Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

The sound was scrambled and distorted, as though Percy was underwater. His head felt like someone was hitting it with a hammer while every time his heart thumped his body felt like it was full of scalding lava as though even his arteries had been scalded from the blast.

He tried to open his eyes, only to realize they were stubbornly stuck shut. He tried to move, or even use any of his sense, but everything felt . . . off.

He couldn't smell, or even feel. It felt like he was floating.

So he did the only thing he could do:

Fall back asleep.

The next time Percy awoke, he felt significantly better. The pounding in his head had faded into a distant thudding, and he could finally feel the soft fabric of a cot underneath himself. He was so relieved that his senses had been returned to him, he didn't realize he had opened his eyes until it was too late.

Tears slid down his face as he clenched them closed, blocking out the harsh light of reality which seemed to travel through his pupils and bore into his brain like a laser.

He took deep, rattling breaths as his headache spiked up. Slowly, he opened his eyes again, squinting around the room.

He was in his cabin, back at Camp Half-Blood. Artemis was sitting at his feet, sorrow clouding her beautiful features. When she noticed him staring at her, she immediately leapt onto him.

"Careful," he groaned, his voice scratchy as Artemis' weight forced him deeper into his blankets while pushing the air out of his weak body.

"Do you have a death wish?" Artemis hissed directly into his sensitive ear, making him wince. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The pain and anger in her eyes hit Percy like a train, and Percy realized how worried he had made her. In the heat of the moment, it seemed the right thing to do—but when he thought about how he would feel if Artemis had done what he did, he grasped the severity of the situation.

He had almost died for a foolish reason.

Percy pulled Artemis closer to his chest. "I'm sorry," he said, letting his regret flow into the words.

"You should be," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Can't . . . breathe," he gasped out as she squeezed him with all of her godly strength.

Artemis just glared at him. "Good." She released him from her iron grip, giving him a peck on the lips and muttering, "I'm glad you're not dead," before giving him reprieve from her weight and moving back to her original spot, next to his feet.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two whole days."

Percy's eyes widened in horror. "I have to meet Chaos!"

He frantically thew the blankets off of himself and jumped up to his feet, only to realize this was a bad idea.

"Careful," Artemis warned, helping Percy back to the bed as his vision turned black and almost fainted. "You need to rest first."

Percy was too weak to struggle. "Just dunk me into water or something."

Artemis gave him a wicked grin, and he resigned himself to his fate as she carried him towards the fountain in the center of his cabin.

The second he hit the water, he felt better, like he had drunk a few gallons of a high sugar energy drink. The exhaustion was washed away with strength. He couldn't help the smile on his face; water was like his second home—it felt so right and welcoming.

That was why he liked the heavenly liquid. Not because his father was the ruler of it, nor the fact he could control it and it was his greatest power . . .

It was because it looked out for him.

Being the "illustrious" Hero of Olympus, it was hard to find people he could turn to for help or advice, since most demigods thought he was too legendary to talk to, or just wanted to know his adventures, not make friends with him. It was the sad truth—sometimes the heroes were the ones who were hurting the most.

But when he stepped onto solid ground again, the energy was immediately sucked out of his body, leaving him fatigued once again. A pair of slender arms wrapped around him before he could collapse onto the ground.

"I assume that's not supposed to happen," Artemis guessed. "Any more ideas?"

He opened his mouth to say no, but then an idea flew into his mind. "Pretty sure . . . Chaos . . . can . . . help."

Artemis nodded, then picked him up with her inhumane strength and proceeded to walk out of the cabin. As he stared at the twinkling stars in the sky, he suddenly was glad that he had woken up during the night. Their relationship was not known by anyone except the gods, and he wanted to keep it that way—not for him, but for Artemis. The demigods would surely question the validity of Artemis' hunters' oaths, and it would end bad for both parties.

"Why are we going to the Big House?" Percy asked after he noticed the path they were taking.

"Chaos needed room for—Actually, you'll see."

Artemis opened the door and immediately stopped, an arrow whizzing by her shoulder and thudding into the wall with a puff of plaster.

The normal, orderly living room of the big House was in shambles. Couches were tilted onto their backs and pillows were scattered, while what remained of the carpet was hanging off of the chandelier.

It might as well have been on fire.

Chaos stood in the middle of it all, his head buried in his hands as four silver-cloaked figures fought around him. Considering that Artemis hadn't tensed up at the scene, Percy assumed it was normal.

When Chaos' eyes finally landed on them, he shouted for order—which surprisingly worked. The figures lined up behind Chaos as Artemis gently released Percy so he could stand up, but still supported him.

Chaos immediately rushed towards him, and Percy's ears were met with the sound of his familiar voice. "It's a pity we meet in these circumstances—though I could make it a bit better for you." He put a comforting hand on Percy's forehead, and he instantly felt rejuvenated—though this time, more permanently.

Percy sighed in relief at being back to his own, snarky self. "It's nice to meet you again, Chaos." He embraced Chaos for a moment before stepping back. "Though I assume you didn't come here for idle chit-chat."

Chaos started talking, but was interrupted by one of the figures stepping forward and slipping back their hood. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rosaline asked.

Percy immediately surged forward, bringing Chaos' second-in-command into a bone-crushing hug. When he stepped back, however, he frowned as he studied Rosaline.

One of the reasons Percy stayed sane and been taken care of during the harrowing times on Planet Chaos was because of Rosaline—not only because of her fierce fighting prowess (which also helped), but her ability to joke around in fatal situations—kind of like him. She was easy-going, funny, and light-hearted.

But now, with her deep frown lines, ruffled hair, and exhausted eyes, she looked like the entire world was on her shoulders. So it took most of Percy's effort to ask, "What happened?"

Rosaline looked ready to cry. "Omega disappeared."

Omega was another supporting and helping figure for Percy. He was Rosaline's commander—as well as the commander of the whole Army of Chaos, which was a title to be proud of. It also explained Chaos' grave demeanor; Omega was a sort of advisor and councillor for him—not to mention loyal. So loyal, in fact, Percy suspected he was one of Chaos' closest friends.

"That's why you need me," Percy guessed.

Rosaline eyes held a plea as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Please, Percy. We won't ask ask you for anything after this. Just help us just this once—"

Percy held up his hand like a stop sign. "Why wouldn't I help? I owe him my life many times over." He grabbed one of her hand and squeezed it tenderly. "I never leave my family to die."

He didn't say it for the beaming smile Rosaline sent his way, nor the new hope in Chaos' eyes, and even though those were big bonuses, he meant it. His flaw was loyalty for a reason. Many times, it was a disadvantage, but sometimes it wasn't.

He would always take the risk.

"Void has him?" Percy guessed.

"We believe so—but you're not going alone." Chaos pointed to the other three cloaked figures. "Meet Theon, Psi, and Temo. Code names, obviously, but they have wished to keep their identities secret—but you can trust them with your life."

"I'm not planning for it to get this dire."

"This will be a safe mission, won't it?" Artemis asked Chaos.

"Relax," Chaos told Artemis. "Rosaline can beat any primordials, Percy can beat Rosaline with his powers, and the rest of the team will help them out."

Rosaline's eyes sparkled. "This'll be like the old times."

But as Percy returned her enthusiasm with a grin, a sense of trepidation bloomed inside of his stomach.

However, it wouldn't be as bad as Percy was expecting it to be.

It would be worse.