Hey, gang. My progress with this hasn't overcome its stand-still so I've got to continue on the slow updates. Hopefully things pick up soon, or I'm gonna run out of backlog.

Anyway, thanks to everybody who reviewed last week! Enjoy!

XIII
PERCY

The gun pointed at his face almost gave Percy a heart attack.

There he was, walking down the hall and minding his own business, when all of a sudden his path was barred by the double barrel of a shotgun. Thankfully, though, it was never fired, because as soon as its owner saw him she gasped and cried "Percy!" before lowering the weapon and wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.

Still a little stunned, he answered her, "Hey, Mom."

Sally Jackson stepped back and smiled at her son as her husband appeared from the living room doorway and said, "Why didn't you tell us you were stopping by? Might've avoided the awkward gunpoint situation."

"Sorry," Percy said with a slightly sheepish smile. "You know—no phones, and all. I guess it's good to see you guys are defending yourselves, at least."

Sally's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "You didn't get all that skill from your father, you know. I can take care of myself, too."

"She's been taking care of me, while she's at it," Paul put in a bit ruefully, and when Sally lifted a shoulder Percy couldn't help but laugh. The situation in New York was dangerous, but it was comforting to know that his mom and step-dad were being careful. When the war had started, part of him had wanted to stay with them and keep them safe. But if he had, the reality was that that would likely only place them in more danger. And besides, his place was at Camp Half-Blood—at least until Erebos and Nyx were defeated.

"Anyway," Sally said after a brief minute, "I'm sure you didn't come over to stand in the hallway. Come inside, I'll make you something to eat."

Despite Percy's insistence that he wasn't hungry, he somehow found himself seated at the kitchen table ten minutes later with a turkey and cheese sandwich and a plate piled high with blue chocolate-chip cookies (according to Paul, Sally had developed a habit of stress-baking; every time something came on the news about an attack nearby or when she had a feeling that something was wrong, she would distract herself by baking; evidence of this sat all around the kitchen in the forms of muffins, breads, brownies, and various other sweets). He took a bite of the sandwich and glanced around the room. He'd started staying at Camp Half-Blood at the start of the war and had visited his parents' apartment twice since then, but for some reason it felt like he'd been away for years. Maybe that was the thing about wars—they made time stretch on longer than it should.

"So what's this about, Percy?" Sally asked after a minute, dropping into the chair across from her son and fixing him with a concerned frown.

"What's what about? I can't just stop by for a visit?"

She gave him a wry smile. "I raised you, remember? I can tell when you have something you want to say."

Percy swallowed his mouthful of food and frowned at the table, his throat feeling tight. He shot a glance at Paul, who was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms folded, and said slowly, "I heard from Dad."

Sally's eyes widened. "You did? Is he going to help you?"

"Not exactly," Percy admitted, before repeating to them his father's news and instructions. He told them about Hypnos and the gods' entrapment, and about the quest three of their campers had been sent on earlier that evening to find and free the god of sleep. He tried not to sound too worried about it, but judging by the looks on his mom and stepdad's faces, he hadn't exactly succeeded.

"Wasn't Nyx the goddess you and your friends fought last month?" Paul asked with a frown, and Percy nodded in affirmation. "Is it really safe to only send three people after her?"

"Any more would draw too much attention," Percy answered a bit reluctantly. "The whole thing's scrapped if they can't even make it to Death Valley. We just… have to trust that they will." He noticed that he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than his stepdad, and maybe he was. He'd been finding it increasingly difficult to stay positive lately, almost like a piece of the sky's darkness had rooted itself inside him and was refusing to let go. He saw the sense in a traditional three-person quest team, but that didn't do much to alleviate the frightening fact that Nico, Leo, and Reyna were going against Nyx herself. They would need more than stealth in order to rescue Hypnos from her power.

Percy had wanted to volunteer for the quest before Reyna had stepped in, but Annabeth had held him back. He understood why. Erebos was watching him; the dream visit he'd had from the King of Darkness had erased any doubt of that. He needed to keep Erebos' attention focused there in New York, otherwise the quest team would never make it to Death Valley. If he'd gone, chances were they never would've escaped notice. But just because he understood the reason didn't mean he was happy about being left behind. This was his father's request, after all. He felt some measure of responsibility for it. The fact that he couldn't help tore at his nerves like a biting hunger he couldn't satisfy.

Percy shook his head, focusing on the situation at hand. "But… if they do free Hypnos," he went on haltingly, getting to the main point he'd been planning to make, "and he frees the rest of them, this city's gonna turn into a frontline battlefield. And not just between us and monsters—it'll be a battle between gods. It's gonna get messy. And I… I don't want you guys here when that happens."

"Percy," Sally said in the sturdy voice only a mother could ever master, "how many times do we have to tell you? We're not going anywhere."

"This city is our home, too," Paul added, coming to stand behind his wife. "We'll protect it, just like you and your friends. Even if we can't be out there in the thick of it all."

"And you're here." Sally smiled, explaining, "We would never leave you, especially not in the middle of a war." She reached across the table and clasped one of Percy's hands in both of hers. "Even if the only way we can help is by being nearby, it's enough. You'll need every bit of light possible in order to fight this darkness. Abandoning you and taking that away is something we won't ever do."

He was about to argue that it wouldn't be abandonment if he wanted them to leave, but the look on his mother's face and the firmness of her voice made him stop. There was nothing he could say to change her mind. And maybe, deep down, he didn't want to try that hard. She was right—they would need every bit of light to wipe out the growing darkness. Just having his family nearby gave him something else to fight for, which in turn gave him strength. The more support he and the others had, the easier it would be for them to fight Erebos' darkness.

"Alright, alright. Thanks, guys," he said to them with a small, weak sort of smile. "Just… promise me you'll at least stay indoors, okay? And if you run into trouble, find a way to call me."

"Deal," Sally promised as Paul nodded in agreement. "Just remember not to worry too much about us. You've got your hands full as it is."

"You can say that again," Percy muttered, taking another bite of his sandwich. He still wasn't hungry, but he stuck around long enough to finish it and even force down a few of his mom's cookies. It felt good to spend time with his family—relaxing, even, like he could almost forget there was a war going on outside the apartment building. If he'd had the choice, he wouldn't have left at all. But that time eventually came, and with a pocketful of blue chocolate-chip cookies, he was forced to bid his mom and stepdad goodbye and leave them alone.

He'd barely stepped outside when a voice yelled in his head, Yo, boss! We gotta move!

Percy winced at the volume and spun around to glare at the jittery black pegasus that had brought him to Manhattan from Long Island. "If this is about that bird you've been chasing since we left, I don't want to—"

Noooo, Blackjack argued, shaking his head and braying loudly. He kicked the pavement and said, Message from the crew. Trouble outside camp! It's a monster montage, boss—they need our help!

"What?" Percy demanded at once. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

I would'a, boss, but you said not to bug you.

"I said not to bug me unless it's important."

Oh. Yeah, wasn't listening to that part. The bird was taunting me, I swear. I'll get that little runt if it's the last thing I—

"Argh, whatever!" Percy interrupted the horse, climbing onto his back and twisting his hands in his mane. "Just go already!"

You got it, boss! We're off to save the day!

Percy rolled his eyes in frustration as Blackjack spread his wings and kicked off from the ground, gliding into the air with impressive speed. The horse was definitely trustworthy and loyal to a fault, but his concentration left more than a little bit to be desired. Still, pegasus was the fasted method of travel that they had easy access to—if only the horse's head worked as quickly as his wings did.

They made it across Long Island in just under half an hour, which meant Blackjack must have really been booking it. He seemed tired when they landed—enough so that no remarks about 'the heroes arriving' were forthcoming—so Percy let his irritation slide and thanked the horse before taking in the situation.

Blackjack had touched down about a mile from Camp Half-Blood—in the middle of what he had aptly described as 'a monster montage'. A pack of hellhounds, a few Scythian dracaenae, a handful of strange, lizard-like creatures the size of tigers, a swarm of giant spiders (Percy briefly hoped none of the Athena kids were in the area), and even a pair of Cyclopes were all barreling around in a chaotic formation, battling the group of Greek and Roman defenders that had come to help out. It was like Monsters 'R Us was having a going-out-of-business sale, and Erebos had bought up the entire stock and set it loose on Long Island.

"Wait here, Blackjack," Percy ordered the pegasus. "If I need help, I'll call you."

Sure thing, boss, he replied, sounding winded. Wonder if I can find that bird…

Percy ignored the horse and pulled his sword from his pocket, uncapping it so it extended to full length. He ran for the nearest monster—one of the spiders—and slashed it from behind before it even knew he was there. A second one came to take its place, and after slicing its front legs at the joints and dropping it to the ground he stabbed it between two of its eight yellow eyes, turning it to dust.

Monster attacks like this one were hardly uncommon nowadays, what with Erebos and Nyx's apparent control over all creatures of the night and darkness. Their army—if you could call it an army—was made up almost entirely of such beasts, many of which had a habit of running rampant in the streets at all hours of the day. Hardly anyone stepped foot outside their homes anymore unless absolutely necessary. Still, no matter how many battles you faced on a daily basis, that didn't make them any less urgent and dangerous.

After sending a pair of wounded Roman soldiers back to camp, Percy turned back to the street in time to be tackled by a dark, scaly shape. As claws poked him hard in the chest and shoved him to his back on the ground, he recognized it as one of the oversized lizard creatures. It looked like a komodo dragon, only bigger and uglier, with a crown-like crest on the top of its head and four long, snake-like fangs protruding from its mouth. He tried to shove it off as it hissed angrily at him, forked tongue whipping back and forth, but for some reason looking into its beady, violet eyes seemed to freeze him in place. It opened its jaws to snap at him, but before it got the chance a dull thunk sounded and the fletching of an arrow appeared in the side of its neck. It fell limp and disintegrated to dark green sand.

Percy gagged and spit out a mouthful of monster dust, pushing himself up on his elbows as a hand appeared in front of him. He took it and allowed the person to pull him to his feet, recognizing his rescuer as a sixteen-year-old camper from the Apollo cabin.

"Thanks, Austin," he said, brushing green sand from his clothes.

"No problem, Percy," Austin replied. "I don't know where these basilisks came from, but they've already incapacitated half a dozen of us. We'd better drop the rest of 'em before—get down!" Eyes shifting to something over Percy's shoulder, Austin quickly yanked an arrow from the quiver on his back and nocked it, pulling back on his bowstring. Percy followed his instructions and ducked as he loosed the arrow, and the resulting sharp hiss told him the arrow had taken out another lizard monster.

Austin was already nocking another arrow as Percy spun around to see a second lizard—a basilisk, Austin had called it—slinking toward them with surprising speed. He darted forward to meet it and turned to the side to evade its pointed teeth, then swung Riptide instinctively and sliced through the scales on the monster's left side. It made a noise somewhere between a growl and a hiss and as it turned toward Percy he buried the blade of his bronze sword in its neck.

A surprised shout made him spin around in time to see another basilisk jump Austin from behind, driving him to the ground. His bow flew from his hands and skittered across the pavement. The monster snapped its fangs at him, but he yanked an arrow from his quiver and reached over his shoulder, stabbing his attacker in the eye. It snarled and swung its head before dissolving to dust.

"I thought basilisks could kill just by looking at you," Percy said as he helped Austin back to his feet.

"Common misconception," Austin replied, rolling his shoulder and grimacing. "If you look in their eyes, they can paralyze you, but they can't kill just by sight. That's what the fangs are for." He gritted his teeth and blinked a few times, and Percy suddenly noticed that something was wrong. His voice strangely winded, Austin added, "They're… poisonous." Then his knees buckled and he stumbled.

"Austin!" Percy said as he lunged forward and caught him, lowering him carefully to the ground. As he did so, he noticed the shallow cut on the back of his left shoulder—which must have been dug by the basilisk's snake-like teeth. "Uh-oh…" he muttered; Austin was already losing consciousness. He had to get back to camp fast. "Austin. Hey, Austin! Aw, Styx…"

Percy raised his head and called out with his mind, Blackjack! Where are you? I need your help!

After a few long seconds, the pegasus answered back, Just a sec, boss! I found the bird! Oh, that little runt isn't getting away this time.

Are you kidding me? Forget that thing! Get over here now!

I almost got it, I swear! I just need a few—

Blackjack!

Okay, okay. You're the boss. I'm on my way.

Luckily, the horse was fast. In a few minutes time, Percy had slung Austin over Blackjack's back with instructions to head straight for the camp infirmary. The wound wasn't serious, so as long as the poison could be counteracted he would be fine. That is, assuming Blackjack didn't drop him on the way back to camp.

The instant the pegasus had taken off, a voice behind Percy called his name and he turned to see Grover running toward him, reed pipes in hand and a frantic look in his eyes.

"You haven't seen Gleeson, have you?" Grover asked, sounding out of breath. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees.

"Coach Hedge?" Percy replied with a frown. "No, why?"

Grover clucked his tongue, straightening and shooting a glance over his shoulder. "There's a new kid in danger not far from here. He and I were supposed to be going after her, but as soon as we got here he ran off to join the fight. It was like he completely forgot I was there."

"Sounds like him," Percy said wryly. "I'll help you look." Grover nodded and ran off, and Percy headed in the opposite direction. He couldn't see much through the darkness, but it looked like the street and sidewalk were littered with different amounts and variations of monster dust. He didn't see any injured campers, which was a good sign. Hopefully everyone who wasn't still fighting had made it back to camp.

Percy turned a street corner and was met with the sight of a few kids fighting three hellhounds. He jumped in and helped them finish off two of them before he heard a voice farther down the road shout, "Take THAT, you overgrown poodle! Nobody's eating any kids on my watch! HA!"

Found him, Percy thought, trying not to roll his eyes as he finally caught a glimpse of Coach Hedge, who had apparently just kicked the third hellhound in the nose. It whimpered and cowered away from the five-foot satyr, obviously forgetting that it was four times his size, before a home-run-hitter from Hedge's baseball bat turned the hound to dust.

"Coach!" Percy called to him, running forward now that the coast was clear.

Hedge whipped around, hollered "DIE, UNDERWORLD SCUM!" and whacked Percy on the head with his bat before he could slow to a stop. He staggered to the ground with an alarmed yell as the satyr said, "Oh. Jackson. Didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I noticed," Percy grumbled irritably, blinking black and white dots from his vision as he struggled to his feet. "Grover's looking for you—got a job nearby."

"Lord of the Wild? I'm on my way!" Hedge said at once, as though he hadn't abandoned Grover a little while ago. Then he frowned and tilted his head to the side, saying, "Your head's bleeding, kid. You should be more careful."

Percy gaped at the satyr. "You just—" he started incredulously, but Hedge was already running off down the street. "Wait—Coach!" Percy shouted. When Hedge turned back to face him, he pointed over his shoulder and said dryly, "That way."

"Right you are, Jackson!" Hedge said gruffly, slinging his bat over his shoulder and switching direction. "I was testing you. Good news—you passed! Now get back to camp where you belong! It's dangerous out here."

Percy shook his head as the satyr jogged past him and disappeared around the corner, feeling unexpectedly angry. He pushed the irritation back, blaming the baseball-bat headache, and was about to follow Hedge's advice and return to camp when suddenly someone behind him gave a strangled yell as another voice frantically shouted "No!"

Percy whirled around and his eyes landed on the Stoll brothers, one of whom was on the ground with a huge, ugly creature hovering over him. It had the head of lion, the body of a mountain goat, and a hissing snake for a tail. Percy's eyes widened at the sight of it. He'd only ever seen something like it once before, on his very first quest for Camp Half-Blood, but it wasn't the sort of creature you were likely to forget. A chimera.

"Aw, great," he muttered ruefully, before tightening his grip on his sword and charging into the fight.

Fun stuff, as usual! Haha. Drop me a review on your way out the door! Later days, gang!

-oMM