Author's Note: Hey, guys! Totally unoriginal idea right here, but I found it on my computer, re-read it, and thought, Why not? The Lightning Thief is fun to rewrite in other people's POVs. So, I'll post this first chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

Chapter 1: The One

I ran, ran as fast as my twelve-year-old legs would go. In the darkness, I saw some figures. There was a thunderstorm raging outside of our valley, though not even a single drop of rain fell into our valley. I heard a roar, then the crash of thunder and the screech of tires. I pushed my self harder. I heard another roar, and I saw three figures struggling up Half-Blood Hill: a woman, a boy about my age, and a familiar satyr they were dragging between them. I could hear shouting, and it seemed like the woman and the boy were arguing with each other. I kept on running and tripped in the dark. When I got myself together again, I continued until I was at a point where I could see clearly what was going on.

The boy was facing the tree, where the woman laid the unconscious satyr before trying to go back downhill. I remembered standing in this exact spot five years ago, back when I was seven years old. I remembered Luke's arms holding me back as I called out to Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, and a close friend—a friend that my mother, Athena, had guided me towards. I remembered struggling against Luke's grip, in vain; he was twice my age. I remembered crying and screaming. I remembered Thalia yelling, trying to defend herself against all of the monsters from Tartarus. She'd been bitten by poisonous fangs. She was bleeding all over. She took one more fatal blow, and collapsed. Then, like magic, she began to transform into a pine tree: the same tree that stood proudly at the crest of Half-Blood Hill.

The woman's shouts brought me back. "Run, Percy!" she yelled at the boy. "I can't go any farther. Run!" So the boy, Percy, must've been a new demigod, and the woman must've been his mortal mother. I caught a glimpse of the monster that was chasing them, and I gasped. It was the Minotaur—in tighty-whiteys. He charged at the woman, who tried to sidestep past him. I was amazed. How did a mortal know how to fight so well against a monster? She must've been able to see him through the Mist, the magical veil separating the mortal world from the mythological world. Unfortunately for the woman, the Minotaur seemed to anticipate what she was trying to do and grabbed her, squeezing her to death.

"MOM!" the boy screamed.

The woman looked at her son and said in a strangled voice, "Go!"

The Minotaur roared again and clenched his fist around the boy's mother, who exploded into a shower of gold.

"No!" the boy yelled. He stood frozen for a moment, then took off his red raincoat. "Hey!" he yelled at the monster, who was now hovering over the satyr next to Thalia's tree. "Hey, stupid! Ground Beef!"

I would've laughed if the situation weren't so serious. This kid had some nerve.

The Minotaur roared again as the boy waved his raincoat like a Spanish bullfighter. The monster charged at him. At the last second, the boy jumped, turned in the air, and landed on the monster's head. My eyes widened in amazement. This had to be a powerful demigod. Then I winced as the Minotaur ran smack into the pine tree. The monster was trying to shake the boy off. Then I heard a new sound: "Food!" the satyr moaned. The voice sounded just like Grover's. No wonder he looked so familiar. I recalled Grover saying that he'd found a powerful demigod in New York. The boy had to be the one Grover was talking about.

Before the monster could charge Grover, the boy snapped one of his horn's clean off. The Minotaur yelled in pain and threw the boy. Without his hold on the monster, the boy flew through the air and landed hard. My hands flew to my mouth. He sat up holding his head. I needed to get into that fight, to help that kid, to show that I could hold my own against a monster, but it turned out that he didn't need my help. When the monster charged him again, the boy ran him through with the horn he'd pulled off. The Minotaur disintegrated and was gone.

The boy stood there trembling for a moment, then moved toward Grover. As he staggered down into the valley, he broke down into heartbroken sobs. He continually called out for his mother, but was choked off by more bawling.

I finally unfroze from my spot and sprinted toward the Big House. I opened the door. Argus was there, staring at me sternly with his one hundred blue eyes. "Argus, I know it's past curfew, but I just have to tell Chiron something," I said. His many, many blue eyes kept staring at me. He said nothing. "I swear I'll go back to bed afterward. But it's important," I panted.

Argus nodded, so I ran up the stairs to Chiron's room. I pounded on the door and called him name loudly. When Chiron opened the door. He looked down at me. He was in his wheelchair. "Annabeth," he said firmly, "why are you out of bed?"

"Because," I said. "There was a fight outside between a demigod and—"

"The Minotaur," Chiron finished for me. "Yes. In fact I happen to know this particular demigod." He sighed.

"You mean the one that you left to teach?" I asked. When Grover came over Christmas break to tell us about the demigod he'd found, Chiron left to teach at the school the demigod was attending.

"Precisely," Chiron answered. Then he went down the stairs with me right behind him. We went onto the porch and found the boy sitting with his back against the house, Grover beside him. The demigod held his Minotaur horn in his hand. He stared up into the light on the ceiling. He had a dazed look in his eyes, and tears streamed down his cheeks. His eyes caught my attention. They were bright green. His jet-black hair was plastered to his face by the rain. He looked familiar, although I'd never met him before.

But the way he'd killed the Minotaur, and how Grover and Chiron were so concerned with him being a powerful demigod…how the weather had been weird since the winter solstice…as if the gods were fighting. I'd heard the satyrs talking about something being stolen. There were always thunderstorms, and hurricanes. Zeus and Poseidon were angry at each other. I'd been asking for a quest for years, and I had a strong feeling that I'd get one this year. Maybe this boy was the answer to my prayers. "He's the one. He must be," I told Chiron.

I waited for him to agree with me, but Chiron just said, "Silence, Annabeth. He's still conscious. Bring him inside." Ironically, as soon as this was said, the boy's eyes fluttered and rolled back. So much for being "still conscious."

After he was lying down in bed, Chiron came into the room with a bowl of ambrosia. I looked at him. "Chiron, his name's Percy, right?" I asked.

"Why, yes it is. Percy Jackson, in fact," he replied.

"Percy Jackson," I repeated. The boy, Percy, shifted on his sleep, but didn't wake up. Chiron handed me the bowl of ambrosia and a bronze spoon.

"Just keep feeding him small spoons of ambrosia, child," Chiron told me. I nodded, but something was seriously bothering me.

"Chiron," I said, "Do you think he has to do with what happened at the winter solstice?"

"What happened at the winter solstice does not concern him, or you, child," Chiron answered.

"What about the winter solstice?" Grover walked into the room. He looked like he'd had a rough night, which of course, he had.

"Does Percy know anything about it? Or the summer solstice deadline?" I asked Grover.

"I think he overheard me talking to Chiron about it," Grover confessed. He glanced at the sleeping demigod. "Oh man," he sighed. "I hope he'll be okay." He sniffled.

A question crossed my mind. "Grover…was that his mother you two were with last night?"

"Yes…how'd you know that?" he asked slowly.

I told him how I'd watched the fight, and how I'd seen the woman disappear in a golden explosion.

Grover whimpered. "You mean…the Minotaur got her?"

I nodded guiltily. Grover looked ready to burst into tears. And I understood why. This was the second time he'd failed a mission, although I thought it would be a little better this time since Percy was safe inside the borders of camp. "Wait," I said, a smile crossing my face. "If Percy knows anything about the summer solstice deadline, then maybe we can get a quest to figure it out, and—"

Chiron held up his hand. "Annabeth. Enough."

"But something was stolen. Something important to the gods, right?"

"Annabeth." Chiron looked deadly serious. "I said you shouldn't be concerned about that. And you and Percy are too young for a quest. If at any point Percy wakes up, please do not burden him with these questions of yours. The poor boy needs to rest. Do you understand?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but I decided that would've been useless. I sighed. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Chiron turned to Grover. "Come and tell me what happened, young satyr." They left the room, and I was alone with Sleeping Beauty.

He woke up a couple of times, buy he'd look confused and fall back asleep. He slept with his mouth slightly open, which made it easy to spoon-feed him the ambrosia. But he drooled a lot, too. I felt awkward spoon-feeding a kid my age. One time, some ambrosia spilled onto his chin, and I couldn't help smirking as I scraped it off with the spoon.

But the entire time I was with him, I couldn't help thinking about the summer solstice deadline, and the item that was stolen from the gods. Grover had said that he'd overheard them talking about it; maybe he knew something. Only one problem: Chiron had told me not to ask him. But Chiron didn't have to know.

So the next time Percy woke up, I immediately asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

He frowned, his eyes half-open. "What…?" he asked weakly, his voice barely audible.

I quickly glanced at the door, then at the window. If Chiron caught me after he told me not to ask, I'd be in trouble. But I just had to know. Athena always gifted her children with curiosity. So I continued. "What's going on? What was stolen?" We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry, I don't…" his voice trailed off.

There was a knock at the door at the door. My heart skipped a beat. I filled the spoon with ambrosia and stuffed it in the boy's mouth. He made a weak sound of protest, but his eyes closed again. I got up and answered the door. It was Chiron and Argus. "Has Percy woken up yet, child?" Chiron asked.

I was honest. "He woke up a couple of times, but fell asleep again," I told him.

Chiron asked, "You didn't mention the summer solstice to him, did you, child?"

This I wasn't so honest about, but luckily I'm a pretty good liar. "No," I answered. "I didn't have the time to; he only woke up long enough for me to put ambrosia into his mouth."

Chiron didn't look very satisfied, but he nodded. "Argus has come to watch over Percy. You may resume your normal activities."

I bowed to him. Then I headed off to Cabin Six.

If you don't like it, I'll take it down. If you do, I'll keep it up. Tell me what you think about it!

~Mandi2341