(A/N: An Interlude Of Sorts As We See Kayla's Perspective Of The Events Of Last Chapter.. And How Tantalus Reacts To Colton's Bird Massacre. Just to be clear, this won't be the last time we get Kayla's perspective on things.)

To describe Kayla in the moments leading up to Colton's desperate fight with the Stymphalian Birds to save her and the others would be.. deep in thought.

On the one hand, she couldn't stop thinking about how much she wanted to stab Tantalus through the head with an arrow or shoot an arrow through his head every time she looked at him.

On the other hand, the fact that Colton wasn't there as she sat in the stands of the amphitheater with her siblings was more disappointing to her than she first thought. Clarisse had simply explained his absence this way.

"He's always acted differently than the rest of us Ares kids. Being out on patrol is where he's in his natural element, and I prefer it that way."

To be fair, she did make sense. Kayla did notice Colton had been standing a good distance away from the other campers when she first saw him, inflicting the kill shot on the Colchis Bull with that rifle of his from point blank range. How that man could stand there with the massive bronze bull barreling down on him and stare it in the eye the way he did, a bit scared yet defiant, she had no clue.

Still, she couldn't help but feel anxious and clingy at the moment, mainly to be clingy.. to him. The fact that he let her cry into his shirt while he stared down Tantalus earlier and literally insulted the man to his face.. was amazing, to be honest. She had always felt that she was destined to be with someone who would do everything for her, which is why even at the fashion shows she attended, she always rejected the advances of any wealthy, rich boys that came near her. Having a war veteran that was actually a monster on her godly parent's payroll as a bodyguard definitely helped. (A/N: If you want to know who Kayla's bodyguard is, here's a hint: he appears as an antagonist in one of my other Percy Jackson fanfics (main series/crossovers).)

So it was that she sat there with her siblings, not really paying much attention to what was going on around her. At least until the incessant squawking started, causing her to snap out of her thoughts.

She looked up. Perched high up on the trees around them, or flying in to sit on them, were dozens, if not hundreds, of a peculiar sort of bird. With sharper and more curved beaks, made seemingly out of a different sort of material than normal bird beaks - since it shined in the sunlight way more than normal, eyes that sheened unnaturally, and looking larger and more bulkier than normal birds - or even pigeons for that matter, she had to admit that they were definitely interesting to look at.

After a while, she looked away from them, but then she noticed signs that these birds weren't friendly.

The first hint of trouble was from her own siblings. She glanced around after looking away from the birds and noticed some of her own siblings looking up at them. The expressions of two of her siblings were definitely what gave her the first hint.

She hadn't gotten to know all of her siblings that well yet, but she had warmed up quickly to head counselor Lee and a young, yet very bright ball of energy as she saw it, named Will Solace. Right now though, Will wasn't showing any of that happy, bright energy because he was looking up at the birds with a very worried, anxious expression on his face. It was as if he knew exactly what those birds were, as if he had seen them before. Next to him, Lee also gazed up at the birds with an anxious look on his face. He seemed to also recognize what those birds were.

Either way, Kayla seemed to get the message. Those birds weren't what they seemed to be.

At that moment, she felt the gaze of a familiar someone from above.

She looked up at the birds once more, gazing in a southwest direction, and came into eye contact with the familiar gaze of Colton Reynolds, who was right at the intersection of the two lines of birds, one stretching along the tree line opposite where she and her siblings were in a north and then northwest direction and the other extending along the south edge of the clearing and curving behind her in a northeast direction. She couldn't see all of him though, just his head and the end of his gun barrel behind a 5 foot tall carefully constructed wooden wall made of tree branches, wooden planks, and larger pieces of wood.

The look on his face, worried and scared as it was, gave her the second hint. It was when he immediately pointed to the two lines of birds in the trees and wrote the word "enemy" with his fingers, still having a terrified look on his face as if he also knew exactly what these birds were, told her what she needed to know. A feeling of dread, fear, and terror crept over her.

Those birds weren't friendly. They were monsters, and she - along with everyone else there - was in danger.

She wanted to scream, alert everyone to the danger, but couldn't. She knew that Thalia's tree had been poisoned, that's why the Colchis Bulls had been attacking when she arrived, but she didn't think it would get this bad, with hundreds of monsters all perched in the trees above them, looking down on them like a tasty treat, and somehow not having noticed Colton right in the middle of their lines.

How he had even gotten up in that perch, was a question she would definitely ask Clarisse and him later. Not right now though, not when fear froze her and she feared the worst.

She tried to shake it off and drifted her attention back to the chariots being led up to the mark, but try as she might, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen soon. She couldn't help but watch Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase argue with each other from where she sat.

Colton had brought her up to speed on the story of these two, so she knew that at least there was some sort of friendship between the two. But she also knew that given how much Annabeth spoke and thought of Percy in the months since he had left camp last summer, before she had arrived here, it was evident to Colton and the others that Annabeth had much deeper feelings for the son of Poseidon than she realized.

Of course, that didn't stop her siblings, the Aphrodite cabin, and anyone else in camp willing to engage in gossip from talking about the other big thing to talk about, which was the relationship between her and Colton. Kayla didn't understand why.. they were friends, that was what she knew.

So why did it feel like she wanted him as more than just a friend right now? Was someone playing tricks with her or something? Was that it?

A conch horn blew, barely audible over all the screeching of the monster birds, causing her to shake away from her thoughts again and watch once more.

"By the gods, can those birds just shut up!" Michael complained next to her, seemingly not realizing what those birds were.

Tantalus barked out a single word to start the race, but she didn't hear it, and almost immediately, chaos started.

She definitely felt very anxious and worried when the Hermes chariot slammed into her cabin's chariot, sending both of her siblings manning it flying out and eliminating her cabin, though a part of her felt some satisfaction when the horses from her cabin's chariot caused the Hermes chariot, manned by the Stoll brothers, to capsize a few seconds later.

Everyone was whooping and hollering, caught up in the excitement of the race, oblivious to the danger that looked overhead. Kayla kept her eyes trained on the birds, waiting for when the terror would start. Just as she diverted her eyes a few moments later to see how the race was going, the area of the amphitheater suddenly got a whole lot darker.

Kayla knew full well what was happening, but she looked up anyway and for the first time in her life, the beauty queen / fashion model / archery champion felt like a damsel in distress. The birds had left their perch and were circling around above them, like hawks and vultures. For the first time at Camp Half Blood, she understood what Colton had meant when he had told her that fate could throw her front and center of things regardless of what she wanted. She suddenly understood why he swore that oath to protect her.

Because with Thalia's tree dying, there was a risk that this place would no longer be safe.

A flutter of movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention as the birds hovered overhead. With what limited sunlight she had, she could definitely see the Whitworth rifle resting on top of the wall up there in the trees, Colton's head behind the gun and looking through the sight, a grim look of determination, duty, and rage painted on his face.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The birds began to dive, just as Colton opened fire. In the brief glimpses she had before she dove off of her seat onto the floor, she saw the round explode into pieces in the middle of the dive bombing birds, causing death and injury to quite a bunch of them. He was using a different type of ammo this time, she realized, but it didn't matter, not when she was screaming and bawling her eyes out now, terrified for her life. She felt someone get on top of her, followed by another.

Kayla opened her eyes and she could see the one immediately on top of her was Belle Adair from the Demeter cabin. She looked nearly as scared as Kayla was, but she used her body to shield Kayla's while someone else on top of them shielded both of them. (A/N: Belle is from a Percy Jackson fanfic made by another user of Wattpad, -JASONSGRACE. Great set of fanfics, starting with "Beauty And The Beast", which takes place in the "Battle Of The Labyrinth" (Book 4). Highly recommend you check it out, and to the creator, this is a shout out to you for creating such good fanfics!)

From the screams, Kayla could tell it was Michael. She kept screaming as well, her scream mixed in with the scream of others, blending in with the screeching of the birds and the loud, rapid punctuating bangs of Colton's rifle going off repeatedly. She couldn't see him, only hear the sound of his weapon, but she wanted him desperately. To be enveloped in her friend's protective grasp, the safety it provided. But right now, at this point, since her siblings and her couldn't fire arrows due to the birds being everywhere, it was all down to Colton to defend them.

"Fucking shit! These things are fucking.. OW! Annoying!" Michael screamed above the two girls, being pecked at by the birds. "To top it off, I'm being buried by dead birds!"

Kayla realized something even as she kept screaming and crying. If Lee was being buried by dead birds, that might mean that Colton was literally firing right down into the crowd of birds pecking at the campers to save her and the others.

How they weren't getting pelted with shrapnel, she didn't know, nor did she even care. All she thought was for him to save her and the others. She lost track of how long she stayed down there, buried underneath Belle and Michael. It felt like an eternity.

She also lost track of how many times she heard Colton's weapon going off. By how rapid it was, it felt like he had become Ares himself trying to save them.

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

Finally, the sound of loud, blaring music could be heard and the birds lifted away into the air.

"ARCHERS!" Annabeth shouted. Kayla couldn't tell where she was, but at least it seemed like the worst of it was over. As Michael got off of the two girls and grabbed his bow and arrows, Belle was free to move off of Kayla, and soon the redhead herself got up off of laying on her side.. only to gaze out into a sea of dead and dying birds. Practically all of them with cuts of varying sizes across their bodies and blood pouring out of them.

It was a chilling, horrific, scary sight. But Kayla didn't care much about it as instead of joining her siblings and firing arrows at the birds, she could only stand there and turn her head towards Colton's perch, more anxiety filling her as she noticed a couple dozen birds pecking at the wall between them and Colton, trying to get through. It wasn't stopping him though. All she could see over the birds was blurs of a gun barrel being aimed over the top of the wall, fired, and then pulled back over the wall, even as her siblings pelted the birds with arrows as well. Birds fell out of the sky to the ground, dead or dying, carpeting the ground with more bodies of the monster birds.

"Kayla! What are you doing?" Michael screamed in her ear, wondering why his younger sibling wasn't helping. Kayla simply pointed towards Colton's perch. Michael's eyes followed her finger, and he understood. "Colton's up there! He needs some help, guys!" he called to his siblings, and immediately, Kayla's siblings sent arrows in the birds' direction, being careful not to nick Colton's weapon as he continued to load and fire like a madman.

"Gotta hand it to him.." Belle said next to her, and Kayla turned to the girl from the Demeter cabin, noticing a smile on her face. "Only he has the guts to be up there in one of his sniper spots, loading and firing like a madman even with birds trying to bite their way through the wood to him."

Kayla couldn't help but feel a warm feeling at that remark about Colton, while finally, the birds broke off their attack and retreated. Colton also stopped firing, and the tip of the gun barrel could now be seen just poking out over the top of the wall, evidently propped up, but nothing more.

Kayla wanted to run to him, get up there somehow, and just hug him.. despite being safe, she was still very shaken and terrified right now and it showed, as tears were still coming out of her eyes. She didn't care that she had dirt on her hair or anything else at all. All she could think about was him.

It was at this point, clapping could be heard, and although Kayla didn't look towards who it was, the words spoken a couple seconds later confirmed that it was exactly who she thought it was.

"Bravo!" Tantalus cried. "It looks like we have our winners!"

"Are you serious?!" Michael exclaimed. "That's what he's worried about? After the rest of us nearly died?!"

A sudden sound of body hitting ground a few moments later caused Kayla to jump.

"Lee!" Michael shouted, and took a step forward, only to do the same thing.

This led to most of their lesser hurt and uninjured siblings fussing over the two eldest siblings, but Kayla didn't pay much attention. All she wanted was him. She didn't notice how badly she was shaking until Belle put her hands on her shoulders. "Look, Kayla.. breathe.." the other girl said to her. "He's all right. You'll be with him soon enough."

It didn't stop her.

"Shit!" Belle cursed. "Clarisse! Sherman!"

Both mentioned siblings of Colton came running over, much to Tantalus' chagrin.

"Hey! Wait! You both should bask in the rewards!" he called out.

Kayla didn't hear what Clarisse said in response, but it definitely included a "fuck off" in it.

"Belle.. what do you ne-.." Clarisse started, stopping mid-sentence when she saw Kayla uncontrollably shaking. "Shit! What's wrong with her?"

"I think she wants Colton.. badly.." Belle said quickly, and Clarisse nodded to her. Kayla didn't look at either of them, she needed him now.

"Cool.. where is he? I heard his rifle going off.." Clarisse remarked, and Belle simply pointed to the perch where his rifle was, still propped up against the wall.

Clarisse understood, and turned to Sherman, "Guide them up to him, Yang. I'll take care with what stewpot wants." Then, she walked off back towards Tantalus.

"Those birds did nothing wrong.." Tantalus said, but Kayla didn't pay attention, not even when Sherman swore under his breath that he was going to probably gut Tantalus sooner or later. "Whoever that annoying marksman was will share the same punishment as the troublemakers."

"He can go fuck all the way off.." Sherman swore.

All the while, Kayla could think one thing, even as she was led closer to the one person who could calm her down right now.

Thank you, my hero.

- — - — - — - — -

It was a good few minutes before they found him, as Sherman navigated the two girls through the wooden pathways up in the trees.

"How come I never noticed him up here until now?" Belle asked curiously, as she guided Kayla with one of her hands in hers.

"We kept the existence a secret.. Luke knew, Chiron knew, Mr. D knew.. hell everyone in the Ares, Apollo, and Hephaestus cabins knew about this. We just kept our mouths shut.." Sherman explained, as he walked ahead of them.

Coming around a corner behind one tree near the amphitheater, that's when they found him.

"Hey! I found him! I think he's passed out!" Sherman called out. He was about to call out to Clarisse below that they found him when Belle suddenly exclaimed behind them, "Kayla!"

Sherman turned, and saw a flash of red hair dart past. Despite her shaking, Kayla had shaken off Belle's grip, and darted up to the unconscious form of Colton, letting the tears fall and bawling her eyes out as she hugged him.

"Should I..?" Sherman asked nervously, before the long haired girl from the Demeter cabin just smiled in a mischievous manner.

"Nah.. let her.." Belle said. "It'll be fun to tease him about it once he wakes up. Besides, it's kinda cute."

The two demigods then just stood there for a while, letting Kayla have her moment with her hero.

- — - — - — - — -

She had outright begged her older sibling to let her sleep in the infirmary with him that night, because the minute she had stepped out of there after they had taken him in there, the anxiety and shaking started to come back. She didn't know why she had to do, but she knew she needed to.

So reluctantly, Lee let her. And so, she slept in the infirmary on another bed near his. Clutched in her arms as she slept was the teddy bear she had kept since she was two years old, a bit ragged but still in one piece. She slept soundly that night, without a care in the world or any nightmares of what had happened at all. Not when she was close to her hero.

(A/N: This is one of those head-canons of Kayla from other fanfics that I said I was incorporating into my version of the character here. In two fanfics involving Kayla written by user "pegasusbox", Kayla has a teddy bear that she really loves. I thought it was very cute, so even though she's aged up here - probably older than she actually is in canon, and with a different backstory, this headcanon of her will be part of her character.)
- — - — - — - — -

She was practically jumping for joy when he woke up the next morning, she was so happy. She still had no idea why, but she didn't care. She didn't care about it all right now.

After Clarisse had pulled away from him, she took the moment, walking up to him, hugging him, and saying to him as she looked up into his beautiful brown eyes, "You're my hero."

She loved the blush he made after he said that, because it was cute. Just like him.

She definitely felt embarrassed over the whole thing once she had realized what she had done a few hours later, but it didn't matter. Right now, in that room, it was only just her and her hero.

(A/N: His fatal flaw may be caring too much for others, but this is only just a taste of what happens when your fatal flaw might just be what turns you into a badass. Also, hope you do enjoy Kayla's perspective of the turkey shoot rampage that Colton goes on.)