Alaster POV

So...hi. It's been a while since we've seen one another. And um...I wish it could be under better conditions.

So how can I say this without inflicting some level of terror...THE CAMP IS UNDER ATTACK!

The entire camp, including me, we're trying our best to defeat the Colchis Bulls. The Colchis Bulls were two bronze bulls that were the size of elephants, and they can also breathe fire.

Most of my orange hoodie had been singed off and bullets of sweat ran down my face as I fought with all of my being.

I ran at one of the Colchis Bulls, I rolled to the left as it shot fire at me. I blew a strong blast of wind out of my mouth towards the ground. I shot up into the air and came down with my spear in one hand and my dagger in the other.

I came down onto the bull, driving my spear and dagger into its head.

SNAP!

Half the blade of my dagger broke off along with most of my spear.

"No!" I yelled before the Colchis Bull shook me off. I tumbled down to the ground.

My spear and dagger were destroyed. But they weren't the only weapons I had. I pressed down on the center of my ring and my shield, Aegis, appeared.

It shot fire at me once more, but I avoided it. I ran at the Bull with Aegis held out in front of me. Aegis was supposed to strike fear into any monster, so the Bull didn't attack.

But I also couldn't see where I was going since I held it in front of my face. I slammed in-between the bull's horns. The next thing I knew I was sent flying through the air and I crashed onto the top of the Athena Cabin.

I rolled off the roof and crashed onto the ground. I didn't stay down long though and I got back up.

"Okay. I'm done playing with you," I said. "When you see Megaera in the Underworld, tell her Alaster says hello."

I threw my hands into the air. The clouds turned grey and tumbled before seven bolts of lighting rained down on top of the Bull and when they were all finished it was on where it's stomach would be with it's legs spread out and it was steaming.

I sighed and walked away from the Bull. It wasn't easy summoning lightning like that these days. But there was still one more Colchis Bull and I have to help Clarisse and the others.

When I came close enough, I saw Clarisse yelling at three people. One had black hair with green eyes, other had blonde hair with grey eyes, and the other was VERY tall.

Wait a second...is that Percy and Annabeth?

"Argh!" Clarisse screamed. "Don't ever, EVER try saving me again!"

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "you've got wounded campers."

"I'll be back," she growled before trudging off to assess the damage that had been done.

"Hey! Barnacle Breath!" I yelled with a smile on my face.

Percy turned to me I returned the smile. "Lightning Mouth."

We fist bumped. I turned to Annabeth. "Good to see you guys again. It's been a nightmare."

I turned to the next guy to greet him, my eyes widened as I saw the big singular eye. I gasped and held up Aegis. The cyclops moved back in fear.

Percy got in front of him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Percy. He's a—"

"Sorry. Came to help. Disobeyed you." The cyclops spoke to person.

"You didn't die." Percy said, staring at the cyclops.

"It's my fault," Annabeth said. "I had no choice. I had to let Tyson cross the boundary line to save you. Otherwise, you would've died."

"I believe I'm missing something," I said

"What do you mean you let him cross the boundary line?" Percy asked. "But—"

"Percy," she said, "have you ever looked at Tyson closely? I mean...in the face. If more the Mist, and really look at him."

"Wait...he doesn't know?" I asked.

Percy looked the cyclops—who's name was apparently Tyson—in the face.

"Tyson," Percy stammered. "You're a..."

"Cyclops," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"A baby, by the looks of him. Probably why he couldn't get past the boundary line as easily as the bulls. Tyson's one of the homeless orphans."

"One of the what?"

"They're like homeless people," I said. "Imagine a homeless demigod, who never gets claimed or even acknowledged."

"They're...mistakes, Percy. Children of nature spirits and gods...Well, one god in particular, usually...and they don't always come out right." Annabeth said

"Nobody wants them. They get tossed aside like yesterday's trash. They grow up on the streets like vermin." I said

"I don't know how this one found you, but he obviously likes you. We should take him to Chiron, let him decide what to do." Annabeth said

"But the fire. How—"

"He's a Cyclops." Annabeth said

I threw a disgusting look at Tyson. "Monsters like him work in the forges of the gods. They need to be immune to fire."

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Annabeth said to Percy.

Clarisse came back over and wiped the door that was on her forehead off. "Jackson, if you can stand, get up. We need to carry the wounded back to the Big House, let Tantalus know what's happened."

I groaned at the mention of him.

"Tantalus?" Percy asked

"The activities director," Clarisse said impatiently.

"Chiron is the activities director. And where's Argus? He's head of security. He should be here." Percy said.

Clarisse's face grew sour. "Argus got fired. You two have been gone too long. Things are changing."

"But Chiron...he's trained kids to fight monsters for over three thousand years. He can't just be gone. What happened?"

I pointed to Thalia's tree. "That happened."

My older sister's tree that was once healthy now looked ill. It's needles were yellow. A huge pile of dead ones covered the base of the tree. In the center of the trunk, three feet from the ground, was a bullet sized puncture mark that was oozing green sap.

My sister's tree had been poisoned...she's dying.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said. "I'm going to go to the camp store to get myself a hoodie."

I walked away from them and walked to the camp store where I bought an orange hoodie that had CAMP HALF-BLOOD on it.

I slipped it on after I threw out the remains of my old hoodie. I then headed back to my cabin. Once I opened my door I looked around.

Nothing changed.

Except...there were two objects on my bed. They weren't there before.

I walked towards my bed to get a look at them. It was a bracelet with my name on it and a white highlighter...I don't even think that exists.

I grabbed them both. I uncapped the highlighter.

It transformed. Out of it came a spear. The shaft was long and looked to be made out of some rose colored wood. The tip of the spear was sharp, a bit curved, and made of Celestial Bronze.

I capped the spear and it turned back into the white highlighter. I then slipped the bracelet on my right wrist. I didn't know what to do with it but almost as soon I put it on it glowed a bright light.

Only seconds later I felt something new in my hand.

It was a bow. But no quiver was on my back.

The riser was, just like the shaft of the spear, a rose wood color. The top limb and bottom limb were a bronze color and the string was black.

I walked out of my cabin and pulled the string. What came out crackling caught my eye.

A lightning bolt emerged just where an arrow should be. I released the string and the bolt went flying through the air and hit a tree. A wood nymph came out of the tree and started yelling some pretty rude things at me.

I took a look at the bow. "Woah"

It then turned back into the bracelet around my wrist.

Ok...now that was cool. If only I knew who it was from.

I walked from my cabin to Half-Blood hill. I rested my hand on Thalia's tree. "Hi. It's me..I know it's been a couple weeks since we last talked and I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier. It's just...Tantalus, he keeps stopping me from coming up here. He keeps thinking I'm going to try something, thinking I'm about to leave camp or something. But I'm not stupid. It's basically suicide for me to leave the camp alone."

I slumped down and crossed my legs as I sat down in front of the tree. "If I knew who did this to you...I would make them pay, I promise I would. Percy's back. Remember I told you about him. I don't think he'll be too happy about Tantalus. If anything I'm pretty sure he'd get himself casted out of camp the first time he meets him. I'm going to go back to camp now, see what they're doing down there. Hopefully Percy didn't get himself killed yet. I...I promise I'll find out who did this to you. And when I do...they'll wish they never even set their eyes on you."

I stood up and pressed my forehead onto the bark of the tree. "I love you."

I walked away, back to camp. It was dinner time so I went to the dining pavilion. By the time I arrived almost everybody was seated. I quickly took my seat.

After a few moments I heard "Who invited that?"

I looked to see Percy entering with Tyson.

"Well, well, if it isn't Peter Johnson. My millennium is complete." Mr. D said as he sipped on his Diet Coke.

"Percy Jackson...sir."

"Yes. Well, as you young people say these days: Whatever."

Next to Mr. D was Tantalus, the new activities director. If Percy hadn't seen him before now then I just can't wait to see how he handles this.

"This boy," Mr. D told Tantalus. "you need to watch, Poseidon's child, you know"

"Ah!" Tantalus said. "That one."

I've already heard Tantalus and Mr. D talking about Percy before he came back. So it was obvious that Tantalus would be awaiting this day.

"I am Tantalus. On special assignment here until, well, until my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise. And you, Perseus Jackson, I do expect you to refrain from causing any more trouble."

"Trouble?"

Mr. D snapped his fingers. A newspaper appeared on the table—the front page of today's New York Post.

"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said with satisfaction. "You caused plenty of it last summer, I understand."

I twiddled my fingers and sparks of electricity danced around my finger tips. Every-time I saw Tantalus I would think about attacking him in some way.

He doesn't have any power over me. He's just a mortal who was taken from the Fields of Punishment. If I really wanted to I could shock the living bejesus out of him. But of course Mr. D would get involved and he'd probably turn me into an ant and squish me under his foot or something like that.

By the time I diverted my attention back to Percy, Tantalus, and Mr. D. It looked like the conversation had taken a turn.

"Oh, no," Tantalus said. "The monster stays here. We must decide what to do with it."

"Him," Percy snapped. "His name is Tyson. Tyson saved the camp. He pounded that bronze bull. Otherwise it would've burned down this whole place."

"Yes," Tantalus sighed. "and what a pity that would've been."

"If you're so eager to go back to the Fields of Punishment Tantalus then I'd be happy to send you there myself," Lightning almost engulfed my hands.

"Not unless you want a very strict punishment, Alexander" Mr. D said

"It's Alaster," I said with a sharp tone.

"Leave us," Tantalus ordered Percy, "while we decide this creature's fate."

Tyson looked at Percy with fear, but Percy comforted him.

"I believe you. You are my friend."

I rolled my eyes. There's no way that a monster would be friends with a Demigod. Much less a child of the Big Three. I'm gonna keep my eyes on that cyclops. The moment it screws up is the moment it gets sent down to Tartarus.

When we were done with our food I dumped mines into the flames of the bronze brazier before going back to my table.

"Yes, well," Tantalus said. "Another fine meal! Or so I am told." As he spoke, his hand inched towards a filled dinner plate, but it shot away from his hand before it got too close.

I snickered a bit, Tantalus glared my way.

"And here on my first day of authority," he continued. "I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here. Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture—er—interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat."

You see what I mean? The guy makes me sick.

"And now some changes! We are reinstituting the chariot races!"

Murmurs broke out, one's of excitement, fear, and disbelief.

The chariot races were banned for a reason. And now that psychopath wants to bring them back. Of course he'd want to bring them back.

"Now I know," Tantalus continued, "that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems."

"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations," someone from the Apollo cabin said.

"Yes, yes! But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your heroes. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"

An explosion of excitement conversation. Then Clarisse objected...well I didn't expect that.

"But, sir!" Clarisse said. She looked nervous, but she stood. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots—"

"Ah, the hero of the day," Tantalus exclaimed. "Brave Clarisse, who single-handed my bested the bronze bulls!"

"Don't make me laugh," I said. "I took out one of those bulls."

"Just as I'd expect from a child of Zeus," Tantalus said. "Trying to take all the credit."

"I'm not taking all the credit. Trust me if I was the person you say I am I would be much worse."

"Really? I didn't think that was possible." Mr. D said

"Big talk for the two beings who did nothing to help," I said. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were scared."

Everyone in the pavilion went silent as the words flew out of my mouth.

"Clearly you don't know any better. You think just because the King of Gods is your father that you can get away with anything. News flash, Alexander. You're no more important than any other demigod in this cursed place."

Tantalus then infiltrated the conversation.

"Not to worry, everyone. This is a summer camp. We are here to enjoy ourselves, yes?"

"But my sister's tree—"

"And now," Tantalus said, as several of Clarisse's cabin pulled her back into her seat and small sparks of lightning radiated around me, "before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here." Tantalus waved a hand toward Tyson.

"Now of course," he said, "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks. But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its breathten. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes's cabin, possibly?"

The entire Hermes cabin was silent.

"Come now," Tantalus chided. "The monster may be able to do some menial chores. Any suggestions as to where such a beast should be kenneled?"

The next moment, everyone gasped and I was silent. This...thing...it was just claimed.

Above his head was a bright green light, a holographic image. Over his head was glowing green trident...