CAMP FELT like it had been infiltrated.

  From the outside, things didn't seem much different. The Big House still loomed with its blue roof and wraparound porch. The strawberry fields glowed in the sunshine. Greek buildings were scattered through the valley— the combat arena, Amphitheatre, dining pavilion . . . It all still remained. The cabins nestled between the woods and creek were the same.

  But, the air had changed. Danger loomed. There was something wrong. Instead of playing volleyball in the sandpit, campers and satyrs stocked weapons in the tool shed. Dryads were armed with weapons, prowling the edge of the woods nervously. The forest looked ill, the grass a pale yellow, and the fire marks stained Half-Blood Hill with ugly scars.

  Someone had tampered with Magdalena's safe place, and she was not . . . Well, to put it simply, a happy camper.

  Magdalena and Magnus were greeted from many of the returning campers, surprised to see them again. But, not as much as they thought. Everybody was grim, carrying on with their duties— delivering messages, sharpening swords on grinding wheels. Camp felt like a battleground.

  It seemed none of that mattered to Tyson. He was completely in awe of everything around him. "Whasthat!" He gasped.

  "Stables for the pegasi," Percy said. "Winged horses."

  "Whasthat!"

  "Um . . . The toilets."

  "Whasthat!"

  "The cabins for campers. If you're unclaimed, you're put with the Hermes cabin— that brown one to the left— until you're determined. Once you know, they put you with your respected parent's group."

  Tyson looked mystified. "You . . . Have a cabin?"

  "Numero tres." Percy gestured to his cabin— a low gray building constructed from sea stone.

  "You live with friends in the cabin?"

  "Uh, no. Just me." Percy didn't explain. The truth was embarrassing, one that he didn't want to elaborate on. The fact that he wasn't supposed to be alive was enough in itself.

  Magdalena glanced at the boy curiously. She knew why he was the only one in that cabin. He was a child of the Big Three. He was forbidden. He was a mistake among the godly world. At least, that's what he thought he was. That saddened her a little. Percy didn't seem like a curse or anything. He was simply a boy who got sucked into a life he didn't ask to be put in.

  But, weren't they all?

That found Chiron in his apartment within the Big House. He was packing his saddlebags as he listened to his favorite 1960's lounge music.

  As soon as they saw him, Tyson froze. "Pony!" He cried in complete raptor.

  Chiron wheeled around, certainly offended. "Pardon?"

  Annabeth immediately ran into his arms, hugging him tight. "Chiron, what's happening? You can't be leaving, right?" Her voice trembled. She saw Chiron as a second father. She always had.

  Chiron ruffled her hair and smiled kindly at her. "Hello, dear child. And Magdalena, Magnus, how good to see you. It has been quite some time. You both have grown so much!"

  Magdalena smiled warmly, giving him a hug. "Hi, Chiron," she said. "We've missed you."

  "I missed you both dearly," he said. "I assume your quest went as it should have?"

  Magdalena and Magnus both glanced at each other, Percy immediately catching onto the air in the room changing. He wasn't sure what quest Chiron was referring to, but he assumed it was before he had gotten to camp last summer. He hadn't seen or heard anything about the two siblings until this afternoon.

  "Yes, Chiron," Magnus said, clearing the silence. "It went well."

  "Good," Chiron said, nodding. That was all he spoke of on the matter before turning to Percy. "Percy, my goodness. You've grown so much over the past year!"

  Percy gulped. "Clarisse . . . She said you were . . . "

  "Fired." Chiron chuckled darkly. "Well, I fear someone must take the blame for what's happened. Lord Zeus was not pleased. The tree of his creation, holding his daughter's spirit, poisoned! Mr. D was held responsible to punish someone."

  "But that's bullsh— " Magnus started, but bit his tongue. "Crazy. There's no way you had anything to do with that."

  "Regardless," sighed Chiron, "Much of Olympus distrusts me now, under these circumstances."

  "What circumstances?" Magdalena asked lowly.

  The centaur's expression darkened. He was silent as he continued to pack his things, Frank Sinatra playing from his boom box.

  Tyson whimpered as if he wanted to pat Chiron's flank, but was afraid to move. He stared at him in wonder. "Pony?"

  Chiron sniffed. "My dead young Cyclops! I am no pony. I am a centaur."

  "Chiron," Percy said. "What happened to the tree?"

  Chiron shook his head sadly. "The poison inflicted upon the tree is something of the Underworld. Venom I have never encountered. I believe it to be from a monster that resides deep in Tartarus."

  "Then we clearly know who's responsible. Kro— "

"Do not speak his name, Percy. Especially not here, not now."

  "Last summer he attempted to break out a civil war in Olympus! This was his idea, I know it. He'd get Luke to do it, that traitor."

  Magdalena's jaw clenched. She'd heard about what happened to Luke a couple months after last summer from Annabeth. She didn't want to believe it at first. Luke had been a close friend of her's. A brother, almost. When she and her brother resided in the Hermes cabin, he took care of them. He would even visit her throughout the school year to take her away from her father when he wasn't acting right. It was difficult for her to accept that he would do something like that to camp. To her.

  "There is a chance," Chiron said. "Nonetheless, I am held responsible since I didn't prevent it and I cannot fix it. The tree is close to deteriorating, a few weeks of life left at best, unless . . . "

  "Unless what?" Annabeth urged.

  "A foolish idea," Chiron shook off. "The entire valley is feeling the poison's effects. Our borders are crumbling. The camp as a whole is dying. There is only one course of magic strong enough to counteract the venom, and it has been lost for centuries."

  "What is it?" Percy asked. "We'll search it out!"

  Chiron zipped up his bag, and turned off his music. He turned and put a hand on Percy's shoulder, keeping it there as he spoke. "Percy, you must swear to me that you will not act rashly. I informed your mother that I did not wish for you to come to camp at all this summer. There is too much danger. But, now that you are here, remain here. Learn strength. Train vigorously. Do not leave."

  "Why?" Percy asked. "I want to help! I can't just watch as the borders die. Our camp will be— "

  "Intruded by monsters," Chiron continued. "I fear you are right. But, that should not give you more reason to be baited into recklessness. This could very well be a trick of the titan lord. Do not forget last summer. He almost took your life."

  Percy was silent as he took in his words. Everything he said was true, but it didn't help the fact that he wanted to help so badly. The positioning was Kronos's doing. Percy knew it to be true. Who else would do something as treacherous as militate Thalia's tree, the one thing remaining of a hero whose life had been taken to save her friends.

  Annabeth was holding back tears. Chiron brushed one that had escaped away. "Stay with Percy, child," he said. "You have Magnus and Magdalena by your side, again. Don't take that for granted. You three must keep him safe. Remember the prophecy."

  "I— I will."

  Percy awkwardly cleared his throat. "Would this be the life-threatening prophecy that involves me, but the gods have forbidden you to tell me about?"

  Silence. Magnus just looked confused. Magdalena looked conflicted.

  "Right," Percy mumbled. "Just making sure."

  "Chiron . . . " Annabeth said. "You said the gods turned you immortal only for as long you were required to train heroes. If they take you from here— "

  "Swear that you will keep Percy from danger as best you can," he said hardly. "Swear upon the River Styx."

  Magnus's face drooped. "Isn't that a bit extreme— "

  "It must be done," Chiron said. "It is too important to not be set in fate."

  "I— I swear it," Annabeth said. "Upon the River Styx."

  Thumber boomed outside.

  "Well then," Chiron said. He seemed slightly less tense now. "Hopefully my name will be cleared and I will be fit to return. While that plays out, I am to visit my free kinsmen in the Everglades. There is a chance they may know something of the poison used on the tree, and perhaps a cure for it. I will remain in exile until this matter is settled . . . However that may be."

  Annabeth choked down a sob. Chiron awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Easy, child. I am to entrust your well being to Mr. D and our new activities director. I can only pray that they won't desert the camp as quickly as I fear."

  "How reassuring," Magnus commented. Magdalena ribbed him sharply.

  "Who even is this Tantalus guy?" Magdalena demanded. "How did he get to be your replacement?"

  A conch horn blared outside. It was late, time for the campers to come together for dinner.

  "You will meet him now, I suppose," Chiron said. "I will reach out to your mother, Percy. Let her know you are here. There is no doubt she's worried about you by now. You must remember my warning! You're in danger. Don't think for a second the titan lord has forgotten about you!"

  On that cheerful note, Chiron walked out of the room, Tyson calling out, "Pony! No!"

  Tyson started crying just about as bad as Annabeth. Magdalena wrapped her arms around the girl.

  Percy tried to reassure them that it would all be okay, but it was hard to do when he didn't even believe it himself.

  MAGDALENA AND Magnus watched as campers filed into the pavilion for dinner. They usually sat wherever they pleased at camp, since they had no distinct table set for them. Even though the siblings had been at camp longer than anyone else, Chiron had never made a fight to give them their own place to reside in, leaving them to bunk with the Hermes cabin in the summer. They didn't mind, really. Lena and Magnus were close with Connor and Travis Stoll, so it wasn't uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it still would be nice to have a place of their own to stay.

  As they watched the cabin leaders walk their families to dinner— Clarisse, Charlie Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Lee Fletcher, the Stoll brothers, etc.— they waited until they were all sitting to finally walk over to the Hermes table.

  As they walked by the head table, they heard a loud groan.

  "Oh, you two are back," Dionysus drawled. "I presumed you both to be dead when you didn't show up last summer. The thought of that had kept me quite happy in the passing time."

  He was wearing his usual leopard-patten Hawaiian shirt, baggy shorts, and shoes with black socks. He reminded the siblings of a Las Vegas tourist who'd gone too hard in the casinos. Behind him was a stressed-looking satyr peeling off the skin of grapes and passing them to the god one at a time.

  Magnus rolled his eyes. "The quest took a little longer than expected, Your Righteousness," he sneered, giving him a dirty look.

  "Oh, Matthew, always so endearing," Mr. D snarked.

  Then he turned to Magdalena, and his eyes narrowed. "You look different. A little less . . . Carefree, perhaps?"

  Magdalena's jaw clenched. "Maybe it's because I'm looking at you, and your presence is putting my guard up."

  Mr. D smirked. "I don't believe that to be the case, Madison," he said with a cruel, knowing tone. "Nonetheless, it isn't my business to discuss what you two . . . Godly beings were sent off to do last year. All I know is that now I am back to having to see your painful faces again, and that is quite an upset."

  Magnus just gave the god a humorless smile. "Always a pleasure talking with you . . . Sir."

Magdalena glanced at the foreign body sitting in Chiron's usual chair. She hadn't really taken notice of him until he caught her eye. He was pale, terribly thin, and wearing an orange prisoner's jumpsuit. The name tag on it read 0001. He was dirty— dark under eyes, grimy fingernails, and shaggy gray hair. He stared at the girl; his eyes unnerving her. He seemed to look angry, frustrated, and hungry all at once.

"These two," Dionysus said, "you need to keep an eye on. Trouble follows them everywhere."

The prisoner hummed. "Good to know," he said menacingly. He smiled coldly. "You can call me Tantalus. I am here until my Lord Dionysus tells me otherwise, as I am staying on special assignment."

"Your lord?" Magnus repeated with distaste. "He's hardly a god."

"Watch it," Magdalena muttered, grabbing his arm. Magnus had a bit more of a temper than his sister, which meant she was the one having to drag him out of situations that would end up with his head decomposing into the ground where it was chopped off.

"Yes, listen to your sister," Mr. D smirked. "She seems to be the more intelligent one out of the two of you."

"I could've told you that," Magnus retorted.

"Magnus, we're leaving," Lena said, starting to drag him away from the head table. "Goodbye, Mr. D." She gave an uneasy look at the prisoner. ". . . Tantalus."

Tantalus just smirked at the girl, nothing warm about it. Mr. D shooed them away, the two siblings going over to the Hermes table with tension flowing from the both of them.

"I don't like that guy," Magnus mumbled, his jaw tight. "He's up to something. I can tell."

"I think everyone can tell," Magdalena responded, sparing a few glances at the faces around her. Everybody seemed to be on edge, like they were waiting for some type of impending doom to strike. The air was frigid with tension and ware.

  As they approached the Hermes table, chaos instantly struck.

  "They're back!" The Stoll brothers screamed in unison, pounding their hands on the table in glee. Despite the bad vibes radiating throughout camp, the sons of Hermes still managed to keep their spark alive.

  "Yeah we are!" Magnus shouted in glee, running up to the boys, the three idiots jumping around in circles as they hugged and clapped each other on the back.

  Magdalena just watched with a smile on her face. The Stoll's were some of Magnus and hers' closest friends, the four of them practically growing up with each other for as long as she can remember. Her and Connor were closer, as were Magnus and Travis. But, the four of them still had a bond close enough to where practically nothing could break it.

  "Maggie!" Connor cried, a shit-eating grin exploding on his face. Magdalena grinned at him as he ran up to her, scooping her up and spinning her around long enough for her to get dizzy when he finally set her down. "My favorite girl is finally back!"

  "You know I can't stay away from you," she teased with a smile. "Who else would help you rig the Ares cabin with fart guns?"

  "Gods, we need to do that again," Connor exhaled, his grin not faltering. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he led her to their table of misfits, Magdalena giving Travis a big hug before sitting down. Travis always felt like a big brother to her— always protecting her, keeping her safe, but also being just as mischievous and fun as her and Connor were.

  As everybody went around the brazier to give their burnt offerings to the gods, Magdalena whispered to her father, "Astraeus, give me strength."

  The smoke from her burnt chicken grew fragrant— the smell of a sea breeze on a clear night, and something fresh and light, like fresh linens. She hoped that meant her father was listening, but she could never tell.

  As everybody returned to their seats and quieted down, Tantalus stood.

  "Well," he said. "Another wonderful meal! Or so I am told." As he spoke, he moved his hand slowly turned his dinner plate, like he was trying to sneak up on it. But before he could reach it, the plate shot away, sliding down the table.

  Magnus and Magdalena watched in confusion. Connor leaned over and whispered to Lena, "He's cursed," he explained. "Not sure why, but he hasn't eaten a single thing since he got here."

  "Interesting," Magdalena said. Now that she thought of it, Tantalus did seem familiar. And that's when she realized: he was a sprit from the Fields of Punishment. He was the one who stood in the lake with a fruit tree hanging over him, but he can't eat or drink a thing.

  "And as I sit here, on my first day of authority," he proceeded to say, "I'd like to say how pleasant this form of punishment is. Throughout the rest of summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with every one of you campers. You all look quite good enough to eat."

  Dionysus clapped politely, prompting some half-hearted applause from everyone else. Tyson was standing at the head table, clearly uncomfortable. But, every time he tried to get away, Tantalus tugged him back.

  "What a wack-job," Magnus whispered as he shoved a bite of food into his mouth. Connor nodded his head in agreement.

  "And now, onto a few new changes!" Tantalus said with a crooked smile. "I am pleased to announce that we are reinstating the chariot races!"

  Nervous whispering broke out among the tables— excitement, fear, disbelief.

  "I know, I know," Tantalus continued, "I am aware of the reason these races were stopped a few years ago. There were some, well, technical issues."

  "Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations," Lee Fletcher called out angrily.

  "Right!" Said Tantalus. "Despite that, I know all of you will join me in welcoming the camp tradition back into action. Golden laurels will be rewarded to the winning charioteers every month. Registration will be held tomorrow morning! The next race begin in three days time. You will be released from your regular activities to prepare your steeds and select your horses. Oh, and the best part, the winning team's cabin will be excluded from all chores for the month in which they succeed?"

  Conversation erupted at that— no KP for an entire month? No stable cleaning? Was this real?

  Then someone completely unexpected spoke up to object.

  "But, sir!" Clarisse said, looking nervous. Despite that, she stood for her table. "What about patrol duty? If we drop everything to prepare our chariots— "

  "Ah, our hero of the day," Tantalus applauded. "Brave Clarisse, the one who single-handedly bested the bronze beasts!"

  Clarisse looked flushed. "Uh, it wasn't just— "

  "Modest, too," Tantalus smiled. "No worries, my dear! This is not a war zone, it is a summer camp. We're here to have fun, aren't we?"

  "But the tree— "

  "Moving on," Tantalus said, Clarisse getting pulled back into her seat. "Before we collect by the campfire and do sing-along, one more slight issue. Our dearly beloved returning campers, Magdalena Caelestis and Magnus Arcturus, along with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, have seen it wise to bring this here." Tantalus gestured to Tyson.

  Uneasy mumbling spread through the amphitheater. There were a lot of looks thrown toward Percy. Percy wanted to kill Tantalus.

  "Now, of course," he continued, "Cyclops have a reputation of being dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures with very little brain capacity. In most cases, I'd release this monster into the forest and have you all track it down with torches and spears. But, who knows? Maybe this particular Cyclops is different from its brethren. Until it proves worthy of execution, we must find a place to keep it! I considered the stables, the horses don't deserve that. Hermes's cabin, perhaps?"

  There was silence around the table. Travis and Connor Stoll suddenly seemed very interested in the tablecloth. Lena didn't blame them. Neither did Percy. Their cabin was already close to bursting. They couldn't handle a six-foot-three Cyclops living there, too.

  Magdalena and Percy made eye-contact, guilt shining in the girl's eyes. Percy pursed his lips, looking angry. But not at her. He was mad at Tantalus. And she knew it.

  "Come on," Tantalus nagged. "This beast could be capable of doing some light chores. Anyone have a suggestion on where this thing is to be kept?"

  All of sudden, everyone gasped.

  Tantalus jolted back in surprise. A brilliant green light, a dazzling holographic, appeared over Tyson's head.

  Lingering over Tyson's head was a glowing trident— the symbol of Poseidon.

  Awed silence struck the camp.

  Being claimed was a rare event. Some campers never got the chance to experience it. Magdalena and Magnus were claimed, but only to show the other campers of their lineage. A constellation glowed brightly over their young heads their second day at camp— their shared constellation that they once twinkled as stars in.

  Usually, when claimed, everyone knelt in honor. This time, laughter boomed throughout the amphitheater.

  "Well!" Tantalus howled with laughter. "I believe we just figured out where the beast will go now! Gods all mighty, I can already see the family resemblance!"

  Everybody laughed except Annabeth, Lena, Magnus, and a few of their friends. Connor and Travis were silent. Silena sat there with a grim look on her face. Beckendorf and Lee Fletcher both looked pitifully at Percy.

  Tyson didn't notice he was being laughed at. He was just swatting at the fading trident over his head, completely mystified. He was much too innocent to understand how cruel people were.

  But Percy got it.

  He had a new cabin mate. He had a monster for a half-brother.

  PERCY SUFFERED from much teasing and taunting for the next few days.

  Magdalena certainly shut it down whenever she heard someone talking about it, but it was hard when it was circulating the entire camp. Magnus had already gotten stable cleaning duty for the next month for beating up some child of Hephaestus after he heard him call Percy part Cyclops, and that he's going to contract a disease from sleeping in the same room as Tyson.

  Magnus didn't really care. He'd do it again just to get Percy's name out of everyone's mouth.

  They'd only known Percy for a few days now, but already the two siblings felt a friendship with him. They felt protective over him. They knew that he didn't ask for any of this to happen— it wasn't his fault. But people were cruel. And the siblings of Astraeus were not going to let the camp beat down on their friend.

Magnus and Magdalena had agreed to team up for the chariot race to take their minds off their impending issues. They both hated Tantalus just the same, and were terrified for the future of the camp, but there wasn't anything they could do about it for the moment. Until they, along with Annabeth and Percy, could find a solution about Thalia's tree, they might as well go along with the races. Annabeth and Percy had teamed up as well, so they knew that it'd be a hard match to beat. But, all in good fun, right?

Percy and Annabeth's alliance lasted a total of two days before they got into an argument and split off. Magnus and Lena took that as a victory, but also a loss. Annabeth was very headstrong, everybody knew that, and Percy was very loyal to his friends. Despite being embarrassed about Tyson, he still defended him whenever anyone said something nasty about him. Magdalena knew why Annabeth was so resentful towards Tyson, but Percy didn't. Obviously he's not going to understand whenever Annabeth gets passive about the Cyclops.

Over the next few days, Percy busied himself with his usual activities. He learned how to fly on a Pegasus from Silena Beauregard, sparred with the Apollo kids, practiced his archery . . . But it still couldn't take his mind off everything.

In the sword-fighting arena, he watched Magdalena spar against Clarisse, which honestly shocked him more than anything. The two demigods seemed to have a deep-rooted relationship with each other. They didn't necessarily love each other, but there was no hate between them. Percy almost envied that.

Almost.

Magdalena was good with a sword. She dodged and blocked Clarisse's heavy hits with grace. Percy noticed she wasn't necessarily an offensive fighter, more defense. She was patient with her moves, waiting until her opponent made a mistake before striking hard, winning the duel. Percy took notes on her actions to better himself. She was smart, no doubt. She was pretty, too.

He hadn't really thought about her much until he saw her in the arena, but she had a certain aura to her that was gravitating. Her eyes were a stark blue, deep pools of navy that sucked you in just from one look at them. They didn't remind Percy much of the ocean, though. They were more like the sky before the sun fully set and turned the sky black. They weren't aggressive; they were comforting. It was sort of strange, really.

He'd learned a couple days ago that her and Magnus were children of Astraeus, which sort of mystified him. He'd never known anyone who had such a mysterious lineage. Most of the campers were children of the main twelve gods, the ones who sat on the Olympian council. Discovering that Lena and Magnus were the only living children of Astraeus made him gain a lot of respect toward the demigods. They intrigued him in a way.

Who even was Astraeus, anyway? He'd only heard of the galactic deity in stories— how he was the father of the four Anemoi, wind gods, who patrolled the four realms of wind (obviously). His wife was the goddess of dawn, Eos. He also knew Astraeus had been the one who warned Demeter of her daughter Persephone's fate in the Underworld, and how she would be ravished by a serpent (Hades), and bear fruit from that union.

But, he'd never had any demigod children. So for Magdalena and Magnus to be his children was definitely a rare sight, and most certainly an ominous one. Percy felt like their lives had some important meaning to them— like they were brought on to this planet with a purpose. He had no idea what that purpose might be, but he knew that he wanted to find out.

"Entrancing, isn't she?"

Percy jumped at the sudden voice beside him. Connor Stoll was standing next to him with a boyish smile on his face, leaning on his sword, which was spiked into the ground.

"What?"

"You've been watching Maggie for the past five minutes," Connor stated, which made Percy feel extremely embarrassed. He hadn't meant to, but his thoughts had zoned him out from reality.

Connor saw the flustered look on his face and laughed. "Don't be embarrassed, no one's judging you for it. In fact, most of the camp has already gone through what you're just now realizing."

"What do you mean?"

Connor scoffed. "More than half the guys, and girls, at this camp have had a crush on Maggie," he said, shaking his head. "Can't blame 'em. She's beautiful. She's got this sort of aura to her that sucks people in."

"Like a gravitational pull," Percy stated, reciting the thoughts he had just been having before.

"Exactly," Connor agreed. "Probably because her dad's the god of all galaxies, planets, stars, and what-not. It's like she's got her own personal atmosphere around her. And nobody can seem to break through it."

"What do you mean?"

Connor shrugged. "Out of all the attractive demigods that've tried to win her over, she hasn't accepted a single one of them. Trust me, I've tried." The Stoll brother chuckled a little after the last line. "She just sort of beats to her own drum. She doesn't let anyone fully into her little atmosphere."

Percy took in Connor's words. He didn't disbelieve them. He could tell Lena was someone independent, someone who doesn't need a partner in order to live out her life the way she wants. But that only seemed to intrigue him more.

"Don't get me wrong, I love her to death," Connor reassured. "I'd do anything for her. And honestly, if there comes a day that she does decide to give me a chance, I wouldn't waste a second in taking it. But, for now, she's my best friend. So don't let anything I said about her stop you from getting close to her."

Percy shook his head. "Trust me, it didn't."

Actually, it did the complete opposite.

  PERCY FOUND himself sitting at the top of Half-Blood Hill as the sunset, watching the dryads sing to the dying pine tree. Satyrs played nature songs, which seemed to help a little. The grass seemed greener and the air turned sweeter, but it only lasted until the music stopped. Then the sickness returned. The longer Percy sat there, the angrier he got.

  "Sad, isn't it?"

  Percy jumped, his heart skipping a beat. Why did people keep sneaking up on him?

  Magdalena was standing next to him, gazing sadly at the wilting pine tree. Her blue eyes were glowing in the light of the sunset. Her whole demeanor seemed to be more alive in the sun's fading glow, like it was making her stronger. She was wearing faded overalls that stopped at her mid-thighs, with a loose-knit sweater underneath, her silky hair sitting in a braid on her shoulder. She wasn't wearing any makeup, which Percy applauded her for. He liked how she didn't feel the need to make herself look different. She didn't care what anyone else thought. Then again, Percy was really starting to realize she had some weird natural beauty to her that made her seem unworldly, so it didn't even matter what she wore.

  "Yeah," Percy said, swallowing. He took his eyes off her and turned back to the tree. "Want to sit?"

  Lena nodded, putting herself next to the boy she'd only met earlier that week, crossing her legs in front of her. There was silence for a while as they observed the camp below them, watching campers come and go with their duties, starting to retire for the night.

  "Did you know Thalia?" Percy asked, sparing a glance at the girl beside him, only to notice she was already gazing at him, her own thoughts about him running through her mind.

  Magdalena nodded softly, biting the inside of her cheek. "We were friends," she said. "Good friends. Her and Magnus were always a little bit closer, but we had a close friendship."

  "Uh . . . Were you there that night?" He asked cautiously. He didn't know if Lena was as sensitive to the topic as Annabeth was, so he wanted to tread lightly. "The night she died?"

  Magdalena's eyes glazed over, like she was remembering the night itself. "Yes," she finally said. "But I wasn't there when it happened. I only saw her when she was already gone."

  Percy swallowed, nodding. "I'm sorry," he said. "She didn't deserve that."

  "She didn't," Magdalena agreed. "But, if not for her, Annabeth wouldn't be alive. Neither would Grover . . . Or Luke."

  There was a heavy silence at the mention of Luke Castellan. Percy didn't really know how Magdalena felt about that entire situation. Truly, he hardly knew anything at all about the girl. It was weird. He honestly had no idea about anything that involved her. He hadn't even known of her existence until a few days ago, even though she and her brother seemed to have a large impact on the camp.

  "He did this," Percy said thickly, choosing to proceed with the thoughts he'd been carrying the last couple days. "I know he did."

  Magdalena didn't want to agree, but she knew he was right. "I know," she said softly. "And that's why it still hurts to know that the Luke I knew two summers ago is gone."

  Percy felt an odd sense of relief hearing that come from her. Anytime he mentioned Luke's betrayal to Annabeth, she got defensive and didn't let Percy express his thoughts on it. She had pity towards Luke, and let that rule over her even after everything that he's done. It was nice to have someone who had been close to Luke as well agree that he was now a different person than he was before.

  "Were you two close?" Percy asked.

  "He was like a brother," Magdalena answered, a wistful tone in her voice, like she was thinking of better days. "Luke and the Stoll brothers always took care of Magnus and I. Luke especially looked out for me, since I had gravitated to him more. He knew more about me than most of the people in my life. And that scares me now."

  "Why?"

  "He could easily use it against me," Magdalena said. "Or use at against the camp as a whole. He knows the way I fight. He knows what I'm capable of, and how that could help him with his cause if he could win me over. He could manipulate me by using my weaknesses as his strengths." Magdalena took a deep breathe. "I like to believe I'm a strong-willed person, but it scares me every time I think about the next time I'm going to see him. I . . . I don't know what I am going to do."

  That worried Percy a little. Was there a chance Magdalena could switch over to Luke's side and betray them? He hated to think that she would do something like that, but then again, Luke was family to her. It's hard to fight on the other side of the one's that you used to love.

  "You . . . You would never join him, would you?" Percy asked tentatively.

  That was a mistake, and he knew it almost immediately after he said it.

  Magdalena tensed up, her walls rising to the point where Percy could practically see them stacking up around her. He instantly regretted saying it.

  "You think I would ever betray this camp?" Magdalena asked harshly. "Betray my brother? Annabeth? Even you?"

  "No! No, of course not," Percy scrambled to pick up the mess he'd made. "I didn't mean to say that. I just wasn't sure— "

  "What? That I love Luke more than my actual family?" Magdalena snapped, referring to Magnus. "You know nothing about me, Percy Jackson. You have no right to assume anything about me."

  "I'm sorry, Maggie," Percy said, the name slipping out on accident just from when Connor was talking about her earlier. "I didn't mean to— "

  "You've said enough," Lena said, her jaw clenched. She got to her feet and glared down at Percy. "Don't question my loyalty to this camp ever again."

  "I— I swear I won't— "

  "And don't call me Maggie."

  And with that final word, she stormed off, leaving Percy Jackson sitting alone in the strawberry fields.

And, well, Percy wouldn't exactly call that a success.

THE RACETRACK had been developed between the archery range and the forest in a grassy field. The day was humid, fog laying low above the ground. There were millions are birds roosting in the trees— large gray pigeons, except they didn't look quite like the actual bird. They sounded different— like a submarine radar in a way. It was a metallic screeching sound that hurt Lena's ears.

Rows of stone bleachers were reserved for the spectators. Mr. D didn't show, since he never got up before 10 o'clock.

"Alright!" Tantalus announced while the teams got together on the track. "Everyone is aware of the rules. Twice around the track to win. Only two horses per chariot. There will be a driver and a fighter within each team. Weapons are allowed, and dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" Tantalus smiled evilly. "Any deaths will result in terrible punishment for the attacker. No s'mores for a week during campfire! Now ready your chariots!"

Beckendorf led his team to the track, their chariot made of bronze and iron. Their horses were mechanical automatons. There was no doubt that chariot had all sorts of traps and capabilities installed in it.

The Ares's cabin had a bloodred chariot with skeleton horses pulling it. Clarisse mounted several sharp objects into the steed— nasty toys.

Apollo cabin had a full gold, graceful ride. It was pulled by two gorgeous palominos. Lee Fletcher was armed with a bow, but had promised to not harm anyone with regular arrows.

The Hermes cabin had a green and old-looking chariot. It wasn't anything special from the outside, but it was being manned by the Stolls, which meant they had plenty of dirty schemes planned.

Magnus and Magdalena had worked hard on their chariot, so they didn't feel too worried about the race. It was royal blue, decorated with small paintings of constellations around it with gold trim. Two pure-black horses pulled it, and they had made sure to construct enough weaponry to give them a fair shot in the race.

Before the race, Magnus and Magdalena caught sight of Percy trying to speak to Annabeth before the race. They looked like they were arguing, which wasn't a surprise, but then it turned into a more serious conversation. Whatever it was, it looked important. But, before Lena could figure out what it was, Tantalus announced for the charioteers to approach their marks.

The one thing about Greek chariots was that they were built for speed, not comfort. The driver stands up the entire time, and every bump in the road is doubled in the chariot. Magnus had agreed to fight while Magdalena drove, since Magnus was more aggressive than her. But they'd both agreed completely that they wouldn't harm anybody. They'd only defend the chariot and horses from anything that came their way.

Percy's chariot sidled up beside Magdalena's, and she managed to spare at glance at him before they began. He looked nervous in the front, while Tyson controlled the rear, holding a ten-foot stick.

Percy's looked over at her, and his face turned guilty. "Good luck," he said weakly, still thinking about his mistake last night.

"You too," was all she said before turning back to face the track, her poker-face fading.

"Charioteers!" Tantalus hollered. "Attend your marks!"

He waved and the starting signal dropped. Hooves thundered against the dirt as the chariots took off. Applause thundered.

Merely a few seconds later there was a nasty crack! Apollo's chariot had flipped due to the Hermes cabin ramming into it. Was it by mistake? Who knows. The riders flew, but the horses kept running in panic. Travis and Connor giggled at their luck, but it didn't last long. Apollo's horses slammed into theirs, and their chariot flipped just as Apollo's did, leaving them in the dust.

Magdalena focused on the race. She was keeping good speed with Annabeth, but Percy was slowly catching up, keeping good distance in front of Ares. Magnus smirked at Percy from behind, laughing as they turned around the first post. "See ya!" He waved his javelin in the air gleefully.

Magdalena was feeling good about the race as they inched closer to Annabeth, but then something caught her eye. The pigeons from the trees had risen. They were forming together like a tornado, heading toward the field.

What was that?

She tried to stay focused, but that had thrown her off.

Magnus had seen it too, but he wanted to win. He wasn't smiling anymore as he pulled a javelin from his collection and took aim at Percy's chariot wheels. "Sorry, man!" He called. He was about to throw when they began to hear the screaming.

The pigeons were attacking— thousands and thousands diving into the stands and attacking other chariots. Beckendorf got mobbed. The chariot veered off track and plowed into the strawberry fields.

Clarisse barked an order to her fighter, who threw a camouflage screen over their basket. This didn't stop the pigeons, pecking and clawing at the fighter's hands. Clarisse kept moving, her horses unaffected by the attack.

The spectators didn't get so lucky. The birds attacked any sign of open flesh, starting mass panic. It was clear now that these weren't regular birds. Their eyes were evil, their beaks made of bronze— assumedly razor sharp by the screams of the campers.

A few of the birds began flying around Magdalena and Magnus, the boy of the two poaching them with his javelin as best he could. One of them managed to slice down Magdalena's cheek, leaving a deep, bleeding gash down her face. It barely missed her eye.

Annabeth noticed and gasped.

"They're Stymphalian birds!" She cried. She slowed down her chariot to where she was beside her and Percy. "They'll rip everyone to nothing but bones if we don't lure them away!"

"Lena, are you okay?" Magnus yelled, noticing the blood streaming down her face.

"Fine!" She said, though she was quite the opposite. Her entire face felt like it was on fire. "We need to drive them away!"

"Tyson," Percy said. "We're turning around!"

"Wrong way?" He asked.

"Always," he grumbled, but he veered his steed back to the stands.

Annabeth and Magdalena rode beside him. Annabeth shouted, "To arms!" But hardly anyone could hear her over the screeching and chaos.

Magdalena and Magnus both unsheathed their swords as they rode into the chaos, swiping at swarms of birds as they came. Magnus hovered over his sister to protect her, knowing she was at a disadvantage holding the reins. Percy and Annabeth did the same, but it was hardly enough to make them stop.

"There's too much!" Percy screamed. "How can we kill them?"

She stabbed a bird with her knife. "Hercules used noise! He scared them away with brass bells, the most horrible sound he could— "

Her eyes widened. ". . . Chiron's collection!"

They understood instantly. "Will it be enough?" Magnus asked.

Annabeth handed the reins to her fighter and leaped into Percy's chariot like it was nothing. She turned to the children of Astreaus. "You have to ditch the chariot and jump!"

"Yeah, that's suicide!" Magnus cried, swiping at more birds. "We'll lose the reins and crash!"

"We'll help!" Percy called. "You'll die if you stay here!"

They knew they were right, and they were wasting time debating over the matter. Magdalena turned to Magnus. "You jump now! I'll hold the reins!"

"No way! You go first so it's safer!"

"Magnus, if you don't jump now, I'm going to make you— "

Annabeth reached over into their chariot and pulled Magnus out by his elbow, making him fall halfway out of the basket so that he had no choice but to climb over. Magnus cursed and hollered vulgar words at Annabeth as he fell into Percy's steed, but that was the only way to get him out before his sister.

"Now you, Lena!" Annabeth cried, holding out her hands.

"It's too dangerous! You guys go, I'll lure the birds away!"

"No! I've got you, come on!" Percy yelled, handing the reins to Annabeth as he began to climb off to the side of his chariot, reaching towards her. "You have to jump!"

"We're going too fast, Percy! It's impossible!" Magdalena said, her face fearful. Her hands were trembling as she gripped the reins.

"I'll catch you, Lena! You have to do it now!"

Magdalena took a shaky breath, but listened. She left go of the reins and took hold of the side of chariot, locking eyes with Percy, who was leaning halfway off the side to reach her.

"Jump, Lena!" Magnus yelled, trying to control the reins as best he could.

With a shaky start, Magdalena leapt from her out-of-control chariot with fear, her body fully extended in the air as she lunged for Percy. Percy's arms caught her just before she fell to the ground where she would've instantly gotten trampled by her horses, and he yanked her into the basket, their hearts equally racing.

Astraeus's chariot swerved off into the side of the track, the horses sprinting away as the basket rammed into the stone, exploding into flames.

"I've got you," Percy said breathlessly, his arms still tight around her. Her whole entire body was shaking. "You're fine."

Annabeth stole the reins from Magnus as soon as she saw Magdalena's body fall into the basket. "To the Big House!"

Clarisse crossed the finish line unopposed, and that's when she finally seemed to notice how serious their problem was.

When she caught them steering away, she held, "You cowards are running? The fight is here!"

Their horses galloped faster, the chariot racing through the strawberry fields, steaming to a stop in front of the Big House. They ran inside, sprinting to Chiron's apartment.

His boom box still remained by his bed. So were his favorite discs. Percy grabbed the most horrendous one he could find, while Magnus grabbed the boom box, and together they raced toward the track.

Chariots were in flames. Injured campers scattered the arena, with birds shredding them apart. Tantalus chased around his breakfast plate while yelling, "It's all under control! Nothing to worry about!"

They approached the finish line, and Annabeth prepared the boom box.

Percy started the music and turned up Chiron's favorite— All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin. The air got whisked into the sound of violins and Italian.

The birds went crazy. They flew in circles, running into each other like they wanted to crush their brains out of their skulls. They left the track all at once.

"Archers!" Yelled Annabeth. "Now!"

Within minutes, the ground was filled with dead pigeons, only a few left surving.

The camp was saved, but there was plenty of wreckage. The chariots were in shambles, mostly everyone was bleeding and wounded.

"Bravo!" Tantalus cried. But he wasn't looking at them. "We are looking at our first winner!" He pranced to the finish line and applauded Clarisse with her golden-laurels.

Then he turned to the four demigods and smiled. "And now, time to punish the troublemakers who destroyed this race."

  TANTALUS BLAMED them for the entire thing.

  Why wouldn't he?

  He claimed that if the four demigods hadn't disturbed the birds with their horrible chariot driving, they would've just minded their business in the trees.

  It was so completely unfair, Percy told Tantalus to screw off and go chase a doughnut, which didn't help much. He assigned the group to kitchen patrol— scrubbing all day long with the cleaning harpies. The harpies used lava instead of water to clean the dishes to really get the germs off, so the group of kids had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.

Tyson didn't seem to care. He went straight into the lava and started hacking away. As for the other four demigods, they had to suffer through hours of hot, excruciating work. Tantalus had called for a special celebration for Clarisse's victory— requiring extra plates and country-fried Stymphalian bird.

  The only bright side to this torture was that it gave Percy, Annabeth, and Magdalena a common enemy and hours to talk. Percy explained his dream about Grover to the three of them, and it seemed like they all believed him.

  "If he did manage to find it," Annabeth muttered, "and we could retrieve it— "

  "Pause," Percy stuck a hand out. "You're acting like this . . . Thing Grover found is the only solution in the entire world that could save camp. What is it?"

  "Let me give you a hint," Lena said. "What do you get from skinning a ram?"

  "Messy?"

  "That's what I was thinking," Magnus agreed. Him and Percy fist-bumped.

  Magdalena rolled her eyes. "A fleece, you idiot. That's what the coat of a ram is called. And if that ram by chance has golden wool— "

  "The Golden Fleece. You're kidding?"

  Annabeth scraped the remains off her plate into a puddle of lava. "Remember the Gray Sisters? They told you about the location of thing you seek. They mentioned Jason. They were the ones who told him where to find the fleece, three thousand years ago. I mean, you know the story of Jason and the Argonauts, don't you?"

  "Yeah," Percy said. "That old movie made with claymations."

  Magdalena shook her head. "Dear gods, Percy, you really are hopeless."

  "What?" Percy demanded.

  "Just focus, please?" Annabeth said, and sighed. "There were two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, right? They were planned to be offered as human sacrifices, and they prayed to their father for sanction. Zeus sent them a magical flying ram with golden wool, which plucked them up and sent them to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, really it only brought Cadmus. Europa fell off halfway through and died, but that's not important."

  "It was probably important to her."

  "My point, when Cadmus arrived in Colchis, he sacrificed the ram to the gods and raised the Fleece in a tree within the kingdom. It brought prosperity to its land. Plants and animals were healthy. Plagues disappeared. And that is why Jason desired the Fleece. It can heal any land it's placed on. It cures illness, strengthens nature— "

  "It would cure Thalia's tree."

  Lena nodded. "Along with strengthening the borders of camp. But, Percy, the Fleece's location is a mystery. It's been missing for centuries. Many heroes have searched for it, all coming back with empty hands."

  "Grover found it, though," he said. "He was searching for Pan, but found the Fleece in his place due to them both radiating nature magic. It all adds up. We can save him and camp at the same time. It's beautiful!"

  Annabeth faltered. "A little too beautiful. Don't you think it may be a trap?"

  "What other options do we have?" Percy asked. "Will you guys help me rescue Grover or not?"

  Tyson had completely zoned out from the conversation, who was now making toy boats out of the cups and spoons in the lava.

  "Percy," Magdalena said under her breath, "we will have to get through a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of them all. There is only one place his island is. The Sea of Monsters."

  Magnus dropped his cup. "Yeah, no way."

  "Where's that?" Percy asked.

  Annabeth looked at him stupidly. "The Sea of Monsters. The water Odysseus sailed across, and Jason, Aeneas . . . "

  "Oh, the Mediterranean."

  "No. Well, yeah . . . But no."

  "Another clear response. Thanks."

  "Listen, Percy, all heroes in history have sailed through the Sea of Monsters for their quests. It was originally in the Mediterranean, yes. But like the gods, its location shifts as of the West's central powerpoint does."

  "Like Mount Olympus retiring about the Empire State Building," Percy said. "And Hades being beneath Los Angeles."

  "Correct."

  "But how could hide an entire sea of monsters? Mortals would've had to notice strange things happening . . . Like, ships getting swallowed, and what-not."

  "Obviously they notice. They just don't get it. They know something's strange about that area of the ocean. They even have a name for where it lies now, just northeast of Florida off the east coast."

  "The Bermuda Triangle?" Magnus inquired.

  "Bullseye."

  Percy let that sink in. "Alright . . . Well, now we knew where to look, at least."

  "There area's still so broad, Percy," Lena said. "Searching for a single minuscule island in monster-crawling waters— "

  "Hey, now. I'm the son of the sea god. This is my territory. How hard could it be?"

  Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "We'll need approval for this quest from Tantalus. There's no doubt he won't approve."

  "Unless we tell him tonight in front of everybody. Everyone will hear, and they'll pressure him into agreeing. He can't refuse that."

  "Maybe." The slightest bit of hope sparkled in Annabeth's voice. "We'd better finish up these dishes. Pass me the lava spray gun, will you?"

ANNA'S NOTES!
Percy saying dumb shit in front of Magdalena is going to be constantly reoccurring pattern in this book so be ready 🤓