A/N: Hola!

Thank you guys so much for your lovely reviews last chapter! (ノ**) I also got a LOT more views than I was expecting. Woo!

And yes, I know that rewriting the already-Percy chapters seems sort of pointless, and trust me, I agree with you. That's one of the reasons why it took me so long to write this story because I didn't want to rewrite the beginning Percy chapters. It's so boring to me and takes forever. SoN focuses on him for like FIFTY PAGES and there's SO. MUCH. DIALOGUE. Fortunately, there's only about 20 more pages from here until the focus switches to Hazel. Until then, I'm not sure whether I should compress the upcoming chapters so we can get a move on, or if I should lengthen them by adding Percy's thoughts to make it interesting. What do you guys think?

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Rick Riordan.

My Invulnerability Isn't Invulnerable

I'd faced a lot of dangerous situations, but flying down a rocky cliff on a cheap metal serving tray while being chased by gorgons was pretty up there.

I could barely hear the gorgons' loud screaming behind me as I skipped from rock to rock. I desperately tried to steer, but a snack platter is a lot different from a Toyota Prius. I was spinning so much I was about to puke.

Who knew if the gorgons were right behind me. All I could see was the apartment building roof getting closer and closer.

I twisted around at the last second, rolling hard on my side, but not breaking my legs. The tray skidded back towards the cliff. I continued over the edge.

I was now free-falling at top speed towards the highway below. I imagined myself slamming onto someone's hood while the driver flicked on their windshield wipers. Stupid sixteen-year-old kid falling from the sky! I'm late!

Then, a strong gust a wind from the mountain valley took hold and swept me away from the road. It was a pretty hard fall into the overgrown bushes, but it was the luckiest thing that happened to me all week. I groaned out of both relief and exhaustion. I just wanted to lie there for hours, but I knew I had to keep moving.

My hands had a few scrapes, but once again, no blood. I didn't seem to have any broken bones and I still had my backpack. My sword flew out of my hand somewhere behind me, but it wasn't a big deal. Riptide always returned to my pocket in pen form a few minutes after I lost it. As long as I hid from the gorgons for a little longer, I would be fine.

Speaking of gorgons, the snake ladies stood out brightly against the rock as they slowly climbed down. I had gotten a nice head start, but Euryale and Stheno were excellent climbers. Probably those stupid chicken feet. I had maybe five minutes before they caught up.

If I was careful, I could cross the road and reach the fence separating the highway from the houses outside. It was full of holes large enough for me to slip through, and once I was inside the neighborhoods, I could steal a car and drive to safety in the ocean. I hated stealing cars, but I typically needed them a lot more than the owners did. Besides, I always meant to return them before monsters shredded them to pieces.

I looked up at the tunnels again. The two holes punched into the hillside made my alarm go off again. And then I finally noticed.

In between the in and out tunnels was a smaller one, probably used for maintenance. Or at least that's what mortals must have thought. In order to hide the world of monsters and gods from mortals, there's a magical shield called the Mist that tricks mortals into seeing whatever logical thing they want to see. Two gorgons? Just really ugly old ladies. A massive hydra? Somehow the zoo elephant escaped. A teenage boy being thrown over a highway? Just a low-flying model airplane. Mortals believed anything but the truth.

Standing beside the tunnel were two kids in armor guarding it. Both of them held metal-tipped spears, and the shorter one on the left looked like a girl, but it was hard to tell. The other was a muscular boy with a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. Neither seemed to notice me yet. I heard the gorgons' squawking get closer. If the guards didn't notice anything now, they would soon.

The tunnel had to lead to camp. There was safety, belonging, and all the answers to this mess.

So why did I feel so uneasy?

The gorgons appeared on the roof of the apartment building. I had minutes to make my decision: Ocean or tunnel? Ocean would mean a quick jog through the eucalyptus trees to temporary safety. The tunnel would mean sprinting across traffic to the median, closer to the gorgons, but also to camp. It seemed like an easy decision. Just go for the camp and get it over with. But the thought of the camp made my stomach feel like a rock.

Something's not right, I thought. This isn't my territory. This is dangerous.

"You're right, of course."

I jumped at the voice. I thought for one terrible second that Beano had snuck up on me again, but sitting behind me instead was some old lady even grosser than a gorgon. She looked like an eighty-year-old hippie panhandler who lived off of the garbage dump. Her hair looked more like a rat than actual hair, and her face was covered in moles and wrinkles. Her tie-dye dress was a mismatch of quilts, plastic bags, and whatever else you could find on the curb. She grinned at me, and showed only three yellow teeth.

"It isn't a maintenance tunnel, it's an entrance to camp," she croaked.

Camp. I got a shock of electricity. Home. Annabeth.

But this wasn't right.

On the apartment building, Stheno let out a hideous shriek and pointed at me.

"Not much time, child," the woman warned. "You need to make your choice."

"Who are you?" I asked, checking for Riptide in my pocket. The last thing I needed for this lady to turn into the real Medusa.

"Oh, you can call me June." The woman broke into a huge smile. "It is June, isn't it? They named the month after me!"

Good, so the woman wasn't a monster; just loopy.

"Okay," I said gently, trying to look back at the gorgons. "Look, I should go. Two gorgons are coming, and I don't want them to hurt you."

June placed her hands over her heart and rocked backwards. "How sweet! But that's part of your choice!"

"My choice…" I glanced at the tunnel, and the feeling of dread washed over me again. The gorgons were clambering down the hill, ripping off their vests to reveal tiny brass bat wings. I swallowed hard. Had they always had wings? Those had to be too small to actually fly with, right? Just decoration? Then the gorgons leaped into the air and took flight, talons out.

Great. Just great.

"Yes, a choice," June cooed, staring up at the gorgons dreamily. "You could leave me here at the mercy of the gorgons and go to the ocean. You'd make it there safely, I guarantee. The gorgons will be quite happy to attack me and let you go. In the sea, no monster would bother you. You could begin a new life, live to a ripe old age, and escape a great deal of pain and misery that is in your future."

The second option sounded like a winner. "Or?"

"Or," June said with a twisted grin, "you could do a good deed for an old lady. Carry me to camp with you."

"Carry you?" She couldn't be serious. I'd get fleas from touching her.

But she wasn't kidding. She pulled up her dress and showed me her swollen purple feet.

"I can't get there by myself. Carry me to camp - across the highway, through the tunnel, across the river."

I didn't look like a deal. I was already drained, and June weighed at least 100 pounds.

The sister gorgons shrieked again. They were swooping in on the breeze, like they weren't even in a rush.

"And I'd carry you to camp because - ?"

"Because it's a kindness! And if you don't, the gods will die, the world we know will perish, and everyone from your old life will be destroyed. Of course, you won't remember them."

There seemed to be way too much counting on a piggyback ride.

"You'd be safe at the bottom of the sea…"

I gulped. It was an impossible decision: A life of pain and suffering, or asylum in the sea while the world fell apart. How did I know that June was even telling the truth?

Euryale and Stheno laughed as they began circling overhead, inspecting June. They hovered closer and closer..

"If I go to the camp," I asked, "will I get my memory back?"

"Eventually, but be warned, you will sacrifice much! You will lose the Mark of Achilles. You'll feel pain, misery, and loss beyond anything you've ever known. But you might have a chance to save your old friends and family, to reclaim your old life."

"And those guards at the door?"

"Oh they'll let you in, dear." June said, waving her hand. "You can trust those two. So, what do you say? Will you help a defenseless old woman?"

I was ninety-nine percent sure June was not a defenseless old woman. Someone who knew as much as she did could not wander around unable to fight. This had the word trap written all over it. But it also could be some sort of test. I couldn't remember taking any, but I knew I hated tests. This was definitely the worst I had taken. My whole life was a big fill-in-the-blank. I'm _ from _. I felt like _, and if the gorgons caught me, I'd be _.

The only thing I was sure about was Annabeth. I knew who she was now. She was my girlfriend, and she was trained at a camp with me. Even though something felt off, she might be on the other side of that door, waiting for me. I had to get back to her.

"I'll carry you," I decided. I hoisted June onto my back. She weighed hardly anything, like she wasn't even there.

I took a wild chance and ran out into traffic. Drivers honked and swerved away. Some fired curses out of their windows. Others just kept moving like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Stheno appeared above me and cackled. "Clever boy! Found a goddess to carry, did you?"

A goddess? I knew June was up to something.

I jumped out of the way just before an SUV could strike us. "Whoops!" June muttered, like this was an extreme game of Frogger.

"Get them!" Euryale screamed. "Two prizes are better than one!"

I used my last burst of energy to reach the median. June's weight increased. I stumbled towards the entrance. The guy wielding the bow nocked an arrow. My heart skipped a beat. I'd come all this way just to get shish kabobed by someone that I was supposed to trust.

"Wait!" I yelled. Then the guy pointed the arrow upward and fired over my head. One of the gorgons howled. The other guard waved her spear around frantically, calling me closer.

50 feet...40 feet...

A claw dug into my shoulder. "Gotcha!" Euryale screamed in triumph. Then an arrow lodged into her head. She fell into the path of a semi-truck, and then slammed into a cab. This time, she didn't even turn to dust; she just climbed over the hood of the cab, ripped the arrow out, and charged after me again.

I finally fell against the door. "Thanks," I told the boy in between breaths. "Good shot."

"That should've killed her!" He complained.

"Welcome to my world."

The girl hefted her spear onto her shoulder. "Frank, get them inside, quick! Those are gorgons!"

"Gorgons?" The boy squeaked. Now that I had stopped running, I could get a closer look at him. He looked about a year younger than me, and had a stocky built. "Will the door hold them?"

June laughed and swung her legs. "No, no it won't. Onward, Percy Jackson! Through the tunnel, over the river!"

"Percy Jackson?" The girl asked. She had darker skin and looked even younger than Frank, with curly hair flattened by her helmet. She was also pretty short - the tip of her sword reached her ankles. What were kids as young as they were doing out here defending some demigod camp from monsters?

"Okay," she began. "You're obviously a demigod. But who's the - nevermind. Just get inside. I'll hold them off!"

"Hazel," The boy said. "Don't be crazy."

"Go!"

I could tell that Frank wanted to argue. Instead he just cursed in some language - Latin? - and wrenched the door open.

I followed him into the dim tunnel. I shifted June on my back. I didn't care what anyone said, she was getting heavier.

The tunnel reminded me of a school hallway, except it was lined with flickering lights and electrical cables. As we ran, cement morphed into mosaic tiles. The bright fluorescent lights were replaced with smokeless torches. A chill went up my back. This isn't how you reach camp. You drove to camp, hiked through the woods, and were greeted by friends in the fresh air and sunlight. Not by passing through some dank, claustrophobic tunnel. I suddenly stumbled as my throat constricted and pain shot through my head.

We're not safe. We're in the Labyrinth. We're going to die.

"Shh. Focus, child," June whispered. "You must relax. This isn't the Labyrinth. This is home." She began to sing a lullaby in Latin. I found it more distracting than comforting. And June now weighed about 200 pounds.

A small square of sunlight appeared ahead, and my head cleared. Stheno's screaming and Hazel's yelling echoed behind me. I wanted to drop June and go help, but her fingernails dug into my shoulders, like she knew what I was thinking. Then, the tunnel shook, and half of it collapsed, completely sealing off the section behind gorgons' screams cut off as they were crushed underneath.

I looked back up at Frank. He completely ignored the collapse and kept on running.

"Shouldn't we check on Hazel?" I called.

"She'll be okay - I hope," Frank responded. "She's good underground. Just keep moving! We're almost there."

"Almost where?"

June laughed again. "All roads lead there, child. You should know that."

"Detention?" I blurted out of nowhere.

"Rome, child," June corrected, dropping the joking tone. "Rome."

That wasn't right. Sure, my mind was fuzzy and I wasn't exactly a geography fanatic, but we were most definitely in California. Rome was on the other side of the planet.

We burst out of the tunnel. I froze and nearly dropped June.

It was like I had left one world and entered another. In front of me was a giant mountain valley, filled with golden hills and oak trees swaying in the breeze. A patchy mountain rose in the distance. Isn't that Mount Diablo?

But the sight above was nothing compared to below. In the very center, right next to a gleaming lake, was a small city made of marble buildings with red tile roofs. In the larger plazas, I could see fountains, statues, and overflowing gardens. Slightly higher than the city was a group of buildings that reminded me of national monuments and palaces, with golden domes and pillars. In the space next to that was a five-story Roman stadium, like a mini Colosseum, complete with its own track and field area. Rising out of the hillside was an elevated track made of brick. At first, I thought it was a train track, until I saw it end in the lake and realized it was an aqueduct. On the other side of the lake was a group of more marble buildings that had to be temples. The entire city was encircled by a river branching off the lake.

Though it was a breath-taking sight, my attention was drawn to buildings closer to me. Encased inside a massive fort defended by watch towers, a dry moat, and lots and lots of spikes was what looked like a military base. There were squat barracks lined up in rows, and kids with swords and armor walked around casually in between them. The smell of fire and cooking food wafted through the air.

It was very familiar, but also very, very wrong.

"Camp Jupiter," Frank explained. "We'll be safe once-"

Hazel practically fell out of the tunnel, coated in dust and breathing heavily. Her armor has slash marks across the front, and she had lost her helmet, revealing cinnamon-colored hair. She peeled a 50% off sticker off of her arm.

"I slowed them down," she panted. "But they'll be here any second."

"We have to get across the river," Frank said.

"Oh yes, please," June piped up. "I can't get my dress wet."

I was done doing favors for this lady, even if she was a goddess. Must be the goddess of sewage, I thought bitterly.

It's a kindness! June had told him. And if you don't, the gods will die, the world we know will perish, and everyone from your old life will be destroyed.

I couldn't fail this test. Besides, I'd come this far. Might as well drag her across the river, too.

We reached the riverbank. It was fast-moving, but I could tell it wasn't very deep. Right on the other side was the entrance to the fort.

Frank loaded two arrows onto his bow. "Go, Hazel, " he instructed. "Escort Percy so the sentries don't shoot him. It's my turn to hold off the baddies."

Hazel splashed into the river and sprinted through it, holding her sword over her head. But I stood still, letting the water splash against my shoes. Usually, I loved water. It reignited my skills, and had saved my butt a dozen times in the last week. Water normally called me in, inviting me into its safe current. But this river didn't give off that vibe. The water held too much power, and churned angrily, ready to overflow its banks. It almost felt...angry?

"The Little Tiber," June explained. "It flows with the power of the original Tiber, river of the empire. This is your last chance to back out, child. The mark of Achilles is a Greek blessing. You can't retain it if you cross into Roman territory. The Tiber will wash it away."

It was a pretty long explanation for a pretty simple answer: "If I cross, I won't have iron skin anymore?"

"So what will it be? Safety, or a future of pain and possibility?"

The screaming escaped gorgons sure didn't sound like safety. Frank was barely able to fend them off.

Hazel snapped me out of my thoughts. "Percy, come on!"

Horns blew from the fort as soldiers lined up at the top. Giant crossbows turned to the gorgons.

I had to keep going. Annabeth, I thought. I have to get to her.

I waded into the river. Despite the summer heat, the water was ice cold and picked up speed as I stepped into it. My strength returned as power surged around me. In a few big strides, I dropped June onto the opposite riverbank. The fort's gates opened and an entire army of teenagers poured out. Hazel smiled at me and opened her mouth to say something when her eyes filled with fear at something behind me.

"Frank!"

I followed her gaze just in time to see Frank scream in pain as the gorgons dug their claws into his shoulders and hoisted him out of the water. The archers pointed their bows at the monsters, but I knew they couldn't shoot. There was too big of a chance that they'd hit Frank. Other kids pulled out swords and charged into the river, but you couldn't exactly fight flying monsters on the ground. There was only one way to save him.

I held my hands out in front of me and focused. The river pulled in my gut and the current changed suddenly, listening to my command. Two whirlpools formed, followed by giant hands made of water that were linked to my own. I shut my fists, and the giant hands grabbed the gorgons tightly, making them drop Frank. The kids behind me yelped in surprise and stepped away from me, but I didn't have time for first impressions. It was time to get rid of Stheno and Euryale once and for all.

I threw my hands towards the ground, and the hands crushed the gorgons into the river. The sisters exploded into clouds of swirling dust at the bottom. I could feel them trying to re-form, so I strengthened the current. The particles were torn apart from each other and swept downstream. The giant hands dropped into the water with a giant SPLOOSH. The current returned to normal. My clothes were steaming, and my skin was stinging, like I'd gotten a bad sunburn all over my body. I felt like exposed and weak.

The mark of Achilles is a Greek blessing. The Tiber will wash it away.

The only sound was the river flowing. Frank stood in the middle, staring at me in shock as Hazel waded in to help him out. The other kids were staring at me in a confusing mix of emotions: fear, awe, and just pure confusion.

June broke the silence. "Well, that was a lovely trip," she said calmly. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

A girl in the crowd coughed. "Percy...Jackson?" She said in disbelief.

My head snapped towards the voice in hope. Annabeth…?

Instead, I faced a dark-haired girl with deep black eyes who was in no way Annabeth. Her purple cloak and various medals pointed her out as a leader. She obviously recognized me, but I didn't recognize her one bit. Normally, every person I'd met so far that's known my name had created even the most minimal feeling of familiarity. This girl had absolutely nothing. But she knew me. How?

"Oh, yes!" June laughed. "You'll have such fun together!"

June's laugh began to change. It turned from high and scratchy to low and rich. Then June herself began to change. She started to glow, gained almost three feet in height, and transformed into a beautiful woman. She wore a blue dress and held a spear topped with a lotus flower. Draped over her shoulders was some sort of animal skin. She looked down on us and smiled.

The crowd was shocked. The leader girl got onto the one knee and bowed. Everyone else scrambled to the ground as well. Well, everyone except me. A powerful immortal goddess that made me carry her all the way to camp did not deserve my respect.

"Juno," Hazel said so quietly I barely heard her.

"Juno, huh?" I heard a few horrified gasps behind me. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?"

She smiled at me. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

She looked past me and raised her spear. "Romans, I present to you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in battle. Do not fail me!"

Juno disappeared. I faced the crowd. No one looking at me seemed happy about my presence, so I looked at Hazel and Frank. Hazel shrugged and stared at the sky. Then I saw Frank shove two random glass vials into his pockets. I gave him a look, and he looked back like: We'll talk later.

What was even more disappointing than the Romans' lack of response were their facial expressions. Not one person seemed to recognize me, and I didn't recognize anyone back. The only person that apparently did was the leader girl, who looked to be on the verge of stabbing me.

"So, a son of Neptune, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno," The girl said harshly.

I wouldn't call do whatever you want with him, I don't care a blessing, but evidently a god saying anything at all was a blessing.

"Look," I said cautiously, "my memory's a little fuzzy." Understatement of the year. "Um, it's gone, actually. Do I know you?"

"I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And...no, I don't know you."

Man, I hope she isn't this bad at lying all the time.

I should have called her out, but I didn't want to start an arguement with the camp's leader in front of her whole army. Then she might really stab me.

"Hazel, bring him inside," Reyna instructed. "I want to question him at the principia. Then we'll send him to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before deciding what to do with him."

She said the last part bitterly, like she didn't really want to do it. But I was more concerned with something else.

"What do you mean 'decide what to do with me?'" I asked.

She gripped her knife tighter. She obviously didn't like back talk. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us a new recruit," - she looked me up and down, as if to say: Yeah, right - "Or if she's brought us an enemy to kill."

A/N: Soooo, what did you think? Should I fast-forward through the next SoN Percy-centric chapters, or just stick with adding internal dialogue? Tell me in a review!

I'm too tired to beta read ughhhhh sorry.

(Also, I don't think I used the semicolons correctly. Then again, who does know how to use semicolons correctly.)

~Basura