Hey guys I'm sorry for being one day late but I got really sick for the last week of March so I feel a little behind. Anyway I hope everyone had a good March and now it's April. I guess I could've played it off as an April fools joke but whatever. I have decided to just keep it originalish and not throw in the original story arc, thank you all for your insight. Anyway forward unto dawn.

Thanks to…

NinjaFang1331-Thank you for your review, I hope I continue to write an enjoyable story.

MacedonianxRanger-Thank you, and thank you especially for the unique part that means a lot I hope I continue to write things that entertain you.

prince of the seas –Thank you for taking the time to review and read my story it means a lot.

gustly- Thank you for taking the time to review it means a lot, I will try my best to continue this story and keep it interesting.

Harley-Quinn38999-Honestly I can't wait till I put it in, but at the same time Im worried people aren't going to like it, but I'm always like that. Thank you for the review and reading my story.

That Guy-Thank you for the review and reading my story, and thank you so much for your insight to my question.

PheonixArchive- Thank you for the review and reading my story, and thank you so much for your insight to my question.

Paper Kaine- Thank you so much for telling me my armor idea was okay, I'm always worried about my ideas after all. Thank you for the review and reading my story as well, it means a lot.

All my friends who are reading this- You are so awesome thank you so much for this. (Especially Garret thank you so much.)

Disclaimer- I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy woke up in a less than pleasant manner. By 'less than pleasant,' he means having his best friend scream in his ear; Beckendorf being said best friend. Percy jumped up at the loud noise and nearly fell out of his chair, causing Beckendorf to laugh and Percy to become embarrassed.

"Geez Percy, I knocked on your door for hours! You sleep like the dead. Why are you outside anyway? You have got to be freezing."

"Believe it or not, I'm actually quite hot…"

Beckendorf rubbed his head in contemplation. "That could possibly mean your sick though," he mumbled to himself. "Let's hope it's not. Anyway, time to get up sunshine, everyone else is all ready to go."

"Wait, why? What time is it?"

"Six in the morning better getter ready fast; I'll tell the others you were just looking over some maps or something. Why ruin your reputation as a good leader so soon?"

Percy pushed himself off the chair and made his way to the closet. After changing into some comfortable clothes, he attempted to put on his armor, but as light as it was, was actually pretty difficult to put on. He was able to get the arm and leg guards on quite easily but he couldn't get the chest piece to fit. He had looked for clips to open it but couldn't find anything.

Beckendorf caught a glimpse of the struggle Percy was in. "Dude, are seriously having trouble with the easiest part of the armor? Just slide it over your head. I took measurements for a reason you know." Percy felt his face heat up in more embarrassment as he slid the cool bronze over his head and felt it slide onto his chest. "There. See, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Percy watched as his blacksmith friend disappeared down the hallway, imagining him complimenting his fine work on the armor. He packed all his belongings into a bag lent to him by Thalia. Clothes, his coin purse, and the few toiletries were all crammed into the poor small bag that looked like it was fit to burst. He checked his appearance quickly in the mirror but deciding he had wasted enough time, quickly made his way outside to see his team. He was surprised to find just how light the armor was, if he didn't know better he would have thought he was wearing nothing but his regular clothes.

They were all waiting patiently; no one was sharing a conversation, no one was laughing or smiling, they all looked solemn and serious. A few looked sadder or perhaps more frightened then the rest, but Percy could hardly blame them. Sure they had traveled through titan-controlled territory before, but simply trying to make it to Elpída safely was different then going on an actual military operation. They neither had the training nor experience that should come before going outside their sanctuary, being terrified was just a natural reaction. Still Percy was there leader, he had a responsibility to them, right now he had to be the figure that lifted his friend's spirits and gave them hope of seeing this mission through. So he took his place at the front of the group and turned to address them. All attention instantly directed at him, he could tell they all wanted reassurance that this mission would go well. At times like these, he really wished Beckendorf was leader, but Percy took a breath and addressed his comrades in arms.

"Friends today, this morning, we set out to do something great. We set out to save Nico, but with saving him, we will save much more and prove to the titans that no matter the torture we endure, we will continue to fight. That our honor, our burning courage, our love for one another, and the bonds between us, are invulnerable." He could feel strength find its way back into his friends' arms and pride in their chests. He didn't know why, but he began to pace back and forth in front of them, meeting each of their gazes and speaking the most sincere words he could muster. "That no matter the pain we go through, we shall continue to rise up and fight against the evil's the titans wish to impose upon us. The shackles of slavery are shattered by our blades, spirits rise when our cry is heard, and hope is established with each step we take. For we are warriors of justice, of vengeance, of strife and peace! We fight, and with each step forwards we carve out a brighter future out of this black present we so hate. So even though this mission is dangerous, we will accept this challenge, not only accept is, but conquer it and shall return home all the stronger. Now squad Tsunami, my friends, my brothers and sisters, lets move out!" Percy turned and began walking with no fear of his friends not following. He could practically feel the renewed intensity of their spirit.

Citizens would stop to offer there respects to the warriors as they made to the wall that separated peace and chaos. The military residents section of the city wasn't too far from the wall, in case the monster ever happened to break through, but they still made their way down many streets. The concrete beneath their feat would create the oddest sound from the armor they were wearing. Their steps weren't exactly coordinated either, so it sounded like a herd of animals traveling through the city rather then well trained soldiers making their way through their home. The brick housing they saw were covered in graffiti and art of various kinds. They passed some rather beautiful mosaic scenes, as well as some words so distorted their meanings were beyond comprehension.

The walls surrounding the city were high, so it wasn't as if they were visible to Percy and his group, but the gate was much harder to find. The gate itself was the weakest part of the huge concrete wall, so making small and insignificant was just the logical choice.

The other two squads were already at the gate by the time Percy's team had arrived, checking their gear and supplies to reassure that they had everything they would need. Percy was first surprised to see so many people in addition to Thalia's squad of eleven; Cyrus had brought an addition thirteen.

Thalia was wearing her platinum shoulder guard as well as dark, near onyx black armor, in Percy's mind it matched her hair perfectly. It wasn't heavy armor by any means but was more than Percy had; not a single part of her skin was showing, any gap in the metal plate was covered by leather for easy flexibility. He noticed two cyan crystals positioned in her leg guards, most likely the same kind that was positioned all around Percy's armor. He also noticed two odd yellow crystals in her shoulder pads as well, Percy wondered what other ability that could grant, if they could reverse the weight of armor think of all the other possibilities the odd crystals could grant their bearer. As soon as she noticed Percy's approach she dropped her conversation with Annabeth and began making her way over to Percy.

The rest of her squad had personalized armor as well; Annabeth was in startling light silver armor that reminded him of stereotypical Greek armor. It consisted of a chest plate some simplistic arm guards that went from her elbow to her wrist, and leg guards that went from her knee to her ankles. Leather again filled in all the gaps for extra protection and some defense against a blade. An owl was forged unto her chest plate and she carried a helmet under her arm. There seemed to be a slot carved for two small crystals in the owl's eyes but Percy thought perhaps it was just the detail of the owl playing tricks on his mind. A knife was around her waist on her back, its blade facing the right ready to be pulled if need be, and a scabbard complete with a sword hung on the left of her belt. Annabeth noticing the group approach as well turned around and marched away rather angrily.

Clarisse was a more notable warrior, ready and perhaps even eager, for battle. She had steel armor with no crystals to lighten the load, a helmet carved into the shape of a boar's head, which Percy found rather disgusting. Deep red, almost maroon crystals protruded like spikes from he knee and shoulder guards and Percy wondered if they had always had been red or simply Clarisse had used them in battle to impale anyone stupid enough to get in her way. Her armor was the definition of heavy, not a single piece of leather could be seen through the steel plating and it looked rather thick, several grooves could be seen in random spots. Percy had a feeling that is where she had been struck by a weapon but she seemed to wear the battle scars proudly. She simply nodded to Percy and continued sharpening a large two-handed blade.

Zoe Nightshade, at least Percy believed that was her name, he had never had an extended conversation with her, was crouched down petting a brilliant snow-white wolf. He had never seen anything like it; the beast seemed to glow in the sun, as if absorbing its light for its own personal need. Unlike the others she wore almost no armor. A bow was slung across he back and two hunting knives hung lazily around her waist but other then that Percy could only make out some tempered leather gloves and a light chest guard. Nothing protected her legs but her hair was braided around a tiara that sat around her head in a dignified manner. A light blue, almost clear, crystal sat suspended within the silver of the symbol of female royalty. The only other piece of clothing she wore was a dark cloak with silver boarders. A silver crescent signifying a moon with a wolf howling under it was tailored into the center of the fine piece of cloth. She took one look at Percy and grimaced before returning her attention to her wolf. Percy wondered if he had offended her in some way but pushed the thought out of his head.

Michael Yew was dressed very similarly to Zoe, excluding the tiara. His light armor consisted of two golden arm guards; the rest was leather that reached from his shoulders all the way down to his ankles. It was separated of course to provide easy maneuverability for the archer. Two more deep blue stones were positioned in Michael's golden arm guards. His cloak was the same midnight black as Zoe's but instead of a silver moon positioned in the center there was a golden sun, a classic circle in the center but the details on of the flames extending out was what Percy thought really made the sun realistic. The flames were difficult to describe, the outer design reminded Percy of two S's put together but they didn't touch the inside circle. An oval looking shape was positioned in between the connecting point of the S's and the inner ring. When Michael caught Percy's gaze, he rolled his eyes and started shooting arrows with flawless accuracy into a target a few meters away.

Travis Stoll and Conner Stoll came in matching sets of armor along with the twin sons of Dionysus. They had simple bronze plating, standard for military operatives, covering them from head to toe. They had light blue and white gemstones covering the usual spots for such thing; shoulders, knees, and chest. They were too deeply consumed within their own conversation to notice Percy approach. What they were discussing could have been good though, considering their reputation as pranksters and the cruel yet amused looks on their faces.

Castor and Pollux were currently talking to each other but each had a rather large bottle of what appeared to be cool-aid in front of them. They wore almost the exact same armor as the Stoll twins except for the crystals were different. Instead of having cyan and white gemstones they had red and deep magenta, stones. Percy figured both sets of twins most likely fought on the front lines with Thalia and Clarisse but he was curious about why they were equipped with different stones. He was also beginning to wonder how many different stones existed; he would try to remember to ask Beckendorf later.

Jake Mason wasn't wearing any armor at all, but rather was dressed in clothes you find in everyday life. He was looking over all different kinds of tools and it was also apparent that he was the least calm of the group. Every once in a while Percy would catch him taking a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. He would also constantly wipe the sweat off of his forehead, even though it was no more than forty degrees outside. Seeing nothing more, Percy turned his attention to the last person of the squad.

Chris Rodriguez wore matching steel plate to Clarisse but without any crystals embedded within the metal. He had yet to attach his forearm armor, leaving everything from his elbow to his wrist exposed. Greek characters were burned into both of his arms, Ελευθερία was seared into his left forearm and Σκλάβος was seared into his right. Percy could only imagine the pain he had to go through to receive such marks; the thought also brought questions as to what the words meant and why they were burned onto his arm. Percy noticed a look in his eye, not the look of hidden sorrow or longing many of the citizens carried, but more a look of blatant torment or shock; as if he had seen many things no human should ever see. He was sharing a conversation with Clarisse while he finished adjusting his armor.

"Glad you could make it seaweed brain. Why don't you have your men double check everything they brought; we aren't leaving just yet and there is no returning to the city for something as simple as leaving a toothbrush." Percy nodded giving a silent signal to his friends to do as Thalia had instructed. She jerked her head backwards beckoning him to follow and he complied, making their way over to a more or less private area. "Your squad doesn't look that bad. I know on my first mission I was terrified, you must have given one hell-of-a speech to them Percy."

He flashed the daughter of Zeus a smile. "I can come through when my friends need me."

"And nice armor by the way, very befitting of you and expertly crafted. I assume Beckendorf made it?"

"Yeah, he's amazing to watch. I know I, for one, could never pull off the miracles he is able to do in the forge."

She nodded in agreement. "Anyway Percy, we are waiting for the final signal before leaving, the Humvee's are on there way now. If you have any questions relating to strategy talk to Annabeth. I would also suggest getting to know Cyrus and his squad members before leaving. And this may sound odd, but if you have to use the restroom now is the time, you have no idea how infuriated I get when ten minutes after leaving we have to stop for someone who 'has to go.' Anyway good luck Percy, come find me when you're ready to get going. I'll go over the overall strategy one more time, and then give some last minute pointers. Hopefully by then we will be able to leave." Percy nodded and Thalia turned and left to return to her conversation with Annabeth.

Beckendorf was now chatting with Jake Mason about all the different kinds of materials in front of them, and what they could be used for. Most others were overlooking their gear, except for Grover, who was looking miserable while staring at a piece of armor. Percy caught a few brief words about 'how cruel it was to the animals to make so much leather armor.' Percy chuckled, classic Grover think of nature and wildlife over his own personal safety. Grover was wearing odd armor that seemed to be made straight out of tree bark; Percy was concerned about just how much protection that offered his friend but he doubted he could convince Grover to wear standard military armor, it having leather and all.

Cyrus' squad looked much more like Percy's squad, rather then the veterans in Thalia's. Many of the soldiers were equipped with basic armor, steel for vanguards, leather for archers, and a combination for those who had miscellaneous jobs. Four prominent figures stood out from the others, Cyrus being one of them.

Cyrus had what appeared to be steel armor but it was so bright it reminded Percy more of Platinum. If anything Cyrus' armor reminded Percy more a gladiatorial armor set, rather then a militarized one. Two huge shoulder guards that reached out were connected to layered steel that reached down to his wrist. A rather plain and small chest piece, that was simply connect by twin leather straps around his back in an x, protected his chest and stomach from attacks but should an attack come from the rear Percy saw no way Cyrus would be able to defend it. A helmet sat at his feat with the same brilliant steel color, although Percy wasn't sure if he could call it a helmet, it was simply a steel mouth guard with a visor forged on to protect the user's eyes. Percy noticed black glass in the gap where one would see out of when worn, so perhaps they had a secondary purpose of being odd sunglasses as well. Two hand held axes sat at his waist while a broad, two handed, axe hung across his back. He was smiling and talking to a petite girl with black hair and odd violet eyes. Percy could clearly see the color even from a distance; they seemed to be practically glowing.

She was wearing a cloak that nearly encircled her entire body, which wasn't saying much; she couldn't have been more then 5'6. The cloak was black but had two torches that seemed to be leading towards a tunnel depicted on the back. Most of her body was hidden but he though he could see two pieces of leather armor protecting her fore arm and ending in a glove. A staff made out of celestial bronze with an pure form of an yellow crystal, much larger then any of the ones in his comrades armor, sat atop of it reflecting the suns rays as she twirled it absent mindedly. She had a blank or perhaps bored expression and never once did it change no matter how many times Cyrus laughed.

The other two looked practically like personal bodyguards. There was one whose skin practically resembled snow and another who looked like he could've lived on the beach his entire life. Standing next to one another they looked like a representation of seasons.

The tan one had warm brown eyes, black hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail and relatively light armor. The armor was elaborate with a griffin in the middle of his chest plate and many spiral shapes sprouting out from the beast. He was wearing a calm smile but the presence around him gave Percy the impression that he could be scary when he wants to be. He had a sword around thirty inches in length on one side and a dagger perhaps fifteen inches on the other. He saw the young man staring at him and give a slight nod in respect. Percy retuned the nod as he continued making his way to Cyrus.

The man Percy related to winter did nothing more then toss a glance his direction. He had dark blonde, almost brown hair and a large scar across his eye. For a scary moment Percy thought it might've been Luke, their features were nearly identical, all the way down to the ever-present displeased frown. Although he wore almost the exact opposite armor then Cyrus, with most of the armor protection encircling his chest and rather no protection on his arms. Both he and Cyrus had a decent amount of armor on their legs though. The odd thing about this warrior was the fact a high-powered rifle rested across his back rather then a sword or close combat weapon. Percy could make out a handle under a thick shirt but he couldn't tell what kind of weapon it was. He would have to guess a dagger based on its ability to be concealed.

"Hey, um, Cyrus, I was wondering if I could meet your squad, so that I may know whom I will be fighting with on the battle field."

"Hello Percy, first let me thank you again for the honor of letting us join you on this quest. I'm sure my friends are eager to get underway, but let me just say some of my squad members have just been recruited. You honestly only need to know four people…"

"Hold on a second, you're bringing new recruits on a gold ranked mission? Isn't that a little irresponsible? Gold tier mission are quite deadly."

"And are you yourself not considered a new recruit? The way I have heard things you have just passed military training yourself. Not that I mean disrespect. The point I'm trying to make is that I trust my squad to complete this mission just as much as you trust yours."

"Fair enough." Percy still wasn't entirely okay with the idea of new recruits heading into such a hard mission their first time, yet he was asking the same exact thing of his best friends. The thought made guilt cloud his mind. "So who should I meet?"

"My brothers and sister right around me. This lovely girl right here is Evangeline Veneficus, strange name I know, but she's one of the most influential and valued members of our team. She doesn't say much though so please excuse her inability to greet you. To my right you shall find sir Duncan Fenris; He's been with me since as long as I can remember and never once has lost his tan, which I find quite disturbing. He's our clever rogue upon the battlefield but that doesn't mean he's anything but exceptional in straight up combat. Last, but not, least we have out squad sniper, equipped with celestial bronze and standard bullets that can help us overcome almost any situation. His name is Eric Eden, and he prefers shadows to open plains any day. Unfortunately the gods have yet to claim Duncan or Eric as their children but we know they come from some godly lineage. To our best knowledge Duncan's father is most likely Zelos the minor god of zeal and brother to Nike. Unfortunately we have no clue whose Eric's father or mother is so we just have to guess at his lineage. We like to joke that his mother was Tyche because of his accuracy and his somehow perfect cards when we sometimes play poker, but that could be just cheating and skill. As for Eve, which is what we all call her, Hecate claimed her a while back, trying to convince her to join the titan army and whatnot. Fortunately for us, she stayed loyal to our, 'benevolent' gods and she joined my team. Her specialty is predicting fate, which is where our name comes from. Ethereal's… the ever-knowing spirits."

Percy found it quite obvious how infatuated Cyrus was with Eve. He would constantly look over to her while talking and a slight blush would make its way onto his face when discussing topics about her. Percy figured Cyrus had suggested the squad name in explicit honor of her.

Percy mentally sighed and offered a bow to each of the introduced members. Perhaps along the way he would get to know more about each one of them, on the other hand that might have negative repercussions. Thalia had said that only her squad returned on her last gold quest, getting to know the people who he was working with might only make it harder on him if they happened to burn in the fire of war.

"It's good to meet all of you and let me extend my personal thanks to each of you for joining us on such a dangerous mission. I'm sure you are all capable warriors and look forward to seeing just how adept at combat each of you are."

Cyrus gave a slight bow in return and returned his attention to flirting with the daughter of Hecate. As Percy left he shook his head and wondered how Cyrus could be so calm. Percy made his way back over to his squad to check with each of them and make sure they were doing okay. Of course most of them were nervous, but thanks to his little speech they were still were willing to go.

He stopped by Beckendorf because Percy knew that if anyone could raise his personal moral, which was sagging, it was his best friend. Beckendorf picked right up on the message even before Percy had said a word.

"Percy, the mission is going to go fine. There is nothing to worry about; we are all capable of looking out for each other and ourselves. Absolutely nothing will go wrong."

"I think you and I both know that's not true. Something bad is bound to happen eventually, we can only hope its not as bad as someone dying." Beckendorf opened his mouth to retort, but ended up nodding in agreement. "Murphy's Law right? 'Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.'"

"I prefer the less desolate version of the law, 'anything that can happen will happen.'"

Percy laughed, perhaps he was thinking too negative. "Fair enough. Anyway, when walking around I noticed all different kinds of those crystals, like the one that takes the weight off my armor. Do you know what they all do, how many are there in existence."

"Crystals? You mean runes? Percy there are numerous runes in existence, I'm not even sure I can count that high. As for if I can tell you what they all mean. Maybe eventually but I'm still learning about enchanting armor myself. I could most likely tell you the basic ones such as strength runes have a naturally deep red color to them, but other then that, you'll have to give me time to read through the book I bought."

"What book?"

"A little present I bought for myself with your money. The book about enchanting caught my eyes when I was searching for maps on North America. I had already figured I would make you some extravagant armor so I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Of course I don't. I'm just surprised you didn't even tell me you bought it. I figured you learned enchanting from the demigod camp you came from."

Beckendorf got a sad distant look in his eyes. "Camp Half-Blood, yeah that was a hell-of-a place. Can't think of anywhere else I might call my home besides there. But no, I didn't learn enchanting there. It's a relatively new technique. Most likely the gods are scrambling to some type of weapon that will give them the edge in the war. I'm sure the titans are doing the same thing."

"War is a brutal thing."

"That it is Percy, that it is."

Percy gave Beckendorf a hive-five and left to check his own belongings before seeing if he could talk to Annabeth before leaving. 'Spare clothes, check, toiletries, check, maps of North America, check, map of plotted route, check, Riptide, check, money pouch, check. Everything looked to be in order, it seems the time had come to try and talk to Annabeth. He knew it would be hard with how their conversation ended last time, but he had to try. No since walking into battle with an ally who wants you dead.

He found her over looking maps of all different kinds on a wooden bench. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat to gain her attention. As soon as Annabeth realized who wanted to speak with her she tried to turn and storm away. Percy caught her arm and wouldn't let her escape that easily.

"Annabeth, just let me apologize. That all I would like to do."

Annabeth shrugged his arm away from her and turned with anger clearly written all over her face. "Let go, Percy. There is nothing you can say that can appease or change my views about you."

"Fine, just know that what I said that day wasn't true and all I want you to know is that I'm sorry for saying it. You're probably a great person and most likely a great strategist as well. Although you may sound a little conceited sometimes, I doubt you even realize it."

"Probably? Most likely? Is this even an apology? To me all it sounds like is another insult."

"Now that I think about it… yes I should've phrased that better… listen I'm sorry, okay? Just know that before I make an even bigger foul of myself." He gave a slight bow, expecting nothing more then for her to storm away or perhaps hit him, instead he heard an odd sound as if her breath had gotten stuck in her mouth while exhaling. When her looked up he found her trying her best to withhold a laugh. Eventually she couldn't take it any more and started laughing clutching the armor surrounding her stomach.

"You're a little dense Percy, and very dense. Very well because of your quote, unquote 'apology,' I shall forgive you for now, and perhaps I had been a little rude that day, so I hope you will accept mine as well. But as a fair warning, I will still be keeping an eye on you. The honest truth is that something about you rubs me the wrong way, I'm sorry but I've learned to trust my gut feelings."

"Very well, I have as well, so no worries." He extended his arm, "truce?"

She hesitated but shook his hand. "Truce." After letting go she returned her attention to the maps on the table.

Percy, content with what just transpired, decided to head over to where Thalia was standing to inform her he, and his squad, were all ready to leave. When he told her, she nodded but irritation was clearly evident in her posture. He swore he saw a couple of sparks jump off her hands, but thought it better not to mention it.

Slightly hesitant to ask, he gently nudged her. "What's wrong?"

"The Humvee's should've arrived by now. Those lazy son's of Hephaestus, what in the gods' names is taking them so long."

"Don't worry Thal's; I'm sure they will arrive any minute now."

"That's the problem we should be leaving right now." She blew out a huff of irritation and started tapping her foot. Percy started mentally placing bets on what the next thing she would do would be, he narrowed it down between two options. Either pace back and forth or stab her spear into the ground and demand to go teach the son's of Hephaestus a lesson. Percy noticed her hand twitching towards her spear and decided to try and take her mind off the topic.

"You said son's of Hephaestus, are they the only ones to control such jobs as delivering vehicles to the gate?"

It took a second but she seemed to process Percy's question. "It's not only them. A couple sons of Hephaestus do run it though. They and a large group of industrial workers manage inventory for the army; it's a difficult and tiring job, on that I would rather not have. For a quest such as this one, only experienced workers would handle our equipment, it would be less then beneficial if as soon as we left the gates that our Humvee broke down, so they do a mandatory check of everything before clearing it for actual combat. Gods, why am I always answering your endless questions?" Apparently the question did little to bend the raging fire of Thalia's irritation.

They waited a couple more minutes; Thalia indeed started pacing back and forth, before three large military vehicles rolled up to the gate and the drivers exited. They all bowed and left formally to return to where ever they had came from. He swore he heard Thalia mutter a few curses under her breath about them but she whistled and her squad, as well as the other two started making their way over.

"Dang, it's bigger then I thought it would be. That being said, it doesn't look large enough to carry nine teenagers and their luggage. How exactly are we all going to fit?"

"Not to worry Percy, the insides are magically enchanted. Just like are our rooms at the hotel. No matter how big or small they seem on the outside they are plenty roomy on the inside. The idea came from Artemis. She had cubes that turn into tents with enough space inside to fit at least three people even though they look like they could barely hold one."

"My room is enchanted? Can I get those tent cube things as well?"

Thalia laughed at his first question. "Of course, I told you about the rooms the day I showed you my room if you recall. As for the tents, they are a dime a dozen now because they are so useful there's some on the table where Annabeth was if you want to pick a couple up for yourself and your friends, but stay because I'm going to address the group."

"Right, thank you. I'll do that before we leave." Thalia nodded and turned her attention to the group approaching. They all circled around Thalia ready to listen to what she had to say.

"Warriors! Gather around and listen well, for I have no intention of repeating myself. Welcome to this mission, our job, if you are not aware, is to collect and return the son of Hades, Nico DiAngelo, safely within the walls of Elpída. Its rank, gold. Its reward, two hundred drachmas per warrior, given by Hades himself!" That information peaked many of the warrior's interest. Many whispers began to spread about the amount and what each would do with such money. "Quiet! Yes the reward is high, but so is the risk. I urge all of you to push thoughts of the reward out of your head until after we return. Safety, battle tactics, and training should be the thoughts in your head at all times when you leave the safety of the wall. With Percy's permission, since it is rightfully his quest, I will be leading this expedition to rescue Nico."

All eyes turned towards the son of Poseidon, and he was not at all ready for such a request. Although when he thought about it, it seemed to be the only logical to go with. Thalia had more experience then either of the other leaders and also a higher success rate. In the end Percy nodded. Thalia giving her control over the mission and its details.

"Excellent, do not fret, we shall make it through this one way or another as long as you listen and follow what I say. Annabeth will be collecting dossiers on every soldier to begin formulating battle strategies, which will happen after I conclude this discussion. Rations are equally distributed in each of the Humvees trunks, and in plentiful amounts so let's not be wasteful of food and water but not argue over it either. My squad will be in the Humvee on the left with Annabeth and myself with intercoms, we shall at all times be in the front of all the others. Percy and his choice of a second in command will control the intercoms in their Humvee and be behind us on the left flank, he and his squad shall load into the middle Humvee; please put all luggage into the trunk. That leaves Cyrus and who ever he choses on our right flank and in the right Humvee. Is that understood?" Nods and 'yes mam's' responded. "Good. We will be leaving in exactly ten minutes and no later. Dismissed."

Squad members started loading their belongings into their respectful vehicles and Beckendorf handed Percy a complete dossier folder of their squad so he could hand it in to Annabeth. Percy wondered how Beckendorf had known to put it together, but didn't question his friend's initiative. After giving the folder to Annabeth, Percy picked up nine of the small cube tents that Thalia had told him about and made his way back towards his Humvee. When he got a view of the inside he was astounded to find the amount of space inside. Three rows of five seats occupied the center with two seats in the front for a driver and the co-commander, the trunk held months worth of food and water, Percy had never seen so much rations in his life. He passed out the cubes to each of his friends explaining their meaning, each accepting it gratefully. Percy took Thalia's advise about using the restroom before leaving and advised his friends to do the same. Then he took his position in the seat to the right of the driver. A headset was placed in the seat and after sitting down he placed it on to of his head. A remote control was positioned in front of him with words next to lights. The first one read, 'to all,' the second read, 'Vehicle 1,' all the way through 'Vehicle 20,' although Percy couldn't imagine twenty of these Humvees all traveling together. He tried out the 'Vehicle 1' switch.

"Um, Thalia?"

A pause before a voice with a small amount of static replied, "yes?"

"I just wanted to see if the intercom worked, but now I actually have a question. Is there a chance the enchantment to expand the size of the Humvee will ware off? I feel that wouldn't be… healthy for any of us."

He heard a laugh respond before Thalia replied again. "It's never happened before but knowing our luck it will this time. I wonder what would happen. Perhaps I will find out on this mission."

"Oh yeah that's such a comforting thought." The driver door opened and Beckendorf hopped into his seat. He adjusted his headset before giving Percy a thumbs-up. "

"Is this sick or what?" Beckendorf couldn't contain his smile or his excitement over having a chance to drive this Humvee.

"Beckendorf, can you even drive?"

"Of course! I'm sure it's just like the tractor back at the slave camp."

"What… tell me you're kidding."

The gates slowly broke open letting in the light of the rising sun and Thalia called out over the headset, "all right, everyone better be ready because we are moving out right now." Their Humvee raced forward out the gate and into the open wilderness that lies beyond.

"Beckendorf, think about this; perhaps we should get someone else…" but before Percy could even finish Beckendorf slammed on the gas and they raced after Thalia. Percy's first mission had officially begun and there was no turning back now.

Well is you're willing I would love to know your thoughts about chapter seven. I hope all of have a good April; next thing you know summer will be here. Have a good (Day/Night) everyone.