To those of you reading this, Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo, all of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Now then, on with the third chapter.

3. My Quest Turns Into A Rescue Mission

We went back to the Big House.

I stood up, Chiron sat down in a wheelchair, I didn't think it would fit his horse half, but the wheelchair must have magic properties, because he fit right in it. He sat at the table, and looked at me expectantly, ready to listen to whatever I had to say.

So I talked, I talked a lot.

I explained everything, I didn't leave out any details, I figured if I was going to get some answers, I'd better tell Chiron everything. I talked about my childhood, the day at the beach, the red aura steam thing, the Stymphalian Birds, the Chimera attack, Hera's appearances, the whole six labors thing, Harper, Percy, and Annabeth's involvement, the visions of the storm giant. It took a while, I lost track of time, there was no longer daylight coming through the windows, so I'd been talking for a long time. I finally stopped, my mouth extremely dry, my throat slightly stinging. I had let it all out, put all of my thoughts and worries on the table, it honestly felt good, whether I got the answers I wanted or not, I was just content with releasing some of the pressure in my brain.

Chiron was in deep thought, no doubt, It would take anyone forever to analyze all of what I said, well, anyone who was normal, Chiron was a few thousand years old, wise and all that, so I figured he'd come up with something.

"This is all...strange. First thing I'm puzzled about is this punishment. None of the campers, or any demigod has been punished because of a public monster attack. It's happened plenty of times, and nobody has been forced to complete labors."

"Wait, what?" I said, surprisingly calm. This was news to me. This stuff just happened all the time and yet I'm the one being forced to carry out five impossible tasks?

"But then again, Hera has an odd way of doing things. She may be up to something with all of this, and these visions...that does sound like Zeus, but I doubt he would have a servant in a cloak."

"Well if it's not Zeus, then who is it?"

"I have a couple of ideas, but none good. It could be an Anemoi or some other storm spirit, although I doubt they are that powerful. Then there is Ouranos, the former lord of the sky, and husband to Gaea. But he was killed eons ago by the titans, so it's unlikely it's him. Then again, we never thought Kronos would return, or Gaea, and they did."

"There's still so many questions, like where do I even begin to look for these creatures I'm supposed to kill and capture? Are Percy and Annabeth supposed to go? What's Harper's role in all of this?" I also told him about her nightmare in which the man in the cloak beckoned for her to join him. I know I told her that what was said would stay between us, but I didn't consider it breaking her trust. This was potentially a life and death situation. No, it is a life and death situation, and Chiron should know, I'm sure she would agree. And if not, well...I'll apologize.

Chiron shook his head, "Normally, I would advise you to consult our oracle, but I'm not sure about that in this case. It is certainly different. This isn't a quest, it is more of a...well, a punishment."

"So what you're saying is that you don't have the answer I want?"

He nodded sadly, "I am sorry, Matt. But I can say this, judging from what you told me about Hera's appearance at the high school yesterday, she has placed a curse upon you."

A curse? I don't remember anything like that. "I didn't say anything about a curse"

"You said she attacked you. You saw a flame and you were knocked to the ground, correct?"

I nodded.

"Well, it is impossible for a god or goddess to attack a demigod directly. The demigod must first challenge them in someway. In other words, the demigod must throw the first punch. And did you?"

I shook my head, "No, I didn't attack her"

"And she didn't attack you. What she did was place a curse on you. A death curse. Meaning, if you don't complete these labors within two weeks, you will die."

"How do you know it's two weeks?"

"I can sense it. Monsters and satyrs should be able to as well, it is like a scent, a scent of well, impending death."

I swallowed, "Thanks, that makes me feel better."

"I am sorry, Matt. I wish I could be of more help. I am afraid all I can do is prepare you for the journey and train you."

I nodded.

"We will be playing Capture the Flag tomorrow, I have already announced it, but I think it might not only take your mind off of things, but improve your skill as well."

I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't working. "Which team am I on? Hercules doesn't even have a cabin here."

"Ah, yes. I am sorry, we...weren't expecting Hercules to have children in modern times. Um, usually there are two teams, alliances are made between the largest cabins, so it evens out. And you don't have a cabin as you pointed out." He thought for a second, "We can just place you in one for now, which one would you like?"

I was about to say Nemesis, but I fought it down. It would give me an opportunity to talk with Harper more about this whole labors thing, and...get to know her better. No, not happening. She already made a point that it would be weird, and there's no feelings like that between us.

Not yet, I thought.

I wanted to kick myself. What is wrong with me? All of a sudden I'm thinking these strange thoughts that are so unlike me. I'm not even capable of those feelings in the first place.

I ended up saying, "I'd just prefer to be by myself. If that's okay"

He nodded, "Yes, I understand. You can stay in Percy's cabin then. He was usually alone in there as well, unless his half brother Tyson visited."

"Grover said that Percy was the only Son of Poseidon"

"He is the only demigod Son of Poseidon. No, Tyson is a cyclops."

I thought about that for a minute. Having a cyclops for a half brother? That must be awful. Then again I didn't know him, so I shouldn't judge so quickly.

"Hey Chiron, remember when I told you about the red aura thing earlier, what is that?"

He knit his eyebrows, "I have an idea, although if it is true, it's not exactly good news."

"I can handle it"

He shrugged, "Very well. Matt, this ability only appears when you are at your maximum level of rage, correct?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess"

"I trained your father, Hercules. His incredible power was tied to his emotions, therefore the angrier he got, the stronger he got. Kind of like that comic book that kids read...The Incredible Hulk, is it?"

"Yes, sir"

"Yes. And when his anger reached it's boiling point, his blood would gain temperature, his bones would crack, his organs would combust...his emotions would cause his nervous system to override, pushing his body beyond it's limits, multiplying it ten fold. And while he gained more strength, he would sacrifice durability."

"I'm still confused, how did he not die?"

"It didn't happen often, and when it did, he would eat or be fed ambrosia. And even that took a long time to heal him."

"Then why didn't I die? Since I used it at such a young age."

"I think that is precisely the reason. You were smaller, not as many things inside of your body to burn. You still felt pain, but no aftereffect. However, as an adult, your muscles are fully developed, as well as your bones. More things to burn, the more effect you will feel."

"I'm sorry sir, I'm still a little confused. How does that work? Why am I more vulnerable in that state?"

"Well, it's all very confusing, Matt. It's very different from other demigod abilities, but I'll put it in terms that may be easier to understand. Say you are on a bench press, and you are lifting the maximum amount of weight you can lift in one rep."

"Yeah"

He continued, "Well, your body is at it's limit, and you shouldn't go further. But let's say, that you add another few pounds, and you try it. You can't lift it at first, but something happens in your body, your brain tells it to keep going, what happens is, it pushes itself beyond it's limits, and allows you to lift it, that is what your ability is like. But it has it's downsides, as you already know. You are far more vulnerable because your body is so focused on not exploding that it can't provide protection from an exterior attack, this is why even the smallest cut could be fatal."

I shook my head, this was all crazy, even crazier than the normal stuff. How could I get so angry that my body just decides to strain itself and burst into flames from the inside? "You said that my blood and bones heat up, and my organs catch on fire?"

He nodded gloomily, "Yes, they quite literally combust."

"So that's why there's a red aura around me, and the steam, it's from the heat...but how do I not die from that kind of temperature?"

"It is your enhanced durability. Your skin and body parts, inside and out, are tougher than the average demigod's. I know you aren't a big fan of your father, but this was a trait he passed down to you."

"Still, that's completely crazy. It has to have some kind of long term effect, right?"

"Oh yes, with the age that you are now, your body has not finished developing, but it isn't far from it, so it would be worse if you were in your twenties or thirties, but still, if you don't take ambrosia afterwards, you will die."

My face darkened, I looked down, "I'll be sure to pack ambrosia"

"That's not the worst of it, Matt." He looked at me now, "It also decreases your lifespan, each time you do it."

"What? Really?"

"Yes, but not by much, maybe a few minutes, or hours, but not years or anything major. Still, it could make a difference, depending on how often you reach your anger limit."

I thought about that. I had only done it three times, and Chiron said it only decreased your life by a few minutes to a few hours, that's not so bad. But how often will I reach my boiling point on this trip?

"This...sucks. I didn't ask for this ability"

He nodded sadly, "I know, as dangerous as it may be, it has saved your life, allowed you to defeat monsters that couldn't have been defeated at your regular strength level"

"Gee, thanks"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean that my boy, it's only a lack of training-"

"Yeah, I know Chiron. Thanks for your help. Really, it has cleared things up."

He sat in his wheelchair, maybe trying to think of what to say next, it was silent for a few moments, I wondered if I should just leave, when he said, "I'm glad I could be of some little assistance, I wish I could help more." Then he gestured to the door, "It's getting late, and Capture The Flag is tomorrow, you may pick which team you want to be on, it's about even in numbers anyway."

I nodded, walking out, "See you, Chiron"

He waved.

I walked out into the night, looking around, and I realized I had missed out on yet another sunset. I had kind of saw the one with Grover yesterday, but that didn't count, I only saw the clouds above the trees. Oh well.

Still though, it was very peaceful. No campers running around, doing various noisy activities, just the crickets chirping, the summer breeze ruffling the branches, and the moon reflecting off of the lake in a silver glow.

I walked toward the Poseidon cabin, debating whether I should wake Harper up and tell her about my conversation with Chiron.

No, I thought, that would be inappropriate. It was the middle of the night, she was probably asleep, and I needed to sleep, very bad. And she would probably get the wrong impression. Although I couldn't help but wonder what she looked like woken up. Would her hair be all messed up? Would she have on that black lipstick? Would her knives still be strapped to her waist?

Woah there. Why am I so creepy?

Seriously, her and I have talked like twice, and I'm thinking about her more than I have thought about anyone besides my mother. I mean yeah, she's pretty...beautiful, even. But what did I really know about her besides her name, appearance, the fact that her personality seemed cool, and that she likes nicknames? Like, there were so many questions. First one being about that eye...

I'm not even sure if we're friends. But she's involved in this "quest" somehow. So I guess I need to start getting to know her. Which goes against my entire mindset for years, not getting close to anybody, because in the end, they get hurt.

I shook my head, there's time for that tomorrow. I can tell her about the conversation tomorrow.

I went inside the cabin, It was ocean blue, a couple of bunks inside, a large fountain in the middle, some designs on the walls. It was nice, for a place that only one person stayed in and hadn't been used in a while from what I gathered. I wondered how Percy felt about being alone in here. I like it, I like space, and I'm better off alone.

I had no belongings, so I just took off my shoes and shirt and put them on another bunk. Yeah, I don't sleep with a shirt, It would get too uncomfortable, and besides, It's not like there's other campers in here.

I laid down on the bunk bed, feeling relief throughout my whole body.

I closed my eyes, and within minutes, I was asleep.

Naturally, I had another vision.

The figure in the cloak from earlier was standing in front of a large cage, I couldn't see what was inside, but whatever it was, it was struggling desperately, trying to use it's power to break the cage. Whatever was inside, was indeed powerful, I could feel it surging, but that cage must've been made with some kind of magic, because it didn't burst open.

The figure moved aside, walking around the cage in a slow circle, and I saw what-no who was inside.

It was Hera.

Her hair was messed up, her white dress had sand and leaves all over it, and to my surprise, she was bleeding golden ichor all over her body, and I could've sworn I saw needle marks.

"Queen Hera" The figure said, "How does it feel to be able to contribute to the new age?"

She glared at him, "You will not succeed, the gods will-"

"Not come for you" the figure cut her off, "This island is cut off from reality, the Titan Lord Kronos himself placed this curse here a few years ago. This place is inaccessible by anyone, including gods, so you are quite alone and completely at our mercy."

"This island is an absolute monstrosity, the things that happened here, the things the titan lord made them do...how can you even stand to be here, half-blood?" Hera said.

This is when the figure turned around, and took his hood off, and I got my first look at his face. He was probably twenty years old, had black hair tied into a manbun, which might have looked silly, but it only made him more intimidating. His face was hard, with an X-shaped scar across his face, from his forehead to his cheeks, the X was there, the scar maybe a few years old. He had bags under his eyes, a little stubble on his chin, and sickly color on his cheeks, like he had a disease or something. He seemed okay though, walking and talking normally, so I didn't know what made him look like that.

"I stand here, because my lord intended it. And I had nothing to do with that...operation. I was not one of those that were trapped here. That was a different war, and a lost one. The titans lost, to Percy Jackson, those pathetic demigods at Camp Half-Blood, and the roman idiots at Camp Jupiter. But things will be different this time, we are not the titans, we are better, and we will win."

"You will not" Hera said, "I have a-"

"Plan? Yes, blah, blah, we know all about the Son of Hercules, who is taking his sweet time at Camp trying to make sense of that ridiculous labors punishment that you gave him."

She smirked, Ichor glimmered on her lip, "You think I have punished him? No, his father may have been a thorn in my side, and perhaps the boy will prove no different. But for now, I am taking a gamble."

The man's face turned even more sickly, surprised, he said "W-wait, you mean-"

"I am impressed at your cleverness, Hera" Said a familiar voice. I saw behind the man in the cloak, another guy, about the same age, but that's where the similarities ended. This guy was a little shorter, clean shaven, with medium length dirty blonde hair that parted in the middle of his forehead, he had on a black trench coat with a big collar around the neck. Underneath that, he had on a black shirt, and dark colored jeans. He basically looked like an evil surfer.

But he wasn't the one who spoke, I recognized the voice as the one in my visions, the storm giant, the face in the clouds, it was him. But the sky was blue, no clouds in sight, in fact the only thing in sight was the sun beating down on the sand. I didn't know how he was speaking, but he was, very clearly.

"I am not scared of The Son of Hercules. However, I will not underestimate him, I'll give him some credit, he may defeat the Hydra, he just might capture the Bull and the Deer, but the guardian of Hades' palace? Very unlikely. Unless of course he unites the Avenger, the Trident, and The Owl...perhaps together they could defeat the dog. But they won't get the chance, because my new weapon here will stop them."

Avenger, Trident and Owl? I wasn't sure what that meant, I would have to figure it out later. I noticed that by new weapon, he meant the guy in the trench coat.

"Malachi Stallard" The trench coat guy said. "Nice to meet you" He held out his hand to the man in the cloak.

He slapped it away, "I already know you, fool. You've been here for weeks."

"Ah, yes, he doesn't remember you see. It's not only his body that has been modified, it is his mind...and memories."

The guy named Malachi stepped forward casually, eyeing Hera, "So this is where most of the Ichor came from. I must say I would have preferred one of the big three."

"You are powerful enough, Malachi, it had to be done to complete the process. You are now complete, you are now the god-killer."

Whoa, I thought within my vision. God-killer? This surfer looking guy? I mean, he didn't look like a softie or anything, but...he was mortal right? How could a mortal kill a god?

Hera looked up at him, I was surprised, she looked like she was desperate, begging almost. "Remember demigod, this is not you. You were one of those that were trapped here in the last titan war. You are being used by him, you are a test subject for his experiments."

Malachi stood there, emotionless.

"No, Hera. He is not just some mere demigod anymore. He is now besides me, the most powerful being in existence. He is the new Bane of Olympus, the new Typhon. Which is ironic, since that was one of the many sources we gathered from."

Sources? Typhon? What the heck was going on here?

Hera tried again, "You were forced into this, he has control over you, but you can break free!"

"I am his right hand, I am not some pawn" Malachi said. "There is a difference"

Even the man in the cloak looked uneasy. It was weird, he looked a lot tougher than Malachi, with his X-shaped scar, but clearly he was on edge.

"What now then, my lord?" the man in the cloak said.

"Patience" the voice said, "You still have a large part to play, I won't let Malachi get all of the spotlight. For now, we see how things play out. Let everything take it's course"

The man nodded, and strode off toward the beach, Malachi glared at Hera and walked away into the entrance of a cavern.

The voice chuckled, "Let's see if the big hero comes to save you, my granddaughter." then the voice began laughing, a maniacal laugh, a gust of wind blew sand in my line of sight, and I woke up with a start.

I was breathing heavily, trying to process all I saw in the vision, trying to make sense of it. So many questions, as was the case whenever I had these nightmares. Who were the Avenger, Trident, and Owl? Why was Hera trapped and bleeding? What was up with those needle marks on her arm? Who the heck is Malachi? And is he really powerful enough to kill a god?

I looked over, and saw light through the cracks in the door. It was morning, and today was Capture The Flag day. I couldn't bring myself to be excited, that vision was just too confusing and strange. I needed to tell Harper about it, or Chiron, but I wasn't sure I would have the chance, and this couldn't wait until tomorrow.

I got up, and right after my foot touched the floor, I heard a knock. I was kind of hoping It was Harper, that would give an opportunity to tell her about the vision, but that hope went away as I heard Grover's voice. "Hey, Matt! Chiron told me you were staying in Percy's cabin, can I come in?"

"Sure" I called.

He opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. In his hand was an orange camp t-shirt, and in the other was...the pelt of the Nemean Lion! It wasn't as big though, about the size of a regular lion's. Still, I assumed it was the Nemean Lion, I doubted Grover just went hunting in Africa and decided to kill and skin a lion and bring the hide to me as a gift.

"How did you-" I started to say incredulously.

He cut me off, "Oh, man, I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging like that! I was about to teleport through the tree, when this nature spirit came up to me, and said they had spotted a lion pelt hanging from a tree. So I looked around and found it! I guess you must've missed it, and it reappeared!"

I doubted that. I knew for a fact that the lion didn't leave a spoil of war. No, it came magically, someone put it there.

I didn't care about that right now, I grabbed the pelt and held it, It was like holding iron as a fabric, it was probably heavy for a normal person, but I didn't notice.

"Wow, thanks man. Uh, what's the shirt for?"

"Well, your other one isn't exactly in the best shape" he pointed at my shirt on the other bed, dirt and rips on it. "Besides, you're a camper now! You gotta represent!"

I smiled, which was rare, It hurt my cheeks a little. This camp was really having an effect on me.

I took it and put it on, it fit perfectly. "Thanks Grover, I wasn't mad at you for not showing up by the way, I was just worried some monster had gotten you."

"Oh no, the forest is my domain. Any monster would be stupid to tussle with me in my turf"

"I don't doubt it."

He smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. "Someone's interested in you, by the way"

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled, "Harper, man. She was asking about you, wanted to know where I had found you at and stuff"

My ears went red, Harper asked about my past? How much did Grover tell her? I was kind of hoping that I would be the one to share that information, and hopefully she would do the same, given time.

"What did you tell her?"

"Relax, I only told her I found you at the high school and escorted you to camp. Nothing about your personal life."

I nodded, "Okay"

Grover smiled slyly, "I didn't tell her, because I figured you wanted to. You guys getting closer and all huh?"

"It's not like that. You know my situation, I can't get close to anyone."

"Well that's another way you two are alike, as long as she's been here she's kept to herself, and the times that she tried to make friends, well...they weren't exactly keen on being friends with a daughter of Nemesis."

"That's not her fault. She shouldn't be excluded for something she can't help."

"I agree. But to be fair, Nemesis was on the Titan's side in the second war, so I can understand their uneasiness, but you're right, it's not Harper's fault"

So Nemesis was somewhat evil at one point. Then again, what gods weren't? I haven't had many interactions with them, which is kind of the point. Why do they stay out of their kids' lives so much?

He sighed, "All I'm saying, is that she rarely takes this much interest in someone. So I would jump on that opportunity"

But why did she take an interest in me? Is it because she liked me, or because of the necklace. It wasn't like I was stupid, I remember her looking at it like it was a land mine. There was something about it that bothered her, and I wanted to find out.

I changed the subject, "Grover I have a weird question, do I smell like death?"

He stepped back and sniffed, "Yeah, you do actually. It's kind of like a graveyard, I remember smelling it when we were in the forest, but I didn't wanna say anything." He sniffed again, "It's actually gotten a little stronger"

Uh oh, I thought. Hera had given me two weeks, and I was now on the second day. I had to complete the labors, and save her or something, which I still didn't completely understand.

"Why did you ask?" He said.

"Oh, no reason, just wanted to make sure your nose still works"

He chuckled, "Alright, well it was good to see you Matt, I gotta get back to it. Good luck at Capture The Flag!"

He jogged out of the cabin, leaving me alone.

I shook my head, I needed to talk to Harper.

I put on my sneakers, grabbed the Nemean Lion pelt and left the cabin, I immediately felt the sun on my skin, it felt good. I'm a guy that usually prefers cool weather as opposed to hot, which is kind of strange since one of my powers is to burst into flames from the inside and have my skin literally emit steam. But today I welcomed the sun's rays, I was in a chill from the weird vision last night, and the heat gave me a sense of relief.

I looked around for Harper, but she was nowhere in sight. Granted, there were a lot of kids around, so I went over to the Nemesis cabin, dodging my way through campers walking around and saying excuse me every five seconds. I finally made it to the cabin door and knocked, the moment after my fist hit the door it opened halfway, I guess it wasn't shut good, or someone left it open on their way out. I peaked my head through the doorway, not wanting to go in and invade privacy.

"Uh, Hello? Anybody here?" I called.

"Yo" a voice said.

I had to open the door a little more to see who it was, and when I did, I saw a boy sitting on his bed sharpening his sword. I wasn't weirded out by this, just a kid sitting in the dark, sharpening a deadly weapon, no big deal.

He looked like he was twelve years old, skinny and had pale skin, like Harper's, except hers was more...I don't know, smooth looking? Sounds super weird, but that's the only way I can really describe it. He kind of looked like Nico, except he wasn't as tall and his dark hair was shorter.

"Hey, do you know where I can find Harper?"

He looked up at me, he had brown eyes, unlike Harper's one icy blue color, he studied me for a second, and then snorted, "Someone's looking for Harper? What do you wanna do to her? Throw her in the lake to get all of that goth makeup off? Or pretend to be storm spirits and scare her? Or wait, I know, put an eyepatch over her good eye and make her think she's gone totally blind?"

I was horrified, what the heck was this kid's deal?

He looked up at me in a fake smile, being sarcastic.

"Look, dude. I don't know what your deal is, but I would never do that to her, or anybody for that matter. Her and I are sort of...friends. And I need to talk to her about something."

He looked surprised, and stopped sharpening his sword, placing it on the bed. "Wait, you're not here to mess with her?"

"No"

"Oh, well that's new. I never thought Harper would actually make a friend. Usually people just like to do all of those things I said to her."

I was baffled. I wasn't as much surprised at the reveal that people bullied her...but that she didn't kick their butts. She was seriously intimidating with those knives.

"I don't know her all that well, but she seems to know how to fight. I mean, she tackled me to the ground when I first got here. Why doesn't she just beat this bully up?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Oh, she's a good fighter, believe me. But there's more than one person doing this. It's a gang, a gang of douchebags. And the leader of the douchebag gang is Jett Atkinson, he's a big kid, muscular. He's actually about your size, maybe a little taller. But he's a good fighter, a Son Of Hermes. But he's not head counselor, the Stoll Twins are, and they're awesome, they hate Jett."

"This gang, how many are there? Is it just one cabin, or..."

He shook his head, "Nah, it's around six or seven people, a couple of girls from the Ares cabin, a dude from Hephaestus, a dude from Hebe, a couple of kids from Hermes, and Jett. They're all tough, and they think they run the camp. They pick on people that are too skinny, overweight, aren't good at a certain activity, you get the idea." He snickered, remembering something funny. "The only time I saw them all get put in their place, was when they made fun of Nico for being gay, and he shook the ground, they were falling down, skeleton arms grabbing them and pulling them in. Oh man, they were pissing themselves and begging him to stop" He was full on laughing now, "It was hilarious. They never even looked at him after that."

So at least someone had taught them a lesson, but apparently it hadn't stopped, "And they all gang up on Harper, making it basically impossible to fight back, right?"

He nodded.

"And Jett leads these pranks?"

"Yeah, he's the one that does them, the others just cheer him on, and occasionally hold her down if she tries to hurt him."

I was absolutely fuming. I had to reevaluate my most angry moments list, I think this trumped most of them. I wanted nothing more than to find this "tough guy" Jett and pummel him into the ground, maybe stab my spear right beside his head to scare him. I knew how angry I was, I knew if I didn't get control of it, I would go into that state, I could already feel my blood heating, a small flame kindling in my stomach, I saw a bit of steam emerge from my mouth. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't, I was engulfed in rage. What kind of person messes with another person like that? Let alone a tall, muscular guy throwing his weight around on a girl just because she was a little different.

I finally couldn't hold it in, I released my restraint, and the flame burst, my blood boiling, I saw the steam billow off of my body, the red glow outlining me, my vision was blinded by steam and smoke coming from my mouth.

I wasn't sure how Harper's sibling was reacting but I heard a faint "DUDE ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" over the ringing in my ears.

I then shouted at myself mentally, SNAP OUT OF IT!, and I took control again, calming myself down, I thought about the sunset on the beach, my mom being okay, everything turning out okay.

And then it stopped.

The world seemed to go back in order, the ringing in my ears stopped, the steam stopped, the red glow faded, I felt my insides cooled down like water on a stove. But I also felt the pain. It wasn't as bad as I expected, probably because I only used the ability for a few seconds, but I could still feel the burning throughout my body, my bones throbbing.

I winced, "Sorry about that, do you have any ambrosia?"

The poor kid was on his butt backed up to the wall, a terrified look on his face. "Uh, y-yeah s-sure, it's in the drawer next to you"

Jeez, I didn't realize how terrifying I looked when I was doing that ability, the kid was trembling.

I took a small piece of ambrosia and popped it into my mouth. It tasted incredible, like homemade chocolate chip cookies, the ones I used to love when I was four years old. I sighed in relief, and said, "Oh dude, I'm sorry, whenever I get angry, that happens and...it's a long story"

He stood up, brushing himself off, he looked embarrassed, from being scared I guess. "It's cool. Actually really cool, you show that to Jett, he'll probably go running to Chiron, crying."

"Hey speaking of that, why doesn't Chiron do anything about all of this?"

"Because he doesn't know about it. Jett and his thugs know just the right time to give a kid a wedgie, or take someone into the bathroom and swirly them, when Chiron isn't looking. And nobody complains, because they're afraid that Jett will find out."

Alright I thought, I'll do something about it.

"Listen, when I'm done with this so called tough guy, Harper and no one else will be bothered again. I'm gonna destroy him in capture the flag." I thought for a second, "Actually on second thought, I might just beat him up right now."

He stopped me, "Be careful, man. Chiron doesn't know about his antics, and when the old centaur actually is looking, Jett and his gang act like role models. So if you just go out there and clobber him, it'll look like the new guy just hit a respected camper for no reason."

I nodded, a little impressed, "You're pretty smart. Alright...what's your name?"

"Aiden"

"Alright, Aiden. I'm gonna take your advice and play it smart. Thanks for the ambrosia, by the way. See you later."

I walked out of the cabin, still angrier than I had ever been. Well, maybe not as angry as the Chimera attack on my mom, but this was a close second.

Sure, Harper and I talked like twice, but she's still the only person I've actually thought about seriously forming a friendship with since Joshua. And she had been through a lot before coming to camp, I could tell that much. And for some jerk to mess with her and even physically hurt her, It didn't matter if her and I were best friends or strangers, that was plain wrong. And it wasn't just her. From what Aiden said, a bunch of kids at camp had fallen victim to Jett and his gang of pricks.

I kept walking, searching for any sign of the big bad wolf himself, until I spotted Harper. She was practicing with her knives in the arena, her swings so graceful and skilled, she was like a deadly dancer. She had obviously used them for years, and I had no doubt in my mind that if it were just a one on one fight between her and this Jett guy, she would skewer him.

I quickly walked toward her, there were a couple of more kids in the arena, practicing with swords and spears, but they were all by their selves, hitting the training dummies. I made it to the entrance and she finally spotted me, her good eye lit up, which caused a couple of butterflies to go a little crazy in my chest. Even with some of her hair plastered to her forehead, sweat glistening on her arms, she looked insanely pretty. Today she wore a black Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, which surprised me, since I didn't know that the shirts could come in a different color if you wanted, and she had on jean shorts, her legs as pale as her arms, but they were lean, like she ran a lot.

I walked up to her, She was panting slightly.

"There you are, Shark Boy. I was wondering if you had bailed on us. But I see it's quite the opposite." She gestured to the orange camp t-shirt that I had on.

"Yeah, well I got no where else to go, and It's not so bad here."

Her smirk faltered slightly when I said I had no where else to go, but she didn't question it. "Yeah, well I guess it's cool that you're staying. We could use you in Capture The Flag."

"But you've never seen me fight." I pointed out, trying to fight down a smirk of my own.

She was a little stunned, but she rebounded quickly, "Well, I only said that based on your parentage. You did tell me you were super strong, right?"

"I think so"

"Well there you go."

"Which team are you on?"

"Oh, Nemesis made an alliance with Apollo. It's us, Hephaestus, Demeter, Athena, and a few of the other minor cabins against the Hermes Alliance. But they don't stand a chance, we're gonna crush them."

I then thought about what Aiden had said, about Jett being a Son of Hermes. I didn't want to change the subject when she was kind of excited, but I did.

"Harper, who is Jett Atkinson?"

Her face went red, her mouth parting slightly, she wouldn't meet my eyes. "H-how do you know about that?"

"That's not important, just tell me who he is, please."

"It was one of my half-siblings wasn't it? It was Aiden wasn't it?"

I pursed my lips, I hoped she wouldn't be mad at the kid, "Yeah, it was him."

She scoffed, she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Oh Aiden, you stupid kid. Always trying to protect me," she muttered.

"Harper, it's okay. Just answer my question, please. Who is Jett Atkinson?"

Her face was still red, she shifted uneasily, she looked like she was going to faint. She stood awkwardly in silence until she finally said, "He's my jerk ex-boyfriend"

To say that I was shocked, would be an understatement.

I felt a million emotions in that moment. First of course, shock. Harper once had a boyfriend? And now he was a complete jerk to her? Then the second, jealousy. How does a douche like Jett get a girlfriend? How is someone like that good at interaction, when I'm basically an anti-social vampire. The thought of those two hugging and kissing and all of that mushy stuff made me furious. Which leads us to the next emotion, rage. I was furious that Jett had ruined a relationship with Harper, who seemed really cool, and in case I haven't been clear in the last few thousand words, she was beautiful. Anyway, I'm not gonna list the rest of the emotions, because we would be here all day.

I wasn't sure what to say, or if to say anything at all. Until I finally managed, "Aiden did not mention that."

She sighed, "Yeah, well I regret it. It was nice the first week or so. I was new to camp and I was dealing with some...issues. He was so nice and sweet, handsome too. He seemed to actually care about me, we talked about our feelings, and he comforted me. I felt like I wasn't alone. We started dating after a few weeks of being friends, but things went downhill fast. He was always trying to kiss me and touch me. I didn't mind kissing and hugging that much, but I wasn't used to it, and I got uncomfortable when he would try to make out with me every minute of the day. I finally told him to cut it out, and he did. But he was mad at me, he wouldn't talk to me, and whenever I tried to get his attention he would ignore me. Well...I didn't exactly have any friends, so he was it for me. And one day I finally begged him to talk to me again, I promised he could kiss me all he wanted." She faltered, her voice slightly breaking. "And he did, even though I felt uncomfortable the whole time, I didn't want to risk losing the only person that cared about me, and would...actually talk to me." Her eyes were turning red, I didn't doubt that she was tough, and probably rarely cried, but talking about all of this...it's bound to bring up sadness. She continued, "Well, this went on for a few days, when one night, he snuck into my cabin, and asked me to follow him to the lake. Being a stupid pre teen girl, I did. We sat on the dock, and he talked about the constellations, luring me in. I was at peace, and I was having fun. But then he started to kiss me...harder than any other time before, and he was grabbing my waist. I was extremely uncomfortable and I wanted to stop, but his grip was too strong. Then he-he" She closed her eyes and looked at the ground.

"You don't have to say it" I said gently.

She looked up, and her good and bad eye both met mine. There were tears streaming from both of them, she said, "He put his hand up my shirt, and grabbed...you know. I was trying to yell at him to stop but he kept going. It...It hurt, too. He hurt me. At some point, I finally felt a rush of adrenaline and grabbed the small knife I always keep in the pocket of my pajamas. I put it to his neck and told him to stop. He did, he called me stupid for giving up a chance with him." She wiped the tears away, and she shook her head, "After that, he didn't talk to me again. Until a couple of years later, when...this happened." She pointed to her left eye, it wasn't even bloodshot from the tears, it was still a pure white orb. "He and his gang started calling me a freak. I ignored them for a few days, but at one point I finally snapped, and punched him in the nose. A couple of his girl thugs tried to grab me, but I made easy work of them. Until his bulky buddies grabbed me by the arms and started carrying me to the lake. All the while Jett ordering them to throw me in, and to make sure the water got that ugly emo look off of me. They did, and I was soaked. I didn't want to tell Chiron, because I hated the idea of not fighting my own battles, it's like going to a teacher in school when you have a problem with another kid, it's just...embarrassing." She paused, maybe trying to figure out what to say next. But I realized she was taking a breath, she wasn't used to talking this long. She inhaled, and then continued "After that skirmish, there were a few times where they would mess with me. Stupid stuff like trying to scare me, stink bombs at seven in the morning. But I ignore it now, there not worth my time, I've got bigger problems than those idiots."

But I could still see it bothered her. I knew that deep down she felt betrayed, and blamed herself for not seeing Jett's true intentions.

She's been through so much, I thought. And I didn't hesitate in what I did next, It felt like the right thing to do, the kind thing to do.

I stepped forward and gently wrapped my arms around her.

It wasn't me trying to make a move. It wasn't romantic. It was a person that has been damaged by loneliness and grief comforting another person that has also been damaged by the same things.

She tensed at first, and then relaxed, bringing her hands to settle on my back. She squeezed tightly, and I just held her, gently rubbing circles in her back to soothe her. I saw a couple of the kids in the arena look at us with confused faces. I tried to put the words, mind your own business in my facial expression towards them.

"You aren't defined by what he did to you. I don't know you all that well, but even I can tell that you're stronger than that." I said gently.

I could feel her nod into my chest. We stayed like that for a minute or two, and then we parted.

"Thank you, Matt" she said gratefully.

I nodded, then I noticed that she had called me Matt, and not Shark Boy.

"I had another crazy vision last night, maybe we can compare notes after Capture The Flag?" I said.

She smiled at me. A genuine smile that made my heart go nuts, I tried to force down the blush on my cheeks.

"You got it, Shark Boy"

I chuckled, slightly annoyed she had switched back to Shark Boy, but I brushed it off and walked out of the arena, into the open.

Alright Jett Atkinson, I thought. Once I find you, we are going to have a little chat.