Welcome back, let's get right into this.

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.

On with the fourth chapter.

4. We Harbor A Fugitive

Percy

"Percy, you awake?"

"Go away..." I grumbled; my eyes shut tight. I didn't even know where I was, I just knew that I was cozy and asleep.

"Man, you don't look so good." The voice said again, and I felt a little push on my shoulder.

Suddenly the ground rumbled, and I became very aware of where I was. On the beach in front of Camp Half Blood. I opened my eyes to see thunderclouds and rain beating on my face. My entire body became soaked within seconds, and I couldn't do anything about it, oddly.

I shot up in an upright position, looking around for the source of the voice. But...there wasn't any. Nobody was out here but me.

I pushed myself up, nearly falling back down from the high winds. Jeez, it was like a tropical storm out here. The waves were wild, the sand was getting thrown everywhere, and I got the eerie feeling that I was alone. As in the entire Camp was gone, nobody there. Not even Annabeth.

"Hello?" I called. Nobody answered.

This was freaky. I knew for a fact I was alone, in this wild storm. I had no idea where it came from, or how I even got here. Why the heck was I passed out on the beach?

I probably would've wondered out here all day, but a sound from the water caught my attention.

It wasn't a wave crashing. It was more like something moving in it.

I squinted my eyes and got closer, taking cautious steps as I went. The water around here wasn't the clearest, so I couldn't catch anything from this distance. I got closer.

Finally, I stood right over where I saw the bubble, and peered my head over it. Big mistake, don't ask. Usually when you hear weird sounds you want to get as far away as possible. Me, I'm special, I have to go towards them.

More bubbles started to rise from the sand floor. I was about knee deep now, still looking to see what the heck it was. Some kind of fish?

Not a fish.

I was blown back quicker than I could think, some immense force sent me flying in the air. Up and up, thirty feet, forty, fifty, sixty...so on and so forth. I didn't even have time to scream or flail, I was so in shock at what had happened and everything was going so fast.

Something massive latched its grip on my torso, stopping my ascent. At this point, I was losing it. I widened my eyes at the...disgustingly scary creature before me.

Ever seen an Octopus? Well, imagine old Squidward about a hundred feet tall, with a massive and slimy frame. The thing that caught me in its grip had the head of an octopus, with glaring, empty eyes and face tentacles flying all over the place, each one the size of a full-grown tree trunk. I was reminded of that one villain from the Pirates of the Caribbean. What was his name? Danny Jones? No, idiot, Davy Jones. Yeah, this thing was a freaking huge Davy Jones. From the neck down it was almost reptilian, with blue and green scales, broad shoulders, sharp fins on its elbows, and claws on its webbed fingers. I didn't even want to look at its lower half, for two reasons. Well, one main reason, I didn't want to throw up.

See, most monsters are a mix of...something. Like the Chimera, which is part lion, part snake, part goat, and part whatever, there was a lot of things mixed on that one. This thing was the same, and I was afraid on its lower half there would be some kind of dragon tail or something weirder. The smaller reason is that most monsters don't wear clothes, and if they do, it's scarce. Trust me, I've seen enough giant parts.

But this thing oddly...didn't seem like a monster. No, it was more powerful, and there was something behind it. This giant thing was a mask, there was a man underneath. Or something like a man, but not a man.

That doesn't make sense, does it?

Either way, Octo giant was scary.

It glared at me, but only held me tight enough to where I couldn't escape, not to cause pain. I knew though, if it wanted, it could pop me like a rotten fruit.

"Wh-What are you?!" I yelled, but it didn't respond. It just tilted its head.

I struggled against it, even though it didn't seem to be hurting me. But in my experience, giant beings don't normally like to chit chat.

Once beating on its fingers proved useless, I let out a loud roar of a scream, and felt a tug in my stomach. I lifted my arms up with some resistance, meaning that a lot of water was about to hit this thing right in its eyes.

I aimed for its eyes, knowing that if there was one weakness, I could hit it at, those would be the things to go for. Dozens of gallons of water rose from the sea below in funnels. They corkscrewed up to where I was and met my movement. I thrust my arms at the giant Octo monster, and the water obeyed, throwing itself full force at its dark pupils.

But to my surprise, the water didn't hit him. Not because he blocked it, but because the water literally stopped in its tracks.

No joke. It's like this thing commanded it to do so. No growl, no words or anything, just a single thought and the water attack changed owners. It stopped in midair, and fell limp, falling back into the water.

I don't know what I would've done next. Probably just give up and play dead. But the Octo Giant was mad now, I attacked him, and he was mad.

He reared his slimy hand back and flung me. As soon as he released me, I soared into the sand at hypersonic speed, hitting the dunes with a loud CRASH! I laid in a newly formed crater. For some reason I didn't feel pain, but that wasn't my main concern.

My vision was blurry, I tried to shake it off, but it didn't work. Little stars and white lines kept dancing in my eyesight, blocking pretty much everything I should've been able to see.

I heard the waves stop moving, completely. The storm clouds were still in the sky, but the waves stopped moving. Whoever this guy was, he had serious control over water. The entire ocean was a rip current just a few moments ago, and he calmed it like nothing.

The sound of metal clanking filled my ears. It got closer and closer, and as it did, I realized it was armor, moving around on someone as they walked.

My vision cleared a little, and I pushed on my elbow to get a better look. A metal boot caught me and pushed me back down.

A face appeared in my view. I didn't have 4K in my eyes right now, more like 720p, but I could see that whoever it was, had spiked up gray hair, sea green eyes, and a neat beard.

With my vision half gone, the person kind of looked like...my dad, only with shorter hair. Did he get a cut?

"Dad?"

The person, god, whoever it was just stared at me, didn't say a word. He was definitely wearing armor though, that was the part gaining most of my attention, only because it was bright for armor. Instead of being gray or bronze, this was dark blue and green.

The figure pressed against my shoulder harder, immobilizing me. Fear started to well up in my chest as I saw something materialize in his right hand. A staff like weapon with three points at the end.

My father's trident.

Not a replica, but his trident. Somehow I knew it was, and I knew this wasn't my dad. My dad would never hurt me. This guy had no emotion whatsoever behind those eyes, his goal was to kill me here and now.

"Wait!" I shouted, but he didn't listen. I tried to summon more water, but nothing happened. My limbs were basically jelly, Riptide wasn't in my pocket, and all I could do...was wait for death.

"NO!" I screamed. The figure tightened his grip, and brought the trident down on me.

"NO!"

I shot up and headbutted somebody right in the face. I felt tingles of pain all in my forehead.

"Aghh..."

"OW! What the hell, man?!"

Wait what? Where was I?

I blinked my eyes a few times and looked around me, seeing that I was on the beach, just like before. Only now the sun was lower in the sky, and it was a dim red. Either in a rising or setting position. There were no storm clouds, and the waves were naturally calm.

Huh? But I just...I just got freaking killed. How am I here?

"Percy! Not cool dude!" Said the voice. Another person could be heard chuckling. It sounded like an adult.

I finally looked up and squinted at the two, and I recognized them as Aiden Walker and Mr. D. Aiden had his hand on his head and he was glaring at me. Mr. D was trying not to laugh.

I looked around helplessly, "What the...I mean, where am...what happened?"

Aiden winced and rubbed his head, "You tell me, man. We just found you out here, passed out on your back."

Mr. D chuckled, his arms crossed over his pudgy chest. "You haven't adopted your southern friend's love for alcohol, have you?"

Suddenly it started coming back to me. Hearing Mr. D's annoying voice made me snap, and I remembered.

I had stayed out here all night. I tried again and again to enter the water, but each time it forced me back. I sat out here minute by minute, waiting and trying over and over. Finally, I had stayed out here so long that I fell asleep. It was morning right now.

My eyes widened, "I've been out here all night. Oh man, Annabeth is gonna be so mad."

Aiden took his hand off his head, "What were you doing out here? We were all worried about you after the whole...fight."

Mr. D nodded, looking mockingly impressed. "Yes. Shame I missed the entire thing, it would've been fascinating to watch you bumble around like you did in the arena last month."

I tightened my lips. Working with Mr. D, or Dionysus, the annoying wine god, was how do I put it? Pure hell? Yeah, that's the word.

Mr. D and I have always had a mutual disliking for each other, ever since I got here at twelve. And he's still here. That tell you how lucky I am? Especially after Chiron died, he and I had to work together more often than ever. If you consider him being lazy and doing nothing working together.

I scoffed, "Great to see you again, Mr. D. And you would know a thing or two about alcohol, wouldn't you?"

"I am the wine god, after all."

I gave his unathletic frame a once over, "More like bud light."

His eye twitched, and I thought we were about to fight, but Aiden broke the tension.

"Okay guys, calm down. We don't need you two arguing again." He lowered his voice, "For the four hundredth time..."

Mr. D calmed down and raised an eyebrow at me, "That Annabelle girl has been looking for you. Says you need to talk." He chuckled, "Sounds like she's finally come to her senses and found a better hero to date. Who was it again?" He put his finger on his chin in mock thought, "Mark Baker? Or something like that."

I didn't let it get to me, like usual with this clown. Banter with him was second nature to me. "Wow, getting two names wrong in one sentence? That's gotta be a new record, man. It's Matt Beckett, and the dude's taken."

Mr. D nodded, "Ah right, the broody girl. Harley Piers?"

Even Aiden was getting annoyed. He wasn't used to Mr. D being a jerk as much as I was. "No sir, it's Harper Pierce. My sister. Remember?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. I don't pay attention to all of you...children."

He said the word children with a passionate disgust. Aiden just groaned, "She's been here for almost five years!"

I tapped him on the shoulder, "Save it, bro. I've been here for almost nine and he still acts like he doesn't know my name."

Mr. D tried his best to put on an offended face, "But I do know your name! It's Peter Johnson!"

I just deadpanned at him for a few seconds and started walking back to Camp. Both of them followed me.

"What time is it?" I asked Aiden.

"Almost seven. You got time, man. It's Annabeth you wanna worry about. She looked...pissed. Like, seriously pissed."

I gulped. A mad Annabeth was scarier than pretty much anything I've ever faced. I knew she was probably going to make me sleep on the couch, or heck, the beach again for leaving her alone all yesterday. Looking back on it, yeah, it looks bad when your boyfriend kills another demigod and takes off in the ocean, then returns the next day passed out on the beach. I'd be mad too.

Mr. D spoke up behind us, "Blah blah, lover's quarrel, blah blah. Johnson, once you get done with that nonsense, you need to get this place ready for that Halloween Party. It's only in a few days."

I turned around on him, "Aren't you the god of parties? Can't you just wave your hand and everything will just appear?"

He gave a little so so movement of his head, "Sure, I could. But where's the fun in that? This way I get to watch you heathens suffer."

I rolled my eyes and turned back around; the Big House was just over that hill. Oh man, okay, rehearse what you're going to say. Work up an apology Percy, this is what marriage is going to be like.

Marriage...oh gods, the proposal! I totally forgot to ask dad if I could ask Annabeth's parents if I could marry her!

Wait, that sounded stupid. A lot of ifs. Let's try again.

I forgot to- oh, forget it. The point is, I didn't really have a chance to ask him, what with Oceanus trying to kill us, and most of my dad's people slaughtered, but I still should've brought it up somehow.

Okay, maybe not. That wasn't the time. But speaking of time, it's kind of running out. I need to start working on this fast.

"You good?" Aiden asked beside me, "You look kind of sick."

I nodded, "I'm fine. Just a little freaked out."

"That afraid of her, eh?" Mr. D quipped, "It appears we know who wears the pants in the relationship now."

I should've told him to shove a grape vine in a particular place, but I didn't. Instead I muttered, "No, that's not what I'm freaked out about. It was what I saw underwater."

Aiden walked faster to catch up with me, "What did you see?"

We were at the steps now; this would have to wait.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I gotta deal with this problem."

Just as I put my shoe on the first step, Annabeth opened the door and peeked her head out of it.

She did look mad. Oh no...I'm in trouble.

"Percy, you need to get in here, now."

Both Aiden and Mr. D chuckled. Well, this is officially embarrassing. I know I screwed up, but the least she could do was wait to chew me out when I got inside.

I put my hands up, "I know it looked bad, and I'm sorry. If you could just listen to me for-"

"Percy. In here, now." She cut me off, her eyes were intense, and I mean intense. She wasn't just angry...she was murderous. I'm not kidding, she seriously wanted to kill somebody right now. Even me, no aura sense, could feel the bloodlust coming from her. Jeez, she wasn't that mad at me, was she?

"Annabeth, I'm sorry for what happened-"

"Aiden, get back to the cabin, please." She ordered, "You can check up on Harper, I'm sure she and Matt came back last night."

Aiden didn't even hesitate, as he was scared of Annabeth right now. Can't blame him.

She looked at Mr. D, who didn't give two drachmas about her anger right now.

"Mr. D, could you give us a minute?"

"What's behind the door?" He asked, and I looked at it. The door? What was so important about the door? She was probably hiding the sword in her hand that she was going to gut me with.

But now that I looked closer, it did oddly seem like she was hiding something. Or maybe someone...

She shook her head, "Nothing. I just need to speak with Percy, alone."

Mr. D and her entered a staring contest, and you couldn't cut the tension with a freaking scythe, it was so huge. Annabeth was like a cornered animal, telling a god to back off. Mr. D knew something more was going on, but for some reason, he didn't press.

He sighed, "Very well. But don't have me take care of these animals by myself. You two are the leaders now, not me."

"Will do." She said, and as Mr. D walked away, she motioned her head urgently for me to get inside.

I was very confused. Was she mad at me? Or was something else going on entirely? I walked up the steps and she kept the door barely cracked the entire time, not even opening it for me.

I pushed on it, but she resisted.

"Only open it enough to where you can fit through."

"Why-"

"Percy." She said, "Just do it."

I did what she asked, and only opened it enough to where I could enter, leaving no room for anyone to see inside. I turned and quickly closed the door behind me. When I faced the living room, Annabeth was standing in front of me, blocking my view.

She was so close, you'd think she was about to kiss me, but I knew that wasn't the case right now. I was forced to look into those gray eyes.

"You're acting really weird." I said, "What's going on? Why are you standing like that?"

She leveled her shaky breathing. What the heck had her so worked up? "Listen. When I move...I need you to keep calm, and not freak out."

"What are you talking about? Why would I freak out?"

"Just promise me. Promise me you won't go berserk and get angry."

Okay, this was really starting to worry me. My expression became serious, "I promise. Now let me see what's behind you."

She studied my face for a few seconds to gauge if I was telling the truth. She must've seemed satisfied, because she slowly stepped to the side, revealing what had gotten her so angry and secretive.

The reveal made sense. Perfect sense. When I saw what, no who, she was hiding. Her behavior made perfect sense.

On the couch of the living room, facing me, sat Levi Pierce.

"Hey, Percy." He said, "Can we talk?"

Matt

Surprisingly after the vision I just had, I was pretty hungry.

Harper and I first cleaned up the mess I caused and threw it away, then went back to our room and changed into normal clothes. I asked her how we'd even gotten in pajamas in the first place, to which she said it's part of the hotel's system. The bed's automatically change you into what your most comfortable sleeping with. For me, that's no shirt and pajama pants. For Harper, that's a soft shirt and pajama pants. Go figure, they have bed magic, but they can't automatically clean rooms.

After we changed, we took the elevator to the lobby. I didn't even begin to explain anything, telling her that it was too much, and she probably needed to sit down for it.

So we did. We sat down at the lobby in this enormous buffet style place. I'm talking Camp Half Blood big, and the lines were thousands of people long, but somehow we only waited like five minutes before we could get any food. As I got closer to the stands, I saw that they were automatically dumping stuff on your plate, whatever you wanted, it knew it, and would give it to you. Again, food magic, but no cleaning magic? Why Paradus, why?

We both got a plate full of the most delicious breakfast I'd ever seen. Harper wasn't a vegetarian or a diet girl, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the point is, our plates were exactly the same. Loaded up with the good stuff. Bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits, hashbrowns, the whole nine yards. Literally no difference in the quantity we got. See, I can understand me eating this much, I burn thousands of calories every day, and I weight like two fifteen now, but Harper? The girl weighs like a hundred and twenty-five pounds at the most. Where does she put all of that food?

Like right now, she was stuffing her face as fast as she could go, seemingly forgetting about what we were supposed to talk about.

She caught me staring, and she stopped immediately. She looked kind of cute this way to he honest. Her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk's.

"Wvtt?" She said, muffled.

I chuckled, "Hungry?"

She rolled her eyes and finally swallowed. "Come on now, don't judge. You know I'm a glutton."

I figured if she was going to continue eating, I was going to start talking. I had a lot to spill.

"Okay, so what I'm about to tell you is probably gonna sound crazy. Actually it will sound crazy, and it is crazy, but it's real."

She deadpanned, "So...basically normal stuff then?"

"You can be the judge of that." I said, and that was when I started to explain. Like a snowball, it only kept getting weirder and weirder, but I told everything. I told her about the visions, Malachi capturing her mom, the quick flashes and what they depicted. Sera being held prisoner, Atlas under the burden, some black-haired man, a prison in the underworld, a little boy with Malachi, and of course he and Sera trying to escape together. It took like five minutes, and she didn't interrupt once, or even start to. She just kept eating, and every now and then she would raise an eyebrow.

After I finished, she stared at me for a second, maybe trying to see if I was on drugs, like she thought earlier. I'm not, okay.

Finally, her eyes widened a little, "Oh crap...you're serious."

"Of course I am. Why would I lie?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Sometimes visions can mean one thing, or you can see something and think it's another thing entirely."

I shook my head, "No. This was completely real, I know it. These events happened."

"Not will happen?" She said, "You think they've occurred."

"I know they've occurred. Don't ask me how, but I just know that everything I saw in that vision...happened over the course of the last year. It was like some kind of recap on a TV show, only it's not a TV show, this is reality." I sighed, "A shitty one."

Harper put her fork down and put her undivided attention on me. "Okay, so let's break this down. Malachi looks healthier than he did last year, so that means he's alive and well. Let's consider that a good thing for now. Him capturing my mother? Pfft, In my book that's pretty great, and congratulations to him, but Ouranos probably has sinister plans for it so...let's just call it a tie. Neither good or bad. As for the little kid, I don't know, maybe some young demigod? A powerful new recruit he's manipulated?"

I hadn't even considered that. "But he has Atlas, and Malachi apparently. That's two heavy hitters capable of fighting us. Why would he need a third one?"

"Maybe because he's worried about Malachi's loyalty."

"But...he's not loyal to him. He hates Ouranos."

Harper nodded slowly, "Exactly. There's gotta be some reason as to why he's doing this. Maybe this little kid is supposed to keep him in check, or maybe they're using Sera as a threat to make him do their bidding."

That made sense, a lot of sense. Malachi cared about Sera more than anything else, if someone were to threaten her, or harm her, and he couldn't stop them physically...he'd do whatever they wanted to ensure her safety.

"I'll bet Viribus that's what's going on." I muttered, "They're keeping her hostage. Ouranos is keeping her hostage and forcing him to do what he wants." I choked back a gag of distaste for the Primordial. "He never changes. Still the same sick psychopath."

Harper looked confused, "But what about the prison? And the black-haired guy? I don't really know what those could mean."

I had an idea about the black-haired guy, but I didn't want to say it to Harper. It might not even be true after all, because the man I saw in my vision looked nothing like the person I thought it was.

"Well, the prison was in the underworld. I know that for sure."

Harper pushed her plate aside, now empty, and put her elbows on the table. "Yeah, but we've been to the underworld. We saw the Fields of Punishment, and I don't remember there being a giant prison."

"Maybe Hades had it built since we've been there." I guessed.

She bit her lip, not convinced. "Nah...the way you described it, too ancient to be that new. You said it had hellhounds and skeletons for guards, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then there's definitely prisoners inside. And if the whole place is surrounded, then I'll bet there's a lot of them locked up. No way can it be filled that quickly."

I snorted, "Uh...a lot of people die every day, and they always go to the Underworld. Let's assume half of those souls are morally bad, and they go to this prison. It's been two years, so I'd say that it can fill up pretty quickly."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at me with disappointment, "Gods Matt, this is why you had a C minus in our Criminology elective."

I frowned and sunk a little in my seat, crossing my arms. "I only took that class because you made me."

She reached over and pulled me back up, rolling her eyes at my childlike grumbling. "Don't be a baby, I didn't mean it like that. You're smart. You really are. But you don't deduce things, see the bigger picture that often."

"Okay, well then tell me what you think."

"Look at it this way." She said, starting to elaborate, "All of the souls have to be judged, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, by three important people, usually."

"Yep. And they each decide one person at a time, who goes where. Three sections, the Asphodel Fields, the Fields of Punishment, or Elysium. The morally neutral go to Asphodel, the morally good go to Elysium, and the morally bad go to be punished."

"Yeah..."

She raised her index finger, "But we're forgetting about the fourth section of the Underworld. Tartarus."

My eyes widened, "You think-"

"Yeah." She said grimly. "I mean, you remember when we went, right? There was no giant prison in the Fields. Souls weren't being held in confinement, they were being tortured, constantly. That's not the kind of place for a prison. But we know Tartarus is."

What she said made a lot of sense. "It's the place where immortals and monsters go when they die. It's where they reform..."

"No decision." She said, "They just go there instantly. So, what if this prison is in Tartarus, and Ouranos is trying to free someone?"

The possibility weighed on me like a Heavenly Diamond anvil. No...that couldn't be true. But the way Harper explained it, and seeing it in that vision, it had to be true. That was the only explanation. Ouranos doesn't have friends, he has pawns. And these prisoners, whatever they may be, are just pieces to add to his game.

I looked at her, this freaking genius of a girl, and shook my head with amazement. "Get over here."

She raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"Come here."

She looked confused, but leaned across the table, thinking I was going to tell her something I didn't want anyone else in the lobby to hear. But in truth, I just wanted to kiss her.

And I did. I quickly pressed my lips against hers and pulled away.

"You're so smart."

It took her a second to come back to reality, but when she did, she gave me a sly smirk. "You can do better than that, Shark Boy. We still have our room...if you wanna play a little."

My body tensed up and my eyes widened. I haven't heard her talk like that in...well, ever. Harper's always been sly and flirty with me, but never suggestive like that. The farthest we've gone is just making out, but with both of us being seventeen now...things in the air have changed. I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about that as well.

I probably would've started to sweat and stutter like a nervous wreck, but the visions I saw kept me from it. My tone became serious again. "As tempting as that is...honestly, it is, we have to get back to Camp. I'm sure Atlas has lost our trail. We need to tell the others about the visions."

Her smirk fell and she nodded, "You're right." See, I loved that about her. When it was time to get serious, she got serious. No pressing, no messing around. She knew when to get in gear.

We started to get up, when I remembered something. How I'd acted yesterday...

I grabbed her hand, "Hey, I'm...I'm sorry for snapping yesterday. I just, well, it's hard to talk about. Even with you."

She returned the squeeze and nodded, giving me an understanding half smile. "I get it, you don't want it brought up. I should've known that, so...I'm sorry too."

"So we're cool?"

She let go and punched my shoulder, "Shut up, of course we are. You'll know if I'm actually mad at you."

I let out a nervous chuckle. What the heck does that mean? I thought she was mad last night.

"Uh...what do you mean?"

Her face became dark, and her good eye steeled. She looked downright scary right now, giving me a taste of what furious Harper is probably like. I knew if I screwed something up, she'd do something to make me feel horrible. Whether it be physically or mentally.

She leaned up to my ear and whispered with a deathly tone, "You'll know."

I felt a little sensation on my stomach. I looked down to see one of the hilts of her knives pressed against me, her hand on the grip.

I looked at her and gulped. "Hey, Harper...I'm sorry, really, I didn't mean-"

She interrupted me by bursting out in laughter. I just stood there like an idiot, not sure what to think. Was she serious or not?

She finally calmed herself, but still let out a few heaves. "I'm kidding! Man, you've fought monsters, gods, titans, and Ouranos himself. Yet you're scared of little old me. What's up with that?"

I let out a sigh of relief and put my hand over my chest. My heartbeat was going nuts. "Yeah well, you're way scarier than all of those combined."

She shook her head and smiled, "Aw, I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself, you look so cute when you think you've made me mad."

I grumbled and started walking away. "Let's just go get Kyros."

I heard her push her chair in, "After you, gorgeous."

I rolled my eyes. It wouldn't be Atlas that gets me in the end, it would be her.

Percy

"Stay still!"

"Percy, stop!"

I didn't listen. I kept beating the son of Nemesis to a bloody pulp. My fist retracted and I hit him for the tenth time, square in the jaw. His head hit the wall behind him.

"Why are you here, huh?! Come to finish the job?!"

I was about to hit him again when Annabeth grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Percy, enough!"

I gritted my teeth and stepped away, shaking my fist. My knuckles were probably red and throbbing, but right now I didn't care. He was lucky I hadn't pulled Riptide out already and stabbed him.

Levi didn't even defend himself, he just let it happen. His nose had been bloody when I came in, telling me that Annabeth had already dealt her own blows of anger. Once I saw him, I continued the assault. He didn't seem too hurt though, a couple of cuts on his cheek, a black eye, and that was it. Apart from that...he looked like he'd already been put through the ringer.

Last time I saw him, he had been a pretty hulking figure. Taller than Matt, muscular, and in perfect shape. Now he looked like a husk of that guy. His muscle mass was nearly gone, his face was thinner, his skin was paler, and his eyes were dead. It was almost pitiful.

He spat out blood from his mouth. "I deserve that."

"Damn right you do!" I yelled, pointing a finger at him. I rarely curse, but right now I was fuming. I was about to start sounding like Hazel's horse Arion in a minute. No filter, just a load of angry ranting.

I turned to Annabeth, "Why is he here? How'd he get into camp? Just...explain. Please explain and tell me I'm in the Twilight Zone, or that alternate universe again."

She glanced at Levi, who just sat there with his head away from us, eyes dead and face sunken in, then back to me. "I don't know why he's here, and he got into Camp the same way he got in last time. Through the crack in the forest. He told me when he saw me."

This was all too much to take in. I needed like a day or two just to let the fact that Levi was here sink in. I stammered, "S-Saw? Wait a sec, did anyone else see him?" A realization hit me, and my eyes widened, "Oh gods, Nico. If Nico sees him-"

She put a hand on my shoulder, "Nobody else saw him. I found him in the forest and snuck him in here. After I punched him of course."

"Why would you let him in here? Why didn't-" I looked to see if Levi was listening, and he didn't seem to be. He just had his head down, but I figured I needed to whisper anyway. "Why didn't you kill him?"

She sighed, "I wanted to, believe me. But he said he has valuable information that could help us. I didn't sense any lying, and besides...look at him. He's pathetic."

"What, so we just harbor him here? In a Camp full of demigods that want him dead. Has he told you this valuable information yet?"

She shook her head, "No. I figured we should wait until Matt and Harper get here. You know, his sister."

I had to take a pause at that. Yeah...his sister, Harper. Crap, sometimes I forget that they're related, and there's probably a war going on inside her head about whether to kill him or try to save him. Annabeth and I, well, mostly myself, have been kinda left out on the whole sibling rivalry thing. A lot of times I paint Levi as a monster in my mind, the guy that killed my mentor, one of the greatest men I've ever known, and Will Solace, probably the nicest kid at Camp, and a whole bunch of other Campers. I could go on and on.

But this was different. I couldn't decide his fate, here and now. That wasn't my decision, even though I was technically co- in charge around here, it was Harper's call. Her brother, her struggle, her call. We listen to him, or we feed him to the wolves, the wolves being the Campers. And the alpha wolf being Nico. The son of Hades hasn't exactly kept it a secret that he'd love to put Levi's head on a pike.

"Okay, we'll wait until they get here." I said reluctantly, "But we can't have anyone coming inside. And I mean anyone."

She crossed her arms and let out an exhale of stress, "Sounds about as good as we're going to get. Who's doing what?"

I shrugged, "Coin toss?"

She nodded, agreeing with my idea. "That could work. If it lands on tails, I'll stand guard and keep everyone out, while you keep an eye on our guest. If it lands on heads, vice versa. Deal?"

"Deal."

I reached in my pockets and felt around for a quarter, or any kind of coin really. But I didn't find any, not even a drachma.

"You got any?" I asked, seeing her doing the same thing.

She came up empty, showing her hands. "Got nothing."

We both slowly looked to Levi, who was just watching the little scene before him with slight deadpan eyes.

Okay, this was embarrassing. "You got a coin?"

He noticed we were looking at him and sat up straight. "Uh...I think so." He felt around in his pocket and pulled out a quarter. "Here." He gave it to me.

"Thanks." I said, and then realized who I was thanking. "Wait, I mean, er, no thanks! No thank you!"

He raised an eyebrow, "You don't want it?"

"No, I want it! Just...agh, never mind."

I turned back around, Annabeth and I both looked at the coin in my palm. I put it on top of my thumb fingernail and index finger. With a flick, it went twirling in the air, spinning and spinning until I caught it.

I turned it over and put it on my wrist. We both peered at what had come up.

Heads.

I groaned, "Crap."

She grinned in victory, "Better get to it. I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

"Fine." I grumbled. I didn't want to be on guard duty, but honestly it shouldn't be that bad. I mean, who the heck wants to come in the Big House anyway? Besides like, Mr. D or something.

Levi leaned forward and spoke up, "I promise you I'm not going to leave. You don't have to keep watch over me."

I glared at him, "As if we'd trust you. Your promises mean about as much as a screen door on a submarine."

Both he and Annabeth looked at me with confusion.

"What?" I said, "It's useless to put one on a submarine!"

She shook her head and pushed me out the door, closing it shut behind me.

I leaned up against the wall next to it and sighed. "Where the heck are you guys?"

Matt

Even before we walked out the door, I knew something was wrong.

Closer and closer we got, I could feel a sense of pain and urgency, just outside the doors. It belonged to someone I knew, too.

My face scrunched in confusion, and I began to walk faster. Harper had no idea what was going on, but she followed me. I was about to burst through the entrance, when I felt a firm arm stop me.

I turned, a little too quick and fiery, because Paradus let go and put his hands up.

"Woah, didn't mean to startle you, Matt."

I felt the tense expression on my face and realized I must've been glaring daggers at him. I quickly let it go and said, "Nah, you're good. I just...thought I felt something outside."

He gave a little glance to the doors and shrugged, "I feel nothing. Though I suspect your aura sensing is even stronger than a minor god's at this point. Boy, the stories I've heard about you. Is it true you traveled to the heart of the Norse Pantheon and fought Jormungandr?"

I had to rack my brain. I hadn't heard that odd name in over a year, but when I processed it, a picture appeared in my face of a snake the size of the entire planet. Oh yeah, I remember him. The Midgard Serpent.

I nodded, "Yeah. That whole trip was...well, it's not exactly fond memories."

He didn't even catch that, "And is it true you fought an original cyclops and defeated it easily? How about Krios? Defeating a titan one on one as a demigod is beyond comprehension. Heh, Krios is no low ranking one either." Paradus put a finger on his chin, "He likes to think he's the fourth strongest, but us gods know that's not remotely true. The Olympians usually put him somewhere in the middle."

Okay, now I was actually interested in what Paradus was saying. Before I was sort of tuning him out, but the thought of a titan tier list was kind of cool.

"Wait, there's a ranking of Titan power on Olympus?" Harper said before I could. I'd almost forgotten she was standing right next to me.

Paradus nodded, "Well, in the first titan war, Athena thought it would be a good idea to rank them by how dangerous they are, so everyone has an idea of what they're up against. I believe it is still on Olympus."

That earned a "hmm" from me. Next time I go up there I'd have to check that out.

Yeah, check that out. On Olympus. Man, sometimes I have to step back from my consciousness and truly ponder how ridiculous my life is. I just said the next time I go to Olympus, the home of the gods, like someone would say next time I go to town.

I stepped back into my consciousness and realized that we should really get moving. I nodded to Paradus and tried to turn around. "Anyway, we gotta get going. Thanks Paradus."

But before Harper and I could fully leave, he called after me. "Matt, I do have one more thing to say."

I stopped, "Yeah?"

He closed the distance to me and lowered his voice. "I just...wanted to offer my condolences, to your father. I was...at the funeral, and your speech was very moving. I'm sorry for what happened, he was a great deity."

I should've moved on with it. I should've thanked his genuine words, and just walked out the door. But for some reason, I stood still and looked at the ground. Hearing his name brought up again, and again, and again, even though I didn't want it to, was very annoying. God or not, nice or not, I was angry right now.

I clenched my fists; the entire lobby shook from my aura radiation. I could practically feel Harper's wince from where she stood.

"Matt, calm down." She said, "If your aura gets too high, Atlas'll find us."

Paradus backed away, I could sense from his aura that he was frightened. "Matt, I meant no disrespect. I admired Heracles, I truly did. I'm sorry if I upset you."

I don't know what I would've done. Truthfully, probably not anything, but if my aura kept rising like it did, well I'd have to do a lot more work to pay for the damages to the hotel. But thankfully the same pained energy called out to me.

I broke my glare and turned to the door. Something outside was definitely hurt. I know it is.

Not even looking at him, I said, "Thanks for letting us stay, Paradus. See you around."

I didn't even stick around for a response. Harper and I speed walked to the door and flung it open. Outside, something was definitely hurt. When I saw it, my stomach twisted, and my heart dropped.

Kyros.

He was hobbling towards us on the sidewalk, a gaping hole in his chest. Blood caked his feathers, and his organs were hanging on to his body by threads of tendon. I could sense from his aura that he was nearly dead, his aura a tiny sliver of what it was yesterday. His eyes were weak and drowsy, and around the hole, I noticed it wasn't perfect, it was uneven. Meaning someone had likely thrust their hand, fingertips first, with so much force that it went right through Kyros.

I ran to him just as he fell to the ground. "KYROS!" The mortals just stared and gave weird glances as they walked by. I didn't care if the mist broke right now. My bird was hurt, that was all I was focused on.

Harper had her hand over her mouth, partly in shock and partly because of the grotesque gore. "Holy...oh gods. Matt, I thought we left him in the lobby!"

I fumbled with Viribus, trying to get the stupid thing off my neck. "I-I remember Paradus telling me he sent him to the room for pets! On the first floor!" I finally got Viribus undone, and it turned into a club, made of dark, ancient Adam Tree wood.

I put it on his chest, locking on to his emotions. Kyros was usually fearless and didn't give a crap about who was on the opposing side, as long as he had my father or me with him. Hell, I remember seeing a memory of both he and my dad attacking Zeus of all people.

But right now, he wasn't fearless. He was freaked out, completely. I can sort of speak to him, not through mouth, but by emotions. We can read each other's. And right now, he was telling me something along the lines of Titan...hurt...ambush...angry...

Titan, hurt, ambush, angry...yeah, it didn't take long to figure that one out.

"He's close." I said grimly, trying to feel around for his monstrous aura, but I didn't find anything.

Harper leaned down next to me, her eyes wide. "Who? Who's close?"

I gave her a serious look, conveying the worst of my thoughts to her good eye.

"Atlas..." She whispered, and I nodded.

"He did this. He hurt Kyros. He tried to-" I started to say he tried to kill him, but something caught my eye. Something on the sidewalk. Was that...an engraving?

Harper tried to follow my gaze, she quickly reached for her knives. "What?! Do you see him?!"

I handed Viribus to her so she could keep healing Kyros. I got up, slowly, and walked over to the lines of red on the concrete. Mortals walked around me, but they didn't see a thing. This marking was meant for me specifically.

Finally, I stood right over it. On the sidewalk, was a message, engraved in Kyros's blood. It said-

Can't get away now

"Atlas." I growled. It was him; he left this message for me. Somehow, he either lured Kyros out here, or he came out on his own, maybe bored with the hotel. Atlas saw him and took his chance. If I had to guess, he had no idea the hotel was here, since it's covered with layers of magic, and he was under the burden for so long, he probably had no knowledge of it, or just didn't care.

The question was...why not kill him? Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond relieved Kyros isn't dead, but why did Atlas leave him alive? Paradus did say he wasn't the kind to not check if his prey was dead.

Unless he wanted to leave him alive.

I remembered the way he acted in the beating he gave me. He was sadistic, battle hungry, and bloodthirsty. He said he wanted to watch the light leave my eyes. That kind of statement sends chills down my spine just thinking about it. Of course he's the type to do this. He wants bloodshed, and he wants me to suffer. Hurting something I care about is a good way to do that.

This isn't just a solider we're dealing with. We're not just running from Kronos's right-hand man, his best bud that'll do anything for him. No, that wasn't Atlas.

Kronos was his commander sure, but Atlas wouldn't throw himself down at his feet, or bow and beg for mercy. He was a veteran, he was a warrior, and there was a great deal of respect between them. Kronos didn't want Atlas to worship him, he wanted someone that would execute a mission, and get things done. When he had a near impossible task, and he didn't want to do it himself, he knew he could trust that Atlas would get it done.

Just what the hell have I gotten myself into? Just who am I fighting? How did Ouranos enlist this guy? Is there some kind of club for psychopaths?

All these questions rang through my head as I looked around the city, partly in fear. I gazed at every rooftop, expecting to see the intimidating figure of the titan, that short, receding gray hair, that thick mustache, and those wolfish eyes, hungry for death.

After a minute straight, I didn't spot him. But that brought no relief, because I knew he was still out there. Poseidon hadn't finished the job. To be honest...I'm not even sure he'd be able to finish the job.

I walked backwards, my eyes still on the city. "Is Kyros okay?"

Harper's breath was shaky, "I think he'll be alright. His breathing's better, and his pulse is stronger. Good signs."

It was then I turned around and faced my fallen pet.

"What happened buddy? Why'd you come out here on your own?"

He didn't reply, no emotions came to me. That was fine, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was okay.

"We need to get back to Camp, as fast as we can."

Harper handed me Viribus, and I put it back on my neck. Kyros would be okay, his aura was rising slowly but surely.

"We're not flying, are we?" She asked, "I don't think he can go right now."

I shook my head, "Hell no. We'll catch a cab. Kyros, I need you to transform to your regular size. It'll only be for a little while."

I knew he hated turning small, but we had no choice. Like he was now, he was a little bigger than an elephant. Not exactly small enough to fit into a taxi.

He heard the word transform and began to shrink himself. Eventually, he stopped. And what lay there was a much smaller Kyros, but still large compared to just about every bird on the planet. He was a normal sized bald eagle now, and his chest wound was about the circumference of a softball, still not closed up from Viribus. For some reason, wounds from Atlas take a lot slower to heal.

I picked him up and held him in my arms, looking around the roads for that magical yellow color. You'd be surprised at how uncommon it is to find these things. It's not every second you know.

Harper stood up and kept her eye out for any oncoming attacks. I wanted to grab her hand to comfort her, but for two reasons I didn't. One, my hands were full, and two, she hates seeming weak, like she needs coddling or comforting. So I held off.

"You don't think he's watching us, do you?" She said, referring to our Titan stalker. "What if he follows us back?"

"Then he follows us back. I can't help it; we have to get Kyros to the infirmary. Even Viribus won't be enough to fully heal him. He needs long term care."

She spotted a taxi before I could, and whisted loudly, waving her hand. The driver saw her but ignored us. He kept on trucking.

"Hey!" Harper shouted, and ran off to intercept him.

"Harper, don't!" I tried, but it was too late. She darted to the road and reappeared right in front of his path. She stuck out her hand and the car made direct impact with her palm. Like it hit an iron wall, the front of the car crumpled up and the hood nearly folded completely. She stopped that thing right in its tracks going probably forty or fifty miles an hour. Cars had to skid on their brakes behind it just to avoid rear ending it. Soon, a traffic pile up was present, but nobody stepped out to yell at her, in fear they would be next.

Steam billowed from under the hood of the car. The driver's eyes were nearly out of his head, and he started shaking in fear. "Wh-What the hell, lady?!"

Harper tilted her head up to glare at him. My eyes were wide, and I was kind of impressed. I knew she'd gotten physically stronger, but stopping a freaking car? Gotta say...she's looking really hot right now.

She nearly snarled, "Didn't you see me hailing you? Or are you just lazy?"

"I've got a fucking passenger already!" He looked at the damage and whimpered, "That's gonna come out of your pocket, bitch!"

I ignored the bitch comment and ran over to his window. When he saw me carrying a bloody Kyros, he jumped and screamed.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Calm down, it's an eagle. Look, we're really in a hurry here. Is there any way you can make an exception?"

"No! I've already got someone here!"

I looked in the back and saw a guy and a girl, probably in their twenties, looking at me like I was an alien invader. Couldn't blame them.

I turned back to him, "Oh c'mon...there's uh, plenty of room in there. It's an emergency, I gotta get my eagle home."

Thank Olympus he didn't question the fact that I had an eagle for a pet, and that it's more than likely illegal to do so. He was just pissed about the hood.

"No way! I'm not letting you freaks in my cab!"

Harper had enough, and squeezed part of the hood even more, crumpling it in her grip.

The driver nearly peed himself, and he started stuttering. "Uh, n-now that I think about it, I-I think we can fit you."

I smiled, "Thanks, man." I walked around to the other side and motioned for Harper to get in. "At least fix the hood first. He can't see!"

She groaned, "Alright, fine." Her aura flared for a split second, and she pushed down on the hood, flattening it the best she could. It came out a little dented, but at least the guy could see now.

We both hopped in the back, Kyros still in my lap and Harper pressed up against me. On my left, was the pair of mortals. The dude was to my immediate side, and the girl closest to the door. They looked scared out of their mind.

I gave them a sheepish, apologetic look. "Hey um...sorry about that. We didn't mean to scare you."

Harper leaned forward and smiled at them, "Yeah, I work out a lot. Drink a bunch of protein shakes."

They sort of nodded, their lips quivering. "Uh...th-that's cool."

I figured we should leave them alone, or we might traumatize them further. The driver asked where we were going, and I gave him the Camp cover up address. It was supposed to pop up on mortal GPS as a strawberry farm, but I'm not sure. Maybe they changed it. The guy didn't seem too freaked out when he saw it, so it must've been relatively normal.

He pressed the pedal down, and we started moving. I reached down and stroked Kyros on the wing.

"Hang in there, buddy."

Percy

It's a good thing nobody goes into the Big House.

I stood out there for a good thirty minutes, just leaning against the wall and looking stupid. People passed by every now and then, they would wave at me, I would wave back, and that would be it.

Hey, this isn't so hard. I thought. Heck, Annabeth has a harder job, she actually has to look at the guy, and somehow not make it awkward.

I smirked and was about to pull up one of the porch seats, pop a squat, and relax for as long as it took. That is, until Mr. D came strolling up.

Describing his appearance would probably only disgust you. But I guess I have to, just because. Skip this part if you feel queasy at any time.

Okay, so the guy is depicted all the time in paintings and statues as this beautiful, handsome, drop-dead hot kind of guy, with blond hair and a ripped frame. The word is he was a hero back in the day, friends with Matt's dad, Hercules, and all that before he became a god. But in my opinion, the dude hasn't done jack squat in his entire career. There's no way. In reality, he looks like a deadbeat poker player that just stumbled into Camp. He was short, pudgy, hairy, and he smelled like he'd spent a day bathing in wine. If all of that sounds rough, his personality is even worse. He's annoying, rude, lazy, uncaring, and a list of other bad traits.

Our camp activities director, ladies and gentlemen.

He walked up to me and jabbed a finger in my direction. "Johnson. Why aren't you making announcements? The pressure finally became too much for you?"

I sighed, "It's Jackson. And no, the pressure hasn't become too much for me. I've done it hundreds of times by now, I'm used to it." I took a quick pause, trying to come up with something, anything to keep him out of the Big House. But what?

"Okay then." He said, "Come on, the bundles of sunshine are waiting."

"Uh...I can't."

He raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Uh, well..." Quick, think of something! "I...er...I, um..." Come on, man! The first thing that pops into your mind!

His stare pressed harder, "Well?"

"Annabeth is crying." I blurted, finally.

He gave a look of confusion, and I immediately wanted to take back what I said. Mr. D doesn't give a crap if Annabeth is crying, why would I even say that?

"Crying? What on earth for?"

"She's still...having a hard time over Chiron."

It just came out. I didn't even mean for it to, but it was actually the best thing I could've said, since Mr. D and Chiron were actually friends, and held a great deal of respect for each other. I mean it wasn't a lie, Annabeth was still having a hard time over his death. Both of us would never get over it.

Mr. D gave a small sigh of sympathy and a low grumble, probably about to ask what Annabeth's crying has to do with me not doing announcements. Never fear, I had a response for that too.

I quickly cut him off, "And I'm just standing guard so that no one walks in on her. She uh, doesn't want any of the Campers to see her like this. You know...bad image and all."

I tried to keep myself from reacting to my bumble of a sentence, anything to keep Mr. D from finding out Levi is on the other side.

He sort of snorted and looked at me sideways, "And you want me to give announcements, then?"

"If you could, that would be great."

I figured he would protest further, and I'd have to start begging, which is not something I ever want to do for Mr. D, or anybody really. But if it kept a riot from happening, I'd probably go for it.

Thankfully, that wasn't necessary. He groaned and started down the steps, calling over his shoulder; "Very well. But you owe me big time for this, Johnson! You know, one of these days I'm going to need something in return for all these favors!"

I waved at him mockingly, "Over my dead body!" Not sure he heard that, but I didn't care. I'd do him a small favor if he wanted, but nothing too ridiculous. The guy talks about all these favors he's done for me, yet he's only ever done like...two at the most. Leaving me alone right now and saving me from Dr. Thorn a few years ago. That last one was actually pretty cool, it's the most I've ever seen the lazy god do.

I sighed in relief once I saw his pudgy frame leave my sight. I knew Annabeth was listening in and probably close to the door, so I turned my head and whispered to her.

"How's it going? Has he tried to escape yet?"

There wasn't even a delay, she had been listening the whole time.

"No. Remember Percy, he wants to be here, for some stupid reason. And that was smart, using my emotions to keep Mr. D away."

I cringed, knowing that she wouldn't have liked that. "Yeah, sorry about that. It was the first thing that popped into my head."

But instead, she sounded genuinely impressed. "I'm serious, that was a good idea. It made sense and it's probably the only time I've ever heard Mr. D use a tone of sympathy." I heard her chuckle through the door, "Just keep it up, Seaweed Brain."

I smiled and resumed my position. I like it when I impress her. It's kind of hard to do, since she's good at pretty much everything, and it rarely happens. Or at least, she rarely tells me I've done it.

I decided to pull up one of the porch chairs and sit in it. If this was gonna be a multiple hour-long thing, then I at least wanted to be comfortable. But I really hoped it didn't take that long for them to get here. Just where the heck were they, anyway?

I furrowed my eyebrows. Wait a second, what day is it?

I dug through my brain, and eventually came up with Wednesday. Ah crap, it was the middle of the week, they had school. I knew it was because Annabeth tells me every day how many we have left until the Halloween party, so I'll remember to tell the Campers. It was this Saturday, three days away.

I didn't know what time it was but judging that it hadn't been that long since I woke up on the beach, and it was sunrise at that time...I'd probably be sitting out here a while.

(One Hour Later)

Still nothing.

Not the slightest sight of anything close to a giant eagle in the sky. Mr. D made the announcements half-heartedly, the Campers began their activities, and I continued sitting on the porch. Sure, nobody bothered me, but I was starting to doze off, and if I fell full on asleep, there wasn't many ways I'd wake up and be able to stop someone from going inside. I'm a heavy sleeper.

I was just starting to drift off, thinking maybe summoning some water from the ground splashing it in my face would keep me awake, when I heard a legion of footsteps hit the porch.

I blinked my eyes open to find over a dozen women standing in front of me, all dressed like cowgirls. Or at least...what I'd imagine cowgirls look like. They all had on western hats, flannel tops and jean shorts that only covered up what needed to be covered up and nothing else, and boots.

"Uh...can I help you?"

The one closest to me was smoking a cigarette. She took it out and held it between her fingers. "We're from Aphrodite's Oasis. Here to see a guy named..." She knit her eyebrows and turned to the other girls. "What was the dude's name again?"

"Talon!" One of them said cheerfully, "Remember, the hot one with the sunglasses!"

I looked at them incredulously. Hot guy with sunglasses? What was going on?

The one in front nodded and gave a smirk, "Oh yeah, that one. Hmm, he was pretty cute. Might be worth having to work in this...place."

I was sure Annabeth was probably wondering what the heck was going on out here. But I had no clue myself. Aphrodite's Oasis? That some kind of Island or something? Are these girls' monsters, and Talon made them mad? Is that what was happening?

"Listen ladies, first, this place is Camp Half Blood, there's not a thing wrong with it. And second, I have no idea what you're doing here."

The woman/girl whatever groaned, "Yeah, yeah, we know. Just looking for Talon, where is he?"

I didn't have time for them right now, I just decided to point them in the right direction so they'd be quiet.

"Over there, the farthest cabin to the left. Has a lightning bolt on it, marble white, can't miss it."

She smiled at me and flicked her cigarette on the ground, "Thanks a bunch."

They walked off in the direction I showed them. I'm not even going to comment, I'm not. Whatever that was, I've seen weirder. Talon can handle it on his own.

"What was that?" I heard Annabeth say through the door.

"Nothing. Just some people looking for Talon."

"Huh? But...I thought I heard a girl's voice."

"Yeah, they were looking for Talon. Don't ask why, I'm just letting it happen."

She didn't say anything, but I knew she was probably rolling her eyes. Heck I was too. You never know what Talon's gonna do around here.

"Hey Percy. Were those...strippers I just saw?"

I turned to look at the source of the voice, and I jumped when I saw who it was. Nico Di Angelo, the very last person I wanted to come up right now.

He noticed my startled jump, "Uh, you okay?"

I immediately blurted, "Annabeth's crying!"

He sort of flinched at my outburst, "Jeez calm down. Why's she crying?"

I needed to play this cool, because if Nico finds out Levi is right behind that door...all Tartarus will break loose. Out of everybody here, he probably hates him the most.

I leveled my tone and calmed myself. He's not suspicious yet, nothing to be worried about. "She's still having a hard time. You know, Chiron and all."

He nodded grimly, "Oh. Yeah...yeah, I understand. That's been hard on everyone. I just left my sword inside, that's all I came for. I'll grab it quickly and go."

The panic returned. He started for the door, but I jumped up and caught him by the shoulders. "No! No, um...you can't go in there!"

He looked at me incredulously, "What the- Percy, let go!"

"Annabeth doesn't want anyone to see her, so I'd really appreciate it if you just came back later!"

"Percy." He said, his tone darker now, "Let me go."

I did and backed away. Oops, I forgot about Nico's whole personal space thing, which I understood. I was just so erratic right now because the possibilities...were not good. If Levi's found out, everything will go crazy. The Campers would probably burn the place to the ground trying to get to him.

I put up my hands in a calming gesture, "I'll tell you what, I'll get your sword and hand it to you. Where's it at?"

He didn't look too happy about me touching the sword, and I could tell by the expression he wore that he was growing suspicious. Best to get this over with quick.

After a few seconds, he sighed, "Leaning on the wall. It should be next to the door."

I nodded, and sped over to the doorl like my life depended on it. Which in this case, it might as well. I cracked it open just enough so I could fit. I poked my head in and saw Annabeth and Levi in the same positions as before. He was sitting on the couch and she was standing up, her arms crossed.

She gave me a look like what the heck is going on out there? And whispered, "Is that Nico?"

"Yeah, he came to get his sword. You see it anywhere?"

She pointed right next to me. I turned and saw that sure enough, the three feet of Stygian Iron was leaned up against the wall. Nico could've just reached his hand in and grabbed it, but that would've been too risky.

I took it and shut the door, handing Nico his sword from the grip.

"There you go." I said, attempting to smile casually.

He latched it to the sheath on his waist, looked at me and raised an eyebrow, "You know...you're acting really weird. Is something else going on in there?"

Oh crap, he knows! No, no, wait, maybe he doesn't know. Play it cool, Percy, play it cool.

I waved a dismissive hand, "Pfft, what? Nah, nothing going on in there. Just a regular old house with a crying girl inside. All there is right here, and nothing else."

Nico narrowed his eyes, and I mentally punched myself. Way to go, doofus. That was literally as suspicious as it gets.

But for some reason, he didn't say anything. He just shook his head and walked away. I realized I had been holding my breath for like a minute straight, which isn't a real problem for me, but still, that was pretty intense.

I was about to just suggest that we hide Levi in the basement of the Big House, but then I had to ask myself; what basement? We don't have a basement. Where are we gonna put him? Upstairs? In one of the cabins?

But thankfully I didn't have to answer any of those questions this second. I heard the sound of leaves crunching getting closer by the second. Someone was coming up the hill.

Please be them, please be them...

I gripped the wooden railing with one hand and crossed my fingers with the other. My eyes fell on the edge of Half Blood Hill, hoping to see brown and black hair pop up over it. I swear, if that pizza guy somehow stumbled across the border again...

"Oh thank the gods." I sighed, seeing that it wasn't the pizza guy, it was Matt and Harper. They were back.

But my relief turned to concern quick. Both of them were running, like they were escaping something. No, they had escaped something, barely. Matt was wincing with every step, Harper was constantly looking around for danger, and Kyros...was smaller now, and he looked the worst out of all of them.

Suddenly, I flashed back to the cave underwater, something my dad had said.

He had his own problems.

Was this what he meant? What exactly had they been through?

"Hey!" I said, "You guys okay?!"

They ran up to the porch, Matt's face was urgent as he showed me Kyros. The poor bird had a gaping hole in his chest.

"I gotta get him to the infirmary." He said, his voice shaky. I understood. If Blackjack or Mrs. O' Leary got hurt, I'd be freaking out too. "Is Logan here?"

"Yeah, he's here. But Matt...when you get done, there's something you really need to see. Both of you."

"What?" Harper said, taking another step on the porch, "What's wrong?"

Matt cocked his head forward, like he was sniffing something, but I knew that wasn't the case. He was using a different sense.

After a second, his eyes widened. "What the...no, no that can't be possible!"

"What?"

He looked at the door like it was going to come to life and attack him. "Why is there...no way, this can't be real!"

Harper tried to put a hand on his arm, "What is it? Tell us what's wrong!"

He flinched and backed away from her. I was confused, was he sensing Levi behind the door? If so, I expected him to be angry, not frightened. What was the deal?

I raised my hand ever so slightly and took a step, "Dude, are you okay?"

On cue, if things couldn't get more hectic, Aiden ran up beside Matt, looking miffed.

"Hey, where the hell were you guys! You didn't come back from school like...at all!"

I turned to him, "Wait, they didn't come back?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Like you, they just disappeared for the day. Only we saw where you went." He gave an annoyed sibling look at Harper, "I was worried sick about you sis. Both of you."

Matt was still slowly backing away, his eyes wide with fear at the door. Harper looked like she wanted to explain, but there were so many words on the edge of her tongue, that she couldn't get it out. Aiden was slightly pissed off, and I was just standing there like an absolute idiot. Left out of everything.

"Okay" I said, "Time out."

They all looked at me, and I took a breath. "I think we all need to have a little chat. Too much has happened and none of us knows about it. Myself included."

Harper snorted, "Buckle up then, because boy do we have a story for you."

Aiden looked at Kyros in Matt's arms. The bird looked weak and on the brink of death.

"Damn man, what happened? Is he alright?"

Matt's gaze was glued to the door, not wavering. He didn't even hear Aiden's question.

"Uh...Matt, you good?"

"Percy, what's behind that door?" Harper asked.

Before I could respond, Matt muttered, "No one else can feel it?"

We all looked at him, utterly confused. "Feel what, man?"

"It's right behind the door." He said, "It's right there. How did it get into Camp? How could it be here?"

I looked at Harper, who just shrugged helplessly. If she didn't have an idea of what he was talking about, then no one did. What was he so freaked out over?

I took another step to him, "Matt, what do you mean by it? It's not an it behind that door, it's a who."

He shook his head, "No, I mean, there's someone there, yeah. But that someone has something dangerous."

"What? What is it?"

He pointed at it, but instead of his tone being shaky and fearful, it was now angry and threatening.

"Whoever it is...they have Heavenly Diamond with them."

(000)

Not a lot to say here, except Levi is back! Where do his loyalties truly lie?

Next chapter will be out soon.

Until Next Time.