Villains

Percy Jackson was having a fabulous day. If by fabulous you meant, he overslept, missed breakfast, got over charged by those pesky sons of Hermes in the Camp store when he went to get a new shirt to replace his battle torn one, and he just tripped down the hill chasing after Annabeth.

"Annabeth, wait up!" Percy scrambled up and hurried after his girlfriend.

The blond haired daughter of Athena sighed and finally slowed enough for Percy to catch up. Her gray eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight. Half a dozen blueprint scrolls and papers filled her arms making it hard to walk without dropping something. A pencil stuck out behind her ear in a professional way.

"Percy, aren't you suppose to be at the archery range?" She asked.

The son of Poseidon shrugged, "Maybe, but I wanted to talk to you."

"Percy, I love you, but I have to get this done today otherwise Hera will get irritated and kidnap you again." A small smile tugged on the corners of her mouth.

Percy couldn't help but grin. She looked like a goddess in the early morning sun. "Come on, Wise Girl, you know that only happens once in a lifetime." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, you know we made them swear on the River Styx not to do any kidnapping or switching of any kind with us."

She shrugged, "I guess I'm just paranoid then." She shuffled around some of the blue prints she was holding. Percy caught sight of one labeled P. Palace. "So what did you want to tell me?"

Percy grinned, "This." He leaned in and kissed her cheek, quickly. Annabeth smiled blissfully.

"GET A ROOM!" Percy was jolted back by the sound of Nico Di Angelo walking past, shaking his head. The son of Hades wore jeans and a Camp Jupiter T-shirt which made sense because he'd just gotten back from a visit to see Hazel. He was carrying a Camp Half Blood t shirt as well, and Percy was sure that was the most amount of color he'd ever seen the kid wear.

Nico was headed towards the Big House. Big surprise. Was it just Percy, or did he seem to spend a lot more time in the infirmary ever since he admitted that he had had a crush on Percy? (Percy was still confused about that, but Annabeth told him not to worry). Percy turned back to his girlfriend rendering the real reason he'd come.

"Oh and the Hunters are coming later today. Chiron told me to tell you. I think they're doing recruiting rounds." Percy said.

Annabeth smiled wider, which hadn't seemed possible. Percy knew she was thrilled with their luck to see Thalia again before they both headed off to college in New Rome. Just the thought of the next years in a safe magical college was enough to make Percy insanely giddy. Of course, he'd have to study hard, but he had Annabeth right by his side. Who knows, he might actually be able to make a year without blowing up the school building.

There's a first time for everything.

"Really?" Annabeth gasped, and Percy nodded, "This is awesome!"

"And, one more thing," Percy took a deep breath, "I've got a surprise for you. Meet me in the Mess Hall after the Campfire tonight?"

Her eyes glowed in their stormy gray way that she normally got where she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Percy loved that look. He hoped maybe just this once he'd stumped her. He totally didn't want her figuring out this surprise before he sprung it on her. He was nervous enough as is.

"Okay, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth agreed, "I'll be there."

Percy did a mental happy dance. It would have stitched if after everything she had just said no.

"I've got Archery now, so I've got to go." Percy kissed her check nearly knocking a scroll from her hands, "Love you!"

She beamed. From down the hill, he could see Piper and Jason waving. Percy gave them a quick hand flick and whipped around just in time to get a face full of the Stolls newest prank.

He knew something was different the moment the water crashed down on him. First off, the Stoll's obnoxious laughter had stopped seconds after they dosed him. It was almost like they had forgotten that he was the Son of Poseidon and could magically dry himself. The other thing was more of a feeling than anything else. It was strange feeling, that clung to his stomach. Something was wrong, it seemed to say, but Percy couldn't pick out what was.

"Stolls!" He said throwing his arms up, "How many times are you going to poor buckets of water on me? I'm the flipping son of the sea. I dry."

For some reason they looked petrified with fear. Travis (identified by being an inch taller) stumbled backwards and Connor was shaking like he was seeing a ghost.

"Holy Shit, Holy Shit--" He said.

"Stolls...."

Percy whipped around looking for Annabeth to see if she knew what the Hades was up with those two was she wasn't there. Instead that last person he expected to be there was gaping at him with a pale face.

"Thals?" Percy asked, "What the Hades? I thought the Hunters weren't coming until later. Where's Annabeth?"

She just stared at him. Her blue eyes look terrified, which was not an emotion Thalia Grace ever had. Especially not when Percy was around.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, stepping towards her. But she let out a gutted scream and scrambled back.

"This is a joke!" She yelled, "Stolls this not funny! This is over the top!" Hatred stared down the sons of Hermes who stood frozen behind Percy.

"We'd never...." Travis said, tears threatening to fall down his face, "Not this! We'd never go this far!"

"What the Hades is wrong with all of you?" Percy asked, "It's just me."

Thalia seemed to pull her spear from thin air. It crackled with energy, and she pointed it directly at Percy. It was that moment that Percy noticed that she was not wearing any silver. It seemed really really weird. She wasn't even wearing that tiara that the Lieutenant of Artemis normally had. What did she quit the Hunt?

"Travis, Connor go get Chiron!" She commanded, "Now!"

"Thalia, what is going on with you?" Percy said taking another step towards her. Her spear crackled with energy and her eyes flashed dangerously, "Look I'm glad-"

She shot him with electricity, "Stop Talking!"

Percy yelped, stumbling to the ground. Fire burned through him. Percy had been shot by her Lightning before-- back when Annabeth had been kidnapped by the Manitcore and he knew when she was holding back.

She was not holding back.

Percy's mouth tasted like metal. He reached to his pocket for Riptide. But she was on him in a flash stepping on his wrist and leveling her spear tip at his neck and murderous intentions in her eyes.

Connor and Travis scrambled up the Hill just in time to see the screaming girl come running out. She came bounding out of the Big House with Will Solace in tow, and ran straight into the prankster brothers.

"He was there!" The girl screamed, "He was in there!"

"Who?" Thalia yelled.

Percy recognized that girl even on the ground looking at her upside down, Percy felt his breath hitch.

"Her brother!" Will answered for Bianca Di Angelo. He looked sick to his stomach which Bianca's hysterical sobs weren't helping with.

Thalia went paler, if that was possible. Percy's stomach twisted, "What is going on?"

Nico walked out on to the porch in a daze, looking as confused as Percy felt. "Bianca..." He mumbled.

She screamed, "No, you can't be real!" She took another step back, "You're dead!"

Nico flinched back, "Am I seeing things? Will you see her, too, right?"

Will shook his head, his eyes as wide as the shield that Tyson had made Percy forever and a half ago, that he wished he had now.

"Thalia, get off of me!" Percy shout at her, "I'm really not in the mood for you messing around!"

He couldn't believe anything that was happening. The Stoll acting horrified, Thalia attacking him, Bianca being alive. So far the only person he'd seen who wasn't acting weird was Nico. And Bianca had just yelled that he was the dead sibling. What had happened to Annabeth? And Jason and Piper?

"Shut Up!" Thalia stomped harder on his wrist, "Just...shut up!" Was it just Percy or was she almost crying? Did he fall into the Twilight Zone?

"Thalia!" Another voice screamed, "Thalia, oh my gods, you're not going to believe this!" A short Aphrodite girl scrambled towards them, her braces glinting in the early morning sun, "Thalia, there's- Is that who I think it is?"

"Lacy, What is wrong with you?!" Katie Gardner stomped up after her, grabbing the younger girl arm and rubbing the back of her head, "You freaking hit me with a hair straightener!"

Lacy screamed and scrambled away from her as if she was going to hurt her. Percy thought that was ridiculous. Katie couldn't hurt a fly. Unless those flies were named Travis or Connor Stoll.

"K-Katie?" Travis stuttered, "Katie!"

He lunged for her but Connor grabbed him at the last second, holding him back. "Dude, she's not real! Not real!"

"Excuse me, Connor Stoll!" Katie snarled, "Is this some kind of joke? Because I can totally cancel my date with your brother tonight if that's what you want! Especially if my hairdresser suddenly decide to lose her mind!" She glared at the little girl who squeaked and hid behind Will.

"What is going on?!" He said looking between Nico, Percy, and Katie, "You three are dead! I saw you guys die!" Percy wouldn't have believed it had he not felt something wet hit him suddenly. He looked up to see Thalia trying to brush off another tear but another one replaced it.

Thalia...crying?

"Where's Luke?" She asked, "Gods help me, if you don't tell me where Luke is I'm going to run this spear right through you Percy Jackson!"

"Luke?" Nico called, "Castellan?"

"Thalia, He died! You were there!" Percy winced as she put more weight on his wrist, "You saw his body!"

"I SAW YOUR BODY, TOO!" Thalia screamed, "What did you do to Luke? Why are you alive and he's vanished?!"

Percy didn't know what to answer. Thalia raised her spear and made the motion to drive it right into his heart but Percy threw his other arm up in a flimsy protection.

"I swear on the River Styx I don't know what the Hades any of you are talking about!" He yelled. Thunder boom even on the cloudless sky like today.

The air went silent. Percy panted and dared peek up at the daughter of Zeus towering over him. She was staring at him, scared.

"You...made a swear on the Rive Styx," She said. "You should be..."

"Obliterated?" Percy offered, "Thanks Thals, I have no clue what you guys are trying to say. Luke died a year ago. He saved everyone-"

"No," She shook her head, "I just saw him! I just kissed him! Right before you magically showed up, you little traitor!"

"Traitor?" Nico snorted jumping off the porch and breaking his eye contact with Bianca for the first time, "How could you call him that! He save the world like forty times!"

"His fatal flaw is loyalty," Katie added.

Bianca cupped a hand over her mouth as if to muffled her sobs looking at her brother and Katie. Realization came slowly for Percy. It set in his stomach suddenly making him feel very, very sick. Thalia was asking about Luke, Annabeth was MIA, Bianca was alive, and everyone thought they had been dead....

"No!" Connor shook his head, still holding his struggling brother back, "Percy didn't save the world at all."

Thalia choked, "He tried to enslave it."