Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.

IDEA #3 REMOVED FROM THE POLL! THOSE WHO VOTED IDEA #3 SHOULD RE-VOTE!

Chapter 23

It took a year and a half for something interesting to happen.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. Just six months ago, Percy'd had a dream… or was it a vision (Whatever, same thing!). Anyway, he had a dream-vision about Luke and Kronos wanting to go for the Golden Fleece. Naturally, he wasn't thinking straight so he set off to go and steal it before they could take it themselves. Despite the fact that he had no use for the Fleece, he knew it would be in better hands with Chiron than it would have been in Luke's.

"You want the long story or the short story?" Percy asked Thalia.

"Can you do something in between?" she suggested.

He shrugged. "Sure."

It started on a normal June day. Percy was playing with his new mechanical arm that was fused with so much magic it felt and looked like a normal human hand… unless he touched it with his another part of his body. Then it was as cold as a robot hand. It had taken him a while to get used to it, and he still wasn't used to it. Why did he choose to have a robot hand? It was so cliché. That's beside the point. The point was that Beckendorf and his siblings made the hand so wonderfully crafted that it still felt like there was blood rushing through it. When he curled the metal fingers, he felt like flesh, muscle and bone were moving. But that illusion disappeared as soon as he rested his hand on another part of his body.

"You already said that," noted Thalia.

"Whatever!"

It was then that Annabeth came up to him, dirty and sweaty from training and asked him how he was doing. He replied with a fine. They talked for a little while, mostly about the arm. But toward the end of the conversation, it sort of changed to talking about Thalia.

Thalia had gone back to L.A. after summer camp was over to find her mother. Percy didn't know why, and he was too scared to ask. Especially now that he had a mechanical arm, he was afraid—despite Beckendorf telling him countless times that it had the same resistance as a human hand and was resistant to everything a human hand was resistant to and more—that she would short circuit it. Of course, the conversation about Thalia always led to talk about Luke.

Percy wasn't sure why Annabeth always linked those two together. There was a tone in her voice he couldn't exactly understand when she spoke about the son of Hermes and the daughter of Zeus. It was almost as if she believed Thalia really liked Luke and was a little jealous.

To Percy, talking about Luke was like thinking about flying on a plane. It made him nervous and kind of scared. The way Luke looked before he left that Independence Day haunted him in his memories. It was a pained look and a look of regret. Yet it was also one of redemption… a look that made Percy realize he wasn't evil or malicious. He just wanted what he thought was best.

Talking about Luke made him think of so many bad memories, but some good ones. Not many saw his good side—the natural one, not the fake one. It almost seemed like that side of him was concealed and hidden from everyone. Percy remembered the cake prank. It was childish but it was also kind of funny.

It made him forget about his mechanical arm.

That night, Percy had trouble falling asleep. But when he did, he had a vision of sorts. He was in a dark cave listening to Luke and the Titan lord planning to go after the Golden Fleece. They were arguing a bit, but Luke seemed to agree to go after the Fleece. He knew he had to do something. So when he woke, he decided to go after the Fleece himself again after telling Chiron.

Naturally, Annabeth caught him in the act and tried to convince him not to go, but he told her about the dream and managed to drag her along. They decided to leave that night.

With their luck, Clarisse caught them in the act at night, but the harpies came and Clarisse had no choice but to agree. They fled camp on hippocampi and made it to Montauk where they camped out for a little while. Clarisse and Annabeth argued loudly the entire night, which lasted for so long it prompted the two to force Percy to take a side. Annabeth argued that they were better friends, and Clarisse argued that they knew each other for longer.

In the end, Percy decided that whoever could find a way to head south quickly was who he'd side with. Clarisse won, which in turn caused a rift between him and Annabeth. Clarisse had somehow managed to receive a boat in return for a prayer to her dad. Ares must've been distracted that day because somehow the god helped him rather than hindered him. The boat was called the C.S.S. Birmingham, and it was a Confederate ironclad warship with an undead crew.

The three of them sailed ("Not actually sailed, Thalia. It's called being lazy with words.") to the entrance of the Sea of Monsters and, like last time, Percy nearly died. The ironclad exploded as they fled on rafts. Percy got picked up by Scylla, again, and like last time he hit her in the eye. Annabeth managed to fish him out of the sea, but they lost Clarisse.

The two of them spent most of the time in silence, but Annabeth eventually apologized for being rash. She blamed her hubris—her fatal flaw: excessive pride.

After a day of sailing in the makeshift sailboat raft thingy, they came across Aeaea. Circe's island had been burned down. It looked like it had been deserted for two years. There was no sign of the Learjet, though somehow Percy immediately knew the pirates had crashed it in the ocean and drowned. Percy explained to Annabeth how he'd been here before, let the pirates loose, and left saving his own behind. He never thought the pirates would destroy the resort like this. They didn't stay for long.

Percy found a way to drive one of the pleasure yachts and had Annabeth help him take the fuel from the other yachts. They went yachting back into the Sea of Monsters, which was very out of place.

Annabeth and Percy spent more time alone, just talking about his mechanical arm and pointless things like that. It was rather boring. Then, Percy remembered the land of the Sirens. He told her about how he listened to their song and managed to survive, though he didn't tell her what he'd seen in his vision.

"What did you see?" Thalia asked.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Party pooper."

"Anyway…"

Annabeth wanted to listen, so Percy granted her that wish. Knowing how dangerous it would be for someone who wasn't the child of Poseidon, he did what Odysseus' crew did: disarmed her and tied her to the mast and plugged his own ears with candle wax. He made to sure keep an eye on her at all times, but the way she screamed at him made his heart wrench. It was horrible to watch her struggle and scream.

They eventually passed the Sirens, and Percy took it upon himself to make sure Annabeth was okay. He didn't feel like touching her, just in case he would see what she saw, but he spoke to try and comfort her. He told her to tell him when she couldn't hear them anymore. After she told him that it was all clear, he took out the wax. She told him about the temptation she felt, and for the first time, she understood what Luke was thinking.

Percy knew it was dangerous. If a demigod as strong as Annabeth was tempted to tear Olympus down and rebuild it anew, there was no telling how many other half-bloods might join him.

Of course, Percy knew that he was already on that side. He knew that he wanted a world where none of this even existed, where his dad was mortal or just not there… his mom was alive… there were no gods, no titans, nothing of the sort. In fact, he figured he was one of the only ones that wondered what it would be like if none of the magical stuff truly existed.

When they got to the Cyclops' island, they found Clarisse in a wedding dress, which was enough to make him crack up.

Annabeth used her Yankees cap to distract Polyphemus while Percy rescued Clarisse. They managed to make it across the bridge and grab the Fleece. The sheep started coming after them, as well as Polyphemus, but they ran back across the bridge, and Percy cut the ropes, causing the Cyclops to fall in the chasm.

Percy saw the Queen Anne's Revenge on the back side of the island and got an insane idea. He found the drop off that would lead straight into open water ("You really are insane, Percy."). He jumped with the Fleece, telling the other two to wait until he was in the water before they jumped. They called him insane but had no other choice. He cushioned their fall by catching them with the water when they were around fifty feet in the air. As they fell, the water eased them down until they plopped into the ocean with the amount of velocity it of jumping off a 5 meter diving board.

"In other words," Annabeth told Thalia, "it still hurt."

They swam for safety, but a giant rock destroyed the Queen Anne's Revenge before they could get to it. Percy called for Rainbow, his hippocampus, and a couple friends and they rode out of the Sea of Monsters to safety.

When they woke up, Percy sent an Iris-message to Chiron saying they'd appreciate a pickup. Chiron said he'd be there with a couple relatives in about ten minutes.

Unfortunately, that was enough time for Luke to catch them and bring them aboard his massive cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda. He tried to take the Fleece by force, but Clarisse and Annabeth stood in front of Percy, protecting him.

Luke and Annabeth argued, the former telling the latter that he shouldn't need to rely on friends fighting his battles. This provoked Percy to fight Luke for the Fleece. They fought on the deck with Percy pressing Luke back. Eventually, Percy cut Luke's legs and had the son of Hermes at his mercy. Clarisse screamed at him to finish the traitor off, but Luke's bodyguards, two bear-men named Agrius and Oreius, knocked him away. Oreius prepared to eat Percy after picking him back up; however, he was saved in the nick of time by a boxing-glove arrow.

"A boxing-glove arrow?" asked Thalia.

"It was an arrow with a boxing glove attached to the front," Percy said. "It saved my life."

Centaurs called Party Ponies arrived on the scene to rescue the three demigods led by none other than Chiron. They got back to camp safely, and Percy decided that they should hang it on Grover's tree. Chiron posted an ad for protection for the Fleece in some Olympus newspaper and they got a dragon named Peleus.

It was just a couple weeks after that when Thalia arrived back at camp looking miserable.

"Not like you looked any better," Thalia huffed.

"That's the story in my eyes," Percy shrugged. "Also… uh, never mind. Anyway, what do you think Hedge sent the distress call out for?"

Remember how it took a year and a half for something interesting to happen? This was it. Coach Hedge, the satyr that had brought him to camp, had been on scouting missions to find demigods up in New England. He sent a distress call to camp requesting for powerful backup, and from what Percy could remember about Hedge, the situation must've been pretty bad for him to call for backup.

Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."

Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking a big frosty forest on one side and the grey churning ocean on the other.

They stopped at the front. Argus stared at Annabeth, as if expecting her to say something.

She shook her head. "No, Argus. Head back to camp. You've done enough. Camp needs your security."

Argus nodded, which was weird because the eyes on his neck stretched and crinkled as he did.

The three of them shuffled out of the car. The wind blew straight through Percy's coat like ice daggers.

He looked at Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia looked like she was made to stand this freezing weather. Annabeth was shivering a little, though he was sure it wasn't as bad as him. There had been something else that he wanted to tell them… something he found out when Chiron sent Thalia and Annabeth to a boarding school in Brooklyn. But it wasn't important.

The oak doors groaned open, and the three of them stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

The entire entry hall looked like a giant shrine to Ares. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff.

Strike, hissed Kronos' voice.

Percy winced and looked at the ground. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like the Titan lord was still speaking to him, and especially when he was around Thalia. It was almost as if Kronos was urging him to kill her. He couldn't do that.

After the incident with Luke in Miami, he couldn't stop thinking about how he hadn't killed Luke. He'd hesitated. The point of his sword was an inch away from piercing Luke's skin. He couldn't kill him and end all of this. He'd hesitated for too long. Why was that? He was supposed to be changed. He was supposed to be on the gods' side.

Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"

The door slammed shut behind them.

"Oo-kay," Percy muttered. "Guess we're staying."

Music echoed from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.

They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. They hadn't gone very far when he heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them.

They both had short grey hair and black-military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy moustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to him. They both walked stiffly, like robots. His mechanical fingers twitched.

"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"I sent them outside," a gruff voice said from behind the teachers.

The two slowly parted revealing Coach Hedge looking like he was having the worst night of his life. He struggled in his military-style uniform.

"You know them, Gleeson?" the man asked in a tense tone. He had a hawkish face and his eyes were two different colours—one brown, one blue.

Suspicious, thought Percy.

"Yes, Dr. Thorn," Hedge said. His tone made it clear he didn't like Dr. Thorn. "Punishment. Push-ups in the snow."

"Mr. Hedge—" the woman began.

"Coach Hedge, Mrs. Gottschalk," corrected the short satyr.

"—I would like to remind you," she continued, "that your unorthodox punishments from public schools is not permitted here at Westover. And moreover, I've never seen these students before."

"They're new," said Hedge. "Not very social these cupcakes. Like to hide in the shadows."

"Do not let them out of the gymnasium again," Mrs. Gottschalk snarled. "Go!"

Hedge ushered them to the gym.

"That was close," Hedge muttered. "You got my message?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" asked Percy. "There hasn't really been much need for emergencies lately."

"I found two."

"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"

Hedge nodded. Finding one half-blood was rare enough.

This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. They were losing campers. They needed all the new fighters they could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.

And also… there were demigods who were traitors, just like him.

"A brother and a sister," Coach Hedge said. "They're eleven and thirteen. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. Stronger than the average demigod. We're running out of time, though. I need help."

"Monsters?"

"One." Hedge looked nervous, which was unusual. "A very, very powerful monster. I'd brain him, but I've got a bad feeling about what might happen if I try. Either way, with the three of you here, I can brain him while you run away with the kids. Still, I'm sure he knows. This is the last day of term. He won't let them leave campus without truly finding out. It may be our last chance."

The satyr looked at Thalia. "You've got the most experience with monsters."

"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"

Hedge nodded.

"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"

"You just met him," he said darkly. "The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

"Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had the same dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards.

His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

Percy felt like he recognized them from somewhere, but he couldn't pick out the memory. He didn't recognize the names either. Maybe they just looked like people he knew.

Annabeth said, "Do they… I mean, have you told them?"

Hedge shook his head. "You know how it is. Thalia and Percy both reek."

Percy wanted to ask who reeked more, but he knew it would just be inappropriate. Considering the more powerful you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch, he wanted to know if he was more powerful than Thalia or not. That was also something that had been bothering him lately.

Just then, the vice principal, Dr. Thorn slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the Di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in their direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"How?"

"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."

"Dancing?" Percy grimaced. He wasn't exactly the best dancer…

"I'll be around," Hedge said. "Or… uh, stopping Mrs. Gottschalk from realizing you three aren't students." He disappeared into the crowd looking ready to beat someone up.

The three of them stood there in the middle of the gym awkwardly looking at one another.

"I'll… I'll head over there." Thalia gestured to her left. "Keep an eye out." She, too, disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm worried about her," Annabeth murmured.

"Huh?" Percy asked.

Annabeth took off her ski cap. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason. She used to wear no jewellery except her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. Her eyes were like the colour of the ocean outside—a churning sea grey that was a little intimidating and also very pretty. Her lips were set in a frown.

"Haven't you noticed? She's been a little uneasy ever since she got back from L.A. I mean, she's almost the same as she was before but… there's just something about her that doesn't seem like she's her anymore. Don't you notice it?"

"Well, not really. Why? What's wrong?"

"I wonder… I wonder if she ran into Luke on her way back."

"That can't be true," Percy argued. "Luke's on the Princess Andromeda. He's cruising up and down the east coast recruiting monsters and half-bloods to join Kronos' cause. There's no way that he could have possibly—"

"Then how do you explain her sudden reluctance? One moment she's fine, and then all of a sudden she just gets all awkward and shy."

He looked down. "I don't know."

Annabeth sighed. "Whatever. Let's just carry on with the mission. Make sure to keep an eye on the siblings."

"I know. I know."

He looked around. Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly coloured pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face.

They passed by, took a good look at him, then at Annabeth, before wandering off looking for their next victim.

"That was close," Percy sighed in relief. "I don't want to look like a doll when we go and fight Dr. Thorn."

"But you wouldn't mind them kissing you, would you?" Annabeth said with a smirk.

He blushed. "That's different."

She laughed.

"Anyway… um, how's the new school? Any good designs lately?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program—"

She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and he tried to listen. But like always, it got hard once she passed the thirty second mark.

Architecture could get her mind off almost anything. Almost.

"So… how's your dad?" he asked.

Maybe nothing really interesting happened in the past year and a half, but things definitely did happen. Last month, Annabeth's dad contacted her and told her that he was moving to San Francisco. Percy didn't really care, but Annabeth seemed to be really troubled by it.

The only home Percy had was Camp Half-Blood. His mother's old apartment in Manhattan wasn't good enough, even though its owner mysteriously disappeared. Percy even had money to pay for stuff after he became the next "big sculpture artist." But he just gave the money to Chiron. Still, he never really felt comfortable enough to move back out into the mortal world.

Annabeth always said she was never accepted at her home, but Annabeth didn't really seem like the kind of person to stay at camp year-long. The only thing Percy wondered was if her family was really as bad as she said it was.

"Oh… well, I don't know. I still haven't really decided."

"Right."

"Percy, I… I probably should tell you something."

Suddenly, Coach Hedge burst through the crowd. "They're gone!"

"What?"

Annabeth pointed to the bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.

"We have to get Thalia!" Annabeth looked around frantically.

"She's not in here," Hedge said. "This is not good." He sniffed the air. "I can still smell them. They were here not long ago."

"Where's the most secluded area on campus?" Percy asked. "It doesn't have to be in the school."

Coach Hedge thought about it. "Well, there're woods behind the school. There's a point at the edge of the cliff where the woods clear up. You don't think…"

"Well, if Thorn is the vice principal, he can't possibly be a stupid monster," Percy reasoned. "He would have to lure them out to a spot that's secluded so that no one knows or finds out. It makes the most sense."

"That's smart," Annabeth agreed. "But that means we're betting Thalia's out there."

"It'd be better if she was safe. But yeah, basically. Come on!"

"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."

"The Great what?" Thalia asked.

Percy held Hedge back as the old satyr grabbed his baseball bat and growled, ready to attack. Annabeth was crouched to his right. They tried to hide in the shadows so that the monster couldn't see them. He turned to her and asked, "So what's the plan?"

"The Stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn raised his arms like some kind of crazed fanatic. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"On my signal, charge out," Annabeth whispered back to him. Her eyes held grim determination. She pulled her Yankees cap out and put it on. Her body disappeared into thin air, and Percy forced himself to keep watching the scene. He pulled out Anaklusmos and prepared to uncap it.

A few seconds later, something invisible slammed into the di Angelo siblings and Thalia. Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over their heads. That was the signal.

Hedge burst out with his baseball bat screaming, "Die, cupcake!"

Percy could hear the sound of a helicopter in the distance, but he tried not to focus on that.

Dr. Thorn swatted Coach Hedge to the side. His hand changed into an orange paw with enormous claws. Percy charged forward and feinted. He rolled as Dr. Thorn swiped his paw at him and slashed at Dr. Thorn's side. He rolled again when Thorn tried to swipe at him again.

He tried to move forward when giant spikes came flying at him. At the last moment, he swung his sword in an arc, deflecting all but one, which grazed his shoulder. Percy glanced behind Dr. Thorn and saw a tail—a leathery, scorpion-like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a huge bolt of lightning flew down and slammed into the monster. Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A manticore!" Annabeth said. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off.

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

The manticore turned to the four of them.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. Thalia activated Aegis, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield, the face of Medusa carved into its front. The spikes deflected off the shield, but hit with enough impact to knock Thalia back.

Thalia growled as she took out her spear and began attacking the beast at her full force. Thalia was strong—there was no doubt about it—but even she couldn't beat the monster. She managed to stab him through his right leg, but as soon as she pulled the spear out, the manticore's tail whipped around and knocked her to the side.

Her spear flew off into the snow. Her shield landed at his feet.

Coach Hedge bought him just enough time by trying to attack Dr. Thorn. Of course, Coach Hedge failed and was knocked down to the snow, but it provided the perfect distraction. Percy charged with Aegis in his hand. He remembered the battle with the Chimera when he cut the tail off the beast. If he could do that with Thorn…

He charged forward, ready to attack. He almost got him.

It was the helicopter that saved the manticore.

The searchlights blinded Percy, and the manticore swatted him away as well. His sword flew off the cliff, but Aegis stayed snug on his arm. He and Thalia stood to protect the others, but only armed with one shield and one spear between the two of them, they had no chance.

Percy glanced at the helicopter. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the side that looked like laser-guided rockets. So this was what Luke meant by mercenaries. Actually kind of smart.

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. They had no chance.

Then he heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind, and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

His sentence was cut short when something flew at him like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.

He staggered backward, wailing in agony. "Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and cut them in two. No… he wasn't hallucinating. That was exactly what happened.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy swiped at him, but he dodged and whipped his tail around. Percy slashed at the tail, cutting it straight in half. With a growl, Dr. Thorn swiped at him, knocking him to the edge of the cliff. He slipped off and was caught at the last moment by Bianca and Annabeth. Bianca looked surprised that she caught him.

"Drop him!" yelled Thorn when Annabeth tried pulling him back up.

"You will not!"

The archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like Percy. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Thalia stared at them with a look he'd never seen on her before: true admiration. "The Hunters," she repeated.

One of the old archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful, with coppery coloured skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.

"Permission to kill, my lady?"

She didn't take her eyes off the manticore, so it wasn't clear who she was talking to.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said, and Percy realized it was the one that spoke earlier, just before they came out from the woods. She looked maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail, and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made him catch his breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."

The monster growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Percy, knowing he was on the verge of falling off. "No!" Annabeth yelled, and she let go of his arm. Thalia grabbed Bianca's leg to prevent her from falling from the sudden change in weight.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane.

The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth held on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoë ordered.

"No!" Percy screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.

Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with the auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.

"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.

Bianca managed to pull him up with the help of Thalia and Nico. He was still stunned as he stared down into the darkness, sure that the manticore and Annabeth were still there.

The Hunters advanced on them.

The one called Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "So you're here, Thalia Grace."

"Zoë Nightshade." Thalia's voice was a mixture of distaste and grudging respect. "Perfect timing, as usual."

"Annabeth," Percy said, glancing back down.

The auburn-haired girl turned toward him. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."

He looked at her for a moment and then bowed. "Artemis."

"Lady Artemis," Thalia corrected with a glare.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Thalia nodded, as if satisfied. But then she noticed the look on his face and knit her eyebrows. "Percy...?"

He smiled, and before anyone could do anything, he said, "I don't believe Annabeth is gone. Not yet." And then he jumped off the cliff with the cries of Thalia echoing behind him.

I'm back from vacation, but my schedule is becoming jam packed. September approaches meaning less time for FanFiction. Also, have things to do in the next couple of weeks, so updates will definitely slow down. Probably to the rate of an average FanFiction author. One to three weeks. Not sure. I know you guys want me to change up the plot, and although this is probably expected, I wanted to start the Titan's Curse with this.

By the way, if you voted for Idea #3 on the poll, I removed that answer. If you can re-vote, trying re-voting! If not, then I'll start the poll up again! Thanks!

SharkAttack