Previously:
"Our people," Boromir whispered with a smile as Aragorn reached over to put his sword in his hand. "Our people." Boromir was still struggling for breath but not as much now, Percy's water doing it's job. "I would have followed you my brother. My captain...my king."

"Sorry to disappoint, Boromir," Percy said, realizing what Boromir thought was happening. "But that peaceful feeling your feeling is just my water doing it's healing magic."

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sight of our quarry but what bare rock can tell," Gimli was grumbling. They had stopped for a moment to let Aragorn do his tracking stuff.

The six of them had been chasing after the orcs carrying Pippin and Merry. Boromir was running just fine with the rest of them, if a little slower with Gimli because of his wound. Annabeth was starting to wish she'd gone with Merry and Pippin or Frodo and Sam. Percy, strangely wasn't as bad off.

"How are you not dying?" Annabeth asked her boyfriend between heavy her breathing.

"Clarisse made me run around the camp with her every morning," he answered. "I assumed it was some weird way of showing her sisterly love."

If Annabeth had the breath, she would have laughed.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," Aragorn said, showing them the brooch.

"They may yet be alive," Legolas said.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" Aragorn started running again just as Gimli stumbled and rolled on the rocks.

"Come, Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Legolas called.

Annabeth moved over to help the dwarf up. "We can do this, Gimli."

"I am wasted on cross-country!" Gimli panted. "We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

"And in talking our ears off," Annabeth heard Boromir mutter good naturally.

They had a short break as they crested a small hill of rock.

"Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets it's will against us. Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?"

"The Uruks turn Northeast. They're taking he hobbits to Isengard!"

"Saruman," Aragorn whispered.

They started running again in earnest now. Even Boromir ran fast enough to pass Percy.

"Keep breathing! That's the key! Breathe! Ho!" Gimli gasped.

Now Percy was having troubles. Though Aragorn and Legolas were still going strong.

"They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them," Legolas observed. The sun was rising now and Legolas stopped to watch it for a moment. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night."

Percy grunted breathlessly. 'That was ominous and morbid, sure you can't make any cryptic sayings about the flowers?"

Hoof beats interrupted what answer Legolas would have said. "Oh, hey. I think those are from Rohan," Percy said thoughtfully.

"How are you sure?" Aragorn asked.

"The horses are complaining about leaving their comfy home at Rohan," Percy answered. 

Aragorn left the outcrop of rock. "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" He called loudly.

The riders turn around at a signal by the guy in front. They circle the group and point their spears at them.

"What business does an elf, a dwarf, three men and a woman have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name, horse-master and I shall give you mine," Gimli said.

The speaker gets off his horse after handing his spear to the person next to him. "I would cut of your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

In a flash, Legolas had his bow out and Percy his sword. "You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas returned. The spears got closer and Aragorn pushes Legolas' bow down while Boromir pushes Percy's sword away.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Boromir, son of Denethor, Gimli, son of Glóin Annabeth, daughter of Athena and Percy, son of Poseidon, and Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king."

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," the rider said as he took off his helmet. "Not even his own kin."

As the spears retreated, Annabeth recognized who this would be.

Éomer.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say as an old man, hooded and cloaked. Everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are not spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai Westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn explained.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night," Éomer answered.

"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli spoke up with urgency.

"They would be small children to your eyes," Aragorn continued.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," Éomer pointed west.

"Dead?" Boromir sounded broken.

Éomer nods. "I am sorry."

Legolas put his hand on Gimli's shoulder and Annabeth's on Aragorn's. Boromir put his hand on Percy's but that was to steady himself from his sudden lack of balance more than to comfort the one who healed him.

Éomer turns and whistles. Two horses come through a gap in the riders surrounding them. "Hasufel! Arod! Èlodin! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." Éomer puts on his helmet again and gets back on his horse. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands." He turned to his group. "We ride North!"

Annabeth and the others watch as they ride off. Annabeth turns from the retreating sight of the riders to see Percy conversing with the horses.

"Percy?" She asked hesitantly.

"Arod here says he almost stepped on a child like creature crawling on the ground," Percy started, loud enough for the rest to hear. "He's not sure where they went but he knows they weren't with the dead uglies."

"How do you know this?" Boromir asked.

"My father created the horses in our world," Percy answered bluntly. "So I can speak with them"

Gimli turned to Annabeth. "Anything we should know about you, lass?"

Annabeth started shaking her head but was cut off by Percy. "She's the smartest person you'll ever meet. She's rarely lost a fight." Percy praised.

"Seaweed brain!"

They arrived at the pile of burnt corpses for Aragorn to see the tracks of Merry and Pippin leading away. "A hobbit lay here and the other...they crawled...their hands are bound...their bonds were cut..." he holds up the thick rope. "They run over here...they were followed...the tracks lead away form battle..." They all look up into the large forest.

"Fangorn. What madness drove them in there?" Gimli questioned.

"They were likely seeking cover," Percy said, watching the forest carefully as they ran in.

A few minutes of tracking, they found something. Gimli tasted the blood on the leaves and spits it out. "Orc blood."

"These are strange tracks," Aragorn commented.

"The air is so close in here," Boromir added, looking up and about at the hanging branches.

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory...and anger," Legolas listened to the forest.

The trees around them groan and Gimli grips his axe.

"The trees are speaking with each other," Legolas explained in awe.

Annabeth glanced around at the rest of the Comany only to do a double take at the dwarf. "Gimli!" She snapped quietly.

"Huh?"

"Lower your axe," Boromir told him.

"Oh," he whispered in realization as he lowers his weapon slowly. 

"Aragorn, nad nâ ennas!" Legolas cried. Something is out there!

"Man cenich?" What do you see?

"The White Wizard approaches," Legolas translated for them.

Annabeth relaxed. "Oh, good," she said, throwing away caution a little.

"Good?" Percy questioned her sanity. "I thought White Wizard was bad?"

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us," Aragorn warned, his hand on his sword. Gimli tightened his hold on his axe and Legolas notched an arrow. Percy tensely doesn't do anything at Annabeth's insistence. "We must be quick."

A bright light started to grow as someone tall approached them.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Annabeth suddenly exclaimed. Startling others and Legolas into releasing and arrow. "Oops, sorry, old man."

The bright light disappeared before it could get started. The old man sighed. "It is quite alright, my dear Annabeth."

"It cannot be. You fell," Aragorn protested.

"Through fire and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountains. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf!" Aragorn cried happily, now completely relaxing.

"Gandalf? Yes, that's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name," he smiled in amusement.

"Gandalf!" Gimli said in surprise.

"I am Gandalf the White," the newly appointed White Wizard paused and Aragorn smiled. "And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide." Gandalf started leading them out of the forest. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed."

Gandalf whistles. An answering neigh was heard in the distance and a white horse appears racing toward them.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," Legolas said in awe. The horse stops before Gandalf.

"Shadowfax," Gandalf introduced pleasantly. Gimli and Percy bow, leading Annabeth and Boromir to as well. "He's the Lord of all horses and he's been my friend through many dangers."

"Nice to meet you too, Shadowfax," Percy said suddenly, causing Gandalf to turn around in surprise. "No, don't you-ugh." Percy dropped his head into his hands.

"Percy?"

"Annabeth, we've got another Blackjack," Percy grumbled, his hands muffling his voice a little.

Annabeth laughed.