He woke to Alex shaking his arm awake. He stirred slowly, but quickly adjusted to consciousness. He was aware of the setting sun streaming through the western windows, bathing the inner courthouse in a fiery glow. He sat up, shaking off the remaining grips of sleep.

"How's everything?" Elijah asks tiredly, his voice not yet cooperating.

"Nightfall's coming. We've got about an hour, but we need every one who can fight on their feet and ready when it does. Who knows what's in store for us, tonight."

"Alright. What's the time?" he asks as he stands, stretching his arms.

"Just past seven."

Elijah cracks his stiff neck. "Is James awake?"

"Yeah. He's monitoring the security feeds. Great job, by the way."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go up to him, then I'll head down and start patrol," he says, motioning Alex away, who goes to wake another passed out Camper.

Elijah tiredly trudges up the stairs to the security room. With every step, he wakes more and more. He finally finds himself outside the security room door, which he opens.

"Any activity?" Elijah asks James, who's leaning lazily back in his office chair, both feet on the desk.

"Not really. But I've figured out how to play with all the controls, which bites back the boredom."

"We're gonna need you to armour up for tonight. I'm sure you can find someone who isn't too terribly injured to hold the fort here."

"How did you get in? I didn't think you had that experience," James asks, sort of changing the subject.

"I've got a few tricks of my own up my sleeve." He's not exactly lying, but maybe telling that his father is an outcast primordial with the power to get in anywhere might not be a good idea.

"Maybe you can show me sometime," James asked hopefully.

"A magician never reveals his tricks."

"But he does if he has an apprentice."

"Have you taken my sword, yet?" Elijah asked, changing the subject before it got to 'Why not?'

"Not yet, no. I wasn't sure if I was hearing correctly," James replied, mentally noting the change in subject, but going with it.

"Well, you were. It's now yours. You can have it. Are you going to get someone, or should I send someone up? I want you on patrol with me. Everyone who can needs to be out there."

James told Elijah to send someone on his way out so that Elijah could be out ASAP, and James could have time to retrieve Lepída and armour up. He nodded and sent up Angie, a more recent addition of the Hermes Cabin, on his way out. She had a gash going down her thigh, and Alex told her she'd be better sitting tonight out.

The sun was set, but the sky was still a-blaze with oranges and purples, with pink undertones. Elijah was leaning against the pillar, fully clad in his black and silver armour. He's been standing out for the past fifteen minutes, by his guess, and the door opened and closed. James made his way to Elijah, decked in his Celestial Bronze armour. His discomfort, caused by the awkward feel of the heavy armour, could be seen on his face.

They regarded each other, and James sat on one of the steps. Five minutes later, a loud, high pitched screech rose from... everywhere. It sounded like it was far away, but it's direction was uncertain, because it echoed throughout the city and off the buildings. James shot up, his hand going to Lepída, but Elijah waved him off.

"We're too small to hit with something that big. If they've got a creature that large on standby, they wouldn't send it after the Brooklyn Bridge. More likely it's attacking more important places, closer to Olympus," he explained.

That calmed James down, some, but didn't help when the beast screeched again.

"Did that sound closer, to you?" he asked. Elijah could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"We're completely fine, now just keep a look out." His whining was getting on Elijah's nerves.

A couple minutes later, the beast screeched particularly loud.

"Eli..." James started, nervous once again. "There's something coming..."

"For the last time, we ar-" Elijah began, before being interrupted by a large, pink, flying pig crashing from between two buildings, screeching loudly, and a giant bronze statue (Hermes, if the robe and winged staff is anything to go by) hanging under it, climbing up a cable. Darting swiftly around the hooves was a black pegasus, desperately trying not to get kicked out of the sky.

"Yeah, we're totally safe. Nothing will ever bother us," James said under his breath.

"Because it's totally my fault for not expecting a giant flying pig to attack!" Elijah replied with equal sarcasm.

"The only thing that would've been worse is if you said 'When pigs fly!'"

"Just calm down and look!" Elijah almost shouted, mentally questioning why he had insisted on bringing this sarcastic child with him. "The pig isn't attacking. Jackson and Blackjack've got it handled."

"What makes you say it's Percy? You can't see that far, and it's moving too fast, anyway."

"It's his pegasus. Pure black. And it looks like our patron is taking it out, now."

The Statue of Hermes had climbed onto the pig's back, and is beating it over the head with his staff. Soon enough, the pig flew away, rapidly descending as it did.

A muffled sound filled the air. A phone's vibrate, and a tune that wanted desperately to be heard. Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes, his ears turning slightly red as the Mission Impossible theme played from his pocket under his armour. He adjusted the armoured kilt to reach his pockets, and dug out his Celestial Bronze phone.

"Hello?" he said into the phone once it was to his ear.

"Good, Elijah," Annabeth said from her side, letting out a sigh of relief. "You need to fall back to Central Park. We've got a base set up there, and we need you to help set up a perimeter."

"Alright. But what about our wounded?" he asked.

After a second of silence, Annabeth said, "Hold on." Then almost a minute. "We're sending some pegasi, along with a medical chariot we found in Apollo's palace. They can help transport and care. Think ancient ambulance. That'll take your wounded to Olympus so they can be taken care of."

"Alright," Elijah said. "See you in the wild," he finished, hanging up and stuffing the phone away.

"What was that about?" James asked.

Elijah looked at him, excited from the prospect of getting some more action reflecting in his eyes. "We've got some new orders."