Author's Note:So, the next few chapters are going to be of the Strike Team on the hunt for Percy Jackson. Eventually though, they will be in the battle of Manhatten like the rest of CHB. Thanks again and don't forget to review!

David

Things were slowly getting back to the way things were. About a week after we got back from Harlem, we started to rebuild the Kill House. Brandon and I both pitched in with the construction but most of the work came from the small army of about twenty automatons that Big Luke had working for him.

It was surreal to watch the Kill House and how it was being rebuilt. It had been so long since I saw it in its prime. I'm sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but it looked bigger and taller than it did before.

Remember when I said that we pitched in with the reconstruction? Yeah, we tried that but after I smashed my thumb with a hammer and Brandon spilled a can of paint, Big Luke sent us to "stuporvise". We were stationed in a double set of white poolside chairs with glasses of cold lemonade resting on the arm rests.

I was watching all the robots work; Brandon was staring at his motorcycle. Brandon got himself a 2005 Yamaha R1 as a graduation present. It was pearl white and nowhere near stock. He had a aftermarket exhaust system that ran under the seat and carbon fiber body panels. He shaved the rear view mirrors and turn signals to reduce drag. It used to have two nylon saddle bags slung across the back seat. I couldn't believe that he rode it all the way from Portland, Oregon.

"You really like that bike. Don't you?" I asked him.

"There's just something about being able to weave in and out of traffic at a hundred miles an hour that is just... orgasmic," he replied, still looking at the bike. "I don't think my mother would approve at all."

I chuckled at the last bit. "Yeah. She would probably call it 'illogical'."

"She's the goddess of wisdom. She's not Mr. Spock," he replied.

Just then, we heard the feint clomp of Chiron's hooves behind us. We looked up at him and he looked down.

"I see that you two aren't very busy. I need to talk with you and Big Luke," he said. "it's about Percy."

Brandon and I both sighed. Percy Jackson, the guy that was supposed to decide the fate of Olympus and, not to mention, the fate of all humanity. The guy who is also MIA. Not to mention: the guy that will probably be dating one the hottest girls in camp: Annabeth Chase. OK, so maybe I had a little crush on a girl almost two years younger than me. It's not like that it hasn't happened before.

I shook myself from my thoughts and continued listening to Chiron talk.

"...European front and I think that they are holding him at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. Your mission is to camp out in and around the area while Big Luke and Brittany are inside undercover," explained Chiron. "If Percy is there, Big Luke will let you know and you guys will get him out."

"Is it smart taking someone who isn't a part of the Strike Team on an operation like this? I mean, these things can get pretty hairy," I mentioned.

"Believe me, I know that she is aware of the Strike Team. But it needs to be believable to any enemy troops in the area," Chiron replied.

"What happens if we don't find him?" asked Brandon.

"Then you come home. Tell Big Luke that his flight leaves early in two days. You two should consider jumping into the Swiss wilderness ahead of them," advised Chiron. "Good luck!"

And then he left. I looked at Brandon.

"Ever wonder who he gets all this crazy intel from?" I asked.

"Constantly," he answered.

"You ever gonna call him out on it?"

"Nope."

We downed the last of our lemonade and headed for the underground shop to start getting ready for the operation. We were about to walk down the stairs through the trap door when we heard Big Luke calling down from the unfinished rafters.

"Yo? What's going on?" he asked with his feet hanging off a two by four.

Brandon and I both briefed him on the situation from the ground. Percy Jackson was believed to be held hostage at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. Our mission was to provide over-watch while Big Luke and Brittany went in undercover as a newlywed couple.

Big Luke cocked an eyebrow. I could see on his face that he was not looking forward to this operation. But he knew it had to be done.

"Alright, see you guys in Switzerland."

Several hours later, I am now looking out of a open cargo-hold. Staring at the frozen, holey sheets below us, thoughts of the operation fill my mind. The frigid air of the Swiss Alps and the altitude was nipping at my face, the only part of me that was really exposed. Everything appears to located near a forest fire, clouded by smoke. But then I realize that it's only my tinted Revision goggles.

Brandon, who is standing next to me, and I are dressed to operate in mountainous areas. Camouflage painted helmets protect our heads and provide a solid base for our night vision. We are both wearing thermal underwear underneath our black and gray BDU's and our plate carriers. Over our BDU's are white ghillie suits with patches of black and green jute in them. Yes, it was summer time. Yes, parts of the terrain were not covered with snow. But we knew that we were going to be high enough to stay out of the green.

Strapped laterally to my abdomen is Brandon's H&K 416. We were going to need it once we landed. Slung over Brandon's shoulder was a long and narrow rifle case known as a drag bag. It was designed to hold one or two sniper rifles and tied to a string or cord. The cord would be attached to one's belt and the bad would be drug as the person crawls. In the bag were two rifles: my M110 and Big Luke's M40. Parachutes weighed down hard on our backs.

I can see the mountains stretch out in front of us like a disease. Valleys littered the range like like green bullet holes.

We had been standing there for about three seconds. I looked at Brandon who was shaking quite substantially. He was nervous.

"Hey! It'll be alright!" I called over to him. "Remember how much fun you had the first time we did this?"

"That was two years ago, and I was attached to Big Luke!" he called back.

"Tell you what: I'll jump first and you pull your shoot when I do." My mom is a skydiving instructor so this was not new to me at all. "You gotta jump though."

I had a plan to make sure he jumped, I had 75 feet of parachute cord with a carabiner on each end. I had one end attached to the back of my belt. I walked up to Brandon's left side, facing. I gave him a reassuring tap on the shoulder with my right hand and subtly clipped the other end to his belt.

"It's going to be alright. Trust me," I told him. And then I jumped off the ramp of the C130 aircraft.

Seventy feet down, I felt my belt punch me in the gut as the rope became taught. I turned over in my freefall to see Brandon with a face of confusion and anger on his face as he tumbled through the air. I unclipped myself from Brandon and rolled back over to watch the mountains charge me.

I didn't use a GPS to judge my altitude. I figured once we passed the tops of the mountains, that would be low enough to pull the chutes. And that's exactly what I did. Once I had to look over my shoulder to see the tops of the mountains to pull the main cord. The harness nearly collapsed one of my lungs as my speed dropped dramatically.

Once we both had landed and packed up our parachutes, about twenty yards apart, Brandon walked up to me and punched my arm.

"You dick! I was going to jump!" he yelled at me in a whisper.

"I needed a little insurance," I teased him.

Several hours later, we were laying prone on an adjacent ridgeline to one that the ski resort was balancing on. The whole building appeared to be built like a log cabin, made completely out of timber. The whole thing was built like a giant U with a small courtyard in the middle. All of the suites looked out from the outside at the mountains. Every balcony had a hot tub. On either side of the resort were helipads. There were only two ways to get to the resort: snow machine/ trekking it in the snow or helicopter.

I was looking through my scope at room 310 where Big Luke and Brittany were going to be staying in. Brandon was not far away looking through Big Luke's M40's scope.

"Lookouts on the roof," mentioned Brandon.

I moved my line of sight to the roof. Several men were walking around with binoculars in their hands. Looking closer, I could see long thing rods protruding above the low wall; sniper rifles.

"Yeah. They got rifles too," I mentioned.

"If Percy is anywhere, he's going to be in the basement. Probably," Brandon concluded.

We were shielded by the two submerged boulders that flanked our left and right sides, from the winds that blew by. We had two tents down lower on the mountain where we planned to camp out for the night before Big Luke and Brittany arrived at the resort.

Author's Note:OK, so i know that Percy was in Hades with Nico at this time, but the characters in the story don't know that yet. Chiron thinks that Percy is in Switzerland, so he sent the Strike Team to rescue him.