Sorry for my absence for those to have had the patience to wait here is another chapter I hope you enjoy sorry if there are a few mistakes. For those waiting for a new chapter to my other story do not despair I am working on it as we speak and you shall have a new chapter within a week or so :)

Its already half done I just have a few plot problems to iron out...anyways enjoy

Chapter 10

I sat there quietly on my bed watching Annabeth gather our things… just watching her. We didn't barely spoke a word since we got in. Annabeth had briefly iris messaged Chiron to let him know we were on our way to camp but other than that she just packed silently while I looked on. I was worried. The war had only just ended and a new threat just suddenly decides to surface and now we must deal with that rather than enjoy being a teenager. Demigod life just isn't fair sometimes. As much as I tried to shove that petulant thought out of my mind I just couldn't. Annabeth and I had barely escaped the last war with our lives and now we are being thrown into a new battle.

Whoa! I thought. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I've not even spoken to Chiron yet but my get was telling me things I didn't want to hear. And ignoring your gut when you're a demigod is a stupid thing to do. I just wanted to live out my life with Annabeth. Sure we were just teenagers but I had a feeling that this was going to last. We had gone through too much together not to. I was suddenly a little bit overcome with the knowledge that no matter what happened in our lives, we would always be fighting, always be in danger in some way or another and it scared me. I was so lost in my own thoughts I barely noticed when she sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You ok?" she whispered in my ear with real concern.

"Sure" I said flatly with no real conviction. She patted me on the shoulder, not saying anything but knowing she didn't need to. Just being there was enough. She picked up the pack she made for me off the floor and handed it to me.

"We will be fine". Annabeth assured me, misreading my anxiety.

"Its not just that" I replied. I could feel my stomach knotting. "I'm just tired of all this running. When we think we have one problem sorted all we get is a bigger problem thrown at us. It's almost like fate is playing games with us. I just…I don't want to win a war only to ". I exhaled slowly trying to regain my composure but it sounded more like a huff. Annabeth just stood infront of me, compassion filling her eyes. "Only to be thrown into another one"

"We're the 'Heroes of Olympus' Percy its not like we can stop being who we are" she said softly. "I know how you feel…I feel it myself but that's how it is it's our duty."

"Screw duty Annabeth" I spat out perhaps more harshly than I meant it. "Everytime we go into battle I go in knowing that at any moment I could lose you. I just…" I could feel tears stinging my eyes. I tried to look away, not wanting her to see me in this state but I couldn't take my eyes away. Annabeth took slow deliberate steps towards me. I could see the concern etched onto her face as she rested her hand on my chest, drawing closer until she was within kissing distance.

"Listen here Percy" she whispered in a fierce tone, "you will never ever lose me. No empousai, hellhound, Cyclops, Hydra god or creature of any kind is going to break us apart so quit your worrying and pull yourself together. We. Are. Going. To. Be. FINE. And if anyone so much as comes within a foot of your archilles heel I am going to cut their head off and send it to their family as a Christmas present do you understand?". I nodded, the determination in her voice filling me with hope. Maybe things will turn out after all. "I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" she almost shouted at me, still whispering.

"I guess so" I said in a resigned voice.

"Good" she said in her normal voice. She then leant into me and kissed me on the lips before I flung my backpack over my shoulder. She took my hand before I could say any more and lead me into the living room. My mom stood at the doorway with the same concerned look on her face she had been sporting when she first answered the front door.

"You two ready?" We both nodded.

"Be careful…Annabeth take good care of him." I shifted on my feet. Gods why did she have to be so embarrassing? Annabeth smiled to herself and gave me an amused look.

"Don't worry Sally I will. Percy will message you when we get to camp…anyway we really have to go now or you won't be safe". My mother nodded and answered the door. I couldn't be totally sure but I swear out of the corner of my eye she mouthed the words thank you to Annabeth.

As soon as were outside, we found two pegasi waiting for us; Annabeth had obviously thought of transport when she messaged Chiron earlier. Blackjack, a Pegasus I had rescued years earlier from Luke greeted me with his usual exuberance.

Yo boss! A friend o' mine sais you need a lift to camp. Monster trouble?

"Something like that" I said as I walked up to him and patted his nose. Once I was saddled up, I waited for Annabeth to signal that she was ready and we took flight. As we rose into the clouds, I had mixed feelings about returning to camp. Of course I was annoyed that my summer had yet again been cut short yet again by monster attack but I was also anxious to see my campmates again. During a tough time like the war I bonded with my campmates in ways I never truly realised until the war ended and I was no longer around them all the time. In a way having that many good people around me helped me get through the tragedy of losing so many good friends; Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, many others fell by Kronos's hand. Wind rushed past my ears, the only other sound being the perpetual beating of the Pegasus's wings.

As we neared the camps borders, I started to feel uneasy. I couldn't quiet place my anxiety; it had nothing to do with returning to camp. It was something…different, a primal sense telling me that we weren't safe. I drew Riptide slowly and let me hand rest on the saddle.

"What is it!" I heard Annabeth shout from her horse next to me, her voice barely a whisper compared to the thunderous sound of the onrushing air.

"I don't know! Call it a feeling" I called back. I scanned the sky, my instincts telling me that the danger was airborne.

We were nearly at the border when it happened. It started when I saw what at first glance to be a flock of birds flying in the distance to my left. Only when they got closer did I realise.

"Oh shit…Annabeth! Swords ready". She looked at me in confusion for a second before her eyes widened as she saw the oncoming horde; the bird like creatures from earlier quickly making up distance like we were flying against a hurricane. I kept my eyes firmly on them, holding my sword firmly, ready to use it exactly when the moment required.

Yo boss I don't like the looks of this.

"Neither do I. Get ready to do some fancy flying Blackjack". The winged horse said nothing else and continued to beat his wings. I could how nervous he was. I didn't blame him. I kept all of my attention on the monsters steadily approaching.

50 metres…I could make out the evil yellow glow of their cat like eyes. 40 metres…their razor sharp, knife like talons gave me chills. I could see them glinting crudely in the sunlight. 30 hundred metres…the lead bird snapped his jaw angrily, seeing the demigods before him. The creatures behind fanned out and at least half banked around to the other side, getting ready to hit us on both sides. 20 metres and their flight speed quickened, their leathery wings beating so fast it was almost a blur. 10 metres between their jaws and us and suddenly three of the creatures broke away from each side and rose above each Pegasus. I looked at Annabeth for a fraction of a second and nodded quickly. She nodded back in understanding, a plan formulated silently between us; such was the incredible understanding we now had. I grabbed the front of my saddle tightly before I shouted my command to Blackjack

"Dive!" I shouted and my stomach lurched as Blackjack made a steep dive. It almost seemed like slow motion such was the adrenaline flooding through my veins, the thrill of battle readying my muscles for the coming struggle. The Pegasus descended like an artillery shell, diving down so quickly it took all of my strength just to hold on. As Blackjack neared the ground he levelled out, the sudden change in movement pulling me back. It took all my concentration to keep hold of my sword. When I looked back I noticed that only about ten of the creatures could keep up and the rest were out of formation. Blackjack, stretching out the speed he gained from the dive, fanned out his wings and glided. It felt like we were doing a hundred miles an hour.

It was only after a few seconds that I realised that we had already passed the camp border. How the hell are they still chasing us? One of the birds somehow managed to speed up and climb over Blackjack before bulleting down on him. I turned around, holding my sword skywards in a defensive stance, urging Blackjack to stay on a straight course so I didn't fall off. It was moving so fast I had to use instinct rather than sight to judge when to strike. It was barely an inch from my face, its ugly leathered face pulling an ugly snarl. I pulled back my sword and yellow dust poured out from underneath, dissipating in the air as we moved. A fraction of a second had past, the beast had disintegrated. I glanced at Annabeth just in time to see her slice her knife through the throat of a creature before stealing a glance at me.

"Look out!" she shouted as her eyes widened. As the words left her lips she launched her knife past my shoulder and I heard a grotesque screech. I looked in the direction she threw and saw the monster fall against the Pegasus. Blackjack let out a whine but just carried on. I quickly pulled out the knife before the monster fell to the ground and threw it back to its recipient.

"Thanks" I called to her. I turned my Attention back to the monsters still in the air. Looking down I could see the cabins. Campers looked upwards at the great spectacle above them. The Apollo campers were readying their bows. I saw the lake up ahead. I glanced back at the creatures. All seven were bearing down on us. I felt my body do a strange thing. I knew it was ridiculous. I knew it was suicidal.

"Percy what in Hades are you doing!" I heard Annabeth scream. I looked back uncertainly.

"No idea…keep them over the water". I smiled back mischievously before launching myself over the edge of the Pegasus.

For a few seconds all I could hear was the whistling of the wind as it rushed past my ears. The water below me gradually got closer and I fanned my arms out like a parachutist would. Risking a glance back at the action above I turned my head briefly, taking in the sight of the two Pegasus taking evasive maneuverers followed by a hoard of angry flying monsters. Taking my attention away from the areal dogfight, I concentrated on the task at hand. I had no idea what I was doing I only knew that I had to jump and that I wouldn't die. I couldn't tell you how I knew but I just knew and that confidence just let me relax as I dropped like an asteroid through the air. I could feel the energy building within me, my palms starting to glow fluorescent green as the energy continued to build. Below me I could see the water turning clockwise in a spiral, creating what looked like a whirlpool. To my left I saw my fellow campers, some of the shooting arrows at the monsters who were now over camp, others just standing and staring at me as I plummeted through the air at what must be over a hundred miles an hour.

The energy within me just continued to build as I drew closer and closer to the water. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The water was now merely seconds away. I let out an exhilarated scream as I plunged straight into the centre of the whirlpool. My feet finally touched the thin layer of water at the bottom of the whirlpool but instead of passing through it, the water acted as a trampoline and propelled me back into the air. Almost too late I saw a monster fly towards me as I flew skywards and I drew riptide so fast that as the blade cut through its throat I barely even registered the monsters attack. When I came back down again I landed on the water, walking on its surface rather than sinking to the bottom. This should have surprised me but it didn't. I just stood there with my arms risen as the power within me created a tempest, the lakes waves spiralling around me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Annabeth swing round on her Pegasus and fly towards me. A smile formed on my lips as she flew over me. I simply threw my arm towards the monsters behind her and columns of water rose from the lake, wrapping themselves around each bird and slamming them into the water with such force that most of the immediately exploded into gold the moment they touched the water. More creatures flew overhead. A few of them tried to attack me but I don't know how but I simply pushed my palm in their direction and a wave of invisible energy pummelled into them, knocking them tens of metres away before a water column shot out of the lake and destroyed it. Although I was in total control over what I was doing this time, I still had no idea how I was doing it.

More and more creatures attacked. Some of them didn't even make it over the water, a stray monster dropping into the water with an arrow protruding from its back before it just dissolved into gold dust. The once blue water was now stained gold with the essence of the monsters that were being slain. I could again feel he energy building up within me, like an electric charge getting stronger and stronger. Palms glowed green once more. I could see my face reflecting back from Riptide; my eyes had an emerald glow and so did my mouth. The creatures now seemed to ignore everyone else and just dive straight for me. There must have been 50 or more now. How in Hades could there be so many. All my muscles tensed and I could feel the energy hitting its peak.

Then all at once, the energy was unleashed.

How you liked it...if anyone is impatient and wants to see a sneak peak at my other story just message me.

Please review I do really appreciate it