It was a normal day for Camp Half-Blood. Peleus the dragon was snoozing on the hill under the shade of the pine tree. Dryads were giggling and running away from love struck satyrs serenading them. Naiads were weaving baskets under the clear water of the Camps Lake.

There was the usual flurry of activity from the campers. Some of Hermes kids were sneaking into the big house. A couple of Apollo's boys were shooting hoops in the basketball court. The Ares Cabin was being refitted with barbed wire.

Leo Valdez swiped at his forehead. He was completely soaked in sweat, grime and oil, which was understandable since he was hanging upside down holding a wrench.

"Alright come on you damn wretched piece of" he muttered determinedly. Gritting his teeth he pulled hard. This time the blasted bolt obligingly came free.

"Ha!" He gave a triumphant yell and pulled at the damaged plank that was the reason he was upside down in the first place away.

"Finally!" he tilted his head up and bellowed "A little help here?"

"Hang on!" Nyssa shouted back. There was a tug around his waist before he was swiftly lifted out.

"Holy Hephaestus" Leo groaned, stretching and feeling his back pop. He rolled his shoulders a few times trying to ease the strain before unhooking his tool belt from the rope.

"Nice work" Nyssa said supportively, scrutinising the ship. "You got the last one."

Leo grunted. The construction of the Argo II was a mammoth job and they were making decent progress, though setbacks were inevitable. They had made quick work on the hull when a pulley holding celestial bronze snapped, plunging onto the side of the ship and damaging a few boards. It meant that they had to pull them out and redo a side before adding strengthening measures.

The hull of the Argo was one of the major jobs. The Hephaestus Cabin was in overdrive constructing and welding the ship, armour and weapons for the Argo. It was easily the best group for this task, but there were only so many Hephaestus campers and time was an issue. Athena's Cabin helped as much as they could and other Cabins such as Hermes, Apollo and Ares were roped into grunt work. Leo had heard that Annabeth had contacted a Cyclopes called Tyson, who she said was her boyfriend's half-brother who would be arriving to help in a few days. Leo wasn't too sure on that idea but his half siblings seemed delighted and he had been assured he was very different to what he had encountered during his quest almost a month ago.

He stifled a yawn as he surveyed the scurrying campers, all busy with welding guns, hammers and rope. The occasional satyr and dryad offered to help, while steering clear of the sneering harpies who deposited extra supplies before drifting off.

Leo was about to go back to work, before Nyssa cleared her throat, folding her arms. With a dirty bandana and grimy clothes, she looked like a scolding mother who'd been drenched in oil by her wayward offspring.

"You've been at this for hours Valdez. I don't care if you're the senior counsellor, you need a break. That's why we have shifts, remember?"

"Jeez Nyssa" he started only to backpedal when her eyes narrowed and she stepped forward a finger pointing in warning.

"I don't want to hear it. And I do not want to see you here until at least tomorrow morning." She didn't allow him to protest and continued. "Besides, you've got classes your behind in, remember? Archery. Sword fighting. Rock climbing?"

"I'm better with a hammer anyway" he muttered mutinously.

Nyssa softened. "You've been working overtime on this for days. Go have lunch and day the rest of the day off. You need a break. And I'm not taking no for an answer."

Leo snorted, holding his hands up in surrender. In truth he was exhausted, but determined. He was reluctant to do what she was suggesting, but he was starving and he hadn't spent much time with his friends this week.

"Leo…"

"OK, Ok, I surrender" Leo held up his hands out jokingly. "Taking it easy? No problem. I can do that."

"Good" she grinned at him. "Now off. Shoo!"

Leo laughed and walked off. He grimaced at the state of his clothes and hair. A shower was definitely in order.

Thirty minutes later, he bounced out of the Hephaestus cabin, squeaky clean and wearing cleaner clothes. He sighed ruefully; his makeover from Aphrodite was long over.

His stomach was now snarling, reminding him of Festus for a moment. He pushed that aside and debated whether or not to find his friends first or get a bite to eat.

He glanced around himself. Some Demeter girls were tripping up Apollo boys playing basketball. Some of Piper's siblings were giggling around the lake, checking their reflections, but she wasn't with them. Katie Gardner was chasing Travis Stoll, looking murderous.

Side stepping hastily he heard loud clangs of colliding metal coming from the sword fighting arena. He glanced into the arena.

There was Jason, in an orange shirt and shorts, doing battle with one of the Ares kids. He had a new sword from Juno and was giving it a workout.

The Ares kid was good from what Leo's limited encounter with sword battle, but like all Ares kids, all offense, and little defence. Jason's style was very different, different to all of the campers here. He would battle the campers for a bit, getting a feel for the style of his opponent before shifting his movements to counter theirs.

Leo couldn't help but shake his head at his friend's movements. Looking at him now and what he thought he knew about Jason thanks to the Mist, it was amazing the difference.

There was a deafening clang as the Ares kids sword went flying and Jason's sword kissed his throat.

Jason stepped back, lowering his sword. "Good duel."

The Ares camper grunted before marching over to get his sword. "Not bad either, punk. You're as good as Jackson at least."

"Percy Jackson?" Jason cocked his head curiously.

"Hmm" the guy whose name Leo still didn't know grunted an affirmative. "Guy's the best swordsman here." The guys face twisted as though those words were tough to say. Expression sour, he sheathed his sword. "Tell anyone I said that and I'll gut you."

"No problem" Jason assured him. "Thanks again."

The guy nodded curtly before leaving the arena, scowling at Leo as he passed.

Jason brightened at the sight of him. "Hey Leo."

"Hey dude. You done busting heads? I'm starving."

Jason grinned. "Definitely."

Side by side, they started walking to the pavilion.

"How's the ship going?" Jason asked.

Leo snorted. "It's slow. I got kicked out by Nyssa who was threatening bodily harm if I didn't take a break."

Jason laughed. "Scared of a girl Valdez?" he teased.

"A girl who carries wrenches and welding tools? You bet. Besides you're not one to talk. You're terrified of Piper."

Jason bristled. "I am not."

"Annabeth."

"She's scary."

"Touché."

"Alright, whatever. But I think the real reason she kicked you out was because you didn't shower for a couple of days. You stank."

Leo playfully shoved his friend.

Jason abruptly froze, a hand shooting out to stop Leo in his tracks. Startled, Leo followed his gaze…and went very, very still.

A huge wall of dark fur was partially blocking the path. Wide eyes travelled over the darkness, seeing very large paws and a long tail. The beast's head was in the trees lining the path.

"That's" Leo whispered.

"Don't move" Jason breathed, his hand going to his sword. Leo didn't disagree.

Jason moved forward silently, raising his sword. The beast didn't appear to have noticed them. Jason lunged.

CLANG!

Out of nowhere a sword appeared to block Jason's swing. Instinctively Jason parried and a figure jumped out of the way.

"Hey!" an annoyed voice shouted. A peeved boy pushed back against Jason's sword. "Easy!"

"Woof!" the head of the beast pulled out of the trees to investigate the commotion. Leo could only stand and stare at what looked like an enormous black dog, with bright eyes, a huge pink tongue hanging out of its mouth and a large sparkly collar around its neck.

"That's a hellhound!" Jason shouted.

"It's fine" the younger boy insisted, shoving hard to force Jason step back. "It's just Mrs O'Leary."

Leo blinked. "Mrs O'Leary?"

"She's fine, she's friendly" the younger boy insisted. He studied the pair warily. The boys wickedly black sword was gleaming. He was pale and had dark eyes and silky dark hair. He wore dark jeans and jacket, his shirt black with a dancing skeleton on it.

Jason lowered his sword slightly, but didn't sheath it. He was still scrutinising the boy and the giant dog warily.

"Who are you?"

"Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades" he replied, watching the older boy.

Leo blinked. That name was familiar. Jason obviously recognised it too, because he frowned, looking at the curious hellhound briefly, before looking back at Nico.

"Your Annabeth's friend right?"

"Yes" Nico said, dark eyes on the two. "Who're you?"

Jason lowered his sword completely. "Jason Grace. I'm a son of" he hesitated. "Jupiter. Zeus."

Nico stepped back looking startled. "Zeus? Wait Grace? You related to Thalia Grace?"

"She's my sister."

Nico's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Leo Valdez. Hephaestus" Leo said brightly, feeling increasingly discomfited by the presence of the mega dog.

Nico sighed and sheathed his sword. The dog (what kind of name was Mrs O'Leary for such an animal?) leaned over to snuffle his shoulders.

Nico patted her snout absently before addressing the other two.

"I've obviously got a lot to catch up on" Nico said finally, shaking his head.

"So err-Mrs O'Leary?" Leo said as a prompt.

"Huh? Oh-she belongs to a friend of mine." Nico's eyes darkened. "I'm taking care of her for the minute."

Jason and Leo blinked. "A friend?"

Nico grimaced. "Percy Jackson. He went missing a few weeks ago."

"Oh we know that" Leo said, waving his arm. "Just don't get the big dog part."

"She's a hellhound" Nico said with a shrug. "One of the only hellhounds that's friendly to other people. Percy inherited her when her old master died."

"Inherited her?" Leo repeated.

Mrs O'Leary whined. Her head drooped and nuzzled the younger boys shoulder. Nico scratched her behind the ears.

"Long story" Nico said distractedly. "I need to talk to Annabeth. I'll see you. Come on Mrs O'Leary." He whistled and the giant dog obediently trotted after him.

Leo broke the silence. "Well damn" he said faintly. "That was one big dog."

Jason didn't say anything. His face was pensive.

"Dude you ok?"

Jason blinked and looked at Leo. "Yeah. It's just…I keep getting compared with him."

"Him?"

"Percy Jackson" Jason confirmed what he'd been thinking. "It's weird you know? Coming here, with no memories, exchanged for this guy who's the leader of the Camp. I keep hearing about the guy, getting compared with him and I know nothing about him and whether or not he'll survive the Roman camp. Just bits and pieces-him being the best swords person and owning a hellhound." He scuffed the ground with his boot.

"Is that why you want to know about him?" Leo asked.

Jason sighed and looked away "That and…it makes me wonder if I've got people where I'm from, worried about me, searching for me, like people here are for Percy." He shrugged ruefully. "I kind of envy the guy."

"Don't be stupid" Leo said uncomfortable. Feelings', talking about them, was so not his thing, but Jason was his friend and he needed one. "You're my friend and I've only really known you for a month. I'd be looking for you and I know the beauty queen would be too. Being in a place for twelve years? I'd say they're scouring the country for you."

Jason gave an embarrassed, but genuine smile. "Thanks man." He cleared his throat, before smiling.

"I think that Percy guy's crazier than you are though" Leo said to move the conversation away from awkward topics. "That dog's huge!"

Jason laughed. "Now's that's a story I'd like to hear."

"Hear what?"

The two boys turned round to see Piper coming over. Wearing jeans and a long sleeved white blouse, she looked very pretty and comfortable in her own skin.

"Hey Piper" Jason gave her a bright smile, which made her smile widen.

"Hey beauty queen." Leo greeted. "And we were wondering how Percy Jackson got a hellhound as a pet."

Piper's eyes which had narrowed at Leo's greeting widened. "A hellhound?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Mrs O'Leary" he confirmed.

Piper stared at him and then Jason, who grinned and shrugged. Piper could only shake her head and mutter "boys."

"I think I could like the guy" Jason chuckled at Piper's expression. "It's a shame no-one really talks about him."

"That's because of Annabeth" Piper frowned. "People are afraid of upsetting her and considering I've only her a month I don't really blame them. I did ask her about Percy but she's not really willing to talk about him."

The conversation was interrupted when Leo's stomach let out an almighty roar that sounded more appropriate for a drakon. Both Jason and Piper gaped before howling with laughter.

"Ah shut it" Leo blushed as his stomach continued to growl insistently.

"I was planning on getting some lunch" Piper said eyes bright. "You guys coming?"

"Sure" Jason agreed, slinging an arm around Leo's shoulder. "Come on Leo, you've got a monster to slay."

Leo snorted and Piper giggled.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare groaned in satisfaction.

With ruthless pleasure she tossed her irritating school skirt carelessly into the corner. She sighed contently as she shimmied into her well-worn jeans and favourite green sweater. She pulled her hair out of the jumper before carelessly tying it back.

She wrinkled her nose as she grabbed her ridiculous uniform and dumped it unceremoniously on the bed. Really Clarion Academy was not for her.

She studied her cave. For a cave, it was pretty awesome. There was a large bed, with numerous sheets and drapes around the place. Glowing lamps, gifts from Apollo kept the place illuminated and there were books and CDs scattered around that she could listen on her battery CD player as much as she liked, as Apollo graciously kept her well stocked with batteries. There were many blank and partially done art works around the cave along with scattered art supplies.

Her eyes took in a painting she had been close to finishing. It was one of Percy, one of her favourite subjects. It was a scene from the Titan War in the throne room where Percy handed the Pandora pithos to Lady Hestia. The surrounding thrones were shadowed, dark and forbidding. The only light came from the hearth in the centre. Percy was crouched in front of the dying hearth holding the jar towards the seemingly small child. His face was in profile but the emotions in his face and body language were visible. Determination, deference, understanding. Hope. Hestia's hands were outstretched, about to take hold of the jar, the expression one of pride and contentment.

Her throat tightened as she took in the portrait. She couldn't bring herself to finish it. Not yet. She'd taken to hiding it in case Annabeth dropped by but had lifted the drapes to study it. Poor Annabeth was devastated. She'd scoured the country for clues of his disappearance and now, knowing that Percy was somewhere in San Francisco-where her family lived-and not being able to go to him and not even sure if he even remembered her was like a poisoned thorn in her chest.

She took in his features. Percy Jackson was a very good looking guy, she knew that. Just because she had sworn off men doesn't mean she couldn't look, right? And Percy would always have a special place in her heart. He had been the one to introduce her to the world of gods and monsters, who proved she wasn't insane. It helped that he was also sweet, loyal and incredibly brave and would throw himself into battle to protect his friends, including her. He was also lazy, stubborn and completely clueless about relationships. She knew she would always feel a little wistful where Percy Jackson was concerned, but he and Annabeth Chase where made for each other. Even if the pair had taken forever to realise it. And now for her to lose that and may never get it back…

She dropped the drape back over the portrait. Enough. They would find Percy. And he and Annabeth would get over this and become stronger. And just maybe, they would prove to be the exception and have a happy ending.

"Very nice painting" said a voice behind her.

She let out a shriek and whirled around. Some Oracle she made. Chuckling at her reaction the Sun God grinned at her, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans.

"Lord Apollo" she gasped, clutching her chest. "You scared me!"

"A thousand apologies my favourite Oracle" he chuckled. "I couldn't resist."

"No I bet you couldn't" she sighed and smiled at him. Apollo was irrepressible and it was one of the things she liked about him.

"What can I do for you Lord Apollo?"

"Just checking in. It's been the first time I've been able to sneak away. Zeus has been very…watchful about the gods' movements. But if my baby sister can sneak away, why can't I?" he winked at her.

"Everything's fine. I had a prophecy for the new campers and they managed to fulfil it and save Hera. And we know that Gaia is the new enemy." She hesitated. "Do you know if Percy's alright?" Rachel couldn't help but ask.

The Sun God's face darkened. "He's alive Rachel and that's all I can say. Hera's done a bold move and it could pretty easily backfire. If we're to stop the giants, we're going to need all of our kids involved, on both sides. Jackson's a strong kid so I wouldn't get to worried about him and I'd lay odds that he's definitely one of the seven from the Prophecy."

She sighed and nodded.

"Speaking of" Apollo added. He held out his hands and a package appeared out of nowhere. "Not nearly as good as Hermes but since he's grounded for the minute, I can make do." He gave them to her with a flourish.

Intrigued, she took hold of the package. It was quite heavy. She glanced at Apollo and he nodded. She set the package on the bed and opened it.

Books. They looked like novels that you'd buy in a bookshop. Baffled, she glanced at the Sun God who nodded encouragingly. He seemed a little more jittery than usual.

Her breath caught as she read the first title. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. She flicked through the titles, seeing The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, the Last Olympian and finally, Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero.

Stunned, she lifted her head to meet the god's eyes.

"Your friends adventures recorded by the muses" Apollo answered without her asking. "All heroes' adventures are recorded. Some of them are so famous or have done Olympus such a great service; they're recorded by the muses themselves as myths and released to both godly and the mortal world. It used to be by word of mouth and then by written word. Some can get convoluted after so many years, but since these are the originals, they're likely the most accurate."

Rachel had to force herself to speak. "But…why?"

Apollo just shrugged. "I just felt it was important." He was about to say more before he abruptly swung his head to the ceiling.

"I gotta go" he announced. "Have as many people as you wish to read them, it should prove interesting. Ciao!" and she was forced to avert her eyes as he disappeared in a scorching white light.

"And he just left?" Thalia said incredulously.

Rachel had tracked down Annabeth to show her the books. She had been in the Big House talking to Thalia, who had returned to camp to discuss the new threat, Grover, who had also returned to hear the news and Chiron.

"Yeah. I don't even know why he gave me them, he just said he thought it would be useful" Rachel shook her head.

"Very interesting" Chiron murmured, studying one of the books. "It is impressive that Percy has been elevated to a myth already. It appears as though these as written from his point of view."

"I don't think he'll like this" Grover mused, tugging his goatee in thought.

Thalia snorted. "I wouldn't. And it looks like this one alternates between Jason, Piper and Leo's point of view" she added, as she studied the index of the last, biggest book, The Lost Hero.

Annabeth, who had been silent until now, forcefully slapped the book she was holding onto the table.

"I don't understand why he gave you these Rachel. What's the point? It doesn't help us contact Percy, or speed up the construction of the Argo, or help us defeat Gaia. What's the point in them?"

"If Lord Apollo said to read them, he must have a reason" Chiron said gently. "Besides the new heroes, who have begun their own myth, may be intrigued to learn of Percy's. I would imagine they will meet him at some point in the future."

Annabeth's features tightened.

"Why don't we all read them?" Rachel suggested tentatively. "I have to say, I've always been curious about some of the things Percy's done. And we could go through the new book to see if there's anything new we can learn about the giants."

Annabeth stared at the table before abruptly standing and walking off.

"Oh dear" Chiron sighed.

Thalia stood up, looking resolved. "Alright, we're going to read these books. Rachel, go wait by the pine tree, it should be a quiet place to read in peace. I'll get Jason and his friends. Grover can you talk to Annabeth? I would but-"

"I'll go" Grover gave a mournful bray and stood also brushing down his t-shirt. He absently bit into a Coke can.

"Chiron are you coming?" Rachel asked as they others left.

The old centaur gave her a weary smile. "Thank you Rachel, but I think this intervention is not meant for me. "

Grover trotted out of the Big House after Annabeth. She was stalking down towards the beach and no-one was foolish enough to get in her way. He followed her, keeping back a few steps.

He really didn't know what to say. Percy was gone, on his own in a potentially dangerous situation with no memories of them. It was enough for him to start gnawing on any furniture around him. He'd nearly consumed his reed pipes more than once since he'd heard the news. Their best friend was gone and they couldn't help him. If it was bad for him, it must be killing Annabeth.

His other best friend had halted on the beach, staring out at the ocean, her fists clenched. Her blonde hair was being tossed around by the breeze.

"Are you going to join me or just stand there Grover?" she asked without turning around.

Grover moved to stand beside her, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened a little but didn't move away.

"How are you?" he asked.

She didn't answer. She didn't have to. Her face was a little paler than usual, with dark smudges under her eyes. It was clear she wasn't taking care of herself very well.

"Sorry I've only just gotten back" Grover said instead.

She shook her head. "You've got loads to do Grover. Don't be" she turned to look at him. "Thanks for trying to find him."

"You don't have to thank me for that" Grover shook his head.

They were quiet for a minute.

"The others are going to read those books now" Grover said quietly.

Annabeth took a shaky breath. "What's the point Grover? It's not going to bring him back. He don't know where he is, if he's alright, if he's…" she trailed off. "We don't even know if he remembers us or if he's the same person we know. And instead of finding him, we're stuck here until the summer at least."

"Hey stop that" Grover pulled her into a hug. "You're going to drive yourself crazy thinking like that."

"I miss him" she whispered faintly into his chest.

"I miss him too" he said softly, holding her tight. "But Percy's one of the strongest people I know. He'll survive this camp, we know that. And he's way too stubborn to let Hera get away with taking his memories for long. He'll remember us, if only to drive her insane."

She managed a faint chuckle at that. "It's just-frustrating. Percy went against the rules, going on a quest just to save me. And I can't do the same for him."

"Yeah but this is different and you know it. He was supposed to be on that quest, Zoe was just stubborn. And this isn't as a quest."

"It wouldn't stop Percy" she muttered stubbornly.

"Yeah well there's a reason he always had you with him on a mission. You're the brains of the operation, Percy's not exactly known for thinking things through" he said dryly.

She actually managed to laugh a little.

Grover took a deep breath as they parted. He wasn't the one to be reassuring; in times of crisis, it was Percy or Annabeth that were the ones who encouraged him. But Percy was gone and Annabeth needed the encouragement this time.

"Percy will be fine" he repeated, reassuring himself as much as her. "We'll get him back. But he won't be happy if we don't take care of ourselves because we're worried about him."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" she narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

He grinned at her.

"Do you want to go to this book reading thing? Just think we can find out what Percy actually thinks about us!"

"Are you sure you really want to know?" Annabeth said wryly. Grover privately agreed.

"We actually have a book written about us?" Piper said incredulously.

Thalia nodded. "Big book. It alternates between your points of view." She nodded her head to the others.

"Seriously?" Jason looked disturbed.

"Yeah sorry" Thalia chuckled. "If you think that's bad Percy has five books all to himself."

"Jeez, how much trouble was that guy in?" Leo asked in disbelief, clearly trying not to think about the disturbing thought of his thoughts being on paper for all to see. That's what Piper was thinking anyway.

"A lot" Thalia looked a little wistful, clearly far away. She had known Percy for years after all. "The titles talk about his big adventures, so it should be interesting. It'll also help you guys learn about the recent history of the camp as well. Maybe even brush up your knowledge of monsters."

"Oh gee. Great" Leo said unenthusiastically. Piper rolled her eyes and looked over to Jason. Their eyes met and it was clear he was intrigued. She had to admit, so was she, though the idea of people reading her thoughts was more than a little unnerving. And uncomfortable.

"So you're going to read all of the books?" Jason asked.

"Apollo wouldn't have risked coming back to earth to give these books to Rachel unless it was important" Thalia's brow was furrowed in a way that reminded Piper of Jason. "I don't understand what it can achieve other than stressing Annabeth, but…"

"How is Annabeth?" Piper asked.

Thalia grimaced. "Grover's with her. I'm hoping goat boy will cheer her up."

"Goat boy?"

"He's a satyr" she shrugged. "So are you coming along?"

"Sure" Jason said quickly and Thalia smiled at him. Piper knew he wanted to spend time with his long lost big sister who had only arrived back to the camp a couple of days ago and who was incredibly busy.

"Err yeah, why not?" Leo didn't look terribly excited, but he followed them anyway.

Piper walked a little behind the Graces to study them. They looked completely unlike. They were both tall and had the same blue eyes, but that was it. Jason's hair was blonde, Thalia's blue black. Thalia looked Mediterranean, while Jason's features were more defined and regal…she inwardly snorted, Roman like.

She shared a quick grin with Leo before looking away. Leo bless his irritating socks, was a great friend. The joker was a good guy and was working super hard on the Argo II. Piper would help if she knew anything about construction, but aside from grunt work, she was of little use. She was however working on being senior counsellor and learning from Annabeth knife fighting. Camp was so comfortable despite the stress of the looming future…it felt like home.

They made their way up the hill where the pine tree loomed in the sky, with the snoozing dragon wrapped around it. Piper was a little leery about it, but most of the older campers were unconcerned about it.

There were people already on the hill a few metres away from the top. She recognised Rachel the Oracle, sitting cross-legged on the ground. She was chatting to a boy in dark clothes who carried a deadly looking black sword. Also there was to her surprise, Clarisse of the Ares cabin and her boyfriend Chris from Hermes. Clarisse was the senior counsellor for Ares and she and Piper got on fairly well despite her somewhat abrasive personality.

Rachel smiled at the newcomers.

"Hey Death Breath" Thalia greeted the dark boy, who scowled. "Guys, this is"

"We've met" Jason interrupted. "Nico DiAngelo" he added to Piper.

"Piper McLean, nice to meet you." She shook hands with the younger boy. He studied her with intense dark eyes that seemed to look right through her.

"Where's your friend?" Leo asked.

"She's in the forest chasing the scorpions" Nico shrugged.

"Oh, is this the hellhound you guys were talking about?"

"Mrs O'Leary" Leo said helpfully.

Piper tried to imagine a fearsome beast from Hades called Mrs O'Leary. It was a difficult task.

"So you're Roman huh?" Nico asked Jason looking at him curiously.

"Yeah" Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Long story."

"Annabeth gave me the basics anyway."

"What are you guys doing here?" Thalia asked the couple.

"They overheard me telling Nico about the stories" Rachel shrugged.

Clarisse didn't look happy but Chris shrugged. "Seemed interesting."

"Hey guys!" a satyr clearly younger than Coach Hedge and Annabeth were walking up the hill.

"Hey goat boy!" Thalia gave him a hug before exchanging looks with Annabeth. Annabeth gave her a brief smile. "Guys' this is Grover Underwood."

"Nice to meet you" the satyr said sincerely holding out his hand. Piper smiled at him as she shook his hand. He seemed very different to Hedge and judging from the slight grins the boys were sporting as they shook his hand, they were thinking the same thing.

"So are we going to read then?" Rachel asked hesitantly, also looking at Annabeth.

Clarisse looked annoyed, but she wasn't saying much either. Though Piper knew she didn't much like Percy Jackson, she respected him and wasn't about to bad mouth him around Annabeth. Well, not yet at least.

"So in order, it's Percy's books, and then yours?" Nico asked for affirmation.

"Yes" Rachel nodded, leafing through what looked like the first one. "I think there's a spell on the books. When I look at it, it's in English, but when Chris looked at it, it was Greek. It might change to suit the person reading it."

"Can I see?" Jason asked, holding out his hand.

Rachel handed it to him and he studied the back, brow furrowed.

"Latin" he announced.

"So it changes for each person depending on what they're fluent in?" Piper queried, looking at the book Jason was holding. She'd only been here a month, but she was quickly improving in Ancient Greek, though she wasn't sure if she was up to translating fluently.

"It looks like it" Annabeth murmured, looking at the cover of one of the books. She seemed pretty depressed, though she wore a small, sad smile. She sat down next to Rachel. The satyr Grover sat down on her other side. Thalia sat down gracefully next to him, letting her bow down behind her carefully. Jason opted to sit next to her, so she and Leo followed suit. The boy Nico sat beside Rachel and Chris and his reluctant girlfriend followed.

Situated between her two best friends, it struck Piper at how ridiculous this seemed. They were with a group of people, some she didn't know and others she only knew a little, all settling in to read books based on another campers life. Then they were going to read a book based on herself and her two friends. They were sitting outside in the middle of winter, relatively warm for the time of the year, under the shade of a pine tree that had a dragon snoozing under it. It seemed a little crazy…even for demigods.

"So…" Leo started. "This is about your dude Percy Jackson?"

"Yes" Rachel looked around. "It's…his myth basically. So far. Just like your book has only begun. Your myth has only started and as you continue, your myths will be written down."

Assuming we survive our adventures first, Piper thought, but elected not to say that.

Jason cleared his throat. "So…should we get started?"

Rachel looked at Annabeth for permission, before taking a deep breath and picking up a gold coloured novel. It had a picture of a Minotaur on it.

"The first book is called The Lightning Thief."

A/N

Schools out + no jobs to be found = too much time on my hands.

Ok, this is a typical 'reading the series' plot that I've always been meaning to do. It was a tossup between Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, but I got back into the PJ series with a vengeance. Trying not to make it too alike others, but it's such an overdone plot, I don't think I've succeeded. Ah well. Let me know what you all think, hint, hint.