As she ran, she saw her friends near the Apollo space capsule, and screeched to a halt next to them. Thalia looked over at her in concern, "What's the situation?"

The blonde girl puffed as she caught her breath, "It's Luke, he's here. Along with the General and the manticore, I think his name is Dr Thorn. We're in big trouble. Where's Percy?"

She had just noticed that Percy was not with the group. Bianca replied, "Some big black pegasus suddenly came down and told him something. Now, he's gone off somewhere, but he said he'll be back soon."

Meanwhile, Zoe had other concerns as she stood ramrod straight. She sharply asked, "The General? He's here?"

Annabeth nodded frantically, "Yes, I saw him, somewhat. But we've got bigger problems. Skeleton warriors-"

Thalia froze, "What! How many?"

"Twelve. And the General also mentioned some kind of playmate. A monster."

They were interrupted by a flapping of wings and the group looked up to see Percy descending on the back of a jet black pegasus. He hopped off and fed it a sugar cube before it flew off. He nonchalantly said, "Sorry about that. Blackjack said that it was an emergency. Some sea creature was stuck in a fishing net and I had to free it. Took a while because it freaked out at the sight of my sword. So what's up?"

Annabeth filled him in on what she overheard from Luke's meeting with the General. Then Grover spoke up, "Lady Artemis was definitely here. There's a powerful monster scent and she was probably tracking it."

Suddenly, there was a loud growl and everyone froze. Hermione muttered, "Ron, please tell me that that was your stomach and not what I think it is?"

His indignant response was cut off by a small child's excited squeal, "Kitty!"

Thalia risked a peek over her shoulder and swore, "Damnit! It just had to be the Nemean Lion!"

Zoe took charge, "Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted."

"Until when?" Grover exclaimed.

She snapped back, "Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

Everyone scattered and Ron was the first to strike. He lobbed his spear at the creature's back, only for it to bounce off without making a scratch on the lion. To his dismay, the tip of the spear broke. Hermione's dagger was the next to bounce off it, and break. Zoe's arrows didn't faze it either. Hermione screamed, "Why aren't our weapons hurting it!"

Annabeth screamed back, "It's the Nemean Lion! Don't tell me you don't know that legend?"

The brunette hollered back, "I never really read many mythology books! They sounded way too fantastical and made up to me!"

Ron half-heartedly teased, "And here I thought that you were a bookworm!"

Annabeth dodged a swipe and snapped, "Not the time, you two! Focus!"

Then, Thalia leaped into the fray and brandished her shield in front of it. Seeing the visage of Medusa's face was enough to see the lion visibly recoil. The monster crouched as if it was preparing to leap at Thalia. Suddenly, Percy charged at the beast and struck it with his sword.

Predictably, the sword bounced off with a shower of sparks, but it did distract the lion from its target. The lion swiped at the son of Poseidon, ripping off a chunk of his jacket. Percy backed against the railing, and just as it sprang at him, he spun around and jumped off the railing.

The boy landed on a life-size model of an old-fashioned silver airplane. It wobbled and leaned dangerously, almost pitching its passenger off. The lion also followed him by jumping on the plane. Knowing that it couldn't take the weight of both of them, Percy hopped onto another exhibit, prompting the lion to roar with fury.

Annabeth yelled, "Guys! Target the mouth!"

The Hunter promptly reacted, firing a few arrows. Unfortunately, they all missed, and then Bianca joined in. Apparently, she had borrowed Harry's rings, which meant that the only weapon that he had at the time of his kidnapping, was his wand/sword. As she fired and missed, she grunted, "How does Harry make this look so easy?"

Zoe hollered, "No clear shot! We need to get it to open its mouth wider!"

Percy looked around frantically before he finally spotted a gift shop. He broke into a sprint and barged inside, with Hermione tailing him. Annabeth yelled after him, "Seaweed Brain! What are you doing?!"

Zoe also yelled, "This is no time for souvenirs!"

Hermione hollered from inside the shop, "We've got an idea! Keep that thing occupied!"

Percy raced over to the far wall and grabbed an armful of glittery silver packets. Hermione stuck around long enough to throw a wad of dollar bills and then ran out yelling, "KEEP THE CHANGE!"

The others kept it occupied and things were looking alright until the lion swatted Thalia like a cat toy, sending her flying into the side of a Titan rocket. Her head hit the metal and she slid to the floor unconscious.

Jackson flung his sword at the lion and yelled, "Hey! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

The combination of the sword bouncing off, and the taunts, got its attention. The Nemean Lion snarled at him and pounced in his direction. He dodged and rolled, chucking a chunk of cellophane-wrapped freeze-dried strawberry parfait.

The lion's eyes got wide and it gagged like a cat with a hairball. In the background, Grover was frantically playing on his reed pipes and people were running helter-skelter. Meanwhile the beast choked down the strawberry parfait, but he was ready. He tossed two packets of ice cream and a spaghetti dinner.

The lion's eyes grew wider, it opened its mouth wide and reared up, as if it was trying to get away. Percy yelled, "Now!"

On cue, Zoe and Bianca fired several arrows into its maw. The lion thrashed wildly, turned and fell backwards. And then it was still. Grover and Annabeth helped up a recovering Thalia and they walked over. The lion's corpse appeared to melt until there was nothing left but its glittering fur coat, and even that seemed to be shrinking to the size of a normal lion's pelt.

Zoe motioned to the pelt, "Take it. It is a spoil of war. It is rightly thine."

He protested, "But you and Bianca killed it."

She shook her head and smiled, "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."

As he lifted the pelt, it morphed into a full-length, golden-brown coat. Ron whistled appreciatively, "Cor! That is wicked!"

Then Grover warned, "We have to get out of here. The security guards won't stay confused for long. A minor confusion song. I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds."

Everyone rushed to the van and made their escape. As they were crossing the Potomac, they heard a steady chopping sound. Ron looked up, "What's that sound?"

Hermione replied, "Sounds like a helicopter. Military-grade, if I'm not mistaken. I'd recognise that sound anywhere. My house is fairly close to a military base back in Great Britain."

Zoe grit her teeth as she drove, "They know the van. We have to abandon it."

Grover had a hopeful tone in his voice, "Maybe the military will shoot it down.'

Annabeth shook her head, "'The military probably thinks it's one of theirs. How can the General use mortals, anyway?'

Zoe spat out, "Mercenaries. Tis' distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."

Hermione asked, "But don't these mortals see who they're working for? Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoë shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

The chopper was steadily gaining on them when Bianca pointed. She exclaimed, "There! That parking lot! Trust me."

Zoë shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. They ditched the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

She hurriedly exclaimed, "Subway entrance. Let's go south. Alexandria."

They quickly paid for their tickets and were soon aboard a southbound train. When then train finally came above the ground, they spotted the helicopter once again. Luckily, it was busy circling the parking lot.

Bianca grinned, "I remembered that there was a subway station here. I guess a lot has changed in nearly 50 years."

Thalia, Grover, Ron and Hermione looked at her in confusion. Then it clicked for Percy, "Oh right, I forgot that you weren't there G-man. Back when Annabeth, Harry and I were rescuing you and retrieving the Lightning Bolt, we happened to enter the Lotus Hotel and Casino. That place was a time trap. When you're doing something fun, time flies. Only, that place took it way too literally. Bianca and Nico had been in there since the 1940s. It was only a stroke of luck that Harry happened to bump into them."

Bianca nodded, "Yeah, anyway, as I was saying. When Nico and I lived here as kids, there was no subway."

Just then, there was a familiar chopping sound and it was getting louder. Exchanging looks of alarm, they got up from their seats and hurried down the train. They disembarked at the next station and boarded another train. The process of changing trains occurred twice in the span of half an hour until they finally lost the helicopter for good.

Unfortunately, the way the world works was that good news was always followed by bad news. The bad news was that the last train they took, dropped them off at the end of the line. The surrounding area revealed itself to be an industrial district.

The location seemed to be nothing but warehouses and train tracks. Percy and the group wandered around the railway yard and saw nothing but freight cars for miles. They were also fairly alone, except for a homeless ragamuffin in front of a trashcan fire. He beckoned the group over, "Hey! Come on over! It's going to get dark soon, and trust me, nights can get rather chilly!"

The group was pretty miserable. Ron complained, "Bloody hell. This is just perfect. We're stuck out here in the middle of bloody nowhere and we're no closer to finding Harry!"

The group were silent as the redhead continued to rant. Finally, the homeless man piped up, "I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help but notice that you're in a bit of a pickle. You think you're alone and friendless, but that ain't further from the truth. You lot need a train going west? There's one over yonder."

They turned and noticed a new freight train, gleaming and chuffing. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

Thalia mumbled, "That's convenient…"

Percy shot her a dry look, "You really want to look a gift horse in the mouth? Come on! Let's get on before it leaves without us!"

In 15 minutes, Zoe and Bianca were sleeping in a 1991 Lexus S140. Meanwhile, Grover and Ron were in a Lamborghini Diablo. Hermione was busy geeking out in a McLaren F1 and finally, Thalia and Annabeth were in an SLK Mercedes. Percy joined the latter two in the Mercedes. Thalia was busy headbanging to a heavy metal song, the name which had currently escaped his lips.

The trio listened to the song in silence for a while. After it ended, Annabeth turned off the radio, a clear sign that they needed to talk. She said, "Listen, when I was eavesdropping on Luke and the General, they said that you two were the targets. Specifically Thalia. Their plan was to isolate her so that this monster, whatever it is, would appear in front of her."

The punk girl grumped, "Wonderful. I love being used as bait. What's worse is that the destination is most likely San Francisco."

Annabeth made a face, "Ughh. It just had to be there of all places."

He was puzzled, "Why? What's so bad about San Francisco?"

Annabeth explained, "The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic – what's left of it – still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."

His confusion grew, "Mountain of Despair?

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask Zoë. She's the expert."

"What's your deal with her anyway?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. Thalia's eyes got dangerously bright and Percy was mentally cursing his big mouth. After a fearful minute, she just sighed, "Fine, I guess you deserve to know. They tried to recruit me into their ranks. Luke, Annabeth and I ran into them while we were on the run. Zoe tried to convince me and I was almost sold on the deal. The only problem was that I would have to leave Luke. We got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. That I'd regret my choice and that Luke would let me down some day."

He was about to speak up but Annabeth shot him a warning look. So he changed his mind, "I'm going to go check on the others. See how they're holding up."

Zoe and Bianca were asleep, Hermione left her McLaren and joined Ron and Grover. So he spent time with the three of them. The wizard and witch stared forlornly at their destroyed weapons as Percy told them that they were beyond repair. They talked for a while until Grover also went to sleep. They looked up at the night sky and she asked, "Not going to sleep?"

He grumbled, "Sometimes I hate sleeping. I'm scared of what I might dream of when I actually sleep."

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted them. It said, "Oh, don't be afraid of dreams."

They whipped their heads to see the homeless guy from the railway yard. He was casually leaning against a support beam and there was a dark-haired woman next to him. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. Meanwhile, she was more formally dressed.

Ron scrambled to his feet, "Lady Hecate! W-what are you doing here? And who the bloody hell are you and how did you get here? I thought that you were back in the train yard!"

The man ignored him, "If it weren't for dreams. I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids."

The man then threw up his hands dramatically,

"Dreams like a podcast!

Downloading truth in my ears!

They tell me cool stuff!"

Percy blurted, "Apollo!"

He put his finger to his lips and winked. 'I'm incognito. Call me Lester."

The demigod said incredulously, 'A god named Lester?'"

He shrugged, "Eh, well… Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. And it's still less on the nose than Cathee. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister and my favourite nephew. Nobody."

Ron asked, "Can you help us, then?"

He shot them a conspiratorial wink, "Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"

Hermione was taken aback, "The train. How fast are we moving?"

Apollo chuckled, "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."

Percy asked, "Lord Apollo, do you have any idea where Artemis is?"

The god frowned and his face darkened, "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's… clouded from me. I don't like it. Same with Harry. Always liked that kid."

He pressed further, "What about the monster Artemis was seeking? Do you know what it is?"

He replied, "No, But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the old man of the sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge that is sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

Then Hecate held out her hand, "Mr Weasley, Ms Granger, may I see your wands?"

They silently handed their wands over and watched as she chanted in Ancient Greek. A couple of bright flashes later, she smiled and handed them back, "I have removed the Trace from your wands. You two are free to use magic on this quest. I did the same for Mr. Potter much earlier, and I'll give you the same warning I gave him… 'Do. Not. Abuse this privilege. Additionally, your wands can also turn into your preferred weapons, and they are unbreakable."

They both bowed, "That you Lady Hecate."

Then Apollo straightened up, "Well… We have to leave you. Good luck and I expect a haiku about your journey!"

He snapped his fingers and Percy felt his eyes close. When the group woke up early the next morning, the train was just pulling into the town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The group walked around for some time and he filled everyone in on his conversation with Apollo.

By the time they reached the city centre, there was a bit of a dark mood hanging over the group. Thalia scowled, "Great… No taxis, no car rentals… We're screwed. Unless somebody knows how to hotwire a car."

Fortunately, the grocery store clerk was very helpful. According to her, if they headed to Alamogordo at the bottom of the mountains, they could hail a taxi. After a while, they decided to get some breakfast outside a coffee shop.

As she took a bite out of a bagel, Zoe spoke, "Grover, can you perform that tracking spell of yours?"

The satyr chewed on his bran muffin, including the wrapper, "I think I can. I just need to-"

Suddenly, he froze and everyone glanced at him in concern. Then they all felt something. Something akin to a warm breeze, like a gust of springtime in the middle of summer. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else – almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.

Zoë gasped. "Grover, thy cup."

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away – a tiny flock of doves.

He collapsed, next to his spilt coffee and the group tried desperately to wake him up. Thalia glanced over her shoulder and cursed, "Damnit! We need to get out of here. We've got company."

Sure enough, they could spot a few skeleton warriors in the distance, The skeletons were wearing blue New Mexico State Police uniforms. The warriors stopped at a distance, and then drew their handguns.

Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiralled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn't flinch. Her actions did spur the others into drawing their own weapons. Jackson hissed, "What about Grover?"

Ron stepped up, "I got this!"

He pointed his wand at the downed satyr, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Grover immediately began to float in the air and The group tried to move, with his still body floating behind them. Unfortunately, more skeleton warriors appeared and surrounded them. Then one of the warriors raised a cell phone to his mouth and spoke into it.

Except he wasn't speaking. He made a clattering, clicking sound, like dry teeth on bone. A chill ran down Percy's spine as he figured out that the skeletons had called for backup.

From his position in the air, Grover's eyes snapped open and he moaned, "It's near! The gift. The gift from the Wild."

The feeling came back once again, but Percy ignored it and charged. The first skeleton fired a bullet, and Annabeth screamed in fear. To everyone's amazement, he deflected it with his sword, The skeleton drew a baton, but he didn't give him time to attack. The boy sliced off the skeleton's arms at the elbows and then sliced his enemy through the waist and cut him in half.

With that, the skeleton's bones unknitted and clattered to the tarmac in a heap. Almost immediately, they began to move, reassembling themselves. Percy went to town on the skeletons until one shot him in the back.

"Percy!' Thalia and Annabeth screamed.

He landed face-down in the street, but immediately realized that he was still alive. The impact of the bullets had been dull, like a push from behind, but they hadn't hurt.

Annabeth gasped, "The Nemean Lion's fur! He's bullet-proof!"

All the others, with the exception of Ron and Grover, charged. The former was still keeping up his spell, and the latter was still airborne, holding his hands out, as if he wanted to hug the trees.

Suddenly, one skeleton lunged at Bianca and she whipped out a hunting knife borrowed from Zoe. She stabbed the skeleton in the chest and it erupted in flames, leaving a pile of ashes and a police badge.

The fight stopped briefly and everyone stared at her. She nervously chuckled, "Maybe it's because I'm the daughter of Hades?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Makes sense."

By then, the remaining skeletons were wary of her. As they retreated, Hermione asked, "Do we have a plan?"

Annabeth grunted, "Working on it."

The trees behind the skeletons were shivering. Branches were cracking. Then, with a mighty roar, a ten-meter high boar with a snotty pink snout and canoe-sized tusks, burst out.

"REEEEEEEEET!" it squealed, and raked the surviving skeletons aside with its tusks. The force was so great they went flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain, where they smashed to pieces, thigh bones and arm bones twirling everywhere.

From his vantage point, Grover yelled, "Don't kill it! It's a blessing from the wild!"

Zoe grit her teeth, "That's the Erymanthian Boar. I don't think we can kill it."

It charged and everyone dived out of the way. The beast came back for another round and the group split up. Thalia raised her shield, and only succeeded in enraging it further. The boar chased her and Jackson up the hill. On the other side, Percy spotted a stretch of train tracks and dragged Thalia along.

Just ahead was a tunnel and beyond that was an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge. They sprinted into the tunnel and came out on the other side until Thalia screeched to a stop.

"No!" she screamed.

She'd turned as white as ice as the two of them stood at the edge of the bridge. Below, the mountain dropped away into a gorge about twenty metres below.

The boar was right behind us.

He tugged on her arm, "Come on! It'll hold our weight, probably."

She shrank back, "I can't."

The boar smashed into the covered tunnel, tearing through at full speed.

"Now!" he yelled at Thalia.

She looked down and swallowed. He could swear that she was turning green.

Then he made a snap decision and tackled her. That sent them both sideways off the edge of the bridge, into the side of the mountain. They slid down the mountainside on Aegis. As for the boar, it charged onto the trestle, which buckled under its weight. On cue, it fell into the gorge with an almighty squeal.

As the two slid to a stop, he glanced at her, "You're afraid of heights?"

She growled, "Breathe a word to anyone and I will electrocute you, Kelp Head."

A few minutes later, the rest of the gang joined them. Fortunately, less dangerously, as Ron and Hermione levitated everyone down. They glanced at the boar, which was now out cold.

"A blessing of the Wild," Grover mused.

Zoe nodded, "I agree. We must use it."

Thalia walked up, having just been healed by Hermione, "Hold up. Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

Grover looked over, distracted. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

Jackson grinned, "Fun. Like… pig cowboys."

The satyr sighed, "Let's go. I just wish we had more time. Sadly, it's gone now."

One-by-one, they mounted its hairy back. Then Ron used his wand to conjure an apple and float it in front of the boar. The boar went nuts, straining to get it.

Annabeth grinned, "Automatic steering. Great."

Hermione still looked a bit puzzled, "What did Grover mean? This wild blessing."

Zoe replied, "I know about it. Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong… I never thought I would sense that presence again."

Ron asked, "What presence?"

She glanced at the witch and wizard, "The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan."

Just like that, they set off once again. The ride was uncomfortable for a few minutes until Hermione solved the issue with a few Cushioning Charms. The task fell on her, because Ron was preoccupied with floating the apple in front of the boar.

The beast kept on running till sunset and the scenery whizzed by. The mountains faded into the distance and were replaced by miles of flat dry land. The grass and scrub brush got sparser until they were galloping across the desert.

As night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and snorted. He started drinking the muddy water, then ripped a saguaro cactus out of the ground and chewed it, needles and all.

Grover called out, "This is our stop. It's as far as he will go. Let's get off while he's eating."

They complied and watched as the boar ripped up three cacti before it galloped back towards the east. When the questors turned back, they spotted a two-lane road half blown over with sand. On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked pretty ancient, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above the door.

Just beyond that was a range of hills made of old cars, appliances and other bits and bobs of scrap metal. Grover sniffed the wind and had a nervous look on his face. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern, that looked odd.

Ron had a peek and he grimaced, "Oh that's not good."

Hermione shot him an odd look, "You can tell?"

He snapped, "Oi! I do pay attention in Trelawney's classes! Also helps that Harry also knew a few things about Divination."

She raised her hands in defence, "Okay, okay… I didn't mean anything by it."

Grover ignored the bickering and gestured to everyone to gather around. He pointed to a small cluster of acorns, "That's us right there."

Then Ron pointed to another cluster, "That one looks like trouble. Not sure what it is, though."

Annabeth guessed, "Monsters?"

Grover shook his head, "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge lies in that junkyard."

With night falling, they opted to camp out over there. As they lay in sleeping bags, Zoe pointed to the sky, "Look, the stars are out."

Bianca gazed in wonder, "Amazing! I've never actually seen the Milky Way."

Zoe let out a soft snort, "Tis nothing. In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of light pollution from the mortals.

Hermione mused, "You talk like you're not human."

Zoe turned her head towards the witch. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"

Thalia grumpily corrected, "For you, not thee."

The Hunter protested, "But you use you for the beginning of a sentence."

Thalia continued, "And for the end. No thou. No thee. Just you."

Zoë threw up her hands in exasperation, "I hate this language. It changes too often!"

Grover brayed mournfully, "If only Pan were here, he would set things right. He sent us help. I don't know how or why. But it was his presence. After this quest is done, I'm going back to New Mexico. It's the best lead we've got in two thousand years. I was so close."

Unfortunately, sleep was not an option, as a blinding pair of headlights hit them. Everyone rolled out of the way as a white limousine slid to a stop in front of them. The limousine's back door opened, and the next thing that anyone knew, Jackson found a sword pointed at his throat. Zoe immediately drew her bow, followed by the others.

A familiar figure stepped out of the limousine with a cruel grin on his face. He sneered, "Not so fast now, are you, punk?"

Percy growled, "Ares."

The god glanced at the others, who were pointing their weapons at him. He simply snapped his fingers and said, "At ease, people."

On cue, their weapons fell to the ground in unison. Ares dug the sword a little deeper, "This is a friendly meeting. Of course I'd like to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."

Ron blurted, "What lady?"

Ares shot him a cursory glance, "Oh… you're one of Hecate's eh? Never thought I'd see the day. The Grindelwald war was always one of my favourites. Though I had to admit, that Killing Curse of yours is cheating. Don't get me wrong, I love a good death, but that instant death crap just robs the fun out of it. Now the Torture Curse… That's a fun one. Anyway, my guest wants to see the Jackson brat. Why don't you all go get some tacos while you wait? Only take Percy a few minutes."

The others looked defiant, but Percy reassured them, "Go on, I'll handle this."

They reluctantly headed to the taco joint, which had miraculously opened. As Ares ushered him inside, he snarled, "Get inside, punk. And mind your manners. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."

When he entered, the first thing that greeted him was the most drop dead gorgeous woman he had ever seen. She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was the most beautiful that he has ever seen: perfect makeup, dazzling eyes, a smile that would've lit up the dark side of the moon.

"Ah, there you are, Percy," the goddess said in a melodious voice. "I am Aphrodite.'

He slid into the seat across from her and babbled like an idiot.

She smiled, "Aren't you sweet. Hold this, please."

She handed him a polished mirror the size of a dinner plate and dabbed at her lipstick. Aphrodite asked, "Do you know why you're here?"

Percy stammered and she continued, "Let me rephrase. Why are you on this quest?"

He replied, "Artemis and Harry have been captured."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes, "Oh, Artemis. Please. Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should at least be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!"

He protested, "But she was chasing a monster. A really, really bad monster. We have to find it! She was also looking for Harry!"

She tutted, "Always some monster. But, Harry… He is my concern. Did you know, when that silly Dark Lord went to kill him, his mortal mother invoked a protection ritual? That was one of mine. Let me tell you, there is nothing more powerful in the world, that a mother's love. Especially when the mother is willing to lay down her own life to save her child. That actually tugged at my heartstrings. I don't I cried that hard since I watched Casablanca. But with that ritual, that made Harry, my champion. Now, Artemis and I don't normally see eye-to-eye, but even her own mission was to find Harry. That's the love of a mother for you."

She looked outside the window, "Now, run along. And do be careful in my husband's territory. Don't take anything. He is awfully fussy about his trinkets."

He was about to ask what she meant, when Ares opened the door and yanked him out. He growled, "You're lucky, punk. Be grateful that we're being so nice. If it was up to me-"

Percy shot back, "So why haven't you killed me?"

Ares nonchalantly said, "I'd love to kill you, seriously. But, see, I got a situation. Word on Olympus is that you might start the biggest war in history. I can't risk messing that up. Besides, Aphrodite is really invested in that Potter brat and she is hoping that you save him. I kill you, that means that you won't be able to have Potter. Then makes me look bad with her. But don't worry. I haven't forgotten my promise. Someday soon, kid – real soon – you're going to raise your sword to fight, and you're going to remember the wrath of Ares."

He snapped his fingers, and Percy fell to the ground. When he recovered, the limousine had vanished, and the place was a ghost town once again.

Annabeth came over, "So who was it, that you were talking to, Seaweed Brain?"

"Aphrodite."

Bianca chipped in, "What did she want with you?"

He saw no reason to lie, "Well, she said that she was just as invested in this quest as we are. Apparently, Harry is her champion, whatever that means. She also said that we had to be careful in her husband's junkyard. Don't pick up anything from there."

Annabeth mused, "At one point, I would not have believed you. Aphrodite likes to toy with people's emotions, but I know that she has a soft spot for Harry."

Ron interrupted, "So, how do we get out of here?"

Zoe pointed, "That way. That is west."

Ron was gobsmacked, "How can you tell?"

She replied, "Ursa Major is in the north. Which means that must be west. Come on, it looks like rest shall have to wait for a while."

Slowly, they trekked to the junkyard. When they entered, that was when the scale truly hit them. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight. They ranged from broken heads of bronze horses to metal legs of human statues, chariots, shields, swords, and other paraphernalia.

Ron was awestruck, "Blimey! Is that real gold?"

Thalia grimly said, "It is. Like Percy said, don't touch anything. This is the junkyard of the gods."

They slowly climbed the junk hills without too many incidents. The only significant one was when Annabeth smacked a broken crown from Grover's hands before he could take a bite. Bianca picked up a silver Hunter's bow, which turned into a hairclip. However, Zoe made her put it down.

In all honesty, it was very difficult to avoid picking up something. It got to a point where Ron and Hermione threatened to use Stunning Spells on everyone. Eventually, the edge of the junkyard beckoned, about half a mile away. To make matters even better, there was a highway in the distance, but in between them was a massive structure that resembled a set of toes.

Zoe, Annabeth and Thalia immediately came to a consensus, "Let's go around. Far around."

Then, Grover scared the crap out of everyone when he flicked a piece of scrap metal at the toes. After several more minutes of walking, they finally neared the highway. Zoe sighed in relief, "We made it out! Thank the gods!"

Suddenly, there was a deafening metallic sound from behind them. The group spun around to see the ten toes tilting. Connected to the toes, was a bronze giant in full Greek battle armour. He was impossibly tall – a skyscraper with legs and arms. He gleamed wickedly in the moonlight. He looked down at us, and his face was deformed. The left side was partially melted off. His joints creaked with rust, and across his armoured chest, written in thick dust by some giant finger, were the words WASH ME.

Zoe paled, "Talos! One of Hephaestus' creations! Must be a… what do you call it… a prototype. It's too small to be the original."

Talos moved one hand to his sword belt and drew his weapon. The sound of it coming out of its sheath was horrible, metal screeching against metal. The blade was thirty metres long, easy. It looked rusty and dull, but I didn't figure that mattered. Getting hit with that thing would be like getting hit with a battleship.

Zoe yelled, "Someone took something. Who took something?"

She glanced at Percy, who quickly shook his head. He exclaimed, "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a thief."

However, he couldn't help but notice that Bianca looked guilty. Meanwhile, Talos took a giant step towards them and everyone scattered. Thalia drew her shield and the giant swung his sword, taking out several power lines. Zoe's arrows and Ron's spear clattered harmlessly against Talos' face and body.

Percy made his way to Bianca, "You took the bow, didn't you?"

She yelped, "I didn't take the bow! Besides, its too late!"

Then the area around them darkened as Talos' foot came down, and the two bolted immediately. Then, Bianca dug out a small metal figurine with trembling fingers. She stammered, "It was for Nico. The only figurine he didn't have."

She dropped the figurine, but the giant's rampage didn't stop. Thalia took her own spear and a blue arc of lightning shot out, striking the giant in the knee. It staggered and fell before getting up to rise again. Then Annabeth yelled, "Percy! Look at the foot!"

There was a hole in his heel, like a large manhole, and there were red words painted, reading FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY. They reconvened with Ron and Hermione, who were shooting out spells. Percy said, "I have an idea, a crazy one. There's a hatch for maintenance! "There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something."

Hermione shrieked, "How? You'll have to stand under its foot! You'll be crushed.'

He explained, "Distract it. I'll just have to time it right."

Bianca's jaw tightened. "No. I'll go."

He looked at her in askance, "Are you sure?"

She nodded firmly, "It's my fault the monster came after us. It's my responsibility."

Ron replied, "I don't like this, but we've got no choice. If this goes tits up-"

However, Bianca broke into a sprint. She got right next to the giant's foot, trying to balance herself on the metal scraps that swayed and shifted with his weight. Jackson ran up to its big toe and stabbed it in the foot. Talos looked down at the gash and raised his foot.

He didn't have time to check on Bianca, but just turned and ran for it. Talos looked for a new target and saw Grover trip and fall. The monster raised his sword to smash Grover. Then he froze.

Talos cocked his head to one side, like he was hearing strange new music. He started moving his arms and legs in weird ways, before making a fist and punching himself in the face.

"Go, Bianca!" Percy whooped.

Zoë looked horrified. "She is inside?"

The monster staggered around, and the son of Poseidon realised that the danger was still there. He, Annabeth and Thalia grabbed Grover and ran with him towards the highway.

The giant hit itself in the head again and dropped his sword. A shudder ran through his whole body and he staggered towards the power lines. Suddenly, Hermione raised her wand and bellowed, "Accio Bianca di Angelo!"

Nothing happened for a frightening few seconds. Then the hatch by the giant's foot burst open and Bianca came flying out at high speed. Thankfully, Ron placed himself in front of Hermione and caught Bianca, sending them rolling on the ground. He wheezed, "You alright, mate?"

She didn't speak for a few seconds and just took deep breaths. Then she said, "I'm okay, I'm okay. Thank you, both of you. I honestly thought I was going to die."

Meanwhile, Talos began to come undone in a literal sense. Body parts kept falling until his crumbled to pieces. Zoe came running over and hauled Bianca to her feet before hugging her tightly and crying. She broke the hug and spoke in a thick voice, "I thought that I had lost thee. I do not know how I would have faced Harry if thou had perished. He cares for thou and Nico like his own siblings. Come, let us get away from this accursed place."