Athena stood tall and imposing. In her stiff Olympian Fleet uniform she looked unnervingly out of place in Sally Jackson's warm home. Her gray eyes swept over the photos of a chubby-cheeked young Percy, old framed finger paintings, and the Mother's Day card on the mantel before her gaze swung back to the boy standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Percy," Athena said. "Do you know who I am?"

Percy glanced at his mother, then back at Athena. He shook his head.

"I'm from Battle School. I'm here to offer you an opportunity."

Percy's brow knit. "Battle School." He looked at his mom again. Sally's eyes were firmly set on a spot on the bookshelf. She pressed a hand over her mouth in a would-be casual gesture, but the brightness of her eyes did not escape Percy's notice. His heart set in his chest, and he decided he did not trust Athena.

"We're looking for soldiers, Percy. Children like you with valuable skills we can train to use against the Titans." Athena made an awkward motion as if to grip his shoulder, then evidently thought better of it.

"I know what Battle School is," Percy said. "You're trying to send me to space."

"Yes."

"For how long?"

Athena tilted her head to one side. "Hard to say," she said. "Provided you don't fail, first leave usually comes at the age of sixteen. However, we don't know where the war is going to take us in the next few years." She studied him. "You'll need to be prepared to be training and serving for many years."

"Training," Percy repeated. "For the war."

"Surely you've been paying attention to the nets?"

Percy flushed. There was no netscreen in the apartment, they couldn't afford one. But he was shown newsfeeds at school. "I know what's going on," he said defensively. "I know all about the Titans. I know the Olympian Fleet's the only thing holding them off."

"Then you know how much we rely on the armies we train at Battle School, and how rare promising candidates are," Athena said.

"Why did you pick me?"

Athena shrugged. "You have the aptitudes we're looking for."

"What does that mean?" Percy asked. He heard himself sounding belligerent, but he didn't care.

"We can't answer that in detail."

Percy frowned. "You're asking me to give up years of my life, to abandon my mom till I'm at least sixteen and maybe later, and learn to fight in a war, and you won't even answer my questions?"

Athena's eyes flashed dangerously. "Watch your tone, child. The OF is the only thing standing between the human race and the Titans. It is the organization that has enabled civilization to endure at all during this war, and when the war ends, it will be thanks to the OF's judgment and strategy. Do not be so prideful as to assume you know better."

Percy held her glare for a moment before looking away. His mom, no longer trying to hide her quiet tears, was studying the wall as intently as though it were a broadcast.

"I heard somewhere you can't contact your family while you're at Battle School," Percy said quietly, trying not to let his voice break. "Is that true?"

"There's no communication allowed with anyone Earthside," Athena said. "But your decision to join the OF may decide whether your loved ones, and indeed all of humanity, survive at all. Consider well."

Sally gave him space for the rest of the night, leaving his dinner at his door instead of calling him in, playing music softly in the kitchen while she ate. As she finished, Percy crept into the room, holding his untouched plate. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching his mom. Her face was creased with worry that made Percy's heart ache, but she was humming.

She broke out of her reverie and managed a smile. "Hey, kiddo," she said.

"I don't know what I should do," Percy said. He sank into the chair next to his mom at the table. He'd sat at this table for years, doing homework and eating meals. He'd sat there when he was small enough to swing his feet. He'd sat there yesterday. He'd assumed that he'd sit there every night until he was eighteen.

Sally put her arm around him. "I would miss you. So much." She sighed. "But if you have to go, I get it."

Percy peeled a splinter off the edge of the table, avoiding her eyes. "I wouldn't see you forever," he said. "I'd be leaving you alone."

"Don't worry about me," Sally said. "I'll join a book club or something. I won't waste away."

"You'll worry."

"Of course," she said. "I'll worry." She was making an effort to keep her tone light, but when she squeezed his arm, Percy could feel her fingers trembling.

Percy turned and hugged his mom, squeezing his face tight against the rising tears. "At school the teachers say we're winning the war," he said. "Is that true?"

"I don't know," Sally said. "I'm sure they'd tell us that either way."

"Nancy Bobofit says when they took her sister, they convinced her by telling her that they were losing," Percy said. "They said that they were holding out hope that they would be able to train good enough soldiers in time for the next time they had to face the Titans, and it was pretty much the only hope they had. They swore her to secrecy."

"Nancy Bobofit's not very good at keeping secrets," Sally said.

"She's a liar, too," Percy said.

"Did you think she was lying?"

Percy shook his head. "No, I didn't."

The launch itself was almost as bad as saying goodbye to his mom. He retched and gagged when the shuttle jerked forward, but luckily his stomach was empty according to OF rules. He wasn't alone in his misery. Nearly every yellow-suited recruit was convulsing in their seat.

Once they arrived on the space station a teacher showed them to their barracks and told them they had an hour before dinner for recreation.

"Recreation," Percy muttered. "What are we supposed to do for fun here?"

"The game room, launchy," snipped the teacher. He was a short man with frown lines and a faint smell of alcohol about him. Percy's dyslexia hated his name badge, but he managed to make out Sgt. Dionysus. "We expect you to spend your time honing your skills with the strategy games that we provide. Wasting time won't make you any better in the battle room and consistent bad scores are a good way to get iced."

"Iced."

"Sent home," hissed the launchy standing next to him.

"Oh, yeah," Percy muttered to himself. "That would be a tragedy."

Ultimately, Percy disliked sitting still more than he disliked doing what the teachers wanted. He headed to the game room and found that there were long lines in front of most machines. He waited his turn for one in the back of the room and played a few rounds, dying quickly every time. He grumbled and started the machine back up again.

"Hey, launchy," someone called. "Sooner or later you're gonna need to give that up to someone who actually has battles to train for."

Percy looked up and met the eyes of a girl with unforgiving gray eyes and tightly pulled-back blonde hair. Immediately he was reminded of Athena and her steely glare.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Why don't they play against me, then, if it's so important? Seems to me like I should get to practice, too."

Other kids were starting to take notice of the argument, elbowing each other and pointing, barely concealing snickers behind their hands.

Annabeth crossed her arms. Percy noticed the raven emblem on the sleeves of her flash suit, which was gray instead of the banana-yellow he and the other new recruits had been given to wear. "I'm not playing a launchy."

"Oh, come on," Percy said. "You can't be any older than me, so you must have gotten here, what, a few months ago?"

"Try six years."

"Six—" Percy gave her a flabbergasted look. "You've been here since you were eight?"

"Plenty of us have," Annabeth said. "They must be pretty desperate if they've started recruiting kids as old as you."

"Or maybe," Percy said, struck once again by the similarities between her and Athena, "you're just resentful of anyone who got in without their mom being the Colonel of the Olympian Fleet."

The blaze in Annabeth's cheeks told him he'd guessed right about their relation. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe."

She raised her chin defiantly. "I'm going to have my own command soon enough. You don't want to make yourself my enemy."

Irritation flared in Percy's chest. "What makes you think I couldn't get my own command?"

"Just a feeling, launchy." She swept by him, leaving Percy holding the controls of the game.

"Sixteen of our last twenty games won, rising to the top of the board, even beating Snake and Deer, almost beating Raven—and they pull this nasty trick on us." Clarisse spat on the floor. A scrawny boy sitting a few inches from the spot cringed and scooted away.

Percy was quiet, holding his transfer notice in his clenched fist. He felt the page threatening to rip, wrinkling the words printed on it in sterile font:

PERCY JACKSON

ASSIGNED BOAR ARMY

COMMANDER CLARISSE LaRUE

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

NO POSSESSIONS TRANSFERRED

"I don't know what the hell they think I'm supposed to do with you," Clarisse said. "I'm not starting over to catch some launchy up to speed. I'll unload you on some unsuspecting army. Gonna have to bribe 'em."

"Can't trade launchies, commander," grunted Malcolm. "Gotta keep him for six weeks."

"Well then, I'll get rid of him at six weeks, won't I?" Clarisse snapped. "He can sit and watch till then. I don't want him messing up our formations."

"I wouldn't mess up your formations," Percy said, irritated. "I'm here to train."

Clarisse stepped forward, jabbing her finger at him. "Here's the deal. Jackson, is it? Here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna stay out of my way. You're gonna stay out of everyone in this army's way. You will get dressed on time and be where you're supposed to be. You will stick to the wall when we're in the battle room cause you have to be there, but you will keep your weapons undrawn and unfired. During games, you will wait at the gate until the game is over. Otherwise, you get pounded. And don't get comfy cause as soon as I can find some poor sap who's willing to take you off my hands, you're gone. Am I clear?"

Percy glared at the girl, anger making blood rush into his vision. His mind whirred, trying to gauge if he could take her-maybe. But it probably wouldn't be smart to brawl with his commander on his first day in an army. He lowered his eyes, balling his fists even tighter at his sides as he restrained himself.

"Got it," he muttered.

Percy ate alone at an out-of-the-way table, deliberately trying to avoid attention, but Annabeth still paused there on her way out of the mess hall. "Hey, launchy."

Percy looked up "You can't call me that anymore," he said, pointing to the Boar Army patch on the shoulder of his slate-gray flash suit.

"You sure about that?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Lee said Clarisse was shooting her mouth off about you in the commander's mess. Said Clarisse said she isn't about to use you. Gonna get rid of you at the first opportunity."

Percy scowled. "Yeah, well, I can still learn while I'm watching from the wall of the battle room better than I could in the launchies' barracks, can't I?"

"Only so much," Annabeth said. "It's bad strategy on Clarisse's part. No one'll want you if you haven't gotten a chance to pick up any skills. Especially since she's being so open about it."

"What do you suggest?" Percy grumbled.

"Train."

"Thanks."

"I mean it. You have downtime. Get a group and stun each other in the battle room for a couple hours."

"A group," Percy said. "Who do you think is gonna train with me? I got here two minutes ago and I'm famous for being hated by my commander. We don't all have a fleet of siblings here."

Annabeth bristled. "Well, at least all my siblings getting in means I have someone to sit by at meals," she said.

Percy looked away. After a moment, Annabeth took a breath. "Okay, sorry," she said. "That sucked."

"Why don't we be friends?" Percy pleaded. "Don't we have enough to worry about here without fighting with each other?"

Annabeth hesitated. "I'm not used to having friends. It's been so long up here..."

"Why don't we take it a day at a time, then," Percy said. "For now, let's not be enemies. I could use a training partner."

A corner of her mouth went up. "A training partner."

"Yeah. Someone to work with on skills in the battle room, like you said to." Percy shrugged. "Everyone knows Clarisse isn't letting me practice or participate in battles. I need to get better. We could help each other."

She studied him for a long moment. "Look," she said. "I know I told you to do this, but you gotta know it's not general practice. Independently training isn't technically against the rules, but it won't go over all that well with the commanders, or the teachers for that matter. They're going to think you're impertinent. Is that the reputation you want?"

Percy grinned. "Oh, yeah."