Disclaimer for all chapters I have forgotten to do: I have no ownership rights on the bolded lettering, the characters or this book idea.

Annabeth's POV

"I'll read," I called out. Rachel smiled at me and was about to throw the book at me when I sent her my signature glare walked up and took the book out of her hands.

" WE CAPTURE A FLAG." "Wow what a surprise Percy's team won," Zeus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal," "There is nothing normal about the mythological world," Rachel complained.

"if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur." "I think that is a very key part in your life now Percy," the Stoll's teased.

"Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth," "It was torture," I broke in.

"and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird." "Get used to it," Ares snapped.

"I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read." "Annabeth is always right," my friend Thalia whispered innocently among the group of demigods.

"At least, no harder than English." "So was it hard, or easy, or…?" Hermes asked confused.

"After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache." "Ahh that clears things up."

"The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at." Poseidon smiled," With all his powers that shouldn't be too hard."

"Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow." "Well, I suppose I can forgive him," Apollo frowned.

"He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail." "Men," Artemis huffed.

"Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust." "Don't feel offended," Grover reassured, "I am no match for them either."

"They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods." Aphrodite glared at the book, "Perhaps I will send some more at you then, eh."

"But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree." "When you word it that way," Chris chuckled, "It just sounds sad."

"And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me." Clarisse spat, "And he deserved it."

""There's more where that came from, punk," she'd mumble in my ear. The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing," "Well, it's a start," Poseidon muttered.

"And that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur." "True that," Nico called out.

"I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was," "That makes it sound so creepy," Frank said.

"But they weren't having an easy time of it. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids," "Thank gods," Ares glared.

"or as good at archery as the Apollo kids." "Too bad," Apollo said a smile lighting up his face.

"I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or—gods forbid—

Dionysus's way with vine plants." Dionysus looked up briefly, "You think something that stupid would come from me?"

"Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of all-trades, master of none." "Well, we are the masters of pranking and breaking and entering," Travis and Conner corrected.

"But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either." "No one did," Malcolm shrugged.

"Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach," "Of course that would be the first thing he likes," Thalia rolled her eyes.

"The smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon," "I enjoy that too," Piper agreed.

"Even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night." "That's creepy," Tyson complained.

"I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came." "I'm sorry, son," Poseidon said gravely.

"Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile." "That's exactly what it is," his father smiled.

"I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back..." "Please tell me he doesn't actually try to go to the underworld," Hazel said nervously. "He does," I answered, "Multiple times actually."

"I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes." "Bad way to go kid," Apollo frowned.

"So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something?" "I can make it thunder if you want," Zeus glared.

"Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear?" Poseidon chuckled, "It doesn't exactly work that way."

"Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first swordfighting lesson." Jason sat up a bit straighter, "This is gonna be good."

"Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor." "Is Luke good," Hermes asked.

"He was the best, until Percy," someone muttered in a sad tone. Some of the gods raised their eyebrows slightly.

"We started with basic stabbing and slashing," "I like how he calls that basic," Athena laughed a bit.

"Using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good." "Don't think to highly of yourself little pretty boy," Ares said angrily.

"The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long." "What about Riptide?" Frank asked. "He doesn't have it yet," I quickly answered before any of the gods could place the name Riptide.

"Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me." "Let me guess, he was going to steal one for you," Demeter muttered.

"We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time." "Lucky you," Clarisse sneered.

""Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."" "That was me," Conner grinned lightly.

""Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said.

The camper snorted." "And that was me!" Travis announced proudly.

"Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised." "Poor kid," Hera pouted, "It's only his first time."

""Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!" "That sounded like a lot of fun," Jason said sarcastically.

"By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same." "Now it really begins," Poseidon smiled.

"Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward." "Go Percy go," Rachel started to chant.

""Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."" "Why would he mind," Leo said sarcastically.

"Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded." "We were thinking the same exact thing," the twin like brothers admitted,

"The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag." "So true," Chris grinned.

"He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon." "Difficult move," Athena praised.

""This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."" "He should have just kept his mouth shut," Travis laughed again.

"He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand." I paused for a moment, "This is going to be great."

""Now in real time," he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon."We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"" "He probably thought it wasn't going to take more than thirty seconds," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force." "That my friends is the power of water," the sea god said proudly.

"The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck?" "A hero needs to be daring," Zeus said.

"I tried the disarming maneuver." "Not only did he try, he mastered it!" Travis looked ready to burst from excitement.

"My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust.

Clang." "I like how it doesn't yet tell you whose blade feel down yet," Malcolm praised the unknown author of the book.

"Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch from his undefended chest." Cheering broke out in the throne room.

"The other campers were silent." "That was awesome," Leo exclaimed.

"I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry."" "Did he seriously just apologize for that," I couldn't help but laugh. My boyfriend was so stupid sometimes.

"For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak." "For the first time in forever," Travis sang, "He was beaten by a newcomer!"

""Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"" "But he can't do it anymore," Clarisse sneered.

"I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted." "This was just sad," Chris muttered.

"This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor.

After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"" "Nah," Nico said, "There is no such thing as beginners luck."

"Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest." "He was getting the idea of who you were," Thalia murmured.

""Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ." Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake," "I thought he'd already forgotten about me again," Grover teased.

"Resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat," "That was just a horrible pun," Grover complained.

"But the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms. We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving," "That just sounds boring," Aphrodite shook her head lightly.

"Until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D." "Bad idea," Dionysus suggested.

"His face turned a sickly shade of yellow." "That bad," Katie said sympathetically.

""Fine," he said. "Just great."" "Liar, liar pants on fire," Rachel smirked.

""So your career's still on track?"

He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"" "That sounds like a driver's license. Do you have one of those?" Leo inquired.

""Well... no." I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask." "His mother raised him well," Demeter said.

""He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"" "What do you think," Thalia said sarcastically.

"Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."" "Let me guess, that this exactly what's going to happen," Zeus complained.

"My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"" "Almost as if he wants a quest," Piper debated.

""Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty." Blackjack gave an aggravated neigh.

"The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"" "Because you're his best friend," Malcolm smiled at Grover.

"Of course I'd want you along!"" "I regret going on that first quest with him. And all the others that followed," Grover shuddered, "I still have nightmares."

"Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."" "Don't pity yourself," Apollo said, "Be more cheerful."

"I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods." "You are lucky that conversation did not make it in here, satyr," Hades roared.

"Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins."

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids." "Of course," Artemis huffed.

The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad." "You know, Arty, you get really mad, real easy," Apollo chuckled at his red faced sister. "Don't call me Arty!"

""Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" Grover tensed." "Grover's a very smart satyr," Hades almost chuckled to himself but quickly let his scowl return.

"We were getting close to a touchy subject." Zeus shifted uncomfortably in his throne. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job." Hera had been enjoying her small mention in the book up until that last sentence. Zeus cleared his throat and made a gesture for me to continue reading.

"When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos." "Very powerful," Poseidon corrected.

""Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."" "I mean it was a bit more complicated that that," the gods recalled, "But sure that is the general concept.

"Zeus got the sky," I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

"Indeed, nothing much has changed since those days," Zeus grumbled.

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

"Percy changed so much for camp," Demeter considered.

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld."

Hades snorted, "Sorta do my own thing in the Underworld. Is that what you think satyr?"

Grover started turning bright red again.

"If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."" "Hey, it's not actually that bad now is it?" Nico complained.

"But Zeus and Poseidon—they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"" "I don't think it's actually a bazillion demigods, but if you combine the two of your broods you'll get close," Athena calculated.

"Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably." "That is a sentence I never thought I'd hear," Frank chuckled at Grover nervously.

""About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful." Thalia grinned and flexed her muscles.

"They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage." Nico said, "Can there ever be too much carnage?"

"World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other." Thalia pulled Nico, Hazel and Jason in for a hug and ruffled their hair, "We're all family now," she laughed.

"The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."" "It sounded like a good idea at the time."

"Thunder boomed. I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."" "If only they could have kept it," Athena grumbled.

"Grover nodded. "And the brothers kept their word—no kids?"" "Of course not," Apollo said laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach and tears were streaming down his face.

"Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon." "Technically there was no wagon to fall off of and Poseidon wasn't far behind," Zeus corrected with a scowl covering his face.

"There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo—he just couldn't help himself." Hera closed her eyes and rubbed the crease on her forehead.

"When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."" Aphrodite wiped her tears.

""But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault."" Piper couldn't quite picture Thalia has a little girl but the story was still horrible.

"Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other halfbloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters." "Those aren't exactly inspiring words to a son of Poseidon," Frank said.

"When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia." A couple glares were sent in Hade's direction but none from Thalia herself.

"A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do." Grover frowned and looked down into his lap.

He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."" "It wasn't your fault," I reminded him, (Annabeth's PoV)

"He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds." Travis and Conner shifted towards the edge of their seats, "This is getting intense," they whispered.

"They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."" "Wow," Poseidon whistled giving Thalia an approving glance.

"I stared at the pine in the distance. The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too." "Does everything make him feel guilty, Demeter muttered.

"A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother?" "Poor boy," Aphrodite cooed.

"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"" "He doesn't seriously consider this right," Hades asked. His only response was a lot of demigods vigorously trying to look the other direction.

""Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." "And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" "No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking—"," "At this point I should have just locked him in a cell or something," Grover complained, "It would have saved so much time."

"I don't think that would have gone over very well," I laughed, "Actually we would probably all be dead."

""No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?" Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea." "Well, he never did now did he," Nico said.

""Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes." "Do you actually, sniff, out halfbloods," Leo asked, "Like stick your nose in the air and walking around twitching it to catch a scent?"

"It has to be a bit more subtle," Grover demonstrated, "And you have to act natural. You know be normal. While having goat legs."

"If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."" "Wow thanks," Thalia rolled her eyes. "I prefer to call myself a huge solution," Jason added.

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."" "There's his big ego kicking in," Clarisse sat back in her beanbag.

"Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were—you know—you'd never ever be allowed a quest," "Yeah right," Rachel smiled, "Never EVER be allowed on a quest now uh. And you know this because? Could you see the future?" the oracle teased.

"And I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes." "Children of Hermes are way cooler," Chris rooted for his cabin.

"Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?" I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me." "We need to work on your people skills. Add that to the list. And we still need more work on those lying lessons," Travis and Conner collaberated.

"That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual.

At last, it was time for capture the flag." "Now this is where it gets interesting," Ares leaned forward.

"When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables. Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head. I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."" "Who would have guessed? Two giant banner being flags," Travis grinned, "he's so stupid sometimes."

""Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"" The mentioned gods sent each other glares from across the throne room.

""Not always," he said. "But often." "So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do— repaint the flag?"" "That would be too much work," Aphrodite said fanning her face with even the slightest thought of work.

"He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."" "That shouldn't be too hard," I admitted.

""Whose side are we on?" He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight." "He's not evil," I snapped, then ducked my head to avoid the questioning looks she received.

""We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help." The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded—shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities—in order to win support." "That is technically not allowed," Chiron scolded.

"Ares had allied themselves with everybody else," "That was a pretty simple dismissal," Leo complained.

"Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them." "At least some one can keep his pants on," Artemis muttered under her breath.

"Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive." "It's better that way," Katie defended herself.

"Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about." "Hey!" Piper glared at the book, "That is so stereotypical."

"They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem." "Dam right we are!" Leo cheered.

"That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet." "Why thank you," Clarisse said proudly.

"Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed." "That is awesome," Apollo said, eyes widening with excitement.

"The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed." "I believe we could negotiate on this rule a little," Ares suggested, "Like make it so that killing and maiming are allowed?" Chiron shook his head, "Absolutely not."

"I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal." Tyson whispered to Ella, "I make swords. You should visit."

""Whoa," I said. "We're really supposed to use these?" Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five." "Awe thanks," Clarisse blew the demigods a kiss, "I love you all too."

"Here—Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol." My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds." "That is a slight over exaggeration," I admitted.

"I could have snowboarded on it fine, but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"" "Was Percy seriously on the blue team on his first capture the flag," Nico asked with raised eyebrows. Percys friends laughed at the irony.

"We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment." "I wasn't that successful on my first go at it," Piper frowned in memory.

"Hey." She kept marching." "Wow you already gave him the cold shoulder," Travis tsked.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?" Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something." "In my defense," I proclaimed, "I thought, heck I even hoped he was a son of Hermes and then it would of made total sense."

"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you." "if you know what's good for you," Clarisse taunted.

"Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?" "Border patrol, whatever that means."" "Let me guess!" Apollo called out, "He gets to patrol the border."

"Spot on genius," Artemis rolled her eyes.

""It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."" "Quite right my daughter," Athena praised.

"She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust. "Okay," I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team." It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view." "How romantic, please tell me Percabeth is created tonight," Aphrodite pleaded. I rolled her eyes and said, "You're going to have to wait quite a while for that." Aphrodite pouted and gestured for me to continue reading.

"Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees." "How convenient," Frank complained, "Place the son of Poseidon next to water."

"Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot." "He looked like a complete idiot as well," I added for good measure.

"The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball." "Oh yeah I'm sure he wants his pen back right about now," Thalia teased.

"There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?" "Yeah right punk," Ares sneered, "Liability issues, who uses words like that anymore?"

"Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory." "Deer are my thing," Artemis sent her brother a glare. Apollo playfully ignored her.

"Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual. Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me. Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating." "That's slightly creepy," Chris muttered.

" On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded." "That is extremely dramatic," Katie laughed.

"Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark." "What an entrance," Chris teased his girlfriend only to get shoved out of his beanbag.

""Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed. Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet." "Rude," Clarisse called out, "My eyes are the last thing my enemies see. They can't exactly be beautiful now can they?"

"She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords—not that that made me feel any better." "Scary," Tyson whispered.

"They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin." "I have a feeling this is going to end badly," Piper chuckled, "For the Ares campers."

"I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.

Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric." "Nice touch," Ares praised his daughter.

"I fell back. Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt. They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing." Hestia frowned in her chair, "The fighting never works in the end."

"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."" "Oh no you didn't," Leo called out. The excitement level in the room was rising for everyone except Clarisse who knew how this would end.

"I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb. "Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."" "I was being sarcastic back then," Clarisse mumbled, "I can't say the same anymore," she said the second part so quietly only the people directly next to her could hear.

""The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way." "Why do I have the feeling that's not what she wanted," Jason groaned, "Don't you have better things to be doing?"

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid." "You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say." "It certainly wasn't Seaweed Brain," I said wistfully.

"Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-tke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good size cut. Seeing my own blood made me dizzy—warm and cold at the same time." "A little mean for his first time, don't you think," Hermes complained. He was beginning to like this Percy kid.

""No maiming," I managed to say. "Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege. He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die." "Wow he has a pretty short life expectancy," Nico smiled, "Most demigods make it a bit longer than their first week."

"But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans." "Nice analogy," Aphrodite said. Poseidon leaned forward thinking here it comes.

"Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water. Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig." "Yeah!" the demigods cheered and clapped as Percy won the upperhand over the daughter of the war god.

""Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!" She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek." "Well played," Jason admitted giving a weary glance towards Clarisse but she could only agree.

"Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."" "Wait, you but the camper as bait?" Hera nodded in approval.

"They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver." "No painting needed," Tyson clapped.

"The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn. The game was over. We'd won." "If only war was as easy as that," Athena whispered.

"I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero." I looked, but she wasn't there." "Well, isn't that a querky thing." Leo grinned, "I'm sure glad you can't do that anymore." I raised her eyebrow at the insight to the future.

""Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head. I felt myself getting angry." "Awe, your first fight," Piper grinned at me.

"I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible." "That's a start," Apollo said.

""You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."" "Athena always has a plan," Athena smiled at her children.

"Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."" "Well, when you put it that way," Ares said, "It actually sounds like a good plan."

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged. "You didn't need help." Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?"" "That is a really stupid question," Conner complained, "Especially from you."

""Sword cut," I said. "What do you think?" "No. It was a sword cut. Look at it."" "Oh that's now that is cool," Thalia admitted.

"The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared."I—I don't get it," I said." "Of course you don't," Nico said, but we do."

"Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning." "I know the feeling," Malcolm grinned speaking for the first time in a while.

"She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."" "That's not gonna go well," Poseidon said fearing for the fate of his son.

""What—" "Just do it." I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me. "Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good." "You are quite a cheerful one aren't you. Such a confidence booster," Apollo frowned.

"I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ."" "Excuse me!" Zeus rose out of his throne his voice rising.

"Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest." "Oh, that's not good," Hades muttered into his lap, "Not good for the kids. Not good for me."

"The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!" Annabeth drew her sword. There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers." Most of the gods glanced over to Hades for a fraction of a second before turning their attention back to the book.

"It was looking straight at me." "That's not good. Not good at all," Ella chirped from her corner. Blackjack stomped his hoof against the marble floor.

"Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"" "How sweet," Aphrodite clapped her hands, "This love affair could go somewhere. Big places." Athena looked sick to her stomach.

"She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her—an enormous shadow with teeth—and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet." "That was intense," Leo whispered, breaking the silence.

"By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly 'cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat." "If only," Hermes muttered dreamily. When he was approached by lots of evil glares he corrected himself, "I mean, that way we wouldn't be reading 10 books. Only like eight chapters of one. I could handle that."

"Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim. "Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..." "Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."" "Who would do that?!" Hazel snapped.

"Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone. Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"" "Right," Chris said to his girlfriend, "Percy summoned the hellhound that tried and nearly succeeded to kill him. That makes perfect sense." Clarisse shoved him again.

""Be quiet, child," Chiron told her. We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. "You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."" "If everyone were like him, I wouldn't have to be the god of healing," Apollo muttered, "It would open so much more time for music. Especially haikus."

"I'm okay." "No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this." I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me. Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up." "That must be a really strange feeling," Nico shifted uncomfortably his hand running over his chest.

"Some of the campers gasped. "Look, I—I don't know why," I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..." But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head." Frank let out a small, "Um, but his cuts are healing themselves. What could be cooler than that?"

""Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ..." By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident." "It's official then," Zeus muttered, "He's a son of Poseidon."

""Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."" "Hey, what's so wrong with being a son of mine," Poseidon interrupted. "Well," I started, "It lowered his life expectancy by like 50 years, and there's the issue with the prophecy."

""It is determined," Chiron announced. All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it." "We sure weren't," Clarisse complained.

""My father?" I asked, completely bewildered." "Poor kid," Hermes laughed.

""Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."" "Well. That's it then," I put the book down and looked up.

"We can't stop now," Hermes grinned and reached over for the book, "Let's see if those English reading lessons with Athena from 200 years ago paid off.

Author's Note: Hi. Hope you enjoy! PLease review (I'm really close to 100 reviews), favorite and follow. And check out my newest fan fic, So Close to Home included all seven demigods as well as Sally and Paul! Thanks guys!