Hatching A Plan To Save The Day
Chapter One: Thunder's Roar— Armor Up!

Serena

It was a typical, peaceful day at Camp Half Blood. Molly and I were having a spar as usual before she invited me to her aunt's jewelry store. Unlike me, Molly was a summer camper, just being a daughter of Nemesis. Me, I was a daughter of Zeus and my mother and step father were both dead, so I just stayed here year round. Of course, unlike some campers I at least maintained some semblance of normality, because I went to school. There was a decent high school not too far from here and Chiron-sensei insisted that I have some sort of education. Why, I wasn't sure as my much older brother Jason never had any sort of education (although that could be because he was Roman) and my even older cousin Percy didn't ever go to college, but I went, if only to keep my favorite sensei off my back. I put it down to him being one of the two teachers of heroes for as long as they were needed. Anyway, I accepted Molly's invitation to her come to aunt's jewelry store, so off we went, on the outing that would eventually change everything.

When we got there, Molly's aunt was shouting into a megaphone, something about a sale. Smirking, I remembered Piper's story about the day they found Jason-onii-sama and she and Leo came to camp, when Leo mechanically bewitched Gleeson Hedge's megaphone to alternatively make him sound like a Sith lord, or shout something stupid like 'the cow says moo.' By the look on Molly's face, she remembered the story too. It was a good story, one that was often told around the camp fire at both Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter.

Observing my best friend's aunt for a while longer, I noticed that she was acting strangely. She normally never marked things down by ninety percent. The most she ever marked anything down was seventy, and that was only the stuff that wasn't selling very well. She still had to make some money on it after all, because she still had a store to run.

Molly noticed it too. What really cemented the fact that there was something very, very wrong with the way she was acting was when she offered me a ring with a twenty karat diamond for only ten dollars. Normally that was at least fifty.

"Okay, Oba-san is acting really weird." She confided in me. "She never marks anything down ninety percent, unless it's just not selling and it's been at least a year since anything like it sold, especially not the stuff that sells really well. And on top of that, a twenty karat diamond would never, ever be marked down to just ten dollars, not even for one of my friends."

I nodded and closed my eyes. "I'm going to see if I can sense what's wrong." I automatically fell into a meditative trance, opening my senses to see what was wrong. Finally, I found the cause of Kate— Molly's aunt's— strange behavior: it wasn't Kate at all, but an imposter. "Molly, stay away from your aunt and don't go near her. That's an imposter that only looks like her. She seems to be gathering energy in the jewelry for some reason. Because the jewelry is the key to gathering energy, everything is way marked down to ensure it sells."

"Thanks a lot Serena." Molly said gratefully. "At least I know what's wrong. I'll call her and tell her I'm spending the night at camp again."

Molly was not only a summer camper, but what I liked to call a "day camper" because she usually went home at night, living so close to camp that she could walk. I wasn't sure how exactly her aunt managed to get a store so close to camp, but because of it, Molly could just come to camp whenever she felt like it during the day and go home at night. Though, she usually crashed at camp every Friday after Capture the Flag. Usually in my cabin, at that.

While she had her own cabin, she usually preferred staying in the Zeus cabin. It wasn't like there was anyone else other than my half brother TJ actually using it.

"I'm going to go see if I can figure out exactly how the jewelry sucks up energy." I announced, fishing around in my pockets. I cursed in Ancient Greek when I didn't find any money but drachmas. "Blast. Looks like I forgot my regular money again."

Molly rolled her eyes and handed me her wallet. "I expect it back in drachmas." She informed me. "And next time, don't forget your wallet."

I snorted. "That'll happen the day my dad doesn't have a huge ego and isn't a certain C-word that is never to be used in conjunction with his name."

Either Dad was busy doing something and didn't hear me, or he didn't mind me saying it because I was his daughter (even if he wouldn't admit it was true).

If I knew my father, and I definitely did know him, he was busy seducing another woman who would later get pregnant with my half sibling.

Frankly, Dad just didn't know how to keep it in his pants.

My best friend sighed, but made a shooing motion. "Just go."

I grinned and mock saluted her. "Aye aye, Molly!"

Acting like nothing was wrong, I walked confidently into the jewelry store.

Greeting the Kate-imposter, I looked around and decided to buy one of the many necklaces that was on sale for only five bucks, a deal I'd never get once the real Kate returned.

It was a diamond horse shaped pendant attached to a silver chain.

Strangely enough, on the horse's forehead was an amber crescent moon like mine.

I thought it was pretty cool because somehow, whoever carved it managed to capture the horse mid-gallop. In fact, it was more than just cool. It was awesome! Sure, Dad's sacred animal was the eagle, but for some reason, I'd always had a fondness for horses. I put it down to being a child of the big three thing. Almost all of us had horses. Percy-itoko-sama, Jason-onii-sama, even Hazel-itoko-sama. The only ones who didn't were Nico-itoko-sama and TJ, my brother.

Almost immediately, I felt it draining my energy. I quickly channeled a bit of chakra into it to stop that. Because it had been modified to drain energy, I figured it'd be great for a reserve store of chakra. I could store chakra in my necklace and when I was running low, I could draw on the reserve stored in my necklace and avoid chakra exhaustion. In fact, I thought it was such a good idea that I bought a masculine wolf choker for TJ, my half brother, and a tiger necklace for Molly. I was sure that she'd want the money back in Drachmas for hers too, but whatever.

The fake Kate bagged my purchases before I set off back to camp where Molly was waiting. When I saw her, I reached into the bag and tossed her the necklace I bought her.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"Your present." I replied. "I figured you could use it as a backup reserve of chakra, since it was designed to drain and hold energy. I think it's mostly after physical energy though. A lot of people seemed to be tired after they picked up the jewelry."

"Ah. Thanks." She put it on and flared her chakra, which stopped the drain. "You know, with a few seals, this thing could become really useful." However, any further conversation was interrupted when her phone rang. Yanking it out of her pocket, she answered it. It was from Kate, or more likely, the fake Kate. She was wanted at home, apparently. Molly sighed. "Gotta go. Sorry. Any of your brilliant flashes of inspiration as to how to remedy the problem?"

I grinned apologetically. "Not yet. Sorry."

I was famous for coming up with brilliant, on the fly, plans in the middle of a fight.

Molly liked to call them my 'brilliant flashes of inspiration' for reasons I didn't know.

"Well whatever. Go grab your sword and meet me back at the store."

I gave her a cheeky salute. "Aye, milady Molly. Yes, my liege! Yes your royal heinous highness!"

She groaned. "Trust you to be cheeky. I swear, there is something fundamentally wrong about you not being cheeky or sarcastic."

I smirked before I held out my hand and said "Accio."

Molly looked at me, an incredulously curious look on her face. "Where did you learn to do that?" She asked as my sword flew into my hand.

I grinned. "Imitation magic." I answered. "Tell you later. You should go ahead, and I'll be right behind you. But we can't let the monster see me with you. That would ruin the whole plan."

"Got it. Okay, I'm heading out. See ya."

I followed quietly at a distance, making sure that I couldn't even see her, to give her time to play her part for the monster, to make the monster believe that Molly didn't know anything was wrong to give me time to figure something out.

I also didn't want to be discovered by the monster.

Then I felt it: a deep overpowering sense of wrongness. Molly was being attacked by that monster. And unfortunately, I didn't know what to do.

I clenched my fist around my sword before an image flashed through my mind: me wearing armor that wasn't Greek, fighting against a monster.

I heard a voice "To save your friend, lift your sword and shout the words I tell you."

I admittedly wasn't sure about this, but it was my only chance to save Molly.

I listened to the words and drew my sword, raising it. "Thunder's Roar!" I shouted. "Armor up!"