Chapter 7: Luke, Killer of Cyclops and Punching Bag.

On the other side of the factory, Luke could be seen leaning against a concrete pillar, glancing furtively at the cyclops in pursuit, who was looking around trying to locate the elusive demigod.

'Remember, stay calm, stick to the plan, and last but not least... look cool at all times.'

He took one last look at his trap to make sure everything was in order and clenched his fists.

'Okay, it's showtime.'

"Hey, ugly!" Luke yelled, making himself known. "Were you looking for me?"

"Oh! There you are!" shouted the cyclops. "You'll never run from me again!"

"You'll have to catch me first!"

Luke turned and started running, making sure the cyclops was following him. When the monster rounded the corner, Luke found himself at the end of a dead-end hallway. The iron shelves prevented him from escaping around the sides. And there was a concrete wall behind him, so there was no escape.

Or so the Cyclops thought.

"You have nowhere to run." His rotten teeth showed as he smiled sickly. "Now hold still while I catch you, and then I will boil you."

"Mmm, I don't think it tastes good," Luke said with a grin. He discreetly pulled his dagger out of his jeans. "You know, I was a little constipated last week."

'This isn't how I imagined myself looking in my head,' Luke thought absently. 'Well, never mind. I'll have time to work on it later... if I survive.'

"What's constipated?" His one eyebrow arched in confusion. "Anyway, I'm going to eat you, demigod! So get ready!"

"Then try. Hope you brought enough tomato sauce."

'Brilliant, Luke. Keep it up.'

Three steps. Three steps the cyclops took before falling into Luke's trap. When he was close enough, Luke cut a rope that held a net over the cyclops' head, subtly hidden in a catwalk above them. The net fell, causing the cyclops to take erratic steps as he tried to push the net aside.

"What is this?! Get it off me!" he howled in frustration.

He was so focused on breaking free that he didn't see where he was stepping. If he had, he would have seen barbed wire tied between the shelves to trip the cyclops. Inevitably, the monster stumbled to his knees, his ankles wrapped in barbed wire.

With his legs injured and disabled, and the net preventing him from moving freely, Luke attacked.

He was not a knife fighter, preferring the comfort and length of a sword as it was his first weapon, and he had grown accustomed to it. But now he didn't have a sword, he had a dagger. If it wasn't for Percy, who had taught him the basics of knife fighting, he wouldn't even know how to attack properly without looking like an amateur mugger.

The first lesson, and the most important for Percy, was to not be afraid to get close to your opponent.

Unlike a sword, which had a longer range, with a dagger you should get closer to your opponent's personal space to prevent him from making an effective counterattack.

This leads to the second lesson: get as close to your opponent as possible.

A knife has a short length, so you need to get as close to your opponent as possible.

And finally, always aim for vital areas.

A dagger was made to kill your opponent quickly, not for a battle of attrition like a sword. So it had to be fast and precise, because a single second made all the difference.

And so Luke did. He charged fearlessly, closing in on the writhing cyclops on the net, giving him a clear shot, and he took it. Quickly and precisely, he plunged his dagger into the cyclops' head, causing it to explode in a cloud of golden dust. The monster didn't even have time to scream or blink.

Luke looked down at his dagger. The shimmering Celestial Bronze gave his reflection a tired, slightly dead look. He wasn't surprised to see his own reflection. As the months passed since he had been living on the streets, he felt more and more tired every day of everything; the monsters, the mortals, living every day trying to survive. Now he understood why Percy always had a tired expression on his face. He had been doing this for five years.

Stealing, breaking and entering, and cheating had become second nature to him. Whether it was because he was the son of Hermes or because of the life he was forced to live, he didn't know, and he didn't care.

None of it mattered to him as long as his friends, the people he considered his family, were by his side.

He wiped the dusty remains of the monster he had just killed on his worn-out jeans. He felt no remorse for what he had done. He had killed a monster that had killed others. As far as he was concerned, one less monster in the world was one more life saved.

They fought to survive. The monsters had attacked them with the intention of killing them, so they must have done the same.

And now he had more monsters to kill.

He started to find Thalia, or whatever other monster was still lurking in the factory, but a voice above his head made him stop abruptly.

"Luke!"

The demigod looked up. There, on the same catwalk where his net had been tied, were Sammy and Annabeth. Both girls were panting slightly, and a light sheen of sweat covered their faces.

"Annabeth! Sammy!" Luke yelled in concern. "What are you doing here?! Where's Percy?!"

"He's with Thalia! And both are in danger!" Sammy shouted, panic in her voice.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise. He wasn't ashamed to admit that Percy and Thalia were so much stronger than him, he even found it comforting to have such trustworthy friends. So if they were both in danger, the situation was not good at all.

"Tell me where they are!" Luke said. "I'll go help them!"

"They're not too far from here," Annabeth said. "But you must be careful! There's a huge cyclops near where they're hiding!"

"Okay, don't worry about that. Just tell me where they are."

Thalia felt Percy stir, coming out of his unconscious state. She positioned his head in her lap so that the first thing Percy saw when he woke up was his friend's worried face.

"Thalia...?" he said, his voice hoarse.

"You're awake at last, sleeping beauty," she said, her tone teasing, but there was still relief in her voice. "You had me a little worried."

"What happened?" he asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position, but he quickly lost his balance and almost fell to the ground if Thalia had not held him by the shoulders.

"Hey, take it easy," she said, making him lean on her. "You're tough, but you took a pretty hard hit. Take a rest."

Percy put a hand to his head and grimaced in annoyance.

"Ahg, shit, my head. I feel like I've been hit with an iron pipe."

"Well, that's not far from the truth. I'm surprised you're awake after that blow."

Percy let out a sigh and relaxed on Thalia, resting his head on her shoulder. A shiver ran through her body when she felt his warm breath on her neck.

"How long was I unconscious?" Percy asked, trying to sort through his memories.

The last thing he remembered was seeing a cyclops behind them, throwing Thalia beside him, trying to save her from what could have been a fatal blow. His head was throbbing, and he felt a sharp pain in his side, perhaps a broken rib.

"About five minutes, give or take," Thalia replied. "I was able to stop the bleeding from your head by applying pressure, but you shouldn't try too hard."

"The cyclops... Is dead?"

"Unfortunately, no," Thalia spat bitterly. "I hit him with one of my beams, but it wasn't enough. You were unconscious, and I felt strangely tired, I still do. So I thought it'd be best to hide, and wait for us to recover or for Luke to come and help us."

A silence fell between the two young demigods, both lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, it was Percy who decided to break it.

"I'm sorry," he said, surprising Thalia.

"What? Why?" she asked, her voice and face reflecting her disbelief. "You have nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I should be the one thanking you." She said the last thing in a whisper and reluctantly.

"No... this is my fault. It's my fault for not telling you what a cyclops is capable of. I just assumed that you already knew. This is my fault," he finished with regret in his voice.

"For what? What is it that we didn't know?"

"A cyclops can imitate the human voice, but that's not all," he answered slowly. He had Thalia's full attention. "They can see into your memories. More specifically, the memories of the people you love or cherish. They imitate their voices, luring you into their traps until it's too late."

Thalia's eyes widened in surprise. She had never known a cyclops was capable of such a thing. Now that she thought about it, it was a truly terrifying ability.

"Then... the voice I heard..."

"It wasn't real," Percy said, his voice harsh. "It was just a charade to get you to lower your guard and make you easy prey."

Thalia wouldn't admit it, but she felt a little disappointed that the voice, his voice, wasn't real. But her disappointment was clouded by an anger that made her blood boil.

"Those damn sons of bitches," she spat out the insult. "How dare they...?"

"Yes... I understand how you feel. I had the same reaction when I first heard about it."

"Then you also heard the voice of someone you cared about."

"Yes..." Percy admitted ruefully. "I knew it was impossible to hear her voice again, but I was so surprised to hear it again that I didn't think about it at the time. All I wanted to do was find her, but it led me right into a trap. I was stupid and careless."

Percy's voice was so distressed and hurt that it sounded as if it was about to break. Apparently, hearing that voice had affected him. As much as hearing his voice had affected Thalia.

There were a few seconds of silence before Thalia decided to break it with a question that had made her curious.

"Who were you listening to?"

From the way Percy spoke, that person, a woman, was not only someone he liked very much, but also that she, it seemed, was dead or would somehow never see her again.

Percy tensed slightly at the question, and she feared she had asked something very personal. He looked down and frowned slightly, as if remembering something painful. When she thought he wasn't going to answer, Percy did, his voice barely above a whisper.

"My mom... I listened to my mother."

Thalia was silent. Taking in Percy's answer. Obviously he loved his mother very much, but there was one more question she had to ask to confirm her own theory.

"She is...?" Thalia did not finish the question, leaving it hanging in the air, but the message was clear.

Percy closed his eyes and nodded slowly, as if he didn't want to.

"Yes... she is."

His voice sounded so tired and melancholy that Thalia felt sorry for him. She regretted having provoked this feeling in her friend. She wanted to talk to him. Share the same grief by confessing to him that she knew what it felt like to lose a loved family member, but when she opened her mouth to do so, the words didn't come out. They got stuck in her throat and refused to come out.

Instead, she reached out her hand and placed it over his, giving it a gentle squeeze with the intention to convey her support. Percy did not reject your touch, in fact, he turned his hand-over to intertwine his fingers and return the squeeze.

When Percy raised his head, their eyes met. Electric blue and sea green. Neither knew how long they looked at the other, only that they didn't want to look away.

"Percy! Thalia! Where are you?!" An urgent call was heard.

Thalia perked up at the sound of Luke's voice. She was about to call out to him, but Percy covered her mouth with one hand and brought the other, which was still intertwined with hers, to his lips, raising a finger to urge her not to speak. She gave him a questioning look until her eyes widened in understanding.

"Come on, friends, come out! There is no more danger!" Luke's voice continued to scream.

Thalia gritted her teeth in anger. That monster was trying to trick her again.

"He's right, we're all safe!" another voice shouted, which they recognized as Annabeth.

"Percy, where are you?" Sammy's voice was shaking and scared. "Please... don't leave me."

Thalia saw that Percy was visibly tense. He clenched his fist and glared in the direction the voice had come from. She felt agitated as well. That thing was imitating their friends' voices, and they couldn't do anything because she was still weak. But if that wasn't enough to make her blood boil with rage, the voice she heard next was.

"Thal-Thal... please... help me. You said we would always be together. Why did you leave me alone that night?"

Hearing these words, her body began to shake. Whether it was from shock or anger, she didn't know. What she did know was that she wanted, she needed that monster to stop imitating the voices of her friends.

She was about to open the door and attack the cyclops when a firm squeeze on her hand brought her to her senses.

"Thalia, stop," Percy said in a firm voice. "Don't do this."

"But...!"

"That's what he wants. He wants to lure you into his trap."

"Then what do you want me to do?! Sit here while that monster imitates the voices of the people I care about?" she asked angrily.

"Just ignore it..."

"Percy, sweetie... Where are you? Don't be afraid... Come with me."

Unconsciously, Percy's grip on Thalia's hand tightened, causing her to wince with mild pain.

"Like I said..." Percy repeated through clenched teeth, "Just ignore it..."

It was easy for Luke to make his way through the dark factory. With Annabeth and Sammy on the catwalks several feet above the ground, they were able to guide him through the maze of containers with ease. When he came to the container that had separated him from Thalia, it wasn't hard to find a new way.

It wasn't long before he reached the same cleared area where Thalia had arrived earlier. But instead of looking for any sign of his hidden friends, his eyes were fixed on the huge cyclops that prowled the place. Luke could easily tell that this was the largest cyclops he had ever seen. It was so large that, at five feet six inches tall, it barely reached above his knees.

For a second, Luke felt insecure and unable to face such an imposing creature, but that thought disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. His friends depended on him, and he would not let them down. He would not fail them like others had failed him.

With that thought, Luke slipped into the shadows of the night like a ninja, the kind Thalia liked so much and had tried and failed to convince him to see them together. Doesn't that girl understand? He doesn't like ninjas, he likes robots!

He was able to get close and hide behind a container. The cyclops was a few feet away, looking for something with his eye, but he didn't seem to find it, and that annoyed him. He paced back and forth, stamping his feet in frustration.

'Okay, how do I deal with a monster that's almost three times my size and could crush me like a cockroach?'

Luke looked down at his hand. He was holding only an eight-inch dagger. It would be almost useless against such a large cyclops. If he had another weapon that was bigger or longer like Thalia's spear, it would help.

'In your pocket...'

"What?" Luke murmured, surprised and a little scared.

'Look in your pocket. What you need is there.'

A little hesitantly he did it. He felt a weight in his pocket that he could swear wasn't there before. Pulling out the strange object, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was a necklace. A bronze chain with a symbol all too familiar to Luke; a caduceus.

'Just squeeze it in your hand, and you'll know what it does. I hope it helps you. And please be careful.'

Luke squeezed the pendant and immediately found himself holding a double-edged sword that seemed to be made of two different metals. It was a little over a meter long, and like any weapon made of Celestial Bronze, it cast a faint glow in the darkness of the night. Although it was the first time he held it, its weight felt strangely familiar, as if it had been made especially for him.

'Thank you... Dad.'

A warm wind blew in his face, giving him a strange feeling of comfort and security. He could almost see his father's beaming smile.

With his new weapon in his hand, he was flooded with confidence. He looked at the cyclops, who had his back to him, and maybe it was because of his newly gained confidence or his new weapon, but he didn't look as imposing as he did a few minutes ago.

'I'll get this over with quickly,' he thought determinedly as he tightened his grip on his new sword. 'Then we can get out of this damn place. I'll drive the car while Percy eats his fries in the passenger seat and Thalia sings her punk songs on the radio at full volume while Annabeth and Sammy try to calm her down...' A faint smile of longing stretched his lips. 'Yeah... that sounds good.'

He approached the careless cyclops. His feet made no sound as he moved forward. When he was close enough, he swung his new sword with a fluidity and precision he had never known before. The sword sliced through the cyclops' Achilles tendon like a hot knife through butter. The monster roared in pain and fell to his knees, unable to support his own weight.

He turned sharply. His eye glowed with murderous rage.

"Who dares to hurt me?!" His one eye rested on Luke, narrowing menacingly. "You! Are you still alive? What happened to my worthless little brother?"

"He seemed anxious to make a one-way trip to Tartarus, so I decided to help him," Luke said, brandishing his sword. "Perhaps you would like to accompany him?"

He looked at the cyclops' chest and could see the flesh burning and smoking. Luke raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He recognized the wound as one of Thalia's lightning bolts. If he could survive one of his friend's attacks, he shouldn't underestimate him.

"He was too weak to be killed by a pathetic demigod like you," the cyclops growled as he tried and failed to stand on both legs. "But I am the strongest."

"And just like him, you will die."

The cyclops took a long step and reached out, trying to catch Luke off guard, but he saw the attack and reacted quickly. He stepped aside at the last second and sliced through the cyclops' wrist with a single swing of his sword. His hand fell limp to the ground as blood spurted out.

"AAAAGGGGHH! MY HAND!" the beast howled in pain, clutching the severed limb. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

With his one good hand, he tried to crush Luke, but Luke had already moved inside his guard, and in one quick, precise move, he plunged his new sword into the cyclops' chest, right where his heart was.

A fleeting expression of utter shock graced the creature's face before Luke yanked the sword from his chest. The cyclops took an erratic step back before collapsing onto his back and become a pile of gold dust.

Luke stood motionless for a few seconds, staring at the spot where the cyclops had been. He gasped for breath, unable to believe what he had done. It felt so natural to him to wield a sword, as if it were an extension of his body.

"Luke?" A voice snapped him out of his reverie.

He turned to see Annabeth looking at him with concern. For a moment he wondered how she got off the catwalk where they were. He looked behind her and saw Sammy climbing down from the top of a container. Her short legs flailed comically as she dangled from the edge of the tall container.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked. She looked at the sword he was holding for the first time and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Where did you get that sword?"

"Well..." He looked at his new sword, checking if it was still there. "It was my father. He gave it to me."

"It's a bit strange," the girl commented, studying the sword. "It seems to be made of two different metals."

"It is. One part is Celestial Bronze, the other is tempered steel." Luke frowned. It seemed a little strange that he knew that.

Annabeth's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"So... it can hurt both monsters and mortals?" she asked, a little scared.

"Yes, I think so."

"That... that's a bit scary. I wonder why your father would give you such a weapon."

Luke wondered, too, but if he was honest with himself... he didn't care. In his experience, mortals were just as bad as monsters, if not worse. If his father gave him a weapon to protect himself not only from monsters, but also from mortals, he would really appreciate it.

"Wooow! That's a cool sword!" Sammy exclaimed, excited about the sight of Luke's new weapon. "Does it have a cool name?"

"Huh?" was his intelligent reply.

"Well, you see, Thalia's shield is called 'Aegis'," Sammy explained. "So I thought your sword would have a cool name, too."

Luke studied the sword for a few seconds, fascinated by the strange glow the combination of the two metals seemed to emit.

"Backbiter," he replied, again wondering how he knew that. "That's its name."

"'Backbiter'?" Annabeth said curiously. "That name is..."

"Cool!" Sammy interrupted, her eyes sparkling with childlike excitement.

Luke chuckled. He looked at the sword and wished it was a necklace again. Immediately, the sword shrank back and returned to its caduceus form.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," he said, putting the pendant around his neck and showing it off proudly. "Now, I think we need to get out of this dump. Hell, I'm just now realizing how bad this place smells. Where the hell are Percy and Thalia?"

"They're hiding over there." Sammy pointed to a rusty door that was locked. "Thalia dragged Percy in there when he was knocked unconscious by the surprise blow the cyclops landed on him."

Luke nodded and headed for the door. When he was in front of it, he began to pound on it animatedly.

"Thalia, get out of there!" Luke yelled. "I already killed the bastard!"

"Uh, Luke... I don't think that's going to work," Sammy said.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Cyclopes can imitate a person's voice," Annabeth explained. "If they hear you, they will probably think you are the cyclops trying to trick them."

"Besides, Percy's probably still unconscious," Sammy added.

Luke raised an eyebrow. He didn't know a cyclops could do that. How was he going to convince them that it was really him?

"Percy, Thalia, it really is me, damn it!" he shouted again, pounding furiously on the door.

"Luke..." Sammy began.

"Wait a minute, miss. Let the grown-ups handle this."

Sammy frowned but said nothing.

"Let's see..." Luke racked his brain, trying to find a way to convince his stubborn, temperamental friend. It was with this thought that he had an epiphany. "Oh, I got it! Thalia, I really am Luke! How many big boobed guys do you know?! And I know Percy isn't one of them, he's more of a leg and ass man!"

Nothing yet. The three of them frowned in annoyance, although the girls did so because of their friend's cheeky confession.

"Okay, Thalia, you asked for it..." he murmured, before shouting again. "Hey, Thalia! Remember that time we were in Nashville and we were looking for a public restroom! You had to ask a pigeon for directions!"

"A pigeon?" Sammy asked, confused.

"Thalia can talk to pigeons and any animal with wings," Annabeth explained. "Since any animal with wings is part of the kingdom of sky, the kingdom of Zeus, then Thalia can talk to them since she is his daughter. Everyone treats her like royalty."

"That's right, I've been calling you Pigeon Princess for a week because of that!" Luke exclaimed. "But... I know the real reason you're so desperate for a bath that time, and it wasn't because you wanted to pee or poop... but because you had your period!"

Sammy looked at Luke in confusion, as she didn't know what he meant by 'period'. Annabeth, on the other hand, had her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and looked at him with a frown. But before she could reproach him for his tactlessness, someone else did.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, CASTELLAN!" Thalia's angry voice erupted as she flung open the door.

Before Luke could react, he found himself bent over, gasping from the hard blow Thalia had landed right in his stomach. Luke collapsed to the floor, moaning pitifully.

"See?... I told you I'd take care of it..." he said weakly.

"Shut up!" Thalia yelled and kicked him in the butt, causing Luke to moan again.

"Thalia, is Percy okay?" Sammy asked, concern in her voice.

Thalia ignored Luke, who was slowly straightening up, and walked back into the room she had left.

"He's fine, just a little weak," Thalia explained. "That bastard hit him pretty hard."

"But he will recover, right? Percy is very strong," Annabeth asked equally worried.

"Of course I will..." a cheeky, if somewhat tired, voice replied. They all watched as Percy sat in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall. His eyes were clouded and the bags under his eyes looked deeper than usual. "I've suffered worse wounds, this is nothing."

"Just don't die, chief. Just think of all the chips you have left to eat," Luke said in a teasing tone, but you could still see the concern in his eyes.

"Gods, Luke... you should be a motivational speaker," Percy said.

He tried to stand up but winced.

"Hey, take it easy, bro" Luke said, walking over and helping him up. "Let me help you. There's some nectar in the car. One drink, and you'll be good as new."

"Just give me a double cheeseburger with an extra large soda and bacon fries."

In support of his statement, Percy's stomach growled loudly, eliciting a chorus of laughter from those present.

"You always think with your stomach," Luke said, shaking his head with an amused smile.

Percy looked at Luke's neck, noticing the necklace in the shape of a caduceus.

"Nice necklace," he commented.

Luke looked down at his new necklace and a faint smile stretched his lips.

"It's the weapon that... my father promised me. It can become a sword capable of slaying monsters and mortals."

Percy whistled, impressed.

"That's cool."

"Now we've finished what we came for, let's get out of this dump," said Thalia. "This place smells like a public toilet used after a music concert."

By the time they made it out of the dilapidated old factory, Percy was able to walk on his own, though he looked a little pale and clung to his side with a slight grimace of annoyance, but nothing he couldn't bear. He refused any help and played down his condition.

As they left the factory, the sun began to appear on the horizon, illuminating and warming everything in its path. It was an encouraging thought for Percy to know that the sun would rise above the horizon every day. It was, in a way, a gift and something beautiful that happened every day and that many people ignored. That's why he always liked to get up a little early to watch the sunrise.

"It's dawn," Luke commented. "Damn, I wanted to get some sleep. I'm really tired."

"Me too," Sammy said with a sweet yawn. "I'd like to take a little ten-hour nap."

Annabeth nodded wearily and followed them, intending to bang her head against the pillow, or in this case, any surface that was even slightly comfortable.

Percy stared at the rising sun for a few seconds, its light seeming to warm his soul. As he started to join the others, he was stopped by Thalia, who grabbed his wrist.

"Wait, Percy..." she began a little hesitantly.

"Hmm? What is it, Thalia?" Percy arched an eyebrow at his friend's soft tone, something unusual for her.

"I just wanted to tell you that... Well... I know how you feel..." She didn't meet Percy's eyes as she spoke, which showed how uncomfortable it made her.

"About what?" Percy's puzzled frown deepened.

"Back there... When we heard the cyclops trying to trick us, you told me that they once used your mother's voice to lure you. Something similar happened to me," Thalia explained, her voice becoming a little more confident as she spoke. "When the cyclops separated Luke and me, I heard the voice of someone who was also important to me. When I heard his voice, for a moment, just a moment, I really thought it was him."

Percy listened intently and with growing sympathy. He noticed the way Thalia was speaking, talking about the past, and knew that he shouldn't say anything until she finished, realizing that it couldn't be easy for her to open up like that.

"I knew it had to be some kind of trap, but I was so shocked that I didn't really think about it." Thalia looked up, and for the first time since he had known her, Percy saw a look of sadness and pain. "The voice I heard was my little brother. His name was Jason. He... He died when he was only seven." She squeezed her eyes shut, obviously trying to keep the tears from streaming down her face and failing. "I loved him more than anything... He was the only light in my life. The only thing worthwhile in my miserable life. When he died... the home I cherished so much changed completely. It turned into a real hell. With an unstable and alcoholic mother, I ran away from home and swore never to return."

They were both silent for several seconds. Percy took in the information with surprise and sadness. He knew what it was like to lose someone in his family, in this case his only family. So he didn't blame Thalia for being secretive about her life. In fact, he understood her, perhaps more than anyone.

"Once upon a time, someone told me..." Percy began slowly, making sure that Thalia was listening to every word, for what he had to say was very important. "He told me that the only way for people to understand each other is to have been through the same pain."

"Who told you that?" Thalia asked, really curious.

"A man I met some years ago. He taught me a lot of things. How to fight, how to steal from people without them noticing... Hell, he even taught me how to play poker and pool."

"Sounds like a great guy," she said with an easy laugh that Percy found very cute.

"Yeah, he was a jerk sometimes, but he helped me a lot," Percy said with a wistful smile. "What I want to say, Thalia, is that I also know how it feels to lose someone you love. I can understand you, and there is nothing wrong with talking about it. Talking can ease the pain of the soul".

Slowly, lovingly and gently, he wiped away the tears she had shed. Thalia did not refuse. Instead, she simply stood still so that Percy could finish.

Percy expected Thalia to be impressed by his words, maybe even moved by them, but what he didn't expect was the smile that slowly spread across her black-painted lips.

"Now you quote Shakespeare?" she asked, her voice mocking, her cheeks flushed with tears. "Who says? The chief is educated, or maybe he just read it in a fortune cookie."

She couldn't help herself and burst out laughing, much to the annoyance and embarrassment of Percy, who for a moment thought he'd said something extremely cool.

"Shut up," Percy said sheepishly. "And how do you know that's from Shakespeare?"

"Hm, hm," Thalia hummed, moving her index finger back and forth. "Girls have their secrets."

With a tired sigh, Percy turned and walked over to where the others were, but stopped when he felt Thalia hugging him from behind.

"Thank you, Percy. For everything..."

He didn't reply, just smiled and grabbed Thalia's hands that wrapped around him, giving him a comforting squeeze.

When they broke the embrace, they both walked until they reached the others. Percy looked surprised as Luke, Sammy, and Annabeth stared at the car they had affectionately dubbed 'Mean Machine', apparently it was Thalia who had christened it.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Percy asks, standing next to Sammy.

"We think there's something in the car," Annabeth says, looking suspiciously at the vehicle. "Or someone..."

"Why do you say that?" Thalia asks this time.

In answer to her question, the car shakes slightly, as if someone were moving inside.

"Maybe an animal got in," Sammy suggests, hiding behind Percy as she always did when she was scared.

"Oh! A peanut butter sandwich!" cries a cheerful voice from inside the car.

"I don't think animals talk..." Percy said. "Unless they are monsters."

"I don't care if it's a monster, mortal, gods or Mia Khalifa herself, nobody messes with my peanut butter sandwich!" Luke said in a tone that everyone found ominous.

Releasing his new sword, Luke approached the car, ready to slice up anyone who dared touch his food without his permission.

"Who is Mia Khalifa?" Sammy asks Percy innocently.

"... I don't know," Percy replies, though he knew from the slightly annoyed look Thalia was giving him that she didn't believe him. Which begs the question, how does Thalia know who she is?

Luke walked over to the car and quickly opened the door, causing a body to fall and hit the ground with a loud snort of pain, spilling a couple of bags of chips along with a lot of crumbs.

'My secret stash of chips!' Percy thought with growing anger, 'That's it, I don't care who he is, I'm going to kill him! I will kill him and sell his organs on the black market and use the money to replace the chips he ate.'

Percy walked over and stood at Luke's side as he drew his trusty knife.

"Say your last words, thieving rat," Percy said in a dark voice. "And when you go to the Underworld, tell everyone that no one messes with my chips."

"Wait! Please wait a minute!" the food thief shouted, waving his hands erratically.

Everyone could see the thief. It was a boy, a teenager about his age. He looked slightly dirty. His jeans were worn, and he had dried mud stains on them, indicating that he had been wandering in the woods. There were a few dry leaves and twigs in his brown hair. He looked a little scared, though no one could blame him, being under the glare of an armed Percy and Luke. And he wasn't helping with the potato chip crumbs and peanut butter sandwich.

"I didn't want to steal anything from anyone," the boy continued, frightened. "I've been looking for you for weeks, but I didn't think the car and the food were yours, but... but... I was so hungry! I ate nothing but berries and fruits I found in the forest. I even ate acorns from some squirrels! I feel like a monster!"

The boy looked so pitiful as he spoke quickly. His lips were trembling and tears were forming at the corners of his eyes. Luke unconsciously lowered his sword at the boy's overwhelmed expression, but Percy narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

"What do you mean you were looking for us?" he asked, to the surprise of everyone. The boy quickly opened his mouth to speak, but Percy cut him off. "Keep it short and to the point if you don't want to lose your fingers."

From the look he gave him and the tight grip on his knife, Percy didn't seem to be joking. The boy turned pale as a sheet and took several deep breaths before speaking calmly, though still slightly frightened by the threat.

"I guess... I should introduce myself first," the boy said, trying hard not to shake his voice. "My name... is Grover Underwood. I'm a satyr from Camp Half-Blood."

...

..

.

And so far the chapter! Thanks for taking the time to read my story, I hope you enjoyed it.

Things are starting to take shape slowly and that's how I like stories. Where each character develops slowly, and you can appreciate their development and history.

For those who really know the Percy Jackson universe, you'll notice that some things are very different, like Jason "dying" at seven instead of two. The fact that cyclopes can see into one's memory, Percy's age difference compared to others, the fact that Luke got his infamous sword much earlier, and so on.

That's the wonderful thing about fanfics, you can make your story whatever you want, as long as it makes sense, IMHO.

With Grover's appearance, the plot wheel begins to turn. Monsters, gods and goddesses, Camp Half-Blood, and much more to come. Stay tuned.

And with nothing more to say... Until next time, beautiful people!