Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Ranger's Apprentice. All rights go to their respectful owners.

3rd Person POV

Alyssa sat down nervously on the sofa in the Big House. Chiron stood in front of her, pacing back and forth across the room. Now was the time Alyssa would learn about these so-called "gods", and as to what Annabeth meant when she said "half-blood". Alyssa drummed her fingers anxiously on her knee. She wasn't sure exactly why she was nervous. Maybe it was because she was scared of the truth. She felt a small worm of fear gnawing at her stomach. What if she never got back to Araluen? She might not see Will or Halt or anybody ever again…

Chiron cleared his throat and stopped pacing. "Now, Alyssa, I assume you know about the Greek gods?" Alyssa nodded. She remembered being told myths and stories about them when she was a child. Chiron continued. "Well, they're living right now. They never died out despite the stories that you might have heard. And sometimes, they have children with humans. Their children are called half-bloods or demigods. This is a camp that keep all children of the gods safe. People like Percy, Annabeth and Leo. They train here, and learn to defend themselves against the many dangers that they will face outside the camp borders."

Chiron paused, letting Alyssa soak up the information. Then he continued.

"And we might think that you are one of these children. In which case, you should stay here, and train."

"But…I'm already familiar with weapons. I've been training with weapons for years now," Alyssa challenged, gesturing vaguely to the bow slung over her back. Chiron gave a small smile. "Well, then you'll have a head start. I'm sure you can spar with Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth told me that you weren't exactly, er, part of this century. We aren't sure as to why you're here in the first place. It might be some sort of message from the gods, or perhaps...the next Great Prophecy." Chiron's eyes grew dark as he said the last two words.

"What? What's the Great Prophecy?" Alyssa questioned. Chiron shook his head. "That isn't something you need to know, Alyssa. You don't need more weight on your shoulders than you already have. Now, off you go. If you have any more questions ask Percy or Annabeth."

Alyssa slowly rose from the sofa and walked out the door. Child of a Greek god? Her? Could that even be possible? When she was a little girl, she was raised by her single mother. Her mother said that her father left. But Alyssa never knew why. Maybe it had some sort of connection…

Deep in thought, she was taken by surprise when a hand grabbed her arm. Alarmed, she spun around, her saxe knife already have-drawn. There stood a boy with curly, brown locks, and crystal blue eyes. Next to him, stood a similar looking boy, a couple inches taller. Both of the boys were still a couple inches taller than Alyssa.

The two boys jumped back at the sight of the gleaming blade. "Woah! Do you plan to behead us or something with that knife?" The shorter one yelped. Alyssa sighed and re-sheathed her saxe. "Can I help you?" she asked. The shorter boy held out a hand and Alyssa shook it. "The name's Connor Stoll, and this is my brother Travis," he said, gesturing to the taller boy beside him. Alyssa nodded. "I'm Alyssa Cardon."

Before Alyssa could pull her hand away, Connor placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. He looked up, putting on what he liked to call "his charming face".

He earned a punch to the arm by Travis, who rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. "You've known her for like, two minutes, and you're already hitting on her?!" Travis exclaimed. Connor, letting go of Alyssa's hand, smirked. "Like you would do any different."

Alyssa wasn't sure if she should be flattered or disgusted. As a Ranger, she had a lot of male influences in her life. She never really acted like a girl. She never thought to be "lady-like" as most eighteen year olds were taught to be. In fact, she absolutely despised dresses and jewelry. It made her feel constricted. Alyssa said nothing, only glared. She wasn't one to be swayed so easily. She was just about to turn on her heels and leave, when a thought occurred to her. "Do you know where Leo is?" she asked.

Travis shrugged carelessly. "Hmm, he might be in his cabin, over there," Travis pointed to the Hephaestus cabin across the field. Alyssa breathed a quick thank you and jogged off to the cabin. As she came up the door, she noticed with interest that the whole building was decorated with gears and metal parts. Alyssa rapped on the door, and waited for it to open.

Leo opened the door, and his face lit up as he saw her. "Alyssa! What brings you here?" Alyssa smiled warmly back. "I believe that I forgot to say thank you for saving me back in the forest. I owe you my life," she said. Leo dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "Nah, it's nothing. So did Chiron talk to you about demigods and such?" He asked absentmindedly, wiping off the grease-stains on his forehead with an equally dirty cloth.

Alyssa pursed her lips. "Yes, he did. Is it… true?" She asked cautiously.

Leo snorted. "Chiron never lies about things like this. Of course it is," he told her, heading back into the room, calling over his shoulder. "Well, I better finish this project. I'll maybe see you at breakfast tomorrow?" Alyssa nodded and Leo flashed a toothy grin as he shut the door.

Alyssa turned, and looked for Percy and Annabeth. She walked around a bit, and eventually spotted them in the same field they were last time, dueling each other. She jogged lightly over to them, careful to avoid the flashing of swords from other campers. Percy and Annabeth saw her approach.

"Hey, Alyssa! Glad you're here, I was going to introduce you to some of the other demigods. We were having a training marathon together." Percy added with a cheeky grin.

Percy called over multiple other people, all looking about the same age. He briefly introduced Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Frank.

"So, Alyssa, want to have a little duel. Me against you?" Percy asked. Alyssa smirked. "Of course." She slung the bow and quiver off her shoulder, threw them on the grass out of the way, and unsheathed her knives. Percy, as always, chose Riptide. They both stood two or so meters apart, shuffling in circles, trying to guess the other opponent's moves. Alyssa saw Percy's stance. He definitely looked like he knew how to use that weapon of his. Percy noticed the same in Alyssa.

It was Percy that made the first move. He lunged with lightning speed, but Alyssa, balanced on the balls of her feet, sidestepped easily. She slashed an uppercut with her saxe at Percy, but he skipped away just in time to avoid being beheaded. Alyssa swiped a low underhand cut at Percy's waist. He parried it just in time. Percy's sword arced in a deadly overhead cut, the gleaming blade catching the sunlight. Alyssa brought up her throwing knife, and locked it behind the saxe, forming an "x". Alyssa remembered Will teaching her the double knife defense. Now was the time to put it to good use.

Riptide clanged loudly against the hard steel of the saxe. The two blades locked hilts, and the owner's stood chest-to-chest, as they battled in a contest of brute strength. Alyssa knew that Percy was stronger muscle-wise, even if Alyssa had strong arm and back muscles from all her training. Percy forced Alyssa down to her knees, and at a last resort, she aimed a solid, flat-footed kick to Percy's kneecap. Percy yelped in pain as his knee buckled. He stumbled slightly, but he didn't fall. No, Percy Jackson never gave up.

He saw a dull flash of steel and instinctively brought up Riptide to intercept it. The solid hit jarred his arm. The saxe knife and Riptide locked cross-pieces yet again. This time, Percy twisted his blade, bringing the knife with it, until it got to the point which Alyssa had no choice to drop her knife. It was the disarming technique he had learned from Luke when he first came to camp. Alyssa gritted her teeth and reluctantly dropped the saxe, and Percy immediately kicked it away from reach.

All Alyssa had left was her throwing knife. It was a near to useless weapon against a cavalry sword. She had the disadvantage of a shorter reach, and a lighter weapon. For another minute, the two played a game of cat and mouse. Percy would strike at Alyssa, and she would simply dance away with agile. She had some close calls, but she managed.

Percy tried another right hand cut, but Alyssa dropped to her haunches, and swept her right leg into Percy's ankles in an arc. Percy had a surprised look on his face when his feet were swept from underneath him, and he crashed to the ground. Alyssa took the opportunity to take a breath, but Percy was already up on his feet.

Percy tried another low sweep to the feet, and Alyssa was forced to use her blade to deflect it, jarring her arm. As the knife came close to the ground, Percy stomped on it, and it was ripped from Alyssa's hand. Percy held Alyssa at sword's point. Riptide was barely touching the fleshy part of Alyssa's throat.

Percy smirked. "I win," he spoke softly, and dropped the point of the sword. They both took a chance to catch their breath. They were both covered in sweat, plastering their clothing to their bodies. All of a sudden, Alyssa's was swarmed with demigods, each of them patting her on the back and congratulating her for coming so close to defeating the legendary hero. Alyssa allowed a small smile to break through.

Percy smiled at her. "Not too bad. To be honest, I thought I was a goner back when you had me on the ground. That was a cool trick," he acknowledged. Alyssa chuckled. "Speak for yourself. You were one of the hardest opponents I ever faced."

Alyssa looked up at the sky. The Sun was starting to set. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night," she said tiredly, followed by a yawn. Annabeth nodded. "I can show you to your room if you like? We have one reserved for you in the Big House." Alyssa nodded gratefully. She gathered up her weapons, and waved goodbye to the other campers, then followed Annabeth.

After getting settled into her new room, Alyssa laid in the soft bed, heaving a huge sigh of bliss. Her back was slightly sore from the training, but then again, she trained every day back in Araluen. Sore muscles were definitely not a new experience. She shifted so that she lay on her side, and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure where her life was going right now, and how she could get home, but all she could do was watch and let fate decide.

In the meantime, she could use some well-deserved sleep.

IMPORTANT: Seeing as Royal Ranger and House of Hades came out, I still have yet to read them, which means that the story is going to go on just like normal, but just pretend like the new books never happened, okay? I can't reference events that happened in those books, or any details, etc. (I hope you get what I mean) So…please take that into consideration when reading my stories xD

Feedback and more suggestions much appreciated! Thanks for reading! :)

~Seas of Emerald