Somehow, the time flew by as we waited. As much as I wished it would slow down, our ride and Percy arrived late into the afternoon.
I almost couldn't believe my first real quest was happening, and it was in the backseat of my grandma's car, my parents and Annabeth singing Katy Perry to keep the mood light as I managed to sneak a nap in.
Percy shook me awake as we neared the school, giving me time to check over my supplies and make sure I was awake properly before we had to get out.
"Thanks again, Miss Jackson. Get home safe." I told her, taking a moment to make a clawed hand over my heart and a shoving motion, hoping whatever evils would leave my grandma alone.
"Do you want me to stay? How will you get back?" She asked Percy, who I could see trying not to act embarrassed.
"Nah. I gotta good feeling we'll be home around the same time the sun rises." I told her, waving as she worried about Percy for a moment more before leaving.
If it wasn't for the hoodie I'd gotten from the camp store, I'd have been freezing, the snow thick as we walked towards the gate of the school, simply walking through the weird automatic gate that was unmanned. Seemed like security was a bit slack, but it just made sneaking in easier.
"Well," a woman asked, "What are you doing here?"
"We live here," I answered, more prepared only because of how many times my parents told me stories of their glory days, which had become my favorite bedtime stories as a kid. Which meant I knew that the man was the manticore in disguise.
As Thalia snapped her fingers, manipulating the mist, I told the manticore he'd dropped something behind him, taking the opportunity to slice through him and watch him turn to dust before the sounds of running came our way.
"You made it! You ma-" He paused, looking at the woman.
"What do you mean they made it? These students live here. Now, back to the gymnasium, do not leave again." She told us, wandering off, and I wondered if she'd be okay before putting my sword away.
"How'd you know that guy was a monster?" Annabeth asked, as though she thought I'd just attacked a guy and got lucky.
"I just had a gut feeling and figured the worst to happen was I made a guy pee himself," I told her, listening to Grover explain the situation, a pair of siblings, ten and twelve.
"And since you killed the manticore, we just gotta get them," Grover told us, leading and showing us two kids with dark silky hair and olive skin.
"There they are. Bianca and Nico di Angelo."
"Well, no monster means no problem, so let's get them." Thalia agreed, the five of us heading over and speaking to the two siblings.
"You guys ever notice how weird stuff happens, and people just ignore it?" I asked, uncapping Riptide in the gym and watching the boy get excited. No one else in the gym was able to see it as the mist hid us. I wondered for a second what it looked like.
"The Greek gods are real. They have kids with mortals, and you guys are the children of at least one God or Goddess, assuming you have the same godly parent. Now that you know, you should come with us because monsters are attracted to the scent of half-bloods, especially those aware they are half-bloods."
Way too blunt, I should have known.
"Why should we believe you?" Bianca asked, horrified for a moment as Grover took his pants off and showed them his legs.
"He's a satyr, sent to find and recover half-bloods," Annabeth explained, the horror dying on Bianca's face as Nico began to get more excited.
"Can I see your sword?" He asked, and being the slightly older, slightly more responsible person I was, capped it and shook my head.
"You need training first. But before that, we have to go, or we'll miss our ride." I told them, watching the party for a moment and leading the rest of them outside in the snow, offering my hoodie to Nico. Ten years old, and already he was hunted by monsters. That had to suck.
The sounds of a helicopter in the distance made me pull back a bit, waiting in the trees as I hummed a quiet song, a hunting horn playing in the distance.
"Do you have a plan, or are we just waiting to freeze?" Percy asked me, a bit annoyed as the sounds of footsteps in the snow vindicated my decision. Changing one thing did not change the entire future.
A dozen or so girls emerged from the trees, surrounding my friends and me as I bowed on my left knee.
"Lady Artemis, it's an honor to see you again." I greeted a girl about eleven or twelve looking over our group, her auburn hair and yellowish-silver eyes enhancing her immortal beauty.
"Alexander Grace. I did not expect our paths to cross again so soon. Tell me, did you know I would be here?" She asked, waving her hand before the sounds of the helicopter were replaced with the shrill caw of ravens.
"Yes ma'am, I did. We have two half-bloods with us and no ride back to camp. I was sorta, maybe, kinda hoping you could call your brother. Too much has changed these last few months, I'm not sure I'd like to risk changing that as well." I told her, clearing my throat.
While I spoke with the moon goddess, Thalia, and a hunter were having a spat. My mother never told me she had a history with her, only what her fate had been.
"We have much to discuss." She began, and I shook my head.
"Please, if we go back to camp before you ask her, and before you go off to hunt, we can work together and stop those forces early. The coming war doesn't need to be so bloody." I begged, and I could sense the eyes on me. Those of my friends were confused, and those of the hunters were ready to shoot me for disrespecting their leader.
"It was said best before. Some things are unwavering." She told me, waving her hand and setting up a camp.
"Perseus Jackson, I would speak with you." Her voice called from the largest tent, and I watched helplessly as he entered. I stopped one bad thing already, altered fate. Could I do it again?
"We got a lot to talk about when we get back to camp," Annabeth whispered to me, nudging me in the ribs.
"I can't. I'm under strict orders not to." I whispered back, waiting a few minutes as Percy left the tent and Bianca entered. Another change I'd made.
"All I can say is I'm cursed, and if can't stop messing things up, I may not have much more life to live," I told her, that familiar feelif fear spreadung through my body before i could feel a pinky wrap around my own.
"You know, you aren't alone." She told me. Weirdly enough, for the first time since I'd figured out what was going on, I could believe that.