Hello! Ok, so this is my sixteenth published work on this site! I'm thrilled to be adding to my collection. :) And I hope everyone else is just as excited to read this as I am to write it! My last story was by far my most popular yet, so let's see if we can break that record with this, hm? Ok, just some quick housekeeping. (Even though this isn't a house and I don't feel like cleaning.) I will attempt to update, on average, every four days. But things do happen and I am a student taking several AP courses, so that might change. I will tell you when the next update is, though, in the AN at the bottom of the chapter. And if I ever forget (which is more than likely), just assume a four-day update. This story is rated T for cursing, mainly. And angst. A lot of angst. So if cursing or angst bothers you, then you have been warned! ;) Also, if you're innocently new to my writing, be warned: I have been known to include a devastating cliffhanger or two in my stories. If you're a returning champion that conquered my other works, then you should already be expecting that. I don't always intend to write a cliffhanger, though! Sometimes... They just happen! ;) If you have any questions/comments/concerns, don't be afraid to send me a PM or leave a review! I respond to all PMs within 24 hours, and I will vaguely respond to reviews in the AN of the next chapter. Or you could go on AO3, where I have an identical account with an identical story and leave a comment there. I can directly respond to comments on AO3, even if you don't have an account. Ok, I think that's about it! I own nothing, but I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of my newest story! :)

Third Person POV

I have to get there. Tree branches bent low, vines snaking across the ground, untrimmed bushes, they all reached out to grab at his clothes. It was like the nymphs were all against him, all trying to slow him down. But he kept running, running, running.

He had to get there in time.

There it is! A few yards away, a tall hill came into view. A towering pine tree sat at the peak, its tapering top hidden from view in the early morning fog. The rays from the rising sun caught the droplets of dew in the grass, illuminating the forest. He dashed through a checkerboard of shadow and light, eyes locked on his destination.

Something crashed to the ground behind him. He sped up, knowing that if he didn't hurry, that would be him. The splintering of wood would be the splintering of bone and the pine needles that fell to the ground would be drops of his blood.

He couldn't fail them.

Climbing up the hill was probably the hardest part; he was already so exhausted, having run all the way here from the city. But he wasn't the fastest runner in camp for nothing. He would make it back or he would die trying.

Just a few yards away from the peak... So close to the tree that he could see a glittering gold blanket nestled amongst the branches.

Almost there...

Something hit the ground where he had just been standing, sending fragments of wood shooting at his bare calves. Warm blood began to trickle down his legs, but he ignored it. As long as he made it past the tree, he would be safe. Those wounds would heal. He just needed to make it past the tree.

A root jumped up from the ground before him, causing him to stumble. The beast behind him roared with triumph, but he was too close to give up now. He tumbled to the ground, rolling. He felt a warm sensation pass over him, and then nothing.

Had he done it? For a moment, he laid there on his back on the ground, staring up at the sky as it shifted from darkness to day. His ears strained, struggling to hear anything. Was he safe?

There was the sound of metal clashing on metal, then a shout. "Intruder!" The clanging of metal increased in quantity, the increasing volume telling him that people were nearing.

Suddenly, a helmet blocked the cloudless sky from view. "It's Travis!" someone shouted, perhaps the helmet-wearing camper. From somewhere in the distance there was a great shuffling, as if a thousand people were dragging their feet across dunes of sand.

He didn't really care. The helmet-wearing person had told him one important thing: he was safe. Knowing that his life was no longer in danger and that he had successfully retrieved the information, he allowed himself to slip into the depths of unconsciousness that wanted to seize him since he started running two hours ago.

"Travis is back?"

"Yes, they found him at the camp border early this morning. They don't know how long he was laying there, but from the wounds, they guessed only a few minutes."

"Is he in the infirmary?"

"Yes."

He nodded, brushing dark hair out of his eyes as he turned away from a map of New York laid out on a ping pong table. "I'm going to visit him. Is he conscious?"

The camper shrugged. "Last I heard, he wasn't. But that doesn't mean his status hasn't changed in the last few minutes that I've been away."

Another nod. "Thanks, Malcolm. I'll see you later." He walked past the blonde camper and out of the room. He followed a hallway, which led him out a door. Quickly, he exited the large blue building known as the Big House and hurried towards a shiny gold cabin.

Perseus Jackson was, in a word, worried. Worried about Travis, worried about the other campers, and worried about this war. It was just after the Battle of the Labyrinth, as the younger campers had taken to calling it, and they hadn't seen any action from the opposing forces. Against his wishes, Percy sent their fastest scout, Travis Stoll, into the city. Travis's job was to gather whatever information he could get without making himself known and without actually entering the lair of Kronos.

Judging by how that mission ended, he guessed that Travis didn't follow orders.

Percy had to take at least partial blame for that. When the leader doesn't follow orders half the time, then why should the soldiers?

He reached the Apollo cabin in only a minute, walking around the back to the attached infirmary. He stood in the doorway, surveying the room in the early morning light filtering in through the large window. As usual, medics wandered around, tending to campers that had already managed to hurt themselves that fine day. He was sure that there had to be some record that the Apollo kids kept. There had to be a tally of what campers came into the infirmary even before breakfast had started, complaining of injuries.

He wanted to know why there were so many people in there for it being barely eight o'clock, but found his green eyes drawn towards a bed in the back, directly under one of the many infirmary windows.

The bed of Travis Stoll was surrounded by quite a gathering of people, considering he hadn't even been back at camp for an hour yet. Two children of Apollo were standing near the bed, checking vitals to ensure that the prankster was physically fine. Leaning against the wall as if he hadn't a care in the world was Travis's brother, Connor. His blue eyes betrayed him, flickering down at the demigod in the bed every once in a while in worry.

Most surprisingly, however, was the person occupying the lone chair beside the bed of the son of Hermes. At first, Percy wasn't quite sure who she was; her head was tilted down so a waterfall of brunette locks obscured her face. But then she lifted her head back up and quickly wiped a hand across her bright brown eyes, and Percy recognized her at Katie Gardener.

Odd... He commented to himself smugly. I thought she couldn't stand Travis. Oh, if only he were awake right now...

Connor saw the son of Poseidon first. He straightened his posture, giving Percy a small grin. "Hey Perce. What's up?"

"Not much," he replied casually before allowing his tone to become serious. "How's Travis?"

Connor resumed his slump against the wall, his back hitting the wood with an audible thud. "Well, he hasn't woken up yet, but they say he's fine. Probably just exhausted. They think he ran all the way here from the city."

Even Percy, who wasn't much of a runner, knew that that couldn't be good. He flinched involuntarily before expertly schooling his emotions. "Travis will be fine," he said, walking towards Connor and putting a hand on his shoulder. "It would take more than a little exhaustion to bring him down. You should know that."

The son of Hermes nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right."

Relieved that the mood was lightening, Percy allowed himself a grin. "I know I am. Why don't you go get some breakfast? I'll watch Travis and I'll send Will if he wakes up, okay?"

For a moment, Percy feared Connor would want to stay. As much as he knew the Stoll brother wanted to keep an eye on the injured demigod, his worrying would do nothing but intensify in the moments until Travis's awakening. It would be better if he separated himself. But Connor nodded slowly. "Okay. But if anything happens..."

"If anything happens and I don't send Will immediately, you have full permission to throttle me."

With a small, strained laugh, Connor started to walk out of the infirmary. "I wish. Annabeth would kill me if I strangled the leader of our army. Especially before Kronos was defeated." He laughed again, then Connor was gone.

That left Percy and Katie gathered around the bed of the son of Hermes.

He groaned internally. Why couldn't Annabeth be here? He complained. She was always better than him at talking to grieving demigoddesses. And of course other things, like math and science and literature and history and...

None of that would help the situation, so he forced his mind back on topic.

Taking a deep breath, Percy slowly crouched down next to Katie's chair, as if attempting to console a wounded animal. "Katie..."

She started, blinking her eyes quickly. "Oh, hey, Percy. When did you get here?"

He wondered if he should tell her the truth, but decided against it. "I just got here a minute ago. I talked to Connor. He went to go get breakfast. Why don't you go get some food, too?"

She shook her head, brown hair flying about her head in a disorganized tangle. "I'd prefer to keep an eye on Travis." Realizing she gave away too much information, to a guy no less, she hurried to cover up her mistake. "He, uh, he owes me money."

Percy nodded, trying to put on a face of belief. Annabeth always told him he wasn't a good actor, though, so he figured he looked more like someone in intense pain than someone understanding the daughter of Demeter. Speaking of intense pain...

"I'm sure Travis would love to back up that statement when he wakes up," Percy said, pointedly ignoring the way Katie's face paled when he said that. "But I strongly suggest you go get something to eat. Will told me that Travis won't wake up for another hour or two," he lied.

The daughter of Demeter looked up at him, clearly apprehensive. "I don't know... I'd like to be here."

Percy tried his last card. "I know, and I'm sure Travis would like you to be here too. But I'm also sure that if he knew you skipped breakfast to be here, he wouldn't be happy."

For a minute, Katie pursed her lips and looked between the son of Poseidon and the son of Hermes. Then she sighed, letting her brown hair fall in front of her face. Slowly, she stood up from the chair and pushed it back. "I guess you're right. You'll let me know the moment he wakes up?"

"I swear on the Styx."

Katie waited a moment for the thunder to rumble overhead before she allowed a small smile in Percy's direction. "Ok. Thanks, Percy. You're a good friend."

The son of Poseidon flashed her a lopsided grin, escorting her out of the infirmary. "No problem, Katie. Don't worry about Travis. I'll watch him. And if anyone asks, I didn't see you tearing up at his bedside either."

Katie stopped outside the doorway and turned to him, her red-rimmed eyes wide and jaw dropped. "Percy, I-"

From inside the doorway, Percy winked. "Now, shoo! Breakfast waits for no one."

Even after he closed the door, he watched from the window to make sure Katie went to the pavilion for breakfast. It was a good thing he did, too, because he caught her sneaking glances back at the infirmary. Each time, he waved her away. Finally, she disappeared into the dining area. Only then did Percy allow himself to return to Travis's bedside and seat himself in the chair Katie had been occupying.

There was no one else in the infirmary other than the son of Poseidon and the half-blood scout. Percy sighed and looked down at the figure laying still on the bed. The only sign of life was the steady rising and falling of his chest.

"What did you find, Travis?" Percy muttered to himself. "What was so important that they would send a monster after you?"

There was no answer, but Percy hadn't expected one. He sighed again and settled back against the chair. He hadn't slept well last night, his mind plagued with constant nightmares. Demigod dreams were bad, but these nightmares weren't demigod dreams. He wasn't quite sure what to make of them.

He was just dozing off in the chair when he sensed something was different in the room. Immediately, his eyes snapped open. He couldn't see anyone else in the door besides him and Travis, but that didn't mean someone wasn't there. There weren't many places to hide in the infirmary...

Maybe it was the monster coming to finish off Travis. But how would it have gotten into camp, past the borders? They couldn't have a spy. Not another.

Percy stood up warily, green eyes flickering around the room. The shift in the room's atmosphere was still tangible, but what had caused it? He spun in a slow circle, his instincts telling him to investigate but his logic telling him not to leave Travis. Carefully scanning the area, he turned back to check on Travis.

And found a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at him.

Percy took a step back, biting off a curse as it formed on his lips. Quickly, he regained his composure and bent down to talk to the now-conscious son of Hermes. "Travis, hey. Hey. Can you hear me?"

The blue eyes remained locked on his sea green ones. Slowly, Travis blinked. His mouth opened a little, and he grunted out a "yes". His voice was hoarse, and cracked in the middle of uttering that simple word. Percy hurried to get him a glass of water, holding it to the boy's lips as he drank greedily.

Once he had emptied the glass, Travis collapsed back onto the bed, obviously exhausted. He started to speak, but Percy was quick to hush him. "Travis, relax. You're in camp, you're safe. You can tell us the report once you have more energy. You weren't supposed to wake up so soon." He pushed Travis back until he was laying in almost the exact position as before he was awake. He expected that to be the end of it, so he was surprised when Travis spoke.

"Percy..." he croaked, voice still damaged despite Percy's best efforts. He tried to clear it, but it did little good. "K-Kronos... Ethan is the host..."

"Ethan?" Percy repeated, cursing under his breath. So that was why Kronos and his forces had been so inactive the last couple of weeks. Still, he couldn't believe the son of Nemesis would do such a thing. Percy shook his head, refocusing on the son of Hermes. "Thank you, Travis. This information is invaluable. But you need to rest, you're exhausted and if Katie knows I didn't-"

Travis cut him off. "That's not all..." he said ominously, his voice growing stronger the more he spoke. Percy remained quiet, wondering what else he could have to say. "Kronos... put a bomb... on the Brooklyn Bridge."

Percy felt all the color drain from his face. "A bomb?"

Travis nodded.

"When's it set to blow?" He asked, knowing that Travis needed to rest but this information was too important to wait.

Travis flinched. "Tonight," he whispered. "It's on one of the legs of the bridge... It'll blow tonight."

Percy cursed again, louder, and stood up. Already making his way out of the infirmary, he called back, "Thanks, Travis! Get some rest or Katie will kill us both!"

The slamming of the infirmary door behind him swallowed up any response the son of Hermes had.

First, Percy jogged to the pavilion. He swore on the Styx to let Katie know the moment Travis woke up, and he had no intention of dying a painful death because he didn't tell her. He skidded to a stop in the entranceway, scanning the crowd. But there was so many demigods, he couldn't make her out. Growling in frustration, he gave up looking and shouted, "Hey, shut up!"

Immediately, the pavilion went silent. All eyes stared at the son of Poseidon.

He winced under all the attention, regretting this course of action. But he couldn't go back now. Steeling himself, he shouted, "Katie, Connor, Travis woke up!"

There was a scrambling of limps against bodies, and the two demigods shot past Percy in a blur. Silence reigned in the pavilion, everyone wondering what else the general of their make-shift army had to say.

Remembering the news about the bomb, Percy locked eyes with the old centaur at the head table. In the dead silence of the pavilion, he said for all to hear, "Chiron, call a counselor's meeting in the Big House. There's news." Unable to take more of the staring, he turned and began to jog towards the Big House. From behind him, he heard Chiron demanding a meeting in five minutes.

The rec room was unnaturally quiet. All the head counselors were there, excluding Travis. Even Katie and Connor attended, albeit after some persuading. But to one passing by, the room sounded empty.

It wasn't like that a moment ago.

A moment ago, Percy was telling them how Travis woke up, which earned shouts from Katie that he swore to tell her as soon as he woke up. Percy did his best to continue on, saying that Ethan was the host for Kronos. This also earned a fair share of yelling. Everyone thought it would be Luke that accepted the role of host of Kronos, so Travis's news shocked them all.

Personally, Percy wasn't sure what to think about that. It meant that Luke was able to be redeemed, which seemed to make Annabeth happy, if her facial expressions upon hearing the news were anything to go by. Her gray eyes shone with excitement in the chaos of the rec room. Annabeth was happy, but what about him? No matter the things that Luke had done to them, Annabeth wanted to save him. If she had the choice, would she save Luke or himself?

He didn't want to know the answer to that question.

Once Chiron quieted everyone down to a minimal noise level, Percy delivered the worst news yet: the bomb.

And suddenly, all noise died. Everyone stared at the son of Poseidon with wide eyes, expressions varying. Some bore confusion. Others fear. And even more desperation, like they were begging for him to start laughing and say it was a sick joke.

Only one face held determination.

Annabeth Chase stood up from her seat as the leader of the Athena cabin, looking around at all the others. Her gray eyes locked with Percy's for a fraction of a second, and Percy felt any fears he had settle. Annabeth had a plan.

Thank the gods.

"Guys, we can stop this bomb. This is a lot of news to take in, but Travis did us a huge favor by telling us now. We just have to get to the Brooklyn Bridge before sundown, and disarm this bomb. Right? There's no reason to be worried," she assured. Percy watched as the tensions melted away, shoulders relaxing and color returning to faces.

Annabeth looked at Chiron. "We need a group to go find and disarm that bomb, Chiron. It doesn't need to be a quest, but several people should go. The Brooklyn Bridge is huge, and we'll need as many people to go as we can manage."

The old centaur nodded. "Ok. Five of you may go. Annabeth will lead, since she came up with the plan. Any volunteers?"

For a long moment, no one moved. Then Percy raised his hand, a smile on his lips as he looked at Annabeth. "I know this will come as a surprise, but I'll go."

Annabeth smirked at him. "A huge surprise, Seaweed Brain."

Glancing back at the others seated around the table, Annabeth caught a glimpse of her friend Silena's smug face staring at the blonde girl and the son of Poseidon. Almost immediately, however, the smug smirk melted away as the daughter of Aphrodite looked across the table with worried blue eyes.

The son of Hephaestus met her gaze with his steady brown eyes. They were crinkled at the edges with concern. Annabeth watched Silena shake her head slightly, her long black hair, like satin, rustle around her head.

The crinkle around his eyes tightened, and Charles Beckendorf pleaded with his girlfriend in the telepathic way that only couples know how to do. She shook her head again, desperately.

Beck stood up, brown eyes never leaving Silena's blue. "I'll go."

Silena stood up, too, her blue eyes starting to crystalize with tears. "Charlie, no!"

For the first time since the meeting started, Beckendorf broke eye contact. His brown eyes flew over to Annabeth's like hawks, piercing her gray eyes. He pinned her in place with the emotion in them. The loathing to leave camp and the daughter of Aphrodite he had come to adore. The fear that he wouldn't get him. The fear for the ones on the Brooklyn Bridge at that very moment. But overall, the determination.

"I'm probably the only one here that knows how to disarm the bomb," he stated calmly. "I don't know what you plan on doing if no one in your company can disarm it."

Annabeth cursed herself for not thinking of that sooner. Truthfully, she had been so caught up in the emotion of it that she hadn't thought to what would happen when they found the bomb. If they found the bomb.

Still, even though Charles Beckendorf was clearly a crucial member to have on the team, Annabeth wasn't oblivious to the panic of one of her best friends. She glanced over at Silena, who remained standing, face pointed towards Beckendorf. Then she looked back at the son of Hephaestus himself.

"Are you sure about this, Beck? Can't anyone else disarm the bomb? Jake Mason, maybe, or Nyssa, or-"

He cut her off mid-suggestion. "No, none of the others know how to disarm it. They haven't been through the same studying that I have. They might know how to disarm a simple one, but we don't know what kind of bomb or device Kronos planted on the bridge. The best bet for a successful mission is that I take care of it."

As a daughter of Athena, Annabeth couldn't deny that every word out of Beck's mouth was logical and reasonable. But she still loathed to do that to Silena. For a moment, she debated internally on the proper course of action.

She glanced back at Beck, looked into his eyes. The conviction was there, the absolute belief that he was the only one in camp that could properly disarm any bomb they came across. Or he would die trying. Annabeth sighed.

She cast an apologetic wince towards Silena before saying, "Alright, Beck is the third member. We still need two more."

Although Annabeth was expecting it, the speed at which Silena snapped her head around to stare at her brought concern. "I'll go," the daughter of Aphrodite said hurriedly. "I might not be able to disarm a bomb," she snuck a glare at Beck, "but I can help look and I'll do whatever I can to ensure that the bomb doesn't blow."

Even before she finished her mini-speech, Annabeth was nodding. After all, she had expected it. If Beck went, she knew Silena would too. "Ok. One more person."

The remaining camp counselors all looked at each other, none of them especially thrilled to be running headfirst into what might be a flaming death. Or, at the very least, the death of their friends. Just as Annabeth was about to suggest a competition of rock-paper-scissors to decide the unfortunate demigod, the door to the rec room creaked open.

All eyes shot to the door.

A head full of curly brown hair peeked around the corner, two adequate-sized horns sticking up out of the hair like twin giraffes attempting to hide within a bush. When silence greeted the new arrival, he opened the door a little more and allowed two green eyes to peer into the room. Seeing everyone staring, he made a noise of surprise before fully opening the door.

"I was just looking for Percy," the satyr said nervously, standing in the front of the long ping-pong table packed with half bloods. "Malcolm said I could find him in here, but I didn't realize a meeting was going on otherwise-"

Percy was up and out of his chair before Grover was even fully in the room. It was his enveloping hug that cut off the satyr's sentence, as well as his protest to the apology. "It's good to see you, G-Man! Don't worry about interrupting, we were all kinda just sitting around waiting for someone to join our not-a-quest. How's nature?"

Grover didn't answer the question, instead posing on of his own. "You have a 'not-a-quest'? What even is that?"

Still standing, Annabeth impatiently answered for Percy. Didn't they know what Kronos wasn't going to wait for them to get a group together before placing the bomb? "Hi, Grover. Travis just told us that Kronos put a bomb on the Brooklyn Bridge and we're going on a mission to find it and disarm it before it can blow up the bridge. We're taking a group of five, I'm the leader. Percy, Beck, and Silena are going. You want in?"

The flustered satyr blinked a few times, green eyes wide. Slowly, he nodded. "Sure. I'll join your quest. Maybe I could ask some dryads or nymphs to help us find the bomb once we get there."

"Perfect." Annabeth grinned and glanced back at Chiron. "Chiron, we have our team. When should we leave?"

The centaur glanced at his watch. "You leave in an hour. The sooner you get there, the better. Hopefully, you'll be able to find it by this afternoon and get it before it goes off tonight." He looked up and let his old eyes meet those of the demigods on the team. "Annabeth, Percy, Beckendorf, Silena, Grover. Good luck."

From the table, Clarisse la Rue snorted. "They'll need it," she muttered. "This is a suicide mission."

Ignoring the snarky daughter of Ares, the five teammates hurried out of the Big House. After all, they only had one hour until departure.

Percy glanced at the still-rising sun as he jogged towards his cabin. Let's hope this would be a quick mission, unlike any of the quests he had experienced. But even as he thought that, he knew that his luck was never that good.

Maybe this would be an exception to the rule.

Hey guys! Next update will be Sunday. Expect it to be posted around 9-10 pm EST. If you have any questions, send me a PM or leave a review! And I'll see you Sunday! Thanks! :)