Percy Jackson

Percy was quick to pack before he left camp. He figured it was just another demigod rescue, so he didn't bring too much, just some basics. His backpack had a small medical kit, a half-filled Ziploc bag of ambrosia, and a canteen of nectar. Of course, he also brought along Riptide.

Percy reached into his jean's right pocket and pulled out a photograph. Two familiar people were in the photo. The photo was of him and Annabeth, after he had rescued her from Atlas. They had been spending some time together on the docks of the canoe lake when she decided to kiss him on the cheek as a thank you. So of course, someone just had to be around to take a picture.

Yet he didn't value the photo over the kiss. Instead, he liked the picture because of what it reminded him off. During their talk, they had made promises to one another that they'd always come back, no matter what happened. He knew she wasn't coming back but he liked the small comfort that the picture provided.

Percy's green eyes hardened before he slipped the photo back into his pocket. He hefted his bag and made his way towards the stables.

Along the way, he couldn't help but think about all the walks he took to the stables before he left to go find Annabeth. He must've spent months looking for her, but he was never able to find her, not even a trace of the demigoddess came by him.

When he made it to the stables, he opened the stable doors and peered inside. He didn't see anyone inside, not that he really cared. Most people stayed away from him nowadays.

Percy walked over to Blackjack, "Hey, big guy, ready to do some flying?"

Please tell me we aren't going all the way to Panama again. Blackjack neighed.

"Nah, we're just going to the city." Percy said while climbing on.

Once he steered Blackjack out of the stables, he got ready to take off when he was stopped by someone yelling his name. He looked over to see Malcolm running over. Malcolm had become the Athena cabin's counselor ever since Annabeth was captured.

"What is it, Malcolm?" Percy asked.

"Are you going looking for Annabeth again?" He asked.

Percy sighed, "No."

"Well, wherever you're going, can you at least keep an eye out for her?"

Percy nearly shouted. He'd been keeping an eye out for her since she got taken away. In fact, he nearly kissed a cheerleader in his school since she looked like Annabeth. The only reason he stopped was because her eyes were blue, not gray.

"I will." Percy said through gritted teeth.

"Thanks, man." Malcolm said, "Good luck."

Percy nodded before taking off. As he flew overhead, he looked back at camp one more time before turning his sharp gaze onto New York City.

Ω

When Percy landed in the city, he chose to land a few streets away from where he was supposed to be. He didn't want any monsters seeing him dropping in, otherwise they'd turn tail and run. He didn't want them to run, he wanted them dead.

That's how he ended up on the sidewalk outside a grungy old apartment building. The red bricks had lost their color a long time ago, leaving the bricks a brownish color. The side of the building had graffiti all over it, most likely due to the local kids. Some of the windows were cracked as if someone had thrown a baseball threw them.

Percy looked around to make sure he was at the right place. He knew this had to be the right place, it matched the same address Chiron gave him. The only thing that confused him was the fact that someone would actually live in the building, it looked like it was about to fall apart.

Percy steeled himself for a fight and started walking to the front door. He gripped Riptide in pen form as he slowly pushed the front door open. He peered inside. The front lobby was empty, it looked like it had been that way for a while. The front desk was stripped of anything of value and a thin layer of dust covered everything in sight.

Percy pushed the door open fully this time and walked in. He looked around but he didn't see anyone. He wondered if it was possible that someone was pranking him and Chiron. If so, he wasn't going to be a happy camper. He had more important things to do than chase ghosts.

His footsteps were the only thing he could hear. He didn't hear anyone or anything. Even when he opened every door on the first floor, he didn't find anything except empty rooms.

Then he heard something upstairs. A creak and a muffled thump, as if someone was walking up there. Percy looked up at the ceiling, noting some of the dust slowly falling down. He glared at the ceiling, about time whoever called him showed up.

He drew Riptide and sneakily ran up the stairs, making sure to thread lightly in case of traps. He took some sneak lessons from the Stolls and he was pretty good at running without even making a peep.

When Percy made it to the second floor, he was dismayed to find the floor empty. Unlike the lobby, there were only three doors in the hallway. The light hanging from the ceiling was cracked, the glass lying on the floor in shards.

Percy hugged the wall and started proceeding. He came to the first door and took a deep breath. He was going to slaughter whatever monster was in that room. He grabbed the doorknob, counted to three, then he kicked the door open and rushed inside, sword at the ready.

Percy raised his eyebrows as he stared at the empty bedroom in front of him. He walked forward, noticing the bed was messy. The blankets were wrinkled and in disarray, like someone had been sleeping in the bed before he came.

That was when the door to the bathroom flew open. A half-blood wearing a set of jet-black armor rushed out, swinging his celestial bronze short sword. Percy nearly laughed, and he would've if he wasn't so angry. He raised his sword and knocked the half-blood's sword out of his hand. He hit him with his shoulder, sending the half-blood through the wall and into the hallway.

"So, you called me here?" Percy growled, menacingly making his way towards the half-blood.

Another half-blood appeared on his right, a spear in his hand. He let out a war cry before charging Percy. Percy glared at him. He dodged to the side and slashed at the half-blood, taking a sick sense of pride in the sound of flesh being cut open. Blood splattered onto the wall as the half-blood let out a cry of pain.

Percy knew that he didn't land a fatal blow, but he knew he just knocked that half-blood out of commission for a while.

He turned back to the other half-blood, ready to strike him down too but instead of seeing the half-blood, he found himself being charged by a slimmer figure wearing a set of celestial bronze armor. He couldn't see the person's face but he knew it was a girl judging from her higher-pitched voice and flexibility.

Percy slashed at the girl, hoping to hit one of the few exposed areas in her armor. The issue was that she was heavily armored. She wore shoulder guards, forearm guards, a helmet that covered her face with what looked like a warlike face mask, and a chest piece that showed a little of her sides. He'd have to hit a few exposed spots, like a bit of her shoulder or her arms.

"Sedate him!" She shouted through her mask.

Percy tried to turn but was shocked by a pinching sensation on the back of his neck. It was cold, like steel. He turned just in time to see the half-blood that attacked him first was standing there, a syringe in his hand.

"Sweet dreams, asshole." He spat.

Percy turned to face the girl. She stood above him. She looked down at him and let out a low laugh at his face before kneeling down to his level.

"You'll be coming with us." She said, he could hear the smile in her voice.