A/N: I do read and take feedback from the reviews, really appreciate the positive words; so if you like the writing, let me know.
If there's some constructive criticism, let me know, I'll take it into consideration at least.

XII. PERCY

Percy was dreaming of New York pizza when a rude voice cut through his sleep.

"Percy! Wake up!"

He bolted upright, nearly cracking his head on the low ceiling of the cabin. For a disorienting moment, he had no idea what was going on. Where was he? Why was he in a boat?

"Perseus Jackson, wake up this instant!

He recognized that voice.

Reyna. Camp Jupiter. He was in the sea. On a quest.

"What's wrong?" he yelled, already reaching for Riptide in his pocket as he stumbled toward the door.

"Land," came the reply. Judging by the tone, she didn't seem happy about the fact. "We're approaching land."

Percy emerged onto the deck, blinking in the harsh morning light. Honestly, he didn't exactly get why seeing land was such a crazy emergency that Reyna had to yell. She could have just woken him up, like a normal person. But looking at her, Percy decided it was better not to argue.

Reyna stood at the bow, her posture rigid as she stared ahead. Following her gaze, Percy saw it—an island rising from the sea like the back of a massive sea monster. Its shoreline was a mixture of white sand and jagged black rocks. Dense forests covered most of island, with what looked like ancient ruins peeking through the canopy near the center.

"Where are we?" Percy asked sleepily, moving to stand beside her.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Reyna replied, glancing at him.

Percy frowned, reaching out with his senses the way he always did on water. Usually, he could pinpoint his location no matter where in the ocean he was. But now… nothing. Just a strange, muffled sensation, like someone had stuffed cotton in his ears. "Something's wrong," he said. If someone was powerful enough to interfere with his navigation, that island ahead was definitely bad news. "I can't tell where we are. It's like… interference."

Reyna's expression darkened. "Magic?"

"Maybe." Percy squinted at the approaching shore. "This place doesn't feel right."

The boat continued its steady course toward the island, seemingly drawn by an invisible force. Percy tried to redirect their path, calling to the currents beneath him, but the water responded sluggishly to his commands, like a tired horse resisting the reins.
"I don't think I can stop us from landing," he had to admit, after a few minutes.

Reyna nodded, her hand drifting to the gladius at her side. "Better get ready then."

Reyna gathered their supplies quickly, strapping on armor and checking weapons. Percy watched as she flexed her left arm experimentally, a grimace flashing across her face before she smoothed her expression back to neutral.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied curtly, adjusting her vambrace. Percy wasn't convinced, but now wasn't the time to push. He had more important things to worry about. The boat was approaching the shoreline rapidly, aimed at a small cove where the sand met the water in a gentle curve. Which was good— at least, they wouldn't be shipwrecked.

CREAK!

Slowly, almost too slowly, the boat reached the sandy beach. Percy felt the water become shallower and shallower. He tried reaching out again, but still— nothing.
The beach ahead was empty, and the forest beyond was eerily still. He couldn't hear a single bird, or spot anything moving amongst the bushes. Even the waves cresting against the shore created a soft buzzing sound, but nothing more.

"I don't like this," Reyna muttered. Percy had to agree.

The boat ground to a halt against the sand with a soft scraping noise that seemed unnaturally loud in the silence. For a long moment, nothing moved. Percy quickly scanned the shoreline for threats. Nothing stirred. He took a deep breath.
"Well, I guess we should—"

A blood-curdling howl split the air, followed immediately by another, then another, until the entire forest began to ring with the sound. The forest edge erupted with movement as figures burst from the trees—humanoid shapes with the heads of wolves.

"Deodamnatus*!" Reyna hissed, raising her sword. "Lycanthropes!"
"Of course it couldn't just be a nice, deserted island with helpful directions and maybe a snack bar," Percy grumbled.

Reyna quickly ran back to the cabins.

"Hey!" Percy yelled, not taking his eyes off the approaching figures. Every second, more and more seemed to emerge from the treeline. Each of them was stupidly tall, stupidly built and (judging by the noise) really hungry.
"One second!" He heard a muffled yell. "Trust me!"
Percy glanced back. The werewolves were getting closer.

"One second's up! I can't take all of them alone!"
Reyna quickly climbed back out of the cabin. "You're not alone, dummy. Catch!"

Percy instinctively reached out and grabbed a sword that Reyna flung end-on through the air. He had no idea how he had caught that. He glanced down, looking at the silver blade, slightly dull at the edges. The sword was heavier than he was used to, and felt a little overbalanced on the right. At least it looked Greek. Similar to Riptide, but more like a Riptide : Special Edition.

"What do I need this for?"

Reyna was dual-wielding silver swords. She gave Percy her signature are-you-stupid look. "Werewolves?" She quipped. "Only silver works against them?"

"Oh," Percy muttered. "Good call."

The first wave hit the shoreline in a furious rush. Percy leapt from the boat, meeting the attack head-on. Special Edition Riptide sang through the air, slicing through a wolf-man's chest. It dissolved into golden dust, only to be replaced immediately by two more.

Percy quickly fell into the rhythm of combat—slash, dodge, stab, spin. It took a little getting used to, but he managed to counterbalance the new weight of the sword. Beside him, Reyna moved like a hurricane, her gladii a blur of deadly silver. They worked their way up the beach, fighting back-to-back, gradually pushing toward firmer ground.

"There's too many!" Reyna called over her shoulder, ducking beneath a werewolf that had lunged for her throat.
Well thanks, Captain Obvious.

For every monster they destroyed, more seemed to materialize from the trees. They were being herded, Percy realized. Pushed away from the boat. Towards the forest.

"We need a plan!" he shouted back, ducking under a wild swing from a club and driving Special Edition Riptide through his attacker's midsection. As he straightened, Percy caught a glimpse of something else emerging from the forest—larger shapes, moving like pre-school kids on a sugar rush.

Giants, at least a dozen of them, their massive forms dwarfing the werewolves that scurried around their feet. A few of them even stamped a couple by accident. The werewolves screamed in pain before disappearing into dust.

"Oh, come on," Percy groaned. "Isn't this a bit overkill?"

The nearest giant roared, hefting a boulder the size of a refrigerator and hurling it toward them. Percy tackled Reyna, both of them rolling across the sand as the rock crashed into the spot where she'd been standing, sending up a spray of sand and stone fragments.

"The water," Reyna gasped as they scrambled to their feet. "Use the ocean."

Percy nodded, using the diversion created by the boulder to head back towards the shoreline. The waves responded to his call immediately, even though a part of his powers felt muted. A massive wall of seawater rose. It was easier to control, being closer to the ocean.

"Get behind me!" Percy yelled.

Reyna complied, taking up a defensive position at his back as he gathered his strength. The approaching monsters hesitated, but it was too late. They were too close to the beach. With a yell, Percy released his hold over the water.

The wave crashed forward, sweeping across the beach. Werewolves howled as they were caught in the surge, their bodies tossed like ragdolls before dissolving into dust. Even the giants staggered. A couple of them ended up sitting on their rump. One or two even fell down.

Percy dropped to one knee. Creating and controlling a wave like that would normally leave him winded; here, with his powers already acting strangely, it felt like he'd run a marathon carrying a backpack full of bricks.

"Percy!" Reyna was at his side instantly. "Can you stand?"
"Yeah," he managed, forcing himself to his feet despite the trembling in his limbs. "Just need… a second."

The giants were recovering, shaking off the effects of the wave. More werewolves emerged from the trees. Percy raised his sword, though the weapon felt like it weighed a ton.

"Here," Reyna said abruptly, pulling a ring from her finger—a simple silver band with a torch emblem that Percy recognized as the symbol of Bellona. "Take this. It might help."
"Your ring? I don't think jewelry's going to—"
"Just take it, Jackson!"

Percy slipped the ring onto his finger, and immediately felt a surge of energy course through his body. He felt stronger. More powerful. Focused. Like he could take on a hundred giants and win.

"The blessing of Bellona," Reyna explained quickly.
"Thanks," he said, surprised.
Reyna nodded tersely, her attention already back on the approaching enemies. "We need to reach higher ground," she pointed out. Find a defensible position."

Percy agreed, but getting there seemed impossible with the horde of monsters between them and the island's center. He spotted a narrow path leading away from the beach, up through a gap in the rocks. If they could reach it…

"There!" he pointed. "That trail!"

Reyna nodded her understanding. They began fighting their way toward the path, step by bloody step. The ring on Percy's finger pulsed with warmth, keeping exhaustion at bay, but he knew the borrowed strength wouldn't last forever. Reyna fought like a goddess, but her left hand almost hung dead on her side. She swung it around, still gripping her sword, but Percy could tell she wasn't fighting as well as she usually did.

They were twenty yards from the trail when a particularly massive giant intercepted them, swinging a crude club fashioned from an entire tree trunk. Percy dove one way, Reyna the other, the club smashing into the ground between them with enough force to split the earth.

"Go!" Percy shouted to Reyna. "I'll keep them busy!"
"That's a terrible plan!"
"I KNOW!"

Reyna only had one fighting hand. She had to get to safety first.

Before she could protest further, Percy charged directly at the nearest cluster of werewolves, Special Edition Riptide a silver blur as he carved a path through. "Hey, fur-faces!" he yelled. "Bet you can't catch me!"

The oldest taunt in the book. But it had the desired effect. Howling with rage, the majority of the monsters turned toward him, momentarily forgetting about Reyna. Percy led them on a wild chase along the beach, ducking and weaving through their ranks, using their numbers against them as they got in each other's way. He pushed a little more, but then the ring on his hand began to pulse. It didn't have a lot more juice left.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Reyna sprint for the path, cutting down the few werewolves that tried to intercept her. Good, Percy thought. At least one of us got off to safety.

His momentary distraction cost him. A werewolf slipped past his guard, raking its claws across his chest. His armor absorbed the worst of it, but the impact sent him sprawling backwards. He recovered quickly, slashing back at the attacker, but now he was surrounded, the circle of monsters closing in from all sides.

"Come on, then," he muttered, now drawing Riptide and Special Edition Riptide. Celestial bronze couldn't really hurt werewolves, but he hoped they didn't know that.

The monsters rushed him all at once. Percy spun and slashed. Monsters disintegrated into dust all around him, but there were always more to take their place. He could feel his legs giving way. If he didn't figure out a way to escape within the next few seconds, he'd definitely be dog food.

"PERCY!"

Something massive loomed in his peripheral vision—one of the giants, breaking through the circle of wolf-men. Percy turned to face it, but he was too late.

The giant hurled a jagged boulder that caught him squarely in the shoulder, sending him flying backward. Pain exploded through his body as he crashed to the ground, Riptide slipping from his grasp.

Percy tried to roll to his feet, but his limbs wouldn't budge. Through blurred vision, he saw the giant approaching, raising its club for a killing blow. He fumbled for Riptide, but the sword had skittered just out of reach.

"DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!"

The giant's roar turned to a howl of pain as a silver blade burst through its chest from behind. It staggered, dropping its club, then dissolved into dust to reveal Reyna standing behind it. She looked mad. Really mad.

Before Percy could decide if she was mad at him or the werewolves, she was moving toward him with inhuman speed, cutting down the werewolves with brutal efficiency. One moment she was yards away, the next she was at his side, hauling him to his feet.

"Hold on," she ordered, and suddenly they were moving, Reyna carrying him as if he weighed nothing, her legs a blur as they raced across the beach.
Percy's brain struggled to make sense of what was happening. "Are you… carrying me?" he managed.
"Shut up," Reyna growled, not slowing her pace. "Unless you want me to drop you."

Before Percy could respond, they reached the path he'd spotted earlier. Reyna set him down quickly, keeping one arm around his waist to steady him as they began to climb. Below, the monsters howled in frustration, some attempting to follow while others milled about in confusion. Their bodies weren't exactly made for this sort of terrain.

"How are you doing… that?" Percy asked, gesturing vaguely at her legs as they moved up the path at an impossible pace.
"Blessing of my mother," Reyna huffed. "Speed and strength in battle. It won't last long."

The path wound upward through rocky terrain, eventually opening onto a plateau overlooking the beach. From this vantage point, Percy could see the full scale of the island for the first time—the dense forests stretching into the distance, the mountain rising at the far end, and there, just ahead, the ruins he'd glimpsed from the shore. Which turned out to look more like a temple, the closer he got to it.

"We have to get to the temple," Reyna began. "I can feel it."

Percy took a moment to catch his breath. He was so winded up he couldn't even talk. "Alright," he panted after a second. "Hopefully the monsters are waay stuck by now—"

A fierce howl filled the air.

"Stop jinxing things!" Reyna snapped.

Percy sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

* = LATIN

* = Damnit!