A/N: I don't own the rights to any of the Percy Jackson series or it's characters. That right gaoes to Rick Riordan. I also don't own the rights to Animorph including it's title.

I am, however, the person who posted 'The Tales of...' series.

This is not a crossover of the Percy Jackson series with the book/tv series Animorph, despite what you might think from the title. I just thought it be a proper name for the ability to turn into animals since that's why the tv/book series 'Animorph' was called that in the first place.

Also, ever since I got my latest Laptop I been stuck using Google Docs and Copy and paste my chapters and for some reason when I save what I paste any formats I made is turn to normal format- Inbox. I even have to bold the chapter titles, but as I'm sure you noticed sometimes I forget to do that. So anything I normally itallilize like thoughts come out normal text. A/N at the beginning and end of each keep the format changes because I add them without copying and pasting from google doc.

If you haven't read this yet, read:

Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Stolen Chariot
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sword of Hades
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Bronze Dragon
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Staff of Hermes
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Singer of Apollo

Leo: Festus Sacrifice Himself to Save Us

We spiraled through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus' hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim.

"Not again!" I yelled. "You can't fall again!"

I could barely hold on. The wind stung my eyes, but I managed to pull open the pannel on the dragon's neck. I toggled the switches. I tugged the wires. The dragon's wings flapped once, but I caught a whiff of burning bronze. The drive system was overloaded. Festus didn't have the strength to keep flying, and I couldn't get to the main control panel on the dragon's head-not in midair. I saw the lights of a city below us-just flashes in the dark as we plummeted in circles. We had only seconds before we crashed.

"Jason! I screamed. "Take Piper and Coach and Fly out of here!"

"What?"

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you?" Piper cried. "If you can't reboot him-"

"He's right! Sometimes you need to drop some pounds in order to keep on running," Coach said.

For once I was glad to hear one of Coach's pep talks.

"Just follow me to the ground. Go!" I told them.

"Coach, hold onto my back since you're already back there!" Jason said as he grabbed PIper around the waist. All three unbuckled their harnesses and in a flash they were gone-shooting into the air.

"Now," I said. "Just you and me, Festus-and one heavy cage. You can do it, boy!"

I talked to the dragon while I worked, falling at terminal velocity. I could see the city lights below me, getting closer and closer. I summoned fire in my hand so I could see what I was doing, but the wind kept extinguishing it.

I pulled a wire that I thought connected the dragon's nerve center to its head, hoping for a little wake-up jolt.

Festus groaned-metal creaking inside his neck. His eyes flickering weakly to life and he he spread his wings. Our fall turned into a steep glide.

"Good!" I said. "Come on, big boy. Come on!"

We were still flying in way too hot, and the ground was too close. I needed a place to land-fast.

There was a big river-no. Not good for a fire breathing dragon. Plus it be too cold to let Jason dive in to get Festus. Then, on the riverbanks, I spotted a white mansion with a huge snowy lawn inside a tall brick perimeter fence-like some rick person's private compound, all of it blazing with light. A perfect landing field. I did my best to steer the dragon toward it, and Festus seemed to come back to life. We could make this!

Then everything went wrong. As we approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on us, blinding me. I heard burst like tracer fire, the sound of metal being cut to shreds-and BOOM.

I blacked out.

...

When I came to my senses, Jason Piper and Coach Hedge were leaning over me but. I was lying in the snow, covered in mud and grease. I spit a clump of frozen grass out of my mouth.

"Where-"

"Lie still," Piper had tears in her eyes. "You rolled pretty hard when-when Festus-"

"Where is he?" I sat up, but my head felt like it was floating. We'd landed inside the compound. Something happened on the way in-gunfire?

"Seriously, Leo," Jason said. "You could be hurt. You shouldn't-"

"I pushed myself to my feet. Then I saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the big canary cage as he came over the fence because it roll and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Festus wasn't so lucky.

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the massive yard before breaking apart. WHat remained of his hid was charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat in tact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.

"No," I sobbed. I ran to the dragon's head and stroked its snout. The dragon's eyes flickered weakly. Oil leaked out of his ear.

"You can't go," I pleaded. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."

The dragon's head whirred its gears as if it were purring. Jason adn Piper stood next to me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the dragon.

I remember what Hephaestus had said: That isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing last forever, not even the best machines.

My dad had been trying to warn me.

"It's not fair," I said.

The dragon clicked. Long creak. Two short clicks. Creak. Creak. Almost like a pattern-triggering an old memory in my mind. I realized Festus was trying to say something. He was using Morse code-just like my mom had taught me years ago. I listened more intently, translating the click into letters: a simple message repeating over and over.

"Yeah," I said. "I understand. I will. I promise."

The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.

I cried. I wasn't even embarrassed, even with Coach Hedge nearby (which is odd for him). My friends stood on either side of me, patting me on the shoulders, saying comforting things, but the buzzing in my ears drowned out their words.

Finally Jason said. "I'm sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"

I sniffed. I opened the dragon's head panel, just to be sure, but the control disk was cracked and burned beyond repair.

"Something my dad told me," I said. "Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"

I didn't answer. I worked at the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. It weighed about a hundred pounds, but I manage to hold it in my arms. I looked up at the starry sky and said, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of my arms like it weighted nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at me in amazement. "He answered you?"

"I had a dream," I managed. "Tell you later."

I know I owed my friends a better explanation, but I could barely speak. I felt like a broken machine myself-like someone had removed one little part of me, and now I'd never be complete. I might move, I might talk, I might keep going and do my job. But I always be off balance, never calibrated exactly right.

Still, I couldn't afford to break down completely. Otherwise, Festus had died for nothing. I had to finish this quest-for my friends, for my mom, for my dragon.

Then I heard a belch and looked to see that Coach Hedge was standing up as if he was checking the grass but when he turned I saw he had bits of grass and dirt over his burnt shirt (I'm guessing from when the sun dragon tail whipped him).

"Coach, really?" Piper asked.

"What?" Hedge said. "I thought Valdez needed some space. I maybe tough on you cupcakes but I'm not that cold. Besides, I healed him as best as I could."

"Thanks,"I said.

I looked around. The large white mansion glowed in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter, but now I could see-or rather sense-just how well those walls were defended.

"Where are we?" I asked. "I mean, what city?"

"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like-I don't know-"

"Lasers," I said. I picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it toward the top fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"

"Festus," I said miserably. "He took the fire. The laser sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"You couldn't have known," Piper said. "He saved our lives again."

"But what now?" Jason said. "The gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down. Even if I can, "i don't know if I can carry three people and a giant cage."

I know what he means. Jason was super strong, but he only have two arms and I'm not about to lock myself in a cage full of storm spirits (one of which might be Dylan) just so he has something to carry us in.

I looked up the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."