I do not own Percy Jackson nor Heroes of Olympus, they belong to Rick Riordan.

Chapter Twenty - Liam

They stayed at the hotel for about a day. Carlos's fevered lowered slowly, but eventually, he was back to normal.

And by normal, he meant by practically bouncing off the walls in excitement like a child on a sugar high. He grabbed Alyx's shirt while she packed up, buzzing with happiness.

"Are we going to fight monsters?"

"Um…" She raised her eyebrow. "No, we're going to New York to get to Camp Half-Blood."

"But-!"

"The last time we fought a monster was the giant in the junkyard and you got sick from it. We're avoiding as many monsters as we can." He pouted and slumped against her, his cheek squishing against her arm. She pulled out a cookie and hovered it at his mouth. He grabbed it with his mouth and munched on it while she folded some clothes. He smiled, watching in amusement as she let him climb onto her back and hang off like a baby koala.

"You two are weird." He said. Alyx simply laughed, zipping her pack. Carlos laid his head on her shoulder, yawning, cookie crumbs around his mouth. He was getting tired, thankfully. Alyx gently backed up and let him slide off onto the bed.

A few hours passed, and Carlos and him happily cuddled up to her. They watched TV or played card games, and after getting tired of being beaten by her every single time, they simply put on a movie.

She got up halfway through, stretching.

"What are you doing?" Carlos asked, sitting up and watching her pull on her boots.

"I'm going to scout the area. I did once this morning, but I'm just feeling cautious today."

"Want us to go with you?" She shook her head.

"No, stay here. Be on guard. Those people might come back." They nodded. After he told Carlos about the incident, he had turned red and covered his face, muttering over and over to himself that he was pathetic. It took Alyx like five times to calm him down, and hugged him tightly when he started crying.

He made his bed while Carlos nibbled on a banana, staring at his weapons in front of him.

"I wish my weapons could turn into something small." He said, throwing the skin away. He sat by him, looking at the black gems at the bottom of the hilts. He reached out and touched them gently.

"What are these-" They glowed suddenly, and slowly began to shrink. His sword turned into a ring, and his dagger turned into an armlet.

"Wow, thanks Mom and Dad for not telling me." He picked them up and slid them on. He chuckled and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"What's your mom like?" Carlos asked. He let out a small laugh.

"My mom? She's amazing. She taught me everything I need to know to surviving being a demigod." He smiled. "She's the greatest hunter I know. She knows how to handle every weapon, can bend the Mist, and has a magical shield."

"She sounds fantastic." He nodded.

"She is." Carlos smiled back at his grin, and crossed his legs. He was so… Beautiful. With the black curls gently curling against his temple and cheeks, blue eyes that were like the sky, and tan skin covered in freckles. Not to mention his body. Alyx had built him good. He had runner's legs, thick and big. His calves were muscled. His hips were unusually big for a boy as well as his butt. Not to mention (and he wasn't being a pervert or anything) but when they had to share a bed, his leg brushed against his and he felt the smooth skin of Carlos. Soft and smooth, moisturized obviously.

He looked away at Carlos's innocent expression.

Hey, Liam? Can you come help me? I'm sort of trapped…

He raised his eyebrow. By who?

The people that have been chasing us… They're like, really close, so do you mind hurrying?

Yeah, be right there.

He stood, pulling on his boots, making Carlos look at him questionably.

"Alyx is in trouble." He perked up, standing. "No, stay here."

"No. Alyx is my friend too, I'm coming to help." He said. Liam stared at him with an unwavering look, before he finally sighed.

"Fine." He perked up, tapping his earring. The mask sealed over his face. He did the same thing, opening the balcony doors and jumping onto the roof next door. He immediately saw her. The ship that they flew on was parked in the lot a few buildings away, covered in Celestial Bronze painted to look like wood. They all surrounded her, holding their weapons, and he could see a few trying to advance. Carlos was about to go in, but he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back down.

"What?" He hissed.

"Hold on. I think she's going to do something." He raised his eyebrow but followed his eyes. She had her mask on, her hood off, her hair whipping with the small breeze. Clouds thundered and shone with the lightning, and he knew this was perfect weather for him, but he wanted to see her fighting style. He pulled out binoculars, handing them to Carlos, who took it. He saw perfectly, mostly because he had hunter vision.

He saw her eyes narrow, and the color matched the clouds, the green bright.

"Put down your mask. We don't want to hurt you." He heard the Chinese girl say. Alyx glared. She hadn't pulled out Riptide or her dagger, or touched her knives whatsoever. She had her hands in her pockets. She looked extremely hot with the punk styled hair, scars, the black clothes and the way she was built.

One took a small step forward, thrusting her spear to her. Alyx was quick, pulling her hands out of her pockets and grabbing the spear shaft, breaking it. The girl's eyes widened, and Alyx took advantage of the surprised faces of the people, so she lunged, swinging her legs and sweeping the girl's legs out from under her. A guy ran at her at a high speed, but she turned around, slamming her hand into his chest and sending him flying. He landed on the ground, coughing, the wind knocked out of him. She took down the youths quickly, and she and the older woman stared each other down.

"Who are you?" The woman asked. Wrinkle lines appeared on Alyx's face, indicating she was smiling.

"No one you probably know." Since her mask changed her voice into a low, husky, seductive tone, the woman's eyebrows furrowed deeply, gripping her sword tightly.

"You carry one weapon. A dagger."

"Yes, but I have two others, plus my knives." She patted her knives casually.

"You fight like an Amazon, Roman and Greek combined. Like my friend's daughter."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Good luck finding her."

"Have you seen her? You must be a demigod, right?"

"Yes."

"Then have you seen Alyx Jackson?"

To Be Continued...