Yeah, I know it's been like, a week. Sorry, but I've been working a lot on my others stories (this is what I get for writing more than one story at a time.) Anyway, this chapter is kind of important.
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Artemis exits her tent, followed closely by Percy, Zöe and Bianca. Grover, Luke and Nico look up at the sound of a tent flap opening.

"Bianca!" Nico calls out and runs over to his sister.

"Woah, hey there Nico." Bianca staggers back a little bit from her brother's hug, "Listen, why don't you come over here. I need to talk to you for a second."

The newly recruited Hunter leads her brother over to the side, and starts talking to him quietly. Luke suspected, based on the boy's rapidly disappearing smile, that the news wasn't the best.

"You will tell me what is going on with Percy and the Hunt." Grover says to the son of Hermes.

"No, I won't." Luke replies, "Not until Percy gives the okay."

"Alright." Grover agrees uncertainty, them turns and stares at the goddess.

Luke elbows the satyr, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Ow! What was that for?" Grover asks.

Luke grabs Grover in a headlock and pulls him down, "Dude, don't stare at her." He whispers, "People have been turned animals for less."

"I know," He sighs, "But she's so...so..."

"Obsessive? Crazy? Angry?" Luke offers three choices.

Grover just growls at Luke unintimidatingly.

Meanwhile, Percy, Zöe, and Artemis are standing at the edge of the bluff, as if waiting for something. Finally, a glimmer of sunlight appears on the horizon.

"About time." Zöe mutters.

"Come on Z." Percy replies, "You know how he is in the winter."

"I know." Zöe answers back, "And I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a problem."

"Both." Artemis responds.

"Um, what's going on?" Percy turns at the question.

Grover and Luke are approaching, the first with a slight look of annoyance, the other more curious than anything else.

"Lady Artemis has enlisted the aid of her brother for transportation to Camp Half-Blood." Zöe says, disgust evident in her voice.

Luke notices the look, and expecting her to take it out on him, steps back discretely from the Huntress.

"You have some explaining to do." Grover turns to Percy.

"Alright, but now is not the time." Percy replies, "When we get back to camp, Luke has permission to explain everything to you. Now everyone get back and cover your eyes until he parks."

Confused, Luke, Grover, and the Di Angelos follow the lead of the Hunters and cover their eyes. The light flares intensively, then dies down.

"All clear." They hear Percy call out.

Everyone opens their eyes just as a teenager gets out the car that seemed to appear out of nowhere on the bluff. He was wearing mostly yellow, in a Hawaiian style. His smile could have blinded a lightbulb.

"Litttle sister!" The guy calls out, "You don't call. You don't write. How's it going."

"Better before you showed up." Zöe mutters under her breath.

Artemis glares at her brother, "I am not you younger sister. We're twins."

But Apollo was already distracted by another person. He loops his arm around the son of Poseidon.

"Perce, wassup?" He says cheerfully, "I see they haven't killed you yet."

"That's because I haven't given them a reason to." Percy subtly disentangles himself from the god.

"Hey, you mind putting a good word for me with the ladies?" the sun god winks at Percy.

"Yeah... no."

"I hope you're not corrupting my adopted son." Artemis calls out to her brother.

"Adopted son?" Grover mouths silently to Luke, who just shrugs in response. He knew that Percy was close to the Hunt, but not that close.

Apollo merely laughs, "Like I could if I wanted to. This dude is incorruptible. So, what can I help you with? Archery tips?"

"As if." Zöe scoffs.

"Peace Zöe." Artemis reassures, "Apollo, could you please transport my Hunters and these demigods to Camp Half-Blood?"

"Sure, no problem sis. Wait!" Apollo holds his hands up dramatically, "I feel a haiku coming."

The Hunters groan and Percy quickly steps forward and clamps his hand over the sun god's mouth.

"No you don't." Was all the Boy Hunter says.

Percy removes his hand and the sun god flashes another blinding smile, "Alright everyone, hop on in!"

Apollo clicks a button on his keys and the chariot changes from a maserati spyder into a school bus. Everyone gathers their things, and gets on the bus. The Hunters stay as far back as they can from the front of the bus, and Percy goes with them.

The Hunters watch from the bus as Artemis goes racing off into the woods. The moment she disappears, Apollo turns and grins, mingling the keys.

"So, who wants to drive?"

He receives silence as an answer.

"No one? Come on, really? Luke Castellan, what about you?"

Luke looks uncertain, and shakes his head nervously.

"Me?" Grover asks hopefully.

Apollo examines him, "Hmm, no too furry."

"Me?" Nico raises his hand.

"No no, too young." Then his eyes land upon Percy, "P-Jackson, my man. What about you?"

Percy shakes his head, "Nope. It's probably not a good idea for a son of the sea to fly the sun chariot. Besides," He adds, "I don't actually know how to drive."

"Fine, I'll drive." Apollo mutters.

Ten minutes later, the sun chariot lands in the centre of the cabin green. Everyone piles out and Apollo grins.

"Enjoy your stay ladies! And Perce." The sun god calls out.

"Yeah?"

He looks at Percy solemnly, "I'm sorry."

With that, the sun chariot flies into the sky, turning back into a maserati.

As soon as the energy from the sun chariot dissipates, Percy is staggered by the balance in the camp. Or rather, the lack of balance. The energy in Camp Half-Blood was more than abnormal. He decided that he needed to talk to a certain 'friend.'

"Zöe, I know you know how to navigate Camp." Percy says, "Why don't you all head down to the Artemis cabin, and try not to mutilate too many male campers. We're all ready running low on campers as is."

Zöe nods while the rest of the Hunt looks slightly disappointed.

"I'll help you out!" Grover says eagerly.

"That won't be necessary satyr." Zöe says crisply.

"Hey Z, listen." Percy says, and the lieutenant leans in closely as the boy whispers, "It'll be easier if you just go with it, but you can still ignore him."

Zöe looks like she wants to argue, but reluctantly agrees.

"Luke, why don't you bring Nico to the Big House and let Chiron know what has happened."

"What about you?" The son of Hermes asks.

"I've got to speak to a friend." Percy replies cryptically before running off to Half-Blood Hill.

"Thalia." Percy whispers, "Thalia, you there?"

Percy waits a second, and opens his mouth to call again, when he hears a groan. Percy looks up, and sees the daughter of Zeus' spirit lying on the large branch. Percy desperately climbs up. When he gets there, he gasps slightly.

"Thalia, what happened?" He demands quietly.

"How should I know?" She groans, clutching her stomach, "My body just started burning up yesterday."

"Here," He says softly, "Let me take a look."

"What are you going to do, seaweed brain." She snaps from the fetal position, "You can't really touch me."

"Well, I have two possible ways to help." Percy replies quickly, "Actually, three, Firecracker."

"Well, what are they?" Thalia demands.

Percy focuses, and some snow on the ground floats out and melts, becoming flowing water around the son of Poseidon.

"I have the ability to heal." Percy says softly, "Perhaps it works on the spirit of a body as well."

With that comment, Percy sends the glowing stream of water through Thalia. He does that for a few minutes, and then drops the water back to the ground.

"Well?" He asks hesitantly.

"I feel...absolutely no change." The daughter of Zeus forces out, "It still hurts like Hades.

"Would a kiss help?" Percy says, trying to be smooth.

"We'll add it to the running tally." Thalia manages to crack a smile, "But never try to be smooth again. It doesn't work for you."

"There's a running tally?" Percy asks, confused.

Thalia laughs, "Even while I'm in the worst pain imaginable, you still manage to make me laugh. Of course there's a running tally. You said you had three possible ideas."

"Yeah. They're kind of tied together though." Percy says, "So, we know your spirit is bound to the tree. Thus, when you are healthy, the tree is healthy, and vice versa. So with that logic, it stands to reason that-"

"-that is the tree is sick, then I'm sick." Thalia finishes for Percy.

The two of them had spent a a lot of time together, reaching the point where they could easily finished each other's sentences.

Percy jumps down, and begins to examine the tree itself. After travelling about one hundred and twenty degrees around the tree, he stops and stares.

"Styx." Percy mutters, color slowly draining from his face.

Right in the trunk of the tree is a three inch incision. A nasty puss oozes out from it.

"Well Doc, lay it on me." Thalia calls from above.

Percy looks up, "Thalia." He says very seriously, "You've been poisoned."

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Yeah, you're gonna see elements of both The Titan 's Curse and Sea of Monsters, though I hope my own twist is appealing enough.
be awesome
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