Percy's head thundered and swam, and it wasn't just from the potent cocktail of nectar and ambrosia coursing through his veins, threatening to burn him up whole.

He had fucked up, big time.

First he had run off headlong into Thorn, and gotten himself basically crippled and then knocked out. Not a great move. When he eventually had woken up, Thalia had nearly gotten herself killed protecting him, and then Annabeth maybe did get herself killed - she sure wasn't in the ocean, but that wasn't very reassuring to Percy. And now he was laying on his back in a tent, listening to Artemis's hunter Laurel talk in whispers to her goddess. She said something about "poison… Can't… Need apple."

This was all incredibly confusing. What the hell did an apple have to do with poison? He sat upwards to try to listen closer, but almost toppled sideways out of bed until a firm hand caught his wounded shoulder, pushing him back into the reclined position he was in originally. Blackness choked his vision, and what little he could see was tinged with red and gold and green in spots. Something was seriously wrong.

"Take it easy, Kelp Head," said the hand, "You're pretty fucked up right now."

Percy wanted to protest, but couldn't even open his mouth to speak. Instead, he managed to roll his head to face the voice. Somewhere in the hazy clouds of his vision floated electric blue eyes under a mess of black hair. "You're a massive idiot. But I'm glad you're alive."

"A… Anna… Annabeth?" He managed to croak, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as they felt like they were going to leap right out of his skull. "Did she…"

Thalia shook her head, then realized he still couldn't see her, and spoke up. "Artemis says she, uh, went somewhere? Magic was done? But we don't know where." Percy began to struggle upwards again, but Thalia pinned him down, none too gently. "You're almost dead, Percy, you're not going to be any use to her in this shape. We've gotta get you to a proper healer."

Percy slumped down again. He'd been doing a lot of that lately, and it made him want to scream.

Instead, he opened his eyes, stared right at Thalia, and said as strongly as he could, "We're going to get her back." Thalia nodded, and this satisfied Percy. He passed out.

When he awoke, Thalia was gone, and Grover and the girl - Bianca - were talking quietly at the foot of his cot. Grover noticed instantly and leapt to his feet (hooves, Percy self-corrected automatically) to bring Percy some water. Holding the glass to Percy's mouth, Grover gently supported his head and tried to make it as easy as possible. Next to him, Bianca stood awkwardly.

Percy drank his fill, and then sat up slightly, feeling the water knitting shut his wounds, fighting the poison within him. He wasn't healthy, not by a long shot, but he could move. He sat upright and, grabbing the glass from Grover, poured it into the wound in his shoulder. Bianca gasped and rushed forwards, until she realized it was intentional, then stopped awkwardly. Percy grunted, then handed Grover back the empty glass and smiled weakly at the girl.

"Bianca, right? I'm a son of Poseidon, so water is… good for me." She blinked and then, surprisingly, nodded. Percy supposed it was just one more thing to accept and she didn't really have any reason not to accept it. "How are you handling the news?" She stared at him flatly, and he chuckled weakly. "That's fair. I was the same way at first… Grover can tell you."

Grover smiled sadly. "When Percy found out he was a demigod, his mother had just died and he'd killed the minotaur bare-handed. It was quite the shock for him, so he slept for about three days straight. Annabeth… Our friend nursed him back to health."

Bianca startled at the name Annabeth, and thought for a second before she caught the sad looks on Grover's face. Wisely, she decided not to ask about it, and instead moved on. "What about Grover? Who's his parent?" Both Percy and Grover laughed a little, and Percy gestured for Grover to answer. The conversation carried on in that vein, answering simple questions for Bianca. Eventually, though, Artemis stepped in through the tent flap.

"Ah, good, the boy is awake." Percy bristled at being called "the boy," but bit his tongue for now. "Bianca, I must speak to you. Grover, would you perhaps go entertain Nico? As a favor for me?"

Grover practically leapt out the door, racing off to find Nico as though his life depended upon it. "Now, Bianca…" Artemis trailed off as Thalia and a huntress wearing a silver tiara stormed into the tent, at each other's throats. "Thalia! Zoe!" She snapped, and both of them fell silent, though clearly they were unhappy about it. "Now is not the time for petty squabbles. Bianca must tell me about the events with the monster."

Bianca looked surprised to be singled out in such a way, but shook her head and steeled herself. "Well, uh… Dr. Thorn told us he needed to speak to us about our next semester. Something about legal trouble with our parents' estate? Then he dragged us outside and started turning into this weird lion thing, and…"

As she continued telling the story, Percy tuned out, not wanting to listen to the story of his failures again. It was miserable, being confined to this cot while everybody else stood around and listened to just how inept he had been. Worse still, Annabeth was missing, and he couldn't do anything about it. He could hardly sit upright, nevermind go carousing across the nation searching for his best friend - and it gnawed at him.

"... And then Percy got knocked to the cliff edge, and you guys came, and Thorn said something about a 'Great Stirring,' which sounded bad. 'The general would bring Olympia to her knees' or something?..." Bianca continued, ignoring the worried looks Artemis and Zoe sent each other. "And then that girl fell off the cliff, and you know the rest, really," she concluded awkwardly.

"My dear maiden… this is accurate? What Thorn said?" Bianca nodded firmly, and Thalia nodded in agreement. "This is more troubling than I thought. We must make haste. Boy, can you walk?" She said, as an afterthought. Percy swung his legs over the side of the bed, paused to swallow down the bile that was already rising, and swatted Grover's hand away to stand up on his own - and then immediately felt his knees buckle, sending him right back onto his ass on the cot. "Evidently not. I must summon my brother."

The huntress identified as Zoe looked incensed. "Not him, milady, please! He is so vile! Let the boy's friends take him back to camp. We must hurry! We have a maiden to save!" She rushed, then glanced upwards and saw the steel in Artemis's eyes. Somewhat cowed, she looked at the ground. "I only mean, mistress, that your brother… We should not be so delayed caring for this boy."

Weirdly, Thalia came to Percy's defense.

"Oh, be quiet, Zoe! God, he almost died like two hours ago. Besides, he needs Apollo's help - Laurel says he could die without it."

Percy's head snapped up, even as blood pounded in his ears. He hadn't known that. Suddenly he was a lot less eager to try to stand up again. The argument continued for a moment, their voices thunderous in his skull, crushing him like a vice -

"Ladies!" Artemis snapped. "Unfortunately, Thalia is right, Zoe. We cannot simply abandon the hero here. Besides which, I must engage in this hunt alone. Things are stirring which are so old I had nearly forgotten their scent - prey beyond compare. The Hunt must go to Camp Half Blood, where you will be safe. Bianca, would you like to join my Hunt?"

The Italian girl shrugged. "Percy was telling me about Camp… it seems pretty nice. I didn't realize there was another option."

"There isn't!" Thalia growled, before realizing she was speaking out of turn. She blushed and turned her eyes downwards. "I mean… if you joined the Hunt, you'd have to leave Nico behind."

Zoe saw a glimmer of something in Bianca's eyes, and seized upon it. "Yes, Bianca, you would have to leave Nico behind, but he would be safe and happy at Camp. Girls like thee, maidens, can join the Hunt in milady's service. A life free of that responsibility… a new family of girls like you."

Artemis nodded along, and Bianca looked dreamily off at the wall of the tent. "Yes, my dear. Camp is the best boys can do, of course, but you would be happy with the Hunt. You could train, learn new skills, become part of something greater. It is a great opportunity for women such as yourself."

Bianca looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it? What's the catch?"

Zoe nodded eagerly. "There is no catch. An eternity at the side of my Lady Artemis… I can think of no better fate. Thou must simply forsake the company of men, and pledge yourself to the service of milady." Thalia looked positively murderous as she heard this, but stood silently. Percy wondered silently what exactly had happened to make her so disdainful of the hunt - why, exactly, she was so desperate to save Bianca from what sounded to Percy like a pretty good deal. Eternal life, sick weapons, lots of friends? He could see the appeal. Plus, he didn't even like guys!

Okay, maybe that was a bigger deal for straight women than straight men, but still.

Bianca seemed to have come to a decision. "What do I need to do?"

Artemis smiled warmly. "Simply repeat after Zoe."

Zoe stepped forwards slightly, took a breath. "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis…" Once Bianca had repeated the lines, she continued. "I turn my back on the company of men, and pledge myself to eternal maidenhood with the Hunt." Bianca stuttered slightly but said the line all the same.

"That's it?" She asked, turning to Artemis.

Artemis pulled Bianca into a hug. "That's it. I accept this pledge, and grant you entry into my Hunters." Zoe smiled, and Percy was touched by the gesture, even if he worried privately about how Nico would take the news - it probably wasn't very nice to hear that your sister had joined an immortal 'no-boys' club, and that you were stuck with summer camp for the rest of your life. Grover, of course, was practically melting into the floor - but Thalia had disappeared somewhere.

Percy staggered to his feet, ignoring the overwhelming pain in his entire body, and launched himself outside the tent. His feet could hardly carry him, and he felt like he was about to vomit, but he propelled himself forwards anyways and set off after Thalia. He called out her name, and the blurry shape at the edge of his still bloodshot vision paused to turn back and face him. Then, something weird happened. Behind her, the freshly-risen sun was getting closer, zig-zagging its way across the sky. Percy blinked, vomited, and looked back up. Where there had once been a sun now sat a cherry red Lamborghini roadster, steam rising off the grass around it. Percy's shoes were soaking wet, but he was warm - and Thalia was rushing towards him angrily.

Fuck.

His dizziness overtaking him once again, he collapsed to his knees, and didn't even hear Thalia berating him because his eyes were locked onto the Sun God. He looked like a business major, maybe, a blond twenty-something with a serious tan, tattoos, and the kind of musculature that spoke of a lot of time in the gym but not much time using those muscles. Percy held up his hand to Thalia, and nodded in the direction of the god. She blinked.

"Apollo is hot," she murmured, then blushed when Percy turned a disbelieving look to her. She went to kneel but he waved her off and stepped forwards. "Uh, Lord Apollo, could you maybe help Percy? He's been poisoned by a manticore… A lot…" she trailed off as he sent her a megawatt smile and kissed the back of her hand.

"Anything for a beautiful girl like you!" He beamed, then turned his attention to Percy. "Oh, Perce, man… you're not looking too good." Quickly, he set about working some magic or other, muttering about "nectar poisoning" and "irresponsible half-bloods" while he somehow stitched a wound with his right hand and simultaneously applied salve to another with his left. Pushing Percy back into a chair which miraculously appeared, he whistled. "Damn, cousin - how'd you walk out here with half your abdomen open?"

Thalia saw fit to explain for Percy, considering he was in such pain that he could hardly breathe while Apollo went to work. "Laurel stitched him up pretty good, but this idiot decided to run out here for some reason. Must've burst your stitches when you did it, Kelp Head," she said in an accusatory aside. For his part, Percy just grunted and gripped her wrist tightly as though she were somehow responsible for the pain.

"What were you thinking, by the way? If you'd just waited for me for thirty seconds, we could have handled him together easily! Maybe then Annabeth wouldn't have had to save your bacon." She regretted it instantly when he recoiled as if struck, and Apollo missed a stitch - but it was true, and they both knew it. Percy nodded, releasing her wrist.

"Well, cousin, looks like you're all patched up. I want you to take it easy for a few days - lots of bed rest - and no more ambrosia or nectar. You damn near burnt yourself up, and you took enough to kill two normal demigods. You're gonna need to avoid it for a while to let yourself recover," Apollo announced with a stern look. Then, an instant later, he was all smiles again. "Little sis! I'm here to bring your hunters to camp!"

Artemis and the Hunters did not look happy to see him. Nico babbled something to Grover, who just nodded along, and Thalia blushed a little bit when she looked back up at the handsome son god.

"Hey, uh… how are we gonna get there?" asked Bianca.

Apollo grinned. "Why, in my chariot, of course! What else are big siblings for?"

"For the last time, Phoebus, we're twins - and I was born first!" Artemis shouted, and Percy was surprised to see just how petulant the previously mature goddess became around her brother.

"That's not what Mom says -" Apollo started, until Percy cleared his throat.

"Uh, no offense, Lord Apollo, but I don't think all of us are gonna fit in the Lambo," he pointed out. "There are like… thirty of us here."

Apollo blinked and turned towards Percy, who had managed to stand up and was currently leaning heavily against Thalia. "Good point, Perce. Well, I hate to take it out of sports car mode, but needs must." He pressed a button on the key fob, and the fire-spitting supercar began twisting and reshaping itself, lengthening, widening, shifting from red to school-bus yellow. Pretty shortly thereafter a thirty-five foot school bus, complete with flashing stop sign arm extended, rested on the snow. "Now. Who wants to drive?"

Nico immediately began bouncing on his feet and waving his arms around like crazy, chanting "Me, me, me, pick me!" but Apollo's eyes bounced over him as though he wasn't even there. Percy was obviously out because of the whole Zeus-Poseidon thing, and Grover's hooves weren't quite suited for operating pedals (as Percy had discovered when he and Grover stole the campus golf cart at Yancy once). That left Thalia, pretty much, as all the huntresses shuffled awkwardly about.

Percy looked at the daughter of Zeus, who seemed to shrink down into her leather jacket. Apollo followed his gaze, eyes landing on Thalia, and he beamed once more. "Hey, little sis! Why don't you drive? It'll be great, I promise," he offered, already throwing the keys to her. She caught them, but still looked apprehensive.

"Uh, I don't know, Lord Apollo, maybe you should-"

"Oh, nonsense! It'll be fun. Daughter of the Sky, driving the sun? It's like poetry. Hey, speaking of poetry…"

The entirety of the hunters groaned and rushed to board the bus before he could begin anything. Percy limped with Thalia towards the bus, grinning at her somewhat apologetically. "What's the worst that could happen? It'll be fine." Thalia didn't seem quite so confident, but Percy had faith. Behind them, Apollo was working on his poem:

"There once was a girl from… no, that's not right."

Artemis shoved him towards the door, and he thankfully shut up. Instead, he climbed up and stood next to Thalia, who sat white-faced at the steering wheel. Percy settled into the jump seat usually reserved for teachers, and Nico and Grover sat together a few rows back. The Hunters huddled at the very back, as far away from Apollo as possible. Thalia reached out with a shaking hand to search for a good radio station but gave up after the closest she got to rock music was some sort of gospel rock. Apollo clapped her on the shoulder, then paused and looked out at Artemis.

"Hey sis, where are you running off to anyways?"

Artemis glared at him, but answered begrudgingly. "I'm… hunting. Tell Father I'm tracking something big."

Apollo didn't seem too happy with that answer. "Should I come with you? Are you going to be safe?" He asked, stepping down the stairs to leave the bus.

Artemis shook her head. "I'll be fine, I work better alone. Besides - you're going to be late, again."

Apollo swore, checking the golden Rolex on his wrist. "Man, not again." He cleared his throat:

Handsome Apollo

Late to cross the morning sky

Helping his little sis

Artemis glared and turned to walk away. Apollo seemed satisfied and walked up next to Thalia again, shutting the swinging doors behind him. "Right, Thalia. You ready? You were a tree for a while, so you should be appreciative of the sun's power. Just pull back on the wheel gently when you're ready, and - Woah, easy, easy!"

Thalia yanked on the wheel and the bus rocketed into the air, zigging and zagging as she wrestled to control it. Despite Apollo's urging, her right foot stayed buried in the floormat, and Percy was halfway worried that she was gonna punch it right through the firewall and end up with a footfull of engine. He glanced behind them - Cape Cod was freezing over, and the sky out the window was fading to a deeper and deeper blue.

"Thalia," he said calmly, "look at me."

She glanced over, met his eyes.

"Gentle. Push forwards. Use your ankle on the pedal, not your knees. Let's head back down a little."

Thalia rankled at the advice, but he held the eye contact until she released the breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding, and gently nosed the bus back down. Apollo clapped, saying "Aha! I knew you'd get the hang of it! I'm such a good teacher. Left a little, please, Thalia."

As Thalia relaxed a little (but not much), Nico put his hand up like he was in class. Apollo looked at him with a slightly bemused smile and nodded.

"So, like, if this is the sun, then why can we still see the sun? I thought the sun was a big ball of gas a million million miles away! How can we be driving the sun?" Nico said, all in one breath, the enthusiasm plain on his face as he opened his mouth again to fire off another burst of questions at the blond god in front of him.

"Well, kiddo, you gotta ask yourself something. Is this bus really the sun, or does it represent the sun? The whole 'ball of gas' thing is just a silly rumor that started because Artemis kept saying my head was a big ball full of gas. But anyways, this bus isn't really the sun. It's the way people feel about the sun. It's the hopes and dreams of humanity, the reassurance of a new day, the font of life and light and joy. Make sense?"

Nico shook his head no. Before Apollo got the chance to explain what he meant, though, Thalia began to tense up again. "Hey, uh, Apollo, uh, we're almost there!" Her foot was buried again, knuckles white around the wheel, and she shoved the wheel forwards to try to guide them down. Percy leapt up as he realized they were plummeting towards the big house, its blue walls and gabled roof growing into clearer focus by the second. That was not good.

He lunged forwards, his legs still exhausted, and managed to yank the wheel upwards and to the right - just enough to plunge the sun into the camp lake, which promptly evaporated as the bus cooled rapidly from its trip through the atmosphere. Shortly, though, the bus was cool, and as it bobbed on the surface of the lake - significantly lower on the shore than it had previously been - Percy willed the water to carry them towards the dock. When they floated up next to the wooden structure, a curiously pale Apollo pulled the keys out of the bus's ignition and clapped Percy on the shoulder.

Thalia drives fast

Percy crashes in the lake

Apollo saves the day

Percy coughed. "That last line was six syllables, Lord Apollo."

"Oh, was it? Darn." Apollo looked both surprised and genuinely put out to have made such a mistake. "Let's go see if we vaporized anything important, huh?"

Percy helped Thalia up from her seat and then willed the water to make some stairs up to the dock. Apollo leapt out and began helping the hunters out of the bus, though none of them actually took the proffered hand. Grover and Nico leapt off, Nico grinning from ear to ear at the ride, and Percy turned to the heavily breathing Thalia.

"Another happy landing. Shall we?"