Their introduction to the Pegasus Stables nearly gave Will a heart attack.

"Wings," Will gaped, "Halt, look. They have wings."

"No they don't," the man replied drily, "I spiked your coffee this morning and you're hallucinating."

Will rolled his eyes, ignoring him. "Tug would look so cool with wings."

"Abelard would be better."

Horace tried to jump in. "Kicker would-"

"There is no possible pair of wings that could possibly carry around you and your big lug of an armored horse." Halt interrupted.

"Just because your horses look like overgrown dogs-"

"Overgrown dogs that could run circles around you and your pride, boy."

"- doesn't mean they're better than Kicker."

"Kicker can't chuck you a hundred feet away after bucking like a bull." Will piped up helpfully.

"Tug can't reach the top shelf of a cabinet."

"He's a horse. He doesn't need to."

"Then what's your excuse?"

"Rude."

One particular Pegasus started to neigh loudly, almost akin to laughter if Will didn't know any better.

"Blackjack!" Percy scolded, "Stop that!"

Apparently Will didn't know any better.

"Don't call me Boss! And if you don't stop laughing right now I won't give you donuts for a month!"

The Pegasus huffed loudly in Percy's face.

"That's not true! I literally just went to Dunkin' Donuts for you."

Blackjack flapped his wings powerfully, stomping his hooves.

"I only got you one- You shouldn't be having them at all!" Percy yelled indignantly, "And I meant to give you three, but Leo took them."

Will didn't think he had ever seen a horse glare so hard.

"What did you want me to do?!?" Percy squeaked, "I can't control Leo! Every time I try he burns my food!"

"Do all guys have bromances with their horses?" Evanlyn asked, "Or just our guys?"

"Will and Halt do," Alyss told her, "I know he says that Horace is his best friend, but it's definitely Tug. And Lady Pauline tells me sometimes she third wheels on Halt and Abelard. Like, he ignores her to talk to his horse but pretends he doesn't."

"Are we still sure Will and Halt are mortals?" Annabeth asked, "They're expert archers and who can apparently talk to horses. That's screaming Apollo or Poseidon."

"He can't talk to horses," Alyss clarified, "He can only talk to his horse."

"So Apollo blessed by Poseidon?"

"I'm definitely mortal, though," Will told them, joining their conversation, "Halt told me the story of how my parents died."

"Legacy?"

"Do I need to get sliced open again to prove to you I'm not a demigod?"

"That would be helpful."

"I'd prefer not to. That was kind of traumatizing."

"Blackjack, I'm sorry," Percy begged, "Can we please drop this now? There are people here!"

Another snort.

"Wha- Did you just call me a worrywart? Where did that even come from?"

You're such a worrywart.

Only one apple? You don't limit Halt to only one cup of coffee.

Will felt a sudden pang of longing for Tug. He rarely went more than a day without him by his side, and it had been a week since they'd gotten here. No sign of Trobar, who was the reason they were here in the first place, no memories, and no way to get back home. But Camp Half Blood was nothing if not welcoming, even though their group probably was endangering it in some way, shape, or form.

"I think I want to go see Zeus's Fist," Will murmured, "Maybe someone else showed up that could help us home. Maybe we could figure it out for ourselves."

"Alright," Annabeth said gently, "Let's head to the Mess Hall first, though. It's lunchtime."

"That was a given," Halt cut in.

"There is no way I can handle all this drama without another cup of coffee."

_______________

"Behold!" Percy boomed, "Pegasus Poop Pile!"

"Percy," Annabeth groaned, "Would it kill you to call it by its proper name?"

Percy tilted his head at her, "But you banned Manticore Manure Mountain."

"I meant Zeus's Fist."

"Hello, Annabeth," Percy said with a 'duh' tone of voice, "That's not even catchy. Or accurate. And there's no alliteration."

"I regret teaching you that."

Percy beamed at them. "So, Rangers and Unknowns, did you find any clues at Drakon Dung Dome yet?"

"You know Zeus can totally smite you for that, right?"

"No he can't."

"Yes he could."

"He literally couldn't kill me if he tried."

"Then he would get someone else to do it."

"Who?" Percy scoffed, "Ares? Come on, Annabeth."

"My mother is still looking for an excuse to kill you."

"Yeah. Then let's see how long it takes Old Man Bolt Dolt to find another hero willing to save his sorry butt every other day."

"... True."

"If the old married couple is quite done," Halt interrupted, "I see tracks."

He gestured toward footprints that looked to be very old, yet still large and deep.

"Human," Will mused, "Larger than normal, but still human. It's been weeks. Could they really be Trobar's?"

"It's definitely not a camper's, at least." Percy told them, "Not even the kids in the Hermes Cabin wear shoes that big. And ever since the Battle of the Labyrinth a couple of years ago we tend to steer clear of here."

"The Labyrinth," Alyss repeated softly, "Sounds dangerous."

"It was," Percy murmured, unusually grim, "We lost a lot of friends that day. But we made those deaths worth something. It's because of them we're all safe-" he cut himself off as a thought struck him, "Well, safer."

There was a short silence, broken by Halt's voice. "Has it rained in the last couple of weeks?"

"No," Annabeth shook her head, "Weather doesn't get through unless Zeus allows it, and with all of the children of Demeter here, the strawberry fields are well kept so we don't really need rain."

"So they could be Trobar's."

"We played Capture the Flag here last Friday."

"None of you are heavy enough to press into the dirt like that. And yet those tracks are still there."

"Let's follow them!" Horace cheered.

"Really." Halt deadpanned, "But I had intended to sit here and watch the abnormally large footprints fade."

Will looked at the demigods apologetically. "That's Halt for Listen to Horace, let's go."

"I would miss three dozen targets in a row before I would ever say anything that would translate into Listen to Horace."

"I resent that." Horace pouted, "I'm your fourth- wait no, Alyss started dating Will- fifth favorite kid and you know it."

"I have always liked Alyss more than you, boy."

"Ah. Because you're hitched to Lady Pauline."

"You keep making excuses as to why you're my least favorite in the vague hope that it will change my opinion."

"But Halt hates people who talk," Will finished.

"Which begs the question of how you are my favorite."

Annabeth groaned. "Even Percy and Leo don't buddy banter so much."

"Can we please just follow the tracks?" Alyss agreed with a sigh.

"Listen to Alyss," Halt said, "Let's go."

"Halt!"

_______________

The tracks, strangely enough, led them directly to the sea.

"Huh," Percy grunted, "Long Island Sound. Does your boy swim?"

"I don't think Trobar's ever even been to the water." Will shrugged, "I mean- Look out!"

His bow was out in a flash, arrow nocked, but it was too late. He was thrown to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, the shot ending up in the sand twenty feet away.

"Will!"

"Argh!" Horace growled, pulling at whatever was on top of him, "Percy, what do you think you're doing?"

"Not letting Will kill my brother!"

"Huh?"

When Horace finally got Percy to get off of Will, the Ranger took a second look at the lumbering giant that had been about to strangle Percy to death.

The giant in question was well over six feet tall, had tousled brown hair and equally brown gunk covered teeth. His height was matched only by muscles that looked like they could bend iron on a whim.

More frightening then all of that, however, was the single, deep brown eye in the center of his face.

"Percy, he's got a club in his hand!"

"It's called a stick, Will, get it right!"

"He only has one eye!"

"I only have one nose, but you don't judge me, do you?"

"Wha- Percy!"

"Brother!" The giant cried, his voice far more childish and high pitched than Will had originally imagined, "No one has killed you dead yet!"

Percy smiled up at him, the rest of the group, minus Annabeth of course, looking on in shock.

"Guys, this is Tyson," Percy introduced him happily, "General of the Cyclops Army, worker in Poseidon's forges, and my baby brother."

"Baby brother?" Horace gaped, "Dude, if you're secretly fifty three or something you have to tell us."

"Note to self," Percy muttered, "Keep Horace away from Leo. He's being corrupted."

"And yeah," he continued, "Ty here's a Cyclops. He's... uh, what are ya, big guy? Like eleven? Oh wow, you're eleven now."

"Yeah! Briares and I have been working hard in Daddy's forge and I made a magic sword!"

His eye scanned the group, quickly landing on Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" He cried happily, grabbing her in a hug, "Yay!"

"Tyson," She chokes out, feeling her ribs about to break, "A little too tight there, buddy."

He dropped her, not looking sorry in the slightest.

"What are you doing on the beach, anyway?" Annabeth asked him.

"He felt you on the beach so Daddy let me take a break to come see you. Is Ella here?"

"No, but we are looking for someone. Alyss?

Ever the diplomat, Alyss stepped forward, "Hello, Tyson."

"Hi!" He cheered, "You are pretty. You look like Annabeth."

"Thank you," Alyss nodded, "We're sisters. But have you seen anyone named Trobar? He has a speech impediment and is larger than three people. He went missing around two or three weeks ago and hasn't been seen since."

"I know Trobar!" Tyson grinned, flashing his peanut butter covered teeth again, "I'll go get him for you!"

"That," Evanlyn said slowly, "Was much easier than expected."

"After Will made an attempt on a poor preteen's life, of course," Halt commented.

"There was a muscled giant with a club coming up from behind Percy about to wrap his arms around him," Will spluttered, "What if he was actually trying to kill him?"

Percy waved a hand flippantly. "Bro, next time just let it happen. You have no idea how many attempts on my life have been made in the past couple months alone, man. I'm used to it."

"Wi' Trea'y!"

Trobar came running through the surf towards them, stopping himself just before Will got knocked off his feet for the second time that day.

"He's that big and a Cyclops and just nearly tackled you and you were about to shoot Tyson?!? Double standards, dude!" Percy protested.

"He's a Cyclops..." Halt thought aloud, "He definitely had two eyes, though. However that does explain how he grew too fast for his village and his silent strength."

"The Mist is powerful sometimes," Annabeth explained, "Even for the clearsighted. If you weren't looking for it, you might never have seen it."

"Trobar!" Will breathed in relief, "Are you okay? Malcolm's been worried sick about you. Where are the dogs?"

"Calm down there, Will," Halt said, "Wouldn't want to hurt yourself."

"No' here," Trobar told him, "Lef' in fores'."

"Wait, really?" Horace asked incredulously, "And you were okay with that?"

"Ro' loo'ed 'angerou'. Lef' the' there."

Halt's eyebrow shot up, serious now. "Strange. We didn't see them."

Panic flashed in Trobar's eyes, which Alyss quickly quelled with a hand on his forearm. "They'll be okay, Trobar."

The giant man took a deep, shuddering breath, eventually nodding.

Without warning, he began to walk back into the forest, leaving the group with nothing to do but follow him, confused.

"So how'd you find him, Ty?" Percy questioned his brother quietly at the back of the group, but not quietly enough for Will's sharp ears to miss.

Will didn't know that Tyson, as excitable as he was, was capable of whispering.

"I was gonna go visit Annabeth and you and clean the cabin! But I found him and brought him to see Daddy!"

"Don't tell me... Is he our brother, too?"

"Nope! Daddy let him work in the forges with us, though. He's so good!"

Will shook his head, chuckling good-naturedly at the pair.

"Thi' wa' i'."

Will blinked. Sometimes Trobar's inability to pronounce most consonants made him really difficult to understand.

"The ro'."

Oh.

"It's Zeus's Fist," Will told him, "It's where we came from, too. Trobar... do you remember where we're from? Do you remember anything, really?"

The large man didn't answer him, instead reaching out a hand toward the rock pile, almost unconsciously.

His fingers brushed against the rock face.

And all hell broke loose.

Trobar was gone, swirled up by the structure. But Zeus's Fist didn't stop there.

It became an angry vortex, uprooting trees and swallowing the dirt around it.

"Hold on!" Horace yelled, unsheathing Backbiter and stabbing it deep into the ground in an attempt to anchor himself.

"Gee, Horace!" Evanlyn growled, clinging to a tree, "Wonderful idea."

"Halt, you are such a bad influence!"

"Not the time!"

The soil around Will was flying backward, making it hard for him to see. He blinked past it, gaining his bearings and realizing that the vortex was dangerously close to swallowing him next.

"Will!" Percy called out to him, "Grab my hand!"

From where he was desperately using his saxe knife to save himself, he reached out for Percy's hand.

"Just a little farther!"

Fighting the pulling force of what was left of Zeus's fist, he used his last burst of strength to leap for Percy's hand.

Their fingers brushed

And missed.

Will flew backward faster than he thought possible, tumbling mid air.

"Will! No!"

He struck a solid mass, the air shoved out of his lungs and feeling like he had fallen three stories. Yet, he felt himself hit the ground ten feet away from where he would have met his doom, far enough to grab a tree that hadn't yet been absorbed.

There was a telltale snort in his ear.

Pull it together.

In that moment, he could have cried in happiness.

Tug.

He heard another, slightly less familiar whinny. Abelard.

For a split second, the vacuum grew stronger, the whistling of air rushing past his ears deafening him.

An explosion, large enough to throw everything within twenty feet of the rock far away.

He went flying again, feeling branches and rocks rip at his cloak and scrape through his skin. The startled yells of his friends reached his ears, and he rolled a couple times before stopping, gasping for breath.

Silence.

"We're alive," he heard Percy pant, "We're alive!"

They were alive, sure, but Will's Ranger instincts forced him to take in their surroundings. Trobar was gone, trees torn from the ground, and a perfect circle of missing earth surrounded a huge pit going straight down, so deep he couldn't see to the bottom.

"Good," Annabeth grit out.

"Then you can explain to Chiron why Zeus's Fist is missing."