A/N: I'm not going to even try to explain myself, but here is the long overdue chapter that was sitting on my folder for more than a year. I have fifth chapter half-written, and I will continue the story pretty soon. :)

Four

- Scales And Teeth -

Peter,

Always stick together and never, ever split. There is strength in numbers, and if there's a need to ever split, DON'T. Find another alternative. Just avoid ever separating.

When in danger, get behind Leon and Claire. They know what to do, and they will protect you no matter what.

If you need any help, you can call me through your phone, and you know my number. And if you can, I really like it if you would text me updates on your quest. Don't worry about calling getting me in danger. I'm prepared for anything.

Last thing. Don't trust anyone.

good luck,

Annabeth

The pavilion was mostly camper-less at dawn, but Peter and Rachel were up. The sun was not visible yet, but the sky was blue, the wind was chilly. For breakfast, Peter had chicken soup and hot chocolate. Rachel had a bowl of fruit cereals. Besides Peter was his brown school bag, with the necessities he brought with him since he left home. The clothes he wore the past few days were laundered and folded inside. He kept his phone on his pocket, in silent mode.

After breakfast, they double-checked the things he was going to bring with him. "Annabeth won't see you off," Rachel said. "There was an urgent calling from one of her contacts, so she had to go. I'm filling in for her. She said she's sorry."

When they left the pavilion, they met Leon on the way. He wore a thick brown jacket and a black messenger bag. A sheathed sword was strapped on his belt. "Are we going?"

"In a bit," Rachel said. "Argus's just finding the keys to the van. So get some breakfast. Annabeth told me that you guys are not leaving until you've all eaten."

"Alright," Leon said. He looked at Peter. "So...who's coming with us?"

Peter shrugged, but Rachel looked over Leon's shoulder. "There's your third party member."

Leon turned to see Claire approaching them, wearing a dark blue winter coat. Her short red hair was tied into a pony tail, a spear and a bow on her back.

Leon groaned and glared at Peter. "You want her to come with us?"

"N-no," Peter said. Why did Leon hated her so much?

Rachel crossed her arms. "Annabeth chose Claire because she thinks Claire is right person to come with you two for this quest. It's for the best, Leon; Claire is experienced. She went through several quests. Annabeth knows what she's doing, and I trust my friend's judgment."

Claire stopped in front of Leon, who glared at her and looked away. Claire moved around him and smiled at Peter. "Good morning."

Peter nodded. "I didn't thank you for fixing my face yesterday."

"It's nothing, Peter. I hope you're fine. The quest would probably give you more bludgeoning to the face."

He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a bit. "Yeah, probably."

Rachel stirred Peter away, leaving Leon and Claire to the pavilion for breakfast. They went to the canoe lake, and Rachel made Peter face her. "Have you called your parents?"

He looked at Rachel with a heavy face. "No, not yet." He took out his phone. "I'll call my mom now."

Rachel held his hand. "How about we reach them out with something else?" As if with magic, she waved her hand, did a few finger tricks, and a large bronze coin appeared between her forefinger and middle finger.

The morning mist had set above the lake. Rachel tossed the coin to the water. "Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. And please god I hope the naiads won't be mad at me."

The mist shuffled. Rachel looked at Peter. "Who do you want to call?"

"Mom," he said almost without a thought. "MHC."

"Okay," she said and turned back to the mist. "Show us Mrs. Sally Jackson Blofis, Metropolitan Hospital Center."

The mist shuffled again, and Peter felt the cold breeze past him. He was seeing magic in front of his eyes. A hazy image appeared in front of him, showing them cream walls, with pictures of flowers and lakes on frames. A bed with gray sheets was the focus of the projection. Mom was sitting on the bed, staring at the windows off-screen. She was hooked into an IV, and her long brown hair rested on her shoulders. She looked pale, and her cheeks were a bit hollow.

"Mom?" Peter said softly. When his mother didn't react, he called her a little loudly. "Mom!"

She jumped and looked at him. Mom placed a hand to her heart. "Peter? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Hi, Mom." He was ashamed for keeping his parents in the dark. The wanderlust got into his mind, and he set aside the consequences of his actions. Did Percy feel the same way, too, when he had to leave home all of a sudden because he had to answer a call for adventure? "How are you?"

"You worried us, Peter. Me and your father. You never said where you were going and what you were up to."

"I'm sorry for worrying you all," he said, looking down. "I'll come home soon."

"Annabeth told me everything, so there's no need to explain." The way Mom spoke was almost fragile like glass. He expected her to scold him, and she was scary when she was angry, but it broke Peter's heart that she didn't have the strength to do so. "You're becoming like Percy." Mom moved closer to the screen. "Why are you wearing that red jacket? It doesn't suit you."

"But I love this jacket," Peter defended.

"I know you do, but it just doesn't suit what you're wearing right now. Really, you used to have quite a fashion taste. What about that polka dot shirt you bought last month? I haven't seen you wear that."

"It's a 7 Diamonds shirt, Mom." He was blushing, and Rachel couldn't hide her fascination. "I don't want to wear it on a quest that might shred it. I'm planning on wearing it on Christmas or New Year, actually."

Mom laughed, and it warmed Peter's heart. "Alright, Peter. But I have to go now, the nurse is going to come soon. Be careful out there. Don't blow up too many buildings."

He smiled. "Get well soon, Mom. Tell Dad I'm sorry I skipped school. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." Mom swiped her arm across the screen, and the image dissolved. Peter felt alone again.

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder. "7 Diamonds shirt, huh. "

Rachel almost forgot a few things in the Big House, and they both ran to the building. Argus the hundred-eye monster was coming down the porch, in a chauffeur outfit, jingling his keys and whistling a tune. He grunted at Rachel's direction.

"Yeah, it's time to go," Rachel said. Argus grunted again and nodded. Rachel went inside the Big House, and Peter waited at the porch. Peter watched Argus approach Leon and Claire, who was making their way to the Big House, and he spoke to the two. Somehow, they both understood and all three of them started to walk towards Half-Blood Hill.

Rachel came out of the house, holding a item wrapped in cloth and a note. She handed all these to Peter. "Annabeth said to bring this with you."

Peter first read the note. It was a list of Do's and Dont's and other quest tips for him. He put it in his pocket, then he started unfolding the clothed item. In his hands he held a sheathed bronze knife. It was cold against his skin.

"This was Annabeth's knife," Rachel said. "She wants you to have it for a while. Celestial Bronze can't hurt mortals. I learned that the hard way. The blade will only harm monsters and demigods."

"But..." Peter stared at the weapon. He didn't have demigod training like Leon and Claire. He didn't have ADHD that would help him out as battle reflexes. If he unsheathe the blade, he might hurt his companions. "I don't know how to fight."

"You don't have to draw the dagger all the time. Think of it as something that'll make you lucky. It's heavy, but it might help you."

"But that means that Annabeth doesn't have a weapon." Peter imagined Annabeth getting surrounded by large, bulky monsters, holding nothing but her bag. He remembered her going to the forest without her dagger.

"She's a big girl. She'll be fine." Rachel waved a hand dismissively. "And she doesn't go out without a weapon, you know. Now, for my lucky charm." She did magic trick with her hand again, and another large coin appeared. She tossed it up to the air. Peter caught it with his free hand.

"Your very first drachma. It's not much, but you earned it. Now, any other questions? No? Okay, let's boogie." Rachel hooked her arm around Peter's and made their way to Half-Blood Hill. Peter looked at Rachel, and he could see the red mark at the side of her neck. It didn't look like a tattoo; it seemed as if she was branded. It was red letter A.

At the top of the hill, where they looked down at the black van which would take Peter and his group to their destination, fear and anxiety chased away his wanderlust. He didn't feel excited anymore. If anything bad would happen, he would be held responsible since he was the one leading this quest. And learning that he would go without knowing what was ahead of them—with no prophecy to guide or warn them—, it was making him more anxious.

"Can I ask you an unrelated question?" Peter said as they both made their way to the van downhill. "There are some demigods that are called children of the Big Three, right? Annabeth mentioned that the children of Hades made the mall passages. Are there any other Big Three children who are still alive?"

"There are two children of the Underworld, yes. They are survivors of the last war so they're in hiding. And then there are the Grace siblings, children of Zeus. The older one is currently a Hunter of Artemis, and the younger one is also in hiding."

"Any children of Poseidon?"

"Many. Monsters and animals, all the like. But Percy was the only demigod that we know. So far."

Peter got into the van, and sat at the shotgun seat. He looked behind, and saw Claire and Leon, their bags in-between them.

"Wait a minute," Peter said, looking up to Rachel. The window of the car was rolled down when he got in, so he spoke to her without a barrier. "About the person who's going to help us," he continued. "Can you at least give us something to identify him when we get there?"

"Hmmm." Rachel tapped her chin with her finger. "He's our friend and he's familiar with death. But that's all I could say. I'm sure you'll know him when you see him. Now, have a safe trip, kids! Say hello to Mr. Flamingo for me!"

Leon poked his head to the front of the car. "His name is Mr. Flamingo?" he asked incredulously.

Argus started the engine and drove slowly out of her sight. Peter took one last glance of her and Half-Blood Hill. He sensed that this trip was going to be a long one.

Peter noticed Rachel putting her hand on her neck, where the red mark was, like she was hiding a scar that troubled her for a lifetime.

Argus dropped them in front of a mall entrance. It was Gatebridge Center, a fairly new shopping place. Peter and his friends used to hang out here. The building was just opening, and it wasn't crowded but they were small groups going in and out, children crying, and businesspeople talking to their cell phones. The usual mall business. There was a huge sign besides the sliding glass doors. "SUPER SALE!" it exclaimed. "UP TO 70% OFF!"

Leon stretched, breathed a sigh. "It's been so long since I went out of Camp Half-Blood."

Claire held the silver cross around her neck, rubbed the metal with her fingers. "The entrance to the passages is located at Customer Service, at the back of the mall. We better hurry if we don't want to be noticed by monsters. Especially now, when there's not a lot of people."

"Not enough to cover our smells?" Leon said. Claire nodded.

They ducked into the larger groups in the mall, walking behind friends and families. Shops put on huge sales signs as big as the one from outside. There was a clearance sale in one gaming store, and Leon stopped once to glance at the window displays. Claire pulled him away and they continued.

Something was making Peter's skin crawl. Maybe it was just the air-condition, maybe not, but something, something was in the air that was making him slow down in fear. He was mortal but why was he sensing this?

Claire held up a hand, and they all stopped. Claire gestured to their left. "Our first monster."

Leon and Peter turned to the left. The monster was standing only a few yards from them. Peter felt his heart thumping in his throat. Head of a bull, a body of a man…a familiar description he remembered from the stories. The monster was wearing a security guard uniform that was stretching out due to its large body. It had a baton and a gun holstered to his belt, turning its head to every direction.

"What's the Minotaur doing here?" Leon said, reaching out for his sword, but Claire grabbed his arm. "Why are you stopping me?"

"It's best not to take out anything yet. It's too big for us. We'll sneak around him while he still hasn't seen us. This way." Claire led them inside a bookstore. They moved behind the Young Adult section, with Leon standing up on his toes to see over the bookshelves, checking if they were followed.

Peter's initial shock seeped away as they go farther away from the Minotaur. Early memories of his childhood came to him. It wasn't the first time he had seen monsters. They didn't bother him, either because Percy was always around him, or they really had nothing to do with Peter. Maybe except for one monster.

They got out of the store through another exit. The crowd got a bit thicker as lunch time approached. Peter clung to Leon's bag as they zigzagged through confused and aggravated customers. Claire drew out her spear and Leon his sword, and Peter only tightened his grip because his companions were sensing something bad that was coming their way.

When they hid in another crowd, that something grabbed Peter by the arm and pulled him away from Leon. He was swept by his feet and dragged away from his friends, and he struggled, shouting and kicking, calling out to Leon and Claire. Peter grabbed the arm and found that they were really slick and slimy, and he looked up to see a green lady wearing a staff uniform, and instead of feet she had two snake tails.

Not even one of the people in the building bathed an eyelash as the monster dragged him into a small dark store. Leon and Claire was shouting for him, and Claire drew her bow in place of her spear. But as she armed the bow with a silver arrow, the monster held out its scaly claws and placed them against Peter's neck. "Shoot, girl, or I will kill the sssson of Poseidon!"

Claire lowered her bow and Leon looked confused, raising his own sword. "What?"

"We have been looking for Percy Jackson for yearsssss," the monster snarled. "Now, after seven years, he finally comes out of hiding! At last, at last! His death will please my master!"

Leon and Claire moved closer, but the monster sunk its claws to Peter's left shoulder. His vision blurred. His skin burned and he let out a scream.

The monster lets go of Peter, and he was left to lie down on the ground. A wail followed, the sound of something sharp cutting through flesh, and a disgusting thud shortly after.

"Well, that should shut her up." He heard Leon's voice, and a sound of spitting. Peter's vision slowly came together and he saw Leon and Claire in front of him, weapons raised. The snake lady's head was on the floor, and Leon kicked it away and helped Peter up. Claire came to his side. "Can I see the wound?"

Peter removed his jacket and Claire examined the wound. His shirt was ripped by the claws, and his wound was sporting some green spots. "Not good, Peter. She poisoned you. Are you alright?"

He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't feel alright after hearing that he was poisoned. "Can I be healed?"

"Don't worry, I can heal the wound with magic. We just need to find someplace safe."

The exited the store. The people inside still seemed oblivious to what was happening. Kids rode on their parents backs, couples held hands, smiling at each other. They entered the main mall, where most of the crowd were, and they ran to the other end of it, where the department store was. Peter cursed inwardly, blaming the architects why they would put the customer service so far from the initial mall entrance. Not so much of a service, he thought.

A roar pierced the air. The ground shook lightly. They stopped to get back on their foot. An earthquake? No, it was something else. Something was coming out of the corner and into the main building. A large reptile the length of two buses. The monster stared at Peter. For a moment he felt a familiar and dreadful feeling that rose up his body.

"A dragon with no wings," Claire said, gritting her teeth.

"We can't fight something that large," Leon said, backing away with Claire, pulling Peter behind them. "And not with all these people around."

The dragon crouched and glared at Peter. It exhaled smoke from its nostrils. Claire loaded her silver arrow again. "On my mark, we run." She aimed at the dragon's head, and he was about to roar again when she fired and the arrow jabbed the dragon's forehead. Shots of electricity arched all over its body. It screeched and stumbled down twitching.

"Let's go!" They ran around the dragon and went to the department store. They didn't bother stopping to breathe, even though they were exhausted from all the running, but Peter heard the dragon roar again when they saw the customer service area. Two women seemed to be typing in their computers. Peter and his friends stopped and Claire slammed a golden coin on the counter—a coin similar to what he had—and she said breathlessly, "We need a passage to Wichita, Kansas."

One of the women took the coin and typed on the computer. A long receipt was printing quietly. Leon and Peter looked behind and they saw the dragon charging at them, with the angry Minotaur on the tow. "Please hurry," Leon said. The other woman seemed to have noticed the stampede too, and casually picked up the phone at the side and mentioned the dragon and Minotaur coming down. They thrashed around, roared and the nearer they came, the ground shook harder.

The woman serving them gave them three tickets and the receipt. "Your door number is 363," she said, opening the counter door while the other woman unlocked the back area.. "Please refrain from opening and entering doors without numbers. The halls are well-lit, but we recommend taking a flashlight with you, which is provided for your convenience once you enter the passages. Have a safe trip!"

Claire took everything the woman gave them and they all rushed past. The woman on the phone gestured the group inside the open door and they ran inside. The door closed behind them with a click. Then absolute silence. No sound of stampeding, roaring monsters.

Leon leaned on the wall and slid down to the floor, panting. "I need a nap. My legs hurt like heck." Peter sat down besides him, clutching his wounded shoulder. "Are they gonna be fine? The ladies in the counter?"

"They'll be fine." Claire slumped at another corner and put the bow down on her lap. "Malls usually don't have large monsters. Drachaenae are common, but to have the Minotaur and a dragon... Something is going on."

Peter didn't want to know what was going on. The monsters they had encountered so far, they were looking at him as if he was their arch enemy. The dragon wanted to eat him in one go, he could tell. Could monsters distinguish the difference between mortal and demigod? That snake lady a while ago thought he was Percy. That wasn't right. Peter didn't look anything like Percy.

So what had made them think he was a demigod?