Hello, guys! I'm back with a new chapter.

Thanks to artyfan for beta-reading this.

Percy's PoV

Later that night, I laid near Thalia and tried to go to sleep. Annabeth kept watch. The only leftover blankets I could find were singed or burned. Oh, well, that wouldn't matter to me anyway. The birds wouldn't stop chirping. There were animals in the woods. I didn't know what they were, but the noises they produced kept coming. Somehow, I managed to drift off to sleep.

Here's the thing about my dreams. All demigod dreams are bad. They are always omens, warnings, things that could change our life forever. But my dreams were three times as bad. It's like everyone in the world wanted me to do something. All the villains came to me. All the gods want to talk to me at sometime or another. I hated it. Why couldn't I be a normal demigod?

My dream started out like this: I was walking through a field. Not just any field. It was the archery field at Camp Half-Blood. But it was ablaze. The targets were blazing in an uproar. No one could be seen. The grass's flames were trying to grab onto my pants and shoes, dragging me down into their dark abyss. I ran to the Big House. Where was everybody? Why was no one putting out these flames?

I got the answer before I even got to the Big House. Everything was in flames. The cabins were nothing but piles of ash. The courtyard was dire. The grass was already burned to the color of metal. The statues' faces were melted, indistinguishable. I turned around, trying to see if I could make it through the fiery haze to the Big House.

I heard something move behind me. I whirled around. Something within the ashes that had once been the cabins was moving. The place where the Aphrodite cabin used to stand exploded. A lone figure emerged from the cloud of darkness. I could tell it was a girl. The ash was covering her face and body, but her blond hair stood out like torch in a dark cave.

"Oh, my gods," I whispered.

She continued to advance towards me. The ash that cloaked her figure was falling away, fading, but I still couldn't see her face. I didn't need to. I knew exactly who she was. And the thought terrified me.

"Percy? What are you doing here?" she asked me.

I leaned backwards slightly, wondering if this was what was really happening. "I don't know. I'm sure this is a dream."

"Percy! Get out of here! Run!"

Her voice jarred me back. Something was wrong. She was panicking, terrified. "Silena… what's happening?"

"They have taken over. The dead have risen. Half-bloods are gone. No one lives except for mortals…"

"What do you mean?" I pleaded.

Silena whipped her head behind her. She was staring at something in the distance that I couldn't see. Her hands began to shake. I could see her clearly now, and her beautiful face was distorted with fear. "Percy! Leave, now! Go before they get you, too!"

"Is this the future?" I asked.

"NOW!"

I obeyed without thinking, running in the opposite direction. I felt like a coward, leaving Silena behind to stand alone. But when I thought about it logically, I realized nothing could happen to her. She was already...dead. If these people could harm the dead, then...

I ran to the Big House, and stumbled on the way. The flames engulfed me. They were dragging me down, begging me to join them. I couldn't get up. The flames were pinning me to the ground. Why hadn't I burned yet? I wasn't completely fireproof. I heard evil laughter. More evil than even Kronos's laughter. This sound was like what you would hear if you rubbed a knife against a chalkboard.

"Come down, hero! Join your dead friends!"

Dead? Dead? Whispering filled my ears. Whispers… of my dead friends.

"Perrrrcy. Percy, get up. You can do this," Grover's voice said.

"Don't worry, punk. We're just rotting down here while you have a little nap. Get up!" That was obviously Clarisse's voice.

"The fate of the world lies in your hands, but no pressure. Save us, Percy. You're the only one who can." Thalia's strong voice, filled with brash confidence, made my eyes sting as tears welled up inside them.

"Do not worry, brother! Daddy says that you will save us. Daddy also says hi!" Tyson made me laugh, but also made me wonder how dad was down… there.

They saved the worst voice for last. "Seaweed Brain. Get up. I'll help you."

I looked up to see the ghostly form of Annabeth. To say she looked different would be putting it mildly. She looked older, gaunt, drawn, but she was still Annabeth.

Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she had her Yankees hat on her head. Her Camp Half-Blood necklace had twelve beads on it. Her normally tan, healthy skin was deathly white. Her shirt was stained with blood and singed by fire. Her jeans were frayed and torn, cut off from the knees down. The soles of her tennis shoes were melted. She was smiling gently, playfully, despite everything.

Grover. Tyson. Thalia. Annabeth. No. This wasn't happening. We had been through too much together for them to all be gone, never to return, gone to a place where saving them was impossible. No.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked furiously. I didn't want Annabeth to see me crying—not this Annabeth, not now, but I was scared to look away from her. So I didn't turn away. I just stared into her familiar grey eyes and let the tears fall down my face.

"Stop it. You can still change this, Percy." She held out her hand. I took it. I could feel her, touch her, but she wasn't alive. In life, she had had the physical traits of a human, even though she had god blood. Now her hand was like ice. Despite that, holding onto her hand bolstered my resolve. I got to my feet. The flames released me from their embrace.

"Annabeth…" My voice was strained, desperate. Annabeth. I couldn't change anything. Not without her. She had been by my side through every adventure. I needed her. A glaze of tears blurred my vision.

"Shh. Get going. You're the hero. Save us, Percy." She gave me one last look, her stormy eyes searching for something within me, and murmured, "Go, and be aware of Apate."

I had a confused look on my face. The name was familiar. I just couldn't place it, remember what it meant. I didn't have time to ask her. The flames around camp chose that moment to burn out. Annabeth's ghostly figure faded away, her hand slipping from mine. Now, my fingers were clutching at air.

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Come back!"

Despite the fact I couldn't see her, I could hear her for a moment longer. Her whispers grew softer and softer. "Beware. Apate will twist everything to get what she wants. Beware…"

The camp itself began to fade away, replaced by darkness. I held my hand up to my face, but I couldn't make out a thing. A sudden flash of bright light. I was blinded for a second, but they adjusted. I gasped. My least favorite person in the world.

"Welcome back, Percy," he said, smirking at me with a look of vague disinterest.

"Who are you? Why did you do this?" I yelled at him.

He held his finger to his mouth in mock surprise. "Who me? I certainly did not do anything."

I growled. "Why?"

The guy just waved his hand impatiently. "I don't explain things twice. You'll understand soon enough. I brought you here because I wanted to make a deal."

"You brought me here? But you're not a god…"

He snarled, cutting me off. "Watch your language. That word is forbidden. I will not tolerate in in my presence."

He straightened his bland grey tie and met my furious gaze evenly. "Join us, Percy."

"Why would I join you?" I demanded, wishing I could lunge at him and punch him.

"I could stop all of this. You could return happily to your little camp." He looked away from me and started to examine his nails. It made me mad, like he was confident I couldn't touch him, let alone hurt him.

"What would I have to do?" The question had been wrenched from me against my will. I hadn't wanted to say it. Desperation causes people to do things they otherwise would never do, do things that repulsed them. Like even toy with the idea of working with the scum that stood in front of me.

The man's eyes gleamed. He wanted me to agree. He either needed my assent or he was toying with me. "All you have to do is surrender. Go back to camp. We'll be waiting for you there."

"What-"

I sat straight up in my cot. The dawn was approaching. The sky was lightening and tendrils of orange and pink were snaking their way across the sky. Why hadn't anyone woken me up for my shift?

I glanced over to where Thalia and Jason had been sleeping. Their cots were empty. I looked over to where the campfire was. No one was there. I jumped up in my bed, on my feet in a matter of seconds. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Someone had taken them. I drew Riptide.

The soft dirt on the ground muffled the sound of my footsteps. I walked around the clearing, then into the woods for any sign of them. I came to a creek. I kneeled by the side, took a drink of water and splashed some more water on my face. I felt a surge of energy course through my body. My senses were heightened. I heard voices further down the creek. I walked towards them, my hand clenched around the hilt of Riptide. They came into view as the sun rose higher into the sky. My friends. Safe. No one was anywhere around them.

"Guys!" I yelled.

They all whipped their heads around. Thalia's hand had immediately leapt for a weapon, but she relaxed by a fraction when she saw it was me. They all offered me tense smiles. What were they doing out here?

"Where have you guys been? I woke up and all of you were gone-" I stopped when I saw the person they were all standing around.

"G-man!" I yelled and tackled him with a hug. Annabeth shot me an admonishing look, her stern gaze clearly saying, quiet. "You came!"

"Of course I did! And I think someone wants to see you…" Grover trotted over to some of the trees behind us and grabbed reins.

"Blackjack!" I patted his mane.

Yo, boss. What's up?

I looked back at Grover. "He can't carry us all out of here."

Grover laughed. "I know that."

He brought out three more reins. Porkiepie, Aces, and Porca came out behind him. I clapped him on the back.

"You're the best, G-man," I told him sincerely.

"I know." Grover grinned at me. Something about that bothered me, but I couldn't quite place it. A small frown wrinkled my brow.

"So why didn't you guys wake me up?"

"You have the curse of Achilles," Annabeth stated matter-of-factly. I stared at her. I needed to make sure she was real, alive. My dream was still fresh in my mind, and I could see her as I had seen her—bruised and battered, but with her grey eyes sparkling with hope. "You need a lot of sleep."

I sighed. "Fine. When do we leave for Kansas?"

"Actually, we don't leave for Kansas until tomorrow. We are heading north to Denver. We have to mail that letter."

"Why can't we do that now? Isn't Hermes's mail service available everywhere?" I asked. Normally, I hated not knowing something and having to ask Annabeth. But right now, my feelings didn't matter.

"Yes, but we don't have anything to write on. It's just a detour to Denver, nothing much. We'll be out of there quickly."

I glanced at Grover. He nodded slightly, his goatee moving with him. He changed a lot since our first adventure together. His acne was gone, and his stubble had grown to a full goatee. His head was still protected by his Rasta cap. He was almost as tall as me now.

"Denver… Does everyone agree to this?"

"Yes. We were waiting for the sun to rise before we left. We need to do this right so we don't waste time. We would have gotten lost if we left a few hours ago," Annabeth said.

Jason stood in the back, silent. His blue eyes, so much like Thalia's, darted around, watching everyone. His brow was creased with a vague suspicion.

"Have you introduced yourself to Jason?" I asked Grover.

Grover seemed to just notice him. "Oh! No, I haven't."

He held out his hand for Jason to shake. "Grover Underwood."

"Jeez, Grover. You have a claim to the titles 'Lord of the Wild', 'Finder of Pan', and 'Keeper of Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace,' but you only say your name," Thalia teased, obviously attempting to lighten the mood.

Grover laughed. "I like to keep it simple, and anyway, I would never say that last bit."

Jason shook Grover's hand, a half-smile forming on his face. "I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

"Grace? Jupiter?" Grover asked blankly.

"Grover doesn't know about you yet. I'll fill him in later," Thalia told her brother.

"Why did I need to bring the pegasi?" Grover asked no one in particular, changing the subject quickly and adding a little laughter to it.

"Grover, you don't know anything!" Thalia snapped, a trace of irritation leeching its way into her voice.

People had told me that Thalia and I were alike before. Now, I understood why. Grover was one of my best friends, but I didn't appreciate him laughing right now. Thalia clearly agreed with me.

Friends were dead. They had been having a normal day, maybe talking with friends. They could have been getting ready to go for sword practice, andboom. One stroke of bad luck, a stray bullet, and some of the greatest heroes of the generation were dead, gone to a place from which there was no coming back.

There were things I could do. I would go to the ends of the earth to save people I cared about. But I couldn't save people from death's embrace. If the Fates willed it, even the gods couldn't change it. I certainly couldn't.

I felt a wave of despair. I had always believed that my choices mattered. I had always thought I could change the world if I made the right choice. I had thought that heroes and humans could do things that even the gods couldn't. But if that was true, why would so many of my friends be dead right now? They had done nothing but good with their lives, make good choices. They had been heroes.

This was World War III. And we were probably going to lose.

Thalia filled Grover in on the H. and what happened at camp. Grover's eyes widened as his pupils dilated. His shaggy legs began to shake with a fear I could see him struggling to overcome. He let out a nervous bleat. He was brave. He was a Lord of the Wild. But he still felt fear.

"How-what-why- UGH! Never mind. It doesn't matter. We have to leave."

"Yes, we do," Thalia said calmly. She pointed in the opposite direction of the creek. "We need to head that way."

"How do you know?" I wanted to know.

"Being a hunter has its advantages," Thalia replied, her arms crossed over her chest and a familiar light shining in her eyes—the tough determination of someone who had had to fight for survival for years, someone who had spent years building up her hard mask to protect herself from hurt. That mask made most people think she was fearless. I knew better. She hid her fear better than most, but she wasn't fearless.

"Alright," Annabeth declared, clapping her hands together, her grey eyes as determined as Thalia's. "Everyone, saddle up, we have a long ride to Denver ahead of us."

How was it? Was there more emotion? Review! And should I do a different POV? Or do you guys like it as just Percy?