Sorry this took so long. I was working on my other story, Octavians plan, so I had no time to write this chapter. Also, do you recognize the reference in the chapter title?

Important: I also kind of forgot Jason was there so just pretend he went inside with Clarisse.

Warning: mentions of blood

Thalia's POV

I was with the hunters of Artemis when I heard it.

Let me explain. A small borough of hunters and I were out trying to catch dinner, when a hellhound appeared out of nowhere. This was strange, but not because of the attack. The monster attacks had been getting much more frequent, though no one could figure out why. I became suspicious when Artemis was called to Olympus around the time of the attacks. Last time that happened, there was a war.

But anyway, the attack was strange because with our hunter training, and experience, none of us heard the hellhound until it was right on top of us.

I readied my bow, and got into a fighting stance, ready to attack, when the hellhound pounced. I was about to shoot it, until it started licking me.

"Oh!" I said, reaching up to scratch the ten-foot-tall dogs chin, "Ms. O'Leary!"

The other hunters looked at me confused, and slightly suspicious of the giant mastiff.

"Don't worry," I told them, "This one's friendly."

I only just began to wonder what she was doing here, when I heard a commotion not far from where we were standing. I crouched down and slowly crept to where the sound was coming from, the blessing of Artemis making our footsteps silent.

We made it to some bushes, and I saw light shining through them.

'Probably a monster camp site,' I thought.

I strained my neck over the bushes to see what kind of monster(s) there was, when I accidental jostled the bush making enough noise for them to hear me. I cursed myself silently for being so clumsy and reckless, and quickly ducked back down. Luckily, I had just enough time to see what was on the other side of the bush.

It wasn't a monster camp. It was camp camp.

What I saw was to figures standing outside the big house. One of them was walking back inside like they just finished a conversation. In the moments just before I ducked back down, I saw the figure that was still standing outside respond to the noise I made, and they went into a fighting stance.

They weren't carrying a bow so they wouldn't fire on me as soon as I showed myself thinking I was a monster lurking in the shadows.

I stood up.

As soon as I did, the figure recognized me, and lowered his sword. It was Percy.

I smiled at my cousin and ran up to meet him, forgetting that the rest of the hunters were still behind me, but as I got closer, I realized the gravity of the situation.

The first thing I noticed was his injuries. He was covered head to toe in cuts and bruises, and there was a large gash on his left arm that was still bleeding.

The rest I saw all at once. His slumped shoulders, his too-thin frame, the bags under his eyes, and that he seemed to be favoring putting his weight on one leg over the other.

I slowed to a walk.

"Percy what…" I started, "what happened?"

I wrapped him in a hug which he returned.

"Why… how…" I started, "What are you doing out here?"

Percy sighed. "A horde of monsters came through here about a month ago. Took out your try and the hearth, so now the camps borders are gone. All the campers are staying in the big house now."

I looked at him, shocked. "You can all fit in there?"

Percy looked at me and said, quietly, "there aren't as many of us here as when we started."

The look in his eyes told me just how bad things have gotten. It was so horrifying, I could hardly speak. I understood why Percy had said it so quietly.

"How…" I took a shuddering great, "how many. How many are left."

"Twenty-seven," he replied, looking down, "only twenty-seven."

I barely held back a gasp. There were over four hundred people at camp during the summer, and now they were down to twenty-seven?!

"Piper and Leo they…" Percy seemed unable to get the words out, but I understood what he meant. They had died. Right along with everyone else.

I put a hand over my mouth, unable to stop the stream of tears flowing down my face. I put my face into my hands, as Percy put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I took a deep breath, and looked up as I realized something. "Where's Annabeth?"

Percy looked down at this. "She, uh, we don't know exactly where she is."

"You- you don't know." I responded, "what do you mean you don't know."

It must've come out harsher than I meant it to, because he flinched and said, "I iris-messaged her this morning, she said she was on her way here…"

I thought about what he said for a moment before cursing myself. How could I forget what a terrible condition Percy was in?

I took him by the shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said in a firm tone, "when was the last time you slept? Or eaten? Did you already have ambrosia? I have some right here, but I don't want to burn you up. How— "

He cut me off. "Thalia, relax. You're acting like my mom. And not in a good way. And, really, I'm fine."

He was so convincing I almost believed him. Except, "your covered in injuries! You're far from 'fine'."

Percy remained silent.

Just then, one of the other hunters, her name was Phoebe, spoke up. "Should we shoot the male, Thalia?"

I turned around to face her. "No. He's a friend. Respected by Artemis," I responded.

She nodded. "What should we do then?"

I pondered the question. "Go get the others. We'll be setting up camp here for a while."

Phoebe nodded again and turned back to the rest, probably to tell them what I said.

I turned back to Percy. "And you," I started. He looked vaguely nervous. "Go. Eat something. Sleep."

"I…" he started.

"No." I said firmly. "You have to."

"But I…" he tried again.

"No buts." I said. I realized I did sound like his mother.

"I…"

"Percy."

"I CAN'T!" He shouted, breathing heavily. "I just can't." He said, quieter and a little shakily as he sat down on the porch and put his head in his hands.

I was surprised at his outburst, but I still felt bad. I mean, I could have been a bit nicer about it, but just when I was about to apologize and ask what he meant by 'I can't', he spoke up again.

"Monsters destroyed our magic plates a week ago. We've barley found anything to eat since then, and I didn't have any of it because, really, they deserve it more than I do after I let all those people die on my watch. I'm supposed to be the leader, right? But I can't do this. I have no idea what to do, and all it's going to take is one more large attack, and we're all dead. We're doomed, and there's nothing I can do. And everybody is expecting me to get them out of this. To save the day somehow, but I just… can't. I need to stay awake, I need to be prepared for when another attack comes, so I can try to defend them. And even when I do sleep, I see them. All the people I let down, all the people I let die, blaming me. And sometimes I see him. Tartarus. So, I can't."

I sat there in stunned silence as Percy finished his rant. I sat down next to him and enveloped him in another hug.

"I'm sorry," he told me.

"WHAT! SORRY? Percy, you have nothing to apologize to me about!" I told him.

"You shouldn't have to deal with my problems." He responded sadly, "you have enough to worry about."

"Percy, I-," I was cut off by phoebe, who had come back with the rest of the hunters.

I turned to look at the dozens of girls all crying backpacks and bows, all scowling at the camp, but mostly at Percy.

"I know you don't like the campers here," I told them, "But they need our help. They won't survive without us."

The hunters looked suspicious, but complied, nonetheless.

I glanced back at Percy to see that his face had returned to his perfect mask of calm confidence, as if our conversation only moments before had never happened.

After I watched the hunters leave, I turned fully back to Percy, to continue our conversation.

"Did you call for any other reinforcements?" I asked him.

"I would've called you sooner through iris-messaging, but I had no idea where you were, and Chiron called the party ponies, but…" Percy hesitated, "they, along with Chiron were…"

He didn't Finnish his sentence. He didn't need to. I sat back down on the porch with a thump.

"No… no. He- he can't be…" I looked down in shock, and I felt Percy place a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I know," he said softly, "I know."

I put my head in my hands and tried to steady my breathing as Percy continued to rub my back comfortingly. It wasn't a romantic gesture. I loved him like a brother, and I knew he felt the same way.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.

Then I remembered something, and I stood up.

"Percy," I started, "we're the party ponies the only reinforcements you got?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so." He responded.

I put a firm hand in his shoulder and pointed into the distance.

"Percy," I told him, "You have allies all over the world. You've been across the country, and even Europe. You made a lot of enemies, but you had to have made some friends too, right? There has to be someone you can contact."

I figured he haven't thought of this since he hasn't slept in gods-knows-how-long, but it still seemed ridiculous to me that he hadn't even considered it.

He thought for a moment, "I know a few people."

Cliffhanger…

Sosososososo sorry for making you wait so long!