When Percy woke up, he felt better. And yes, he did wake up. No dreams, which was weird, in a good way. His dreams so far have not been cheery. But other than that Percy opened his eyes and he didn't get hit with a wave of pain.

He took a deep breath. His chest didn't hurt. He was thinking clearly, other than being groggy. After a quick ten second inventory, he found he was perfectly fine.

Well almost.

"You've got to be the stupidest person I know!" Percy looked up as Halo slammed a clipboard onto a medicine table. He looked irritated. And stormed over.

Like literally, a light of gold flashed behind his back, almost like lightning. Oh wait, those were just his arrows.

Why was he wearing weapons in a medical bay?

Halo scrunched his nose and as if reading Percy's thoughts said "yeah, if you so much as speak one word about leaving before I give the okay, I will layer you under so many arrows  you will never get back up."

Percy couldn't help but smile. Halo pulled a sphygmomanometer out of seemingly the air.

"Someone sounds angry." The son of Poseidon commented, allowing Halo to wrap the leather around his forearm.

Halo glared at him under his hood. He snapped the last bit of Velcro into place and started pressing the pump. Percy could feel the instrument getting tighter.

"Wait, I thought this thingy measured blood pressure." Percy said

"It does." Halo said shortly. "It's a modified version. Specifically made for Chaos army's."

"Oh."

Halo rolled his equipment up, casting Percy wary gaze. Then he sighed, wiping his hand across his face. Percy suddenly realized how exhausted and miserable he looked, despite only being able to see a small portion of the demigod's face.

"Sorry." Halo mumbled through his hand. "Haven't slept right since I died. Working over time in the medical bay. I'm our teams only medic and unfortunately people keep doing stupid things and coming back here." Percy felt that that comment was directed at him, "as if that's not bad enough Forge decided I would listen to his ever qualm. Like I care that Secrets mopey and sad over her OTP! The guys well rounded enough to take care of his own girlfriend problems-"

"Girlfriend?"

"Oh, yeah" said Halo, "here's a tip, never ask Forge what's wrong. It's always Secret this and Secret that. If I didn't know better I'd assume she cursed him. Who knows, maybe she did."

"I'm getting the distinct feeling nobody likes Secret." Percy muttered.

"It's not that," Halo protested, "she's just...just...nosy I guess. She tried to charm me into relieving myself and it almost worked. Plus all she talks about is relationships. Who's with who. Who should go with who. Frazel, Jasper, Tratie, Chrisse, Percabeth....everything."

Percy stiffened at the sound of his own ship name being said, though Halo didn't seem to notice. He also found it curious that both Bianca and Halo seemed to dislike the demigod for the same reason. He made a mental note to pay attention around Secret...as soon as he found out which one that was.

"How long was I out?" Percy asked.

Halo sighed, "two days. Your lucky. Just in case you had no idea. Most people don't recover from near death experiences, especial not enough to get up and help save a life."

Percy's throat dried. "How is he?" He asked carefully.

"Hero?" Halo asked, "brilliant." He layered the sarcasm on thick. "Something you said completely snapped into his mind. He's mentally okay, just jumpy. Archangel and him keep asking to see you. "

Something he said? What did he say? Percy frowned thinking back...

"There's a reason she calls me seaweed brain." He mumbled under his breath, "how could I be so stupid?"

"What?" Halo asked sharply.

"Nothing!" Percy reassured him. "So am I good to go?"

Halo picked the clipboard off the desk flipping through a couple pages, and scribbling on one. "Yeah, i-"

He paused putting a hand to his ear almost like he was listening to something. He frowned, then cocked his head. Nodded and then randomly said "Okay, be right there." Halo tossed the report onto the nightstand rolling his shoulders back.

"Let's go." He said.

"What?"

Halo looked at him as if he was stupid, before a realization dawned on his face. "Oh, that's right, you can't hear it." He pulled a tiny earbud and microphone from being hooked around his ear. "This is the Elite line, you'll get yours after you train with Omega. Everything is wired though here. It's how we communicate during missions and stuff. Chaos just requested us, Bianca and Luke in the missions room."

"Somehow I don't think that's a good thing." Percy said pulling himself off the cot. His knees shook a little, and his balance was off but other than that he was fine. A new grudging respect for the healer blossomed in his chest.

Halo nodded agreeingly and started towards the door side-by-side with the son of Poseidon.

The walk to the mission room was short and quiet. Neither boys talked, but Percy could hear Halo muttering under his breath.

He couldn't help but wonder who Halo was under his hood. He said he died defending the Empire State Building. He aldi said that he had drowned.

A suspicion tugged at Percy, who had he known who died drowning, and was impressively good with a bow and arrows?

Bianca was Archangel. Luke was Hero. Who else was on this team? And more importantly, how could he get them to open up?

His thoughts danced back to his dreams, like he couldn't get away from them. The creepy woman, the look in Annabeth's eyes. How'd had she all of a suddenly seen him? Will had said no one was getting better. Why? Surely they didn't need him that bad.

Percy shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. They're only dreams, he reminded himself, they didn't happen.

But still some part of him felt it was real something was going on. Something bigger than just a couple creepy visions. Who sent them to him anyway?

"Here." Halo said tiredly. He stopped by a at of double doors, that Percy swore hadn't been there a second ago. He made another mental note to find a map of this place before he got lost and was never seen again.

Halo pushed open the doors easily and they were greeted with the professional smell of a bank. Complete with the lollipops and coffee tinge. Hero already sat in the room on a comfy maroon and gold leather chair. His hood was drawn and he faced the light in such a way that Percy couldn't see the rest of his face. Chaos stood behind a oak desk fiddling with a tie that matched his suit. Omega, surprisingly stood next to him completely still like a statue. At least, Percy hoped it was actually Omega and not a statue, because other wise that would be insanely creepy.

"Wonderful, now where's Archangel? Please take a seat." Chaos said, formally. Three chairs sat open, and Halo shrugged and took the one in the middle. Percy sat himself in the one between Luke and Halo. The room was quiet, it made Percy uncomfortable. His hands twiddled with his pen sword, twisting the cap and twirling in between his fingers.

Archangel burst into the room out of breath.

"Sorry," she huffed, "made the mistake of walking though the ice halls. Jacob -remember that stalker guy who's obsessed with the idea we're mates?- was hiding there."

Percy gave her a strange look, thigh everyone else seemed use to it.

"Mates?" Percy asked. Bianca shook her head a clear sign that read I'll-tell-you-later.

She slumped into the far chair still breathing heavily. "Note what are we doing?"

Chaos straightened, relaxing his bowtie. "We are here to decide Second in Command. It's obvious it should be one of the three of you-"

"Wait," Halo interrupted, "Hero's Second in Command..."

The three turned to look at Luke, who sunk lower in his chair.

"I resigned," he mumbled, "I almost committed suicide. I'm in no shape to go leading someone, anyone, even if it's only in emergencies.

Percy opened his mouth to protest but look in Luke's shaded face shut him up. Halo, however, didn't seem to care, or maybe he did and choose to ignore it.

"Are you kidding me?" Halo shouted, "Just because you realize that you could have clouded judgement, proves you are perfectly fine! This is just trying to get rid of the position isn't it? You never did want to be in a position of power!"

"Yes, well, he resigned." Chaos interrupted drawing the attention back to himself. "So we need to pick the next one. It's obvious it should be one of you three who worked to save Hero. "

Percy found himself looking at Bianca who turned a light pink. "I know you are not looking at me. I refuse." To emphasize her statement she picked herself up and stormed out of the room. Potato.

"I'm busy healing all these idiots." Halo said.

Percy felt his stomach churn. A wave of self conscious crashed in him. Everyone looked at him. Even Omega who looked for the first time to actually be paying attention.

"Uh..." Percy laughed nervous. "Not happening."

"It makes sense." Luke said easy. "You've heard what he's done, Chaos."

"I said no!" Percy insisted. "I haven't even met half the team, I haven't even had my first training session!"

"He's right." Omega said. "But perhaps he can learn along the way. I'll teach him. Then he can lead, but until then Halo can be my back up."

Halo opened his mouth, obviously against the idea of him temporarily in command. But suddenly he shut it in a grudging annoyance. Percy could've sworn he saw a wisp of blue hexes spiraling behind Omega cloak, but then he realized he was seeing things. Omega wouldn't hex Halo.

Would he?

"I don't think-" Percy started but Chaos hushed him with a wave of his hand.

"So it's settled?" The primordial said to his right hand man like Percy hadn't even been talking. "Excellent. I will inform the rest of your team. You all are dismissed."

Halo stood up stiffly, and Luke followed suit opening the doors and stepping out. Percy was about to leave when Omega called him back, one last time.

"Savoir, training tomorrow, in the arena, since you missed the original date due to a near death coma." Omega said professionally. "Try to get some sleep. And be ready. I've taken you under my wing, so to speak, so I'm not going easy."

Percy nodded, a slight smirk on his face. He knew he probably couldn't beat Omega, who probably was first in command for a reason, but he liked the idea of a challenge. It would be almost like his battle verses Ares when he was like twelve.

The smile faded off his face when he saw who was waiting outside the doors. And he knew it would be a long walk to his room.

Luke impatiently tapped his foot, rather nervous. His posture straighten as soon as he saw Percy.

"Spill." He said. "I wanna know everything that happened."

***

The image flexed and faded from the glittering water. A lone figure looked up, deep in thought.

"He is the one." She said quietly. "He is the one I've been waiting for."

Another figure stepped from the shadows in the dark room, a hood drawn over her face but midnight dark hair flowed across one shoulder. She bowed low and stood up.

"Art thou sure, Milady?" She asked, respectively.

"Yes." The primordial stared at her friend with her crystal eyes. "Yes, I am."