A/N: carameltootsieroll: Hi guys! Thanks for all those wonderful reviews! We really love reviews cause they show what people think of our work, and we love feedback! Thanks so much guys! Keep reading and reviewing! :)

PJOBookWorm: Sorry for the late update! Thank you guys again and again for reviewing and faving this story! It really means a lot to have support and know that you guys like this story! Here's one request to ask of you when you read this chapter: can you please pretend, even though it's not realistic, that you really can make rainbows that way? (You'll know what I'm talking about when you get there.) I really don't know if it's possible to make rainbows that way, but can you please pretend the whole thing is plausible? *begging*

Disclaimer: We do not own PJO.

The Quest for the Golden Fleece

Chapter 3

Were there no girls in this gym class? How sexist! I rolled my eyes. What, were girls "not strong or coordinated enough" to play dodgeball? I'd have you know, a ton of girls at camp were way better at Capture the Flag than Seaweed Brain was, and they could easily brain him in the sword arena. Just look at the Ares kids.

I walked around the gym that Percy's boys-only class was filing into. But they weren't stopping inside the gym, and I followed Percy and the Cyclops as they walked to the other end. When I got closer to the door they were headed towards, I stopped.

Oh, gods, they were going to the locker room. I reddened and turned around so quickly that I was surprised I didn't trip. I had already looked into Percy's bedroom; I did not need to look in the locker room, too.

"Come on, Tyson," Percy said to the Cyclops as he pulled open the door.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to contact Percy during the dodgeball game with all the balls that were soon to be flying around the room, plus the annoying Cyclops that wouldn't leave Percy's side, especially during a dodgeball game, I wandered around the gym, looking for the girl's locker room. As I explored the gym more, I furrowed my eyebrows at the lack of more doors appearing. Seriously, wasn't there a girls' locker room? Just how sexist was this school? Maybe I should tell Athena and she would do something about it.

By now, all the guys in Percy's gym class were dressed in their gym uniforms (and the most ridiculous ones, might I add) and crowding around the coach, who resembled someone I couldn't quite place. The locker room door was closed, and I glanced at it before crossing over the gym to the door, an idea in my head. Maybe it was a bit reckless, and it wasn't like I wanted to go inside, but I had to—for the sake of camp.

As I slowly yanked the door open, I heard Sloan say, "Coach, can I be captain?" Sorry, Percy.

I let the door close quietly behind me before I turned around, bracing myself for the worst. The worst was what I got. It was disgusting in the locker room. It stunk like a hundred skunks personally came in and sprayed every corner of the room. Clothes were thrown onto the ground and benches even though there were lockers—most of them whose doors were flung wide open, dirt crusted on the insides. I swore I even saw some green gas floating up from the clothes and spreading throughout the room—or maybe the smell was stinging my eyes and making them teary and hallucinating.

I didn't care if the students saw the door to the locker room suddenly open from an invisible force; I had to get clean air circulating in the locker room. Cautiously, I opened the door a crack and peeked out into the gym. With their backs thankfully facing the door, they were "picking" out teams, but all the tough jocks were automatically moving to Sloan's side while Percy's side was consisting of scrawny, scared-looking kids.

I grew annoyed at Sloan's tactics but turned around to face the lockers again, a mission in mind. If Percy could tough out the climbing wall at camp, not to mention the quest we went on last summer, he could tough out a game of dodgeball, couldn't he? Besides, judging from the look on Percy's face, this kind of division of teams happened a lot.

So I scanned the locker room again. Cringing, I made my way through the room, holding my breath. I came to the back of the lockers and hoped I would find what I was looking for. Sure enough, there was a small path leading further back into the room and twisting towards the shower room. I quickly ran down the hall and towards the door with a sign labeled "SHOWERS".

As I took of my invisibility cap, I closed the door behind me and turned to size up the shower room. It was in a little better condition than the locker room, but the showers were run-down and abandoned. It looked like no one had used the showers in a long time, which would explain the horrible stench. And was that mold growing on the shower handle?

I grimaced and reached over to a shower, turning on the water and praying to the gods my plan would work. The water slowly dribbled on—and I did mean dribble. Water was coming out from the showerhead at a snail's pace. The drops splattered onto the ground and echoed through the room. I waited, hoping that more water would add on to the measly amount that was coming out right now, but not much did.

Groaning, I dug a flashlight and drachma out of my backpack, praying that this would work despite the odds. I turned on the flashlight and waved it at the falling water, but no rainbow appeared. Oh well. I sighed. "O goddess, accept my offering!" I cried, praying with all my might it would work. I tossed the drachma at the water and held my breath. But the drachma just clanked to the ground as if taunting me, and I groaned again.

I turned off the water and quickly picked up the drachma, moving over to the next shower stall and shaking the drachma to get the water off. The next showerhead sprayed out more water than the first one, but still not that much, and I took a deep breath, shining my flashlight at the water and crying, "O goddess, accept my offering!" There obviously had to be a rainbow in the water even though I couldn't see it… a small rainbow, at least… I threw the drachma into the spraying water and it disappeared in a golden shimmer.

I cheered, grateful that the offering had gone through and there had in fact been a rainbow. "Chiron at Camp Half-Blood!"

But when the water shimmered into a view of Camp Half-Blood, I immediately knew something was wrong. The picture was grainy and there were gaping holes in the picture, filled in with the wall of the shower room. The color was dull and there was a lot of static. I cursed, realizing the rainbow wasn't strong enough for a signal.

A picture of Chiron's office began to form from what I could decipher, and I heard a loud slam of a door. I brightened, thinking the signal was getting better. But as I called out, "Chiron!", the whole picture dissolved and faded, leaving me standing, open-mouthed, in front of normal water spraying from the shower head.

"Come on!" I moaned. I wanted to contact Chiron and ask him how camp was faring, and even tell him about my plan to get to camp, although Chiron most likely wouldn't like it. It was just comforting to know that he knew what I was doing and could give me advice. Besides, I was having a pretty bad day, and Chiron somehow always knew how to help.

Seething, I dug another drachma out of my bag and forcefully cried out once again, "O goddess, accept my offering!" I threw the drachma into the spraying water. It sunk into the water, and I called, "Chiron at Camp Half-Blood!"

The picture started forming again, but the quality was as bad as the last Iris message. Holding my breath, I prayed for the best, and Chiron's office began forming and shimmering once again; this time, I could hear the faint sound of Chiron's (not very good) 1960's music. But as the scratchy picture started to focus a bit, I realized something was off. Before I could call out Chiron's name, the picture faded again and I was stuck staring at the shower.

Stomping my foot, I cried out in frustration. After turning off that shower's water, I moved over to the next shower and jerked on the water, muttering under my breath. The water splashed on, still bad quality for a rainbow, but it was all I could get.

I shined my flashlight, shouted, "O goddess, accept my offering!" and threw in the drachma, watching it dissolve in the water. "Camp Half-Blood!"

As the water shimmered, I realized I had forgotten to say Chiron's name and panicked, wondering whom I was going to get. Hopefully not someone from the Ares cabin. The water shimmered and gained color, gradually forming a picture, and I squinted my eyes, trying to decipher it. I heard many loud explosions and several screams, and I grew even more panicked, remembering my dream about camp.

The picture developed some more, and I could make out figures moving. Then I caught my breath, realizing what the figures were: monsters. Horrible, big monsters, and they were at camp. Just like my dream. My heart sunk. What was going on? I saw some campers holding weapons and shouting orders to each other before fighting the monsters. Suddenly, a monster lashed out and two campers cried, falling to the ground. The campers scattered, then tried to charge the monster, but it avoided them easily and swatted them down. Screams, thumps, and even explosions sounded in the background.

"You guys!" I called out, worried, my heart racing, knowing I had to get there and help, but the darn Iris message decided to take that exact time to break off its weak signal and fade from the picture.

Great, something was wrong at camp, but I was stuck here, at Percy's school, with an unresponsive Percy, a Cyclops stalker, and a heavy heart. Camp was my only home. My only real home where I could truly be myself. And now I was going to lose it.

I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing heavily, replaying the images of the Iris message. This was more serious than I had thought from my dream. I had to get back there as soon as possible to help protect camp. There was much less time to get Percy than I had thought.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion that made my ears ring and the walls shake. I jumped back, shocked, and slammed my invisibility cap onto my head, opening the door and running back towards the locker room. Why was there an explosion at the school? What was happening? In the locker room, I was met with a gigantic gaping hole in place of the door and wall, and a ton of smelly objects flooding out of the hole. I was so grateful that I was in the shower room and hadn't left two minutes earlier in frustration. But still… What great explosion had caused that?

Then it dawned on me: the slam of the door, the explosions, the screams—they weren't going on in camp. They were going on here. How could I not have realized that? I immediately smacked my hand to my head, chastising myself for being so stupid.

With my heart pounding like crazy, I pushed my way through the huge pile of disgusting clothes and ran out into the gym. What I saw struck me speechless. Kids were screaming and scampering all over the gym. Dodge balls were being flung everywhere, but they were flaming. No. Monsters—except for that horrible Cyclops—couldn't be at this school.

But as I scanned around the gym more, I realized with a sunken heart that there were indeed monsters in the gym. And not like the ones I had encountered during my run to New York. No, they were worse. I had no idea what they were doing here, but there was no time to waste thinking over that.

The monsters were giant, even taller than that Cyclops, at least eight feet tall. Their evil, malicious eyes were glaring at the kids and they clashed their carnivorous sharp teeth. Their hands were throwing the flaming dodge balls with incredible speed and accuracy, and with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized just exactly what the monsters were: Laistrygonians.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest like a drum as my eyes widened with fear. Laistrygonians were a tribe of giant cannibals that lived far up north. When Odysseus went to Ithaca, he ran into the Laistrygonians and Antiphates, the king of the Laistrygonians, who immediately killed one of Odysseus' crew members. While the members tried to escape, the Laistrygonians tried to stop them by throwing rocks at the ships, sinking them and killing the men. Odysseus survived and left on his single ship, the surviving crew leaving to the island of Circe.

Laistrygonians were dangerous, ruthless cannibals. Why were they even this far south?

I scanned the gym, searching for Percy, knowing that he was the center of the Laistrygonians' attacks. But instead, I saw a Laistrygonian picking up a flaming dodgeball and advancing on the Cyclops. Why was it aiming at Tyson? Cyclopes were immune to fire, plus they were extremely strong.

But currently, Tyson was lying winded on the ground, and Percy yelled, "Stop! It's me you want!"

The Laistrygonian smirked malevolently and said, "You wish to die first, young hero?"

Realizing that Percy was risking his life to save that Cyclops, I started towards that side of the gym, cursing Percy's loyalty for his friends. He didn't need to protect that Cyclops.

Percy had a look on his face like he was deep in thought. I knew that he was thinking of a really crazy plan, and his plans usually involved a lot of improvising. He could not do that right now. The Laistrygonian was advancing on him as he tried to form his plan. And when it was one of his crazy plans, this was usually the part when I, Annabeth Chase, came to rescue him.

I sprinted towards them with my knife stuck out in front, and Percy started charging, too. I heard the monster laugh and say, "My lunch approaches." I saw the monster raise the dodgeball. I saw Percy stiffen. I took in one deep breath and leapt forward, sticking the knife through the Laistrygonian's back.

The Laistrygonian went as rigid as a board and the ball fell out of his hand. He muttered, "Ow", then caught in a green flame and disintegrated. I glared at the Laistrygonian, in a horribly bad mood, remembering the Iris message with camp and the urgency to get there. I didn't care anymore about that Cyclops or anyone seeing me, and as I took of my cap and stuffed it in my pocket, I hoped just in case that nobody was watching and was too busy screaming for their leaves.

I stared at Percy, who was looking at me, with his dumbfounded sea-green eyes. Then I realized someone else had seen me.

Sloan, the bully, stared at me as if I were a ghost that had come back to life. He blinked. "That's the girl… That's the girl—"

I glared at Sloan, recognizing all the torture he had put Percy and the other students through. I felt my anger bubbling up inside of me, and I remembered that he had ripped up the picture of me to shreds. My anger welled, and add that to the top of my bad day, and viola! You've got a recipe for a good, hard punch. All my anger went out in a single punch at his nose. "And you," I said, "lay off my friend." I was satisfied when Sloan fell to the floor, groaning.

"Annabeth…" Percy stammered. "How did you… How long have you…"

"Pretty much all morning," I said, sheathing my knife. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you, but you were never alone."

Percy's face suddenly went red. "The shadow I saw this morning—that was—" he stuttered. "Oh my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?"

"There's no time to explain!" I snapped, though my face felt hot, too. Gods, it's not like I was stalking him and admiring him in his sleep! I didn't want to break and enter. I prayed with all my might that Percy wouldn't find out I was also in the locker room. "I just didn't want to—"

I was cut short by a woman's scream. "There!" The doors flung open and a bunch of people came running in. This was going to get complicated.

"Meet me outside," I told Percy. "And him," I pointed grimly to Tyson, the Cyclops, who was still sitting dazed against the wall. "You'd better bring him," I spat out, cringing. We couldn't just live that here.

Percy looked shocked. "What?"

"No time!" I said. "Hurry!" I pulled on my invisibility cap, leaving behind a confused Percy who I hoped caught on. I spotted a gaping hole on the side of the wall and jumped off into the streets below.

A/N: PJOBookWorm: And that's the end of chapter three! So now that you've read the Iris message part, I hope that you can pretend making rainbows that way is possible. We'd appreciate that and give you virtual cookies if you do. ;) Hope you liked it and hope you don't mind that the scene wasn't very realistic! I apologize for its not being plausible, but...let's just say Iris has a soft spot for Annabeth. One last thing: to all the football-crazed Americans...Super Bowl today! Who are you rooting for (Go, go, go Patriots!), or do you just watch to see the commercials? Anyway, please review and have a good day!