Percy and Alessa took to training in the early afternoon, when there was almost no one in the arena. The new daughter of Poseidon felt more comfortable when they were alone, less like she was being watched.

"You've definitely still got the skill set. It just needs a bit of honing." Percy commented in between bouts one afternoon. Alessa nodded and dumped a bottle of water over her head.

He laughed. "Feels good, yeah?"

She nodded. "That's from Dad, right?"

"Yep." Percy chugged half of his bottle and then dumped the rest of it over his head.

"Jackson!"

"Yeah?" They answered at the same time. Percy smiled a little bit.

Piper burst into the arena. "We've got an issue at the border."

Percy frowned and grabbed Riptide, following the daughter of Aphrodite as she raced back the way she came. He smiled when he noticed Alessa a few steps behind him.

There was already a small group of demigods at the border, weapons drawn. Percy pushed his way through the group to the front.

Alabastor Torrington stood on the other side of the border, a group of five blank-eyed demigods standing behind him. He had no weapon that Percy could see, but the others were all armed and in armor.

"Jackson." He nodded to Percy.

"I assume you want something?" Percy responded flatly. Alessa took up a position on one side of him and Piper drew her dagger and stood on his other side.

"You're correct." The son of Hecate smirked. He glanced at Alessa and the smirk turned into a bit of a frown. "Percie?"

"My name is Alessa." She said sharply. "State your demands and maybe we can come to an agreement."

Percy was more concerned with movement he had seen on the edge of the forest, past the border.

"I see you over there!" He shouted. "Get out here!"

When the black haired boy with a crimson snake draped over his shoulders stepped out, there was a murmur of surprise from the demigods on the Camp side. Even Percy was taken aback for a moment.

"Ethan Nakamura?" The son of Poseidon asked hesitantly. "I thought you were dead."

"Think again." He said flatly, arms crossed. The snake slipped off of him and coiled at his feet.

"There's the power source." Alessa whispered. Percy glanced at her and realized she was staring at the snake. He looked at it again, frowning. This had to be some sort of god or goddess, but who was it?

"Alright, Torrington, Nakamura, what do you want?" He finally asked.

"We're just here for recruits." Alabastor shrugged. "To our cause."

"Which is?" Piper raised her eyebrows.

"A war against Olympus, to level the playing field and restore the natural order of things. Those tyrants have lived in their cushion-y palaces for long enough, and I'm here to find people who will help us overthrow them."

"You'll find none here. Leave." Percy watched the son of Hecate with narrowed eyes.

"Maybe I should rephrase. It's not so much recruiting as... drafting." Alabastor glanced at Ethan. "We're here to take prisoners."

The demigods behind him pulled their weapons. Percy scowled and shifted his grip on Riptide.

"We're giving you one chance to surrender." Ethan said as he drew his own blade. "Come with us now and we'll spare your lives."

There were whispers from the campers, and Piper looked at Percy.

"With just your little group? I don't think that'll be as easy as you think." He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Peleus' roared and the sound of demigods rallying began to clatter through the camp. 

Soon everyone old enough to hold a weapon and fight effectively had gathered behind Percy, naturally falling into groups that worked well together and picking partners to fight with.

Alabastor and Ethan looked at each other.

"You and what army?" Alessa finally voiced what everyone inside the camp was thinking. A couple kids snickered.

Instead of answering, the two demigods took a few steps back. The snake began to writhe and glow and Percy felt a nasty feeling take root in his gut.

The creature became so bright that everyone had to look away, and when the light died, Percy was face to face with a familiar goddess.

"Lady Nemesis. I knew I recognized that form." He tipped his chin up defiantly. "We will still fight."

The goddess of revenge held her hands out to either side, palms up. The small group of demigods behind her stepped forward, and a wall of Mist appeared.

It dropped to reveal hundreds of demigods, mortals, and a handful of individuals that Percy had a sinking feeling were immortals. He could feel his camp's resolve beginning to weaken.

The shadow of Thalia's tree suddenly began to twist. It spat out a familiar face, as well as a rather large gathering of skeletons.

"You're not the only one with an army." Nico drew his sword. "You killed my sister."

They were at a stand-off. Percy knew that the army couldn't get through the barrier, but he wouldn't put it past Nemesis to turn on the mortals of New York, and he couldn't let that happen.

"Camp Half-Blood!" He shouted. They roared in response, shields and weapons clanking together.

"Army Chaos!" Ethan screamed in response. His army moved in perfect synchronization as they thrust their weapons into the air and yelled with one voice.

Percy took a deep breath. Gods protect them, this was going to end badly.

"ATTACK!"

[A/N If you're interested in my original book I'm working on, I'm considering posting a sort of 'sample chapter' in my one shot book. It will just be titled 'Prologue', let me know if you think I should post it

also, guess the reference in the title~]