blood. There, we will split up into four groups. Hectamedes-"

"Yes!" yelled a giant to Percy's right. He had green skin and a nose as pointy as Pinocchio's. "I will take the empousai, dracanae, and hellhounds to the right flank."

"Good," Callisthenes affirmed. "Aralus, you lead-"

"The gorgons, laistrogonyians, and Echidna to the left flank." Aralus had a smug grin that reminded Percy of every bully he'd ever fought that thought of himself as Hera's gift to the world.

"Forterae, you will bring the rest of the monsters directly up the front- straight for Thalia's tree." Forterae- a big indigo-colored giant- didn't respond; she simply nodded and crossed her arms.

"I, Callisthenes, and Perseus will approach from the sea."

"Why don't I go alone?" Percy interrupted, making his way over to the map in the center of the table. It detailed the entirety of Camp Half-Blood, everything from the lava wall to Rachel's Oracle cave. Percy stood on the beach and pointed at the water. "I can handle the water on my own."

"I don't trust you enough," Callisthenes responded with a shrug.

At least he's honest, Percy grimaced. He had hoped that on his own, he could remain underwater and never attack- if he didn't see the demigods, he wouldn't be compelled to fight. Now, he had to revise his plan.

"I will have Percy land on the shore first as a distraction; the demigods will surround him, completely enthralled by the arrival of their lost friend. Then, Percy will summon the waves and drown them as a group." Callisthenes relayed his plan eagerly, a vicious glint gleaming in his eyes.

"Then, as they try to recover, he will allow the rest of us inside the magical borders, and then the battle will truly begin!"

The giants whooped and clapped, yelling with excitement at the thought of demigod blood. Percy went pale. Camp Half-Blood had no idea of the extent of danger coming their way, and Percy would be at the head of it.

"Let's calm down," Callisthenes grinned, gesturing around for silence. "Once inside, Forterae-"

Callisthenes's voice faltered as a loud groan erupted from the ceiling and dust rained down. It was the same sound that had been working it's way around the Headquarters, and now it was directly above them. The giants and Callisthenes were just as confused as Percy, but they had little time to ponder the possibilities before the stones gave out and plummeted down to the table below.

A rain of dust poured down, accompanied by anonymous screams, and a metal chute that must have been an air duct collapsed from the ceiling. It landed right in front of Percy with a resounding crack, banged and busted, and then burst open, revealing four dirty demigods. The dust settled, and on the map sat Jason Grace, Nico Di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, and Piper Mclean.

"Uh, hello everyone," Piper began, looking around with wide eyes.

"Percy!" Hazel exclaimed, but she was met with a stoic response.

"Percy, what's wrong with your eyes?" Jason gasped, slowly standing up. He reached out for his friend, but Percy batted his hand away and quickly unsheathed Riptide. He felt nothing but rage, an anger that could not be controlled, and he grabbed the son of Zeus by the collar of his black shirt.

"Prepare to die, Jason Grace."

A/N: Wow! Over 5,000 words- this is the longest chapter I've ever written! Hello again, everyone, and sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I'll try and do one each week. Thank you for all of your kind words, and please don't forget to leave a review!

Edit: I've been getting a lot of questions about Percy's resistance to the Hyde and just wanted to clear things up real quick. Closing his eyes/using a blindfold would only work if he has not seen the demigod yet. He automatically knows whether or not said person is a demigod (like how monsters tell by smell), and if he sees them, then bam- Hyde activated. His manipulated mind won't want to close his eyes or use a blindfold afterwards because the rage has already been triggered. Of course, if he closes his eyes/uses blindfold before seeing the demigod...stay tuned, my friends ;)