"Percy I needed this signed, yesterday."

"Percy, Ms. Dare wants to speak with you. She said it's urgent."

Percy, the new shipment of grappling hooks just arrived."

"Percy-"

"OH MY GODS." Percy Jackson grabbed his head trying to quell the pounding headache. The group of agents around him looked slightly startled at their director.

Percy was not cut out for this. He never handled any of this crap. He was used to handling mission reports and funding projects and general affairs with the government. He never had to worry about the paperwork before.

Then again he'd never been Annabeth-less before either.

"Oi!" A loud voice broke through the crowd surrounding Percy. Everyone moved aside to make room for Clarisse La Rue, head of training. "Morons, you know where to put the grappling hooks, signed papers need to be run through Gwen and Butch in Public Relations, and everything with Dare is flipping urgent--She can wait a day!"

The people nodded sharing looks.

"GO!" Clarisse bellowed (Though, that was really all she ever did). Everyone scattered leaving the hallway empty except for Percy and Clarisse. It was the first silence Percy had had since Annabeth had called it quits three days ago.

"Than-"

Clarisse jabbed a finger into Percy's chest, giving him a bruise, "Get yourself together, Prissy! Either learn what to do or go get Blondie back. I ain't gonna keep covering for you, got it?"

"I would go get Annabeth again, but no one knows where in Hell she is." Percy snapped, rubbing his temples, "Damnit, Annabeth!"

Clarisse snarled, "Better figure something out, Jackson. Or everything's going to follow her to Hell!" She drew back and crossed her arms, "Also, you made a mistake in my next mission. There's no way I'm teamed up with that reg, Chris Rodriguez."

Percy rubbed his eyes, "That was the one thing I didn't mess up today-"

That's when the Alarm sounded: a series of three horn calls repeated over and over again. Percy and Clarisse looked at each other and cursed.

"Intruder!" Percy scrambled towards the end of the hall drawing his pen-sword Riptide. The agents had scattered running around in an organized panic. Percy hoped the new recruits were following orders. Frank and Hazel had been hanging out in the training room sparing, and Piper was going to the forge to meet Leo last he saw her sparkling blue eyes.

He practically flew through the area towards the control room, where he would receive the report, Clarisse followed him with jeering yells to everyone else.

"What happened?" Frank appeared with Hazel in tow right next to them, easily keeping pace. Percy didn't know why he expected them to be somewhere else. 

Percy sighed, "No clue."

"All I saw were two guys with sandy brown hair," Hazel said. "Then they was gone!"

Percy and Clarisse stopped, mid-pace. "Did you say sandy brown hair?"

Hazel and Frank nodded obviously confused. The other two agents cursed so fierce Frank had to cover poor Hazel ears.

"The Box Office." Clarisse said. Percy nodded and they changed course sharply without bothering to explain. Percy jumped down a staircase and bounded towards the second to last door on the thirty fifth floor.

He threw the door open to find a boy maybe a year or two younger than him sitting at a computer typing ferociously. Percy grabbed him by his collar and dragged him from the computer at sword point. Clarisse ran past them into the long hall of boxes that looked all the same except for a number code on the bottom left corner. There was the sound of a scuffle, something heavy was dropped. When Clarisse came back she was dragging a slightly older boy with a black eye by his ear and she tossed him against the wall opposite to the other intruder.

"What the Hell are you two doing?" Percy demanded.

"What? No good to see you alive, Perce? I'm hurt." The younger boy faked a whimper.

Clarisse growled, "Get Lou, we can wipe their memories and set them out again."

Percy nodded agreeing, "Hazel please-"

"No wait!" The other boy yelled struggling from Clarisse's grip, "Please, Percy wait!"

The director paused.

"The truth is..." Connor and Travis Stoll looked at him pleadingly, "We need your help."

***(Theme song of obvious awesomeness)***

"Help?" Percy repeated.

"Oh come on!" Clarisse complained, "You can't seriously believe these two face liars!"

"I swear on my life, I'm not lying this time! Thieves Honor!" Travis said, squinting through his bruised eye. "Percy, Please!"

Percy didn't say anything. His lips were pressed into a tight line and the bags under his eyes seemed to darken like his mood was. Nothing good ever came when the Stolls were around. Percy had enough to worry about now that Annabeth had gone invisible to the whole world. Whatever thing the Stoll were doing it was going to humiliating, most likely directed at Percy, but at least it would be quick. 

He said, "You've got thirty seconds to give me a good reason to help you."

Connor and Travis shared a look. Then Connor did something that had never happened before. He rolled his eyes at his brother, crossing his arms like a reluctant child who got dragged to a formal event and told to be quiet.

"Whoa, wait," Clarisse said noticing it as well.

"Connor!" Travis called sharply, looking hurt.

"What, I told you we shouldn't have done it! Now look where we are! This is all your fault Travis!" Connor snapped back.

"Is not!"

"Is too!" 

"Is not!" 

"Is too!" Connor roared.

"Is not!" Travis spit right back, "You didn't have to come!"

Connor lunged at him but Percy held him back, "You idiot!" He gnashed his teeth, "I go with you everywhere! We're a team, remember?!"

"Is-"

"Stop!" Percy yelled, "What the Hell is going on?"

Travis made a gutted noise from the back of his throat. Connor ignored him glaring at the ground. They were both silent, which was also something that never happened. Percy couldn't believe it.

There was one thing the Stolls were notorious for: Being completely in sync with each other. Even though Travis was older by a year both the boys seemed to be able to read each others minds with just a single eye connection. They never disagreed on anything. Especially not when it came to breaking and entering and theft, which were their favorite past times. This was unheard of.

Finally Connor mumbled under his breath and looked right into Percy's eyes, "Travis found a girl and he let it go to his head."

"Son of a bit-" Travis clamped his mouth shut and took a deep haunting breath, "That's not what happened. Katie is just a friend. I'm concerned for her welfare." He shook of Clarisse's grip and readjusted his green jacket--the only thing that really set him apart from his brother. "Can we sit somewhere else? This might take a couple minutes."

Clarisse snorted in disbelief, "Go figure. I told you, Director, everything's going to Hell." She shouldered past him roughly, "I'm turning off that damn alarm." She didn't give Frank or Hazel another look but swept back down the hallway. 

The Stolls were refusing to look at each other. Percy wished Annabeth was here. She'd say that one thing and the Stolls would be united again out of pure fear of her. "Come on," He told them, "We can use the second office. Hazel, Frank, can you get Piper and Leo? I think they're in the Forge. I've got a feeling this is going to take the day."

***(That one repeating Commercial that no one even likes)***

"So you wanted to see P-me?" Jason said sliding on to the bench next to the elfish kid. Leo was grinning something fierce, like he'd broken the laws of Physics. His goggles rested on his forehead pushing back his hair like a headband. His eyes had dark bags under them and Jason wondered if he'd slept since they had gotten back. 

Piper had. It seemed that when one of them went to sleep the other assumed control. Even if Jason was deep in a dream, the second Piper slipped, he was jolted awake. And then he was stuck in Piper's room staring at the ceiling. Once or twice he'd snuck out to the coffee shop and ordered something Piper didn't like and drained it just so he could stay awake and Piper could get a full nights rest. Piper, of course, had found out and tried to kick him. Like how dare he try to be nice to her?

"Oh," Leo blinked surprised up at him, "Hey!" He said, "I finally finished my thank you gift!" He show it to them. Piper snorted.

"That's a watch." She said, "I already have one of those." 

Jason was aware of that. It told the time in San Francisco, however, not New York, and therefor the watch was useless to him. Instead he said to Leo , "I already have a watch, Dude." 

He actually really liked the watch Leo had made. It was navy blue with silver accents and a screen that told the time, date, and day of the week. It had the four corner buttons for settings, modes, light, and alarms.

"Trust me, Man," Leo said, "You're gonna want this one." His eyes sparkled with madness. Jason was afraid that he was gonna burst into flames at any second. "Come one just put it on!" 

"Fine, Repair Boy." Piper sighed like she was in control. Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He held out his arm for Leo to latch the watch around his wrist. Leo chuckled and easily slipped it around Piper's wrist. 

"Ow!" Jason pulled back as the side bit into his skin. He knew even Piper could feel it because she yelped as well grabbing her arm, "That's too tight, Man!"

Leo just shrugged. "Beauty is pain, Sparks." 

Jason stiffened at the sound of Piper's nickname for him. Leo hummed along pointing out things his watch could do, most of which every other watch could do. He set the correct time, bragging that he'd made the entire thing from scratch. 

"Well, Beckendorf got me the blue print," Leo said, "But I made some modifications. Like my selling point- this!" He pointed to the side of the watch. A simple switch was there, labeled with three types: Solid, Merge, and Gas. Jason frowned. The switch was currently set in the Merge spot.

"What's it do?" Jason asked for Piper.

Instead of answering, Leo flipped the switch to Solid. All at once everything changed. The watch sparked and blue light drove into Piper's veins causing both of them to yell out in surprise. A bright light flashed from the watch screen blinding Jason. 

"Leo, What the Hell!" He yelled.

"Repair Boy!" Piper cried.

When the blinding light subsided Jason rubbed his eyes and glared at the cheekily smiling tinkerer, who looked like he won the lottery. 

"Can we take a moment to  appreciate the fact that I just broke the natural world?" He asked pointing with his screwdriver. "Man, I am so awesome." 

Jason didn't see what was so praise worthy about a white flashing light. It was more prank worthy. That was until Jason followed Leo's screwdriver point to a sheet of metal laying to the side. Acting as a mirror, the silver sheet shone with his reflection. 

Jason's reflection. 

"Holy Shit," Jason whispered looking down at his own hands. He was shaking from head to toe. He was in his own body, wearing the same blue and gray sweatshirt from High School and his second favorite pair of jeans. He ran a ran through his blond hair, too shocked to get anymore words out. He was whole. He was solid.

He was completely solid.

"Jason?"

He turned quickly, to see Piper standing there with the same astonished face as he had. She looked the same as she had when he'd been borrowing her body. Except now she wore a prefect facsimile of the same watch he had on.

"Come on," Leo said dancing a little, "You can say it: Leo you are the sexiness genius ever to walk on the earth. You're so smart and handsome and I would do anything and everything to repay you-"

Piper slapped him upside the head. "Repair Boy," she chided.

"Okay that's not the thank you I was expecting." He rubbed his ear turning back to Jason, "So Sparks, glad we can finally meet." He held out his hand, "Leo Valdez, King of Geniuses."

Jason slowly took his hand. A wonderful feeling flickered across his skin. He was touching someone! Leo's hand was awkwardly warm, but Jason couldn't care less, "How-?"

"Magic." He shrugged, "It's not perfect, yet. It'll only last for a couple minutes, and then you'll start deteriorating again. The Merge stage can allow to jump back into somebody if you run out of time. And the gas form is if you want to commit suicide." Leo laughed at Jason's sudden panicked look.

"Nah I'm kidding. It will allow you to go intangible for a couple seconds, but it's dangerous. The watch can only do it like twice before it can't pull you back together again. Until I can prefect it, try not to use it, please. Piper would kill me if you suddenly disappeared into the wind."

"What does mine do?" Piper looked excited, flipping the switch, "Can I become a ghost too?"

"Yours does absolutely nothing." Leo told her. She pouted.

Suddenly an alarm went off, shocking Jason nearly back out of his skin.

Leo looked thoughtful, "It would be rather inconvenient if that was you."

Jason slugged him lightly in the arm, "Not funny, man!"

"Will you people stop hitting me?!"

"Jason, you ought to merge again, anyway." Piper said with her flowing voice, "even if it's not you, your time's almost up."

Even as she said it Jason could feel the invisible wind coming back. Bits of him fluttering off like he was made of golden dust. Jason sighed. But then he grinned, "Thanks, Leo, I owe you one."

Leo waved him off, "Tampering with the laws of nature is my style, bro." He turned to a nearby desk littered with blue prints as if picking out his next project.

Jason turned to poor Piper, his face turning red, "uh, can I? I mean I-"

Piper rubbed her arm, "Sharing my body, huh?"

"You don't mind? I mean, you're a girl and I don't-"

"Well is not like we didn't do it before." Piper's ears turned red, "Besides I don't want your death on my consciousness. It might get lonely with only my thoughts in my head." She held out her hand, "Sharing is caring, right?"

Jason took it. And he flicked the switch on his watch. With barely a thought he slipped back into Piper. He took control and Piper hung out in the back of their mind. It was weird, She almost seemed happier, now.

"Hey, Jason?" Leo asked. He was pulling off his goggles allowing his mop of brown curls to fall forward again. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Uh sure," Jason said.

"Can you jiggle Piper's titties for me?" He asked, "Just for a second. It'll be real quick plea-"

Jason wasn't sure which of them actually took control of Piper's fist but he didn't mind that Leo was withering on the ground in immense pain.

"I'll take that as a no?" He moaned.

Piper hugged herself, cursing him in another language. Jason thought it was French but he wasn't sure. Jason felt sick, the Hell was wrong with Leo?! He really thought that Jason was that kind of guy?! Jason might actually throw up.

"Good," Leo groaned running his jaw, "just wanted to make sure you weren't a perv like that. Nice punch."

"Jackass," Piper muttered.

The door to Leo's private forge opened with a loud bang and the sounds of the other projects from the other Pegasus Agents were briefly let in. Jason stiffened expecting some army of highly trained agents to burst in and shoot them all down to get him, but only that golden eyed girl walked in with her towering tacit friend following.

"Hazel, Frank!" Piper sang.

"Sup?" Leo called to them.

Hazel wore a thoughtful expression, "Percy wanted us to come and get you. There were two intruders and Percy thinks they'll need our help."

Jason nodded and Leo tossed his screwdriver into the table sill running his jaw. Jason was sure he saw Frank's mouth twitch upward in a small smile but it happened so have he might have imagined it.

"That's a nice watch." Frank said. Jason tucked it under Piper's jacket sleeve.

"Thanks, Leo made it." Jason shot the forger a dirty look, letting him know he was not forgiven. Piper seemed to disagree. Leo didn't even look ashamed, he had that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, that admitted that maybe, just maybe Piper had deserved that comment in the first place.

"I kinda deserved it." Piper said moodily, "I do call him Repair Boy and give quite a bit of grief." 

And reluctantly, Jason realized this was going to be the start of a rather good friendship....somehow.

***

Connor was sulking into a cup of root beer, and took the farthest seat from Travis that he could get. Travis was twisting his straw wrapper around his ring finger and thumb and generally ignoring the hate vibes that his brother was throwing at him. 

Frank was watching them both with slight confusion. Hazel sat in between him and Travis bouncing one of her cinnamon curls. Leo had strolled in with a cup of Pepsi waiting for him, and kicked his feet up on the table. Piper had followed suit, kicking her feet up on top of Leo's like a stack. She'd also taken his soda before proclaiming that he was inhuman to think that Pepsi was a good soda and gave it back.

"Guys," Percy Jackson was standing with his back against the wall. "This is Travis and Connor Stoll. They use to work for Pegasus like a year ago. They are both adroit thieves with super speed." He twisted Riptide in his fingers waiting for Travis to explain exactly what was going on. He tried not to think too much about where Annabeth might be. It seemed when she wasn't there she caused more distractions that when she was. Percy wouldn't mind a bit of her lip distraction....

"This is a new paint coat." Travis said suddenly, "Last time we were in here it was a lighter blue."

"Last time you guys swore you'd never be back." Percy pointed out, "So what changed?"

Travis glanced at Connor who continued to ignore his existence. "After we left Pegasus, we headed back home. Except that Mom moved out and didn't leave a number or place. Which is fine with us, Mom hated having us around. I bet she moved out the second we joined up.

"So Connor and I agreed to travel a bit. We gathered some cash-" Travis didn't bother saying that they stole it-- that was already implied the second they'd walked in, "- and went around taking capricious trips wherever one of us wanted to go. We went everywhere. It was kinda fun. Other tourists are so dumb. I think I stole this guys entire bag an entire six hours before he even noticed. He was loaded, man, I'm talking like five fifty just in his wallet, not counting his credit cards and gift cards-"

"Point, Stoll," Percy cut in.

"We had been ours nights in a fancy hotel, one of the ones with the fancy pillow mints. But Connor got sick of the conventional Hotel Breakfast and we decided to go to the cute little dinner next door. Demeter's Garden, open six am to ten pm. And our waitress saw me steal a couple bucks from woman on the way out and she went off on us. Call me a lying son of a bitch, and told me she hoped
I burned in Hell."

"So you mean like every other girl who you've ever talked to?" Percy deadpanned.

Travis looked offended, "What is this? Hate on Travis day? I'm trying to do something nice for once!" Connor snorted to his root beer. 

"The problem was that we kept running into the waitress, Katie-"

"Oh please!" Connor finally snapped, "You act like it was all coincidence! You were smitten with her from the moment you saw her, Travis! Guess where he always wanted to go suddenly? Demeter's Garden. Guess who he always wanted to be our waitress? Katie freaking Gardner! He got her number and wanted to hang out with her all the time. He even freaking applied to a job at that dinner!"

 "Did you get the job?" Leo asked, fixing a handful pipe cleaners into the same of a model airplane. Travis shook his head, sheepishly.

"So here's the bloody flipping truth," Connor snapped, "Travis is in love and Katie ditched their date." 

"It was not a date! We were just going for a walk! And Katie texted me that she was coming and didn't show. And get this, No one knows where she went. It's like she vanished off the face of the earth." Travis turned to Percy, "I know you had Beckendorf whip up a Cerebro tracking device, I was there when you searched for the Di Angelos. It will take less than a second, Perce. I am really worried for her." 

Connor slunk down his his chair, grumbling something under his breath. Hazel inhaled sharply at the sound of Nico and Bianca's last name. The Stolls didn't seem to notice. Travis continued to look pleadingly at the Director of Pegasus. "Please. Katie's not the type to get up and leave in the debt of night. I'm....I'm scared that the Monster might have gotten a hold of her." 

Both Piper and Leo stiffened. Percy, himself winced, knowing that he couldn't deny now. Travis's logic made sense. The Monster's were notorious for abducting people. If Katie was a mutant that would be even worse. Percy wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anyone got seriously hurt because he disregarded a plead like this. 

"Fine," Percy sighed, "I'll have Beckendorf--"

The door burst inwards, causing Leo to squeal out like a little girl. Piper, Connor, and Travis were all on their feet before Percy could even see who was their. Frank had changed into a raven (like that made sense!) And Hazel was clutching her chest like she was going to have a heart attack.

Agent Silena Beauregard was leaning in the door way huffing and puffing as if she'd just run all the stairs up to the fortieth level from the the tech department. "Perce..." She gasped, "There's something...Damn...you've got to see it!" She thrust a sleek black tablet in his hands. The screen lit up at his fingerprint showing a reel of live news clips.

Percy couldn't find any words to respond. His eyes stared at he news channel where a brunette reporter was frantically yelling into her mic and pointing behind her. Piper and Leo squeezed on either side of him to see the screen and Piper immediately drew back looking sick to her stomach. 

"What is it?" Frank asked. 

Percy clicked the power button and tossed the tablet back to Silena. "Get back to tech and message Clarisse, she's not going to want to miss this. Then get all Med and Evacuation there! Now!" He turned to the rest of his team, "Suit up, all of you." He looked pointedly at the Stolls, "I found your girl." 

The color drained from Travis's face, "Good thing?" He asked weakly.

"If you call terrorizing Downtown with a huge plant monster good," Percy uncapped Riptide and walked towards the door, "then I guess Katie's doing stupendous."

***(It's a Pillow! It's a Pet! It's another Commercial to waste your time!)***

Travis was on his feet in a flash. Even without Connor and using their power, Travis was wicked fast. He looked panicked, his face drained of the usual tanned color and his mischievous for once looking terrified. 

"She wouldn't!" Travis said, "Katie loves everything! She wouldn't attack unless she was being manipulated. Percy, I swear!" 

Percy rubbed his forehead, "Dude, half of downtown has been obliterated. I don't have time to question if she's under her free will or not. She needs to stop or be stopped." He ran to a cabinet near the end of the room and threw it open. "Everyone get to the Docking Bay." He told his team, "Go, I'll meet you." Piper and Leo shared a look and shrugged before rushing out the door. Hazel hesitated but bird Frank cawed at her and they both ran to the door. 

Percy yanked out two uniforms from the cabinet and tossed on to both the boys. They were both familiar windbreakers- black with colored accents, one green and one yellow, and the Pegasus Logo on the back. They both looked surprise that Percy had kept their uniforms at all. Travis slipped his on over his other jacket without a second thought, but Connor didn't even move.

Travis looked back at his brother, desperately, "Connor please, I have to-"

"Have to do what?" Connor grumbled, "What are you going to do, Trav? Talk to her? We aren't fighters. That's not what our power does. What if she won't listen to you? What if she's doing this out of her own free will? What will you do then Travis?"

"Katie wouldn't-"

 "Hell, did you even know she was a mutant?" Connor suddenly jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor behind him. His blue eyes burned with a fire that almost seemed to leap from his irises. "Think about it Travis! Do you really know anything about her at all?"

Travis took a step away shaking his head. Betrayal flooded his faint elfish features, "So this is how it's going to be?" He nodded, without waiting for his brother's answer which was quite obvious, "Fine, I'll go alone." 

"Travis!" Connor shouted, but the other boy had left already.

Percy glanced back. "Don't steal anything, Stoll," He said and left Connor in the room alone staring down at the yellow Pegasus logo on his old uniform. Percy almost thought he saw the other boy wipe away a tear.

***

They had to ditch the car. There were too many innocent regs all over the place, running around, screaming, flooding the roads. 

The street was one that Percy had driven down at least half a million times before. But the buildings were all but rumble. Police were trying to set up a line but there were too many people. Sirens wailed in dissonant screams with the people. Smoke tainted the sky, fires burning, cars had flipped and crashed and everywhere he looked someone was trying to get help. 

Travis didn't wait for him to start giving orders. He was gone the moment the truck stopped. He moved through the crowd disappearing like a valiant ghost.

Percy threw an arm out and put out a fire that was consuming an apartment building. The plumbing exploded, but he figured that was better than the building collapsing or falling over.

"Hazel, Frank, go help Fire and Rescue get people to safety. Get the people out of the buildings!" He commanded, "Piper, Leo, go with Travis. Do what you need to. Piper try to talk Katie down, but if you can't then....take her down." Percy winced at his own words. He real wished Annabeth was here to give better orders. 

"All of you..." He said, "Try not to die, alright?"

Leo snorted, "No Promises, Perce." 

Frank nodded once and rushed off, moving quickly for his rather cumbersome build. Hazel's eyes turned fulling gold as she held her hands out at another building and scurried off with a tiny smile. Piper gave him a half wave and took to the rooftops vaulting through the sky with the ease of a human gazelle.

"Show off." Leo muttered and took off after her, struggling through the crowd. 

Percy stood still for only just a second hoping he hadn't just sent them all to their deaths. Then he did what he did best. He started saving lives.

***

Travis drove out of the way of a plant stem the size of a tree as it crashed down right next to him. Blood was trailing down his cheek and didn't didn't really remember how he'd gotten the cut. All he knew is that Katie was not doing this of her own free will.

The Monster was at least fifty feet tall. A hybrid plant monster with tentacle legs thicker than Condo buildings snaking out and moving constantly. Every root was covered in flower buds that with every hit released deadly amounts of pollen and spores into the air.  Anything that got near was either crushed or poisoned. Katie was resting on the head, a Venus Fly trap that was digesting rush hour traffic, looking out with her green eyes unfocused and a blank face. 

"Katie!" Travis yelled yet again. She didn't move, Travis doubt she heard him over the roar of the chaos that was ensuing. He could see Leo trying to protect a family from a cloud of poisonous spores by burning them in the air. Piper was shepherding people away with her magical voice. Travis was moving quicker than lightning but even then he was just barely dodging Katie's attacks. He couldn't get close enough. 

Clarisse had shown up with a bunch of other Pegasus agents, some Travis knew and looked surprised to see him, other were completely new to him. They all were beating back Katie's attacks with various ways. Clarisse was stabbing everything with her spear and letting explosions of red energy enforce her attacks. Butch was focusing sun light into tight energy that worked just like spontaneous bombs. They were keeping Katie at bay if only for the second.

Was it bad that Travis found her intoxicating amount of power even more attractive?

Travis bounded past a couple of Pegasus agents and jumped on a root vine racing up it at max speed. The wind was hitting his face like a car at ninety miles an hour. But he couldn't stop. He had to reach Katie, before something happened that was truly unrecoverable. He jumped landing on another moving branch and swung himself with momentum that would've made any other person turn fifty shades of puke. He flung himself around ignoring the laws of gravity. He wished he'd remembered to hold onto his old goggles, so he could freaking see. 

One of Clarisse's energy rays sliced at the withering vine Travis had been on and he dove forward through a narrow notch of three different stems moving at different speeds. He pulled his knees tightly up to fit through the space.

His foot scraped the edge of a leafy limb and an explosion of pollen sprayed into the place he'd been seconds earlier. Travis could see Katie just ahead. He grabbed the side of the Venus Fly trap head a good portion away from the salivating mouth. 

"Katie!" He yelled, "Katie, It's me!" 

She didn't turn to look at him. 

The head jerked to the side and Travis nearly fell off. He climbed slowly, reaching towards the only girl who could ever steal off of him.

"Kit-Kat!" He called. She was just out of reach now. Less than an arms length away. An emerald glow flowed around her, like an aura of beauty. 

Her head tilted to the side as a stray beam of orange power blasted a vine behind them. 

"Katie!" Travis screamed, "It's me Travis!"

Her eyes blinked.

"Katie, you need to wake up! You're hurting people! I know this isn't you!" He said, "Come on, baby! Come back to me." 

"Tr-Travis?" She murmured. She turned to look at him, sleepily. "What's going on?"

Travis felt his heart leap. She looked at him, her dazzling eyes that daring green that all couldn't be found in any paint, her nose crinkling with confusion and her splash of freckles shining in the light of the fights.

"Katie, I need-" 

"To stop talking." The guy appeared out of no where. Travis didn't even have time to brace himself. The other guy flicked something at him and everything under him jolted upwards. Travis yelled out at the sudden change. The air suddenly compressed around him, like a physical thing. It held him upside down a few feet from the guy. 

"So you're the guy Katie's so connected to, right?" He asked, his hand flitting about. He had slick black hair and wore the color jeans and a leather jacket. A single black earring pierced his left ear. The boy was about his age, with a smirk that belonged in an insane asylum. How did Travis miss him standing there?

"What was it, Travis?" The guy asked resting his elbow on Katie's head as if she were his little pet. Anger boiled in Travis's stomach and he struggled against the invisible bonds holding him. 

"Get off of her!" He yelled.

The guy snickered, drawing back his hair. "Make me, why don't cha." He grinned. 

"Katie!" Travis yelled at her, "Katie, wake up!"

But her irises had unfocused against as another of her monster's arms wielded up and threw a school bus at Clarisse. 

The guy said, "She can't hear you now that I'm touching her." He knelt next to her, "Right Katie? I'm the only one you can hear?" She nodded scarily zombie-like. Travis gaped as he smirked at him, "Let's take out that building next, okay? And get rid of those morons over there. And then we can mutate the spores to be water resistant or even better: let them spread even better in the water!"

She did it with barely a hesitation. The building collapsed into ruin with one heavily slam of her plant's legs. A squadron of Clarisse's soldiers was decimated under an attack that shook the earth to its core. Travis watched with a horrid fascination as a broken fire hydrant spewing water was adulterated and the clear blue turned a dark black.

"You see," The guy said grinning, "I can manipulate anything I touch. Objects, plants, human minds...I can make anyone do anything."

"Son of a bit-" Travis cut off with a yell of pain as the air tightened it's grip. There was a loud crack and Travis was unsure if it was his ribs snapping or his back cracking--no it was the ribs. Agony swelled in his chest like the blood swamping his head and threatening drag him into darkness. 

"Careful lover boy," he said, "That includes the air itself."

Travis spit a bit of blood out of his mouth.

"Name's Ethan Nakamura." The boy said finally, "I figured I should tell you. It's only right that you know exactly who orchestrated your death."

Before Travis could say anything, Ethan opened his palm and the air dispersed. Travis fell right into the waiting jaws of Katie's monsterous Venus Fly Trap.

***(Commercial break: Get LifeAlert today!)*** 

Travis would've flailed his arms if it didn't hurt to breathe. His scream caught in his throat and he seemed to fall for a couple decades. He couldn't take his eyes off the horrible smirk Ethan had as he watched him fall. Katie was even looking. Which was good. Travis didn't want her to wake up just to see him die like this. 

Blood seemed to trail down after him. Agony seemed to take up his whole existence. He could see the world around him, Leo yelling to him turning just in time to be smothered by a choking vine, Piper emerging from  pile of brick and bus with a fuming Clarisse, Butch jumping in front of an attack to save a couple screaming children. 

"Travis!" They yelled to him. 

The mouth snapped closed. Travis let his eyes follow suit.

Travis felt a jerk and the wind rushed against him. Then everything stopped. He was dead.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" 

Travis looked up astonished to see the sunlight. He was leaning on someone, the uneven, upturned asphalt making it hard to keep his balance. A fire was burning nearby bringing heat to Travis's sweat stained jacket. Connor wouldn't meet his eyes.

"You-?" Travis coughed, "Why? I thought-"

Connor shook his head sadly, "Dude, I thought I already told you this. I go wherever you go."

Travis swallowed hard, "We're a team."

"I'm sorry, I tried to ruin that." Connor rubbed the back of his neck. Travis almost toppled over but he held fast. Connor met Travis's gaze suddenly his eyes rimmed red as if he had been crying, "I...sorry, Travis. You're the only person I have. I was worried that with you hanging with Katie all of a sudden, you'd stop hanging with me."

Travis laughed even though it sent blazing daggers slicing through his chest, "And you call me an idiot. Geez, Connor, you think I'd ditch you for a girl? We're brothers, Conman. I'm not leaving you, that's a promise. Got it?"

 Connor offered a tiny smile, "Right. So wanna play hero now?"

Travis spit blood on the cracked road, "There's a guy with an ego the size of Pegasus HQ up there. Let's go take him down a couple notches."

Connor pulled something out of his side pocket and shoved it into his older brother's hand. "Thought you might need them." Travis grinned at the sight of his goggles and roughly put them on. When he looked back Connor was wearing an identical pair in yellow that matched his Pegasus jacket. 

"Ready?"

"Set?"

Neither of them said "Go," but they both took off together. Travis was in so much pain he almost blacked out, but he didn't stop. Connor matched his pace, laughing in a way he hadn't heard him laugh in a long time. The air steamed where they had been. Travis grabbed Connor's hand and they both bounded over a plant monster tendril. The spores were vacuumed in the path after them. 

Not a lot of people knew this but when the Stoll Brothers ran and they were touching, they could reach speeds faster than light and sound. 

When they worked like a team they could do anything.

Connor took down Ethan Nakamura before he even saw them. One punch sent him flying right off Katie's plant monster. Travis grabbed Katie in a hug so tight he fell over on top of her. 

She panicked at first, like waking up for the first  time, disoriented as Hell. Then she took one inhale, "Tr-Travis?" She whimpered, "What have I done?"

She let out a sob and everything the giant plant stopped moving. The vines withered and disintegrated into green leaves fluttering into the air and carrying the remnants of her monster to the ends of the earth.

Katie sobbed hard as she looked around suddenly seeing everything that had happened. Her tears splashed onto Travis's neck and soaked his shirt. He held her tight. "It's okay, Kit-Kat," He whispered into her ear. "Everything's going to be alright." Connor stood awkwardly behind them as Katie's power left them sitting on the pavement in the middle of the disaster that had become downtown. 

"I...I've..."Katie sobbed, "Travis you're bleeding!"

"Occupational hazard," He responded.

"Are you guys alright?" Piper came running up, her eyes glittering a bright blue. Leo was right on her heels, followed by a bear and petite Hazel. Travis nodded for them both holding Katie tighter. "I think so. Though Katie, there's something I need to tell you before I pass out from Blood loss."

She sniffled.

"I....love...." He coughed, "Pancakes."  

She punched him under his hug right were he was bleeding through his shirt. He screamed in pain and fell over on top of her. "I deserved that."

"So what do we do with his idiot?" Clarisse bellowed, pointing her spear right over Ethan's heart. She looked like she wanted nothing better than to drive it right through him and make a lovely Ethan shish-ka-bob. 

Despite that Ethan was grinning his everlasting grin. His dark eyes shining, "It doesn't matter. The Monsters have made their point."

"You know the Monsters don't care for anyone." Leo said, "They will leave you out to dry and you are going to get all the blame for this." He waved his hand around them, "You sick bastard, you won't ever see the sun again! And you didn't even win! You lost! We defeated your master plan."

"Quite the contrary, Leo Valdez. I did exactly what I came to do." Ethan nodded past them all. 

For a second Travis didn't see exactly what he was suppose to be looking at. But then Katie let out a scream. The color drained from Hazel's face and Frank and Piper went running. But it was too late. 

In all the chaos, no one had noticed that Percy Jackson had inhaled a cloud of the poisonous spores. He laid unmoving in a puddle of black water his own element having betrayed him. 

"Medic!" Connor yelled, "Medic!" 

Clarisse let out a roar and whipped back around but Ethan had disappeared in to the air, his laughter haunting the ruins.

***(Different will return after these quick messages)***

He looked back at his bother sleeping soundly in his bed, headphones still on and the faint glow of his phone playing the video he'd fallen asleep listening to. The whole world seemed to be silent. The darkness of night was broken only by the crystal moonlight sneaking in to their shared bedroom between the blinds.

He got up with barely a rustle of the covers. He held the phone to his ear, biting his lip until he could taste the metallic taste of his own blood. He peeked through the blinds and stared at the dew of grass reflect the full moon. The clock in the corner of their room read one o'clock but he had no doubt his contact would pick up. They wouldn't want to miss this call for the world.

"Yes?" Came the stiff answer, awaiting the news he'd brought.

"Just as you said, sir." He whispered, not to wake his brother, "She did everything you said she would."

"Does she remember?"

"Yes, sir." He replied. There was silence then he worked up the nerve to ask the question that was weight in his stomach, "What should I do?"

There was a clink of glass on the other side of the phone, "You? Nothing. I'm coming to take care of her." 

"But, I thought-"

"This is more important." The other voice cut him off, "She needs to be taken care of immediately."

"What if she...disagrees?"

"Kid, she couldn't beat me when we were kids." The other voice chuckled darkly in a way that sent shivers going down his spine, "I doubt that has changed. Get some sleep. What's it, like one o'clock there? Don't you have school?"

"Yes sir." 

"Great. By the time you get back, it'll be like she was never there." 

There was a click and the call was over. The boy sighed deeply and slumped back on his bed staring at his phone screen. The number flashed twice and then it blinked off automatically. 

"Matthew?" The quiet voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. 

He turned to see his sister standing in his doorway, rubbing her eyes from tiredness. She looked normal in her old shorts and T shirt that she wore to bed. Her golden curls rolled down her back and she regarded him wit her grey gaze. "Are you okay? I thought I heard voices."

Matthew shook his head, "Just talking to myself."

She gave him a somnolent smile, "Right, I forgot you did that." She drifted back to her room.

Matthew didn't dare fall asleep until he could hear the sounds of Annabeth snoring through the wall, two hours later.