I know it's been a while. Thanks for hanging in there. 

Percy's POV

I sank like a rock to the sand under the water. It's not really that different than the sand on the beach, but I like it because we're... you know, underwater. Not only that, but no one can follow me down here. Not the stupid sons of Zeus. Not the Aphrodite kids trying to give me a makeover, not the Stolls who want to prank me. No one.

So I learned that the Electroclan's powers come from master bolt prototypes. Prototypes are often unreliable and don't last as long as the real thing. But the Electroclan's had their power for like, sixteen years without fail, even if they only started up later in life. Taylor's booted up when she was seven or eight, and Michael's had it since he was really little. So that means the little lightning bolts inside of them have different time spans. But, being cyclops made, they've managed to work for the past decade. I should go and talk to Tyson. He'd know what to do.

I swam down to the Cyclops forges, completely aware that they are fire proof and I'm not. But we're underwater, so what's the worst that could happen?

Let me just tell you, I am still underestimating things like this. What's the worst that could happen? You never ask that question when you're a demigod. Because as suckish as my life already is, the Fates are really creative and keep on making it worse. Before this turns into a full-on rant like the one I had on the beach, I'd better tell you what exactly happened.

So I walked in, all, 'Hey, my brother's a general in the cyclops army. Can I see him?' and the guard grunted and let me in. I walked for about five seconds before the front of my shirt was practically incinerated off of me. I forgot that I'm the guy who can keep himself dry underwater and light a match submerged in a river. Silly me. So I walked through the forges, very careful where I stepped and found Tyson! And I shouted, "What's up, little bro?" And of course, my little brother isn't so little anymore. Not only has he grown to be taller than the six feet that he already was, but he's been working in the forges and the Cyclops army for so long, I forgot that he hugged like Mrs. O'Leary. And BAM! all of my ribs cracked, my shoulder dislocated and here we are. 

I grinned, "Hey, Ty. I was wondering, who's the oldest cyclops in your forges? You know, someone who, say, was alive when they were making Zeus's master bolt?" Tyson shrugged, "I don't know, Percy. Where's Annabeth?" I swallowed hard. I can't tell him that his second favorite demigod, the first being me of course, broke his first favorite demigod's heart. That would break his heart. And that would be nothing short of catastrophic. I stuttered for a little bit, "She... uh... She's... G-Getting you some peanut butter, big guy. Yeah, that sounds believable." Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that last part, but Tyson was so happy he didn't even hear it. 

"Yay!" He shouted, clapping. A dark figure appeared behind him and I pulled out Riptide, uncapped. It rose to its full height and growled. I pushed Tyson behind me, "Stay back, Tyson." He laughed, "Why? That's just Brontes. He's really grumpy all of the time." I tilted my head, "You're Brontes?" The Cyclops nodded gruffly. "I was among the three eldest cyclops. What is you interest in our bolts?" I spread out my hands innocently, "Nothing. I was just wondering where your prototypes went. I mean, a masterpiece like that couldn't have been created in one go." He scowled, "Quit your flattering, boy. As for our prototypes, they were lost to time. Someone stole them. I had assumed they were trashed, but now I have reached other conclusions." I nodded, "Well, Brontes, I have learned that it was Tartarus's minions. I wanted to know how stable and/or the lifespan of one of the prototypes. If it was hypothetically placed into the body of a mortal." He grunted, "I know of the mortals, boy. I am surprised they have not died already. They were only to last for a decade. Although, some of them booted up later. I give them a couple of months before they go away forever." I felt my face pale, although I hoped they didn't notice. I had another theory. The other electric kids that died. It wasn't from cancer. It was because the prototype malfunctioned, killing them. Then I realized the timestamp.

That would barely last them a day into the battle. If today was January Twenty-Seventh, they would fade before we even got rid of the mortal army. Of course, there was that give or take a month factor that didn't help the odds. I wonder how the Electroclan would feel when they lost their powers. It would be strange, after all of these years. "Is there a way to recharge them?" I asked, "This is my last question, I promise." The Cyclops nodded, "With electricity, of course. However, mortals cannot absorb electricity. Not unless they can take a shock and live. In small amounts, you could probably give them another month or so, but highly unlikely." Michael. Michael's power could last the rest of his life if he took the care to eat his electricity every day. He could administer small shocks to the rest of the Electroclan until the battle, too. I counted on my fingers. I gave a small bow, "Thank you, Brontes." I patted Tyson on the back, "See you for the battle? We'll make them go boom." Tyson grinned, his teeth covered in peanut butter. "Yay! Big brother will help make things go boom!" I swam up to the surface, unleashing my pent-up frustration on the water, creating a six-foot-tall wave that crashed down on the beach.

And of course, Michael Vey just had to be sitting there. Because why not?

I grinned sheepishly, "Hey, Mikey. Sorry 'bout that." He spit out the water that had been forced into his mouth. He shook some of the water out of his hair. "Just dry me off," he said exasperatedly, "I've been waiting here for a whole hour and a half. Jeez." I tapped him on the shoulder and helped him off the sand. "Why were you waiting?" Michael rolled his eyes, "I saw a figure jump into the ocean and thought, 'Who could be diving into the freezing water at seven o'clock in the morning?'" I chuckled. " Now come on. We wouldn't want to miss breakfast."

Michael sighed like, "I've been waiting on this kid forever and he only wants to eat breakfast?" We're going to have to work the Electroclan today. Sure, running for your life and stuff keeps you in shape, but the Electroclan's got nothing on the demigods. They don't have to have good weapon technique. And trust me, sword-fighting is almost more of a workout than running. I looked back at him, "Look, Electroman, you don't want to go to demigod training on an empty stomach. You might not make it." He nodded and jogged to catch up. 

I pushed him towards the Zeus table and saluted at him while walking away. "See you for training, Michael," I said, "It'll be fun." He rolled his eyes, muttering something about needing to go find Taylor. Poor kid. That's gonna be a terrible experience. 'Hey, Aphrodite Cabin, can you point me towards my girlfriend? I need to have a talk with her.' They were gonna squeal and shout, and Michael being Michael, would get super embarrassed. But I guess it was normal. That's what happens when you date someone in the Aphrodite cabin. Although, it was my fault for putting her there.

I turned away from what I assumed was going to be a tomato head Michael and dug into my pancakes. If only I could just stay at breakfast forever and not have to move, but we had training to do. I stood up in front of the tables where Chiron was sitting, and announced the plan, "Alright. So I assume your councilors have already found those of you with powers and put you with those without them." They nodded mutely and I continued, "Well, we're going to have to train with them. Stay with your group to train every day until the attack. You have to trust them and be prepared to save them without thinking. Now go! Electroclan, you're with me." The majority of the campers got up and left, a few of them staying to finish up their scraps of food.

Hazel, Frank, Piper, Leo and Calypso came to stand with me. "What're we doing now, Aquaman?" Leo asked. "Shut it, Repair Boy. I'm thinking." He screamed in falsetto, "Ah! Percy's thinking! Under the tables, people!" A grin split my face. "We're going to train the Electroclan demigod-style. Sword arena or running around the lake?" Piper smiled, "Let's split them up. Make them run, and then arena.Or vice versa. Let's see how well they do against non-mortals." Hazel shrugged, "Running's nothing." Frank shrugged diplomatically, "To us, maybe. But not to them." Leo's signature maniacal grin appeared on his face, "Then what're we waiting for? Let's torture the lights out of 'em." 

Frank, Hazel, and I took one member of the Electroclan each to train. Frank took Jack, Hazel had Nichelle, and I ran with Michael. I let him set the pace, but made sure he never stopped running. "Let's go, Michael. You can do better than that," I shouted, trying to encourage him, although I wasn't too sure it was working. He started breathing hard. "Please," he panted, "Can we take a break?" I shook my head, "Push through it! Jack's lapped us twice already! Just keep talking, get your mind off the pain. Ask me a question." Michael nodded. He took a minute to collect his breath, then asked, "After this is all over, assuming we survive, will I miss the adventure?" I stopped and groaned, "Stop running. Walk." Michael did so gratefully, holding his sides. I thought about the question for a while. Did I miss the adventure? No. In fact, I hated it. I only wanted to settle down. But after my first quest, I was bored with school. Well, until the Lastrygonians invaded, of course. And I knew that after being on the run for so long, all Annabeth wanted to do was to get back out there. So I nodded to him.

"Have you ever gotten a slurpee or something, and you drank from the bottom until all of the flavors were gone, and there was only the ice was left?" I asked him. He nodded, "Of course." I kept walking, "And after it was all gone, what did you want?" He shrugged, "I wanted more. The ice was so bland it was practically cold water." I nodded. "That's what it's like. But think of my life as a blue slurpee." He cut me off, "Why bl-" I slapped my hand over his mouth, "If you value your sanity, do not finish that question. No interruptions." He nodded mutely, slowly moving my hand away. He gestured for me to continue. "So, my life is a blue slurpee," I said, glaring at him, daring him to interrupt, "I drank and I drank until all of the flavor was gone. All I wanted was more. I got plenty and suddenly, brain freeze. Didn't want it anymore. I had one adventure and the rest of my life was boring, well, except for time at camp. When I was in school, all I wanted was to be at camp. I stared at pictures of my friends instead of paying attention to the lessons. I went on quest after quest until all I wanted was some peace and quiet. And guess what? Two more wars. Do you understand?" Michael shrugged, "So you're saying that if I get enough adventure for one life time, I'll be content with a boring life?" I shook my head, "I guess I didn't get my point across, then. No. You'll always want a little bit of fun, you'll want an interesting life. Everything you've been through has given you a taste for adventure. But it'll be normal interesting. Paintball, skateboarding, parties. No running for your life 24/7." Michael nodded solemnly, "Thanks, Percy. I think fighting the father of the all monsters and the pit itself will count as too much." I clapped him on the back, "I hope so, buddy. Now run, run, RUN!" Michael jumped like a scared rabbit, leaping the next few paces. I ran backwards in front of him, still managing to keep ahead of his terrified sprint. 

"Come on! Even Nichelle's lapped you." I screamed as she passed. She turned to face me, "What was that, Jackson?" I grinned. "Make her run, Hazel." She saluted to me, urging Nichelle on. Michael panted, slowing to a jog, "How do you do this every single day?" I smiled, "Just keep running, Mikey. You'll be doing this all day." He groaned, making my smile widen.

It was fun to run when it wasn't for your life.

Taylor's POV

I watched Michael and Percy running around the Canoe Lake, smirking. It was like Percy could walk faster than Michael could run. I'd always thought of my boyfriend as a risk-taker, a leader, a fast runner. But Percy made him look like a snail. I let out a chuckle as I saw Percy jogging backward in front of a sprinting Michael. But next to demigods, the Electroclan seems like we lived life on the safe side. For demigods, being alive was a risk.

I think that I might've liked the Aphrodite Cabin when I was a cheerleader at Meridian. They had designer everything. I might not have worn it, or even accepted it if they'd offered it to me, but I'd appreciate their sense of style. But what was on the walls is what really got to me. Posters of Percy Jackson all over the walls. I'm not sure if Piper had related it to him, but it certainly would've blown his mind. The guy's too modest. 

Now, I was following my Head Councilor to the arena, where I wasn't sure I'd survive. I guess that the Elgen Corporation army, despite knowing about our powers, had no idea how to defend themselves against it without those Nichelle-derived darts or the RESAT boxes. Demigods lived among people with powers like ours. McKenna's is rare, I guess, but the Hephaestus children are at least prepared for it. I saw Annabeth hacking away at a dummy, the straw flying everywhere. I know that she was the reason that Percy left camp, but she didn't seem too bad. Maybe she just made a bad decision. At least she was on his side. I think I might just read her mind later, or have Tessa enhance my powers so that I wouldn't even have to make contact with her. But I was pretty good at reading faces. She seemed guilty, and her eyes were always far away. When she spoke, the words seemed strained, like it hurt or it was forced. She turned to us, and for a split second, I thought her eyes flashed gold. But that's impossible, right? It probably wasn't even real. Just the sun glinting off of the stormy gray.

She smiled, "Newbies. Show me what you've got." Piper laughed humourlessly. "They don't have any weapons." Annabeth chuckled, "Just powers, then. We can find you each a weapon later." Annabeth's eyes scanned the group, as if calculating which ones would be harder or easier to beat. When they finally landed on me, I was scared out of my mind. She chose me. The Annabeth Chase wants to duel me and I have no idea how I'm going to get through this alive. But when she finally gestured for me to come forward, I stepped up confidently. I can't let her know I'm scared. I saw the rest of the Electroclan split up between a couple of demigods. She started muttering under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear her. "Hm, rebooting my mind. No way around that. Just need to focus quickly, make sure she doesn't make her move." I nearly stumbled backward, stunned. Resist my powers? I'm going to have to use some tricks. I discreetly nodded at Tessa, who amplified my powers immediately. I could read her mind like she was saying the words out loud.

She was focused. She didn't want to hurt me, just to test out what I was capable of. Her memories were barricaded behind walls so strong, a war fort would have looked like a pillow fort. Deeper, there was a block of gold, completely unpenetrable. I was startled into action when she sprinted towards me, brandishing her dagger. Instinctively, I rebooted her, leaving her walking, wondering where she was before she continued making quick progress towards me. I rebooted again, harder this time, and when she was wondering what she was doing, I smiled sweetly, "Annabeth, aren't you going to give me that dagger?" She looked bewildered at her dagger, and nodded. As she approached, I felt like grinning stupidly. I won. I bested Annabeth Chase. Just as the hilt of the dagger was about to reach my hand, it vanished, only to reappear at my neck. "Whoa," I yelped. Annabeth smiled, "Not bad, Ridley. Not bad at all. If it weren't for Piper and her charmspeak training me all this time, I would've given you my dagger and begged you to let me have it back." 

Percy and Michael jogged over to the arena. Percy scratched the back of his neck, "Uh... Hey, A-Annabeth. Um, how's Taylor doing?" She'd found a sudden interest in the dirt on her shoes. "She's doing great, Percy. Michael?" Michael grunted, "He's got me running all day, some trash about his life being a blue smoothie. The guy's impossible." I chuckled at that. Sounds like something Percy would say. "As much as I would love to hear the reasoning behind that one," she stuttered, "I've got to go, uh, help Malcolm with the Capture the Flag strategy." She raced off without another word.

I looked at Percy, "Capture the Flag?" He started grinning maniacally. "It's tonight." I tilted my head, "What do you do? It can't be like the one we play in gym." The Leo-like look in his eye frightened me. He laughed.

"You'll see, Taylor. Just be prepared to play."